Summer closes out strong; from Grime to Trash Metal, it was a interesting month.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Infect the Rats’ Nest
For a few years now, I’ve always been asked “Do you listen to King Gizzard?”. Most people don’t bother saying their full name, and most people who are quizzing also fail to mention the band has released 15 albums since 2012, 5 of them coming in 2017. King Gizzard are a powerhouse of modern music; even with this album, it’s their second album of the year. So with a band like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, where is one to even start with such a plethora of albums to choose from?
With no pretense, and seeing them appear on r/Indieshead with the [FRESH ALBUM] tag, I jumped right into this release. With the opening track Planet B, I was caught completely off guard. The chugging, vicious opening power chords were a surprise, as were the growling vocals. Has everyone who has been recommending that I listen to this band been a Trash Metal fan, and I hadn’t realised? The lyrics threw yet another curve ball, “Open your eyes and light the fluid / Get into it, petrol siphon / Low on meals, browning fields / Bury children. Urbanization / Scarification / Population exodus / There is no Planet B / Open your eyes and see”. So all of my friends failed to mention that KG&LW are a eco-conscious Trash Metal band?
After some light research, I learned that the band are masters are adapting and changing their sound, paying tribute to genres and not sound contrived while attempting them. This album proves that without a shadow of a doubt, the thunderous ode to Metal is monumentous, and the topical lyrics make it an album that can be enjoyed by those who wouldn’t usually enjoy the genre. Mars for the Rich invokes thoughts of Total Recall or Elysium, what happens when the rich take off for space and leave the poor and working classes behind on Earth? The new planet will stay a pipe dream for those left behind. Superbug plays on the idea of what happens when a bacteria like MRSA becomes to powerful for humans to overcome, and blames the reliance on antibiotics. On Self-immolate, the protagonist begs for fire to rain down upon him, engulf him, end his suffering and misery. This album may seem like a blown-out version of reality, and draw influence from Science Fiction, but how long before these ideas become reality?
Not only do King Gizzard release albums like they are all being held hostage and forced to do so to survive, but they also jump genre like Sam Beckett jumping from body to body in Quantum Leap. With Infect the Rats’ Nest, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have jumped genre, burst into flames, and released a fist-clenching, teeth-grinding ode to Trash Metal militant eco-activism.
Kano – Hoodies All Summer
Grime’s explosion into the mainstream in 2014 & 2015 was an interesting time. Suddenly, there was international attention on the genre; one with a scene localised almost entirely around London, and a handful of other cities in the UK. Sure, the likes of Wiley, Dizzee Rascal, and the So Solid Crew would frequent Ayia Napa in the early to mid 2000s, but that was the scene transplanting itself for the Summer months, not organic growth of Garage and Grime in a new land. Journalist, artists, and fans were all flocking to see what they could make of this genre which seemed new and exciting to them, trying to understand what made this music so potent and popular. While Skepta was being championed by Drake in the US, other Grime artists, both legends and young guns alike, continued to churn out the music they always loved, regardless of US interest and influence. One of these artist is the legend that is Kano.
A battle-hardened Grime MC, and beloved character from the now resurrected cult TV show Top Boy, Kano has stayed true to the genre from the beginning. His 2005 debut album “Home Sweet Home” is a part of Grime history, and his 2016 album “Made in the Manor” is hailed as modern classic. With new album, Kano adds another stunning album to this his repertoire.
A conscious effort, Kano casts his eyes across the current state of urban society in the UK. In the opening track Free Years Later, he talks of black youths having the odds stacked against them; if Stormzy’s house is raided because his wealthy neighbours think he’s breaking in, what chance do the rest of them stand against harassment and brutality? He builds on this on Good Youtes Walk Amongst Evil, discussing the inherent inequality of life for the young in Britain, but how these underprivileged youths keep their heads up through the adversity. As the theme continues through the records, features from Kojo Funds and Popcaan add a melodic side to Kano hard delivery. On Got My Brandy, Got My Beats, Kano details the emptiness experienced after a loss, and the attempts we make to fill that void. The album closes out strongly with Class of Deja and SYM. Fellow Grime legends D Double E and Ghetts join forces on the tracks, with Kano and Ghetts trading bars that hit like poison-tipped arrows. The closing track SYM may have a hilarious introduction of a choir singing “Suck ya Mum”, but the lyrics deal with much harsher topics of racism, bigotry, prejudice, and the abuse suffered by the Windrush Generation.
Kano shows that he is still top of the Grime game, staying true to form while also delivering an album that is accessible to those who may not be a regular fan of the genre. Whether with features or solo, Kano delivers his witty, quick, and conscious bars. If Kano continues to stay at the level he’s at now, we still have a lot more to hear from him, and we’re so lucky that this is the case.
Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell
Lana Del Rey is an artist who has divided opinion from the moment she broke onto the scene with her early tracks, the viral sensations Video Games and Blue Jeans. Like most pop acts, she had a rabid fan base who sang her praises at every given moment, while many critic and naysayers were quick to write her off, citing a perceived sense of vapidness about her personality, as though there were an emptiness to her music. Many were quick to dispel her style and personality as drab, faux-Americana. Personally, I have always been a casual fan; while I was never an avid listener, I always had time for the music she would release. With this album, it’s safe to say that Lana has matured to a level which early critics where quick to say she was trying to act like she had, both in terms of her song-crafting and lyrics.
Opening with the piano-led title track, Lana sings of the frustrating love she has for the “man-child” who blames the world for his shortcomings. The witty and spitefully loving lyrics, along with the infectious vocal melody, instantly reminded you of something Father John Misty would be heard crooning. What stands out across this whole album is just how far Lana’s song-crafting has evolved. Mariners Apartment Complex sounds like the results of binge of 90s Dad Rock, Fleetwood Mac, and The Eagles. This theme continues prominently on Venice Bitch, the solemn piano-led ballad of love and addiction clocking in at a whopping nine minutes, and featuring a washed out guitar solo. Drawing reference to artists such as Springsteen, Lana sings of the the great American love story; the Hallmark relationship, sitting in front of the fire, growing old together into a drunken, indulgent haze. Professions of love overflowing and dripping all over the first half the album, none more so than on the aptly named Fuck it I love you and Love song. The first details how Lana met her lover after she moved to California and how enamoured she quickly became, while on the latter, Lana ponders “Is it safe, is it safe to just be who we are?” as they ride in his car.
As the we move to second half of the album we see Lana change her tone from infatuation and white hot love to that of dampen expectations, but with a unwavering sense of hope. On How to disappear, the love Lana sings of a partner who becomes more emotionally distant as time progresses, while on California, she emphasises that she will be there for him through whatever hardships befall the couple. If Born to Die was Lana showing her love through the lens of youth and the idea that it didn’t matter if she lives or dies with her partner, this is Lana showing her maturity, and her unshakeable commitment to them. The closing track hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it is perfect summation of this idea.
The story that develops over this album is enthralling. The collaboration of Jack Antonoff across six of the the tracks is obvious, in a good way. The collaboration between himself and Lana is unsurprising, considering how prevalent he is in the pop world, but you can see how he really lets an artist bring the best of themselves out on the tracks and projects he collaborates on. Lana Del Rey may once have divided opinion, had questions asked of her aesthetic and musical ability, but I think it’s fair to say this album has buried any questions of her talent and artistic integrity.
Incoherent Music Rants 