Post Minstrel Syndrome
Studio album by
The Negro Problem
Released1997
GenreAlternative rock
LabelAerial Flipout Records[1]
ProducerAndrew Williams, The Negro Problem
The Negro Problem chronology
Post Minstrel Syndrome
(1997)		 Joys & Concerns
(1999)

Post Minstrel Syndrome is the debut album by the American alternative rock band the Negro Problem, released in 1997.[2][3]

Production

The album was produced by Andrew Williams and the band, and recorded on an 8-track.[4][5] It contains a cover of "MacArthur Park", with changed lyrics, as well as five unlisted songs.[6][7] It was the frontman Stew's intention to make an album that sounded like his memory of the less-segregated AM radio of the late 1960s.[8]

The original lineup of the band broke up toward the end of the recording sessions.[9] "Birdcage" criticizes the Los Angeles Times music critic Robert Hilburn.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[12]
Los Angeles Daily News[13]
The San Diego Union-Tribune[14]

Entertainment Weekly called the album "a wryly eccentric brand of white-bread pop laced with atmospheric keyboards, vibrant brass, and startling melodies."[12] Phoenix New Times deemed it "a kinky mix of art-rock gambol and earthy balladry."[15] Rolling Stone praised the "tart wit, sunshinedaydream melodicism and open-heart surge."[16]

Trouser Press labeled the album "a joyous album of off-kilter pure pop."[17] The Dayton Daily News stated: "Quirky yet infectious, this art-pop fits with Pere Ubu's relatively accessible albums circa 1990."[7] The San Diego Union-Tribune considered Post Minstrel Syndrome to be the best debut album of 1997.[14]

AllMusic wrote that the album "is like a breath of fresh air, a no-man's land where the politics and social vision of C.L.R. James meet Spike Lee in the home of Big Joe Turner's R&B, and primal, snaky rock & roll."[11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Birdcage" 
2."If You Would Have Traveled on the 93 North Today" 
3."Submarine Down" 
4."The Meaning of Everything" 
5."Miss Jones" 
6."Buzzing" 
7."Doubting Uncle Tom" 
8."Ghetto Godot" 
9."The Great Leap Forward" 
10."MacArthur Park" 
11."2 Inch Dick Mobile" 
12."Omegaville" 
13."Witch" 

References

  1. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim (January 1, 2003). "Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Ward, Ed (August 4, 2002). "Wry, Tuneful Stories, All in 4-Minute Songs" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ↑ Scribner, Sara (7 Mar 1998). "From Artful Noise to an Album With a Buzz; Mark Stewart leads the Negro Problem into pop turf". Los Angeles Times. Calendar. p. 1.
  4. ↑ Shipes, Gary (December 19, 1997). "PROBLEM SOLVED". The Stuart News. p. D1.
  5. ↑ Tayler, Letta (24 Mar 1998). "Texas Rocks: Sounds of past and future rip through Austin". Newsday. p. B3.
  6. ↑ Morris, Chris (Sep 6, 1997). "FLAG WAVING". Billboard. 109 (36): 89–90.
  7. 1 2 Underwood, Bob (29 Aug 1997). "RECORDINGS IN BRIEF". Dayton Daily News. Go!. p. 19.
  8. ↑ Wener, Ben (January 23, 1998). "WHAT'S IN A NAME? - ROCK: It's not what you might think - Silver Lake's The Negro Problem is one of the smartest pop acts around". Orange County Register. p. F43.
  9. ↑ "The Negro Problem Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ "Negro Problem". Austin American-Statesman. 12 Mar 1998. p. 24.
  11. 1 2 "Post Minstrel Syndrome - The Negro Problem | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  12. 1 2 "Post Minstrel Syndrome". EW.com.
  13. ↑ Shuster, Fred (2 Jan 1998). "SOUND CHECK". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L25.
  14. 1 2 Varga, George (December 18, 1997). "'Syndrome' is sure to capture awards for literate ensemble". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Entertainment. p. 9.
  15. ↑ Scribner, Sara. "Problem Solved". Phoenix New Times.
  16. ↑ Fricke, David (Feb 5, 1998). "On the Edge". Rolling Stone (779): 60.
  17. ↑ "Negro Problem". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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