Never Better might end up being one of the best hip-hop albums of the year, and yet, it might end up being among the elite punk albums of ’09 as well. That’s what P.O.S. brings to the table, rap with a punk soul.
Now to be clear, P.O.S.’s music isn’t some terrible nu-metal hybrid. This is pure hip-hop, but with a distinctly different feel. The blistering speed and unwavering aggression are far closer to old Against Me! than Jay-Z. He even quotes (samples?) Fugazi’s “Five Corporations” on the track “Savion Glover” singing, “This one’s ours let’s take another.” Needless to say, taking a page from the DC hardcore scene is not a typical hip-hop move.
From the dissonant chords and drum clattering that sounds like a lit fuse on the intro of “Let It Rattle” to the cup stacking (literally) beat of “Optimist,” P.O.S. experiments with a bunch of sounds that aren’t commonplace for his genre. His vocal style is also nontraditional. He’s very emotionally vulnerable for an MC; he’s not afraid to drop the tough guy front and open up in a very personal way (see: “Purexed”).
A clear strength of Never Better is the album’s lyrical chops. While the archetypal theme of the underdog is often present on tracks like “The Basics (Alright),” “Low,” and “Out of Category,” his references are all over the place. He’ll lyrically swing from pointed anger towards politics and economics to Mitch Hedberg jokes, and most anything in between. It really gives the whole album an feel like it’s on it toes, always ready to linguistically pounce.
Never Better is not without flaws. P.O.S.’s muttering before and after tracks and rampant references to his rap crew (Doomtree) his record label (Rhymesayers) are grating. Additionally, the backup vocals by Jason Shevchuk (formerly of Kid Dynamite) on “Terrorish” are painfully shrill.
The album ends with cinematic flair on “The Brave and the Snake.” The song has prolonged stretches of unnerving claim, as if the listener is thrown into the eye of a hurricane, only to explode into a fierce chorus that tears through the sonic spectrum like gale force winds. Instead of looking at the destruction, Never Better leaves those in its path in awe of the natural power on display.
Review Score: 8.0
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