So by now, you probably know how Roger, the bass player in Less Than Jake, is primarily a guitarist and punk rock songwriter in his own right. And, when he stepped out of the shadows of his better-known band and took the reins in his own band Rehasher, the results he produced were stunning. In a similar sort of fashion, Joshua Eppard, best known as the drummer for Coheed & Cambria, is really a hip-hop artist, an MC specifically, at heart. Weerd Science is Josh doing what he does best, as opposed to what he's best known for doing, and Friends And Nervous Breakdowns shows that he's so good at what he does that I wouldn't mind at all if he quit his day job.

My first reaction to Weerd Science was that Josh would be an optimal member of Sweatshop Union, my hometown heroes of hip-hop. He's got the same sort of blue-collar personality expressed through caustic political rhymes and lively beats. On the mic, he can compete with some of the best I've ever heard. His flow has a lot in common with Slug from Atmosphere (see the track "Ordinary Joe" for a prime example), though his persona is a lot less cocky. And best of all, he can spit with the speed and ease of Eyedea; "Fuck You And Your Filthy A&R Dept." features a performance that's almost inhuman, and on top of that, it's a spot-on attack on the music industry.

It was just a couple days ago I was at the local indie record store, combing through all the hew hip-hop releases, searching for something that would help round out my music collection. I put almost a dozen albums through the listening post and came out empty-handed. What I was looking for was something I've found in Weerd Science: down-to-earth, acerbic personality, solid beats, and top-notch wordplay.

[originally written for Punk International]