A cross-stitch of a million layers and lights. Compared to the already hyper-refined Veteran the year prior, this record somehow manages to sound even *more* plugged in and mulled over. Peggy’s focus on political and forward-thinking bars are always matched by the ambitious production. A sonic whirlwind
Brash & abrasive, even by Peggy’s standards. The 27 Club is an eternal Peggy essential, and even though I’d consider this his weakest core LP, it says a lot to the quality of his discography that it’s still in the green
Produced with a hyper-clean sheen, making for a definitely ‘futuristic’ listen- I just couldn’t help but feel the project goes for style over substance just a bit too often for my liking
Peggy hones in the forward-thinking production on his prior DH projects to a point of swift mastery, resulting in a Proto-Vaporwave project that’s astoundingly free-flowing
Charli Baltimore + Pizzicato Five are DH’s best cuts along with Neon Kitchen to this point- the remaining cuts really just don’t need to be here
A regression from JOECHILLWORLD in just about every way, though the beats still remain a notable highlight
Production wise, lots of improvement from Peggy’s DH debut- the mixing sounds a lot more thoughtful this time around and the beats across the board are far and away the strongest component here. That said- still not a huge fan of his delivery. It sounds like it’s going for an almost old-school Tribe-ish type of flow? But it ends up just clashing with the airier, more abstract beats for me
A project nothing short of bizarre, and in comparison I’d say the most bizarre among Peggy’s entire discography. Nearly every other project he’s ever made sounds frenetic and unkempt, but in an easily apparent and intentional way- I’m not so sure if that’s the case here. The mixing sounds super fuzzed out in a way that really adds nothing to the at-times decent beats on display. An odd beginning for one of abstract’s most vital contemporaries
DB takes the sheer calamity of Atrocity Exhibition and injects some old-school fun into the equation, resulting in a project that’s still sonically sporadic while feeling noticeably lighter on the heart. What Id consider to be the best entry point to DB’s discography- enough zaniness to know what he’s all about, while not feeling completely… eclectic, for the runtime
A handful of weak tracks stick out on this record like a sore thumb, keeping it from being in the DB hall of fame- trap is just a sound that waters down his eccentricities too much if you ask me. The hits here are indeed hits though
The first truly essential DB project. All the core tenets of his personality and ethos- evocative imagery, vocal shenanigans, some of the most brutally visceral storytelling in hip-hop history- are all present here. The egg’s cracked open
Danny Brown and Black Milk make for a solid team on this frenetic little mixtape. Though the project never *quite* hits full stride, Zap + the closer are essentials for either’s discography
Begins to lean just a bit more toward oddball territory, though I oddly think this one has aged a bit worse than Hot Soup
Danny Brown before he became *Danny Brown*. The occasional flash of his soon-to-develop oddball, untamed spirit shows up, but for the most part this is a shockingly-strait-laced boom-bap project. Not bad at all, just astoundingly sterilized in comparison to Danny’s other works
Mount Eerie + Elverum’s latest feels in many ways like a revisiting of his early abstract works, where the sonic direction of the project constantly fluctuates between subtle calm and deeply un-subtle calamity- it makes for a wonderful reunion of Elverum’s roots and where he’s at now after a decade of unfathomable loss and tribulation
Perhaps the ultimate reflective piece from an artist known for their astutely enchanting and puzzling observations on life and the human condition. Musically, the simple nature of the vast majority being just two chords slowly unveils itself as being *necessary* for Elverum's story-telling. Elverum's thesis as not only a creative, but as a human being is taken to such great depths here, and it's nothing short of deeply fascinating
Lost Wisdom Pt. 2 has the awkward role of being Elverum’s first record to come after his grief-stricken duology from the prior two years, though this is by all accounts still some solid folk
The type of live recording whose very existence is mind-boggling. (after) is very likely the most reverent audience ever captured in a live recording, no doubt due to the incomprehensibly vulnerable material on display. Despite the weaving melodies here, Elverum doesn’t stutter even *once*. How could he when he lived and experienced every word said here in slow-motion?
