What this blog is:
These blogs are more about casual suggestions than a real analysis. I consider these to be on par with how I would recommend an album to a friend at a bar. I understand my audience, the around 10 people who are music lovers on my Facebook, and know a 2000-word song-by-song dissection isn’t something most people are looking for. I mostly want an outlet to “nerd out” about what I’m listening to, which I can’t really do in every day life.
Also, I know I give out a lot of medium scores, but here’s a guide to what I mean when I give out a rating:
· 1-3: Bad albums. In some big way, in my mind, these albums are devoid of serious merit and fail at what they set out to do.
· 4: Merely fine, nothing to hate. Can be skipped.
· 5: Have some good points and bad points that will excite a listener a little. It’s a “if you have the time” kind of listen.
· 6-7: Really solid albums. This is where most albums will end up. This is me saying to check this album out.
· 8-9: Superb album. Definitely check out.
· 10: Classic. You’d be dumb for not listening.
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Pup- The Dream is Over
It’s been a
long time since I was blown away by a punk record in the popular sense-- you
know, gang vocals, LOUD, self-loathing and angry—but Pup thoroughly impressed
me. I first listened to The Dream is Over when it first came out in May with my car windows
down and the volume high. The burst of absolute noise from the album would make
it audible even if I was in open air and the volume on low. The album is a
snapshot of the band’s life on the road. Pup is one of the most hard-working
bands going right now with their constant touring. They toured so much that the
lead singer was told his vocal chords were damaged to the point of telling him,
“the dream is over,” hence the name. Being on the road puts a lot of strain on
musicians. The song “Sleep in the Heat” has to be one of the most
heart-breaking songs I’ve heard in quite some time, detailing him coming back
to his apartment after touring and seeing his “person” wasting away from
neglect. It’s sad. It’s sad doing something you love but have it gradually kill
you.
In a time in my life when I’m
uncertain about the future and, in all honestly, feel like a loser, having
someone yell back to me that they are too is pretty comforting. The lyric “Yeah,
I’d be better off dead/I don’t give a shit, I just don’t wanna die and I don’t
want to live” feels like a rallying cry rather than an admission of defeat. It’s
therapeutic for those that want to say they’re fucked but can’t. This is
amplified even more, both metaphorically and literally, by the use of
collective vocals. The album is being sung by the many.
Songs to Listen to: DVP, Sleep in
the Heat, My Life is Over and I Couldn’t Be Happier
Rating: 8.5/10
Death Grips- Bottomless Pit
I once described Death Grips as a “montage of people fucking underneath the blood red sky of the apocalypse,” and I stick to it. To be fair, you could use any kind of gnarly imagery to describe them as long as it conjures the ideas of abrasiveness, deconstruction, and emotions blown up to Super Ape proportions. Despite my personal feelings, Death Grips are one of the most, if not the most, innovative bands on the planet as this moment. They combine different genres like rap, punk, industrial, electronic, hard rock, and metal effortlessly. The way they tear apart the idea of what a song is and turn it into something unrecognizable yet able to awaken a primitive sense of pleasure and feeling within the listener is remarkable. I’ve never seen a band draw willing people into warzone concert conditions like they have. There is no experience like listening to Death Grips.
With Bottomless Pit, I believe they’ve made an album “accessible” enough for newcomers and experimental enough for their fans. I recognize a structure to these songs and the decision to keep the runtimes on the songs short was a wise decision considering how their last album was not only a double album but also contained longer songs (the Jenny Death portion of The Powers That B alone was 10 minutes longer). They pack so much in a song that one Death Grips minute is two regular minutes. I’ve listened to this album around 4 times and still don’t fully understand what’s going on, partly because I consider Death Grips’ lyrics to be more coherent stream-of-consciousness (if that makes sense) than conventionally written. In a way, I see their lyricism as a montage of visceral images that bring forth emotion. They’ll say “on fire like a margarita made of wood” and, while I don’t understand it specifically, I feel it. There’s not to say their lyrics are incomprehensible (I’ve spent the last 15 minutes going through “Three Bedrooms”), I just feel they are a band that is meant to awaken an emotion from you. After this last week, an album like this is needed for catharsis; it allows us to feel the anger that we must hold inside and, for 39 minutes, unleash it.
Songs to Listen to: Bubbles Buried in This Jungle, Three Bedrooms in a Good Neighborhood, Giving Bad People Good Ideas.
