Death Grips – The Concordian

Sometimes albums remind us of food

People who have chromesthesia see music in colour. I, instead, have foodsthesia. I see music in terms of food I’m familiar with.

Food and music are both cultural objects, imbued with a sense of identity and belonging. Not only that, both can be appropriated and sold to make tons of money, so they’re even more palatable for the mainstream. Both are celebrations of who we are as people.

Food is actually very evocative; it conveys culture, conceptions of class and even time, as certain food in different cultures is tied to a celebration or holiday. Almost every culture loves to share music and food. They bring people and communities closer together, bridging the gap between different cultures, even if for only a short amount of time.

So much description and identity can be gleaned from food, so this exercise in comparing it to albums can create a new layer for musical criticism. Or maybe this will be just fun.

Fish and Chips

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) by The Beatles

I chose fish and chips, partly because The Beatles are British, but also because Sgt. Pepper is a good album full of classic hits just like the dish. As with fish and chips, I won’t seek out this album, but once or twice a year, I have the urge to go back to Sgt. Pepper. I’ll have a good listen, and I’ll forget about it for another year.

Beef Tartare

The Money Store (2012) by Death Grips

Death Grips are generally aggressive-sounding, but they have a lot of depth to their music. I am immediately reminded of beef tartare by the band’s overall sound, because both are an acquired taste. I totally understand why people enjoy this album, but like beef tartare, sometimes its rawness is too much for me to handle. Maybe one day I’ll truly appreciate this album.

Deconstructed Cheesecake

Homogenic (1997) by Björk

Homogenic goes for a pop-experimental sound, yet what’s there is so sweet. Like the album, deconstructed cheesecake intentionally lacks the structure and shape of regular cheesecake, looking fancy and strange, but the sweet flavours still shine through.

Steak and Fries

channel ORANGE (2012) by Frank Ocean

This album is meaty and filled with so many great tracks, my favourite being “Pyramids.” Ocean’s melodies are sensual and emotional. The substantial tracks, like “Sierra Leone,” are the steak, because they are flavourful, fusing amazing instrumentals, lyrics and Ocean’s vocal range. Meanwhile, interlude tracks like the delightful “Fertilizer,” are the fries you eat in between the steak. The track proves that side dishes are just as important as the main course. And I’m always in the mood for steak and fries.

Shrimp Pizza

Uyai (2017) by Ibibio Sound Machine

Uyai is the shrimp pizza of albums. Both just hit the right notes for me. It’s the bonding of different elements that I love about this album; the electronic beats, acoustic instruments and the rhythmic singing mesh so well together. Shrimp pizza is analogous, because pizza is a melding of different elements. The crust, the sauce, the cheese and the special toppings fit together harmoniously.

All-you-can-eat buffet

MM… FOOD (2004) by MF DOOM

This album’s theme is literally food; go listen to it.

Whitewashed hummus

Reputation (2017) by Taylor Swift

Hummus has a long history in the Middle East. It’s flavoursome, dense and richly textured. But white people appropriated hummus, stripped it of flavour and history, and made it super bland. Reputation is Swift’s lacklustre hummus. She changed her sound from country music to R&B-inspired beats and melodies, meanwhile bringing up old grudges that few people care about. Swift’s album is uninspiring and tasteless, despite the fact that her other albums were pop hits and in her own style.

Graphic by Zeze Le Lin

Death Grips bring abrasive and industrial sounds to your ear drums

Every genre has its visionaries—people who sculpt and define their own artistic compositions in order to form a unique mold. Since the growth of the digital world, many of these sounds have dissipated. No matter what kind of mainstream music we listen to, their sounds can all seem eerily familiar.

Death Grips is not mainstream nor do they have the world talking, but they definitely turn heads. Despite decades of music-making designed to create perfect and overproduced songs, Death Grips reverts back to the cavemen days where humans were creating new sounds in the most primitive ways—such as throwing rocks on walls. Although this time, the rock and wall sound is complimented with glitchy keyboards and drums.

The group is comprised of three men. Stefan Burnett, otherwise known as MC Ride, is the band’s rapper, Andy Morin is on production and the drummer is Zach Hill, former Hella and Wavves drummer. Together, they form one of the oddest trios in rap.

Their 2011 mixtape ExMilitary is what gave them their spotlight. The tape made waves in the underground music world and wound up in the hands of some of the most prominent critics in America. Music publications like Pitchfork gave the album a 7.5/10, while music critic and YouTuber Anthony Fantano gave the record an eight.

ExMilitary had this effect because of its ambition and mixture of sounds. The group combined noise, rock, metal, hip-hop and electronic music. Meanwhile, MC Ride’s manic vocal delivery and violent lyrics add an extra layer to the overwhelmingly abrasive nature of the music. Despite their aggressive nature, their songs were also catchy. Songs like “I Want It I Need It” get stuck in your head so easily that it’s hard to comprehend how music so harsh can be so appealing. Not to mention, their low-budget music video for the song “Guillotine” became a viral sensation in the online music scene.

In 2012, Death Grips kept up the pace with their first album titled The Money Store. The album was released through Epic Records, and was regarded as much catchier than ExMilitary. Their musical vibe remained industrial and dark, yet MC Ride wrote hooks that were more accessible to the average music fan. Songs like “I’ve Seen Footage,” “The Fever,” “Hacker” and “Get Got” are some of their best songs. Even if their instrumentals are an absolute barrage of sound that leave you feeling as if walls are closing in on you, their hooks remain incredible—they have you bopping your head and singing along.

Since The Money Store, the trio has released six projects including their latest record, Bottomless Pit. In each album, Death Grips played with their sound and pushed experimentation to new heights. On one album, the group pushed the boundaries of instrumentals by building each song around Björk vocal samples and integrated it with glitchy synths and sporadic drums.

Throughout the years, they have remained true to themselves in respect to their distinctive approach towards sound and their unpredictability from one album to the next. The way they structure songs and evolve with each album keeps the fans on their toes. Death Grips is the champion of sound experimentation; their musicality is their playground.

Bottomless Pit is a prime example. The group has been going in a darker and more abrasive direction for a few years and fans expected a gloomy record. To the delight of fans and music critics, the group came out with their catchiest record since The Money Store while staying true to their ear-crushing, soul-drenching sounds. Their uncommon somber sounds are supposed to make your skin crawl and make you feel uncomfortable. Experimenting with various industrial instrumental techniques that other hip-hop groups don’t use is what has given them the spotlight. As Anthony Fantano said in his review of Bottomless Pit, “Death Grips have mastered the art of abrasive ear candy.”

Check out their website where they showcase all their music videos at www.thirdworlds.net