As horror fans, we all know the rules of sequels. We know what to expect when the producers and studios tied to a favorite want to have another go, even if countless other sequels have lowered the bar to such a point where it exists in the bleak expanses of Hell, and many studios still manage to break a toe or two on it. I mean, the old rhyme goes “second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a whole lot worse,” for crying out loud. So when a sequel lives up to expectations, that’s one accomplishment, sure. When it excels and surpasses both expectations and even the original film, mind equals blown.
This is the case when it comes to clipping’s latest, Visions of Bodies Being Burned. A direct sequel to last year’s There Existed an Addiction to Blood, this album from the experimental hip-hop trio led by Daveed Diggs manages to outdo the work that was done on its predecessor. Noise, industrial, trap, hip-hop, everything comes together, and Diggs’ delivery is unparalleled. He doesn’t need to be fast, even though he can definitely do that. He doesn’t need to raise his voice, but he can and it works wonders when he makes it count. All in all, this sequel is a labor of love, a tribute to the horror genre, and a strong album.
The intro track is tense and building, with Diggs delivering a rhythmic verse even without percussion behind him. This slow burn in musical form is something we’ll be seeing a great deal of in this album, so get used to it, especially given this album’s aforementioned goal. In “Say the Name,” the delivery is calculated, again a dissection rather than an outright execution. The instrumentation builds, adding elements over time before an all-out groove breaks out in the last minute. First in the line-up of interludes is “Wytchboard,” which can be boiled down into the phrase “don’t fuck with Ouija boards.” What else you don’t fuck with is Cam and China, who throw into “‘96 Neve Campbell” to pay tribute to the Nineties scream queen herself. This is a killer offering, bringing a swagger and power to the dance that Diggs didn’t necessarily need help with, but clearly wasn’t going to say no to.
“Something Underneath” is an especially harsh track, with fuzz and concussive percussion. Add to this Diggs’ vicious delivery, and this makes for a great follow-up to the previous track. Noise, feedback, and all sorts of harsh sounds power “Make Them Dead” forward, and while it’s a perfectly fine track, the persistent feedback compels me to give my condolences to headphone users in advance. Ticking in an almost 8-bit manner helps along “She Bad,” and sees a lot of word real estate being covered in not a lot of time. Beyond the ticking, there’s a lot of samples of noises crammed into this track, making for an abstract number. Further in abstraction is the second interlude “Invocation,” which is disorienting as all get out.
“Pain Everyday” is in an odd time signature, and brings heavier percussion and choral samples to add an ominous edge. Chimes and other tones add weight to “Check the Lock,” as Diggs raps about paranoia and second-guessing in an instance where one misstep can mean the difference between life and death. A walking beat and a well-paced delivery make this one of the stronger tracks from the album. Ho99o9 joins the fray for “Looking Like Meat,” an electro-tinged track with plenty of fire and fury behind it, especially when the guests take over for their verse. On the subject of guests, the third interlude “Drove” is a bunch of animal noises and chirping crickets, which I’m going to assume alludes to trying and failing not to make a scene at night.
Things get clattering, metallic, and weird on “Eaten Alive.” Frankly, it’s the low point of the album for me, if only because the intermittent clanging and banging takes away from the vocals, and with nothing else in the realm of instrumentation to distract or to focus on, it takes away from the finished product. Granted, even a less than great clipping. track is better than most, but it irks me nevertheless. Fortunately, “Body for the Pile” redeems things with a gruesome, violent offering. SICKNESS adds a swagger and charisma to the affair, with Diggs’ surgical verses painting a picture for the listener in the resulting viscera. “Enlacing” picks up musically where “Pain Everyday” left off, before plunging the listener in a trap hi-hat-ridden number with production that could find play on the radio, despite the censoring that would need to occur. Closing out the sequel is “Secret Piece,” which feels like a final scene’s backdrop in every sense. It feels like a denouement, tying things off now that the new big bad has been vanquished, thank fuck. Could a new evil rear its head before long? Maybe, but let’s enjoy this moment of serenity and relief while we can.
Frankly, if you have time to watch a full-length feature film back to back, you have the time to listen to both of these records front to back, back to back, and then wish there was a film to accompany it, with the previous album’s musique concrete piece “Piano Burning” as an intermission. The fact that we have a group like clipping. putting out quality work in such short order is a privilege we dare not squander.
Visions of Bodies Being Burned is available now via Sub Pop Records.
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