Danny Brown - "Atrocity Exhibition"

Danny Brown since his arrival on the rap scene years ago has gotten quite the reputation.   I started hearing about his music around the time he was touring behind his "XXX" mixtape.  Danny's reputation as Rap's most out of control part boy grew quickly, as his shows were described as "completely ridiculous", and if you've listened to "XXX" you probably understand why.  "XXX" since than has become more or less my favorite mixtape ever. The first half is absolutely dominated by drug and alcohol fueled bangers, with Danny painting himself as this tragic drug addict who just doesn't know when to stop, but was having a damn good time doing it.  But what made "XXX" just so interesting, was Danny's approach to the second half, where Danny dove very deep into reasons why this lifestyle doesn't work.  The second half of "XXX" had people overdosing left and right, pregnant teenagers with no idea who the father is while struggling through school, as well as deep depictions of Danny's own rough upbringing.  Needless to say, Danny's music has character and LOTS of it.   Even if you listen to interviews with Danny, he's such a fascinating person.  While most current rap artists go into interviews talking about how much Tupac or N.W.A. inspired them, Danny goes into most interviews raving about Joy Division and Radiohead, as well as his love of Natalie Prass (Danny, we gotta grab a beer sometime, we have so much to talk about).  On Danny's next studio effort with "Old", Danny more or less dove even deeper down these two extremes.  He created even heavier drug bangers, as well as even more depressing moments diving deeper into his own psyche, while hopping on a much glossier produced album with some huge guest spots.  And ever since, Danny has grown bigger constantly with huge guest spots on albums, as well as a hysterical guest spot on The Eric Andre Show.  But I digress, this intro is long enough as it is.  As far as rap albums go, I've been anticipating this a LONG time, so here is Danny Brown's "Atrocity Exhibition"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30pYD2fpkRU

(Classic. Classic. CLASSIC.)

“Atrocity Exhibition” starts off with the grizzly, near suicidal “Downward Spiral”.  Danny when he’s not popping pills and other stupid things, can pull off that paranoid vibe so well, and this may be his most paranoid moment yet.  Danny has always worked with beats that you really wouldn’t hear anywhere else, but this is just so far left of the dial.  That horn or whatever that is crooning constantly behind Danny adds so much to the atmosphere, as Danny brings us up to speed, and boy is it scared than most of the horror movies I’ve seen.  “Downward Spiral” shows Danny at his most grizzly, as he brings us inside what he’s feeling like never before.  He talks about being trapped inside of a room, or at least feeling like he’s trapped, as well as hearing voices.  Danny’s painted himself as a major drug user for years, but has always been sure to bring us the harsh repercussions as well.  But THIS, this is almost too real, like “Requiem For A Dream” level.  Danny claims he only answers the phone when it’s his drug dealer, he never answers his door, his life is literally falling apart and we have no choice as the lister but to sit here and watch.  The beat comes off as almost an avant-garde piece, it’s so incredibly unsettling even without Danny’s depictions of what his life has become.  Danny’s always been a “tragic” character, but this is a whole new level.  There’s just so much sorrow in his verse, it’s almost overwhelming.  We’ve heard Danny dance around the subject of suicide for years, literally since the opening moments of his classic “XXX” mixtape, but it’s never been this real.  “Downward Spiral” also has a very biographical feel, almost reminding me of Tyler The Creator’s “Doctor TC” intro tracks (“Bastard” and “Goblin” for all you Non-OFWGKTA aficionados), but even the beat itself is just so tragic.  It’s not the most exciting track on here by far, but it’s a spectacle in it’s own right and theres so much to dive into.  Let’s move on before I pray for Danny’s sanity anymore.  Up next is one of my favorite’s on here, “Tell Me What I Don’t Know”.  Now this track is completely different, it has an almost Sci-Fi feel to it.  Right off the bat we can see that Danny has brought out his deeper delivery, and when he does that usually shit is about to get VERY real.  That’s fine, it can get as real as Danny wants, at least he’s left his house or apartment or whatever.   Danny on “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” comes back to another older topic he’s grazed plenty of times in the past, his upbringing and growing up in Detroit.  This is a topic that DOMINATED his “XXX” mixtape, but yet the depictions here are some of his most grizzly ever as he comments he was “living in shit”.  The beat here is so minimal, not flashy in every sense of the word, but on beats like this is where Danny truly lets his character shine.  The hook/chorus is so focused, Danny sounds so frantic it’s fantastic, especially amongst the chilling atmosphere.   Out of nowhere after the chorus the beat REALLY picks up and Danny goes back into another grizzly depiction of his upbringing, and he sounds absolutely vicious.  His flow over the years has gotten so solid, THAT IS when he wants it to be.  As fa as his sound goes as a whole, Danny has always been on the more ambitious side, but this is an all time high.  Like most of the rest of this album, “Tell Me What I Don’t Know” is super artsy and colorful.  Not to mention, Danny’s deeper delivery sounds better than ever.  Later on we have the almost psychedelic “Ain’t It Funny”.  The beat on this one fears no man whatsoever, it’s one of the most up front and blaring instrumentals here.  If any other MC popped on this beat besides Danny, the beat would literally swallow them whole and become just obnoxious.  Danny though makes it his own and sounds right at home amongst the sheer chaos.  It almost sounds like Danny sampled something out of The Elephant Six record label’s catalogue, I digress though.  “Ain’t It Funny” is sheer chaos and doesn’t let up until it’s over.  Not to mention, while this album may be Danny’s most visceral and dark album, it’s also his most colorful, what a combo.  Speaking of colorful, “Dance In The Water” comes out of freakin’ nowhere late in the album as a really straight up fun track.  Yes folks, FUN, coming from the guy who 30 minutes earlier was sitting in his apartment not talking to anybody but his drug dealer.  There are a few tracks on here that dive into almost a tribal feel, and “Dance In The Water” is absolutely one of them.  To be honest though, what it REALLY reminds me of is…..well…..”Atrocity Exhibition” by Joy Division.  Did you hear that?  That was the collective sound of all of your jaws dropping all at once.  Going into this, Danny has said in numerous interviews that Joy Division was a HUGE inspiration for this album.  And I mean c’mon seriously, those drums are almost ripped directly out of the song by Joy Division that inspired this entire album.  Whether that was intentional or not, it’s freakin cool.  Ok ok, I’m done having my moment.  Danny on “Dance In The Water” is absolutely oozing with personality, but when isn’t he?  Lyrically, God only knows what the hell he’s talking about, but this is just so over the top that I can’t say no to it.  Is “Dance In The Water” the most skillful track you’re going to hear this year?  Absolutely not.  However, it fits Danny Brown’s colorful, sometimes dreary, always drug fueled world. On “Lost”, 10 seconds in Danny’s making Stanley Kubrick references, gotta love this guy.  The beats on “Atrocity Exhibition” are so dark and surreal sounding, not to mention Danny sounds more direct than ever on so many of these tracks.  Danny is not your every day MC, and I seriously doubt he ever will be.  Yea he may bring up the same topics occasionally, but outside of that Danny simply bleeds originality.  The beats he finds himself on nobody else would even dream of touching, but Danny absolutely kills on them.  Not to mention, I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it plenty more in my life, but Danny lays so much of his life on the line in his songs, I feel like I know the guy and I’ve known him for years.  Solid work.

