MARCH 2010 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Peace Officer - Contraband

album cover

By Lindsay Nichols

With Contraband, Peace Officer has combined many different genres to create an album that is diverse and unpredictable, but also somewhat confused. Overall, the songs as they stand alone deserve due credit – there is some great material. Yet from track to track their style changes, sometimes even within a single song, making it hard to define exactly what they are doing.
Contraband is laced with overarching themes such as consciousness, love, passion and politics. Tracks like “Tricks,” “Sunshine,” and “Procession” resonate with more of a laid-back, dub-sound. Other songs, like “Sage” or “Synthmesc,” leave a completely different impression on the listener, and unlike their counter-part’s laid-back, “dub” vibe, they are more controversial and abrasive. Peace Officer is pushing the boundaries of hip hop and crossing into “dub hop” – risky, but innovative.
The different passages of “Funk Dub” are interesting and display the ever-changing mood of the album. Their hearts are certainly in the right place, but the message doesn’t always match the feeling evoked from their music. “Night Dub,” one of the best tracks on the album, has an 80s love song vibe and carries a great sound that, when overlaid with lyrics, just fits. However, the track that follows, “Same Shit,” is aggressive and feels out of place.
With Contraband, the talent, the beats, and the lyrics are all there. But you’ll have to buckle your seatbelt for the roller coaster of a ride the album will take you on.
myspace.com/peaceofficer