BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 13/01/2017: Blanck Mass, Wolf Eyes, Pharmakon and more...

None of the music this week is particularly accessible. If you don’t like it, try somewhere poppy like the charts, or Pop Justice, or Pitchfork…

THE BEST:

‘Please’ - Blanck Mass

British electronic artist Blanck Mass delivers this slowbuilding electronic instrumental. Be patient with it – once that satisfying sub-bass and gunshot snare come in you’ll feel it in your loins.

‘First World Problems’ - Vulture St. Tape Gang

This is one smooth-ass soulful beat. Apparently, all the instrumentals that this Brisbane group produce are ‘made on the fly. Totally improvised. Recorded straight to cassette 4-track’ and take ‘as long to make as they do to listen to’. As further proved by the lyrics ‘I’m getting so many vaginas up on this dick/that if I see another pussy I’m gonna be sick’, these guys certainly aren’t modest, which is a shame because as you guys know by now, I’m all about modesty. I'M THE MOTHERFUCKING GURU OF MODESTY.

‘Undertow’ – Wolf Eyes

Self-described as a ‘sea-bottom r&b sound lurch’ by the Detroit band themselves, this track combines dark ambience, abstract poetry and a disjointed rhythm, resulting in the kind of avant-garde music I can see myself swaying to over a smoky campfire with a bunch of hippy witches whilst occasionally stirring a bubbling cauldron full of frogs’ toes and newts’ eyes - all the while BUTT NAKED, for the record. Some of y’all might just think it’s a load of repetitive, pretentious rubbish – which I did think at first - but then I found myself returning to those hypnotic alien sounds, and now I’m a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind.

‘Transmission’ – Pharmakon

This song makes me want to throw up violently - which is praise, not criticism. Those that know the New York noise project of Margaret Chardiet will know that all of her material aims to be as creatively disturbing as humanly possible. This latest sonic assault doesn’t disappoint – the cold stabbing synth forming an ominous backdrop for some of Chardiet’s signature tortured wails. That artwork is also pretty nasty - I practically feel those greasy fingers all over my face.

THE WORST:

‘We a Famly’ – The Flaming Lips ft. Miley Cyrus

Wayne, why are you using auto-tune? And can you guys please just stay away from Miley Cyrus? Please. PLEASE.

 ‘A’ – Syringe

This sure is a long build-up … hang on a second! THE WHOLE TRACK IS JUST HIM SAYING ‘A’???