I’d say it’s about time to dig into some singles!  Let’s start off with the earliest track released from this album,  “When It Rain”.  The first time I heard this track, I really didn’t know what to make of it.  But as time has gone on, it’s become one of my favorite Danny tracks ever.  The pulsating synths that start this track off are just so damn unsettling and creepy sounding, and Danny’s delivery once he comes in and gets warmed up is absolutely beyond vicious.  Never in all the years I’ve listened to him have I heard him with such urgency and energy.  Not to mention, this beat is easily as paranoid sounding as he does.  It’s not a catchy beat, not even close.  No, this beat is frantic, constantly moving, almost hyperactive sounding.  Everything about “When It Rain” is intense, and Danny’s constantly speeding up delivery building up to the explosive chorus does nothing but wonders for the frantic atmosphere.  Not only one of my favorite tracks here, but one of my favorite Rap singles of the year.  “Pneumonia” on the other hand, upon hearing was really disappointed.  While “When It Rain” was literally everything I wanted to hear Danny do, “Pneumonia” is don’t want to hear him do.  At it’s core, this one is just a straight up rap tune that you can literally hear anywhere.  Eww.  Danny tries to save his ass with a few oddball switch-ups in the beat, but at the end of the day “Pneumonia” is just so freakin’ bland.  And it’s a shame too, because there are some moments here that are legitimately really wild.  Danny’s overall performance here is just so disappointing.  Not t mention, on top of all the straightforward rap cliche’s, at the end of the day this is just another drug fest.  After Danny dropped “XXX” years ago, he was very verbal in the way he was upset that people latched on to him as this “party rapper”.  But then I hear tracks like this and it’s like, well no shit people are going to label you as that.  I just expect so much more from him.  On the other hand completely, “Really Doe” is exactly what I do want to hear him on.  First off, what a dream team we have assembled here, between Danny Brown, Ab-Soul, Kendrick Lamar, and my boy Earl Sweatshirt.  The beat is centered around this sort of whimsical keyboard line that works great with this squad of MC’s.  From the moment Danny opens his mouth on this track, it’s clearly his most bizarre, animated, and over-the-top performance yet (any fan of his work on “XXX” will absolutely eat this up).  Kendrick handles the chorus (as well as his own verse in due time), but really does a solid job on it.  It’s simple, but it doesn’t take anything away from the verses and it’s catchy enough to stick with you.  Then we get to Ab-Soul’s verse.  To be honest, I’ve never listened to his solo stuff.  But every time this dude’s featured on a track, I’m always digging his flow and everything else he brings to the table.  Ab-Soul hops on this beat and sounds just fine, and here’s a freakin shocker: Kendrick absolutely slay’s his verse, who would have thunk.  However, on “Really Doe” I think the real show-stealer is Earl.  His verse is absolutely nasty, this dude just keeps getting better every year, “Really Doe” really lives up to the hype people had for this track going into it.  While we’re on the topic of features, lets chat about “Rolling Stone” and “From The Ground”.  First up: “Rolling Stone” featuring Petite Noir.  Early on in the record, this chilled out track gives us a well needed few minutes of reprieve following all the frantic nonstop beats and Danny’s overwhelming personality.  Petite Noir’s haunting, deep delivery is absolutely right at home on a Danny Brown track, especially on these oddball beats that could never receive any radio airplay.  Now while Danny usually paints himself as this basket case of a human being, he’s actually a really smart dude with a lot to say.  One line I just love is “Some people say I think too much, I don't think they think enough”, good on you Danny, speak up dude.  As the track goes on, the beat becomes more and more funky.  To be honest, I’m absolutely loving the chemistry between Danny and Petite Noir, it gives the album an even more off kilter feel.  As completely whacked out as Danny sounds here, these two pull off an incredibly smooth track, and I couldn’t be happier.  Later on in the album, “From The Ground” featuring alternative R&B artist Kelela is just another really freakin’ solid track.   I keep bringing up just how bizarre some of these beats are but COME ON.  This one is totally left field on an album that’s been one strange beat after another, and I love every minute of it.  On some of these more dark,minimal beats, Danny always shines so bright.  Not to mention, we have Kelela’s vocals here doing just wonders and adding a spacey sort of vibe amongst Danny’s more deeper delivery.  And on top of all of that, on “From The Ground” we’re getting some of Danny’s most introspective, thought provoking lyrics (coming from a guy who referenced Squidward and his clarinet 8 seconds into his first mixtape, I’m very pleased).  For a track that’s only a little over 2 minutes, I’m really impressed.  Meanwhile, the hook here is almost heavenly amongst this spacey, black hole of a beat, giving this whole track almost an FKA Twigs feel, it’s amazing.  Danny, unlike most rappers doesn’t do collaborations a lot, but when he does, they’re special, for the most part (But we’ll get to that in a few).  

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

Damn this a long review.  But you know what, this album and Danny Brown in general just has so much to dig into and discuss.  Take for example “Goldust” just about halfway through the album.  Out of nowhere we get Danny rapping over one of the funkiest grooves I’ve heard all year.  There’s some odd world music influence in there, loud horns, a huge funk, and Danny over all of it just being himself really.  As far as personality goes, this is absolutely the Danny Brown of “XXX” fame, so much drugs and alcohol in one place should be illegal.  Now here’s a great moment to bring up just the sheer amount of rock influence there is on this album.  We KNOW Danny is influenced by Radiohead and other greats, we KNOW Danny wants to die like a rockstar, but the feel to so many of these tracks here is straight out a more rock album.  On top of that, there’s the obvious instrumentals which have plenty of guitars and other rock instrumentals strewn in.  While at the same time, Danny stays loyal to rap and doesn't lose an ounce of street credit, and THAT’S commendable.  Now so far, my review has been all positive, but I have to get out a few grievances then I’ll wrap it up.  First, “Today” late in the album just underwhelms me to no extent.  The intro is eye opening and really interesting, but the beat that it quickly transitions into is just okay.  But Danny here is the real downer.  To be honest, I love his deeper delivery, but on “Today” Danny just sounds not himself.  He doesn’t sound paranoid, he almost sounds at peace with himself.  That’s cool and all, but we know for a fact that Danny’s his same old self, this just doesn’t work.  And it’s a shame, because this track has one of the better hooks on the entire album.  That children’s choir did wonders up against Danny’s repeated lyric of “You never ever know when your time to go is”.  Like, the verses are solid, I just expect more.  However, when that beat picks up towards the end, things do pick up for a bit.  “White Lines” earlier on isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s not really all that good either.  The jazzy horn at the intro is cool and all, but as things roll on nothing exciting happens.  His verses here just sound sloppy, but once again Danny IS on to something atleast, because that sinister sounding chorus is nothing but fire.  But of course, as soon as that sinister synth’s start creeping up, Danny begins his repeated mantra of “Lines and lines of coke”.  It’s moments like this that make me feel sorry for Danny and realize just how much of a tortured soul he is.  Then I hear “Get Hi” late in the album, and by FAR the worst track here.  Everything about this is literally the exact opposite road that I want to see Danny go down.  We KNOW that Danny smokes pot, for FIVE YEARS we’ve known he smokes pot.  This is literally just a 3 minute ode to every drug in the book, and more than anything it really doesn’t need to be here.  Danny’s verses are laughably bad, there certainly isn’t an interesting beat to latch on to, and B-Real’s verse is exactly what you would expect from him.  This track sucks.  At the very least, Danny does the finale justice.  On “Hell For It”, the beat immediately has a little bite to it which is more than I can say about the tracks that preceded it.  The piano beat is solid, and Danny here is delivering some his most haunting verses yet.  It’s a little late in the album, but he’s choosing now to get super personal with us bringing up his Mother and his upbringing.  Like I said, I wish it was a little earlier so he could go into this further, but this more personal side of Danny is always worth it.  This really isn’t a beat I would think to find Danny on at all, but he pulls it off very well.  His flow here is nothing short of hypnotic, it’s not all over the place, and it’s certainly not mumbled like it was on “Get Hi”.  The chorus is simple, but it’s effective, and it adds plenty.  Needless to say, this is another very very good project from one of Rap’s treasures.  

Rating: 8.6/10

Give A Listen To:  “When It Rain”, “Goldust”, “Ain’t It Funny”, “Tell me What I Don’t Know”.  

Overall Thoughts:  Danny continues to be one of the most animated MC's, but this time he's really outdone himself.  Going into this, I knew it was going to be dark and twisted as well as artsy as hell (As Danny said many years ago, he's a Hipster at heart but can tell you how the streets feel). Danny throughout "Atrocity Exhibition is at his most vicious, constantly throwing everything he has to his name at the listener, often creating violent, psychedelic images.  If you're new to Danny, you may want to go back and grab a listen to his early stuff, but if you're a veteran of Danny's outlandish brand of alternative rap, this is gonna blow your mind.

