Showing posts with label death grips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label death grips. Show all posts

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Albums of the year 2013

Ugh! How rubbish have I been, barely any posts this year let alone the last couple of months.

Anyway, its been that time again to provide my top albums for the urban75 top albums of the year thread, and in the past I've written my selections up.... This year will be no different.

1. By The Rivers - By The Rivers
Been hearing a lot on David Rodigans sunday reggae show on BBC 1xtra. So I decided to take a punt on itunes, and its undoubtedly been my favourite album this year. Nice and summery, reggae vibes, and I've got to admit, I love singing along to it in the car.


2. Death Grips - Government Plates
Death Grips have been at the top of my list before, amazing life, fantastic on album. Back again with a free album, this avant garde rap outfit from Sacramento make some of the filthiest background tracks ever, complete with lyricist and mental drummer for live shows (last seen playing handcuffed).
Well worth checking out, especially when its free. (or just listen to the album mixtape in the youtube video)

P.S. It'll be explicit
 
 
3. Queens of the stone age - Like Clockwork.....
One of thos bands thats grown on me a lot as I've got older. A great stoner rock album with distinctive lyrics and a really nice flow to the album throughout.
 
 
4. Ruby My Dear - Form
With out doubt, one of my favourite breakcore artists of the last few year, this latest album remains on form, but with some crunchier slower tracks. Haven't given it as many plays as I'd like as my iPhone was playing up, but each time I listen I am thoroughly stoked.
 


 
 
5.The Flatliners - Dead Language

One of my freinds went on about this band so much on facebook I had to look them up. On listening to the first tune I found on youtube, it was basically a "YES!". Great punk band.


6. Om Unit - Threads
As far as DJ tunes for me this year, its all be about Juke influences, and none better than Om Unit. One half of Dream Continuum who I think I've written about her before, lots of Jungle influence juke about 160 BPM.


7. Shaggy and others - Out of many, one music
This probably seems like an odd choice for me, but shaggy has always made waves in the reggae scene, really bringing the music to masses worldwide. Again I first heard this on David Rodigans Reggae show on 1xtra, there's some great songs on the album.



8. Gentlemen's Dub Club - FOURtyFOUR
Their first full album, I've been big on these chaps since I first heard them, and I'm glad to see them through to a first album. There's a lot of influences in there, reggae, dubstep and at one point even a trap beat at one point. Well worth a look up.


9. Machinedrum - Vapor City
The other half of Dream Continuum as mentioned in the Om Unit bit above, again more deep jungle juke sound, another one of my DJ faves this year.


10. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Highly anticipated album this year by many people, I was dissappointed when I first heard it. The more I listened, the more I liked though. Its only really just making it into my top ten, and its got some nice guest appearences, but I certainly wouldn't be forcing my way to the stereo at a party, shouting "listen to this!"




Finally when I submitted my votes, I totally forgot about the brilliant Congo Natty album this year. I've had the joy of seeing them 2 or 3 times, and they smash it every time. Anyway, on a hot junglist tip this year, I would have put this in at about number 4, but it came out ages ago and I totally forgot when I was writing up me votes.


Thursday, 1 November 2012

Mini Album review: Death Grips - No Love Deep Web

It seems like Death Grips have been churning out material at the rate of knots, no complaints from me as they're one of my favourite emerging artists over the last couple of years.

Their latest offering 'No Love Deep Web' is a free download of their website, and comes complete with a photo of a cock (as in an actual erect penis) as the front cover. One the first listen, I really struggled with this album, it was one of those I couldn't decide whether it was genius, or they'd just gone mental. The album has that real death grips 'sound' to it, but over the 3 albums I've heard the production quality has changed beyond belief. Im now on my 4th or 5th listen, and I have to say its well on its way to getting into my top 5 spot for favourite albums at the end of this year now. Some of the tunes are exceptionally discordant to the point I literally couldn't work out the beat to start off with, but this chaos couple with some forward thinking ideas and proper death grips brutality really makes this album into a nicely rounded one.

Stand out tracks for me have to be:

Black Dice: I particularly like the driving bass contrasting the highs in this tune, something that death grips do repeatedly well.


And: Bass rattles stars out the sky - Again contrasting bass and highs working well, but a dream beat and samples that really give a feeling of panic to the tune..... Banging!



You can download the album for free at the death grips home page http://thirdworlds.net/