MJ FLAWS – Me And My Friends Are Dead.
MJ FLAWS – Me And My Friends Are Dead. – Album Review
Ayyyyy…it’s MJ FLAWS! Welcome back homie.
It was back in April 2020 that we first tuned into this dude’s music when he released his debut record Army Of The Brokenhearted Boys & Girls, and by summertime that year, we had him included in part of the special interview series we were running on SBS Live This Week. So…have I missed anything? I think the world has basically been the same & nothing’s changed in the past three years…lol. Alright – most of us survived the whole planet being turned upside down and back again…so let’s see how time has treated Mr. Mitchel Paulson, aka Moxie, aka MJ FLAWS…his new album is officially out now. Word on the street is that this is a ‘best-of compilation’ record…which is…impressive considering that he just dropped his debut back as MJ FLAWS three years ago. It’s kind of like how when you see a new actor you’ve never heard of before put out a major hit movie & the next thing you know there’s a biography about their life available to read. I’m assuming he’s got some of his classics from when he was putting out music/playing shows as Moxie…don’t quote me on that, I’m assuming…I didn’t know him back then.
Anyhow. “Grab your sis, cause Mox likes twins,” and let’s check this record out.
I think my theory on the past material is likely true…you’ll hear references to the man’s previous moniker in the first track as “Drawers” gets Me And My Friends Are Dead. rolling along. I’ve been running into a lot of people bringing the past into the present lately it seems…I’m not opposed to it when it makes enough sense to do it. “Drawers” might not really be my thing, but I can get behind MJ FLAWS wanting to make sure there’s a copy of this out there after putting the work he has into it. It’s a quality cut designed for the clubs, the hooks are definitely memorable, the imagery is…vivid. But yeah, people love this kind of excuse to get wild, and they take it all the time. I have no doubt whatsoever that when MJ FLAWS busts this track out in a live performance that the people come running to the front of the stage and I’d be willing to bet that bottles get popped and bras get thrown. It’s probably a little less MGK or Lil Peep like his influences, and more like an updated Vanilla Ice…so there’s that to consider, but I’m not taking away anything from the quality he’s put into his performance or production.
While you can hear a bit of a difference in the mix as “Stack The Ladders” starts up, in terms of what’s more relevant for the right here & now, this track has a much better chance of reaching an audience. Don’t get it twisted…you play “Drawers” at the club and I promise ya the results are gonna be just like I was talking about…but if you’re looking to radio and playlists, “Stack The Ladders” is likely a much better candidate. Personally I think MJ’s got his vocals a bit too far above the music on this cut, which makes the whole song shrink down a bit in terms of how large it could be…but it’s got a ton of personality and potential. The ideas are there, and ultimately, the rest is simply adjusting knobs and dials on the studio boards…and we could debate stuff like that all day. Maybe he’s got everything right in line where he wants it to be right now as it is, and if that’s the case, then high-five from me dude…rock the way that you wanna. I feel like there’s an opportunity to make a song like “Stack The Ladders” more powerful and dynamic by having the music up & surrounding the vocals more than it does, but that might just be me. Bottom line is, the hooks are completely stellar, and a song like this has a whole lot of hit potential. The verses have hooks, the chorus has even better hooks, the music has hooks too…they’re everywhere.
“Gotta Get Mine” enlists Sinima to keep the party going. I got love for this track…reminds me a lot of what it was like to listen to Swollen Members get their career going back in the day. BIG definition in the beat itself…like I was saying on “Stack The Ladders” just prior, this is the kind of difference that the mix can make to the overall dynamics of a track…the music is up, the vocals more shrouded within it, and as a result, the entire cut sounds way larger. When you play it right, the vocals are every bit as clear – you don’t have any problems whatsoever hearing what Sinima & MJ are spittin’ on “Gotta Get Mine.” Solid track all around, they trade the mic and execute like professionals. They ain’t afraid to get rude or explicit AF when the moment calls for it, but they take it seriously and drop heavy bars with real weight.