Preoccupations - "Preoccupations"

Now I usually try to keep an open mind when it comes to new releases, i seriously do.  I like to think I'll never know when an artist is going to surprise me with something I didn't expect to enjoy or not enjoy.  However, this album right here may be my most anticipated release of the year.  Preoccupations are fresh off a name change, they used to go by Viet Cong.  Viet Cong with their self titled debut last year seriously blew my mind, it was everything I wanted in a rock album and was probably the album I listened to most that year.  Then I saw Viet Cong live last year and my obsession with them grew even bigger.  They were playing a festival I was at, and after their performance, they were the most talked about band of the weekend.  Now, fresh off a name change, here's Preoccupations with their first album under this name.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGo7XyXgUJ4

Such a Classic

“Preoccupations” starts off with one of the earliest singles dropped from the album, and a track I’ve been digging for months, “Anxiety”.  “Anxiety” seriously is one hell of a way to start a Preoccupations album, as the atmosphere becomes bleak and chilly almost immediately.  True to it’s title, the intro is loaded with a distant chilly synth line and a slow, calculated bass hook, giving this a very anxious feeling.  Yes, the intro is a tad bit drawn out, but with all that risk comes great reward.  As soon as every other instrument comes chugging in, were dealing with nothing but gold.  Matt Flegel has such a cool voice, when he hits some of those low notes it’s nothing short of post punk bliss.  His voice always compliments the band’s sound and image so well, especially when its combating the strangely harmonious synths during the chorus.  The synths that float in here are literally the only thing hopeful in Preoccupations music, if you want to even call them hopeful.  “Anxiety” isn’t catchy, there are few harmonies, and if you’re having a good day it’s probably going to knock you down a few pegs.  However, it’s slow, bleak and calculating, and I love every single minute of it.  Also, right off the bat, it’s clear that Preoccupations are going for a much more electronic sound, compared to the more distorted fuzzy sound of their past, and they pull this sound off wonderfully.   Up next is “Monotony”, and yes, even their song titles are depressing as all hell.  Right off the bat, those cold synths and drums are back, but this time with a little more guitar making it easier to swallow for casual listeners. The vocals on the other hand are a little harder to grasp this time around, mostly because Matt Flegel’s vocals are absolutely drenched in affects this time around.  “”Monotony” though almost has a slight new wave feel to it which lightens things up and keeps you interested.  Plus, Matt Flegel’s more higher pitched vocal work here is something you don’t hear much at all, and it’s actually done really well.  Outside of that though, “Monotony” is fairly tame, not bad, but I expected just a litttttle bit more.  Let’s move on to something I CAN rant and rave about on the other hand, “Memory”.  Now any fan of Viet Cong will know that they concluded their debut album with “Death”, an 11 minute post punk epic that was absolutely mind-blowing.  Seeing “Memory” stamped with that 11 minute time-stamp got me all worked up, and boy do Preoccupations deliver.  “Memory” has one of the more sinister, unsettling intros you’re going to find here, with distant synth leads and warm bass, as well as Flegel’s slow, booming vocals.   This here is an odd track, and as it goes on and on it just gets odder and odder.  The time signature here just makes everything a little hard to follow, and every other fantastic element that makes Preoccupations such a great act are right there as well.  However, when Flegel’s vocals fall out around the 3 minute mark, thats where the magic really begins.  With Matt Flegel gone you have nothing to save you, and the only thing you as the listener have to grab on to is the thumping bass.  All of a sudden, the sinister sounding drums begin quickly picking up, and before you know it your in the middle of an art punk/post punk classic.  As everything picks up speed once again, Matt Flegel is back with slightly more hopeful sounding vocals.  “Memory” is simply put, an experience.  If you’re not into the first few minutes of this one, I encourage you to remain patient and keep listening because it seriously pays off.  Some tracks when listening to them take you places.  As “Memory” shifted styles, changed pace, and went from one atmosphere to to another I was absolutely entranced.  To be honest, I would have been totally fine with this one acting as the album’s finale.  But hold on a minute, “Memory” isn’t done yet, because in the last 4 minutes the track changes once again.  “Memory” has gone from a post punk fan’s dream come true to a noise rock/drone fan’s wet dream.  Everything Preoccupations built up throughout the rest of the track is slowly drowned out by feedback in the most beautiful way, an experience ladies and gentlemen.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDQoc0cU-bs

Overall I honestly don’t have a lot of complaints.  For the most part, Preoccupations have assembled a really solid album.  There are a few kinda strange interludes towards the back end of this album though, that aren’t necessarily bad, but they aren’t really that memorable either.  Take for example “Sense”, which honestly doesn’t really waste a single second when it comes to building tension.  And why should it? I mean it’s only a minute and two seconds long.  What’s funny is, some of the harmonies here end up being absolutely stunning.  And….yea that’s about it, I mean there really isn’t that much going on here.  Then we have “Forbidden”, which clocks in at a whopping minute and thirty two seconds.  This one however has a whole lot more going on right off the bat.  The keyboards here are on the goofier side, sounding right out of The X Files.  Match that up against a truly unsettling guitar riff, and you have a pretty solid tune.  These detours do indeed break up everything nicely, they’re just a little bizarre.  But enough about that, let’s talk about how freaking awesome “Degraded” is.  We have all the usual suspects here immediately.  The intro synth’s are chillier than ever, and the moments that follow aren’t exactly that much more inviting.  “Degraded” I do have to say though takes a little too long to get chugging along.  Once everything does fall into place, we’re dealing with another truly classic Preoccupations tune.  The harmonious yet twisted chorus of “We’re absolutely obsolete” is literally the reason I fell in love with Preoccupations.  Not to mention, “Degraded” MAY be the most straightforward track overall, good show boys.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgFKdVVjh3I

“Stimulation” late in the track list may just be the most post punk track here.  Not only that, but it has a hell of a groove and right away will have you up wanting to move.  It’s also one of the most upbeat tracks here, and it’s seriously refreshing.  The vocals here are so frantic and rushed sounding adding a sense of urgency to everything.  Also, the breakdown in the last two minutes is absolute one of the most epic things I’ve heard here, with everything falling apart surrounding Flegel’s vocals as he screams for dear life “All Gonna Die”.  Not to mention after all this destruction, they zoom right back to the main riff and even add in some flashy synth pieces, just awesome.  Now let’s start rounding this down with some of my favorites here, like the eerie “Zodiac” that hits hard early in the album.  The intro is absolutely packed with pulsating synths that almost give this track a John Carpenter feel.  Flegel here starts off his vocal performance with “Another circumstance to blame , We’re all reluctantly engaged”, delightful.  The vocals throughout this entire track are absolutely out of control, they feel like they’re constantly changing throughout and never stay the same pitch for more than a few seconds.  While I absolutely go crazy for some of the more tension building, slower tracks on here, we forget that Preoccupations can seriously speed it up and jam out.  The synths that come in about a minute and a half in are absolutely breathtaking, and that pulsating beat that doesn't let up and keeps things nice and chilly.  Then out of nowhere in the last minute or so these outrageous tribal drums come out of freakin nowhere, “Zodiac” freakin’ rules.  This album is getting me out of breath just thinking about it, so lets just get to the finale, “Fever”.  Once again, right from this intro this sounds like something right out of a John Carpenter movie, thats not a bad thing at all either.  When it comes to these slower, more tension based tracks, Preoccupations are absolutely wizards.  “Fever” is by far the most haunting track on this entire album, with harmonious keyboards that sound more and more like something off of “Stranger Things” as the track goes on, and that thumping bass will keep you grooving.  “Fever” is far from the easiest track to get into here, but it’s so worth it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF_Lx0YotoQ

Rating : 8.4/10

Give A Listen To: “Anxiety”, “Zodiac”, “Memory”, “Degraded”

Overall Thoughts:  Overall, this is just another really solid release from these guys.  Obviously it's more electronic compared to the fuzzy, dripping in reverb album that "Viet Cong" was, but it makes it a nice change of pace.  They clearly aren't afraid to experiment, which is great.  My only real problem is the same problem I've had with them for 3 years now, I want more.  Their "Cassette" EP was just enough to get me interested, "Viet Cong" blew me away, but was only about 40 minutes long, and so was this album here.  It's a very comfortable album length, but I would just love for them to go nuts and give me an hour long album to feast on.  

