Do May Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions

Canadian Post Rock band Do Make Say Think started getting popular in the late 90's.  Their debut album for the most part didn't phase me that much, I felt like overall there was just so much better Post Rock to listen to.  However, I did like some of their jazzier tunes like "If I Only" and their spacier tunes like "Dr. hooch" and "Highway 420".  However, on their next album ""Goodbye Enemy Airship the Landlord is Dead", Do Make Say Think" improved massively.  Their sound began to seriously create these very emotional portraits, and THAT'S what makes Post Rock seriously powerful.  There were the same sort of jazzy influences which I seriously was feeling, but I felt like I was listening to the soundtrack of a seriously deep emotional movie.  Their next album though, 2002's "& Yet & Yet" really didn't hit me nearly as hard.  Do Make Say Think continued to have the unbelievable instrumental prowess down, but the mood of this album was just not for me.  I thought they had something so special with the very dreary sound of their last album.  Do Make Say Think did improve with their "Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn" album.  While this album didn't have the atmosphere I was necessarily looking for, Do Make Say Think were dishing out countless passionate performances.  2007's "You You're A History In Rust" was really hit and miss for me.   On one hand, I loved the unbelievable and epic instrumentals, I mean this was easily their least subtle album yet.  However, there were a few tracks here that had vocals, which quite frankly turned out really awkward.  The band's follow up "Other Truths" was surprisingly really well done as well, and surprisingly really emotional and heavy.  From the sounds of these new singles, honestly, I feel like it sounds like Do Make Say Think haven't missed a beat.  Let's talk about this thing.

This album starts off with "War on Torpor", and I actually really love the very ice and cold atmosphere on this one, as well as the very tightly wound guitars and opening synths.  This picks up very quickly surprisingly.  Do Make Say Think once they get going, always end up being one of the more aggressive and hard hitting Post Rock bands, and this one is no different.  The drums here are ridiculous, and every other instrumental is just so tightly wound that it brings in some serious tension.  The little details and side instrumentals that the band put in always come off so wonderfully, like that banjo plucking going on within all of this chaos.  For me, Post Rock has to be visual, it's like watching a movie with the visuals off, and "War on Torpor" is just that.  For a five minute Post Rock track, this is really concise.  Do Make Say Think start an idea, flush it out nicely, and end it too, which is really all we can ask for.  Up next is "Horripilation", which is a whole less straightforward.  The instrumentals towards the beginning are seriously hard to place, and the fact that they're played so damn low doesn't help at all.  Now, I can totally dig when Post Rock tracks take their time speeding up, but it has to be done in an interesting way that builds some tension.  But the opening to "Horripilation" is some of the most boring few minutes on this entire album.  It's all so light, but it's not even pretty or anything, it's just sort of whimsical as one instrumental pops in after another.  It takes 5 whole minutes for this track to start going anywhere.  Thankfully, those very pounding drums and droning synths in the background really make up for lost time here.  Once everything starts coming together, this is all fine and dandy.  But I feel like even on the greatest Post Rock record, when there are 5 or so quiet minutes, I've been so much more compelled and interested.  Trust me, this track does get better though.  The instrumentals here, while they're just standard guitar bass and drums seem so vast and colorful, and the eventual inclusion of the horn section gives this one a real other worldly sense.  I just wish those opening minutes were more enjoyable.  "A Murder of Thoughts" on the other hand is exactly how you pitch slower Post Rock tracks.  Everything about this track is so sluggish, but every distant pained guitar note brings in some serious emotion.  This one has such a sense of longing and loneliness to it.  I love the very patient drums as well as the very spacious atmosphere.  "A Murder of Thoughts" is so serene, and contains some of the most beautiful moments of the entire album, and it was tracks like this that I was honestly worried about going into this album.  Mostly because, in the past what has always attracted me to Do Make Say Think's music has been their intensity, not so much their softer tracks.  But "A Murder of Thoughts" is really beautiful and well done.  Some of the percussion crescendo's in the last two minutes or so are just so powerful as well.  Not to mention, all of this build up pays off wonderfully when those horns pop in in the last few moments.  This is more like it boys. 

When it comes to "Bound" let me tell you, this one gives me the chills every time this one starts up with those tightly wound guitar lines. This one has another elongated intro, but to be honest it works as great buildup.  When "Bound" bursts into it's main rhythm, it's such a wonderful moment of Post Rock euphoria that brings me back to some of the early days of Explosions in the Sky. One element I seriously love here, is the synths, it continues to give this one a very other worldly sense to it.  Not to mention, those pounding and intense drums are some of the coolest I've heard all year. Post Rock these days is tough, with most bands piling up crescendo after crescendo, but Do Make Say Think here are building up some serious tension and wonderful emotion.  To the point where every time one of these very joyous and huge sounding verses break out, I can't help but feel the energy.  This track is seriously stunning, and for a Post Rock single it's one of the more memorable I've heard from the genre recently.  Not to mention, I love the very stark and cold outro that signals some other sort of creature is heading our way. And that creature most certainly does arrive, with "And Boundless".  I love the way "Bound" and "And Boundless" tie together seamlessly.  This one starts off in a huge way with the most intense drums and most chaotic passages we've heard so far on the album.  In moments like this, it's clear that they haven't lost a single bit of their touch.  That constant buzzing sound effect in the back, along with this very tense atmosphere makes this one seriously memorable.  Some of the breakdowns are a little cheesy, and remind me of some sort of passage from old cheesy horror movies.  However, Do Make Say Think make it work, and it reallyends up sucking me into this atmosphere.  Even when this one smooths out into some lighter passages with the drums taking a backseat, the whirlwind of guitars and these very peculiar synths are seriously intriguing.  And to top it all off, then we get these seriously gorgeous passages around the four and a half minute mark. The string sections throughout "And Boundless" are near tear jerkingly beautiful, and every instrumental continues to seem so expertly placed.  Honestly, I can't remember the last time I actually felt this way listening to a Post Rock album but it pays off.  Then we have "Her Eyes On The Horizon", which has an intro that is by far the most unsettling thing we've heard here by far, due to the very warped human voices in the intro.  Then we have the instrumentals that pop in that are some of the lightest we've heard so far, with everything else really taking a back seat to some of the very sweet guitar licks. It's very raw sounding, and I do indeed the multiple layered guitars, it gives this one an absolutely massive sound.  For a track called "Her Eyes on the Horizon", there certainly is a gigantic sense of longing here, and a very sweet romantic sound as well.  I actually would have liked it to just stay with this very stripped back sound and built off of that, because to be honest I'm not really into some of the Saxophone and other Horns that pop in.  They take this seriously sweet track and turn it into a much more far out track really quickly.  But close to the 5 minute mark this one does start picking back up with some very intense instrumentals once again, and as far as drums go, this album has been nothing but gold.  I love the very spacious feel to this one, and just how laid back it sounds even though there are quite a few instrumentals banging around. The entire last two minute's of "Her Eyes On The Horizon" are seriously hypnotic and incredible, what a stunning post rock album.

This album continues with "As Far as the Eye Can See", and right off the bat I'm dying for the nature elements on this one and the lightly plucked instrumentals.  This one is certainly quiet but it's actually really stunning, and I love the very jazzy drum performance on this one that give this just enough life.  While "As Far as the Eye Can See" is, it's amazing, because as active as the instrumentals are here, Do Make Say Think are still working with so few instrumentals.  It's what makes tracks like this stand out.  After all of the very intense tracks we've dealt with, this one has just such a meditative and serene feel to it, it's almost necessary to the album. Not to mention, those little details in the animal sound effects seriously do this track wonders.  Plus, halfway through some of these sort of Low-Fi breakdown moments are incredibly stunning.  It's a totally necessary track and it's a beautiful one.  Up next is "Shlomo's Son", and right from this intro I really love the very delicate feeling to this one, this almost comes off like a music box feel.  It's a very sweet and slow paced track, and I continue to love the jazzy drums throughout the background.  It's a shame that this is literally the shortest track here, and nothing ever really evolves from it.  It's pleasant though while it's around, and it's a nice break up from the intensity of other tracks.  This album finishes off with "Return, Return Again".  Right off the bat, this one has a seriously whimsical sound, and all of these very different and abstract sounding instrumentals break up things nicely.  It's a very colorful track, and I'm glad Do Make Say Think are ending off the album on a high note of intensity.  "Return, Return Again" has so many layers that it's almost hard to keep track of everything you're hearing.  But just when these all over the place instrumentals start getting just a little played out, those very hypnotic and wonderful drums come crashing in and give this track a serious epic feel.  It's actually stunning, and as this track rolls on and adds the horn sections and other instrumentals, I can't help but get all caught up in this, it's a wonderful finale.

