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theforbiddeneden · 2 days

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An Offering From Drumeo | Sleep Token II/ Uma Oferenda da Drumeo | Sleep Token II

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II: I am II and this is an offering from Drumeo.

II: Eu sou o II e esta é uma oferenda do Drumeo.

Interviewer: Well, to all of you out there watching – this is going to be a really special Drumeo live feature, because this is the first recorded video interview that any member of Sleep Token has ever done and we’re honored that II has decided to do this with us. So welcome here, thanks for tuning in! And for any of you who don’t know who II is: he’s a founding member and the drummer for the anonymous band Sleep Token. They just put out a brand new album this year called Take Me Back to Eden, which is one of my personal favorite albums of this year – of 2023. I highly recommend you go check it out because it’s unreal and II’s playing is incredible. But before we jump into the interview – what you see here on the YouTube channel just scratches the surface of what we do here at Drumeo. Inside of our membership, we have thousands of song transcriptions with drumless tracks, including tons of stuff from Sleep Token. We have a full method that will teach you anything and everything about playing the drums. So if you want to check that out, there’s a link down below – drumeo.com/trial – and you can see everything we’re up to in the members area. We’re going to get into it: we’re going to be talking about II’s drumming, we’re going to be talking about some Sleep Token songs, and II is going to be playing a bunch of tracks. Let’s get right into it! Here we go.

Entrevistador: Bem, para todos vocês assistindo – esta será uma entrevista especial ao vivo do Drumeo, porque este é o primeiro vídeo gravado de uma entrevista que qualquer membro do Sleep Token já fez e estamos honrados que o II tenha decidido fazer isso conosco. Ent��o, bem-vindo! E para qualquer um de vocês que não sabe quem é II: ele é um membro fundador e o baterista da banda anônima Sleep Token. Eles acabaram de lançar um novo álbum este ano chamado "Take Me Back to Eden", que é um dos meus álbuns favoritos deste ano – de 2023. Eu recomendo fortemente que você dê uma olhada porque é incrível e a performance de II é incrível.

Mas antes de começarmos a entrevista – o que você vê aqui no canal do YouTube é apenas uma amostra do que fazemos aqui no Drumeo. Dentro da nossa assinatura, temos milhares de transcrições de músicas com faixas sem bateria, incluindo muitas coisas do Sleep Token. Temos um método completo que ensinará tudo sobre tocar bateria. Então, se você quiser conferir, há um link abaixo – drumeo.com/trial – e você pode ver tudo o que estamos fazendo na área de membros.

Vamos começar: vamos falar sobre a bateria do II, vamos falar sobre algumas músicas do Sleep Token, e II vai tocar várias faixas. Vamos direto ao assunto! Aqui vamos nós.

Interviewer: So, from the drums, you can hear lots of influences just in your playing. You can hear rock, metal, electronic music. How do you apply all of this within your drum parts?

Entrevistador:Então, pela bateria, você pode ouvir muitas influências apenas na sua maneira de tocar. Você pode ouvir rock, metal, música eletrônica. Como você aplica tudo isso nas suas partes de bateria?

II: I’ve always personally taken a lot of inspiration from the UK dance music scene. Listening to various subgenres of drum and bass, specifically, allowed me to incorporate stylistic traits from those genres into my vocabulary as a drummer.

II: Sempre tirei muita inspiração da cena musical de dança do Reino Unido. Ouvir vários subgêneros de bateria e baixo, especificamente, me permitiu incorporar traços estilísticos desses gêneros no meu vocabulário como baterista.

Interviewer: So, over the three Sleep Token records, how has your playing evolved from the first to the last album?

Entrevistador: Então, ao longo dos três discos do Sleep Token, como sua forma de tocar evoluiu do primeiro ao último álbum?

II: I would say that while my stylistic approach and goals have generally stayed the same, my vocabulary on the kit has expanded. I try to work on not always using the same phrases, or using those phrases in the same voicing, to ensure the parts remain somewhat interesting. However, this in itself is a continual work in progress. As a player, I will admit that I – like others – don’t always achieve this. But to me, that is very, very much all part of the journey itself.

