Gojira - "Magma"

Ahh, after a little vacation it feels good to be back on the blog.  Gojira are a french Metal band that I first heard about years ago.  Honestly though, the band's early material did absolutely nothing for me.  I feel like they focused way too much on a groove metal sound, and albums like "The Link" and "From Mars to Sirius" literally floated by me without leaving any impact.  However, I saw these guys open for Mastodon a few years back, and they totally killed it, and upon further investigation I really enjoyed Gojira's last album "L'Enfant Sauvage".  4 Years later, Gojira's back with their newest album, "Magma".  

Hearing the album’s intro, “The Shooting Star”, I honestly was almost tempted to turn the album off.  The lone guitar riff that starts the track is cool and all, but when every other instrumental pops in, I’m not really buying anything of it.  I dig the more sludgy sound, but “The Shooting Star” is just so damn sluggish that I feel like half the track I just wanted everything to pick up.  As far as the vocals go, they’re actually pretty solid, and hold the track together pretty well.  The lyrics are completely over the top and filled with every cliche imaginable, but it’s what I’ve always looked for in metal music, and these lyrics are nothing short of lovable.  “The Shooting Star” is also the album’s first glimpse into just how theatrical Gojira have become.  I mean some of these vocal moments are so over the top, they almost float into the realm of Ghost’s music.  The guitar solo around the 3 minute mark is solid though, and the lyrics and vocal performance are solid enough to keep your interest.  “The Shooting Star” isn’t completely unlistenable, but it’s a very safe intro.  Honestly, some of the coolest moments here come from the final few moments before the next track, “Silvera” is ushered in.  “Silvera” right off the bat has a ton of bite to it, and those backing vocals instantly bring in a much more solid atmosphere.  Here, the band sounds like they’re all done warming up and they’re ready to blow our heads off.  The verses here are absolutely brutal, as Gojira give up all of their theatrics and go back to the signature snarl that I’ve heard from them in the past.   When the more theatrical harmonies show up for the chorus, it’s nothing but magic.  The contrast between the verses and the chorus is a spectacle within itself, but “Silvera” as a whole is nothing but raw power.  There are moments here that almost remind me of the new Baroness album, but not too much, just enough.  “Silvera” is such a brilliant single, being catchy when it needs to be, while remaining punishing instrumentally and delivering soul-sucking verses, listen to it yourself.  “The Cell” is up next, wasting absolutely no time in producing balls-to-the-wall metal.  When the first verse starts up, we get a slight taste of the band’s groove metal past to give “The Cell” a little extra power.  The real star here is the absolutely ruthless chorus, which as heavy as it is remains strangely melodic.  While in the past Gojira honestly haven’t been able to keep my attention (Outside of "L'Enfant Sauvage”), so far they’ve interested me constantly, even though I haven’t been absolutely crazy about every track here.  “Stranded” is up next, the other single released from “Magma”.  The guitar intro her isn’t pretty, but my God is it ever addicting.  Every time I hear that one guitar note go up all those octaves it absolutely gets me pumped for the rest of the track.  What makes “Stranded” so stunning, is it’s simplicity.  A lot of the instrumentals here are pretty straightforward, leaving the vocals on the verse to absolutely rip your soul out.  The chorus here is on the simpler side as well, but it’s aggressive enough to make you want to start a mosh pit wherever you are.  These harmonious hooks and choruses are seriously doing wonders for the band.  While the instrumentals remain as searing as ever, the more theatrical vocals during the choruses and hooks are the icing on the cake, not every band could pull this off trust me.

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

"Yellow Stone" is up next, a short little instrumental interlude that honestly I don't have much to say about.  It’s a little sluggish, but thankfully it only sticks around for a little over a minute.  It doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, it’s sludgy, what more can you ask for?  The album’s title track is up next, with “Magma” starting off with a really solid intro with a great atmosphere.  Gojira still sound very focused, with a decent riff and fierce drums.  Now when the verse shows up here, it’s strangely mellow and much more theatrical (I mean these vocals absolutely scream Ghost to me).  It’s a little strange to hear a more mellow track in between all of these fiery numbers, but to be honest it’s an interesting change of pace.  Lyrically, it’s just as over the top and cliche as I love when it comes to Metal lyrics, and the more melodic vocals pull everything together wonderfully.  Not to mention that piercing guitar behind everything really gives this track a much more epic feel.  The later moments of “Magma” bring out some legitimately heavy moments as well, this track is far from mellow the whole way through.  “Magma” is almost 7 minutes long though, which isn’t really bad, this track is way too epic to ignore anything.  Then we have “Pray”, which has more tension in it’s intro than any other track here, mostly due to the frantic snare tapping and that killer……flute?   Yea there’s a flute in there for a few seconds, and it’s just as awesome as you think.  “Pray” continues to have a fierce, almost tribal feel throughout.  The guitars that come in eventually are just as intense as you would think, and the vocals here interestingly enough are dual vocals between the more melodic and screams making for a genuinely cool sound.  Over the course of the track it does slow down quite a bit, but “Pray” never loses hold, and continues to be one hell of a spectacle.  Not to mention, the chorus is so insanely in your face that it’s almost funny, but man is it enjoyable.

