Full disclosure: it took me a long time to finish this review.
It’s not because I didn’t get to it until now, and it’s definitely not because I wasn’t listening to the album.
It’s because Skrillex’s new album demanded extra attention.
Instead of tossing up a review for the sake of tossing up a review, I let the album sink in a little bit. Because if one thing was for certain about Sonny Moore’s new EP before he even released it, it’s that it was going to get ‘mixed’ reviews. Judging by previously groundbreaking albums like Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites and Bangarang, the jury was still hung over Recess.
But after a long, brutal wait for the king of bro-step’s newest compilation, our verdict is in.
And the verdict is ‘epic.’
Deep, ferocious and reggae-influenced, Recess is quite different from anything before. Aside from the fact that every bass-screeching melody is completely free of category, this album is an experiment gone terribly right.
No genre, no agenda, and no fillers.
Just Skrillex.
Not only does ‘Recess’ include tracks from King Skrillex himself, but features a few of the hottest names in music (not just ‘Electronic Dance Music’).
A collaboration with world-renowned producer, Diplo. A guest-appearance from rising Chicago hip-hop artist, Chance the Rapper. And the most intriguing of all, the song’s imminent smash-hit, ‘Recess,‘ which incorporates the talents of two completely separate musical masterminds in Kill the Noise and rap MC Fatman Scoop.
While Recess certainly doesn’t produce the same jaw-dropping, eye-opening reaction that Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites did, it does solidify the notion that Sonny Moore is one of the most brilliant, versatile producers in all of music.
I’m not kidding.
From hip-hop to grime, to rebellious and down-to-earth, the many faces of Skrillex are powerfully revealed in each of the 11 tracks on his latest EP.
In order to summarize our own feelings towards this late, great masterpiece – here’s our power ranking of every song on Recess.
11. Try It Out (Neon Mix) ft. Alvin Risk
The disappointment.
I’m a huge Alvin Risk fan. But this “Neon Mix” of Try It Out just seems very bland and undecided. In recent years, anything done by Skrillex and Alvin Risk has been money.
Not so much here.
10. Fire Away
The experimentation.
Intriguing, but confusing. It’s tough to tell what Skrillex wanted this song to be. His unmistakeable, angelic vocal chops don’t cut to the soul here like they do for other tracks. But if nothing else – this song certainly speaks to the range of his production capabilities.
9. Stranger
The outcast.
I think this is the melodic translation of the Alien logo used as the cover art for Recess (which is, according to Rolling Stone, based on his heavy usage of the alien emoji). Nothing to run home to Mom and Dad about, but definitely not one to overlook.
8. Coast is Clear ft. Chance The Rapper
The eyebrow-raiser.
Can I ask a question, can you keep a secret?
Sorry I had to, that line is great. And although it’s not really up to my normal taste in tunes, that almost makes this track that much more appealing. Skrillex casually incorporates a new sound with one of the hottest rappers in the game. This disco-influenced, hip-hop beat might take you some time to appreciate it – but every time I do, I like it a little bit more.
7. Dirty Vibe ft. Diplo
The back-bender.
Per usual for any Diplo production, this one took a long time to grow on me. But when Skrillex plays the ‘twerk’ card as well as he did here, you gotta give him some credit.
6. Doompy Poomp ft. Mishka
The goof-ball.
Catchy and intriguing, but it’s tough to take a song too seriously when it’s called Doompy Poomp.
5. All Is Fair In Love And Brostep ft. The Ragga Twins
The diss.
Zomboy got pissed about this song.
Boo-hoo.
4. Recess ft. Kill The Noise & Fatman Scoop
The smash-hit.
Your local schoolyard’s summer anthem.
3. Ragga Bomb ft. The Ragga Twins
The banger.
I know Sonny hates when people dissect his music, but whatever he does at 1:26 is mind-blowing. Call it a hook, call it a haunted hallway synth, I call it musical adrenaline.
And, they made a crazy music video for it.
2. FucK That
The rebel.
This song has steadily climbed on the list – reaching the extremely coveted position of No. 2 on these power rankings. As I’ve been debating and deciphering, this song became the one to beat. Thanks to Skrillex, now we know what happens when you mix a little of that ‘future bass’ with a tribute to throwback British dub step.
1. Ease My Mind
The masterpiece.
In my opinion, the best vocals ever produced by Sonny Moore. No song on the album creates a better visual than this one does, and there’s a good chance you’ll see the lighters come out when Skrillex puts this one over the loud speakers at Lollapalooza (for like Elton John ‘Candle In The Wind’ shit, not to like smoke shit).
And when the raggae melody drops in during the second chorus, you can expect to see grown men cry as well.
Absolutely legendary track, on an even more legendary album.
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(Content photo courtesy of Brennan Schnell)
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