Critiques CD: Bassnectar | Vava Voom

In this post-Skrillex age, the mere mention of dubstep can spark heated arguments. There are rival camps, proning differing approaches to wobbly bass, each with its own towering leaders and throngs of disciples. Those who swear by San Francisco’s Lorin Ashton, otherwise known as superstar EDM purveyor Bassnectar, probably won’t care to read on. This ninth album by the insanely prolific Ashton – whose heavy beats and punk-attuned spirit have commanded global nightclubs for over a decade – supplies lots of his trademark apartment-rattling bass. Some of the tracks, such as rickety headbanger “Ugly” and the Lupe Fiasco-enhanced eponymous track, show some promise. But like most of the album, they ultimately feel predictable, calculated and weighed down by an egregious succession of excess sound effects. A few tracks thankfully steer clear of one-note bass traps, such as the techno-powered “Ping Pong”. But on a whole, this is a strictly partisan affair.