Tyler, The Creator: Flower Boy ALBUM REVIEW

Flower Boy is the 5th album from infamous former Odd Future figurehead, Tyler, The Creator. However, unlike most other times I'd talk about Tyler, I'm pleased to say that I only have to address a small bit of internet drama before talking about the music... And honestly, it's probably the least significant piece of info that has ever preceded a Tyler LP, that being that Tyler has come out as a gay man. Now, to me, this got a two second response that went something like "Oh... cool, hope the album's good." But it seems like every single major music publication have been loosing their collective minds over this revelation, with most of them pointing back to the lyrical content of albums like Bastard and Goblin, which both feature plenty of utterances  of the word "faggot" and especially Bastard featured a lot of misogynistic and homophobic lyrics on top of that. However, aside from  the fact that the number of said offensive slurs has been drastically misreported, these publications seem to forget the original motivation behind using such offensive language... to offend as many people as possible.

In fact, that was one of the things that turned me off to Tyler and Odd Future in the first place, the fact that they did things just to be offensive and make people angry, but as I've gotten older, I realize the importance of such behavior. In the hands a smart individual, such tactics open up the door to more wild ideas and a more accepting attitude overall, since offensive words and concepts cease to be taboo or have any power; the same can be said for the use of the N-word in pretty much all of rap music these days. In short, these words, to Tyler, mean nothing and he only used them to get a rise out of people. So, when I read articles that claim Tyler is simply saying he's gay to troll and the main argument behind it is the fact that he's used homophobic slurs in the past, I have to question whether the writers of these articles were even familiar with Tyler's music and the ideology behind it, cause all it takes is a quick google or Youtube search to find videos of Tyler spelling out his reasoning pretty well. Now I'm not saying that people shouldn't be offended or not hold Tyler accountable for the things he says on a record, but maybe we should all take a little time to think before we accuse a gay man of queer baiting just because he has said things in the past, especially since it is really hard for a lot of people to come out in the first place.

With all that aside, I'm pleased to say that Tyler has delivered his best album yet, hands down. In fact, Scum Fuck Flower Boy (full title) is such an improvement over everything that Tyler has done, it sort of makes me wish that he had come out sooner, because all it took for his music to improve exponentially was his ability to rap about personal things that he's actually feeling, instead of putting on a show. But, while it is great to hear Tyler talking about being in love on tracks like "See You Again" with zero irony or some kind of creepy stalker concept, not all is hunky dory in Tyler's world, as Flower Boy also houses some of the most sincere and sad songs Tyler has ever penned.

For example, three years ago, I would have laughed in your face if you told me Tyler would write a song like "Garden Shed" a cathartic and beautiful coming out song, or an ode to loneliness as touching as "911/Lonely". It seems like after the limp noodle that was Cherry Bomb, Tyler was finally ready to sit down and do some serious writing and the results are one of 2017's best, through and through.

If I had to complain about anything I'd say that the official final instrumental is a little anticlimactic, and while the track "Glitter" is great, it's just not the lyrical climax that I felt the album needed; especially, after the series of emotionally potent tracks that preceded it. Also, it would have been nice to see a sort of bookend to compliment the fantastic opener, "Foreword". Still, I think this album is downright amazing and I think everyone, even the people who have never listened to a Tyler or Odd Future album should really give it a shot.

9.0/10

July 2017: HUGE CATCH-UP MEGAPOST...THING

I know I haven't posted anything in around 2 months (hey, I'm enjoying my Summer!), but I have been listening to new music and I do have thoughts on said music that I will share in brief in this post! I'll also be attaching a numeric score (just for shiggles). Enjoy!

1: BROCKHAMPTON: SATURATION

If I had to describe this project in one word it would be: exciting. This huge group of rappers, singers, and producers hailing from California all have pretty distinct styles and voices, and when it all comes together, it is truly impressive. This album not only has some of this year's finest singles ("HEAT", "GOLD","STAR"), but it actually shows that Odd Future, despite how defunct they eventually became, were able to leave behind an influence for a group of even more talented individuals to take their place. Also, despite featuring huge shifts in musical style from track to track, the album actually has a really cohesive theme, one of acceptance and self-worth, which I found to be really poignant at a lot of points. This project is easily one of my favorites of the year, and word on Twitter is that they are going to drop another one before the years over. I'll be waiting. 

