Album Details

• Artist: Saul Williams
• Album: The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust
• Label: Indie
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: trismus on 2010-01-23

Media

It'd been 30, maybe 40, years since anyone had heard anything that remotely resembled music. Energy sources were scarce, reserved for more important devices than mp9 players or stream nets. Those types of gadgets had gone from toys of the rich to near extinction some time ago. They were worthless drains on resources and held no value to a people who had forsaken any kind of escape simple music may have once provided. The nation had simply become so dire and savage that celebration, happiness, inspiration, were all emotions that did little more than convey weakness. The groans of a labored nation became the only score for the country long ago.

I was climbing through the rubble of Lowtown, on my way to see Buster Lebanon, when some old duster shouted at me from the shadow of the collapsed bank tower. He waved me over with a crooked arm shrouded in a tattered grey jacket and mesh undershirt. You should know that everybody trusts everybody in this new dystopia. Lawlessness delivered upon us all a heightened defensive skill set. Those of us that are alive, learned long ago how to take care of ourselves in regard to interpersonal interaction. So accommodating the old man's invitation seemed little more than a temporary setback on my errand for a "new" pressure vacuum breaker.

"Whatchoo want?"

The old man didn't answer, just started waving his arm more fervently.

The constant drought had made even the hardest of building materials decrepit. Whole chunks of concrete crumbled, dissolving under my feet as if my every step was the footfall of a god. Lacerating one's leg on rusty rebar was a consistent danger as you traveled through the ruins of this now decimated city. Straight lines and horizontal expedition were a rarity. Transportation involved climbing, vaulting, and hiking. A final boulder was traversed before coming face to face with the old man.

"Here."

His dusty black hand reached out, holding a broken and exposed gadget. It was the size of a standard boiler filter o-ring but was fabricated from technology prominent long ago. He dropped it in my hand unceremoniously then slumped to the ground.

The..thing..had what appeared to be a small control interface, a hinge for a cover that had been lost, and a revealed portion disclosed some type of circuitry that, again, I was unfamiliar with.

"Fuck am I supposed to do with this?" I asked the duster, who had huddled himself under his jacket.

"It's yours. Fix it."

He said this through a strained throat. His sunglasses hid his eyes and, what wasn't covered in old dirty clothing, was hidden by his long gray and matted hair. I got the impression he was sick, perhaps fatally. Near death or not, I knew he wouldn't put up much of a fight. In fact, as I rummaged through his coat and pants pockets, he barely made a sound. Only the occasional whimper emanated from the dying man's lips. A few washers, a photograph of a young girl, some old worthless currency, and a silver disk with the word "Niggy" scribbled on it were all he had tucked away in his garments. I tossed the picture and the money. Put the washers in my bag and was about to fling the disk across the wasteland when its size alerted me.

It fit perfectly onto the damaged device the old duster had given me earlier. I turned back to him, "Does this go in here?", looking for confirmation of a correctly placed puzzle piece. The man had expired though, so I shoved both in my bag and continued forward toward Lebanon.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2010-01-27 dscanland Said:

Ha, interesting review Trismus. So how does the old damaged device sound? Very entertaining nonetheless. Thanks.
Not Rated

on 2008-05-22 dscanland Said:

This great album is finally being released in stores June 24th. Pick up a physical copy of The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust!
Not Rated