Avey Tare - Eucalyptus

Avey Tare I, of course, got first introduced to through Animal Collective.  But for me, I've always been a little iffy on Animal Collective solo ventures.  Yes, even Panda Bear's solo ventures.  I think they're all talented obviously, but I feel like they're at their best when they're all together.  Avey Tare's solo debut "Down There" was actually pretty decent.  A lot of it had a very spontaneous and quirky feel to it, much like Animal Collective's music.  But for me, there was nothing that grabbed me enough to make me come back.  A few years later, Avey released "Enter the Slasher House" with his new band Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks.  The result was a little more of an interesting album.  There was seriously a real mixed bag of material here, between the very grungy "That It Won't Grow', the infectious "Little Fang", and the seriously intense "Blind Babe".  But there were also a lot of tracks on here that I felt like were a little underdeveloped sadly.  Avey's back, with his first album in a few years!  I didn't get a chance to listen to any of the album's teaser tracks, so we're diving in head first ladies and gentlemen!

    This album starts off with “Season High”, and to be honest it’s not what I expected to hear.  It’s a very subtle, natural atmosphere, with Avey strumming and singing over all of it.  To be honest, it’s actually really sweet and charming.  Avery sounds actually really good on his own, in a way that sort of reminds me of the early days of Panda Bear’s solo work.  I mean, we have a seriously sunny atmosphere, and the obvious influences deriving from classic Pop as well.  It’s a sound that I really didn’t expect to hear Avey touch, but here we are.  It’s whimsical and adventurous, but it’s also seriously classy and interesting.  Also, in general, it’s just really nice to hear Avey on his own.  I feel like on this album he comes off so much more enchanting and intriguing than he did on his other solo ventures.  I really can’t help but get caught up in “Season High”, it’s honestly beautiful.  However, like any Animal Collective related work, this one takes patience and lots of it.  Then we have “Melody Unfair”, and to be honest, I haven’t heard anything remotely this wild and fearless from an Animal Collective related project in a really long time.  Avey continues to sound really in command of all of this.  It’s not messy at all, which surprising to hear, to be honest.  The atmosphere here and for most of this album is just so thick and dreamy.  It’s one that you really just need to sit back let yourself get wrapped up in.  Now, I don’t think “Melody Unfair” comes off as a well as the intro here, mostly because of the less melodic passages.  But it’s still interesting and whimsical, and totally something out of the book of classic Animal Collective.  I actually really love a lot of the backing instrumentals here.  For example, that one guitar or whatever it is Avey is strumming on gives this sort of a beachy tone.  This one is still overall pretty decent.  Then we have “Ms. Secret”, which honest to God sounds like “Sung Tongs” era Animal Collective.   And let me tell you, it’s GOOD.  I love Avey’s strong vocal harmonies on this one, which might be some of his best to date.  It’s the sort of Freak Folk and Psychedelic Folk that got Animal Collective on the map in the first place, and man is it ever refreshing to hear.  It’s totally different than what Animal Collective have been going for as a whole recently.  In a way, this is the era that really needs to come back.  The atmosphere is swirling and sweet, I honestly love just about everything on display here.  Plus, I love the very swirling, repetitive, mantra like vocals as well.  But then we start getting into some weirder territory, like “Lunch Out Of Order Pt. 1”, which I’m sure is going to interest a whole lot more people that aren't me.  But sound collages like this sometimes do little to nothing for me.  If it ended up leading somewhere, I’d be interested.  But this honestly really doesn’t sound like it’s going anywhere at all.  Yes, it’s wild and wonderfully Psychedelic, but this has zero purpose seemingly.  However, some of Avey’s haunting vocals towards the end do work out nicely.  “Lunch Out Of Order Pt. 2” isn’t that much more compelling sadly.  I’ve been a fan of Animal Collective and its member for years, but their music has always had a purpose.  But this duo of tracks seems completely directionless.  However, this one does get a little bit more compelling when Avey’s verse starts.  His vocals come off really nice, but as a whole, this one is seriously disjointed.  This duo of tracks could have been something interesting easily, but it ends up being an afterthought.  

    Thankfully, Avey really redeems himself with “Jackson 5”.  Now I hate to keep saying it, but there are some moments on this one where I’m getting some ridiculous old school Animal Collective vibes from this ambiance.  I love the seriously off kilter funk here of these very twangy acoustic guitars.  Then we have Avey’s groovy, eclectic vocals here which I seriously love.  As far as a single goes, this is a seriously awesome track.  It brings in a lot of the Freak Folk elements that I haven’t heard from Avey in years.  There’s also a sort of innocence to his lyrics and vocals, a playful innocence that once again I haven’t heard in years.  Up next the very very subtle atmospheres and playful attitudes continue with “DR aw one for J”.  I feel like a lot of this album is a serious creative peak for Avey, we haven’t heard him this seriously fearless in a very long time.  I like the more intense drones on this one, with Ave’s very muffled and bizarre (yet strangely harmonious vocals) behind it all.  I wouldn’t say this is “Track of the album” status, but it’s an interesting experiment.  Not to mention, it shows that Avey still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.  By the time we get to “PJ”, it hits me just how much Psychedelic Folk we’re hearing here, which is the last thing I expected to hear.  On this one, I’m totally into the instrumentals and the very swirling atmosphere that’s constantly hard to place.  But vocally, boy this one leaves a LOT to be desired.  This doesn’t even sound like Avey, to be honest.  I’m up for Avey pushing himself into tracks like this.  But vocally this track is a mess.  His falsettos are seriously awful, and really don’t compliment the very subtle nature of this track.  Instrumentally though, this one is certainly interesting and eclectic enough to keep my interest.  Then we have “In Pieces”, and from this intro, I really didn’t expect to like this one at all.  But vocally, I feel like Avey is seriously on to something here.  It’s actually really refreshing to hear him so straight forward and unaltered.  The instrumentals are still highly experimental and completely left field, but as weird as “In Pieces” gets it has a purpose.  I love how unnerving and seriously twisted some of the instrumentals are here as well.  Like, there’s some seriously twisted stuff flowing through the background.  Overall, this one is another really interesting experiment for Avey.  There are some seriously great melodies here and there.  And not to mention, some of the production choose and sound effects in that last minute are stunning.  Out of nowhere things get strangely somber though with “Selection of a Place”.  Avey’s vocals on this one are just so shaky and sound so bruised.  Then we have the even more somber and almost dark instrumental.  It all just seems so lifeless, but at the minute mark, things really start to build up nicely.  To be honest, I really love the very bouncy and animated guitars.  Plus, his vocals here are some of his most melodic we’ve heard so far.  But then we have another few minutes where Avey once again just sounds so damn down in the dumps.  However, as a whole, it’s interesting to see the seriously stark comparison between both.  It’s an interesting experiment once again.  

    “Boat Race” is up next, and as bizarre and experimental as this all comes off, it’s just so Avey Tare.  He sounds so at home amongst this constantly shifting, swirling, psychedelic atmosphere.  For one of the shorter tracks here, this actually comes off really great  I love Avey’s constantly shifting vocals and the twisted production.  I love it.  But as this album goes on and on, I get more and more vibes from the classic days of Animal Collective.  Like, there are moments on “Roamer” that sound like they were ripped directly from “Strawberry Jam”.  It’s the very bouncy nature of the instrumentals and just how spontaneous they come off.  Avey’s vocals once again come off just as eclectic, as they constantly bounce between upper and lower registers.  The dynamics of this album are actually all really interesting, with all of these clashing concepts and sounds coming off so well.  Not to mention, it keeps me guessing constantly to what I’m going to hear next.  Oh boy, but then we get “Coral Lords”, which sounds painfully boring from its intro.  Now, I didn’t really know what to expect on this album showing up for it.  But the last thing I expected to hear was a Semi-Documentary on CORAL.  The atmosphere here is nice and all, but then we have this tedious narrator talking about coral.  All the while, Avey lazily is moaning his way through the background.  Once out awful lesson is over, Avey’s vocals are on their own, and there is a LOT to be desired.  As strong as this atmosphere is, and as detailed and intricate this instrumental is, Avey seems like he threw this one together in a matter of 5 minutes.  Now, I’ll give “Coral Lords” this.  Around the 3 minute mark, things explode and open up into this very colorful atmosphere.  So I do have to give this track some credit because it does improve.  But I feel like a lot of this is done without a real purpose.  Then when things sort of calm down again, and Avey’s vocals go back to their quiet dynamic, once again I have to fight the urge to fall asleep.  Not to mention, even lyrically this track just comes off so half-baked.   I want to like “Coral Lords”, but I just can’t.  “Sports In July” is up next, and to be frank it’s a little too far out there for my liking.  Avey doesn’t really need to be so freakin’ weird, because on other tracks here he’s proven that he can write some seriously great pop tunes.  Instrumentally though, I do like a lot of the very unnerving portions of this.  Especially after he sort of went for that on that Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks project.  There are some seriously great elements to this on instrumentally, and I really do love a lot of the trickery on this one.  But vocally this one really was not for me, even those female vocals come off as just head scratching.  But instrumentally, this is as fearless as I could have hoped to hear.  This album ends off with “When You Left Me”.  As far as the atmosphere goes here, Avey really continues to shine as a producer and all.  But here, Avey has his head focused much more toward his harmonies.  I’m not asking for pop anthems from Avey.  But here, we just get enough of a hook to make this seriously memorable.   And the result is seriously beautiful and haunting.  Instrumentally, “When You Left Me” is just as twisted and bizarre, but it’s also seriously intense.  In general, this is seriously an amazing track.  I haven’t heard Avey this intense or emotional in so long, I’m honestly glad that Avey saved this for the finale. 

