Even though I reviewed far less albums from 11/15, I had a busy work week, so it took me longer to complete. Then there were only two albums I cared to review on 11/22, so here they all are in one post.
METAL
Blood Incantation – Hidden History of the Human Race Blood Incantation packs a lot of variation and surprises into the four tracks and 36 minutes of their new album. What starts out sounding like one of the many old-school death metal revival bands popping up these days (admittedly, this is partially due to the production), quickly shows that the band has a lot more up their sleeves than their peers. After a fairly straight-forward first track (5+ mins) with a couple nods to early-90’s Death and Morbid Angel, track two (7 mins) starts flying further away from Earth, where dissonant riffing and guitar squealing is followed by new psychedelic and doom elements.
Then they really throw the listener for a loop, with the mostly instrumental, delay-soaked, psychedelic, cyclical, and largely non-metal excursion into space on track three (5+ mins).
Finally, the monstrous track four (18 mins!), which comprises half the album, is a seemingly endless buffet of classic sounding death metal riffs, along the lines of early Gorguts, mid-period Morbid Angel and Death. The track is really kind of like two fairly long songs connected with an ambient interlude. The track starts winding down with some more melodic, mournful, doomy lead guitar work, and a calm clean guitar outro that fades into an even more mournful acoustic passage. I liked Blood Incantations last album quite a bit, but they have really outdone themselves this time. Also, killer cover art. — 9.5/10
Liturgy – H.A.Q.Q. Liturgy is a pretty polarizing band. They’ve received some harsh criticism, and though I understand that perspective, I have always appreciated their unique take on the black metal sound. I liked their first two albums, and found some parts to be quite brilliant, but there also was not a whole lot of variation. Their third album, The Ark Work, threw listeners for a loop. Singer/guitarist/bandleader Hunter Hunt-Hendrix completely abandoned his usual high-pitched Black Metal howls in exchange for droning melodic singing. He doesn’t have a great voice, and the chant-like interludes from the first 2 albums were fine, but a whole album of his singing was too much. I understood his desire to do something radically different with his vocals, but I just didn’t really like it that much. The music on The Ark Work, however, brought a lot of new, very unique elements to the table. MIDI horns and bells, bizarre and jarring electronic manipulations, and even a little drum machine in place of real drums made the album stand out even more within the entire genre. Overall, I appreciated how unlike anything else the album was, but didn’t particularly like listening to it.
Now here we are at album #4 and I am pleased to say that H.A.Q.Q. is the best Liturgy album so far. Most notably, Hunter’s screams are back. I also find the album’s mix to be the best of all their albums. Musically, the best and most interesting elements that were introduced in The Ark Work remain and are improved upon. The raw, screeching and swirling black metal parts that have always been the core of the band’s sound are also very strong. The juxtaposition of melodic glockenspiels and harp on top of harsh guitar tremolos is powerful, and the jarring, unexpected electronic manipulations are unlike anything I have ever heard from a metal band. — 8/10
El Drugstore – The Golden Age of Bad Ideas El Drugstore is another member of the East of the Wall extended family (see NY in 64 review from 11/1) featuring former guitarist Kevin Conway and current drummer Seth Ream. If you like any of their related projects, you’ll probably like this slightly more aggressive approach to a familiar sound. I personally think there is room for vocals here, but all the music is still enjoyable. — 7/10
ROCK
Beck – Hyperspace I’ve been a Beck fan since “Loser” and don’t think he’s ever released a bad album. Sure, I enjoy some over others, but they are always strong. Even more impressively, they are almost always totally different from the previous album. He has made a career out of regularly zig-zagging between upbeat and playful albums to ones that are slower and somber. After 2017’s catchy and fun Colors, Beck has switched gears again with Hyperspace.
Though one track is very upbeat, and a few others cruise along at a mid-tempo groove, the album has much more in common with Morning Phase and Sea Change than The Information or Midnight Vultures. But despite being in the same emotional space as those earlier, largely acoustic and reflective albums, the aesthetics of this album are completely different. As you might imagine from the album title and artwork, the sound is very retro-futuristic, with lots of programmed drums and synths, and only scattered acoustic guitar.
There are also some elements of modern pop and, dare I say, trap that appear in his music for the first time here. A logical explanation would be that 7 of the 11 tracks here were co-written and produced with Pharrell Williams, and a couple other tracks were co-written with some really big-shot pop songwriters. I might have been cautious about the music after learning all that, but I am happy to report that it works most of the time. “Saw Lightning,” the most upbeat track, is so simple and repetitive that it feels unfinished to me. I know it’s the modern pop formula, and that seems very intentional, but that’s part of why I can’t stand some of that music. What’s in the song is good, it’s just too much of the same. I feel like I could write one or two other parts and to add and the song would be better. The next track, “Die Waiting,” gets close to being too simple for my tastes, but isn’t as guilty as the previous. Besides those two, I really like everything else. “See Through” is reminiscent of some of the more chill tracks on Justin Timberlake’s masterful 20/20 Experience Pt. 1, so that’s cool with me. Some of the trap elements seemed a little questionable on first listen, but after a few more spins they don’t bother me, and feel appropriate in the context of the song and album. Overall, the album is quite beautiful and dreamy, and continues to grow on me. — 8.5/10
ELECTRONIC
FKJ – Ylang Ylang EP Chill electronic music with elements of RnB, jazz, and hip hop. Some instrumental tracks, some with guest vocalists. I enjoy everything FKJ releases. — 8/10
Yamaneko – Spirals Heaven Wide – Soothing, flowing, pulsing ambient electronic music. Shimmering pianos, water sounds, and synths that manage to sound warm and cool simultaneously. Added to the “Chill” playlist. — 8/10
Warp Records 30th Anniversary Live Sessions EPs
Warp Records is possibly the most important label in electronic music, having introduced so many influential artists to the world. For the label’s 30th anniversary, they have released a series of live radio session EP’s (from early Peel Sessions to recent WXAXRXP sessions) from just about every major IDM and left-field electronic artist: Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus, Oneohtrix Point Never, Plaid, Bibio, Mount Kimbie, Kelly Moran, LFO (not the late-90’ boy band) and Seefeel. My favorite of the series is from my current favorite electronic artist, Flying Lotus. Featuring Thundercat, an unidentified female singer, a live drummer, and one previously unreleased song, it’s way more “live” sounding than any of the other EPs. If any of these artists are unfamiliar to you and you’re interested in getting you feet wet, this is a great way to do it. There is also a sample compilation called WXAXRXP Sessions Sampler with one song from each of the 10 EP’s.