Pick A Better Weapon
The Coup
Pick A Bigger Weapon
(Epitaph)
The inability to resist making a joke tarnishes an otherwise sharp fifth album from indier-than-thou rappers.
Maybe the present day’s overly political atmosphere finally persuaded a bigger label to take a waiver on The Coup after four albums in the indie rap nether-regions. After all, this Oakland duo have espoused socialism, protested police and poverty, and generally managed to find and attack big issues. Maybe the lack of attention melted their brains some, as Pick A Bigger Weapon feels more poke-and-joke than crash-and-dispatch. “Head (Of State)” uses playground homophobia to rib President Bush and co., and later even these high-minded iconoclasts fall into the rap skit tarpits. Relentless sarcasm dominates the best tracks (“Laugh/Love/Fuck,” the vintage Prince roll “ShoYoAss”), wasting some sublime, anti-Terminator X beats. It’s gonna take something more than a chuckle or guffaw from a well-worded wisecrack to start a revolution.
— Steve Forstneger
Appearing: June 3rd at Abbey Pub in Chicago.
Click here to download “My Favorite Mutiny.”
