I have to admit that I'm not a big hip hop fan. As I got my hands on Friends and Nervous Breakdowns, I'm not going to deny that the main reason I wanted to hear it because it was Coheed and Cambria's drummer. I wouldn't be surprised if Josh Eppard's debut ends up being bought by more indie rock fans than rap fans, simply out of curiosity. If that was why you're thinking of buying it, I'll answer your first question now--yes, this is a straight-up hip hop record and doesn't incorporate many rock elements into it with the exception of an occasional bassline and a guitar riff on "Ordinary Joe." If you were expecting Linkin Park, this isn't the album for you.
The reason I usually don't listen to much rap and hip-hop made in the past ten years is threefold. For one, there is the topics they talk about. While early rap was about social change, talking about getting out of the ghetto and wanting to stop racism, now it's about women and money and little else. On top of that, they've become completely absorbed with their own self-image. The first 20 seconds of so many raps nowadays is just them saying their name repeatedly, and talking about what a great rapper they are. That's not going to happen with other music genres. You don't hear Green Day opening their songs with "Billie Joe here, I'm the best at the punk game, none of y'all can beat me, I'm Billie Joe." Then there is the fact that so many in the hip hop scene barely even rap anymore (Lil' Jon is the most obvious example). So I'm glad to report that Eppard doesn't employ any of these techniques, which puts him above a whole lot of MC's. His music does too.
Simply put, Eppard can rap and his rock background, while it doesn't make an overt appearance in his music, does affect his songs, as the catchy sing-alongs in "My War, Your Problem" and the melody in the midst of the rage in "**** You and Your Filthy A&R Department" will attest to. He delves into political concerns during "In a City With No Name" and rips into corporate music in "God Bless Pepsi," and other songs, such as "Ordinary Joe" and "Conspiracy Theories Without Mel Gibson" show his talent as a lyricist and rapper.
Unlike so many of the self-indulgent rappers all over the radio, Eppard has no problem joking around. The song "Girl, Your Baby's Worm Food," is about a girl who "has a kid every time she farts." When Eppard raps "How come none of the other babies daddies wonder when my kids grow up, yours are gonna rob them," you can't help but laughing out loud. While his humor is often crude, it is pretty funny. The song "The Sitcom Really Really Isn't All that Real" is full of a recording of a fake "realistic" sitcom (including the son saying "Heroin prices are through the roof and my allowance just won't cut it anymore!" after his parents say "Look, it's our little mistake" as he walks in).
The biggest problem with the CD is the length, due to the number of tracks (15) and because some songs drag on far too long. Over an hour for a debut album is a little too ambitious for Weerd Science. With the exception of "The Sitcom Really Really Isn't that Real," the final five songs are very weak-they go on too long and don't really catch anyone's attention. So an 11 or 12 track CD of around 45 minutes would have been much more realistic. Yet too long is far better than too short (that's what the skip button is for), and Friends and Nervous Breakdowns is worth a listen.
3/4
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