II: Eu diria que embora minha abordagem estilística e meus objetivos tenham permanecido geralmente os mesmos, meu vocabulário na bateria se expandiu. Tento trabalhar para não usar sempre as mesmas batidas, ou usar essas batidas na mesma voz, para garantir que as partes permaneçam um tanto interessantes. No entanto, isto por si só é um trabalho contínuo em progresso. Como músico, admito que eu – como outros – nem sempre consigo isso. Mas para mim, isso faz parte da jornada em si.

II: As I mentioned, I’m also a big fan of R&B and pop, which has worked its way into my playing. I grew up primarily playing metal, so the next obvious step for me was to blend these other styles in amongst heavier playing to add versatility to my drum parts.

II: Como mencionei, também sou um grande fã de R&B e pop, o que influenciou minha forma de tocar. Eu cresci tocando principalmente metal, então o próximo passo óbvio para mim foi misturar esses outros estilos com uma forma de tocar mais pesada para adicionar versatilidade às minhas partes de bateria.

Interviewer: So, when you’re developing your drum parts for the albums, are you just coming up with those yourself before the rest of the song is built or are you hearing the other instrument parts first and then basing your parts off of that?

Entrevistador: Então, quando você está desenvolvendo suas partes de bateria para os álbuns, você mesmo as cria antes do resto da música ser construída ou você está ouvindo as outras partes do instrumento primeiro e depois baseando suas partes nisso?

II: Most – if not all – of the time, I try to pay close attention to the vocals and figure out any specific syllables that can benefit from accents on the kit. I sometimes use the vocal line as a guide of sorts to dance in between what’s being sung, too. Filling in those gaps, if you will. Typically speaking, songs don’t start from a particular drum part, although this isn’t necessarily deliberate. Another element I look for when writing are any specific syncopation[s] that the drums must match. This could be a pattern on the guitar, a breakdown of sorts, something… something electronic … But I feel this takes away a lot of the guesswork when initially writing parts and provides me with a clearer idea of the song in question.

II: Na maior parte – senão em todo –do tempo, tento prestar muita atenção aos vocais e descobrir quaisquer sílabas específicas que possam se beneficiar dos acentos da bateria. Às vezes, uso a linha vocal como uma espécie de guia para dançar entre o que está sendo cantado também. Preenchendo essas lacunas, se você quiser.

Normalmente falando, as músicas não começam com uma parte específica da bateria, embora isso não seja necessariamente deliberado. Outro elemento que procuro ao escrever são quaisquer síncopes específicas que a bateria deva corresponder. Isso pode ser um padrão na guitarra, uma espécie de quebra, algo… algo eletrônico… Mas sinto que isso elimina muitas das suposições ao escrever inicialmente as partes e me fornece uma ideia mais clara da música em questão.

Interviewer: So, around the kit, you can see you’re using lots of different linear stockings and sticking patterns. What are some of the ones that you would say define your drumming?

Entrevistador: Então, em torno da bateria, você pode ver que está usando muita bateria linear(linear drumming) e padrões de baquetas(sticking patterns) diferentes. Quais são alguns dos que você diria que definem sua forma de tocar bateria?

II: I’ve always been a big Eric Moore fan, and gospel drummers in general, that I’ve taken a lot of influence from. A couple of Eric’s licks find their way into my playing. As an example, I use an eight-note linear phrase, which is played as right-left-right-left-kick, right-left-kick. That, along with a phrase called the ‘3-1-3-2’, which is a triplet phrasing of nine notes played as right-left-right-kick, right-left-right again on the hands, and then finished with two notes on the kick. What I particularly like about this phrasing is that it’s three notes short of resolving itself. So, as a drummer, you’re forced to be creative with those last three notes and finish the sticking – the phrasing – in any way you see fit.

II: Sempre fui um grande fã de Eric Moore, e de bateristas gospel em geral, dos quais recebi muita influência. Algumas batidas de Eric entram na minha forma de tocar. Como exemplo, uso um ritmo linear de oito notas, que é tocada como bumbo direito-esquerdo-direito-esquerdo, bumbo direito-esquerdo. Isso, junto com um ritmo de chamada '3-1-3-2', que é um ritmo triplo de nove notas tocadas com bumbo direito-esquerdo-direito, direita-esquerda-direita novamente nas mãos e depois finalizado com duas notas no bumbo. O que eu particularmente gosto nesse ritmo é que faltam três notas para ele se resolver. Então, como baterista, você é forçado a ser criativo com as últimas três notas e terminar com as baquetas– o ritmo– da maneira que achar melhor.

