What's a Listening Log? Well, the idea is quite simple. It's a weekly segment that consolidates all the mini-reviews Dozens Of Donuts has given on RateYourMusic over the past week, split between the Past and Present. A straightforward grading scale has been put in place, ranging from A+ to F-, with C acting as the baseline average. There is no set amount of reviews per week, just however many I get around to reviewing. And don't expect week-of reviews. I wait one month - with at least three listens under my belt - before I rate and review an album. Enjoy!
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2019 | Dub Techno | Listen
COMBUSTIBLE STEAM RISING FROM THE CONCRETE JUNGLE
A nine-track, 47-minute EP? Sure, why not. Pressed on vinyl as a double-EP, much like the game-changing 2011 pair Passed Me By and We Stay Together, It Should Be Us finds Andy Stott evoking the Industrial drudge and sludge prominent in those early releases. Gone are the flighty, sterile harmonies and safe, metallic corners of 2016's Too Many Voices, and, to some extent, 2014's Faith In Strangers. Don't conflate that supercilious tone with a rise in quality however, as It Should Be Us' ominous, factory-churning mentality doesn't exactly entice. The nine songs, excluding the erroneous Glitch and near-Breakcore of 'Ballroom,' ride a similar aesthetic without distinction or idiosyncrasies, causing It Should Be Us to prosper in terms of an orderly aesthetic, but falter when pressed for hits.
For me, the off-kilter, hard-to-define 'Collapse' stands atop the rest. But its brooding, callousness reveals the EP's greatest fault; Discernible vocals to bridge the gap. The lack of stray vocals, not of the sample variety, is what keeps It Should Be Us - and, by correlation, the rest of Andy Stott's discography - away from the incontestable peak of Luxury Problems. There, he merged this style of sweatshop grind with gorgeous vocals provided by Alison Skidmore that offset the otherwise slavish conditions with hope and reverie. Without them, Stott's iconic sound falls by the wayside, much like what happens when Clark, Burial, or other contemporaries fail to do the same. Here, closer 'Versi' is the only track to near such heights, but only doing so in the final three minutes causes the rest of It Should Be Us' aversiveness to be drawn into question.
C
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In terms of talent and substance, few artists are able to compete with FKA twigs as world-class provocateur. Perhaps Björk, ever the eccentric boundary-pusher. In fact, with MAGDALENE in tow, comparisons to the Icelandic beatnik are sprouting and it wouldn't be unnatural to think of twigs are her heir apparent. Much like LP1 or M3LL155X, MAGDALENE is a challenging record that confronts artistic expectations by subverting predictable patterns with strong juxtaposition and state-of-the-art vocal flair. On top of that, twigs' internal euphonic code allows for true, sincerest art to emerge as MAGDALENE simultaneously parallels the unprovoked and disguised power of Jesus' right-hand woman Mary Magdalene to modern day womanhood, while accepting and safeguarding one's emotional frailty.
Ironically, while twigs used MAGDALENE to represent the unspoken control women have over men, the same could be said for the LP itself and the slew of exceptional male producers commandeering MAGDALENE's stormy underbelly. Equality is the end result, leaving a strong statement on relational symbiosis. No tandem, be it twigs and Daniel Lopatin, Skrillex, or Noah Goldstein, is as fluid and remarkable than the British singer and Chilean producer Nicolas Jaar. Jaar's versatility, with his underrated solo career, Darkside, and Against All Logic as prime examples, helps MAGDALENE eschew tradition with stunning and tactful production qualities best seen on 'home with you' and 'fallen alien.' If we're to exclude 'cellophane,' which sits comfortably as MADGALENE's well-documented vanguard, Jaar's two prominent contributions offer glimpses to the future of Pop music. Visceral, paradoxical, and imposing even for the artist helming attention, few would even be capable of flaunting and flexing over complexities such as these. Which makes FKA twigs work matching these moments all the more extraordinary.
There's one setback to MAGDALENE and, within the context of the LP, it's quite minor. This, having to do with the disparate level of interest certain songs acquiesce. Essentially, half the LP is riveting, intoxicating, and demanding, while the rest merely accentuates twigs' themes and motifs. 'home with you,' 'sad day,' 'fallen alien,' and 'cellophane' are the clear artistic triumphs, the latter being one of the decade's best performances. However, 'thousand eyes,' 'mary magdalene,' 'mirrored heart,' and 'daybed' don't achieve such distinction for their more introspective nature, still being given a pass for their rich aesthetic and general cohesiveness though. The one that doesn't, for obvious reasons, is the errant Trap discrepancy 'holy terrain' featuring Future, a single that has no right being on an album of MAGDALENE's quality, stature, and significance.
B+
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2019 | Gothic Rock | Listen
SUCCUMBING TO THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Have A Nice Life have never shied away from tackling religious themes head-on, as best seen on their monolithic debut Deathconsciousness. Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga have toiled over Christian theology mercilessly, as if they themselves have taken over the mantle of Jesus on the cross, effectively emulating the despair and trepidation of those who fear God and the existence of Hell. Sea Of Worry takes Have A Nice Life further into the muck, sludge, and grind of sinful remorse and morose reflection, fine-tuning their Lo-Fi Indie aesthetic to the penultimate degree while simultaneously, at times, forging their most upbeat, tuneful Post-Punk tracks yet. Each extreme causes Sea Of Worry to be the band's most accessible album, but also their most incongruous.
At only seven tracks, there isn't much ampleness to go around, though Have A Nice Life discredit such opulence in favor of a narrow, refined style that's influenced by medieval peasants and their quest for enlightenment amongst clouded demigods. Unintentional ignorance, or mental dubiety, seem to be at the forefront though, predictably, it's hard to understand many of the lyrics whilst shrouded behind such an opaque veil. Tracks like 'Lords Of Tresserhorn' and 'Destinos' find Barrett primarily concerned with such chagrin and anguish, making their oppressive, dictatorial production all the more apposite. Have A Nice Life have always handled the end of one's emotional tether well, and Sea Of Worry is no exception.
The LP also sports three songs in 'Sea Of Worry,' 'Dracula Bells,' and 'Trespassers W' that could conceivably be enjoyed by more general Gothic Rock and Post-Punk enthusiasts. The notable wall of sound is present, but punctual use of drums and upfront vocals all those singles to be more digestible. Though, admittedly so, only the title track stands out in such a regard. Joining it are the aforementioned 'Lords Of Tresserhorn' and 'Science Beat,' the latter easily my standout for its fluid and oddly faithful inclusion of Dream Pop and Ethereal Wave. It's the only semi optimistic-sounding song in Have A Nice Life's discography, with lovely church bells and an echoing eulogy eventually being overtaken by a euphoric guitar riff and inspirational motto: "All along, I’ve felt an invisible hand guiding my errant heart / I consume and am consumed in part." Quite the apt quote to depict Have A Nice Life's internal struggle and, by and large, Sea Of Worry as a whole.
B
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