9.5/10

2: Kirin J Callinan: Bravado

I really wanted to do a full review of this album, because it's one of the most interesting and experimentally fun pop albums to come out in a while. I'd say, not since the last Tune Yards LP have I had such a fun time gawking at, and eventually falling in absolute love with an album. Tracks like "S.A.D" and the pop perfection of the title track are counterbalanced with slower moments like "Family Home" or slightly moments like "Down 2 Hang", and it all comes together perfectly. If you're down to be a little weird and get into some more left-field pop music, you'll find no better album this year than Bravado. 

9.0/10

3: Jay Z: 4:44

Gotta say, I wasn't expecting to like this album much, but as a Tidal subscriber (don't judge, I like their app a lot), I had the privilege of listening to this album when it first dropped, and honestly, I was kind of blown away at what I was hearing. I was expecting a lot of huge instrumentals with Jay Z's usual braggadocios rhymes about money and possessions, with maybe a slight mention of his infidelity towards his wife Beyonce (because it will bring more attention to the album). But instead, what I ended up getting was easily Jay Z's most introspective album to date. On 4:44, Jay dissects nearly every facet of his life; from his upbringing, to being raised by a mother who had to hide her sexuality, to the aforementioned infidelity. But instead of a coy nod to it, Jay takes the entire length of the title track to essentially gut himself, and it's downright awe-inspiring. It's really refreshing to hear a guy as influential and wealthy as Jay Z bringing himself down to such a personal and human level. Also, No ID absolutely kills the production on nearly every track here, I especially loved the tracks "Smile" "The Story of OJ", and "Marcy Me". Probably this years biggest surprise thus far.

8.7/10

4: Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory

I've been trying for quite a while to be a fan of Vince Staples music, or at least as much of a fan as pretty much everyone on the internet seems to be. I mean, I like his personality, I like his voice, and when he puts effort into it, he has a mighty fine grasp on writing and flow in his rapping. Unfortunately, time and time again, his full length albums and mixtapes have just failed to hold my interest. And while I can easily say that Big Fish Theory is my favorite Vince project thus far, I still am not in love with it. There's just not enough consistency here, and there are a lot of kind of throwaway moments here, especially the interludes and the opening track, all of which feel loose and rather effortless, but not in a good way. However, this album does have my absolute favorite Vince Staples track to date, the utterly superb "Big Fish", and other cuts like "BagBak" and "Yeah Right" are just as good. Still, I ended feeling sort of indifferent towards this album, and while I do like it, it is far from love.

6.8/10

5: Denzel Curry: 13

This is actually an EP, but I like Denzel Curry quite a bit and just wanted to point anyone who hasn't listened to him to yet to this new EP and his last album Imperial. On the subject of 13, Denzel has shown that he might be going in an even more aggressive and experimental direction, and it's one that I'm excited to see come to fruition, because cuts like "Bloodshed" and "Hate Government" are fiery and intense, not to mention Denzel still spits the same fast-pace, fiery flow that made him popular to begin with. In short, this is a solid project that hopefully is a sign of things to come.

7.5/10

6: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Murder Of The Universe

After hearing such positive things about this Australian psyche band, I figured I'd check out the second of a proposed five full length albums planned for 2017 (crazy, right?), and while this album is probably the bands most spotty affair, with a few stale moments here and there, it is still a very listenable project from one of the more exciting acts in rock music to come around in a long time. Sure, I'd most likely recommend the previous two LP's before this one, I'd still say you should definitely give this one a shot too. Solid stuff from a really great band.

