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

Kendrick Lamar: DAMN. ALBUM REVIEW

Kendrick Lamar is quite possibly the biggest name in  rap music today. Not only does he pull in the mainstream with hits like "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" and "Alright", but he's the go to when it comes to proving that rap is just a lyrical and important as it was in the 90's. In my opinion, I think Kendrick is a genius, and that's not hyperbole. Since his project Section .80, every move made by Kendrick in terms of promotion and concept has been calculated and precise to the point when you hear that a new Kendrick album is coming, you just know that he's going to bring something new and exciting to the table, whether it was the deep dive into his past on good kid M.a.a.d city or his rejection of mainstream rap norms and reflection on the state of the black community in America on To Pimp A Butterfly; Kendrick has proven that he is a true artist who creates music to express himself, and that hasn't changed on his latest offering, DAMN.

However, I won't lie and say that I was able to glean the concept on my first listen of this project, as Kendrick seems, at first, to be simply be musing on various facets of life, such as love, lust, or pride. But, after the track "FEAR." I realized that DAMN. was trying to do something much, much deeper. In fact, I'd say that the track alone is the point where Kendrick shows his hand, seeming to unveil the fact that every track leading up to, and after it, are all things that he is afraid of losing, or embracing, such as losing his humbleness due to his pride, or forgetting how to love when lust takes over. In a way, this album is even more personal and telling than even good kid was because it dissects the Kendrick of the present. This is especially true on the lyrics of "FEEL." where Kendrick shows some resentment to being regarded as a "rap savior" or pillar of the black community, because it almost dehumanizes him, because he is seen as a man who has it all figured out, and as Kendrick illustrates on this album, he is just as flawed and in need of help as the next man.

Another aspect that jumped out to me on this album was the pairing of the tracks, this is a little obvious, especially with tracks like "LUST." and "LOVE." being paired together, but still, Kendrick really takes advantage of this by showing that sometimes the lines between the two are a lot more blurry than people choose to believe. This is even illustrated through the instrumentals on the album, whereas the instrumental of "PRIDE." is somber and reserved, the instrumental on the following track "HUMBLE." is boisterous and loud; however, lyrically, they fit their concepts perfectly.

DAMN. from start to finish takes the public and personal versions of Kendrick Lamar and pulls them apart, to the point where the two become indistinguishable. So, you get to see the Kendrick who just wants what's best for his family and people, but you also get the Kendrick who would kill anyone who would seek to harm those he loves, this is illustrated in grim detail on the track "XXX.". We even get a TDE origin story which wraps the entire album up in the form of "DUCKWORTH."; this track then rewinds quite literally to the opening lines of the album where Kendrick is asking a frustrated blind woman if she needs help, only to be shot dead.

Honestly, the themes and overall concept of this record could be dissected in a 20 page essay and I still feel like it would feel like a rushed explanation. So, for those of you who just want to know if this is a good ALBUM, that is, good flows, lyrics and instrumentals, then my answer to you is, yes. In fact, while there are more mainstream sounding tracks than were featured on TPAB, this album still pulls off these sounds with the same finesse and craftsmanship as any track off that LP. In fact, during my two dozen or so listens of this album at this point, I always came away thinking, "It's over already?" despite it being an hour long, and that has a lot to do with just how good this album is musically.

But, I feel like I've said enough about this album at this point. So I will leave this review by simply stating: if you care about great, artistic music of any kind, than you should at least try DAMN., it, like it's predecessor shows just how talented an artist Kendrick Lamar is and that even after arguably three of raps best releases in the past two decades, still somehow manages to impress.

9.5/10

White Reaper: The World's Greatest American Rock Band ALBUM REVIEW

White Reaper are like the little garage rock band that could. They put out two solid projects in 2014 and 2015 respectively, and while they weren't reinventing the wheel, they put a lot of fun, balls out rock music that I feel the underground needs more of. However, the band have really outdone themselves on this new record, the boisterously titled, The World's Greatest American Rock Band, an album that improves everything about the band's sound and finds them exploring the sounds of the 70's and 80's all while pulling together 2017's catchiest rock music so far.

