The Zombies: Odessy and Oracle CLASSIC ALBUM REVIEW

British rock music in the mid to late 60's is a very well tread area of music. From the Kinks to the Beatles, this era of music has been documented and held up to lofty heights again and again, but unfortunately (at least until recently) one of this era's finest LP's was left unappreciated. This album of course, is the subject of this review, the sophomore LP from The Zombies, a group that wasn't a wholly unsuccessful group in their time, but they were unfairly stiffed when it came to their masterwork, the front-to-back masterpiece that is Odessy and Oracle.

This LP, in my honest opinion, deserves to be placed alongside its contemporaries as a pillar of British pop and psychedelic music. This album not only has the songwriting chops and even some suitably political subject matter, such as on the depressing "Butchers Tale", but this album also also possesses an attitude that was sorely missing from other huge groups at the time, that of the macabre.
Fitting, that the bands name now brings to mind the image of a shambling humanoid, because their music on a lot of key points on this LP, but notably the closer "Time Of The Season" is a fitting soundtrack to a late night excursion into the realm of the spooky.

Of course, none of the subject matter here has any actual basis in horror (aside from the images of war on the aforementioned "Butchers Tale") the sound of this album, from the organs to the whisper soft lead vocals, all lend this album an almost ghostly quality at some points. However, this album isn't all dreary, for instance, we get the fantastically hopeful and bright "This Will Be Our Year" which is one of my favorite songs of all time.

Other highlights include "I Want Her She Wants Me", "Friends Of Mine" and "Care For Cell 44" which kicks this whole album off perfectly, with it acting as almost a thesis statement for the entire album. In short, this is an album that deserves way more than it was given back in the day, and I'd argue it still hasn't quite gotten its due to this very day. Classic through and through.

10/10

Kings of Leon: WALLS ALBUM REVIEW

WALLS is the seventh album from rock megastars Kings of Leon, a group that I really love. I said about as much a couple years ago when the band put out their last LP Mechanical Bull, an album that I enjoyed quite a bit. That LP had come after the less than stellar Come Around Sundown, which wasn't terrible, but lacked guts. MB brought back some off the gusto that was missing on CAS, and while WALLS isn't nearly as energetic as MB, it doesn't completely bland out the band's sound either, instead, this album finds the band working with a sound that is definitely rock, but is very tempered and mature.

In a lot of ways, WALLS reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's output post- Born In The USA; there are a lot of big, anthemic tunes, but the band also takes the time to slow things down, especially on cuts like the title track, and the excellent "Over". But there are still a couple more typical rockers on here too, like the opener, and the track "Eyes On You". Of course, when I say rocker, I mean these tracks are a bit more uptempo than the rest of the tracks here; however, nothing on this LP comes close to being as raucous as say, a track from Aha Shake Heartbreak.

But at this point in the band's career, I don't expect that kind of song. What I do expect, and what I get for the most part on this album is a batch of very well written and performed rock tunes that provide a very pleasant and enjoyable vibe. Is this album a little bland? Yeah, it is, but I can't deny that I still found myself really enjoying a lot of material from it, and I think any KoL fan will dig it plenty, and anyone looking for a solid rock LP will at least find something to enjoy here. Plus, I'm a sucker for bands that can pull of the feeling of great Bruce Springsteen tune.

7.3/10

Travis $cott: Birds In The Trap Sing Mcknight ALBUM REVIEW

Last year, I went from kind being completely indifferent to Travis to actually loving his latest album at the time, Rodeo. That LP has only grown on me more over the last few months, even after putting high on my year end list. However, I'll come out of the gate and say that BITTSM is nowhere near as great as Rodeo, but unlike some people out there, I don't hate it with a passion.

I will admit though, this album sees Travis falling back into his habit of putting some terrible lines in his tracks, especially the lyrical fluff of "Coordinate", a track that I like for its nocturnal beat, but really have to zone out the lyrics to fully enjoy it. And the entirety of the tracks "Guidance", "First Take" and the year old "Wonderful" are all pretty unbearable, and have some of Travis' worst production in a while on them.