Rating: 7.9/10

Give A Listen To: “War on Torpor”, “Bound”, “And Boundless”, "Return, Return Again"

Overall: Do Make Say Think after 7 years of silence have come back with an album that I would probably consider my favorite of theirs.  It's intense, it's epic, and beautiful when it needs to be.  In a time where so many Post Rock icons have been putting out some of their more bland material (I'm still getting over that last Explosions in the Sky album), Do May Say Think have come out with a truly riveting Post Rock album.  

(Sandy) Alex G - Rocket

(Sandy) Alex G, FKA Alex G, aka Alex Giannascoli has been making sweetly tinged Low-Fi Indie Rock for a few years now.  Alex G has been on my radar ever since his first project "RACE" came out.  When I first heard this I was instantly enamored with his very folky and innocent atmosphere to Low-Fi music.  There were a few album's and EP's that followed which slipped under my radar, but "RULES" however really made me a Alex G fan.  This album had everything from Elliot Smith influences to old school emo, like American Football influences.  Alex here really came into his own, and while this project was still very DIY, Alex had started seriously crafting very enjoyable material.  Alex's vocals were so quaint and likable, plus he could write scuzzy rockers like "Candy" or great ballads like "Mis".  Overall, "RULES" really made me and Alex fan.  Up next though Alex through a curve ball at us with "Trick".  This album instrumentally this was VERY different for Alex, including hazy dreamy instrumentals like "Clouds" as well as Low-Fi Funk Rockers like "String".  This was a big undertaking for Alex, and while at first I was iffy on this album it's certainly grown on me.  Plus, it showed Alex still had plenty of room to grow.  On "DSU" Alex returned to his more Low-Fi sound that he gained popularity with, and started to prove just how skillful of a songwriter he was.  Tracks like "Promise" and "Axesteel" were just so quaint and lovable.  Now, I'm all for a little experimentation and thinking outside the box.  But 2015's "Beach Music" is seriously a weird album, like, too weird.  I'm into some pretty weird stuff usually, but this album just seemed so far from what Alex had been going for.  There were some great tracks like "Mud" and "Kicker", but the rest of it was a little too much for me from Alex.  So that all being said, I never know what to expect from Alex.   These new singles he's been dropping though to be honest have been his most eclectic, experimental, and varied yet!  Let's talk about this more.

This album starts off with “Poison Root”, and seconds in, this album is already seriously bizarre.  We have Alex plucking away at a folky guitar with his usually drawn out vocal delivery and some dog barking sound effects.  But as weird as all of these elements are together, I can’t help but bob my heard.  It’s a sweet track, as a nearly inaudible Alex mumbles on within this very sweet yet eclectic atmosphere.  It’s got some serious southern flare and some country influence, but at the same time it’s still the shy little Alex G that we met yeats ago.  Between the strings and this sweet atmosphere, I feel like we’re getting so much new stuff from Alex right off the bat.  Up next is “Proud”, and once this folky rocker pops in, this instantly sounds like a more polished and updated version of one of Alex’s older tracks.  There’s a lot of really weird and eclectic stuff going on on this album, but for this track Alex just comes off as a straight up Indie Rocker.  I’ve made the comparison from time to time how Alex totally comes off as a reincarnated and not as dreary Elliot Smith, and on “Proud” that feeling certainly reigns.  The bittersweet lyrics are totally believable, and end up coming off as an adorable statement that works so well for Alex.  Now clearly, the music on this album is still very “D.I.Y.”.  But I certainly do love the updated and cleaner production.  So far, this is brilliant for Alex.  Now, on “County” I like a whole lot of the elements right off the bat.  I really love the very whimsical feel of the atmosphere and Alex’s much softer delivery, as well as those keyboards.  But outside of that, this one really doesn’t click with me that much.  As all over the place this album is, I feel like every track sort of has it’s own purpose.  “County” however, really doesn’t seem to have much of a purpose at all.  It honestly just comes off like Alex is messing around with some instrumentals and singing over them, and while it does have sweet moments it surely doesn’t click with me.  Then we have “Bobby”, which once again has Alex once again diving headfirst into the sound of country with heavy use of violins.  This just comes off so authentic though, and sitting here listening to this sweet duet makes me realize how seriously adorable this track comes off.  As a whole, this album comes off as a sort of mixed bag for Alex, a great one, but a mixed bag nonetheless.  I’ve listened to this album a bunch of times to get prepared for this review, and I still am never certain n on what sound Alex is going to break out next.  I’ve never really heard man duets from Alex, and while I’m not sure who he’s singing with on this one, “Bobby” comes off near perfectly.  Plus, let me just say, this Alt-Country sound is seriously incredible for Alex.  With “Witch”, this album continues to have a very breezy and whimsical feel to it, with this one having almost medieval sounding keyboards at the opening.  This one is certainly a little more synthetic sounding than the last few tracks, BUT, I love the very psychedelic atmosphere on this one.  In a way, between the layers of instrumentals and the very joyous and poppy vocals, I almost feel like “Witch” has a Panda Bear or Animal Collective vibe to it.  Then we have those bizarre backing vocals that add a serious weirdness and experimental edge to this one.  It’s totally bizarre, and probably the most far out thing Alex has ever touched.  But it remains really sweet and likable, for an eclectic grab bag of an album, Alex has a way to turn almost all of it into ear candy.

On “Horse”, Alex takes us on our wildest ride yet here, quite possibly of his entire career.  Long gone are the Southern Fried Ballads on this one, and I hope you guys like highly erratic sound collages.  There’s so much going on on “Horse” that it’s almost impossible to list.  The instrumental is just so thick and hulking, and between the heavy synthesizers and the plucking’s from seemingly endless instruments, this is Alex’s most bizarre track yet.  It’s strangely hypnotic though, and while it may not be a stunning interlude or anything, it breaks up this album rather nicely and gives is a very Avant-Garde feel for a few minutes.  Plus, Alex’s very ghoulish moaning in the background give this one a very uneasy feeling.  But Alex is far from done with us, because as soon as “Brick” starts up, I feel like I accidentally switched over to a Dillinger Escape Plan or Death Grips album.  I have no idea what this even is, or where Alex came up with this.  The bass here is so heavy, the instrumentals are chaotic, and Alex’s very tortured performance as he practically yelps in pain is seriously stunning.  I’ve never heard a track quite like this from Alex, and it’s the last thing that I thought I wanted to hear from them.  But hell yes, it’s wild and brilliant and I hope we get more of it in the future.  Instantly though, we’re right back in the might lighter side of things with “Sportstar”.  This one though continues with the very puzzling tone of the album.   However, no matter how sweet the sentiment is and how joyous the atmosphere is, between the very uneasy instrumentals that are all over the place and the weird vocal effects on Alex, I’m obsessed.  By this point in the album it’s safe to say, this is Alex’s most experimental album yet by far, but what makes it so important and interesting is how Alex presents it.  Alex is certainly expanding his sound, but he’s walking through it with us at a good pace, and it’s easy to love and groove along with.  This track is just so warm and cozy no matter how weird it gets, and it’s seriously catchy.  I also love the hazy atmosphere on this one and the very distant guitars that take up most of this track.  Then we get to my favorite track here, “Judge”.  Every time this one starts up I’m instantly sucked in, and as far as a classic Alex G sounding track goes, this is the closest you’re going to get.  I absolutely go nuts for his vocals here, we haven’t heard a lot of his lower pitched vocals here and I forgot how seriously wonderful they come off.  It makes Alex’s performance here just so heart wrenching.  I also love the synths here as well as the dreary and somber tone to everything.  This album remains seriously easy to digest.  “Rocket” on the other hand is just another seriously sweet instrumental that gives us a minute to breathe in between a lot of what Alex has been throwing at us.   I do however LOVE some of the banjo plucking on this one that brings back the sort of Alt-Country vibe that Alex was going for earlier.  What a wild album.  

