Search - MC Lars :: This Gigantic Robot Kills

This Gigantic Robot Kills . . . and rocks!

Bradley J. Schloss | East Northport, NY | 03/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of MC Lars for a while now and feel confident in saying that he is at his finest with the recent release of "This Gigantic Robot Kills." I'm not sure how to go about reviewing this album, so I'll just talk about the songs that really stuck out.



The album starts off with "Where Ya Been Lars?" and this track lets us know where our boy has been while supplying us with anecdotes of his experiences in the biz.



Next we are greeted by "True Player for Real;" a song that puts to rest any fears that Lars may have deviated from his Nerdcore roots. Lars is still having fun and putting a lot of thought into his lyrics. Plus, it's also nice to hear Weird Al's contribution of his sick accordion skills.



Then there's "Hipster Girl;" a catchy tune with some fantastic lyrics that pokes fun at hipster culture without having to be too forward or mean about it. I always crack up when he gets to the line `Donnie Darko makes no sense.'



Following that is the environmentalist track "It's Not Easy (Being Green)" with guest vocals supplied by Pierre Bouvier of Simple Plan. While I'm not a fan of Simple Plan, I still feel it necessary to acknowledge his effort on this track, as weak as it may be. Going green is important but the message happens to be trapped in one of the album's weaker tracks.



Ahh yes, then there is the song that bears this album's namesake, "This Gigantic Robot Kills." Easily one of my favorites on the album, this entertaining number is a toe-tapping ska infused song featuring the talents of Suburban Legends and MC Bat Commander of The Aquabats. What's not to like? Ska fans old and new will find themselves singing along and skanking the night away to this one.



"35 Laurel Drive" reminds us of Lars' great sense of humor as he discusses how much of a slob his drummer is. Lars details the numerous messy aspects of this guy's house and is pretty clever about it. With the funny there must also be the serious as we are then met by "Twenty-Three." This somber track recounts the MC's tale of his friend's depression and subsequent suicide and is a very sweet way of paying tribute a lost friend.



Then we get the song "Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Does Not Make You Slash)." Once again, Lars references popular culture and pokes fun the obsessive video games tendencies we harbor and how skilled we think we are. The guitar on this track is fantastic and really drives home the message of the song; being good at a video game doesn't necessarily translate to real like skills.



"We Have Arrived" has a lot going for it with its got a fast danceable beat with a great hip-hop core. "White Kids Aren't Hyphy" follows the theme of characterizing the club going genre while getting its own message across and upholds Lars' vast musical knowledge.



"Hey There Ophelia" gives us the sort of track we haven't heard since "Mr. Raven" or "Ahab." MC Lars was an English major in college and, clearly, he doesn't want us to forget it. As far as I'm concerned, a rap version of Hamlet is always welcome.



All in all, it's a great album and I look forward to seeing MC Lars coming out with some more top notch songs in the future.

"

Amazing album!

D. Volz | Boulder, CO USA | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this album! I pre-ordered it weeks ago and it is definitely his best album yet and I've liked every one of them so far. This Gigantic Robot Kills is an excellent skanking song. Keep up the good work Lars!"

This Gigantic Robot Kills...

Alex O. Eschbach | 03/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"MC Lars continues exploring the limits of a genre he created in his followup to 2006's The Graduate. Lars limits the interpolation of the tracks in this album, instead favoring to bring some friends to play with him on This Gigantic Robot Kills.

The title track features the MC Bat Commander (of the Aquabats) and Suburban Legends in a song that suggests it's time to destroy the kids of Laguna Beach and other MTV reality based shows to "bring the real Orange County back." It's this tongue-in-cheek humor that has helped my Lars a favorite amongst many in the punk/ska scene.

He continues the tradition by making fun of bumper sticker activism (No Logo), the hypocrisy of certain celebrities claiming to "go green" (It's Not Easy (Being Green)), and kid's obsession with Guitar Hero (Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)).

Lars also puts his English degree to good use in Hey There Ophelia. A post-punk laptop rap interpretation of Hamlet.

With help from Parry Gripp (Nerf Herder), Gabe Saporta (Midtown/Cobra Starship), Brett Anderson (The Donnas), and "Weird" Al Yankovic, MC Lars continues to gain a fan base not associated with mainstream hip-hop.

This Gigantic Robot Kills aims to be the punk equivalent of the Beastie Boy's License to Ill and attract a group of people who normally shy away from anything in the rap community. And in this respect, the album is a success."