Rack Monkey swinging from the 7" shelves

03/08/02

Mercifully free from any agenda other than the musical, the stars of Peanut Butter Wolf’s Stones Throw label Lootpack have been namechecked by the likes of D’Angelo and The Roots’ ?uestlove, which gives you a reasonable idea what to expect from On Point. The piano and bass sound live (they’re not, it’s crate-digger Madlib’s tasty production), the beats are solid and the obligatory we’re-the-best-crew message never strays into empty bravado; not sure if spelling out your rhymes letter-by-letter qualifies as showing off, but at least they’re trying. It does sound strangely insubstantial – arguably more an exceptionally good skit than a complete tune – but the b-side, a Madlib remix of 1999’s Questions, works just as well, and if natural, organic-sounding hip-hop is your boat this alleged rarity should float it admirably. www.stonesthrow.com We need a little controversy, apparently. And if Eminem had the slightest idea how regularly his raps are being appropriated for bootlegs he’d fill courtrooms with the stuff. The Bastard Pop formula’s blatant disregard for copyright is more of a statement and a

darn sight more controversial than the urban cabaret he generally fields, but in practice it makes for a predictable, repetitive listen at best; if you’re heard the title, you’ve heard the tune. Mister Fitzpop's This Charming Slim Shady, a mash-up of This Charming Man and The Real Slim Shady, may be one of the most gratifyingly inappropriate juxtapositions yet attempted but it’s no exception. The Monkey picked it up purely out of morbid fascination and was unsurprised to find it sounding like what it is: one of the greatest riffs of all time with a fuckwit rhyming over it. More amusing than the competition, but only for about fifteen seconds. mrfitzpop@yahoo.co.uk Having picked that up in Rough Trade, I got the affable chap counterside to run through the rest of the recent releases – and after being offered a 7 by The Rapture, currently responsible for keeping the cream in the NME’s jeans, and a slice of ‘Industrial Reggae’ (which I dutifully gave a listen – honestly, you wouldn’t have believed it) settled on a couple from the freaks, pranksters and arseholes at Irritant Records. Knifehandchop’s Hooked On Ebonics has been on the shelves for a good couple of weeks, and should go down well with anyone who thinks it’s a shame Fischerspooner never worked with The Bloodhound Gang – a childish and infectious bit of Electro with a hyperactive hip-hop sample and a polite nod to rave, it all feels a bit whimsical and pointless at first but works up to a manic pace you can’t refuse. And if you enjoy that, the flip plays a similar game with an Acid flavour. Can’t say fairer, can you? Also available on Irritant, and a much more ‘difficult’ listen, is Henry Kissinger War Criminal, a five-track compilation featuring VzR, Brigette et Brigette, Dance Chromatic & Pisstank and The Mercy Fucks. It consists of a certain amount of industrial-strength noise, and a roughly equal amount of trash culture detrius – the between-song banter from limp horror-rockers Merciful Fate (‘alright, we’re gonna burn down the holy cross…the next song is called Into The Coven’) which is nothing short of hilarious; U.S. adverts for firearm conventions and penis enlargement surgery; and answering machine messages about guys that look like chicks. The standout is Duran Duran Duran’s Who Gonna Survive America?, a sinister, abrasive number with a robust breakbeat. You suspect there’s more than a little anti-U.S. sentiment on display; if it’s controversy you’re after this angry little package could ruffle feathers Marshall never knew we had. www.irritantrecords.com www.the-echo.com Previous Rack Monkeys: July 2002

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