Best New Tracks - Pitchfork |  |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:43 PM PDT
It seems rare that an artist emerges from complete obscurity with such a unique and fully formed sound as Forest Swords did on 2010's impressive Dagger Paths. More surprising still is the number of genres at work in such a singular aesthetic. The Englishman born Matthew Barnes touches on everything from drone to hip-hop to dub to experimental techno in his music, always pushing those disparate influences into a desolate and cacophonous vibe with the help of dense atmospheres and visceral instrumentation.
Little of that has changed on "The Weight of Gold," a moon-lit track holding up the midsection of his debut LP for Tri Angle, Engravings. Carried by a hefty kick-and-stick drum beat, his new song weaves over and around bellows of distorted foghorns, subterranean bass frequencies, and fractured voices which seem to call from outside whatever mausoleum Barnes recorded the song in. It sounds like the logical (not to mention long-awaited) continuation of his arresting first record, and the consistency serves it well. Forest Swords is making it readily apparent that no matter where he may be in his project's lifespan, the inspiration which drives its haunted music remains focused and resolute. Forest Swords: "The Weight of Gold" on SoundCloud. [from Engravings; out 08/26/13 via Tri Angle]  |
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Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:09 PM PDT
Given its sonic similarities to recent cuts like "Whoa" and "Chum", Earl Sweatshirt's low-bpm, vaguely serpentine "Hive" doesn't necessarily indicate that he's been in the lab fleshing out new musical directions. Instead, he's pushing his deliriously inventive talents further, to work through things that continue to define him. Earl's voice isn't obscured like it was on Mac Miller's "I'm Not Real" or Captain Murphy's "Between Friends"; rather, he deadpans tough, adverbial bars with total control. After Inglewood's Casey Veggies swaps a few bars with Earl, longtime Odd Future affiliate Vince Staples unloads what will surely be a career-exploding 16: "Everybody hard until it's only God they seeing/ Kitten-soft but in they songs be trapping hard as Jeezy."
Earl Sweatshirt: "Hive" [ft. Vince Staples and Casey Veggies] on SoundCloud. [from Doris; out 08/20/13 via Tan Cressida/Columbia] |
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