(No Ratings Yet)
Loading...Cali, Cali, Cali… Oh they’re from Ontario? Well they certainly had me fooled. Miclordz and Sauce Funky are a canadian rock, rap group who has had the good fortune of being exposed to juggalos through Twiztid and I’ve been introduced in the same way. Though admittedly I could just barely remember them and after this last release I know why. They aren’t bad by any means but they are easily forgotten in the fog KMK leaves behind since the resemblance between their two styles is uncanny at times. The bio on their site claims they’re an “extraordinary” hybrid of hip-hop, rock, and funk and I agree but you’d have to stick a hyphen between “extra” and “ordinary”. They are intensely ordinary. But just so I don’t sound like the asshole I am without justification let’s go point for point, track to track on their newest release “My World”
1. “My World”
The title track begins with guitar strumming and a bass line that reminds me I’ve been neglecting my sublime albums for quite a while. But aside from that the rap basically consists of telling its listeners that they haven’t come all this way to not do what they do best and who can blame them, the industry be a cruel mistress, yarg. It’s the same kind of “we shall prevail” anthem we as juggalos are pretty used to. The actuall rap skill behind it though is pretty bland and basic. The musicianship is just fine and the production value is great as it is through the rest of the album. I really liked the guitar “solo” toward the end. I put that in quotation marks because it’s hard to actually define as a solo since it was only a 4 note variance but the way those strings sang was really pleasant.
5 / 10
2. “1 A.M.”
Damn you guys! This track is infectious. The driving riff has been stuck in my head for hours and the bass line is just as loop worthy. But, I have to be a dick about something and that thing is the vocals. Why is it absolutely necessary to add extra syllables and “Y”s on to words as if it makes it have more style magically. That was the biggest problem with rock in the 90’s. Remember Pearl Jam and Creed? I didn’t want to either. They sprinkle this through the rest of the album and it makes me roll my eyes but I can get over it. Rapping is still pretty “meh” but he’s emphatic in all of the right places so I can’t say it’s bad but I’m not ready to say I’m impressed by it. They also succeeded in making me miss Zug Izland. Where for art thou Syn?
7 / 10
3. “Ready For War”
The comparison to Rage Against The Machine in their bio was pretty apt since this track could easily be a cover. Right down to the screaming back up vocals. Or even *gulp* a Limp Bizkit cover. Look, I’m a huge fan of thrash and groove metal and this song made go “really?” consistently throughout the track. Come on.
4 / 10
4. “My World & Nothing To Me (Acoustic)”
Why? Why do these need to be here? I’ll admit that I have a personal prejudice against accoustic versions of songs, but at this point in their career why waste two perfectly good slots on a gimmick? If I have to say anything about either it’s that on Nothing To Me, whoever was singing the high note on the chorus should really stop doing that. It’s outside of your comfortable range and it hurts to hear.
2 / 10
5. “Live from University of Windsor”
Awesome use of the Wah pedal and once again shows us that the skill at work behind the instruments is high class. I heard the drummer slip just slightly off beat but it’s easy to miss so it’s negligible in an other wise great performance. Which gives me an opportunity to speak of their live show, they were great! They keep the audience on their toes and participate excellently, which makes the fact that the work on their album (teetering on the edge of par and sub par) to be all the more depressing. But it’s SO SHORT. It’s recorded perfectly and I could have gone for another several minutes of it. Please sirs, can I have some more?
8 / 10
6. “Scattered and Torn”
A down tempo album exit is served here and the girl trouble theme is relatable to anyone but it isn’t done especially well. It’s just about being stressed out and angry, just as literal as ever. The harmonies are boring since they can be barely considered that, being that everyone is singing the exact same thing on the same notes. Plus, as an added bonus, holding notes doesnt seem to be the lead vocalists forte either. When they fade out of the held notes, the transition is awkward and comes across like it’s awkward for them too. The saving grace is the guitar solo, great work sir. You should really think about joining a band or something.
4 / 10
The Final Word: I’m honestly torn by these guys. The rapping isn’t memorable and can drag a song down sometimes and the style in which they write their music isn’t their own. But it stands to reason that they execute perfectly fine. Look ninjas, here’s the deal. If you see their name on the marquee somewhere, please go. If not for them, then at least go for how they set up the headliner. If you’re a KMK fan, give their album a shot. You might not be nearly as critical as me about your music and in that sense these guys are just fine.
Length:
- 26 Minutes
Record Label:
- N/A
Release Date:
- 11/18/2011
No comments yet
You must be logged in to post a comment.