Arcade Fire: Reflektor ALBUM REVIEW

It is incredible to see the trajectory of Arcade Fire. They started out as a big band with big ambition, but little fame, to a band that has not only a huge cult following, but also managed to win the Grammy for "Best Album" with their last full length The Suburbs. An album that seemed to satisfy both fans and the newcomers alike, since the album before it was Neon Bible, an album in the bands discography that has just as many fans as it does haters. In fact, with the release of this brand new LP Reflektor, there seems to be a trend amongst critics that mirrors (ha ha) the release of Neon Bible; in short, it's divisive. 

I personally think that Arcade Fire is one of, if not the best rock band that modern music has to offer, but I wouldn't say that they don't have their flaws. For one, the lyrics on a lot of Arcade Fire songs can find themselves in some pretty corny and melodramatic territory, but at the same time, it's that melodrama and sincerity behind them that makes their songs so darn uplifting. Another thing about Arcade Fire (and many other modern rock bands) is that they suffer from "First album blues", or at least the fans do. Because, no matter how great any of their latter work is (and I think they've put out some superb albums since) the fans will live and die by the bands first album, Funeral. Granted, that album is incredible and deserves every good thing ever said about it, it unfortunately has created a mindset in fans that they'll never be able to top it, and that is what I believe leads a lot of people to misjudge albums like Neon Bible and Reflektor.

Anyway, enough speculation and context, how is the new Arcade Fire album? Well, me; it's pretty darn good. If I had to point to tracks that stood out the most, the title track, "Afterlife", "Normal Person", and "It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus) would be my go-to's. But honestly, I don't think pulling tracks out of this LP does it justice, because Arcade Fire have gone through the trouble of pacing this LP in such a way that you really can't go without any of these tracks. While this may not be the most conceptually fleshed out AF album, it is perhaps their poppy-est and most groove oriented. Which leads to lot of moments that bring to mind some sort of apocalyptic dancefloor, or perhaps a caribbean themed dance party where the music is played by emotionally aware robots. 

Yeah, this album is kind of hard to sum up in anything less than an essay's worth of text, but I'll be blunt. Reflektor may not be my favorite Arcade Fire album, in fact, I found a couple of the songs here to be sort of middle of the road ("Joan of Arc" "Supersymmetry"), but I can't deny the fact that for a good portion of this LP, I was filled with the same sense of wonder and uplift that Arcade Fire first brought to the world with that legend of an album, Funeral.

8.5/10

Death Grips: Government Plates ALBUM REVIEW

Just when I thought I'd really have to wait an entire year for another Death Grips album, they go and drop another LP out of the blue. If you've been following the exploits of Death Grips (even if you haven't) you'll remember how they did a very similar thing with their last album No Love DEEP WEB, released last year. However, unlike last year, DG aren't in the same position they were in 2012. They're on their own label, and to coincide with the release of this new LP, they've posted a video for every single track on the LP... which all have their own unique way of being totally weird and wonderful. 

But seeing as how it's been less than a year since their last release, and taking into account how that same situation made NLDW abut of a mixed bag in some respects; just how is the new Death Grips album?

Well, it certainly has its moments of brilliance, but sadly feels like the least inspired release Death Grips have released thus far. 

That being said, one must take into account the amount of ambition usually found on a DG album, since their last 3 albums could easily be cited as the LPs that started the whole "industrial rap) trend. A trend that even Kanye West found himself trying to emulate on Yeezus. So yeah, this LP may not be that ambitious for DG, but it's still an incredibly forward-thinking piece of music. 

Now lets get into the actual music! Because that's what I'm here to talk about! 

Easily, the first three tracks are some of, if not the best tracks on the entire LP. The opener is a visceral piece of music that reminds me of my favorite moment from NLDW, "No Love", while the track "Anne Bonny" sees DG working with a lot of the sounds they've been working with for the past couple of albums, but with a more noise and intensity. However, the most aggressive, and perhaps my favorite track on Government Plates is the track "Two Heavens" which features an immense amount of aggression, but also has some of the best sampling I've heard DG incorporate into one of their tracks. 

