The Powers That B

The Powers That B
Studio album by Death Grips
Released March 31, 2015
Genre Experimental hip hop,[1] punk rock[2]
Length 80:45
Producer Death Grips
Death Grips chronology

Fashion Week
(2015)		 The Powers That B
(2015)
Singles from The Powers That B
  1. "Inanimate Sensation"
    Released: December 9, 2014
Additional artwork
Disc 1: Niggas on the Moon
Disc 2: Jenny Death

The Powers That B is the fourth studio album by experimental hip hop group Death Grips. It is a double album. The album's first disc, Niggas on the Moon, was released as a free digital download on June 8, 2014. The first disc's instrumentation was performed entirely on a Roland V-Drum kit by drummer Zach Hill and features chopped vocal samples of Icelandic singer-songwriter, Björk, on every track.[3] The second half, Jenny Death, leaked online on March 19, 2015. It features Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos, and Zach's former high school bandmate, Julian Imsdahl, on guitar and organ respectively. The double album as a whole was officially released via Harvest Records on March 31, 2015.[4]

Background and release

On January 19, 2014, Zach Hill posted to his Facebook page, stating that the group had begun recording a new album.[5] On June 8, 2014, the first disc: Niggas on the Moon, was released as a free download via thirdworlds.net, Death Grips' official website. On June 9, 2014, Björk confirmed her vocal contributions, via various social media outlets.[6]

On October 10, 2014, Death Grips officially announced the completion of The Powers That B via their Facebook page, as well as revealing the album artwork.[7]

On December 9, 2014, Death Grips released a music video, for "Inanimate Sensation".[8]

On January 4, 2015, Death Grips released an instrumental soundtrack, entitled Fashion Week. The song titles follow as: "Runway J", "Runway E" and so on; acrostically spelling out the phrase "JENNY DEATH WHEN", in reference to the second disc of The Powers That B.

On February 13, 2015, Death Grips uploaded a new video to their YouTube channel.[9] It showed the group, rehearsing the following songs: "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States", "Inanimate Sensation", "Turned Off", "Why a Bitch Gotta Lie" and "Lock Your Doors".

On March 6, 2015, a mysterious Twitter account that had been heavily speculated as being run by the band (@bbpoltergiest[10]), made a surprise announcement that The Powers That B would finally be released on March 31, pre-orders would be available on March 17, and a tour announcement would also be revealed on March 24 (with tickets going on sale, that very same week). This same Twitter account was also responsible for posting a screenshot of the Inanimate Sensation music video, four months before it was released, blatantly announcing at one point that they were "going on tour" and that they've never actually broken up, posting a never-before-seen photo of the inflatable "Blackjack" pills that had been used during previous live Death Grips shows (indicating that there would be a tour coming in the near future), and yet another never-before-seen picture of Zach, Andy, and Stefan all attending Disneyland together, therefore validating the account's probable legitimacy.

On March 10, 2015, thirty second snippets of each song from Jenny Death leaked onto the internet, via Dutch music retailer Bol.com.[11] On March 11, 2015, the Jenny Death song lengths had also leaked.[12][13]

On March 12, 2015, Death Grips released a video to their YouTube channel for the song "On GP", filmed in an echo chamber located in Studio 1, Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, California.[14]

On March 13, 2015, Death Grips released the official music video for "On GP",[15] featuring various magic tricks, from Sacramento magician, Russell Brown.[16]

On March 17, 2015, Death Grips released the song "The Powers That B" to their YouTube channel, as well as the release date and pre-order links for the album via their Facebook page.[17][18]

On March 19, 2015, the album was leaked onto various filesharing websites and shared to 4chan and Reddit. The album was later uploaded to the band's YouTube channel in its entirety. The same day, the group announced on their Facebook that they 'might make some more', hinting that they intend to continue making music.[19]

On March 24, 2015 Death Grips announced via Facebook that they were going on tour in support of the album.[20] The tour is said to be the beginning of a world tour & launches in Seattle, WA on June 19th & is currently set to wrap with a concert in San Francisco, CA on July 25th. Their announcement reads "additional dates to be announced".[21]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 73/100[22]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [23]
Consequence of Sound C+ (Disc 1)[24]

B (Disc 2)[25]

Pitchfork 6.7/10 (Disc 1)[26]

8.1/10 (Disc 2)[27]

Pretty Much Amazing B+ [28]
RapReviews.com 7/10 (Disc 1)[1]
Sputnikmusic (Disc 1)[29]

(Disc 2)[30]

Tiny Mix Tapes (Disc 1)[31]

(Disc 2) [32]

Exclaim! 9/10[33]
The Early Registration [34]
PopMatters [35]

Niggas on the Moon

Upon its release, Niggas on the Moon received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 73, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 6 reviews.[36] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound stated: "Niggas on the Moon primarily relies on the band’s chaotic, ever-evolving sonic disposition — and as a bonus, we’ve never heard Ride sound quite like this. It’s an exciting proposition." He also described the disc as "an exciting ride" and further wrote: "By virtue of being divisive as all hell, Death Grips have welcomed us back to their jungle."[24] Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! called the first disc "the group's most confounding collection of tracks to date," praising the manic nature of vocalist MC Ride as "a side to the vocalist largely unseen on previous releases."[37] Larry Fitzmaurice for Pitchfork magazine described the disc as "the band's least intense album," and stated: "it's hard to shake the feeling that Death Grips might benefit from a change in aesthetic and conceptual focus... Without new tricks and fresh aggression, Death Grips risk coming across as safe and ordinary, a mess of broken teeth summarily replaced by a gap-toothed smile."[26] Patrick Taylor of RapReviews.com commented that "the songs feel more like eight variations on the same concept than eight distinct tracks."[1]

