Euphon: A Brief History of the Future

As a portrait of the future, Euphon’s latest release A Brief History of the Future is either woefully deficient or an interesting comment on the cyclical nature of art. Despite the buzzy noises in the production, a couple of short instrumental intros and interludes, and some unconventional rhymes, very little of the album feels futuristic. On the contrary, the duo of Slim and Mr. Fantastik sounds an awful lot like a pairing consisting of a down-to-earth Eminem and a less amiable Q-Tip, hearkening back to the sound and quick flow of ’90s hip-hop. That said, Euphon is one of those finds where you can’t help but think that with just a little bit of cash backing, these cats would be blowing up radios worldwide. They’re delightfully bizarre, managing to work Optimus Prime, David Bowie, and Dr. Norton into one track (“Ghosts in a Machine”) and lamenting the perils of underage flirts in another (“Fresh Fish”). Each track has its own identity, the rhymes are great, and you can spend 45 minutes with it without ever getting bored. The lo-fi feel of much of the production unfortunately belies the futurist intentions of the duo, but aside from that little quibble, A Brief History of the Future is a worthwhile release from a duo that deserves a shot at the big time.