Right out of the gate this album puts forth three infectiously catchy tracks; the title track, which is the kind of song that I wish Japandroids was able to put together, with an arena sound that shows just how serious these guys are about living up to the title of this track/ album. Then we get "Judy French" which is a slick piece of 80's rock which sort of reminds me of Billy Idol, only way more upbeat, and the vocals almost give me an early Metallica feel with the way the lead singer goes into these high pitched screeches from time to time. Then there's "Eagle Beach" which is aptly titled, as I could easily see this track being the sound track to a nice beach side jam session.

These three tracks are some of the longest the band has ever produced, and they are also perhaps the most ambitious as well. That being said, the fourth track "Little Silver Cross" is sort of a drag relative to what preceded it and what follows right after; especially cuts like "The Stack" which sounds like a great Tim era Replacements B-Side, and "Daisies" which is just a sunny as the title makes it sound.

The only other moment that I wasn't too fond of was the finishing track "Another Day", which isn't bad, but it's almost like the band is reverting to their old sound, and in the context of all these bright, clear and loud rock songs, this track feels like a demo, and it leaves the album off on an odd note. But, aside from a couple of iffy tracks and a certain lack of absolute originality, because let's face it, this album is mostly a revival of rock sounds that haven't sounded this great in around four decades, I'd say that TWGRB is a fantastic rock album from top to bottom, and is well worth your time.

8.6/10

Joey Bada$$: ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ ALBUM REVIEW

ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ is the latest offering from east-coast rapper and Pro-Era member Joey Bada$$. Now, I've been listening to Joey's stuff since he dropped his 1999 mixtape a few years back, and his last commercial release B.4.DA.$$ narrowly missed my best albums list for that year. On that album, Joey was showing off, yet again, just how great of a rapper he is, letting his influences shine through, but not overshadow his own personality as an MC. Another thing about his last album is that it focused heavily on his past, how he was raised, where he's from and how he got started in the rap game, so going into this new album, Joey sees little need to retread old ground, instead, ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ focuses on the present, more specifically, the political and racial climate of the last couple of years.

Of course, it's no secret how tense things have been in terms of race and politics in America; people all over the country are reacting in different ways, some peaceful, some violent, but in the style of the greats, Joey uses his art to speak his mind and in his own words on the track "For My People", "teach you a lesson". And with a flow as seasoned and impassioned as Joey's it's hard not to take notice, especially on cuts like "Land of the Free" and "Babylon", the latter of which is easily Joey's most passionate and raw performance ever; he sounds like he's on the verge of tears do to how frustrated he is with the world around him and how it is effecting his people, and his words hit just as hard as his performance. Honestly, next to dudes like Kendrick Lamar, very few modern rappers have been able to pull off a consistent and thoughtful political statement in their albums without coming off as preachy.

However, while I will say that the second half of this album is very much one hard-nosed track after another, mostly dealing with, again, politics and social issues, the first half actually features some of Joey's most approachable and catchy material ever. Tracks like "Temptations" and "Devastated" are some of the few moments where Joey does some self reflection, from his daily struggles in faith ("Temptations") to his come-up ("Devastated"); both of these tracks feature slick flows and even slicker hooks, which are his best yet on this album.

Still, not every one of those hooks is a winner, and I honestly found the J.Cole featured "Legendary" to be a little on the boring side, mostly because of how sleepy J.Cole sounds, though the message is still strong in his verse, reflecting on how he is going to teach his children to be humble when they're surrounded by such great wealth. But for any number of nitpicks I could make, I just can't deny that this is Joey's most consistent effort yet, and I actually think I like it even more than his last project.

9.0/10

Future Islands: The Far Field ALBUM REVIEW

It's no secret that I happen to love Future Islands, and it was so great to see the band getting a lot of attention from their last album Singles, an album I thought deserved every bit of praise it could get. However, my ultimate question concerning the band was 'okay, now what?' They had already shown that they could get noticed playing relatively the same kind of music they always have, but now that they'd achieved that recognition, would they follow it up with a more ambitious record? And after having given this LP a good dozen or so listens since it dropped on the 7th, I can safely say that while the band definitely isn't going in a new direction on The Far Field, they have in my opinion honed their sound to the point of mastery. And luckily, the production seems to have finally caught up with their talent, seeing as how this album sounds absolutely amazing from start to finish. Plus, the band have finally introduced live drums to their repertoire which really fills out the instrumentals in a big way.

