Slug & Murs - Felt Vol. 3: Album Review

Slug & Murs, Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez (Rhymesayers, 2009)
Felt is the occasional collaboration between Slug and Murs, in which each album is named after a (somewhat) fapworthy actress and produced by a different underground producer. I reviewed their last album here over four years ago. Jesus H. Christ. What am I doing with my life?

Felt @ MySpace

PROTAGONISTS

I was hoping the production on this album, by Aesop Rock, would sound like his work on None Shall Pass. This doesn't sound altogether different from (I think) "Catacomb Kids." They should havfe let him rap too. But then I guess it wouldn't be a proper Felt album.

FELT CHEWED UP

On the other hand, this is a bit too Aesop Rock for my liking. I wouldn't even like this if Aes himself rapped on it, let alone Slug and Murs, who aren't as well suited for that sort of thing. I suppose now is a good a time as any to mention that this album features some wicked scratches. Which is always nice.

GET CAKE

It's just them chanting about eating cake for about a minute. Is this meant as a sort of criticism of crunk music?

BASS FOR YOUR TRUCK

It didn't take long for things to get all emo, did it? But what does bass for your truck have to do with it? Are people in Minnesota still really into car stereos? I was looking at a Best Buy ad the other day, and I noticed they don't even bother to list car stereo shit anymore.

LIKE YOU

The message here sounds a bit too positive. I'd almost rather they be talking about girls.

PERMANENT STANDBY

And wouldn't you know, here they are again, rapping about girls. It sounds like they might be describing a date rape, so it's even kinda negative. Bonus!

KEVIN SPACEY

An instrumental interlude. Not half that bad, though I was hoping it might be a rap song about Kevin Spacey - perhaps about whether or not he's on the DL.

GHOST DANCE DELUXE

What's this, a song where production actually sounds appropriate? The beat sounds spooky as shit, and the rhymes really are about ghosts, albeit ghosts of girls.

REVISITING THE STYLEETRON

A party song that would just sound weird at a party. The only party this will be played at involves warmed over Papa John's, Natty Light, a desk lamp and some Internets pr0n.

WHALEFACE

A dis song with an extended ocean life metaphor. Um, why?

GLORY BURNING

A story about a guy who ends up in the trunk of a car. It sounds like Slug might rap about the guy in the trunk, and Murs might rap from the perspective of the guy in the trunk.

HENRIETTA LONGBOTTOM

Slug and Murs trade rumors back and forth about a local girl with a wicked camel toe. Retarded as it sounds, it's a gas to listen to.

SHE SONNET

I tuned out here to take care of some things. It sounds like they might have been complaining about the state of modern day hip-hop. Which is usually my favorite kind of rap music.

FELT GOOD

Murs declares himself superior to people who rap about killing people.

DEATHMURDERMAYHEM

Then here's a song about killing people.

THE PRIZE

The indie rap equivalent of that song where Jay-Z compares himself to Santa Claus. At one point, the word swag is mentioned.

G.I. JOSEPHINE

Sounds like it might be left over from the last Atmosphere album. In a bad way, natch.

THE CLAP

A sort of sex ed PSA. When you look at a woman, just assume she has the clap. I definitely assume that, when a woman looks at me.

WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED

When I saw Atmosphere at Lollapalooza this summer, their crowd was bigger than the one for Kanye's headlining set the year before. No bullshit. The other underground rappers must hate Slug. That must be what he's rapping about on this album.

GIVE IT UP

More complaining about shit, which I'll take as proof of the theory I laid out in my comments on that last song.

PAUL REUBENS

If this song has anything to do with the guy who played Pee Wee Herman, I missed it. There is a nice Sideways reference though. Murs isn't drinking any fucking Merlot. Slug announces that Felt 4 will be a tribute to Heidi Fleiss. Bonus!

COMMENTS: Surprise, this album ain't half that bad. Aesop Rock's production doesn't seem particularly appropriate for Slug and Murs' emo rap, but I still kinda like it. Like most rap albums in the post No Limit era, it's longer than it needs to be. I'd get rid of the ones about girls who drink too much alcohol or whatever. If I wanted to hear that, I'd get an Atmosphere album. Murs probably felt the same way but didn't want to say anything, because Slug's the one with all the money.

BEST TRACKS: "Protagonists" "Ghost Dance Deluxe" "Henrietta Longbottom"

BONUS VIDEO: Behind the Scenes with Aesop Rock and DJ Big Wiz