''Poly.Sci.187'', later retitled ''Mansbestfriend 4: Poly.Sci.187'', is an instrumental studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on

Anticon Anticon (often styled as anticon.) is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1998 by seven musicians and manager Baillie Parker. It is now collectively owned among six musicians, co-founder Parker, and man ...

on May 29, 2007. Sole adopted the "Mansbestfriend" moniker for this album (as he had first done for ''The New Human Is Illegal'', a revised version of '' Mansbestfriend Pt. 2: No Thanks''). He intended to release instrumental work under that name. However, "Mansbestfriend" has since reverted to the title of a series of self-produced albums (as it began) with the release of fifth and sixth entries in the series in 2011. ''Poly.Sci.187'' thereby retroactively became ''Mansbestfriend 4''.

Critical reception

Marisa Brown of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

gave the album 2.5 stars out of 5, calling it "a dismal, electronic-leaning set that moves around sloshily without much heed for reason or direction." She added, "The record's production is messy and distracted, never quite deciding what it actually wants to do, trying too much and too little at the same time, and since this is, for all practical consideration, an instrumental (Sole lays down and samples his own vocal tracks a few times, but the words are always low in the mix), this lack of attention to actual purpose detracts from it greatly." Eric Harvey of ''

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'' gave the album a 7.0 out of 10, stating that it "proves that he can remove his signature musical element and still create a record that pushes many of the same affective buttons while moving out in unconventional directions." Gentry Boeckel of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' gave the album 2 stars out of 10, writing, "''Poly.Sci.187'' is easily the weakest recording in his catalogue, a tossed-off artistic diversion that hardly anyone besides his closest friends and labelmates will hear, or care about." David Ma of ''

XLR8R ''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine. History and profile ''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Sea ...

'' said, "Sole is surely a creative artist, but ''Poly.Sci.187'' is an unremarkable footnote in his otherwise strong discography."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. * Sole – music, recording *

William Ryan Fritch William Ryan Fritch (also known under the moniker Vieo Abiungo) is an American musician, composer, and producer, currently residing in Oakland, California. He is a member of Sole and the Skyrider Band and has released several albums under his own na ...

– extra instrumentation, guitar (5, 12, 15), melodica (8), keyboards (11) * Kip Killagain – drums (2) * Yasamin – bassline (11), keyboards (13)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2007 albums Sole (hip hop artist) albums Anticon albums Instrumental hip hop albums