Drop the Lime

New York's Drop the Lime bears the unmistakable branding of youth spent raving. Don't cringe — just like buying a Vanilla Ice tape back in the day, no one admits to it but a lot of us did it. Drop the Lime simply wears it on his sleeve in a newly cut and sewn fashion. Frantic, curt, furious and fast, This Means Forever is an unforgiving listen with its skipping hammer beats and phat bass drops reminiscent of super charged drum & bass. Basically, it's not for those prone to migraines. Dubbed "breakcore" by adoring press, this album is nothing if not harsh. It makes almost no sonic reference to non-computer generated sounds except for the voice of MC Minty who sounds like Gold Chains' younger sibling. "Never, Nah" has a touch of Aphex Twin, and it's so rapid fire it's kind of like getting hit by bottle caps your enemies/friends are snapping at you. There are softer moments, like the brief "Releaser Returns," which sounds like the start of some odd ball ’70s sci-fi animation, but that is one of very few. Ex-ravers thinking this might be a nice trip down memory lane should think again. Wait, most of our memories from that period probably appear just like this album does: a hyper, forceful blur. This Means Forever is innovative, however dated its references are.