Analog Brothers - "2005"

Of course, what drew the normally sensitive indie types to Keith's profanity-laced paranoid rants in the first place was the production. Automator's tracks on the Dr. Octagon project gave the knapsackers an excuse to secretly snicker at the often shocking misogyny of Keith's lyrics. And what made those beats so distinctive was Automator's use of vintage synths, which were at the time all the rage in the world of avant-pop. At the turn of the century, Keith made this analog fetishism the centerpiece of the identity of his newest project: the Analog Brothers.

Keith here dubs himself Keith Korg, and his collaborators have similarly inclined handles: Rex Roland, Silver Synth, Mark Moog and Ice Oscillator, also known as none other than legendary proto gangsta-rapper Ice-T. Of course I was termendously excited upon first hearing about it, which happened when I spotted the advance single "2005 A.D." at Beat Street (where else?). It's a good track, fairly typical of Keith's style, but with less of the man himself due to the presence of the band's other MCs. Ice-T is curiously absent.

A few months later I picked up the full-length, Pimp to Eat, and was duly disappointed. Keith is clearly the best MC of the bunch, and it's far from his most inspired work. I listened to the album again before posting this, thinking I might turn up a hidden gem I had since forgotten, but "2005" is the best track. I was also looking for a track with both Keith and Ice-T, and I don't think there is one. The version posted here is taped off the single, by the way, but it doesn't differ appreciably from the album version.

One more interesting note: neither the 12" nor the LP bear a production credit. The whole band, perhaps? According to the group's AMG bio, Pimp Rex was the producer on Keith's previous Sex Style album and, given his position in the album credits, he seems to have some sort of central role in the group; it may be his work.

Buy it... on vinyl.

From my deck to you: Analog Brothers - "2005"