Recess
by Skrillex
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 75 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 75
  3. Negative: 23 out of 75
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  1. DownByTheRiver
    Mar 28, 2014
    5
    I'm a pretty big fan of the edm and dubstep scene, and I do enjoy Skrillex. When I listened to the album though, it felt like a weird mesh of reggae and dubstep mixed together. Unfortunately it wasn't that good, There were a couple of songs on here that I liked, but the majority of the album didn't really work for me.
  2. Draculabus
    Jun 15, 2014
    5
    So bought the album as an impulse buy, but as a rather large Skrillex fan, i feel justified on the critique. First off, the good points. I feel that Skrillex really showcases how talented he is purely as a musician with how varied some of the tracks on the album are. We go from reggae, to dubstep, to deep house (some of the deep house tracks are the best tracks on the album). EverythingSo bought the album as an impulse buy, but as a rather large Skrillex fan, i feel justified on the critique. First off, the good points. I feel that Skrillex really showcases how talented he is purely as a musician with how varied some of the tracks on the album are. We go from reggae, to dubstep, to deep house (some of the deep house tracks are the best tracks on the album). Everything sounds crisp and mastered well. Things that didn't go so well: The singles just aren't that good or strong. There are some good dubstep tracks, but this is Skrillex we are talking about, and we are used to amazing ethereal songs from this guy. He set the bar incredibly high with his first albums and I just didn't latch on to anything on this album in a large way. Also, the bad songs on the album are really bad. Personally, i cannot wait for the death of an album as it is incredibly hard for a musician to pump out 10 radio worthy tracks, you usually get 2-3 singles that are great and the rest are filler, but some of these tracks I cannot listen to for more than a few seconds without wanting to punch a hole through my car stereo. In conclusion, this is a mediocre album but remember this is Sonny Moore we are talking about, and he is still capable of producing greatness.… Expand
  3. alecvl08
    Oct 10, 2014
    4
    This is more of a compilation than a real album. It's like a showcase of Skrillex's talents as a producer, which aren't that great, but at least he shows that he is not all wub wubs and bass drops on tracks such as Ease My Mind and Fire Away, which surprisingly became my favorite track. It's pretty tongue in cheek as far as guest vocals, and even the harder tracks don't impress as much asThis is more of a compilation than a real album. It's like a showcase of Skrillex's talents as a producer, which aren't that great, but at least he shows that he is not all wub wubs and bass drops on tracks such as Ease My Mind and Fire Away, which surprisingly became my favorite track. It's pretty tongue in cheek as far as guest vocals, and even the harder tracks don't impress as much as fans will expect. I'm Not very impressed, but it might be worth a listen if you're a fan.… Expand
  4. SchroederRock
    Mar 21, 2014
    6
    Recess isn't the stereotypical Skrillex album we all probably expected. Instead, it drops in flavors of club hip-hop, reggae, dubstep, and drum & bass to create a much more eclectic offering. The result is mostly good, but where the Bangarang EP succeeded more was in the hooks that netted Skrillex serious radio play. "Stranger" is a tight hodge-podge of the aforementioned genres. KillRecess isn't the stereotypical Skrillex album we all probably expected. Instead, it drops in flavors of club hip-hop, reggae, dubstep, and drum & bass to create a much more eclectic offering. The result is mostly good, but where the Bangarang EP succeeded more was in the hooks that netted Skrillex serious radio play. "Stranger" is a tight hodge-podge of the aforementioned genres. Kill The Noise and Fatman Scoop make the title track perhaps the most Skrillex-like cut on the record and serves as one of the highlights. You'll also find the Alvin Risk collab "Try It Out", originally featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, remixed to mostly good results. The rest of the album does little to really stand out, but there may be a track or two that stand out to one person than the other. I think the only disappointment is that I expected a bit more from a full-length album. Still, I wouldn't consider myself disappointed but rather a bit underwhelmed with the finished product.… Expand
  5. asjklasjklas
    Jun 2, 2014
    5
    For an anticipated album, Recess feels underwhelming. Terrible? It depends, if you weren't already converted into the dubstep (ahem, "brostep") craze when it first crossed into the mainstream music industry in the states back in 2011, you'll likely stay unimpressed. However, is it terrific? That also depends.

    But what's clear is Skrillex's experimentation with more "artsy" drops, in    For an anticipated album, Recess feels underwhelming. Terrible? It depends, if you weren't already converted into the dubstep (ahem, "brostep") craze when it first crossed into the mainstream music industry in the states back in 2011, you'll likely stay unimpressed. However, is it terrific? That also depends.

    But what's clear is Skrillex's experimentation with more "artsy" drops, in favor of some Prodigy-esque elements over the monster noises in his previous multi-Platinum EPs. Unfortunately, Recess fails at reviving the already tried-and-dried genre or even becoming a staple in that genre's discography. In fact, I hate to sound ignorant, but it seriously does all come together as noise. Even with the album's unconventional use of reggae fusion -- which is where dub actually came from, but it's never been this apparent -- and many, many more genres, everything's predictable. The buzzing beats often never go anywhere and even when they are worth a listen with your Beats once or twice, they're repetitively abused throughout the duration of the track.

    "Stranger" incorporates a chill Disclosure influenced atmosphere, crafted by an -- as aforementioned -- Prodigy-esque opening and Alvin Risk's soothing vocals. Unfortunately, once the mosquito farts start repeating themselves OVER and OVER and OVER again, you'll ask yourself: "Who the f*** recorded an insect being sexually abused and screaming and said, "This'll be perfect?!"?" Let's not even get to the overuse of vocal sampling overheard throughout the entire album. The guest appearance range from mixed-to-positive: Chance the Rapper channels his inner crossover between Robert Johnson and well, every rapper from the 21th century. That may or may not be a compliment. And the Ragga Twins certainly help deliver that more reggae style sound Skrillex is attempting to create.

    Overall, Recess sounds like an unfinished problem intended to sound more ambitious than it actually was to begin with. It's as scattered as Kanye West's 2013 Yeezus, without the Yeezus (his collaboration with Diplo on "Dirty Vibe" is basically Ye's "I'm In It", from the vocal manipulation down to its dirty subject matter). When a song's just getting good, your ears are instead molested by buggy bleeps, bloops, blurps, and whatever term sounds the most unpleasant in your own head. If you're seeking something that'll tear up your surround sound speakers (and your own eardrums, to be honest), Recess might be for you. For the rest of us, we'll continue revisiting Bangarang or the much, much better representations of this genre by other underlooked artists.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Most Discussed Album of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
  1. PopMatters
    Apr 4, 2014
    50
    While the album will most likely not be considered a classic, it will undoubtedly satiate the Skrillex diehards.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Mar 27, 2014
    83
    It's spectacular, almost exhaustingly so. [28 Mar 2014, p.63]
  3. Los Angeles Times
    Mar 25, 2014
    63
    Skrillex is good enough to kill the Brostep monster he created. He just didn't quite finish the job here.
    Read full review
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