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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Unlike 2016's 99.9%, an album which seemed to capture the zeitgeist of the our decade's Alternative R&B craze, Bubba comes with considerably less fanfare. A telling statement not so much directed at Kaytranada, or his music, but rather the quelling interest in such tame, dance-themed House singles. Bubba plays much like 99.9%, with a mixtape-style collective of singles donned by featured artists both popular and unpopular. A tastemaker's take on contemporary, African-American dance music if you will. There's splashes of Hip-Hop, like 'Gray Area' with Mick Jenkins and 'Need It' with Masego, along with textbook Neo-Soul in 'What You Need' and 'Freefall,' and Kaytranada's comfort zone of Synth Funk with '2 The Music,' 'Oh No,' and the three instrumental interludes.
These all form the all-consuming moniker of Alternative R&B, which has become less genre-focused and more mood-driven to acclimate to modern dance trends that nurture sensuality. This, due to the prime influencers of Solange, Blood Orange, Anderson .Paak, The Internet, and many (many) more who, despite heralding Alternative R&B, are really just thinly-disguised Neo-Soul artists. Bubba's a solid representation of why this style's falling out of favor. The aesthetic has been shoehorned to oppressive, immovable states, rigid - no matter the sub-genre - in adhering to strict guidelines on how to be cool, calm, and collected. At some point, the unstated confidence touted by every artist, be it SiR, Estelle, or Teedra Moses, becomes less convincing and more manufactured. It's difficult to believe any one singer's sly motives when they're all aspiring for such a demeanor. The one exception being Pharrell on closer 'Midsection,' a song that draws similarities to N*E*R*D's last LP NO ONE EVER REALLY DIES with its unnatural and playful aplomb.
By my estimation, Bubba features roughly the same amount of successful tracks as it does forgettable filler. Lead single '10%' is a definite, Latin-infused hit profiting off the global popularity of Kali Uchis, bearing similarities to her work with Tyler, The Creator on Flower Boy and IGOR. Along with that, and the aforementioned 'Midsection,' 'Oh No' and 'What You Need' round out Bubba's best with their nocturnal grooves that linger under dim Neon lights. I'm reminded of Nite Funk, a 2016 EP collaboration between Dam Funk and Nite Jewel, recalling the abated air of a late, late night in a stilled city. But, on the flip side, duds like 'Go DJ,' 'Taste,' and 'Freefall' don't offer their own characteristics to Bubba and will surely, and shortly, be forgotten. The blatant Drake rip-off of 'Vex Oh' doesn't help matters either.
C
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Of the many modern acts rekindling Noise Rock for the masses, none go harder than Show Me The Body. Their origin in the gruff, frigid New York City streets allows the four-piece outfit an opportunity to reflect the endless sea of industrialization overtaking what was once habitable nature. Dog Whistle is grim, fierce, vexed, and antagonistic. In other words, a representation of every New Yorker fed up with the weight of capitalism bearing down every skyscraper. From 'Camp Orchestra' onwards, Show Me The Body delivery a litany of anarchistic body blows, either through lyrics (the two Spoken Word interludes, 'Animal In A Dream' and 'Die For The Earth To Live,' evoke a dejected dystopian) or visceral production that grabs and provokes ('Not For Love,' 'Badge Grabber').
There's a great deal of Liars to be found here, namely in the vivisection of Noise Rock with artistic qualities. For every whirlwind of puncturing impact like 'Not For Love' and 'Drought,' there's destabilizing pace-shifters like 'Now I Know' and 'Arcanum.' The former descends fully in Industrial sounds, limiting conventional instrumentation in place of screeching whistles and hollowed out bass. The latter treats acoustics as the personal, anecdotal accompaniment it typically is in music, only to knottily twist it with a claustrophobic riff.
All that's to say, there's a great deal of versatility and unexpectedness in Dog Whistle's brief 28 minutes. However, not much lingers with you in ways Show Me The Body anticipates. With the short durations in tact, tracks don't crescendo and implode in ways you'd expect. This rouses the certain Punk influence at play here, but it does stand in contrast to current Noise Rock acts who've been able to incorporate that into grand scale arrangements (Daughters, black midi, Girl Band). For what it offers, Dog Whistle is an entertaining blister of pent-up rage, masquerading behind basic artistic wherewithal.
C+
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According to RateYourMusic, Duster's first two albums (given their bolded stature) are not to be missed. Yet I've done exactly that by diving into Duster, the Slowcore band's first album in 19 years. Sorry Avalanches, your delay has been usurped. Unlike the Plunderphonics icons, Duster's return bore no expectation, pleading, or dire hopelessness on my end. They merely emerged with limited fanfare, the enigmatic circumstances enough to stew my interest. The result, quite apropos for a Slowcore act. Similar to Have A Nice Life, the onus of their secrecy and tempered identity falls on the music's makeup, a quality that fades saturation and dramatics into the recesses of one's mind. Even though Noise permeates its twelve tracks, Duster still provides a lenitive foundation for one to drudge wearily upon. It's a record for niche circumstances, accentuated by exterior happenings that downplay the solemnity of life.
That does make Duster difficult to appreciate on any given day, especially given my current contentment in life. While not distinctly Emo, this album bears the weight of such cynicism. The slow-moving dirge of 'Chocolate & Mint' or 'Ghoulish' evoke the never-ending cycle one must endure to make a living, while others like 'Damaged' and 'Go Back' portray the dissonant ambience infesting our daily lives. Though, seeing as to how they're from San Jose, I can't imagine a world as dreary as Duster existing to reflect upon. The weather alone.
But I digress. Duster's best moments, at least in my eyes as someone who's apprehensive towards Slowcore without a necessary spark of ingenuity, are those where the pace is expedited in an effort to boost morale. On these examples, like 'I'm Lost,' 'Summer War,' and 'Letting Go,' there's some excellent understated melodies that carry the weight of hopefulness. Here, most prevalent of all, is where Duster's place as late 90's Indie artists emerges. That's both a compliment, given the inclusion of pacified Noise Pop and Shoegaze, and an insult, considering it's 2019 and to discover a largely unaltered sound 20 years in the making seems a bit disheartening. It feels like complacency, which lies at the heart of Slowcore, but has no place in return records such as these. Duster could've came out two years following 2000's Contemporary Movement and no one would've batted an eye.
C-
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