Out of (Our) Content was designed by Wade Iverson (aka DJ Disbelieve) as a concept piece about Chicago's Cabrini Housing Project. By combining sound clips of actual project residents with grating ambient noise, Iverson has attempted to convey the desperate circumstances of those forced to live in today's urban ghetto. Or at least, that's what he wants you to think.

You may be led to believe that Out of (Our) Content is some kind of bleeding-heart liberal propaganda, designed to make you feel guilty about your living conditions. But, sorry, it's not like that at all. It's closer to a vast Republican conspiracy designed to belittle the plight of those living in squalor, to make sure that anyone who hears this album never, ever wants to think about the issue again.

And oh, what a crafty plot it is. When rap artists began combining awesome beats with politically charged lyrics, the Republicans branded it "dangerous," and tried to have it censored. And who can blame them-– the last thing they need is for America's youth to be indoctrinated with an agenda that runs contrary to the Republican belief that America's poor need to get off their lazy asses and get jobs. Needless to say, the Republicans ran into a slight problem (the first amendment), and have had to try to find other ways to censor what they don't like. If Out of (Our) Content is what it appears to be, the Republicans have provided an album that will lure gullible liberals into purchasing it with catch phrases like "Stop the violence," and "Dedicated to those who have tried to make a difference," before turning them off to a serious cause with unbearable found sound, babies screaming, and politically heated statements run through obnoxious vocal effects.

Further assuming this maniacal plot exists, the Republicans obviously mean business-- they've chosen some truly effective statements to distort with their gratuitous effect wankery. The record opens with what could be a taped speech from one of their own, describing how the projects will help their residents to contribute to society, so that they can't get away with free handouts alone. But just as this record starts to make you think, it pounds your brain into submission with unlistenable fuzz and tape hiss.

The rest of Out of (our) Content follows a similar bait-and-switch method of luring the listener in with talk of an interesting topic-- such as the problem of Cabrini's corrupt "juvenile delinquent" system-- before dropping sonic bombs on these serious issues with repugnant excuses for background music.

Out of (Our) Content bears a striking resemblance to the rumored last effort by Republicans to stunt an intriguing musical topic from gaining speed. After the release of OK Computer, concern over the perpetually complicated topic of the relationship between man and machine supposedly began to threaten Republicans, who feared that investors would stop pouring money into technology stocks. As a result, it is said that they engineered the Music Tapes' First Imaginary Symphony for Nomad, a record that made anything relating to the topic seem downright sickening to listen to. With Out of (Our) Content, the Republicans may have utilized a similar method: taking genuinely interesting soundbytes on a controversial topic and defiling them with jarring noise.

-Matt LeMay