That being said, the bright spots here are pretty great. I absolutely love "Way Back" and "The Ends", these two tracks kick things off right, maybe not as well as the opening moments of Rodeo, but that's a high bar to pass. Elsewhere on the track-listing we get the excellent "Outside" and just in time for Halloween, the track "Goosebumps" comes in with an excellent beat and Travis is actually playing with the idea of *gasp* actually being attracted to a girl for more than her body! Also, that Kendrick verse is hilarious.

Then there are moments that just fall in the mid-ground, such as the Kid Cudi featured "Through The Late Night" and  the track "Lose" which could have been great, but it just lacks that special touch that tracks like "Goosebumps" and the "Pick Up The Phone", which I already talked about in my JEFFERY review. And I would have been upset to see it re-purposed here... if I didn't love the song so much.

Overall, this album comes off as the placeholder for something bigger and better. It isn't bad, but it's far from great, and while I do enjoy a few moments here, I'm looking forward to a more substantial release from Travis in the near future.

6.7/10

Danny Brown: Atrocity Exhibition ALBUM REVIEW

Danny Brown has been toying with the concept of an album that shows the highs and lows of drug life for the last five years or so, and until this point, he has come exceptionally close to encapsulating that concept in a single album. XXX was definitely more about the low, coupling drug addiction with gang life and the inevitable process of aging. Whereas Old was more manic, going from deepest low to highest high. Atrocity Exhibition is the tipping point, and the aftermath.  On this album, Danny spits over some of the most far out beats I've ever heard on a rap album, sometimes bordering on avant-garde in the way he seemingly takes a random rhythm to put his words to. This is exhibited on tracks like "Downward Spiral" and "When It Rain".

Other tracks like "Rolling Stone" and "Today" are a bit more readable, but there's still a thick, druggy atmosphere, this album doesn't escape that, not even once. Which is where Atrocity Exhibition defines itself, it feels like the death, and afterworld journey of a drug addict; there are crushing lows ("Tell Me What I Don't Know") and surreal passages, such as the B-Real featured "Get Hi".

But for all the praises I can throw at the production, Danny still steals the show here. His verses are consistently funny, harrowing, and masterfully written, to the point where I'd say he as lyrically potent on this LP as Kendrick was on TPAB. Of course, Danny goes for a different statement, in the end telling all the doubters and haters that he will give them hell for them putting him down. This LP is a trip, and unlike his last two albums, which had the tendency to include some filler here and there, Atrocity Exhibition hits the nail on the head with absolutely every track.

Along the way though, prepare to expand your mind, because an open mind is the key to seeing just how brilliant this album truly is. It's great without a deep listen, but it's a work of art with a little more effort.

10/10 

Bon Iver: 22, A Million ALBUM REVIEW

Bon Iver has been an indie darling ever since the release of his debut LP For Emma, Forever Ago, an LP I do think is quite great. I thought a little less of his sophomore self titled LP, but nonetheless, I thought of Bon Iver as an act that elevated itself above the typical indie-folk revivalist groups. They simply brought more polish and subtlety to the mix, and that was something that I appreciated.

However, on this new LP, Bon Iver sees fit to throw out their old sound, which was folk with the occasional synth or electronic element worked in, and have instead opted to do a 180 in their dynamic. 22, A Million is a glitchy, nervous sounding LP that only occasionally takes a break from being "experimental" to put together a cohesive tune. And that in a nutshell, is the LP's greatest flaw.

The opener is pretty strong, it is indeed jittery, but incorporates its many samples and electronic glitches into a cohesive whole. But even this strong moment (one of the albums finest) is dampened by its brevity, something that happens all to often on this album. The following few tracks feature good ideas, like the booming percussion of  "Deathbreast" (no, I'm not spelling the track names in their original format...) and the quiet build up to the climax in "33 God" are all pretty good, but the former meanders into nothingness, and the former dissolves into a cacophony of instrumentation that is earsplitting when listened to with anything louder than a laptop speaker.

However, I will give credit where it is due; the track "Strafford Apts" is one of the most beautiful tracks I've heard all year, and is easily the finest moment the album has to offer. After this track however, the album dives deep into the mundane, with one track after another of half finished ideas that go on for too long. Case and point, the track "21 Moon Water". I have a very hard time, even now, after having listened to the LP dozens of times, even remembering how this song goes. Then the album closes on another strong note with "00000 Million", a delicate and refined piano led ballad, something that Bon Iver has always been great at.

