3OH!3: Want
Saturday, 09, Jan 2010 12:56
Photo Finish Records, out January 11th.
What's it all about?
Want, the first UK album release for the American duo, combines electro and hip-hop with a little bit of pop throughout 15 energetic tracks. At the core, this album is about dancing, controversial lyrics, being 'street' and having fun. With hits such as Don't Trust Me and Starstrukk, it's already gone double platinum in the US.
Who's it by?
3OH!3 consists of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte, and their promotional literature claims that "you don't get more gangsta" than these Boulder, Colorado natives. These white "gangsta homeboys" met while at university and live in their home state - doesn't sound very "street" to me, though maybe this was said with irony.
Regardless, 3OH!3 have enjoyed a good year in 2009. Their single Don't Trust Me reached number 7 in the US charts, while Starstruckk, their current single with Katy Perry, has so far peaked at number 3 in the UK top 40. They were well-received at Reading and Leeds and have managed to sell out the London's Islington Academy.
As an example...
"Shush girl, shut your lips/Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips." - Don't Trust Me
"I think I should know how to make love to something innocent without leaving my fingerprints out/Now, L-O-V-E is just another word I never learned to pronounce/How do I say I'm sorry 'cause the word is just never gonna come out/Now, L-O-V-E is just another word I never learned to pronounce." - Starrstruck
What the others say
"It's a bizarre mix that sounds like Lil Jon, the Bloodhound Gang and Andrew WK trying to get served at the world's dirtiest dive bar." - BBC
"Although it would be preferable to ignore this foul album, pitched somewhere between the knuckle-trailing fratboy inanity of rap/rock bands such as the Bloodhound Gang and the tacky electro pop of Electric Six, in the hope that the whiny pondlife who created it might just crawl back under a rock, the fact is that Colorado duo 3Oh!3 have already enjoyed massive success online and in the States, peddling dodgy, distasteful attitudes to women." - Scotsman
"Debuting with Want, the twosome white-boy rap/rock duo certainly have released material worth talking about as they have mixed up elements of crunk, punk, electronica, and even emo, making for an energy overload album." - Blog Critic
So is it any good?
Following in the footsteps of Family Force 5 and Set My Friends On Fire, the pair are the latest addition to crunkcore, described by Kerrang! as the worse genre of music ever created. Despite being lumped in this category, the duo aren't short of fans. While critics are have been slating the album, the public has been out buying 30H!3's singles, suggesting that there is both a market for the band and this genre of music.
It's in Punkbitch, where synths are mixed with boisterous beats, Southern US crunk and some machismo vocals, that the band's crunkcore tag comes alive, though it's difficult to say if this is a good thing.
With lyrics such as "Don't trust a ho... 'cos the ho won't trust me", it isn't much of a surprise that Don't Trust Me, the pair's former single, has led people to question the duo's respect for women. I can't decide if they are being ironic or playing up to the highly-sexualised society we live in. Or maybe they just mean what they say, a slightly disturbing thought.
Starrstruck, featuring Katy Perry, is their best effort. With a much improved vocal performance, the lack of unnecessary shouting and strong beats, it's not that much of a surprise that this track is doing so well in the charts.
Still Around, the band's attempt at a ballad, follows, while I'm Not Your Boyfriend Baby goes for less controversial lyrical options.
While I didn't like the album that much, I have to admit that there are some catchy beats and lyrics that stick in your head but I can't help but feel the album would have been better without the vocals and cheesy/controversial lyrics.
5/10
Attracta M Mooney