Preacher vs. Choir's New Ritual

Preacher vs. Choir tackles authority on his latest album, "The Coming of Age Ritual."

On Nov. 13, local rapper Chris Mosher, who performs as Preacher vs. Choir, released his latest album “The Coming of Age Ritual.” Self-produced, it's a calibrated F-U to the powers that be, full of subversion and a healthy distrust of authority that, according to his Bandcamp profile, "is a story about an angry and disenchanted young man reluctantly carving his way into adulthood.”

He starts off, "If you feel revolted / We're successful with our mission,” on the LP's opener “Better Than Ever” with frustration stuffed into wordy bars that scramble over organs and programmed drums. It's a defensive stance; he's drawing a line in the sand but he doesn't sound menacing. Not yet, not here. 

He steps up the intensity on “Zombies” though, his aggressive anti-capitalism slant, entertaining the romantic idea of overthrowing big banks and rebelling against the police who serve them. It's not a new concept but it is current. A spin on the Occupy movement with Mosher picking up where the old guard left off.

Mosher's lost faith in the system as it promised a lot but so far has yet to deliver. Naturally, he's upset by that and it all comes to a head on “Last Days,” with his resentment erupting into angry jabs: “How you gonna live in a world this f—ed up / And not ask any questions / It's a sick, slow death / So they want you to believe that there's no time left/ But until our last breath / We will hunt the enemy until they're laid to rest.”  

It's a slow purge, “The Coming of Age Ritual,” as he shares indignation and discomfort. But it's all worth it since you sometimes have to do a little heavy lifting to clear a proper path.

J. Smith, aka 1019, is a San Diego native, rap fan and one half of the rap duo Parker & the Numberman. You can follow him on Instagram at 1019_the_numberman or on Twitter

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