Ok, this is very exciting indeed - a new song from the mighty Death Grips, an experimental hip-hop group from America who've been making quite a name for themselves. Over the course of three albums (Exmilitary in 2011, The Money Store and No Love Deep Web in 2012) these guys have created some of the most intense, original and consistently excellent hip-hop of recent times and now, they have a new song out called Birds.
To be honest with you, I'm not sure what I think of this one. It's got that low-down, bluesy groove that is a key part of the Death Grips sound, it's got some very atmospheric electronics and the production is excellent, but lyrically it just sounds like a bunch of random words that sort-of rhyme. I love Death Grips, but I'm kind of disappointed with this song.
Anyway, check it out via the link above and form your own opinion.
Friday 30 August 2013
Thursday 29 August 2013
Review - Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Hesitation Marks
It's finally here - Trent Reznor, the grand old man of industrial rock, has released a new album as Nine Inch Nails. I've been looking forward to this - my acquaintance with NIN basically consists of the classic singles, plus some of the more recent ambient stuff, but what I've heard so far, I've liked. So I was interested to see what the new, drug-free, happy Reznor would produce.
Things start off with a decent, atmospheric introduction, which leads into opening track Copy of A. It's musically solid - a great, driving beat, and an infectious synth hook - but lyrically a bit too whiny for my taste. That's a problem throughout the album, actually - though Came Back Haunted has a brilliant melody, it's undercut by the kind of lyrics self-pitying teenagers scribble in exercise books. Find My Way is Reznor's failed attempt at writing another Hurt - it's fantastically produced, but then so is everything he does. That doesn't excuse poor lyric-writing. Conversely, I Would For You has decent lyrics, but musically is somewhat lacking.
Sonically, though, this album is very good - All Time Low is downright funky, Disappointed's electronic blippery bubbles along nicely, and there are hooks aplenty. Then again, there are exceptions to that rule - Everything sounds like a (very) slightly ballsier version of countless pissweak indie bands and Sattellite sounds like Justin Timberlake. Overall, this is a decent record, but it lets itself down by slipping all too often into emo territory. I would reccommend it to those who can look past the self-indulgent lyrics, but I'm not one of them.
Rating: 6/10
Hesitation Marks
It's finally here - Trent Reznor, the grand old man of industrial rock, has released a new album as Nine Inch Nails. I've been looking forward to this - my acquaintance with NIN basically consists of the classic singles, plus some of the more recent ambient stuff, but what I've heard so far, I've liked. So I was interested to see what the new, drug-free, happy Reznor would produce.
Things start off with a decent, atmospheric introduction, which leads into opening track Copy of A. It's musically solid - a great, driving beat, and an infectious synth hook - but lyrically a bit too whiny for my taste. That's a problem throughout the album, actually - though Came Back Haunted has a brilliant melody, it's undercut by the kind of lyrics self-pitying teenagers scribble in exercise books. Find My Way is Reznor's failed attempt at writing another Hurt - it's fantastically produced, but then so is everything he does. That doesn't excuse poor lyric-writing. Conversely, I Would For You has decent lyrics, but musically is somewhat lacking.
Sonically, though, this album is very good - All Time Low is downright funky, Disappointed's electronic blippery bubbles along nicely, and there are hooks aplenty. Then again, there are exceptions to that rule - Everything sounds like a (very) slightly ballsier version of countless pissweak indie bands and Sattellite sounds like Justin Timberlake. Overall, this is a decent record, but it lets itself down by slipping all too often into emo territory. I would reccommend it to those who can look past the self-indulgent lyrics, but I'm not one of them.
Rating: 6/10
Wednesday 28 August 2013
New music from thedowngoing, free music from Blister Unit
First, thedowngoing. If you haven't heard of them, then you're a bad person and should be ashamed. Only joking - they're a two-man grindcore outfit from Australia who redefine the word "brutality", and now they've put a new song on their Bandcamp page. It's from an upcoming split with Detroit, and it's certainly something. It may be hard to believe if this is the first you've heard of them, but they're actually reigning in the aggression here, although it's still heavier than 99% of grindcore bands. More importantly, though, this is a great song - definitely the best 34 seconds of music I've heard today.