Rating: This will either be a surprising joy or an endurance test. 8.5/10
M83- Junk
It’s
slightly hard to take an album seriously when it’s title is Junk and its album
art are two furry creatures, made even harder by how vigorously they shake the
80’s coconut tree. This is so heavy on cheesy synth that it could soundtrack an
80’s sitcom or a 90’s porno. From what I’ve read about the album, it wasn’t
meant to be a coherent album in the usual sense. They wanted to make a
collection of songs that go together but don’t seem like they do. If I’m going
to be honest, every M83 song sound similar to each other if you aren’t listening
(and amazing if you do). If you listen closely to this album, you’ll hear just
how disjointed the album is.
To stay
true to the composition of the album, the following thrown together thoughts
will be combined to create a full review. “Do it, Try it” sounds dirty, which
is good because it sounds like the beginning of a wild night out. “Road Blaster’s”
tittle tattle rhythm is the right kind of playful to dance on cobblestone to. God,
why is Beck on this? Isn’t there enough male vocals on this that are acquired
tastes? “Go!” is the best song on the album. It reminds of The Go Team’s
breakout album Thunder, Lightning, Strike.
Live, it was fantastic. In fact, I believe M83 to one of the best live bands I’ve
seen. So full of energy, great light show, everything is mixed up, and great
dancing from the guy playing the electronic drum. “Bibi The Dog” might possibly
be the worst song I’ve ever heard. It’s somehow full of cheese despite the lack
of “kraft.” “For the Kids” comes out of nowhere but it’s a definite show
stopper. “Sunday Night 1987” is a gentle ending to an erratic ride.
Songs to
Listen to: Go!, Road Blaster, For the Kids
Rating:
Uneven album but with notable highlights. 6.5/10
Colleen Green- Colleen Green
Anyone that
knows me that I have a strange connection to Colleen Green. She’s one of my
biggest regrets because of the time I theoretically could’ve driven her around
town. She is also a musician I’ve held in high regard ever since I received a
free magazine once, dropped it on the floor, and had it open to an interview
with her where she came off as the chillest person in the world. I will never
forget her response to a question of why she uses drum machines instead of real
drums, “because I don’t know how to play drums.” To me, that’s a real musician,
someone that has a vision and makes it work with what they have. I’ve never
liked the idea of the “professional band” or the virtuosos, the Claptons and
the Hendrixs. I love the working class bands that tour until they’re dead and
make something remarkable despite being ordinary. Colleen Green is that kind of
musician. Her voice isn’t great, choosing to sing in the same cooled out style
in each song. Her instrumentation is never complex, but it works in the way
that The Ramones worked. I still consider her last three albums to be real gems
(I Want to Grow Up, Sock it to Me, Milo Goes to Compton).
Alas, this
is my biggest problem with this new ep. There doesn’t seem to be a progression
from her previous work. I Want to Grow Up felt like a big step up. It signaled musical
and personal growth in the form of her finally admitting to herself it’s time
to grow up. Given that this is only an ep and probably won’t be the basis to a
new album, I can give it some slack. The only part of the ep that interested me
was the piano in “Between The Lines” that was reminiscent to The Stooges’ “I
Wanna Be Your Dog.” Altogether, an alright release, but nothing that’ll prevent
me from killing my darling.
Songs to Listen
to: Between The Lines, Green My Eyes
Rating:
Check out her full releases. 4.5/10
Gordi- Nothing’s as It Seems
It took a while to find an artist that I wanted to write about given that I haven’t feeling that great lately. It’s surprisingly difficult to write 5 casual album reviews when nothing is really grabbing you, while at the same time wanting to give each album ample listening time and find a way to parcel out the amazing albums amongst more middle-of-the-road ones, as not to saturate them (general format- a “headliner,” 2 unknowns, rap or international, and a weaker release). I spent a lot of time listening to a few different albums looking for a one that would motivate me to write something, at the same time, not take focus. It took a while, but I found Gordi.
Gordi has a big future. While not wanting to sound reductive, she’s the female Bon Iver, circa self-titled. Her vocals are multi-layered with a strong base in folk, lending herself to electronic music as an omnipresent enhancer (think Aurora, Lapsley, Sylvan Esso). This effect makes each little nuance into full blown emotion, allowing each piece of thread to swath you. Her desolation and her reaching coursing through every second of every song like snow swirling and twirling just above the ground of a tundra. A moment like her final “can you see now” in “Nothing’s as it Seems” can’t not break someone’s heart. The simple wistful nature of the guitar in “Wanting” could calm a fast beating heart. There is no doubt in my mind that when her full length comes out, she’ll get more attention then she’s getting.
Songs to Listen to: all of them, it’s only an ep of 5 songs.
Rating: 7/10
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