Paul Carr: One-half of Fuck Buttons returns with this taster from his forthcoming third album World Eater. On “Please”, Benjamin John Power demonstrates a lightness of touch as he manages to combine the ambiance of his early solo work with the heavier beats and more danceable rhythms of previous album Dumb Flesh. It’s a testament to his mastery of manipulating the space between notes to build a euphonious yet dizzying sound. It saunters to the edge of a cliff before dropping, chased by harder, edgier beats. Blanck Mass stops it from hitting the ground by cushioning the beats with bright, airy synths and looping, distorted vocals. Excellent. [9/10]
Adriane Pontecorvo: At seven minutes and 28 seconds, you’d think Blanck Mass would have time to throw in a climax. Instead, “Please” builds up a couple of different loops and then goes back and forth between them. In conjunction with a video that looks like it’s mostly made up of early-2000s CGI, maybe the clunkiness is intentional, a kind of tribute to Windows 98, but then again, maybe it’s just not that good of a track. I did like Windows 98, though. [3/10]
Chris Ingalls: Benjamin John Power, a.k.a. Blanck Mass, takes advantage of the somewhat lengthy run time of “Please” to let his brand of experimental/electronic/dance/drone music breathe a little. Instead of a three-minute assault with everything but the kitchen sink, he introduces all the different elements in a leisurely, deliberate fashion. It’ a smart move and allows the listener a more satisfying, savoring experience. A unique trip — I look forward to hearing more. [8/10]
Mike Schiller: The video leaves a lot to be desired, coming off like a particularly long, particularly surreal video game cutscene from ten years ago. It’s hard to tell what they were even going for here. The song is a little better, the sort of beat-infused wallpaper that was so fashionable in the ’90s, existing someplace in between Dead Can Dance and (late ’90s) Autechre. It’s interesting for a while — there are some keyboard layers toward the end that are particularly inspired — but it’s hard to imagine being excited about this for a full seven minutes. [5/10]
Andrew Paschal: Blanck Mass executes this apocalyptic drama with skill and precision. Though it periodically fills up with distorted, desperate wails, “Please” is at its best when it pulls back entirely and lets its simple ambient refrain steal the show. The tense, weighty pauses in between notes convey more than anything else. As it progresses, the track accumulates a few more layers than is necessary, but this only marginally diminishes the power of its unnerving suggestion. [8/10]
SCORE: 6.60