Banditos - "Visionland"

Ok, so I've said it a few times and I'll probably say it tons more today, but I'm a fan of some Alternative Country.  Banditos are a band that caught my ear a few years back with their self titled 2015 album.  This album has the energy of garage rock bands like Black Lips, the grit of bands like Drive By Truckers, with a little Tex Mex flavor of bands like Calexico.  Now, this wasn't a stunning album, but tracks like "Still Sober (After All These beers) just got me going!  Some of the softer tracks here were a little hard to sit through however. In 2016 Banditos released a short little "Fun All Night" EP which for the most part was pretty solid as well.  The cover here of "I Put A Spell On You" was commendable, and "Fun All Night" was pretty fun to say the least.  So far these new singles have been a little hit and miss from this new album, let's talk about it as a whole!

This album starts off with “Fine Fine Day”, and this is the sort of upbeat and all out country rocker that I wanted to heat from these guys.  It’s straightforward, it’s fun, and for the most part it sounds like Banditos really haven't changed that much.  It’s got the same sort of wild feel to it, but it hols it own still and comes off like this was still very well planned.  There are some country cliches and all here and there, but to be honest it adds to the very raucous attitude of this one.  It’s a seriously fun track with some very fun and wild performances.  And while I do really love the solo and the wild feel to this, I could have gone for even a more wild and off the rails sound.  But for an intro, hell yes this works, I couldn’t have asked for much more.  “Strange Heart” up next however takes a turn for the seriously bizarre, and probably the last ting I expected to hear here.  I get that they’re going for more of a spacey sound, but I really don’t think the world is ready for Psychedelic Country.  What follows is certainly pleasant and airy, but fir me this isn’t nearly what I’m used to hearing from Banditos.  The vocals are certainly commendable and are actually pretty stunning.  But as far as the instrumentals go, I really have some serious issues sinking my teeth into this one.  However I do enjoy a whole lot of the small details.  Not to mention, I do think they’re on to something with this sort of mystic and dark Alternative Country sound.  It’s a sound that really hasn’t been looked into that much, and they may certainly have something with this in the future.  Banditos really aren’t giving up on it either with “Visionland”, at all.  This track is some straight up jam band material here.  And while the vocals and harmonies actually do come out really well, I feel like instrumentally this is just way too hazy for my liking.  Hell, this would be too dreamy and hazy for the most talented Alternative Country or Garage Rock bands.  Not to mention, the chorus on “Visionland” completely falls flat, and barely ends up even feeling like a chorus. Even the lyrics here are tripped out and drug fueled which is seriously bizarre.  I may be all for breezy and dreamy music, but this one seriously comes off disjointed.  To the point where when Banditos break out a straight up country jam up next with “Think N’ Thin”, I’m ecstatic.  To be honest, it’s just so nice to freakin’ hear Banditos back in their element with a sound they’re not desperately grabbing for.  It’s got a decent groove to it, and I like the low key and sort of mellow vibe to this even though it’s fairly upbeat.  Even vocally, Banditos clearly have brought their A game.  It’s not nearly as wild or Garage Rock oriented.  But it’s certainly well done.  However, Banditos are still sticking with a slightly more gloomier sound that you could have seen coming from a mile away by looking at that album cover.  

Banditos however are stuck on this very breezy and dreamy sound.  With “Healin’ Slow”, once again the vocals here are seriously top notch and impressive.  But oh my GOD, everything else on this one is a complete snooze fest.  I can deal with a ballad, hell I can even deal with slow and soft tracks.  But there is absolutely nothing about “Healin’ Slow” that’s even the slightest bit interesting.  The five and a half minutes here to be honest go by like a damn eternity.  The instrumentals here are patience testing, and overall I have absolutely no clue what Banditos were thinking.  Thankfully though, Banditos bounce back with one of the best tracks here by far, “Lonely Boy”.  There’s almost a Cow-Punk/Flower-Punk feel to this, fans of old school Black Lips are certainly going to grab on to this instantly.  If Banditos are going to continue going for a more retro sound, this is certainly the way to go. There are tons of classic rock vibes on “Lonely Boy” within that riff and those harmonies which are some of the best on the album.  When I hear tracks like this, I feel like if Banditos stuck with this sound they could easily produce a seriously classic album.  Vocally there is just so much going on here that’s pure gold.  Plus, there’s just enough country influence in there to keep their fan base pleased.  “Fun All Night” continues to stay away from the Psych roots that we heard earlier.  But here, they just go way too hard into the country realm.  Which honestly, really shouldn’t be a bad thing at all.  But come on, this is seriously disgustingly cheesy.    And that’s on all fronts, from the ridiculously goofy instrumentals that include a damn kazoo, to the the seriously cringe worthy lyrics that I really couldn’t take seriously to save my life.  Banditos continue to have so much potential, and waste it on tracks like this.   I do however, really love the subtleness of “When It Rains”.  Some of these more subdued vocals here come off seriously well.  What’s interesting though is just how much this sounds like a completely different band.  I like the dreary mood to all of this, no pun intended but this is seriously a rainy day track.  But for the most part, this really doesn't have much country in it.  Just the opposite, this sort of just comes off as a solid indie jam.  The instrumental is deep and vast, and I really love the change in tone here.  “When It Rains” is seriously bluesy and fantastic.  

“Still and Quiet” for a softer tune certainly comes off better, thats mostly because of some of these instrumentals that are actually interesting, bizarre huh!  I do like the smokey performances here, as well as some of the very intricate instrumentals.  But I feel like this one is just a little unorganized.  Don’t get me wrong, all of the pieces are here, but the verses and the choruses and instrumentals seem to be seriously at war with one another.  And that seriously takes a lot away for me sadly.  “Still and Quiet” seems to seriously take the wind out of itself every time it really gets going.  However, Banditos do end up end this album on an extremely positive note.  Where the hell even was “DDT” this entire album?  Like, this is literally the exact sound that I’ve been waiting to hear from them the from the first track. It’s the sort of upbeat, fun, Country tinged jam that I love to hear from Banditos.  I love the sort of gruff vocals and the wild performances, which lead to some seriously fantastic vocal harmonies.  It’s blaring, it’s passionate, this track seriously rules all around.  

Rating: 6.6/10


Give A Listen To:  "When It Rains", "Thick N Thin", "Lonely Boy”, “DDT”

Overall Rating:  You know, I had serious hope for this album.  Banditos in so many places show so much potential with some of their more wild and upbeat performances.  But all of these Psychedelic and breezy tracks on here, come on, they're awful for the most part.  Some of the grittier and more blues centered moments are seriously good, but overall this is sort of just alright.  I do however really think they're on to something with going for a drearier Country sound, it's just not quite there yet.  

Algiers - "The Under Side of Power"

Algiers is a band that firstly, I've wanted to chat about for a while now.  This is a band that fuses cinematic Post Punk, with experimental rock and Gospel and all sort of other weird elements thrown in.  Their 2015 self titled album was seriously pretty stunning, to the point where as soon as I was done listening to it the first time, I was questioning what even I was listening to.  All I knew is was that I was seriously loved what I was hearing.  It's been a few years since their debut, and Algiers are back with a truly stunning set of singles that are simply some of the most haunting I've heard all year.  Let's talk about this new Algiers album.

This album starts off with the thunderous and troubling “Walk Like a Panther”.  It’s got plenty of very sinister sounding synths that are old made more powerful when these gigantic vocals pop in for this first verse.  This track is absolutely gigantic.  The drums are intense enough to give it a slight Post Punk edge, the synths continue to make this track seriously dark, making for a damn near impenetrable atmosphere. I absolutely love how vicious some of these vocals come of in better the very grans choruses.  “Walk Like a Panther is a gigantic start to this album.  It’s a mission statement for the band and really sums up quite a few of the genres Algiers combine.    “Cry of the Martyrs” is up next, and here we have another seriously dark Post Punk track, dripping with heavy synths and a grimy atmosphere.  But the star here remains vocalist Franklin James Fisher, whose performance here ups the intensity of this track so much.  His performance here comes off so haunting and ghoulish, and ends up making “Cry Of The Martyrs” come off so passionate.  The vocals are almost mesmerizing the way they’re presented.   But this is also seriously much heavier than Algiers first album, I can’t remember hearing this much truly heavy guitars on that first album.  Between that and these ridiculous vocal passages that just get bigger and bigger as the choir backs them up, this track is seriously brilliant.  The noisy and very harsh sound of this album continues on with the feedback driven and groovy “The Under Side of Power”.  As far as a single goes, I feel like this is probably the one you should start with if you’re new to Algiers, it’s easily the catchiest track here and off all of the genre blending this comes off the most seamlessly.   It’s also not nearly as intense.  However, there are plenty of smaller intense moments, like those ridiculous drum fills.  But man, Algiers just keep out pumping one track after another that are just so fiery and passionate.  Then we reach “Death March” which seriously sounds like some bizarre, updated Cure B-Side.  I mean this track is seriously D A R K, and can easily stand toe to toe with some of the true classic Post Punk acts as far as tension goes.  The synths are thick and seriously twisted, and these very grim vocals talking about hate and other relevant topics give this a seriously intense feel.  It’s sluggish, but it’s just as powerful and explosive as every other track here.  So far, this album has been seriously ridiculous.  The group vocals continue to be seriously haunting, and the band’s attention to detail within their instrumentals remains overwhelming.  Just awesome really. 

