Choice
      Cuts
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Reviews
      of
      Everything
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      Language
      Arts
      Part
      5:
     
     
      Synesthesia
     
     
      Artist:
      Buck
      65
     
    

    
     
      Label:
      Endemik
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Someone
      doesn’t
      want
      you
      to
      hear
     
     
      what
      could
      have
      been
      Buck
      65’s
     
     
      career-defining
      album.
      Synesthesia
      is
     
     
      as
      close
      as
      accessible
      to
      a
      mainstream
     
     
      audience
      as
      Buck
      65
      gets,
      but
      his
     
     
      phone
      will
      continue
      to
      remain
      off
      the
     
     
      hook
      as
      long
      as
      this
      CD
      is
      sold
      exclu-
     
     
      sively
      on
      the
      Internet.
      Increasing
      the
     
     
      tempo
      a
      notch,
      abandoning
      the
      arty
     
     
      abstraction
      of
      other
      Language
      Arts
     
     
      albums,
      and
      delivering
      playful
      rhymes
     
     
      with
      a
      quicker
      delivery,
      Buck
      has
     
     
      almost
      made
      a
      Stinkin’
      Rich
      album
     
     
      except
      for
      the
      fact
      that
      he
      tackles
      his
     
     
      subject
      matter
      with
      his
      trademark
     
     
      introspectiveness.
      Buck
      revisits
      child-
     
     
      hood
      memories
      in
      songs
      about
      his
     
     
      youthful
      obsession
      with
      Kiss
      and
     
     
      growing
      up
      in
      Mount
      Uniacke.
      He
     
     
      also
      complains
      about
      the
      lifestyle
      a
     
     
      travelling
      rapper
      from
      people
      that
     
     
      smoke
      at
      shows
      to
      groupies.
      The
     
     
      preachiness
      of
      some
      of
      the
      songs
      is
     
     
      balanced
      out
      by
      the
      fun
      atmosphere
     
     
      and
      occasional
      glimpses
      of
      self-mock-
     
     
      ery
      throughout
      the
      album.
      This
      is
      his
     
     
      most
      enjoyable
      record
      to
      date.
      It’s
      a
     
     
      shame
      that
      all
      the
      songs
      are
      confined
     
     
      to
      a
      single
      thirty-eight
      minute
      track,
     
     
      and
      that
      it’s
      only
      sold
      in
      the
      United
     
     
      States,
      through
     
     
      (www.hiphopinfinity.com)
     
    

    
     
      -Stephan
      MACLEOD
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Artist:
      Limp
      Bizkit
     
     
      Album:
      New
      Old
      Songs
     
     
      Label:
      Interscope
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What,
      you
      didn’t
      want
      five
      new
      ver-
     
     
      sions
      of
      “My
      Way”?
      Well,
      too
      bad.
     
     
      With
      the
      departure
      of
      guitarist
      Wes
     
     
      Borland,
      Fred
      Durst
      and
      the
      boys
      are
     
     
      testing
      the
      waters
      to
      see
      what
      they
     
     
      sound
      like
      sans
      their
      lead-guitarist.
     
     
      And
      for
      the
      most
      part,
      it
      ain’t
      good.
     
     
      Oh
      sure,
      The
      Neptunes
      do
      a
      pretty
     
     
      good
      job
      with
      “Nookie,”
      but
      if
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
      [14]
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      were
      already
      a
      fan
      of
      the
      song
      prior
      to
     
     
      this
      remix
      album,
      chances
      are
      you
     
     
      aren’t
      going
      to
      be
      won
      over.
      There’s
      a
     
     
      couple
      of
      other
      winners
      here,
      but
      don’t
     
     
      fool
      yourself
      into
      thinking
      this
      is
      a
     
     
      Limp
      Bizkit
      album.
      It’s
      not.
      Chances
     
     
      are,
      we'll
      never
      see
      another
      real
      Limp
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bizkit
      album
      again.
     
     
      -Joel
      MEGGS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Album:
      The
      Greatest
      Sonic
     
     
      Abomination
      Ever
     
     
      Artist:
      Scrotum
      Grinder
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Label:
      Prank
      Records
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Damn
      straight.
      For
      those
      of
      you
      who
     
     
      don’t
      know
      (ie:
      everybody),
      Scrotum
     
     
      Grinder
      play
      brutally
      angry
      grind-
     
     
      influenced
      hardcore
      with
      incisive
     
     
      socially/politically
      critical
      lyrics.
      This
     
     
      is
      one
      bitter,
      cynical
      band
      and
      I
      dare
     
     
      say
      they
      do
      it
      better
      than
      anyone
      else.
     
