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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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Artist: Busdriver
Title: Road Kill Overcoat
Release Date: 01.30.2007
Label: Epitaph
Performing: Jack Rabbits on Feb. 16th with Deerhoof
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by Ian Desousa
Rising up from LA’s hip-hop underground in the early 1990’s, Busdriver (a.k.a. Regan Farquhar) has continued to refine his sound and style over the last 14+ years. With his 5th solo release, Road Kill Overcoat, and his 1st appearance on the Anti/Epitaph label, he continues to carve out a niche of distinctly independent rap, fueled by a wide assortment of contemporary references, undeniable grooves, and talented flow that’s a force to be reckoned with.
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From off-hand references to Noam Chomsky, beatniks smoking grass, and disenchanted misanthropes to spitting about armpit hair and dinosaur dung, this bus route takes the listener from one end of town to the other, and doesn’t stop in any place familiar. Each track drops you off somewhere a little different, and it’s never the same place twice.
Certainly not for hip-hop purists and a bizarre choice when compared with Epitaph’s punk core, Busdriver’s latest release blurs the boundaries of any overtly recognizable genres while still remaining catchy. The first 4 tracks, ‘Casting Agents and Cowgirls’, ‘Less Yes’s. More No’s’, ‘Kill Your Employer’, and ‘Ethereal Driftwood’ make for a strong start out of the gate; you just don’t know which direction they’re coming from.
The beats are sound, the hooks infectious, and the instrumentation has good depth. The production quality is polished and, in a refreshing departure from mainstream hip-hop, there’s no reference to the Driver’s posse, producers, label, or lifestyle, just an amalgamation of clever, if not entirely coherent, rhymes, slightly schizophrenic stream-of-consciousness, and veiled social commentary over surprisingly addictive riffs.
When the last track ends and the ride finally stops, this album can best be summed up by its title, Road Kill Overcoat. The craftsmanship is impeccable, but the end result isn’t leather, polyester, or your standard cotton blend. This album is novel and interesting with a wealth of layers, though cut from a different cloth than Sage Francis, Saul Williams, and other cutting-edge underground hip-hop artists.
This bus stops in Jacksonville, on Friday, February 16th, and if the latest album is any indication of the Driver’s skills, the ride should be entertaining.
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