Love the music and beat on “Slice” – and in terms of contrast, you pretty much won’t find more of it on any other track you’re listening to out there on any record. For you see folks, while MJ FLAWS has put together an upbeat song you could clearly go cruisin’ down the strip to on a musical level, complete with sweet background harmonies and all…lyrically, “Slice” is about as dark as a song could ever get. Tough in the sense that, like…I don’t wanna be the guy to encourage any kind of self-harm & whatnot…and it’s almost hard to conceive that anyone out there really would…but it ain’t like this is the first time I’ve come across the subject in music either I suppose. I still don’t see myself being the guy to go and recommend you “Slice” it up out there, but like all subjects and themes in the scene, it’s got as much of a place as any other topic I reckon. In any event, what I do dig, is contrast…I think it’s always one of the most effective tools you can use as a songwriter, and this cut right here has a metric ton of it. Keep MJ away from the sharp stuff y’all…keep him in front of the microphone where he belongs, you feel me? Bonus points for the killer guitar solo that seems to come out of nowhere and fits right in here perfectly.
You grim, Mitchel…that’s the reality. “Panic Attack Times Three” has quite a few gritty lines too…it’s not as devastatingly dark as “Slice” might be, but it’s not all that far off either. It’s probably fair to say that what MJ chooses to write about is very much an acquired taste to a degree…there will be many people out there that straight-up do not understand where he’s coming from, and he’ll have to accept that as a matter of ‘it is what it is.’ Not everyone’s got the experience with the kind of chilling themes that this dude chooses to rap about…but it’s not like we can’t point to examples that have made their way to the mainstream before in the genre. Chances are, you know what you signed up for if you’ve found your way to the music of MJ FLAWS. He’s got solid balance on “Panic Attack Times Three” – solid bars, solid hooks…it’s the kind of cut that’s going to keep the people engaged and paying attention as they should be, which is great. If it makes you a bit queasy in the details or storyline, that’s intentional…some folks go the positivity route and if that’s what you’re looking for, there are plenty of people out there to supply your stereos with sunshine…MJ FLAWS proudly lurks in the darkness and prides himself on that. “Panic Attack Times Three” is a memorable track on this record that gives you more insight into who he is, what he’s about, and what he’s been through to become the artist & person that he is now today.
He’s been doin’ good…despite the despair in the themes he’s been rockin’ with, the quality in the material has been strong so far. “Rockstar (You Want Me Back)” shows a couple cracks in the armor, but it still gives ya many reasons to listen too. Sometimes the layers trip him up a bit…you can hear how that happens on “Rockstar (You Want Me Back)” with the way the tones tend to clash probably more than he’d want them to in the main hooks at the start or the low-key moments within this song. When he’s left on his own in the verses, you can hear how effective he can be…which kind of makes you wonder what makes him add the extra layers when he does…MJ’s more that good enough on his own without backing himself up in duplicate or triplicate. Sometimes that stuff can really get in the way when you’re trying to record…if you’ve got those layers turned up & switched on when you go to record the next one, the cadence and confidence tends to shrink a bit, because you end up trying to keep pace with the other layer as you’re listening & performing at the same time. I suspect that’s probably what’s happened on “Rockstar (You Want Me Back)” – it ain’t a bad song…I don’t know that smoothing out the layers would necessarily be enough to turn it from a good one to a great one, but it ain’t a bad song, even as it stands now. I actually dig the music he’s got on this track quite a bit…great use of melody all around in the guitar-driven instrumentation, bass & beat…vocals-wise, some of the rhythm feels a bit too obvious in its pattern & design to make the impact that it perhaps should…but yeah…it still ain’t bad.
