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Review: Jack Foley
THERE are times, when reviewing records, that you listen to something
that comes backed by great advance word and huge expectation,
only to be disappointed in the extreme.
No matter how hard you listen, or how many times, you simply
fail to see what makes a band/artist worth raving about, when
other, far better acts, struggle to garner such attention.
The Darkness and The Streets are two prime examples for me, given
the huge popularity they command.
It is with some disappointment, therefore, that I have to admit
to failing to get on with Infinite Livez, who is being hailed
by many as one of the most exciting young prospects to hit the
UK hip-hop scene in ages.
Hailed by Ninja Tunes subsidiary, Big Dada, as one of the most
unique, complete and self-contained first albums ever to come
out on its label, Infinite Livez's eagerly-anticipated Bush Meat
actually turns out to be a rare misfire for the pioneering music-makers.
Infinite Livez, aka mild-mannered Vinnie Tiefilz, is a former
art student, sometime comic-book writer and video game designer,
who was accidentally bathed in the milk of a glamour model and,
according to his PR, 'transformed into Infinite Livez, superhero!'
Oh, and he also boasts a one-eyed teddy bear, called Barry Convex,
and has come to save the planet.
The album which results comes across as an infantile, often puerile,
attempt at comedy hip-hop, which does for that genre what The
Streets has done for the urban scene.
Some of the beats and loops are good, while the use of his voice
as an instrument on several occasions makes for an interesting
variation, but, in the main, this is a very tedious listen, which
also conjures unfortunate comparisons with the likes of Roots
Manuva and recent Mercury Music Prize winner, Dizzee Rascal.
Occasionally, it veers into Outkast Speakerboxx
territory but, for the majority of the time, it left me feeling
pretty down.
Included in the 19 tracks are the likes of White Wee Wee,
a paean to sperm, and the slightly comical The Adventures of
The Lactating Man, which features a man, a nurse, and enough
breast milk to flood the British Isles!
Other tracks include Cock 'n' Roll, Nutta's Chance and
Worcestershire Sauce - all of which aim for the funny bone,
but end up like a painful kick somewhere far more vulnerable.
Fans of the underground hip-hop scene may derive some guilty
pleasures from it, while the vibe surrounding Infinite Livez should,
at the very least, ensure the artist a huge cult following.
But this particular Bush Meat was, for me, a little unpalatable.
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Track listing:
1 They R Comin feat. Barry Convex
2 Worcestershire Sauce
3 The Forest Spirit Sings The Bush Meat Song
4 The Adventures Of the Lactating Man
5 Claati Bros feat. Sir Ster
6 White Wee Wee
7 Brown Nosh feat. Bouncement Queen
8 Drilla Ape feat. Barry Convex
9 Routine Stop & Search
10 Coco Pilots feat. Defisis
11 Cock 'n' Roll
12 Suckkrill feat. Miho
13 UKKrap
14 Tek Fi Joke feat. Shadowless
15 Spade Invaders feat. Alpha Prhyme
16 Pononee Girl
17 Propa Ill feat. Gandhi Warhol
18 Last Night
19 Nutta's Chance
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