I feel like as this album goes on, it gets more and more harder to dissect and is just so much less inviting.  “A Murmur. A Sign” starts off with these very cultish opening bars that are incredibly dark. Then we have Franklin James Fisher’s vocal performance, which is easily his most soulful and chilling here by far.  It’s sluggish, and it’s a little more subtly, but it certainly remains powerful.  I love the icy synths and the group vocals that pop in as well, but to be honest this one is just a little too subtle for my liking.  Some of the earlier tracks here were all so explosive, this one really doesn’t go anywhere.  And there’s certainly no release either.  However, I do still love a lot of the elements on “A Murmur.  A Sign”, especially within those synths.  “Mme Rieux” is up next which starts off with a seriously stunning piano intro.  It moves on to become probably the most beautiful track here in a seriously dark sort of way.  Franklin James Fisher’s performance by this point has hit a serious high point, especially when those strings come it.  There’s just so much pain within “Mme Rieux”, and it’s so somber in its tone.  And the guitars that eventually pop in cause just a little bit more pain and bring in some distortion to really make this one of the most powerful tracks here, it’s wowing from start to finish.  “Cleveland” doesn’t waste a single second, and quickly explodes into this gigantic hook.  I really feel like the Gospel elements to Algiers music is seriously what ends up setting them apart the most.  Franklin James Fisher’s performance by this pong has become absolutely staggering, as his vocals here soar completely over the more subdued instrumental here.  And on top of that, Algiers end up bringing up a lot of seriously relevant really world topics that make this even more of an important listen.  Some of these later funky and explosive verses work really great as well.  But Algiers aren’t even through with us yet, as “Animals” out of nowhere breaks into a straight up Punk track the likes that Algiers haven’t touched.  There are a few moments on this track that are so intense that I’m moments away from jumping into the puts myself.  “Animals” is aggressive, explosive, and almost doesn’t even sound like the same band.  Hell, I didn’t even know Fisher had this performance in him.  But I’m glad he does, because this adds some well needed grit to the album.  

“Plague Years” reminds us just how seriously grizzly and dark this album is.  Some of the music here is seriously industrial and nocturnal sounding.  Hell, I feel like this was ripped right off of Nine Inch Nails “The Fragile”.  It’s slow, it’s calculating, but it’s quite frankly mesmerizing in every way.  Every note just has so much explosive qualities to it.  For a straight up instrumental, this exceeded my expectations completely.  It also gives us a chance to focus on the band’s instrumentals, which is something we haven’t gotten a chance to do in a short while.  “A Hymn for an Average Man” is up next, and it’s a whole lot more subtle and quiet sounding.  But it’s much more bluesy, mostly due to Fisher’s very soulful verses.  The instrumentals on this one are very pretty and light on the ears actually.  But I don’t know, as far as a slower tune from Algiers, I feel like this one doesn’t come off nearly as well as some of the earlier ones. I do have to had it to them though, they are certainly pretty damn good when it comes to building tension.  “Bury Me Standing” right from it’s intro is pretty stunning and strangely animated, and one of the busiest tracks we’ve heard in a while.  But oh man, those distant saxophone licks I feel like were taken right out of the world of Twin Peaks.  “Bury Me Standing” from start to finish has such a hellish feel to it.  There’s a serious sense of danger on this one, but I absolutely love it.  The atmosphere as a whole actually is completely suffocating, and once again this is an instrumental that seriously caught me off guard.  This album finishes up with “The Cycle/The Spiral: Time to Go Down Slowly”.  Our finale here is seriously one of the more wild tracks Algiers has to offer here, with tons of different instrumentals from Ragtime Pianos to Jazzy drums, all with Fisher’s very soulful performance commanding it all.  This track is absolutely intense, and  I love the swirling atmosphere and just how hard it is to keep track of it all.  “The Cycle/The Spiral: Time to Go Down Slowly” is powerful and overwhelming, what an ending.  

Rating: 8.6/10

Give A Listen To: “Walk Like A Panther”, “Cry of the Martyrs”, “Mme Rieux”, “Cleveland”

Overall Thoughts:  Now, I knew I was going to really dig this album.  But I had no idea just how much I was going to end up obsessing over it.  This album is a serious Post Punk knockout.  The more upbeat songs are intense, while the slower tracks are claustrophobic and seriously tension filled.  The production is spot on, Franklin James Fisher's performances are stunning, there really isn't much to complain about this one at all.  

Guerilla Toss - GT Ultra

Guerilla Toss for a few years now have been making off the wall, extremely noisy art punk.  With their 2013 debut "Jeffrey Johnson", I really didn't know what to think about it at first.  I mean, I'm into some pretty twisted stuff between being a fan of Prurient and being a fan of Pharmakon.  Guerilla Toss on this album brought to the able two massive Art Rock tracks that seemed to get weirder as they went on.  There were certainly great moments, like some of the later, funkier moments of "Chronophobia...".  But overall, I felt like one listen was enough for me.  Their 2013 EP "Gay Disco" wasn't that much more of an enjoyable experience for me.  HOWEVER, there was once again several really colorful and exciting instrumentals that I really did appreciate.  But I continued to feel like Guerilla Toss had so much potential, IF they got some structure to their music.  That being said, I was pretty shocked when I ended up really enjoying their 2016 album "Eraser Stargazer".  Now, this wasn't an album for everybody, it was still very noisy and abrasive.  But this album was easily the most exciting and colorful Guerilla Toss album yet.  Between the jazzy breakdowns, funky bass licks, and art rock style ramblings, it was in interesting listen.  But man, these new singles from Guerilla Toss have them going in a completely new direction.  It's still obviously very abstract, but it's the sort of wild, abrasive Pop music that I usually end up loving.  Let's talk about this album!

This short album starts out with “Betty Dreams of Green Men”.  It’s a very cosmic sounding start, but only a few minutes in and this is already easily the most structured and fun thing Guerrilla Toss have done so far.  I mean this is seriously funky as anything else I’ve heard this year, with some seriously ridiculous grooves and colorful synths.   But it also remains very wild and unpredictable as far as performance goes, so anyone who dug Guerrilla Toss’s earlier albums may certainly still did this.  But man oh man, overall “Betty Dreams of Green Men” is the wildly experimental pop music that i’ve been dying to hear this year.  It’s vibrant, it’s colorful, it’s entertaining, and I really don’t have anything bad to say about this at all.  “Can I Get The Real Stuff” is up next, and Guerrilla Toss are sticking hard to that synth pop sound, which is fine by me, so far this has been working great.  This is just as colorful and very experimental in feel.  While it sort of lacks the big groove feel of the last track, this one makes up for it with fun and exciting verses.  It’s hectic and chaotic, and seriously psychedelic.  But while “Can I Get The Real Stuff” has all of those wild components, it remains seriously catchy.  But this is what I’ve been saying for a while with Guerrilla Toss.  They’ve always had very bright instrumentals that needed to be executed much more structurally.  And that’s what we’re getting here, and the results are wonderful.  By the time we get to “Crystal Run”, it’s pretty ridiculous to even consider that this is the same band that produced such hard to follow and noisy art punk for years.  This one is back to having a pretty strong groove.  But as this track goes on, it’s getting further and further out there and seriously bizarre.  But it remains just as wild and as colorful.  “Crystal Run” is still seriously enjoyable however, but it’s not nearly as catchy and as infectious as the first few tracks.  But like I said, the instrumentals remain outrageous and mind melting.  Then we have “TV Do Tell”,, which in a weird way is a serious throwback to the New Wave of the 80’s.  Not only that, but it comes off super legit too.  Im not THAT into it though sadly, mostly because I feel like the lyrics are a little lazy and the performances aren't nearly as exciting.  But it’s still catchy, and as far as a new sound goes for Guerrilla Toss, these guys are still really branching out.  