7.3/10

7: Lorde: Melodrama

And to finish things off, one of this years most anticipated albums, the latest offering from pop starlet, Lorde. The big question making it's way around the music press leading up to this albums release was will Lorde be able to top her debut album? That album obviously houses Lorde's breakout smash single "Royals" and a lot of people were wondering if she'd just release another album trying to ride that tracks coattails. However, that is not the case at all on Melodrama; in fact, this album sees Lorde taking on such contemporary influences as Taylor Swift, and more old school influences like Kate Bush. The former makes for easily the two worst tracks on the album, the two lead singles "Green Light" and "Perfect Places", while the latter leads to one of the album's best, "Writer In The Dark". And sadly, while I did end up liking this album a fair bit, I still found myself rather let down whenever Lorde decided to play more to her contemporaries, rather than try something new or look to the past. Luckily, her best work just happens to land on this project, tracks like "Homemade Dynamite", "Supercut", and "Liability" are all fantastic. While I didn't love it, it is good to see Lorde at least moving in a less gimmicky direction.

7.7/10

There were a few other projects I could of included here, but I either didn't have strong feelings one way or another, or I just didn't see the need to talk about them here. Still, it feels good to put my feelings on this stuff down for all to enjoy!

The Mountain Goats: Goths ALBUM REVIEW

The Mountain Goats have been going at it now for a long time, with 16 albums under their belt, the project has gone from DIY home recordings to big-budget folk opuses like Tallahassee or Life of the World to Come. But in my opinion, despite the big budget, the former solo project, turned full band has always retained a strong core of great songwriting and as of late, the concepts of their albums have been getting stronger and more pronounced. Whereas an album like All Hail West Texas had common themes throughout the LP, the two latest LP’s Beat the Champ and now Goths focus on a singular concept and work on exploring it from every angle.

Obviously, this time around, the concept is to analyze the lives of the Goth culture, one that has been long dead, a fact that this album tackles as well. In fact, this isn’t just an album about Goth culture (though it is certainly that), but it’s an interesting and emotional look at the death of a culture and how that passing effects the people who were part of it. The most prominent side of that is how it effects Goth bands, which is understandable since The Mountain Goats are themselves a band and on this album, while they don’t really take on the role of a Goth band, they do seem to be the band playing at the eulogy of Goth culture, highlighting the good times and the bad.

The album kicks off with the epic and totally Gothed out “Rain in Soho”, the lone “Goth” track on the entire album and one that really sets the tone of the album. Then there’s the track “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back to Leeds” which is one of the many nods to classic Goth bands all throughout this album, but instead of a dower, grey sound like the previous track, The Mountain Goats instead opt for a wonderfully baroque set of instrumentation, with the eloquent and poetic lyrics laying on top.

Other highlights include “We Do It Different On The West Coast”, “Wear Black” and my personal favorite “Paid In Cocaine” which paints the picture of a former goth looking back on their life in the culture and how it helped them to identify with something they felt was important, plus, like almost every track here, this track sports wonderfully lush instrumentation and a killer hook.

Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the bands last album, Beat the Champ, I’ve got to admit that I think this album does everything that album did, but even better, and it does it without the band’s signature acoustic guitars, or any guitars for that matter. Simply put, this is one of TMG’s strongest modern efforts and is easily one of my favorite music listening experiences of the year, I just find myself enjoying it more and more with each listen.

8.7/10

Perfume Genius: No Shape ALBUM REVIEW

Perfume Genius has been one of my favorite singer/songwriter projects ever since I first heard the track "Mr. Peterson" from the Learning LP. Back then, the project was pretty much just frontman, Mike Hadreas and his piano, but since then, Mike has been slowly adding more and more layers to his music, also, instead of the pervasive sense of sorrow that permeated every inch of his first two LP's, it seemed like Mike was trying to put a more positive message out there as well. All of this was apparent on his last album, Too Bright, though the title, and some of the tracks therein seemed a bit tongue in cheek about it, it still featured songs about acceptance, rather than alienation, and songs about confidence not only as an artist, but as a human being.

The latest record from Perfume Genius takes that attitude of positivity and finally pairs it with a sonic pallet that not only helps reinforce the messages, but actually ends up making the entire album feel like the most urgent and important piece of music I've heard all year. And while there are certainly still slower, more down-tempo tracks on here, absolutely none of them come close to the sorrow of any track from an album like Put Your Back N 2 It, which may be a bummer for some fans, I know I definitely felt that way towards some moments on Too Bright, I think my feelings had more to do with the fact that those tracks were placed next to tracks that obviously wanted to make the listener feel uplifted or at least more positive. However, on this new album, the entire album feels like one big revival of the soul, like Mike is done exercising demons and just wants to live.

