So, Beefy finally pushed Rolling Doubles out the door. Many people on the internet (read: other nerdcore rappers) seem displeased with his showing. So, as someone who has written a hundredish reviews on the interwebs, and who has been writing reviews since 8th grade for the school newspapers, I figured I’d give it a spin my critical ears, and after purchasing it off amazon and then fixing the flash mounting on my eee, I listened and wrote the following.

Beefy leads off with some guitar heavy stuff - a break with most of his prior work, and with a lot of nerdcore in general. However, “Olly Olly Oxen Free” and “You Can Call Me Beef” certainly have the swagger that I’ve come to expect from Mr. Moore. “Tilt” is a beautiful example of the progression Beefy’s shown as an artist - the lyrics are coded with all sorts of smart alek plays on words and references, but the flows show both greater tightness and some nice nods to his influences and favs as well. His penchant for smart alek breakdowns mid song works to wonderful effect in “Table Top,” while the new mix of “Play With Me” could get college radio traction with a little promotion. Also on the college radio tip, “Ball Pit” manages to bring the sentimentality and instrumentation of acts like The Postal Service into Nerdcore, and the result’s great and almost moving with it’s nostalgic flavor.

Beefy speeds things back up with “Disconnect” where he’s arguably outshined by the guest MCs, but it’s still a catchy track, and he easily delivers some of the biggest laughs of the album on this track. Besides, everyone can relate to such a situation. Speaking of relatable content, it really takes a musician to fully appreciate “Last Minute Gig” but as someone who has basically lived it, it’s funny if not a bit of a bittersweet reminder of why I wanted to get out of music. “Clueless” manages to take another dig at his detractors while managing to serve as a comedy skit and rap interlude. Demonstrating some of his rarely displayed double speed flow and coming with some truly caustic albeit not particular controversial slams on mainstream rap, “Turn Your Radio Off” is some of the rawest Beef since “Diss Missed.”

Back on the accessibility point, “Minimum Wage Slave,” is definitely something the average joe can get, but it’s also the most repetitive track on the disc, though the hook ends up with a surprisingly Stone Temple Pilots-flavor thanks to Shael Riley. “Dork Date” is fun, and an almost too accurate when it comes to the world of dork dating. Beefy closes out the main disc with his last moment of braggadocio with “1337ology” and “Story Time,” where Beefy manages to deliver, well, straight-up rap. It’s rap with the same personal flavor that put Eminem on the top of Billboard, and it’s something almost entirely absent in Nerdcore. If anything, it’s almost a taunt to have this at the end of the album, because almost suggests that the next album could be darker and heavier if he chose to go there, and I personally think that’d be interesting to see.

The CD is filled out with a couple remixes - a pretty cool rock version of “Table Top” by tanner4105, and radio ready and outright sick awesome remix of “Play With Me” by DJ John. Good stuff, and certainly welcome.

In conclusion, it’s not the best showing in the genre (MC Frontalot will have that secured with his upcoming album Final Boss - just heads up on that,) but it’s much better than people want to give him credit for. It brings the flavor that people expect from Beefy - comedy, ego and modesty, while uncovering a much more personal and human side as well. It certainly puts him at the head of the class when it comes to second-gen nerdcore artists, and really, it puts him in the same league as the first gen artists. The disc reaffirms why he gigs with people like Optimus, Front and YT and why producers like Tanner, DJ John and Baddd Spellah work with him: he delivers at that level, and he puts in the work to make sure that shows on the album, regardless of the time it takes and regardless of what his detractors would like to claim.

tl;dr: Beefy’s new CD is 8.5/10 minimum, this is a fact.

So, after a runaround that included visiting a music store that apparently has no affiliation but the exact same as the music store for which I had a gift certificate for, visiting a mall during a power outage, cashing in said gift certificate for a nice new condenser mic, and finally going to another music store and buying a new mixer with phantom power for said condenser, I made some dramatic changes to my studio setup today. Not really the changes I was planning on making (I was hoping to get a USB condenser, but oh well,) but changes that are very favorable nonetheless (wow, for a mic that effectively only cost me 50 bucks, it’s night and day.) Expect the next album I make to sound another level better than OpenSource Lyricist. Seriously, it will be pro-grade sound with pro-grade content. What I recorded just today sounds awesome, and I think if I’m smart about things, I should be able to get a whole CD done before going back to school (finally.)

Meanwhile, I’ve also upgraded my blog software to the latest Wordpress, so hopefully crossposting between it and my livejournal still works.

So it’s my last day working at Computer Stop (I figure that since I’ll no longer be employed here, it’s cool to mention the place by name,) and what should I find but a giant cheesecake (one of those ones with 8 different flavors of cheesecake,) and a gift that’ll help me snag some new studio gear (watch out for a blog post on that.) Very awesome of them.

I mean, can’t say I’m terribly broken up about having to leave, but for a retail job, it’s probably the best one could ever hope for, atleast if you’re a nerd like me, and it definitely honed my computer tech skills. The employee discount was sweet too.

Still, time for the Computer Stop arc of my life to end, and the College arc to start.

So, the video quality on my STIFF after party performance was a shade mediocre (thanks to my cheap refurb digital camera;) however Betheny Lee (aka Bethzilla, friend of Beefy,) actually had a decent camcorder and shot the same performance, which is viewable here. There are also performances from Beefy, Beefy featuring Bethzilla and YT Cracker from the same evening, as well other cool business like Q&A’s and other nerdcore antics viewable here, though you’ll have to scroll down a bit.

