Rapid Fire Reviews: Trying For Synchronicity
While yes I do try to often deliver some semblance of continuity in these rapid fire reviews to make them make sense. But at its core the series is just meant for me to cover records that I'm too late or don't have the time to talk about in full. So with that being said this is a mish-mash of different genres of hardcore and industrial that I'm stretching because it includes records I want to talk about.
Diaspora Problems - Soul Glo
40 oz. To Fresno - Joyce Manor
After releasing some of the most essential emo and pop punk albums of the 2010's with their self-titled debut and 2014's Never Hungover Again it hasn't exactly been a parade of critical or even fan acclaim since then. While I certainly don't think the bands releases have been terrible or anything they certainly haven't matched the energy of their earlier work. On this new album which runs out at a tight 16 minutes and change I was hoping that the band could find a way to translate their new feelings into music that was as emotionally evocative and instantaneously catchy as we know they're capable of. The way they go about doing that this time around is by leaning into the emotion rather than aggression with a sound that channels pop punk and even shades of indie rock more than any kind of emo or hardcore. Thankfully that comes with a spoonful of catchy hooks and even though they don't all land perfectly every time it does create memorable moments. While the record is inconsistent given its short run time I also can't help but highlight points like NBTSA and Don't Try that I enjoyed quite a bit. Beyond that the scope of the record is pretty limited and while I wouldn't call it a "comeback" for the band quite yet, it's a step in the right direction. 6/10
If there's been one breakout project this year in the worlds of punk and hardcore it's this one and I knew from the first time I heard it that I wanted to cover such a unique and exciting record, it just took me a while. Hardcore is a good genre label to start with the record but it really does have an adventuresome sonic palette that jumps between a number of styles alongside the impressive roster of collaborators involved. The record also has a righteous and furious political compass that got more and more enticing to me every time I listened back to it and tracks like Coming Correct Is Cheaper began to match their literal rage with the same potency in philosophy. I do think the early run of the record is full of good songs but the straight up hardcore of track after track can make them a bit monotonous in succession especially at the start of the record. But from Jump!! onward the record begins searching for all kinds of new sounds to explore. This translates right into the most hip hop influenced song on the record, the amazing Driponomics. Not only are the bars all over the song an excellent exploration of excess and ownership but they are delivered with this absolute feverish intensity by both MCs over an absolutely blown out beat. It's one of the most exciting takes on industrial hip hop that I've heard in years. The record punctuates both it's infectious energy and exciting experimentation with a trio of absolutely killer tracks to close the album off. While I think there are places that the tracklist isn't doing the record any favors I also can't deny that this is one of the most thrilling albums I've heard this year and anybody with any palette for hardcore or punk should stop whatever they're doing and check it out. 8/10
DISCO4 :: Part 2 - Health
This is part 2 in a series of collaboration driven albums from Health. Last years predecessor grabbed my attention for the impressive roster of names involved but this time around it is perhaps even more impressive especially after leading off with great singles alongside Poppy and Nine Inch Nails. Health as a band have always been pretty chameleonic in their genre shifting style but this takes it to a whole new level as the sound of these songs vary drastically and often have quite a bit to do with their respective guests. There's nowhere I can show that off better than on Cold Blood and Ad 1000 which come back to back and deploy drastically different styles of metal at their core, as related to their guest artists Lamb Of God and The Body respectively. The best songs on the record aside from the singles come from the aforementioned Body collaboration and a few incredibly successful pairings. Black Dresses' Ada Rook and PlayThatBoiZay work together shockingly well on the absolute rager Murder Death Kill and Backwash combines exactly as well with Ho99o9 as you'd expect on Gnostic Flesh/Mortal Hell. The record isn't perfect but it does provide a number of different highlights with a wide reach in style that keeps it a refreshing and enjoyable listen throughout. 7/10
