Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania (2011) review on DENMARK's UNDERTONER

http://www.undertoner.dk/2011/03/roch-lightweight-bi-polar-mania/

Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania


Af Nicholai Friis Pedersen
05.03.11
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Roch: LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania (2011)

XO Publicity

Musikalske slægtninge: KiD CuDi, Kanye West

Tags: hiphop, rap, Roch, rock, weltschmerz

KiD CuDi har i sin relativt korte karriere allerede haft en imponerende indflydelse på moderne, urban populærmusik. I 2009 var han supervisor og vist også medsangskriver på Kanye Wests autotunede syngeplade 808s & Heartbreak. Og rapperen og sangeren Roch fra New York har uden tvivl også ladet sig inspirere af CuDis blanding af sang, rap, hiphop og rock på sange, der gennem et dybt personligt perspektiv handler om problematisk kærlighed og andre af privatsfærens problematikker.

Årsagen til at CuDi her fremhæves som en dominerende undertekst til newyorker-rapperen Rochs selvfinansierede debutplade LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania er, at skivens blanding af ovenfornævnte ingredienser slet ikke ville give mening, hvis man ikke var klar over, at CuDi tidligere har haft succes med opskriften. Til trods for at Roch er en habil rapper, der uden at skille sig ud fra mængden da også godt kan synge (bortset fra på ”No More Starz” hvor han givetvis efter intention synger skingrende falsk), så fungerer albummet nemlig slet ikke.

Først og fremmest skæmmes helhedsoplevelsen af en mudret produktion, som leder tankerne hen på demooptagelser og medfører, at ingen detaljer i lydbilledet rigtig står frem og kommer til deres ret. Og dér skal det som det allermindste være i orden, hvis man søger at komme op i den liga, hvor folk som KiD CuDi befinder sig. Havde musikken været mere ‘ude i pappet’, ville det givetvis have pyntet lidt på helhedsindtrykket.

Og så er der beatsiden, som med en overflod af plastikagtige, midi-lydende synths, men også organiske soulbreaks og funky basgange, mimer de beatsammensætninger, man har hørt på rigtig mange hiphop-plader de seneste tre år. Derudover indeholder pladen også lige et par ekskurser ud i collagerock, hvilket også var at finde på CuDis seneste plade Man on the Moon II, samt en vaskeægte powerballade (”Another Heart Break”), der ville have egnet sig fint til strandfest, men aldrig skulle have befundet sig på et album.

Tekstmæssigt er vi som implicit udtalt ovre i samme omgang weltschmertz, ulykkelig kærlighed og skildring af kunstnerens forbandelse, som vi har set i overflod på de seneste kommercielle hiphopudgivelser. Hvor folk som Kanye West, KiD CuDi og Cee-Lo Green har personlighed og ikke mindst swagger til at bære det hjem og gøre det interessant, virker det navlepillende og ganske uvedkommende hos Roch – men det er der måske heller ikke noget at sige til, idet de fortvivlelser, der følger med at have et stort ego, nok efterhånden er blevet afdækket.

Der titter dog også nogle ganske udmærkede momenter frem hist og her: Sammensætningen af aggressive rapvers og rockomkvæd i titelnummeret, de fængende omkvæd i ”Something to Tell Ya” og ”A Beautiful Curse” (der låner en melodistump fra Smashing Pumpkins’ ”Disarm”) og den cocky levering af rappen over downsouth-pumpende og -dumpende 808-trommer i ”Hard Times” viser trods alt, at Rochs flair for håndværket ikke fejler noget. Hvor kliché det end lyder, skal han bare finde sin egne niche og lade KiD CuDi om at være KiD CuDi.

ENGLISH:
KiD CuDi has in his relatively short career already had an impressive impact on the modern, urban popular music. In 2009, he was supervisor and see also medsangskriver on Kanye West auto tunede sing plate 808s & heartbreak. And rapper and singer Roch from New York has no doubt inspired by CuDis mixture of song, rap, hip hop and rock on the songs through a deeply personal perspective is about problematic love and other private sfærens issues.

The reason the CuDi here highlighted as a dominant under the text to the old New York rapper Rochs self-financed debut record LightWeight Bi-Polar Mania is that the turntable mixing the ingredients would not make sense, if it was not aware that CuDi have had previous success with the recipe. In spite of the fact that Roch is a clever piece of rapper who, without that stand out from the crowd as well can sing (except on "No More Starz" where he certainly after intention sings skin grende false) so that the works album: not at all.

First and foremost, the overall experience is marred by a muddy production, as leader of the mind onto the demo recordings and leads to no detail in Sonic accuracy really stands forth and come to their right And that's where you'll place the. at the very least be in order, if you are looking to get up in the Leaguewhere people like KiD CuDi is situated. Had the music been more ' out of ' overlap, it would certainly be trimmed a little on the overall impression.

And then there is the beat page, as with an abundance of plastikagtige, midi-sounding synths, but also organic soulbreaks and funky late mimer they beat compositions, we have heard in very many hip hop-plates the last three years. In addition, the plate also contains a few ekskurser out in collage rock, which also was to find the latest on CuDis plate Man on the Moon II, as well as a washing genuine power ballad ("Another Heartbreak"), which would have fit quite well to the beach fest, but should never have been held in an album.

We, as implicit, textual is pronounced the way to the same instance weltschmertz, unhappy love and depiction of the artist's curse, as we have seen in abundance on the most recent commercial hip hop releases. Where people like Kanye West, KiD CuDi and Cee-Lo Green has personality and not least swagger to wear it home and make it interesting, it seems very extraneous and navel pillende of Roch – but there is perhaps nothing to say toSince the fortvivlelser that comes with having a big ego, probably after the hand has been uncovered.

There is, however, also some titter quite excellent moments rather than here and there: the composition of the aggressive rapvers and rock chorus in the title track, the catchy chorus in "Something to Tell Ya" and "A Beautiful Curse" (which borrows a tune butt from the Smashing Pumpkins ' "Disarm") and the cocky delivery of quack over downsouth-pumping and dump end 808-drums in "Hard Times" show, in spite of everythingthat Rochs flair of craftsmanship not fail anything. How cliché it sounds, he simply must find its own niche and let the KiD CuDi to be KiD CuDi.