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

Now to be honest, the last few tracks on “Magma” are a little bizarre.  First we have “Only Pain”, which has so much potential to be an amazing track that it drives me nuts.  This track starts off with those fantastic twangy guitars that appeared earlier, and the other instrumentals are just as brilliant here.  The vocals here though are just not up to par at all.  Seriously, these almost come off as Nu-Metal vocals *shivers*.  The chorus steps it up a notch, but the rest of the vocals here are just way too much of a medium between the abrasive growls and the more melodic moments.  Outside of that it’s a solid track, but it’s just such a shame, because if those vocals during the verses were more solid this track would be an absolute monster.  Up next we have “Low Lands”, which starts off with these tin-sounding distant instrumentals, which honestly is a little overdone but whatever, it doesn’t stick around long.  The vocals here are so over the top that I actually really dig them.  But instrumentally this one is a little bland, which is a little strange.  The instrumentals clearly aren't the stars here, as the vocals take center stage.  It’s not necessarily bad, it’s an interesting change, it’s just a little weird at times.  What makes this so interesting is just seeing Gojira attempt a slower track.  But it’s just so….weird.  The heaviness has completely taken a backseat, and tons of people are going to not look past that.  Then we have the album’s completely out of place finale, “Liberation”.  Now hold your horses, I have nothing against instrumental finishes, I think they’re usually pretty solid.  But I feel like this track should have been placed a few tracks earlier, hell let “Low Lands” be the finale.  “Liberation” once again isn’t bad, but it’s completely bizarre, being an acoustic instrumental.  It sounds fine, but man is it a let down.  Overall though, I think Gojira came through with a solid album.  

Rating: 8.0/10


Give a Listen To: "Silvera" "Stranded", "Pray", "Magma"


Overall Thoughts:  Man oh man, these guys have definitely grown over the years, in a good way. They've dropped a lot of their Groove Metal roots, and have thrown out some of their Progressive sounds (which might just upset some), for a much more theatrical sound.  It's absolutely just as heavy, but they're been adding in more melodies in just the right places to make some of their most well constructed tracks yet.  No matter how brutal these tracks get, these fantastic choruses make them even more filled with life, and while the last few tracks were a little bizarre for my taste this is still a solid Metal album.

Garbage - "Strange Little Birds"

Oh Garbage, it's been a while!  I mean when you look at Garbage's near 20 year career, all of their albums have been pretty spaced out as far as release dates go.  I mean I didn't even realize it, but it's been 4 years since the last Garbage album, (and 7 years before that).  To be honest as much as I love Garbage, they're albums have always been so hit or miss for me, and I never know when I'm really going to thoroughly enjoy a Garbage album.  For example, I obsessed over their self titled debut, and I still love it. "Version 2.0" and "Beautiful Garbage" however have never really sunk in on me.  On the other hand, when people were iffy about "Bleed Like Me", I absolutely love it, and "Not Your Kind of People" was strangely solid as well.  So here we are with Garbage's newest full length album, "Strange Little Birds".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpBFOJ3R0M4
Oh such a classic


The album starts off with "Sometimes", an oddly beautiful intro.  This track is very sultry, armed with wonderful strings and gorgeous piano work, all things that Garbage have worked with in the past.  The electronic pulse that comes in is solid too, it comes off sounding like some really old school Nine Inch Nails, and as far as lyrics go this is all just what we've come to know from Garbage.  Shirley Manson's performance here is the real show-stealer though, she is just such a fantastic band leader.  Her performances are always so chilling, and here is no different, adding plenty of tension to "Sometimes".  Everything here just keeps creeping upwards and upwards.  There's nothing catchy though, nothing sweet, it's a straightforward introduction.   While it's a solid intro, I just feel like there's literally nothing at all that I haven't heard from Garbage here.  Up next though we have "Empty", which honestly all around is just a fantastic single.  "Empty" has a catchy guitar riff and a great electronic rock sound that they've really perfected over the past couple of years.  The synths are strong, Shirley just sounds fantastic, and some of those breakdowns are really freakin' heavy.  More or less, "Empty" is the closest Garbage have come to the sound of their first two albums in years, and is just  a great reminder of how solid of a band they are.  The music of Garbage has always had such a solid mysterious tone to it, take for example "If I Lost You".  This entire track is puzzling, from the off kilter pace of everything to the keyboards constantly teasing their grand entrance.  Everything on "If I Lost You" is surrounded in shadows, and absolutely nothing is up front except for the performance of Shirley Manson.  It's not the most exciting track here, but everything about this one is just so damn interesting that I can't help enjoying it.  This whole fantastic atmosphere that Garbage have done so well in putting together over the years continues on  "Night Drive Loneliness".  The intro riff is just so flat out cool and mysterious.  "Night Drive Loneliness" is far from the peppiest track here, quite the contrary, this one is just so slow and lumbering.  But it's fantastic, and Shirley Manson's performance compliments it tremendously.  Not to mention there's just so many great little details here, like those strange knocking sound effects we occasionally hear, but I think the real star here is just how dark and depressing Garbage have become.  Now I know what you're thinking, Garbage have been one of alternative rock's darkest figures for years.  However, their music always had some pop elements that complimented the band so well, such as catchy choruses.  There is absolutely none of that here, for most of the album too.  This is just more dark, and more depressing and more emotionally heavy than ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSa_hbutFt0


For the most part this album is pretty darn solid, outside of a few boring or just too damn long tracks.  Take for example "Blackout", which starts with a solid distant pulsating beat, reminiscent of Nine Inch Nail's "Year Zero". "Blackout" is one of the dreamier moments here, despite it's loud crunchy guitars.  While Shirley sounds much more reserved here, it ends up working wonderfully, as it adds to the all-around dreaminess of this one.  "Blackout" has all the elements of a really fantastic Garbage tune, it's very creepy and the guitars are just so piercing.  However, there is absolutely no reason this track is so damn long!  I mean, this tracks almost 7 minutes, and it really doesn't need to be at all.  Then we have "Even Though Our Love is Doomed", which starts off really well!  It's slow, heavy, and veiled with a strong sense of mystery. My main problem with this one is, that's all I've really heard on the album up to this point, and I would do anything for one of Garbage's more catchy hooks right about now.  And it's such a shame, because lyrically and performance-wise, this is one of the most stunning moments of the entire album.  Instrumentally though I really need a little oomph, and I just don't get that throughout the entire track.  And guess what!  I do get a little something different on the next track, but God does it ever come at a price.  "Magnetized" is a much more electronic track with an upbeat pace.  Firstly though, the intro takes way too long.  The keyboards tease their entrance seemingly forever before they come in.  They do finally materialize though, and instrumentally this is a great track.  But lyrically, whoa nelly is this bland.  Every lyrics here is just so shallow and legitimately un-interesting, but bonus points for at least helping me wake up Garbage.  Oh boy and then we have "Teaching Little Fingers to Play".  This track starts off super slow, and very mysterious.  And while at first everything seems like all sounds well, those keyboards come in and just sound super awkward to be honest.  The chorus here tries to be all heartfelt and strong, but it just comes off as insanely cheesy.  The verses are "ok" at best, but Garbage can do so much better, especially with slower material.

