Donker Mag

Primal scream therapy is fine, but there are days when dropping trousers, turning up the rave music to a deafening levels, and spraying cake batter about the kitchen while screaming vulgarities in the Afrikaans language is the only solution. For those days, Die Antwoord's debut album $o$ was the lone available soundtrack, since their sophomore effort Ten$ion had dead spots where one might awaken from this beautiful nightmare and catch their shameful selves in the mirror, but happy mania days are here again on Donker Mag, so crack open some glow sticks and get that loincloth out of the dryer. Coming on strong with that quirky, kewpie doll hook from singer Yo-Landi Vi$$er and those wonderfully dumb, wonderfully wicked lyrics from rapper Ninja, the opening "Ugly Boy" is the first sign that the drugs are all good on the South African duo's/electro-freakshow's third album. The title of the following "Happy Go Sucky Fucky" confirms it, as the track's 2 Unlimited-meets-Ministry construction then underlines it. On the off-kilter dark carnival dubbed "Raging Zef Boner" Ninja barks "You can kiss my black ass" because this white man's rump is, undoubtedly, filthy. Grind time comes when the ludicrous "Rat Trap 666" suggests they've joined both the G-Unit and Three 6 Mafia cliques with lurching 808 drum machines and special guest DJ Muggs in tow, while the slick and sick ballad "Strunk" might be the duo's greatest conceptual moment, coming off as the Residents producing Janet Jackson and offering amorous couples a pillow talk number great for slithering off to the bedroom. Big boomy booty club tracks like "Pitbull Terrier" and "Cookie Thumper" can't lose in these acid calamity surroundings, while the skits and interludes broaden the Die Antwoord mythology, but feel free to enter here, as not understanding what "zef," "dwank," or any of this means is actually the key to becoming an Antwoord insider. As inspired, awful, and awesome as their debut, the only bummer about Donker Mag is that H.P. Lovecraft, H.R. Giger, and H.R. Pufnstuf didn't live long enough to hear it. ~ David Jeffries