| 3OH!3 - Want |
| Written by Sarah Mudgway | ||
| Friday, 08 May 2009 10:49 | ||
Oh, how I was wrong. ‘Want’ is a straight up hip-hop/electronic/pop album which will make you want to dance, laugh... and question your faith in music simultaneously. Kicking off with instrumental track ‘Tapp’ and moving straight into ‘Punkbitch’, the lyrical introduction to the album (“When I come up in the club I'm talking mad shit, Come up in the club I'm 'bout to get my ass kicked”) sets the tone for the entirety of 'Want' – parties, ego and gangster rhymes all wrapped up in their trademark erotic synth-80s pop-hip-hop. I know there’s a lot of hyphens in my attempt at a genre-definition of the album, but it really is that varied. Breakout track 'Don’t Trust Me' is one of the more mellow and catchy songs on the album, which is undoubtedly why it was chosen as the first single. It is widely recognized as the fan-favourite, and if you can look past the comical bridge of “shh girl, shut your lips... do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips”, you’ll find a catchy sing-a-long chorus which doubles as an apparent life lesson for the children. Kids, don’t trust hoes... As, they won’t trust you. Perhaps the biggest shock of 'Want' is track ten, ‘Still Around'. I never really understood the link between 3OH!3 and noted record producer Matt Squire, better known for his work with bands such as Panic At The Disco and Boys Like Girls, until this track jumped out of nowhere. The style is so different from the rest of the album, I wondered if I had been given a faulted copy of 'Want' with The Fray’s next single plastered on at the end. An acoustic ballad accompanied with soft drums and piano backing track, this proves that Sean and Nate can sing emotive ballads as well as spit rhymes about “tipping strippers like they’re my friends". ‘Still Around’ doesn’t fit, but it works. While 'Want' may not be the most epic album, at least it’s original. Its beats are inspired by the underground hip-hop and electro-punk scenes with no sign of any re-mixed Michael Jackson samples like so many artists seem to be doing these days. And if you can look past the over-the-top vulgarity of the lyrics you’ll find messages of love, friendship, staying true to oneself and patriotism. Not bad for two college physics students from small town Colorado. |
