SuppliedDeath Grips
The Powers That B
Third Worlds
Thirdworlds.net
Every nightmare needs a song to accompany it, and every bad acid trip needs a soundtrack. Hip-hop project Death Grips provides just that with their latest double release The Powers That B. Armed with a variety of influences ranging from punk to industrial rock to rap, Death Grips is an experimental powerhouse.
Part one of The Powers That B comes in the form of Niggas on the Moon, a sonic punch to the face ridden with insane percussion, crazy time signature changes, and vocal samples coming from none other than Bjork. Niggas on the Moon relies heavily on powerful percussion mixed with trance-inducing tempo changes, building up the beat aggressively only to drop it on its face right before the climax.
The opening track “I Break Mirrors With My Face In The United States” sets the tone for all of Jenny Death. Gone are the Bjork samples, and instead Death Grips pummels the listener with even more aggressive drums and pounding synthesizers. MC Ride’s borderline-unintelligible words are still hard and fast as always, but vocals see a renewed sense of importance on Jenny Death. Introducing guitar into the mix gives Death Grips a more industrial edge on Jenny Death, drawing huge contrast from the musical tropes that carried Niggas on the Moon.
Some may dismiss the Powers That B as screaming accompanied by absent-mindedly aggressive drums, working only to exist as performance art and nothing more. Death Grips is approaching an exciting new world with The Powers That B, tossing aside the confines of genre and structural form to create a sonic experience like no other.
