4 out of 5

Label: Beggars Banquet

Produced by: Geoff Sanoff

Zipping through this disc in a matter of a few, seemingly un-noteworthy minutes; reading reviews that generally single out the one-two jam of opener Living 2 Low and the propulsive Do The Math, I’m ready to brush off New Wet Kojak’s No. 4 EP as something slight, and maybe even as a poor addendum to the releases of an otherwise interesting ‘side project.’ I give it another spin to make sure, and then that thing happens: the track I have in my mind as the most skippable – the low key Year Of The Sheep, lacking in sax or funk and consisting of singer Scott McCloud’s unswaggering asides – suddenly opens up: the production is soulful; organic. I hear a sharp, sneering take on always-on culture. Circling back around, Living 2 Low and Do The Math gain traction beyond their catchy, bopping chanted titles and wicked guitar, bass, and horn bits; drums are skittering delightfully; McCloud is a step beyond his smart-alec persona and maybe actually trying to be openly critical of ‘the life’ that GVSB / NWK have, through their loungey, alcohol-soaked personas, always led. What initially seemed like a silly namedrop track, Sophia Loren, is another pretty powerful contemplation on the same – celebrity life; success – capped by an almighty sax freakout.

Okay, the remix is still a remix, and I don’t want to pose Scott as a poet laureate – he’s still just choosing some choice phrases and repeating them – but No. 4 is a slick, mini collection of focused jams, combining smarts with sass, and sitting pretty alongside the group’s most impressive stuff.