Customer Reviews

Nerdcore Rising

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been listening to MC Frontalot for quite a while, downloading all his free music. Then he releases his CD, and I figure, "Well, I have all his other songs, I don't really need a CD." But I listen to the new single "Charity Case" and I felt like I owed it to the guy; after all, he's been providing great music for free. So I bought the CD, and it was incredible.

"Charity Case" - A song about why you should buy the CD, and free for download on http://www.frontalot.com/. I really like this song.
"Goth Girls" - My all-time favorite MC Frontalot song. Great beat, better vocals, nice rhyming and lyrics.
"Pr0n Song" - A song about internet pornography. Not for the prim and proper, but overall hilarious (if somewhat risqué).
"Yellow Lasers" - A version of a classic MC Frontalot song. I like this album remix version better. It just feels like it clicks better, and sounds cleaner
"This Old Man" - A very amusing song about getting older; nice beat and rhymes.
"Nerdcore Rising" - Similar to "Nerdcore Hiphop" only in that they both revolve around the nerdcore genre. This song isn't my favorite, but is pretty solid. Features a guest vocals by MC Hawking and Jesse Dangerously.
"Which MC Was That?" - Not very different from the original free version. It's slightly better delivered and produced, but not very noticeably so.
"Penny Arcade Theme" - Though the chorus sounds almost identical to the free original, the rest of the vocals are significantly improved, resulting in a much better song.
"Floating Bridge" - I never particularly liked the original, but the Nercore Rising version is so superior that it made me like the song.
"Hassle: The Dorkening" - If you know which card game this is referring to, you'll probably love this song. If not, you probably won't be so crazy about it. On its own, it's a decent song; however the joke makes it hilarious.
"Crime Spree" - I've always been a big fan of the original and live versions of this song, and perhaps that makes me a bias towards them. I like the live version the best (the vocals are clearer), and I would rank this song slighty under the original.
"Special Delivery" - A protest song about politics and war. This is probably my second favorite Frontalot song. This version is noticably different and superior to the original and live versions, but extremely similar to the the free Misson Accomplished version.
"Message No. 419" - Another great song. This album version is moderately improved over the original.
"I Heart Fags" - The only MC Frontalot song which I don't love. I didn't like the original so much, and the same remains true for this version. In its defense, the beat is very nice, and the vocals are well delivered. I just (personally) don't like the lyrics.
"Braggadocio" - Considered the original song solid, but not great. The song still isn't outstanding, but it's a lot better than it was.
"Indier Than Thou" - This a excellent song about independent artists. The original was great, and this (updated) album version is even better.

The Front's debut CD is fantastic. Each cut sounds excellent, and the new versions of classic demo tracks are superb. The CD, from the artwork to the sound, is all very pro. If you enjoy hiphop with humor and a very geeky sensibility, or music that's just plain FUN, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy ASAP!

As a longtime fan of MC Frontalot, I can assure you that he's still 'got it'. The album is great, the six new tracks particularly so.
The ten old songs are also great, but the Front's obvious self-conscious addiction to diction and enunciation whilst re-recording them makes them sound a bit stilted.

This is a solid album. MC Frontalot has stewed in the depths of the interweb for too long, and this is a very respectable first release for him. From start to finish, this new album is great fun, with brilliant instrumentals, whether it be the awesome mixes by the Baddd Spellah or the intense cello solos. Can't wait for his sophomore release.

O hell yes. What a treat this CD is.
Nothin but funfunfun. Clever, witty lyrics, great rhymes and beats.
You will NOT regret buying this.