Up next is “The String Game”, and I seriously love the very down and dirty funk on this one, as well as the very sinister vibe to all the instrumentals.  But as far as the vocals go, this one is a little too out there for my liking.  There are some great elements throughout, and I seriously do love the very cold and robotic vocals here, even though they do get a little repetitive.  Outside of that, this is still very colorful and eclectic and seriously hard to place.  In a good way however, a way that really has you questioning what you’re even listening to.  “Skull Pop” on the other hand is intense right off the bat.  I love the continued heavy use of seriously gigantic synths.  This one has just such a huge atmosphere which makes you feel like you’re in a seriously intense rave.  As this one picks up, things gets more and more explosive by the minute.  While the vocals on this one are just as twisted, monotonous and chilling, I feel like within this rapid fire atmosphere it actually becomes seriously stunning.  I continue to be seriously blown away by the fact that this is even the same band as before, the difference in structure is absolutely jaw dropping.  “Skull Pop” altogether has a whole lot of progressive influence within all of its twists and turns.  It’s hard to keep place of, but it’s a blast.  “Dog In The Mirror” has one of the most patient and bizarre intros here.  But at this point, I’m really not too shocked at all.  Bu when things get rolling, the funk here seriously becomes overwhelming.  I can literally pick out the instrumentals that I would hear on previous Guerrilla Toss albums that I saw potential in that i knew would be used right one day.  And here we are.  I love the upbeat and eclectic drums on this one as well as the passionate and wild vocal performance.  In a way this sort of reminds me of a mild version of “Strawberry Jam” era Animal Collective.  It sure as hell makes you move though, as it remains totally abstract but seriously colorful and exciting, and most of all fun.  This short album comes to a close with “Dose Rate”, and as this album goes on I feel like it just gets more and more bizarre.  I really wasn’t expecting this very slow and hazy finale, but it’s certainly ear grabbing and different.  But sadly, I’m really not into the very monotonous and mantra like vocals, I’m much more into the wild and outlandish performances.  But I certainly get what some people would be into with this.  Not to mention, instrumentally this is seriously a feast of everything weird and eclectic about this album.  

Rating: 7.5/10

Give A Listen To:   "Betty Dreams of Green Men", "Can I Get The Real Stuff". "Skull Pop", "Dog In The Mirror"

Overall Thoughts:  Man, what a serious turn around for a band.  Guerrilla Toss went from being a overly complicated Art Punk project, to a seriously fun and experimental Psych Pop band.  The performances here are wild, and often switch things up at a moments notice, making for a really exciting half hour.  My only real critique is, they need to stick with it.  They need to expand it and flush it out into an even longer album.  Because if they can do that, they can go toe to toe with a lot of really great experimental pop bands.  

Royal Blood - "How Did We Get So Dark?"

Royal Blood have been creating bass centered, heavy blues rock for the last few years.  Their 2014 self titled debut though with me, has always been VERY hit or miss.  Don't get me wrong, there's some great stuff on here.  I love the sheer heaviness of "Ten Tonne Skeleton", the legitimately bluesy "Blood Hands, and the seriously dark and almost sleazy "Little Monster".  But other tracks on here lacked any real substance.  If we're just talking about grooves, hell yea I could groove to most of this.  But most of the tracks on this album just came off as Queens of the Stone Age worship.  Not to mention, there were just too many bands in 2014 doing this sound and doing it so much better.  Royal Blood have been quiet ever since.  And these new singles, well some of them I've enjoyed while others have been the epitome of everything about Royal Blood that I can't take seriously.  Let's talk about this new Royal Blood album.

(One of the less evils on their debut album)

This album start’s out with “How Did We Get So Dark?”, and as an intro I feel like this actually works for me.  It’s got a darker edge than the stuff on their last album, with a seriously sweet groove as well.  I love some of the little details as well here, like some of the backing vocals.  Outside of that, it’s a little more of the same, but I do feel like this has a little more structure to the material on their last album.  Meaning, it’s not just slightly edgy lyrics and breakdowns.  No, there’s actually a good deal of material to sink your teeth into on this intro, so no sir I don’t mind it.  Obviously we’re still not dealing with dense or life changing stuff, but that groove is legit my friends.   Then we have “Lights Out”, which is more or less what I expected to hear on this album.  It’s the same sort of very dense, sort of rigid, sort of bluesy hard rock that we found on their debut.  However, there’s a whole lot more memorable moments here.  These vocals on the chorus are actually exciting and explosive.  I feel like their debut album was filled with so many instrumentals that were stiff and just too skeletal for my liking, but that’s a thing of the past.  So yea, I can certainly vibe to “Lights Out”.  It’s actually an exciting rock tune that I really wouldn’t mind coming back to.  But even with all the good on “Lights Out”, I do feel like some of the later guitar solos are just so damn cheesy, and bring me right back to the days where I thought Royal Blood were ripping off way too many great acts.  “I Only Lie When I Love You” is up next, and it’s a track that I have some serious polarizing thoughts on.  To an extent, this thick groove is certainly great enough to get me moving every damn time.  However, lyrically and vocally this is a huge step back, outside of the chorus that is.  As repetitive as that chorus is, with those drums and bass blaring it’s actually pretty epic.  But oh God, as far as the verses go, this is the epitome of everything that I seriously can’t get into about Royal Blood.  It’s cheesy, but more of all it’s redundant.  I literally feel like we got this track lyrically about 3 time on their debut.  But that being said there still is a lot to dig about “I Only Lie When I Love You”.  But just like that, Royal Blood start to lose me with “She’s Creeping”.  When we get moments like this, I’m truly baffled.  Up until now, these instrumentals have been pretty solid, but this is just so ugly and sort of boring.  The sluggish vocals and verses that are trying way too hard to be sleazy and sexy don’t even come off well.  The distorted guitar solo goes right back to my thoughts on Royal Blood trying way too hard to be Queens of the Stone Age, and it’s magnified and made worse a hundred times over with these super sleazy hooks.  I totally get what someone would dig about this, but it’s certainly not for me.  That being said, I still think that so far this is miles better than their debut.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSznpyG9CHY

Royal Blood continue down a very rocky road here with “Look Like You Now”.  We’re right back to the same, overly macho, ridiculously fake “blue” rock.  Sure, some of the vocals are certainly catchy, but not nearly as some of the earlier tunes here.   But instrumentally, I would be lying if I said there was anything remotely interesting about this one.  And every time I feel like I’m sort of interested in “Look Like You Now”, one of these awkward instrumental breaks come in and take out whatever continuity that this track was building up.  A mess ladies and gentlemen.  This very rough road continues on with “Where Are You Now?”.  I don’t know what happened, but the instrumentals on this one just sound so rigid and one dimensional.  The drums on this one seriously sound so tine and the guitars just come off so generic and not even sonically interesting as they did earlier.  And it’s a shame, because I certainly do like some of the vocals, they actually really end up being memorable.  “Where Are You Now?” is not that I needed to hear from this duo, that’s for sure.  I feel like that chorus that comes in later comes off as an improvement, but that’s because of all the instrumentals added by that time.  It’s not what I wanted to hear from this duo.  “Don’t Tell”  on the other hand, is exactly what I wanted to hear from Royal blood.  As soon as this track starts up, I instantly have so much hope for these guys.  This track is seriously dark, and the actually sleazy guitar tone that starts this track off really makes everything come off nicely.  But I think what makes “Don’t Tell” work, is what made the few tracks on Royal Blood’s debut work.  And that my friends, is a sense of danger.  I like my rock music dangerous, and that’s exactly how this one comes off.   When I hear how simple and great “Don’t Tell” is, I look back at some of this album’s cheesiest moments and I can’t help but shake my head.  It’s got a great groove, it’s sexy, it’s dark, and it’s seriously bluesy.  Honestly, this is everything I could have asked from Royal Blood. “Hook Line & Sinker” continues to impress, with this seriously gritty and bluesy as hell.  To be honest, I didn’t know Royal Blood had this sexy of a track in them.  If they’re not going to go out of their way to write stunning lyrics or a conceptual album, I can totally get into THIS as a sound at least.  Like most tracks on here, this one has one hell of a groove here.  I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is a must listen track, but it’s certainly above average.   With this new found swagger and heavier production, I feel like Royal Blood are making some big leaps.   And once again, I really love the very dangerous feel to this one, these guys really have to continue to make darker stuff.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmwikAEL2-M

“Hole In Your Heart” starts us off with some synths, but I haven't heard Royal Blood do anything with them in a while so I’m totally up for it.  This track has another really solid groove, and while this track isn’t as instrumentally in your face it has some really fantastic elements to it.  For instant, I love the vocals here a lot actually, and the very explosive chorus here is just fantastic.  And while this is almost a complete carbon copy of “Come On Over”, it’s slick and groovy enough to earn a pass in my book.  But oh my GOD, just when I think that they’ve won me over with these later tracks we have the album’s finale “Sleep”.  Clearly, as far as consistency goes Royal Blood have a long ways to go, because this is seriously awful.  There may be a solid groove and some alright instrumentals, but oh god vocally what even is this?  I feel like this is just so god damn lazy and boring.  As things pick up close to the one minute mark, things do get better, and the chorus overall is pretty fantastic.  But these verses remain a complete snooze fest, and this is far from the way I wanted to hear them end this album.  