Rating: 7.7/10

Give A Listen To:  “Season High”, “Ms. Secret”, "Jackson 5", "When You Left Me"

Overall Thoughts:  This is easily the most interesting album Avey Tare has done without the usual backing of his Animal Collective brothers.  Even some of the less interesting tracks here have moments of sheer brilliance.  It's a little long, and you are going to certainly need to give 110% of you're attention to this album.  But for an experimental album from one of Psychedelic Pop's finest, it's wild and very creative.  

Trapped Under Ice - Heatwave

Baltimore Maryland's Own "Trapped Under Ice" for the last few years has been seriously making some waves in the Hardcore community.  I first got a chance to listen to these guys on their "Stay Cold" EP.  For the most part, this EP was a solid intro to the band.  It was about 10 minutes long, but there were a LOT of great elements, from the chugging guitars on "Between The Sheets" to the thunderous title track.  But tracks like "Half a Person" and "Brainwaves" showed that Trapped Under Ice still had to buckle down on their instrumentals.  Shortly after, Trapped Under Ice brought us their first full-length album, "Secrets of the World".  This album was absolutely massive, with each track heavier than the last.  It also showed the band in a short period of time had really started honing their structure.  Tracks like "Believe" and "Gemini" were fantastic hardcore tracks.  But this album also showed Trapped Under Ice incorporating more Metal elements, which I honestly really thought worked well for them.  The very unhinged sound, as well as the wild solos, gave Trapped Under ice even more of a hellish feel to their music.  But it also brought things down in places, as tracks like "From Birth" and "TUI" had so many chugging guitars that I could barely sit through them.  In 2011 Trapped Under Ice released their longest album yet by far, "Big Kiss Goodnight".  Now when I saw this album was 40 minutes long, I honestly worried.  Would Trapped Under Ice be able to fill 40 minutes of compelling hardcore punk?  The answer is, absolutely.  This album showed Trapped Under Ice working on everything I worried about in their early days.  The breakdowns here were expertly crafted, the song ideas were much more thought out, without sacrificing any of their ballsy attitudes.  Trapped Under Ice are back with their first album in quite some time.  Like, it's been 6 years.  Honestly, I can't wait to dive into this thing, so let's talk about it.

This album starts off with “Backstabbed”, and Trapped Under Ice are clearly not wasting a single second.  The riff here is muscular, the vocals are explosive, and I love the sheer force behind this one.  The guitar solo on this opening is a nice touch well.  And as always, I love the overblown chugging guitars that are Over-The-Top just enough to be brilliant.  Call me nuts, but with an album like this could we have asked for more of an exciting intro than “Backstabbed”?  Up next, “XL” brings in a very dark sound that I really dig.  Now, for a Hardcore Punk tune, I appreciate the slightly prolonged intro.  It actually ends up building some seriously nice tension.  Of course, then it explodes into just the sort of burst of aggression and raw power that I wanted to hear from Trapped Under Ice.  It’s beefy, it’s destructive, it’s intense, can we really ask for much more?  Not to mention, that last 10 seconds of completely zany instrumentals make “XL” a blast.  By the time “No Relief” comes around, I feel like it would be criminal to not mention how incredibly focused the band sounds.  So far, there has been no fluff or weak moments at all.  I love the absolutely destructive riff here as well as the strained and agitated singing.  The brute force of these tracks continues to be completely overwhelming.  Also, I really like a lot of the instrumental breaks that make up a lot of these tracks, like the extended bass solo on “No Relief”.  It really ends up breaking things up nicely before the last pummeling 20 seconds or so.  Then we have “Do It”, which is a little more technical sounding, with a whole lot more of the focus on the almost grunge instrumentals here.  But I love just how aggressive and dirty sounding the band is coming off.  There’s certainly nothing present about this.  For as long as it’s been between material, Trapped Under Ice sound really great.  Plus, there’s a gigantic amount of tension in these tracks that I wasn’t expecting to hear.  

    “Throw It Away” is one of the most straightforward tracks here, exploding milliseconds into the track.  But sadly I’m not nearly as crazy about some of the verses here.  Mostly, it’s the more grunted, deeper vocals that turn me off.  Outside of that, this sounds just fine to me, to be honest, and the very skillful solos continue to be a really nice touch.  Overall, this one is alright, I just wish the vocals were a little harsher.  Thankfully, “Pressure Is On” is a return to the harsh sound that I was looking for, at least as far as the instrumentals go.  The instrumentals on this one just come off so blistering and powerful.  But once again some cracks are beginning to show in Trapped Under Ice.  I’m honestly not really feeling the sort of groove metal feel to this one, and the vocals once again leave a lot to be desired.  Overall, this track really didn’t hit me too hard at all.  And when you’re dealing with such a short album, hiccups like this really hurt the band.  Thankfully, Trapped Under Ice completely redeem themselves with “Oblivion”.  This one zooms right into of the most intense verses here.  It really doesn’t get much more intense than “Oblivion” to be honest.  The vocals are rough, the instrumentals are bone shattering, and everything seems right where it should be for Trapped Under Ice.  Even that more heavy, sluggish breakdown in the tracks closing moments comes off great.  And trust me, THAT could have been sloppy.  Then we have another slight hiccup, “Slow Death”.  For the most part, this one is just a little too straightforward for my liking.  Like, there’s little to no grit to this at all.  Sure, there are some really intense moments in the verse, but there isn’t nearly as much bit here as other tracks.  Hell, this almost comes across as a little watered down, which is something I really didn’t expect to say here.  There are some great elements though, like those solos.  But overall this one gets on my nerves.  If you’re going to give us a 14-minute album, you really don’t have time to give us this much filler.  

    Trapped Under Ice isn’t done with us yet.  “Heatwave” is up next, and this one certainly has the instrumental down pact.  Hell, there’s almost a seriously classic Old School sounding Hardcore Punk sound.  But once again, some of the vocals on this one don’t completely click with me.  Obviously, these are some of the more melodic vocals here, which is totally fine.  But I just really don’t think it clicks with the sound of this track.  But on the other hand, I have absolutely zero complaints about “Other Side”.  This is everything I could have asked to hear from Trapped Under Ice, and might just be the most focused and aggressive sounding track here.  I mean, this track is SERIOUSLY pummeling.  There are no gimmicks, no detours, just raw power.  Once again I love the sort of Classic, Old School Hardcore feel to this once again.  Plus, as far as the breakdown here goes, this is easily one of the best of the entire album.  Even the more grunted vocals come off just fine, where was this on some of the weaker moments?  Thankfully, Trapped Under Ice do end off on a positive note with “Move”.  At first, I really wasn’t too sure about the production on this one.  But I seriously have ended up loving just how ridiculous and almost hilariously crushing this track is.  Instrumentally this one is a little hit and miss, and it is a little straightforward.  But there really isn’t anything too gigantically flawed about this one either.  My only real issue is, I want more.  This doesn’t serve as a real ending, it’s more of a cliffhanger.  But still, “Move” is a decent finale.  

Rating: 7.6/10

Give A Listen To: "XL" "No Relief", "Do It", "Oblivion"

Overall Thoughts:  Is this a good Hardcore Punk album?  Hell yes.  Is this a great return to form for Trapped Under Ice?  Hell Yes.  Is this a pretty intense album with not a ton of filler at all?  Hell yes.  Is this, after 6 years of waiting only 14 minutes long.  Sadly.......hell yes.  This album isn't really bad at all.  Yea there are a few questionable points, but the real trouble is it's length.  By the end of this album, I'm just getting started and need some more.  14 minutes for a full length album is criminally short, even for a Hardcore album like this.  But hey, there's still a lot of great stuff on here that needs to be heard if you like the genre.  

