Double Vision: Bifocal
Everything about Double Vision is a little gimmicky. They are twin brothers, hence being named Double Vision and they wear glasses so that makes Bifocal like a double play on words. But despite the play on words of the group and album title, the music presented on the debut album is no gimmick.
The brothers are promoted as a mixture of backpack rap, more traditional hip hop, and esoteric musical influences in their production. The words “Outkast mixed with Gym Class Heroes” actually graces their one sheet but I do not quite see it. They music is definitely not as bad as Gym Class Heroes but it never quite summits to Outkast heights either. Instead the groups rapping is somewhere between the old skool flare of Skee-Lo with the modern twist of The Pack.
On “For My” the group shows off a little rock influence with electric guitars and a little yelling on the chorus. It reminds me of El Pus mixed with a little Shop Boyz. On “Other Side”, the duo show their affinity for live instruments by utilizing live drums and bring in a trumpet player. The song has a jazzy feel but is ultimately a little too tame for my tastes and a mediocre verse from Johanna Phraze solidifies the song as a bomb.
Ultimately the album comes off as disappointing but maybe that is because no songs live up to the album’s opening track “D.I.Y. or DIE (Anthem)”. The anthematic track sounds like Little Brother with slightly distorted vocals. The track has a joyous feel that the album is never able to reproduce even with tongue-in-cheek tracks like “Skinny Jeans”.
Rating: 4.1/10
MP3: Double Vision “D.I.Y. or DIE (Anthem)”
Buy: iTunes