Rating: 7.1/10

Give A Listen To: “How Did We Get So Dark?”, “Lights Out”, “Don’t Tell”, “Hole In Your Heart”

Overall Thoughts:  Royal Blood have certainly come a long way since their self titled debut.  The production here is heavier, the grooves are stronger, and the darker moments actually come off amazing.  But Royal Blood still have major issues with staying consistent, and some of their tracks still come off so cliche and sound like they're copying way too many other bands.  Anyways, I digress, this was certainly a big improvement.  

Kevin Morby - "City Music"

Kevin Morby is a Indie Rock/Folk singer and Ex-Frontman of Woods, one of the more interesting acts in modern folk.  Since his departure from the band though, Kevin's solo career has Sky Rocketed, but also has Woods.  With Kevin's 2013 debut "Harlem River", he brought his usual fantastic songwriting to the masses with a much more toned down and straightforward sound compared to the usual onslaught of Psych Folk that is Woods.  This wasn't a perfect album, but it was a great intro to Kevin's sound. I felt like some of the later tracks as well as some of the longer ones were a little sloppy, but Kevin came into his own light very quickly.  On "Still Life", Kevin brought in a much smokier atmosphere and some broader instrumentals as well.  But he also brought in a more Folk Rock sound opposed to just casual Folk, a sound that I thought Kevin did so well with.  Kevin however completely outdid himself with 2016's "Singing Saw".  Not only was this Kevin's most mature recording to date, but this was a seriously compelling and interesting album to date.  Between his deadpan vocals against the stunning backdrop on "Destroyer" and his Fuzzy Psych-Folk Rocker attitude of "I Have Been To The Mountain", this album quite frankly rules.  These new singles have been for the most part pretty solid from Kevin, so let's dive deeper!

(This track alone got me into Kevin's stuff)

This album starts off with “Come To Me Now”, and one this is for sure, I certainly love the atmosphere on this one.  The dreary synths and the very slow paces atmosphere actually goes wonderfully with Kevin’s usual very deadpan vocal performance.  But he keeps things interesting with his very colorful and vivid lyrics.  There’s actually a bunch of really stunning instrumentals, which is something that Kevin really hasn’t dove that hard into.  But i really gives “Come To Me Now” a very big atmosphere, it literally sounds like everyone is closing in on Kevin’s some performance.  Kevin has always had a real way of writing a love song, and this is certainly a good one.  “Come To Me Now” is actually pretty damn breathtaking, not to mention the Lou Reed influence that has always sort of been in Kevin’s music has reached it’s most prevalent.  It’s a really stunning intro to this album.  “Crybaby” is more or less from start to finish what I wanted to hear from Kevin.  On his last album, he really started bringing in some more rock elements to compliment his usual Folky plucking’s, and it came off great.  Not so shockingly, so does this.  Kevin here sounds so comfortable, and I have to commend his dedication and the way he’s tying in all of these city themes, as well as concepts of city life.  There’s a very old school sense of Rock and Roll here as well.  Plus, not to mention, I’ve always had such a deep love of Kevin’s more aggressive and more upbeat vocals which are on display here.  Next up is “1234”, and while Kevin has certainly done more upbeat tracks in the past, even heavy tracks like this, I really don’t get this track at all.  As far as I’m concerned, this track really doesn’t fit on this album in the slightest.  I mean, this album is pretty solid overall, but I really don’t think this needed Kevin Morby doing 2 minutes of his best Ramones impression.  However, no pun intended, Kevin gets right back on track with the very smokey and bluesy “Aboard My Train”.  It starts out a little slow, but as far as imagery goes, this track is absolutely dripping with it, and that’s always something that’s always attracted me to Kevin’s music.  As this track goes on however, It just gets more and more bluesy and the instrumentals just keep puling up over Kevin’s awesome performance.  I didn’t really think going into this album was going to be as seamlessly tied to city life, but it’s done pretty expertly.  

Now, on “Dry Your Eyes”, I do really like the smokey atmosphere as well as the very bare sounds of the instrumentals.  Not to mention, as this album goes on Kevin keeps pushing in a much bluesier direction, which I do really like.  However, come on now Kevin, this one is seriously lazy as lyrics go.  I just know from experience how well he can bring us into a track, and this is far from up to standard.  Kevin’s performance however is solid and the soulful backing vocals on this one end up making this slightly more listenable.  Overall “Dry Your Eyes” is just a little too sluggish for my liking.  But if this is seriously my “weak” point of the album, this overall remains pretty commendable.  Kevin offers up a short interlude next in the form of “Flannery”.  Now, there really isn’t that much to pick up here.  But for an excerpt here that’s added in just to bring in some more of this City Living feeling, it doesn’t come off that bad.  The album’s title track is up next.  “City Music” is the sort of Psych Folk rocker that I honestly was expecting to hear a little more of on here.  It’s laid back and relaxing, but I love the extended guitar passages that give this one a seriously dream like feel.  My only real slight issue with this track is just how long it takes to really get going.  However, not so shockingly, once it get’s rolling “City Music” is just the sort of confident Folk track that I was dying to hear going into this album.  It’s expansive, it has a huge feel to it, and most importantly it’s probably the most epic track Morby has touched.  Even when things speed up and turn into an all out rocker in the last two minutes or so, things work out smoothly.  Hell, Kevin even sounds a little unhinged in all of those yells, more please!  But then we have tracks like “Tin Can” that really don’t do much for me at all.  I feel like Kevin in too many ways is going for too much of an old school Rock track on this one.  But the result is seriously making me wish for the much simpler days of “Singing Saw”.  Lyrically, this one just seems so far from what made earlier tracks on here so straightforward. There are a lot of solid elements on “Tin Can”, like how instrumentally diverse this album continues to be.  But overall, I just feel like Kevins usual deadpan performance on this on really doesn’t come off nearly as well.  Instrumentally however, I do remain hooked at least.  

At this point in the album, I’m eager to hear some more stripped down tracks that come off well, and “Caught In My Eye” is just the one I wanted to hear.  I love the very groovy drums and the dreamy vibe that almost reminds me of something off of the Real Estate album from earlier this year.  It’s smooth, and Kevin’s very hazy performance among this atmosphere simply comes off wonderfully, MUCH more so than on that last track.  I love the slide guitar as well as the chilling backing vocals.  So hell yea, as far as more straightforward Folk Jams go, “Caught In My Eye” is seriously memorable.  Morby continues to slow it down big time for some of these late album tracks with “Night Time”.  As far as a straight up Folk tune goes, man is this ever good.  It’s very smokey sounding and smooth, which is totally fitting for a track about the night time.  Kevin’s performance continues however to be completely entrancing, between his very hip vocals and his nearly poetic verses.  But this track is different in a way.  Because of how stripped down it is, we’re alone here with these very entrancing guitars and Kevin’s melodic vocals, making “Night Time” seriously hypnotic.  Tracks like this really are a truly stunning representation of life the city, and Kevin did such a wonderful job putting this all together.  But after these last few stripped down tunes, a more rock oriented and upbeat track like “Pearly Gates’ is absolutely needed.   I love some of Kevin’s stunning one liners and lyrics here, which is something that throughout this entire album I haven’t had a single bad thing to say about.  For more of a rock oriented track, “Pearly Gates’ is stunning.  Here, Kevin goes deep into what happens after we pass away.  The results are honestly pretty stunning, and the added keyboards and strings here make for nice touches as well.  Our finale here is “Downtown’s Lights”.  Now, I don’t have any problem with ending this album off on a slower and folkier note.   And lyrically, I feel like Kevin still has his head in the game.  But I feel like “Downtown’s Lights” overall is just so slugging and quite frankly almost boring.  I feel like there have been about 4 other tracks on this album that would have made better finales and come off so much grander and huge sounding.  Kevin’s performance thankfully makes this finale a little more interesting, because he does end up stating at his creative and poetic peak. 

Rating: 7.8/10

Give A Listen To: “Come To Me Now”, “Crybaby”, “City Music”, "Pearly Gates"

Overall Thoughts:  Kevin Morby with "City Music" continues to be one of the more poetic and interesting Singer/Songwriters around.  This isn't as Folk Rock oriented as his last album, "Singing Saw".  But Kevin's stunning lyricism and much more fleshed out instrumentals make this an album you really don't want to miss.  

