Ya got no flow, call you MC Ebb.
Best Fit album review, vol 5
Wrote about the new Metallica album, Hardwired…To Self-Destruct.
It’s good, not great.
Best Fit album review, vol 4
I wrote about English newcomer Cameron AG’s new EP, Homeward Bound.
TL;DR: Good, not great, warm-bath electronic music.
Best Fit Album Review, vol 3
Reviewed the new Beach Slang record for Best Fit.
It’s pretty great, despite the fact that they essentially made the same record as their last one.
Best Fit Album Review, vol 2
Wrote about SUMAC’s second record, What One Becomes.
It’s an interesting, if overly self-indulgent record. Despite having a 17-minute (!) track, it’s worth checking out if you’re into post-metal.
I’ve been busy
Apologies for the lack of recent content. Been busy with work. I promise – there is stuff written, but it needs to be edited and such.
It’s coming.
May Music Round-up
Brand New | “I Am The Nightmare”
New year, new single. But no album. It is, however, the most infectious melody Jesse’s written since the Your Favorite Weapon days. The circular guitar riff is both catchy and a roundabout way of calling back to their early days. Given the recent t-shirt they put out, it may also be a signal for the beginning of the end. And ending it on this song wouldn’t be the worst way to go out.
Death Grips | Bottomless Pit
You already know if you will love or hate this. Death Grips are, without question, the most original group of the 2010s, so whatever you think of what DG do is irrelevant. Their biggest strength is the sheer self-belief in their unique brand of audio agitation. That said, whether you prefer this over other records, or find it any more or any less disorenting, depends on your personal taste. Their entire aesthetic is some combination of immaculately produced and curated noise terrorism that oscillates between being more “rap” based and more punk based; Pit seems to lean towards the latter. Nothing here is as striking as “Get Got”, but there are some serious earworms to be unearthed in the madness.
PUP | The Dream Is Over
When you’re the vocalist in a punk band and your doctor tells you that you can’t sing, yell, or scream anymore, the only logical reaction is to do all three louder – hence, TDIO. It’s more immediate and more personal than their debut: Instead of speaking to and about the rest of the world, Patrick Stickles yells and screams to and about his own bandmates – and the way he does it, you’d think they came to blows during recording. That kind of bitching would get old quickly if Stickles wasn’t one of the most Twitter-worthy lyricists in music. Gems like “You wanna know if I’m still a prick?/ Well, I am” and “I’ve been blessed with shit luck/ There’s some things that’ll never change” are found throughout the record’s 31 minutes. This is an end-of-your-rope kind of record, and it’s only their second. I can’t wait to see if they kill each while writing the next one.
Radiohead | A Moon Shaped Pool
Thing about Radiohead is, would these songs matter if they were written and recorded by ANY other band? Or, is the impact and weight of them purely because of who it is? Radiohead has managed to transcend being a band that makes great music through the curation of a seemingly unfuckwithable identity. The songs themselves are almost beside the point – which is unfortunate, because there’s some fantastic material here. Yet, “Do I like this record?” or “Is this record any good?” aren’t the questions you should ask yourself. Instead, ask yourself if you even give a shit.
You can also read my Hundred Word Review of the album.
Hundred Word Reviews: Radiohead | ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’
Since Thief, Radiohead’s decision-making has dared fans to stop caring about their music: Surprise releases, pay-what-you-want, using 20-year-old songs, pretentiously “mysterious” announcements, etc. They went from band to brand, and in the process made the release of music more important than the music itself. Whether “Burn the Witch” is among the coolest songs they’ve ever written, or “Identikit” forcefully argues the return of guitar in modern music, or that this record has some of the band’s strongest melodies in a long time is all beside the point. The question isn’t about the quality of Pool, but instead whether it matters.
April Music Round-up
Weezer | Weezer (white)
So-called return to form is more like a Weezer impression than an album by the actual band. Rivers’ ability to write earworms that stick after only one listen is still present, but one wonders why he didn’t do this for every song. Hire Ric Ocasek or don’t bother.
Read my review of it, also.
Deftones | Gore
A mixture of their most beautiful and most brutal music to date, Gore is Deftones solidifying their name as a consistenly great metal act. A truly interesting metal record is tough to come by these days, so appreciate them when they do arrive.
My Hundred Word Review is here.
Sturgill Simpson | A Sailor’s Guide to Earth
Country music’s best kept secret follows up a fantastic bluegrass record in the only way he can: he throws out the banjos and adds ’60s Mowtown brass and ’70s hard rock guitar. Simpson writes memorable melodies, but they’re not like the ear candy heard on country radio; these songs take a few listens to fully appreciate. No self-respecting producer woulda let Simpson stray this far from a winning formula like Metamodern Sounds, and for good reason. That Simpson self-produced this brilliant album just makes you appreciate him as an artist even more.
Aesop Rock | The Impossible Kid
Hip-hop’s wordiest MC releases his leanest and best record to date, a month before he turns 40. Rap is NOT a young man’s game anymore. (Was it ever?) All beats by Rock himself and not a single guest verse would be a gamble for a lesser artist. Being that Rock is among the most fascinating voices in music, that decision was a a logical one. Hopefully we don’t have to wait four years for a follow-up.
Hundred Word Review of this record is also available.
Drake | VIEWS
Lotta words have been written about this record, so I’ll simply say this: It’s not a bad album, but it is boring. His last two were better, so listen to those instead.
Hundred Word Reviews: Aesop Rock | The Impossible Kid
In which Aesop finds something that’s eluded him for 20 years: a record without bloat. Much like Skelethon, TIK is a one-man show with the paranoid synth self-production and no guest verses. It’s also Rock’s most personal offering to date, and his least obtuse. Kid lacks anything as visceral as “Zero Dark Thirty” or as hypnotic as “None Shall Pass”, and better for it. No one song stands above the rest, allowing the songs to hang together as a cohesive whole. Aesop turns 40 in a month, and somehow made a career-high album while showing no signs of rust.