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Recent Review Comments
On Jalen Ngonda - Doctrine of Love
"@Shayden 100% agree, it’s a throwback record done right"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 yeah I def get what you mean. Pac’s cadence and energy is so infectious for me I was able to look past the production being relatively ‘one-note’, even though like you said it is excellent production. That’s an excellent analogy"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 that's a fair critique, I will say flow is not Pac's strongsuit, though a lot of people would probably disagree with that. The production is pretty much perfect here imo but it is definitely uniform across the record so I could see it growing stale if G-Funk adjacent stuff isn't as much your bag"
On David Bowie - David Bowie [Space Oddity]
"@usur_disc350 I’ll admit I’ve not revisited this much at all in the last couple years, but I’ll definitely stand by it having several great cuts beyond the title track"
On usur_disc350's review of McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
"Honestly, really well put. I still have this rated pretty highly but I'd say I feel similarly, there's a sheen over this style of 'indie rap' that's starting to feel like the sheen that's covered a large bulk of indie rock the past decade (post-Mac if you will), it's a sheen of homogenization. Hadn't really put much thought to it until now but I think this absolutely hits the nail on the head, and is probably why despite there being so much 'good' hip-hop nowadays, the bulk of it feels like one big swirl of sameness. Excellent take"
On susquatch - Water Plant
"@Rileone it is yeah but it’s also definitely math rock too"
On Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. - The King & I
"@TheTrillTrolla that’s actually very informative, thank you!"
On Doofy's review of The The - Infected
"I prefer Soul Mining a shade, but I’ll agree that this record should be considered as far closer in quality than most. Nearly everything that makes Soul Mining so excellent is found here too, excellent production and songwriting especially"
On Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
"@HomeSession3 holy shit what a story! Thank you for sharing, that certainly sounds like one of those life-defining moments, for you and Roach. Live Jazz may be the definitive form of live performing for the reasons you said- it makes the frail jolt to life"
On My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe
"@Trazyn I hate saying ‘annoying’ bc that’s reductive, there are def moments where the lyricism along with the vocal style felt really contrived and grating to me though. Overall it’s certainly not an ‘annoying’ album, just nothing particularly new for Windmill. I would say I’m annoyed with the windmill scene in general nowadays"
On Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
"@Litebill931 thank you much! I have to stop myself from over-writing a lot of the time lol"
On 𝒩𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓉's review of Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA
"First review of this project that’s really made me want to check it out- seriously excellent write-up"
On XTC - Drums and Wires
"@sher12308 you’re totally right! Major goof on my part, I’ll edit that, appreciate the call-out"
On King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
"@yusukeYYH thank you so much! His music is this really intriguing blend of abstract and extremely vivid"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 yeah for sure! I appreciate the compliment! Jeff Buckley is a perfect example of why 90s rock really shouldn’t be funneled into those two ‘categories’ I listed because he blends so many styles and sounds (a major reason why Grace is one of the most majestic albums of all time). I’m the same as you in that there’s very little I truly dislike that I listen to- it makes it a lot easier to be encouraged to check out more stuff! Let me know when you’ve got those reviews typed out, I’d love to check em out!"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"Sorry for the long winded answer, hope that helps! If you need help finding some specific bands lmk too and I can try and throw you some based on what you currently rock with 🤘"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"The other main strain in my mind is Slacker Rock (the kind I tend to prefer a bit). This is your Pavements, Built to Spills, Weezers, etc. This style of rock tended to ‘look forward’ whereas grunge took influence from a lot of its contemporaries in many ways.
In terms of what I’d do for a deep dive now- honestly, I’d determine which strain you like more and start with the big bands before digging deeper, maybe even trying out some of the influences/ similar bands. For instance, if you really fw Weezer I’d recommend other Geek/Wacky Rock bands like Cake or Grandaddy. Same goes for, say, AIC- you could check out other alternative metal bands for instance."
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 for sure! I went on a pretty big 90s rock binge a couple years back and it’s definitely a vast canyon. This is a wildly simplified answer, but imo there are two *main* streams of 90s rock. The first is what most people think of , being Grunge. These are your Nirvanas and Pearl Jams and basically what the average person will probably think of when they think of ‘90s rock’- and it’s great! Grunge pulls a lot from heavier influences depending on the band, such as Punk and Noise Rock for Nirvana or even Metal with bands like Alice In Chains."
On The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
"@Zubb autism + long commutes to work goes a long way lmao"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you so much! It’s become something of a passion of mine for sure. The kind words go a long way, I’d love to have my own site or something one day"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne no I’m not, it’s funny you ask because in high school I had plans to maybe become a writer but it never panned out"
On Johnny Blue Skies - Mutiny After Midnight
"Unless you find a rip somewhere or dish out thirty bucks it’s impossible for the time being unfortunately, it is an absolute blast of a record though no doubt, one of his best easily"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you much! I have fun with them lol"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby that does look interesting, I’ll try and get to it later today, thanks again for all the recs! You’re the Zappa guy so it’s been helpful as a total Zappa novice"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby honestly, having sampled a handful of tracks from his studio records to follow from here I think I’m going to bow out for the time being on his discography, I’d prefer to end it on a high note. Someday I’ll eventually go the whole distance but I think I’d honestly just get burned out going through a series of just messy subpar records tbh"
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