Amuck
For My Own Amusement
Self-released
amuck412.bandcamp.com
Amuck’s rhymes are full of nerd-culture references, punk attitude and funny bars. It’s clear that Amuck prioritizes fun over anything else. “I’m like the tastiest atheist in the damn world,” he exclaims on “Amuck, No!,” while promising to kick out at two-and-a-half, if anyone tries to hold him down on “Swedish Fish.”
A lot of the vocal melodies in the hooks are reminiscent of Portugal. The Man and K.Flay, while some of the harder verses and vocalization pull influence from Zack de la Rocha (of Rage Against the Machine). Dadadoh’s feature on “Amuck, No!” is as smooth as butter and full of funny one-liners, a nice pairing with Amuck’s manic style.
In spite of the quips and the humor, Amuck does bring a political bent, especially on “Ghost Town,” during which he exclaims, “I love this country, but I hate the inhabitants who put a delusional ape in command of it.” References to anarchy, flag-burning and the violence of fracking pop up throughout the record, wedged between songs about fatherhood, role-play games, action figures (“Swedish Fish”), and getting double hamburgers, “animal style,” on “Red Meat.” Amuck is happy to entertain, but is still aware enough to know there’s plenty to be frustrated about, too. It’s that duality that makes For My Own Amusement compelling.