Mush madness continues for 2003 with the release of Melbourne, Australia’s eclectic hip-hop outfit, Curse Ov Dialect. Like Mush’s predecessors (Busdriver, Radioinactive and Daedelus), Curse Ov Dialect exhibits similar driving forces with the quirky and off-kilter rhyming conveyance and accompanying musical production. And, similarly, Curse Ov Dialect’s Lost In The Real Sky is a journey through mind-numbing sonics and excessive wordplay, with an IDM accompaniment that is both refreshing and downright boring.
I will admit that Mush has evidently released some of the wackiest music ever, but there is a fine line between diversely acceptable and just plain annoying. Curse Ov Dialect hovers directly on that line, dabbling with pure genius and outright insanity throughout the album. But what becomes evident is the chagrin and infuriation that is conjured up trying to figure out exactly what Curse Ov Dialect is trying to portray. And, overall, the album becomes a musical nuisance rather than a work of genius. Unfortunately, the entire album follows directly behind the previous work of Busdriver & Radioinactive with Daedelus' The Weather.
Admittedly, Mush’s musical direction this past year has taken us to great heights of aggravation and irritation in the world of independent hip-hop. Curse Ov Dialect follows clearly behind Mush’s vision, but there seems apparent on Lost In The Real Sky a window of opportunity for them to go back to the drawing board and execute a truly acceptable hip-hop record for their follow-up. Curse Ov Dialect is talented but need some form of individuality to create something substantially better. And that brings me back to the fine line that they are currently traveling. Their choice is difficult, but what remains obvious is that they must get off the line and choose accurately which side they must go to create a more effectively entertaining record. The choice is theirs; let's hope for their future as an independent hip-hop group that they choose the correct path.
1. Baby How?
2. Wolf moon
3. All cultures
4. The truth about Tasmania...
5. Vertical ascension
6. Flag ov creatures
7. Munro
8. Shamans
9. Multicultural markets
10. The fall of houlihan (button-eyed whiz kid)
11. Upside down frowns
12. Curse ov the Vulk Makedonski
13. Family assorted
14. Hidden fantasy
15. Lost in the real sky
16. Uzbeki westerns
17. If I die
18. Water thicker than Blood
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