Week In Reverse 3/31/18

I definitely listened to more albums (especially new releases) this week than I wrote about, but sometimes you just don't have anything to say about a record. Music sure is weird.

Run the Jewels - RTJ2 (2014)

One of the best rap records of the decade and of my three all-time favorites. Quite literally, RTJ2 is why I listen to and enjoy hip-hop at all. The beats are filthy, varied, and incredible. Mike and El's wordplay is unparalleled - hilarious, deliberate, no holds barred. Plus, this is still the only rap album I've heard that references "Little Shop of Horrors."

...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes (2002)

I would be lying if I said that I didn't listen to albums because of their critical acclaim. Source Tags & Codes is the quintessential example of that for me. It got a perfect score from Pitchfork back in the day, and based on that alone, I gave it a listen. Unfortunately, that often creates unnecessary expectations for the album to live up to. In this case, I can certainly see why this would be regarded as a classic (I don't know about perfect, though). The record sounds like the cover art - uncompromising fire. The pure intensity brought on every front inspires admiration, or at the very least respect. If you want to hear "inferno-rock," give this album a listen.

Stone Arch Isles - Kingdom EP (2018)

Local Minnesota music is having a good year so far. The debut EP from this Minneapolis group is a fantastic collection of sun-drenched indie folk. The songs breathe and simply exude beauty. While certainly more low-key than Fleet Foxes, one can't help but be reminded of their Sun Giant release, if only because of the gorgeous harmonies. I'm planning on doing a formal review of the EP soon, but in the meantime give your ears a gift and listen to Kingdoms.

Vitalic - OK Cowboy (2005)

You know that face you make when a beat is just so mean that you can't help but grimace? Imagine a whole album of that. I checked out this album based solely off of the Best New Music designation and I was pleasantly rewarded. The hypnotic banger of French mid-2000s techno is perfected here. Tracks like "Poney Part I," "My Friend Dario," and "La Rock 01" catch the listener in a tidal wave of synths and wash them away to a place where the dancefloor is sacred.

The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (2001)

I would be lying if I said that I revisited White Blood Cells for any reason other than the fact that I needed to purge myself of Jack White's new solo record, Boarding House Reach (check out our forthcoming podcast episode to hear my thoughts). It may not be the most popular Stripes record (that would be 2003's Elephant), but it still packs in the hits. The number of iconic songs even on the first half of this album is insane. "Fell In Love With A Girl" and "Hotel Yorba" are still two of the group's best singles. "We're Going To Be Friends" is undoubtedly Jack White's most wholesome musical moment. Underrated tracks like "The Union Forever" and "I Think I Smell A Rat" pack more punch than a barfight. You're doing yourself a disservice if you've never heard White Blood Cells front-to-back.

Death Grips - Exmilitary (2011)

Look, it's a meme! Somehow I managed to listen to every Death Grips release except Exmilitary up until this week. I don't know why. Huh. Regardless, the mixtape crystallizes what makes the group to appealing to weird nerds (such as myself). "Guillotine" and "Spread Eagle Cross The Block" are still two of the trio's most enduring songs for a reason. The distorted and eclectic production/drumming is matched perfectly with MC Ride's sexually nihilistic screaming. I don't know who I'd be recommending this to, given that I'm pretty I'm sure the only fan of the group who hadn't heard it at this point.

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (1996)

Critics like to complain that post rock has stagnated in recent years, and while I disagree for the most part (even if the loud-soft stuff is played out, it can still have incredible emotional vibrancy), it is certainly in a bit of a rut. The best modern post rock band we have is Deafheaven, and they're technically a black metal group. Tortoise is partially responsible for all of this. Millions Living doesn't necessarily buy into what have now become tropes, but Tortoise is responsible for the genre as a whole. Lead-off track "Djed" takes up nearly half of the entire record, and it contains more ideas than most bands will ever have. It is a varied, gorgeous, wandering, precise song. It's hard for me to remember the rest of the songs on an individual level after only one listen given how much "Djed" consumes the listener. That's hardly a bad thing.