I'm not one of those dubstep purists, so I actually find Skrillex to be an inventive producer. I first heard Skrillex in college when a friend showed me the My Name is Skrillex EP. I had no preconceived notion of what dubstep or brostep was, but I liked what I heard. Those aggressive, guttural bass sounds and the synthesis of that with reggae like beats was intriguing, I immersed myself deeper into brostep, finding dubstep maybe a bit too on the ambient side of the tracks. I've listened to each Skrillex release since quite intently, and I've heard his sound evolve, incorporating more elements of general electronica, rap, and metal, while retaining the aggression and mid level bass drops that attracted me in the first place. Then for about the last few years, Skrillex pretty much fell off the face of the earth, at least recording wise. A couple of compilation appearances here, an EP of remixes of one song there, but nothing really substantial since Bangarang. Then I wake up last week and there's a full length album streaming on the internet.
It had been a while since I had listened to Skrillex with this much attention. I've been listening to many other things in the meantime, and it took me a few listens to get back into that electronic mindset. The first two songs were definitely a return to form. The traditional Skrillex sound is there in full force. Then 'Stranger' kind of threw me for a loop. It's definitely different, but I actually found it to be ridiculously catchy. There's a tribal drum feel going on, which leads to a drop with some treble synth lines that worm into your brain. The second iteration of the synth line on this song is amazing. The fourth song, 'Try It Out', was previously released, and is more of the same brostep that gets you going for a work out or party. 'Coast Is Clear' featuring Chance the Rapper is a new direction for Skrillex's production, and I like it quite a bit, though the lyrics due draw from 'Big Poppa' by the Notorious B.I.G. a bit too much. 'Dirty Vibe' might be compared to 'Kyoto' in a way, showcasing rap verses, but with an almost horror movie like sample in the background which makes for an intense listen.
The feel for the record is kind of an experimental one, with Skrillex throwing out a familiar sounding song, then one which reaches outside his comfort zone, and then a familiar sound to cleanse the ear palette before launching into new experimental territory. 'Ragga Bomb' is the familiar palette cleanser before the still baffling 'Doompy Poomp'. I could listen to this song a million times and never understand what the hell this is. I like the glitchy sound effects throughout, but the demented children's show theme as a melody really sours the song for me. 'F**k That' displays Skrillex's experimentation with some reverb laden bass, sounding like "lightsaber dub" (copyright pending, just kidding). This flows into 'Ease My Mind' which is easily my favorite song on the record, with its slow ballad intro, culminating in an unexpected rapid tempo change and Middle Eastern flavored bass drop. The album ends with 'Fire Away', which is a fitting cool down for a pretty high octane album, but never reaching the heights of 'With You Friends (Long Drive)'.
All in all, I liked this album a pretty good amount. It's a transitional piece for Skrillex, for sure, with some ventures outside the norm working and others not working as much, at least for me. People would probably get tired of hearing the same old brostep after a while, so it's good to know he's changing gears. It'll be interesting to see where he'll go with his next release. This album was a surprise for me, and I hope I have a few more this year (come on Fleet Foxes).
Out of a possible five stars, I give this:
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