GutterPutter

Nas – Magic (24 December 2021)

After 20 years’ worth of making albums that sees him rise up from the failures of Nastradamus without reaching up to the highs of Illmatic, it seems like he managed to concoct himself a formula for success. In his third collaboration with producer Hit-Boy only months after King’s Disease II, Magic sees Nas tend to his usual mix of braggadocio, tales, retro highlights, & pretty poignant bars on top of soulful, traditional beats. Tracks like ‘Wave Gods’ or ‘Dedicated’ always threaten a slap back into his prime of the 90s with a nice featured verse from A$AP Rocky for the former. Yet, the beats does at times feel like it’s more of a backdrop for Nas’s verses compared to the previous effort & the subjects matters might not be delivered in a way that’s as enthusiastic. Fans of the rapper will be pleased to know that the literary part of him is still there every now & then, but maybe it lacks the certain creativity that makes him wow in all fronts & angles. 3.6/5

Arca – KICK ii (30 November 2021)

Released as a part of the KICK series which is a quintet, KICK ii is… pretty all over the place as far as wordings go. Reggaeton & industrial influences is at play here & thanks to its adventurous experimentations, it can land with some incredibly catchy rhythms. However, there are times where the glitchiness & the overt electronica can at times make the album a certified headache to listen all the way through. This is apparent in tracks like ‘Araña’ which, as hard as it tries to flex on the solid production, came off as being a step away from inducing tinnitus & I do not mean it positively at all. Other times, the songs do lose a hypnotic feeling & due to that, it ends up feeling dull to try & listen. If you love post-industrial pop or you’re a fan of the avant-garde, then this is right up your alley. The other parts is more complicated & it depends on the little bits of your music tastes. 3/5

Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa (11 February 2022)

At this point, there are three things that is certain in life: death, taxes, & Spoon releasing a solid banger. The brainchild of guitarist-singer-songwriter Britt Daniel & drummer-producer Jim Eno have all but mastered their practical mix of memorable lines & hooks with an ear of riffs & succulent production that gives voice to all of the instruments & adds a bit more flavour. Exchanging their attempt to diversify in 2017’s Hot Thought in favour of going back to their old roots in exploratory alternative rock, hits like ‘Wild’, ‘The Hardest Cut’, & ‘Astral Jacket’ are the kind of songs that you would find in adverts or television shows that radiates its own personality. One aspect that I feel that people tend to overlook is on the dynamic songwriting that not only enables all of the points that I’ve mentioned, but it also helps to cement what makes Spoon so distinct, yet paradoxically comparable, to the sum of its influences. Just remember that it’s not a groundbreaking scene changer & you’ll just be in it for the ride. 4.3/5

OG Keemo – Mann beisst Hund (7 January 2022)

The German MC’s latest outing combines his deep voice & a rather smooth cadence with trap beats & a conceptual focus on the inner primality in mankind (through translation if you wanted to read it through). The comparison between man & dogs as the chief motif, when you also throw in commentaries surrounding the problems that is going around in Germany, makes for one harsh whole that could leave you intimidated & thinking. It might not be a most abundant record in the world nor is it the most out-there, but it’s honest in its intent & provides a punch for old-heads to enjoy. Recommended for fans of Western European hip hop in a different language. 4/5

Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You (11 February 2022)

The American critical darling in folk rock is back with an outing that is intimate & packed with some fantastical production & instrumentation that is reminiscent of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. The hushed vocal performance from Adrianne Lenker shows a leaning towards the poppier side of folk music & while there are some parts of the song structures that I find to be lacking in going beyond the chorus-verse-chorus template, the album is ultimately pleasing to the ear for certain. If there is one big problem that pervades the record however, it’s that with a whopping 20 track runtime which leads to 80 minutes’ worth of duration, you’ll stumble upon extraordinary highlights like the Weepies-esque ‘Simulation Swarm’ – that’s separated by a couple of more forgettable tracks that might not be in your radar for a while. 3.8/5

deathcrash – Return (28 January 2022)

Slintcore post-rock with less unusual riffs & more sluggishness of slowcore. Being said to be one of the opening acts for Black Country, New Road during their 2021 touring with a nice record deal as a result, the band’s introspective & wearied tone, when combined with a loud-quiet dynamic that especially calls forth the climax of ‘Good Morning, Captain’ from Spiderland, makes the comparison with one of the forefathers of the genre near-inevitable. Yet, there is a certain conventionality to the sound that ensures that it doesn’t feel like a flat-out rip-off. The overt similarity puts me off every now & then, but it’s the exact same thing that glues me in in other times (weirdly enough) & when the crescendo comes in, it can feel like a marvel to listen to. Go for it if you love some Slint tribute band. 3.5/5

40 Watt Sun – Perfect Light (21 January 2022)

Accompanied primarily by a guitar & a deep singing voice in the forefront, Perfect Light got the spirit when it comes to trying to nail down the slowcore essence. However, the way that the mentioned traits work in practice feels… strange if I may so say? The lyrical content lacks a certain for an emotional punch & the cadence of the vocal performance, due to the baritone inflection, can make it feel a bit too melodramatic. Arguably the biggest strength of the album is that it mixes the chamber instrumentation of the piano with the slow-paced you-know-what which harkens back to Carissa’s Wierd – a crossover that I tend to welcome with open hearts. Aside from that, you’re welcome to listen to it if you’re hardcore on slowcore, but do be warned that it does sound sentimental to a fault. 2.1/5

