Lazer Sword

Album Review

After several mixtapes, mash-ups, singles, and the much hyped Golden Handshake EP, Bryant Rutledge (aka Low Limit) and Antaeus Roy (aka Lando Kal) unleashed their intricate self-titled debut in 2010. Like Cross, by their overseas counterparts Justice, Lazer Sword (the album) is an extremely chopped-up, neon-lit, computerized dance mess, full of glitchy beats, futuristic synth blips, and skewed samples. A variety of electronic genres are touched upon, including rave, IDM, and Detroit techno as the two Frisco DJs carve out a unique spot of their own among the hipster hip-hop niche. The bulk of the record is instrumental, but the tracks with guest vocalists are standouts. Turf Talk adds hyphy swagger to “I’m Gone,” Antipop Consortium’s M. Sayyid boldly raps over the sci-fi soundbed of “Topflites,” Freestyle Fellowship MC Myka 9 adapts a Kool Keith half-conscious dream state-type of flow for the very cosmic “Cosmic Ride,” and Zackey Force Funk lends his robo-rhymes to the "Planet Rock"-influenced “Machine.” The duo's name alone should sum up its futuristic and campy spirit, but if it remains unclear, Swedish designer Kilian Eng's Tron-like artwork conceptualizes it perfectly.