Skrillex – Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites

I have a lot of nostalgia with this album to be honest so I'm not gonna review it. I'll just say lots of good times were had by middle-school era me with this CD as the soundtrack. it still gets some rotation every now and then.

"Skrillex is definitely underrated!"...In what universe!? Okay, that was a little harsh, but I think it's fair to say that if you've heard a couple of Skrillex's songs, you've heard them all (excluding his more recent collaborations). Though I think most of his songs are weak and merely serve as 'bro-step', there are a few songs that stand out from the others. Thankfully, they are both on this EP. Rock N' Roll is pretty standard as far as dance tracks go and I do find myself enjoying it. This track works because the bass isn't entirely intrusive and actually works with the other elements in the song; compared to tracks such as Kill Everybody where the bass is so painfully telegraphed as to when it appears. The best song on this has to be With You, Friends (Long Drive). This track feels entirely different from the others as it has some heart to it and isn't focused on force feeding you bass. The vocal chopping and piano riffs are very nice and serves as a great outro (excluding the remixes). If you are going to get Skrillex EPs, go for this one because Bangarang feels like a rehash of this one without the heart of tracks like With You Friends.

Skrillex is definitely very underrated! I could name various dubstep acts that I would prefer to listen to, but either way, this guy is very talented and successful!

People like to hate Skrillex because he nearly single-handedly ripped dubstep and EDM as a whole from the underground and pushed it onto Top 40 radio and mainstream clubs. He made 'bass drop' a common term among Hot Topic teens, and his DJ sets come off more like rock shows than raves (thanks largely to his background and experience with FFTL). I can't get behind the commercialization and copy-catting that followed him, but I can get behind this excellent EP. At this point dubstep has been permanently polarized, with camps violently decrying either the womp-womp 'fidget' style Skrillex popularized, or saying that the original dubstep sound is weak or whatever. I sit firmly between both sides, appreciating Skream and Benga as much as Skrillex and Nero. They're different takes on the same sound; dubstep viewed through different creative lenses. I'll fully it that at the time I write this (2012) Skrillex has worn out his welcome, and he hasn't yet released a full-length to establish himself as a permanent force in electronic music. Moreover, Bangarang was a disappointing retread of the sound he perfected here.

All things considered this EP should go down in electronic music history as a genre-defining moment, because this is when his remix talent and the style he began with on My Name Is Skrillex became fully-formed. "Rock n Roll" is a wicked way to kick things off with its crossover rock/rave sound. "Scary Monsters" is a great brostep anthem by any standards with a signature hook and the now-classic "Oh My God!!" sample. Things get campy with "Kill Everybody," which isn't a great track, but a able progressive electro jam (it's worth noting that Bare Noize's remix at the end gives it some much-needed life). "All I Ask" shows his potential as a melodic producer and songwriter, and "Scatta" adds some grimy hip hop into the mix. "With You Friends (Long Drive)" improves on the original, closing the EP on a mellow and uplifting note that in some respects doesn't work with the album's overall tone, but serves as another example of his diversity as a producer. The remixes at the end provide some okay variations on the themes established earlier on (Noisia's treatment of "Scary Monsters" nicely dirties-up an already hard-hitting track).

Ultimately I kind of wish he'd bundled My Name Is Skrillex with this release to make a compilation/full-album of his early material, because both EPs contain some great tracks and not-so-great remixes that could have been left out. I'm sure people will disagree whole-heartedly that this is a worthwhile release, but its impact on dubstep and EDM as a whole can't be overlooked. It's destined to be a " when?" kind of album, a throwback to a transitional period in electronic dance music that some may recall with disdain, but that shouldn't be forgotten.