Weekly Review: Death Grips – No Love Deep Web
this week for the weekly review, we’re taking a look at No Love Deep Web, the 2012 record from Death Grips.
Come Up and Get Me kicks things off with a consistent vibe for the record – mildly discordant, heavy synths some breakneck percussion, and and frantic, paranoid lyrics. p good start. “life as a fuck” really is iconic though. Lil Boy does some interesting contrast work, like with that first verse and the extremely stripped back electronic tones and just Ride’s voice. at the end of the day this track is not one im super fond of though. oooh No Love is a masterpiece though. those heavy electronic tones that come in waves through the song, and Ride’s vocal delivery throughout are great. plus, lyrically, describing that hollowed out and strung out state, its good. Black Dice does some interesting stuff but ill be honest it doesnt do a ton for me. though that might be because of the songs its wedged between. i def had a phase a couple years ago where World of Dogs had a place in my regular listening. something about working a shit job at shit hours for shit pay really makes you feel like you live in a world of dogs. anyway i cant say no to this track now, haha. Lock Your Doors has a really good hook to it, and i really like the crowd cheering applied here, haha. good track. Whammy is fast and relentless – i like Ride’s flow on the verses a lot. Hunger Games is mellower, overall, but dang if those choruses arent great. Deep Web completes the album title – some fun lyrical bits here, lol. even after only heaving Stockton a few times years ago, i STILL get that “i’m bouncin” hook stuck DEEP in my brain. Pop’s a neat critique on other acts – i like the ephemeral tones over the choruses a lot, which is funny given pop’s focus on catchy hooks, haha. Bass Rattles Stars Out the Sky is another track i dont have a ton to say about. Artificial Death In the West is the final track, and damn it sure is a closer. its a much more pensive track than a lot of what comes before – feels like a fitting way to wrap things up after the journey of track on the rest of the record, haha.
faves – No Love, World of Dogs
dislikes –
before the Year of the Snitch, itd been a bit since i sat down with some Grips. while i do like the band quite a bit, i admittedly have a fairly surface level appreciation, and its cause WOW these tracks EFFECT you. there is a consistent, like, heaviness to their work and they are extremely talented at cultivating a mood. a mood where you’re frantic and stressed to a breaking point, which normally requires i be in a specific brainspace to put on Death Grips for enjoyment, haha.
that being said, this record succeeds immensely on both having an incredible ride (heh) and dragging you to the point where you can see it. i have basically no experience living the lifestyle Ride describes through the record, but damn if this isnt a cogent window into a very specific mental state. a lot of that is Ride’s signature delivery and the intricate lyrics, but i really like how varied the synths and stuff are here. i also tried to take a closer listen to the percussionon this visit with the record, and i was not disappointed.
plus, you gotta love a record that got TWO songs on Bojack Horseman.
No Love Deep Web – 8/10
next week, i’ll be listening to something real neat: Moonage Lobotomy – A Hylics 2 Musical Expansion – it’s some tracks by Chuck Salamone, the musician behind the Hylics 2 soundtrack, with some additional tracks to support the soundtrack. i really dug Hylics so i’m excited to check it out. i’ll be back next Friday, March 3rd with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)
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