John Thill - Heart of Grime

JOHN THILL WAS BORN IN RIVERSIDE, CA: LAND OF HEAT, DRUGS, AND STATELY GRIME. FOR SIX YEARS HE LIVED IN GRITTY NEIGHBORHOODS THEREIN. HEART OF GRIME IS AN AUTOPSY OF THAT CITY AND A RECORD ABOUT THE VERY GROUND FALLING OUT FROM UNDER ONE’S FEET, ABOUT COMING HOME TO A PLACE THAT NO LONGER MAKES SENSE. THILL WROTE AND RECORDED THE ALBUM IN A MOTOR HOME OUTSIDE HIS PARENTS’ HOUSE IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY AFTER MAKING AN UNSCHEDULED RETURN TO CALIFORNIA FROM THE SOUTHEAST WITH HIS TAIL BETWEEN HIS LEGS. INFORMED BY A DIVORCE, LOSING FRIENDS TO DRUGS AND WATCHING HIS HOMETOWN’S RENTS RISE AND PEOPLE LEAVE, THE ALBUM OSCILLATES BETWEEN HARSH SLABS OF DISTORTION AND SPARKLING SOUND. INFLUENCED BY NOISE, FOLK, LO-FI, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, PURE POP MUSIC, HEART OF GRIME WAS CUT AND REFINED UNTIL ONLY THE PORTIONS DEEMED ENJOYABLE ON THE TWENTIETH LISTEN WERE LEFT. THE RESULT IS A COMPACT, JAGGED POP RECORD WITH ALL SUPERFLUITIES EXCISED. BOTH DEVASTATING AND COMIC, THE ALBUM IS INFORMED BY SURREAL IDEAS, PARANOID FANTASIES, AND VENGEFUL REPRISALS. IT IS A BIG DEPARTURE FROM HIS PREVIOUS OPEN-FORM FOLK WORK THE BAND AUM RIFLE AND THE HIP HOP/WORLD JAZZ AMALGAMATION OF QUEM QUAERITIS. SOLO EFFORT FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSICIAN OSCILLATES BETWEEN HARSH SLABS OF DISTORTION AND SPARKLING LO-FI POP

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