Limp Bizkit - Significant Other (1999)
When I was fifteen, I actually used to listen to this album a little bit, and I don't really know why. It's like Rage Against the Machine with mommy issues, for God's sake! Like some full-on "I cry in the shower after sex because I love you so much, and the shower is the only place where no one can see you cry." shit. If you bought this in 1999 hoping to vibe to some phat beats, then I'm praying for you tonight, because this is some serious "I cry while listening to this in my Walkman" shit.
Okay, let's start with the big hitters of the album: The song "Nookie" begins with a pretty cool beat before launching into distorted guitars, but it just seems like a missed opportunity. If you know of any rappers who've rapped over that beat, let me know! Here's something else I want to know: Why is it that with all of the shit that vocalist Fred Durst talks about concerning kicking ass and taking names, he can't help but get hung up over females at least six times a day? Don't get me wrong, I was a very, very angsty and emotional teenager but holy shit I was never THIS bad. Or maybe I was. I'm afraid of asking any of my friends! What if they both say I was?! Then I might have to...
BREAK STUFF. The other big single! "Break Stuff" is the ultimate "Fuck you, Mom, I'm not cleaning my room, and I'll drink Mountain Dew after 8 PM if I want to!" anthem ever made. "Give me something to break.. HOW 'BOUT YOUR FUCKIN' FACE?!" vocalist Fred Durst asks on the track, but if he said it to Steve Buscemi, he's already too late! Too mean? Ah, he probably doesn't give a shit. Don't you know about "Send a Naked Picture of Yourself to Steve Buscemi Day"? It's every February 21st, so be sure to send him a picture of your smelly giblets for him to imagine he's gobblin' down on.
Anyway, a huge problem that the album and their discography faces in general is that no one gives a single flying shit about what vocalist Fred Durst has to whine about, because who listens to Limp Bizkit for relatability? You turn on "Re-Arranged" hoping to hear a song about rearranging a dude's face and nope, it's just a song about a girl. We just want to get drunk and scream shit about chainsaws! Either stick to the tough guy act or not at all, because all of these weird Deftones and Tool impersonations are out of place when you're just trying to force yourself to get angry about anything, when you've lost any and all ability to feel. No? Just me? Ah well.
Not even "Nobody Like You" featuring Korn's Jonathan Davis and the late Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots can be a highlight because there's ultimately just no damn well-written vision for any of these songs, especially with (disregarding Scott Weiland, mind you) shitty vocalists polluting the music, and just when you think the album has nothing more to shock you with, the track "N 2 Gether Now" kicks in.. AND IT KICKS ASS! Aside from vocalist Fred Durst's delivery that can occasionally be described as "awkward", that is. It's a straight-up hip-hop track featuring none other than Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan and it's produced by DJ Premier!! Of course, Method Man and DJ Premier carry the track on their backs single-handedly while vocalist Fred Durst is mainly just that guy who says he'll have your back in a fight, but then when the fight breaks out, he mainly just ends up jumping around the dude while yelling at him, as you're beating the shit out of him, occasionally kicking the dude's shin or some shit.
To sum it all up: Horrifically bad lyrics that legitimately sound like they were written in ten minutes, cool riffs that serve to disappoint you even further about the shitty vocals and lyrics, awkward attempts at singing that make you think "Why did this happen?" and finally, music that very well sounds like it could've progressed into something bigger, but unfortunately had no clear vision on just what to do with their ear for riffs and general grooves. It's interesting, but it's like the audible equivalent of a neutered pitbull: It acts tough but it's got no balls! Ha-HAAA!!! BAM BAM BAM!!!
"You wanted the worst, you've got the worst
The one, the only Limp Bizkit
We could've stopped, you wanted the best?
Then don't get the fuckin' Backstreet Boys CD
'Cause in this house it's Limp motherfucking Bizkit"
"You wanted the worst, you've got the worst
The one, the only Limp Bizkit
We could've stopped, you wanted the best?
Then don't get the fuckin' Backstreet Boys CD
'Cause in this house it's Limp motherfucking Bizkit"
6/10
________________________________________________________
Feel free to check out/buy the album via my Amazon Associates link!
