Death Grips
Government Plates
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Industrial hip hop
Since last year’s wildly acclaimed The Money Store, Death Grips has gained more notoriety for no-shows at several concerts instead of its actual music. The band’s hard-hitting, experimental form of hip-hop returns to the forefront with the surprise release of its third studio album. Government Plates is typically aggressive and vulgar, but shows the band slowly taking a different direction.
Opening with the harsh sound of shattering glass and strained screaming of vocalist MC Ride, Death Grips picks up right where it left off on The Money Store. “Anne Bonny“is distorted and grungy until an incessantly hypnotic synth arrives halfway through. Similarly, “” combines pounding drums, a strange vocal sample and rhythmic cymbals for an explosive track.
Interestingly, MC Ride’s usual fast-paced verses take a backseat to repetitive shouting loops in some songs. The spunky sample in “Bootleg (Don’t Need Your Help)” is soul-inspired while the recurrent shouting in “Feels Like a Whee” sounds like the band’s spastic take on hard rock.
The masterful closer “Whatever I Want,” also the longest track in the band’s discography, might be the biggest indicator of Death Grips’ creativity. Beginning with progressively loud, electronic beats, the song frequently alternates to a slower, ethereal sound with echoing vocals and halting distortion.
Still, Death Grips isn’t for everyone. The lyrics are hard to decipher and seemingly only about going insane on a myriad of drugs. MC Ride’s vocal style can be grating, and a few tracks simply have too many elements going on at once.
With multiple applauded albums already in its repertoire, Death Grips manages to creatively alter its sound to remain one of the freshest and innovative bands today. Government Plates is a late addition to the album of the year discussion and, better yet, one that no one saw coming.
— Mac Gushanas
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