Right off the drop, “Goin Once, Goin Twice” pumps out enticing vibes from the very start. As it plays on, the mysterious aspect of the music becomes more haunting to go along with the dynamic synth sounds, it’s another track that displays solid balance from beginning to end. Mitchel knows how to attack the bars with purpose and focus when he’s at his absolute best & found the right beat to bring that outta him…”Goin Once, Goin Twice” is a track that can definitely compete with some of his top tracks for sure. Adding in swagger, style, and a bit of substance abuse…”Goin Once, Goin Twice” serves up significant doses of entertainment with the thought-provoking lyricism that MJ FLAWS likes to create…it’s the kind of cut that meets listeners halfway to accessibility without the man having to compromise what he wants to write about. It’s flashy, but it has teeth too…I feel like people will appreciate how much this track thumps along and readily provides seriously vibrant sound from the lefts to the right as it plays on.
For a record that’s a collection of MJ FLAWS, am I wrong, or is the only cut that comes from an actual MJ FLAWS album “Game Over (Me And My Friends Are Dead)?” Technically, if you’re reading the liner-notes, the material has been gathered from the past fifteen years…but I think this was the only track I recognized from the lineup of cuts that came from Army Of The Broken Hearted Boys And Girls. And there’s not too much new that I can tell MJ FLAWS about it…and that honestly makes me sad. I feel like he had a real opportunity with this cut, and I feel like he’s missed on that with his second chance here. He could have given this track the tune-up it so desperately needs to get the most out of those hooks, which is something I wrote about back in 2020 three years ago when I was examining this cut & hearing it for the first time myself. What I’m not doing is claiming I’m the end-all, be-all of opinions out there; I had something to say, I said out loud like I always do, and MJ FLAWS clearly chose to not go with any of the advice I had. So be it. The potential in this cut still outweighs the majority of the material on this record and the last one, but with the hooks coming out as flat as they do, I don’t think it’ll get to where it needs to be. Maybe I’m wrong…maybe people are loving it the way it is and that’s why he chose not to give it the remix or second crack at it in the studio like I feel it deserves. We all make choices in life.
The record scratches and nod to the old-school on “Evil” totally works well. All-in-all, the music on this cut is LIVELY y’all…definitely one of my favorites on this record without a doubt. Vocally, I dig the sound of MJ’s conviction and confidence…I dig the complexity in his bars & the fluidity you find in the way he spits’em…I’m probably more impartial when it comes to the main hooks, but I absolutely love the rest of everything surrounding them. Don’t get me wrong, he’s equally effective and on-point with his delivery in the hooks, I’m just generally less of a fan of hearing something I’ve heard than I am of hearing something all-new. To be fair to the guy, it’s more often the complete opposite scenario for the average everyday listener out there…the more they tend to recognize something, the better off you are in terms of creating a hit with’em. So for me, it might be the uniqueness of the verses and the commitment that MJ shows to every syllable he spits – for others, it’s probably the “hear no, see no, speak no evil” parts. No judgments here dear readers, dear friends – you’re always invited to like what you like & love what you love, that’s what listening is really all about.
“Live Like Royals” is one of those songs where you instantly feel like you’re about to listen to something special. Sentiment-wise/thematically, I dig it…lyrically, it reflects a sweetness you don’t often hear from MJ FLAWS and that’s cool with me. Mix-wise, I’d say this cut probably suffers a bit in a similar way to how “Stack The Ladders” did at the outset of the record…it’s a tough album to digest in that regard with 15 years of material to draw from…sometimes MJ got it all perfect, sometimes that didn’t happen, but this record contains both and plays a bit unevenly in that regard. Basically, it’s completely noticeable when the vocals/music are paired perfectly together, and equally noticeable when one of those two main aspects are missing the balance they need. Same as before, I’d go music up and vocals down, all with the full confidence of knowing that MJ’s got a voice big enough to break through where & when it needs to…but yeah…to make the music & track overall as large as it should be, that balance is necessary. Ideas-wise, “Live Like Royals” is a departure from a lot of what ya hear from this guy, but I feel like the people out there would dig hearing a different dimension from him that’s not so desolate as the rest.
