It's funny how, as profound and thought-provoking as different art forms can be, it doesn't take a lot of effort for some uninspired hack to take the basic the basic principles of a form and create a perfectly hollow mockery of the genuine article. Decades ago, that was exactly the thing which happened within the Fluxus art movement; known for blending different artistic media and disciplines, Fluxus could actually be very bold and thought-provoking in its simplistic construct, but it could also be as pale and pedantic as hot gluing a bunch of cigarette butts to an ashtray or box of laundry detergent and calling it an installation piece. Such is the problem with many art forms and disciplines – everyone wants to make it, but not everyone is able to.
To be perfectly honest, the verdict on whether Jaime “El–P” Meline is an artist or a poseur remains out in my mind even as I listen to Cancer 4 Cure. Once again, it's possible to recognize some of the implements employed and ideas borrowed from other artists, but the results aren't all that tragic to listen to; even if it might be artistically bankrupt.
Listeners will get the sense that they're already familiar with what they're hearing from the moment “Request Denied” buoys Cancer 4 Cure off on its way along its fifty-minute odyssey, and it's easy to understand why; recognizable elements of the Eels (it's more a general air than anything, “Cancer for the Cure” was a single on Electro-Shock Blues), Flaming Lips (around the Yoshimi period) and Prodigy all converge in the enormous, electrifying intro which leads the song, before Meline unloads some heavy rhyming and boasting to get his (and listeners') blood flowing. The results are engaging and listeners won't be able to stop their heads from nodding involuntarily as the song plays – but when it's over and Meline breaks down with some truly heavy-handed flow (amid some really, really cheesy samples) on “The Full Retard,” they'll be surprised to discover how trifling the track before it proved to be; it really didn't leave any lasting impression at all. They'll discover that the same thing has happened when “Works Every Time” (which features Paul Banks of Interpol) kicks up to follow “The Full Retard” too; it sounds good enough with its big trippy beats and leaves “The Full Retard” forgotten easily – but is it that good, or is this happening because each song was too well-produced to not be forgettable after each successive big boom?
The question of how good Cancer 4 Cure really is and why is the thing which proves to endure best as tracks like “Drones Over BKLYN,” “True Story,” “The Jig Is Up” and “Sign Here” all pass through in much the same fashion as “Request Denied” and “The Full Retard” did; wowing listeners and then just seeming to vanish into nothing. Each time, a song seems like the best triumph yet but, when pressed to remember something in particular about any one song specifically, even those who listened closest will be at a loss. In that way, it could be said that Cancer 4 Cure is very much a record of its moment, but how much is that worth? When the record ends and a listener can't recall what they heard in any detail – whether they say it was good or not – doesn't that really just make it a waste of time?
Something about the fact that Cancer 4 Cure is both very enjoyable and forgettable is clearly unsettling when one takes a second, stands back and looks at it. How does a record play so well while it's playing and then seem to box itself up perfectly when it's done/ It's a dubious feat, but one that El–P has managed.
Artist:
www.definitivejux.net/
www.myspace.com/elproducto
www.facebook.com/THEREALELP
www.twitter.com/#!/THEREALELP
Album:
Cancer 4 Cure is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