Vince Staples - "Big Fish Theory"

Vince Staples I first got introduced to years ago when I was going through my Odd Future phase (we all had one don't lie).  Vince wasn't a part of the collective, but he was a frequent collaborator, enough so that when his first EP came out I was ready to dive in.  His first EP was and still is, one of my favorite Hip Hop debut EP's period. The beats here were booming and Vince quickly brought in his massively depressive lyrics, ushering in a very dark sound of Rap.  Plenty of MC's go down this path,  but Vince on this EP often sounded like he was in serious danger.  Tracks like "Screen Door" were just so sinister, and the beats throughout continued to be so murky.  Vince Staples was instantly a huge personality.  That being said, of course I was excited for Vince's full length debut "Summertime 06'", and I knew it was going to be good.  However, I didn't know it was going to be nearly as good as it was. "Summertime 06'" was a masterpiece.  Vince on this album jumped on some of the darkest and murkiest beats around, and his lyrics painted even grizzlier depictions of drug culture and gang life.  On the other hand what made Vince stand out was how human he was.  He took his through his depressive thoughts on "Jump Off The Roof" and took us through serious heartbreak on "Summertime".  Vince up until now had been on fire.  Then there was 2016's "Primadonna" EP, which was a little underwhelming for me.  I felt like Vince had given up the dark edge that made him stand out, and most of the tracks felt like afterthoughts.  Now, these new singles from Vince have been...pretty awesome!  Different, but certainly in a good way.  Let's talk about this new Vince Staples

This album starts out with "Crabs In A Bucket".  One thing I've always loved with Vince, is his ability to create an atmosphere.  This intro is thick, and I love the very icy synths that blare their way into this one without any warning, as well as the vocal sample snippets that make this one seriously haunting.  What follows is actually pretty wild.  Vince is a guy who has had tons to say in his career, and his flow on "Crabs In A Bucket" is both impeccable and urgent.  I love the very left field production on here, due in part to Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on production which is pretty obvious if you dug the last Bon Iver album.  It gives this track an even stronger atmosphere.  As far an an intro goes, this is seriously very memorable.  It's filled with the same sort of depressive vibes that came through so strong on "Summertime 06", but when they're set up against this more elaborate production and a banger of a beat, "Crabs In A Bucket" becomes incredible.  Even Kilo Kish here sounds great here in her little vocal snippet.  But that's honestly to be expected, she's always had such wonderful chemistry with Vince.  Up next is "Big Fish", and as far as beats go this is so much more inviting than some of Vince's earlier work.  It's sort of more mainstream, but not completely to the point where you'd hear this on the radio, it's still pretty dark.  I actually love Juicy J's hook here, which for the most part doesn't shock me too much, I've always enjoyed his work as being more of a hype man.  Vince's urgency in his delivery here is ridiculous, and while I've always loved "Summertime 06" there were a few tracks throughout that were a little too dreary for my liking.  But "Big Fish" is much more straightforward.  It's aggressive, and filled with brilliant one liners and flawless technique.  Up next is the "Alyssa Interlude", and for the most part it's actually a seriously interesting interlude.  At first listen I really didn't get it and it certainly didn't leave an impression.  But then I took a minute to really listen to what Amy Whinehouse was saying in her little vocal excerpt, and I realized just how much it actually sums up everything that Vince Staples feels.  An while this interlude goes on a little too long, it's still a very grim look into Vince Staples thoughts and mindset.  It's not fun, and it's certainly sad, but it's powerful.  Vince goes all out when it comes to guests on "Love Can Be...".  Damon Albarn's contribution of this intro actually makes it pretty damn haunting, and the later contributions give this literally just enough mainstream appeal so this album doesn't come off so damn depressing and dark.  As far as Kilo Kish goes however, personally I really don't feel like this is her best performance here.  Personally, I like her much more when she's sort of bringing in haunting refrains rather than providing an actual verse.  That's just me though, I'm sure others might dig it.  As far as Vince's verse here goes, it's just so intense and non stop among this seriously vibrant and colorful verse, hot DAMN.

The next leg of this journey comes in the form of "745", and I seriously love how cold and uninviting this one is.  As far as beats go, Vince is really branching out and I seriously love that.  But lyrically and as far as his performance goes, this may be Vince's weakest track here.  I feel like Vince is at his best when he goes off and sounds agitated and more personal.  However, "745" just comes off like a track that was sort of just thrown together for this album at the very last minute.  Not to mention, I dunno, I feel like this doesn't come off with the vibe of the rest of the album.  To an extent, this comes off like the "Prima Donna" EP that Vince came out with a while back, one that I really wasn't into.  However, Vince does save this one with this very chilling atmosphere and haunting refrain.  The sort of weak moments here continue with "Ramona Park Is Yankee Stadium".  I just feel like compared to the earlier "Alyssa Interlude", this one isn't nearly as interesting.  The obviously point here is to come off like one of the interludes from "Summertime 06".  But in a way it just comes off like a serious underwhelming leftover.  It's short though, so it doesn't take away much, but was it really necessary?  But of all the tracks here, there was only one that I was seriously interested to hear going into this, and that's "Yeah Right".  And in the long run, this one doesn't disappoint at all.  The production here from Flume and SOPHIE is ridiculous and gigantic.  As far as Vince's performance goes, it's just so damn smooth.  It's sleazier, and not nearly as urgent and explosive.  But it still comes off ridiculously solid.  I feel like overall this is what Vince was going for on "745", but this is so much more bombastic and gigantic.  The quirky alternative beat with Vince and Kendrick Lamar's verses actually comes off ridiculous.  And speaking of Kendrick, not so shockingly, his verse is just as gigantic and explosive among this atmosphere.  As far as a real banger goes, don't look any further than "Yeah Right".  Then we have "Homage", which is much more patient getting started.  Vince continues to toy with all of these very left field beats that most MC's wouldn't have the interest or quite frankly the balls to hop on.  But here, Vince is on it, sounding more rowdy and angry than we've heard so far.  His performance here is so commanding, demanding a grammy and calling himself the Alfred Hitchcock of his generation.  It's all about these little details with Vince, but that's why I tune in to his albums.  Kilo Kish on this one brings in another truly haunting refrain, but like I said earlier it's where I love to hear her.  His wolf performances are some of the most shocking and ear grabbing things in hip hop right now. 

SOPHIE brings in some more production to us on "Samo", and man is it ever good.  I honestly really don't know why he doesn't produce more Hip Hop.  The result is another seriously gigantic banger.  Vince's performance here is a little more laid back, but I love the sort of sleazy vibe to this one.  However, as laid back as it is, Vince's verses remain seriously intense and non stop to the point where you're going to have to pause a few times to take it all in.  I couldn't really make out A$AP Rocky on this one, so I really can't say much about his contribution.  But hell yea, "Samo" is awesome. Then we have "Party People", which is easily the most exciting track on here, which certainly say something.  Vince's performance, which continues to go down this very "agitated with the world around him" sort of feel, get's very animated and wild on "Party People".  This track is overall completely ridiculous, and sounds like something outrageous and wild enough to have landed on Danny Brown's last album.  It's a serious banger, but Vince keeps his cool in tact and blasts out another seriously sharp Alternative Rap tune.  Vince so far has been seriously breaking genres, and remains an incredibly fresh face in the alternative Hip Hop community.  "BagBak" is a song at first that really didn't sit well with with me.  But it's actually grown on me immensely withing the context of the album.  it's much more of a banger, but it still has Vince's signature wordplay and stunning lyricism.  However, the only thing that's really absent from this entire album, is the looming and dark atmosphere that made "Summertime 06" so memorable.  However, for a groovy, upbeat banger, this is certainly really good.  And while that voice over is a little corny, it adds to the "Big Fish" theory of the album.  It's angry, it's rebellious, it's aggressive, and it's a great banger.  This album finishes off with "Rain Come Down", and to be honest this is another track that leading up to this album worried me.  For my liking, Ty Dolla Sign is the last thing I want to hear, especially on a Vince Staples album.  But, his dreary and moody performance on this hook is actually just what the doctor ordered.  Ty actually ends up making the atmosphere here much more like what I've been used to hearing on Vince's albums.  Vince's verse is a little less hard hitting, but it's still skillful and wowing. While I do wish it was a little more fired up, it's a solid ending to this pretty stunning album. 

Rating: 8.6/10


Give A Listen To: “Crabs In A Bucket”, “Big Fish”, “Yeah Right” , “Party People”

Overall Thoughts:  Now, hearing the singles leading up to this I was seriously very worried about Vince.  What I've loved about his past work was his heavy atmosphere and dark subject matter.  And while I eventually ended up getting just that, that's not to say there aren't a whole lot more bangers on here than his previous work.  But as far as this album goes, hell yes, it's insanely good.  Vince continues to be one of the sharpest MC's in the game, and most importantly completely fearless.  He says what he thinks, he works with artists and producers that could be seriously hit or miss, and does it all with a fiery attitude that I can't get enough of.  Vince Staples continues to be one of Alternative Hip Hop's freshest faces and most intriguing personalities.  

