Nomen est omen, right? The act’s called Idiot Robot.1 And I daresay, the moniker’s spot on with the duo’s new concoction called Anti Pop Culture. The RMR crew let that one grind on our mighty music system from time to time over the last months. And each time it got brutally scuttled at about halfway through the tracklist.
But after a while, you have to snatch the dirty laundry from the floor and take it to the cleaners. And that includes explaining all those weird stains to the attendant, even if it hurts your pride. Like that, they won’t shrink your garments to dwarf size or worse for revenge. So, here we are in the cold darkness of winter. A great time to lend some credence to this annoying little noisy item. After all, an ice-cold, cosmically dusty delivery requires an equally frozen return. So, here goes!
In a way, the title – Anti Pop Culture – is straight on the money. This whole chebang would indeed be anathema to any adept of the sugary sweet sound of beach-front pop (rock) and the colorful accouterments fueling this mainstream lifestyle full of happy people. Instead, Idiot Robot saddle you with a barebone, scratchy version of ’80s and ’90s Californa-style psychedelic Grunge and Punk Rock. An offering fueled by – and I quote “…Heart Break, Angst, Reflection, Wonder and Chaos.” But, instead of abject aggression, the band putters forth with a record so bloodless and ultimately boring, it would desiccate Dracula into a gazillion dust particles in about two milliseconds.
You see, punk – by definition – is supposed to be short, brutal, scratchy, and loud. Spawning records that bludgeon you into submission with vicious barbarity high on painfully short bursts of anger. Somewhat akin to the aforementioned grunge that always tries (or tried) to kick it up that doubtful elitist ladder a step at a time. Instead, Clint Listing and Ryan Michalski ominously slipped down a score of rungs with a scrawny display of subterranean and simplistic songwriting in ominous moldy shades of grey. To make matters worse, the grimy Ozzy-whine, aka ‘the vocals’, with their fake UK English intonation seriously strained our patience.2 Thus, unsurprisingly, our stone-cold metal souls turned even frostier the more this thing took on steam.
But in truth, the band valiantly tried to inject emotion into their tune with a variety of moods and flavors. The endearing yet dogged devotion to their craft truly merits at least some kudos. In other words, Idiot Robot crammed Anti Pop Culture full of a massive and miscellaneous scattershot of songs. A tracklist lacking flow, consistency, and coherence like one of them dried up riverbeds in the Mojave desert. And this left us with a feeling of bloat that you get after consuming way too much chimichanga. A big fat zero sitting athwart a production suspected to originate from a bad quality MIDI device. A mangled garage rock piece sent too deep underground to matter. And even the (more or less) acceptable rendition of The Clash’s ‘Should I Stay or Should I go’ couldn’t save them from our wrath.
Ultimately, I’m not sure what the two guys of Idiot Robot have been smoking. After a while of grinding grit and grime on nothing more than tumbleweeds and dust, you give up the ghost on this record. Anti Pop Culture turned into an utterly unlikeable record, fueled with reckless songwriting and little regard for detail and quality. And we get it, grunge and punk positively scream for rough ‘n’ dirty rebellion, a mighty roar straight from society’s underbelly, aiming at destroying the reviled mainstream establishment.
But those styles also demand an utterly savage ferocity, a stellar songwriting prowess, and an ability to mop the floor with an ecstatic fan crowd screaming for moar. MOAR!! Instead, the duo delivered a ton of badly produced weak tea déjà-vu. Stuff we kinda already heard somewhere, slammed onto a tracklist that’s way too massive for its own good.
And by that token, did Idiot Robot manage to rile up the Review Desk @ RMR? Well, mission fucking accomplished. The line “…no one likes you, no one stands you…” on Why Must I surely is symptomatic. And not in a good way.
Just sayin’.
Record Rating: 2/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 15 March 2024