Pip Skid

When Pat Skene went solo and changed his name from Wicked Nut to release his Pip Skid debut, Friends4Ever, he brought along a whole collection of likeminded guests to espouse their views on politics, society and so on. Funny Farm is much more personal than his debut, and often very bleak. There are fleshed-out stories of abusive fathers, jealous husbands, working-class stiffs, and aging alcoholics that are touching in their honesty. There’s also a lot of emphasis on the imperialism of Bush and the U.S., as well as cleanliness, topics that are repeated throughout the disc. And it’s all pretty much from the point of view of Pipi, with the only guest appearance coming from Mcenroe on the Peanuts & Corn brag track "Magnifique,” one of the few tracks with a sense of humour. Another light moment is when Pipi pokes fun at rappers who jock "Super Dope Producers” like Mcenroe, et al. And Mcenroe gets to prove he’s one of those super dope producers by handling all of the production on Funny Farm, outdoing himself yet again as one of Canada’s best and most consistent producers. He pays attention to the details, creating beats that are very musical and melancholy — the perfect background for the subject matter of most P&C artists. Maybe their inevitable success will cheer them up.