Beach Slang - "A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings"

Now, when I first heard Beach Slang’s 2015 debut “The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us”, I thought, “This is it.  These guys are the next big thing”.  Beach Slang were writing anthemic songs so catchy that anyone could sing along, while remaining aggressive enough and punchy enough to remain somewhat “heavy”.  However, since then I’ve heard all sorts of rumors of tension between band members and rumors of a break-up well on its way, which really worried me for the bands second album.  Needless to say though, I was super impressed hearing the first few singles from this bad boy here.  So let’s chat about Beach Slang’s second full length album, “A Loud Bash Of Teenage Feelings”.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsB7juies9U
(One of many moments that made me fall in love with these guys).  

The album starts off pretty straightforward with “Future Mix Tape for Art Kids”.  Right from the opening guitar riff, you can tell Beach Slang are going for a slightly heavier sound.  The band definitely has the same attitude, starting things off with a solid bang from the guitar riff and a flurry of great lyrics.  Lyrically, I’ve always really enjoyed Beach Slang’s work, especially their way to take every day experiences and feelings and putting their own unique twist on them.  Not to mention, there’s always been such a wonderful simplicity to the band lyricism that they pull off so wonderfully.  To me, Beach Slang has always been that bar band that you literally race out and tell EVERYONE about.  “Future Mix Tape for Art Kids” is just a solid, upbeat intro that ushers in Beach Slang’s sound wonderfully while not giving too much away.  The hook here is catchy as you would expect from these guys, and for an intro it’s very focused.  Not to mention, those guitars that build up around the 1:45 mark are some of the most epic sounds I’ve heard from Beach Slang.  The amount of focus the band has though takes a quick nose dive with “Atom Bomb”.  All the better elements of Beach Slang’s music are indeed right here, but the lyrics here are so basic and half-assed.  Yes, Beach Slang have always been on the simpler side, but “Atom Bomb” is just repetitive and almost annoying in spots.  It’s not the worst song I’ve heard here, far from it, but I just expect a little bit more.  Like, I absolutely love how loud “Atom Bomb” is, and as far as the melodies go they're just as catchy as I like from these guys.  Not to mention the sheer energy these guys end up pulling out is beyond commendable.  Moving on to “Spin The Dial”, Beach Slang slow it down a bit and go for a punchier track, which is honestly something I’ve always welcomed from Beach Slang. Now I don’t want to be THAT GUY, and I know so many people have said it and will continue to say it, but I’ll be damned if these guys don’t come off with a huge Replacements vibe.  “Spin The Dial” is Beach Slang at their most Replacements sounding, and while the verses don’t end up doing that much for me, the chorus is one of the most memorable here.  Now while at first listen, Beach Slang sound just as fired up and focused as their debut album, really small details show otherwise.  Take for example the later track “Wasted Daze of Youth”.   At first it just sounds like a solid Beach Slang track, but as it goes on there are just so many bizarre lines here and there.  I’m down for an obscure lyric or two, but there are lines here that are just awkward.  “Wasted Daze of Youth” has all the tools to be a great track, but it really doesn't add up.  At all.  Not to mention, it ends super abruptly, making “Wasted Daze of Youth” come off as more of an incomplete afterthought than anything.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Yv3VrylOg

I think my main problem with this album, is just how many listens it takes to enjoy some of these tracks.  When I first listened to Beach Slang’s debut, on my first listen I felt like I’d listened to the song’s for years.  They instantly hit home with me and I immediately fell in love.  There are however a few tracks here that give me that same feeling.  For example, “Art Damage” right off the bat gives me that timeless feeling that I was looking for desperately at this point.  The guitar riff is anthemic and the lyrics paint a more rough and tough picture of the band.  THIS is the more “”first listen appeal” i was craving, and it’s very good.  “Art Damage” is simple yes, but it’s incredibly focused, and it’s the truest thing to the Beach Slang formula so far.  Then we have the slower, punchier “Hot Tramps”.  Now THIS is the slower song I wanted Beach Slang to hit me with.  Beach Slang in the past have proven to be able to pull a slower track off, and man oh man does this back that up.  Some of these group harmonies go right through you and give “Hot Tramps” a truly epic sound.   This one also has some of the albums most hypnotic passages, as James Alex repeats lyrics in almost mantra like fashion.   When Beach Slang really hunker down, they can truly make timeless music, and “Hot Tramps” is the perfect example of that.  Not to mention, it’s also one of the longer tracks Beach Slang has ever done, proving that they can do more than just 2 minutes power anthems (In my best Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza impression, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that”).   While were on the topic of longer tracks, when I first saw the time-stamp for “The Perfect High”, I got worried.  A Beach Slang Song thats four and a half minutes?  While their entire first album practically was under 2 and a half minutes for each song?  *shudders*.  Fear not however, once again Beach Slang pulls this one off just as spectacularly.  Following one of the more dull tracks on the album, “The Perfect High” is surprisingly very focused, and lyrically it has some of the most intriguing moments on the entire album.  This one isn’t in any rush, it’s steady, and it doesn’t have a catchy hook to dominate.  However, the guitar melodies have your back, and lyrically this is just way too interesting to pass up.  Yes, the last 45 seconds is a little unnecessary but thats the least of my complaints.  Then we have the truly amazing “Punks In A Disco Bar”, which starts off with one of the most anthemic guitar leads on the entire album, or probably of this entire year in general.  This one isn’t as straightforward as other Beach Slang tracks, but there’s an epic feel to this one that truly can’t be beat.  The chorus is timeless, the melodies are catchy, while it doesn’t give up any of the heaviness of earlier tracks here. “Punks In A Disco Bar” is literally everything I could have asked for from Beach Slang and more.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyYA8Et6kMU

While there are a TON of super solid tracks here, I can’t help feeling that Beach Slang are just slacking and unfocused at the end of the day.  Take for example the horrendous “Young Hearts”.  From those jangly guitars at the intro I was super hopeful for this one.  But to be honest as the track moves forward there is seriously no energy at all.  Beach Slang have proven here as well as in the past that they can easily pull off a slower track.  But this is just so bland.  While the guitar melodies are fantastic, the vocals just come off bored here.  Not to mention, “Young Hearts” is well over 4 minutes long, and for the first time I seriously couldn’t wait for a Beach Slang track to be over.  Finally, we have the disappointing finale “Warpaint”.  This one has the attitude down pact, but my major problem with “Warpaint” is it’s placement on the album.  Finale’s are supposed to be either epic or winding down in my book.  “Warpaint” is chock full of buildup to absolutely nothing.  If “Warpaint” was place before one of this album’s more anthemic tracks, it would have been totally viable, probably even epic.  However, it’s not.  It’s literally used as buildup to nothing, and it drives me crazy on the inside.  Plus it ends completely abruptly.  But at the end of this day, “Warpaint” really kind’ve shows just how unfocused Beach Slang really is right now.

Rating:7.2/10

Give A Listen To:  “Art Damage”, “Hot Tramps”, “Punks In A Disco Bar”, “The Perfect High”

Overall Thoughts:  You know, with everything you hear about Beach Slang the past year this is a really telling album.  Rumors of breakup and band tension and all of that really shows on here, harshly too.  There are some truly amazing tracks throughout this album, but they're contrasted with these awkward afterthought's that make this album feel so incomplete.  

Rae Sremmurd - Sremmlife 2

Rae Sremmurd are a hip hop duo that at first I thought I would absolutely despise.  I’m picky with rap and hip hop, always have been and probably always will be.  I’ve always been more of a conscious or experimental hip hop guy as opposed to BANGERS BANGERS AND BANGERS.  That being said, when I listened to Rae Sremmurd’s first album “Sremmlife”, I found a new found appreciation for club bangers and just straight up fun hip hop/rap.  There wasn’t a single song on there that I felt like pushed boundaries or really reinvented anything.  Yet, so many of those tracks were just plain infectious (However I still despise “No Flex Zone”, I’m sorry).  On top of that, both Swae Lee and Slim Jimmi (who make up Rae Sremmurd) have had a few really solid features in the past year.  That all being said, I was actually really interested to hear what the duo would bring out for “Sremmlife 2”. 

