Puppetmastaz – The Break Up (2009)

Puppetmastaz - The Break Up (2009)

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If you buy into their fictional history, Puppetmastaz is comprised of five
puppets (Snuggles the Bunny, Ryno, Wizard the Lizard, Panic the Pig, lead by de
facto statesman Mr. Maloke) who met in Berlin and formed their sound by cruising
the street swearing profusely until they found a rhythm. Then they were silent,
began to hear rain pattering on the rooftops, and realized they had created
hip-hop. Its difficult to find an accurate account of the emcees and producers
behind these bizarre creatures, but that only amplifies the allure of this
rap/funk/electronica outfit. Still, the plucky troupe have failed to sustain
momentum of late: After packing their first two releases, Creature Funk and
Creature Shock Radio, with booming beats and brutally energetic deliveries, the
group seemed drained on last years The Takeover, taking the tempo down a notch
and going through the motions with a comparably lifeless set of tracks.
Their latest release, The Break Up, recounts the groups illusory separation,
with each of the puppets announcing theyre all going solo in the skit Puppet
Breakup. The only group track on the entire record is opening ditty Keyhole,
a dark and dense funk number with Mr. Maloke, Snuggles, Wizard, and an
as-yet-unnamed British emcee assuming vocal duties. Snuggles provides the songs
most engaging verse, reaching a crescendo with the outrageous Shut your
cake-hole while Im peeping through the see-hole/A princess, whats under her
dress?/A pee-hole. Between the deep synth hook and the eerie samples, its a
fitting prelude to the album, just because it sounds like a Puppetmastaz song.
This trend is unfortunately bucked very early on, and as Break Up descends into
meager foray into dancehall (Put a Bug Pon You and J.A.Y.B) and garage
(Tamiflu), one gets the impression that the group may have misplaced their je
ne sais quoi.
There are exceptions, if only a few, which indicate that there are still some
signs of life in these eccentric puppets. Wizard the Lizard stretches his solo
chops with Masquerade, infusing tremolo strings with a funky bassline and more
of those deep synths. His multifarious lyrics suggest he may be the
Puppetmastazs most dexterous wordsmith, smoothly crooning Im the wizard, icy
lizard/Thats cause I cover ground like a blizzard/Snow cone lovin, so cold
blooded/Flush your toilet and my whole homes flooded amid a barrage of equally
arresting rhymes. Later, Poetry in Motion highlights the strength of the
groups beatmakers, boasting a daring fusion of heavy drum n bass with bubbly
synths that could easily slot into a Super Nintendo game.
Break Up, though, marks another step away from the riotous flavor that made
Creature Funk and especially Creature Shock Radio such exciting records. Theres
more variety to their sound, more strings to their bow, but the Puppetmastaz has
sacrificed the tried and tested hip-hop formula and, as such, lost their bite.

01. Keyhole 3:20
02. Puppet Breakup (Skit) 0:53
03. Gettin Paid Spiritually 2:54
04. Masquerade 3:55
05. Put A Bug Pon You 4:01
06. J.A.Y.B. 3:23
07. Jungle Speech (Skit) 1:03
08. Tamiflu 3:09
09. Got No Beat (Skit) 0:33
10. Snuggles The Beat Makin bunny 2:01
11. Late Night Moloko 2:57
12. Poetry In Motion 3:16
13. Mystery Of The Disappearing Rabbit 3:05
14. Sanchez Brothers (Skit) 0:26
15. Clich 3:11
16. Black Clouds 4:04