Skrillex - Recess Album Review

Sonny Moore  AKA Skrillex is a name you'll be familiar with if you've so much as been to a club or a party with dance music in the last few years, given the popularity of singles such as 'Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites' and 'Bangarang' defined by huge bass drops, that get people going crazy. After several EP's Skrillex, has finally brought out a full length in the shape of 'Recess'. You wonder why now? Given that Skrillex has been a big name for a good few years now. Hopefully it's because he's been honing his craft, or it could just be that it's the right career choice at this point in time.   

Starting with 'All Is Fair In Love And Brostep', it seems that Skrillex isn't taking a huge departure from his heavy bass sound of old. UK jungle act Ragga Twins feature on the track, and help make it a harsh, but fun song. 'Stranger' has a good use of low key clicking and assorted percussion sets you up for a high pitched burst of electronics, that is less predictable than a usual massive bass drop. The intro to 'Coast Is Clear' has something of a smooth jazz vibe to it in the pianos, but synths soon create something a little more familiar. Chance The Rapper lends his voice to the track and it's the best vocal performance on the album however the lyrics are pretty poor though with 'do you wanna f**k?' repeated a lot. 'Doopy Poomp' sees Skrillex unleash his inner Aphex Twin with a pretty solid ambient track, featuring chilled out, yet playful beats, warm synths towards the end and even a 'BOING' sound effect. That's the positives of 'Recess'. Now for the negatives. 

'Try It Out' has a tasteful intro that promises a good song, even Alvin Risk's meaty vocals aren't exactly an ideal match for the track but they don't cause too much distress to the listener, then a 'good' old fashioned drop and flickering electronic noises completely ruins any chance the song has of being anything special. 'F**k That' has a fairly interesting beat that is quite laid back, but is way too repetitive with little variation. This makes a 3 and a half minute song feel like a 7 minute one. 'Ease My Mind' containing samples of Niki & The Dove's 'DJ Ease My Mind', has a decent dance beat in the chorus, but otherwise is boring with the slow piano style being so obvious for the vocal sample it's being put aside on, that sings of love lost. The album ends on 'Fire Away', something of an ambient house song, which is interesting for the first minute or too with icy drum tracks, but soon the song just sounds tired and you're left waiting for it to finish, tempted to even skip it altogether.

Skrillex's first full length album is really hit and miss. There are some really great tracks on it, but there are some pretty poor songs too. Giving credit where credit is due, Skrillex has put a fair amount of diversity into this album. The romp of the opener will have you expecting business as usual form and songs like 'Coast Is Clear' and 'Doompy Poomp' take you by surprise in a great way. It's just a shame that some songs aren't executed well enough. Hopefully Skrillex can release a better full length in the future, but perhaps for now 'Recess' should've just been another EP, even if a full length was due.

Rating: 2.5/5.

Max Cussons