Foster The People - Sacred Hearts Club

Foster the People a few years ago were completely inescapable.  Even for me.  I saw these guys a little before their debut album "Torches" came out, and I couldn't help but get all swept up in their music.  The Indie trio, fronted by Mark Foster, in 2011 released their "Torches", and for the most part, this became a seriously big hit.  This album was just so catchy and sweet, and while yes it was horribly cliche and a little short, it was a whole lot of fun.  But my GOD, I don't know what the hell happened on their next album "Supermodel".  The first track released from this album, "Coming Of Age" was exactly what I wanted to hear from Foster The People.  But every other track on this album was bland, messy, and seriously boring.  So it's been quite a while since we've heard from Foster The People. They've dropped quite a few singles from this new album, and let me just say, these singles are VERY different. Like, I've never heard them branching out so much in their sound with such colorful instrumentals.  So I'm actually really interested to see how the rest of this album turns out.

(Tracks like these, man they made me love the early days of this band)

    This album starts off with “Pay The Man”.  And from this beginning beat, man this is all just awkward as hell.  There’s actually a lot of seriously awkward stuff going on here to be honest, even outside the beat.  Mark’s doing this sort of fake rap verse, which set up against this completely awful beat isn’t doing anyone any favors.  I do however like the sung hook a LOT.  It’s moments like this that seriously bug me about Foster The People.  There are some seriously solid Pop elements here, but Mark and company completely throw that out the window with this fake Tough Guy persona.  I don’t know if this is a desperate attempt to remain hip, but “Pay The Man” should not have happened.  Up next it’s “Doing It For The Money”.  Now, if Foster The People are insistent on going for this much slicker, bolder sound, I think this is MUCH more of the way to go.  The beat here is actually seriously booming, and I absolutely love the hook here.  Say what you will about Foster The People, but Mark can certainly write a hook when he tries.  As a whole, I feel like this is what they were aiming for so hard on that opening track.  But “Doing It For The Money” on the other hand comes off super hip and is actually an interesting sound for Foster The People.  Not to mention, that groove is seriously killer.  But this also worries me a little bit.  Mostly because clearly Foster The People are in experimenting mode.  Which is fine, but it can get ugly really fast.  That all being said, I do love this tune a lot. Then we have “Sit Next To Me’, which believe it or not is even smoother.  I love the sort of very sleek and chilled out feel to this.  It even has a sort of slow jam feel to it.  But it gives Mark a real chance to shine, and he honestly sounds really good.  The hooks continue to be a really strong element here.  So far, as far as an Indie Pop album goes, this isn’t bad at all.  But also, this is a far cry from the Upbeat and Danceable Indie Pop that was inescapable a few years back.  This is obviously going to alienate some Foster The People fans, but for me, it’s just fine.  The very shimmering, very hip atmosphere of this album continues in a big way with “SHC”.  However, I feel like overall this one is a little more in their play book. This is easily the most danceable and catchy track we’ve heard yet.   Not to mention, while I’ve been iffy on the production so far, I actually really dig the swirling and intense atmosphere of this track.  This is just another seriously catchy and memorable track overall.  But there’s also a lot of seriously weird elements going on as well, like some of those vocal effects.  But like I said, Foster The People are just branching out a bit.  What could possibly go wrong here…….

    The answer my dear friends is A LOT.  This might be the hardest album to sit through I’ve heard all year.  “I Love My Friends” started off pretty nicely, sounding like sort of an updated version of one of their older tracks.  But as it goes on, it’s just so damn un-memorable.  The hook here, while it sticks with you and all, just comes off as half assed.  The very lazy and atmosphere on this one is a little too sweet for my liking.  Then we have the lyrics, which are cheesy to the point where I can barely take any of this serious.  This is what I was scared of Ladies and Gentlemen.  THEN, oh boy, once again we have these really weird vocal effects that add absolutely nothing.  The groove is weak, and “I Love My Friends” at the end of the day, comes off as seriously lackluster Indie Pop.  Then we have “Orange Dream”, and for a second I feel like I stumbled into some Foster The People nightmare.  I have absolutely no clue what they were thinking here.  But these sinister sounding synths, heavily altered vocals, and this big atmosphere really isn’t flattering to Foster The People.  Now, I can’t complain too much about this, because it’s only a one-minute track.  But seriously, I don’t know what they were even going for.  Now, I don’t know what happened to the very sleek beats that started this album off, but I’m desperately looking for them by the time “Static Space Lover” rolls around.  This one is just way too sweet for my liking.  To the point where there is absolutely nothing to this, I feel like I’m listening to Mark Foster sing lullabies.  I’m all for catchy music, but this is just way too much.  But even on top of that, there isn’t anything memorable about this one at all, the hook is just so airy that it doesn’t stick at all.  Then we have the painfully generic “Lotus Eater”.  I can literally list off about 4 or 5 bands that this track sounds like.  But then we get the actual verse here, and why the hell does it sound like Foster The People are going for a Garage Punk sound?  Like, this sounds like a blatant Wavves rip off, to be honest.  I can’t take Mark seriously at all here, trying to be aggressive and wild.  It’s not a pleasant track, it’s barely even wild.  It’s just unflattering for Foster The People.  This album went seriously downhill fast.

    Up next we have a seriously out of place interlude.  This one has a horribly fake “Retro” sound to it.  Once again, I can’t really take too much away from this being only about 58 seconds.  But like, what am I supposed to even do with this?  There are some really nice melodies and vocal moments here, but why wasn’t this a longer tune?  And then, good LORD, we have “Loyal Like Sid & Nancy”.  I honestly don’t even know where to start with this.  The booming beat here is a joke, I feel like I just walked into the most Guido-Packed night club in the world.  Mark once again is doing some sort of fake Rap Shtick and is really making him come off as kind of an asshole.  The sung hook here is laughably bad, and honestly might be some of the worst vocals I’ve ever heard from Mark.  “Loyal Like Sid & Nancy” is by far the worst track here, quite possibly the worst track I’ve heard all year.  There isn't even anything catchy, it’s all just seriously obnoxious.  “Harden The Paint” up next certainly really isn’t doing much more for me.  Between the harsh beat which is ridiculously out of place and all of this autotune, I really have to question what the hell Mark and the boys were even going for.  Like, if this came off sounding alright, I wouldn’t be pissed.  But this just sounds like it was thrown together in a matter of 5 minutes.  The result is seriously sloppy.  The synths are nice and all, and yeah the chorus is catchy.  But everything else about this one is awkward.  And to think I had such high hopes for this album.   To my surprise, Foster The People end up ending this album really wonderfully.  “III” starts off with a very glistening and hazy electronic sound that works for Foster The People really nicely.  Like, I actually got some chills listening to this track.  It’s the sort of different track that they SHOULD be going for.  Mark’s vocals on this one are actually really beautiful.  Even lyrically, this seems so much more in the direction that they should have gone in with this album.  So yeah, Foster The People, in the future I want some more of this.  Because the rest of this album has been seriously painful to listen to.  I think Foster The People are certainly on to something though because they DO need to branch out in their sound.  But what they need to branch into, that’s the problem.  This very hazy sound on “III”, that’s something special boys, but where was it the rest of the album?

Rating:  5.8/10

Give A Listen To:  “Doing It For The Money”, “Sit Next To Me”, “SHC”, "III". 

Overall thoughts:  I mean, going into this I knew Foster The People really needed to change up their sound.  Which they did.  But oh boy, this is a collection of some of the messiest and confusing Indie Pop I've heard in a very long time.  Half of this album shows Foster The People trying desperately to stay relevant through a series of booming beats and failed experiments.  I wanted to like this album, and the few tracks here that are good are REALLY good.  But overall, this is easily the hardest to listen to album I've heard all year.  

