Sleaford Mods - "English Tapas"

Sleaford Mods I've been wanting to talk about for a long time.  This British combination of Post Punk, Rap, Minimalist Music, Spoken Word, and pure anger has been around for quite some time.  Their 2007 self titled album I actually really loved.  Between the very wordy verses and the spit-in-your-face attitude, there was TONS to really get into.  Sleaford Mods continued to bring out a whole lot of the same elements on their next album "The Originator", their style among a whole lot of their early recordings actually stayed fairly similar.  Then Sleaford Mods released their first "real" album "Austerity Dogs", and album that overall didn't really hit me that much at all.  I felt like a ton of these tracks seriously took so long to get going.  Once they did get going they were solid, but they were much more patience testing.  I still enjoyed a ton of what was going on however, especially their attitudes.  Sleaford Mods however on "Divide and Exit" really started to get the ball rolling.  The instrumentals here were certainly still minimal and chilly, but there was atleast a standout post punk sound to everything.  Even the usual rants were much easier to swallow, if that production increased just a little they'd be certainly set. And indeed they did with 2015's "Key Markets".  This album showcased some of Sleaford Mods most intense verses yet, almost pulling out some Punk Rap that bizarrely works wonderfully.  The instrumentals were still very minimal and straightforward, but here they sounded great and better produced.  To put it bluntly, the single "B.H.S." released for this new album is more or less what Sleaford Mods do best, so let's dive in to everything else shall we?

This album starts off with “Army Nights”, which if you’re familiar with Sleaford Mods, is pretty straightforward.  Instrumentally, if you’re not used to their style this could easily be taken as boring or just plain dull.  However, I’ve always found the HUGE contrast between Andrew Fearn’s cold instrumentals and Jason Williamson’s bombastic verses to be absolutely fascinating.  To be honest though, this intro really doesn't hit me that hard.  It has the same blasting vocal passages and lyrical topics that Sleaford Mods have always stuck with, and that usual tongue-in-cheek humor is there as well.  My only real issue here in the intensity.  As the track rolls on Jason certainly gets more and more intense, but I used to get this gigantic feeling of rebellion and totally justified anger from Sleaford Mods.  Here, it’s certainly still there, just a little watered down.  It’s certainly not bad though.  Thankfully, the duo quickly get their shit together for “Just Like We Do”.  Personally, I find the intro on this track to be absolutely hilarious.  In a time where there’s all these sub-genres in music and bizarre gimmicks, Sleaford Mods really are the polar opposite and they do a great job of knocking it here.  Jason’s performance here is so much more intense and in your face, it’s much more in the realm of what I expect from him.    Andrew’s instrumentals here, while lets be honest haven’t gotten a huge production upgrade (and probably never will), come off so much more hypnotic and work so much better.  Not to mention, you can always count on these guys for having plenty of material to bring up and call people out on, from social media outbursts to has-beens.  Overall, this works fantastically for Sleaford Mods.  Sadly though, the duo kinda go easy on us for the rest of the first half of the album.  On “Moptop”, the instrumentals get closer and closer to the post punk feel that they’re known for.  But to be honest, it’s Jason’s performance here that really doesn’t even sound like something Sleaford Mods would touch.  His performance does eventually pick up and get more intense, but overall this one really doesn’t click at all.  In the last few years, Sleaford Mods have slowly been bringing in more tongue-in-cheek humor to their music, but for my liking it just takes over a little too much here.  Plus, I just really don’t care for Jason’s vocal performance.  “Messy Anywhere” starts off with these same off kilter vocals from Jason that seriously don’t do anything for me.  By this point in the album, I just feel like the duo are taking it easy on us.  I remember the feeling of listening to their earlier material for the first time and feeling like I was just getting this constant onslaught of energy.  This is FAR from that feeling.  Then we have these vocals that I really hate to keep bringing up but they’re really getting on my nerves.  I get it, Jason Williamson is no classically trained vocalist.  But this seriously is just not working for him at all.  His little punk rap thing he had going last album was fantastic, here he just sounds like he doesn’t care, which in a way is pretty damn punk in itself.  It’s just not for me.  

On “Time Sands”, I actually seriously dig Andrew Fearn’s funky bass riff.  While the last few tracks here have been a little boring (man, that stung saying that), this is a step in the right direction.  I love Jason Williamson’s performance here, as he starts off by stating that he’s not paranoid, then goes on to sound VERY paranoid in his commute to work among other daily activities.  But when we get to later moments of the track, “Time Sands” just comes off as a little too repetitive for may liking.  And trust me, I know that repetition is a huge element to what post punk was built on, but I just don’t think it works well here.  Thankfully though for the duo, they really shake the rust off completely when it comes to the fiery and easily most angry track yet, “Snout”.  This is honestly what I expected to hear from the get-go.  Here, Andrew’s instrumentals are intense, and Jason pulls together quite possibly his finest rant here as he goes off on all sorts of social media, and it’s absolutely glorious.  Here, Sleaford Mods have really found a great balance of serious anger and bitterness, with just enough humor that doesn’t make them get taken any less seriously.  It’s funny, it’s sharply written, “Snout” is absolutely wonderful.  Up next is “Drayton Manored”, and as the album goes on, these instrumentals just keep picking up.  As simple as they are, they really work well with the very dirty, very blue collar sound of Sleaford Mods.  Also as these tracks roll on, Jason just seems to get more fierce and angrier, which I can’t get enough of.  This one is bizarrely catchy and sticks with you LONG after it’s over.  Let me just say thing though, if you haven’t really followed Sleaford Mods in the past, you’re going to want the lyrics handy for this album.  And even then, your going to need to dive into a British slang dictionary just to get half of what’s going on.  It’s a lot to take in, and a lot of the time you may just need to pause the track and take everything in.  Boy am I ever glad this album picked up a bit.  Up next is “Carlton Touts”, which may have the most actual “punk” sounding instrumental here.  It makes me happy to see Sleaford Mods really getting their energy together.  Topics of the bar and drinking are really taking up a good portion of their lyrics these days, which I’d say works fine with their sound.  “Carlton Touts” overall is a solid tune.  Andrew’s instrumental is hypnotizing, Jason sounds much more fierce, and while over the years I feel like Sleaford Mods have gotten a little less urgent, this is still solid.  

“Cuddly” starts off the last leg of our Sleaford Mods experience for this evening.  This track is probably the closest thing you’re going to hear to actual Rap on this album.  Even more bizarrely, with all of the almost industrial vibes in the instrumental going on, I can see Death Grips fans going nuts over this.  Even Jason’s performance here is absolutely brutal and vicious.  It all works really nicely together actually, and it brings a real sense of reinvigoration to the duo’s music.  The beats are still minimal, but it’s more fleshed out and not just a blast of power.  “Dull” ironically is anything but, and the opening mysterious bass line is brilliant.  Here, we see Sleaford Mods returning to a much more bare bones sound.  While Jason’s delivery is fiery and entertaining, I’m sort of realizing a really big issue with this album.  I feel like honestly they’re sort of running out of ideas.  Their sound is still exciting and all, but a lot of their ideas are slowly being repackaged and reused even if it’s just slightly.  “BHS” on the other hand is an upbeat jam that really hits home on every level.  As far as an instrumental goes, this may just be the most fleshed out one on the entire album.  “BHS” to me is more than just a track for Sleaford Mods, it’s almost like a mission statement, and if you haven’t listened to the group yet, this may be a good place to start.  Let’s round this album off, shall we? This album ends with “I Feel Do Wrong”.  While I may not be into these instrumentals seriously at all, I give them credit for going for a little something out of the box.  My main issue once again are Jason’s vocals.  I know that he’s really going for more singing passages, but man they really aren’t all that good.  It’s an alright album overall, but I certainly wish I could enjoy it more.  