"Never has a little boy sat so alone at his computer and busted out such inconceivably thick rhymes. MC Frontalot has tapped the zeitgeist. It is with good reason that he is so very famous and rich." - Noam Chomsky

Well, maybe not but Frontalot is truly fun stuff that speaks to me. I've been sliding off music for the past couple of years. I dip my toes in every once in a while but nothing's really been exciting. Not in the way that the Pixies or Joy Division or the Police captured my imagination. Then, one day, I stumbled across a mention of Frontalot on slashdot. Looking him up, I became immediately addicted. Sad as it may seem, the material really resonates. I struggle a bit using that word, because you should only used in conjunction with life-threatening events masquerading as nostalgia. Yet, there it is. I gamed. I made fun of the lesser geeks who (just) played Magic. I recall my parents' disco tendencies. I had an Atari 800XL. I'm friends with grown adults who inhabit sci-fi conventions. I've lusted after goth girls, and it's possible that I've downloaded porn sometime in my life. So yeah, his stuff resonates. Just remember - he's not parody, just really funny.

(Footnote: I don't lump frontalot in the same league as Joy Division et al, but I do include him in the group of bands I've emotionally reacted to.)

I always wanted to give Penny Arcade a big kiss and hug for introducing me to Mr. Frontalot. How cool it was to hear respectable rhymes rooted so deeply in geek culture. Where else will you hear a deftly crafted tune that lampoons Star Wars ubergeeks and giggles at internet fetish porn, all at the same time? The spearhead of the "nerdcore" genre is where. A great deal of Frontalot's appeal, for me, was the picture of one guy, sitting at his PC, churning out music that was actually good enough to give some current acts a run for their money. Thing is, part of that appeal also laid in how....real it sounded. Raw, like it wasn't over-produced, upbeat and catchy. Then came the CD....

Proud to support a great artist, and thrilled to have all of my favorite tunes on an official disc, I popped it in and said...."Huh?" What's with all the remakes? Songs that had the cool vibe of a geek just being cool are now very laid back, almost boring. Instead of being fun, they're now "arty" (for lack of a better term), with the upbeat backgrounds replaced with a mellow, retooled sound. Where did the fun go? Why do the original rhymes sound so out of place in some of the new mixes? I haven't touched the disc since. Don't get me wrong. He still fronts the most, and I support him every step of the way. But, the CD is going to stay in its case. I'll be spinning the burn of the original songs instead.

If you don't know the original stuff, try the CD. You might dig it. If you are an old fan, you might want to sample some of the remixed stuff first. See what you think. Actually, get the CD anyway. Show the guy some support. Just be ready to download the classics from his site, if the new sound doesn't strike you.

For too long "hip-hop" has been polluting the airwaves with misogyny and the glamorising of violence and anti-intellectualism. There was a time when rap/hip-hop was about something other than "bitches" and "bling". There was a time when it had a message and an intelligence behind it. But that time has gone.

Thankfully nerdcore; the "ironic juxtaposition of two very disparate cultures"* has arrived and maybe just maybe will "rise up and become elevated". And hopefully it will have the same effect on so called "gansta-rap" as "Ggrunge" did to "cock-rock". That is to destroy it! Or at least poke it with irony until it appeared ridiculous. Unfortunately that may never happen because even if nerdcore breaks into the main stream, the fact that it is being led by mainly white rappers will prevent it having and serious effect on mainstream rap. So fingers crossed some awesome black nerdcore rapper comes along very soon.

But until then anyone who enjoys the vibe of rap/hip-hop but dislikes the content of the current blend should enjoy this. Especially if you have geek tendencies. MC Frontalot brings humour, politics and intelligence to rap in a way that few have ever done before. The god father of nerdcore? Well he coined the term at least. This is excellent stuff.

Anyone who enjoys this should check out MC Lars next.

* Quote from Weird Al Yankovic

Even if I wasn't a thirtysomething computer programmer with male pattern baldness and a Mountain Dew belly, I would bump this album!

Despite all the clever lyrics and witty references, this album isn't just a vehicle for showing off Frontalot's nerd prowess; it also features stomping beats and creative musicological whatevers and stuff, you know.

In other words: this album is the bomb, like, for real.

Frontalot has enough music for free download that you don't have to read reviews to decide whether you'll like this CD or not. But just my two cents, as a fan of Frontalot for a couple of years from his website I was not at all disappointed by this CD. Christmas gift certificate well-spent.

I didn't like some of the self-referential songs as much, though I realize that it is hip hop so thats to be expected.