The duo don’t waste a single second of our time starting the party, with “Start A Party” (See what I did there).  It’s all about excitement here, between that crunching, grinding beat and the “EAR DRUMMERS” production tag (which when used correctly really pumps me up).  When the beat hits, it’s just about as loud and bass driven as you would expect from these two.  As far as lyrics go, it’s exactly what you would expect from these two as well.  But if you’re a fan of the duo’s last album, that’s far from a bad thing.  “Sremmlife” was just a whole lotta fun, and for the most part so is this.  Now if you’re expecting deep, enlightening lyrics you’re in the wrong place entirely.  However, thats not to say that the duo don’t have plenty of hilarious and quirky one liners, such as She said, "Let me guess, you a drug dealer", Said, "Nah, I just brought a lot of money and a whole lot of drugs with me"".  As far as a solid intro from these two, I don’t really have anything bad to say about “Start A Party”, it’s a solid freakin’ banger.  Up next we have “Real Chill”, featuring a verse from up and coming Kodak Black, who I’m not a fan of in the slightest.  I dig the beat on this one though, the hazy feel to it is just fantastic.  Some of the vocals throughout this track are a little goofy, at times a little too goofy, something about the delivery of "She shake it, it feel real" gets to me.  Before you know it Rae Sremmurd are referencing Ben 10 and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, these guys are seriously fearless.  But it works for them, it really makes the duo much more entertaining than other hip hop acts.  Kodak Black’s verse here isn’t nearly as entertaining, but it’s not too horribly bad either.  “Real Chill” isn’t a step down from “Start A Party”, but it’s still a solid tune.  A few tracks later we get “Look Alive”, which shows the duo on almost a Travis Scott beat.  Personally, I feel like when Rae Sremmurd give us a sung hook it works gold, and “Look Alive” is no different.  The sung hook comes off ridiculously well here, and everything else about this beat compliments the duo so well.  Their delivery on the verses is solid, overall this is really just everything I want to hear them on.   Later on in the album we get “Came A Long Way” which is more or less Rae Sremmurds version of a “rise to fame” track, which basically everyone has.  The piano and synth beat here is absolutely gold,  especially for Rae Sremmurd.  I feel like most rappers I wouldn’t have been able to take seriously on this beat AT ALL, but Rae Sremmurd simply sound at home on this beat.  Now this track may not be for everyone though, cause it is a more mature track from a duo that have made a career of making party anthems.  However, I think it’s refreshing and a solid change of pace.

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

Now, let’s dive into some of the album’s singles!  “By Chance” was the first track I heard off of this album, and hearing it the first time honestly I really wasn't that impressed at all.  It’s got a catchy hook, I’ll give it that, and the beat is solid.  But as far as Rae Sremmurd’s performance goes, it’s seriously bland.  I have no problem whatsoever with some drug lines here and there.  But “By Chance” is seriously one drug line after another.  I can see this being a great live performance track to hype up the crowd, but this one was just a little underwhelming for me.  However, I do see the appeal of why people dig this one, it absolutely has its moments still.  On the other hand, “Black Beatles” featuring the newly free man Gucci Mane is absolutely stellar.  These more synth driven beats continue to do wonders for the duo, and gives “Black Beatles” a much more chilly atmosphere.  Honestly, "Black Beatles" may be the best track I've ever heard from these guys.  Gucci's verse is pretty awesome actually, but in Gucci's defense the dude has seriously been on fire recently.  He continues to sound super coherent (oddly enough) and just delivering some solid verses.  "Black Beatles" is absolutely fantastic.  However, one issue that is present on this album is the fact that Rae Sremmurd have always been more of a Pop Rap duo.  That being said, most of the time it comes off great.  But that also leaves room for awful corny bangers like "Shake It Fast".  Right off the bat this beat really doesn't click with me at all.  Yea it makes you move and all, but I can literally hear beats like this on any other commercial rap track. As far as the verses go, they really aren't that much better.  Everything here is so hectic and cluttered, this is the exact opposite of what I wanted to hear.  Everything about "Shake It Fast" I could hear in literally any rap record of the last 5 years.  Then we have Juicy Jay's verse.  You know I've never been a big fan of his to begin with, and his verse here is just as over the top and over-sexualized and just plain stupid to be honest.  However, there ARE some legitimately funny lyrics here and there from Rae Sremmurd which saves the track from being 4 minutes of a waste.  Then we have the equally cringe worthy "Set The Roof" featuring Lil Jon.  Now first of all, who the hell wants Lil Jon on their hook/chorus in 2016, seriously.  He's an alright hype man, but I can't take anything he does incredibly seriously.  However, I will give this track credit, it has a much better beat than other tracks here.  Also, Rae Sremmurd themselves here end up spitting some of their most aggressive hardcore verses yet.  Also, honestly I just love the way they sound of this beat, with a stronger hook this could have been an absolute monster of a track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnVUR4ddPTk

As far as the last third of the album goes, it's pretty hit and miss.  While I usually love the duo's brief stints into more sung material, "Now That I Know" is just painful as all hell.  The intro I'm just not feeling AT ALL, even when the beat eventually hits it's just so soulless.  Now I'm huge into the alternative R&B genre, but there's also a lot of crappy artists in there as well.  THIS sounds like a real cheap knockoff of any terrible artist in that genre.  There isn't a single memorable moment here, and seriously those vocal effects floating through the background are truly laughable.  On the other hand, "Take It Or Leave It" ends up being one of the most memorable tracks on here.  The intro has this great, heavy, sluggish start with a beat that comes truly out of left field.  The hook here is pure magic, and overall this is just a real classy sounding track.  While there's a lot of party starting bangers on here, there's also a whole lot more substance than I expected, which may turn some people off but personally I love it.  But just when I thought that this album was going to end on such a great note, here comes "Do Yoga", the most insufferable track here by far.  Every ounce of substance shown on some of the tracks here is just thrown right out the window in exchange for every corny cliche in the book.  I would literally expect "Do Yoga" out of a crappy one hit wonder, it's that bad.  The beat is bizarre, the verses don't save anything at all, I can barely sit through it to be honest.


Rating: 7.2/10


Give A Listen To: "Black Beatles", "Take It Or Leave It", "Start A Party", "Look Alive"


Overall Thoughts:  If you enjoyed "Sremmlife", chances are you're going to like this just as much.  It's all about energy with Rae Sremmurd, and they have TONS of it.  There are plenty of great bangers on here, plenty of bad ones as well though.  However the duo in parts show more substance than their first studio album, depending on what you dig in your Hip Hop, you may love that or hate that.  Overall though, it's a solid record, with some of the duo's best tracks and worst tracks.

Of Montreal - "Innocence Reaches"

Man, Of Montreal have been ridiculously busy the past few years.  If you don’t know Of Montreal, and you’re a fan of indie pop, man do I ever feel sorry for you.  These guys have a gigantic selection of indie pop classics like “Cherry Peel” and “The Gay Parade”, which are filled to the brim with love songs so sweet and adorable you can’t help but stand back and say “AWWWWWW”.  As far as their 2000’s stuff goes, it’s a little more hit and miss to say the very least.  Of Montreal started trying tons and tons of new sounds,making for some of their biggest albums yet.  Whether it be the disco infused electro-pop of “Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?”, or the alternative country flavored and criminally underrated “Lousy With Sylvianbriar”, Of Montreal were popping out albums left and right.  However, this also lead to some of the bands most bizarre albums.  More times than not, the band was mixing way too many sounds producing these bizarre psychedelic pop messes.  Then we had “Aureate Gloom”, which was released last year.  While I loved lead singer Kevin Barnes’ attitude, instrumentally that album had me scratching my head.  And now here we are only a year and a half later with new Of Montreal material, “Innocence Reaches”. 

