Matt Martians :: The Drum Chord Theory

There have been a lot of rap albums with theories over the years. Killah Priest had a three day theory. The Roots explored game theory. Arguably the most famous of all was A Tribe Called Quest and their foray into low end theory. Now we have a new entry into the field with this review — Matt Martians would like to introduce us to “The Drum Chord Theory.” Here’s a quick refresher on his career for newcomers. He’s a singer and producer from the defunct Odd Future collective who was part of several groups under the Wolf Gang umbrella, including The Internet and The Jet Age of Tomorrow. In my mind’s eye when I think of Matt Martians my first thoughts are “a creative and eclectic dude.”

There’s another famous rap singer and producer who shares that same headspace and his name is Pharrell Williams. Truth — there are more similarities than differences between them. They both have a very airy falsetto singing voice, they both get away with experimental “artsy” soundscapes that other people wouldn’t, and their production techniques help disguise lyrics that could be called simplistic (or less generously called inane). I have nothing against “Diamond In Da Ruff” as a single. The scream at the beginning immediately reminded me of Prince or Michael Jackson, and the groove would be right at home on a Neptunes/N.E.R.D. album, but this is the furthest thing from a rapper bragging about how he’s an undiscovered gem. This gem has been polished to a R&B crossover music sheen.

“You don’t wanna stay around
I don’t want nobody around you, baby
I’m better now that I found you
How I found you, that’s maybe
Better not try to take your love away from me
I found a diamond in the rough”

This leads me to another thing I find myself yearning for listening to “The Drum Chord Theory” — rapping. There are Odd Future cameos at times, including Syd appearing on the Tyler produced “Dent Jusay,” but this isn’t rapping. I’ve extended an olive branch to plenty of Odd Future offshoots that had little to no rap vocals, but this is the most least rapping I can remember. There’s a better way to word that but I’m not a rapper and neither is Mr. Martians. If a singer is sultry or seductive like Sadé even simple words can become powerful, but Martians is an artsy eclectic and far from a temptress. I’m sure there are women who are seduced by “Baby Girl” but even as an open-mined cis male I find these platitudes to be boring and weak.

“Every time I think I found the one
Something always goes wrong
But when I give them my heart
Something about it always too strong
Baby girl, I ain’t known you for that long
Ain’t trying to spin you along”

I don’t really hate “The Drum Chord Theory” as much as it might seem by this point in the review. I wouldn’t even say I’m disappointed. I was hoping to be surprised though and I regret that I wasn’t. Matt Martians doesn’t exceed my expectations on this 40 minute album, nor does he sink below his own standard as a producer or singer. On an off day at his peak Tiger Woods could still hit par and stay on the leaderboard with his contemporaries. If a few people flubbed on their final round he might even eke out a win just by staying close to the pack. That’s what Matt Martians has done. He’s made a well produced album with cotton candy thin lyrics and enough musical style to get 400 yards and sink the putt. It’s impressive because you couldn’t do it and I couldn’t do it but he’s capable of so much more.