Tyler, The Creator - Flower Boy

Let me paint a little picture for you all.  It's 2011, Rap is becoming a little stale for little old me.  Then, out of nowhere I come across this truly twisted and quite frankly seriously unsettling Mixtape cover which featured a picture of a group of Children's school picture.  However, the picture was edited to have some of the children's eyes missing, upside down crosses and Anarchy symbols on others foreheads, among other deformities.  The mixtape simply read "Bastard", and it was by Tyler, The Creator.  Things got even more unsettling as I worked my way through this Mixtape, as Tyler painted the most warped and twisted autobiography you're going to hear.  "Bastard" illustrated Tyler as someone who thought Rape was sexually attractive, was seriously homophobic, and may or may not be a necrophiliac.  During all of this, Tyler incorporated fake interviews with his "Therapist", that gave this album a very real feel as well.  Needless to say, Tyler didn't hold a single punch back.  On top of that, the beats were Low-Fi and all had a demo sounding quality, and they had such a quiet and cold sound to them, making this Mixtape more of a horror movie than anything.  Needless to say, as revolting and disgusting as this project is, critics loved it, the internet loved it, and it's become one of my favorite Mixtapes ever.  It's almost like watching "A Clockwork Orange" or "The Last House on The Left", it's awful and disgusting, but you can't seem to stop watching, or in this case listening.  Shortly after, Tyler released the gigantic "Goblin" album.  Tracks like "She" (featuring Frank Ocean) and "Yonkers"  immediately got Tyler a whole new fan base being big singles.  But this album when you look deeper had a whole lot going on.  It showed Tyler as the same, despicable character (which he explains early in the album is just that, and not actually his views or actions).  It showed Tyler as anarchistic on "Radicals" and more pissed off at fame and his father on "Goblin".  But at the same time, in a weird way, Tyler was becoming more human and showing feelings, in his own disgusting way that is.  Take for example, on "She" Tyler comes off as truly head over heels in love with someone to the point where it's kind of adorable.  Until you know, there's that line about him killing her and wanting to have sex with her dead body.  But there are some other oddly human moments on "Goblin" as well.  I don't think it's nearly as concise as "Bastard", but it's still a very good rap album.  Then, in 2013 Tyler shocked a whole lot of his fans with the much more subdued and somber "Wolf" album.  Tracks on here like "Awkward" dealt with relationships, while "Answer" continued with Tyler's obsession with his Father.  Sure, there were ballsy and vicious and over the top tracks like "Trashwang" and "Pigs" to keep his older fans pleased.  But overall, this was a totally different side to Tyler, a much more human side to him, and he was certainly showing off a much bigger range of emotion.  So far, Tyler's career has been gigantic and pretty damn flawless.  But his 2015 album "Cherry Bomb" left me scratching my head.  This album showed Tyler at his most creative so far, incorporating elements of Rock and Soul in his usual over the top Shock-Rap.  But to be honest, this album while it was 100% Tyler's vanity project, seemed to me to be all over the place.  While tracks like "DEATHCAMP" and the short but intense "RUN", other tracks like "BLOW MY LOAD" and "PILOT" just seemed a little too out of control.  The production was sketchy, the ideas were messy, "Cherry Bomb" just wasn't for me.  Tyler is back, and my goodness have these new singles been ridiculous.  I don't wanna say anything else about this album let's just dive right in.

    This album starts off with “Foreword”.  As far as the beat goes, this is pretty standard for Tyler.  But I think easily the star here are these lyrics.  These are some of Tyler’s most introspective and self-examining lyrics in years, and honestly, I love it.  We always knew that Tyler had a serious soft spot in him deep down, even though it was always shrouded over by this character he played.  But “Forward” is completely next level for Tyler.  Obviously, this is some of Tyler’s most personal material that I’ve ever heard him touch by far.  Production wise, Tyler has come such a long way since the clunkier days of “Goblin”.  But the eerie synths and funky licks in the background certainly give it a more Tyler feel.  I actually really love this very sweet and infectious introduction.  Not to mention, that sung hook comes off really strong as well.  The very sunny and sweet atmosphere of this album continues next with “Where This Flower Blooms” featuring Frank Ocean.  I continue to really love some of these very elegant instrumentals Tyler has put together.  This one certainly has a little more of a banging beat to it and all, but it’s far from explosive or anything like that.  Frank’s contributions are solid and all, but I would have maybe liked a little more from him.  But the material we do get from Frank, however, is certainly decent.  But the continuing story here is just how interesting and biographical Tyler is coming off.   We’ve known him for years, we’ve slowly gotten to know his life for years, but now it’s all just pouring out of him and it’s a wonderful thing.  Up next we have a sweet sort of interlude, “Sometimes…”.  It certainly moves things along nicely.  But this easily could have been tied on to the end of another track.  “See You Again” is up next, and the sung hooks continue to be a seriously huge selling point for this album.  Like, I can't remember the last time I heard so many catchy and ear grabbing tracks from Tyler all in one place.  “See You Again” is borderline a straight up R&B tune.  To be honest, it actually comes off as a really sweet sentiment from Tyler.  The fact that this is even the same artist that produced such shocking albums as “Bastard” is beyond stunning.  Even the rap verses on “See You Again” are expertly crafted, and are booming just enough to make this one pop.  It’s not my favorite track here, and there are a few elements that I wish were just a little more aggressive.  But overall, this is still pretty damn good.  Out of nowhere though, we get “Who Dat Boy” featuring A$AP Rocky, and just hearing this track makes me feel like I’m back in the “Goblin” days of Tyler.  I love the very unnerving, cry beat to this one as well as the very sinister sounding strings.  As far as a banger goes, this is the wildest and most aggressive track here.  It’s intense, it’s angry, it honestly sounds like Tyler when he first started coming up.  Rocky’s verse is a little different for him, I’m honestly used to hearing him on hazier beats.  That being said, I think he actually pulls off his verse really well.  As far as a balls out, aggressive banger, “Who Dat Boy” is fantastic.

    When I hear tracks like “Pothole”, I really do have to sit and just think a second and realize just how much Tyler has grown as an artist.  The beat here is totally smooth and almost Jazz influenced, and Tyler’s very bouncy verse over it comes off very fresh.  I honestly can’t remember the last time I heard Tyler this animated and in your face   As far as the lyrics go on this one, this easily has some of my favorite wordplay of the entire album from Tyler.  I just can’t seem to get enough of how sweet and infectious this all comes off as.  It’s a serious change of pace for Tyler.  Plus, I have to use this word, but this might just be the most “Alternative” sounding Hip Hop Tyler has brought to the table in years.  The very Neo-Soul edge to this album continues right into “Garden Shed” featuring Estelle.  Hell, this track is a straight up slow jam.  But the very icy production obviously makes this still a Tyler track.  But hell, for an icy slow jam, this track comes off seriously classy.  Then, let’s talk about this damn singing from Tyler.  It’s something he’s tried to do for years occasionally, and it’s never been too flattering.  But to be honest, some of his bars on “Garden Shed” seriously come off wonderful, and show him putting a ton of effort into it.  And the result is seriously smooth and addictive.  Outside of that, this is one of the more patient tracks of the album, with the verse not hitting until the last minute or so.  But man is it ever seriously memorable.  “Boredom” featuring Rex Orange County and Anna of the North continues on with a whole lot of the same vibes.  But also continuing here are the seriously sunny and innocent attitude of this album.  I feel like listening to a lot of these tracks, I feel so youthful and like I’m falling in love for the first time.  But then we have Tyler’s verse here, which is almost paranoid and paints him as this seriously lonely individual.  And I mean he is SERIOUSLY lonely.  Like, you end up sympathizing with him big time, which is something I honestly thought I would never say about Tyler.  Then we have the instrumental switch-up in the last two minutes or so, which is seriously classy and quite beautiful within itself.  Tyler, you’ve outdone yourself.  Then, out of nowhere, we get another banger in the form of “I Ain’t Got Time”.  I love the seriously sinister synths here and Tyler’s super aggressive flow.  To an extent, I would say this almost doesn’t belong here.  But it ends up mixing up the album really nicely.  The production continues to be a serious standout for me as well.  I honestly don’t have a bad thing to say about “I Ain’t Got Time”.  I do feel like this track caters more to the “Bastard” era of Tyler, however, so if that was something you were into give this a listen.  But then we get a seriously huge blast of Neo Soul and Alternative R&B in the form of “911/Mr. Lonely”.  Now, Tyler’s word play for years now has been seriously stunning, I’ve always taken him down as a dude who really appreciates MF Doom.  Not so shocking, it continues here wonderfully.  But what also continues, is just how sad of a character Tyler continues to come off as.  We’ve known Tyler has had some issues for years. But here, he just sounds alone in the world, and it’s heartbreaking.  Frank Ocean’s contribution to this one is so much more memorable than his earlier feature here.  Overall, “911/Mr. Lonely” is seriously eye opening.  But I feel like, with each passing moment, Tyler just gives us more and more insight to how he feels deep down.  Which continues right into the more aggressive and fast paced conclusion of this track.  But as aggressive as it remains, it also remains emotionally conscious.  What a track. 