II: Additionally, I’m a big fan of the standard paradiddle. I use this as a chop starter often, as I feel it’s an organic way to prepare the listener for a slightly busier section within the drums themselves.

II: Além disso, sou um grande fã do Paradiddle Padrão (Standard Paradiddle). Eu uso isso frequentemente como um ponto de partida, pois sinto que é uma maneira orgânica de preparar o ouvinte para uma seção um pouco mais movimentada dentro da própria bateria.

II: I also use the six stroke roll often in various elements of my playing – whether it’s groove- or fill-based. Another song I enjoy playing live is entitled ‘Like That’. This is from our second record. Arguably, the drum parts in that song are, to this day, my favorite that I’ve written.

II: Eu também uso o rulo(Stroke Roll) de seis tempos frequentemente em vários elementos do meu jeito de tocar – seja baseado em groove ou preenchimento(fill-based). Outra música que gosto de tocar ao vivo se chama ‘Like That’. É do nosso segundo disco. Indiscutivelmente, as partes de bateria dessa música são, até hoje, as minhas favoritas que já escrevi.

Interviewer: So, when you’re performing live with Sleep Token, do you try to stay true to the record or are you actually taking quite a few creative liberties in the live set?

Entrevistador: Então, quando você está se apresentando ao vivo com o Sleep Token, você tenta se manter fiel ao disco ou está realmente tomando algumas liberdades criativas no set ao vivo?

II: I would say that most of the parts that I tend to play in a live setting vary drastically to what was tracked on the record itself. This happens for a number of reasons. Sometimes, when I have more time to sit with a finished track, while rehearsing for a tour, I can look at it through a different lens and subsequently come up with a more interesting variation live. On the other hand, these things can happen more naturally and take on a different feel or sticking due to simply playing a certain song for long periods of time across touring. There are, of course, certain parts in each song that must remain true to the original. This could be a syncopated guitar part or even an electronic part on the pads that serves more of a supporting role within the song.

II: Eu diria que a maioria das partes que costumo tocar ao vivo variam drasticamente em relação ao que foi gravado no próprio disco. Isso acontece por vários motivos. Às vezes, quando tenho mais tempo para sentar com uma faixa finalizada, enquanto ensaio para uma turnê, posso olhar para ela através de lentes diferentes e, posteriormente, criar uma variação mais interessante ao vivo. Por outro lado, essas coisas podem acontecer de forma mais natural e assumir uma sensação ou aderência diferente simplesmente por tocar uma determinada música por longos períodos de tempo durante a turnê. É claro que existem certas partes em cada música deve permanecer fiéis ao original. Pode ser uma parte sincopada de guitarra ou até mesmo uma parte eletrônica nos pads de bateria que desempenha mais um papel de apoio na música.

Interviewer: So, who are some of your favorite drummers who have influenced your playing over the years?

Entrevistador: Então, quem são alguns dos seus bateristas favoritos que influenciaram sua forma de tocar ao longo dos anos?

II: When I first started playing, I – like many others in my generation – were heavily into drummers such as Joey Jordison, Matt from the band Mudvayne, as well as the more extreme speed players, such as Derek Roddy.

II: Quando comecei a tocar, eu – como muitos outros da minha geração – gostava muito de bateristas como Joey Jordison, Matt da banda Mudvayne, e também músicos de velocidade mais extrema, como Derek Roddy.

II: I was very much obsessed with the gospel style of playing. I spent most of my early adulthood studying players.

II: Eu estava muito obcecado com o estilo gospel de tocar. Passei a maior parte da minha vida adulta estudando bateristas.

II: Tony Royster Jr., Eric Moore, Thomas Pridgen. Slowing down … Simply slowing down YouTube videos in a feeble attempt to understand their concepts, their stickings and influences. These days, I would describe my playing style as a mixture of that signature Abe Cunningham, Deftones-inspired heavier sort of grooving with a linear style gospel influence.

II: Tony Royster Jr., Eric Moore, Thomas Pridgen. Desacelerando… Simplesmente indo mais devagar os vídeos do YouTube em uma tentativa fraca de entender seus conceitos, suas dificuldades e influências. Hoje em dia, eu descreveria meu estilo de tocar como uma mistura daquele tipo de groove mais pesado, característico de Abe Cunningham, inspirado no Deftones, com uma influência gospel de estilo linear.