On “Powerful Man” Alex just feels like he’s jamming out to a straight up folk jam.  Not too surprisingly, it comes off fantastic.  Lyrically, this one comes off as one of Alex’s strongest here by far.  That southern flare is back in those violins and they still come off just as well.  This one is a lot easier to take in than some of the experimental tracks on here, and just comes off like Alex G in the raw with no filler or effects.  It’s beautiful and sentimental, and most of all this one comes off incredibly “real”.  So up until this point, I’ve had nothing but nice things to say about this, but I feel like Alex does drop the ball with the closing tracks here.  “Alina” is alright, but for me this one is just a little too breezy for my liking.  It gets so breezy to the point where there really ins’t much structure to what’s being presented to us.  It’s a very relaxing atmosphere, but I almost wish that this one was an instrumental, because Alex’s completely inaudible vocals sort of come off annoying on this one.  I DO really like the very hazy atmosphere though, so this one isn’t a total bust.  On “Big Fish” Alex is right back to sounding like an Elliot Smith disciple, and it dows come off alright.  And overall this track is alright, it really is.  But I don’t know, this just sounds out of place to me, like Alex literally took a B-Side or an unreleased older track and plopped it on here.  It doesn’t go with the feel or the production style at ALL.  However, at the end of the day it does sound nice at least.  Then we have this album’s finale “Guilty”, which has a seriously jazzy feel to is and the instrumentals are once again on point in every way.  And I do think this is a solid finale.  But for me, I’m not completely in love with Alex’s vocals here.  They’re ok at best, and I really think he could have done so much better.  I do like that backing “ooooooh”’s and the saxophone however.  Overall though, this album is by far Alex’s best.  

Rating: 8.5/10

Give A Listen To: “Proud”, “Judge”, “Bobby”, “Brick”

Overall Thoughts:  This is by FAR Alex's most complete and interesting album yet.  For years there's certainly been more than meets the eye to Alex's unique brand of Low-Fi Singer/Songwriter rock.  But never once has it come off so effectively as the songs on here.  This is also by far Alex's most diverse album yet, as Alex offers up everything from Alt-Country ballads, to chaotic experimental rock, to somber folk tunes that Elliot Smith would have shed a tear for.  And even more interesting, is how it remains so easy to listen to as the album trudges on.  It's magnificent really.   

The Mountain Goats - Goths

The Mountain Goats are the low running, highly prolific Folk band lead by the legendary John Darnielle.  In the early years with album's like "Zopilote Machine", Darnielle basically WAS the group.  Meaning it was just him and his guitar and a crappy recording device, which often lead to tracks coming out sounding like a cross between Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices.  Darnielle though had such a blaring, in your face personality that it worked for them.  By the time "Nothing For Juice" came out, The Mountain Goats were well on their way to showing the world what they were capable of.  The production still Wasn't absolutely stunning or perfect.  But it was certainly getting more of where it should be, and they certainly still oozed charisma and personality.  Plus, I loved just how warm some of these tracks came off, such as "Hellhound on My Trail".  Obviously though, Mountain Goats music continued to be very words, but remained seriously engaging and interesting.  "All Hail West Texas" was the band's first true masterpiece.  By this point, Mountain Goats had become so comfortable in their scratchy production that they mastered it.  The result was easily their most consistent album to date, as John Darnielle went deep into stories from his teenage years and earlier that were all so interesting and wonderfully crafted. By the time they released "Tallahassee" though, Mountain Goats had started working with some more cleaner production, and at first, it was seriously ugly.  It was beyond the production's fault however, Mountain Goats on this one just really sounded uncomfortable.  However, they started getting slowly back on track with "We Shall All Be Healed".  While this album wasn't perfect, it showed Mountain Goats hopping on cleaner production and bringing in more eclectic instrumentals and sounding decent.By the time "The Sunset Tree" was released, Mountain Goats had become completely comfortable in their more well produced sound.  This album was easily their warmest and most inviting, and this was as close to a standard folk album as it could be.  Up next, Mountain Goats released "Get Lonely", an album I really needed to sit with.  This album started out a little shaky for my liking, but the raw emotion and thoughts about loss John Darnielle brought in for the second half of the album was incredible.  2011's "All Eternals Deck" really caught me off guard once again, just by how heavy this album was.  I'm not saying this was instrumentally heavy or anything.  But this one was just so hulking in its atmosphere, there were darker tracks and more upbeat tracks as well.  2012's Transcendental Youth" however is an album that I have issues with but also love.  I love the use of a horn section that made tracks like "White Cedar" so huge sounding, but the production on this one sort of irked me.  In 2015 though, Mountain Goats got back on track with the surprisingly VERY solid concept album about Pro Wrestling "Beat The Champ".  So at this point this late into their career, what do Mountain Goats even have left to prove?  Which brings me to this new album, and album that apparently doesn't feature a single guitar.  While I didn't think that sounded very flattering, these first few singles have been great.  Let's chat about this new Mountain Goats album.

Now, going into this album, an album by folk legends not featuring any guitars, I really didn’t know what to expect.  But hearing “Rain In Soho”, all I can say is, if this is the sound of Mountain Goats without guitars, can I have some more?  I love the major focus on these slow and powerful pianos, and even more of the focus on John Darnielle’s vocals.  Also, this atmosphere is seriously heavy.  I forgot just how fantastic The Mountain Goats are when things slow down.  More often than not, Darnielle’s vocals come off so fiery and sinster, and I love it.  The backing vocals here are so haunting, everything about “Rain In Soho” is just so artsy and huge, and fueled by a great atmosphere.  Overall, this is just such a great sound for them, plus Darnell’s lyrical performance is just so memorable and epic.  Plus, I can’t move on without pointing out just how hypnotic this track is, I don’t have a single bad thing to say about it.  Up next is “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds”.  This one right off the bat is so much lighter in feel, even bouncy in a way.  But it works great, and Darnielle continues to seriously nail the Goth culture lyrically.  I gotta give him and The Mountain Goats credit though for sticking with this “No Guitar” sound.  Not only are they sticking with it, they continuously really come off with a very full sound.  I love visuals on “Andrew Eldritch is Moving Back to Leeds”, mostly of this club Darnielle is describing.  Plus, the very light hearted and sweet atmosphere on this one is made even more breezy by the appearance of the very grandiose horn section.  So far, this album is great.  Plus, conceptually, I feel like this is easier to grasp than the Mountain Goats “Beat The Champ”.  The Mountain Goats up next bring in a dreamy lounge vibe and some very cool synth lines for easily one of my favorite tracks here, “The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement”.  Darnielle here doesn’t sound as aggressive and as fiery as he usually does, on this one he falls back and goes into storytelling mode.  But boy does it ever work for him.  This one also has one of the album’s most memorable choruses in “I’m Hardcore, but I’m not that Hardcore”, backed by wonderfully lush horns that I can’t get enough of.  This album continues to be a remarkably smooth transition for the band.  Not to mention, with the absence of guitars you can seriously focus on Darnielle’s lyrical wizardry.  “We Do It Different On The West Coast” offers up a much more serene and quit sound.  However, I do really love the added funk to this one in those seriously bass heavy grooves.  I love here how Darnielle shouts out these locations, and buddy let me tell you, those things you’ve heard about Long Island are true.  This is easily one of the softest funk jams I’ve ever heard, but it seriously works wonders.  Plus, I really love the way it mixes the album up just enough, and the warm backing vocals here are wonderful.  I honestly didn’t think The Mountain Goats had such a groovy sound to them.  

Out of nowhere, Mountain Goats bust out a surprisingly upbeat track in “Unicorn Tolerance”.  Not for nothing, I think this track is alright, but this really doesn’t fit the mood of this album at all.  The whole “No Guitar” element is totally fine, but here I feel like it seriously hinders this track,  This one would have been so much more enjoyable if it was saved for a more guitar oriented album.  Plus, I dunno, the breeziness of this track makes it fall a little flat for me.  It is certainly catchy though, and I do like the much more upbeat vibe.  However, I think Darnielle’s lyrics save this track from being completely boring. “Stench of the Unburied” on the other hand, is the perfect example of how they can work with this Guitar-less sound and add in a more upbeat groove and have it work.  I love the funky bass line here as well as the very old school synths.  “Stench of the Unburied” is seriously very smooth.  I feel like Darnielle in a really weird way is romanticizing the entire Gothic Culture, and making it seriously beautiful.  His lyrics here deal with being more comfortable in the nighttime, and he does it in just such a skillful way.  Then of course we have the chorus here, which is just this wonderful mission statement for Goth’s, to the point where you can almost feel their pleasure of turning on the radio and hearing Siouxsie and the Banshees.  “Stench of the Unburied” is insanely likable, I really didn’t expect this album to come off nearly as good.  Then we have “Wear Black” and by the time this track hits I have to say, this is seriously absolutely lovely.  There really isn’t many instrumentals here that don’t completely warm my heart to be honest.  I love Darnielle’s much smoother and sweeter vocals here, and the group vocals make this one even warmer at it’s core.  I feel like this album overall is really personal and close to Darnielle as he was writing all of this, diving into every last corner of the Gothic culture.  It works though, because this is by far the most concrete thing The Mountain Goats have done in years.  But this album sure does have a few small hiccups, like “Paid In Cocaine”.  I would certainly say this track still fits the feeling of the album.  But for my liking, this is just a little too sweet and airy for me, to the point where it kinda brings down the feel of the album.  However, being an album all about Goth’s and their culture, this album remains seriously easy on the ears and even easier to enjoy.  My main issue with “Paid In Cocaine” is just how much of a switch up I needed at this point in the album, and it’s really not that at all.  However, Darnielle’s lyrics and storytelling remain on point.  