Lets wrap this up shall we!  Outside of "Teaching Little Finger to Play", the last third of the album is actually really strong.  Take "We Never Tell" for example, which starts off with a funky guitar riff straight out of left field. But it works to be honest, it brings in that slight pop appeal that Garbage has used to their advantage in the past.  The beat here is uplifting, and Shirley gives us one of her coolest vocal performances of the entire album.  There's plenty to dig here, from the slight industrial sound, mysterious delivery, everything you can expect from Garbage honestly.  Then we have "So We Can Stay Alive", probably the most electronically driven track of the album. Not only that, but this is easily the most intense track here as well.  And can I take a moment out to just say, Shirley Manson sounds sexy singing about anything basically, but her performance here is sexier than usual.  Those blasts from the guitars are absolutely brutal, and when the other instrumentals pop in everything comes together really nicely.  Everything about the atmosphere on this track is completely right, just the right balance between electronic music and hard rock.  I mean if I had a single complaint about this one, it would be that it's a little long, but it still works fantastically.  Then we have the album's closing track, "Amends".  This one starts off with a chilling distant beat, with some light guitars thrown in on top that really make a very dark atmosphere.  Manson's vocal performance is solid, lyrically this is just plain interesting, and the chorus might be the most haunting moment of the album.  "Amends" is honestly just a gigantic finale, especially when those massive electronic elements come in.  Not to mention, this is one track here that deserves to be this long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3YDxSuxD4


Rating: 7.7/10


Give A Listen To: "Empty", "Amends", "We Never Tell", "So We Can Stay Alive"


Overall Thoughts:  Like I said earlier, I never really know when I'm truly going to enjoy a Garbage album.  This one surprised me though, for the most part it's really solid.  I mean, if they brought in a few more catchy choruses and took some of the longer tracks and cut them down a bit, this album could have been absolutely stellar.  That being said, I really feel like this is a strong return for Garbage, and these are some of the best tracks I've heard from them in years.

Mourn - "Ha, Ha, He."

Mourn are a Barcelona based band that started creating waves in the Indie circle with their self titled album about 2 years ago.  I enjoyed the album, I didn't love it completely, but I saw tons of potential.  I loved the moody, sort of dark atmosphere Mourn had, and when I saw them last summer they put on a fantastic live performance.  Let's dive right into their new album, "Ha, Ha, He".

The album starts off with an upbeat instrumental piece, "Flee".  Now, I honestly have enjoyed Mourn in the past at their more upbeat, and this is certainly upbeat, and very energetic.  It's also certainly chaotic, much more chaotic than a lot of the material on their self titled debut.  However chaotic "Flee" gets though, it still comes off well produced and smooth.  Honestly, an instrumental intro was a really solid choice for Mourn, something I really hadn't even thought about.  It's nothing too groundbreaking, but it's exciting, and it's honestly sets the tone for the album very well.  Up next we have "Evil Dead" (which may or may not be named after one of my all time favorite movies).  This track is much slower than the opener, but it's filled with those great moody moments that made their previous album enjoyable.  The chorus here just keeps creeping up and up, creating one of the more twisted sounding moments from Mourn.  However, it's oddly really catchy.  The instrumentals are pretty straightforward, but "Evil Dead" honestly acts as a really super medium between the bands more upbeat material and slower material.  Up next is "Brother Brother", a slower, much crunchier sounding track.  This is really one of the first great examples of just how big their sound has gotten, especially in the last few years.  The band had a pretty solid sound to begin with, but a lot of little details here are making their sound pretty huge.  The vocal harmonies for example on "Brother Brother" are absolutely perfect.  They make the already moody atmosphere of the album even moodier,  and the hook on this track is easily the catchiest thing I've heard from these guys so far.  The atmosphere of "Ha, Ha, He" is definitely one of it's biggest strengths, take for example "The Unexpected", one of the slowest tracks on the entire album.  Right off the bat though you can tell just how powerful this one is.  It's tough to pull off a truly solid slow burner, but Mourn's lyrics and vocals here build up a lot of legitimate tension (Mostly due to the repeating of the chorus, this almost gives off a Savages vibe).  The pounding drums are stellar, and the guitars are easily the more pronounced than I've heard on other Mourn material.  "The Unexpected" is just really gigantic in sound, and I absolutely love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36qJb1BvsIE

"Howard" early on in the album shows Mourn at their most aggressive, as they produce a short, upbeat track filled with attitude.  Now, one slight issue I have here is that it is very short.  It's not necessarily a huge problem, but so many of these tracks show up and leave before you can really take in everything.  "Howard" though is solid, with one of the catchier, most aggressive chorus's.  Later on in the album, "President Bullshit" has the same strengths and weaknesses.  It's upbeat, the chorus is catchy, and is also just a little too short.  The atmosphere on this album is so strong, if Mourn wrote some longer songs they could be truly memorable.  "President Bullshit" is far from bad though, especially not with just how freakin' aggressive that last blast from Mourn is.  However, if you look at a track like "Second Stage" later on in the album, it's on the slower, heavier side and it's much more memorable.  The drum performance here is fantastic, and Mourn end up creating some legitimate tension, mostly due to the repeated chorus,  Not to mention, those guitars around 40 seconds in are absolutely to die for.  "Second Stage" has a much more Post Punk sound, and honestly I feel like this is the sound they should stick with.  "Gertrudis, Get Through This!" is also drenched in Post Punk goodness,  The chorus is simple yet effective, and that great moody sound of Mourn really ties everything together.  Honestly, this is the sound that Mourn should stick with, and it's fantastic to see them coming into their own.

