Pre-release Review: Moodie Black's MB I / I I Follow-up MB I I I EP Ahead of 0 1 0 4 2 0 1 9 Digital/Physical Release (Fake Four Inc.)
Earlier this year, Moodie Black released their phenomenal third full-length album, LUCAS ACID, on Fake Four Inc. It features two lone features: one from French singer and song-writer p i e r r e m o t t r o n (Pierre Mottron) on "v a n o w e n" and another from rapper, singer, and Fake Four founder c e s c h i (Ceschi Ramos) on "l i p s." Moodie Black consists of long-standing members, frontperson Chris "Kdeath" Martinez and multi-instrumentalist Sean Lindahl; they have been self-releasing their own music since 2011 and over the years, have partnered with Ceschi & Fake Four for a number of critically-acclaimed releases. I recently received a mysterious email entitled "MB I I I" from Kdeath, which contained a Zip file and what appeared to be lyrics for a selection of songs called "I. MOSS," "II. PINK POUT," "III. - Privilege," and "IV. Gasp, Then." After speaking with K, they soon informed me that MB I I I was, in fact, the third installment in their MB EP series, which started with 2013's Moodie Black AKA MB EP and its 2015 follow-up, MB I I. Kdeath's journey through Hip-Hop/Noise-Rap as a transgender woman of Mexican/Black descent has been chronicled across Moodie Black's often deeply personal series of releases since 2011's Sana Sana.
MB I I I is Moodie Black's first collection of long-form material since April's LUCAS ACID, although, they self-released a one-off single entitled "Ye.Death" back in October and Kdeath recently lent her production duties for MC Homeless' recent Fake Four FREECEMBER release, Sex & Death EP. Moodie Black themselves have referred to MB I I I as their "freshest work since Nausea" and in my opinion, at least, sounds something like a stylistic cousin to LUCAS ACID. MB I I I evokes sonic allusions to like-minded artists, such as MANIKINETER AKA Carl Kavorkian, Nine Inch Nails, and Dälek, whom, actually, appeared on "Last Griot" from the aforementioned Moodie Black EP. MB I I I's lead-off track, "MOSS," features a sparse, echoing Industrial/Noise-Rap beat created by Kdeath and the EP's only feature from Vienna-based multi-media artist, illustrator, music producer, composer, singer, and song-writer Squalloscope AKA Anna Kohlweis. "MOSS" also, showcases jarring self-reflective lyrics such as, "the postal service to the parents dressed in shame / my daddy all in shambles that his hey boy is his daughter" and "when will I parish, will I quit / I've seen the way the elders kinda limp when they don't fit."
Track #02, "PINK POUT," features a spacey, cascading Electro/Hip-Hop-leaning beat that sounds something like what El-P might, in fact, be currently composing for Run The Jewels 4. It's also, a bit evocative of Death Grips' NO LOVE DEEP WEB, mostly, due in part to an echoing, droning vocal delivery that encompasses the majority of "PINK POUT." Next up is "Privilege," which features K rhyming: "we all got PRIVILEGE / We all want privilege / We all less PRIVILEGE / We're beyond our privilege..." in a manner that's very evocative of Kendrick Lamar's sneering high-pitched delivery he's been using these last couple years. MB I I I EP closer "Gasp, Then" features, as its title conveys, some sort of guttural gasping sound peppered throughout its duration. The beat starts out as one single piano melody and gradually, builds up before ultimately, collapsing upon itself. Kdeath ferociously rhymes: "Not Drake light no Indie rapper sad with a Trap aesthetic / See what I've done is my own will with a feather finish," which, itself, is vaguely evocative of JPEGMAFIA's Veteran. Moodie Black's MB I I I EP will become available on all digital platforms on Friday, January 4, 2019 with 10-inch vinyl to be released on an unspecified French label to be carried Overseas and on Moodie Black's upcoming tour dates. A MB I I I Release Party/show will be held on January 4th at ICEHOUSE located in Minneapolis, Minnesota with openers Mutant, Inhumanity, and New Primals for anyone travelling through or back home after the holidays.
"MB I I I 0 1 0 4 2 0 1 9
On Friday, Jan. 4th, 2019 we will be releasing our new EP, MB I I I. This release will be available on all digital platforms on that date. We have signed a deal with a new label in France, which will be releasing a limited edition 10-inch vinyl only available Overseas with the exception of copies we will have on tour and a handful carried by Fake Four. Speaking of Fake Four and 2019, MB has re-signed with Fake Four for our next full-length record, which will be available at the end of 2019. We are excited to be a part of Fake Four's insane plans over the next year. Y'all really have no idea. More announcements soon..."
- Chris "Kdeath" Martinez (Moodie Black)