Now I heard beforehand that Of Montreal on this album were going for a more electronic sound.  That sounded just fine to me, they’ve done it in the past and occasionally it’s turned out great.  However, hearing just how freakin much electronic influence has on the music here is certainly disheartening on the first track, “Lets Relate”.  If you were to listen to an Of Montreal track in the late 90’s and then listen to this, you would be absolutely horrified.  “Lets Relate” more or less is a radio pop song.  Now to be perfectly fair, Kevin Barnes doesn’t sound too out of place amongst the pulsating synth and booming bass.  This is honestly just 100% not for me, at all.  Yes, the beat makes you move.  But when you sit here and think of just how much earlier Of Montreal material was truly groundbreaking, to hear this is cringeworthy.  Not to mention, the production here is absolutely suffocating, Kevin Barnes really doesn’t need all this crap.  Sure there are catchy moments here and there, but man oh man is this ever not for me.  Let’s move on before I scream.  Up next we have “It’s Different For Girls”.  And whats that? Right off the bat we have an actual guitar?  Shocking.  It really doesn’t stick around too long though, and while it is around it’s kinda just taking up space with synths, it’s a shame too.  As far as the vocals go, Kevin Barnes here just sounds uninspired.   As messy as their last album “Aureate Gloom” was, Barnes on that sounded completely unhinged.  THAT made it interesting at least, Barnes here sounds actually very bored.  While were on the subject of Barnes’s performance, lyrically he’s just as sharp as a tack.  Barnes has always been a strong, memorable frontman, mostly because of his lyrics and delivery.  The delivery here may be mild, but his lyrics are clever and witty as ever.  But this electronic sound at the root of everything, seriously it’s baffling to me.  It’s not like they’ve done more electronic stuff before and succeeded with it.  So what the hell was wrong with THAT sound? “It’s Different For Girls” is a track that I want to like.  If Barnes livened up a bit It would be solid, but it’s just ok.  And it’s a whole lot better than this album’s intro, thats for damn sure.  “My Fair Lady” take a play out of the “Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer” playbook and starts off with some heavy bass. But the lyrics here are just freakin odd, and I can’t get into Barnes’s performance if my life depended on it.  Like I get that he’s trying to do the whole deadpan delivery kind’ve shtick.  But he pulls it off horribly and just sounds actually bored with what he’s talking about.  And it’s a real shame, because instrumentally this one has some really solid moments.  Those flutes that come in compliment Barnes perfectly, and when Barnes picks things up for the chorus it actually works very nicely.  Everything on this album is just so all over the place, including the album cover, that thing is ugly as all hell.  But seriously, I think the most frustrating thing about this album is though, are the brief moments of sheer brilliance.  Take for example “Gratuitous Abysses”, which comes out of freakin’ nowhere.  In the middle of all of these synth driven, heavy electronic based songs comes this track out of nowhere with these wild guitar intros and all sorts of other exciting elements.  Barnes, while he’s still on the more reserved side, sounds absolutely at home on this instrumental, much more than other tracks here.  I mean let’s face it, this is probably the closest thing were going to hear to an Of Montreal classic sound.  There’s a ridiculously strong power pop feel, and Barnes’s lyrics continue to be stellar.  If the rest of the album sounded like this, we would have another classic on our hands, easily. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N_YA6KjWkE

Now I always try to give credit where it’s due.  “Les Chants De Maidoror” has one of the most solid openings on this entire album, I honestly though Of Montreal were about to turn around on me and end up impressing me.  However, that great energetic start dies out very quickly and “Les Chants De Maidoror” turns into a funk jam.  Now I’ve heard plenty of these from Of Montreal in my day, I know this can go one of two ways.  And guess what, it ends up failing pretty badly.  Everything exciting about the track just leaves, and literally everything else here is so unbelievably bland!  When the guitars occasionally come back in, they spice things up really nice.  However whenever they do, they disappear 15 seconds or so later.  “Les Chants De Maidoror” as it goes on and on, goes absolutely nowhere.  Not to mention in the last minute, Of Montreal get really obnoxious and give us a half assed sound collage that’s supposed to sound all edgy and psychedelic.  What a mess.  Speaking of messes, “A Sport and A Pastime” is up next.  Seriously, this track right off the bat sounds like radio pop.  Not that there’s anything wrong with radio pop, I just don’t want to hear Of Montreal singing it.  Lyrically once again it’s really not that bad at all, but good lord this is Kevin Barnes’s most pathetic performance here yet.  That dreamy hook sounds like something Purity Ring or Flume would come out with, which I love that sound, but does it really belong here of all places? I verses are near cringeworthy and  everything here just gets me grumpy listening to it.  Of Montreal on here so far have for the most part been taking small great portions of songs, and really letting us down with the rest of the track.  “A Sport and A Pastime” is just bizarre.  “Ambassador Bridge” is up next, and would ya believe it, I can seriously get into this intro, again!  The bass here is super soulful, the synths are fantastic, but then once again Barnes’s performance is just plain not doing it for me at all.  I mean seriously, I’ve heard him on some strange tracks before in my life, but this takes the cake.  Once again, I really REALLY want to love this track, but there’s too many little things about it that I seriously can do without.  There are some real moments of sheer brilliance though damnit, there really are.  Take for example “Def Pacts”, which is easily the most psychedelic thing your going to hear here.  However, this track at the very least has plenty of really interesting things going on, which is so much more than I can say for other tracks here.  Lyrically it’s intriguing, and when everything slows down for that chorus things become absolutely gorgeous.  More or less it’s a lot of psychedelic instrumentals with Kevin Barnes doing an odd monologue over everything, but hey it really works for them here, and “Def Pacts” is easily one of the more interesting tracks here.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oPp76d31xc

 The final third of the album starts off with…..what’s this?  Another solid song?  Yes, it’s “Chaos Arpeggiating”.  It’s sort of goofy and awkward, but it has such a charm to it that I can’t help but love it.  And while at first I rolled my eyes at another Kevin Barnes deadpan performance, honestly this one works really well.   The more psychedelic feel actually comes off fantastic here.  Lyrically this is some of the album’s most interesting lyrics, and Barnes picks things up a bit as we go on and actually sounds alive and kicking.  While the blend of indie pop and electronic music and God knows what else has been a mess so far, here it comes off very smooth and well thought out.  Also, those background vocals do absolutely wonders.  “Chaos Arpeggiating” really takes everything I love about Of Montreal and puts it in one place, I just wonder why the hell they only did this on this track.  “Nursing Slopes” is up next, because Kevin Barnes clearly doesn’t want to use any easy to remember song titles on this entire record.  Of Montreal on this one go back to a more electronic sound, but for the most part this one is smooth.   It’s absolutely more classy than earlier applications of electronic music.   I would even go as far as saying this sounds like something off of “Hissing Fauna…”, almost at least.  If “Nursing Slopes” just picked it up a little, this could be a great track, but it’s still not completely unbearable.  There’s even some weird fantasy sounding stuff on this one, but its still solid.  And just when I thought I’ve completely gotten through all of the absolute bullshit on this album, in strolls “Trashed Exes”.  I really don’t even want to think about this track too long, so I’m going to make this super quick.  First, the production.  This track is beyond over produced.  Like, take the most over produced crappy pop song you’ve ever heard, than add even more layers of glossy production on top of that.  All of that STILL wouldn’t add to how shiny and awful “Trashed Exes” sounds.  As far as the instrumentals go, those synths are easily the ugliest they’ve been on this entire album, which is saying something.  And then we get to the worst part, the lyrics.  Lyrically, Kevin Barnes sounds just as fantastic, and it was wasted on this awful instrumental, quite frankly I’m embarrassed for him.  “Trashed Exes” is so bad that it literally made me want to go back and re-evaluate everything good that I’ve said about this album, but don’t worry I’m not gonna take it back.  Then we have the album’s finale, “Chap Pilot”.  Listening to that intro the first time, I really didn’t know what to expect.  It’s odd as all hell to be honest, but when things pick up it’s an alright track, but sloppy from time to time.  I really feel like I’m beating a dead horse this time, but the real star here is Kevin Barnes once again, who lyrically is just so gifted.  There are a few other cool elements throughout this one, but at the end of the day it’s just ok, like 90% of the entire album.  

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

Rating: 6.7/10

Give A Listen To: "Chaos Arpeggiating", "Def Pacts", "Gratuitous Abysses", umm, "Nursing Slopes"? I guess?

Overall Thoughts:  Man this thing is just overproduced as all hell, and if you're an old school Of Montreal fan I feel really bad for you if you're listening to this with me.  Kevin Barnes confirms with us that he really is one of the most dynamic, entertaining frontmen in Indie Pop.  But at the end of the day, he's really one of the only things to latch on to on this album.  This album was messy as all hell, but the most consistent element to this entire album was Barnes's lyrical performance. There are so many other brief, solid moments, and a few really standout tracks.  But the rest of this was a strange, jumbled mess.  

