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 | Space Age Pop | Listen
CHANNELLING EXOTIC SPIRITS THROUGH NEW AGE ROBOTICS
Age Of Immunology's success stems from the rich tapestry of influence catering to Vanishing Twin's overall aesthetic. Not limited to music only, the London band helmed by Cathy Lucas has curated a style centered around retro-futurism, occult powers, and other left field spirituality those on the cusp of the technological revolution fancied. If we're to focus solely on the music one would be quick to latch onto Broadcast and Stereolab, two obvious and acceptable influences that surmount to Vanishing Twin's whole through the nocturnal sorcery of the former ('Wise Children,' 'Language Is A City') and the rhythmic zest of the latter ('Krk,' 'Cryonic Suspension May Save Your Life'). Essentially, Age Of Immunology is the logical next step of Space Age Pop, revamped and revitalized for a generation intrigued by history's misguided hypotheses on the future.
Even the passages of Ambient detachment ('You Are Not An Island,' 'Invisible World') feel like the last tether to Joe Meek & The Blue Men's revolutionary I Hear A New World from 1959. An album - likely the only album - to properly auralize the preposterous, Science Fiction hysteria of the 1950's (see: Invaders From Mars, It Came From Outer Space, and Forbidden Planet). The world Vanishing Twin create is lush, vibrant, and rich to the touch. It evokes the duplicitous, occult magnetism of Aleister Crowley, all while transforming such outdated modes of expression for a modern world in need of tantalization. 'Magician's Success' and 'Language Is A City' are the best examples of Vanishing Twin's entertainment factor, the former reminding me of the lovely Tropicália from Bruno Pernadas while the latter teeters on Exotica akin to Deradoorian. I could've done without the multi-lingual, Spoken Word passages, not for lack of coherency within Age Of Immunology's style, but rather the integration they have with the Lucas-driven songs. 'Age Of Immunology' and 'Invisible World' are really the album's only two weak points because of this.
B-
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2019 | Experimental Hip-Hop | Listen
TELLING MYTHOLOGICAL TALES THROUGH FUNKY SIREN CALLS
I always applaud artists who decide content not through trends or fan pressure, but rather what hits them in any particular moment. Unpredictability, in my eyes, lies at the heart of great Experimental Hip-Hop. clipping., as we've learned through their whole discography including 2019's There Existed An Addiction To Blood, has cherished such an idea. No one but them would've made Splendor & Misery, a futuristic take on the idea of slave and master. The Deep is no different, both in content and style of release. The EP's calling card, the uniquely-arranged story about the uprising of an underwater society of pregnant African women thrown overboard slave ships, was released as a standalone single two years ago. Here, because of renewed interest by clipping. that includes working with author Rivers Solomon on a 'Deep'-inspired short story, we receive two more tracks elucidating upon the pressurized, nautical aesthetic and mutinous mentality; 'Aquacode Databreaks' and 'Drownt.'
Each present a new idea both conceptually and sonically, as the former wins over my heart by extensively featuring legendary Experimental Hip-Hop group Shabazz Palaces. 'Aquacode Databreaks' is a blast that heavily evokes vigilant, rhythmic Detroit Techno, heightened by the back-and-forth hook trade-off from Daveed Diggs and Ishmael Butler. The arrangement and structural building is unique, even by clipping. and Shabazz Palaces' rigorous standards. Plus the Synth Funk elements offer playful buoyancy rarely seen in either artists music. 'Drownt' takes a more melodic, invasive form with Diggs sporting his knotty flows over production quirks from Hutson and Snipes that pair their knack for sterilized Noise with striking Minimalism. It's The Deep's weakest effort, but that's only due to the other two tracks and not necessarily its commitment to the EP's wet and wavy foundation.
B
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2019 | Neo-Psychedelia | Listen
PLEADING FOR A SOUND MIND WHILE TRIPPING ON LSD
It has taken Fat White Family six years to transform into the prevailing, Neo-Psychedelia linchpins we see on Serf's Up!. With origins in Acid Rock and Lo-Fi Indie, making crude and lewd blisters of hedonistic energy, one would not expect such a transformation, yet here we are. Serf's Up! still maintains the playful atmosphere and facetious bite Fat White Family bore their brand on, but takes things up a notch with ludicrous (sometimes overbearing) maximalism that emblazons the hefty stature each band member contributes to the overall grandeur. We see that right off the bat with 'Feet,' a decade-spanning cut that seems to evoke 70's Glam Rock and Progressive Rock just as much as recent excursions into Alternative Dance and Pop Rock. David Bowie, of Montreal, Talking Heads, and Reflektor-era Arcade Fire can all be felt here. It's Serf's Up!'s penultimate cut, setting an insurmountable tone the rest of the LP attempts to match.
Fat White Family owe much of Serf's Up!'s success to the expansive Neo-Psychedelia of others, though their admirable attenuation of such sound is most certainly praiseworthy. The nimble, vocoder Synth Funk of 'I Believe In Something Better' recalls Julian Casablancas' reinvention with The Voidz, while 'Fringe Runner' inserts the group's flamboyant Garage origin in a way not unlike Ty Segall. Mercury Rev can clearly be heard on 'Oh Sebastian,' probably the most overt ode to a past artist, while Tonstartssbandht's weird Western heat comes out on 'Bobby's Boyfriend.' Lastly, MGMT can not only be heard on 'Kim's Sunsets,' a trippy and loopy cut that familiarizes itself with Congratulations, but extensively the entirety of Serf's Up!.
Yes, all these comparisons does sour the individuality Fat White Family may have expressed by changing genres so gracefully, but that doesn't diminish the overall quality or dated tendencies. This is a ridiculously fun album from front to back. 'Feet,' 'I Believe In Something Better,' and the Monty Python-esque fete of 'Tastes Good With The Money' (see the music video, you won't regret it) are the unrelenting standouts. Only 'Vagina Dentata' and 'Rock Fishes' fail to compete with Serf's Up!'s standards for satisfaction.
B
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