Review Summary: It's truly pathetic when your best album yet is still downright awful.
God damn it, they’re still here! Having released two horrendous albums within seven months in 2009, one could only hope that the kids of Dot Dot Curve had begun concentrating on getting an education when they went quiet for almost two years. Alas, it was too good to be true, as the Indiana crunkcore outfit return with their third LP ‘I’m Still Here’. Just as this album title makes a statement, previous release ‘Your Ears Will Bleeping Bleed’ literally had such an ability with the aural torture which it contained within its forty minutes. Incorporating awful unintelligible screaming, headache-inducing auto-tune, expletive-laden lyrics and stock-standard beats, the group’s atrocious initial recordings truly scraped the bottom of the barrel when it came to “music”. Hell, the first of three ridiculously unfunny skits which opens this album even states as such: “the first 2 CDs sucked major big dick". When opening track proper ‘We Nice’ then goes on to state "yeah my music sucks, but I don't give a fuck", expectations are not exactly high for a significant improvement.
To give Dot Dot Curve some credit, they have actually learnt something from their past abominations. On the back of half-decent cuts 'Thr3e1se7en' & 'Device' from their prior LP, the group wisely incorporates more hip-hop into the mix here. Furthermore, the use of auto-tune is not as over-done as previously, while they are thankfully less reliant on Spanky's wounded animal like screaming. Sadly, all these attributes are still irritatingly apparent, just to degrees that will have you reaching for the ‘skip’ - as opposed to the ‘stop’ – button. ‘What the Future Holds’ is the track which best outlines all the elements that Dot Dot Curve are attempting to integrate, while the electronic bleeps & bloops of the half-decent ‘Shake Your Titties’ even sees the band endeavor to advance into club banger territory. For the most part, the backing music that is provided by Jayreck is your usual assortment of home studio beats… Occasionally mildly effective, sometimes distractingly over-powering and never in any sense ground-breaking.
The fact that ‘I’m Still Here’ is not entirely unlistenable is a surprising bonus that makes it Dot Dot Curve’s best release yet. Unfortunately, that does not make it a good album in any way, shape or form… In fact, it is still downright awful! An even greater atrocity than all of the aforementioned characteristics – and ultimately what drags the LP down to the dregs whenever there is a semblance of anything promising - are the ludicrous and profane lyrics. While Spanky thankfully does not refer to himself as “The Sex” on every track this time around, corny rhymes and lyrical nuggets such as “my shit is the shit” abound. Exploring stereotypical themes which the likes of Cypress Hill and 2 Live Crew did much better two decades ago, the often repetitive lyrics are nonsensical to the extreme and without purpose. Actually, the term “without purpose” sums up Dot Dot Curve as a whole, ultimately making ‘I’m Still Here’ an annoying and easily dismissible album that is not worth anyone’s time. Then again, as Dot Dot Curve reminded us; “They don’t give a fuck”.
Recommended Track: What the Future Holds.