Thee Oh Sees - A Weird Exits

Now anyone who knows me, knows that I'm the biggest sucker for garage rock/garage punk.  I fell in love with Thee Oh Sees years ago, around the same time that I really got into Ty Segall and The Black Lips.  Thee Oh Sees though have been as far as I'm concerned much more consistent then alot of other contemporaries.  Since the release of the twisted "The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending The Night In", Thee Oh Sees haven't really released a truly bad album.  Yes, "Warm Slime" is underwhelming and I completely forgot "Drop" existed until a few days ago.  Outside of that though, the bands catalog is stacked with great Garage Rock and Garage Punk records.  And seeing this awesome album cover, I expected another solid record, shall we dig in?

This album starts off with the very slick “Dead Man’s Gun”.  Right off the bat, this is clearly the most straightforward, no nonsense start to an Oh Sees album I’ve heard in quite some time.  Now, one of the most notable things here is the production.  Oddly enough this production is actually really clear, absolutely a far cry from their days of “The Masters Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In” albums.  The production back in those days was so grimy and frantic and wild that you literally felt like you were right there with the Oh Sees as they pumped out every last sinister garage rock tune.  This is just as frantic, but much more streamlined, and less “in the moment”.  It may turn some people away, and I do miss that old feeling of being right there with them, but it’s something I can get over.  As far as John Dwyer’s vocals go, it’s really what you expect, but not in a bad way.  I’ve always loved Dwyer’s performances, they always seem so unhinged and wild.  Here, it’s no different.  I honestly haven’t heard Dwyer this aggressive in years, and those primal yelps in between verses are nothing but magic.  I always feel like the Oh Sees really nail intros to their albums, and this one is no different.  That guitar solo is freakin’ fantastic, and the short, staccato vocals by Dwyer are odd but really go with the paranoia of the record.  And as far as the production goes, even though it’s clearly much cleaner, there is still TONS of fuzzy wonderful guitar feedback.  And seriously, when it comes to Thee Oh Sees, I don’t see how there can’t be.  Not to mention the outro has these wonderful, unnerving guitars that I can’t help but love, Thee Oh Sees never cease to amaze.  Then we have “Ticklish Warrior” which is completely the opposite in feel.  This one starts off with a mega funky guitar riff, it almost sounds like something The Black Keys would have done years ago, you know when they were actually edgy and an actual Garage Rock band (Shots fired).   But as funky and groovy as it gets, the power of this one doesn’t let up.  “Ticklish Warrior” is just so loud and chaotic, and those guitars are so overpowering. Honestly, I haven’t heard the band play with this much raw power in quite some time.  Now the band on this album is seriously going for a horror/sci-fi theme, but Dwyer’s distant, pained vocals add so much to that.  Now “Ticklish Warrior” isn’t exactly the psychedelic slap in the face that most people are accustomed to when it comes to Thee Oh Sees, and I know people are very judgmental of their slower stuff.  But personally, I think this is one of the better slow burning Oh Sees tracks I’ve heard.  A few tracks later we have “Plastic Plant” one of the early tracks released from the album.  Following a few of the more experimental, slower tracks here, “Plastic Plant” is super eye opening.  All of your classic Oh Sees elements are right here, between the wailing guitars and thunderous drums.  It’s triumphant as all hell, and when everything falls back and Dwyer’s vocals are in charge, man is it ever a solid moment.  There are plenty of oddball keyboards and sci-fi sounding effects that work perfectly with Dwyer’s performance.  Add all of this with  the primal yelps and the sheer chaos of the band here, and you’ve got a truly classic Oh Sees track.  John Dwyer overall just writes such solid rock tunes, and the solo here is easily the most pronounced and epic instrumental i’ve heard from them in ages.  Not to mention, the little “Jam session” towards the end of the track is totally tasteful and interesting, with great use of flutes floating through the background.  There are so many great moments to even count here people. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agZqIr37rmE&spfreload=5

Now as I said earlier, this is Thee Oh Sees going for a more Sci-Fi sound,  so you know there’s gonna be plenty of weird stuff going on here.  Most of it works just fine, but there’s some instances I really can’t get over and are just a little too far out there.  Take for example “Jammed Entrance”.  This is easily the track with the most Sci-Fi influence so far.  However, this track is barely even a garage rock tune, this is practically an experimental rock or even a progressive rock track.  The bass here is super funky which I love, but the keyboards to me just get so obnoxious so fast, which really sucks.  Now while this is far from my favorite, it does add to the sheer chaos of the album.  It gives off this great impression that we’re watching some over the top Sci-Fi movie in which the crew on a spaceship has accidentally hit the self destruct button and need to get out.  When it comes to the atmosphere, Thee Oh Sees really nail it.  As far as melodies go and all, they kinda drop the ball here.  The keyboards are a little too cheesy, and to me “Jammed Entrance” would be ten times more interesting watching it live with a little improvisation thrown in there.  It has it’s cool moments, but it certainly didn’t have to be over 5 minutes.  The only other real major problem I have here is on “Unwrap The Fiend, Pt 2”.  The track has a super smooth intro and some great mysterious guitar licks.  Overall it has a lot of the same problems as “Jammed Entrance”.  It does great things for the atmosphere, it really does.  But outside of that it’s just kinda boring.  This is easily the least exciting track on here by far, going back and forth between more funky instrumentals and a more “Jam” oriented feel.  That’s all fine and dandy, its what you would expect out of a Psychedelic band like Thee Oh Sees.  But I feel like this track would be literally so much more interesting live with a little improvisation thrown in.  Like I said though, it absolutely goes with the feel of the album.  

Those are really my only negative thoughts on the album to be honest.  As soon as “Gelatinous Cube” hits, were greeted with this absolutely glorious wall of distortion.  This gigantic wall of sound is broken up quickly by the ferocity of what you would expect from an Oh Sees track.  Dwyer here sounds like an absolute animal, I haven’t heard him with this much aggression in years.  While there are heavier tracks here, this is easily the wildest thing I’ve heard on “A Weird Exits”.  The guitars are unhinged, the drums don’t let up, hell I wouldn’t mind an entire album with this much intensity.  Then we have “Crawl Out From The Fall Out”, which instantly gives me the chills.  The intro of this one is filled with these light cymbal taps and really not that much else, it gives you the impression that something is coming.  The atmosphere gets even more thick when those incredible strings and that horn float into the madness.  I gotta give it to them they really stuck with this Sci-Fi sound so well, this is just so ambitious for them.  However, as far as lyrics, vocals, and energy goes, this really is sort of a snoozefest.  To be perfectly honest, this track would have been a whole lot better as just an instrumental.  It;s still a solid track though, the keyboards add plenty and the backing vocals compliments Dwyer quite a bit.  Which brings us to the album’s finale, “The Axis”.  Were instantly greeted on this one by an oddly cheery, very sunny intro.  As bizarre as that sounds, Thee Oh Sees roll with it wonderfully and I can honestly see them really latching on to that sound.  There are some really old school vibes coming through on this one, and while Dwyer’s performance is on the tame side, his voice is still packed with emotion.  The guitar licks are solid, the keyboards are strong, but honestly it’s not the Oh Sees performance I was expecting at all.  It was a nice surprise though, and literally all of the years of Thee Oh Sees have been feasting on retro sounds have led up to this.  It’s a solid freakin record, but at this point can we really expect much less.  


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB5Nn2FAPTE

Rating: 7.8/10

Give A Listen To: "Plastic Plant", "Gelatinous Cube", "The Axis", "Dead Man's Gun"


Overall Thoughts : For years now, I've been DYING to hear Thee Oh Sees go for a more darker sound like they did on their early recordings.  To an extent, I got that here.  However, with that, comes a much shinier, sweeter production sound that's going to offset a string of longtime fans.  There are a few tracks here that I honestly feel would be much better live with a little extra experimentation and some improv,  However, overall they do the sound justice, especially when you tie in the bands trademark chaos and energy.

