It’s been a busy week educating the Mammoth, and many of the records recently released didn’t inspire a lot of thought. But there’s a few that got him excited -ADMIN
Editrix – The Big E
Do you like Primus? Then you will probably like Editrix, or at least their most recent record, The Big E. They share Primus’ style of idiosyncratic, bass-led rock music. Sometimes it’s closer to funk, sometimes closer to math rock, and on occasion it veers entirely into heavy metal. The bassist and drummer are locked in throughout the record, providing a groovy foundation for the guitarist to build accents and mood on top of. If there’s any weakness to the record, it’s the vocal performance. Wendy Eisenberg’s style can best be described as “plaintive”. Sometimes that fits with the vibe of the instrumentation – the track “No” being a good example. In that, she reminds me almost of Chelsea Wolfe. But a lot of times, it’s at odds with the rest of the song, almost pitchy, almost off-key. Still, Less Claypool’s vocals were never the highlight of Primus’ music, and for the sound Editrix is pursuing, Eisenberg’s singing works well enough.
Highlight Tracks: “No”, “Jackhammer”, “Slight Return”
Worthy of Investigation?
Absolutely. Editrix’s aesthetic is varied, creative, quirky, and, at times, incredibly powerful. The Mammoth is eager to listen to what other works this band has released.
Boneflower – Reveries
Post-Hardcore/Screamo is an acquired taste for many, but the Mammoth found this a particularly good example of the genre. Boneflower, a Spanish trio, balance the hallmark harsh screaming with moody, emotional crooning masterfully. The best term to describe this record is ‘passionate’. Outside of “I Gazed at the Starred Night All Alone and Blood Tasted Like Honey in My Mouth, Lethargic” (a quiet instrumental towards the end of the album), whatever emotion this band wished to portray, they leaned 100% into it. It can be virulently angry, hopelessly distressed, and completely heartbroken. Despite there being a language barrier to an English-speaking listener on most of the tracks, the sentiment is always clear. The best feature of the record is Boneflower’s flirtations with shoegaze. Almost once a song, the instrumentation takes a step back to open the soundscape as wide as a prairie sky, while the vocals soar above the listener. More than anything, it reminds the Mammoth of a more Spanish, more Emo version of Alcest. Use this record as an introduction to the appeal of screamo – don’t let the harsh vocals immediately filter you.
Highlight Tracks: “Sal En Mis Pestanas”, “Coup De Grace”, “The Void”
Worthy of Investigation?
Absolutely – the Mammoth’s initial research shows a lot of acclaim for their previous work Armour, and he is keen to see how it compares with this record.
23wa- AZ
A genre fusion nerd’s dream record. 23wa is an artist based out of Southern France, and his album AZ is a wild mixture of styles. The sound can be moving at a mile a minute – a glitchy, boppy, aggressive scene (complete with a hype man shouting behind 23wa’s rumbling, monotone lead flow) set before a wall of swirling, chaotic synths slams the brakes on the track and the singer croons remorsefully in French. And it does this, repeatedly, without ever feeling unearned or out of place. At different times, I was reminded of late 2000’s dub, nerd rap, of mid-2010’s grime, of Jon Bellion, of Slowdive, and, even briefly, Lil Pump. It also manages to sample the Leeroy Jenkins meme in the final track “toi” in a way that’s actually artful, which is, on its own, worthy of recommendation. Check this album out.
Highlight Tracks: “ARISE”, “MOMOMO”, “sans VIE”, “Y”
Worthy of Investigation?
Absolutely. 23wa seems to be an artist entering his prime, he’s only been active since 2020. The Mammoth is very interested to see what lies in his future.
Eric Reprid – FUCK YOU TOO
Trap is a polarizing genre of hip hop, but it has more to offer than this. The Mammoth enjoyed most everything about this record’s instrumentation, but it is severely hampered by the vocal performance. Reprid is very concerned that you understand how tough, rich, and successful he is, and very little else. A bombastic, aggressive production style featuring buzzy basses playing off of synths that oscillate between menacingly bright and glossily relaxing limited by the fact that it’s singer struggles to find a different word to rhyme “rich” with, as he’s already used “bitch” twice already. The Mammoth can appreciate the braggadocios, self-promoting attitude inherent to hype rap, but that’s when the artist is flexing by demonstrating creative wordplay about how awesome he is. Eric Reprid would rather string along the same 3 concepts (drugs, fat stacks, fat bitches) with the same dozen or so words. A frustrating album. The Mammoth was intrigued by the aesthetic, but it’s a cardboard cutout of a record.
Highlight Tracks: They mostly run into each other, but “Broke Boy” had the most interesting beat.
Worthy of Investigation?
Maybe look up other artists Stvrk produced – I wouldn’t bother with any further Eric Reprid albums if this is representative of his work.