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Murder Of The Universe

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard in the past few years, have become one of the world's most interesting and exciting Psych Rock acts.  From their early epic masterpieces like "I'm In Your Mind Fuzz" to their sweet and beautiful "Paper Mache' Dream Balloon" album, King Gizzard seemed to be constantly changing and trying new things.  Last year, King Gizzard took the world by storm with their continuous loop of an album "Nonagon Infinity", and made the brave declaration that in 2017 they would release 5 albums.  Now, me being a gigantic fan, I was absolutely intrigued, but cautiously intrigued.  Releasing more album's meant that King Gizzard would have more chances to release something a little messy.  Earlier this year, they released "Flying Microtonal Banana". This album overall was pretty decent.  It incorporated some elements of World music with King Gizzard's usual fuzzed out Psych Rock, for an album that certainly wasn't bad.  But I missed the wild feeling to their music, the feeling that I had no clue what was going to happen next.  And from the sounds of these singles, this might be the album I wanted to hear from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard to begin with.

( A classic from King Gizzard!)

This album is split up into 3 different parts, and three different narratives.  First up is “Chapter 1: The Tale Of The Altered Beast”.  This chapter starts out with “A New World”, and one thing is for sure, the atmosphere on this track is awesome.  The heavy synths immediately bring in a serious sense of Heavy Sci-Fi.  The voiceover is alright and all, but to be honest, if they were going to go through with any of this they should have made this track a little longer, told the story and be done with it in it’s entirety.  However, I do enjoy the campiness of this intro, and the very bizarre tones especially in those synths.  Then we have “Altered Beast I”, and immediately this is much more like it.  This track is absolutely the wild, unhinged King Gizzard that I fell in live with years ago.  The bass is rattling, the drums are completely non stop, and vocal wise this is the sort of bizarre and over the top performance that I love to hear from them.  This is easily the most upbeat and heavy track I’ve heard from King Gizzard in ages, especially since “Nonagon Infinity”. “Altered Beast I” is visceral, intense, and also a little hard to follow as far as the concept goes.  But aside from that, this is the sort of wild King Gizzard track I’ve been dying to hear.  With the next track, “Alter Me I’, the real issues behind this album start to unfold.  All of these concepts and thoughts and more storytelling parts to their music is totally fine.  But the way these concepts are presented is an absolute mess.  I was seriously getting in the groove of this album, but “Alter Me I” is a detour for an entire minute that really doesn’t need to be here.  It just sort of takes the wind out of everything with super repetitive lyrics, because King Gizzard have never been known for their lyrics.  But then we have tracks on here that come off seriously awesome like “Altered Beast II”.  The guitars here are seriously tense, and the visceral and violent voice over here adds to the feel of everything.  What makes tracks like this so good, is the way that King Gizzard grab an idea and stick with it until it’s finished.  It’s that simple, but man does it ever work.  Then of course we have the instrumentals, which are seriously over the top and some of the more explosive I’ve heard from them recently, mostly in these ridiculous drum passages.  Everything about this track is off the wall.  Even when the narrative comes in, it comes off so much better within this atmosphere, as convoluted as it’s becoming.  Altered Beast II” is one hell of a track.  But then once again, King Gizzard suck the wind out of their own performance with “Alter Me II”.  The instrumentals on this track are so mellow and quiet, and what a shame that is because these are some of the most passionate and ridiculous vocals I’ve heard so far.  I just keep feeling like this album is so unorganized to an extent.  But it’s frustrating, because there’s a ton of really great stuff going on here as well.  For example, King Gizzard hop right back into the swing of things and bring out the heavy and intense “Altered Beast III”.  I love the animated and seemingly unhinged vocal performance here, as well as some of the haunting backing vocals as well  If you’re into campy and over the top Garage Rock, like Thee Oh Sees, you’re totally going to eat this all up.  Not to mention, that slower and more doom oriented passage inn that last minute is performed near perfectly.  Thankfully, of these interludes, “Alter Me III” is one of the better ones, mostly due to the sheer haunting performance on this one.  I love the backing synths that give this such an atmosphere, and that harmonica is seriously a nice touch as well.  No, “Alter Me III” isn’t perfect, but it’s a nice interlude between thoughts for King Gizzard.  Then we have “Altered Beast IV”, and this just get’s under my skin man.  Mostly because of just how well the voiceover comes off here when they seriously do it right.  The playing on some of thee tracks remains so damn tense and tightly wound, it’s to the point where it’s almost shocking to hear a new instrumental pop in.  The playing here as the track goes on, between the zany keyboards and the wild guitars is just so damn all over the place.  It’s epic though, and makes for some seriously gigantic crescendos.  Even the vocal performance here is just so paranoid and genuinely disturbed sounding.  Overall, hell yea it’a s pretty damn solid tune.  But another problem with this album has arisen for me. I feel like if you don’t listen to all of this project in one long swipe there would be no comprehending anything at all.  Bur for an album listen, hell yes this is the intense and out of control trip that I was praying King Gizzard would take us on.  But then we have the finale to chapter 1, “Life/Death”, which is super light and contains upbeat airy guitars.  And you guessed it, that really doesn’t fit this environment at all.  However, in the setoff half, King Gizzard do turn things around to the sort of campy, ridiculous, Sci-Fi sound that I’ve wanted to hear this whole album.  Even down to the narrators repeated line of “It’s time for you to die” just comes off so great.  I honestly even with it went on longer, because it ends up coming off just as an afterthought.  

Chapter 2 is up next, “The Lord of Lightning Vs. Balrog”.   It starts off on a pretty messy note however with “Some Context”, which is such a freakin cool interlude that ends up going with the theme of the album.  But it’s only 17 seconds!  That’s not even an interlude folks, that’s  an incomplete thought.  However, as ridiculously short it is, “The Reticent Raconteur” actually comes of great.  The quiet and subtle atmosphere makes the story come descend into the more understandable realm for a minute or so.  The almost goofy sort of moaning in the background helps too.  And while this track is only a minute, it works, and it ushers in the next track, “The Lord of Lightning” wonderfully.  Now, as far as a stand alone track goes, “The Lord of Lightning” is one of the best here by far and easily the most thought out.  The instrumentals here are easily the most out of control element on this entire album.  Between the seemingly impossible drums and the wild harmonicas and keyboards, this track is seriously ridiculous.  There’s some progressive elements here that actually come off really nicely, and like I said this one seriously comes off as a complete thought making it stand out.  Hearing this track when it was first released, I really thought that this was THE King Gizzard sound.  As the track goes on, it just keeps getting more and more twisted and visceral and violent.  It’s hard to keep track of, as this track seems to be completely off the rail with a very “No Rules” attitude.  But it’s all incredibly exciting, and it there’s one track you’re going to listen to on this one, make it this one.  “The Balrog” is up next, and it’s just about as straight forward as you could imagine.  And when I think of straightforward King Gizzard tracks, trust me I can’t think of many.  But sadly, it’s not nearly as interesting or as exciting.  Lyrically however, come on, this is really half assed.  Like I said earlier, King Gizzard have never exactly been wordsmiths, but they are BARELY trying here.  To the point where when our narrator pops in, it’s a little refreshing to be honest.  Even the more progressive elements to this one don’t even come off nearly as seamless.  “The Balrog” is just sort of meh sadly.  Then we have “The Floating Fire”, and I actually really like some of the more campy and doom sounds here, especially within the vocals.  There’s actually some really great stuff going on here for as short as this track goes on.  But I feel like this album is so disgustingly Quantity over quality for my taste.  There are so many great ideas throughout “Murder Of The Universe”, but very few of them come out organized.  But for two minutes, “The Floating Fire” do slightly repair their half assed atmosphere.  Then we have, boy howdy, another “Just OK” interlude in “The Acrid Corpse”.  Once again, there’s some seriously great elements, like the Doom Metal nods as well as the backing growls.  But come on, this track is A MINUTE.  Why was this track not fleshed out?  Or put into another track?  Or left out?  I have so many questions.  

The third and final chapter, “Han-Tyumi And The Murder Of The Universe” is upon us.  I didn’t want to go really into the narrative behind this album at all in this review, A) because it’s hard to follow, and b) if this IS an album you want to check out I didn’t want to spoil anything.  This chapter starts out with “Welcome to An Altered Future”.   All I can say about this is, King Gizzard at the very least do a fairly good job of dividing these three stories/parts.  It’s a very doom interlude with some great synthesizers as a nice touch.  But that’s literally all this is.  With all of these half assed interludes, it does my heart so much pain to go on and hear amazing tracks like “Digital Black”.  At the end of the day, this is the sort of track that I was absolutely dying to hear.  This is the sort of straightforward, catchy, and chaotic Garage Psych banger that I haven’t heard from these guys in a while.  Instrumentally, this isn’t necessarily a complete all out assault.  But it’s just what King Gizzard really need to do at this point.  I love how hypnotic every element to this track is.  However, I really just can’t shake how oversaturated this album is as a whole, which is even harder to swallow hearing amazing tracks like this.   Then we have “Han-Tyumi, The Confused Cyborg”.  This one is alright, but I don’t think it’s nearly as good as it could have been  It’s certainly better for the story telling aspect of this album, as King Gizzard rumble on beneath the story unfolding in front of our eyes. I actually really like a whole lot of the instrumentals on this track, the synths continue to be seriously to die for.  Not to mention, not to spoil anything, but some of these lines about Han-Tyumi are actually kind of hilarious. But now that this album is sort of back on track, “Soy-Protein Munt Machine” comes along.  And what do you know, we have an extra interlude that could have so easily been left out completely or tied on to the last track.   And then I hear a track like “Vomit Coffin”, and it’s like, this is so simple that it’s amazing.  There are no gimmicks here, no fluff and no side thoughts. No, “Vomit Coffin” is literally just King Gizzard plowing through a relentlessly awesome tune.  It’s heavy, it’s disgusting, and it’s visceral.  Most of all though, in every way it firs in so well with the thoughts and themes of this album.  But in the end this ends up pissing me off, because THIS is the perfect example of how easily amazing this album could have been.  This massive album ends off with “Murder Of The Universe”.  Instrumentally this is much more laid back and jazzy, in a way it comes off as a cross between their “Paper Mache Dream Balloon” and “Flying Microtonal Banana” albums.  It’s all fine and good.  But this album by this point has become so wrapped up with it’s own story, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  But my God it was presented so sloppily.  

