Party Music

The Coup finally attracted some publicity with their fourth album, Party Music, though it was for unfortunate reasons. The original cover, completed in June 2001, depicted Boots and Pam in front of an exploding World Trade Center, with Boots pushing the button on a detonator. Luckily, the album wasn’t scheduled for release until after September 11, and the artwork was hastily withdrawn; nonetheless, it made the rounds on the Internet, and even briefly drew the attention of the FBI. Even if the image is now too provocative and emotionally charged, its anti-capitalist symbolism is appropriate for the album’s contents, which mark a return to the often militant tone of the Coup’s early work. Album opener “Everythang,” “Ghetto Manifesto,” and “Ride the Fence” are all rousing calls to action, and fellow left-wing populists Dead Prez make a guest appearance on “Get Up.” There’s also some of the pointed satire of Genocide & Juice — Boots makes “5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O.” sound like a new dance craze, and there are some broad, “Pimps”-like stereotypes of rich folks on “Lazymuthafucka” (though they’re intended as an antidote to even broader stereotypes of poor people). But Boots doesn’t abandon the sensitive storytelling of Steal This Album either. “Wear Clean Draws” advises his young daughter on how to grow up strong in a harsh world, and “Nowalaters” is another stunning, emotionally complex story-song about a young man nearly duped into taking responsibility for a child that isn’t his. Musically, Boots’ production is the fullest the Coup has ever had on record, making heavy use of live instruments in creating a warm, organic re-creation of late-’70s synth funk. Other than that, Party Music doesn’t really break much new ground for the Coup; it’s more a consolidation of their strengths, touching on a little bit of everything they’ve done well in the past. Hopefully, it will stay in print longer than their first three records. – Steve Huey