Kanye West: Yeezus ALBUM REVIEW

Kanye West is easily one of the most controversial figures in popular culture today. And it's no real surprise; he likes to run his mouth, and name his album Yeezus. But aside from all of that irrelevant nonsense, which I gladly ignore; Kanye West is still a very talented and forward-thinking producer. His first three albums showed him evolving from a soul-obsessed backpacker, to a glitzy, yet grounded MC with a decent flow and some of the best beats in rap music. 

After the release of his 2008 album 808's and Heartbreak, a lot of fans thought that Kanye had finally lost his edge; with the overindulgent use of auto-tune and sappy subject matter, 808's may be his least favored album. Luckily for Ye, he followed that album with his most critically acclaimed album yet; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. 

As for my views on those two albums; I think 808's is, from a production standpoint, a very textured and layered LP with a lot of details that only come out after repeat listens; and I actively enjoy listening to it.

MBDTF on the other hand, I found to be a very spotty affair. While I think the first half of the album is strong ,("Power" "Dark Fantasy" "Monster") the album hits a line of really long-winded tracks that delve deep into Kanye's drama and obsession with himself. 

And that trend is back in full force on Yeezus; Kanye's latest attempt at confusing his fans. This time around, jumping on the "Noise Rap" bandwagon and doing in a way that simultaneously downplays the true transcendence of groups like Death Grips, and makes it seem like Kanye put the album together in around a month or so. Tracks like the opener and "Black Skinhead" come on strong, and actually manage to make me think that Yeezus might actually be a worthwhile listen. But then a song like "Hold My Liquor" comes on, and I hear the truly laughable Chief Keef hook, and lose almost all interest in what Yeezy's trying to do. 

The track "New Slaves" is another good track, but the message comes of as almost a joke given the lyrical content of the rest of the LP. Granted; this could all be Kanye doing his grimy millionaire schtick. But honestly, that shouldn't get in the way of putting together good songs. The only other positive moment on the album for me is the closer "Bound 2", which seems like a callback to "old Kanye" and aside from how cheesy that kind of is; I still enjoy the track quite a bit. 

It's a shame that Yeezus couldn't rise above all of Kanye's real life context, and simply be a thoroughly enjoyable release. I'm not asking for the aforementioned "old Kanye", but I'd like to see a release from him, collaborative or solo, that eschews tabloid BS for something with a bit more substance. 

5/10

Savages: Silence Yourself ALBUM REVIEW

These days a lot of musicians pull from the past for sounds and ideas. In truth, pretty much EVERY artist does; however, in a time when copy/pasting ideas has become commonplace, it's nice to have a band like Savages, to remind you that, yes, it is possible to take ideas from the past and make them sound fresh and exciting. 

Savages is a British band, and that comes through in the kind of music they play, one of my favorite genres of music; Post-punk. One has to consider just how many great bands (all women bands) populate and make the genre so great, to see just how amazing it is that Savages have managed to put together an album worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things. The reason being; they bring to the table not only modern production, but also a modern message. With tracks like "Shut Up", which simultaneously tells the listener to be quite, but also says that Savages won't be silenced; while the track, "I Am Here" cements the sentiment.

The album also tackles issues of femininity, with the track "She Will" which seems to be coming from the angle of current society with it's lyrics painting a picture of a submissive, almost powerless women. 

But you don't need to analyze every single lyric or message to enjoy Silence Yourself; because it's the actual music that stands out above everything else. With production that highlights the amazing rhythm section, and bright guitars that cut through the sometimes gloomy atmosphere of tracks like "Waiting for a Sign."

Lets not forget the absolutely fantastic vocals either, which bring to mind Joy Division or The Slits, and deliver some truly dark and poetic lyrics. 

I'm extremely excited to see what Savages do in the future, because at this point, they already have a truly stellar album under their belt. 

8.8/10

Classic Review: Neutral Milk Hotel: On Avery Island

I know it's been a little while since my last NMH review, but I just found so much music that I found truly worthy of talking about! But without further adieu, here is the 2nd in a series of three reviews that will make up my NMH discography review series. 

On Avery Island is NMH first full-length LP, and when compared with their first EP, Everything Is, it's easy to see just how rapidly the band was improving their sound and really finding what made them them.

Avery opens up with the bombastic and distorted "Song Against Sex", a song that is chock full of the kind of surrealism that causes some fans ( myself included ) to obsess over what on earth it could possibly mean. 

