want

3OH!3 - Want

3OH!3

Want

Say what you will about Want’s purposeful boneheadedness, but there are two things about the second album from Boulder, Colorado, duo 3OH!3 that shouldn’t be ignored. The first is that Nat Motte and Sean Foreman, who were both brilliant college students, are a lot sharper than they’re letting on. The second is that while you might not guess it from calculated-to-offend lyrics that celebrate hollering ’til you pass out, not trusting hoes and asking females to “do the Helen Keller,” the pair hit on a brilliant concept that’s so simple lots of people had to have been kicking themselves when it took off in 2009, lifting 3OH!3’s dirty deeds into the pop stratosphere. By combining the lowest common denominator energy of Lil’ Jon-inspired crunk and frenetic indie rock, Motte, Foreman and producer Matt Squire created a sound that pushes tinny high and rattling low frequencies in a manner calculated to offend anyone older than 30—which, of course, means its appeal to those younger can’t be underestimated (but was, nonetheless). If you were searching for further proof that 3OH!3, like the Beastie Boys two decades earlier, have hidden depths, you could have turned to the surprisingly melodic “Still Around” and the post-rave comedown “Colorado Sunrise.” But if Want proved anything, it’s  that stupid can end up looking pretty smart.

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