Ecstatic Vision - Raw Rock Fury
Psych-obsessed momentum masters resting on their laurels -- 2015's 'Sonic Praise' had me indeed praising them sonically with its rigorous ruff-rocker repetition, the locked-yet-jammy jams prolonged and chock full-a swirl noise and sometimes approaching the stratosphere. Same applies here, and the smatterings of harmonica+horn are still a plus. But while these grooves are fun and rockin' and painless enough, there's just not a whole lotta evolvin' going on here. I'm willing to bet it's more effective live, but riffs and patterns get predictable, they tend toward static despite all that swirl, and it sounds like it was recorded in the back of a van that's flying down the highway; for better or worse. Decipherable words involve "babe-eh"s, the desire to boogie and trip, and something that initially sounds like a T. Swift sendup. 5.5/10
Joey Badass - All-Amerikkkan Bada$$
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
I mean I'm not sure he's got the bellicosity or sapience to braid the USA and KKK either. But his racism-charged ruminations sound potent, liberated, smooth, real; even convincingly conspirative. Listening as yet another versed verse gets more frenzied-n-incensed over time before perhaps culminating into a can't-take-it-no-more 'AHH' or just fuckin' disgust, the hopeful posi-warmth of "For My People" and pop/sad/jazz veers switching out for the timely guest-enhanced twin onslaughts "Rockabye Baby"/"Ring the Alarm" and a lengthy mic-glitch manifesto as closer. And never underestimate the power of sampling a teary-eyed kid making poignant crowd-encouraged speeches. Heavy-handed sooner or later, but then there's those beats and duh those bars. "Music is a form of expression / I'ma use mine just to teach you a lesson / Rule one: this microphone's a weapon." Damn right. 8/10
NOCHEXXX - Planet Bangs [EP]
Ah yes another EP of categorically difficult electronic etcetera that makes cool sounds but ultimately is never gonna rock your world. Trivial seems mean, captivatingly unnecessary is more like it. Could be a suspenseful score for an alien lair gone berserk or trouble in the club, engages in both gunplay and swordplay, delves into squishy techno and minimal industrial and the box of rando sound fx, doesn't forget the girl-n-robot screams. 6.5/10
Perfume Genius - No Shape
Hadreas is still a wounded warbler that's capable of awing emotionally and atmospherically, defiant with his formidable blares and seductive sashaying. And it's revitalizin' to hear him reduce the industrialized edge+dark doom and go poppier, prettier, looser; glimmers of cheer and warm harmonies and acoustic strummin' welcome sun versus the sparse and solemnities. Arrangements are curious and cragged enough to make Weyes Blood's traditional croon-contrib sound very out of place. If only that along with the rest of the second half didn't kinda just flatly float on by when compared to the first. 7/10
Real Estate - In Mind
Polite and pristine enough to declare em prosaic, but ooo does that pristine shine and push em into no-doubt pleasant. Guitar tones in particular are all sortsa sunny-day substantial, and when dueling they channel the warmth of flowerbeds full-a dancing fireflies and wheat fields softly wafting in the breeze. Bass bouncy and expressive, drummin' crisp, temperate boyish affectations through-n-through yet centered on clever playing and down to deviate into a gradual organ-backed patch of crunch. Just the one, though. 6/10
Shamir - Hope
Two years after this prince of puerility pop's exceptional debut comes this impetuous ah-fuck-it protest-against-music successor. Sorely missing Nick Sylvester's big ol fun+refined house beats is missing the point, but also inescapable given the soloed lazy lumpy lo-fi rock approach taken here. "Just wanna play my own way" -- of course, do your thang, let that 4-track hiss, shear it down, stray from protocol. But why not just cultivate these tunes -- and about half of em really are tunes -- into something just a bit more steadily recorded? Smooth out that misshapen shambling into something tolerable? In the moment detachment and an artist's whim can have mixed results I spose. Props for going there, but it didn't do much for a voice I kinda love/can't stand. ~*~meh~*~
Sherwood & Pinch - Man Vs. Sofa
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
Sherwood & Pinch are longtime dub and dubstep producers respectively; and though they lose some steam after heading into more amorphous territory this crackerjack collab seems to be down with just seeing what sticks. Rigid and sparse and oft picking unpredictable paths, but deep hypno-techno grooves kept in gear. Lotsa squeaks and ummms and static scum, brings dat bounce and knows how to make hi-hats gyrate. Hard and haunted, yet always sprinklin' in some twinkle: beautiful plain piano increasing the mystery or the Lee Perry/sunset on a beach saxophone cameo, for instance. Sparkly Xmas respects intruded on by a sour mess. And tho that bass booms finely throughout, for the trunk-totaling building leveler check ender "Gun Law"; refreshingly shouted to boot. 7.5/10
Slowdive - Slowdive
*******HIGHEST RECS*******
///BRAV-FUCKING-O\\\
A capital comeback in that there's no need for em to reinvent the wheel they helped invent. Each of these eight songs are worthily hefty yet light as a feather; and none go cumbersome -- grace comes via showcasing vet-status solidity over overdoing it and dose after dose of effortless bliss. They remain titans of the crystalline tone, meld dreamy slo-mo with the catchy-n-galvanic, rove through the stars and beyond, supply hazy+unintelligible sugar for that guitar-flood pill: ~20 years and it's as if they didn't miss a beat. And maybe just to refute those who think they're reliant on gazin' comes the dignified piano-led closer. Mostly intelligible, even. 9/10
Soulwax - From Deewee
Vox when applicative hover around adequate or bland or corny except for maybe when they accuse ya of spewin' bullshit, their stiff and somewhat antiquated style of electro can tread there as well. But it's obvious that they're DJs first and singers second, and vocal deficiencies simply help highlight doze big ol beats: bassy-n-spacey, fat funk and drops-o-disco, nerdy and sturdy, oh and a tireless live drummer triad. 7/10
Suicide Silence - Suicide Silence
It's not their Korn+Deftones assimilation that's total crap, it's the synthetically heavy yet flat as a board production. Personally I got a kick out of the extreme-nu blend; at least until overstated screams and miserable mosh angst wear ya down -- from the opening wank solo and grunting "fuck yeah" to the impish walk-n-whistle exit they at least bring some character and chug-chug chutzpah, crude and cringy and muddled it may be. Gotta give it up for those varietal vox too. Singing funny if not sustainable, screeches deathly and close to the mic, shouts very very tough, raw being-dragged-into-hell chorus and far from the mic incoherent hardcore guy impression authentically unhinged and a hoot. 5/10
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