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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Exclaim!

Though radically different in execution, The Powers That B is a compelling look at the band's ability to work with sounds both minimal and monumental, while containing some of their most riveting lyrical and musical work in recent memory.

90
The Needle Drop

Death Grips finally completes an immense double album with the release of Jenny Death, assembling two very different--but satisfying--releases in the DG discography.

83
Pretty Much Amazing

That’s not a detraction of Niggas on the Moon — it doesn’t feel like less, just different — but more a comment on the relationship between form and content and praise for Jenny Death, which represents another step forward for Death Grips, a group that seems to have walked over the horizon and out of sight albums ago.

70
musicOMH

The second half, Jenny Death, is better. A lot better. It’s perched far closer to the edge of apocalypse, a pinhead upon which Death Grips seem far more at home.

70
PopMatters

The Powers That B is a collection of music explicitly without a thesis, and while that’s fine, it’s harder to place in the scheme of things.

70
Spin

Their squashed dynamics leave the dissonances in the gutter, and except for maybe “I Break Mirrors,” it’s hard to differentiate the highlights from the chaff. 

60
AllMusic

Half esoteric and half essential, The Powers That B is comprised of Niggas on the Moon, a strange, short album where guest Björk was sampled as her vocals collided with Death Grips' own MC Ride, and Jenny Death, a more traditional Death Grips LP which sounds like where they were heading, rather than just outtakes and leftovers.

DonCorleone
100

My favorite color is oh my god bitch

BradTasteMusic
92

Both sides combine into this experimental journey like no other. It is not an easy listen, but god damn is it a journey. I have to thanks this album for getting me liking Bottomless Pit which I previously couldn't stand.

luna128
80

am i fucking nuts or does the scratching on the fixture say "death grips"

Davidfrangipane
95

NIGGAS ON THE MOON
Up My Sleeves: 10/10
Billy Not Really: 9.5/10
Black Quarterback: 9.2/10
Say Hey Kid: 9.0/10
Have a Sad Cum BB: 8.8/10
Fuck Me Out: 8.3/10
Voila: 8.6/10
Big Dipper: 9.0/10
JENNY DEATH
I Break Mirrors With My Face In the United States: 10/10
Inanimate Sensation: 10/10
Turned Off: 10/10
Why a Bitch Gotta Lie: 10/10
Pss Pss: 9.3/10
The Powers That B: 10/10
Beyond Alive: 10/10
Centuries of Damn: 10/10
On GP: 10/10
Death Grips 2.0: 9.0/10

KINGS OF NOISE ROCK!!!

Eveeja
92

Im noided

Sinjei
95

Wow. What a journey...

This is Death Grips' most ambitious project yet. Fusing both their EPs into a full length album clocking in at around 1h 20mins. The Powers That B is a step forward for Death Grips, leaving their signature style from their first 2 records and evolving into a new type of writing, something that I really resepct from an artist as it shows how far they have come since their debut.

The Powers That B is a journey to say the least... While Volume 2 is definitely the stronger ... read more

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Track List

Niggas on the Moon
1Up My Sleeves
5:16
94
2Billy Not Really
3:48
93
3Black Quarterback
2:59
91
4Say Hey Kid
3:27
90
5Have a Sad Cum BB
3:39
86
6Fuck Me Out
3:20
79
7Voila
3:28
85
8Big Dipper
5:27
88
Jenny Death
1I Break Mirrors With My Face In the United States
2:40
93
2Inanimate Sensation
6:04
95
3Turned Off
4:37
93
4Why a Bitch Gotta Lie
4:40
92
5Pss Pss
4:33
88
6The Powers That B
5:32
94
7Beyond Alive
6:07
90
8Centuries of Damn
5:32
92
9On GP
6:07
98
10Death Grips 2.0
3:19
81
Total Length: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Year End Lists

#2/The Needle Drop
#75/Rough Trade
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Added on: January 4, 2015