No better are these feeling captured than on tracks like "Slip Away", "Valley", and my personal favorite "Wreath", the latter of which points to perhaps to Perfume Genius' biggest influence on this album, Kate Bush. Not only is there a lyrical reference to her smash hit "Running Up That Hill", but the explosive production and artsy attitude couldn't be more Hounds Of Love if it tried to be. And like that album, this album just feels so refreshing and inspiring, this is easily Hadreas' most ambitious and full sounding album to date.

But the question is, at least in my opinion, is whether or not this is his "best" work. It is certainly his most accomplished, but is it as amazing as his sophomore album (which up until this point was my uncontested favorite of his)? Well, after giving it some serious time and consideration, I've come to the conclusion that the two albums simply tie for first place, not only because of their quality, but because they exist, in my mind, on two separate planes, one exists in the sorrowful, mourning side of my brain, and the other, in the uplifted and inspired part.

Regardless of how it ranks in my personal pantheon, however, I can say without question that I absolutely love this album, and think you should also give it a listen.

9.3/10

Mac Demarco: This Old Dog ALBUM REVIEW

Mac Demarco, over the past 5 years or so, has quickly become every music site/ blog's favorite fun loving, stoner type dude who simply writes songs to have a good time. However, to me, Mac has been on the brink of writing an album with some actual serious themes for a good while now; sure, 2 was just out to have a good time, but albums like Salad Days and especially 2015's Another One took a far more serious and sort of sad look at themes like love and growing older. However, I feel like Mac has finally taken the plunge on his latest LP, This Old Dog and has in turn penned his most lyrically complex and compelling LP to date.

A quick disclaimer though, this album is not a concept album; instead, it is a heavily themed album; that theme being the conflicting emotions that Mac feels concerning his estranged father, the state of the world and again, love. These emotions are presented right from the start with the beautifully quaint and rootsy "My Old Man", a track that sees Mac putting what comes off as one of his biggest fears into words, with the lyrics describing how he is becoming more cynical and cold, just like his dad. It's no secret that Mac's relationship with his biological father is pretty complicated, but this album is the first time I can recall him putting those feelings into song, multiple songs in fact, as the two closing tracks "Moonlight On The River" and "Watching Him Fade Away" present two of the most gut wrenching songs Mac has ever pinned. The former is in easily his most ambitious and long form composition to date, and it's a beautiful tune to boot.

In fact, aside from a heavier focus on more serious themes, Mac seems to be taking a more staid and mature approach to thing instrumentally as well. Seeing as a lot of the overly woozy guitars and left field effects trips are absent from this LP. Instead, Mac employs a lot of cool synths and acoustic guitars to construct these tracks, which leads to a much cleaner and again, mature sound, which lends more weight to the lyrics.

But not every track here deals with super heavy emotions; tracks like "Baby You're Out" and "For The First Time" feature the kind laid back and carefree attitude that typically shows up on a Mac Demarco album, but to me, the highlights are definitely the more town tempo or romantic cuts such as "One More Love Song" or the amazing "Still Beating".

To put it simply, This Old Dog is a great album, one that sees Mac growing both as an artist and a person, and in my opinion, it is his best effort yet; exactly the kind of album I wanted after the fantastic Another One.

9.0/10

Incubus: 8 ALBUM REVIEW

I started an Incubus discography series a few months ago and while I think it started out positively, upon revisiting the album Make Yourself specifically and finally listening to the groups 2011 effort If Not Now, When?, I realized that the series would need to be put on hold. This has  a lot to do with my personal history with the group; back in my teenage years, specifically the 14th through 16th years of my life, this band was one of if not my outright, favorite group. This was of course before my big musical awakening, but still, despite my tastes diversifying, I've always kept a place in my heart for this band, but upon cruising through their discography all these years later, I found myself not really enjoying it nearly as much as I used to. Sure, an album like Morning View is still pretty great to me, with all of the super slick production and great guitar work, not to mention this is perhaps the best aging Incubus album lyrically which is easily the biggest reason for my newfound dislike of a large chunk of the Incubus catalog. Brandon Boyd, for all his talent as a vocalist, is and has never been a great lyricist, even on this new album, 8, he employs a lot of cliche and corny metaphors and turns of phrase, plus I feel like on tracks like "State Of The Art" and "Undefeated" we are getting the same kinds of boring, zero impactful performances that made If Not Now, When? so unbearable.

