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Los Angeles-based engineer-turned-artist JJ Scheff, better known by his stage name Reaper, may have released his EP "HEADY" six months ago, but the speeding bullet to his personal hell continues to puncture our safety zones with a trail of exit wounds and newfound compulsion as the sole evidence we just heard what we heard.
The only familiarity found in "HEADY" are the sub-punk, rock and rap position of the rhythms being fronted by a cover bringing to mind The Stooges's 1970 album, "Fun House." Beyond that, the 7-track EP rages alone in sound. "HEADY," the title song, has a destructively adolescent sound. Jaded snares, a plucky chicken-pecking guitar riff and ethereal chord progression sequence the song into a climaxing bridge. Reaper's delightful melodies and mortified falsetto keeps him bouncing off the walls of his own mind that bubble up in the overwhelming chorus. And a further plunge into the EP, like with the following song "GRIP," weakens the "REAPER EP" artist's hold on convention and reality, a place Reaper is scarily great and comfortable in.
GRIP storms the ears like it crawled out of Kanye West's "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD" video, sending him running back to his dark twisted fantasy. Oleaginous synth shots, graphic drums and percussion ignite the production's changes and many accompaniments -- itchy guitar sections, misty keyboard sections, and in the latter, an amalgamation of the two for a complete instrumental break. Reaper floods "GRIP" with sexual lyrics over elated falsetto and exhausted harmonies. Musically JJ Scheff keeps camouflaging from song to song. The interlude-like part of "HEADY" working with the title "Theme" believably loosens the grip and sends this project off into an unwary direction for the reaming songs "VERTIGO" and "TERRORS" solely through a piano instrumental.
HEADY is a project that can not see what it is afraid of and what is methodically killing it, but can feel something is there. And the instant those pop drums, woozy chord bends and clement rhythm guitar strums are sent off by that final string in "TERRORS," Reaper can gasp and realize what has been tormenting him is, simply put, love.
Listen to "HEADY" in full below.
Lead Photo Cred: soundcloud.com
Los Angeles-based engineer-turned-artist JJ Scheff, better known by his stage name Reaper, may have released his EP "HEADY" six months ago, but the speeding bullet to his personal hell continues to puncture our safety zones with a trail of exit wounds and newfound compulsion as the sole evidence we just heard what we heard.
The only familiarity found in "HEADY" are the sub-punk, rock and rap position of the rhythms being fronted by a cover bringing to mind The Stooges's 1970 album, "Fun House." Beyond that, the 7-track EP rages alone in sound. "HEADY," the title song, has a destructively adolescent sound. Jaded snares, a plucky chicken-pecking guitar riff and ethereal chord progression sequence the song into a climaxing bridge. Reaper's delightful melodies and mortified falsetto keeps him bouncing off the walls of his own mind that bubble up in the overwhelming chorus. And a further plunge into the EP, like with the following song "GRIP," weakens the "REAPER EP" artist's hold on convention and reality, a place Reaper is scarily great and comfortable in.
GRIP storms the ears like it crawled out of Kanye West's "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD" video, sending him running back to his dark twisted fantasy. Oleaginous synth shots, graphic drums and percussion ignite the production's changes and many accompaniments -- itchy guitar sections, misty keyboard sections, and in the latter, an amalgamation of the two for a complete instrumental break. Reaper floods "GRIP" with sexual lyrics over elated falsetto and exhausted harmonies. Musically JJ Scheff keeps camouflaging from song to song. The interlude-like part of "HEADY" working with the title "Theme" believably loosens the grip and sends this project off into an unwary direction for the reaming songs "VERTIGO" and "TERRORS" solely through a piano instrumental.
HEADY is a project that can not see what it is afraid of and what is methodically killing it, but can feel something is there. And the instant those pop drums, woozy chord bends and clement rhythm guitar strums are sent off by that final string in "TERRORS," Reaper can gasp and realize what has been tormenting him is, simply put, love.
Listen to "HEADY" in full below.
Lead Photo Cred: soundcloud.com
Dope write up!! Crazy good project too
ReplyDeleteThank you! I appreciate your read.
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