Review Summary: Songs For Grandmothers
Death Grips are a punk, rap, and glitch music hybrid from Sacramento, California. The band features a member of Hella, a heavily skilled producer, and a furious frontman who more often howls his lyrics than speaks them. This three-piece entity functions via the methods of a unique blend of cacophony and rage. The indignant attitudes presented here not only equate to a sense of hatred being passed onto the listener, but also the presence of paranoia and fear.
The Money Store stomps along a blazing path for slightly over 40 minutes, during which noise barriers, hi-fidelity sound systems, and ear drums all manage to be blown to pieces. It's unpredictable, and all the better because of that; upon first listen, the changes between tracks may be unsettling, or even disorienting. Alas, fear not! The end result is worth the endurance. The cyclic vocals of "Blackjack" and the thudding rhythms throughout the majority of the album expel an archaic vibe. The idea of 'anarchy' here doesn't feel like a mere word that British punk kids pout about because they hate their parents; it seems like a legitimate threat here.
After a massive number of listens, the most enduring quality of The Money Store is evidently its hooks. The samples on tracks like "Punk Weight", the utter maze of synthesizer lines in "The Cage" and MC Ride's immensely quotable one-liners in "Hacker" ("I'M IN YOUR AREA") serve as an incredible feat. The Money Store isn't only a massive improvement on Exmilitary in the categories of maturity and conception; it sounds more complete. In a stark comparison, Exmilitary never truly felt amateurish until The Money Store was released.
