| This record might as well be called Soundtrack of the Lunatic Fringe. I'm not talking about the left-of-center politics in Circus's lyrics (though there's enough conspiracy theorism in the album cover alone to get a scoff out of any Republican); throw a rock in a gathering of artists and you'll hit five damn bleedin' heart Commie liberals. No, I'm referring to the dude's obsession with aliens; song titles like "We Are Not Alone" and "Biblical Proof of UFOs" are just the beginning. In the hands of someone less artful, the subject matter of some of these tracks could have been about as riveting as the guy on the corner preaching extraterrestrial and/or government-engendered apocalypse. But while Circus probably isn't paying the bills with his mouth, he has a hell of a lot better diction than an unmedicated schizophrenic. He also has Andre Afram Asmar producing. Asmar's hallucinogenic world-beat hip-hop is mixed with tweaked-out dub echoes and a vast library of fun-filled vocal and instrumental samples (including the infamous Dubya quote about how his job would be "a heckuva lot easier" if America were a dictatorship). The effect is disconnectedly, paranoia-inducingly groovy. Not all of Circus's rhymes (given his style, I use that word very loosely) focus on the outer world (or other worlds). "Club Lights" is an open letter to the girl whose daddy, among other associates, only wanted the best for her - the best apparently not including "an emcee such as myself." "Sir Romancealot" outlines a courtship of sorts ("Girl someday when I get paid / I'm gonna cash my check and take you out"), offered in response to a woman's accusation of lyrical misogyny. Other tracks, like "Smell the Roses" and "Bully," attack unequal distribution of resources and war-mongering fuckheads, respectively. If you're apolitical or you're one of Splendid's two Conservative readers, Circus's strident take on just about everything will probably interfere with your enjoyment of this record. Similarly, if you like your beats danceable and your lyrics rhyming, Gawd Bless the Faceless Cowards disjointed rhythms and random musings might freak you out. That would be a shame, because you'd miss out on a very interesting album. - Splendid |
2XLP/Out Of Print