In fifth place with nine points LALALALALALA by Tyrrell
And now a mini grouping of two at the foot of the podium, which I split in the end based on repetitiveness. That might come as a surprise as this one is pretty damn repetitive. I think this is house and so is what Pitchfork thinks Daft Punk perfected, but it sounds light years better than that to my ears. It moves through its paces with a sleek grace, adding and removing elements to ensure the correct amount of build and then release. Just a high quality and efficient example of what it is.
Personally I prefer this sort of stuff with even fewer moving parts and, as covered previously, no vocals. With ādanceā music you can always have fewer parts and be more repetitive, well, at least imo. Tyrrell probably does want humans to dance to it though, so I get what she/he/they is/are up to and I nod my head appreciatively.
Now that Iām hearing more of the submissions, I am facepalming because I have so many other, better choices for this category and I tried to get too fancy.
In fourth place with ten points Walk & Skank by Jah Screechy
Jah Screechy knows whatās up, he does one thing near the start and then just walks and skanks exactly like that for the next 3 and a half minutes. Like another song coming up itās relentless, but itās not oppressive. Iād say itās even quite a fun and good-natured track.
Iām pretty ignorant about this sort of thing, I listen to a bit of dub but dancehall and reggae I havenāt a clue about really. I think I must have heard another remix of this one or maybe remember it very imperfectly from a long time ago, but I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed it. Itās not a style I would have guessed would feature but it fits perfectly and is excellent. I think itās the song that stuck in my head most over the last few days.
In third place with eleven points Alfadhirhaiti by Heilung
The first time I heard this one I thought it was pointless pretend metal, though given my son was repeatedly triggering noises from a toy car at the same time I was willing to give it a 2nd chance. I suppose I had to for Walrus purposes, but I was glad I did and on headphones a whole new world of sound opened up.
According to wiki these people are making music ābased on texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples of the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Viking Ageā using instruments āthat may have been already available to humans in the Iron Age, such as drums, bones or spears.ā Interesting, but thankfully also pretty great sounding. The first few minutes are decent, but the real shit is from about 3 minutes where they lock on to a gradually building, erm, chant, I guess, and ride it to the finish.
They remind me a little of one of the most unclassifiable bands I know, Japanese weirdos from the 70s The Taj Mahal Travellers, who also loved a deep voice and had a weird, drone heavy sound. That lot used loads of electronics, though, so I wouldnāt say theyāre too similar beyond that. Heilung cook up a prettty intense brew by the end and I look forward to checking out more of their work.
(PS I wrote all that without ever watching the video, which just triples down on everything.)
Yeah, I think On A Ragga Tip is probably the one as from the description I must have heard it, but when I listened it seemed less familiar that what you submitted. I shouldnāt say this, but was a bit of it ever on an advert?
In second place with twelve points Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) by Run The Jewels feat Zack De La Rocha
Like any angry youngster from the early 90s I was obsessed with RAtMās first album. Still am, really, but I havenāt kept up with them and although I listened to a bit of Company Flow long ago Iām not aware of Run The Jewels at all. I have been very remiss as this is magnificent stuff.
Like Jah Screechy itās just relentless, but this time hitched to some white hot but firmly disciplined anger. All the vocalists give good performances, but Killer Mike is ludicrous at nailing the beat throughout. Then the production is just the right side of annoying (which is obviously always there when you do this sort of thing), I assume trying to be reminiscent of sirens. Anyway, this one is properly great and definitely hits the spot for the category. A boot stamping on a human face forever, but, you know, in a good way.
PS Like any good parent I let my two year old hear this (and the rest) several times, and it was the only song he reacted to. I think he liked it as he nodded when I asked, but he does that to most questions he doesnāt understand and may have been demanding the song about crocodiles he loves.
Jalfrezi: Describe the song to me and Iāll guess who submitted it.
Pyatnitski: Pointlessā¦
Jalfrezi: LouisCyphre.
Pyatnitski: ā¦pretendā¦
Jalfrezi: LouisCyphre!
Pyatnitski: ā¦metal
Jalfrezi: LOUISCYPHRE!
In first place with thirteen points Tone Bank Jungle by Holy Fuck
This song is exactly what I wanted to hear in this category, I got very excited the first time I heard it and nothing ever came close. I had never heard of Holy Fuck so I knew immediately that this Walrus had delivered, even if everyone else had submitted Iron and Wine.
Itās obviously made by people with a bunch of krautrock records, but theyāve also been keeping up with a lot more stuff. It has a poppy, danceable edge that Kraftwerk would be jealous of, but with way more humanity and error than they would ever get involved with. The multiple builds and releases are more reminiscent of dance music, and the playing has a loose, almost improvised edge. Also itās close to my heart as the drums are usually the instrument driving it along, though I always think that. In short, itās excellent.
I know repetitive music isnāt everyoneās cup of tea but it should be, and this song is certainly part of the reason why.