Rating : 7.1/10

Give A Listen To:  “Just Like We Do”, "Snout", "Cuddly", "BHS"

Overall Thoughts:  I was a little let down by this to be honest.  Over the years I've felt like Sleaford Mods have just gotten better and better, but this is a big hiccup for the band.  A lot of the material here seems a little recycled, and Jason and Andrew for the first half of the album really couldn't seem to get on the same page.  That being said, this also has some of the freshest Sleaford Mods material I've heard in a while, and absolutely some of the funniest.  So this is a bit all over the place.  If you're new to the band, this isn't the place to start.  But if you want to hear what Sleaford Mods do best without pushing the envelope too far, this is an alright album.  

Power Trip - "Nightmare Logic"

Thrash Metal these last few years for the most part been a little stale, it's certainly far from dead but the genre hasn't presented anything seriously groundbreaking in a while.  That's where Texas's Power Trip come in.  These guys back in 2013 took the metal world by storm with their debut album "Manifest Decimation".  Power Trip on here took Thrash Metal and threw in massive elements of Hardcore Punk, and without over saturating anything with too much production.  They had the energy down, and the instrumentals were solid, overall "Manifest Decimation" was a pretty fantastic intro to the band.  All I wanted was a little more personality and maybe a little more explosiveness on the production.  And from the sound of these opening singles from this new album, my wish may be coming true!

This album starts off with the very hellish "Soul Sacrifice", armed with a very strong atmospheric intro.  Don't get used to it, for the next half hour it's going to be all Thrash with not much room to relax.  This atmospheric intro really sets the tone fantastically, as if that cover art didn't already take care of that.  When that main riff finally drops, it's honestly exactly what I wanted to hear from these guys.  It's confident and almost has a little groove metal feel to it.  Power Trip always give us such tight musical performances that are so crisp, and while they're heavy as anything else you're going to hear this year, these tracks are very well thought out. One of the big elements I have to point out here, is the production.  Off the top of my head I don't know who produced this album, but whoever did captured Power Trip wonderfully.  They've managed to seriously raise their production value without taking anything away from their brutal sound.  In a time where metal seriously needs gimmicks and sub-genres to stay relevant, this is just so straightforward and classic sounding.  The vocals come off as so tortured here, so vicious, I can't get enough of them.  "Soul Sacrifice" doesn't give you a single inch to breathe, and the solos that come in at about 2:40 are some of the most ridiculous I've heard from the genre in a long time.  Honestly. this is exactly what I want to hear from Power Trip.  Up next is "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe".  This one seriously doesn't waste a single second getting completely unhinged.  There aren't flashy riffs, and Power Trip isn't going for anything super fancy or technical, this is just balls to the wall Thrash Metal.  And it sure is fantastic.  As far as the vocals go, they continue to be just as vicious.  Lyrically however "Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe" is special.  The lyrics here are the perfect combination of over-the-top, overly ridiculous lyrics I look for in metal.  Not to mention, believe it or not this track has a lot of really catchy moments too, it ends up really sticking with you.  Plus, this track and almost all of the others as well don't really overstay their welcome, which happens all too often these days in metal.  This continues to be everything I crave for in Thrash.  By the time we get to "Firing Squad", it's apparent that every track here is just going to get angrier and heavier.  This is absolutely brutal.  Lyrically, it continues to be just so damn over-the-top and bloody, basically everything that was one great about Thrash.  The tracks on this album barely give you a single second to breathe, and these solos remain eye popping to say the very least.  Hell, I had trouble taking notes on this album because it's just so non stop.  Power Trip are doing more than just supplying us with one of the years best metal albums, this is redefining Thrash altogether. Their performances are concise, their energy is commendable, and the material isn't too challenging at all.  If you've never give Thrash Metal a listen, this would be honestly a great place to start.  I need a breather after "Firing Squad".  As you can imagine, I'm not going to get that break, and Power Trip are just getting started.  Up next is the title track, "Nightmare Logic", which starts with absolutely ridiculous wailing guitars.  For such a young band to be in touch with their sound this quickly, it's pretty damn awesome.  As these tracks continue, it becomes more and more evident that there's also a ton of Hardcore Punk influence in there as well, mostly in the vocals.  It's a great sound for Power Trip though.  I love the absolutely brute force of "Nightmare Logic", all of these tracks just seem to plow through everything in their path.  This is just another all around very impressive Thrash Metal track.  The riff once again is reminiscent of Thrash Metal's glory days.  The guttural vocals continue to be soul piercing, and the solos continue to be out of control.  All I can say is, hell yes.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdE4RO_P-qE

The second half of the album starts off with one of the singles, "Waiting Around To Die".  Now, I love a balls out intro as much as anyone else.  But the intro here is on the slower side and it works out great.  Power Trip really slow things down and end up building a fantastic atmosphere, which almost always works out in the case of metal.  Boy is there ever a huge pay off though.  By the time that main riff hits I'm already invested, and "Waiting Around To Die" quickly becomes quite possibly the most Wild and unhinged track here.  Lyrically and vocally, this is absolutely brutal.  Power Trip have this formula down so well, between the unrelenting instrumentals and just how memorable the verses are.  While lyrically it's still just as ridiculous and over-the-top, it all sticks with you.  "Ruination" offers up a much slower intro for Power Trip, with some more chugging guitars compared to more explosive fast paced ones.  Everything about this one is much more patience testing, with the first verse waiting a whole minute before it explodes in.  This remains just as heavy however, and when everything speeds up eventually it's more of what you expect.  "Ruination" doesn't really hit me that hard, but even at their weakest Power Trip is exhausting and explosive.  Plus, the constant screams of "RUINATION!!!" just work so well in their favor, I just wish this one was a little longer and more fleshed out.  Thankfully, Power Trip pick themselves up and get right back at it with a much more technical jam of "If Not Us Then Who".  This one is a little more all over the place, but in the best way.  "If Not Us Then Who" may be the most unpredictable track on here.  The solos during the breakdown are simply put dizzying, to the point where I actually had to put down my headphones for a second.  I swear, as this album goes on these vocals just get harsher and harsher, and this might just be my favorite vocal performance here.  The instrumental breakdowns later on in the track prove to be just as overwhelming, even that last little instrumental outro is done so well.  Simply put, this is going to go down as one of the years strongest metal albums.  As far as the album's finale goes, "Crucifixation" is pretty straightforward.  At this point in the album, you better believe Power Trip aren't going to go soft on us.  This intro is just as fast paced and dominant as other tracks here.  The galloping riff here is just as brutal, and the rest of the band sounds just as unforgiving.  The only thing I'm not 100% sold on here are the vocals sadly, I wish they were a little more at the forefront.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2qnk1qGSKQ

Rating 8.5/10

Give A Listen To:  “Soul Sacrifice”, “Executioner's Tax (Swing of the Axe)”, “Nightmare Logic”, "If Not Us Then Who"

Overall Thoughts: Like I said earlier, Metal has come to a point where it needs a gimmick or some wild sub-genre just to get noticed.  Power Trip here come at you full force, no gimmicks, no tricks, just raw power, in a surprisingly fantastic album.  Even some of the weaker tracks here have TONS to seriously love about them, and there isn't a single performance here that isn't vicious.  "Nightmare Logic" is one of the most unforgiving metal albums you're going to hear this year.  

Temples - "Volcano"

Temples are an English psychedelic pop/rock band that took off a few years ago with the release of their "Sun Structures" album.  Now, if you know me personally, then you'll know how much of a sucker I am for music from this generation that sounds like it was recorded in another time period.  Whether that be Ty Segall & White Fence's "Hair", The King Khan & BBQ Show's self titled album, The Olivia Tremor Control's entire discography, or the first thee Of Montreal albums, I just eat it all up.  Which is why you think I would have seriously gone gaga for Temples "Sun Structures", and I certainly did for a few tracks.  But overall, it just didn't seem natural, it seemed that way too often Temples were shoving this sound down our throats.  Temples ever since have been pretty quiet.  As far as the singles go from this new album though, they've been hit and miss.  While "Certainty" is obviously is right up the alley of Tame Impala, I feel like Temples pulls it off nicely.  "Born Into The Sunset" on the other hand sounds like every other psych-pop band ever, just with absolutely no pizzazz or really interesting moments.  "Strange or Be Forgotten" was also, VERY good, showing that Temples hadn't gone all electronic on us and giving us this wonderful hazy atmosphere.  So far, it's sounding like this is an improvement, so lets dive in deeper!