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

"Storyteller" is the first track here that I honestly didn't care for at all.  While some of the slower tracks here actually come off quite well, this one really doesn't.  The instrumentals here sound like they're constantly clashing into one another, and the vocals just so unorganized.  It's not the worst thing I've heard from Mourn, but this literally sounds like a demo for their self titled album.  The chorus is hard hitting and all, but besides that it's just a gigantic step back.  And as far as the ending of the album goes, the last three tracks are on the underwhelming side.  We have "I Am A Chicken", which while it's somber and in parts beautiful, is overall boring.  The vocals are sweet, but man the instrumental here is messy.  It literally sounds unrehearsed, in the worst way, and everything just ends up clashing.  Then we have "Irrational Friend", which is easily the most aggressive track here, and as far as the sound goes it's really solid.  My main issue here is that I want more of it, literally this is the shortest track on the album, and it has such a fantastic sound.  However, I commend Mourn for going for this much louder track, they actually pulled it off very well.  As far as the finale goes, "Fry Me" is a slower jam, and honestly that's to be expected.  However, I'm just not really feeling this one at all.  Earlier slower tracks turned out to be real slow burners, "Fry Me" is pretty boring.  The vocals are filled with emotion though, and are totally hypnotizing, but outside of that I feel like not much is really going on here.  Still, a solid album.

Rating:7.9/10

Give A Listen To: "Gertrudis, Get Through This", "The Unexpected", "Second Stage", "Evil Dead"


Overall Thoughts:  Mourn remain just as mysterious and as moody as on their debut album, but that's exactly what brought me back to them.  Here, they take the foundations of their sound they created on their self titled debut, and make it so much bigger, darker, and add in a little more Post Punk.  This is a solid release from Mourn, but if they really concentrated on that Post Punk sound and wrote a little bit longer, more expansive material, they could really blow me away.  

The Strokes - "Future Present Past EP"

What a time to be alive, I mean out of nowhere this year we've gotten a new Radiohead album that's become an instant classic, and out of nowhere now we new Strokes material.  Now the last few years have been not the best for New York's The Strokes.  I mean these guys had one of the most legendary starts to a career ever, with "Is This It" and "Room On Fire" being modern classics.  The band's follow up records though have been a little more mixed though, with "First Impressions of Earth" and "Angles " being more experimental and artsy, and "Comedown Machine" was blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand.  Which brings us to this new 4 track collection, "Future Present Past EP".

I'm gonna make this as short and sweet as I can, and I'll try to make this painless......it's gonna be tough though.  This EP starts off with "Drag Queen".  The Strokes obviously in the past few years have gotten more and more New Wave sounding.  "Drag Queen" is no different,  sounding more robotic than ever.  Now going into this, Julian Casablancas stated that this EP was like a "time machine", and it sure is, but man this sounds like a truly awful New Order song.  Now vocal effects I'm totally fine with, but Julian here sounds like he recorded his vocals underwater I swear. The guitar solo here just sounds so reserved, Nick Valensi literally sounds like he's holding back.  Not to mention this production is absolutely atrocious, it doesn't even come off as "edgy production", it's just depressing.  This is what The Strokes have come to apparently, it's just so damn mediocre.  Oh wow and I haven't even gotten to Julian's vocals in the last minute, which may just be the most obnoxious vocals I've heard all year.  Up next is "Oblivius", which at the very least has a little bite in the guitar.  The production though is just so weak though.  The vocal effects here on Julian sound like they're trying to make him sound like he did back in 2001 (And guess what, it fails miserably).  Half the track is so muffled I can't make out a single word, but at the very least I have to say I enjoy the chorus for what it is.  I wish I could enjoy this, I wish I could be excited for future Strokes material.  But I seriously can't get past that production, this is all so muddy.  "Oblivius" is easily the most depressing track here, because honestly it's a solid song, but it was just so poorly produced that it's terrible.  And once again, the last 40 seconds are seriously excruciating, Julian once again sounds so obnoxious.  What the hell were they even thinking releasing this?  On "Threat Of Joy", at the very least Julian drops the vocal effects, and as far as his performance goes it is a bit better.  "Threat Of Joy" isn't absolutely awful, but they're just trying so hard to nail this old school post-punk sound.  Some moments of these songs are alright at the very best, but they're layered in so many gimmicks and effects that all the magic quite simply wears off.  Oh boy, and then we have the highly unnecessary "Oblivius (Moretti Remix)", which honestly I don't even want to think about.  Literally, take everything about "Oblivius" that was "OK", give it a spacey groove, water everything down even more and there you go.  Dreadfull.


Rating: 5.5/10 (And that's being generous)


Give A Listen To: Man I've got nothing on this one.


Overall Thoughts:  No.

Classic Album Review for June 2016: The Smiths - "The Smiths"

Welcome to my first "Classic Review" for this blog.  For the most part I want to just break things up a bit every two months by writing up one album that I consider to be truly a classic.  This months classic review is The Smith's 1984 self title debut.  At this point what's to say about this album or The Smiths in general that hasn't already been said.  In the short time they were together The Smiths became college rock radio staples, and made massive leaps in the world of Indie Pop.  Morrissey's legendary snarky, tongue in cheek lyrics set to the jangly bouncy Indie Rock is a combination that is as legendary as Morrissey's hair (Oh c'mon it's pretty perfect).  Without further ado, here's "The Smiths".   

