Rita Mishears: Black and Yellow Tshirts by MC Lars

MC Lars joins Less Than Jake on stage; Ska-loving nerds get excited

Yours truly is of course one of said ska-loving nerds. Less Than Jake were the most fun when I saw them last year and I've gushed lyrical about MC Lars before on this blog. So when I recently discovered they performed on stage together I, like many others..(okay like a few others at least) have some hope that LTJ ft MCL could happen.

Not sure if anyone really knows what's going on (esp. the two randomers on stage) but more of this plz.

Bressie goes loveable urban rogue in a 90s pop band vs owl city

AKA pop music I think I like..

Bressie is a dude who used to be in a band called The Blizzards and now has a pop album out. He also provides advice and mentoring on a talent show for some reason. Anyway his new single 'Breaking My Fall' is a bit of a puzzle for me.. It combines 'teenage matters really matter' lyrics, redonk rapping that's as far away from Easy-E and the lads as you possibly could get and a chorus that you know every goddamn gaggle of teenage girls down the back of the bus will sing constantly.

The puzzle clearly is working out if I like it or love it. It's so non offensive, my goth. It sounds like 5ive or S Club 7 mixed with the owl city fggt (fireflies is a choon btw). That or 'You only get what you give' choon that was, yes you guessed it, a choon. The main thing to remember is that it's fun and not Adele whining on about some cake she left on a behind in a cafe or whatever she sings about.

Have you listened to MC Lars?

MC Lars is a college graduate dude who used to be in a pop punk band
and decided to make pop punk and pop culture influenced non offensive,
tongue in cheek white boy hip hop on his laptop. His lyrics are about
the internet, literature (shakespeare in particular), hipsters,
computer games, suburban ‘anarchists’, the environment and other
snippets of social commentary depending on what is trending at time of
writing. If you’re not at least interested in check him out knowing
all this then I fear there’s no hope for you.

To date he has a few albums out, as well as EPs and various other
songs here and there. He has a bucketload of influences and this makes
it hard to pick some songs to give an idea of his sound, as
practically every song is coming from a different genre. But here
goes.

Download This Song

Mixing a sample from a rock song - in this case The Passenger - with programmed drum beats, white boy rapping, a pop punk chorus - in this case the lad from Bowling For Soup - and an internet-related theme, this song pretty much sums up MC Lars.From the start of his career he recognised the power of downloading  and pretty much everything he has done is up for free on Bandcamp.

iGeneration

Slightly more of a hip hop feel with this one, but the chorus can pass for pop punk. Features the line 'hope I die before I get sold' again merging the contemporary trends with laptop programmed beats and giving a nod to rock songs of old. It's catchy as hell too.

Ahab

And here's a song about Moby Dick. Nothing says non offensive college degree guy like referencing literature! It's a well put together song and the Supergrass sample in the chorus is perfect.

It's not Easy being Green

Lyrics about the environment and global warming - check.

Pop punk chorus - check.

Tongue firmly in cheek when it needs to be - check.

And features the line 'I even rap in haikus..WHAT?!', possibly the best and nerdiest rap boast evar.

This Gigantic Robot Kills

A ska-influenced song with lyrics about a robot that kills faux reality tv stars. I'm in love, like.

Hipster Girl

Mocking a section of your fan base/peers at college and making a song that hipsters would probably enjoy otherwise = never not win.

The dude is pretty prolific in terms of songs/online content so if you're interested check him out, he has a new ep up for free download www.mclars.bandcamp.com