CD Reviews

Dr. Octagon

The Return of Dr. Octagon | OCD International

By FRANKLIN SOULTS | July 24, 2006

3.0 Stars

How much fun can a CD be that opens with images of environmental collapse punctuated by the plaintive chorus “Trees are dyin’ ”? Fans of Dr. Octagon — a/k/a the legendary hip-hop shape-shifter Kool Keith, in perhaps his most renowned incarnation — know that the question is moot. But maybe they know less than they think, because though the track is a blast, Keith is also for the first time living up to the standards of his most important precursor, the shape-shifting funkateer George Clinton. That is, even as he jokes and grooves his way through Octagon’s long-awaited return, he’s also serious as shit. So while fans search for the on-line comic strip that explains Octagon’s resurrection after his 1999 “murder,” the rest of us “Ants” (“Ants work together, jerk together, do concerts together, cry and get hurt together”) will find sustenance in the disc’s deep dichotomies. Keith’s international collaborator trio, One Man Sun, slice and dice their electronic funk but also polish it as sleek as Chic, underscoring his journey through a world of mad alienation with a cool sneer and leer. Perfect for airing out cramped apartments in any treeless urban paradise/hellhole.

Related: Review: Oak Lonetree, Lava + 2, Say what?, Kool Koala weekend, More

Topics: CD Reviews , George Clinton, Kool Keith

| More

More Information

Dr. Octagon, “A Gorilla Driving A Pick-Up Truck” - Kid Loco (Banana Loco Remix) (mp3)
Dr. Octagon, 'Aliens' Promo video

ARTICLES BY FRANKLIN SOULTS

HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? | February 10, 2009
"Turn down the bass!" a well-meaning fan finally yelled last Saturday night, about a half-hour into Murder by Death's sold-out performance downstairs at the Middle East.

LILY ALLEN | IT'S NOT ME, IT'S YOU | February 09, 2009
On her 2007 debut, this young British MySpace sensation came across like that rare thing — a natural.

¡VAMOS A ROCK! | January 28, 2010
'Rock en Español 2' rides a new East Coast wave of Latino music

PINK | FUNHOUSE | November 07, 2008
Everything about this good bad ol’ pop Cinderella’s fifth (!) album is tried, true, and tired.

CALL IT A COMEBACK | November 03, 2008
Alabama offspring Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley have been making raucous rock and roll together in one band or another for the past 23 years, about the same time it takes most offspring to grow up and get real jobs.