| From the experimental hip-hop collective Anticon comes a collaborative effort from Sole, Alias, and DJ Mayonnaise: So-Called Artists Paint By Number Songs - a sardonically dystopic twelve song release that plays like the soundtrack to the trip-hop post-apocalypse. The aforementioned album title, the blank easel juxtaposed to the faux wood paneling wall, the argument between two prime numbers on the record centers, all subliminally hint to the dark surrealism and black grooves ingrained onto their plastic vinyl. Alias and Sole demonstrate a dynamic reminiscent of two evil twins laughing at the barren landscape that bred their suffering. Sole's side of the coin is designed with contentious rhymes whilst on the flipside Alias shows a more reflective, pontificating engraving; both vocalists unite into one spinning sphere. Their vocal percussion merges into a cacophonic rhythm, morphing words into beats. DJ Mayonnaise lays out a thick jam for Sole and Alias to wax upon, creating an ambient yet defined sound combining background dissonance, reverberating samples, scratches, and off-kilter drums into a foreboding, ominous soundscape. These So-Called Artists speak of confessions out of the deepest black sea, bleakness emerging head-first out of the subconscious subterrain; paranoia spices their verbalized introversion with refrains like "watch the second hand," song titles like "Someone is Watching" and song themes such as their spin on conspiracy theory in "Token Joyous Tunes About Scorpions and Their Place in Modern Society" where they delineate how they came upon their so-called subterfuge. Sole and Alias also wield a biting derision amidst their interpersonal explorations. The album begins with an introductory personal call-to-arms, then later includes a spiteful mocking tale of war and a battle cry pugnaciously titled "So You Wanna Be Rap Star or Recycling Bin" where Sole knocks 'em down with a verbal fusillade and Alias raises 'em up with an invitation to his scintillating intellect. DJ Mayonnaise speaks as well as this album contains two instrumentals, one being the final track, aptly named "Point of Departure Part" leaving a nonverbal moment for the listener to make cohesion from So-Called Artists' not-so-simple creation. So-Called Artists wield a pungent cynicism born of intellectual disillusionment and a beat like a zombie slowly lurching your way. Throughout the album they use dumbing-down as propping themselves up; by disavowing both criticism and praise, they reiterate their own independence and creativity. - Performer |
2XLP/Out Of Print