Albums of the Week: 19/04/19 (Memory of Elephants, Inter Arma, Kevin Abstract)

Memory of Elephants – Beachballin’

7.5/10

Best Tracks: Teflon Wombat, I Just Karate Shit My Pants, Tiles, You’re Dead

FFO: And So I Watch You From Afar, Alpha Male Tea Party, Poly-Math

Bristol natives and ArcTanGent festival stalwarts Memory of Elephants have been in the process of releasing their crowdfunded debut album, Beachballin’, for a little while now. In that time they’ve built up an ever-growing cult following and have carved out a niche for themselves in the mathy-post-rock scene in which they exist.

On Beachballin’, the band demonstrate incredible technical prowess and understanding of said genre. With the inventive use of complex time signatures and polyrhythms across the board, and the progressively-minded way they construct a longer song like Teflon Wombat or Tiles, You’re Dead, it’s obvious from the get-go that Memory of Elephants know exactly what they’re doing, and they’re bloody good at it. There’s almost nowhere the album doesn’t dare to tread; from the sludge-heavy stomp of the middle section of I Just Karate Shit My Pants to the early-And So I Watch You From Afar-esque stylings of Herb Is The Toothpaste of the Soul, to the huge, ethereal post-rock opener, Psychological Extras.

The song titles should clue you in to the unabashedly tongue-in-cheek nature that runs through the veins of Beachballin’. The band don’t take themselves too seriously, and seem to relish in keeping the listener on their toes, throwing in tempo changes wherever they fancy and completely switching up the tone of any given song seemingly just because they can. To convey such an obviously wry, knowing smile on an album without any lyrics is an accomplishment not to be sneered at.

This debut LP from Memory of Elephants may not necessarily break any new ground, but it’s a great showcase of dizzying musical proficiency and inventive songwriting. I’d definitely check it out if you’re into your math sensibilities.

Inter Arma – Sulphur English

8.5/10

Best Tracks: A Waxen Sea, Stillness, Sulphur English

FFO: Neurosis, Isis, Paradise Lost

Unsurprisingly, the word “heavy” gets chucked around a whole lot in the world of metal, but it’s rare that a record comes along which carries as much real, palpable weight behind it as Inter Arma’s Sulphur English.

I’m not au fait with the band’s other work - this is the first project of theirs I’ve listened to – but I’d heard the unanimous praise and unavoidable comparisons to post-metal giants Neurosis. What I’ve learned from listening to this album is that the hype is by no means unfounded; the doomy, atmospheric, almost monstrous world that Inter Arma manage to build here is outright impressive. It’s perfectly structured to act as a narrative, and takes a lot of influence from avant-garde, prog, stoner/sludge, and black metal in the ways that the contrasting dynamic elements work alongside one another. This is best demonstrated by the three-track run of Citadel (a bleak, crushingly heavy, doom-based behemoth), Howling Lands (powered by a powerful and near-tribal drum beat, taking influence from the colder edges of black metal), and Stillness (the record’s centrepiece, vast and haunting).

Each sonic element on Sulphur English has an equal hand in the creation of the all-encompassing aura of woe that enshrouds it. From the aforementioned drums (which shift between spacious and dominating to burrowing and violent), to the creative guitarwork, to the industrial-strength bass, it all adds up to a perfect storm. While some of the more ambient sections and piano balladry may be lost on me if presented by themselves, the whirlwind of influence and inventive ideas on this record not only makes everything within it listenable, but it makes everything feel like it NEEDS to be listened to.

Inter Arma, here, have produced the richest (and heaviest) metal I've heard all year. It might take a few listens to get stuck into, but it really is worth the effort. Sulphur English is my album of the week.

Kevin Abstract – Ghettobaby (EP)

8/10

Best Tracks: Joy Ride, Georgia, Baby Boy

FFO: Childish Gambino, OutKast, BROCKHAMPTON

It only takes a quick skim of this blog to realise that I’m not as well versed in hip-hop as I am rock and metal, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy artists like Jpegmafia, Danny Brown, and BROCKHAMPTON. As a fan of the-best-boyband-since-One Direction’s more aggressive and experimental material, though, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to enjoy an EP from one of their more typically melodic and calculated members, Kevin Abstract.

The thing that stands out the most about Ghettobaby is that Abstract’s identity is woven into the fabric of every single song. It's difficult to miss the deeply personal and anecdotal lyricism concerning his struggles as a gay black man in the pop culture spotlight of modern America (best displayed on Corpus Christi). His use of meter and rhythmic flow on Big Wheels demonstrates his ability as a hard-hitting rapper, but for the most part, the melodic hooks on this project are its highlights; the chorus of Georgia; pretty much the entirety of Baby Boy; the “I don't think I would ever wanna fuckin' listen” on Joy Ride. It’s a masterclass in effective, catchy songwriting, and it borders on enchanting to listen to.

From a musical standpoint, there are elements on Ghettobaby which I never expected to like under any circumstance before I heard them utilised this well. For example, the heavy use of autotune on Joy Ride would typically put me off - I find that artists like Travis Scott use the effect in an overbearing manner, and it just makes the music come across as synthetic and passionless. Abstract, though, uses autotune on his songs more sparingly, saving it for moments that work inexplicably well and contrast with his more unadulterated vocal takes. I’d also be remiss to neglect how fantastic the production is, as well, because (although it takes a backseat to the man who drives the EP) Jack Antonoff and Romil Hemnani have done a wonderful job in painting a shining, starry-eyed instrumental landscape for Abstract to riff atop.

There's meant to be more solo material coming on the 25th, but I love the brevity of this project in and of itself, and it feels like it doesn't need to be added to. I'm amazed by the fact that this is, thus far, my favourite EP of 2019. It's a testament to the strength of the current hip-hop landscape, and it solidifies Kevin Abstract as an artist within that landscape who cannot be ignored.