Blister Unit play a more traditional version of grindcore, and they play it well. Their last album, Christ Ape, was number 5 in my top 5 albums of the year so far, and now they're making their first album, Nodes, available for free here. If you like crust, grind, hardcore, or more or less any other kind of loud, fast music, check it out.
Blister Unit play a more traditional version of grindcore, and they play it well. Their last album, Christ Ape, was number 5 in my top 5 albums of the year so far, and now they're making their first album, Nodes, available for free here. If you like crust, grind, hardcore, or more or less any other kind of loud, fast music, check it out.
Tuesday 20 August 2013
Review - Tartupaluk
Tartupaluk
S/T
Ok, for my next review I've chosen a doom band from the Czech Republic. Tartupaluk play an atmospheric, lo-fi brand of doom that at times is reminiscent of grunge, particularly Soundgarden, but with raw, barked vocals that sound like an angry bear.
Vychova Strachem, the first track on their three-song self-titled album, starts off with a snaking, Black Sabbath-lite riff that sounds like the work of amateur metal bands the world over. That might sounds like an insult, but actually it's not - Tartupaluk manage to use hoary tritonic conventions in such a way that it sounds, not like a boring rehash of better work, but like a comforting, familiar blanket. It quickly slips into a crushing riff and the aforementioned pissed-off rottweiler vocals. Again, it's nothing spectacularly original, but when it sounds this good, who cares? The band change the tempo enough to keep the song interesting, and it's got a nice, attainable sound to it - it sounds like anyone could do this, but few could do it as well as Tartupaluk. This is almost punk metal.
Pevnost kicks off with another atmospheric riff, this one sounding more like Led Zeppelin circa Kashmir. I can't help but notice the similarity to the previous song - even the vocal pattern sounds the same. Even comfort food needs a little variation now and then, guys. In fairness, if I hadn't heard the first track, I'd like this one. There's also a fast part in this that gives it a little extra something.In fact, if the song had started with that part, it'd be pretty good. Basically, skip to the five minute mark when listening to this one.
The third and final song sounds a little less like the first one, and a little more powerviolence-y - I can imagine a band like Islam85 playing this, only they'd do it with more mind-crushing heaviness. Don;t get me wrong, this is a damn heavy track - and a damn good one - and heavier than a lot of metal bands, but it's not going to bludgeon you into submission if you;re used to the more extreme ends of the musical spectrum.
Basically, this album is pretty good - nothing special, not a masterpeice, but a solid, entertaining record. Also, it'as available for free on Bandcamp, so there's no reason not to get it.
Rating: 6/10
S/T
Ok, for my next review I've chosen a doom band from the Czech Republic. Tartupaluk play an atmospheric, lo-fi brand of doom that at times is reminiscent of grunge, particularly Soundgarden, but with raw, barked vocals that sound like an angry bear.
Vychova Strachem, the first track on their three-song self-titled album, starts off with a snaking, Black Sabbath-lite riff that sounds like the work of amateur metal bands the world over. That might sounds like an insult, but actually it's not - Tartupaluk manage to use hoary tritonic conventions in such a way that it sounds, not like a boring rehash of better work, but like a comforting, familiar blanket. It quickly slips into a crushing riff and the aforementioned pissed-off rottweiler vocals. Again, it's nothing spectacularly original, but when it sounds this good, who cares? The band change the tempo enough to keep the song interesting, and it's got a nice, attainable sound to it - it sounds like anyone could do this, but few could do it as well as Tartupaluk. This is almost punk metal.
Pevnost kicks off with another atmospheric riff, this one sounding more like Led Zeppelin circa Kashmir. I can't help but notice the similarity to the previous song - even the vocal pattern sounds the same. Even comfort food needs a little variation now and then, guys. In fairness, if I hadn't heard the first track, I'd like this one. There's also a fast part in this that gives it a little extra something.In fact, if the song had started with that part, it'd be pretty good. Basically, skip to the five minute mark when listening to this one.
