Flying On Clipped Wings

I’ve loved music since a fairly young age, though perhaps a good arbitrary starting point is the age I first got my mam’s Walkman, yes the one that plays cassettes, and there was a mixtape made of all the songs I loved at the time, some Green Day, some punk, a lot of The Smiths and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!. My music tastes have gone through various iterations throughout my life, from getting into all the indie and punk my parents loved growing up, to becoming a proper metalhead in secondary school, to diving into hip hop thanks to Odd Future, NWA, Lil B, Chief Keef and Gucci Mane, diving back into indie when I wanted to be able to talk about music I liked to people I knew, and the weird collision of various conflicting sounds at my current age. Here are my 10 favourite albums, all listened to at various stages throughout my life, all great records. 1: Counterparts: The Difference Between Hell And Home I first heard Counterparts on a compilation CD when I was a tender 17 yea...

Here's some things I've learned during that period of frantic panic and caffeine consumption known as exam season, having gone through three bouts of it with my next period of it coming up in May. These aren't anything to do with my course material, rather they are little life lessons from the various things that I've experienced during them. 1: Listicles get clicks. This isn’t even me trying to be all meta with this article, I’ve clicked onto so many things which have turned out to be unfulfilling, watched so many end of year review list videos on YouTube, all due to this desire to just not have to engage with the foreboding behemoth comprised of powerpoints and pdf files staring me in the face. 2: Caffeine has a dark side to it. All those coffees, those cans of edge, those cans of red bull should you have the money to afford it, they may well keep you awake, but there is a crash and it will come. It may come midway through typing where you feel a wave of tiredn...

Of all the artists to emerge from the implosion of cult hip hop collective Raider Klan, Denzel Curry is the one who’s managed to achieve the most lasting success. Releasing a number of mixtapes, 2013’s Nostalgic 64 and last year’s double EP 32 Zel//Planet Shrooms, he’s gained notoriety for his intricate lyrics peppered with nerdy references, dark, crushing beats and a fast, twisty, choppy flow reminiscent of fallen Three Six Mafia MC Lord Infamous or Outkast’s Andre 3000. Imperial is a brave step forward, out of Nostalgic 64’s darkness and the lysergic have of 32 Zell//Planet Shrooms, into a brighter, more confident space, every element accentuated to perfection.  The production on this album maintains that same punchy, trunk rattling feel, with juddering 808s and eerie, wavy melodies, yet overall with a slighter cleaner, brighter feeling. The first half of the album embodies the aggressive side to Curry’s sound, with the hyperactive “Knotty Head”, featuring fellow Carol City, ...