Scapegoat Wax
OKEEBLOW
(GRAND ROYAL/VIRGIN)

Quirky bedroom musicians are a dime a dozen in this MP3 age of do-it-yourself recording and the Internet. And Marty James, a/k/a Scapegoat Wax, is the latest lo-fi auteur to follow in Beck’s pomo footsteps. Hailing from the small town of Chico, California, James forgoes irony and shtick on his second album but mirrors Beck’s affinity for combining organic and electronic textures. The hip-hop-soaked Okeeblow is heavy with sampler-driven effects: off-kilter music loops, funky vocal snippets, programmed beats. But it’s not quite a straightforward hip-hop affair. For every rhythmic rap, the album has a nod to classic pop-based songwriting; we get plaintive guitars, melodic harmonies, and smooth, rich vocals that sometimes recall the soulful croon Lenny Kravitz employs on his softer numbers. Indeed, despite its mechanical roots, Okeeblow resonates with a human warmth that complements generally affecting lyrics, as James broaches topics ranging from the serious (his mother, the homeless people living on his front steps) to the less weighty (the charmingly catchy ode to a woman he met in a former place of employment). It’s hip-hop with heart, and pop with no pretensions.

Issue Date: July 12 - 19, 2001