20 Best Electronic Albums Of 2015 (So Far)

19. Death Grips €“ The Powers That B

The defunct-but-not-really-defunct noise-hop punk antagonists Death Grips returned from their apparent break-up with a double album that was released in two separate parts. Strictly speaking, The Powers That B is a mixed bag in terms of its success. Comprised of 2014's Björk-sampling Niggas On The Moon and this year's noisier Jenny Death, Death Grips' sixth full length (including their mixtape Exmilitary and soundtrack Fashion Week) features one half that is a bit flat, and one that is their best material since 2012's The Money Store. It's worth starting with the album's weaker half. When NOTM dropped last year, most fans were left pretty underwhelmed. It's not a bad release by any means, and Death Grips' penchant for shards of broken samples (first seen on Exmilitary and exaggerated on The Money Store) is put to full use with their deconstruction of Björk's voice. Although Björk didn't personally contribute, her friendship with the countercultural group has led to the album receiving her blessing, and there are some great moments on here. Up My Sleeves, which opens the record, sees Death Grips at their angry, nasty best, for example. However, on too many occasions the album feels a bit like the band is going through the motions. It's Death Grips-by-numbers, so to speak - just with a lot of Björk thrown in. It wasn't until Jenny Death's release in 2015 that The Powers That B began to make more sense as a cohesive piece of work, with the second half actually amounting to a genuinely interesting and aggressive piece of noise-punk. Drummer Zach Hill is in the best form that he has ever shown in this band here, sounding like the avant-mathcore drummer that completely blew everyone away in Hella. Flatlander's use of samples and references to various club styles (such as avant-disco and industrial) evokes the best moments on The Money Store, while tracks like ON GP, Death Grips 2.0 and I Break Mirrors With My Face In The United States display a harsh noise-rock sensibility that is even more aggressive than their pulverising controversial self-release No Love Deep Web. Vocalist MC Ride drops any pretence towards being a rapper, instead turning into a sickeningly angry and brilliantly disturbing hardcore vocalist that outdoes many of the greats from that genre. Where Death Grips go from here is just as unpredictable as ever, and it is perhaps only right that such an inconsistent band should produce such a lopsided release. By virtue of its psychotic second half, though, Death Grips just about make this list.
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Articles published under the WhatCulture name denote collective efforts of a number of our writers, both past and present.