Greater than as soon as, the shapeshifting experimental musician Klein has joked with interviewers that her subsequent transfer will likely be towards the mainstream—a hip-hop album, a drill album, signing to Roc Nation, shifting to L.A. to develop into an Oscar-winning actress. And each time, she’ll return with a document that feels like a church organ gaining sentience in a Class 3 hurricane, or one thing simply as dubiously marketable. It’s a revealing setup, although, as a result of the South London artist has persistently positioned herself as an outsider to the walled-off world of the avant-garde, extra schooled in Sizzling 97 hits than the underground artists—Dean Blunt, Mica Levi—to whom she was initially in contrast.
Eight albums into Klein’s discography, that declare will get tougher to again up. She’s carried out at London’s Barbican and ICA, tailored her personal stage musical into a movie, and has Björk’s quantity saved in her contacts. And but, as her brilliantly bizarre stay performances attest, Klein nonetheless defies categorization. On marked she doubles down, proscribing herself nearly completely to a palette of blistering guitar squall that you just’d extra doubtless affiliate with the anti-rock extremism of Wolf Eyes and Aaron Dilloway. Technically, she’s explored this sound earlier than. “prime shotta,” from 2022’s Cave within the Wind, may very well be a misplaced bootleg of an Einstürzende Neubauten soundcheck; “grit,” from 2020’s Frozen, feels like a far-off cement mixer munching down on a Telecaster. However on marked, nearly each minute is claimed by Klein’s guitar, distorted to oblivion and shuddering with suggestions.
Overdriven riffs burn holes within the VU meter on “gully creepa,” opening a portal to a nightmarish loop that’s half dub soundsystem, half doom steel. Muddy drones are juxtaposed in opposition to trebly scrapings and blown-out drum machines on “Blow the Whistle”—a leap into heavy new territory for Klein, however one that may really feel acquainted to followers of JK Flesh and Dreamcrusher. It’s tempting to interpret the temper as considered one of anguished introspection. On “greater than like” she goes swimming in an inky pool of piano, sinking into the sustained low notes, despondent. That’s adopted by the prolonged round drones of “enemy of the state,” the place serrated chords are slowly mulched into one huge slug of noise, à la Glenn Branca’s guitar orchestra.
Klein’s signature flamboyant vocal runs are largely absent from the album; ditto the patched-in supporting voices that always populate her dreamy narratives. Exceptions come close to the top on three a cappella fragments: the voice-note R&B of “frontin,” an informal mini-duet with La Timpa titled “neek,” and the closing “unique.” Flipping the script on the complete album, “unique” is pure, unmistakable Klein—hyper-melismatic vocals, a pitch-shifted loop over ticking lure drums, a snotty rap (repurposed from “black well-known,” on final yr’s touched by an angel): “I simply go searching and what do I see/One other mini me,” she spits by way of crackling Auto-Tune, “Candy lady huge desires/They name her fleabag.” The distinction with the earlier 45 minutes is like urgent a bag of frozen peas in opposition to a bruise.
