Collection of "Songs" for the 24-Hour Period: Lady Sovereign - Vertically Challenged

I heard a track (The Battle) from EP on Pandora and decided to buy the rest of the EP. I've decided to go song by song and give as unbiased an opinion (if that's even possible) as I can. I had such high expectations for this EP, because I heard "The Battle," and thought it was pretty decent. I made a running commentary as I listened.

1. Random - Setting aside the meaningless lyrics (how does one "get random"?) I feel like this song was supposed to be really bass heavy, but they qeued the bass too low, which detracts the whole thing. I enjoy an annoying-but-catchy song as much as the next guy, but I barely got through this song.

2. Ch Ching (Cheque 1-2 Remix) - Not as bad as the first track. I think this entire experiment might be void, because I've realized that I just can't stand her voice. I don't have a problem with British hip-hop in general, but there's just something about this EP that makes me want to find other short people and punch them in the face. The lyrics are bordering on Black Eyed Peas territory. How am I only on track 2?

3. Fiddle with the Volume - She almost gets into a rhythm with the longer verses at the beginning of this one, but I keep getting thrown off by some of the expressions she uses. I would go back and find a couple of examples, but my brain won't let me. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to cultural differences. The beat isn't too bad on this one, minus the fuzzy bass line, but that is a personal preference.

4. Random (Menta Remix) - Apparently someone decided this song was so good it deserved a remix. "I drop lyrics like a ho drops her knickers" was a funny line though. I did finally get an explanation of how to "get random:" "Random means anything." Perhaps here she is using a more philosophic theme, implying that what we are is wholly subjective, and that the norms that we place on ourselves and others are little more than arbitrary rules and limits. Perhaps Lady Sovereign is telling us to break down the imaginary borders that society places on us in favor of a more free and non culturally-dependent lifestyle, and escape from the bougoise cultural constrictions that surround each of us. Or perhaps it's just a shitty song.

5. A Little Bit of Shhh - Ok, the beat here is pretty decent. My brain won't let me focus too hard on the lyrics, so no comment there. I guess this song is decent by default?

6. The Battle - This song is the reason I got this EP. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, I suppose. I think the reason I like this song so much more than the others here is that there are so many feature spots. I also really like the beat on this song. THe string meshes really well with the industrial feel to the bass. It reminds me of walking down the street at night, taking in all the sounds of the city. Even Lady Sovereign's first verse is pretty decent, as far as flow and rhythm are concerned. "Devil promotion of sickness/I'll spit this/Anyone listening is a witness" threw me off a little, because it's so out of sync with the rest of the lyrics, which mostly focus around why she isn't affected by insults, and whores, I think. I kind of wish they had fleshed out the whole futuristic battle thing they had going at the start, though. It's amazing how much more I'm willing to listen to so-so lyrics when the presentation is done well. This dude ROZ near the end killed it, though. The rapid-fire bars that everybody pulled out at the end were actually quite good. It just makes the rest of the EP seem that much worse.

7. A Little Bit of Shhh (Smallstars Remix) - Apparently I'm a little dim. I've just realized that there are only 5 songs, and the rest are remixes. This is quite a bit worse than the original. That is all.

8. Fiddle with the Volume (Ghislain Poirier Remix) - What the hell is a banger langer? My head hurts. I can't wait to cleanse my brain with some Coltrane. This whole EP makes me angry.