This new album starts off with “Certainly”, which right off the bat is a whole lot more lively than their first album.  It’s not by any means heavy or anything, but there’s certainly a bite to it.  The fact that Temples isn’t shoving their usual airy atmosphere down our throats with not intention of letting go actually does wonders for the band.  Trust me, all of their elements from their last album are still there and all, but their heavily veiled by this new electronic sound they're going for.  While this is an improvement, is it just me or are Temples totally ripping off Tame Impala?  It’s certainly a little more playful and bouncy than Tame Impala’s music, but I really can’t shake that feeling that they’re totally ripping them off.  Truthfully, rip off or not, “Certainly” is a solid tune.  The production has gone up tremendously, and the vocals are much more front and center.  My only real complaint is that the outro overstays it’s welcome a bit.  While this is a pretty darn good opener, I’m still not completely sold on Temples.  “All Join In” is up next, and it’s pretty apparent by now just how determined they are to sticking to this electronic sound.  It’s seriously nuts to think that this is the same band that a few years ago was stuck in the 60’s so hard that it began to fault them.  The intro on “All Join In” takes way too long to get going however, and as hard as I try I can’t keep coming back to the fact that this literally sounds exactly like Tame Impala (Specifically a track off of their “Lonerism” album).  And it’s not even just the vocals anymore, it’s the hazy atmosphere and thumping bass as well.  On top of all of that, the chorus here is completely lifeless and more or less sounds like a forgotten Beatles track that wasn’t good enough to make their albums.  Not to mention, man is this ever starting to come off as one dimensional.  So far, pretty bad.  Thankfully, Temples shock me with just how genuinely good “(I Wanna Be Your) Mirror” is.  For starters, this is a genuinely interesting combo of a more up to date Psych Rock/Pop sound within that 60’s Psych Rock they’ve worshipped for years.  On this track, Temples sound totally in their element, and when things speed up this track just keeps getting better.  To be honest, I really can’t think of a Temples track that’s packed more punch than this.  Hell, if they made more tracks like this, I wouldn’t be nearly as critical of their material.  Sure, the Tame Impala sound-alike elements are still all over the place, but this is still the most unique track I’ve heard from Temples in a very long time.  It’s adventurous, it’s colorful, it’s seriously refreshing, overall this track is wonderful.  Even the lyrics come off as snappy and memorable, and the outro here is absolutely breathtaking.  Man, I’d love to hear more like this.  Sadly, Temples throws it all away with….an acoustic track, *shudders*.  Things go from pretty breathtaking to seriously messy very quickly.  Instantly, we’re right back to where Temples were last album, desperately trying to sound like a 60’s British Invasion artist.  While I guess they pull it off, personally I think it’s an awful sound for them.  Honestly though, as boring as the instrumental and vocals are, lyrically I feel like this one is actually really memorable.  I just get the feeling listening to tracks like this that Temples don’t fit comfortably into this sound, and just come off as trying way too hard.  I’d still say that this album overall is an improvement at all, but I still can’t truly invest myself in it.

“Born Into The Sunset” is up next, and it brings back that electronic sound big time.  Overall, this one just comes off as ugly as sin.  The earlier tracks while they weren’t perfect at least were grand sounding and very bright, but this one just comes off as really half assed.  Honestly, I don’t mind the vocals that much on this one, but man is this track just so safe sounding.  As the track rolls on though, I can’t even say I like the vocals anymore, as everything just starts becoming very one-dimensional.  Ironically, even though everything is blending together, tracks like “Born Into The Sunset” have so much going on that it’s overwhelming.  I don’t know if Temples are going for a really experimental or just plain weird sound, but it’s certainly not working.  Not to mention, oh boy are these Volcano references getting old, very fast.  Thankfully, Temples get their shit together for a few tracks.  “How Would You Like To Go?” actually has a really fantastic atmosphere.  Nothing about this track seems really forced at all, and these opening vocals actually come off really nicely.  Obviously this track is a whole lot slower, but there’s some serious buildup going on which I’m loving.  The synths are spacey, the vocals are right where they ought to be, and the pacing is actually fantastic.  We don’t get that much of a release here, but there’s certainly at least a little pick up around the 2 minute mark.  “Open Air” continues with this very impressive sound, and the intro on this one might just be the most striking here.  I can actually seriously get into some of these more upbeat tracks.  There’s just so much energy, which was like my main problem with Temples first album.  The vocals are back to being super breezy, but in this more upbeat environment I have to say they work really nicely.  Not to mention, there’s a serious funk to this track, and most importantly it’s fun.  Temples here just sound so natural and adventurous, I can only hop that in the future they give me more tracks like “Open Air”.  Sadly though, they quickly throw it all out with “In My Pocket”.  Let me just say this, there was a reason that the 60’s style of rock died out in the 70’s.  It was just a whole lot of overly cheery pop at the end of the day, and that’s exactly what’s wrong with “In My Pocket”.  I usually like adorable and sweet rock tracks, but this is absolutely suffocating.  As far as instrumentals go, this one is way too safe for my liking, and the fact that they’re clinging to that acoustic guitar for dear life really speaks volumes.  Not to mention, vocally this comes off so lazy.  I really couldn't say a single good thing about this track if I had to.  

“Celebration” starts off alright and all, even triumphant.  But quickly it becomes evident just how much of the same this really is.  When that first verse hits things go from bad to worse very quickly.  Everything about this track is so unbelievably safe that it isn’t funny.  The synthesizers hanging in the background are probably the most exciting thing here, they’re actually really nice.  But then the chorus pops in and it’s just as unbelievably boring as you can imagine.  No, I don’t have a single good thing to say about “Celebration”.  “Mystery of Pop” at the very least breaks things up a little with some more colorful instrumentals.  The synth here however does absolutely nothing for me.  Outside of that though, a lot of this really works in Temples favor.   I absolutely enjoy how bouncy this is, and some of the vocal work here actually sticks with me.  Once again, when they let this sound of the 60’s that they can’t seem to get away from drift into the background a little, its really helps their sound a ton.  Up next is “Roman Godlike Man”, which has a very eye opening start which quickly devolves into just another alright Temples track.  As far as “bad” qualities to this track there really aren’t that many,  but there really isn’t anything that exciting either.  Temples do at the very least sound confident in their sound, I just wish they pushed this track a little further.  Plus, that chorus is just plain weird.   Let’s just round this album up, shall we.  While I originally enjoyed “Strange Or Be Forgotten” when I initially heard it, over time it’s just become just as bland as most of this album.  Instrumentally it’s solid, but holy shit are these vocals un-listenable.  Temples may have taken a step forward with this album, but they still have a long way to go.  

Rating: 6.1/10

Give A Listen To: “Certainly”, “(I Wanna Be Your) Mirror”, “How Would You Like To Go?”, "Open Air”

Overall Thoughts :  This album man, whoa is it ever messy.  Half the time Temples end up sounding way too much like Tame Impala.  The tracks here are all over the place,  but most of them just come off as very bland and un-exciting.  However, I do think this is a slight step forward.  I think the more electronic tinge to these tracks actually bring out a little life in Temples that I didn't know they had. 

