Of Montreal: Aureate Gloom ALBUM REVIEW

Of Montreal are, in my opinion, the most aggressively weird band we have in pop music these days. Leader Kevin Barnes started the band off in the early nineties with the intent of sounding as much like the Beatles as possible, but managed to achieve so much more than that with tracks like "Tim, I Wish You Were A Girl". Then he wanted to move the group in a more electronic direction, and we got albums like, Satanic Panic In The Attic. But something happened in 2007, Kevin Barnes released what is considered by a lot of people to be Of Montreal's best, post-nineties release, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer which saw Barnes embracing glam rock and disco in a big way. Thus, Of Montreal sort of became the white version of prince, circa Around The World. 

Personally, I think Hissing Fauna is a good album, and while I think an album like False Priest is just a bit too overbearing with it's instrumentation and vocal oddities, I found myself actually enjoying Paralytic Stalks quite a bit. However, it was 2013's Lousy With Sylvianbriar that really got me excited. Here, we got to see Kevin Barnes scale back his gaudiness and instead just write some solid rock and pop songs with some really wonderful, snide lyrics.

Enter 2015 and the latest LP from the mad hatter himself, called Aureate Gloom. This album essentially picks up where Lousy left off, presenting another set of rock and pop songs, but maybe with a bit more psychedelic and touches of, you guessed it, disco. Though the disco elements here are very tame (at least relatively), so you won't be rolling your eyes at Barnes' propensity for extravagance.

I actually think I like this album a little more than Lousy, and I think that has a lot to do with the overall poppier feel this album has. The first track here has one of the catchiest choruses I've heard in an Of Montreal since Paralytic Stalks or Hissing Fauna and the overall feel of the album is just as intimate and raw as Lousy was, but with a slightly more 'gloomy' atmosphere.

It's hard to pick apart an Of Montreal album without going into every single moment of every single track, because the glory is in the details. However, I can say with absolute certainty, Aureate Gloom is worth picking apart and discovering for yourself. Keep in mind, this is still a modern Of Montreal album, and comes readily equipped with some of the most ostentatious track titles and lyrics you're liable to here this year; but hey, I like that stuff.

8.3/10

Drake: If You're Reading This It's Too Late ALBUM REVIEW

I'm going to keep this intro short, for your sake and mine, because you already know who Drake is, and you also probably know that this latest project dropped out of nowhere in the midst of some pretty heavy drama via Young/ Cash Money records. All that aside, my personal opinion on Drake is that I really enjoyed Take Care, but his debut and the album he put out in 2013, Nothing Was The Same left me kind of disappointed, especially NWTS.

What I really enjoy about Drake is his ability to be cocky, but turn around and be "sappy", however, I hate it when he tries to act "hard" like on "Worst Behavior" or when he's just being whiny on a track like "Marvin's Room". Luckily, this new mixtape/ album is, at least in my opinion, the most balanced a Drake album has ever been.

The first half of this album is incredibly consistent in terms of both mood and quality; Drake lays down some really memorable lines, all laid over some very moody and stripped back production that I really love. It's almost as if Drake took the best parts of Take Care and NWTS and smashed them together for a perfect fusion of his more ethereal and trap flavored tracks. Another big plus on this album is Drake's actual rapping ability, because he keeps the tough guy BS to a minimum and doesn't let his feelings turn tracks into tear-soaked diary material; instead, we get the confident Drake who is simultaneously in touch with (shocker) his emotions.

Some of my favorite tracks include the single "Energy" and "6 God" both of which have great instrumentals and Drake is on point with his flows and bars. There are also a lot of good "slower" moments on this album, such as the personal "You & The 6" which sees Drake reminiscing about his parents, or the mid album couplet of "Preach" and "Wednesday Night Interlude" both of which feature PARTYNEXTDOOR with his overly autotuned vocals, but manage to overcome that fact with, again, great instrumentals and a solid set of bars from Drake. I even enjoyed the track with Lil Wayne, which is probably the most direct track when it comes to addressing the current Lil Wayne / Birdman situation.

Surprisingly enough, this surprise project is not only a solid one, but it also probably my favorite album from Drake so far. It is solid from front to back and is actually manages to feel really cohesive with small interludes and an consistent overall mood.

8.2/10

Father John Misty: I Love You, Honeybear ALBUM REVIEW

I Love You, Honeybear is the sophomore album from former Fleet Foxes drummer, J Tillman. His debut, Fear came out in 2013 and I'll be honest, I sadly overlooked that LP when it came out. However, in  preparation for this new album I did give Fear Fun a fair shake; it's great, go listen to it. 

If that seemed like a blunt recommendation it's only because I'm excited to tell you how fantastic I Love You, Honeybear is. Where Fear Fun felt like a quirky, country tinged ode to debauchery and other assorted revelry, ILYH is in many ways (musically and emotionally) a big leap in maturity for J Tillman. 

That isn't really surprising considering the inspiration and concept behind this album; Tillman's life before and after marrying his wife, Emma. While this concept and the album title may lead you to think this is some sappy, cooing ode to love, it is. But, it is also a hard look at the changes that a person goes through during the truly confusing, wonderful time between meeting and eventually marrying the love of your life. 