    Now, up next we get a short track, “Droppin’ Seeds” featuring Lil Wayne.  As a whole, this one has a lot of the same feels within the icy synths and sweet instrumentals.  But then we have Lil Wayne dropping a completely out of place and quite frankly time wasting verse.  It’s a minute long, so clearly it’s over quick.  But I’m just not feeling it at all.  And I’m sure other people are going to be totally into this one-minute breakaway.  But I’m no Lil Wayne fan, so for me, this was a big waste of time.  But Tyler bounces back really fast with the steady and straightforward “November”.  Lyrically, Tyler continues to be aiming for some seriously introspective and interesting lyrics.  On “November”, Tyler goes down a list of questions about his fame and his time in the spotlight.  There are all things that Tyler has tackled before in the past, but never this clearly an deeply.  Numerous tracks later, and Tyler continues to come off so alone sounding.  “Flower Boy” remains and will probably always be Tyler’s most human release.  Then we have “Glitter”, in which the R&B sound hasn’t been stronger.  But man, this track to me is just seriously messy as hell.  The beat here really doesn’t work for me at all, and it sounds like it’s constantly trying to catch up with Tyler.  Then we have some of these vocals, which are really a huge back step for me.  The verses here are alright and all, but I wouldn’t say there’s anything about this that hasn’t been done on other tracks here so much better.  Not to mention, the entire last minute is completely unnecessary.  This album finishes off with “Enjoy Right Now, Today”.  Now, I don’t really want to dive too deep into this, because being an extended instrumental I really don’t want to paint a meaning where it’s not intended.  But for a sweet, sunny, 4 minute instrumental, it’s a pleasant way to end this album.  

Rating: 8.4/10

Give A Listen To: “Foreword”, “Boredom”, “Garden Shed”, "911/Mr. Lonely"

Overall Thoughts:  If you liked the more human, more sweet direction that Tyler's "Wolf" album was pushing towards, you need to listen to this pronto.  This is by far Tyler's most emotional and more telling album to date.  Even though we've felt like we've been getting to know Tyler for years, this is almost an intense therapy session, as he reveals his thoughts on a lot of his personal demons.  But it's done in such a really sweet, catchy way that it never gets too hard to listen to.  The fact that Tyler had this album in him in the first place is seriously incredible.   If you're a fan of Tyler, and want to dive deep into his mind like never before, this is pretty incredible.  

Nine Inch Nails - Add Violence EP

Now, some of you know me personally and some of you don't.  But if you do, then you know that Nine Inch Nails are my second favorite band of all time.  This is a band that for years blew me away with the intensity of albums like "Broken" and "The Downward Spiral".  But around the time of the 2000's, people started to cool their jets on Nine Inch Nails.  Albums like "With_Teeth" and "Year Zero", as solid as albums they are, took a whole lot to get into and weren't nearly as instantly gratifying.  By the time "Hesitation Marks" came out a few years back, sadly Trent Reznor felt like he had checked out.  But last year, Nine Inch Nails released their "Not The Actual Events" EP, a small collection of songs that showed Nine Inch Nails refreshed after taking a few years off.  This was some of the heaviest and darkest material Trent Reznor had delivered in years.  He promised us another EP would be here soon, and here we are! Let's talk about it!

(The track that instantly made me fall in love with NIN)

    This EP starts off with “Less Than”, and right away let’s address the elephant in the room.  That synth line is gigantic and shows Trent once again going for more of an old school sound.  It’s a totally different sound than the grungy and heavy industrial sound of the last EP, however, which I don’t think is a bad thing at all.   Just the opposite actually, I think it really adds to the very icy, paranoid feel that Trent was going for on here.  I feel like in a lot of ways this reminds me of the material on Year Zero as far as sound goes, but also as far as the tone goes.  It has that slight, political, Dystopian edge with a grim look towards the future that made albums like “Year Zeo” so good.   While this isn’t breaking any new ground for NIN, this is a really solid, aggressive, and confident track.  It’s catchy where it needs to be, while also remaining muscular and heavy.  It’s a great opening to this EP, to be honest.  Not to mention, Trent just sounds so damn hungry, so pissed off, it’s where I love hearing him.  This EP remains just as icy and cold with “The Lovers”, but this one get’s a whole lot darker and FAST.  I feel like this sounds a little more like what we got on the last NIN EP but more synthetic.  Trent’s softly spoken monolog is actually really effective and downright chilling.  To be honest, I really think this track’s atmosphere is its greatest attribute.  Because as far as vocals go, this is probably the most boring track you’re going to find here.  At least as far as the lead vocals go.  Because I actually think Trent’s very manic and twisted whispering in the background works really great for “The Lovers”.  Instrumentally, I also would have liked a little bit of a switch-up as well.  So yeah, this one is probably my least favorite track here, but it’s really not that bad at all.  But then we have “This Isn’t The Place”.  While this one remains very icy and synthetic, it’s also oddly human sounding and really somber.  This actually ends up reminding me a LOT of some of the deeper cuts on “The Fragile”.  It’s a patient track and is very cautious sounding, but at the same time, each piano note is just filled with so much emotion.  I actually think “This Isn’t The Place” ends up coming off seriously beautiful.  Especially after just how aggressive this album started.  Then we have Trent’s vocals, which just come off ghoulish and haunting, and seriously broken sounding.  And do I even have to point out these lyrics?  The lyrics here are some of Trent’s simpler ones, but they’re all so powerful that they give this track such an incredibly lonely sound.  I honestly can't remember the last time I heard Trent singing with this much sorrow.  So hell yes, this track works great.  The pacing on this one is just so well done as well, as each note slowly moves onwards I really don’t know what I’m going to hear next.  It’s what drew me to Trent’s music years ago, and it’s what draws me to it still to this day.  

    This EP continues with the muddier and much denser sounding “Not Anymore”.  To be honest, it’s really great to hear Trent working with these much more raw recordings and bringing back that industrial metal sound.    But I didn’t really know what to take from this track just from its intro.  But man, as this track picks up and bursts into its gigantic and overpowering chorus, it’s classic NIN all around.  As far as a noisy, aggressive sound goes, this is the biggest thing we’ve heard from Trent Reznor in a very long time.  His music continues to be patience testing and in need of a listen or two.  But with tracks as explosive as “Not Anymore”, it’s certainly worth it.  Even that extended synth portion in the last minute comes off great.  This EP closes out with the 11-minute monolith that is “The Background World”.  This one starts off with an extra slick groove the likes that I haven’t heard of in a long time from Nine Inch Nails.  It’s bass heavy, it’s sleazy, and of course it’s very dark.  But there’s also a return to the very sort of Sexualized sound that NIN ruled the airwaves with in the 90’s.  But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t come off great. There’s a real sense of mystery too, within that very Sci-Fi sounding synths just out of reach, as well as the bizarre strings that pop in around the 2-minute mark.  But as this track roll on and gets funkier and more and heavier, it just gets more enjoyable.  I continue to get a seriously strong “The Fragile” vibe from this, but it also has the very Sci-Fi heavy elements of “Year Zero” as well.  I can’t stress enough how excited this makes me for the future of Nine Inch Nails.  The only thing that really kept this EP from getting an even better score from me, was the last 8 minutes of “The Background World”.  I’m all for noisy, adventures passages.  But the last 8 minutes of this EP is completely unnecessary and boring.  Outside of that, this EP is fantastic, now c’mon Trent, give us the damn album already.

Rating: 7.7/10

Give A Listen To: "Less Than", "This Isn't The Place", "Not Anymore", the first 4 minutes of so of "The Background World"


Overall Thoughts:  For the second time this year, Nine Inch Nails has totally gotten my hopes up for anything they have planned for the future.  Trent and companies sound these days has gotten to be its darkest and heaviest it's been since the days of "The Fragile", which is something I thought I would never say again.  Compared to the "Not The Actual Events" EP, "Add Violence" is much more synth heavy and more Sci-Fi sounding.  But it continues to be a really great change of pace for Nine Inch Nails.

Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life

Lana Del Rey for the last few years has been one of pop music's most polarizing figures.  However, for the most part.......hell who am I kidding, I've always been an absolutely gigantic fan of Lana Del Rey.   In 2012 Lana got her start with her "Born To Die" album.  This album became an instant hit due to gigantic singles like "Blue Jeans", "Video Games", and "Summertime Sadness".  But just as instantly as Lana got huge, people began to distrust her and question her realness.  While she had a very vintage style and sound, there was of course reason to believe that she was putting on this face and style to get the fame.  Now I'm not going to go into my thoughts on THAT, as far as the album goes, I loved it.  I loved Lana's blend of Indie and Baroque Pop with elements of Trip Hop and Dream Pop, and real or fake I thought the vintage flair was to die for.  You can argue that Lana Del Rey was manufactured for success, or you can artist that she was a horrible role model with the lyrics she was painting,  but I couldn't get enough of her.  Lana's short "Paradise" EP that followed was a pleasant listen.  It wasn't the most exciting or groundbreaking of her work, but it accompanied her first album nicely.  On 2014's "Ultraviolence" though, Lana started mixing things up a bit.  Here, Lana dropped her Tough Girl persona and Trip Hop vibes, for a more Baroque Pop and Dream Pop vibe, which alienated some listeners and also brought in new ones.  The much dreamier tracks here certainly made the atmosphere a little tougher to get into.  However, I thought it fit her personality really nicely.  Tracks like "Cruel World" with its desert rock influence were just so cool, but I also understood how some would still conceive her as sort of fake (I.E. "Brooklyn Baby", that track just shouldn't exist).  2015's "Honeymoon" showed Lana mature even further.  Here. her retro lounge singer vibe had been perfected.  There were some of Lana's most haunting and beautiful songs to date, like "Religion" and "God Knows I Tried", and overall was an incredibly solid Baroque Pop album.  Lana is back, with her first album in 2 years.  For the most part, these singles have been pretty fantastic, except for a certain one which should have never happened, but we'll get to that.  Let's talk about this new Lana Del Rey album.

(The song that basically made Lana famous)

This album starts out with “Love”, and overall this is just such a great sound for Lana.  The soft atmosphere, the very smokey vocals, it’s something that has always worked well for her.  On the other hand, I also really like the very innocent and sweet atmosphere of this.  It’s just so much easier to swallow than her fake tough girl persona from a few years ago.  Now, let’s talk about these instrumentals.  To be honest, some of these crescendos are absolutely gigantic, making for some seriously chilling moments when Lana does it all right.  Overall, “Love” rules.  I feel like Lana has come such a long way, she even sounds more mature and level headed on tracks like this.  I’m so glad this one started off this album.  Now, going into this album, I had such huge hopes for the title track, “Lust For Life”. Instrumentally, this one takes a lot of the same dreamy, Baroque Pop elements that have treated Lana so well over the years.  However, the instrumental like this album’s intro continues to be so big and epic.  Now, “Lust For Life” features guest vocals by The Weeknd, and I’ve always in a really weird way felt like he and Lana are meant for each other.  As far as The Weeknd goes, he sounds actually really fantastic amongst this atmosphere.  There’s a sort of vintage feel to this as well which is something Lana has worked with seemingly forever.  Not so shockingly, it works out great for her once again.  Another returning element to “Lust For Life” is just this huge tragic element that Lana has worked with since day 1.  It’s that “Born To Die” attitude that she just can’t seem to get away from time and time again.  However, it ends up working really well for her.  The very lavish and instrumentally grand sound to all of this continues onto “13 Beaches”.  The instrumentals on this one actually come off seriously classy, with some fantastic little details here and there.  Now, Lana’s music has always been very hit and miss with people.  And while I’m totally digging all of this, I know PLENTY of people who are not going to be into her usual very breathy, monotonous singing.  But for me, tracks like this have such an atmosphere to them.  She keeps going for these very epic, slow burning songs on this album.  But to be honest, since Lana’s music isn’t usually too upbeat, it adds a certain punch that’s always been missing from Lana’s music.  Then we have the chorus on “13 Beaches”, which actually comes off as some of her strongest singing I’ve probably heard ever.  The mellow mood on this one and the very dreary atmosphere just work so well.  So far, Lana, you’ve outdone yourself.  The very dreamy and somber mood continues onto “Cherry”, and by this point, that atmosphere isn’t going to change.  I continue to love so many of the little details on these tracks.  For example, the “Yup’s” in the background on this one giving it a slight Hip-Hop edge (which we should have sort of seen coming), as well as some of the seriously suffocating production.  It’s all done at such a slow pace though that you’re just dying to hear what happens next.  I actually REALLY love just how bluesy and seriously tortured this one comes off as.  Like, in the past I always sort of felt like Lana didn’t have much to be “tortured” over.  But this track seriously makes you feel for her, and I’m glad I can say that.  It’s one of the more powerful tunes I’ve heard from her in ages.  

    “White Mustang” up next is a serious blast from the past for Lana.  To be honest, though, I really don’t mean that in the best way.  I feel like it’s tracks like this that really turn off people from enjoying Lana’s music in general.  That whole “Woe is me” attitude is back, and here it comes off as just a little too much.  The beat is alright, and when it comes in I feel like it certainly mixes things up a big at least.  But overall I just feel like Lana’s songwriting couldn't be more off on this track.  Some of the early tracks here showed maturation while sticking with her usual formula.  This on the other hand, seems like such a backtrack.  Also, at under 3 minutes, this easily could have been left out.  Then we have a track that has me all over the place with so many mixed feelings thrown in.  That’s right boys and girls, “Summer Bummer” featuring A$AP Rocky and Playboi Carti.  Now, Lana actually sounds totally fine here, and her hook is actually really great on this one.  As a a matter of fact, A$AP Rocky and her actually has a whole lot of really great chemistry with Lana’s very dreary tone. But the beat here, quite frankly is really underwhelming.  Then, we have Playboi Carti and his seriously asinine Ad-Libs which are completely a waste of time.  So yea, this one certainly does NOT work for me.  But man, with a more interesting beat and if Playboi Carti wen away, this could have been a seriously great tune.  Also, I do really like when the beat gets a little more intense and Lana breaks away around the 3 minute mark.  Now, up next is “Groupie Love” once again featuring A$AP Rocky.  At the very least, this track has Lana sounding so much more at home.  Once again, I actually feel like Lana and Rocky have a TON of chemistry.  She’s always worked with this sort of dreary hip hop sound, which is usually what Rocky works with, so they come together really nicely.  The beat here is so much more dreamy and hazy that I can’t get enough of it.   Now as far as lyrics go, this one is certainly a little more trashy, to be honest.  It’s the reason that a lot of people didn’t like the “Born To Die” era of Lana’s music.  But to be honest, it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard from her.  I do like the very big hook as well as the continued epic feel to this as well, so I’m totally down with “Groupie Love”.   “In My Feelings” is up next, and I continue to love just how beefy and strong the production has been coming out.  Lana once again is going for that “Bad Girl” route.  But to be honest, I feel like amongst this atmosphere it comes off as sort of sexy.  It’s a little cheesy, and if you didn’t like the “Born To Die” era, you’re not going to dig this, period.  But I think “In My Feelings” adds a little bite and sharpness to this fairly grand album so far.  But at the same time, Lana seems to at the very least care about the guys she's singing about, so that’s a plus.  

    The very intoxicating atmosphere continues with “Coachella-Woodstock In My Mind”.  I do have to say that Lana really did bring in the feel of festivals like Coachella into this one nicely.  Now, I feel like people are certainly right in saying this track is just a little bloated and full of itself.  And to an extent, I do feel like this one is just a little bit of a stretch for Lana, especially with the feel of the rest of the album.  However, the beat is solid, and as far as the beat goes Lana sounds fine among this very hip atmosphere.  It’s a fine tune, even though it lacks the sort of epic and grand feel as the rest of the tracks here.  But ohhhhhhh BOY.  On the other hand, “God Bless America - And all the Beautiful Women In It”, is pretty damn terrible sadly.  This track is so folky and light, I feel like Lana shouldn’t be anywhere near this atmosphere.  Speaking of atmosphere, there really isn’t much of one on here at all, at least it’s not nearly as intoxicating. Now, I don’t know about you, but if the last track was sort of full of itself, this track is incredibly full of itself.  Not to mention, Lana’s vocals are just so uninspired and bored sounding here.  If she’s going to tackle such a big tune like this, she really has to back it up better.  To be honest, this sadly is probably the most skip-worthy track here.  Lana up next goes for another sort of Folk jam, “When The World Was at War We Kept Dancing”.  Thankfully though, this one is much more dark, and incorporates the sort of Desert Rock we heard on “Ultraviolence”.  In general, this atmosphere is just so thick and dreary, I honestly love it.  The very off kilter beat that pops in does take some time to get used to.  But Lana’s very haunting vocal performance that comes with it makes it much easier to swallow.  I actually end up really loving the acoustic strumming, which let’s be honest could have been laughably cheesy.  For a more intricate track, "When the World Was at War We Kept Dancing” works really nicely.  Up next is "Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” featuring Stevie Nicks.  Now, being a gigantic fan of Stevie I was really interested in hearing this.  Sadly though I’m once again not really feeling this at all.  A lot of these “ballads” as a matter have face have been so hit or miss with Lana to be honest.  But I just can’t shake the feeling that once again, this one’s a little full of itself.  I really thought Lana was beyond tracks like this.  However, Stevie sounds seriously really good.  To be honest, I feel like her verse actually redeems this one quite a bit.  So overall, it’s not too bad 

