The 17-minute "The Ends Against the Middle" EP just wasn't enough, butit did whet the appetite. Antipop work best in long player mode and"Arrhythmia" is a full course, 43-minute meal. One noticeabledifference with this album, their Warp Records debut, is that therapid-fire rhyme flow has generally been slowed down some. But don'tfret - Beans, Priest and Sayid's lyrics are as complex, intelligent,funny and just plain bizarre as ever. And they've thankfully no needfor excessive braggadocio and lame, misogynist bullshit. Unpredictableis always the state of mind for APC, lyrically and musically. Theproduction, presumably by Earl Blaize, is all killer no filler, chockfull of intentionally arrhythmic beats, electronics and inventive oddsand ends. This is old school hip hop from some other planet, one moretechno-logic-ally advanced than ours. 'Bubblz' rocks tasty hand drumpitter patters, 'Conspiracy of Myth' contemplates piano and stringsatmospheres and 'Human Shield' pulses relentlessly except for minorpitch shift and stagger step breaks. 'Mega' and 'Silver Heat' naturallyveer off into feminine operatics and impromptu scat, respectively,while 'Z St.' cleverly paints a drug bust short story. 'We Kill SoapScum' humourously recites the title for the chorus and the 'Iron ManSpeaks' skit knocks playas and illegal samples. 'Place the Face'concludes the proceedings with orchestral stabs and the MCs proudlychanting "A, P, C!" Rightfully so. Antipop are touring small NorthAmerican venues now through May. -
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