This classic album starts off with the disturbing "Reel Around The Fountain".  Everything about this track has always seemed so cold to me.  The drums are so minimal and sluggish, and the other instrumentals aren't much more exciting.  As far as lyrics go, this is absolutely one of Morrissey’s most mysterious performances.  For one, there are the rumors of what this song is actually about (pedophilia).  I’ve never really been completely convinced on that, but I will say this, there’s something absolutely creepy in Morrissey’s performance here.  But there’s another side to “Reel Around The Fountain” completely, as the chorus is one of Morrissey’s more sweet moments.  This song isn’t as bouncy as other tracks on here or Smiths song’s in general, this is a constantly building slow burner.  But honestly, it’s just so shrouded in mystery, I can’t help but absolutely love it. And while musically it can be a little slow and tedious Morrissey hooks you with sweet lines like “Oh, people see no worth in you, Oh, but I do”.  Morrissey and the music of The Smiths was puzzling when it debuted, and it still is today, but man does it ever leave you with stuff to think and talk about.  Moving on we have the almost Post Punk sounding “You’ve Got Everything Now”, a hard left turn from the first track.  This one is so much more upbeat, almost New Wave sounding.  However, Morrissey’s deadpan vocals here bring it down a notch, and add to the very mechanical sound of this track.  “You’ve Got Everything Now” also just happens to be one of the earliest and best examples of Morrissey’s trademark wit, as he claims “No, I've never had a job because I've never wanted one, I’ve seen you smile but I've never really heard you laugh”.  Even the title of this track and the way Morrissey says “You’ve Got Everything Now” just comes off so passive aggressive.  The choruses here are much smoother, and Morrissey’s falsetto’s come in beautifully, quite different than “Reel Around The Fountain”.  Up next we have “Miserable Lie”, one of the most wild Smiths songs ever.  The Smiths in there time together made fairly bouncy, catchy Indie Pop.  But this one starts slow and progresses into an off the walls punk jam.  The intro is just so dreamy, and Morrissey repeating “Goodbye” and “It’s Not Time” over and over, it’s almost hypnotizing.  And then literally in a split second this track speeds way up, and all of a sudden it’s one of The Smiths heaviest tracks not only just on the album, but ever.  Not only that, but Morrissey is just so pissed off and angry here, not only that but this is easily one of his more straightforward lyrical performances.  His sexuality over the years has been questioned by everyone whose ever even heard a Smiths song, but his performance here on “Miserable Lie” makes it even more confusing.  “You have corrupt my innocent mind, Not once - twice. I know the wind-swept mystical air, It means: I'd like to see your underwear” Morrissey states here, he sure does have a way with words.  Then we have the chorus which is even more off the wall, as Johnny Marr’s fabulous guitar pluckings pick up, and Morrissey’s voice here literally sounds like it has no limit to high pitched notes.  Up next we have “Pretty Girls Make Graves”, as far as I’m concerned the album’s first real taste of what the classic Smiths sound would evolve into.  The guitar’s here are along the folkier side, but more than anything it’s just bouncy Indie Pop. Morrissey here is so sarcastic that I can’t help but shake my heads at certain lines.  The themes of loneliness and sexuality here are almost overwhelming, as Morrissey repeats multiple times “I’ve lost my faith in womanhood”.  Not to mention it’s just the little things about The Smiths songs that I just go crazy for.  For example, every time Morrissey says “And Pretty Girls Make Graves”, he get’s this quirky answer from a woman’s voice saying “Oh Really?”. It’s bizarre at times, mysterious at others, but it’s what makes The Smiths such a legendary force.  

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

Up next on the album, not only do we have my favorite song on the album, but probably my favorite Smiths song of all time, “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle”.  The guitar licks here are some of Johnny Marr’s most mesmerizing and sweet.  Now what’s always intrigued me about this track is just how dark it is, outright too not just in context.  In the four and a half minutes here, we discuss the Boogie Man, pianos playing by themselves, darkness, bloody cleavers, it’s some really twisted shit.  But Morrissey ironically finds a way to make it all really sweet believe it or not.  Here, he states “I'll still be by your side, For you are all that matters.  And I'll love you to till the day I die. There never need be longing in your eyes, as long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine”, only Morrissey could pull that off.  It’s adorable, but at the same time there’s a little resentment, or even a warning in the way he says the title of the track.  At the end of the day though, its sweet as hell, and it’s Morrissey at his most romantic, at least here.  Next, we have “This Charming Man”.  This one is easily The Smiths most Poppy moment, and it’s hard to really hate it either, it’s just so lively and catchy.  While everything else on the album is either snarky or cold or dark or maybe a little bit of all three, “This Charming Man” is strangely digestible.  And honestly, that’s all I have to say about this one.  It’s catchy, it’s short, it’s jolly, and it’s just a lot of fun.  Ok fun time is over.  Next up is “Still Ill”, one of Morrissey’s most pissy songs you’ll find.  Right off the bat he states “I decree today that life is simply taking and not giving, England is mine and it owes me a living. But ask me why and I'll spit in your eye”, is this guy pissed at everything?  Lyrically, “Still Ill” is a major standout here, as Morrissey and The Smiths bring up countless interesting lines all leading up to that legendary chorus of “Am I Still Ill?”  Now, the only real gripe I’ve ever had about this album is that The Smiths clearly haven’t honed their sound yet, “Still Ill” sounds more New Wave than anything.  But it’s not that bad of a problem at all, I honestly love a lot of the tracks that sound nothing like later Smiths material.  The guitar riff is so catchy, the melodies are sweet, Morrissey is just standing by awkwardly hating the world, and I love every moment of it.  “Hand In Glove” is up next, and it’s a little more towards that classic Smiths sound.  The bluesy harmonica here I used to have an issue with, but I’ve grown fond of it overtime, I actually would have loved to see what could have come out of more use of it.  Lyrically though, this ones a doozy, and probably the most talked about Smiths songs.  “Hand In Glove” is just another Smiths track that may-or-may-not point towards the answer to the mystery of Morrissey’s sexuality.  Here he starts off by saying “Hand in glove, the sun shines out of our behinds.  No it's NOT like any other love this one's different because it's us! Hand in glove we can go wherever we please, and everything depends upon how near you stand to me”, take that all as you will.  As the track goes on, Morrissey goes even deeper into this feeling of a “Forbidden relationship”, whatever or whoever it’s about, it’s genuinely sad.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13rGKUJmqJg