Descendents - Hypercaffium Spazzinate

The Descendents are as far as I’m concerned, one of the most important punk bands in history.  Growing up I was always fascinated by the music of Dead Kennedys, Wire, The Buzzcocks, and especially The Descendents.  However, they’ve always struck me as a band that needs some time to create their masterpieces.  When I first heard “Milo Goes to College” I was blown away.  But then when I heard their follow up albums a few short years later, I was equally blown away, but not in a good way.   The songs were still catchy, but had so much less lyrical content, and they just seemed lazy.  Then Descendents took a bunch of years off, and came out with “Everything Sucks”, which honestly I almost enjoyed as much as the classic “Milo Goes To College”.  Since then, they’ve taken a bunch of breaks, come back for some tours, released the solid “Cool To Be You” album, but it’s still been a while since we’ve heard from Milo Aukerman and The Descendents.  Well say no more, here’s the band’s first album in 12 years, “Hypercaffium Spazzinate”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHd-PLgKlbs
(Some classic Descendents, y'all better know this one)

This album starts off fantastically strong, with the unbelievable “Feel This”.  After all these years I’m always so blown away by just how rejuvenated the band sounds after taking time off.  The Descendents sound just as focused as ever, hell I would even say louder than ever, with many moments here rivaling “Everything Sucks”.  Legendary Descendents vocalist Milo Aukerman here sounds just as focused as he has in the past, and with just as much passion.  As to be expected, there are some fantastic vocal harmonies here, and lyrically “Feel This” is really strong too.  It doesn’t overstay its welcome either, only lasting about a minute and 15 seconds.  But, it’s an exhausting, wild track that honestly sets up everything else here fantastically.  Up next we have the first single dropped on the album, “Victim Of Me”.  Compared to the first track here this one is a lot more in the Pop Punk/Power Pop direction, with a much bouncier feel.  However the band are still as focused, just sounding a little bit more fun.  Milo sounds just as passionate delivering his performance, and The Descendents can really do this sound justice.  And while I do enjoy this track still, honestly I really really miss the urgency and raw aggression of the first track on the album.  “Victim Of Me” is still solid though.  The next track though has just the extra energy I was looking for.  “On Paper” right off the bat has a nice bite to it.  Lyric wise, this is fantastic, and paints a fantastic picture of Milo like we haven’t really seen in years.  What made “Milo Goes To College” as perfect as it is, was just how wonderful of a self portrait of it was for Milo Aukerman, and this is honestly the closest I’ve heard to that in what seems like forever.  Outside of the lyrical performance, The Descendents sound just as loud as earlier, while remaining catchy and showing they can still fuse hardcore and power-pop wonderfully.  So far, honestly this is everything I wanted to hear from a Descendents return album.   “Shameless Halo” is up next, and boy these tracks don’t give you even a second to breathe, but that’s the way it should be.  The Descendents continue to sound just as focused, and the harmonious vocals right off the bat just sound fantastic.  Stephen Egerton’s riff here is so driving and solid, while Milo goes back and forth between semi-sweet and rough vocals that just do wonders for “Shameless Halo”.  Descendents don’t really let up as the album moves on either.  “Without Love” ends up being one of the most stand out tracks here, with a smooth, pop punk feel and Milo sounding incredibly comfortable.  Lyrically here, and for the most part the album in general, Descendents come off just as compelling as ever, and most importantly, not outdated.  “Without Love” may be the poppiest track on here, but only The Descendents could pull it off and still seem just so cool.  Honestly, some of the poppier tracks on here make for some of the best moments, such as “Smile”.   “Smile” is borderline a pop rock tune, but to be honest it just works so well with them.  While the instrumentals are aggressive as ever, Milo’s performance here is borderline adorable.  Descendents ladies and gentlemen still sound solid after all these years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ue6vRaLoxk

These fantastic punk jams just keep on going, with the upbeat and jolly “Fighting Myself”.    Milo’s vocals here just drive home the fact that Descendents are one of the most definitive pop punk bands of all time.  The melodies here are nothing short of fantastic and really stick with you, making for some of the catchiest punk rock tracks I’ve heard this year.  Overall I really don’t have a single bad thing to say about “Fighting Myself”.  Then we have the much grimier sounding “Limiter”.  Right off the bat we have these much punchier bass showing that Descendents really haven’t missed a beat instrumentally either.  And hell, if you thought Milo sounded passionate before, “Limiter” is absolutely screaming right in your face.  Lyrically this one is about children taking medication for ADHD, specifically his own son, so you know that this one is hitting super close to Milo.  It’s not my favorite track on here, but man is it ever passionate, and very aggressive.  There are actually a few tracks on here that are on the more aggressive side and I just can’t get into them.  Take for example the early track “Testosterone”.  This one starts off fierce, with a great driving riff.  However once the verses start everything just falls flat.  There are certainly lyrical highlights, but overall I just can't get into the verses here.  When it comes down to it, honestly it's Milo's performance that I can't get into.  His personality is usually a driving force on Descendents tracks, and this one just doesn't click.  The sheer aggression of everything else however, is certainly commendable.  "Comeback Kid" late in the album has a lot of the same problems.  Listening to the beginning of this track, man I had some high hopes, especially since this is one of the heaviest tracks on the album.  However, the lyrics here are just boring as all hell.  They're easily the most repetitive lyrics on the entire album.  While instrumentally most of this track sounds solid, nothing about "Comeback Kid" grabs me.  Then we have "Spineless and Scarlet Red", which isn't necessarily a bad track, but it's one I really did not expect.  Don't get me wrong, this track has an absolutely killer riff, but when it comes to Milo's vocals, they're a little weird.  I'm used to Milo's voice having more of an upper register, but his vocals here are much deeper and darker.  The melodies are still there, and there are some great lyrical moments as well, but Milo's deeper vocals just don't do it for me as much.  And overall there's just such a heavier feel to the track, it's definitely not what I was expecting.  On the other hand though, "Full Circle" is one of the heavier tracks tracks here and it goes over FANTASTIC.  This isn't power-pop, this isn't pop punk, this is melodic hardcore at its best, and it instantly grabs hold and doesn't let up.  Everything here is so damn chaotic, but they still manage to keep their act together for a solid chorus.  And honestly, it's the way it should be, and they really do this sound so much justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8bJxESTHI4

Now, every Descendents album is certain to come with a few short, hardcore jams.  This album is no different, starting off with the goofy, quirky "No Fat Burger".  On this one, clearly Milo and the boys are just having a little fun, and I don't necessarily mind it.  It's not too goofy to the point where I can't take the album seriously, and Milo's performance is entertaining.  However, you also can't really dig too heavy into these lyrics, so it is what it is.  "Human Being" on the other hand I can't really get to at all.  It's easily the most hardcore thing here, and the chorus is harmonious and solid.  But as far as the verses go, I just can't get into them at all.  Usually I dig these short, hardcore blasts, but "Human Being" comes off as just an afterthought for the most part.  On the other hand, "We Got Defeated" is near perfect.  It's 58 seconds of punky, grimy goodness.  Milo's performance here is absolutely monstrous, he sounds like he's going to smash something any second.  While there are some heavier tracks on the album, "We Got Defeated" is easily the most focused one, and by far the most exciting.  Then we have the album's finale, "Beyond The Music".  For the most part this track is solid, with Descendents going for a poppier sound for the finale.  If your looking for a rough, tough finale you should probably look elsewhere, cause this bouncy riff and biographical performance is pretty sweet.  That's not to say this track takes it easy, the riff is easily just as focused and the band still sound great.  It's not the most exciting ending, but it's a respectable one and it's damn nice to hear.


Rating: 7.6/10

Give A Listen To:  "Feel This", "On Paper", "Full Circle", "Smile"


Overall Thoughts:  It'a a solid freakin album to be honest.  It's not as genre defining as "Milo Goes To College", and it's not as GIGANTIC as a comeback as "Everything Sucks", but the band still sounds so freakin good together.  There are great pop-punk and power pop moments on here, but that doesn't mean that Descendents have gone soft, there are plenty of great hardcore blasts on here as well.  It's not as consistent as their old work either.  But almost 40 years together as a band, and THIS is what you guys are coming out with, that alone is impressive.