Interviewer: So, II, what are some of your favorite Sleep Token songs to perform live?

Entrevistador: Então, II, quais são suas músicas favoritas do Sleep Token para tocar ao vivo?

II: I’ve always enjoyed playing a song from our first record entitled Sundowning called ‘Higher’. The parts in that song have always felt very interactive to me, very fun to play, while maintaining a fair deal of variance across the song itself. In regards to any newer material, I enjoy playing a track called ‘The Summoning’ due to the live addition of a drum solo that gives me a little a little more creative freedom, as well as its challenging feel.

II: Sempre gostei de tocar uma música do nosso primeiro disco, intitulada Sundowning, chamada ‘Higher’. As partes dessa música sempre foram muito interativas para mim, muito divertidas de tocar, embora mantendo uma boa variação na música em si. Em relação a qualquer material mais recente, gosto de tocar uma faixa chamada ‘The Summoning’ devido à adição ao vivo de um solo de bateria que me dá um pouco mais de liberdade criativa, bem como a sua sensação desafiadora.

Interviewer: Well, that’s going to conclude this stream with II from Sleep Token. II, thank you for being here and sharing your insights into Sleep Token’s music. And with that, we’re going to close with some final pieces of music from Sleep Token and I’ll leave this one to II. Take care, everyone!

Entrevistador: Bem, vamos encerrar esta transmissão com II do Sleep Token. II, obrigado por estar aqui e compartilhar seus insights sobre a música do Sleep Token. E com isso vamos encerrar com algumas músicas finais do Sleep Token e deixarei essa para II. Se cuidem, pessoal!

CR:

Transcription English Version, click here

Portuguese translation theforbiddeneden

#Youtube #vessel sleep token #sleep token #sleep token music #sleep token ii #ii #iv sleep token #ivy #drumeo #interview #drums #sleep token drummer

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alicevanillee · 2 months

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A (Weird) Look Into Drumless Albums: Daft Punk & DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ

2023: In celebration of the 10th anniversary since the release of Daft Punk's 2013 'Random Access Memories', the duo (or whoever manages them now they've broken up) emerged with - alongside an anniversary edition - perhaps one of the strangest release decisions in dance music... ever? : an entirely drumless version of their beloved album, nary a kick nor snare in sight.

now, I should mention that RAM is not my favourite daft punk album, but credit where credit is due, you can't deny get lucky and lose yourself to dance.

nonetheless this version of the album spans between the actually quite alright (in the case of The Game of Love); something frustratingly lacking - Giorgio by Moroder without drums totally misses the mark and is... 9 minutes long; and the secret third thing in lose yourself to dance that is sorta what this semi-structured ramble is about:

Lose Yourself To Dance (Drumless Edition) is... agonising...ly.. good??? - like... alarmingly so

one thing daft punk had always excelled at (in my eyes) is creating a sound that makes you BEG for some musical satisfaction - Crescendolls on discovery is the clearest example - and playing that for the entire song.

What Lose Yourself gains without drums is this overwhelming internal feeling that at any point the drums are going to finally kick in and give that satisfaction that the track is building up to. Im being serious, go listen to it, its 6 minutes of the tensest build up with absolutely zero release, its brilliant - I haven't seen anything else quite like it and I strangely love it. It totally peels back the idea of what dance music needs and is still so excellently danceable in its own way.

So, the reason I bring this up is because DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ's 'Destiny (Drumless Edition)' does this for almost all of its entire, majestic 3 hours and 56 minute runtime. And of course this album was probably just a joke about Daft Punk's release, and a continued meme about how the artist dropped a 4 hour album fairly casually - but like Lose Yourself To Dance, its really surprisingly quite good.

now, before you rush into it (I know you're TOTALLY BEGGING to, and have already put aside 4 precious hours to dedicate to the album.) I feel that the feeling im talking about here only makes sense when you know a bit of DJ Sabrina's other stuff: its (usually) some absolutely excellent sampling work with a massive side chained 4 on the floor that slides in halfway through. It's simple, but executed brilliantly. Check out all 7 minutes of 'Next To Me', and you'll get the vibe.