Lets start wrapping this up, shall we?  Up next, we have “What Difference Does It Make”, one of the most well known Smiths songs.  As far as the instrumental goes, it’s easily one of the most intricate things the band ever did.  Johnny Marr’s guitars here sound absolutely supersonic, the drums pack so much punch, and Morrissey just sounds so mysterious.  I mean the opening lyrics are “All men have secrets and here is mine so let it be known, we have been through hell and high tide I can surely rely on you”, and the fact that he delivers it in a near deadpan performance really adds so much.  Than later on we get lines like, “Oh the devil will find work for idle hands to do”, excuse me? Yea, “What Difference Does It Make” is totally out of left field, but at the same time it’s almost beautiful.  All the instrumentals are so smooth, even amongst the constantly changing rhythms and tempos, it’s easily one of the most memorable tracks here.  The last two tracks here are honestly pretty straightforward.  “I Don’t Owe You Anything”, is a slower song with obviously Morrissey being the star.  For the most part though, it’s exactly what you would expect, The Smiths playing a little more slowly than usual with Morrissey doing his thing at the center of it all, it’s far from bad though.  And then we had the finale, “Suffer Little Children” which is just so bleak and cold,  it’s just so similar to “Reel Around The Fountain" in every way.  The Smiths are one of Alternative Rock’s most iconic bands.  Their combination of bouncy, catchy Indie Pop, alongside Morrissey’s clever, sarcastic, bitter lyrics are something we’re probably never going to see again.  And yes, The Smiths would go on to create plenty more outstanding material, but their self titled debut has always just meant so much to me.  Hope you guys enjoyed this, stay tuned for my next classic review in early August as I discuss J-Dilla’s absolutely jaw-dropping instrumental hip hop classic “Donuts”.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbOx8TyvUmI

Gold Panda - "Good Luck and Do Your Best"

Gold Panda first caught my ears a few years back, around the time Charli XCX released her “True Romance” album.  The track “You (Ha Ha)” on their heavily sampled Gold Panda’s “You”, I checked out his debut album “Lucky Shiner” and I’ve been a casual fan ever since.  His persona has actually been really interesting, as he’s gone back and forth between a more airy, playful electronic sound, to a much darker sound on his later album “Half of Where You Live”.  I’m always interested to see in which direction Gold Panda goes, so here’s his latest album “Good Luck and Do Your Best”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1wK7iCQfQ 

(Some older Gold Panda work)

This album starts off with “Metal Bird”, a glitchy electronic number with a very cool vocal snippet sample that gives the track a light airy feeling.  In the past few years since his last release, Panda’s sound has actually gotten a whole lot more spacious, almost earthy and natural sounding, and most certainly a little more ambient (The light guitar strumming that eventually shows up adds to this as well).  Now I know some electronic music is really hard to get into, and I know that some people right off the bat are going to write off “Metal Bird” as repetitive.  The beat even leaves us for a moment and Gold Panda gives us a small ambient break, but when that beat comes back it’s absolutely fantastic.  It’s not as bouncy as his material on “Lucky Shiner” or as club oriented as his stuff on “Half of Where You Live”, but it’s very spacious and free sounding.  Not to mention the strings sampled at the end are absolutely beautiful, “Metal Bird” is a really fantastic intro.  “In My Car” is up next, and it’s just as airy but this ones a little bouncier.  This one features even more string sampling, it actually works fantastic.  When the beat comes in, it’s actually super classy and very polished.  “In My Car” though takes it a step further by bringing in some vocal sampling as well, and honestly makes this one absolutely hypnotizing.  Now, the “music box” sounding keyboards that pop in a little over a minute in don’t really do anything.  If anything, I feel like that sound has just been so played out over the years and I’m just sick of it, you might just love it though.  Those keyboards don’t last long though, and the remainder of the track is actually really relaxing and beautiful, very classy so far Gold Panda.  So many of the instrumentals here are just so fascinating.  Gold Panda takes a lot of instruments and instrumental styles that you don’t hear too often and brings them into his bouncy brand of electronica for a really intriguing listen.  Take for example “Song For A Dead Friend”, which starts off with this really odd vocal sample and bongo drums.  The intro to this one is actually really intense and it comes out of nowhere, especially after how relaxing and laid back the earlier tracks where here.   This one isn’t exactly too upbeat, and certainly isn’t heavy, but it’s still a hard left turn from everything earlier on the album.  Not to mention, “Song For A Dead Friend” has such a unique sense of mystery to it that I just love.  Gold Panda on this track is just completely letting loose with instrumentals, to the point where you really don’t know what you’re going to hear next.  Some of the drum work here is legitimately intense, but the keyboards remain fairly playful, it’s definitely one of the more interesting tracks here.  Up next we have another mysterious number, “I Am Real Punk”.  This one starts off with these guitar notes that just sound other worldly to be honest.  He’s really just taking all these instruments that were use to hearing, and giving them a little twist to make them sound so unique.  The two layers of guitars here compliment one another so well.  Now this one here is one of the slowest tracks on the album.  But honestly, I don’t mind it one bit, it’s hypnotizing, and by this point in the album I have literally no idea what I’m going to hear from Panda next.  Gold Panda’s sound in the last few years has gotten even more massive, and when those keyboards come in here it just sounds monumental.  It’s spacey at times, it’s more ambient at other times, but more than anything it’s a real experience.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKeTlHlMpy4

