New Albums
THE BUG
Fire NINJA TUNE
8/10
Prolific studio explorer reconvenes ear-bashing avant-dub collective
Now based in Brussels after a long Berlin residency, soundclash supremo Kevin Martin assembles a mighty arsenal of sonic weapons and vocal guests for his first new Bug LP in seven years. The general mood on Fire is noisy and urgent, from dystopian doom-dub collaborations with grime rapper Flowdan to the brooding avant-metal incantation “Vexed”. But Martin ends on a tender note, laying down sombre drone-rock as poet Roger Robinson dedicates his magic-realist “The Missing” to the victims of Grenfell. Stylistically promiscuous and consistently inventive, Martin remains a maestro of multiple mutant genres, many of his own making.