Welcome to Anthem Land 2005.
Outkast took the world on with their fresh take on the blend of rock, southern style hip-hop and funk (not that Limp Biscuit, rap/rock crap), complete with wild outfits that expressed their out-there musical persona, complete with bright yellow pants and hot pink wigs.
EL PUS has now arrived, throwing an alley cat into a Mexican cockfight, knocking their MC skills around at tea time with Alice in Wonderland, ripping rock ‘n’ roll with the psychedelic excitement of Tommy’s Anne Margaret, and a big sound that rivals the cast of thousands in Polyphonic Spree.
The danger is if you happen to slide Hoodlum Rock into your car’s CD player, you may cause traffic when you abandon your vehicle in pursuit of shaking your booty. While there are good times abound, listen my young thang ‘cause MCs Cosmo and Cufi has gotz something ta say, especially on the endearing “Days of the BK’s,” which looks back at the simpler childhood days and summer nights when they had “tricked out bikes…had to be home at the street lights…and now those days are gone.”
I can’t help but giggle when I hear the intros, like the one for “Madame Senobia” where old men share stories that rival the banter in the movie “Barber Shop” and the blues man on the beloved “In Living Color” television show. “Suburb Thuggin’” takes a blazing ska approach to finally taking a stab at the hoodlum wanna be’s, the Josh’s and the Justins’ living at home with their mom and hanging out at 7-11, desperately wanting to live out a 50 Cent lifestyle, and completely ignorant of what really goes on in the streets…like dying at a young age. Their ties to rock appear throughout, but are apparent in “Slot Machine” that echoes a riff resemblance to Nirvana’s “About A Girl,” even if it was done unintentionally.
Made up of five members with organics and dial-eclectic toys, this EL PUS Atlanta crew is taking the best of the best when it comes to musical styles from the grocery aisle, nabbing infectious funk, ska horns, hip-hop groove and a large dose of the thrashing guitars to make it their own “Thing Thing.” With the warmer weather hitting Colorado this week, Hoodlum Rock is the fitting anthem to the birth of spring. So open up those windows, let the sweet breeze in and turn up the dial baby, ‘cause this EL PUS trip is too good not to share it with the neighborhood.