The track "Birds" finds a home on this LP after floating around on the internet for a couple of  months, and it still works well as a calmer moment on this LP.

Before I wrap things up though, I have to address the major downside to this LP; the instrumental tracks. "This is Violence" and "Big House" are decent, and I actually enjoy the later quite a bit for just how odd it is. But tracks like "Feels Like A Wheel" and "Bootleg" just feel like filler. The title track is also a but underwhelming and runs into the same problem the weakest tracks from NLDW did; they lack a clear hook or lyrical edge and aren't really memorable as a whole. As far as the last track goes, DG use it (like they usually do on their releases) to add a longer, more contemplative tune to the album, but this track doesn't stick with me like "Hacker" or "Artificial Death in the West".

So overall, it was nice to see a new batch of tracks from one of my favorite bands, but I have to be honest and say that this LP is no where near as enjoyable as DG's last two releases, and while I was able to pull some fantastic tracks out of it, I don't think this LP will find a home in my top 5 of the year, sadly.

It's not like Death Grips cares about anybodies opinion anyway.

7.1/10

Hellogoodbye: Everything Is Debatable ALBUM REVIEW

For most people, there are bands, albums, and songs they used to listen to, but in retrospect see them as hokey, corny or just plain bad. For me, Hellogoodbye's debut album is kind of like that, though It sides more with the corniness issue. 

That LP came out in 2006 and received a fair but of praise for its hit single "Here In Your Arms", but after that album, the band seemed to disappear, as did my interest in them. Then, out of nowhere, as I was scrolling through my spotify playlists one day, I thought to myself, " Maybe I should see if that Hellogoodbye album still holds up", but I was stopped dead in my tracks with a sight I wasn't expecting... I saw that they'd released a sophomore album, titled, Would It Kill You? And without a second thought, I pressed play and was immediately pleased with what I was hearing. The album just  sounded so fresh and exciting, a perfect pop album, with little to no trace of the band's previous obsession ( or reliance) with electronics. 

So, while that album got me back in the fold with the band, I was still a little hesitant to listen to their new album, released October 29th of this year, Everything Is Debatable, but I'm glad to say that this LP maintains most of what made there last two albums great. 

Simply put, this is a bright, friendly and sometimes cutesy pop album with great hooks, instrumentals and vocals that are so pleasant to the ear, they're like a vanilla milkshake for your ears. Highlights include the folky opener and the m83 esq title track, which has one of the finest grooves in any pop song released this year. The tracks "Summer of the Lilly Pond" and "Die Young, Die Dumb; Not Soon" are breezy and fun. 

The only thing I can really knock this album for are the lyrics, which while sincere, are corny from time to time and don't really stray too far from the typical girl-boy relationship topic. 

While I still hold to the second album as there finest work, I am happy that Hellogoodbye managed to craft another little pop gem. It's just a shame a lot of people write these guys off because of how popular and niche their first album was, because Hellogoodbye are some of the finest pop song writers I've heard in the last 5 years or so.

8.5/10

Bob Dylan: Nashville Skyline CLASSIC REVIEW

Bob Dylan is a man who has put out so much music over the 50 years or so he's been making it, that people are bound to pick a decade or a series of albums that they prefer over others. Some prefer the early goings of Freewheelin'  or the pure decadence of Blonde on Blonde, and you'll even get the rare person who prefers his newer stuff, but to me, there's no better Bob than the one found on Nashville Skyline.

Sure, its not his most lavishly produced or challenging work, but there's a beautiful simplicity and an irresistible warmth to this LP that draws me in, and doesn't let me go for the entire half-hour it lasts. 

Songs like the opener, a retread of a track from Bob's sophomore album, now with a country tinged feel and an incredible duet with the man in black himself, Johhny Cash is one of my favorite songs, not only from this album or Bob Dylan; but ever. While tracks like "Threw It All Away" and "Lay, Lady, Lay" are staples of country music, the real stuff anyways. 

I remember the first time I heard the track "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You" on a used vinyl copy of Greatest Hits Vol 2, and immediately sought out the album from which it came, thus leading me to one of my all time favorite albums. That's a memory I will always cherish, as will I this album. 

