Where does this leave Anticon in 2005? Besides working to create foundations for their newer artists, with some six years invested as co-founder, the label/movement finally gets around to releasing Pedestrian’s solo release, Unindian Songs Vol. One. While words like “experimental”, “art-fag”, “weird” and “white” usually are associated with Anticon releases, Sixtoo apparently refers to this album as “the definitive Anticon album”, but it’s unclear whether or not that was a compliment or an insult. Reason being, is that Pedestrian “pushes the boundaries” between what’s listenable and what isn’t. 

      “Raised on Blowed tapes,” it’s obvious his influences range from the most obscure Freestyle Fellowship affiliate to the most obscure literature poet, hoping that by landing somewhere in between, his album will gain critical praise for doing so. Unfortunately, what we get instead is a snobby, so-much-smarter-than-thou piece of work, thin on musical substance or definitive song structure (naturally). By referencing both Tragedy The Intelligent Hoodlum and David Berman on the same record, just who was he looking for props from? The 32 year old black hip-hop fan who hasn’t listened to his Tragedy tape in years, or the 32 year old white Berkeley critic praising his reference to Berman, who’s never even heard of Trag? And surely the eighteen year-old fan isn’t picking up on any of this. You lost us all, Ped. 

      But referencing Tragedy in his Intelligent Hoodlum days actually proves to be one of the album’s few saving graces, as the Anticon collective teams up for “Arrest The President”, a posse cut that applies the Intelligent Hoodlum’s old hook to today’s hot political climate. Thanks to the appearances from other emcees in the crew, we get a little more diversity on this track than is typically shown on the rest of the album, as Jel’s track also salutes the days of old. See? Nothing wrong with a little straight-forward hip-hop, guys.

      To be fair, Pedestrian is making music that’s true to the subjects that he is interested in, and due props should always be given to artists that do so, but their still is a lingering sense of being-different-for-different’s-sake plaguing this album. Unfortunately, while we’ve seen other artists ? Anticon and otherwise – attempt this same brand of “smart rap”, but in many cases outside of “Unindian Songs” it’s come off better. Take Aesop Rock or Sage Francis for example, both who play with language and obscure references openly, but do so with such a solid delivery and equal amounts of consistent production that in the end it comes out musically dope. This unfortunately doesn’t. Ped’s flow isn’t terribly mind-blowing, and we’ve seen better production in too many other places in the crowded indy rap market alone. Pedestrian makes MC Paul Barman at his nerdiest moment look like Freddie Foxxx. 

      “The Lifelong Liquidation Sale”, for example, finds Pedestrian rambling about the Wells Fargo Museum vs. the Indians, pausing to sing the hook in an off-key, ball-squeezingly high pitch, after a bombardment of deep lyrics. With many similar moments of difficult listening throughout the album, it gets old fast. Surely, if you had several hours to decode the lyrics printed in typeface in the CD booklet, you could get some payoff by figuring out what he was talking about (or not), but considering that at the end of the day, the musical product isn’t that dope, what’s the point? Hand me a PS2, some comics, a Kubrick flick, a 3rd Bass tape, or some bitches, I’ve got plenty of better things to do. 

    Some might view this review as harsh, but this is after five full listens to the album, and this critic just couldn’t take it any more. Unfortunately, having to read an album to enjoy it more than actually listening to it makes it all the less enjoyable. Yawn.