Thursday 19 May 2011

Dubstep EP Review. Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites - B5RCL5Y




No.
Track Listing

Title
Length
1."Rock N' Roll (Will Take You to the Mountain)"  4:44
2."Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites"  4:03
3."Kill Everybody"  4:58
4."All I Ask of You" (featuring Penny)5:40
5."Scatta" (featuring Bare Noize and Foreign Beggars)3:55
6."With You, Friends (Long Drive)"  6:29
7."Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" (Noisia Remix)3:24
8."Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" (Zedd Remix)5:58
9."Kill Everybody" (Bare Noize Remix)


Calling all dubheads and music lovers alike, Skrillex released his latest EP at the end of last year. I've just had a listen to the complete EP. Before we get to all the juicy details - I must stress, I suffered a myriad of emotional explosions as a result of this EP. It's really that good.

What will amaze you is the fact that, Skrillex aka Sonny Moore produced the complete setlist on a laptop in his apartment.
Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites is Skrillex's first venture on Deadmau5's music label mau5trap Recordings.

The Ep in its entirety is a mixture of deep bass, dirty electronic dance trances and that good ole' dubstep, your mama told you was devil's music. 
Variation within the different melodies within the different styles within (yes, that's right, 3 within's) the various tunes indicate Sonny definitely loves the art of experimenting. The Ep however is slightly geared toward a much broader audience unlike previous outings. More shocking than "Kill Everybody" being featured on an Uncharted 3 trailer, is the fact that the album is never really a casual crowd pleaser. More on that after the break.


As we were saying earlier, despite the EP sounding much more clubber friendly, it never cuts corners when it comes to the dubstep or the deep, dark undertones that haunt most of the 9 tunes on this EP. The sense of rhythm and awe never really seem to die down at any point during the 9 song audio assault.

The stand-out tunes have to be "Scatta", which I'm not even going to bother praising. The dirty London sound meets its dirtier Skrillex counterpart. Have a listen for yourself and you'll know exactly what'll take me 500 words of text. (Caution - heavy dubstep - only a good thing) 

"Kill Everybody" is another dubstep offensive, you'll never be able to defend yourself against. So don't even try. The only way this tune could be any better is if old boys Bare Noize cared to add a bit of their flamboyantly underground nurture to the mix . And they did. It's on the album too. The remix will make you want to scream, jump, dance, shout, flip and laugh, all at the same time. Don't believe me ?


"Rock N' Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain) is what can be described as a surprise leading up to a surprise. At around 2-15, you won't even know what hit you. Personally, I never saw it coming and 3 minutes in, I was stuck in a trance feeling mentally aroused and not being able to do anything my mind wanted my body to do.


The title track "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" is a genius mix. Incorporating the best of electronic and dubstep to produce what I like to call an orgasm in my ear. Look no further if you really want a trademark Sonny Moore anthem. Technically, the song's in a class of its own. Accompanied by two remixes. Courtesy of Noisia which mind you, lives up to that signature Noisia brutality on the bass. Brilliant, if you ask me. The Zedd remix however I thought was better fitting at a club rave or a relaxed afternoon of Call of Duty.


Moving on to what I personally thought was the most interesting of the track list, "With Your Friends (Long Drive)" was love at first listen for me. It's the one song you would never have expected on this album. Made me think of stars and butterflies on a hot Sunday evening, out in a Texan field. It's a song that's appeared on other Skrillex EPs, but not in this alien form. There's very clever vocal work, the way only Skrillex knows how. This makes it all the more interesting. The song does progress into a heavy dance rhythm but with the utmost subtlety. Have a listen and see what you think.


The number I've left for last is my least favourite "All I Ask Of You" which features female vocals and is the one song that would fit in perfectly with your generic, any-night club goer. The song tends to have legs given a few listens. It slowly yet faithfully grows on you. 

Definite recommend for anyone who enjoys a good dance tune, dirty bass or dubstep. I have to remind you, this EP is heavily dubstep and it may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you haven't caught up with the scene yet, here's a good place to start.

To buy the album;


  

3 comments:

  1. Will give the album a listen, since, by the sound of it, this dude sounds pretty darn good. Btw, your describing skill really are something else, makes a person wanna actually give stuff like this a try

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cheers buddy. It's definitely worth it. Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey!!

    So let me get "real" with ya!As you know, quite fuss with my dubstep. However in saying that, I did listen to a few of the tracks you recommended and have to say "With your friends" was my favourite, love the piano work, combined with the electronic beat to it, in a word....beautiful.

    Keep the reviews coming, cant wait for the next one!

    AWESOME WORK BRAH!!=D

    ReplyDelete