The Double Doghouse

this week for the weekly review, i’m listening to the debut record from Tropical Fuck Storm, A Laughing Death In Meatspace, from 2018! i’ve only had one prior exposure to Tropical Fuck Storm, so i’m extremely excited to see what they bring to the table!

alrighty, first track of the record is You Let My Tyres Down, a slower, ambling kind of song with an interesting story to tell. the shifts between some of the more psych inspired sections, the quieter verses, and the slow build into those longing choruses, its a very cool experience. very good track, and after a few listens of the record, an interesting choice of a first taste. Antimatter Animal’s intro is intense, with the two guitars going off in separate sides of the mix. the bulk of the track seems to take some of the less intense parts of You Let My Tyres out and iterates on them. it feels like a very natural continuation to me. Chameleon Paint has an steady rhythm and that slightly dissonant twang to it, which just perfectly match Gareth Liddiard’s delivery here and delivery this sense of desperation and malaise. good track. The Future of History is absolutely my favorite track here – a perfect ball of frantic energy, of relentless rage and fear. love the expansion of a chess playing machine to express a fear of replacement by automation. Two Afternoons feels like a fever dream – some incredibly fun instrumentation here. lyrically, its affective but not the strongest part od the track. Soft Power is probably the most overtly political track on the record, and its p good. Shellfish Toxin is nice – the higher melody reminds of the horns in the theme for Disco Elysium a lot. the title track, A Laughing Death in Meatspace is a stirring ballad for the end times – this track has some movements yall. really enjoy Rubber Bullies as the closer, kind of a capstone thought on the modern era and the way well, time flies.

faves – You Let My Tyres Down, The Future of History
dislikes –

there is some damn clever lyricism on this record – i didnt mention it a ton on the track by track, but there are definitely some fantastic lines throughout. im still losing it over “footlong sub divisions”, ngl. but even beyond the little puns and references, this record is packed to the brim with anxieties of modern living and fear for the future, packed tightly into tight packages that are both dissonant and groovy. i had a reall good time, and this was an incredibly good holistic experience.

A Laughing Death In Meatspace – 8/10

the selection for this week’s suggestion pool is another 2018 record, this time it’s Year of the Snitch, from Death Grips. i’ll be back next Friday, September 30th for a review, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then a pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)