     
      To
      make
      this
      package
      all
      the
      more
     
     
      irresistable,
      they
      have
      a
      female
      vocal-
     
     
      ist.
      So
      no,
      contrary
      to
      what
      their
      name
     
    
   
   
    
     
      might
      suggest,
      they
      are
      not
      a
      death-
     
     
      metal/gore-grind
      band,
      and
      to
      be
      per-
     
     
      fectly
      honest,
      I
      have
      heard
      substantial-
     
     
      ly
      more
      abominable
      slabs
      of
      vinyl
     
     
      than
      this
      in
      my
      time.
      Having
      been
      a
     
     
      big
      Scrotum
      Grinder
      fan
      for
      quite
     
     
      some
      time
      now,
      when
      i
      heard
      they
     
     
      were
      putting
      out
      a
      full-length,
      i
      was
     
     
      pretty
      excited,
      since
      their
      previous
     
     
      recordings
      totally
      blew
      my
      mind.
      That
     
     
      being
      said,
      i
      am
      ever
      so
      slightly
      disap-
     
     
      pointed
      by
      this
      record.
      In
      my
      opinion,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘their
      previous
      endeavour,
      a
      split
      7”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      combatwoundedveteran,
      was
     
     
      superior.
      On
      this
      album,
      they
      seem
      to
     
     
      shy
      away
      from
      grind
      just
      a
      little,
      and
     
     
      return
      to
      the
      slightly
      more
      standard
     
     
      hardcore
      sound
      of
      their
      first
      7”.
      In
     
     
      fact,
      this
      album
      features
      two
      new
     
     
      recordings
      of
      songs
      from
      the
      first
      7”,
     
     
      and
      one
      from
      the
      split.
      But
      while
      “The
     
     
      Greatest
      Sonic
      Abomination
      Ever”
     
     
      lacks
      a
      little
      of
      the
      furious
      speed
      and
     
     
      intensity
      of
      its
      predecessor,
      it’s
      still
     
     
      one
      hell
      of
      a
      good
      album,
      and
      perhaps
     
    
   
   
    
     
      more
      brutal
      than
      anything
      previous.
     
     
      And
      with
      song
      titles
      like
      “To
      Hell
     
     
      With
      the
      Enlightenment”,
      “Recipe
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      .
      Token
      Sing-Along
      Polemic
      Complete
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      Expletives
      Aimed
      at
      Positions
      of
     
     
      Power”,
      and
      “You
      Are
      My
      Favorite
     
     
      Line
      in
      the
      Worst
      Song
      Ever
      Written”,
     
     
      as
      well
      as
      a
      pretty
      rockin’
      Slapshot
     
     
      cover
      featuring
      liberal
      use
      of
      the
     
     
      kazoo,
      it’s
      pretty
      hard
      not
      to
      love
      these
     
     
      kids.
     
    

    
     
      (For
      an
      overly
      wordy
      and
      somewhat
     
     
      pretentious
      interview
      with
      Steve
      from
     
     
      Scrotum
      Grinder,
      check
      out
      www.mis-
     
     
      terridiculous.com/features/inter-
     
     
      views/halfassedinterviews/scrotum-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      grinder.html)
     
     
      -Jonah
      CAMPBELL
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Artist:
      Barenaked
      Ladies
     
    

    
     
      Album:
      Disc
      One:
      All
      Their
      Greatest
     
     
      Hits
     
    

    
     
      Label:
      Warner
      Music
      ©
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I’m
      just
      telling
      you,
      if
      you
      don’t
      have
     
     
      at
      least
      one
      Barenaked
      Ladies
      album
     
     
      in
      your
      home,
      you’re
      not
      a
      real
     
     
      Canadian.
      And
      if
      you
      find
      yourself
      in
     
     
      this
      situation,
      now
      is
      the
      time
      to
      catch
     
     
      up;
      All
      Their
      Greatest
      Hits
      proves
     
     
      once
      and
      for
      all
      that
      the
      Ladies
      are
      not
     
     
      a
      one-hit-wonder
      and
      they
      are
      certain-
     
     
      ly
      not
      fluffy
      pop
      material
      (although
     
     
      they
      can
      be
      at
      times).
      With
      19
      hits
     
     
      (they
      could
      have
      left
      off
      the
      song
     
     
      “What
      a
      Good
      Boy”
      —
      not
      really
      a
      hit)
     
     
      squeezed
      onto
      this
      one
      CD,
      one
      is
      left
     
     
      with
      the
      indelible
      impression
      that
     
     
      these
      boys
      have
      a
      genius
      for
      songwrit-
     
     
      ing
      that
      will
      eventually
      net
      them
      a
     
     
      Disc
      Two,
      equally
      packed
      with
      great-
     
     
      est
      hits
      from
      the
      next
      ten
      years.
      The
     
     
      liner
      notes
      contain
      a
      nice
      retrospective
     
     
      on
      the
      first
      ten
      years
      of
      their
      existence,
     
     
      written
      by
      Stephen
      Page
      and
      contain-
     
     
      ing
      such
      invaluable
      tidbits
      as
      the
     
     
      meaning
      behind
      the
      last
      line
      in
      “One
     
     
      Week.”
      The
      two
      new
      songs
      alone
      are
     
     
      worth
      the
      price
      of
      admission,
      especial-
     
     
      ly
      “Thanks,
      That
      Was
      Fun,”
      which,
     
     
      thankfully,
      is
      not
      the
      band’s
      sign-off
     
     
      song.
      I’m
      also
      pleased
      to
      report
      that