In the world of rap today, it’s hard to find a good song that doesn’t talk about mack 10s or blowin’ trees. In the case of junior Chris Melvin’s first full length recording album “Bow to Gob,” you get neither. Instead, the listener is thrust into a whirlwind of love, hate and a few sick beats.

Originally a Christian-based rapper, his new album flips his past ideology upside-down by claiming “God has better things to do than care about the innocent sons of man.” “Gob” takes on society as Melvin (aka Catharsis) lyrically assaults all of the wrongs and misconceptions he’s noticed in his 16 years.

The whole album sends the listener back to the days of Tupac Shakur and The Fugees: the days when a rap song sent a message to the masses with clever lyrics and sweet hooks. Tupac wrote the song “Trapped” to show the world that certain powers were holding him down. This is similar to Catharsis’ “Discourse on the Method” where the words express his frustration with society.

From the first melodic Sigur Ros cover, it’s apparent that with its unconventional lyrics and unorthodox beats, “Bow to Gob” is no ordinary ringtone rap album. The strength of the record comes in its lyrics, which make up for the poor production. The album addresses struggles of the everyday teen sans the adult commentary that normally comes when teens express themselves. “Gob” is Catharsis’ no-holds-barred debut, and anyone with a CD player is invited.

None of Catharsis’ beats on the album are original; instead he either covers an existing song or carefully (and legally) selects a beat made by the British group Anno Domini Beats. The production of the album is rough to say the least, but it’s understandable considering his dirt cheap budget.

Very few albums start off with such an appealing and meaningful song as “The Awakening.” With angelic singing backing up Catharsis, he welcomes the listener to his “dungeon of insanity” where he “{doesn’t} give a {expletive} if you love or destroy your own brother.” His first of many allusions to schoolwork also appears when he says he’s “rapping with Thoreau,” a reference to the summer reading assignment “Walden.”

Throughout the album, Catharsis makes wise remarks about two-faced people, ignorant people and all the people in between. He claims he’s the “satanic version of Langston Hughes,” but he could challenge Mark Twain as the king of satire. His clever ways of shedding light on things like a fast food worker’s job (“We Are Animals”) or the “world of possibilities” on a Chili’s menu (“Medusa’s Predecessor”) might make the listener laugh a little when he sarcastically says “I swear if she {expletive} up my McFlurry, I’ll take her Indian fat {expletive} and spread it in a bowl of curry,” but the point is driven home.

Another reoccurring element in the album is his gnomes. They refer to the garden gnomes Catharsis loved to play with as a child. He bases the album off them because of their childish appeal, but also to show that he still clings to them and isn’t ready to move on to the path of manhood.

“Epistemic Loneliness,” the third track, has the best beat on the album, mixing a slow drum kick with a smooth guitar riff. Not only that, but one of Catharsis’ choicest and most real lines is also tied into the track: “I obey these stop signs even when they’re in {expletive} locations, Why do I just lay back and get {expletive} and {expletive} take it?”
Catharsis addresses the one problem Jay-Z doesn’t have (“99 Problems”) as only he can, with two separate tracks of first-person teenage narrative. “Your Hand in Mine,” a cover of the song by Explosions In The Sky of the same name, tells the tale of a love-sick teenage boy who longs to leave the “friend zone” of a girl with a glowing and beautiful face. Contrast that with “Ruins,” a later track in which the mood can be found with one glance at the title. The teenage boy in this song has “love {as his} enemy” and can’t pull himself away from a deceitful and devilish girl who exploits his weaknesses.

“Transitivity of Identity,” “Spring’s Ontology” and “These Gnomes Aren’t Laughing” make for the strongest portion of the album. These three tracks are more about Catharsis than any others on the record. Catharsis is sure to make it clear in “Ontology” that he’s content, but he won’t take a step further. “Laughing” starts out with what can be thought of as a beautiful elfish woman singing beside a creek. The song continues and Catharsis asks, “When will I find the God I have sought?”

“Gob” isn’t the prettiest album when it comes to the production. The sound is rough and at times you can hear Catharsis bump the microphone as you listen. There is no apparent track layering in the album which would eliminate the need for a perfect take of both music and lyrics. Even so, the listener has to overlook those flaws and listen to the lyrics, because that is where the true heart lies.

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