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Exmilitary, also known as Ex Military, is the debut mixtape by experimental hip hop group Death Grips. It was released for free on April 25, 2011, through the band's website.[3]
| Exmilitary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Mixtape by | ||||
| Released | April 25, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:28 | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer | Death Grips | |||
| Death Grips chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Black Google | ||||
 Cover of Black Google | ||||
| Singles from Exmilitary | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe mixtape was released for free through Death Grips' official website, thirdworlds.net, on April 25, 2011.[4] It later appeared on the net label Grindcore Karaoke.[5] It was simultaneously released through iTunes. The track "Guillotine" was released through iTunes on August 3, 2011. "Guillotine" has become one of the band's most recognized songs. Other tracks released with music videos include "Known for it", "Culture Shock", "Lord of the Game", "Spread Eagle Cross the Block", "Takyon (Death Yon)", and "Beware".
According to Andy Morin, the cover art is a photograph that an undisclosed Death Grips member "carried in their wallet for roughly 10 years straight [...] it's a power object".[6] It was eventually identified as "Bearded Man at Oenpelli", a photo of an Aboriginal Australian man taken by Douglass Baglin in 1968 for his and David R. Moore's book The Dark Australians.[7][8]
Due to the samples used in Exmilitary not being cleared, the mixtape was later removed from streaming services and released exclusively through the band's website in vinyl, CD, and cassette formats. However, the single "Guillotine" remains on streaming services.[9][10][11]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[12] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Consequence of Sound |   [13] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
| MSN Music (Expert Witness) |  [16] |
| Pitchfork | 7.5/10[17] |
The mixtape has received universal acclaim from critics. On Metacritic it has a score of 82 out of 100 based on reviews from 7 critics.[12] In one very positive review, John Calvert of Drowned in Sound focused on the mentality of the character that the album revolves around and how it reflects the inner nature of man, citing the lyricism and sound production as being focal points around this sound and style.[14] Nate Patrin of Pitchfork gave Exmilitary a 7.5, describing the mixtape as "a bludgeoning slab of hostility" that avoids being an "overbearing mess".[17]
Black Google
editOn September 8, 2011, the group released a teaser video for an upcoming project titled Black Google.[18] It was later released on the band's website for free and revealed to be all of the instrumentals, stems, and acapellas for fans to remix and record with. The cover of Black Google features a heavily darkened version of the cover of Exmilitary with the word "Exmilitary" replaced with "Black Google". Black Google, for the band itself, is a "portal to the deconstruction of Exmilitary."[19]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Death Grips
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Beware" | 5:53 |
| 2. | "Guillotine" | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Spread Eagle Cross the Block" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Lord of the Game" (featuring Mexican Girl) | 3:30 |
| 5. | "Takyon (Death Yon)" | 2:48 |
| 6. | "Cut Throat (Instrumental)" | 1:12 |
| 7. | "Klink" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Culture Shock" | 4:21 |
| 9. | "5D" | 0:43 |
| 10. | "Thru the Walls" | 3:56 |
| 11. | "Known for It" | 4:13 |
| 12. | "I Want It I Need It (Death Heated)" | 6:11 |
| 13. | "Blood Creepin" | 4:50 |
| Total length: | 48:28 | |
Sample credits
edit- "Beware" contains excerpts of Charles Manson's "I Make The Money Man" interview, samples of "Up The Beach", written and performed by Jane's Addiction and samples of "God Is Watching You", performed by Dickie Burton.[20]
- "Spread Eagle Cross the Block" contains elements of "Rumble", written by Link Wray and Milt Grant, and performed by Link Wray and His Men, and samples of "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" and "Girls", written and performed by Beastie Boys.[21]
- "Lord of the Game" contains samples of "The Ditty", performed by Blue Devils, a sample of "Brass Monkey", written and performed by Beastie Boys, and a vocal sample of "Fire", written and performed by The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.[22]
- "Takyon (Death Yon)" contains samples of "The Ditty", performed by Blue Devils, a sample of "Supertouch / Shitfit", written and performed by Bad Brains and a sample of "A Who Seh Me Dun", written and performed by Cutty Ranks.[23]
- "Cut Throat (Instrumental)" contains samples of "Move Somethin'", written and performed by 2 Live Crew and samples of "Death Grips (Next Grips)" written and performed by Death Grips.[24]
- "Klink" contains elements of "Rise Above" written and performed by Black Flag and a sample of "Liar Liar", written and performed by The Castaways.[25]
- "Culture Shock" contains a sample of "The Supermen (Alternative)", written and performed by David Bowie and samples of a text to speech translator.[26]
- "5D" contains samples of a text to speech translator and samples of "West End Girls", written and performed by Pet Shop Boys.[27]
- "Thru The Walls" contains elements taken from the movie "Space Is the Place", a sample of a YouTube video titled "Mental Health Hotline", a sample of "Gettin' High In The Mornin'", written and performed by Ariel Pink and the Haunted Graffiti, and took the sounds of a "Combine Soldier" from video game "Half-Life 2".[28]
- "Known for It" contains elements taken from the 1986 short animated film "Quest: A Long Ray's Journey Into Light" and samples of "De Futura", written and performed by Magma.[29]
- "I Want It I Need It (Death Heated)" contains elements of "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Astronomy Domine", both written and performed by Pink Floyd.[30]
Personnel
edit- Death Grips
References
edit- ^ Walls, Seth Colter (September 9, 2011). "In Defense of Rap Rock". Slate. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Death Grips – The Money Store". Fact. April 16, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ^ "Ex-Military". thirdworlds.net. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Death Grips - Ex Military". Thirdworlds. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "Exmilitary | Death Grips | Grindcore Karaoke". Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Lannister, Leif. "The Hands of Doom - Who & What is Death Grips". Coolehmag.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ "This will interest some". Reddit. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ "The Dark Australians by Douglass Baglin & David R. Moore Hardcover 1st Ed 1970". eBay. September 14, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
- ^ "Death Grips - Ex Military". Discogs. Archived from the original on November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
- ^ "Death Grips - Ex Military". Discogs. December 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "Death Grips - Ex Military". Discogs. September 19, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Exmilitary by Death Grips". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ Choudhery, Möhammad (June 27, 2011). "Album Review: Death Grips – Exmilitary". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Calvert, John (August 8, 2011). "Album Review: Death Grips – Ex Military". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (December 22, 2011). "Death Grips: Ex-Military – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (January 2013). "Expert Witness". MSN Music. Retrieved March 17, 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ a b Patrin, Nate (June 30, 2011). "Death Grips: Exmilitary". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
- ^ "Death Grips – Black Google". YouTube. September 8, 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Black Google Download". Thirdworlds.net. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Beware by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Spread Eagle Cross the Block by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". Whosampled. whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Lord of the Game by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Takyon (Death Yon) by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Cut Throat (Instrumental) by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Klink by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Culture Shock by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "5D by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Thru the Walls by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Known for It by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- ^ "I Want It I Need It (Death Heated) by Death Grips - Samples, Covers and Remixes". whosampled.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.