I'm not saying this version is better than the original... absolutely not, and same goes for Lose Yourself To Dance. But there really is something here when it stretches out for 4 hours. I think I may be one of the very few people who have actually sat through a large chunk of the album, but that feeling of anticipation turns from unease into a trancelike... calm?

Destiny Drumless is... like... incredible study music, especially with Sabrina's heavily layered style, the samples begin to wash over you without any pause (the album has basically zero dead air), and it becomes wonderfully tranquil to just... sit... and absorb what you can of the glossy synths and gentle pads as they pass you by.

While RAM Drumless is, really not great save for a few tracks and DJ Sabrina is fairly underground... I do sincerely hope that the joke about it catches on, because drumless dance is... utterly bizarre, but can really very much work with the right artist, and that weird feeling you get while listening is something im not sure exists anywhere else in music right now.

#music journalism #music #dance music #dj sabrina the teenage dj #daft punk

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listieshadows · 7 months

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Listie's 600+ words about Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) or: (Listie didn't write all this for nuthin' and she ain't getting a RYM account)

It's kind of impossible to listen to Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition) without just knowing in the back of your head that this is a low-effort cash grab. As much as I honestly wanted to give this album a fair shake, I just know that someone up top figured they could squeeze a little extra out of Random Access Memories' anniversary by having someone go in and just mute the percussion track. I mean, I know there's a section of people out there who actively seek out and enjoy drumless versions of popular music, but was there really enough of them to justify this? Were people really clamoring for this? Was anyone back in 2013 listening to Random Access Memories and being like, "Man, this is fantastic and all, but I just can't stand having a backbeat lock in the groove"?

The best thing this edition does is really make you appreciate the drums on the original. Which, it's not like they needed to be appreciated any more, but it's remarkable how many tracks on this album are downgraded to just "fine" at best once you remove the drums. "Get Lucky", "Beyond", "Instant Crush"... Sure? They're OK? I guess? But would anyone regularly reach for these over the original? I don't think so; the change isn't really substantial enough.

The track that gets it the worst, I think, is "Lose Yourself To Dance". The drums and percussion are a huge reason why that track works so well. I mean, who the hell wanted this disco dance song to have its four-to-the-floor beat removed? What the hell's even the point of it, then? It just sounds so... Sparse.

(Well, actually, the track that gets it the worst worst is "Doin' It Right", because once you remove the drums from that it's literally just an acapella song. But that's kind of funny, I think, and, hey, if it can provide me some kind of entertainment... It doesn't stop it from being bad, but still. And shoutout, too, to "Giorgo By Moroder" losing its click track.)

Honestly, I don't think it got any better than the first single they released for this edition, "Beyond". It's ambient enough that it can work without the drums. If that had been the only track released drumless—and maybe "The Game Of Love" as well—sure, fine. Just an odd little experiment that doesn't mean much. But once you start trying to remove the drums from the groovier, dancier tracks, that's where everything falls apart.

I can't imagine Daft Punk themselves approving this. I mean, I know if I were them I wouldn't have signed off on this. But I guess they did, 'cuz here it is. I suppose they just heard something in it that I can't. And I wish I could, because as it stands, like I said above, this is just a nakedly lazy cash grab. If they really wanted to release another Random Access Memories album for its anniversary, I think a true remix album would've been a lot better. Let some other people come in and give these songs a fresh spin. I know they weren't entirely against remixes of these songs; they did do their own 10-minute remix of "Get Lucky" back in the day. So what would've been the harm in letting some other people give it a shot?

I certainly know the fans are gonna remix it. That's probably gonna be the best thing we get out of this release, since removing the drums makes each song a lot more conducive to a lot more than they were before. (And we might get some more drum covers, too, if that's more your thing.) But as it stands, as a listening experience on its own, I think everyone would be fine going drumlessless.

#text #music #daft punk #random access memories #random access memories drumless edition #music review #i mean i guess it's a review #i just had some thoughts i wanted to get down

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fuckyeahfightlock · 7 months

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@loveinthemindpalace I thought of you, of course. Maybe you'll find this interesting. It's kind of nerdy but I like nerdy. I am always fascinated watching experts do their thing.

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This series is so good; drummers listen to drumless tracks of songs they don't know, and make up the drum part.

