So Rusko’s album dropped earlier this week, and though it turned out to be nearly everything I expected it to be, I couldn’t help but find myself feeling disappointed. Why? I’m struggling to figure it out myself, because having made a list of everything I don’t like about it, I’ve realized that all the items in the list are simultaneously the reasons that I fell in love with the guy’s music in the first place.
- The album doesn’t take itself the least bit seriously
- Each track is a completely new idea, and has nothing to do with the ones settled around it
- Rusko tends to wander bit too far out of his comfort zone
- The synths are cheezy
- The spontaneous talk-boxing throughout the album makes the album sound like half the ideas were contributed by a confused Peter Frampton
How is it possible that every single item on the list of reasons I don’t like Rusko’s album is also on the list of reasons that I love Rusko? What kind of sense does that make?
But then it hit me: It’s the album concept that’s ruining it for me. We’ve been trained by the music industry to expect albums to be audio journeys that carry us from track to track. We expect albums to tell stories and paint pictures and use common sounds. Rusko’s album literally does none of that, and you know what? I’m pretty sure he is fully and completely aware of that fact. I think he did it on purpose. I mean, after all, the album is entitled O.M.G.. Far be it from me to claim the exact origins, but I personally have interpreted it to represent everything from this cultureless, soulless, metephorless, blatently text-based generation we belong to, to simply the “O face” we all make when that epic single happens to find its way onto the hype machine. Rusko didn’t put out an album; He put out 14 tracks at the same time. And had those 14 tracks made their way onto my computer by means of a combination of music blogs, promos, and RCRDLBL releases, they would have sketched a completely different image it my mind.
Next time I go to see the guy, I’m going to head out, fully expecting to see the mohawk sporting, neon glasses wearing, single dropping Brit I’ve come to love, and in all honesty, if he tries to tries to make my night into a “musical journey,” I’m gonna be a little ticked. Let’s leave that for Pink Floyd. I just wanna show people my bass face.
Here’s a tip: Grab Rusko‘s album, but before listening to the tracks, go through and delete the album name and track number from each file. That way, when you listen, it’ll be like hearing Jahova for the first time all over again: guaranteed.
Oh and the talk-boxing I half-heartedly picked on earlier? I lied. It’s straight steezy, and it’s just about the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
