Busdriver - Roadkill Overcoat
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www.adequacy.net Rating: 0
Busdriver - real name Regan Farquhar - is an odd specimen to examine and analyze. On the surface, he's the jitteriest, most animated rapper on the scene today; his technique is so riddled with irregularities that if one were able to personify and observe his verbal gait strolling down the street, the character would be in a frenzied episode of shaking, perambulating wildly as appendages flail about unchecked, all the while performing cartwheels and somersaults. It's tempting to grant merit based on delivery (which I can describe only as being analogous to shredding on a guitar) alone, but passing up his unconventional approach to rapping, there's a wealth of substance to be found: his rants, though often verbose, exhibit an incredible vocabulary and are informed not by sources peppy, like his presentation, but rather ones of dissent and agitation, mental sites brimming with the need to speak.When Farquhar is on the top of his game in Roadkillovercoat, his output is unparalleled by any contemporaries. One second, he could be delivering scathing, emphatic commentaries on current culture (“Casting Agents and Cowgirls”), each word as frequent as the flutter of a hummingbird's wings yet as assertive as the greatest orators. Close your ears for but one moment and his flow seemingly rolls into itself, the process comparable to hearing a record which had been playing at 45 RPM abruptly cut back to 33 RPM. Where the album falters, though, is when he actually steps outside of his charming idiosyncrasies and attempts to sing. Unfortunately, this occurs far too often and enough so to put a serious damper on the enjoyment to be found on Roadkillovercoat. The greatest moments on the album come when the outlandish urgency of Farquhar's vocalization meets and deftly accompanies subject matter; for instance, “Less Yes's and More No's” captures Farquhar as a maniacal talking head mid-broadcast, spewing out upon the audience pleas for greater protest and mobilization against national corruption. But, in other songs, when the flow decelerates and takes on a certain conventional air, that urgency is lost, leaving much to be desired. “Go Slow” boasts Bianca Cassidy of CocoRosie, but her airy vocals accompanied by Farquhar's slightly-quicker own exhibit too much atmosphere without even approaching the visceral punch of other, stronger tracks; making the song stand out in the worst of...
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