#sleep token #drumeo #Greyson Nekrutman #Greyson Nekrutman hears/plays Sleep Token for the first time

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goodbysunball · 1 year

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1/4 Dead In 2023

It's a really bad time to try and cut back on buying music; here's four reasons why, and I've still got another eight or so waiting in the wings. Suck on these chicken wings like Steve Buscemi in Ghost World and I'll bring you another basket when you think you're through.

Cheater Slicks, Ill-Fated Cusses (In the Red)

The world's greatest active rock 'n roll band is back with their first studio LP in 11 years. Cheater Slicks could have very easily hung it up by now, especially following the tragic death of drummer Dana Hatch's son, but some mysterious impulse keeps the brothers Shannon and Dana Hatch (joined here by James Arthur on bass) churning after all these years. There are no other bands that can play garage rock with the abandon that Cheater Slicks seem to nail album after album, and their return to In the Red is possibly their best yet. The comfortable intro to "The Nude Intruder" soon picks up speed and careens headfirst into some solos that are the best I've heard since maybe Mordecai's College Rock. From there the band proceeds to lean heavily into guitar worship, sounding as paranoid and grimy as ever, barely-controlled outbursts of scuzz drenching "Fear" and "Flummoxed by the Snafu." Where previous albums seemed to opt for a sort of ballad to close each side, the band decides to try out "Lichen" to end side one, a feedback-laden stumble through the wake of "The Gift" but even more seasick and desperate. The band's hardly left behind the ballads from albums past; "Garden of Memories" and "Far Away Distantly" are gruff and affecting like the best of the Slicks' quieter moments. My favorite track here is "Coming Back to Me," which oscillates from Hatch's pounding drums and foam-mouthed shouts to zen-like group vocals repeating the title, and erupts in a ferocious guitar solo. It's songs like "Coming Back to Me" that show why Cheater Slicks have single-handedly rejuvenated garage rock and stand alone at the top of the heap. In a time where I've been leaning toward more abstract and indecipherable sounds, it feels really good to be leveled by a no frills rock 'n roll album, something familiar but wholly fresh, without pretension and effortlessly memorable. Cheater Slicks, now and forever. Highest recommendation; get yourself a copy post-haste, and maybe go see 'em blow the younger acts off the stage in a rare live appearance at Gonerfest this year.

Equipment Pointed Ankh, From Inside the House (Bruit Direct Disques)

The latest and greatest from this loose Louisville, KY collective, bringing some welcome cohesion to their brand of off-kilter omnivorous rock deconstruction. I've always found Equipment Pointed Ankh interesting, spiritually akin to fellow Kentuckians Sapat, but their albums can feel cluttered and overlong; on Without Human Permission, something like "Blue Folding Room" bowls me over, but then I've traversed so far by the end of side one that I'm disoriented and exhausted. Could have been a case of too many cooks/too many ideas, but whatever it was has been ironed out on From Inside the House, brought to us by the fine tastemakers at Bruit Direct Disques. "Rubber Slacks" snaps into gear at the front, but the song devolves into a noisy coda, feedback and droning synths fighting to wrest control of the song from the rhythmic backbone. What felt like genre-hopping exercises on previous records has coalesced into a no less confusing but exhilarating whole; off-kilter tunefulness emerges from rudimentary drumbeats, drone and jazz coexist with minimalist beats and modern classical. What emerges from the speakers isn't really as heady as that sounds, though: From Inside the House fits easily as background music and rewards close listening alike through it's rich, full production. The highlight for me is the drumless, airy seven-minute title track, which coupled with Jenny Rose's spoken lyrics brings to mind Cosey Fanni Tutti's "Time to Tell." It's a surprisingly arresting, moving track from a collective that seems mostly hellbent on upending genre distinctions with a permanent smirk. "I'm looking for something else," Rose says, and across seven tracks and 35 minutes, it sounds like EPA's found it on From Inside the House, a surprising early favorite record of 2023. Buy not only for the music, but the screenprinted jacket and Bill Nace artwork, too. Another left-of-center gem from Bruit Direct Disques.

