kevinAIWW
01/08/10, 01:28 PM
Chronic Future - Lines in My Face
Record Label: Interscope
Release Date: June 22, 2004
Do you like Eminem? Atmosphere? Do you like punk-rock? Do you like five note songs that are catchy as fuck? Then you have fallen into the world that is Chronic Future, a rap/rock group that has been around for as long as I can even remember.
I don't have much of a history for anyone, but not many people know this band. I'll get right into the review.
Lines in My Face opens up with a funky rap drum beat with a reggae sounding guitar chord progression. It sounds like any Gym Class Heroes song, except these men were around before Gym Class were even gossiped about by your local scene kids that listen to nothing but rap nowadays. Anyway, the song is called "Time and Time Again," which got the band on the ball for the first time in their nine years, at that point, of being a band. Mike Busse, being the lead vocalist-- well, co-lead vocalist actually-- raps with a passion, and with the sound of his main influence, Atmosphere, using words such as, "I'm not dividing me from you, cause we're working together. Perfect in it's splendor like the currents of the weather. The splinter in my center hindering all of my pleasure, is pretty manifested with you in this endeavor." As you can see, he seems passionate though he has a very plain and single-toned voice and the rhyme scheme of a more realistic and mature Owl City. Once you take his vocals and converge them with a punk-rock group, you get an extremely catchy, and repeated chorus with only four chords, and two-part harmony singing. The harsh rapper can sing just as well as he can rhyme. It's your average, original early-2000s verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2) style, which is very much missed.
The album moves into "World Keeps Spinning," a groovy acoustic track incorporating bongos as well as a fast paced feel, and again, the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2) style we all love-- nothing more, nothing less.
"Shellshocked" became, after a dispute over whether or not it should be used, the third track on Lines. The song consists of very little of the band's hip-hop antics, but has a huge emotional sound and a sad, minor tone. With words like "Who are you to say to me that I'm not alright? You don't know what it's like. No I'm not alright," it's obvious that Busse was having some issues that many tweens who aren't getting their way can relate to. This song contains the least rhyming on the album, with a mere ten-second rock bridge where Busse unleashes his "fury" (for lack of a better word).
"Stop Pretending" brought out the character that is Chronic Future. Unbiased, it is my favorite track on Lines. The chorus is a bit juvenile, but the verses really show the emotions of the rest of the band, with sensible up-and-down stroke picking on clean guitars, a rap beat with the perfect rock edge, added piano for emphasis, and the soothing yet carefree, and well-thought rhyming of Busse. At some parts, he's speaking so fast that no one can catch what he is saying until they read the lyrics.
"New York, NY" is a song much like "Stop Pretending," but in itself, it is completely different. It's one of those things you have to listen to in order to hear all of the subtle differences.
"Thank You" has to be the most repetitive song on Lines, repeating "I wanna go for a walk outside with you," in many instances. The song has a very easy sound to it and makes for a good break from intense hip-punk-rock. The standout in the song are the very soft vocals, almost as if it were a drone.
"Memories in F Minor" is easily comparable to the leading track on the album, "Time and Time Again," only once again, the message is completely different.
"Wicked Games" has earned the band much fame by being included in TV shows such as CSI: Miami, and an underground movie about a paintball player (what?). Anyhow, the song packs on the emotion again. This emotion thing is starting to sound redundant, but the song is about the bitter loss of a girlfriend. Again, there's little to no rap or rhyme from Busse, who now seems to be the 'most valuable player' on Lines in My Face. The song is well structured and well thought out. The only downside is the end, which is a hidden track, in which muffled hip-hop is played while Matt Busse thunders rhymes, which kills the mood for the song itself.
I'm only getting into the songs that mean anything to me on the album, which is a little bit more than half of Lines in My Face. But all in all, being a child when I had first heard it, it's bound to stick with me.
I'd say this is a must have in your collection if you're in the mood for any jacked-up band that isn't very comparable to anyone else in their time-slot.
