The dynamic duo of vocalist / songwriter Sharon “Miss Red” Stern and producer / DJ Kevin “the Bug” Martin have returned with The Four Bodies – a four-song EP of their brand of “toxic dancehall.” The two of them work so well together that it’s difficult to tell where the influence of one on the other begins or ends.
Each song represents a different universal element. “Shut In Your Head” is Earth, and its deep bass and lyrics of Red’s inner power being like a simmering volcano are evidence of this idea. “Loco” is the Fire element, and the Bug’s drums crackle like a campfire until Red’s sharp vocals turn it into a raging blaze that cannot be stopped by any conventional means.
“Don’t Text Back” (water) bubbles and rolls along like a lotus flower on a lazy river while the Bug’s dub beats cause concentric ripples across the surface and Miss Red calls to us from dark depths. The universal element of air is represented by “Prayers” – an ethereal instrumental well-suited for meditation and / or spell casting. Stern has made it known that some of the inspirations behind The Four Bodies were shamanism and witchcraft (and the EP’s cover alone tells us this), so the mystical feel of the record is prevalent throughout it.
It’s not surprising because Miss Red’s other collaborations with the Bug often sound otherworldly and are tinged with a bit (or more, depending on the song) of menace. The Four Bodies is no exception and an intriguing addition to Miss Red’s already fascinating discography.
Keep your mind open.
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I was listening to BBC 6 Music (arguably the best radio station on the planet) last week when I heard a fiery MC with wicked flow, an accent I couldn’t place, and a killer dub/dancehall beat behind her. I immediately opened my Shazam app and discovered I was listening to Tel Aviv’s Miss Red, teamed up with Kevin “The Bug” Martin. I searched for more than the track I was hearing, and I found her mixtape – Murder.
Martin provides the weird 16-bit video game-like beats to open the mixtape with “Mad,” and Miss Red is chanting and singing right away with no fear whatsoever as Martin’s beats expand to near-madness levels, almost drowning out Miss Red’s voice. The title track follows, and it’s a stunner. If it doesn’t hook you right away, something is wrong with you. Seriously, get to a doctor, because Red’s squeaky reggae-loving flow is arousing (i.e., “Everywhere I go, the cool get hotter.”).
“No Guns” starts off with horror movie synths before unleashing beats thicker than Leatherface. The contrast with Red’s reverb-layered rapping is lovely and shocking at the same time. Martin takes his beats and synths straight into industrial territory on “What Would You Like” while Red sings about sex hot enough to match Martin’s beats.
“Rollercoaster” builds like the machine of its title creeping up the first hill toward a possibly terrifying plunge, but it leaves you stuck at the top in time for “Ganja Man” to come along and either relax you while you’re at the top of the hill or make you more paranoid. I’m not sure which. Martin’s beats are a bit “bad trip,” but Red’s vocals are like a scalp massage. “Sugar” might be about drugs or, to be frank, the taste of Red’s…kisses. Yeah, let’s go with that. One thing’s for certain, I’ll go with Martin’s beats all day long on this track. They’re thick as sorghum and slippery as butter cream icing.
“Lean Back” starts with an air raid siren that morphs into Red’s hypnotizing vocals as she encourages us to relax, listen to good music, and put aside our differences. Don’t worry, she doesn’t suggest we give up partying or standing up against the Man, because the next song is called “Trash It.” Martin’s beats sound like distorted rubber bands and Red’s rhymes grow like the She-Hulk. “Fever” begins with a shimmering harp notes until Martin’s Donkey Kong-stomp beats unload on you. Red’s vocals swirl around you like smoky ghosts.
Martin keeps surprising you with his loud bursts of synths and beats on “Pull It Up” while Red squeaks, chants, and rhymes in praise of her selector (That’s a Jamaican term for DJ, in case you didn’t know). Microphone feedback is used as percussion in “Leggo,” and Red stage whispers her creepiest vocals on the album.
The opening of “1 Dog Shot” sounds like a particularly grating alarm clock. Trust me, you’ll appreciate the wake-up call because Red bursts into the track like she’s crashing through a window on a rope while firing an Uzi. The beginning of the last track, “Come Down,” almost sounds like a dog barking in a far-off room, and I’m sure that’s no coincidence. Martin’s beats sound like a pressure cooker ticking off steam and Red hopes that someone will come down and pick her up, perhaps from her blues, perhaps from this plane of existence, or perhaps from the local club for a nightcap. It fades out quick, so it seems she got her wish.
Murder is hard to describe because it sounds like dancehall, but it also sounds like industrial madness, dubstep trip-outs, and psychedelic dream wave. In other words, it sounds like something you need to hear right now. Miss Red’s first album, K.O., is out this July and is already high on my list as something I need to snag as soon as it’s available.
As if Murder wasn’t good enough, Miss Red offers it for free download through her website and her Bandcamp page. You can’t miss.