Ustalost, Before the Glinting Spell Unvests (Gilead Media)

This was technically released at the tail-end of 2021, but I've only received my copy of the LP this month, and it's one well worth a year's patience. Ustalost is a side project from the Will Skarstad, one of the brothers behind Yellow Eyes, but there's not much to differentiate the two projects. It's nominally Will Skarstad's solo compositional outlet, though his brother, Sam, gets credits for the lyrics and production. The release, Ustalost's second, states that the project "has always been an exercise in indulgence," and that's probably as good of a descriptor as you're gonna get; it's black metal drizzled with the Skarstads' slowly twinkling guitar lines, drenched in Gregorian chant, keyboards and synthesizers straight out of the first wave of funeral doom (Thergothon comes to mind). I never much cared for keyboards in metal, but they're worked in nicely here: something like the jittery line at the start of "White Marble Column Air" adds to disorienting effect rather than distracts. The bass and drums are up front in the mix, this anchor allowing the record to violently lob between sickly sweetness and pummeling madness, something the opener "Enough Glass Will Cast a Shadow" deftly displays. Before the Glinting Spell Unvests, like The Spoor of Vipers before it, feels as approachable and lush as black metal could be while maintaining the icy, sharp aggression of the best Scandinavian forebears. It's a credit to the songwriting of Will Skarstad to maintain that delicate balance without succumbing to cheesy fist-pumping choruses or invoking war as a crutch; the psychedelic psychosis and decadence are vivid enough to warp one's reality. Fantastic record, one that pushes the envelope in exciting new ways without concessions. Let's hope there's not another seven-year wait for the next one.

Witness K, s/t (ever/never)

Cured Pink, one of several projects from Andrew McLellan, was and probably remains one of the most difficult and misunderstood bands from the contemporary Australian underground. The project's new/no wave laced with sharp commentary and wry humor is admittedly a tough sell, but a deep dive into their catalog, especially their LPs, is a worthwhile endeavor. Seems that McLellan may have retired the Cured Pink name for now, shifting to the gravely serious Witness K, pairing up again with NYC's ever/never records to once more challenge even the most seasoned listeners. On the self-titled debut, the band displays stunning restraint, creating a dour atmosphere befitting Carla dal Forno or Tindersticks. Vocals are hushed and often spoken, and even leaning in closely doesn't really allow me to crack the meaning of it all. The lyrics, or "poetry" as the credits on the release state, are obscured beneath a lush bed of single chord guitars, flute, accordion and a smattering of keys, and feels like the soundtrack to a Kurosawa film or dimly lit noir story bathed in shadows. It's a record that seeps into and takes control of the room, arresting even in its silences, moving carefully and speaking thoughtfully. I'm reminded, in spirit at least, of the Gerogerigegege's left-turn >(decrescendo) or the American Jobs' overlooked Carne Levare, music wielding a quiet power. But Witness K never feels fragile despite sounding gossamer-thin at points; the bass-rich production keeps things sturdy and churning, as on album highlights "Scream Across the Low Fence" and "Thank You, Harold." Notes linger in the air, billowing smoke refracted in late-day sunlight, sunlight that can't be enjoyed because of yet another man-made environmental disaster. Whatever's happening, it's grim. Witness K have made a record acknowledging native land that seems like it could actually do something about it, not just paying lip service to a complicated issue. Stunning, brilliant record; Witness K feels like a modern classic already. Between this and last year's Kilynn Lunsford LP, ever/never's swinging for the fences. Time to break out the binoculars and pay attention while this seasoned vet serves up taters at the dish.

#Cheater Slicks #Equipment Pointed Ankh #Ustalost #Witness K #In the Red Records #Bruit Direct Disques #Gilead Media #ever/never records

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luuurien · 2 years

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Westside Gunn - Peace “Fly” God

(East Coast Hip Hop, Boom Bap, Gangsta Rap)

Westside Gunn's latest mixtape is exceedingly decent. Recorded in just two days after returning from Paris Fashion Week, the Buffalo rapper proves his formula still works, even as it begins to feel like his signature boom bap sound loses a bit more of its shine with every new release. Peace "Fly God isn't bad by any means, but it doesn't do anything we haven't already heard enough times before.