The album kicks off with the title track which is a sweeping ode to his wife, assuring his love that he doesn't care what the world thinks as long as he has her. It is an incredibly personal and sweet opener that sets the tone and prepares the listener for how confessional and open the rest of the album is. 

The following track "Chateau Lobby #3" is another sweet song, but also features lines describing Tillman lifting his wife's wedding dress that "somebody probably died in", which is both slightly morbid, and funny all at the same time. Really, those two adjectives could be used to describe most of this album; Tillman has a real knack for painting pictures of situations that are simultaneously heartwarming and a little uncomfortable. 

Other great tracks on this album include the country influenced "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Appt." and the soulful "When You're Smiling And Astride Me". These tracks, along with the incredible closer "I Went To The Store One Day" showcase Tillman's songwriting at it's strongest, and so honest and wordy, it's like reading from Tillman's own journal which this album seems to shoot for. 

Of course, I can't review this album without mentioning the track that is most likely going to be the song that everyone looks back on when thinking about ILYH, and that is the hilariously earnest and scathing "Bored In The USA", a track that starts by analyzing the idea of relationships, but ends up critiquing American politics and "the American Dream". Though this track does feature what I think is a laugh track? Though it could be recorded from a live concert, I don't know. Either way, this track is certainly one of this year's smartest and funniest (and it's not even March yet.)

9.3/10

 

D'Angelo & The Vanguard: Black Messiah ALBUM REVIEW

I'm a huge fan of R&B music. I just love to hear a smooth instrumental with a powerful voice over it, talking about love or maybe even something a bit more political. Guys like Sam Cook, Marvin Gaye, and Prince, while radically different from each other, all occupy a similar place in my heart. Sadly, the latest resurgence of R&B has been, in my opinion, a little aimless. While we have great new artists such as Miguel and Janelle Monae, the vast majority focus on hedonism over synthesizers rather than anything truly soulful or meaningful. 

D'Angelo is an R&B singer who made a name for himself in the mid to late 90s with his first two albums, Brown Sugar and Voodoo; he is a well respected and incredibly talented singer who after the release of Voodoo, seemed to shy away from his new found fame and slowly faded away from the limelight. It has been nearly 15 years since the release of Voodoo, and he has finally graced us with an album that not only shows that he can still pen an amazing LP, but also shines a light on the future of the current R&B scene; this album is true art, through and through. 

This album kick off with the infectiously soulful "Ain't That Easy", a track that gets me excited every time I hear that noisy intro and the steady thud of the bass line. In fact, this album is full of incredibly funky moments, not that that is very surprising considering D'Angelo's past material, but what is new is his fondness for more psychedelic passages and impeccably layered vocals. Those layers include voices from the incredibly talented band, The Vanguard who definitely deserved top billing on this one. The band gives this album a sense of life that is simply lacking in R&B music these days.In a way, the mixture of live instruments, D'Angelo's soulful falsetto, and the subject matters that range from sensual to socially aware reminds me of Prince, especially on tracks like "The Charade" and "Till It's Done".

I could go on and on about each track here, but I'll keep it short and reiterate the statement I made at the beginning of this review, D'Angelo and The Vanguard have created an album that simultaneously revives a long missed artists career, but also hope in a genre that I haven't been excited about in a long, long time. 

I know I'm a bit late on this one, but I just felt the need to share my feelings!

9.5/10

Bob Dylan: Shadows In The Night ALBUM REVIEW

So, I assume that you, a listener of music, know who Bob freakin' Dylan is. If not, go listen to Blonde on Blonde, Times They Are a'Changin' and my personal favorite, Nashville Skyline. These albums are only my favorites and they hardly scratch the surface of this man's 50 plus year music career. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't at least know who Bob Dylan is.

That being said, in the 30 plus albums that Mr Dylan has put out, Shadows In The Night presents a brand new concept for the folk legend; jazz covers. More specifically, Frank Sinatra covers. But what's surprising to me about this album is not so much the songs, but how good Bob sounds singing them.

For instance, the opener "I'm A Fool To Want You" is dripping with melancholy, and Bob's voice, as cracked and old as it sounds, settles in a soft croon that I actually kind of love. Which is good because every single track on this album settles for roughly the same sound, tempo, and mood as this opening track, sometimes leading to parts of Shadows In The Night feeling a little samey samey.

Fortunately, I think that despite this album being a little bit of a one trick pony, Bob makes that trick seem pretty darn impressive for the 35 minutes it lasts. I just can't help but love songs like "Stay With Me" or "That Lucky Old Sun" not just for the songs themselves, because they are good songs no matter who sings them, but for the way Bob seems to own them, and as is the case for a track like "Why Try To Change Me Now" frame them with his own experiences and expectations. It's as if Bob is acknowledging the fact that he's too old and set in his ways to produce something that is radically different than what he's already done, which is what most music critics get hung up on when they mention his later LPs.

I'm no Bob Dylan die hard, but I have to admit I got a little emotional during moments like the one mentioned above. It's just beautiful and oddly heartwarming to see a man as well known and respected as Bob sing a song that wasn't his and in fact do just that. This is definitely worth checking out if you're a Dylan fan, but I'd say you'd enjoy it if you're just looking for some somber, low key crooning as well.

7.5/10