Case and point, the track "Ran", an absolutely monstrous track rivaled only by their breakthrough single "Seasons (Waiting On You)" from their previous album. This track not only features a full, beautiful sounding instrumental that is sure to get the body moving, but the lyrics and vocal performance are as poetic and awe-inspiring as they've always been. Sam Herring is and probably always will be the single most important thing about the Future Islands, his vocals never fail to impress and on this album, he manages to expand his range in subtle ways, like how he has improved his lighter, more clean vocals and his lower, more gravelly vocals have been smoothed out. Also, their is actually a fair bit of double tracked vocals here, mostly done by Sam himself, and there's even a bonafide  duet with Debbie Harry of Blondie, who is sounding a lot better here than she has on recent Blondie singles, which is great to hear, because I happen to love Blondie quite a lot.

However, if I'm being totally honest, I can't help but feel a little disappointed with how safe this record feels, sure, the last album didn't break down any huge walls or anything, but up until that point, the band had never sounded so big and their pop influences had never shined so bright, and while The Far Field is in many ways a stronger all around record, and perhaps I even enjoy it more than Singles, I can't help but feel they would of had a record of the year contender if they'd ventured a bit farther outside their comfort zone with this record.

Still, I can't help but love tracks like "Cave", "Through The Roses", "Shadows" and the track "Northstar" which is easily the band's most peppy track, almost a spiritual successor to the track "Doves". And the lyrics on this album go in a lot of really poetic and contemplative places, where Sam really reflects on the nature of life, love, and the human condition, all the while being backed up by instrumentation that invites the listener to abandon all emotional pretense and just give in; and that's something very few bands do as well as Future Islands.

8.5/10

Mastodon: Emperor of Sand ALBUM REVIEW

Emperor of Sand is the latest LP from Mastodon, a band that I have a lot of love for. That love comes from the fact that they've put out some of my favorite records in modern progressive metal, such as the anthemic Crack the Skye or the brutal Blood Mountain. These guys know how to pen a compelling metal tune with plenty of nooks and crannies to dig into. However, the past couple of albums have been a little hit-or-miss. This is especially true of The Hunter, an album that I still hold no particular reverence for, and while I think the band's last full length Once More 'Round The Sun was much better, it still had its pitfalls. And upon listening to the initial singles from this new album, it seemed like those same problems would persist, and to some extent they do, though I will concede that Emperor of Sand is the most cohesive and conceptual record the band has released in some time.

To start, I'll go over all the things I think this album does right. The songwriting here is really strong, in fact, these may be the most consistently catchy and well penned songs the band has ever assembled, from the opener to the fantastic "Precious Stones" or "Ancient Kingdom" Mastodon is laying down one colossal tune after another, and the lyrics here deal a lot in mortality and leaving a legacy behind, which plays really well with how the music sounds on this record. Honestly, aside from a few production quirks here and there ("Steambreather" being the sorest spot here) there's not much musically that I don't like on Emperor of Sand; it is more consistent than the last album and the lyrics hit harder than the past couple of releases have.

However, vocally, this album is a but weak in spots. This is mostly because the drummer is doing most of the singer here, and while his voice isn't bad, his clean style sticks out against the harsher instrumentation. The biggest culprit here is easily the single "Show Yourself" which still sounds bad to me, even having sat with it for the past couple of months; it simply doesn't sound like a Mastodon song, and doesn't really make any more sense in the context of this record.

But the vocals are my only major complaint, and though they do bring the album down for me personally, I still found myself enjoying this album. The saving grace is definitely the songwriting and instrumentation, and when the vocals gel with the instrumentation, these songs really shine as some of the band's best melodic material ever.

7.5/10