Pan Daijing – Tissues (21 January 2022)

Originally made from an opera performance in 2019, this one-track run takes on a left-field turn through post-industrial sounds, a strong sense of ambience, & perchance an eeriness of mortality. Expect a lot of singing in a mezzo-soprano tone, but with repetitive piano notes, overdubbed vocal performance from other singers that leans more on enunciation than wordings, & a good portion of the album to take on creepy drone effects. Music as art? Proven time & time again & in this instance, that’s the leaning that it ends up securing even if it does mean that the appeal towards a slightly wider audience might not be recognised. 3.9/5

Yard Act – The Overload (21 January 2022)

The instrumental is the one constant that I really, really enjoy as the way that it’s very rhythmic & danceable as well. Pay attention to it & you’ll find the bass & the guitar suave in the way that it’s been played. Sadly the spoken-word vocal delivery from James Smith is obnoxious & however solid the synergy in the other parts of the music is, tracks like ‘Rich’ is a middle finger towards the socio-political issues in the UK without the wittiness & the wordplays that makes the theme enjoyable. The issue that I have with the vocal performance is so apparent, that it holds back the potential of the whole record. If you love yourself some British post-punk, then this one is yours to take a hearing, but do keep a notice that I find it to be pretty overhyped. Feels like LCD Soundsystem at home if we’re talking about the thesis. 2/5

Animal Collective – Time Skiffs (4 February 2022)

One of the most legendary acts in the US indie scene is back both with renewed motivation & with all 4 members collaborating. With a love for heavy reverberations & indebted in experimentation to the Beach Boys’ prime, Time Skiffs retains the psychedelic futurism of many of AnCo’s previous projects while finding new grounds to explore. I do admit that because of how deep they are in the studio tinkering process, there are some duds that I find to be both too overproduced & more dependent on the style than on the substance as per say. However, it’s not everyday that you get to listen to singles like ‘Prester John’ which blends in vocal harmonies with an ever-so-kaleidoscopic variety of instrumentation. It ain’t much, but it’s a certain return to form for fans to enjoy. 3.7/5

The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Summer at Land’s End (21 January 2022)

There’s overproduction where tinkering the sounds through the studio recording makes the whole thing too disorientating to enjoy. & then you have this. I could barely stand the sound of it, attempts to conjure the sense of romance when it unironically reeks of co-dependency & I mean that with every fibre of my will. The echoey vocal performance is pure tediousness & in some tracks like the titular one, you are going to hate on Beach House for popularising the strong reverberations that rings all the way throughout this record. Endure if you want some dream pop because as far as I know, this one is drear pop. 1.3/5

A Place to Bury Strangers – See Through You (4 February 2022)

This noisy post-punk band with a bit of following thanks to their shoegaze sprinkles have this outing & as far as impression goes, it has an unfortunate mix of badass spectacles like ‘I’m Hurt’ – & a horde of second-rate, weirdly mixed fillers in them. When it hits right, the textures is intimidating & the mechanised riffs helped to produce a sound that is seldom heard of from all around the scene. The main issue I find is that for every electrifying highlight there is, the rest feels like they’re only a mere thoughtpiece with little diversion from the song structure, lyrically uninteresting, & the production that blares out too much to a fault. If you love sounds that could make you a bit deaf, rock on. Otherwise, it’s not exactly the shiniest apple in the world. 1.8/5

Mydreamfever – Rough and Beautiful Place (1 January 2022)

The side project from the individual behind Parannoul takes on an ambient & tranquil album that’s informed by neoclassical new age instrumentation. It’s peaceful & got a lush sound from the piano in tracks like ‘Moment Is Now’ or the end of ‘Ether’. The rest struggle a bit to play around the gorgeous piano & as a result, the cumulative effect of the record feels a bit superficially emotional & more just ‘aesthetically’ beautiful. This results in a listening experience that is quite pleasing to the ear & nothing more. Check it out if you don’t mind some modern classical sounds. 2.5/5

Red Vox – Visions (14 January 2022)

For a bit of context, Vinny from Vinesauce (yes, that Vinny) is the frontman & the creative force behind this band! If you’re expecting childish comedy rock, then you’ll be sorely mistaken. This album is a by-the-book alternative rock with particular strains from jangle pop & psychedelia & the final result is alright. I admire the echoey effects & the singing is not all that bad, the certain crooning in fact has its own charm that adds to the personality of the album. Compared to bands that I love like Spoon however, the emphasis placed on creative sound effects & studio manipulation does mask over what is otherwise a typical rock album with the riffs not being out-of-the-box & the lyricism of course not fanciful or hilarious. Albeit, it’s a kind of rock album that is pretty good-ish in the end & I’ll take it. Fans of Vinesauce could enjoy this side project from one of the most influential streamers of all time. 3/5