Rating : 7.6/10

Give A Listen To: "Altered Beast II", "Altered Beat IV", "The Lord of Lightning", "Digital Black"

Overall Summary : I honestly thought this was going to be a major rock album of the year for me.  The singles leading up to this album were wild, and the concepts are creative and entertaining.  But oh my God as far as structure goes this album is an absolute mess.  All of the spoken word narratives and the pointless interludes are enough to take the wind out of this album.  And the worst part of it is, is just how great the material comes off when they focus.  It's messy, interesting, but messy.  

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - The Nashville Sound

Jason Isbell, Ex-member of THE definitive Alternative Country Band Drive By Truckers, since leaving the group many years ago has certainly had a solid solo career.  His first solo album, "Seasons In The Ditch" wasn't perfect, but it was a great intro to his style.  The gritty production and the fantastically visual lyrics were all there, as well as an equal parts love of singer-songwriter music as well as southern rock. In 2009, Jason Isbell and his new backing band, The 400 Unit, released their "Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit" album. This album was a near masterpiece, with Isbell writing some his deepest and most beautiful tracks yet, while being accompanied by much more flushed out and expertly crafted instrumentals. However, I'm not really sure what happened on Isbell's 2011 album "Here We Rest".  Tracks like "Daisy Mae" and Stopping By" were just fine.  But most of the rest of the album was seriously cheesy, and Isbell seemed to have left his writing skills at home for this one.  However, Jason cam back strong with his next album, "Something More Than Free".  While this was his most relaxed and laid back album yet, it was wonderfully well written, and had Jason working with some seriously lovely instrumentals.  Jason & The 400 Unit are back with a new album, and these new singles have been seriously some of the better ones I've heard from him.  Let's talk about this!

Jason Isbell starts us off with the very folky and light “Last of My Kind”.  There are some nice strings in the background, and as far as Jason sounds, he comes off fantastically.  His vocals are right where I like to hear them, and lyrically very quickly Jason is showing that he brought his A game.  I do like this track as far as lyrics and vocals go, and I feel like this would have been a better track if it was placed later up in the set list.  To me, “Last of My Kind” really doesn’t sit as an intro, and it’s a real shame because Jason’s nostalgic bars about growing up are fantastic.  But I don’t know, I would have like something with a little more oomph to start this album off, not necessarily heavy, but maybe a little something more than I could sink my teeth into.  Lyrically and vocally though, Jason couldn’t have started us off more wonderfully.  And while year it’s not that exciting instrumentally, there are a ton of qualities here that I do love, like the very Southern sounding slide guitar as well as those sweet strings.  Jason & the 400 Unit however wake us up really quickly with “Cumberland Gap”.  This is upbeat and raucous enough to have been a Drive By Truckers B-Side to be honest.  I love when Jason goes for these seriously gritty Southern Rock jams.  His vocals here are the coolest I’ve heard from him in ages.  And I love how once again, we’re dealing with a ton of Nostalgia from Jason, something he’s tackles for years, but it’s something I always love to hear from him.  Jason dives into where he grew up, and how times have changed there drastically, and how he wants to move away but he’s all his mother has left.  Ever since Jason’s early days with Drive By Truckers, he’s always very generously let us into his life, and here is certainly no different.  It’s a real rocker of a track with a big sing along chorus, it’s a damn doozy of a song.  While I don't think this is something I want to hear on every track from Jason, it mixes things up really nicely.  Not to mention, it gives The 400 Unit a real couple of minutes to shine.  “Tupelo” up next brings out the seriously alternative Country sound that I’ve been expecting to hear this entire album.  It’s breezy, and my GOD Jason’s vocals here are some of my favorite of his that I’ve heard in ages.  You don’t hear Jason belt out power verses too often, but when he does, the result is seriously stunning.  The strings add a nice dimension to this, and while this sort of has a bunch of Country and Alt-Country cliche’s, Jason’s presentation is just that good that I’ll allow it.   Jason’s the kind of guy who’s certainly pissed with the world and what’s going on around him, but the way he collects his thoughts and brings them to light in his own way is what really sets him aside.  Also, there’s just so much appreciation of old school, REAL country on “Tupelo”, what a damn tune.  Then we have the track that everyone was talking about leading up to this, “White Man’s World”.  Like I was saying just now about Jason, he collects his thoughts so well and brings in a lot of real world topics that need to be chatted about.  But he certainly brings them up in his own way.  I also really love some of the attitude on this one, as he talks about taking cocaine and burning the world down, also how he believes God much have taken a vacation.  But this is what I mean though about Jason Isbell.  Anyone could have blurted out an angry political rocker.  But Jason’s wonderful way with words makes this one really stick out.  That violin breakdown is even strong for the serious Country fans out there, but it also brings in a serious sense of sorrow that I feel is really necessary.  And of course, Jason ends “White Man’s World” with a statement that we can all easily comprehend.  That statement, is that he’s not sure how he still has faith in the world, but realizes it’s because of his daughter and her future.  This track is stunning.  

Up next is “If We Were Vampires”, armed with an acoustic intro, but Jason’s one artist I’ll always be happy to hear that from.  On this track, Jason’s performance has become so incredibly real, and that’s what I’ve always loved about him.  Jason’s the furthest thing from some flashy country star, that’s for sure.  This is the closest thing we get to a serious ballad here, but it’s filled with timeless lines and genuinely sweet sentiments.  But of course, “If We Were Vampires” is Jason Isbell’s own sort of love song, meaning it’s got an absolutely somber tone to it  It’s one of the shortest tracks here, but man is it ever memorable.  Now, as far as a much bigger and grander track goes, look no further than “Anxiety”.  The instrumentals are huge and epic in every way, and since they’re on the slower side they’re even more powerful.  There are some slick guitar lines and some big sounding stings, it’s actually some seriously heavy stuff.  On “Anxiety”, Jason is basically having a 7 minute conversation with his anxiety, which is an interesting song topic and it’s certainly executed well.  He brings up a whole mess of very real problems he and other have to deal with, and yea it’s some heavy stuff.  But I sort of feel like not everything clicks here.  There are tons of great elements to “Anxiety”, but none of the come together at all.  The instrumentals on the verses nearly aren’t as perfect as they are on the hook or the chorus.  Jason’s performance, while it is still commendable, seems almost completely disconnected from the 400 Unit on this one.  However, I don’t want to bash this one too bad. Because there are TONS of memorable lines, and Jason’s performance here truly is gigantic.  “Molotov” at first I wasn’t really into, but it’s certainly grown on me.  This one has almost a weird campiness to it, with some seriously weird undertones. But, Jason recovers quickly with some seriously creative and witty one liners.   Some of those one liners however, take his already so descriptive lyrics and turn them into stunning portraits.  On “Molotov”, Jason paints a picture of himself meeting a significant other at a County Fair when he was younger, and goes into such wonderful detail that I feel Like I’m there.  It’s much more of a standard love song from Jason, and it’s one that I’m glad he’s shared with us.  It’s also one of his more straightforward tracks, which is certainly nice to hear.  But then we have “Chaos and Clothes”, which I have a few serious issues with.  First off, it’s a little too folky for my liking.  I feel like the Southern influence has almost flown out the window altogether on this one.  But I can actually get past that.  Let’s talk about these vocals.  I feel like on “Chaos and Clothes”,  Jason is doing his best Isaac Brock impression, even in his lyrics.  It doesn’t come off well at ALL sadly.  Like, I heard better Modest Mouse covers on that Sun Kil Moon Modest Mouse cover album, and THAT was utter trash.  And you know what that means, “Chaos and Clothes” is utter trash as well, sorry Jason.  The usual sort of grit that follows Jason as well is completely gone, so overall I’m really not feeling this one at all.  Plus, lyrically, I haven’t cringed this hard in a LONG time.  

