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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2020 | Microhouse | Listen
TRACE THE SUN, AS IT MOVES OVER THE SAHARA
Unlike other genres in Electronic Dance music, there's some understated symbiosis between Microhouse and Ambient. Something about the delicate, subtle maneuverings of the former allows the spacial awareness of the latter to invade. Pantha du Prince's Conference Of Trees is a great example of this pairing, an intricate work that effortlessly weaves worldly beats amidst the reflective silence of a morning's dew. While brevity has never been Prince's strong suit - and that does diminish the immediate impact of Conference Of Trees - the attention to detail and patient prose that carries throughout the 74 minutes is something to get lost in. Perhaps most interesting is the thoughtful and peculiar layout, as Prince hides his true card up his sleeves for a whole 20 minutes before dropping an official, dance floor beat. 'Approach In A Breeze,' an eleven-minute Ambient excursion, begins Conference Of Trees like the rising sun that dawns its cover. 'Transparent Tickle Shining Glace,' on the other hand, incorporates a dissonant array of Tribal percussion, acting as a sort of ritual to start the day, before 'Holding The Oak' briefly returns to tranquil stillness.
It's an entirely natural process, with exquisite pacing that unfolds sensibly and with honor to Mother Earth and her peaceful permanence. Songs flow into one another, not just in the lackadaisical way where the stray instrument dissipates after a five-second collapse, but in a cohesive, overarching manner. Take 'When We Talk,' which dances sluggishly around sleepy time percussion, all while the droning strings and wind chimes from the previous three songs - following Brian Eno's school of Ambient thought - prop up the foreground with an ever-persistent backbone. That same undulating calmness even reemerges on 'Lichtung,' the twelve-minute finale that appears as the Yin to 'Approach In A Breeze's' Yang. The meditative pluck of strings on 'Lichtung' help it eclipse its predominantly-Ambient predecessor, though neither ascend to any sort of higher power.
Praise abound to the layout of Conference Of Trees, the lengthy commitment one needs to endure and the ultimately unimpressive Minimal Techno aspects prevent it from reaching greatness. It's of no coincidence that my ratings on an individual song level rise and fall like a bell-shaped curve, as the lucrative substance of Prince's fifth solo LP can be found at its heart. 'Roots Making Family,' 'The Crown Territory,' 'Supernova Space Time Drift,' and 'Silentium Larix' are the four best songs, the four Dance-driven endeavors, and they all reside in succession. Each present their own thematic idea, as 'Roots Making Family' returns to the Tribal liturgy, with an array of background sounds including indiscernible vocals, while 'Supernova Space Time Drift' reflects its title with a trip through limitless space. They're varied enough to enjoy singularly, but difficult in doing so given the importance Conference Of Trees' layout plays on the whole. That, and the Microhouse tracks just don't go above and beyond. The textures are intense and detailed, with minutiae that would equal the cream of the genre's crop. But the simpatico nature and subdued tethering to earth prevent these songs from scaling beyond the comforts Prince self-imposed. I'm reminded of The Field in these instances. Pattern over freedom to expression.
Still, Conference Of Trees is a beautifully-arranged Microhouse album that reveals the power of sound in our natural world.
C+
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2020 | Neo-Psychedelia | Listen
TRIPPING OVER DAISIES ON THE WAY TO OZ
Quite the ambitious debut we have here. 58 minutes of postmodern Neo-Psychedelia that clamps the listeners' heartstrings with shimmering melodies, maximalist soundscapes, and a wall of sound for the ages. Pet Shimmers' Face Down In Meta is a hipster dream, utilizing a litany of influences (more on that later) to convey the paralyzing conveyance of information we inject on a minutely basis. Yes, Pet Shimmers use meme culture to proliferate their notoriety with a generation of social media consumers through eye-rolling track titles that have little to nothing to do with the actual contents of the song, but that's merely a single ancillary criticism this otherwise spirited album projects. Gorgeous melodies abound, playful back-and-forth singing, a vicarious emotional palate, and a cornucopia of sound that, more often than not, masks these recherché moments as a front to insecurities, composes the bulk of Face Down In Meta.
