Now I'm Looking For A Word That Don't Exist: P.O.S. Audition

"First of all, Fuck Bush/That's all, that's the end of it"

With an opening line like that, how could this album possibly be bad?

I may be a little late to the party on this one (Audition was released January 31, 2006), but better late than never, right? I was introduced to P.O.S. by a listener of The End (props to Russell). He's a big fan of punk rock (as am I) and we got to talking about music and he dropped the science with this one. I'd seen the name in some places (P.O.S. toured with Gym Class Heroes) but I'd never bothered to actually give it a listen until Russell told me it was really good. If you like NOFX and tell me to check out a rapper, I'm pretty much going to do it.

The first time I listened to it I was walking from the Trax station to a club where the Redhead was working a show and I fell in love with it instantly. It's definitely in my top 5 rotation right now (another blog idea!), with no signs of slipping. I don't listen to a whole lot of rap, but when I find a good album (rap albums usually are sorely lacking, underground or otherwise) it sticks with me for awhile (see: Kanye West's Graduation or Anglo-Saxon's Unplug). One reason this album really took a hold of me was the prominent featuring of Slug (from Atmosphere) on two tracks, and also because this album has some soulful, funky, heavy rock beats that just won't quit.

"Now I'm looking for a word that don't exist/To help this rapper's selfish pride that I hide inside these fists."

On "Bush League Psych-Out Stuff" (featuring Slug) the beat is so smooth and funky that you just can't help but get sucked into the song. Then to listen to the lyrics (which include a sweet AFI reference), the story is so compelling that I find myself repeating the song several times over before moving to the next track on the album.

"We don't throw our hands up like we don't care anymore/We throw our hands up like we don't care anymore"

P.O.S. is no one trick pony, though, and he doesn't need Slug to have a great track. He does have several other guests on this album (including Greg Attonito of Bouncing Souls and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady), but some of the best tracks are just him rapping over the beats of production team Doomtree (originally formed by P.O.S. and Kai, growing into a Minneapolis collective).

"Make your mind, or make it up/Make cents, take dollars, or just make enough/To get by with a little help from your friends/Bump heads, but make ends meet to stack ends"

With several references to Charles Bronson, a flair for punk-rock sensibility and ethos, as well as a cadence not dis-similar to Eminem, this album simply does not stop. There are no tracks here that are throw aways. Each has it's positives that demand and control your attention. With his chameleon-like style, P.O.S. is able to change up his delivery, not just song-to-song, but verse-to-verse. Add to his control of words the control of music he is pleasurably rapping over, and this album has everything a backpack-rap fan could ever hope for. But this album encompasses so much more than just what the backpack set wants; P.O.S. is a complete rapper: he's entertaining, eloquent, and masterful.

You can hear several songs from this album on his MySpace page, or do a search on iMeem. Or just save yourself the time and download the album on iTunes or Amazon.com. If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back.*




*Any offers of money are strictly lies and will never happen no matter how much you want it to.

Now I'm Looking For A Word That Don't Exist: P.O.S. Audition