10/10

John Legend: Love In The Future ALBUM REVIEW

John Legend likes to sing about love. He has been doing it since his debut album Get Lifted, and continues to do it on this LP. But that's what makes this album, to me at least, so endearing; it not only is an album full of love songs, but it is also a passionate and sometimes downright inspirational album about love. Which is refreshing in a world where pop music needs to paint love in a way that makes everything a struggle, or something that ends terribly. Granted, that is a very real aspect of love, but it's refreshing to hear someone sing about the positives of love in a way that makes it seem like the only perfect thing in the world. 

In a way, John Legend reminds me of soul singers from the late 50's and early 60's in this way; his unfaltering devotion to the subject of love may come off as corny sometimes, ( some of the lyrics on this LP do come off that way) he sings so well and with so much sincerity that it's hard to really hate anything about his performance on this LP. 

The album starts of with three fantastic tracks, the last being one of my favorite songs of 2013, the immaculately produced and performed "Made To Love", a track that takes one of the most familiar R&B tropes and somehow shines a new light on it, with John singing "I was sent here for you/ We were made to love/ You were sent for me too", so passionately that I can't help but hang on to his every word. 

Other great tracks include: "Tomorrow", "Wanna Be Loved" and the closer "Caught Up".

And these tracks carry the same gracefulness that  is on display on "Made To Love" and that's no mean feat. 

Aside from all of the praise I have for this LP, I do have to point out the fact that, like I said before, the lyrics aren't always great. Tracks like "Dreams" and "Asylum" are actually kind of cringe-worthy at some points and the two features on this LP are pretty underwhelming ( though the fact that one of them is Rick Ross may have something to do with that).However, that didn't stop me from enjoying Love In The Future a whole lot more than I was expecting to.

8.0/10

CHVRCHES: The Bones of What You Believe ALBUM REVIEW

CHVRCHES are an electronic band from Glasgow, Scotland, and for the past year or so they've been steadily building a fanbase with their last EP and the singles, "The Mother We Share" and "Recovery". To me, they sound like a mix of M83 and the vocal sensibilities of a band like Camera Obscura; which on paper sounds like a pretty great combination, and sometimes, especially on the aforementioned singles, is.

In fact, the album opens up with the track "The Mother We Share", a track I absolutely adore, and its followed up by the track "We Sink" which isn't half bad. But, it doesn't take long for this LP to dip in quality, with the tracks "Gun", "Tether" and "Under the Tide" all featuring forgettable melodies and "Under the Tide" has male vocals that have none of the passion or finesse of the female vocals. 

Then the track "Recover" starts, and for a moment, I am reminded why I was excited to listen to this album in the first place. This track has a great melody and an explosive chorus that I won't forget, come lists time in a couple of months. "Night Sky", like "We Sink" is an okay follow up to the previous track, but it's hard to shake the feeling that the album is going downhill again at this point.

And that's kind of how the album carries on, granted, I thought the track "Science/Visions" wasn't bad, but nothing on The Bones of What You Believe ever reaches the same heights that the singles do. 

6.0/10

Best Coast: Fade Away ALBUM REVIEW

Best Coast are the kind of band that you take at face value. That's not to say they aren't a band worth listening to, but their approach to sunny, 60's influenced rock music is pretty shallow when you get past the pleasantness of the sound. 

I'll start with the things I like about their latest "mini" album, Fade Way, because this is certainly my favorite Best Coast project thus far. For instance, the tracks "Fade Away" and "Fear of My Identity" are great breezy little rock songs that, while lyrically aren't that impressive are just so fun and melodic that I can easily ignore the fact that what is being said in the song is pretty bland and ofttimes cliche. 

Sadly, aside from maybe the closer, I really can't see any reason to revisit this LP, due to the aforementioned lyrical blandness and some samey-samey melodies and chord progressions. But hey, maybe I'm not in the right mindset to truly enjoy an LP like this. Which to my understanding involves a fair bit of weed and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

That last part was a joke.... Hehe.

5/10