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"WZRD" by WZRD (Kid Cudi and Dot Da Genius)
Released: Feb. 28 by Universal Republic Records
Stars out of Five: Two and a quarter
Sounds like: Maybe this rap duo was trying to prove that they could do the whole rock thing better than Lil Wayne (which they did, but not by much) or perhaps Kid Cudi really did just get a wild hair up his ass and felt like making a weird hodgepodge rock album. Either way, it’s all over the place. Artists should, for the most part, be applauded for stepping out of their comfort zone and trying something different, but we’re not talking about a solid rap album with one or two tracks that are stabs at rock. This is basically a whole album of forced attempts at different styles of rock. There’s a couple tracks that sound like rejected Nickelback songs, a dreary wannabe-Radiohead bummer track about dying, a punk-esque intro, some psychedelic mumbo jumbo, half a track that sounds like Mindless Self Indulgence and a few songs you might be able to call indie rock. Overall, it’s just a big cheesy novelty. There are parts when the Cudi we know and love shines through this mess, but just not enough.
Best Tracks: Are the ones that sound most like the Cudi: Track 7. “Teleport 2 Me, Jamie” and Track 11. “Upper Room”
Listen to this album: next time a case of the munchies has you enjoying a baked-bean, peanut-butter, pepperoni sandwich way more than you normally would. Who knows, maybe the “Why is this so good right now” principle will carry over to “WZRD,” and if not, at least it’s mellow enough to fall asleep to.
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