No pretense, no fancy segues, no lead-in. Five pieces of media I consumed this week and a couple of grades.
RXKNephew - Till I’m Dead
Real RXKNephew fans know that Neph’s legacy is on youtube, but it’s always interesting when he drops an album on streaming services. There’s barely any promotion or mention of it on social media. His youtube channel is full of his greatest hits and weirdest outtakes. His streaming efforts feel like disjointed afterthoughts that often work well as collections but don’t feel crafted like albums. ‘Til I’m Dead is the first to buck that trend, due to Neph’s insistence to work with producer Brainstorm for the entire record. Even at that, Brainstorm’s beats don’t give a cohesive sound to the record. It’s still scrambled as it jostles listeners from downtempo future jazz sounds (“Do It For You”) to claustrophobic club (“I’m High”). It’s all over the place but it’s the first record of his to give you the Full Neph Experience. As much as it takes from internet-era weirdos like Lil B and Riff Raff, it gives back with oddities like “Frames,” a scrambling and dusty-sounding cut that shows how varied and skilled Neph can be. B+
100 gecs - Boiler Room
When 100 Gecs showed up on the scene, the narrative set them up to fail. They were heralded as the sound of youth culture, but that didn’t make a lot of sense when all of their touchstones were clearly from young-Millennial art. They made a record with thinly-veiled ska songs with half-winking dubstep breakdowns. Rather than new or youthful, it was rebelling against the idea that these things were tacky trends. The influence of third wave ska and bro-step showed staying power in our minds and our music taste. Anyway the Boiler Room set is the best set since the Grimes set where she played “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee in Ibiza. Boiler Room used to be such a stuffy environment, but the Gecs set is proof that it’s over. You can do what you want, just keep the music going and make sure we all have fun.
Walking around
It’s not media but this is my new way to consume media, it seems. I’ve walked at least 15 miles this week and have spent that whole time listening to music or audiobooks and Thinking. It feels great. I feel much more in touch with the city this way compared to hopping on a train, flying through the darkness while staring at my phone, and ending up in a different place. For my “out of sight, out of mind” kind of brain, walking reminds me just how rich the scenery is around here and how much life exists.
Grand Scheme - Numbers Game
People are still making democore? People are still making democore! It rocks! Grand Scheme makes good and honest punk rock that is a statement just by existing. The artwork is handstyle over a black and white photo of the band. You know exactly how this is going to sound and your arms are already in motion as you get to 2stepping. B
John Wicks 1-3
I rewatched the first three John Wicks this week because I want to see John Wick 4 and I realized that I didn’t remember anything about the first three outside of “Wife dead, dog dead, John Wick mad.” Turns out, there wasn’t that much more to remember! Wife is dead, dog is dead, John Wick is mad, but i forgot that John Wick disobeys the rules that you didn’t know existed and that’s why he is persona non grata or “excommunicado.” These movies are all about the big extended action pieces, but the coolest stuff happens with less gunfighting. The guns are a cheap sidestep that allow for more carnage and More Dudes to show up and make the fight bigger in scale but not skill. This is what The Raid movies got right and Wick movies get wrong, but I’m still going to walk a few miles, get a big sandwich, and go see John Wick 4 in the very near future, maybe even today! Who knows?!
Democore is so back... thank god!