Thankfully, that switch up that I needed comes soon after with “Rage of Travers”.  This one has the same serene atmosphere we’ve been dealing with, but adds in a little extra oomph with some really funky bass.  “Rage of Travers” really takes its time, really testing some patience during the verses.  This isn’t the best track here, but it’s enjoyable, and Darnielle’s always engaging performance keeps me interested.  Plus, I seriously love the horns on this one.  The amount of details Darnielle puts into his lyrics however, continues to be the real star.  It’s simply massive and amazing, as he describes the look of the people hanging out int he club to the show they witness and further.  “Shelved” on the other hand, has some serious bite to it.  While this track isn’t necessarily heavy, it has the same sort of intensity and artsy vibe that the early tracks on this album had.  This track from start to finish, is absolutely brilliant.  The pulsating synths are just so sinister and add a serious sense of drama to the feel of it.  Darnielle’s performance here is just so passionate and vibrant, these slower tracks seriously brings out his intensity.  Then we have those pounding drums as well as those very retro bass licks, what a tune.   “Goths” as an album is a very visual sounding album, and that goes much further than John Darnielle’s lyrics.  The only track here I really question, is “For the Portuguese Goth Metal Bands”.  To be honest, this is the only track that I seriously dislike from start to finish.  The instrumentals here are just sort of clashing and for the most part are seriously ugly.  Darnielle’s performance isn’t even that memorable either, which his lyrics not coming off nearly as commanding or interesting.  Here, Darnielle’s vocals almost sound shy, and unsure of themselves, which is just awful.  Lyrically, this one even comes off as a rehashing of plenty of other tunes here, I don’t get it one bit.  Thankfully The Mountain Goats and recover with “Abandoned Flesh”.  This track is probably the most necessary track the band needed to end this album with, as The Mountain Goats break out an ode to Goth Icons, from the legendary to the more obscure.  It’s a sweet, quaint finale that puts a big ol’ smile on my face.  Darnielle sounds confident, the horns and atmosphere are warm,  it’s a nice finale to a great Mountain Goats album.  

Rating : 8.1/10

Give A Listen To:  Rain In Soho", "The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement", "Wear Black", Shelved”

Overall Thoughts: Now, if you heard that one of the most iconic Folk groups of this generation were coming out with an album with no guitars, wouldn't you be a little worried?  I sure was.  However, this turned out to be one of John Darnielle and companies most concrete album's in recent memory.  It's a dense and wordy album as usual, but it's also very theatrical and seriously gorgeous.  The Mountain Goats here, do what they do best, and that's take a certain occurrence or culture and paint it in a glorious massive picture.  The culture here, is the Goth culture, a culture that seems close to Darnielle's heart.  The result, is the sweetest and most beautiful album you're every going to hear about Goth Kids.  

Danny L Harle - 1UL EP

Now, if you know me, you know that when PC Music blew up a year or so ago I was all obsessed.  I've always loved the quirky production of the label, and I've always been obsessed with acts like SOPHIE and Hannah Diamond.  However, one artist on the label who in the past year or so has completely stole my heart is Danny L Harle.  On his "Broken Flowers" EP he quickly showed us that he could easily be just as quirky and entertaining as other acts on the label.  It was a short EP, but it ushered in his sound nicely.  Plus, let's just talk about the "Super Natural" single from last year's PC Music compilation.  This track was simply put, one of the most perfect pop moments of last year.  Danny's back though with his second EP, and I'm super excited to talk about it!

(YES YES YES YES YES)

This EP starts off with the pure gold that is “1UL”.  Danny here works with an almost tropical feel right off the bat, and let me just say yes PLEASE.  I love the sort of 90’s vibe that I’m getting from this track, I almost feel like this was a long lost track from the “Night At The Roxbury” soundtrack that somehow got sent super forward in time.  Danny’s production has just gotten better and better over the years.  Danny’s constantly just working with bigger and bigger sounds, and he’s come so far from the very dreamy style he worked with in his early years.  “1UL” is a straight up banger between the HUGE (no pun intended Danny) production and the super catchy and enjoyable vocals.  This bass is gigantic, and overall this track is just such a huge statement for Danny.  In the early days, around the time of the first PC Music Compilation, I feel like Danny was struggling a bit to get his sound across.  But man, is THIS ever good.  It’s got pop appeal, but it’s also just enough outsider feel to be a PC music track.  This EP rolls on with “Heavy Eyelids”.  This one starts off so much slower and more quiet, which is interesting to say the least.  It ends up working out great however.  I love the seriously murky sounding synths in the back, this is easily one of the darker sounding PC Music tracks I’ve ever heard, and quite frankly I’m obsessed.  I really wish they would point out more often where these vocal snippets are coming from, because honestly after a while they all just kinda come off sounding like Hannah Diamond.  Which no, it’s not bad, but I would love to know out of curiosity.  As far as “Heavy Eyelids” goes, for a slow track, it’s just about the best thing that Danny or anybody on the PC Music label could have done.  It’s got a seriously thick atmosphere, and I love how this is further away from the usually pop-centric sound of Danny’s music, hell it’s almost experimental.  I’m certainly down for more of this in the future Danny, just saying.  Up next is “Happy All The Time”, which is a whole lot more in the line of what we usually get from PC Music.  It’s that classic blend of bubblegum pop and experimental booming electronic music, and it’s great.  Not, to an extent, this is just a little too sunshiny and sweet for me as far as vocals go.  But outside of that, I think Danny does a really great job of tying this one together with the very noisy and bass heavy production.  If I had to choose one track here that I wasn’t totally loving, it would be “Happy All The Time”, but even when Danny is at his lowest, he’s still breaking boundaries and working with some great sounds.  This EP finishes up with “Me4U” featuring Morrie.  For the most part, this is right up the alley of what we would usually expect to hear in the past from Danny, but it’s a little updated with some quirkier production than we’re used to hearing from him.  I love the sweet vocals from Morrie on this one and the very whimsical sounding keyboards in the background.  Once again, Danny seems to hit the nail on the head concerning the PC Music sound, that perfect blend of experimental music and pop.  It’s a sweet love track, but it’s got just enough edge to dive seriously deep into every sound Danny brings us.  

Rating : 7.8/10

Overall Thoughts:  Danny L Harle continues to be a real shining star within the fantastic PC Music label.  It's a short EP, but there's really no true down points here.  And I find it ironic that the guy who two years ago was having a real issue with finding his sound within the PC Music label is now has one of the most distinctive sounds.  So when's the full length album coming Danny? 

Wavves - You're Welcome

Wavves, aka Nathan Williams and company, has almost always has been seriously hit and miss with me.  There have been Wavves albums that I've been obsessed with, but just as many have confused me.  Wavves 2008 self titled debut is quite frankly a mess.  I get they were going for with this very Low Fi sound, but this album just sounded horrible.  On 2009's "Wavvves", Wavves got their sound a little closer to the right direction.  While I still didn't love this album, I enjoyed Nathan and the boys turn to a more melodic sound.  However, Wavves seriously nailed it with "King of the Beach".  This album remained Low-Fi and very DIY sounding.  However, the songs here were catchy and youthful, and had a strong sense of surf rock appeal.  On Wavves next album, "Afraid of Heights", for the first time the boys were working with much cleaner production.  Which of course, lead to some very different feelings on the album.  You can say that Nathan was worshiping and imitating Nirvana here and that the sound they were going for was so far from what they were originally going for.  And those are two very true points.  However, it's also true that "Afraid Of Heights" contained some of Wavves most well written and catchiest tracks yet.  But just when I thought Wavves had finally really gotten their groove down, they released "V".  This was by FAR the most boring and forgettable album Wavves had ever touched.  There were catchy tracks like "Tarantula" and "Redlead", but everything else here was seriously a complete bore to listen to.  That all being said I really never know if I'm going to truly love a Wavves album or not. However.  I gotta hand it to Nathan, the singles hes dropped so far from this album have been some of his sharpest, catchiest, and biggest singles yet!  As far as a rock album goes, this is easily one of my most anticipated of the year.  Let's talk about this bad boy.

