Cottonmouth Texas is easily the most interesting thing I've heard in underground spoken word since I first encountered the work of Saul Williams (who is possibly the most profoundly gifted poet of our generation). The beats are solid, the lyrics a witty and juxtaposition of the often unrelated background noise with the occasional sound effect under Jeffrey Liles guttural voice is fascinating.

But to truly "get" what Liles is doing, one must first recognize where this came from…

In writing there are few tools more cutting, more essential, than poetry. The written word, broken down into its rhythms, repeated sounds and stanzas has a power that cannot be replicated by straight prose. Something as simple as a well placed caesura can create an emotionally devastating effect. A good villanelle can evoke the universe.

Modern poetry has become a reaction to the modern world.  Whereas once, when one thought of a poem, strict rules and meters immediately came to mind; an order that made sense of the seemingly infinite number of word options. There was no choice but for the word to be placed where it was, else the poem would no longer be in iambic pentameter. The word had always been there, it was the word's destiny.

This structure fit the world that produced it. There were rules, limits and a flow to it all. There was meaning that could be understood and a clear path from A to B.

Then came the neutron bomb and the beat poets. Where once there was a world with right and wrong, absolutes and meanings, now there was a world with confusion and moral ambiguity (the cornerstone of 20th century American literature). Meter went the way of he dodo and rhyme schemes became more intricate and hidden. The likes of Bukowski even broke from the general concept of poetry, expanding its' vocabulary into the realm of the grungy underbelly of failed society and the existential angst of living in a post-modern world. And it doesn't matter that he made it all up.

In recent years, the spirit of Bukowski has lived on in the spoken word of modern hip-hop, and slam poetry, rap's less popular, but often smarter, sister genre.

And now, new forms of poetry are arising again. Cottonmouth Texas, a new post-post-modern, hip-hop inspired, ska-ish spoken word experiment from Jeffrey Liles. With his newest release, Radio Contraband, Liles breaks new ground not just in his stylistic direction, but with releasing patterns. Radio Contraband is part of a new movement where smaller acts music is released digitally.

This decision suits the material. Modern life paranoia cackles at the fringes of many of the tracks. "Big Brother" featuring The Spores describes a slightly hyper-real version of the modern world, ending with a cacophony of noise while Liles questions the existence of the US's nuclear arsenal. Other tracks, like "Paranoid Panic Attack" touch on the every day angst of living in a metropolis where horrible death might well be around the next corner.

The angst of these tracks is underlined by the down right creepy instrumentals accompanying them. And while these songs are immediately arresting, the album is at its best when it plays off of the oddball charm of Liles anecdotes. "Stripper" is a song recounting a night at a topless bar that culminates with, "Man, I could eat for a week on 20 bucks." "Three Dimes" tells of a missed dinner date that turns into an opportunity for group sex and murder.

Many of the songs deal with the drug culture and the frank and unapologetically grungy and unglamorous light while others comment with youthful exuberance on the pleasures of a good acid trip. These stories mix reality and fiction to create a fascinating collage of a life that might have been. The darker undertones of Liles own real life battle with Epilepsy and distaste for the modern meat culture give resonance to the more light hearted tracks that come off as half finished or throw-aways upon a cursory listen.

The album as a whole is stronger than any of its individual tracks, and though at 20 songs it stretches beyond its logical end point, it is still a remarkable piece of work from a major up and coming talent. 

9/10.