Thundercat - "Drunk"

Thundercat, AKA Stephen Bruner, sure has been picking up some speed over the last few years.  He's been a mainstay on Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder label for years, he's had countless fantastic collaborations with Lotus, Kamasi Washington, Kendrick Lamar and tons of others, and he puts on an incredible live show (if you haven't seen him, it's pretty awe-inspiring).  He's toyed around with a few different genres over the years as well, take for example his 2011 "The Golden Age of Apocalypse".  For the most part this was an electronic album, a pretty decent one too, accompanied by Thundercat's explosive bass playing and high pitched vocals.  I thought it was a solid debut, but honestly I was more interested of seeing how Thundercat would transition his way out of his electronic phase.  And indeed he did, slowly.  On "Apocalypse" Thundercat started showing tons more personality, bringing in elements of funk and jazz to accompany his electronic side.  It wasn't a perfect album, but it was more memorable, and started showing Thundercat really coming into his own.  It was on his stellar 2015 EP "The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam" that I started to really appreciated Thundercat's music.  His lineup for backing musicians here was grade A, for the most part the whole electronic vibe was gone, and while it was a short EP it felt really complete.  By this point, I felt like I was beginning to seriously get who Thundercat was.  But I still felt like I needed more, another full length album for his personality to really come out.  Let's talk about this new Thundercat album, "Drunk"

The album starts off with "Rabbot Ho", which contains countless wonderful harmonies and Thundercat overall sounds fantastic.  But let me just get this out of the way nice and early, why the hell does this album have so many short interludes.  Don't get me wrong, most of them are actually really solid, but it's just a really strange way to plan out an album.  For the most part, "Drunk" is comprised of 3 or 4 interludes back to back then one or two longer tracks.  The result is a whole lot of really short tracks that would be a whole lot better if they went on another minute or so.  "Rabbot Ho" quickly goes from a really sweet opener to more or less an afterthought, which is a real shame.  Up next is "Captain Stupido".  Thundercat's over the years has had sort of a really bizarre sense of humor, but it's never been this front and center.  Thundercat here runs down seemingly countless tasks and activities in a rather mundane day..  However, he's putting his own tongue-in-cheek feel to it.  To be honest, it actually comes together really nicely.  Instrumentally, this is right where Thundercat should be.  There are some jazzy undertones, and if you take the time to pinpoint each instrument there's actually a TON of really fantastic stuff going on.  It's upbeat, it's catchy, it's certainly quirky, but it's still on the short and underdeveloped side.  It's enjoyable for it's entirety, but I really would have loved to hear this flushed out longer.  However, on "Uh Uh" quickly Thundercat takes a big nosedive quality-wise.  This track if anything has a Flying Lotus vibe, which is cool and all, but this doesn't fit Thundercat's sound at all.  When things picks up here, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't awe inspiring.  Thundercat's bass playing is beyond description, and his energy is absolutely fantastic, I can't stress enough how awesome his live shows are.  Once again we find ourselves with a nice little interlude, but as far as the instrumentals go I thought he was past got past this phase with his last EP.  Don't get me wrong, the musical talent here is pretty ridiculous, but I can't get behind this all together.  Thankfully, Thundercat in between these short, underwhelming tunes gives us tracks like "Bus In These Streets".  This one has some serious old school R&B/Funk flair to it, to be honest though it's a sound that works great for Thundercat.  His vocals seem seriously right at home among this light and airy atmosphere.  It's far from what I expected to hear on this album, but it gives us a small look into Thudnercat's major influences, which is really fascinating.  His singing here is a little one dimensional, but that's not enough to bring this track down, I really wouldn't mind hearing more stuff like this in the future.  Thundercat continues down this route with "A Fan's Mail (Tron Song Suite II)".  Thundercat's sense of humor once again is on full display with these bizarre meowing sound effects, and tosses in some Disney references as well with his "everybody wants to be a cat" lyric and Lion King references.  Not to mention, Thundercat takes this moment to return to J Dilla's "Stepson The Clapper" beat which is buried discreetly underneath everything else going on here.  Thundercat's personality continues to be very likable and much easier to connect with as well.  This track for what it's worth still comes off really nicely, but that is mostly because this is a longer track that's actually explored the right way.  When we reach "Lava Lamp" though, things start seriously getting a little bland.  By this point, a whole lot of the sounds that Thundercat is offering up are really starting to blend together.  While there's plenty of great songs and sounds here, Thundercat seriously needs to mix it up a little.  All of these airy atmospheres and vocals are all meshing together to the point where I can barely distinguish some of these interludes.  This certainly isn't bad, but in moments like this I would highly recommend just going to see Thundercat live or listen to his last EP.  The synths that pop in are nice and give this track a nice spacey feel, but the rest is nothing more than just OK.  On the other hand "Jethro" instantly from this intro grabs me.  On this track, Thundercat just sounds so much more energetic and willing to branch his sound out.  His vocals here aren't the slightest bit boring, just the opposite.  The vibe here is so much more bouncy and not airy at all, it's also on the more serious side of things.  But to be honest this EASILY could have been two minutes longer.  I mean it's still fantastic, but why didn't Thundercat take some of these songs and dive deeper into them?  Then we have moments like "Day & Night", which goes right back to sounding like literally every other track on here.  It's 37 seconds long, I would love to get on board and dive in deeper but virtually nothing happens.  Thundercat so far on this album shows fantastic personality and instrumental prowess.  But he seriously needs to hunker down on song structure, cause this is all over the place.  

Thundercat as the album goes on does get a little bit more consistent.  “Show You The Way” bizarrely enough featuring Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald is a HUGE step in the right direction.  To be honest, all of these sort of retro tinged tracks seriously are sounding great for Thundercat.  Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald both sounds fantastic on this smooth R&B jam, and there’s just enough of Thundercat’s goofy side in those introductions to make this track work.  If you would have told me that in the year 2017 a collaboration between these 3 would have worked half as well as it actually did, I wouldn’t have believed you.  Plus, that last little spoken word bit by Thundercat is absolutely hilarious.  But man, what a bummer “Walk On By” is.  Right off the bat these instrumentals sound sort of ugly.  The synth beat here is so sluggish that I’m honestly confused on what I’m even listening to.  I’m all for Thundercat trying some new stuff but this is just boring.  There isn’t a single interesting instrumental in sight, even his vocals don’t sound completely invested.  So of course logic would tell me that of all people to make this track exciting Kendrick Lamar would be the right man for the job.  To be honest though, he really doesn’t do anything to liven up this track at all.  His performance is average at best, but everything else is just so sluggish, this track overall is just awful.  “Blackkk” which is up next certainly has some life to it, and were back to at least a technically sound track.  But really quickly this just becomes bizarre and hard to place.  There are a few cool moments here and there as far as instrumentals go, but the vocals never really add up.  Plus, before this one even gets going, it’s over, once again.  Structurally this album can’t keep on its feet.  While earlier I said that I felt like Thundercat had to seriously step away from the electronics, “Tokyo” I can’t deny one bit.  The vocals here are a nice switch up for Thundercat, and we’re not listening to the same vocal harmonies over and over.  His sense of humor is back in a big way here, as he goes on and on about eating too much Sushi, and spending too much money on Anime.  Honestly, I love it, it makes me feel like I personally know Thundercat.  Overall, this track is a fantastic sound for him.  Ironically these electronic tracks act as a nice break up to the album that was becoming a little stagnant.  “Jameel’s Space Ride” is another upbeat, sweet, and catchy electronic track, that once again let’s Thundercat’s personality come out.  The only problem is, this one is barely over a minute long.  Once again, this structure is killing me.  Thankfully, Thundercat continues on this creative streak by bringing in some serious funk (which this album for the most part has been lacking).  “Friend Zone” is the funky jam that I’ve been looking for.  The cosmic atmosphere is 100% on point, and the constantly rising and falling synths behind Thundercat are a great addition.  As far as some of the longer, more fleshed out tracks here, this is absolutely a standout.  Not to mention that line about “Not texting him after 2am unless your giving me some (Because I Have Enough Friends)” was absolutely hilarious.  As iffy as this album is and continues to be, Thundercat’s personality is right where it should be.  The funk sticks around heavy for “Them Changes”, its certainly just a fantastic sound for Thundercat.  Even his vocals on here come off so jazzy and refreshed.  “Them Changes” is one of the more straightforward tracks on this album, but it works well.  Not to mention, when he ends up popping into his upper vocal registry everything turns stunning.  This is also one of the most instrumentally sound tracks we’ve heard here in a while.  But this marks the end to Thundercat’s real creative streak sadly.  “Where I’m Going” starts off great with a very cool mysterious vibe to everything.  Instrumentally this continues to be on point, but vocally what is Thundercat even going for here.  To be honest, this track would have been a whole lot better as just an instrumental, Thundercat’s vocals come off as distracting.  “Where I’m Going” overall is just solid, frantic Jazzy track that quickly derails and ends up being messy.  