Now, back to the influences because it's the one major setback; Pet Shimmers' lack of inaugural identity. Considering their tendency to overwhelm the senses with every form of alternative Pop known to man, Pet Shimmers' inspirations arise in abundance. Without explanation, for that would be excessive, here's a list in order of track appearance: Flaming Lips ('Thawed Out Plainclothes Demon'), MGMT ('Mortal Sport Argonaut'), Alex G ('Duvet Day'), Animal Collective ('Feels Hz'), Superorganism ('Angel Made'), Fishmans ('Coeval Ari'), Ween ('Nobody: Me:'), My Bloody Valentine ('Post-Dick Circle Fuck'), Machine+ ('Tyson'), Candy Claws ('Crash Tense Dummy'). Whew. Toss in the general psychedelic neurosis of Tame Impala, Sweet Trip (circa You Will Never Know Why), and HOLY, along with the flamboyant spirit of Neon Indian, and you have Pet Shimmers. That list is a whole lot to take in, but so is this album. Face Down In Meta never - excluding the rather tedious 'Cheat Codes' - escapes that M.O., drenching itself in excess and aesthetic. This culminates in the mind-melting, ten-minute closer 'Crash Tense Dummy,' which is perhaps the most extreme forms of wall of sound I've come across.
Interestingly enough, I struggle to find comparison to my favorite song; 'Super Natural Teeth.' The spacious air, duet vocals, and drowning horn arrangements help set it apart from the flock, if only in regards to posturing. 'Duvet Day' and 'Post-Dick Circle Fuck,' which is essentially Loveless modernized for the younger generation, are other standouts on Face Down In Meta, the one unifying factor in these three songs is the upfront appearance of Oliver Wilde's vocals. Some songs, like 'Feels Hz' and 'Nobody: Me:' make it borderline impossible to comprehend the lyrics because of the overwhelming mixing. Regardless, aesthetic and a psychedelic aura run deep on Pet Shimmers' enthusiastic debut. A face of their own in the already-entrenched Neo-Psychedelia scene would help them stand apart.
B
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2020 | Art Pop | Listen
A CAPRICIOUS WAIF TRAPPED IN A CLOSETED SPACE
What I was primarily worried about for Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, after hearing its two sterling singles, regrettably came true. Hope for evolution in Perfume Genius' aesthetic was even higher this go around, taking into considering 2019's pair of loosies, 'Eye In The Wall' and 'Pop Song,' creating a four-track run of singles unmatched in quality and Pop brilliance. But once again, like Too Bright and No Shape, illustrious singles provide the smokescreen for an album that's largely comfortable in a safe zone of fragility and reticence. And yet, barring the red herrings that - like 'Queen' and 'Grid' on the former album, 'Slip Away' and 'Wreath' on the latter - stand staunch as the LP's best material, Perfume Genius manages to eclipse criticism of complacency through sheer talent.
Unlike his previous works, especially since coming into his own on Too Bright, the distinction between greatness and abject contrition is vast on Set My Heart On Fire. It's almost by design, as Perfume Genius battles a back-and-forth tug-of-war for fans who appreciate his liberating Art Pop and those who prefer the modest, affecting Singer/Songwriter. Readers of mine can predict which side I prefer. Tracks like 'Whole Life,' 'Without You,' 'Nothing At All,' and especially 'On The Floor' proudly flaunt Mike Hadreas' ingenuity when it comes to re-shaping Pop for a generation in-tune with their flamboyant freedom of expression. Some, like 'Whole Life' or 'Jason,' draw comparisons to 2019's AOTY, Angel Olsen's All Mirrors, for their delicate yet demanding take on orchestral extravagance.
On the flip side though, there's endeavors like 'Leave,' 'Moonbend,' 'Just A Touch,' and 'Borrowed Light' that reduce the production techniques meant to heighten Perfume Genius' aptitude, stripping components in an effort to expose a weeping, sensitive soul in the process. It's bland, empty, and with a voice that's been perfected to crack and mourn, sounds routine and systematic. We've heard these instances dotting Perfume Genius' career, be it 'Braid,' 'All Along,' and any number of tracks pre-Too Bright. As long as there's more extreme, expressive, and emphatic songwriters in the genre elsewhere - one of whom, Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, is impersonated here on 'Leave' - Hadreas' repeated trips to his desolate inner-plight rarely stands out from the crowd.
Which is why 'Describe's' singularity cuts most severely. We're five months into 2020 and no song has bested it. It's a masterstroke of creativity, a beaming Shoegaze undertaking with the guttural force of a thousand trapped souls, the textbook definition of how to evolve as an artist. Combined with the commanding, though slightly disappointing, Ambient outro, 'Describe' is a song like none other in Perfume Genius' discography. It draws similarities to Beach House's 'Sparks,' a lead single that, after a steady career comforted by Dream Pop, emerged as a palpable Shoegaze force that sideswiped any who came in with clear expectations. 'Describe' isn't entirely alone though, as 'Nothing At All' and the epic middling portion of 'Some Dream' come equip with the Noise-ridden restlessness witnessed there. The impact just isn't as grand. But it's better than the tedious Singer/Songwriter dirges that shield their eyes from such liberation.
