Death Grips (1 Viewer)

Have any of you heard of these guys?

I've been a fan of them for some time now. An episode from the Netflix show Bojack Horseman which has one of their songs introduced me to them. The song is from their album No Love, Deep Web. I tried listening to it but couldn't get into the sound. Later, I gave them another try when stumbling into a review of them by YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano (who is a big fan of them), and have been a big fan ever since.

For those who don't know them, they're a hip-hop band from Sacramento composed of MC Ride (vocalist), Zach Hill (drummer) and Andy Morin (keyboardist and sound engineer). Their music is experimental and varies in tone and genres. Some people get put off by their aggressive sound and MC Ride's screaming vocals, but to me their sound and performances come off as very punk rock. They're also known for being very reclusive (except for the drummer, who speaks in behalf of the band most of the time), and doing things like releasing one of their albums to the Internet without the record label's permission, effectively getting them dropped from the label. They really carry that punk rock attitude. I even saw interview with Iggy where he acknowledges them for having the spirit The Stooges had, and Tony Visconti said David Bowie drew some inspiration from them when creating his last album. I'm really hoping to see them live some in the near future.

If you haven't given them a listen, I'd recommend listening to their debut mixtape Exmilitary, first. Despite of the uncleared samples, it is a very good introduction to the themes and sound of the band (plus, it's free!). Many people would say that you listen to their first studio album, The Money Store, first, but I'd say that album has more of of an experimental electronic music vibe to it that may not be for everyone. As I said before, their second studio album, No Love Deep Web, is not my favorite, but many people like its primitive and industrial sound. The Powers that B is definitely their best, and if you're mainly a rock fan, I'd say you give the second half of the album, Jenny Death, a try. It has a very punk rock sound with great guitar riffs (which are, of course, sampled), and it also gets very emotional towards the end. Government Plates is a very polarizing album with its experimental sound, and I would definitely not recommend starting with it--although it has a song that may reference Bukowski called Birds ("I've got a bluebird/it might die"). The next album, Bottomless Pit, is a very accessible album and also a great starting point for getting into the band. Their last album, Year of the Snitch, is also an amazing album and a favorite of mine, but I'd say you listen to the other albums first, as I feel this is an album more geared towards the fans.
 

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