(A classic from Wavves)

This album starts off with “Daisy”, and if I just casually tuned into this intro, I would have thought I has stumbled across a long lost track from Wavves’ early days.  The very scratchy production is there and the guitars are totally off the wall sounding.  The issue with the last few Wavves albums has been just how robotic and streamlined the music of Wavves was sounding.  “Daisy” however is just a seriously fun Garage Punk tune. There’s a weird sort of island vibe in that one twangy guitar that keeps repeating, and it works fantastic.  Very quickly though, a serious standout here is the production.  I feel like the majority of Wavves fans were just so turned off when Wavves went for much cleaner production.  But “Daisy” is squeaky clean and polished sounding, but it’s also seriously heavy and awesome.  We’re only one track in and this is easily the most fun I’ve had listening to Wavves in probably 5 years.  Up next is the title track, “You’re Welcome”.  Now, to me, this comes off like the sound that Wavves were really trying to pull off on their “Afraid of Heights” album.  It has a much slower pace and an edgier sound.  But I feel like this come off lighter in atmosphere and more concrete sounding, as well as strangely hypnotic.  Wavves on this track seriously sound like they're just being themselves, not like they’ve ever tried to fit too much into a niche.  I continue to seriously love the very heavy and ridged production.  Plus, Wavves continue to keep just enough of the elements from their old tracks, like the backing “Woohooo” vocals that bring in that surf rock element even though it’s been years since their “King Of The Beach” days.  So far, this is just a seriously solid rock album.  Up next is “No Shade” and all I have to say about this one is “Wow”.  I haven’t heard this much raucous energy and excitement in a Wavves track in years.  I feel like this what they were trying for when they released that EP with Cloud Nothings.   But my lord, “No Shade” is just fantastic.  The production here continues to be a serious highlight, those blasts of synths or industrial noise or whatever that is comes off great, and I also really love the very laid back backing vocals.  “No Shade” is just a great tightly wound, cleanly produced punk track, and it’s so refreshing to hear.  By the time we get to “Million Enemies”, I’m starting to get the feeling that this album is seriously going to tick off a lot of people.  The production here is just so glitzy and stunning, but it also has that same post grunge sort of edge that was present on their “Afraid of Heights” album.  For older fans of Wavves, this is seriously quite possibly going to be very nauseating.  But for me, “Million Enemies” is the best thing Wavves has done in years.  Between that hypnotic riff and Nate’s fantastic vocal performance, it has some serious Pop appeal as well.  So far, this album has been something completely different for Wavves, which 110% what I needed to hear from them.  I love the very crunchy guitars and the strangely heavy atmosphere.  All I have to say is, what a seriously enjoyable opening couple of tracks.  

As the album moves on, tracks like “Hollowed Out” have a very whimsical feel to it, even when things pick up a little.  It’s still all coming off pretty smoothly however.  And while this isn’t as punchy or as impactful, it’s consistent, which is what I wanted to hear from Wavves the most. As “Hollowed Out” movies on, I fall even more and more in love with it.  The production on this track is so heavy, and when those walls of synths come in it’s just fantastic.  Plus, Nathan continues to pen some of his best and most iconic choruses in years.  But sadly Wavves do hit a little bump in the road with “Come To The Valley”.  Sadly, this one comes off seriously awkward for Wavves.  I feel like I sort of get what they’re going for here, but it really doesn’t work.  I feel the same about this as I felt on the new Black Lips album I talked about a few weeks ago, I feel like I’m missing the joke if there is one here.  “Come To The Valley” doesn’t add anything to the album.  While it is catchy, it’s not funny or quirky or anything, and it really doesn’t accomplish much.  I just feel like with their last two albums being a little mediocre with “Afraid of Heights” and absolutely boring with “V”, Wavves really don’t have time for tracks like this.  Thankfully, Wavves pick it right back up with “Animal”, one of the catchiest and most “classic Wavves” sounding tracks here.  I love the little details here, like the jangly bells in the background that give this a little bit of a youthful sound that Wavved used to dominate with.  Plus, that funky, upbeat bass groove is brilliant.  “Animal” clicks on every level.  But man, that production continues to work seriously wonders for Wavves.  And strangely enough, the very pristine production really adds to the very chaotic element to Wavves’ music.  I’m just so happy with this album overall.  Not to mention, in a strange way, “Animal” is actually one of the sweetest tracks Nathan has ever penned.  Then we have tracks like “Stupid In Love” which at first really underwhelmed me, but it’s certainly grown on me since.  I love the very laid back vocals with this upbeat and peppy instrumental.  It certainly gets across the feeling of the title of this track, I’ll give it that, and the very hazy delivery is great too.  However, “Stupid In Love” most importantly reminds us of something we forget, that Wavves are at their best when their at their most simplistic and easygoing.  

There’s a little bit of everything from Wavves going on here.  We have tracks like “Exercise” that sound like a literally reworked version of a “King Of The Beach” track.  It’s intense, and it’s easily the most wild and rebellious track here.  It’s short, sweet, and to the point, and more or less, it’s everything that attracted me to Wavves years ago.  Up next is “Under”, and at this point when I heard a drum machine and guitars taking a back seat, I seriously got a little worried.  But when Nathan’s vocals come crashing in for that chorus, I instantly get right back into everything.  Immediately, this track is absolutely gigantic and crushing.  I love the massive, dirty production on this track that comes off so hulking.  While the verses on “Under” are a little underwhelming, they serve their purpose by drawing you in big time for that explosive chorus.  Plus, I seriously love Nathan’s lyrics on this one, especially on that last verse.  Between all of that and those great backing vocals, this is seriously great.   Then we have tracks like “Dreams of Grandeur”, which quite frankly are a little awkward.  I like the upbeat atmosphere and all, but I feel like this is literally everything that was wrong with the last Wavves album.  The feel and the instrumentals are just fine.  But outside of that, there is literally nothing even remotely memorable about this one.  The hook is ok, Nathan’s performance is fine, but outside of that there isn’t a single thing that I can grab on to and remember about this one.  I don’t think it’s bad, just severely unmemorable.  Plus, why the hell is this track over 4 minutes long, including a completely unnecessary.  Wavves ends off this album with another slow, almost Doo-Wop sort of tune, “I Love You”.  But to be honest, this one comes off a little better than the band’s earlier attempt at this.  It’s still the furthest thing from a Wavves tune, and this is still really sort of bizarre.  But as an outro, it’s sort of sweet and works as a good send off.  I’m not saying it’s justified, but I can vibe to it. Plus, I really love some of the guitar solos floating through the background.  

Rating: 8.4/10

Give A Listen To: “No Shade”, “Million Enemies”, “Animal”, “Under”

Overall Thoughts:  This is a Wavves album that's seriously going to get on a lot of people's nerves.  This is the furthest thing from what I thought I wanted to hear from Wavves.  I always thought the answer was for them to go dirtier and crunchier and lessen some of the production.  However, Nathan Williams and company answer THAT statement, with their glossiest and most cleanly produced album yet.  The result is an album that's going to piss off a lot of Wavves older fans.  Gone are the days of Low-Fi production and Slacker Lyrics, and in it's place are some of the cleanest sounding and catchiest Wavves songs ever.  I went into this album demanding something different from Wavves, and you can't argue that's what they brought to the table.  And while for many this is going to be frustrating, I can't help but love this album.  

Girlpool - Powerplant

Girlpool have been around for a few years ago, making some seriously punchy folk punk.  The ladies of Girlpool on their self titled debut was 16 minutes of Spunky personality and great Folky licks.  Obviously there wasn't THAT much to go by being such a short album but they were on the right track to make some great stuff.  Girlpool's 2015 full length debut I had mixed feelings on.  This album was by far one of the loudest, most passionate quiet albums you're going to hear, and tracks like "Emily", "Crowded Stranger" and "Before the World Was Big" were brilliant.  But other tracks here seemed a little underdeveloped.  However, these new singles have been some of Girlpool's most fiery yet, let's discuss this album!

