Jake’s Jams: Jenny Death
Every other Thursday check out Jake’s Jams to see an album from any era, genre, or artist recommended by Jake Standerfer
A review of any composition by Death Grips must begin with a disclaimer: this music is not for everyone. To put it figuratively, if you are not ready to be grabbed by the neck and dragged through a futuristic apocalyptic wasteland of paranoid madmen with an agenda to stalk and kill, this music may not be for you.
Sporadically surprising their fanatic followers, the L.A. based hip-hop trio, Death Grips, has made a number of questionable decisions over the past year. Last July, they announced their breakup via a note written on a piece of toilet paper; however, they unexpectedly released an instrumental project earlier in 2015, and soon after, completed their unfinished album, The Powers That B, with Jenny Death, the “side b” of the album. With this, a tour was announced, and the band took back their break up announcement. To say the least, the marketing decisions made by Death Grips have been almost as shocking as the music itself.
The success in Jenny Death is comparable to the success of Death Grips as a whole: the music acts as a two-way stress ball, as it squeezes you with hard snares and deep throated screams, while you squeeze its tangible melodies that push you back and forth abusively, yet playfully.
However, it is difficult to address this album as a whole, as it is the most diverse project released by the group. For example, “I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States” contains break-neck fast vocals laid over progressively active instrumentals and drumming, while “On GP” is a monumentally suicidal ballad addressing the hardships of grief and coping with loss with a banshee-like guitar melody sampled. Yet, the album carries its momentum well, each track managing to explode over the last like a derailed train.
This derailed train does suffer some, however. Not all tracks feel connected to the project, even if this may have been the intent of Death Grips. “Death Grips 2.0” concludes the album rather weakly with a mild instrumental track, serving no audible purpose. A weak conclusion still does not ruin the album, as each track is separate enough to destroy any problems with track-to-track flow.
Despite a few bumps in the path Death Grips presents enough raw futuristic energy with Jenny Death to captivate for the entire 50 minute length of the album. So prepare for the ride of your life.
Jake Standerfer is joining the Central Trend for his third year on the staff as an Editor in Chief. He was one of the first people to join the staff after...