The EP is like an album's younger sibling. It is shorter than most typical collections of tracks, yet can sometimes be just as satisfying.
Well, here we go. This'll be a nice, short one, as is the case for many an EP.
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With their War album series in near sight, orchestral indie pop band The Family Crest set out to tease us with some songs that could be a solid taster of what we are to expect. I tell you what, this thing is lush and catchy, managing to bring strings and brass instrumentation into dance grooves resulting in some of their most endearing songs yet. The sense of wonder and awe on "Sparks" and "Mirror Love" are just as strong as their infectious rhythms.
Ulver's dive into gothic synth pop on The Assassination of Julius Caesar turned out well in that they pulled off Depeche Mode better than even Depeche Mode themselves could during the year. In what is a three track EP, they show off some fantastic material in this same vein, finishing off bravely with a grand cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Power of Love". Sure, it's campy, but the camp is what makes it so fun. Grooves still alive and atmosphere shrouding me in a mist of intrigue.
Hardcore Punk
A ten-minute burst of punk rock angst, fronted and performed by one guy who had a bit of anger to vent off. Not something to listen to in a library, but certainly something to help let off some steam.
Industrial Hip-Hop, Digital Hardcore
But of course! Who else?
Death Grips crank up the BPMs and continue to push the limits of their manic, scatterbrained digital hardcore-inspired material with a 22-minute megamix that sounds so outlandish and frenzied it could be the soundtrack for a bullet hell level in a space shooter battle game scene or something insane like that. I like it a lot, and MC Ride is always able to keep up with those tempos! It's stunning.
Just remember that no matter how many memes and mystery lie behind Death Grips' name, they still crank out genuinely surprising and exciting music each and every time.
Earlier in the way, my occasional Bandcamp scavenge caused me to stumble across a sweet garage rock and post-punk inspired indie band from Madrid, Spain. It's hard to describe much else other than how well-oiled the results are. This thing is just so damn fun.
Synthwave
I couldn't really describe these as 'waves' of synths, as they crash so heavily. I feel like I'm being blasted out of my seat into the distance when one pummels into the scene. Perturbator produce some of the best synth-wave music of the year with nasty grooves that rock and roll me, back and forth.
Techno, Electroclash
To carry on the 'nasty', this record is flat-out filthy. Some of the dirtiest techno music I've heard all year, really sounding like each cerebral, pulsating beat is coming from the inside of my head.
Alternative R&B, Art Pop
With the assistance of Clarence Clarity at the production table, Rina Sawayama bursts onto the scene with sass, channeling old-school R&B in a way that also sounds futuristic and utopian. At times I'll be floating in a dreamy hold ("Tunnel Vision"), at others I'll be given a flurry of chills when the bridge of "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome" washes over me, and aside from being an absolute banger, "Take Me As I Am" makes me want to watch Kim Possible on television again. Rina is an artist to keep an eye on for new material, as I think totally that she'll be bringing out more and more creative and colourful pop music to wow the crowds.
Hardcore Hip-Hop
This EP is only thirteen minutes, but considering its stark quality it means only that you have no excuse to not listen to it. Curry spits killer flows over a set of savage, dirty, grimy instrumentals that are so caked in the dirt that they sound like the musical equivalent to the 'before' image in a Bam! And The Dirt Is Gone commercial.
Pop Rap, West Coast Hip-Hop
However, Arizona hip-hop trio Injury Reserve were the takers of the spotlight when it came to nasty hip-hop releases for this year. The year before, the group had wowed many with their bombastic and ridiculously fun Floss, and the year before that it was the jazzy and laid-back Live At the Dentist Office that provided the bops.
What differs Drive It Like It's Stolen from the others is that it is nocturnal. Moody. Hushed. Even the catchiest songs here like "See You Sweat" have a whispered hook, yet ring with no less of an assertiveness and boldness. The confidence these guys have is spectacular, and even more appreciable when they expose their personal stories on slow, cold, devastating tracks like "North Pole", or crank up the twisted urgency on "Boom (x3)". Lyrically, the group even stun me with the colour-themed concept on the fittingly titled "Colors", and the strange, minimal, off-kilter beat that opens up the album with "TenTenths" beckons me in more than it does turn me away.
These guys are proving themselves to be one of the most worthwhile hip-hop groups out there, worth your every minute that they spit a line at a mic, whether it be for the kicks and entertainment, or to boldly teach you a lesson in rhythmic storytelling. I adore this release and it proves the staggering talent of this trio in tandem as Parker Corey's production bumps to the core, Steppa J. Groggs steps to the center stage and Ritchie "With A T" is once again one of the ritchest personalities in hip-hop right now... yes, "richest" with a T.
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