You need a warp zone just to make it to our level
Here we go with the first real post. Thanks to everyone who’s reading this. The very first album I’m going to review is a local nerdcore group that a friend of mine is involved in. They call themselves CSHC (Computer-Science Hardcore), and it’s some of the catchiest, funniest, and generally most entertaining stuff out there. Plus, the album title is so inspirational. It can kind of apply to anything, and that’s what we hope to accomplish with this blog.
Nerdcore, nerd style, nerd love, nerd life
For those of you unfamiliar with the nerdcore genre, it’s basically nerds rapping about nerdy things. The first track, “The Definition,” covers most of the bases: “Comic books, D&D, video games / We’re talking coding and hacking and anime.” What makes Rule #1… really stand out is the quality of lyrics and the inherent catchiness of the backing tracks, some of which sample classic video game themes. And how can you go wrong with song titles like “E-Cock,” “Lessthanthree,” and “Networking King (Networking)”?
I’ve been to many places and it’s been a long trip / And the Vampire Killer is my legendary whip
One of my personal favorite tracks is the one called “Bloody Tears,” which documents the adventures of two famous vampire-hunters from the classic Castlevania series. DJ Inubito composed the backing track, based on the tune of the same title from Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest. It’s got some epic lines like “Gotta find the manor, gather up the five body parts / Using up my holy water, gotta find some more hearts.” By the end of it, you’d be lying if you said this song wasn’t stuck in your head.
There’s a fine line between livin’ hard and hardly livin’
Another one of my favorites is “Nerdy Gospel.” Did you ever spend nights alone with your computer, logging on to BBS’s, playing games, chatting, or writing scripts? Then this song is for you. It’s a ballad about growing up, being made fun of at school, discovering the online world, hacking, going to college, circumventing the system… it’s all in there.
“Nerdcore Is Dying” is an anthemic masterpiece I keep going back to. Classy synth piano loops course through this track like packets through an ethernet cable. And I can’t forget the fan favorite “Networking (Network King),” the
last track they recorded, and possibly the best-produced. Conyeezy’s vocals
really shine on this track.
I could say more, but you just gotta hear it for yourself. All in all, this is the kinda album to throw on the iPod, roll down the windows, and bump all the way to the comic store.
Notes
In case you don’t listen to the production notes track, they recorded
these songs in the order that they appear on the album, so if you
aren’t impressed with the production quality at first, it does get better as you progress along.
Links
CSHC on Conyeezy’s Website: Here you can download the whole album (+ Bonus Tracks and production notes) for free!
CSHC on Myspace: For those of you who enjoy socially networking.
jim | 
09.6.2007| 
