Prefuse 73: "With Dirt And Twoo Texts (Afternoon Version)"

Holy deja-vu. Not 12 months ago I had been sitting at my desk, quietly pontificating to an acquaintance of mine about the ramifications of the Liberal sponsorship scandal, gently sipping my tea and munching my biscuits, when seemingly out of nowhere the 1000 km/h molten rocket from the heavens, better known as the latest Prefuse 73 album, collided stalwartly with my DSL connection. OMG HOLY SHIT OMG, I was heard to cry. The track list, of course, had been a gripping conversation piece for quite some time. EL-P, Gza, The Books, Ghostface; the names leapt from the page like a finely crafted R.L. Stine holo-book. A who’s who of both production and vox, if you will. As it turns out, that was only a mere moment before the brouhaha fizzled. Few will dispute this story’s tragic denouement; with Herren’s manic anti-piracy theatrics taking precedence over the topsy-turvy performance he put forth on the album. But alas, the show must go on.

Oh how things have changed. Stella Artois in place for Earl Grey, it was through lethargic p2p browsing that I came across this intriguing little arrangement. Where were the promos, the press shots, the buzz? Could it be that the much maligned producer had quietly recorded his repartee right under our noses? I had to find out, no matter how horrifying the knee-jerk web response could prove to be. First taking a minute to brush off his scatter-sample fletchings, Herren settles comfortably back into the role of glitchy beat collagist, detuning up a high grade of fuzzed out keys and wafting consonance. With grabby drum sputterings to clasp it all together, you might even find yourself a nice groove. Rest assured this is not the repentance to cleanse all sins, but at the very least it’s a sign of change to give hope for the future. The Liberals mind you, are still in trouble.