EMC

Halifax's EMC is a sporadic rapper, spoken word artist and beatboxer. He showcases these sides throughout To Whom It May Concern, 16 conscious tracks sprinkled with beatboxing homages to classic hip-hop. They don't complement each other but at least the latter sparsely switches up the cyclical Marxist music. On opener "Voice Void," EMC whispers, "I'm a shade impersonal with political overtones," proving, at least, self-awareness. He is perhaps self-righteous as well. Each song seems elitist and aimed at the same faceless corporate capitalists, but with the general rhetoric of any open mic café. There is excellence displayed on "Old School," "A Beauty That Hurts," "Mothers and Daughters" and in other moments throughout the CD. His fault, however, lies in his overwrought style, which might be embraced by fans of Sage Francis (only Francis executes it with more nonchalance), but EMC lacks fluidity and sometimes rhythm. He overstuffs each bar with over-enunciated words and the effect is usually irritable. The complexities are not accommodated by the simple beats. If EMC wants the social changes he raps about to take effect, he must first engage his audience by toning down his vocals and transferring the hyperactivity to his beats. (Intelligent Motherfuckers)