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 | Hip-Hop | Listen
REFLECTING ON YOUR PRIME WHILE CONVINCED YOU'RE STILL IN IT
Suffice to say I was not expecting The Dude With The Strap Back Dad Hat, XV's long (and I mean long) awaited debut. It's been seven years since he faded from relevance following Popular Culture, a mixtape - along with Zero Heroes - that speared a great deal of my late adolescence. You'd figure in that seven-year span that XV would evolve as an artist, as a person, but alas there's countless similarities here to his prime. 'One Of The Dreamers,' 'That's The Move,' and 'The Falling Off' are just some examples of songs that feel plucked from the early 2010's. 'That's The Move' in particular sounds just like 'Wonkavator,' and it's as fun as it is stale because of it.
The greatest problem of Strap Back Dad Hat is XV's insistence on feeling relevant, whether that's in the lyrical content or the production. The former often finds the rapper in preposterous situations (like flaunting his wealth with a posse of models) that we all know he's incapable of given his lack of fame, while the latter randomly dry spells down the Trap lane, namely on the horrendously out-of-touch 'Enter / Uncharted.' It's as if XV's trying to strip the nerdiness that drew teenagers in, replacing it with tasteless braggadocio that feels awkward, forced, and disingenuous.
To think this was once a man rapping alongside Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, and J. Cole. Potential wasted, with the lack of investment in Strap Back Dad Hat the nail in the coffin. The record's not bad by any stretch, with notable takes in 'I.K.E.A.' (where XV sounds awfully similar to Lupe Fiasco), 'One Of The Dreamers,' and 'Every Time You Go.' The best XV is the down to earth XV, and that's here about 50% of the time..
C-
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2019 | Minimal Synth | Listen
BECKONING ALIEN LIFEFORMS WITH RELATABLE POP MIASMA
Quite the symbiotic fit for Sacred Bones, a record label that boasts analogous weirdos to Spellling like Exploded View, Jenny Hval, Blanck Mass, Pharmakon, and Zola Jesus. Mazy Fly affirms that she'll fit right in, not only in terms of aesthetic but quality as well. Think a demonized version of Erykah Badu singing over shredded outtakes from Broadcast and Chromatics. Throw Joe Meek's I Hear A New World in for its outrageous take on xenoarchaeology too. It's a really provocative pairing given Spellling's sometimes archetypical R&B/Soul vocals.
Mazy Fly's biggest setback is its inconsistency. Interestingly enough, every sub three-minute song falters through tedium and lethargy, excluding the lovely coda that dominates 'Golden Numbers.' It's as if Spellling needs space to thrive, as the hits ('Under The Sun,' 'Afterlife,' 'Secret Thread') all exceed five minutes and warrant that duration with constant alteration through serpentinian gestures. Along with 'Real Fun,' each of these tracks have massive payoffs due to their conventional song structuring. The shorter lengths don't allow for enough ignition to set a course for the stars, something Mazy Fly is always intent on achieving. A really cool LP with some true moments of ecstasy sprinkled throughout..
B-
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It would be difficult - if one weren't to be aware of Carly Rae Jepsen - to find an artist more Pop-centric than Hatchie. 2018's excellent EP Sugar & Spice sprouted that landscape with synth-driven tunes that did nothing but strive for Pop enjoyment. Keepsake solidifies that, down to the fact that the three best songs (with an argument being made for 'Not That Kind') are the LP's three best offerings. Disappointing, but expected nonetheless.
Where Hatchie may outlast her nearest influences - Chvrches, Empress Of, and Let's Eat Grandma - lies in her appreciation of past styles of Pop. It's not just ephemeral Synthpop here, although that certainly appears through the smoldering glimmer of Shoegaze ('Unwanted Guest,' 'Secret'). Her Dream Pop, which is laced all over Keepsake, borrows more from 90's era Cocteau Twins than it does the more predictable apery Beach House. Tack on light Jangle Pop in the vein of 10,000 Maniacs and Alternative Dance similar to Saint Etienne and it's clear what decade Hatchie grew up in. The latter tends to be her best performances, as 'Obsessed' and 'Stay With Me' do not slouch on that nostalgic, programmed percussion wash.
B-
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2019 | Free Improvisation | Listen
MUSIC, NOISE, SOUND COLLAPSING THROUGH A BLACK HOLE
Part of the Warp 25 series, which gave us a great deal of unheard of music (including a Boards Of Canada mix that's not to be missed), Gmail & The Restraining Orders isn't as monumental as you'd expect from a sudden Death Grips drop. That's because it's dated, ancillary, and simply a discordant Sound Collage used as a backdrop to their live shows. Therefore it shouldn't really be considered, nor compared to, their other projects. Especially Steroids, which is a predictable path to take, due to the fact it was made two years prior.
Really Gmail & The Restraining Orders is an Andy Morin special. A blunderbuss of Noise annihilation. It's as if he took snippets of Ride, Zach Hill, and himself at every live show, then sorted each file's date randomly. Thirty straight minutes of pure dissonance where every section feels purposely incompatible with whatever's playing over, under, or through it. Gmail's undoubtedly a fun piece of avant-garde art, but nothing more, and certainly not something to add to Death Grips' rotation.
C-
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2019 | Glitch Pop | Listen
GAZING AT BRUTALIST SKYSCRAPERS THROUGH DIRTY SEWER GRATES
If we're talking strictly post-2010 material, I'm taking Thom Yorke's solo discography over Radiohead's. That, ascertained after hearing the excellent ANIMA, which is the most I've enjoyed a Radiohead - or Radiohead-assisted project - since Kid A. Yorke's adoration of lush, Electronic environments comes full circle here, a continuation of his collaborations with Four Tet and Burial. Nigel Godrich's production is out of this world, as he uses a bevy of minimalist textures, booming set pieces, and niche samples to elicit Yorke's dystopian dreamscape. Each of the nine songs executes this brilliantly, with the exception of 'Runwayaway,' which feels underdeveloped and far too long. It's the sound of a credit roll, which it very well could be on Paul Thomas Anderson's ANIMA short film, I haven't seen it.
As per usual, Yorke's lyrics are meticulous, mysterious, and poetic. ANIMA poses an honest yet damning take on the worship of futurism, something that's typical for Radiohead material. However, taking Ok Computer as an example, Yorke's previously done this through candid elocution, rather than a depressive atmosphere that he himself becomes engulfed in (see: 'Dawn Chorus,' ANIMA's best). Really, ANIMA's calling card is how infused Yorke becomes with the sounds around him. It's really some of the best, most convincing forms of world-building I've heard. 'Twist' and 'I Am A Very Rude Person' are particularly great at this, but so is every track. Plus, atop all this, the production never stops being fun and addictive. Trance and Jungle-laden at times, with some great uses of percussion ('Traffic,' 'Not The News').
B+
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