Restiform Bodies - TV Loves You Back, LP Vinyl

Fittingly, opener "Black Friday" begins with 30 seconds of ominous Top 40 rap bluster (crowd cheers and wonky, reverbed "uhhs"), forcing the Restiform tongue through its cheek before traversing burbling synth bounce, doubletime drum 'n' bass, and free-floating atmosphere. Passage forges the vocals to match-- laidback rap, unlikely falsettos, rapid-fire couplets, a chorus of bent melodies-- while tempering his words into a poignant evocation of the mind of a mall shooter hitting his prime.

Our narrator is in top form, next styling over the wamping, squirrelly club beat of "Foul," then navigating the chopped white noise and guitar of "A Pimp-Like God." On the six-minute-long climax, "Opulent Soul," Passage burns through a Gary Numan-esque laissez-faire croon, cocksure rhymes, and a distorted Knife-like nastiness while the music intensifies like a thunderstorm of seething digitalia. He crescendos with a 32-bar rap rife with quips and affecting observations, and by song's end, our hero reclaims his humanity from the bottom of circuit pile.