This album starts off with “123”.  It’s a very quiet intro, but Girlpool more times than not certainly start on the quiet side and build to their sound.  The vocals here are light, and on the surface there’s not much going on.  But this one grows rather quickly and becomes a scuzzy alternative rock that almost has a sort of post-grunge element to it.  The music of Girlpool since day one has always been sort of slow burning, you may listen to half of these tracks at first and not have anything hit you at all.  But you get wrapped up in tracks like “123” after a while, especially in those sweet harmonies.  It’s a charming intro.   “Sleepless” is up next, and this is the first example of what I seriously do enjoy about this album.  I’ve seen the potential in Girlpool for years, but have always sort of wanted them to get a little more straightforward, and this is exactly what I hear on this one.  There’s nothing quiet about “Sleepless” at all, and I love the very groovy bass lines right off the bat.  I love the very poetic lyrics here, as well as one again that sort of throwback feel.  Girlpool’s vocals to me have always seemed to be such a quiet storm in themselves.  What I mean is, they almost always come off so soft and vulnerable, but they always end up packing a punch by the end.  And that’s something I’ve truly always appreciated.   Not to mention, I love the way the instrumentals here continue to build and build and then POP for the chorus.  Now, the ladies of Girlpool have always had a sort of folk element to their music.  But “Corner Store” introduces an almost alt-country feel that I can actually really dig.  This one is short, but it’s sweet and to the point.  Plus, I feel a serious excitement listening to tracks like this, and I honestly never know when the ladies are going to blare into some of the louder instrumentals.  Overall, “Corner Store” works nicely.  Then we have tracks like “Your Heart”, which right from the intro I love the very slow pace and slow burning atmosphere.  By this point, honestly I’m getting a sort of old school Emo vibe from this, maybe even almost a Brand New vibe.  But it’s moments like that the very quiet and very emotional sound that Girlpool have that make it seriously boom.  There’s a serious hypnotic vibe to this, everything continues to work so ncely.  Also, as far as lyrics go, this album has some serious teeth, you don’t want to mess with this.

While this album is pretty enjoyable overall, there are certainly some down portions.  On “Kiss And Burn”, Girlpool go for a more upbeat track with no buildup at all and just go for a more straightforward alternative rock sound.  To be honest though, this one for me comes off sort of awkward and not sounding like Girlpool at all.  I like the continuing growth of the folky sound as well as the alt-country sound the ladies are going with.  Btu structurally, I feel like this one just doesn’t vibe well.  “Fast Dust” at the very least shows Girlpool going back in the direction that made earlier tracks so punchy.  I love the way that their soft, folky sound here clearly is hiding something much greater underneath, and this one almost has an Elliot Smith vibe in the very quiet delivery of the vocals.  “Fast Dust” has some of the sweetest vocals of the entire album as well.  But instrumentally, this one is easily one of the biggest duds.  I do enjoy a lot of parts to this, but I still feel like some of the earlier and grungier tracks have come off the best so far.  The album’s title track is up next, and “Powerplant” certainly comes off smooth.  The sweet vocals are here, and the riff on this one is a little more lively and jolly than most of the stuff here.  Not to mention, as far as a catchy sound goes, this is certainly a high point for me.  And this goes without saying, but I know I haven’t said this yet, the Sleater Kinney vibe here is seriously real.  It’s not wowing but it’s certainly above average.  In the future though, I would seriously love to see Girlpool feel with a bigger and deeper album.  Then we have tracks like “High Rise Man”, which is easily the one track of the album that should have been left out.  This track outside of the vocals is completely awkward.  The instrumentals seem so unsure of themselves constantly.  Thankfully though this track is only a little over a minute.


Thankfully, as a whole this album has a whole lot going for it.  On “Soup”, I feel like all elements of this track work wonderfully together.  There’s such a mysterious vibe to this one, instrumentally and lyrically.  As far as the instrumentals go, I love the very whimsical vibe in between these grungy licks.  Girlpool’s formula is just so simple, yet so effective, and I’m certainly invested in their sound.  But then I hear tracks like “She Goes By”, and I really can’t take much of anything from it at all.  This one is just a little too straightforward for me.  I love Girlpool’s slow burning tracks, but without that or their usual atmosphere or buildup and all of this release, this comes off as nothing but grunge worship.  “She Goes By” really blows right by me without making an imprint, it barely even sounds like a Girlpool track.  Thankfully, when it comes to tracks like “It Gets More Blue”, this is so much more of what I was expecting to hear.  It’s smooth, it’s quaint, and it just comes off as so totally THEM.  The more I listen to this album, the more I love the very quiet atmosphere that has just so much going on beneath the surface.  “It Gets More Blue has some of my favorite vocal harmonies on the entire album, and I love how raw the production is here and on a few other tracks.  But once again, I just really wish this album was longer and deeper, maybe even a little more conceptual.  Girlpool end off this album with “Static Somewhere”, and I’m so glad that they’re ending off with a slower track.  There’s some serious buildup in these drums, and I love the very slow and dreary vocals here.  Also, the way the guitar pick up for the chorus is seriously brilliant.  Hell, this one even has a little instrumental jam about halfway through that comes off seriously chaotic. “Static Somewhere” is seriously decent, and ends the album off on a great note.

Rating: 7.6/10

Give A Listen To: "Sleepless", "Your Heart", "Soup", "Static Somewhere”

Overall Thoughts:  Girlpool have come out here with their most consistent and enjoyable release yet.  The ladies of Girlpool have compiled a solid collection of tracks, most that follow the usual formula for the band, meaning very quiet vocals and often more chaotic instrumentals.  There are a few more underwhelming moments, and also I seriously need a little bit of a longer album from these ladies.  But at the end of the day, this is pretty rad.  

Harry Styles - Harry Styles

Am I really going to sit here and talk about this album?  Hell yes I am.  Am I going to bash it completely?  Well you're just going to have to wait and see.  If you don't know who Harry is by now, please get yourself out of the large rock you've been living under.  For years in One Direction, Harry Styles charmed waaaaaaay too many people with his "Dreamy" looks and catchy pop hooks.  If you're going to sit here and tell me you DON'T know at least half of the lyrics to "That's What Makes You Beautiful", I'm gonna just call you a liar right now.  Anyways!  Harry since the breakup of One Direction has been teasing that BIG solo album, so let's talk about this bad boy.

This album starts off with “Meet Me In The Hallway”, and right off that bat you can tell that Harry is certainly going for more of a rock vibe on this one.  But honestly what does that even mean anymore?  However,  I’m surprised in just the amount of rock influence that DOES go into this one.  However, I’d be lying if I said this is what I was hoping to hear.  There’s almost a psychedelic vibe here in the atmosphere, obviously Harry’s been boning up on his classic rock.  Some of the more straightforward moments here, like when Harry really comes out of his shell for that chorus are actually seriously decent.  But the rest of “Meet Me In The Hallway” is seriously head scratching, and its sort of confusing on what he’s actually going for.  Up next however, Harry saves this album from being a complete snooze fest with “Sign of the Times”.  Just from these opening piano notes, this is actually pretty epic right off the bad.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll end up saying it plenty of more times as well:  A good pop song is a good pop song.  And “Sign of the Times” my friends is a good pop song.  Harry hear doesn’t even sound like a pop star or his usual very glamorous self.  He sounds beat down, tired of listening to all the crap you hear on the news, and delivers one of his most heartfelt performances imaginable.  There’s a very theatrical feel to this one, and a very gran atmosphere that’s only made stronger by the great buildup within these pianos.  Then we have of course the absolutely explosion of every instrumental known to man in the chorus.  “Sign of the Times” is filled with truly chilling moments, and is just a fantastic tune.  There’s all sorts of influences from classic rock to more modern stuff like Oasis (don’t tell me you don’t hear the “Stop Crying Your Heart Out” or “Don’t Look Back In Anger” influence).   It’s just a fantastic pop song.  Harry clings on even harder to this “Classic Rock” sound with “Carolina”, and ends up piling up plenty of funk on top of it as well.  But to be honest, this one isn’t as flattering.  While it certainly has a groove and gets me moving, I have no idea why Harry is even touching this sound.  The last few tracks have come off as class tributes, but “Carolina” comes off like he's trying way too hard.  It’s catchy, but at the same time I feel like it’s not coming off nearly as flawlessly and glamorously.  What’s even worse is that I seriously feel like Harry is ripping off The 1975 in some weird way.  Which is totally bizarre, because let’s be honest The 1975 are basically Indie’s One Direction.  Plus, Harry just sounds sleazy as hell, and I for one can’t take that seriously if I had to.  Sure, I’d put this in the “guilty pleasure” pile, but I’m not going to sit here and defend this one.  “Two Ghosts” is up next, and if Harry is going to continue to go all out with this Classic Rock vibe, this is certainly much more of a suitable sound for Harry.  He can put in the cute lyrics that he’s piled up on over the years in One Direction, and not to mention this sort of bluesy vibe here is actually coming off seriously nice.  The hook works, the smokey atmosphere comes off great, and most importantly it all comes off naturally.  So take that Sleazy Harry, this much more straightforward sound is so much more genuine.  

