Track Review: Death Grips – “True Vulture Bare”

[Self-released; 2012]

Before the ordeal that was the surprise leak of No Love Deep Web, Death Grips dropped a pearl totally unassociated with that whole shit storm. “True Vulture Bare” is as fierce and unfastened as anything on The Money Store, but much, much leaner. Keyboardist/electro-whiz Flatlander lies low here while drummer Zach Hill goes bionic with a mathy excursion on a v-drum kit, setting the pace with hyperdrive hi-hat scurrying. “You’re expendable,” emphasizes Stefan Burnett (MC Ride) in his primal, husky pitch. His words are often indiscernible, but his use of syllabic repetition and the velocity with which he delivers them won’t leave you scrambling for the cheat sheet. There’s plenty of time to deal with the fallout of No Love; in the meantime, there’s this.

8/10