Jenny Death

Overall, critical reception for Jenny Death has been very positive, with responses generally being better than of Niggas on the Moon. On March 16, 2015, "On GP" from the album's second disc, "Jenny Death", was awarded a "Best New Track" review on Pitchfork's website. Pitchfork rated the album 8.1/10, calling the album's second half the "strongest material in a while" and that while "it’s not on the level of their artistic and commercial breakthrough The Money Store, but it will absolutely remind you of why you loved them in the first place.".[38] Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! described the lyrical nature of the second disc as "representative of outward action and thought more than internalization," writing that the incorporation of live instruments is a welcome addition alongside the group's aggressive electronics.[37] Addressing the album as a complete release, Slingerland stated that The Powers That B is "a compelling look at the band's ability to work with sounds both minimal and monumental, while containing some of their most riveting lyrical and musical work in recent memory.[37] Consequence of Sound also gave the album a positive review, saying that 'some of their best debris-curdling numbers appear here' and also noted their shift in genre, claiming that 'It's their most punk album, both musically and in function.'[39]

Track listing

Disc 1: Niggas on the Moon
No. Title Length
1. "Up My Sleeves"   5:17
2. "Billy Not Really"   3:49
3. "Black Quarterback"   2:59
4. "Say Hey Kid"   3:27
5. "Have a Sad Cum BB"   3:40
6. "Fuck Me Out"   3:20
7. "Voila"   3:29
8. "Big Dipper"   5:28
Total length:
 31:28
Disc 2: Jenny Death
No. Title Length
1. "I Break Mirrors with My Face in the United States"   2:41
2. "Inanimate Sensation"   6:04
3. "Turned Off"   4:37
4. "Why a Bitch Gotta Lie"   4:40
5. "Pss Pss"   4:33
6. "The Powers That B"   5:32
7. "Beyond Alive"   6:07
8. "Centuries of Damn"   5:32
9. "On GP"   6:07
10. "Death Grips 2.0"   3:20
Total length:
 49:13

Personnel

Death Grips
Additional musicians

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Taylor, Patrick (June 17, 2014). "Death Grips :: Niggas On the Moon". RapReviews.com. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ Weiss, Dan (April 3, 2015). "Review: Death Grips Reach Their Punk Zenith on Double Album ‘The Powers That B’". Spin. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Photograph of album cover" (JPG). I.imgur.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  4. ↑ "Harvest Records "Death Grips - The Powers That B (Vinyl)" @ Harvest Records Store US". Myplaydirect.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  5. ↑ "ZACH HILL". Facebook. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Hogan, Marc (June 9, 2014). "Death Grips' Surprise 'Niggas on the Moon' Has Bjork on All Eight Songs". Spin. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Death Grips - Timeline Photos - Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "Death Grips - Inanimate Sensation". YouTube. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Death Grips February 13 2015". YouTube.com. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  10. ↑ "Ꭰeath Ꮹrips (@bbpoltergiest)". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  11. ↑ "The Powers That B, Death Grips | Muziek" (in Dutch). Bol.com. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  12. ↑ "The Powers That B | Death Grips | CD | 0602547120083". Cosmox.nl. 2010-07-01. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  13. ↑ Death Grips . "The Power That B (2lp) von Death Grips - Vinyl-Schallplatte". Bbuecher.de. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  14. ↑ "Death Grips - On GP". YouTube.com. 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  15. ↑ "Death Grips - On GP (Official Video)". YouTube.com. 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  16. ↑ "Magician Russell Brown « Good Day Sacramento". Gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  17. ↑ "Death Grips - The Powers That B". YouTube.com. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  18. ↑ "Death Grips - The album comes out March 31st. THE...". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  19. ↑ "Death Grips - you're right, we might make some more". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  20. ↑ "Death Grips - Timeline Photos". Facebook.com. Retrieved 2015-03-27.
  21. ↑ "Death Grips 2015 North American Tour Schedule". ConcertTourNewsHub.com. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  22. ↑ "The Powers That B - Death Grips". Metacritic. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  23. ↑ Jeffries, David (March 31, 2015). "Album Review: The Powers That B - Death Grips". AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Madden, Michael (June 13, 2014). "Album Review: Death Grips – niggas on the moon". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  25. ↑ Josephs, Brian (March 27, 2015). "Album Review: Death Grips – Jenny Death". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Fitzmaurice, Larry (June 13, 2014). "Death Grips – Niggas on the Moon". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  27. ↑ O'Connor, Andy (March 31, 2015). "Death Grips: Jenny Death". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "Death Grips – The Powers That B Review". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Death Grips – The Powers That B - Part I: Niggas on the Moon Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Death Grips – The Powers That B - Part II: Jenny Death Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  31. ↑ Callaghan, Nico. "Death Grips – Niggas on the Moon Review". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  32. ↑ http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/death-grips-jenny-death
  33. ↑ http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/death_grips-powers_that_b_ngas_on_moon_jenny_death
  34. ↑ http://theearlyregistration.com/2015/03/30/album-review-the-powers-that-b-death-grips/
  35. ↑ http://www.popmatters.com/review/191886-death-grips-the-powers-that-b/
  36. ↑ "niggas on the moon – Death Grips". Metacritic. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Slingerland, Calum (January 9, 2015). "Death Grips - Fashion Week". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  38. ↑ Template:Citweb
  39. ↑ Josephs, Brian: Consequence of Sound review of Jenny Death http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/03/album-review-death-grips-jenny-death/

External links