RIYL: The Klaxons, Simian Mobile Disco, The Black Ghosts
If the name Prairie Cartel sounds familiar to you then you’ve most likely played a lot of “Grand Theft Auto.” Their catchy dance-rock ode to murder, “Homicide,” is featured prominently in GTAIV and there’s even a radio station named after the group on the Nintendo DS GTA game “Chinatown Wars.” Obviously someone at Rockstar is a fan. Another odd piece of trivia behind the group is that they are fronted by Scott Lucas, the lone remaining original member of grunge stalwarts Local H. A surprising fact considering they sound nothing like Local H, and not just because they put just as much focus on synthesizers and drum machines as they do guitars. The Prairie Cartel is a sleazy band. Murder isn’t their only vice, it seems; sex, drugs (and by extension rock and roll) seem to be favorites as well, if tracks like “Suitcase Pimp,” in which Lucas inquires, “Do you like it when I lick it,” are any indication. Most of Where Did All My People Go is heavy on the electronic and less on the rock, and it suffers for it. The beats are bland, and when the lyrics aren’t hedonistic odes to drugs and boning, they’re pretty forgettable. When they plug in their guitars things are more memorable, with dance-friendly rock tunes like “Jump Like Chemicals” and “Ten Feet of Snow” easy standouts on the album. It’s an uneven album that has its merits, but if you’re a DJ at a strip club, you should really buy this. (Long Nights, Impossible Odds 2009)
