five for five: vol. 3

death grips - fashion week

  1. surprisingly catchy, no mc ride still works
  2. some beats are replay worthy, others not at all
  3. the erratic behavior and mysterious atmosphere still reigns supreme
  4. i would love to hear mc ride over these beats
  5. it's a nice respite in their discography
 

score: 64

dr. dre - compton

  1. overblown, larger than life sound but it's not really that hype
  2. anderson .paak is the best thing about this album, kendrick being a close second
  3. dr. dress crisp production is still impressive, but needs better verses on it
  4. i really don't need to listen to this project in full ever again
  5. i might not even listen to most of these songs again
 

score: 62

future - 56 nights

  1. MARCH MADNESS
  2. very concise tape, this is most appreciated
  3. production is nice, future is locked in
  4. never cared about future before this tape at all
  5. still think he's overhyped, but he is very interesting
 

score: 66

future - ds2

  1. the deluxe version tracks should replace the mid section of this album
  2. once again, production is crucial to future's success
  3. i could've embraced more features with an album this long, drake was welcomed
  4. lot of good bumpin tracks, wasn't feeling most of the slow songs
  5. it's surprising how replayable these songs are
 

score: 81

b.o.b - psycadelik thoughtz

  1. pretentious name for a pretentious project, it's not that deep fam
  2. plain jane has got to be the worst rap song i've heard in a minute
  3. some decent tracks/ideas interspersed here and there
  4. very boring psych rock blends though
  5. glad he pushed back towards his older sound, but this is still a miss
 

score: 42

death grips - jenny death

my shit's been retarded since beginning of time - pss pss

death grips create an intensity not known in most hip hop because it's not just hip hop. gritty guitars, hyperactive bleep bloops and all things loud rupture any concept of convention one might have. there's some sort of order in the chaos; the pacing of each song is rather normal (especially compared to niggas on the moon) and the pacing of the entire album is sensible.

mc ride is still very unnerving for a number of reasons: his intensity is always on high, his vulgarity is as outrageous as it is intriguing and his lyrical honesty on certain tracks (specifically On GP) is much more obvious than previous albums. flatliner's grasp of sound texture is near top notch and zach hill's drumming skills have never been more exhilarating. it's the right amount of energy, the right amount of catchy and the right length. each listen there's something new to attach yourself to and that replayability factor is what keeps death grips relevant.

score: 90