Now for the most part, I think this is an absolutely solid electronic album, especially since Gold Panda hasn’t released anything in 3 years.  But there are a few tracks here that are a little awkward or boring or both.  When I first heard “Chiba Night” I enjoyed it thoroughly.  It was definitely interesting to hear Panda try his hand at more of a dance oriented song and it absolutely makes you move. However at a few times he does this really awkward pause in the song, only to make it sound like he “recovers”.  To be honest, it just sounds bizarre and out of place to me.  “Chiba Night” is far from a bad song, it’s actually super catchy.   But it’s far from as spacious sounding as other tracks here, which is why I enjoy those tracks as much as I do.  That being said however, it is interesting to hear Gold Panda mix things up a bit.  “Pink and Green” is up next.  Now one good thing I have to say about this one is that Gold Panda is just so good at making light, airy beats.  However, “Pink and Green” is just a bit too airy and light for my liking.  Like, the beat is solid, and the bells were a really nice addition.  But outside of that things here just sound so on top of one another.  It has pretty moments, but by the end of this I feel like everything just floated by and I took absolutely nothing from it.  Later on in the album, Gold Panda does a little “old meets new” with “Autumn Fall”.  This track starts off with some vintage sounding crackling before a much glossier beat comes in behind it.  While it’s definitely cute and interesting, I feel like the piano’s that come in are a little too distracting.  When the piano fades away and I’m left with the crackling noises and the beat, honestly I’m much happier.   Also, the much more lavish keyboards that come in later on are actually really nice.  “Autumn Fall” isn’t the worst track here, but it absolutely has it’s flaws as well.  “Halyards” on the other hand sounds so much more hip than other tracks here.  The beat that drives most of this song honestly though isn’t very exciting or interesting, it’s the atmosphere around it that really makes this song.  But “Halyards” main problem comes with just everything going on.  Yes, it’s pretty in parts, but for the most part everything just sounds so mushed together that I can’t really focus on anything.  It’s still an interesting track, and it still kept my attention, I’ll give it that. 

The only other real issue I have here is “Unthank”.  It’s the shortest track here, and to be perfectly honest it’s pretty unnecessary.  While it’s just as spacious and ambient as earlier tracks, besides that it goes absolutely nowhere.  Honestly, “Unthank” sounds more like an afterthought than anything, and while I don’t have a problem with interludes, I couldn’t wait for this one to be over.  On the other hand, I have nothing but amazing things to say about “Time Eater”.  That instrument at the intro, I’m not even sure what the hell it is, but it’s one of the coolest sounding tones I’ve heard all year.  It honestly sounds like something that would have shown up on Tim Hecker’s “Virgins”.  Not to mention this track comes out of nowhere completely.  All of the other tracks here practically are so airy and relaxing.  Meanwhile “Time Eater” is sinister and genuinely filled with tension.  The beat isn’t too outrageous, but everything works together here absolutely wonderfully, and continues to get more and more tense until the track ends.  And then we have the album’s finale “Your Good Times Are Just Beginning”.  The beat here is honestly one of Gold Panda’s best he’s supplied us with so far.  Gold Panda on this one has honestly saved his most epic track for last.  Here, the pianos are absolutely gigantic sounding, the keyboards are playful (but not annoying), and man oh man that jazzy trumpet is absolutely to die for (and I could have used a lot more of that throughout the album honestly).  Panda here really brought his A Game, and made the finale one of the most memorable moments here, I couldn’t have asked for more.  

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

Rating: 7.6/10 

Give A Listen To: "Your Good Times are Just Beginning", "Metal Bird", "In My Car", "Time Eater"

Overall Thoughts:  For a guy who hasn't made a record in 3 years, Gold Panda sounds pretty together.  After the slightly darker sound on his last record though, I honestly think it's refreshing to here him go for a more breezy, ambient sound here.  Not to mention,  he just brings to the table all of these sounds that are just so unique, even from instruments I know like the back of my hand.  It's a solid, intriguing electronica album.   

Kristin Kontrol - "X-Communicate"

This is one that honestly, I’ve been both scared and interested to check out.  Kristin Kontrol is the side project of Dum Dum Girls lead singer Kristin "Dee Dee" Welchez.  I’ve been a huge supporter of the Dum Dum Girls for years, ever since I heard the bands low fi (sort of) indie pop juggernaut of “I Will Be”.  However, my issues with the band started when they released “Only In Dreams”.  *Phew* that one was just awful, but the band rebounded smoothly for the most part with “Too True”, which I thought was much better.  All the while though, Welchez and the rest of the band were obviously going in a poppier direction, and it worried me for their future.  Which brings me to this debut album by Kristin Kontrol, which honestly worried me seeing how poppy Kristin’s stuff with the Dum Dum Girls was getting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyMU4eU2_zU

Here's some older Dum Dum Girls for ya!

