Yoome

"The Boredom of Me" CD

Audio8 Recordings

Genre: electro pop, indie pop, experimental pop

Chicago / New Zealand

Jan 21, 2009

This collaboration between Chicago rapper Serengeti, New Zealand indie-folker Renee Louise Carafice, and Chicago producer Tony Trimm is an interesting array of hip-hop, pop, and electronic influences. Although not uniformly great, The Boredom of Me features a number of solid songs crafted in a unique vein. Particularly successful is the charming electro-pop of "Whiskey and Peppermints" and unusual but strangely melodic "Amsterdamn." Carafice is an engaging and infectious singer, and her voice supplements the production well. Serengeti's rap-ish vocals are less impressive; although far from noxious, they don't always mesh with the music (for evidence, consult bland "Downbytheeelbank"). As it is, The Boredom of Me is a lush and listenable collection of tracks, but despite all its unconventional song structuring it doesn't turn out as memorable as one might expect. Even after multiple listens, only a few highlights truly "hook" the listener. This is an interesting project that has spawned a few really tantalizing tracks; sadly, too much of The Boredom of Me is merely filler.

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youuuuuuuutube!: amsterdamn video

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by the label, released Nov 21, 2008]