– Eminem – The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace)
With his signature cocktail of lyrical genius and questionable ethics, could this album be made by anyone else today?
Eminem’s latest is already set to become his 11th album to top the charts, which considering it’s filled with jokes about disabilities, convicted sex offenders and trans women is rightly extraordinary in 2024.
But fans have always expected lyrics that shock, this is art and this antagonism is by design. Telling the story of the rapper’s efforts to kill off his blonde-haired alter ego Slim Shady, one skit sees a fake news bulletin declare the rapper is “trying to cancel himself”.
The album takes the listener through an hour-long musical journey through controversial observations of modern life, “Gen Z” and plenty of nostalgia for long-time fans.
Whether it’s the buoying beats and dark humour of Brand New Dance, Antichrist and hit single Houdini or the heart-on-sleeve emotion of Temporary, a song for his daughter Hailie when he’s “no longer here”, this record has all the Detroit artist’s usual hallmarks.
With guest appearances and new jokes and references to discover on every listen, if this album is Marshall Mathers III’s last then he leaves still at the top of his game.
Score: 9/10
(Review by Edd Dracott)
Glass Animals – I Love You So F****** Much
Back with their fourth studio album, English indie-rock band Glass Animals have done it again – bringing a mix that is dark and existential to the summer music scene.
Distorted guitar and synthesised sounds give the 10-track mix a wonky charm, livening up songs driven by emotionally complex lyricism.
The smooth, flowing vocals make the tracks easy listens, contrasting the spacey sounds and heavy guitars that could otherwise weigh them down.
The Tame Impala-sounding WhatTheHellisHappening has a strong instrumental, heavy bass and echoing lyrics that give it a distorted, dreamy feeling.
Across the album, there are various approaches to this mellowed-out approach toward Glass Animals’ sound, with Creatures In Heaven using soft, light instrumentals.
The sounds of the 1970s can be heard throughout, with electronic touches scattered in its tracks like in ICMYFILA, which uses keyboards and sonic sounds to do this.
Lost In The Ocean wraps things up on a mellow note, with a slow tempo livened up by airy vocals that lift and lighten the track.
The album is unfamiliar for listeners, dabbling in experimental territory as it explores different themes, lyrics, and sound – but it does it well, and makes for an interesting addition to the band’s discography.
Score: 7/10
(Review by Carla Feric)
Denzel Curry – King Of The Mischievous South Vol 2
Denzel Curry revisits the sound that helped launch his career in new album King Of The Mischievous South Vol 2, which serves as a sequel to the mixtape he released more than a decade ago.
The American rapper collaborates with artists including Ski Mask The Slump God, ASAP Rocky, and 2 Chainz on the project, which pays homage to rap music from the Deep South.
The first instalment of King Of The Mischievous South saw Curry perform under the persona of Raven Miyagi – but this time, his alter-ego, Big Ultra – with his buckets of bravado, delivers an elevated version of Raven.
Standout tracks from the album include G’Z Up featuring 2 Chainz and Mike Dimes and SKED featuring Kenny Mason and Project Pat, which both see Curry flex his lyrical capabilities.
The rapper tends to imbue his work with social commentary – and while the songs on this album appear to be all machismo, the rapper also demonstrates the realities of what it is to come from the streets of the South – “I don’t go to sleep without a Glock by my bed” he says in SKED.
Score: 7/10
(Review by Hannah Roberts)
– GUM & Ambrose Kenny-Smith – III Times
The first release on King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard’s P (doom) Records label, Ill Times sees a collaboration between the band’s multi-instrumentalist Ambrose Kenny-Smith and current Pond and former Tame Impala member Jay Watson’s GUM project.
Album opener, Dud, sounds pretty much how fans of both artists would expect a collaboration to sound, with its danceable electronic groove recalling Tame Impala’s Currents era and tracks from King Gizzard’s Butterfly 3000, while also sounding reminiscent of Let Me Mend The Past from 2013’s Float Along – Fill Your Lungs.
Both halves of the collaboration were key figures in the Australian-led psychedelic rock revival of the last decade, but this album shows the more danceable electronic pop sound the likes of Pond and Tame Impala have moved towards in recent years.
Highlights include Fool For You, a krautrock synth-led ballad, Emu Rock, which sounds like 80s video game music underpinned by a throbbing repetitive beat, with Kenny-Smith’s signature harmonica sound floating over the top, and the title track, which serves as a sugar sweet hybrid between 70s funk and glam.
But weaker tracks such as album closer, The Gloater, are unimaginative, with its Tomorrow Never Knows drums and reverse taping sounding cliche.
Neither artist breaks new ground on Ill Times, but it is much more fun than King Gizzard’s recent jam-based albums, and is the most enjoyable thing Watson has released since Pond’s 2015 album, Man It Feels Like Space Again.
Score: 6/10
(Review by Casey Cooper-Fiske)
