Oct. 141. Dillinger Escape Plan, “Dissociation”This is the closing act for The Dillinger Escape Plan; after 20 years, they are calling it quits and “Dissociation” is their swan song. They play a genre called “mathcore,” mixing “mathematical” elements (complicated time signatures, tempo changes, etc.) into hardcore punk and metal. On top of the maddening noises lies Greg Pucciato, a singer who, during a live show, will probably dive off a 20-foot-high amplifier while singing a love song. The two singles released so far give me very high hopes for this record to be a fitting end for a legendary act.
2. The Game, “1992”Rap beefs have evolved in strange ways over the years. Meek Mill, not content to take his L from Drake, got into a new entanglement with Compton rapper The Game, mostly contained to Instagram (fairly low impact as far as rap beefs go). The Game’s new record “1992” has two diss tracks toward Meek so far, with probably more to come, and so far they’re pretty rad. “92 Bars” is exactly what the title describes, and it goes pretty hard. Simple boom bap beats are the perfect delivery method for a diss track, and fans of The Documentary are sure to find more to love in “1992.”
3. Two Door Cinema Club, “Gameshow”The Irish indie rockers have sat in a strange position for a while, a bit too weird for mainstream indie rock fans. Their new album sees them ready with some ripping songs that will fit just as well in a garage as an arena and this album should be the one to bring them to the top.
4. Red Fang, “Only Ghosts”Red Fang garnered an underground following almost immediately after hitting the scene. They bring chunky Southern-rock-tinged riffs and shouted vocals that rest well alongside the likes of Clutch and The Sword. The new album has a bit more edge than some of their previous work, so those that thought “Murder the Mountains” and “Whales and Leeches” were a bit too mellow should be very satisfied with “Only Ghosts.” I played it in the shop for about five minutes before an old lady told me to turn it off, which is usually an indicator of quality.
5. Moby and The Void Pacific Choir, “These Systems are Failing”Moby is getting political on his new album, bringing in big, almost arena-rock-style hooks to his trademark dance music. This will be his 13th record, and from the sounds of things, he is bringing the groove hard. Only a few songs have been released so far, but it seems to be lying on the loud side of the spectrum, and I would be disheartened to hear that he had moved away from his downtempo style. But so far the tracks are killer – vocal-based dance music – and sometimes that is just what the world needs.
Cooper Stapleton