The third and final song sounds a little less like the first one, and a little more powerviolence-y - I can imagine a band like Islam85 playing this, only they'd do it with more mind-crushing heaviness. Don;t get me wrong, this is a damn heavy track - and a damn good one - and heavier than a lot of metal bands, but it's not going to bludgeon you into submission if you;re used to the more extreme ends of the musical spectrum.
Basically, this album is pretty good - nothing special, not a masterpeice, but a solid, entertaining record. Also, it'as available for free on Bandcamp, so there's no reason not to get it.
Rating: 6/10
Saturday 17 August 2013
Grindcore for Beginners Part 6 - Intelligent Aggression
Cephalic Carnage
Conforming to Abnormality
US; 1998
Conforming to Abnormality
US; 1998
The debate over whether grindcore is more metal or punk has been going on since the genre was invented, and will still be going as long as it exists. As the ‘90s wore on, however, it was clear that the balance was shifting to the metal side. Napalm Death – hitherto the exemplars of grind’s punk roots – released their controversial, death-inflected album Harmony Corruption, Carcass went full-on death metal with Heartwork, and bands like Cattle Decapitation headed a new wave of grinders who wore their metal influences on their sleeves. This new influx of musically and lyrically complex bands breathed new life into the genre with their unusual time signatures and lyrics that were considerably more nuanced than the standard political sloganeering. No band better exemplifies this intelligent aggression than Cephalic Carnage.
CC, along with fellow grinders Brutal Truth, threw out the stale punk clichés that threatened to choke the life out of the genre, and replaced them with jazzy experimentation and a new, metallic edge brought in by larger production values. Thanks to them, grindcore did not stagnate; instead, it branched out into new realms, and began to become a genre in its own right, rather than just another branch on the punk family tree.
Monday 12 August 2013
Review - Unattended Funeral
Unattended Funeral
S/T
It says something that I was listening to the new Gets Worse seven-inch right before this, and yet these Slovakian grinders still sound heavy as fuck. They've got that low-end, MitB-style rumble that really adds something extra to their sound, and the production really pushes the bass to the foreground, with the guitar relegated to the back, providing texture for the groovy, intense bass playing. The drumming is another reason to like this band. While too many grind bands rely on relentless blastbeats, Unattended Funeral mix things up a little; there are moments of absolute fury, but the drummer has some subtlety - a word rarely heard in grind circles - and manages to vary the mood and style without easing up on the audio violence. The songs deal with the standard themes of misanthropy, anti-capitalism, etc. but that's no bad thing - they're constant themes these days. All in all, I would absolutely recommend you download this track - or even go for the extra-fancy tape release.
Rating: 7/10
S/T
It says something that I was listening to the new Gets Worse seven-inch right before this, and yet these Slovakian grinders still sound heavy as fuck. They've got that low-end, MitB-style rumble that really adds something extra to their sound, and the production really pushes the bass to the foreground, with the guitar relegated to the back, providing texture for the groovy, intense bass playing. The drumming is another reason to like this band. While too many grind bands rely on relentless blastbeats, Unattended Funeral mix things up a little; there are moments of absolute fury, but the drummer has some subtlety - a word rarely heard in grind circles - and manages to vary the mood and style without easing up on the audio violence. The songs deal with the standard themes of misanthropy, anti-capitalism, etc. but that's no bad thing - they're constant themes these days. All in all, I would absolutely recommend you download this track - or even go for the extra-fancy tape release.