Like I said, when he finds the right balance, you instantly notice…it’s what makes it a bit tougher to absorb a track from one side of the catalog right next to one of the other, you feel me? You listen to the powerfully dynamic beat and strengths of a sound like “Kiss Of Death” has, and you realize what a track like “Live Like Royals” is missing by immediate comparison. Featuring Hyphon along with him on the mic, the dude adds to this track for the most-part…bars are a bit scattered in terms of what he chooses to rap about, but his precision & pace are on-point. I like that the collaborative tracks seem to bring the best out of MJ FLAWS…it’s like it turns the switch on and challenges him to push to the next level, which is a solid method of getting there…the extra motivation of knowing you don’t wanna let down the people you’re making music with adds the right kind of pressure sometimes, and this cut is proof of how that can be effective. I feel like it’s quite likely the main hooks that are going to end up being the most memorable aspect of the whole track though…the verses are quality in how each emcee goes about delivering their words for sure, but it’s still probably gonna be the hook that people remember and what will bring them back to listen to “Kiss Of Death” again. It happens…we’re all at the mercy of a great hook, and at the end of the day, it’s really not so much about what brings people back to listen again as long as they DO come back to listen again, know what I mean? Any reason will become a good reason.
Then you’ve got moments like “Band Geek,” which…might end up being a bit more epic than the actual subject requires, you feel me? Not saying that it’s not good to go hard in the paint when you’ve got the opportunity to…but I’m not so sure that every moment calls for it. Mitchel, according to his biography online, is already long past his days of roaming the school hallways…and I’d suspect there’s gotta be a time where what he’s rapping about is potentially going to be less convincing to those he’s attempting to be rapping to – make sense? At least in the case of “Band Geek” – I’m not saying everything you’ll hear from this guy qualifies in that respect. This is a tough track to justify for how LARGE it becomes – I give the guy props for the quality in his performance and production here for sure…but there’s just something about “Band Geek” that comes out like a somewhat watered-down version of an overly amped-up “Stan” – and I’m not fully convinced that people are gonna be able to get behind it all. I get where he’s coming from in the high school ain’t easy perspective…it’s not…and obviously, there will be at least a few people that benefit from learning they’re not alone in feeling that way. It is undeniably a message that translates more effective from youth to youth though…Mitchel ain’t old, but he ain’t young either…my gut tells me that his target market here might question why he ain’t rapping about just about anything else instead of his high school days. The execution is on-point, but it does feel like “Band Geek” surges way over the top of what it needed to be, and might have actually been more effective as a slow jam or lower-key cut. I could be wrong about that…the court of public opinion will weigh in.
Greatest hits records tend to get a pass on the rule of twelve typically…that golden number of cuts that equates to the line in the sand most shouldn’t dare to cross, as there’s about four or five albums in all of music’s history that are flawless with more than twelve tracks on’em. Would Me And My Friends Are Dead. have benefitted from a shorter lineup and more objectivity in terms of what made the record? Of course. Like I said, it’d be more than rare for me to feel anything otherwise…the more you go up from 12 tracks, the less chance there is of creating that perfect record that doesn’t feel like it’s overstretched. “The Kids Are OK” is alright…I’m not really feeling any certain type of way about it…it’s a decent tune. What MJ’s gotta ask himself is if that’s the result he’s going for. If he’s looking for something more positive or enthusiastic about that reaction, or any of the reactions I’ve had to different tracks throughout this set-list…then it’s probably more objectivity he’d need to achieve that. Sometimes ya gotta be ruthlessly brutal on what makes the final lineup of a record…otherwise it’s “one more verse was like the first” – and that’s where you run the risk of losing the audience…sometimes less is more in that respect. I like that there’s a positive core to the message in this cut…that’s probably my favorite part about it…the hooks are sturdy enough…the vocal rhythm is a bit predictable for pairing to the music again like I felt towards “Rockstar (You Want Me Back)” and I feel like the man needs to push himself a bit more sometimes into really tapping into the uniqueness that makes for the best cuts by MJ FLAWS.