☆☆☆

If you've got a formula that works, why get rid of it? For Westside Gunn, that's been both a blessing and a curse: he more or less revitalized the boom bap sound in contemporary hip hop with himself and the Griselda crew shooting their way to the top of 2010s rap, and his best work proves why his domination is well-earned, with opulent and luxurious beats underpinning grimy stories of New York ruthlessness that feels like a reverent painting doused in oil and grease, the kind of rap best experience on late night drives and downtown walks. His work ethic has always been second to none, releasing multiple projects every year and never letting anything get in the way of his creative drive, and that hasn't changed even now with the world in his hands. Peace "Fly" God, his latest mixtapes recorded in just two days with Stove God Cooks and Estee Nack after his return from Paris Fashion Week, once again shows how strong a sound Gunn has cultivated over the years, the mixtape's quick production time still including all the things that make his music so great, thick boom bap beats and whiskey-smooth production that emphasizes Gunn's unique cadence and fits perfectly with anyone he decides to work with. At its best, Peace "Fly" God proves that Gunn's sound is evergreen, always a pleasure to have around and rarely anything less than great to listen to. What Peace "Fly" God does expose to me, though, is that Westside Gunn can only take things so far when keeping within the boundaries of his signature sound. I know that sounds like a given, but it's important to recognize just how similar these songs are to the ones he was putting out back in the mid 2010s - I'm not hyperbolizing in the slightest when I say that songs like Ritz Barlton and Horses on Sunset could have been on FLYGOD or any of the Hitler Wears Hermes mixtapes and not sound out of the ordinary even a bit - and while that doesn't make Peace "Fly" God a bad project by any means, it makes me wonder about how much Gunn can expand on his sound in the future. It could just be the mixtape's speedy, ramshackle production not being able to deliver the same richness of Pray for Paris or Supreme Blientele, but when half the album's tracks are shoddily made drumless tunes that don't have nearly enough instrumental punch to stick the landing, particularly Jesus Crack with its eight minute runtime that leaves so much space between Nack's verses that it has absolutely no right taking up about a fourth of the runtime. This limited scope in production has always been a brick wall looming over Gunn and the larger Griselda group's music for years now, but Peace "Fly" God sees Gunn running straight into it and not looking for any way to get around it. Are these songs all good? Sure, for the most part, none of them are unlistenable or poorly made. But are they doing anything new or exciting within Gunn's discography? Not by a long shot. Gunn himself is also unusually sparse across Peace "Fly" God's ten tracks in both production and rapping. He's always been a curator open to letting collaborators and features take control over where certain songs go, but he doesn't even get a single verse on Bobby Rhude as Nacks gets the entire song to himself and doesn't make much of an impression when he is on the mic, either, leading to a sense of disengagement within the mixtape that's rarely present within Gunn's tight-knit projects. Out of the album's four producers, three of them are longtime Griselda collaborators, with Conductor Williams, Daringer and Madlib all appearing more than a few times on previous Griselda releases, and while again that's not an inherently bad thing, it further contributes to this feeling of stagnation that prevents Peace "Fly" God from standing out within Gunn's discography. People have been saying Westside Gunn's been making the same song over and over again since the start of his career, and while that's not entirely true, I wouldn't call it entirely inaccurate either when Peace "Fly" God makes it so apparent how homogeneous a sound he sticks to on every release. What really matters is how convincingly he's able to sell you the experience of these regal, moody boom bap tunes, and the fast-tracked creation of Peace "Fly" God makes that an impossibility when there's not time for the music to refine itself. On the whole, Peace "Fly" God is still a fine mixtape. It's got some great songs and doesn't overstay its welcome, and Gunn's charisma and personality still comes through as strongly as ever. But what the quickfire pace of the mixtape's release reveals is that Westside Gunn's music has to establish itself intensely in order to get you pulled in, or risk becoming not much more than enjoyable background music. Westside Gunn's sound is one so lavish and fun to listen to that there's no way that his projects can be anything less than good, but it Peace "Fly" God is riding the knife's edge between familiarity and boredom. When it works, it works, but it all comes by too quickly and unceremoniously to feel like it's worth coming back to. He knows what he's good at, and he does a remarkable job at keeping his music consistent and well-dressed, but what Peace "Fly" God lacks is that extra dimension, that little bit of grit and explosivity that brings things to the next level and has made for Westside Gunn's best previous project. For better or worse, it's Westside Gunn at his bare minimum.

#westside gunn #peace fly god #griselda #boom bap #drumless #east coast hip hop #gangsta rap #hip hop #jazz rap #2022 #6/10

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