    Then we have “Tomorrow Never Came” featuring Sean Ono Lennon.  Lana continues to be going so hard with this sort of Folky Ballad sound.  But to be honest, this one actually comes off really well.  I do like Lana’s more haunting vocals on this one that give this almost a Freak Folk sound.  It’s a very dreamy sound, with a very different sort of vintage sound than we’re used to hearing from Lana.  To an extent, t his comes off like a decent nod to the Sunshine Pop of the early 70’s.  Now, there are some awfully cheesy lyrics occasionally, and a few cringe-worthy nods to Classic Rock.  Plus, that line about singing with Sean Lennon was ridiculously bad.  But outside of that, Lana and Sean actually have some seriously nice chemistry together.  Lana, when she tries, can actually pull this “sunshine” California Folk sound off really nicely.  Not to mention, some of the harmonies between these two are surprisingly really good.  Not bad at all Lana.  Now, “Heroin” doesn’t really have the same sound as the rest of the album at all.  To be honest, this is the barest sounding Lana Del Rey track we’ve heard in quite some time.  It actually gives us a real chance to focus on Lana, something we haven’t gotten in a few tracks.  But this one just comes off so seriously dismal and depressing.  Lana literally sounds completely empty and hurt here. “Heroin” does end up really sticking with you though, just because of how haunting and powerful it is.  This one does take a little while to get going, but the results are seriously worth it.  It’s quiet yes, but for a slow burner, it’s one of the best executed on the entire album.  And I just can’t help but to bring it up again; I can’t remember the last time I heard such a heavy sadness to Lana, and she’s made a career out of this sound.  Then we have “Charge” with Lana once again sticking with these much softer, ballad like tracks.  Now, I really REALLY want to like this track overall But the instrumental here is just so flat, and there’s no atmosphere to be found.  Not to mention, Lana just seems so worn out here, and I feel like we’ve got this track about 5 other times on this album.  However, there is a silver lining here.  I do enjoy a lot of the hopeful lyrics, which is actually a really nice change of pace for Lana.  I just wish instrumentally this was grander like some of the earlier material here.  Because lyrically, “Change” is incredible.  I would even say that it’s a track that’s seriously necessary for this album.  Lana however, saves one of the album’s finest for last.  “Get Free” is refreshing right from its opening mysterious guitar tones and smokey vocals.  This one on so many levels is just so well done.  I like the sort of dark, tropical feel to this one, and the backing, layered vocals are really sweet as well.  Her vocals are catchy, and as far as a hook goes, it’s the most infectious thing we’ve heard in a while.  I feel like this is the sound she was working with for “Ultraviolence” but updated.  The result is seriously compelling and lovable, and a wonderful finale.  

Rating: 8.3/10

Give A Listen To: “Love”, “Lust For Life”, “Cherry”, “In My Feelings”

Overall Thoughts:  Lana tries a lot of new things on this album.  From the very grand and epic Baroque Pop tunes to more hazy Hip-Hop inspired tunes, to a lot of hit or miss ballads.  The result is her most varied, yet seemingly true-to-self release from Lana yet. There are certainly some awkward, self absorbed moments.  But for the most part, this is an album that you're going to want to hear if you're a Lana Del Rey fan of any level.

Shabazz Palaces - Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star AND Shabazz Palaces - Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines

When I first heard Shabazz Palaces back a few years ago, I really didn't know what to think at first.  I knew it was unlike anything I'd heard in a while but there was so much going on in their music that it was almost overwhelming.  On their 2011 debut "Black Up", Shabazz Palaces didn't hold back a single punch.  The production on this album was bombastic and huge, the beats were artsy and left field, and the performances were ridiculous and non-stop.  There were plenty of very experimental tracks like "Free Press and Curl" and spoken word based tracks like "Endeavors for Never", while Tracks like "Youlogy" brought in a more aggressive sound.  Overall, this album was a stunning intro to Shabazz Palaces.  Their next album, 2014's "Lese Majesty", I enjoyed just as much, hell maybe even a little more.  Their performances were just as stunning and genre defining, but the beats and instrumentals were so much more playful and inviting.  So far, Shabazz Palaces have been on quite the roll.  Shabazz Palaces are back now, with not one, but two albums.  These early singles have been of course, pretty out there, but decent for the most part.  Let's talk about these albums!

First Up: 

Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star

This album starts off with the very dark and strange “Since C.A.Y.A.”.  But obviously, we’re going to hear a lot of dark and strange stuff here.  I do like some of the small details like the funky bass as well as some of the heavily edited vocal snippets.  Then the verses start, which are also pretty heavily edited.  But it comes off really hypnotic, to be honest, as hard to follow as it is.  The music of Shabazz Palaces will obviously always demand a few listens, and this is no different.  But the result is an abstract, looming, hypnotic nightmare of a Hip Hop intro.  “Since C.A.Y.A.” set the tone very well for this very Dystopian album.  Some of the little details in the production are ridiculous, to be honest.  Going forward, we’re not going to be getting too many catchy hooks or popping choruses, but that’s ok.  As far as a truly far out intro of an album goes, “Since C.A.Y.A. works great”.  “When Cats Claw” is up next, and this one has a whole lot more of a banging beat and is a little easier to swallow.  Like, if you really haven’t listened to the music of Shabazz Palaces up until now, it might be easier to get into their style with a more accessible track like this.  There’s a very old school flow to this one to an extent, which comes almost completely from Ishmael Butler’s Digable Planets past.  It’s smooth and interesting, but for me, it’s a little too uneventful for my liking.  I do like elements in Ishmael’s flow as well as the jazzy vibe.  But outside of that, this one doesn’t do too much me sadly.  On the other hand, right off the bat, “Shine A Light” featuring Thaddillac is everything I could have asked for and more.  This is still so left of the dial of everything happening right now in hip hop.  But there’s just so many elements to this one that hooks you right off the bat, like that very classy string sample and that vocal snippet that starts this track off.  It still comes off very experimental and Avant-Garde.  But so many small elements to this one really stick with you, which is something that I can’t really say about most of the album. I love the very spacey flow on this one and the very hazy atmosphere as well.  Alli can say about “Shine A Light”, is HELL YES.  Then we have “Dèesse Du Sang”, with bizarre samples that I would swear were like, and Oboe or something.  It’s seriously eerie and goes along really well with the spacey feel to the rest of this album.  It’s not catchy, it’s not gonna get you up and moving, but man does it stick with you.  It’s just so suffocating, so dark and it really brings you into the very twisted atmosphere of what we’ve been given here.  Then we have some of the very quiet and even more twisted vocal snippets that give this an even creepier tone.  I don’t know what I’m listening to half the time, but man this is great.  

    You never really know what you’re going to hear from Shabazz Palaces, however, because up next “Eel Dreams” sounds like an edgy sounding B-Side on a commercial Raap album.  I don’t think it necessarily comes off bad, I do enjoy a whole lot of the flow here and the swagger of this track carries things nicely.  But I do feel like this is a little bit of a stretch for Shabazz Palaces.  While I’m not crazy about this, I certainly see what’s to dig about this.  I do miss the heavier atmosphere of some of the earlier tracks, but “Eel Dreams” isn’t the worst track I’ve heard here.  Then we have “Parallax” featuring The Palaceer Lazaro, which I swear is the absolute polar opposite in sound.  This one is a nose dive right back into the more abstract side of things.  And once again, I do like a whole lot of the elements here, like the jazzy drums and the intense deliveries.  But I just feel like this track was a little bit of an afterthought for Shabazz Palaces.   “Parallax” could have easily been something so much more intense and explosive, but I just feel like this track was written super last minute.  Plus, this one is so short that as soon as I get in the groove, it’s over.  “Fine Ass Hairdresser” however, is the sort of spacey and over the top track that I love to hear from Shabazz Palaces.  I love the gigantic production on this one, as well as the seriously hypnotizing verses.  When Shabazz Palaces of their sound right, it just comes off so hip and different than anything else being produced right now.  “Fine Ass Hairdresser” actually has a serious funk to it, as well as almost an old school Jazz Rap feel to it all.  But it also has just enough swagger and attitude for it to seriously pop.  Then we have “The Neurochem Mixalogue”, which is easily one of the most stunning performances here.  Between the very dreary tones, the even drearier vocal snippets, and the very icy synths this one sticks with you.  In a weird way, this comes off as some sort of futuristic slow jam.  But if this is what the future holds, sign me up right now.  I love the very off kilter groove to this one that seems to be coming straight from the shadows themselves, and the very left field beat that you can never seriously put your finger on.  “The Neurochem Mixalogue” is BRILLIANT.  