Rating: 7/10
Friday 9 August 2013
Review - Primitive Man
Primitive Man
Scorn
So. Six tracks, nearly forty minutes - this album is kind of the opposite of what I've been reviewing lately. Primitive Man deal in long, punishing deluges of sludge. The title track goes on for nearly twelve minutes, and while that's the longest song on the album by a considerable margin, none of these songs are particularly short (with the exception of Black Smoke). These tracks are long and slow, built around enormous, crushing riffs that sound like some huge machine. Even when the band speed up, as on Stretched Thin, they ever rise above a standard rock tempo. In fact, it's those brief moments of speed that let this album down for me. Primitive Man sound best when they're playing a big, lumbering monster of a song - I get that they're trying to introduce variety to their music, but it just doesn't work for me. Another criticism is the length; this album just goes on for far too long. Almost all the songs could be cut back by a minute or more, and the unnecessary and annoying interlude Black Smoke should have been scrapped altogether. Primitive Man are clearly a very talented band, and I hope they do well in the future, but this is a deeply flawed album. It's still definitely good enough to be worth a listen, though - click on the lick above to hear it and judge for yourself.
Rating: 5/10
Scorn
So. Six tracks, nearly forty minutes - this album is kind of the opposite of what I've been reviewing lately. Primitive Man deal in long, punishing deluges of sludge. The title track goes on for nearly twelve minutes, and while that's the longest song on the album by a considerable margin, none of these songs are particularly short (with the exception of Black Smoke). These tracks are long and slow, built around enormous, crushing riffs that sound like some huge machine. Even when the band speed up, as on Stretched Thin, they ever rise above a standard rock tempo. In fact, it's those brief moments of speed that let this album down for me. Primitive Man sound best when they're playing a big, lumbering monster of a song - I get that they're trying to introduce variety to their music, but it just doesn't work for me. Another criticism is the length; this album just goes on for far too long. Almost all the songs could be cut back by a minute or more, and the unnecessary and annoying interlude Black Smoke should have been scrapped altogether. Primitive Man are clearly a very talented band, and I hope they do well in the future, but this is a deeply flawed album. It's still definitely good enough to be worth a listen, though - click on the lick above to hear it and judge for yourself.
Rating: 5/10
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Review - Methmouth
Methmouth
Demo
First off, I've just heard this and's vile new single "Compelled to Hate," and I have to say I wouldn't recommend buying their music. Don;t give these hateful, compassion-deficient cunts any money. Having said that, you should definitely check out their most recent demo on Youtube. It's a proper, no-fi, punk-as-fuck recording that proves that the rumours of punk's death (that seem to have started sometime around 1978) are greatly exaggerated. It's a shame that their new single shows a complete lack of understanding, compassion or basic human decency, because this is a band that, judging by their lyrics, is actually capable of understanding nuance and excercising pity - at least, where they themselves are concerned. Pity for others is apparently not in their vocabulary. While this attitude may not make this band the kind of guys you'd want to have a pint with (especially as I'd bet my student loan they're Straight Edge) but it does make for some fucking awesome music.
Oh yeah, music that's what this blog is supposed to be about, right? Sorry, I've just spent far too much time raning and I've only just realised I haven't said a word about what these guys sound like. Let me try to rectify that. They're brutal, but not in the bassy, growly way of a band like Napalm Death - this is a hardcore abrasiveness, much more focused on treble-end distortion than earth-shaking roars. And they manage that in spades. The entire record is gloriously amateurish - from the distorted shouts (no death growls for these punks!) to the distortion that sounds less like a deliberate effect and more like the product of an album that was recorded in the red, this band have gone the true, DIY punk route and for that I applaud them. The songs are fantastic - tightly written, simple without being simplistic and angry without ever whining. Great demo. Fuck that new single though.
Rating: 8/10
Demo
First off, I've just heard this and's vile new single "Compelled to Hate," and I have to say I wouldn't recommend buying their music. Don;t give these hateful, compassion-deficient cunts any money. Having said that, you should definitely check out their most recent demo on Youtube. It's a proper, no-fi, punk-as-fuck recording that proves that the rumours of punk's death (that seem to have started sometime around 1978) are greatly exaggerated. It's a shame that their new single shows a complete lack of understanding, compassion or basic human decency, because this is a band that, judging by their lyrics, is actually capable of understanding nuance and excercising pity - at least, where they themselves are concerned. Pity for others is apparently not in their vocabulary. While this attitude may not make this band the kind of guys you'd want to have a pint with (especially as I'd bet my student loan they're Straight Edge) but it does make for some fucking awesome music.
