Powers That B

Recording information: Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California.
As odd as they were angry, the entirely unique avant attack crew Death Grips brought their career to an end with this final album which, in itself, is two albums. Half esoteric and half essential, The Powers That B is comprised of Niggas on the Moon, a strange, short album where guest Björk was sampled as her vocals collided with Death Grips' own MC Ride, and Jenny Death, a more traditional Death Grips LP which sounds like where they were heading, rather than just outtakes and leftovers. The wealth of the highlights are on Jenny Death as the tight "I Break Mirrors with my Face in the United States" and "Why a Bitch Gotta Lie" rank up there with classics like "The Fever (Aye Aye)" and "I've Seen Footage," both of them filled DG's magic mix of Bad Brains and Atari Teenage Riot-styled revolution. The Björk-based art piece works better when consumed as album number two, and when it comes to "goodbyes," the closing "Death Grips 2.0" is a feedback-filled conceptual art piece that suggests any loud, malfunctioning machine could take the band's place. ~ David Jeffries