Chocolate Genius
Godmusic
V2
Listening to this CD gives me the same feeling I get when I listen to Dusk by The The, or The Afghan Whigs’ Black Love. It’s got such darkness, such groove, such a twist on the sadness and movement of life. Chocolate Genius, though, doesn’t really sound like those bands, he just shares the same shadows at times. This groove is on its own, and it’s so smooth, but at the same time it sinks into perversity of its own making. Some noteworthy guests appear to get their own moodswings in, like Marc Ribot, Oren Bloedow, and Chris Whitley, among others. The lyrics taint the trip-hopped and slightly popped tones with lines like, “a hole is just a hole unless you got a shovel and you’re bored•” which can seem harmless, but then again, maybe they aren’t. Songs like “Pocket Mouse” and “Bossman Piss (In My Lemonade)” make you want to dance, make you feel almost sexy like, as long as you don’t get too involved in what the songs are saying.
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