We’ve still got a way to go people.  Up next is “Drink Dat” featuring everyone’s favorite Weed smoker, Wiz Khalifa.  I love how literally just his presence here alone turns this track instantly into a more drug-oriented track.  This beat is just so sluggish, and while the hazy atmosphere I usually really dig, this ends up being awful.  Thundercat’s vocals here come off more awkward than anything and totally out of place, and worst of all repetitive.  This track in general doesn't even fit the feel of this album at all.  When Wiz shows up for his verse things go from awkward to laughable.  I wasn’t a fan of him to begin with, but this is seriously an all time low for him.  His verse is so half-assed and boring, I couldn’t say a nice thing about it if i tried.  Thankfully, Thundercat bounces back quickly with “Inferno”, one of the best tracks here by far.  Instrumentally this is a bit stripped down compared to the rest of the tracks here, and the multiple layered effects on top of Thundercat’s vocals are actually really well done.  To be honest, a little more of these effects throughout the album would have been welcomed massively.  The atmosphere on “Inferno” is colorful and actually stunning, and vocally this may be Thundercat’s biggest track here.  But come on, then the entire last minute of this track has this highly unnecessary 40 second fade out.  The production and structure of this entire album remains very questionable.  And seriously, Thundercat seriously needs to trim down the fat on some of these releases.  There are tons of different sounds here, but only about half of them really go over well.  The last few tracks on this album not to shockingly are all under two and a half minutes, and are just as all over the place as the rest of the album.  “I Am Crazy” is smooth and Thundercat sounds fine, and I do enjoy the funky licks.  But this track is literally 26 seconds long, and I can’t seriously grab on to anything.  “3AM” up next actually gives me some hope listening to this intro.  Thundercat sounds good and all, and I’m really digging this much more minimal instrumental, with only a few quiet plucking and strings behind him.  But at this point this shouldn't be so shocking, this track is only a minute and fifteen seconds long.  I sure would have loved to dive much deeper into this track, but there’s just not enough to it.  Just another bizarre choice.  Up next on “Drunk”, Thundercat’s vocals are once again solid, and there’s plenty of really nice effects on his vocals too.  The instrumentals however are so un-interesting here.  His usual quirky lyrics here just come off as really annoying, and once again this is in and out in under 2 minutes.  As these tracks go on, I feel like I have less and less to say.  Then we have “The Turn Down” featuring Pharrell.  This track with its much more somber tone actually really caught me off guard.  It’s much heavier, and even with Thundercat bringing in bizarre lyrics about Captain Planet it’s done really well.  Overall, what’s most bizarre about this track is that it ends up bringing a sense of realism to this album that I think it needed.  Pharrell’s inclusion is pretty solid too, it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and it works well with Thundercat’s performance.  22 tracks later and we’ve reached the finale, “DUI”.  I wouldn’t say it’s a bad track, but at this point Thundercat’s singing has become beyond one dimensional.  Literally, this track sounds like 6 other tracks on here.  I honestly like the twinkling synths behind Thundercat quite a bit, and the synths that come in later are even better.  But everything else about this one just washes right over me.  

Rating: 7.2/10

Give A Listen To: "Bus In These Streets", "Show You The Way", "Friend Zone", "Them Changes", "Inferno"

Overall Thoughts - I had nothing but high hopes for this album.  I wanted an album that was really going to give me a serious look into Thundercat's personality.  And I certainly got that.  But so many of the production choices here as well as structural choices are just plain BIZARRE.  The features are questionable for the most part, and half of the best songs on here are under two minutes, desperate to be fleshed out more.  It's a mess honestly, and while there's plenty of good about this album there's also a ton of bad.  

Xiu Xiu - "Forget"

Xiu Xiu to me is another one of those bands that I've never been completely sold on.  Their style is absolutely not for everyone for starters, and incorporates elements of Experimental Music, Post Punk,Art Rock, and tons of other bizarre genres.  I've always understood the appeal, trust me, but their material to me over the years has been a little all over the place.  With their debut album "Knife Play", Xiu Xiu actually gained my interest pretty quickly.  This album was trulytwisted in some parts, while in others being strangely gorgeous. It was far from perfect, and there were a few tracks that I found completely boring, but for the most part, I was impressed with "Knife Play".  On their next album, "A Promise", Xiu Xiu's tracks began to to get seriously patience testing and bizarre.  Granted, their was often a fantastic payoff, but I could totally understand why this wouldn't be for everyone.  I however, found it hauntingly beautiful and a strangely brilliant album.  Up next Xiu Xiu would release somewhat of their "breakthrough" album, "Fabulous Muscles".  And while yes, I certainly see what people liked about this album it was far from my favorite.  The album overall had a much easier to digest sound and was much more welcoming, but overall I wasn't as affected by it overall. And while I did REALLY like the bands dive back into Post Punk occasionally, the album overall was so much less exciting I felt. With their next album "The Air Force", instrumentally Xiu Xiu were back on track.  But I dunno everything else about this album justdidn't click with me at all.  Their next album though "Dead God, I Hate Myself", I actually enjoyed quite a bit.  This one was a bit of divider for most people, as this was probably the most accessible album Xiu Xiu had released yet.  I thought it wasn't perfect, but if they WERE going for a more straightforward sound, I certainly didn't mind this at all.  Then in 2012 Xiu Xiu came out with "Always", an album that I feel like most people just glossed over, but to be honest I went absolutely head over heals for this album.  Instrumentally it was a little more straightforward, but Xiu Xiu's performance was still exciting and pretty heavy.  Xiu Xiu's Nina Simone cover album was disappointing, and "Angel Guts" while it had a stellar atmosphere I really hated Jamie's vocals on there.  On the other hand, I actually found the music on 2014's "Unclouded Sky" to be pretty stunning, and Jamie's more theatrical performance totally clicked. Then, oh boy, Xiu Xiu made their boldest move yet.  Cover albums are very iffy, and usually go down as being fantastic or a complete joke.  Xiu Xiu made it their mission to cover the entire Twin Peaks soundtrack, one of my favorites ever.  I grew up with Twin peaks, and the music within it is sacred.  But Xiu Xiu absolutely hit it out of the park, hell I would even say it may just be my favorite album of theirs.  Leading up to this new album, I have to be honest I missed the singles, so we're diving in headfirst!