Fall out Boy on acid, Gym Class Heroes, White rappers, whining, CSI: Miami, and of course verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2)
Record Label: Interscope
Release Date: June 22, 2004
Do you like Eminem? Atmosphere? Do you like punk-rock? Do you like five note songs that are catchy as fuck? Then you have fallen into the world that is Chronic Future, a rap/rock group that has been around for as long as I can even remember.
I don't have much of a history for anyone, but not many people know this band. I'll get right into the review.
Lines in My Face opens up with a funky rap drum beat with a reggae sounding guitar chord progression. It sounds like any Gym Class Heroes song, except these men were around before Gym Class were even gossiped about by your local scene kids that listen to nothing but rap nowadays. Anyway, the song is called "Time and Time Again," which got the band on the ball for the first time in their nine years, at that point, of being a band. Mike Busse, being the lead vocalist-- well, co-lead vocalist actually-- raps with a passion, and with the sound of his main influence, Atmosphere, using words such as, "I'm not dividing me from you, cause we're working together. Perfect in it's splendor like the currents of the weather. The splinter in my center hindering all of my pleasure, is pretty manifested with you in this endeavor." As you can see, he seems passionate though he has a very plain and single-toned voice and the rhyme scheme of a more realistic and mature Owl City. Once you take his vocals and converge them with a punk-rock group, you get an extremely catchy, and repeated chorus with only four chords, and two-part harmony singing. The harsh rapper can sing just as well as he can rhyme. It's your average, original early-2000s verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2) style, which is very much missed.
The album moves into "World Keeps Spinning," a groovy acoustic track incorporating bongos as well as a fast paced feel, and again, the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2) style we all love-- nothing more, nothing less.
"Shellshocked" became, after a dispute over whether or not it should be used, the third track on Lines. The song consists of very little of the band's hip-hop antics, but has a huge emotional sound and a sad, minor tone. With words like "Who are you to say to me that I'm not alright? You don't know what it's like. No I'm not alright," it's obvious that Busse was having some issues that many tweens who aren't getting their way can relate to. This song contains the least rhyming on the album, with a mere ten-second rock bridge where Busse unleashes his "fury" (for lack of a better word).
"Stop Pretending" brought out the character that is Chronic Future. Unbiased, it is my favorite track on Lines. The chorus is a bit juvenile, but the verses really show the emotions of the rest of the band, with sensible up-and-down stroke picking on clean guitars, a rap beat with the perfect rock edge, added piano for emphasis, and the soothing yet carefree, and well-thought rhyming of Busse. At some parts, he's speaking so fast that no one can catch what he is saying until they read the lyrics.
"New York, NY" is a song much like "Stop Pretending," but in itself, it is completely different. It's one of those things you have to listen to in order to hear all of the subtle differences.
"Thank You" has to be the most repetitive song on Lines, repeating "I wanna go for a walk outside with you," in many instances. The song has a very easy sound to it and makes for a good break from intense hip-punk-rock. The standout in the song are the very soft vocals, almost as if it were a drone.
"Memories in F Minor" is easily comparable to the leading track on the album, "Time and Time Again," only once again, the message is completely different.
"Wicked Games" has earned the band much fame by being included in TV shows such as CSI: Miami, and an underground movie about a paintball player (what?). Anyhow, the song packs on the emotion again. This emotion thing is starting to sound redundant, but the song is about the bitter loss of a girlfriend. Again, there's little to no rap or rhyme from Busse, who now seems to be the 'most valuable player' on Lines in My Face. The song is well structured and well thought out. The only downside is the end, which is a hidden track, in which muffled hip-hop is played while Matt Busse thunders rhymes, which kills the mood for the song itself.
I'm only getting into the songs that mean anything to me on the album, which is a little bit more than half of Lines in My Face. But all in all, being a child when I had first heard it, it's bound to stick with me.
I'd say this is a must have in your collection if you're in the mood for any jacked-up band that isn't very comparable to anyone else in their time-slot.
Fall out Boy on acid, Gym Class Heroes, White rappers, whining, CSI: Miami, and of course verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus(x2)