I'm not going to get into the track names or the imagery here, because not only do I not want this to be an essay, but the more I dig, the less impressed I am. All in all, this LP is a disappointment, and anyone throwing praise at it is either blinded by fandom, or is receiving a pretty nice looking paycheck for it. But that's just my opinion.... ugh.

4.5/10

Pixies: Head Carrier ALBUM REVIEW

The Pixies are a great band. I hand to remind myself of that fact after their last full length, 2014's abysmal Indy Cindy. A comeback album that made me kind of wish that the band had just stayed dead. However, the group (once again without Kim Deal) have given us another new LP to chew on, this album has a lot less expectation and a lot less tumultuous past, but the question is, is it any good?

Well, I'll start by saying; it is a WHOLE lot better than Indy Cindy, but that's no high bar. However, I do think this album is the comeback album I was expecting Cindy to be; an album that shows a band that has a very idiosyncratic sound re-familiarizing themselves with the dynamic that made them so amazing and influential all those years ago. In short, Head Carrier is the sound of Pixies centering themselves. Unfortunately, that also means it is an entirely forgettable album, and one that has absolutely no new ideas to bring forward. Actually, there are moments of blatant plagiarism on some tracks here, most notably on the track "All I Think About Now" which is one accidental string pluck away from being "Where Is My Mind?".

That doesn't mean that the album is 'bad', but just kind of mediocre in the scope of the Pixies career. I did like the first four tracks, especially "Classic Masher" and "Might As Well Be Gone", both of which are more upbeat and have pretty solid melodies which remind me of Bossanova era Pixies, even if they are a bit neutered in terms of production. In fact, that is one of this albums two major problems, the production here is too clean, and doesn't lend itself to the Pixies traditionally raw sound. Sure, there are fans who would argue that the same could be said about Bossanova and Trompe le Monde, but I dare anyone to say that those albums lacked guts. Speaking of which, aside from a fairly impressive vocal performance on "Baal's Back" the rest of this album sees the band playing with very little fervor, which makes the whole of the album just feel a bit boring from one end to the other.

In all honesty, I'm okay with this LP. Will I remember any of the tracks in the next three months? Probably not, but I also won't have to burn a portion of my memories in effort to erase it either. So yeah, the Pixies are a great band, and this album is just okay.

5.0/10

Ty Dolla $ign: Campaign ALBUM REVIEW

West Coast crooner Ty Dolla $ign is on a campaign. Now, considering the fact that here in America we are currently in the process of determining who are next president will be (for better or worse), one might get the idea that this new album titled Campaign, might be about politics. Which it is.... for a few moments here and there. In fact, aside from the intro track, the track "No Justice" and a couple of skits on a couple of other tracks, there's literally nothing else on this album lyrically that give the impression that Ty wants to say anything other than "I have a lot of money and I sleep with a lot of women". Don't get me wrong, I think he does the latter exceptionally well, especially on this album, but I feel like it was a slight misstep framing this album as some kind of political statement, because it takes peoples attention away from just enjoying the music here, because this is some of the finest modern R&B music I've heard come out in a while.

I also realize that that last statement might make some people mad. Ty incorporates a lot of rap and trap styles in his music, plus his lyrical content is a bit crass, which may cause people to label simply as a rapper who sings, or some kind of features artist. But I think Ty on this new album is embracing, at least sonically, some more oldschool influences, which leads to some really classy cuts like "Stealing" and "Juice", both of which are incredibly soulful and smooth. And then there's my two personal favorite tracks (I just couldn't pick one), the Travis Scott produced/ featured "3 Wayz"; this track has such great production, probably Travis Scott's best work since Rodeo, and the hook here is stellar as well. Then there is "Zaddy"... slow jam of the year, that's all I'm gonna say.

And for the most part that's how this album operates, gliding from one smooth R&B track to the next with the occasional rap track here and there, which aren't bad either, especially the grimy "???(Where it's at)", and to mention the track "No Justice" again, this track is not only the albums strongest political statement, but it is a fantastically produced track as well, really powerful stuff.

Alltogether I'd say that this album is great, aside from a few stumbles here and there, such as the obvious filler of "R&B" and the somewhat redundant "Clean". And hey, I think in such times of extreme political tension, maybe Ty's campaign is to give us an album to let us all relax and vibe out to?

9.0/10