Junk Science - "Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic"

Junk Science - Jerry Maguire (Embedded/Def Jux 2007)

Junk Science - Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic / Embedded/Def Jux

Junk Science's Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic has been my hip-hop joint of choice lately. This love affair with the Brooklyn duet extends back to early 2006 when I inadvertently stumbled upon their 2005 release Feeding Einstein. It was easy to warm up to, not just for its funny-like-a-clown rhymes but also for its tricky production. Anytime you can work The Muppets' Statler & Waldorf into an album and make it flow, you've got my vote.

Two years on from their last release, they've returned. Baje One and DJ Snafu are even sharper on this concept album about the nerve tonic that brief skits splicing up the musical material tie together. What is the nature of this nerve tonic? Maybe the nerve tonic is hip-hop itself, maybe it's the adversity facing hip-hop these days, maybe it's just a drink in the fridge. Whatever it is, the source of inspiration for this record has led to another outstanding release that is sure to have backpackers updating their iPods once they actually find out about this thing.

Seriously, why is the love for Junk Science so limited? Are we really burned out enough at this point to just assume that, once Def Jux released I'll Sleep When You're Dead, '07 was finished? I don't know man. Maybe it's just the fatigue everybody feels at the end of the year. But Baje and Snafu are a reason to care. They're yet another reason to love hip-hop this year. They're holding it down for Brooklyn when it would be easy to say not much is going on there at the moment.

Their intentions are clear from the beginning of "Slojo" as the bottle is popped open and you're downing the glorious noise tonic that Snafu juxtaposes with dreamy guitars and A Tribe Called Quest sonic tricks so often. There's a lo-fi funk sample that forms the basis for the opener, but Baje One's voice is given a little more grit in the mic and it's not really an indication for how his voice comes through on the rest of the record.

Now "Pop Rocks," "Pop Rocks" is a song that sounds more in tune with the generic "Junk Science sound" - if such a thing is possible. The song starts off with a good old college days story but quickly finds a gritty urban beat to balance out the smooth flamenco guitar. This kind of thing is what Junk Science are so good at - Baje One never sounds like he's about to lose his cool no matter what he's rhyming about. Paying the bills, coaching high school basketball, talking about the progression of hip-hop, whatever. Everything's fair game when you've downed a 40 and you're just exhibiting your talent.

The difference in Junk Science and so many other hip-hop artists lies in the secret to their successful formula: "We just havin' fun while a lot of rap kids really havin' none / Aww." No kidding! These guys may be living in slummy apartment buildings and living paycheck to paycheck, but they're having a hell of a time doing it. "Come on hip-hop / why your face so tense?"

To this end, the duo practices what they preach. "Do it Easy" rides a galloping beat, but hear those island guitar strums that sound straight out of a Wii menu. It's a deceptively easygoing track that keeps you relaxed. It also fits nicely in the track sequence, which doesn't look that balanced on paper: Guests figure heavily here, and though the weight of their contributions heavily, five of the album's 14 songs have guests (and Daedelus remixes "Do it Easy" as a coda) and they're all bunched within six songs of each other in the middle of the album.

No matter: They make it flow smoothly, and by breaking songs up with brief clips that hint at the continued use (and abuse) of the tonic, Junk Science build a story of hip-hop's Indie Everyman just trying to enjoy making his way through the world. Sterling example, right here: "Jerry Maguire." It's not necessarily an outstanding track on this record, but it does perfectly capture the attitude of these guys.

That may be the most refreshing aspect of Gran'Dad's Nerve Tonic. Attitude accounts for so much when it comes to emcees and how they approach their songs. Look, everybody knows it's good to have serious records and without them a lot of social problems wouldn't get a second glance. But sometimes a playful record, a record that's willing to poke fun at itself and at its contemporaries, that is just as necessary. "Ah, you know about the tonic." Words from the Pedro, indeed. By the time this ends, you will know the tonic... and the junk science that's used to make it.