This album starts off with “The Call”, and it’s certainly an eye opening one.  For one bizarre moment I feel like I may have accidentally put on a Die Antwoord album God help me.  Nahh, all jokes aside what the hell even was that at the opening?  I’m not sure if that was vocalist Jamie Stewart, but man I hope it wasn’t.  Thankfully when Jamie does come in her regains control quickly.  As far as the feel of this track goes, it’s synth heavy, with a ton of post punk underlying feels, so basically this is textbook Xiu Xiu.  Jamie’s signature theatrical performance is on display, and if you’re new to his vocal style this may not be a good place to start, it literally took me years to truly appreciate his vocals.  Whoever that was at the intro returns for the chorus with this bizarre “Clap Bitches” mantra, who the hell even is this dude.  It’s a shame because that alone really brings down “The Call” for me, outside of this guys bizarre performance it’s a solid track.  The only other real issue about this track I want to bring up is just how straightforward this is.  Xiu Xiu have always had two sides to them, the more avant-garde experimental side, and their more straightforward material.  Personally, while I enjoy some of the band’s more avant-garde material, I’ve always enjoyed their pop stuff a little bit more.  “The Call” lands much more on the pop side of things, and I’m sure some old school fans of Xiu Xiu are by this point ready to turn the album off already.  “Queen of The Losers” up next is much more along the lines of what people are expecting to hear here, with an intro filled with pounding drums and much heavier synths.  All I can say is, this album got a whole lot darker and fast.  Jamie’s vocals here seem so fragile and small, especially when he’s surrounded by all of this chaos behind him.  Between the yelps that occasionally jump out of nowhere and these explosive cymbal crashes, there’s a ton to love about this.  Xiu Xiu certainly know a great deal about pacing, they just love to get their listener’s on the edge of their seat ready to expect anything.  Then we have the chorus on “Queen of The Losers”, which while it’s absolutely hulking and damn near suffocating, there’s a strange beauty deep down.  Then we come down off of this gigantic chorus to hear Jamie going off in his usual rants, at the end of the day this is just so Xiu Xiu, and it’s pretty darn good.  Up next is the lead single from this album, “Wondering”, and probably my favorite track here.  The synth work is heavier than it’s been so far here, but so far it’s been working great for them.  I think the real show here is just how confident Xiu Xiu sound, even though overall it has all of the same Xiu Xiu elements.  The chorus on this one is what’s really going to stay with you.  It’s so ghastly and totally bizarre, yet to an extent groovy.  While all of these classic Xiu Xiu elements are present though, I still feel like it’s being presented in a much more inviting way, and there’s going to be a lot of fans that don’t like that at all.  Tracks like “Wondering” would actually be a good place to start for someone who hasn’t listened to Xiu Xiu ever.  It’s chilly, it’s disturbing, and as far as a stand-alone track it actually works really well.  Up next is “Get Up”, one of the most true to form and challenging tracks on here.  Instantly this track is so bare bones sounding as it creeps along, for hardcore Xiu Xiu fans this is certainly a track to check out.  Jamie’s vocals here are fantastic, as for once he eases us into his much more theatrical performance slowly instead of throwing us in headfirst.  This one has such a minimal atmosphere, one that’s so quiet that every time Jamie screams “RISE” you don't expect it at all.  Once again, when it comes to the chorus here there’s almost a strange release, almost a euphoria to everything.  Compared to the first few tracks I wouldn’t say I like this as much but it’s certainly still pretty damn good.  If you’re into the more subtle side of Xiu Xiu, this is going to be ear candy for you, and while I’m not head over heels for the instrumental, Jamie's performance here is absolutely brilliant.

“Hay Choco Bananas” is next, which is about as chilly an uninviting as it gets from Xiu XIu.  In some really bizarre twist I feel like this comes off way too similar to the theme from Lavender Town in Pokemon Red & Blue for the old gameboy, and that alone get’s me all weirded out.  As far as a downright twisted sounding track that’s filled with darkness, look no further than right here.  Jamie here sounds completely shrouded in shadows and actual darkness.  I love the creeping bass here and the fuzzy synths that lay this chilly blanket over everything.  “Hay Choco Bananas” isn’t my favorite track here, but considering how usually “hit or miss” I get with Xiu Xiu overall I’m still enjoying this album a lot.  “Jenny GoGo” up next is the most massive and probably darkest track we’ve heard yet.  The intro here sounds like something off of the legendary Silent Hill soundtrack.  Jamie is so great working with these little details, seriously whatever instrument that is on that pre chorus sounds like it’s actually in a ton of pain.  We’re back to a much heavier synth oriented sound, but Xiu Xiu time and time again have proven that that’s a sound they can work with nicely.  Then, just when I’m about to write this off as just another Xiu Xiu track, that chorus hits and it’s easily the most wild thing I’ve heard here by far.  The synths here are almost cartoonish, practically sounding like a parody of 1940’s horror movies.  But pair that up with Jamie’s desperate sounding screams, HELL yes it works.  The contrast between Jamie’s work on the verses compared to the chorus is actually pretty fantastic.  I can’t help but keep stressing though, this isn’t nearly as challenging as some of Xiu Xiu’s older work.  It’s going to alienate some fans, it’s going to bring in some new ones too.  Also, I don’t know if anyone else besides me remembers that fantastic experimental music band Dirty Beaches, but I’m totally getting a Dirty Beaches vibe here.   Up next is “At Last, At Last”.  The intro here is one of the quietest we’ve heard in a while.  While the instrumental on this one works just fine, there’s too much about this track that does nothing for me, which I haven’t said in a while.  Jamie’s performance here isn’t blowing me away at all, and those bizarre robotic vocals that pop in for the chorus just seem like a desperate attempt to seem artsy to me (which Xiu Xiu are, I just don’t think it’s necessary to try that hard).  While the synths that pop in here and there are heavy and certainly solid, I feel like they don’t connect at all with Jamie’s performance.  Jamie has always seemed like the ringleader of everything to me, but on “At Last, At Last” he really doesn’t seem in control of anything.  Thankfully, Xiu Xiu do in fact pull themselves out of their slump (slightly) on the album’s title track “Forget”.  The beat here is a little off kilter, and I’m having some serious trouble really putting my finger on it.  Jamie’s performance certainly does sound more back in line with what it should be, but the insetumental here doesn’t click with me at all.  The synths sound all beefy and huge for that hook, but that’s honestly about it.  Overall this is an improvement from the last track here, but once again what the hell is up with these bizarre vocal samples.  If they had a purpose I would be totally fine with it, but I seriously feel like they were just thrown in there at the last minute.  Thankfully, the instrumental does eventually pick up a little here, but “Forget” is far from perfect.  

"Petite" certainly takes a very quick turn.  So far it's been an album dominated by synthesizers, it's just unexpected.  However, it really gives Jamie a chance to shine.  Honestly, it comes off wonderfully, and ends up being probably the most beautiful track here, and certainly shows some emotion we haven't heard from Jamie yet.  The strings behind Jamie add a real nice touch, and besides that there's not much going on.  In a good way though, in a very minimal straightforward way. For a Xiu Xiu acoustic cut, I couldn't have asked for much more, not to mention as Jamie's performance marches onward it goes from beautiful to absolutely breathtaking.  The album ends off with "Faith, Torn Apart", which might be the most Avant-Gard track on the whole album, almost sounding like something from Tim Hecker's "Virgins".  It's hypnotic to say the least and it certainly gets you on the edge of your seat.  The keyboards that come in are goofy to an extent, but for Xiu Xiu they work wonderfully.  The background vocals here bring in an almost cult-like vibe, to be honest I wouldn't have minded other tracks here to be this bizarre and freakish.  Jamie's vocal performance is just as "out there" with these bizarre vocal effects, and everything ends up working out great.  "Faith, Torn Apart" is certainly patience testing, but it ends the album on a high note.

Rating: 7.9/10

Give A Listen To:  “Queen of the Losers”, “Wondering”, “Jenny GoGo”, “Faith, Torn Apart”

Overall Thoughts: Like almost every other Xiu Xiu album, "Forgive" is going to be an either love or hate experience, there's not that much of an in between.  There are a lot of great, freakish, synth heavy experimental tracks here, with only a few tracks that don't add up.  If you're into more experimental stuff and can handle some theatrical, dark performances, give this a try.  

