Funkoars - The Hangover (Album)
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Wow. My friend Bill (the man responsible for the vast majority of my hip-hop education) had exposed me to the raw, dirty brilliance of the Funkoars in the past, but I'd never owned their music and I'd never really listened to them. I'd heard them, but I hadn't listened to them. I had liked what I heard, and I was looking forward to reviewing their third and latest album, The Hangover. And... wow.
Less than a week ago, I reviewed Kanye West's latest album, and while I was able to appreciate its down-tempo electronica, it's The Funkoars' Hangover that reinforces why I've come to love hip-hop much more-so than the self-named 'Elvis of hip-hop', Yeezy's latest effort. Their music explodes into your ears, filled with passion and bile, the production loud and aggressive while still being cool, smooth, and funky. Can I get away with using the word 'funky'? Look, I think it's appropriate. The Funkoars are Australian hip-hop's party starters, as opposed to, say, Muph & Plutonic's more mellow end-of-the-night style. Funkoars music has a feel, a message, a tone that is immediate, arresting, and just, like, good.
The album opens with a few tracks of non-stop brilliance. First track, More of the Raw, is an excellent opener. Amazing beat, wake-up-and-dance horns, excellent, seemingly effortless flow, and mission statement all in one. Directly following Raw is title track, The Hangover. Similar style as Raw, but a more immediate tone. The difference between an introduction and a paragraph; they're here to do business, and you've already been warned. And then Black Sally, which is just fucking great. If you don't stop, listen, and smile when you hear this song, you must be immune to good music. The sample, which sounds like Hendrix but is actually a band called The Human Instinct, is genious. Pegs might have sampled Cream, but Funkoars have been able to craft an arguably better song with a less well-known sample. Not that No Attachments is bad, but Black Sally is better. If you haven't heard it yet, seek it out. It's the perfect advertisement for the rest of the album, which is of an equally high level of quality across the board.
I won't go through the whole album track by track, because that's not what a review is for. I can't tell you how each track sounds, you have to hear them for yourself. But I can give you a pretty good idea of whether or not it's worth you checking the album out. This is Kanye West Touch The Sky style hip-hop. It's upbeat, it's brilliantly made, it features amazing flow and lyrics by 3 of Australia's best MC's, and it's just damn listenable. There are no weak spots, no bad songs. If you don't like this album, you must be Chopper Read, 'cause you got no fucking ears.
