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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food house gives me Lil Boat nightmares. That feeling, on the third listen or so, when it starts to click and I fear for my sanity. What's the point in analyzing thousands of albums, tens of thousands of songs, if something so trivial, infectious, and inane keeps me coming back for more? The only reason 1000 gecs hasn't been mentioned yet, despite the immediate comparisons, is because I'm still undecided on the total asininity on display there. What excites on food house, and allows Gupi and Fraxiom the opportunity to shed their 'Thos Moser' one-hit wonder denomination, is a surprising level of sincerity. Be it humorous or alarming, Frax's lyrical schizophrenia works wonders attached to Gupi's lowbrow, fustian style of beat-making. Take standout '8 Now,' where Frax blurts out "I need to delete Twitter cause it gives me fucking mental illness," or '51129' where a melodic hook pleads for relational connections ("stabilize, stabilize, stabilize, recognize / I have so much more about you to learn"). This isn't all memes. It's a zoomer, dangerously in touch with chic trends, attempting to reach out behind a counterfeit facade.
Granted, the neurotic nature of food house - like the swarm of their Hyperpop counterparts - inherently guarantees strident grasps at provocation that fail to be anything above tuneless. Here, it's 'Sole,' 'Curses' and 'Clown Nose,' three abysmal cuts celebrating incoherency, ratcheting up the sonic inconsonance like nails on a chalkboard. The fascination emerges when, on a whim, food house flip approaches without a care as to which one deems reproach. The five-track run from 'Ride' to 'Mos Thoser' nail the Bubblegum Bass aesthetic, balancing hysteria with transmittable moments you'll soon find yourself muttering while washing the dishes or doing the laundry. However, if it weren't for 'Pharmacy,' an absolute Trap Metal showstopper with fantastic flows and an aggressive charm, food house's latter half would've been a graveyard of exhausted stimulants. 'Metal' needn't exist with the former already in place, 'Foresight' drags in Noise with minimal payoff, and the 'Curses' and 'Clown Nose,' well, yeah. That being said, the fact food house is as good as it is, with 'Thos Moser' not even in-sight, deserves applause. Because let me tell you, meme music is hard to appreciate.
C+
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2020 | Shoegaze | Listen
FACE DOWN IN THE GARDEN, SWARMED BY LOCUSTS
On the surface, and below, your run-of-the-mill Noise Pop outfit. Nothing here really strays from the norm, apart from the male and female vocalists parlaying lead duties. Gooey hooks, shredding riffs, and a nonchalant attitude. Normally I dislike every vacuous My Bloody Valentine comparison people make with any Shoegaze artist, and while it's not entirely the case on Ringo Deathstarr, one can't deny the similarities with 'Gazin,' 'Once Upon A Freak,' and a few other moments here and there. They're executed admirably, but that's party because they're mimicking legends. When Ringo Deathstarr is left to their own devices, the result is dubious at best.
Some tracks, like 'Just Like You' and 'The Same Again,' are lost in the mire of transfixion, pouring noise onto the platter without any rhyme or reason. Elsewhere, they manage better with proper pacing and self-restraint, like the Lida Husik-esque 'Disease' or the gargantuan dreamland spree on closer 'Cotton Candy Clouds.' Here, comparisons to Sleigh Bells can be felt, with that supple mixture of near-Metal guitars and gasping Dream Pop vocals. Another personal favorite, and one that I'd argue best exemplifies Ringo Deathstarr's style, is 'Lazy Lane.' Lyrically, there's no objective, as Elliott Frazier digs into Shoegaze's comatose with certain self-awareness ("I'll be lazin' round on lazy lane / Cuz I can't think of anything better to do"), coming off similar to The Jesus & Mary Chain. Beyond those examples are a modicum of average, uneventful, vanilla-level Shoegaze. Nothing particularly harmful, yet few things to ride home about as well.
C-
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Moisturize me. On ALIAS, shygirl unleashes her innermost desires; sexual and gluttonous. Sure, Cruel Practice had these in spades, but there were diversions in which shygirl approached other, nearby topics ('O,' 'Gush'). Here, it's a full-blown orgy, as tracks littered with debauchery and filth take to clubs currently in quarantined recess, 'SLIME' and 'FREAK' two solid examples. "Bad bitches always have to keep their hands wet" she snouts on the former, while the latter's distorted breakdown makes a declarative demand: "Do me right here on the floor." For those seeking sexual arousal in the form of an intimidating presence, ALIAS will surely do the trick. For those expecting shygirl's flows to capriole across eccentric Experimental Hip-Hop with sights on future House trends, disappointments will not be had. This is another no-brainer, an assertion that shygirl's gearing up for alt-stardom. Though, on the whole, with so-so tracks like 'SLIME' and 'BAWDY' adding to an already short tracklist, it doesn't eclipse Cruel Practice's verism.
B-
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