Thankfully, “Hope The High Road” is up next, and oh man did I never need this track right about now.  That old school Drive By Truckers grit is back, but it also has the softer side of Jason’s solo work not too far away.  Jason continues to break out his more thought provoking and introspective lyrics that I can’t get enough of.  But it’s Jason’s performance on this one that really drives it home.  The power and passion in his voice is just so brilliant.  Everything about this one just clicks, from the slight attitude of the performance, to the sweet sentiments coming out in the chorus.  “Hope The High Road” is just what I needed to hear before this album finished.  It’s a little cheesy in parts, but that’s just fine by me.  Jason goes all out on this albums finale, “Something to Love”.  To be honest, some of these harmonies here are to die for to be honest.  For the most part, this track is here to sum up everything that’s been said on the album.  Which usually I wouldn’t be too happy about, but I feel like Jason sums things up nicely and ends up leaving things off on a high note. It’s sweet, it’s beautiful, and it just makes me feel great.  

Rating: 8.2/10

Give A Listen To: "Cumberland Gap", "Tupelo", "White Man's World", "Hope For The High Road"

Overall Thoughts:  I'm just going to come out there and say it, I honestly feel like this is Jason Isbell's strongest solo release to date.  This album has some of his most powerful performances as well as truly thought provoking lyrics.  I don't think Jason's really reinvented himself or anything, and certainly hasn't done anything new and wild to the genre.  But he's honed his craft so much, and listening to his wonderfully nostalgic lyrics makes me feel like I'm catching up with an old friend.  Well done.  

Lorde - Melodrama

New Zealand's Lorde has been around for a few years now, mostly due to the blow up of her "Royals" single as well as the fact that she may or may not be Randy Marsh. I'm not even gonna sit here and say that I didn't casually enjoy Lorde's first album "Pure Heroine".   I love the very moody deeps cuts on here like "Glory and Gore" as well as "Ribs", and "Team" and "Tennis Court" were just solid pop tunes.  But overall I dunno, I felt like as an album as a whole I really didn't feel like this was complete.  Since then, Lorde's been relatively quiet.  These new singles have been pretty decent, outside of "Green Light" (Sorry, it literally does nothing for me).  Let's talk about the rest of this album.

(A guilty pleasure of mine)

This album starts off with “Green Light”, which for the most part I still am not entirely invested in.  There are some sort of cheesy lyrics here and there, but that’s not even the main problem.  There are too many elements to me that come off as a little obnoxious sadly, especially when it comes to those bizarre backing vocals.  I really have no I tea what the was going for, but I seriously don’t get it.  Thankfully, lyrically this one is such a HUGE step up for Lorde.  She’s gone very personal in a big way.  To be honest, it’s exactly the sound that I was hoping to here her hop on.  I really wish that instrumentally I was more into this one, I just feel like of all the great singles on here this is by far the weakest.  Lyrically though, “Green Light” certainly remains compelling and important to the album.   “Sober” is up next, and right off the bat let’s talk about this production.  This is absolutely a gigantic step up for Lorde.  While the production on her first album was certainly decent and fit her sound and all, I feel like this is just so much more expansive and creative.  It gives Lorde’s music so much more dynamic, and overall “Sober” is a seriously sharp pop tune.  The lyrics are thought provoking and so much more more thought out than any of the music on her debut.  Then we have the instrumentals, which between the sort of hazy and tropical club beat and the horns that pop in at the chorus, this is pretty freakin’ fantastic.  “Sober” is the moody pop track that I’ve wanted to hear all year.     Then we have “Homemade Dynamite”, and I still can’t seem to get over just how absolutely huge this album sounds compared to Lorde’s debut.  “Homemade Dynamite” is just so much more aggressive as far as the beat goes and even Lorde’s performance.  I like some of the track’s early comparisons to pilots flying into unknown territory, showing that even her songwriting has come a huge way.  Lorde on this on is coming out of her shell, and there are plenty of great “getting to know you” moments as well.  And it’s all backed up by this pretty explosive beat that quite frankly I didn’t expect to hear.  It’s also got tons of airy, sort of Baroque Pop elements for anyone desperate to hear more of the sound of her debut.  So hell yea, I can certainly groove to “Homemade Dynamite”.  Up next is “The Louvre”, which has a little more rock influence throughout which is nice.  I seriously love Lorde’s vocals on this one, and as far as one liners go, this one has some of the album’s most memorable ones.  But sadly I’m not really as into this ones instrumental.  Outside of the guitars in the intro, there really isn’t as much as far as an instrumental goes, especially during the chorus.  However, I certainly get caught up in Lorde’s performance and lyrics on this one.  There’s also some really great buildup during the verses, but it’s just kind of flat when we get to the chorus.  However, I do certainly enjoy the distant guitar licks on this one as well, so there’s still plenty to like here.  

“Liability” more or less is the song that made me want to review this album.  As far as a ballad goes, this is the track that I feel like I didn’t know Lorde had in her.  Her performance here is ridiculous to be honest.  It’s heartfelt, and one of the more powerful Pop performances I’ve heard all year.  It’s heartbreaking really, hearing Lorde break out into lines about how she’s been used like a “toy that people enjoy ’til all the tricks don’t work anymore.  It might be short, but “Liability” is a stunning ballad, one that’ll seriously bring a tear to your eye.  “Hard Feelings/Loveless” takes it’s time so much more with getting going, and I’m certainly down for that.  Some of that seriously experimental and oddball production is back on this one, something that I really think Lorde is on to.  I love the sweeping chorus here as well as some of the backing vocals.  “Hard Feelings/Loveless” is a seriously well done track about going out of love with someone.  It’s tracks like this that really blow me away, the way Lorde really took everything she did on her debut, amped up the production and solidified her song writing, and made something truly memorable.  While this album isn’t necessarily perfect, so far it’s been one of the stronger album’s about just about every aspect of love that I’ve heard in recent memory.  Then we have the second half of this track that turns into a dark, heavy hitting Pop banger that sounds like it was produced by Arca or someone else left of the dial.  “Hard Feelings/Loveless” is absolutely ridiculous, Lorde just sounds so empowering and strong in the later moments.  “Sober II (Melodrama)” is up next and right off the bat the strings are a very nice touch.  This one comes off as another really solid ballad, and ends up accompanying “Sober” ridiculously well.  I feel like this, in every way, is more or less the answer to all the questions brought up on “Sober”.   Not so shockingly, it comes out very well thought out.  The murky beats and passionate performance from Lorde add tons as well, making for some of the most stunning moments here.   So I’m not really sure what the hell Lorde has been through the last few years, but this album continues to be seriously heartbreaking with “Writer In The Dark”.    That first line here about her love interest leaving her “to be a good man for someone else” is just so powerful.  And as “Writer In The Dark” continues on, it’s just one truly heart wrenching line after another.  My only real issue with this one is that I feel like instrumentally this one could have been stepped up a bit.  But as far as Lorde’s performance and the lyrics go, this is truly grade A stuff here.  

Lorde has saved some of her most passionate sounds for last.  “Supercut” is one of the more artsy tracks here, but I absolutely love it to be honest.  I love the booming beat and the big sounding verses, it gives “Supercut” such an epic sound.  It almost bizarrely enough has a progressive feeling in the way there’s all of these movements, almost to the point where it gets a little overwhelming.  There’s just so much going on here, between this hook that’s absolutely to die for, and this gigantic atmosphere that Lorde sounds wonderful in.  Now, it’s not too shocking to me that Jack Antonoff had such a huge presence on this album, especially this one which has a HUGE Fun. and Bleachers feel to it.  I wish I had to say just as many nice things about the “Liability (Reprise)”.  When the earlier reprise came off so nicely, I got my hopes up for this.  But I feel like this comes off so much less effective than “Liability”.  The vocal effects are really not necessary at all.  It ends up taking away from Lorde’s performance, which was just so passionate and mesmerizing on “Liability”.  Compared to “Liability”, I feel absolutely nothing listening to its reprise.  Thankfully, Lorde does give us a decent finale to end on.  “Prefect Places” is more or less exactly what I wanted to hear from her.  I love the groove here, and I love Lorde’s performance and how much more at peace she comes off.  This track might not be all sunshine and happiness overall, but it’s still showing Lorde more at peace.  The hook here is gigantic, it’s positive, it’s youthful, and overall it just a great sound for her. 

Rating: 7.9/10

Give A Listen To: “Sober”, “Supercut, “Hard Feelings/Loveless” , “Liability” 

Overall Thoughts:  Overall this is an absolutely gigantic leap as far as an album goes for Lorde.  Everything that was sort of just "OK" about her debut is pretty darn wowing here.  The production is much heavier, instrumentally this is more diverse, and Lorde's performances are stunning.  There are a few lackluster tracks, and I still do NOT care for "Green Light" at all, but this is a pretty solid Pop album overall ladies and gentlemen.