18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Odd stuff, Feb 9 2012
By Eric J. Tornoe - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ten$ion (Audio CD)
This band is quite arresting, likely shocking to most on first exposure. I found the music interesting but they really come to life in the videos. The video for I Fink U Freeky is very well executed, with expressionist, surrealist and silent film iconography throughout, lots of comical "Zef" imagery and amusing takes on overused references such as Grant Wood's "American Gothic". There's an enjoyable R. Crumb vibe to this outfit as well. I don't know if Ninja is calculatedly campy or if he's really like that- I suspect the former- but he constitutes the most relatable aspect of the act from an American perspective. He seems like a bit of a joke but is a solid rapper. DJ Hi-Tek is a good beat chopper but I'm not as fond of his sonic choices. The real gem is Yo-landi, who elevates the group out of the ordinary. Her otherworldly looks and voice are striking and she's a spectacular rapper. She has a great face for film with a tremendous range of looks from strikingly beautiful to gross, scary and beyond. She looks quite ordinary in street clothes which is a testament to both her acting skills and her natural assets. In my opinion Hip-Hop is mostly bankrupt and beyond self-parody at this moment in history, but Die Antwoord (and I'll throw Janelle Monae in here as a more mainstream example) is wringing something meaningful and entertaining out of that dead horse.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! I Love Thi$!, Feb 10 2012
By William S. Joyner III - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Ten$ion (Audio CD)
When Die Antwoord came on the scene, they had to be taken as a complete package for the most part -- music, videos, interviews, etc.-- in order to fully appreciate their bizarre and comical yet infectiously ironic style. Their previous effort, $O$, is amazing, but somewhat esoteric on it's own without the aforementioned extras to put things in proper context (I urge anyone to view this group's various videos across the "interweb", as they put the 'art' in performance art). I'm not sure where the act ends and reality begins, but I don't think they know either.
With this latest release, however, they have officially become a great force to be reckoned with. Easily picking up where $O$ left off and soaring to higher realms, this is the freshest, most original release I've heard in a long time (well, since $O$, actually). DJ Hi-Tek's beats are noticeably improved and hooky, and Ninja's rhymes, with his quirky accented style, flow effortlessly and with renewed confidence. But the most notable, stand-out performance is from Yo-Landi Vi$$er. She is a star in her own right, beautifully weird with irresistible vocals, a sort of hybrid between GaGa and MIA but pulling it off better than either. Add these qualities together and you have one heck of an album and a fantastically original group. These guys are truly a breath of fresh air.
A final note, one of the reasons Die Antwoord succeeds is not just talent, but a stubborn refusal to abandon their eclectic, albeit non-commercial, style. When Interscope records (who signed them on for $O$) pressured them to adopt a more radio-friendly sound, they told them where to shove it, dropping a major label and recording Ten$ion with Downtown records instead. Gotta respect that. And guess what? They were right.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
you wish you were this cool, Feb 4 2012
By Rachael Dotson - Published on Amazon.com
Love this album, love the beat, the whole concept is tops. Buy it! From Max Normal to Evil Boy to Ten$ion, this group is so fun. Love the intelligent rhymes, though you'll be too busy dancing to notice.