Oh yeah, music that's what this blog is supposed to be about, right? Sorry, I've just spent far too much time raning and I've only just realised I haven't said a word about what these guys sound like. Let me try to rectify that. They're brutal, but not in the bassy, growly way of a band like Napalm Death - this is a hardcore abrasiveness, much more focused on treble-end distortion than earth-shaking roars. And they manage that in spades. The entire record is gloriously amateurish - from the distorted shouts (no death growls for these punks!) to the distortion that sounds less like a deliberate effect and more like the product of an album that was recorded in the red, this band have gone the true, DIY punk route and for that I applaud them. The songs are fantastic - tightly written, simple without being simplistic and angry without ever whining. Great demo. Fuck that new single though.
Rating: 8/10
Friday 2 August 2013
Review - Islam85
Islam 85
S/T
Well now, this is something. This band comes at you like a sumo wrestler, low and heavy, with moments of brutality that border on incoherence. At times, the music hangs on to its structure by the tiniest of threads, but - and this is important - it always hangs on. That's what puts Islam85 above so many other extreme bands - there's heavy music, and then there's music so heavy that it threatens to collapse under the weight of its own intensity. It's like watching someone throw a punch so hard that it actually rips their arm off. If this review is a bit disjointed, that's because my brain is still trying to process the violence it just experienced. Buy this EP.
Rating: 8/10
S/T
Well now, this is something. This band comes at you like a sumo wrestler, low and heavy, with moments of brutality that border on incoherence. At times, the music hangs on to its structure by the tiniest of threads, but - and this is important - it always hangs on. That's what puts Islam85 above so many other extreme bands - there's heavy music, and then there's music so heavy that it threatens to collapse under the weight of its own intensity. It's like watching someone throw a punch so hard that it actually rips their arm off. If this review is a bit disjointed, that's because my brain is still trying to process the violence it just experienced. Buy this EP.
Rating: 8/10
Thursday 1 August 2013
Review - Monolithian
Monolithian
Split 7" w/Let It Die
You might remember Monolithian from their split with punk band Ed Wood, which I reviewed a few months back. This time around, I'm taking a look at two songs* from their split with Let It Die, entitled Because the world is perfidious, I am going into mourning. The first track, Emaciate, is a slow, groovey, sludgey rocker reminiscent of the Melvins. It's a very effective song and I can imagine the crowd going wild to it at a gig. The second track, the cheerfully named Euthanise, is a much faster, punkier song - a high-speed rant against...something. Not quite sure what, as there are no lyrics on the Bandcamp page, but I'm pretty sure these guys are pissed off at something or someone.
While these songs don't break any new ground, they're a lively addition to the punk universe; fans of Discharge, Amebix, or Void will find little to surprise them here, but plenty to enjoy.
Rating: 6/10
*I think it's two songs, though for some reason they're listed as one track on Bandcamp. It could be one song with two very different parts.*
** Turns out it's only one song
Split 7" w/Let It Die
You might remember Monolithian from their split with punk band Ed Wood, which I reviewed a few months back. This time around, I'm taking a look at two songs* from their split with Let It Die, entitled Because the world is perfidious, I am going into mourning. The first track, Emaciate, is a slow, groovey, sludgey rocker reminiscent of the Melvins. It's a very effective song and I can imagine the crowd going wild to it at a gig. The second track, the cheerfully named Euthanise, is a much faster, punkier song - a high-speed rant against...something. Not quite sure what, as there are no lyrics on the Bandcamp page, but I'm pretty sure these guys are pissed off at something or someone.
While these songs don't break any new ground, they're a lively addition to the punk universe; fans of Discharge, Amebix, or Void will find little to surprise them here, but plenty to enjoy.
Rating: 6/10
*I think it's two songs, though for some reason they're listed as one track on Bandcamp. It could be one song with two very different parts.*
** Turns out it's only one song
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