On the comedy side of the headline, turns out my local anime store of choice, Anime Raku (formerly Anime Kingdom,) has been buying google ads. I know this because they’ve run on my page. If you see there ad on the sidebar, click though so I get some money back

This time, a little rap I did in two takes (one for the main vox, one for the backing,) over a beat cobbled together from Lupe Fiasco, Yoko Kanno and Kenna. If it were something I were doing with a real backing for a real release, I might polish it more, but meh. I’ll save that for real albums.

Ultraklystron - On Game

BTW, no hooks on this one - just 64 bars of rap at 83.5 bpm. It’s already pretty dark lyrically, but I wanted to try to work in the framework of Fiasco’s “Put You On Game” in a fashion true the original. The lyrics after the cut/more!

On Game
by Karl Olson

i am the excess and material, the unsustainable
self image and ideal that is unattainable
i am the insanest fool that you all follow
i’m the lies that the world forces to you swallow
i’m the promise made to you that was actually hollow
i’m the impulse that made you sit down and wallow
in the filth that i created by guiding your hands
down deep below where you sit, down deeper than sands
i am the reason that your wife and daughter want botox
the reason that you got that enzyte don’t act shocked
i’m the supermodel that starves to death in brazil
i’m the razor that you use cut yourself with just to feel
i’m the game, i’m the streets, the bully beatin up geeks
who then turns around and sells the same victim some heat
i’m the news anchor who put his manifesto on air
who inspires copycats without a thought or a care
i’m the stolen test answers, the plagarized papers
the finnish tracker artist who you’ll steal from later
also steal from the thief, also steal from kids
then I steal your beliefs, and your will to forgive
but you’ll continue to live, and you’ll see what I did
i’m the infestion of which you would like to be rid
the contagion educating a whole nation of youth
to act stupider and ignorant with grammar so loose
i make it work every time, and I make it flow free
because i don’t really care if it’s a fake ID
the state run liquor store, the vodka energy drinks
that cost less than water - that’s a critical link
why even get a red bull when the sparks cost less
and the later might get some cute thing to undress
and PS I’m the reason that you’re so obsessed
with opposite sex past the point of rest
i tell you you’re immortal, sell you smokes and booze
i rob you blind til your dead, then sell your bones for glue
then sell that glue to your friends, so they get can high too
tell ‘em to ghost ride the whip, so they can soon join you
i’m the man with high score you can’t ever beat
cause i’m the blood on your hands everytime that you eat
i’m the conspiracy that haunts you in your sleep
i’m the NHK that’s making you into NEETs
i am the lolita complex that permeates shows
asks you to sit over here, yeah you know that goes
i am the villain that always has a purpose and use
ain’t a person here whose not lookin for an excuse
i’m the do it tomorrow, i’m passing the buck
i’m the emo kid sorrow, i’m the streak of bad luck
i’m the gravity you brings you down and leaves you to drown
when you choose mess around and clown
and that choice is your own, you could choose to rise
and not rely on your lies, choose to answer the cry
made by your insides, to finally take the blame
sacrifice for a moment, and get out of the game
finally make a change, and get rid of the chain
that hangs around your neck like an energy drain
the kryponite of your spite replaced for a light
and that’s real talk friend, no I’m not being trite
but you gotta build up, if you want to feel love
have to clean out the wounds, need to finally heal up
and i’d love to heal cuts, but that’s not my role
i’m still here to drag you back down into the fold
i’m doing it for the lols, i’m the internet troll
i’m the diamonds and gold that you trade for you soul
i’m the emptiness inside, the infinite hole
That no thing can fill, cause I suck it in whole

[/emo wall of text]

Hey look, I have an imdb page now. I can hardly believe it. Still probably not known enough to get a wikipedia page though.

In as much the results of my live set that the Nerdcore For Life After-Party show, are turning up on the net, thanks to my cheap digital camera and the camera work of MC Gigahertz. Gentlemen, Behold, me performing “Full Disclosure” off of Opensource Lyricist:

I’d embed it, but Live Journal seems to balk at the embeds.

BTW, the movie is quite good. Really a film about nerdcore as a genre and not so as much about the artists who make it, and the result of that works very well in my opinion. I’m almost shocked how nerdy I am looking at it from the outside looking perspective at points - I’m *so* otaku, it’s nuts. Plus, my nerdcore friends and girlfriend all come off as awesome (especially my girlfriend, but I am biased :))

So, if you can catch Nerdcore For Life, do so. It’s time and money well spent.

Download It Here.

Why? Because I can. Also, it features a song (and a bit) at the end that was originally intended for Haven (the and-a-bit was meant to be on Solace) but that I cut do to time constraints, and that I then forgot about until recently. Thus, a DJ mix is born. Btw, the song at the end is named “Maho” after a character from Onegai Teacher. Almost makes me think I could/should to an EP/LP of Drum n’ Bass tracks named after characters from harem anime, but on the other hand, I do have other stuff to do, like rehearse.

Or rather, last nights improv with electronic music producer Synthead who coincidentally is the brother of a good friend of mine, Lucy. Lucy also recorded on a Sony digital camera said improv which started lol money tribute, but soon veered into other territory:

Honestly, this is not a rick roll, though maybe I should have done that too.

My contribution is admittedly problematic at points (over-referential flow style,) but Synthead lays down some sick beats and synths. Definitely fun, and something I should probably do again. Maybe with more freestyle and less cover lyrics. Might keep the Lil Wayne flow though - it’s fun.

See the brand new shows page for details. Time to practice up.