P.O.S. Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
It almost feels mean-spirited to call P.O.S. rap-rock, so sullied is that name from millennial mook-rock, but as he proudly interpolates Fugazi and Notorious B.I.G. on Never Better, it becomes obvious that this term is one he's determined to redefine. Track titles like "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" and "Terrorish" don't disappoint, all churlish guitar thuds, chest-thumping choruses and rapid-fire rhymes; it feels like the Linkin Park aesthetic done right, which is, really, a strange artistic achievement, but one handily accomplished. These hot flashes of intensity are nicely contrasted by neighbors like the darkly soothing "Optimist (We Are Not for Them)" and the satisfying boom-bap of "Savion Glover," giving the album some assured ebbs in intensity. Better still is the bombastically chintzy "Goodbye," which sounds like the type of beat Just Blaze would save for his very favorite client. But this is staunchly P.O.S.' show, and as an MC he's eager to dazzle. While his big emphatic Midwestern enunciation recalls Eminem, his emo-rap fixations are more in line with El-P or Cadence Weapon. He's fixated, obsessed even, with his friends, particularly those who've abused his trust, and constructs his record from the pensive moments of solitude between vainglorious barnburners. Between this brutal bleating and the general anger of the production, the record is dank and punishing on the ears -- probably just as P.O.S. intended, but still a step or two shy of the sonic maturity he so yearns to lend the subgenre. ~ Clayton Purdom, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Punk rocker/rapper P.O.S. got the attention of indie hip-hop label Rhymesayers with his 2004 self-released Ipecac Neat, and so his next album and Rhymesayers debut, Audition, acts as not only a way to convince the label he belongs on their roster, but also as a greater introduction to the world outside the Twin Cities. His rock influences are abundantly clear, making themselves known in the heavy electric guitars and bass that are the background for much of the record, adding a nice element to the overall sound, a rich, full, yet somewhat messy beat that focuses as much on melody and chord changes as it does on rhythm, but there are plenty of hip-hop elements -- scratching, a hollow drum machine, synthesizers -- too. It's a very well-produced album, exciting and musical and intense. P.O.S.'s intensity is, in fact, the most striking aspect of Audition, both in his delivery, which sounds disarmingly like Eminem (via "Lose Yourself," "Stan," etc) and his often violent lyrics ("Paul Kersey to Jack Kimball" is about vendettas and "The Kill in Me" contains the creepy, half-sung chorus of "You can't cut surgically with a shaky hand/And honestly my nerves are shot again/Let me treat you like a doll and snap your neck in my hands"). P.O.S. has a really good, fast flow, with interesting, provoking rhymes that don't come across as erudite or condescending ("Sometimes I feel like a bastard surrounded by fathers" he says in "Bush League Pysche-Out Stuff," one of the best tracks on the record, with a great spy movie-themed bassline acting as pretty much the only element in the beat), and the songs where he sticks to solely to rapping turn out a lot better than the ones in which he includes the kind of angry alternative rock singing found on Linkin Park albums, which just makes him sound like he's trying too hard to be that rapper for punk kids. But P.O.S.'s appeal should be greater, because he's a talented, introspective, angry MC with a lot to say and a lot of ways to say it, and Audition definitely proves this to anyone who may not have already known. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Before he was signed to Rhymesayers, P.O.S. recorded and released a full-length with his own label (and collective) Doomtree. It was, in fact, upon hearing that album that Rhymesayers offered him a deal, and it's easy to see why they were interested. Ipecac Neat is an energetic, angry, intense record with dark, engaging Aesop Rock-like beats that incorporate guitar and strings loops, purposeful drums, and ominous scratches. The melodies and harmonies switch from song to song, but there's a consistency in the production, so much so that it, along with the heaviness and anger, begins to sound a bit repetitive and even weighs down the album. Clearly, to some extent this is P.O.S.' intent: he presents himself as a brooding, thoughtful, and emotionally vulnerable MC who's not afraid to say that he's frightened or upset, and his rhymes all deal with pain and misfortune. His images are as violent as anything from Wu-Tang, but are more intimate, telling stories of individuals (like in "Little Kids" or "Duct Tape") or himself ("Gimme Gimme Gunshots," for example), the details as much about the mental agony as the physical. And though -- unlike on Audition -- P.O.S. hardly uses the punky guitars and sung/screamed vocals, he still approaches songwriting from a more rock-based standpoint, careful to include separate verses and actual choruses (as opposed to just short hooks), so that even though his delivery style is fairly quick and complex, what he's saying is easy to understand, because of sheer repetition if nothing else. It's an effective technique, catchy and melodic yet still unique and provocative. Ipecac Neat may be P.O.S.' first album, but it doesn't come across as puerile or immature; rather, it's just full of the virulence and intensity of an angry young man who's looking at his world and doesn't quite understand what he sees, but decides to -- and needs to -- talk about it anyway. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
