Rap and rock music? Together? Oh, cripes - isn’t that what Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit do? Of course, neither had one of the finest rock guitarists in recent memory providing them with their blistering riffage.
With Audioslave gone, and with Rage Against The Machine flying under the radar at the moment, supergroup/side-project junkie Tom Morello delves further into the political activist stance established by his Nightwatchman alter-ego by joining forces with Boots Riley of political hip-hoppers The Coup. Street Sweeper Social Club is the group they formed back in 2006, and their eponymous album seems like a good idea, at least on paper. Riley’s rhymes are slick and sloganeering, if a little cliché-heavy at times (‘Megablast’ is particularly wearisome). Alas, there’s little meat on the bones of these songs, despite the duo’s stated intention to give people “something to listen to on their iPods while storming Wall Street.”
In reality, most of Morello’s compositions sound like recycled Audioslave and RATM B-sides. ‘100 Little Curses’ is brimming with flag-waving ‘wooooahhhs’ and a stately drum beat. Nonetheless, it sounds dangerously imitative of Jane’s Addiction (if they had Diddy on vocals), while ‘The Oath’ is an unedifying Guns ‘n’ Roses rehash. It’s the more whimsical ‘Promenade’ that proves the most enjoyable moment here. It’s the only time Morello really seems to be having fun. Funky fun. He should try it more.