Brokencyde

The question isn’t so much ‘who’ these guys are, but ‘what’ they are. A southwestern-based quartet of chaos and confusion could probably be applied, yet there’s something creatively engaging amidst the heavy doses of negative criticism circling Brokencyde’s rise on the charts. If you’ve not heard of this band yet, here’s the gist of it – their music has been dubbed ‘crunkcore’ and the lyrical angle is often that of a young and rebellious party mode, chock full of juvenile sex rants and spiteful jabs at conformity. Guess what – somehow it actually works when given a chance. Take the vocal effects often applied by artists like Lil’ Wayne, the electronic beats found in most hopped up dance clubs, plus the otherworldly growls that spew from the trendy screamo genre, and voila – you’ve got Brokencyde. As ridiculous as it sounds, Brokencyde’s entire being is indeed as though the southern hip-hop of Soulja Boy collided head-on into the Jonas Brothers pop melody before exploding in a crowd of spiky hair rave-goers and skinny jean clad emo fans. And that still doesn’t fully encapsulate the dynamics of this group’s sound. Is this really a love it or hate it band? Hmmm… sure, they’ve been deemed a band to bring about the final decline of western civilization, and mostly hated on by critics, but as the album title states… “The kids seem to like it.” Brokencyde creates an arguably interesting, unique, and dare it be said – almost a catchy-can’t-turn-it-off sort of musical experience. Songs of particular note include “Booty Call” which includes a guest appearance by Bay Area rapper E-40, and “Get Up” with Daddy X of the Kottonmouth Kings. Bizarre and freaky in a rubber necker watching an accident scene type of way. That said though, the sonic nonsense invites a listener to become the rubber-necker, if nothing more than sheer perverse curiosity at the otherwise indescribable sounds emitting throughout seventeen tracks. Some of said tracks go from pure dance types to all out hard rock, so credit is due for diversity interwoven with what some would call purely no-substance ‘insanity.’ So are they a groundbreaking band, or just a bunch of rowdy youngsters toying with normally non-compatible sounds? That is most certainly up to you!

www.myspace.com/brokencyde