Greg Dona
03/20/06, 05:25 PM
MC Lars assumes numerous styles throughout his latest disc The Graduate. The often lighthearted and humorous Lars preaches on many tracks throughout the course of the album, and his styles fluctuate often as well. Some songs even play out as simple narrations or ballads. With such opposing tracks, one wonders how MC Lars pigeonholes himself as a “post-punk laptop rapper” and member of the “iGeneration” so readily.
In order to enjoy the music of Lars, one must first know about his lyrics. The record begins with a soft, slow strum on “Download This Song,” which features Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup. Emphasizing the ancient mannerisms of record labels, Lars suggests a label-free future looms nearby and that download sales will soon be the overwhelmingly regular medium of music purchase. It takes MC Lars only two songs, however, to produce the first of the aforementioned humorous tracks. Lars duels with roommate Satan (mc chris) about the most trivial of issues from helium balloons to Nickelback posters. “21 Concepts” chronicles 21 scrapped song ideas, and “Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock” returns to the preachy method to urge listeners to realize that, as the title suggests, Hot Topic is not, in fact, punk rock. “Rapgirl” reminisces about the perfect girl, and “Generic Crunk Rap” calls out the exploding subgenre. “Ahab” provides Spark Notes for Moby Dick, and “iGeneration” lays out the premise Lars hammer home so often that we as a generation are different in our upbringing with constant internet access and looming problems with new worldwide issues. “If I Had a Time Machine, That Would Be Fresh” provides a history lesson, “Internet Relationships” warns of the dangers of online dating, “Space Game” returns to comedy, “The Dialogue” is a wide-ranging talk regarding multiple issues with hip-hop inspiration Ill Bill, and “Six Degrees of Kurt Cobain” serves as an MC Lars version of People magazine by keeping us all updated on the pop-culture news leading to a Kurt Cobain cover. It is fitting of course that Lars end as he began in calling out the recording industry with a track, “Signing Emo,” exposing the superficial ways of labels.
Lars’s music shifts as often as does his lyrical style. The first track is upbeat and fun while the second contrasts with darker swings during mc chris’s signature wails. “21 Concepts” uses the Tetris theme song as background music for a slow beat and the ensuing “Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock” is hardly a hip hop song, but rather an all-out punk brawl featuring the Matches. Slower tracks seem to be the weak point of MC Lars’s raps, as “Rapgirl” proceeds with too little pace for Lars to achieve his peak flow. “Generic Crunk Rap” seems to have sacrificed its musical integrity to drive home the point illustrating crunk’s hand in the demise of modern hip hop. It is borderline unlistenable, instead using even the beat to attack the subgenre made popular by artists such as Lil’ Jon. MC Lars is at his best on faster rhymes such as those on “Ahab,” “iGeneration,” and “Space Game.” He seems to hit his stride with greater ease and a more natural disposition when maintaining a quick pace, whereas slower tracks come off as more stressed and awkward. “Singing Emo” once again uses the music to create art that more effectively expresses the lyrical views, as Lars adds screams to accompany screamo themes persistent on the track.
When listening to MC Lars’s latest efforts on The Graduate, one is hard-pressed to determine which is more impressive: the lyrics or the music itself. Lars’s incredible versatility in both arenas allows for enjoyable listens for both hip hop fans and detractors alike. A recent Stanford graduate, Lars shows through his writing impressive literacy in showcasing both his expansive vocabulary and knowledge of literature in dissecting Moby Dick and name-dropping influential authors such as Franz Kafka and Joseph Conrad. Diverse beats with an electronic laptop feel display musical literacy as well. For a man who seems so bent on labeling himself, Lars is surprisingly genre-defiant.
In order to enjoy the music of Lars, one must first know about his lyrics. The record begins with a soft, slow strum on “Download This Song,” which features Jaret Reddick of Bowling for Soup. Emphasizing the ancient mannerisms of record labels, Lars suggests a label-free future looms nearby and that download sales will soon be the overwhelmingly regular medium of music purchase. It takes MC Lars only two songs, however, to produce the first of the aforementioned humorous tracks. Lars duels with roommate Satan (mc chris) about the most trivial of issues from helium balloons to Nickelback posters. “21 Concepts” chronicles 21 scrapped song ideas, and “Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock” returns to the preachy method to urge listeners to realize that, as the title suggests, Hot Topic is not, in fact, punk rock. “Rapgirl” reminisces about the perfect girl, and “Generic Crunk Rap” calls out the exploding subgenre. “Ahab” provides Spark Notes for Moby Dick, and “iGeneration” lays out the premise Lars hammer home so often that we as a generation are different in our upbringing with constant internet access and looming problems with new worldwide issues. “If I Had a Time Machine, That Would Be Fresh” provides a history lesson, “Internet Relationships” warns of the dangers of online dating, “Space Game” returns to comedy, “The Dialogue” is a wide-ranging talk regarding multiple issues with hip-hop inspiration Ill Bill, and “Six Degrees of Kurt Cobain” serves as an MC Lars version of People magazine by keeping us all updated on the pop-culture news leading to a Kurt Cobain cover. It is fitting of course that Lars end as he began in calling out the recording industry with a track, “Signing Emo,” exposing the superficial ways of labels.
Lars’s music shifts as often as does his lyrical style. The first track is upbeat and fun while the second contrasts with darker swings during mc chris’s signature wails. “21 Concepts” uses the Tetris theme song as background music for a slow beat and the ensuing “Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock” is hardly a hip hop song, but rather an all-out punk brawl featuring the Matches. Slower tracks seem to be the weak point of MC Lars’s raps, as “Rapgirl” proceeds with too little pace for Lars to achieve his peak flow. “Generic Crunk Rap” seems to have sacrificed its musical integrity to drive home the point illustrating crunk’s hand in the demise of modern hip hop. It is borderline unlistenable, instead using even the beat to attack the subgenre made popular by artists such as Lil’ Jon. MC Lars is at his best on faster rhymes such as those on “Ahab,” “iGeneration,” and “Space Game.” He seems to hit his stride with greater ease and a more natural disposition when maintaining a quick pace, whereas slower tracks come off as more stressed and awkward. “Singing Emo” once again uses the music to create art that more effectively expresses the lyrical views, as Lars adds screams to accompany screamo themes persistent on the track.
When listening to MC Lars’s latest efforts on The Graduate, one is hard-pressed to determine which is more impressive: the lyrics or the music itself. Lars’s incredible versatility in both arenas allows for enjoyable listens for both hip hop fans and detractors alike. A recent Stanford graduate, Lars shows through his writing impressive literacy in showcasing both his expansive vocabulary and knowledge of literature in dissecting Moby Dick and name-dropping influential authors such as Franz Kafka and Joseph Conrad. Diverse beats with an electronic laptop feel display musical literacy as well. For a man who seems so bent on labeling himself, Lars is surprisingly genre-defiant.