So maybe you’ve realized by now, but this album has seriously been back and forth, which really ends up hurting it in the long run.  “Sweet Creature” is up next, and to be honest of the two singles this one comes off far less effective for me.  Personally, I feel like I really can’t take these folky songs seriously at all.  However there are parts of this that I really dig.  For example, I love Harry’s very bluesy and passionate performance.  But this could have just been so much bigger instrumentally and it wouldn’t have been nearly as ridiculously cheesy.  “Only Angel” however brings us right back to a much heavier and epic atmosphere that I can certainly appreciate.  When Harry really focuses on these tracks, he care actually churn out some seriously gigantic stuff.  Honestly, I hate to say this, but I can certainly groove to this track.  Once again, on “Only Angel” we see Harry clinging to classic rock icons for dear life.  However, you can’t deny just how funky this one is, and if he’s going for more of a sexier and sleazy sound, this is miles ahead of earlier attempts.  Now, am I going to be playing this one around my friends and singing all the words?  Well no, BUT, I’m most likely going to be humming this one tomorrow in the shower and and even on my way to work.  Then we have tracks like “Kiwi”, which I hear and I certainly get what Harry was going for.  But this sound left rock music for a reason, and 30 seconds in this track is already coming off ridiculously dated.  Earlier tracks, while I didn’t like all of them, at least came off as classy and we’re interesting.  Most of all, those tracks came off as Harry Styles saluting the music of these eras nicely.  But on “Kiwi” he’s just ripping is all off in some half hearted attempt to sound like he’s going for a super classic sound.  Sadly, “Ever Since New York” isn’t really any better at all.  I feel like I’ve fallen into the cheesiest 80’s track ever.  And I like cheesy throwbacks if they’re done right, but this isn’t flattering at all.  I can certainly say this is a little more serious of an attempt from Harry, but why the hell does it sound like he’s ripping off Hootie & The Blowfish?!  I don’t know what the hell happened here honestly.  The earlier sounds on here were so interesting and ha me feeling hopeful for Harry, but this one comes off honestly like One Direction.  However, in this case, I honestly would rather Harry go full blown pop if he’s going to sit around and give us half hearted pop rock.  

Harry doesn’t completely let me down though.  Despite the seriously cheesy and awful intro to “Woman”, I actually really like the vibe on this one.  This is sort of a sleazy, steamy slow jam.  But once again, I can certainly take this a whole lot more over some of the earlier attempts at this sound.  This actually ends up coming off legitimately sexy, and I love the very laid back atmosphere and Harry’s very bluesy performance.  If I’m being honest, if Harry came out with more material like this, I would be a hundred times more into his solo career.  But for every track like “Woman”, theres an unbearable track like “From The Dining Table”, which Harry felt the need to end this album with.  These slower, folkier jams Harry, buddy they’re not cutting it.  To be honest, this is about 2 notes away from an Ed Sheeran track.  Harry, I’d love to support this album, I really would, but I can’t.  

Rating: 6.3/10

Give A Listen To: “Sign Of The Times”, “Two Ghosts”, “Only Angel”, Woman"

Overall Thoughts:  Hearing singles like "Sign Of The Times", this album could have been awesome.  Consistency is an issue with Harry, mostly in the sound that he's aiming for.  There are some tracks on here that show Harry gracefully saluting the sounds of Rock's past in a very grandiose way.  However there are just as many moments on here that have Harry coming off sounding like someone whose desperately trying to sound retro.  There are times on here where Harry can actually pull off a sexier sound, but there are just as few on here that come off laughably cheesy.  This album could have been so good, but it's seriously all over the place.  

Moon Duo - Occult Architecture

Moon Duo for the last few years, since being signed to the absolutely brilliant record label Sacred Bones, has released very cosmic sounding Psych Rock.  They had a few EP's that slipped by me, but the first time I heard a full length project I heard from them was their 2011 album "Mazes".  This wasn't a perfect Psych Rock record, but tracks like "Seer" and "Fallout" were just so colorful and strangely cleanly produced.  Their next album though, 2012's "Circles" really hooked me a whole lot more.  The tracks here were much more hypnotic and driving, and they continued to be so bright and colorful.  However the tracks on here to me justified their length much more and overall made for a much more interesting album.  Sadly though, Moon Duo took a serious nose dive with their next album. I continued to really love the free spirit and the atmosphere here, but everything else about 2015's "Shadow of the Sun" was bland, bland and more bland.  I did see an improvement with 2016's "Occult Architecture Vol.1". at least a slight one.  This album was absolutely mind blowing, but I did like the heavier rhythms and the departure from their more spacey sound. So here Moon Duo are with their follow up, let's chat about it.

This album starts off with “New Dawn”.  This one takes some serious time getting going, Moon Duo have been a cosmic sort of band for years but this is some of the glitchiest and spacey stuff I’ve heard from them yet.  It really sounds smooth for them thouhg, and it continues to be more electronically tinged but it’s just as wide and glistening sounding.  Their sound over the years has become so huge.  A lot of fans are going to be upset with just how electronic this is, but personally I think it’s refreshing.  The vocals are just hypnotic as usual and as strangely soothing and repetitive.  I’ve looked at Moon Duo as a very cosmic act for years, and this just solidifies it more.  It’s not as patience testing, and it’s much more serene.  The guitars are very classy and the synths are impenetrable.  As an intro, for me this really works.  This album’s single, “Mirror’s Edge” is up next.   I love the very pulsating and slow intro.  Now, over the years Moon Duo slowly have tried out more and more electronic sounds to their music.  Sometimes it’s sort of failed but here it’s coming off really well and fresh sounding for the duo.  It’s obviously much cleaner sounding and a whole lot more safe.  But I enjoy the very polished sound here.  I love the very distant guitar licks and the way this track just comes off as a gigantic wall of electronic psychedelic.  It’s not as INTENSE though and rhythmic, which I know people are going to not be a fan of.  But I think for an experience, this is great.  Sure, It’s an instrumental, but I love the smokiness of this, not to mention it makes me feel like I’m in that scene in 2001 when the astronaut is soaring through that seriously colorful dimension.   Up next, “Sevens” is easily the most straightforward rocker here.  It’s still very spacey but that’s to be expected.  I like the jangly sort of bells in the back as well as the very intense drum breakdowns.  The vocals here are so mysterious, and just as eclectic as the bands hazy sound.  This certainly is going to resonate more with some of the older fans of Moon Duo with that very repetitive and very patience testing monolithic sound.   This is also strangely joyous at parts as well.  So far, I’ve really enjoyed this change of pace for these two.  I still think however that the very synth heavy sound is going to alienate many though.  

While up until now I’ve been pretty happy with the change of sound.  But the quality of this album is about to take a serious nose dive.  “Lost In Light” is the spaciest sound we’ve heard yet, and more importantly the lightest and most airy.  Right off the bat, this one is doing absolutely nothing for me.  When Moon Duo’s vocals pop in, they honestly make things even more fluffy.  I certainly get what they were going for, but this is much too bright for my liking.  I like the more Sci-Fi sound they were going for earlier, but right about now I’m dying to hear an edgy guitar or something with a little bite.  Moon Duo these days are certainly going for a more Jam oriented sound, and that’s totally fine, it SHOULD be that way.  But if they’re going to do that, their music needs to be sharper and incorporate more heavy instrumentals like they have in the past, because I’m struggling to stay awake.  Did I mention this track is 9 minutes?  Then we have the closing track here, “The Crystal World”.  Now this track isn’t terrible, I like the tribal drums and the woozy synths.  But rewind, let’s talk about this.  This really doesn’t sound like Moon Duo anymore at all.  There are some really great elements to this track, there really is.  But this whole “Occult Architecture” series feels so incomplete to me.  Honestly, I would have much rather Moon Duo put these two together and trimmed it all down.  

