When I read that Ghostface Killah, N.O.R.E. and E-40 had guest spots on MSTRKRFT’s Fist of God, I’ll admit I was giddy. I came of age in the ’90s and spent countless hours driving around Southern California on skate missions listening to The War Report and Ironman. I spent much of 2007 and 2008 in New York listening to new MSTRKRFT remixes on carefully crafted mix CDs at work, CDs that seamlessly blended my ’90s hip hop favorites with the likes of Justice, Klaxons and Death from Above 1979.
So when I popped on MSTRKRFT’s Fist of God at work last week, I was anxious to hear the contributions of these talented rhyme slingers to the Canadian duo’s sophomore record.
I watched customers nodding their heads, one European family tapping their feet in unison and many smiling faces delighting in the electro-bliss background. But as I greeted them half hoping they didn’t talk too much so I could keep listening, I heard nothing of the clever wordplay, braggadocio or Shaolin slang I had anticipated.
While old-school synths blared and bass lines lay in heavy, there was barely room for an errant cowbell (“1,000 Cigarettes”) or a cliché staccato vocal cut-up (“Fist of God”), let alone full-blown rapping. After huddling in with my headphones on the L train that night, I found my precious MCs used like generic vocal samples culled from any old a capella in the crate. And though I have to admit that a MSTRKRFT album isn’t intended as a proving ground for lyrical prowess, why leave such talented artists as haphazard afterthoughts blended so low in the mix? Freeway’s cameo on the remixed “1,000 Cigarettes” bonus cut is the strongest guest spot on the record, yet it isn’t even part of the proper 10-song album. It’s as if Jesse F. Keeler (Death from Above 1979) and Al-P just slipped the rappers in as any other instrument, intended for texture rather than artistic contribution.
John Legend’s appearance on “Heartbreaker” is also forgettable which is particularly unfortunate because the piano-based track is the only breathing room on the entire record. Not only is Legend’s delivery weak, but the lyrics are asinine. “Remember when you caught my eye/You gave me rainbows and butterflies.” Oh, and it doesn’t stop there. “I smiled at you and you smiled back/That’s when I knew there was no turning back.” Seriously, is he courting an eight-year-old?
Surrounding “Heartbreaker” are 35 minutes of breakneck blasts, rapid-fire synths and the expert craftsmanship one would expect from MSTRKRFT. But with under-developed vocals and an often overly aggressive approach on the boards, Fist of God is a 40-minute blur of non-stop drums and synths. And really, that’s the trouble with album-based dance music — its reliance on melodic repetition and consistent rhythm often render it redundant on the long player. Confined to 12” singles, the form, much like Tweets, gets in and out before its welcome is worn thin.
As a collection of singles played separately for a sweaty downtown dance floor, the songs on Fist of God are a heavy dose of ass-shaking inspiration. But served up as a complete set of 10 songs, its album status pails compared with electronic classics of the Richard D. James Album ilk or even the more recent work of Crystal Castles.
As remix artists, MSTRKRFT are superb at deconstructing artists’ completed songs and reworking them into electro hits. But in the album arena, there’s no help from Wolfmother, The Gossip or other established bands and the likes of John Legend and Jahmal of The Carps aren’t enough to make Fist of God anything more than a club-only banger.
"Fist of God" is on sale March 17, 2009 from Downtown/Dim Mak.
