"Government Plates"

After leaking their third LP, 2012’s "NO LOVE DEEP WEB," California noise-rap outfit Death Grips seemed as if they were finished. Their label dropped them, they canceled shows without notice, and, to the horror of their fans, they hung out with Robert Pattinson and Beyonce. Then without warning, they released their fourth LP for free.

"Government Plates" is the least aggressive album in the Death Grips catalogue, a characteristic particularly evident on the back half of the album, where frontman MC Ride’s crazed hobo shouts takes a backseat to the production prowess of Andy “Flatlander” Morin, who chops and screws Ride’s vocals as if they were just another instrument. The switch to a more IDM influenced sound is smart. "NO LOVE DEEP WEB" had already pushed Death Grips’ noise rap to the limits, and while we do get glimpses of what this LP could have sounded like had they pushed even harder (see opening track “You Might Think He Loves You…”), the change in sound is largely welcomed; for the first time ever, Death Grips sound is legitimately unsettling.

While less angry, the album is by no means accessible. Gone are the hooks that made their last three albums so much fun. Instead, Death Grips gives us songs that meander without structure and pummel listeners with one or two vocal samples.  The lyrics are also the most impenetrable and least quotable yet.

While the first ten tracks are some of Death Grips’ most unnerving and uninviting music yet, closer “Whatever I Want (Fuck Who’s Watching)” proves the most alienating. Over a frantic, garish synth loop, Ride’s shouts reverberate and echo.  Occasionally Flatlander throws out disorienting, 8-bit blasts of noise. The result is Death Grips’ best closer yet. "Government Plates" is not for fans that want the catchiness of The Money Store or the aggression of "NO LOVE DEEP WEB."  I don’t know who it’s intended audience is. All I know is that Death Grips have once again reinvented themselves, and in the process have provided us one of the year’s most inventive, disturbing, and impressive albums yet.