Los Campesinos! - "Sick Scenes"

Los Campesinos! since 2008 have been churning out noisy, energetic indie pop.  From their debut album, "Hold On Now, Youngster", I had such high hopes for these guys.  This album was just so likable, sounding like some bizarre mash up of Jay Reatard, Early Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The New Pornographers, Fucked Up, and you're favorite British Alternative rock band (Pick one, they all work in this case).  The result was 43 exciting, upbeat, quirky, packed with attitude and unbelievably entertaining minutes.  On their followup album, "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed", Los Campesinos! continued on their cheery, noisy indie pop path.  But while this album was a whole lot shorter, tracks like the slower "Miserabilia", and more instrumentally vast tracks like "Between an Erupting Earth and an Exploding Sky" showed Los Campesinos! trying some new thigns as well.  Overall, "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" wasn't as shocking and explosive as the bands debut, but it was still pretty damn awesome.  By the time 2009's "Romance Is Boring" came along, Los Campesinos! sure had the same characteristics deep down, but were certainly going in a slightly different direction.  Their songs were getting more lengthy and certainly more structured, which was exciting in it's own right, there was also a much more theatrical feel to everything.  Still though, up until this point I was impressed by basically everything Los Campesinos! were throwing at us.  With 2012's "Hello Sadness", the band were practically a straight up indie pop act.  The tracks on here were nowhere near as urgent and quirky, but still well crafted and absolutely catchy.  However, it was clear that Los Campesinos! were very much so going in a different direction.  When it came to 2013's "No Blues", I wasn't really that moved by it as much.  Los Campesinos! at this point were going for much bigger, epic songs which is totally fine.  Some of them seriously came off wonderfully, but most of them took way too long to get going.  As far as these new singles from the band though, they've been pretty damn mediocre, am I the only one whose getting a major Pop Punk/Emo vibe to this?  I did however absolutely LOVE the "5 Flucloxacillin" though, so there may just be a little hope for this album yet, let's dive in.

This album starts off with “Renato Dall’Ara (2008)” which has these weird effects to start us off. I’m used to Los Campesinos! kinda just starting up their albums strong, but here we have these weird affects muffling up their sound heavily and slowly lifting.  When things clear up though it’s business as usual for Los Campesinos! for the most part, and they certainly don’t sound too bad.  Los Campesinos! still have their pop oriented style in tact and it’s very jolly, but man is it just me or is their energy seriously lacking? It’s certainly not as invigorating or as eye popping, thankfully it’s catchy enough to keep your interest.  But almost immediately we’re noticing a bunch about Los Campesinos!.  For one, they aren’t nearly as quirky as they used to sound, and overall this is just much more straight up indie rock sounding.  It’s still far from bad, and the the group vocals come off nicely and all.  I just honestly wish this was a little more explosive.  “Sad Suppers” is up next, and in all honesty this is certainly a big leap in the right direction. Here, at the very least Los Campesinos! has the energy going for them, not to mention some of the smaller details that make up the Los Campesinos! sound are coming back slowly.  The riff is catchy, there’s just enough attitude, and the vocals are pretty much where they should be at this point in their career.  To put it simply, “Sad Suppers” at the very least SOUNDS like the band.  They still sound a little off as far as their energy goes, but like I said this is a big improvement.  Also, here Los Campesinos! sound much more mature, an end up coming up with one of their catchiest and most solid hooks on the entire album.  “Sad Suppers” is also one of the simpler tracks here, but to be honest at this point in their career it’s what I want to hear from them.  Up next is the first track I’ve heard from this album, “I Broke Up In Amarante”.  For starters, it certainly has the spunk and the energy I've been looking for.  The performance here though, man is it just the exact opposite.  In some bizarre twist, I feel like I’ve come across some new Pop Punk album, and not a good one either.  Thankfully, the chorus certainly adds a ton, mostly because they’re gang-like vocals are always done so well.  Overall though, “I Broke Up In Amarante” barely even sounds like Los Campesinos!, not even instrumentally.  I love these instrumentally energetic performances from Los Campesinos! a whole lot, but this one seriously doesn’t click one bit.  I feel like Los Campesinos! are trying to sound all rough around the edges and heavier but that’s just not who they are.  Sadly, “A Slow, Slow Death” is even worse.  Instrumentally, this is certainly more along the lines of what I like to hear from them, but now they’ve slowed it down way too much.  If you haven’t figured it out yet, this album is seriously all over the place.  More than anything, this album has made me miss the frantic, noisy performances from early Los Campesinos! albums more.  Again, this track is just OK, but I still feel like I’m listening to an entirely different band.  Los Campesinos! used to be just so much fun to listen to, packed with quirky instrumentals to fit the band’s quirky personality.  I understand that the band is getting up their in age and they matured a bit, but there certainly can be other ways of doing that, because this is painful.  There are nice moments on “A Slow, Slow Death”, I certainly dig the chorus (mostly because it’s actually lively and not so damn depressing), the horns are nice as well.  But holy hell, do Los Campesinos! really need to get their act together quick.

No, Los Campesinos! really don’t pick it up just yet, because “The Fall Of Home” sounds like a mixture of Weezer and American Football.  Sure, I dig both of those acts, but I’m not here to listen to any of them, I want to listen to Los Campesinos!.  At this point I barely know what the band is even doing anymore, this is the polar opposite of what I was expecting.  Earlier I mentioned how Pop Punk some of this sounded, now this just sounds straight up Emo.  Not even the sweet bells that pop up that have LITERALLY become synonymous with the Los Campesinos! sound can save this one.  I think there are some nice harmonies that pop up here and there, and I certainly dig the strings, but man this isn’t what I showed up for.  Their early recordings were so exciting and groundbreaking, this is just straight up depressing.  And once again, this track was a damn single!  I don’t get it.  Then, I hear songs like “5 Flucloxacillin” and my heart just drops.  After all of these “Just alright” tracks, Los Campesinos! deliver a track that’s so good that it’s probably going to be one of my favorite rock singles of the year.  Everything just clicks on “5 Flucloxacillin”, and it’s easily one of the best tracks the band has done in years, and in every way this touches my soul.  The backing vocals almost have a heartland feel to them, and they’re near perfect.  And while no, this isn’t upbeat or super exciting, this is probably the most sincere sounding track on here, hell it’s even a little quirky from time to time.  In a lot of ways, this is the perfect Los Campesinos! song.  Then we have the chorus, which may be the most joyous on here, which almost sounds like some old school Arcade Fire.  It’s a fantastic track in every way.  Thankfully, Los Campesinos! do indeed keep things a little less dreary with “Here’s to the Fourth Time!”.  Los Campesinos! continue to at least sound like themselves, but is it just me or does it sound like they’re seriously ripping off Passion Pit here.  “Here’s to the Fourth Time!” isn’t the worst thing going on on this album, my only real issue is it’s a little too cheery to an almost suffocating degree.  This is still much better then their earlier attempts at Emo or whatever the hell that was.  The vocals here at least stick with you, and I seriously like a ton of the instrumentals.  Moving on!   “For Whom the Belly Tolls” may just be the second best track here, seriously why is it so hard at this point for Los Campesinos! to just take this sound and stick with it.  This track is upbeat, has a little attitude to it, it’s confident and most of all it’s catchy.  And while it may not be as hectic and upbeat as I remember, this is still a fantastic sound for the band.  Can they stick with it though?  