Like “Addiction Too” for example – you start feelin’ this track from the very moment it starts, and MJ continues to crush bars with a fierce & fearless performance that reveals some of his best for sure. He’ll have to battle the natural comparisons to Eminem on tracks like this that’ll come back to bite him, but by that same token, that’s a pretty rad artist to be compared to at any time if you ask me. I still think that what Swollen Members created is another similar vibe too…maybe somewhere around the Monsters In The Closet era when it comes to “Addiction Too.” Anyhow. The dude is honestly killin’ it here…I don’t know if I’m gonna fully weigh in on the content itself…that works well enough for me in my opinion…some of it seems really clever, some of it seems designed for pure shock value…but when it comes to what pulls me in to listen to “Addiction Too,” credit where it’s due – it’s MJ FLAWS at his best. When the guy is completely focused and into the moment, we go right with him wherever he goes, whether it’s the highest of highs or the lowest of lows…”Addiction Too” is a genuinely addictive track, and it’s his personality, energy, precision, and professionalism that completely makes it that way. Bonus points for the Being John Malkovich reference he drops into this track…that was straight-up genius y’all.
“I think this song is called Drawers” – LOL – really bro? Who’s in-charge of the set-list besides you MJ? Bringing back “Drawers” from the beginning of the set in a live version at the end of Me And My Friends Are Dead. from a performance at Kathy’s Pub…I think you get where I was coming from at the outset of this review in saying that it would definitely translate into being a solid cut from the stage. What I really dig about this track is that you can hear how much MJ FLAWS has a commanding presence on the mic when he’s performing live, and how consistent he is with his quality. He’s not one of those emcees that’ll spit every fourth line and let the backing track do the rest for him – and I appreciate that. While I always think there’s risk in burning out a quality cut when you feature it twice in the set-list of one record, the live-aspect of it all can often get an artist or band by that without too many issues. Just keep in mind, when you’re looping Me And My Friends Are Dead., there’s only one track separating “Drawers” – and there’s usually not too much that can stop some wear & tear occurring in an instance like that. To his credit though, “Drawers” really does confirm that MJ FLAWS would be well worth buying a ticket for.
“The Kids Are OK (Live At Kathy’s Pub)” might need a bit more separation too…just a couple cuts in between when we heard it and its second appearance at the end. In this particular instance, having kind of felt neither here nor there about this track in its original form, I think I’m gonna side with the live version actually…MJ FLAWS ended up with really strong representations of his performances, and I think that’ll end up doing wonders for the guy if he pushes these out there when selling tickets to new shows & whatnot. A lot of people tend to want some kind of example, or they’ll get on YouTube to see what a concert would look like or sound like before they’ll be brave enough to buy tickets and get their asses up off the couch…and to me, both “Drawers” and “The Kids Are OK” came out speaking volumes on behalf of what an MJ FLAWS show would be like. Heck – I’d buy tickets y’all. Denver’s a LONG way from where I’m living on the west-coast of Canada…but you know…if he considered getting a bit closer and it didn’t take a full flight to catch a concert, I’m sure I’d think about. He makes a quality case for going no matter where you are or how far you gotta travel…and he should be really proud of what he’s accomplished live from the stage based on what we hear in these two tracks. I might even think about dropping a full live album if I was MJ FLAWS…it’s rare that those are the records I reach for in my own collection over here, but it’s also rare that they come out firing with the quality these final two tracks have. I’m always gonna be interested in what this dude is up to…lots of talent, lots of desire, lots of clever ideas in what he creates…and even though he’s been in the game for 15 years already, I suspect we have yet to hear his best. Lots of road on this journey in front of him still – keep MJ FLAWS on your radar and your playlists.
Find out more about MJ FLAWS from his official website at: https://mjflaws.com
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