Single Takes: This Song Is Awful/Awesome And You Are Stupid for Liking/Not Liking It (

Single Take is a Reviler feature where multiple people give a passing glance at some new music and causally rank it somewhere between 1 (Justin Beiber) and 10 (really amazing). Fun, right? Check out the latest installment below and feel free to tell us who stupid and out of touch we are based on our opinions. Arguing on the internet: the greatest of American traditions. 

Jon 7.5/10

Wu Tang affiliated material is frustrating. There is a lot of it and while some of it is absolutely sublime, much of it aint. This one is pretty fantastic though – capturing some of that gritty, weird magic of the early records. Also, the production is downright RZA-esque. Could have done without the kid’s vocal sample though, honestly. 

Adam J 6/10

I’m not surprised the Czarface collab with Ghostface is better than his MF DOOM match-up. Excellent chorus with a cool, albeit distracting video.

Josh 8/10

Ghostface is a top-3 rapper of all time for me, so even his worst work will inevitably float at a 5. Luckily this is better than run of the mill, featuring a smoky beat, some inspired rapping from Czarface and Ghost is in at least average form, which means better than most rappers. Can’t say I love the video.

Jon 7/10

Honestly Malkmus’s music no longer hold for me the appeal that it once did. As I have grown older and my horizons have widened, I tend to seek out stuff that I find a little more, I don’t know, exotic. But this tune is actually a surprise – it’s delightfully off-kilter in a way that I didn’t expect. 

Josh 7/10

What do you do when someone so baked into a genre steps slightly outside of their comfort zone? Pick it apart because it is different? Grade on a curve for trying something new? I’m not sure the answer, but this song and trippy video def feel like a curveball, even for post-Pavement Malkmus. His off-kilter songwriting actually blends well with the light psych that this song and album explore.

Adam J 7+/10

I still think this track is one of the weakest on the stupendous Groove Denied album, but this video is such a fun trip (literally for the subject) that it’s hard to be too stuffy.

Adam J 6+/10

If there were a DMT code to write into the Sims, this would be the result.Gorgeous, but…eh, I get it…

Josh 8/10

As I’ve gotten older, more busy/stressed and felt tired by waves of rock/pop artists doing the same thing, I’ve taken a deep dive into ambient/electronic music as something that still allows for weird exploration. RVNG INTL is one of my favorite labels for finding gems, and this record is the latest in their amazing FRKWYS series that pairs artists from different generations to collaborate on new music. I knew Visible Cloaks work, but not the others. I dig the peaceful, twitchy sounds and will be adding this to my “need to escape” mix for late at night or when diving into a project.

Jon 4/10

I can imagine tuning this out in the background in the year 2050 as I set my flying car on autopilot and drift off to sleep while navigating through the ruins of civilization. Would honestly rather listen to something else though. 

Adam J 10/10

Out the gate on premise alone this video gets a 10. Wonderful.Also, Idris Elba raps now. Huh…

Josh 9/10

This video is amazing. Wiley is a legend. Idris Elba probably should stick to acting. This song is great, even with some dead weight.

Jon 6/10

This is pretty great…right up until Idris Elba’s verse. I can’t figure out if I am hating on it because I am just having a hard time separating my expectations in terms of rapper vs. actor. It just seems a little cringe-y. It could be worse I guess though. 

Adam J 8+/10

I dig the concept of the dual coasts, and I am thoroughly pleased (and impressed) that punk rock truly refuses to die. Cool.

Jon 6/10

Solid “us vs them” punk but absolutely nothing unexpected or noteworthy. 

Josh 6/10

I’ve always respected Show Me the Body more than enjoyed them, and this song doesn’t change that. It is a cool concept for a video, highlighting live shows from opposite coasts, but this isn’t something I’ll be returning back to often as it just isn’t my cup of tea.

Jon 6/10

A 60’s (?) fun funk rock take on an Elvis tune. Can’t tell if it’s a reissue or just a throwback style. You probably need to be in the right mood (or on the right drugs)

Adam J 6/10

Well that happened…
Kudos on the cover (both the Brown Acid: The Eighth Trip aesthetic and the Grump reworking), but it’s truly a travisty there doesn’t exist a true-to-form music video for this arrangement.

Josh 5/10

This series is really solid, but this song falls more into the “joke” category than I generally prefer.