“Got Stendhal’s” starts off the last little leg of our journey.  The intro here is actually pretty stunning to be honest.  I honestly wasn’t expecting such a pleasant intro, it really ends up working for Los Campesinos!.  Of the slower tracks here, this is certainly one of the better ones.  The instrumental here is constantly building, the icy synths floating through the background are stunning, and despite the tone of this song the vocals are strangely bouncy. All around the track is put together absolutely wonderfully, hell this doesn’t even sound like it belongs on this album, maybe on one of their last few.  I’m still kinda getting that Passion Pit vibe, but it’s certainly not enough to bring this one down.  Plus, those group vocals in the last minute are absolutely stunning.  Sadly up next Los Campesino’s completely drop the ball and end up offering up one of their most bland tracks yet.  “A Litany/Heart Swells” starts off just as stunning as the last track, but quickly becomes incredibly boring.  Sure, this track has the atmosphere down and even a little emotion.  But everything else within literally does nothing for me to the point where I barely remember anything about this track.  The drums are kinda epic in parts, but everything else is just a blur.  Thankfully, Los Campesinos!  do end off the album on a slightly better note.  “Hung Empty” may be the most upbeat track on here, it almost has a synth-pop feel to it.  It still beats me on why the hell they went for so many slower tracks earlier.  While “Hung Empty” is far from perfect, at the very least it’s fun to listen to.  At it’s core this track really shows Los Campesinos! going back to their more pop oriented sound, which certainly isn’t a bad thing.  Not to mention, “Hung Empty” ends up having one of the catchiest choruses on the entire album.  Why couldn’t the rest of this album be as carefree and fun? 

Rating 7.1/10

Give A Listen To: "Sad Suppers", "5 Flucloxacillin", "For Whom The Belly Tolls", "Got Stendhal’s"

Overall Thoughts:  I wouldn't go as far as to say this is a bad album, I just expect so much more out of Los Campesinos!  at this point.  There are some fantastic tracks here, but there are just as many that come off really awkward (example: all these weird genre shifts).  In the future though I think Los Campesinos! could still certainly cone out with a real knockout.

King Woman - Created In The Image Of Suffering

I first heard about King Woman a few years ago, with their "Degrida/Sick Bed" EP.  This EP, had a solid start for King Woman, as they started showing their now signature style of slow, ethereal, doom metal.  It was a good start, my only real issue was that I didn't think King Woman pushed this concept hard enough.  The atmosphere was on POINT, but the instrumentals could have been heavier.  On King Woman's "Dove/Fond Affections" EP however, they really started winning me over.  The tracks here were much more stretched out and well performed, bringing in elements of drone and doom metal up against these vocals that sounded out of the playbook of Beach House.  Obviously however, we haven't heard King Woman on a full length album yet, so let's chat about their big full length debut.

This album starts off with "Citios".  You know it's funny, for a minute long atmospheric instrumental this actually set the mood wonderfully and swiftly.  Kristina's vocals are haunting, yet soothing and mysterious in a really weird turn of events.  There isn't a ton going on here, bu tit's certainly a good way to set the dreary tone of everything.  "Utopia" though which follows quickly shows King Woman getting right to the point.  Their sound here is just so hulking and sluggish, but strangely full of life.  Vocalist Kristina Esfandiari's vocals have come such a long way since the group's early recordings.  This is literally what I've wanted to hear King Woman do for years.  Their music is still putting Kristina front and center as the star, but every other gigantic instrumental here is practically swallowing her whole.  However, she sounds at home among this looming atmosphere. This is all certainly heavy, but it's not heavy enough to be too challenging or require numerous listens.  Kristina's vocals add in a strong beauty to this as well.  It's also very ethereal in a way and moody, any fans of Marissa Nadler's "Strangers" or anything Chelsea Wolfe has done recently are going to go nute over this.  As dreamy and as heavy as this is though, there's still tons of emotion.  Kristina's vocals trail off a bit towards the end, but overall this is brilliant.  Now overall most of this album keeps the same sort of feel and does it justice, the only real true hiccup here is on "Deny".  Sadly this is a sloppy track overall, with Kristina's vocals sounding completely out of the loop and the instrumentals coming off a bit too sluggish.   Even the atmosphere doesn't really even seem like it knows what's going on.  There are certainly solid moments however, for instance I love the way Kristina's vocals turn into a damn near howl for the chorus.  This just reminds me too much of their early, more forgettable EP's.  And what's most disappointing is, all of the elements are certainly here. The instrumentals are massive and powerful, and Kristina actually sounds fantastic.  But nothing is clicking at all, and while Kristina sounds wonderful this honestly sounds like it was written for a different track completely.  Thankfully though King Woman quickly come back with "Shame".  The intro here instantly sounds much heavier and certainly less majestic for the moment.  Kristina's vocals however do add a certain mysticism to everything here.  Now, there are certain albums and styles of music that just take you away and put you in a near trance, this is actually taking me there man.  There's some small elements of drone metal in there and I can't help but just sit there and be amazed.  "Shame" overall is just so thick and muddy, and when those massive drums and come in and usher in this absolutely gigantic chorus I literally get goosebumps every time.  The pounding drums are epic, the guitars are muddy and powerful, King Woman are quickly becoming a HUGE name in doom metal.

“Hierophant” kicks off the second half of the album.  This one, not so shockingly starts off with another slow, mysterious intro.  I remember worrying so much about the atmosphere’s of early King Woman albums.  But man has it seriously shaped up wonderfully over the years.  Kristina’s performance here is just so breathy and ethereal, if you’re into ruthless power metal this is probably not going to be something your into.  However, if you’re into slower paced, more stunning metal, this is very much so above average.  Kristina’s vocals on this one are absolutely dripping in effects, and more times than not I wish I could make out a few more lyrics here and there.  But to be honest, tracks like these aren’t even about the lyrics.  No, tracks like this are about this methodical pace, with atmosphere’s so dense and impenetrable.  I love the strings that pop in behind King Woman bring back that very majestic feel, deep down I can sense a little folk-metal influence.  The tracks on this album are far from instantaneously gratifying, but if you have the patience to sit through and let yourself get completely engulfed by this atmosphere, man is it ever worth it.  “Hierophant” is also a fantastic example of how King Woman can handle these longer tracks without really getting stale, as about halfway through there are a ton more acoustic elements added.  “Worn” is up next, and just from this intro alone I have chills.  As far as Kristina’s performance goes, this may just be my favorite performance of hers here.  The instrumentals here are no slouches either, as King Woman incorporate elements of desert rock and other sub-genres of metal.  King Woman on their early EP’s were a doom metal band trying desperately to find a direction.  On this album, they find this direction and march on with a wonderful sound and purpose.  The atmosphere here is so fantastically done that each time one of those massive guitar chords pop in I never really expect it.  Hell, even when things pick up and become borderline chaotic it transitions very nicely with Kristina acting as some dark ringleader.  Up next is "Manna", and literally just listening to Kristina's opening vocals is enough to give me chills.  For this style of metal, Kristina's vocals couldn't be more on point.  Once again, I can't stress enough this isn't you by the books metal.  Hell, there are even some Psychedelic elements in this one with those very far out guitar licks.  "Manna" as it continues remains so hazy and hard to place.  It's hard to place in a good way however, in a very dense way, one that may take you a few listens to seriously take it all in.  The pacing however is the real key here, it's done so masterfully that the first chance these choruses get to explode they catch you off guard in these wonderful moments of pure metal ecstasy.  "Hem" is our finale for this album, and not to shockingly King Woman aren't speeding things up at all.  This one is just as slow paced and patient sounding as other tracks.  But God, does it ever set this depressing, hulking, heavy atmosphere.  Kristina sounds like shes damn near chanting here, it makes things certainly more uneasy but man does it ever work.  These last few tracks have been so hazy, I feel like I'm lost in the woods with multiple paths that probably lead even deeper.  As the track leads on however and the guitars come crashing in, instantly this is some of the most straightforward metal of the entire album.  And that's about it, I wish this album was maybe a little bit longer but overall it's fantastic.

(Couldn't find any sound clips for this one ladies and gentlemen, sorry!)

Rating: 8.3/10

Give A Listen To: "Utopia", "Shame", "Worn", "Manna"

Overall Thoughts:  Overall, I don't have a lot of bad things to say about this album.  I wanted King Woman to focus more on metal aspects, which they certainly did, all while keeping Kristina the focus as well as making great atmospheres.  There were a hiccup or two in the first two tracks but overall this is a very smooth, well paced metal album that I don't think anyone was expecting to be THIS good.