Review - Shwayze - Buzzin' (Single)

Shwayze - Buzzin' (Single)

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9 out of 10

The Daegu downtown was an explosion of excited energy. Pulsing neon signs, the wavering glow emanating from the traffics lights, car horn howling as mopeds buzz past. Groups of old Korean men sit on the sidewalk, shooting the shit and knocking back shots of ice cold soju, watching the young couples walk saunter past. In the middle of all there was me, desperately seeking to master the perfect form and failing miserably. Blasted out of my skull on soju mixers, I had nothing more than $1 in my pocket, an MP3 player, a borrowed skateboard and the plaid shirt on my back. Bitter and confused feelings on this humid night. Where had my friends gone? More importantly where had that girl gone?

I knew exactly where, she had disappeared into the darkness, followed by some tag along geek. Had I been played for the fool that I am or simply created a scenario in my head and came to believe it? I could not tell, I did not even know where I was, there was still too much of that vile liquor washing around inside my skull.

The best thing I could was to jump on my borrowed ride and head for home, which happened to be the other side of the city. A high-speed sidewalk burn, weaving in and out of traffic and carving across pedestrian cross walks, the perfect way to clear my head and work out some of that burning resentment. Kick, push, kick, push.and don't get hit by a bus, because you better believe they won't think twice about mowing you down. South Korea is after all a country where the driver is king and the pedestrian has all the liberties of crane fly bearing down on a windshield.

After almost an hour of rolling across streets, up and down cerbs and weaving between cars I came to the conclusion that I could be heading in the wrong direction. So I decided to ask two 'army police' (Young men who choose to be conscripted into the civilian police force instead of the military) who proceeded to laugh hysterically when they discovered where I was trying to get to. When they had finished laughing they felt enough pity to give me some change with which I could access the subway. Down the steps into the marble trench, a sanctuary from the madness up above. Yet of course the train took a little while to get in so I reasoned that I might as well make the most of the long deserted marble floored platforms whilst the skateboard was still in my possession. I slipped on my headphones and turned on my MP3 player: it just so happened to be queued up for Shwayze.

The first time I heard Shwayze's "Corona And Lime" my immediate response was, "Wow, this guy flows like somebody's senile grand mother!". Admittedly as of recent I have become more accustomed to the vocal prowess of Kayne West, Chuck D and the Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy. In contrast the Shawyze's rapping sounded slow and almost clumsy. Yet the more I listened the more I came to appreciate the style, the chilled vibe and the evident less-is-more aesthetic in the lyrical styling. To make a comparison: guitarist Steve Vai certainly plays a lot of notes very quickly, defiantly a lot more than say, Jack White does. Yet Jack White's playing is tasteful and interesting, Bluesy, a matter of selecting the right note for the moment. Steve Vai is like somebody eating a 14oz steak, downing a pint of laxative and then perching over a toilet whilst humming a Status Quo riff and reading the latest copy of "What Guitar?" magazine.

Shwayze's vocals are as much about what is not said as what is. It is probably worth pointing out at this point that Shwayze hail from Malibu California and their band name is also the name of the group's rapper. He is accompanied by Cisco Adler (Formerly of Whitestarr) and DJ/ producer Skeet Skeet. The interesting contrast is created by the trade offs between Adler and Shaywze: Adler provides singer/song writer style vocals and guitar while Shwayze takes care of the more Hip Hop vox while Skeet Skeet lays the beat. The result is textured and catchy, sounding akin to N*E*R*D, Gym Class Heroes and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, certainly in the layered guitar parts. More than anything the tracks sound like what the lyrics describe: getting drunk on a beach somewhere in Malibu, basking in the sun, watching the girls go past until eventually one of them wanders over, care free and idyllic. "Buzzin'" starts with a calm acoustic guitar riff, Adler's hearty vocals begin telling about meeting a girl at a block party and then Shwayze weaves in his own take on events, backed by a decent rhythm. Though decidedly simple it manages to fit across a handful of genres and while it is so chilled it could be classed as 'Hippy-Rap', it does not sound like De La Soul (Who reputedly resent that label). It is fresh and original and there is not even the whiff of a contrived Nu-Rave influence which is so relieving considering everything seems to require some kind of bland retro Electro finish at the moment. In contrast Shwayze and his friends from Malibu are standing on their own, removed form the crowd and doing their own thing.

The train arrived. I picked up the skateboard and stepped on. I took off my sunglasses and pinched the bridge of my nose aw I sat down. There and then, still half cut, I knew full well that I would never achieve the perfect form I sought and that she would not be the last girl to disappear into the night before my eyes. However I also knew that at the end of the day it didn't really matter. So I put Shwayze on back on and tried to drift into memories of times less savage and venomous.

Listen: www.myspace.com/shwayze

Tracklist:
1. Buzzin'
2. Don't Be Shy