The debut full length from Indianapolis' triphop outfit - f.u.z.z. reminds me heavily of Tricky, actually. Okay stuff - sometimes a little overly dramatic/trying too hard. They, for sure, pull on the tricky-side of hip hop. female vocals, with the occasional male rap. Her vocals are schizophrenic - at times, delicate, Ella Fitzgerald wails, and then brutal spoken word. The beats are fairly tight, nice, and impressive. The first few tracks didn't do much for me - mediocre samples and not-so-interesting beats. "Swan Dive," the fourth track, is a good one - with intense, dramatic raps, about how rough life can be. Yowza. A little to long, but, the music adds to the enjoyment. The chorus is a tad sloppy, but it's an overall intense tune. But the rest of the record is much more interesting - despite the shakiness of the lyrics at times - they don't keep me, and sometimes seem a bit cheesy. F.u.z.z. does make me want to drive long distances at extremely fast speeds in small sports cars, or just smoke some pot and stare at the ceiling of my bedroom. Hmm.
–Miss Sarah A. Stierc (Anechoic, 22-55 Crescent St. #00, Long Island City, NY 11105; http://www.anechoicrecordings.com )