Jonathan Gooch has by no means been one to fret about the established order. After transitioning from drum & bass as Spor, Gooch, or extra generally often known as his current stage title, Feed Me, skilled blistering popularity of his excessive vitality mixture of electro home and dubstep. When he launched Feed Me’s Massive Journey in 2011, followers had been instantly enamored by the little inexperienced alien who could be the mascot for the undertaking in addition to the modern and fascinating music he produced.
Quick ahead ten years, and Feed Me has launched one other extra album, 5 or so EPs, and numerous singles amongst then-and-again appearances as Spor on lineups, and he’s not even near performed but. Actually, his third and most up-to-date album, out at this time, the self-titled Feed Me, is his most formidable and finest work to this point.
Followers acquired the one and solely single, “Reckless” with favourite collaborator Tasha Baxter, earlier this week earlier than the album merely sprang upon us. And from the very first monitor, it’s clear that Feed Me has a narrative to inform.
“Massive Kitten” begins with guttural bass, suspenseful synth and strings, and thunderous kicks. The primary forty or so seconds are as in-your-face, here-it-comes, you-aren’t-ready-for-this because it will get, and it solely will get higher as an “Imperial March”-esque melody comes into play. Evenly modulated with added noise in order that when the massive drop comes, and you may really feel in you bones that it is going to be large, it erupts into the true starting of Feed Me with a, “Alright, examine this.”
Little question this would be the music that you simply present your pals within the automotive after they hand you the aux and say, “Play me one thing new.” However you’d be doing your self a disservice should you stopped at simply the primary explosive music, and even simply the primary half of the primary music.
“Blanket Ban” doubles down on this gritty Feed Me type that he does so nicely with a punk-goes-EDM vitality that’s completely electrifying. Distorted guitar licks fed via what can solely be so many amps and results pedals offers technique to a pulsating beat that’s underscored by a harrowing, noisy synth line and adopted up by a tantalizing melody. The way in which that it frequently builds upon itself till it collapses underneath its personal weight and leads again to the unique melody is textbook songwriting, however Feed Me does it in a manner that feels so recent and thrilling that the fundamental turns into the extraordinary.
After that comes the one and solely single, “Reckless,” after which the bewildering “Value a Fiver Had a Tenner.” After the primary three tracks, this one actually comes out of nowhere with its off-kilter rhythm and heavy distortion. Even because it will get weirder and weirder, you possibly can’t assist however be mesmerized by the development, like watching two folks combat in a comfort retailer during the last Twinkie on the shelf, questioning what’s going to occur subsequent. However as a detectable melody comes into play, the music begins to remodel itself till it slows to an absolute drawl.
After which. The guitar. And the drums. And the slowly and ever rising tempo. And it builds and builds and builds and builds till it breaks out right into a ferocious breakdown that nobody sees coming. After which it ends. And on to the subsequent monitor we go.
Take into account we’re solely at monitor 4 at this level, and the album has already run the gamut on Feed Me’s kinds previous and current, and possibly future whereas we’re at it. One of many issues that Feed Me does so nicely is in the way in which it subverts expectation however all the time stays near a recognizable sample. The songs start a technique and it’s considerably predictable and you may inform the way it’s going, after which he provides, whether or not it’s one little aspect or a number of, one thing else, some spice that mixes issues up. A melody right here, a synth impact there, a key change, no matter it’s, he retains the listener on their toes.
One other of the extra peculiar songs on the album comes at monitor 8, “Frank Frazetta.” Who’s Frank? Who cares. But it surely’s a housey, bouncy, electrifying monitor that seems like a portal again to Eptic’s 2014 The Finish EP and we’re completely right here for it.
Having listened to Feed Me religiously since his debut in 2011, this self-titled album couldn’t be a extra excellent illustration of his limitless pursuit of the bizarre and wild. It twists and turns like essentially the most cerebral of M. Night time Shyamalan movies, it diverts your consideration and slaps you within the face like essentially the most uncouth sideshow artist, and at instances, it will get to the guts like essentially the most poignant of tales.
Secure to say, wherever this album goes, we’re glad to observe. Hearken to Feed Me under.