Unexpected. Exaltron claims to be Objectivist hip-hop music; trumpet player, guitarist, vocalist and beat-looping remix artist he is. Objectivist? Let's see.
In "20,000 Volts of Stone Cold Reason" he starts:
"Underhanded bandits got their hands in my pocket
fingers in the socket trying to drain my flow
but they can't tap the source cuz they know not whence
and now they're comin up against an electric fence."
It's like Zach de la Rocha, only Capitalist and a lot less angry. Kind of awesome.
"Junkies can't put down the pipe of faith and force
they start by takin eighths and now they want forths."
Epistemology in a rap? Why not:
"Distort the source of justice which is reality
tell you that you can't ever trust what you see
but take their emotions as a means to know...
...and you say it's all open to interpretation
what a clever way to cover your prevarication
present a pathetic justification
for your complete moral abnegation."
OK, it's hard not to like this. Though, I'm presented with a serious consideration when the following lines are repeated ad infinitum:
"I gladly cop to the so-called sin of pride
I put it all on number one and I let it ride
cuz I know that my philosophy is bona fide
And I never give an inch to the opposite side."
In conjunction with the bizarre arrangements and harmonically meandering passages, the heavy-handed lyrics almost give this a feeling of parody. And if it really is, it's the most in-depth, slow-payoff, dead-pan performance of a lifetime parody that's ever been. But it does beg the question whether this style is the right medium for an Objectivist message. Or maybe the delivery just needs more intensity. Whatever the case may be, it's still great fun as a listen.
The songs aren't the most polished productions; you can hear audible pops and clicks from loops that haven't been crossfaded properly; so if you're AAA release or bust, this isn't for you. If you're too musically insular for an excursion into territory you've definitely never been before, this also isn't for you. Everyone else?
Check out Exaltron here.
