Wonderful Educated Bear

I've never been into rap. Perhaps that's because all the rap I've been fed via the mainstream is so awful. This album confirms that rap and creativity can coexist.

Athens' Heros Severum sound like a combination of Rage Against the Machine and The B-52's. Eric Friar's style of speak-sing complements Sherryl Branch's background vocals much the way that Fred Schneider's did Kate Pierson's and Cindy Wilson's. It's all placed upon a bed of complex and extremely rocking guitar and synth work, thus leading to a pretty damn original sound. By the end of the first song, I was into it.

Two things could be improved. First is the lyrics, which are overwhelmingly positive -- something I really like about the disc. It seems the whole hip-hop genre was invented to bitch and act tough, so positive (and clever) lyrics are quite welcome. However, they can be a bit cheesy at times. The final chorus of "Hidden in the Words" is the chant, "Don't be afraid to be proud / Hey Hey Hey" and while that's a great message, it's a little high on the old cheese-o-meter (and believe me, I have a high tolerance for cheese).

The second improvement for next time is Branch's melodies. There are only two songs that make good use of a girl who can actually sing: "Grounded… Like a Prop Plane" and "From Foot to Foot." She is put on shout-out duty for the rest, which is a shame. A hip-hop band with a melody vocalist is a rarity; her voice should be given a great melody to sing on every song, just like Pierson's and Wilson's were given.

back to   Posted Dec. 2, 2002. Copyright © 2002 Tim McMahan.
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