Search - Jampire :: V.S.a.

Biased but informative review

Jason Harrington | www.myspace.com/mad_trucker | 09/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a combination of a multitude of influences, mainly pairing horror film noir with a rabid distaste for the "Westernization of the world."



The beats are kind of an industrial approach to hip-hop with some drum-n-bass and experimental noise. The lyrics however are a different kind of horrorcore based almost solely on politics, but also based on literature such the works of Edgar Allen Poe and Anne Rice. Some examples of his politics-meets-horror themes are: a song about torture that focuses on America's treatment of it's POWs, and a song about drugs that focuses on pharmacutical companies and Regan's "war on drugs." So, at first it's a bit graphic and off-putting with lines like "electrodes attached to your nose and your toes and your genitals," but the more you follow politics the more you realize he is not saying these things to be sensational and this is not your typical blood-and-guts / hyper-masculine approach to horrorcore rap. This is a really thoughtful work filled with a lot of careful details addressing the news of the past five or so years by mentioning people like Valerie Plaim, Terri Shaivo, John McCain, Rush Limbaugh, and obviously the Bush administration is referenced in several songs. He also rifts on a mesh of random pop culture stuff like The Daily Show, Rachel Ray, NPR, etc. if nothing else, I can at least promise you that you have not heard anything quite like this...sort of like a cross between the Gravediggaz "6 Feet Deep" and Saul Williams self titled album, but the whole thing is arranged in a way a little like Musique Concrete (the precursur to industrial rock) with many odd sounds and textures collaged together. However, some of the beats have a more strait forward knock, and the mix is plenty bass heavy on every track.



Lastly, I would just like to mention that Jampire is a really unique guy, being the son of an African man and a South American woman. He has multiple sclerosis and he is a citizen of Britain. Now he is having a baby, so he's taking a bit of a break for the rest of the year. Find him on Myspace though, and tell him you want him to come back and give us some new anthems for revolution!"