    The very off kilter feel and strange beats continue into “That’s How City Life Goes”, and honestly things are even a little harder to place here.  I do like the lighter atmosphere actually and just how whimsical and airy some of these instrumentals are.  But then, halfway through we get this beat switch-up that ushers in some funkier and more accessible and hypnotic bars from Ishmael Butler.  “That’s How City Life Goes” seriously works for me.  It’s simple, but it expands the plot and does a great job of making this very thick atmosphere even thicker.  Then we have “Moon Whip Quäz”, featuring Darrius.  Where did this track even come from?  Out of nowhere, we get this Synth-Rap Odyssey that has a retro tinge to it as well as enough of a futuristic edge to keep it working with the theme of the album.  But it also remains seriously hypnotic and stunning.  All we learn from tracks like “Moon Whip Quäz”, is that Shabazz Palaces have so much range that it’s almost overwhelming.  Some of the later effects used on their vocals give this even more of a grim feel.  What a KILLER track.  Say though, this album ends off with a dud in the form of “Federalist Papers”.  This one is just so quiet.  Honestly, though, I don’t have a problem with that, I think some of the vocals here are actually really pleasant.  But after the constant barrage of everything else we’ve heard so far, I was I ever expecting more from this finale.  

Rating: 7.6/10

Give A Listen To: “Shine A Light”, “Dèesse Du Sang”, “Moon Whip Quäz”, “The Neurochem Mixalogue”

Next Up: 

Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines

This album starts off with “Welcome to Quazarz”, and instantly this one goes right back to the very dismal, underground sounds of its companion album.  I feel like listening to this, I’m spying on some huge rebellious gathering taking place in the sewers of some Dystopian society.  Which is good and all, but I’m gonna be honest, I’m really not feeling the production of this one at all.  It’s just so tinny and Low-Fi, which is something that really doesn’t do this track a single lick of justice.  The off kilter verses aren’t too bad, but I feel like this isn’t explosive, thought provoking intro that I was hoping we were going to get on this album.  I’m not impressed at all sadly.   I do however love how over the top and ridiculous “Gorgeous Sleeper Cell”  I love when Shabazz Palaces go all out like this, slathering on the effects which give this such an atmosphere that it’s impenetrable.  This one is hypnotic, interesting, and surprisingly hip sounding.  My only real issue with this one is, why is this track only 2 minutes long?  I was so ready for this one to go so much longer and go deeper into the album's themes.  But outside of that, I have no complaints about this one at all.  Not to mention, I just love the harshness and the industrial elements to this.  Then we have “Self Made Follownaire”, which follows in the same sort of harshness, but it’s also almost psychedelic in a way.  This may actually be the most completely out there sounding track on either one of these albums.  But the very cloudy vibe to this one actually really works for Shabazz Palaces.  It continues to have such a dreary, dystopian vibe to it that I can’t get enough of.  As far as that goes, I feel like Shabazz Palaces really have done wonderful bringing us into this world they created.  Not to mention, I love some of the grizzly visuals that occasionally get oddly hilarious as well.  It’s hypnotic, it’s intriguing, this all just works so well of Shabazz Palaces.  The very thick, suffocating vibe continues with “Atlaantis”.  But as far as the verses on this one go, to be honest, they’re putting me to sleep.  I like a lot of the elements of the production and the beat and all, especially some of the very hazy backing instrumentals.  But I just can’t get past the verses here.  I really don’t even know what the hell Shabazz Palaces were going for.  This slightly over two-minute track would have been so much better as a straight up instrumental, to be honest.  

    “Effeminence” is up next, featuring Fly Guy Dai, and honestly this one actually works for me a LOT.  The very thick production is back as well as that very suffocating atmosphere.  But the very dreamy atmosphere makes this one even more Psychedelic and hypnotic.  I love how intense and rattling some of the verses are here, to be honest, I didn’t think Shabazz Palaces could pull off a dreamy track so well.  In a weird way, this is almost an oddly uplifting track in the midst of all of these very dark and dreary tracks.  “Effeminence” however is a track that I think really needed to be done.  It’s the longest track here by far, but being almost 6 minutes long it feels refreshing and complete. I also really love some of the instrumentals in the last minute and a half or so, not bad at all.  “Julians’s Dream (Ode To The Bad)” featuring The Shotgun Shot, however, brings us right back to the more intense side of things.  Instantly this one is going for the same sort of intense, very claustrophobic feel.  But I dunno, the verses on this one do little to nothing for me.  While the performances are very in your face, I feel like as a complete package this one is messy.  The production on “Julian’s Dream” is a little questionable, and the beat here is easily one of the weakest and least interesting we’ve heard so far.  Even the lyrics themselves do almost nothing for me.  Yes, the chorus does increase the production and comes off pretty stunning.  But everything else about this one is just not for me.   Sadly, a whole lot of the rest of this album is forgettable and underwhelming.  While I do like the very hypnotic repeated intro of “JOIN US” on “30 Clip Extension”, I feel like tracks like this try really too hard to bring in the thoughts and story of this album.  This is just a little too much.  The verses aren’t inspired by anything and surely aren’t fiery or aggressive.  The only thing this track DOES do is make the story of this album a little harder to comprehend.  Then we have these lyrical moments out of nowhere that are supposed to be big political statements as well as statements about society.  I just really don’t buy it, at all.  The beat is weak, the atmosphere is flaky, I just expect so much more.  Then we have “Love In The Time Of Kanye” featuring Purple Tape Nate.  Now, this one certainly has the production and the beat down pact.  I love the airiness to this one that goes up against this very booming beat.  But as far as the verses go on this one, they seem a little uninspired which really stinks.  But I think this is slightly more in the right direction, but what does that even mean at this point in the album?  But then again, “Love In The Time of Kanye” is barely over 2 minutes.  Where the hell is the content boys?

    This spiral of tracks that seriously aren’t that good continue with “Sabonim in the Saab on ‘em”.  I do like the sort of Low-Key Jazz elements to this.  But man, these beats and atmospheres continue to be just so FLAT.  There are some great ideas here, like some of the smaller instrumental moments in the background.  But all of this continues to come off so incomplete sounding.  Like, the atmosphere is really effective too, but outside of that, there’s barely anything about this one grabbing me.   “The SS Quintessence” up next continues to interest me from a production standpoint.  But once again, what are Shabazz Palaces even going for?  I’m always down for a little abstract, left field rap.  But there’s no purpose to so much of this, and I feel like most of this was written when Shabazz Palaces were half asleep.  Lyrically, this is certainly interesting and helps this album proceed forward really nicely.  But as far as everything else goes, this one is hard to hear without falling asleep.  I want to like tracks like “Thee SS Quintessence”, because there’s just so much here that IS quality.  The flows are fine, hell even the atmosphere is on point.  But altogether, this is not nearly as stunning as it could have been.  Then we have “Late Night Phone Calls” featuring Laz.  At the very least, I do like the very hulking and suffocating sound of this one which is just so much more ear-grabbing.  I do like how intense this is, and I also really love the return to the very cloudy and hazy sound.  It honestly reminds me a lot of their early material, in the best way.  Listening to this, I have no idea what I’m even hearing, it all just sounds so other worldly.  But I love every minute of it.  It’s haunting, bizarre, and possibly the dreariest thing we’ve heard so far.  The finale here is “Quazarz on 23rd”, which once again has seriously a lot going for it.  I do like the very intense delivery even though the beat is more low key, there are some Jazz Rap influences as well.  This track is just so simple for Shabazz Palaces, but it works so well.  To the point where to be honest this doesn’t even come off as a finale, it sounds like Shabazz Palaces still have plenty left in their tank.  This album was so much messier than its companion, and I wanted so much more out of it.  

Rating: 6.3/10

Give A Listen To:  "Gorgeous Sleeper Cell", "Self-Made Follownaire”, "Effeminence", "Late Night Phone Calls"

Overall Thoughts: Ok first off, I'm just gonna say it, there really didn't need to be BOTH of these album's released right now.  Like, I feel like the first portion of this album "Born On A Gangster Star" is strong and shows the duo at some of the most creative they've been in ages. The tracks on that portion are sleek, hip, and intense with some really fantastic production.  But then we have the second album released, "Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines".  This album isn't NEARLY as well done as its companion.  Here, Shabazz Palaces sound worn down and in a creative slump.  So I'm really sort of torn on these albums.  I really honestly wish one of them was released.  But for hardcore Shabazz Palaces fans, you'll want to hear this