I have a rather eclectic taste in music, though most of my interest lies in rap and hip hop. That’s not to say that I’ve never listened to pop, alternative, jazz, old crooners, or any number of other genres. Well, back in high school, one group that immediately captured my interest was Prozzak, an animated duo formed by former members of The Philosopher Kings.
“Sucks To Be You” (I know, I know) became an instant hit, as did the follow-up “Strange Disease.” There was something strangely appealing about the fake British accent. You couldn’t help but laugh at (and empathize with) the failed romances of the neck-less Simon. He’d get consoled by the towering blonde known as Milo, and you’d have a ball the entire time. It wasn’t quite emo, but it wasn’t quite upbeat pop music either.
Their second album, Saturday People, didn’t receive nearly as much attention, but it was just as enjoyable. And then after that, in 2000, they seemed to fall off the face of the Earth. I always wondered what ever happened to Prozzak, so I finally took it upon myself to find out.
Turns out that they’re still active. James McCollum and Jason Levine — the real people behind the cartoon avatars of Prozzak — still exist and they still create music. According to their MySpace page, they released another album, entitled Cruel Cruel World under an independent Canadian label. As such, it got nearly no promotion, no press, no attention. And thus, no one ever knew about it.
I gave the album a listen and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s not quite as strong as the original Hot Show, but it is still quite good. You get a similar pop-techno feel, except the music has been slowed down somewhat. It’s a little different, but I think that’s a good thing, providing listeners with a slightly new, slightly familiar Prozzak experience.
So, there you have it. Prozzak is still around, but they’re into the indie scene these days. Who knows if there will be another album after Cruel Cruel World. I sure hope there is.
Its very sad that many a time (especially these days) some really cool artists just disappear under the rug or lose promotion. I havent heard prozzak or any music by James McCollum and Jason Levine but i have discovered some really cool music in indie record stores that in my opinion require promotion just so everyone had an opportunity to listen these bands/artists.
I vaguely remember Prozzak…I wasn’t really a fan since although I liked the beat, the singer was just incredibly annoying.
Fun to relive your high school music, huh?
I still have the first CD in my car, it gets played once in awhile. I liked that video with Gilber Godfreid in it, whatever it was called.