Rating: 7.0/10

Give A Listen To: "New Dawn". "Mirror's Edge", "Sevens"

Overall Thoughts:   I'm pretty sure this is Moon Duo's shortest album yet.  It's also their most incomplete feeling.  This mini album starts out really strong with some great, Spacey jams.  But really quickly this album ends and your left with just this feeling of there should have been a whole lot more here.  I'm not sure if this is supposed to be listened to with "Occult Architecture Vol. 1" for some epic experience, but if it is it's missed the boat on that concept.  

Day Wave - "Days We Had"

Oh gosh, I've been waiting for a Day Wave album for so long I can't even begin to tell you.  Day Wave, aka Jackson Phillips, has been making electronic music for a few years now.  I first caught on to him with the "Come Home Now" single, a single that the minute I heard it I loved it.  The few tracks on this single were so dreamy, sort of ChillWave influenced, and had a great low fi production sound.  Any fan of Ariel Pink or Ariel Pink's haunted Graffiti have to check this out pronto! Day Wave's follow up EP "Hard To Read" kept the same Low-Fi sound, but it continued to be more and more upbeat while keeping the haziness of everything (fans of Beach Fossils check this OUT).  The dreaminess of this EP was so enjoyable, but I feel like what set Day Wave apart was the triumphant and upbeat sound.  It took care of a problem that a lot of this genre has in being just too dreamy and too sleepy.  Up until now, I've loved everything I've heard from Day Wave, I just needed one thing, a full length album.  And here we are with Day Wave's first full length album, let's talk about it!

This album starts off with “Something Here”.  I love the very triumphant feel to this intro, with these guitars coming off strangely huge.  It picks up quickly though, ushering in that great Day Wave sound.  Day Wave has this fantastic way of taking these very dreamy atmospheres and giving them just enough kick.  As far as the vocals go, these are some of his least cloudy yet, almost to the point that they’re sort of leaning in the pop direction sort of.  But it comes off so nicely.  Jackson Phillips has come so far as writing a hook goes, cause this track is absolutely HUGE.  “Something Here” remains very upbeat and sweet, but it’s also lighthearted and easy to take in.  It’s a joyous single, one that Day Wave can comfortable be known by.  And most importantly, in a way this really sort of takes all of the tracks we heard on Day Wave’s early EP’s and summarizes them nicely.  “Home” however sadly gives me a bad taste right off the bat.  The atmosphere here sounds so lopsided, like Jackson almost didn’t put this one into perspective.  What I’ve always loved about Day Wave is the way he would make these very dreamy tracks upbeat and fresh sounding.  Immediately, “Home” is not that.  This is WAY too dreamy for my liking and not nearly as enjoyable.  This one ends up coming off like one of the most boring tracks of the last few M83 albums.  There are some decent sounds on this one too, for example I love the winding guitars and bass, as well as the very shimmering synths after the chorus.  But as far as Jackson’s performance goes, this seriously is a little disappointing for me.  Not to mention, this chorus is one of the most boring I’ve heard all year.  Then we have “Ordinary” which while it doesn’t completely wow me is still a huge step up.  An awkward step up, but a step up nonetheless.  I certainly like the much more electronic feel to this one, and the synths are great as well.  But I have two major issues with this one.  Firstly, the atmosphere is not up to par with Day Wave’s usual output.  It’s not a bad one, but this atmosphere here just comes off like an afterthought and seriously unfinished.  My other major issue is once again Jackson’s performance.  No, I wouldn’t say “Ordinary” is a bad track, but there’s nothing about this that tells me I’m listening to a Day Wave track.  This genre is so deep and contains so many sub-genres that Day Wave could conquer so easily, but here Day Wave sound like the majority of their contemporaries.  I do like some of the later vocal moments however, and while I didn’t completely go nuts for this I can still totally understand why someone would dig this. Thankfully, Jackson begins to turn things around with “Untitled”.  The opening synth line here give me the chills every time.  Instantly, i feel like Day Wave actually put genuine heart and soul into creating this very sweet and interesting atmosphere.  Vocally, this is much more in the right direction, and actually leads to some of the better harmonies I’ve heard from Jackson here.  I can’t stress enough just how much these upbeat tracks really set Day Wave apart.  Listening to tracks like “Untitled” seriously gives me so much hope for this project, and while I still see a lot of influence from Day Wave’s contemporaries, I really feel like this stands out majorly.  Plus, some of those synths towards the finale are just so epic and triumphant sounding.  

Up next is “Bloom”, and this track has a major issue.  On earlier tracks I felt like Jackson Phillips wasn’t putting as much effort into these atmospheres.  But here, I feel like he has the exact opposite problem.  On “Bloom”, Phillips has gone so far with creating this very dreamy atmosphere that he sounds like he’s lost himself in it.  Once some of the instrumentals pop in later, I feel like this track starts to work a whole lot more.  But to be perfectly honest, I feel like this track really didn’t need his breathy sights in the background.  This actually would have been better off as full instrumental, and the vocals really throw me off.  Thankfully, Jackson pulls himself together for “On Your Side”, which to every extent is exactly what I want to hear from Day Wave.  The very dreamy pop atmosphere here is strong, but the acoustic guitar on this as well as the very upbeat vibe makes this one so much more level headed.  Day Wave honestly have begun to do well in writing pop songs, because as far as hooks go Jackson’s gone above and beyond in creating some of the biggest melodies he’s ever touched.  “On Your Side” is beautiful, but stays determined completely.  Now, when it comes to slower tracks with Day Wave, they usually worry me. But to be honest, “Bring You Down” for a slow track really doesn’t come off too bad.  It’s not as enjoyable as some of the more upbeat tracks here, but this could have easily been a track so hazy and dreamy that it got lost in its own atmosphere.  Here, Jackson at the very least has brought in his more driving instrumentals, including some of the heaviest guitars we’ve heard here in an attempt to not lose his audience.   It certainly works, even though I certainly would have enjoyed a little more of an upbeat track, which is still clearly his strength.  But if Day Wave is gonna bring a few slower tracks to the table, this is certainly a good template.  Then we have tracks like “Wasting Time” which instantly come off as wonderful.  Day Wave have really mastered this sound, I can’t get over just how much Jackson Phillips has take the time to focus on melodies.  I don’t want to repeat myself here because “Wasting Time” is certainly great, but this one shares a whole lot of the same qualities as earlier tracks here.  But I will say this, Day Wave’s strength lies in these much more up front instrumentals that keep the dreamy atmosphere from not getting too powerful.  

“Promises” is by far the most upbeat tracks on this entire album, and to be honest it’s one of the most memorable tracks here.  It’s got some of the more pop moments, but in a weird way there’s almost a post punk sort of feel here as well.  There are plenty of memorable lyrics and some of Jackson’s sweetest sentiments of the entire album.  It’s bouncy, but at the same time, there’s almost a sort of edge to it or at least a dark side, as Jacksons dives into the apocalypse and other topics.  It works great though, and offers up a completely different side to Day Wave that we haven’t see yet.  “Promises” is one of the most up front tracks here, it seems like it has such a purpose, and I love that.  But then, Day Wave have to give us another slow track in the form of “Disguise”, and this is certainly exactly what I was worried about.  Here, these very twinkling synths are nice, but I feel like this track is coming off as some awful DooWop revival.  And no, it’s as bad as it sounds.  Remember all of those sweet sentiments I talked about in Day Wave’s lyrics earlier?  Well here, they come off seriously nauseating and empty hearted.  Between all of the and this very sluggish pace, I’ve so desperate for something exciting or or this one to speed up.  “Disguise” is not good at all.  For our finale here, “I’m Still Here’ ends this one off with another dreamy and slow ballad.  I feel like vocally and lyrically this is soooo much more enjoyable, and it’s actually really sweet so that deserves some points.  But instrumentally this one has me fighting to stay away.  And while I do like a lot of elements on this track and I think Day Wave can certainly can write a ballad, this track is a little too dreamy for me.  

Rating: 7.2/10

Give A Listen To: “Something Here”, “Untitled”, “On Your Side”, “Promises”

Overall Thoughts:  I feel like Day Wave hiccuped a bit on this album.  When I heard "Something Here" I got so excited for this album, and can you blame me?  Jackson Phillips on this album has seriously gone in a poppier direction, and for the most part it comes off really nicely.  Hell, these are easily some of the best hooks and melodies he has come up with.  However, that dreamy atmosphere Day Wave has is tricky, as sometimes it comes off too light and sometimes way too heavy.  Overall, this is a solid introduction to Day Wave's music.