Album Details

• Artist: Junk Science
• Album: Gran Dad’s Nerve Tonic
• Label: Definitive Jux
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2007-10-08

Media

More than just your ordinary underground Hip Hop album, Junk Science's Gran Dad's Nerve Tonic is flush full of sick beat forming and progressive stream of consciousness lyricism.  Embedded Music in conjunction with indie label veterans, Definitive Jux, has released a smooth and cocky hip hop album with soul and all the trimmings.

Baje One the lyricist and DJ Snafu the beat sicentist, have created a sincere mincer of jazz, blues, and all the hip hop beats you can think of.  From subtle Fight Club (Chemical Brothers) like hooks in Do It Easy, to outrageously contagious off the bat beats and rhythmic lyricism on That Being Said, these guys are an unfound treasure. 

Lead track Jerry McGuire is patterned funk melody with a hip hop twist.  Though the lyricism here is far from up to snuf of the rest of the disc, the lines which Baje rhymes in still follow intelligence, just a bit over stretched and vile at times.  Featuring MC K-Swift, Cool Calm Pete and Iller Than Theirs, this CD has a lot of diverse smirks, and smashes coming from all different genres. Not exactly the most energizing beat here, but what it lacks in beat is picked up vocally, Baje goes off in Sloughtro.  A small intermission, "So much more to say".  Later her rips a line of prolific honesty.  So I'm here to say that, put this in your A-Dat, press rewind play that, the opposite of fake that, synonym for take back, homonym for take that".  Now you're getting an idea of the groove in which the lyricism digs.

 Not trying to be Atmosphere, or label boss El-P Baje One and Dj Snafu just sort of blank stare in the microphone with their own style.  Full of pasion, but seemingly effortless, an album like this makes you think a future is bright.  Bottom line, with a street date of 10.23.7, Junk Science just snuck into my top ten of the year in the last quarter. 

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