Prolyphic and Reanimator: Artist Goes Pop
Strange Famous Records

Raw and gritty hip-hop from Prolyphic and Reanimator, the first group signed to Strange Famous Records. Abetted by Sage Francis, B. Dolan, and Alias, the duo takes no prisoners on its debut single (a teaser to The Ugly Truth full-length) and fearlessly spews vitriol in the direction of consumer culture and sell-outs of various stripes. Ostensibly a scathing indictment of mainstream music-making, “Artist Goes Pop” barrels out of the gate with a child-like carousel motif splintered by a towering head-nodding groove and rapper Prolyphic's biting rhymes into a thousand fragments. Reanimator powers “Survived Another Winter” with a low-down funk groove that nicely serves the angry diatribe Prolyphic and guests Sage Francis, B. Dolan, and Alias deliver, attacking those who head West in search of fame (“Because I'd rather fill my lungs with chimney smoke / As opposed to California smog that always seem to make me choke”). Buoyed by a woozy piano loop, a double-time hi-hat pulse, and raunchy guitar riffing, Prolyphic performs somersaults in the only non-album cut “Salt.” The 12-inch's B-side serves up instrumental versions of the three tracks that are just as satisfying as the vocal takes as they enable the listener to more easily appreciate Reanimator's solid production and programming skills. Minus the frenetic vocalizing, the material feels slightly calmer and therefore goes down a little more easily too—“Salt” even includes a harp and flute(!) break near its end.

June 2008