However, despite the lyrics being mostly duds on this new LP, I feel like we at least get some actually pretty decent musical performances here; especially on tracks like "No Fun" which could of easily been a Morning View B-Side and "Glitterbomb" which has some nice contrasting sounds throughout. But still, a good chunk of this album falls into the "ehh, it's ok" category, leaving me with very little to praise or hate, honestly. However, I think the one moment that got my blood boiling was the obnoxious interlude "How I Became a Man"; truly one of the most cringeworthy moments I've heard on an album all year. And yeah, I can see that the band were maybe trying to get back in touch with their more goofy and off- the- wall attitude that made S.C.I.E.N.C.E a fun listen, but it just doesn't work here, not at all.

And if I'm being honest, all but maybe three tracks here are so inoffensive that they almost don't exist, sure, INNW? was bad, but I knew how I felt about it pretty quickly, whereas 8 just makes me shrug and move on to the next album. I am glad the band are back in touch with their alternative rock roots, but I think they are beyond the point of making an interesting album; unless they completely reinvent their sound. If I was still a big Incubus fan, I'd say this album is just okay, but as someone who is now able to look at this band and album more objectively, 8 just comes off as another failed comeback from a band that hasn't made exciting or relevant music in a very long time.

4.0/10

Father John Misty: Pure Comedy ALBUM REVIEW

Pure Comedy is the third release by musician Josh Tillman under the Father John Misty name, and it is easily his most daring and ambitious project yet. And I say that that just in the sense of the obvious political themes all over this album (we'll get to that soon), but I actually think this is his most ambitious album musically as well. This LP is loaded with additional instrumentation and the song structures themselves are often more sprawling and linear than anything off of FJM's previous efforts. This of course means that most of the immediacy of an album like I Love You, Honeybear is gone, but in my opinion, Pure Comedy would be a lot less enjoyable if it was trying to do the same thing. Instead, Tillman lets his folk side shine through on this album, which leads to such wonderful moments as "Leaving LA" and "Birdie". FJM also takes the opportunity to try some more experimental tricks on tracks like "The Memo" where some interesting vocal edits are utilized.

The one criticism about the music I have for this album is that I feel like, taken in one sitting, the album does feel a little do gauzy and syrupy to the ears; this thing takes it's time and doesn't really ever explode with energy. Of course, neither did the last album, but Pure Comedy is twice as long and towards the end, I always feel a little anxious for it to be over. Still, the music here on the whole is very high quality and easily on par with past FJM projects if not better.

Then there's the subject matter/ lyrics of this album which seems to be the point of contention for a lot of listeners. You either love the dry, sardonic lyrics about politics, social issues, and the human condition, or you don't. And as I've skimmed through many online publications giving this album some pretty low scores, that was the big point they seemed to be making; that this album is just too cynical and there's not enough positivity backing the political lyrics. But in my opinion, that's sort of the point. Tillman, who is usually pretty dry and sarcastic in his music to begin with, isn't trying to be the folk-rock mood savior of our current political nightmare; instead, he's a muckraker, sorting out what he feels is BS and giving to the listener straight up. And for people complaining that this album is too wordy, or "pretentious", look back at any of FJM's previous work and actually read the lyrics, because his style of writing has not changed, his subject matter has.

Again, this is just my opinion, but I think FJM has presented his political opinions and observations in a very well thought out a musically rich way that doesn't pound the listener over the head with weak attempts at virtue signalling or pulpit play like so many other artists are doing these days. In fact, Pure Comedy may be the finest LP about the human condition and just general condition of America that I've listened to in the last few years, let alone post election year. But hey, if you don't dig the album, I'm not gonna try and convince you. To me, Pure Comedy is a great LP, flawed, yes, but still great.

8.8/10