By Josiah HughesTobacco spends his day-job as a member of Pittsburgh psych crew Black Moth Super Rainbow. On Fucked Up Friends, his solo debut, he is free to roam without anyone else’s input. The result is a warm, heady record of instrumental hip-hop that builds an electron pastiche from fat synth bass lines and moody Mellotron leads. Opener "Street Trash” burns the ears with some crackly bass fuzz and a muted beat before some synthetic vocals change the mood, while tracks like "Yum Yum Cult” maintain a ’60s pop sensibility. Still, the album’s greatest moment is "Dirt,” as Aesop Rock’s deep guest rhymes work well with Tobacco’s basement synth beats. Like a modern day Moog record, Fucked Up Friends combines goofy synth runs with forward-thinking compositions worthy of obsessive listening. (Anticon)
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