The album starts off with “Show Me”, which is a little slower of a track than I was expecting to be honest, but it’s also sexier than I thought it would be.  Right from the opening few minutes of this album this is obviously some of the classiest and cleanest production Kristin has worked with.  “Show Me” isn’t a show-stopping number, it’s fairly simple actually, but Kristin Kontrol makes it work nicely.   While this is far from the best track here is just hearing Kristin Kontrol up against something that isn’t frantic Indie Pop for once.  Not to mention were dealing with much more personal lyrics from her which is always a plus.  The production here is solid, the guitars are sleek, and for the most part this is solid laid back pop.  Nothing too crazy, but for all of my Dum Dum Girls fans out there this new sound of Kristin Kontrol is really going to make you feel one of two things.  To put it bluntly, you’re either going to be super happy with this new much poppier sound, or really miss your Dum Dum Girls records.  Either way you’re feeling with this new sound, lets move on.  Up next we have “White Street”.  This track immediately has a little more bite to it and is much more upbeat.  Not to mention, there’s a serious 80’s pop feel to this one, a good majority of the album actually.  “White Street” has such a great Synth Pop sound that Kristin Kontrol actually sounds right at home.  This is easily one of the most intimate performances we’ve gotten from her over the years.  And as poppy as this is, I can’t really resist, I dig this track a lot.  And honestly, there are some Dum Dum Girls elements here, especially from their “Too True” album with all the synth’s and the dreamy atmosphere.  Is this what I was expecting? No, not really.  Do I have my regrets?  No, not really.   This slick dreamy 80’s pop sound really works quite well up agains Kristin Kontrol’s smooth vocals.  However, Kristin Kontrol in a few areas seems to lose focus of this sound with a completely opposite sound.  While so many tracks here have a great dreamy 80’s synth pop sound, others almost have a 90’s dance sound.  It’s not necessarily terrible, but I just don’t feel like Kristin’s performance translates as well when put up against that sound.  Take for example “(Don’t) Wannabe)”.  Right off the bat the riff to this one just doesn’t sit right with me at all.  Lyrically Kristin sounds fine, but the atmosphere here just seems so out of place.  On earlier tracks she sounded as if she was saluting the sound of great 80’s pop, but here she just sounds like she’s trying to rip it off in the most corny way.  The track does pick up about halfway through, but for the first minute or so I really don’t even know what she was thinking.  Not to mention at least earlier had hypnotizing chorus’s.  “(Don’t) Wannabe)” is honestly just really annoying.  There are other tracks on “X-Communicate” that fall short as well, but we’ll chat about them later, back to talking about how freaking cool some of these tracks sound.  On “Drive The Night”, she once again finds herself sounding super comfortable up against an upbeat synth pop tune.  She’s really making this sound her own very well, and while the backing vocals are kinda cheesy occasionally they actually work pretty well overall.   The very dreamy backing vocals actually give off the most Dum Dum Girls sound we’ve heard here so far to be honest.  The Chorus here is sweet, the atmosphere is fantastic, this is the sound she really needs to focus deeply on.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb96A5v1dpk

 Overall I feel like this is a solid pop album, but I also feel like on a few tracks Kristin Kontrol get’s a little further away from that dreamy 80’s sound she sounds so comfortable on.  Take for example “Skin Shed” which I had high hopes for once I heard just how heavy this one was on the synth.  However, quickly it turns into a track that sounds like it would be more comfortable in “Night At The Roxbury” than this album.  “Skin Shed” takes a hard left turn, going from a fantastic dreamy Synth Pop sound to almost a 90’s no-name dance hit, which is absolutely heartbreaking.  Lyrically this one really doesn’t do anything to impress either, it honestly sounds like Kristin is rehashing things she said on earlier tracks.  While the driving beat is pretty solid, Kristin just sounds so out of place amidst all of this.  There are some catchy moments, but overall “Skin Shed” just falls very flat.  “What Is Love”  starts off by sounding more like a salad than anything, and honestly sounds like something off of Dum Dum Girls’ “Too True” album.  But oh God that first minute is just so dull and lifeless, and even when the track picks up and has a more interesting instrumental, Kristin’s lyrics here are just so freakin’ cheesy.  And that’s a real shame because instrumentally this is one of the most diverse tracks here, if the song writing was just a little better here it would have been solid.  Then we have my least favorite track here, “Face 2 Face”.   The beat here is confusing to say the very least, I really don’t even know how to even begin to describe it.  The beat is just so far away from that great sound Kristin was producing earlier.  The beat is just so much heavier, and if you thought Kristin sounded out of place on some of the earlier tracks, she absolutely sounds even more out of place here.  But like I said, overall this is a solid album, I just think that Kristin needs to hunker down and focus on that sleek 80’s sound, like on the album’s title track and lead single “X-Communicate”.  Here, Kristin sounds so comfortable in this atmosphere that she instantly makes it her own.  It’s got plenty of great synth’s, and the production continues to be solid, there’s even a tiny bit of darkness on this one.  “X-Communicate” is catchy and sweet, but it’s also got a great sense of mystery that I used to get while listening to Dum Dum Girls’ “Too True”.  This may sound like an 80’s knock off at first, but Kristin’s great lyrics really set this apart, and show Kristin coming into her own in the best way. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrAfGtpLiQ4

Kristin Kontrol actually end the album rather well, starting with “Going Thru The Motions”.  Following a series of some of my least favorite tracks here, the heavy synth and very minimal beat work really well for her.  “Going Thru The Motions” just shows how much Kristin can pull off that fantastic 80’s throwback sound when she really focuses on that, this one also has some of her better lyrical moments.  Which brings me to “Smoke Rings”, the album’s finale.  If you’re a fan of dreamy indie pop this one here is absolutely something you’re going to want to give a strong listen to, lyrically and instrumentally this is by far the dreamiest track here.  If you’re a fan of Dum Dum Girls or Kristin "Dee Dee" Welchez in general, give this album a listen!

Rating: 7.7/10

Give A Listen To: "X-Communicate", "Smoke Rings", "White Street", "Going Thru The Motions"

Overall Thoughts:  There's a real resurgence in this "throwback to the 80's" sound, and Kristin Kontrol absolutely does the sound justice.  The only real problems I found on this album came from her drifitng away from that sound.  The production here is solid though, and just to witness Kristin come into her own as much as she does is commendable.  If the song-writing was just a little stronger, and she didn't slip out of that 80's atmosphere on a few tracks, this would have been massive.  I honestly think in the future she can easily produce a throwback 80's pop sounding album just as good as Carly Rae Jepsen's "E•MO•TION" or Chari XCX's "True Romance".