California hip-hop experimentalists Death Grips finally release the second album they promised this year, following the aurally astounding The Money Store and a subsequent cancelled tour, much to the chagrin of fans the world over. Leaked online by the group themselves, No Love Deep Web also serves as a middle finger to their label, Epic, who apparently refused to confirm a release date this year.
Anyone familiar with Death Grips knows that their musical style and general aesthetic is extremely abrasive and outlandishly impertinent; the cover of No Love Deep Web is the album title scrawled across an erect penis, par exemple. This offering continues tradition of crushing electronics anchoring guttural rap vocals but places a new-found emphasis on minimalism.
Opener Come Up and Get Me is a bass heavy sonic assault which sees vocalist Stefan “MC Ride” Burnett ease back into his off-kilter rap style. He flows like a pissed off vagrant handed a microphone and it sits well with the misanthropic production of Andy Morin and Zach Hill. On Little Boy, the group flow seamlessly into a rave context, demonstrating their mastery at genre-bending. No Love combines desolate sweat-inducing droning with interesting minimalist dynamics while World of Dogs blends ultra-violent jazz drumming with Ride’s pensive mediation on suicide.
“I got some shit to say just for the fuck of it”, he yells over a downright evil beat on Lock your doors. Production is stark and devoid of hope and odd eerie samples are spliced into the albums DNA throughout. The most playfully upbeat track on the record, an overwhelming bassline and repeated vocal loop give Whammy an almost jungle music appeal. No Love Deep Web’s strong suit is its less-is-more philosophy and the raw minimal instrumentation of Hunger Games results in one of the records strongest tracks. However, the group have far from departed from their Money Store roots with tracks like Black Dice and Bass Rattle Stars Out The Sky providing the most standard hip-hop the album has to offer.
The final third of the record descends into gargantuan beats and rich swirling cosmic synths but the downtempo groove of closer Artificial Death in the West makes for perhaps the most mature and contemplative track the group have ever produced.
A perfect example in being prolific while maintaining high standards, Death Grips move from strength to strength and NLDW could prove their magnum opus.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu-MFuqymsc?rel=0]