B
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Wisely profiting off the success of All Together Now!, an album that came out a mere five months before Besides, Chance デラソウル is positioning himself as the isolated figure of the Future Funk scene. With ebullient Alternative Dance largely vacant and The Avalanches seemingly straying from their Plunderphonics roots, the role of resurgent in the celebration-of-life aesthetic is up for grabs. Even more so than All Together Now!, Besides follows in the steps of giants, riffling through indiscriminate sample splicing with ease, powering the motor for 30 minutes with untenable percussion. It reminds me of Girl Talk's variant of Mashup, just not as overt and desperate for attention with their use of top 40 hits.
Besides is a people-pleaser that feels natural, fervent, and enticing, though the lack of pacing and variation prevents greatness from shining through the seams. Thus far, that is easily Chance デラソウル's largest setback: His inability to diversify, in tone, delivery, and tempo. Singling out songs is impossible, because they all attest to the same, niche aesthetic. The inexhaustible structuring, which smashes tracks together as if listeners were involved in a sort of endurance dance party, makes idiosyncrasies even more difficult to discern. 'By My Window' is the only notable fixture, for it features a prominent sample of 'Reach For Tomorrow' by Handsomeboy Technique (off the under-appreciated gem Terrestrial Tone Cluster, a prime influence for Chance デラソウル. And while much of the record dabbles in The Avalanches' Plunderphonics circa Since I Left You, there are moments towards the end when the tranquility of Wildflower's more reflective points arise. This is due to the extended Spoken Word additions on 'It's Not That Easy' and 'Let's Groove Again Sometime,' the former reminding me of 'Saturday Night Inside Out.'
Overall, Besides is a record that's impossible to hate. It's designed, from the ground up, to prey off the innate human desire for rhythm. However, the lack of fluctuation corners Chance デラソウル into being labelled a one-trick pony, something that, for the betterment of his career longevity, he'd be best off trying to escape.
C
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It's too avant-garde for this statement to ring entirely true, but Fax Gang's identity-asserting debut FxG3000 plays like a broadcast from the future. A distant future where genres have blended to a point beyond reason or convention, the crystal-clear clarity of Bubblegum Bass, Wonky, or UK Bass - genres typically affiliated with the future - refuted by alarming compression, piss poor mixing management, and static introduced as Noise without the means, or desire, to remove it. With five simple tracks, Fax Gang have essentially introduced a new sound and style, one that this underground collective from the Philippines should be proud of. The head-spinning usage of Trance, with BPM's incapable of dancing to, along with the choice preference of aesthetic over substance when it comes to PK Shellboy's vocals, only reinforces Fax Gang's attempt at colonizing a cyberpunk party scene ripe for the conjuring.
This doesn't mean FxG3000 is a legendary project, more so a placement for advancement and exploration to be had. I'm reminded of TNGHT's self-titled debut, a similar five-track EP that had an instantaneous mark on Hip-Hop production, forever implanting itself ahead of its time. There are moments on FxG3000 where aesthetic merges less with artistry and more with typical Trap formations, namely 'Centrifuge;' the EP's worst track. 'Jailbroken' is similar, though more liberal considering it sides with the 100 gecs (1000 gecs) and Gupi's (None) of the world. However, the final three endeavors - 'Breathe2 (In / Out),' 'Soaked,' and 'Jeopardy' - all do something fascinating and truly original. Be it the 8-Bit synthesizer work on 'Breathe2,' the unilateral rhyme schemes of PK Shellboy on 'Soaked,' or the brooding, black hole swallowing production at the epicenter of 'Jeopardy,' FxG3000 is never remiss for ideas.
There's another, even more peculiar comparison Fax Gang's sound reminds me of, and it's a similar underground case study of amateur musicians with limited means of expression, envisioning a style years from surfacing; N.O.D.'s 1996 Memphis Rap concoction Niggaz Of Destruction. For those unaware, listen to 'Fugitives' and you'll see what I mean. Decades before Cloud Rap was a thing, N.O.D. consummated the sound only because their opportunities were restricted. I can see the same thing coming to define Fax Gang and FxG3000.
B-
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