Much like this summer’s anticipated Cancer 4 Cure from El-P, the next step in P.O.S.’ discography is probably the most accessible release of his career. But (also, like El-P) he manages to accomplish this without sacrificing any of his personal and artistic flavors: the DIY aesthetic, the percussive tones, the clever but understated wordplay… it all remains. In fact, this might be the album that is most representative of him. Every little moment, hit, lyric, it all breathes P.O.S. That’s not to say he’s not breaking any new ground here. If you haven’t heard, this album is (mostly) Electro inspired; producers like Ryan Olson, Patric Russel, and even some German dudes have cooked up some tasty synths and E-progressions for a dance party behind an abandoned factory somewhere in the future. On some of the later tracks the combination of this new Electronic sound and the percussive drum hits I alluded to earlier is really where the album shines: carelessly treading new ground without reservation or fear of reprisal. In fact, it’s almost daring you to not like it and turn it off. The second half — with the exception of the catchy as hell “Get Down” featuring Mictlan; which feels like the first half — is ALL up this alley, specifically “All Of It” and “Piano Hits”. One of my biggest gripes in fact is that I would have liked to have heard more of these tracks drag on longer. With lyrics or instrumentally, particularly the last song, it would have been nice to hear these songs themselves explored a bit more the same way the initial sound was to begin with. But let me go back to the first half, like I said it’s catchier than shit. “Bumper” the opener is a charming knocker with live drums and possibly the catchiest synth on the disc. Following that “Fuck Your Stuff” and “Where We Land” are impossible not to sing along to, the latter featuring a very cool appearance from Justin Vernon. By the time a pair of head-nodders come around the corner, you’re ready to give your voice a break anyhow; and you do, letting appearances by Astronautalis and Sims shine. Then there’s a mid-point, almost devoid of drums of any kind (“Lock-Picks, Knives, Bricks, and Bats”)… before cruising through about 4 or 5 tracks like nothing that’s ever been done on a Hip-Hop album before. In this sense, the album is structured very cleverly. It brings you in with some amount of charm, then gives you a little break before delving into the weird shit. Lyrically the album tackles 21st Century alienation through freeing yourself from the system in which that alienation exists. “Want to be happy? Don’t even live within their system”. The title of the album sums it up pretty well. When it’s finishing up and he’s saying, “That misstep, that’s mine. That rough wake, that’s mine. This might be it. This might be it.”, you get the sense that if we lived in his world — totally free — he might still have tribulations and struggles and real problems, but at least they will be his and his alone.
