Mix It In A Pot

Lee “Scratch” Perry & Mouse On Mars “Rockcurry”

Who would’ve guessed that a “Hallagallo” groove would go so well with the stoned mutterings of dub reggae legend Lee “Scratch” Perry? Not me, but I’m not surprised, since I love pretty much anything with that distinct motorik groove. Mouse On Mars and the late Perry are an unexpected pairing but make sense when you consider how much of either’s body of work comes down to tweaking recordings until they become a bit surreal. Mouse On Mars also gravitate to odd vocal tones and cadences – they made an entire record with The Fall’s Mark E Smith back in the 2000s, and a lot of their best tracks include cartoonishly distorted vocals.

“Rockcurry” mixes familiar elements into a vaguely alien new form: Perry’s sleepy phrasing melting into the zoned-out groove, but contrasted with bright, super-saturated keyboards and a slightly-too-brisk tempo that adds a touch of garage flavor to the mix.

Buy it from Bandcamp.

Slayyyter “Yes Goddd”

What if Justice circa 2007 went even harder? What if Kesha was kinda metal and way more unhinged? What if you combined those things, and drenched it in the musical equivalent of hot sauce? That’s basically what “Yes Goddd” is, but I feel like that’s still underselling its hyperactive maniac charm. It’s sleek and pop, but also brutal. Slayyyter used to be more of a novelty gay pop thing, but now she’s making music that would make me worry about the safety of people in the pit at her shows.

Buy it from Amazon.