stream: P.O.S. is “Never Better”; Returns on Rhymesayers
The people of Minneapolis, a city that gets about as cold as the moon, are obliged to spend a lot of their time indoors. Maybe this explains the high literacy rate. For those of a certain intensity of mind, the only relief for all that stewing must be found in art, or in small-time insanity. Hence Minnesotans’ unsurpassed love of jigsaw puzzles; hence also, Prince. Not a terrible bargain.
The relative isolation of the Twin Cities may account for the distinctiveness, or the faint dementedness, of its music. One of the most promising of the Cities’ recent oddball progeny is the classification-dodging indie rapper, punk rapper, or fusion rapper P.O.S., whose second Rhymesayers album, Never Better—the follow-up to 2006’s Audition—will come in from the cold on February 3, kicking off a month-long, coast-to-coast tour.
Whereas Audition was a lean, mean study in steely menace, “Goodbye,” the lead single from Never Better, shows P.O.S. warming up his mood and broadening his palette—in the direction of (surprise!) disco-soul. From such a royally pissed off artist, this might be the closest thing we’ll ever get to a pep talk (“Giving up is like Latin / It’s dead!”).
“Goodbye” is available as a free download through Rhymesayers’ website. You can stream it here.
stream: P.O.S. - Goodbye
from Never Better
Never A Better Time To Tour:
Feb 05 - Missoula, MT @ The Badlander
Feb 06 - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
Feb 07 - Portland, OR Satyricon
Feb 09 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Feb 10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory
Feb 11 - Phoenix, AZ @ Clubhouse
Feb 13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Feb 14 - Denver, CO @ Marquis
Feb 15 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown Jr.
Feb 16 - Madison, WI @ High Noon
Feb 17 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s
Feb 18 - Columbus, OH @ Skully’s Music Diner
Feb 20 - Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Feb 21 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Feb 22 - Boston, MA @ Harper’s Ferry
Feb 23 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Feb 25 - Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Feb 26 - Champaign, IL @ Canopy
Feb 27 - Eau Claire, WI @ Stones Throw
Feb 28 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave.
