As I pressed play on Plastic Modes I was amazed to hear it was a rap record. And this is not a bad thing. Having enjoyed immensely Mr. Sprinkle's previous indy/modern rock efforts (solo, Poor ol' Lu, Demon Hunter, etc.), I was pleasantly surprised to discover his new gig as the rap/rock group(?) The Wrong Mind. And when I say rap/rock don't think nu-metal rap like POD, Plastic Modes features a more organic and gritty rap sound with few samples and prominent guitar, bass (and of course!) drums. Throw in some psychedelic rock and nifty keyboard rhythms and you'll get an idea of the moody coolness that makes up the six tracks on the Plastic Modes EP. There is not a weak song on the bunch, but my faves are the opener "Bound to Break," and the acoustic guitar backbed of "Backwards." My only gripe is I would like to have a lyric sheet included so I can rap along with Jesse. Plastic Modes proves that Mr. Sprinkle is the real deal in the rap arena, with rhymes that bounce freely over his interesting musical backbeats. The man can rap, rock, play and produce...and that makes The Wrong Mind worth checking out. For fans of Blackalicious, The Tunnel Rats, and Brainwash Projects.