The next two tracks have the share the same melody, and are actually more like one song with two distinct lyrical sections. The track "A Baby for Pree" is a classic example of just how enthralling Jeff Mangum can be with no more than the sound of his acoustic guitar, and one of a kind voice; throwing out imagery of bees stinging through chests, and babies poured across a bathroom floor. 

"Marching Theme" is a  pretty eclectic instrumental, an idea that they pulled of much more deftly on there sophomore album, but it's still a pretty good track here. "Where You'll Find Me Now" is a more developed version of "Pree" and "Avery Island/ April 1st" is another instrumental track; one that I've found absolutely beautiful and in fact has become one of my all-time favorite tracks, for reasons that I cannot begin to explain.

Next, you have one of the better known tracks from Avery, the fiery "Gardenhead/ Leave Me Alone" which contains even more beautifully surreal imagery with the line "Follow me through a city of frost covered angels/ I swear I have nothing to prove/ I just want to dance in your tangles/ to give me some reason to move."

The song "Naomi" may be Avery's greatest, and most well known moment. Again, giving us a glimpse of the deftness at which NMH could create simple, yet awe-inspiring songs. 

While On Avery Island may not get the same praise as their next LP,  but it still stands as a very experimental and ofttimes beautiful album that is well worth listening to.

9.0/10

Vampire Weekend: Modern Vampires of the City ALBUM REVIEW

It wasn't until 2010's "Contra", that I really started to enjoy Vampire Weekend. Their Debut had a couple of decent singles, but I found the overall album to be kind of underwhelming. "Contra" however, changed my entire perception of the band, and actually ended up being one of my favorite albums from that year. 

And now we have "Modern Vampires of the City"; an album that is, in my opinion, the culmination of all of the bands best attributes, focused into one, undeniably great package.

The album kicks things off with the track "Obvious Bicycle", with it's gospel melody and beautiful arrangements, this track shows a huge Paul Simon influence; an influence that the band has shown ever since "Contra", and one they embrace even more on this new LP. Take the track "Unbelievers", another track with a gospel-tinged melody, not to mention the obvious references to religion; a theme that seems to be the focal point of "Modern Vampires of the City". 

But even if you don't care about what the lyrics are actually saying, you can still enjoy these songs and even the lyrics, for just how wonderfully arranged and written they are. The song "Step", though eerily similar to Bread's "Aubrey", is still a hauntingly beautiful track. Following it is the energetic "Diane Young", with one of the most infectious chorus's on the entire album, and for that matter, the summer. 

Things do slow down a bit after the track "Hannah Hunt", but even in the albums least impressive moments, ("Finger Back" and "Worship You" come to mind) the music is still very good. So yes, they haven't crafted a perfect album; but with each release being better than the last, it's hard to think that in another three years or so, they might actually do just that.

9.0/10

Daft Punk: Random Access Memories ALBUM REVIEW

It's been eight long years since the release of Daft Punk's last official studio release, "Human After All"; an album considered by pretty much everyone, to be the duo's worst album. I won't go into too much detail on the group's history or my exact feelings on every one of their albums; but I will say that while "Human After All" may not have been as great as "Homework", or as downright amazing as "Discovery"; it had it's positive moments, and it only makes their latest album, "RAM" seem all that more impressive.

"RAM" starts of with the anthemic "Give Life Back to Music", and with the help of the legendary Nile Rogers, Daft Punk pen a tune that is not only a good start to the album, but it also states what they want to accomplish with "RAM"; give life back to music by combining the past a future together, seamlessly.

The track "Giorgio by Morodor" cements the concept with a fantastic monologue from another music legend, Giovani Giorgio. But none of this would matter if the music itself wasn't great, and "RAM" has some of the most intricate and well produced dance music I've heard since "Discovery". "RAM" also sees Daft Punk moving away from their house and techno roots and moving in a more disco and slightly prog direction. 

The single "Get Lucky" is a perfect example of their disco leanings, with another contribution from Rogers. While "Touch" shows the duo's ability to make an 8 minute track interesting throughout, with a choir and a fantastic vocal contribution from Paul Williams; this is really my favorite moment on "RAM".

Truth be told, there's not a single bad song on "RAM", and while a lot of people consider the track "Lose Yourself To Dance" to be the weakest track, I'd say the track "Motherboard" is more deserving of that title. It's a good track, don't get me wrong; but It's no "Short Circuit". 

"RAM" closes with three stellar tracks; some of the best the album has to offer. Starting with "Fragments of Time", which features Todd Edwards, who was also featured on my favorite track from "Discovery", "Face to Face". The song is a nice piece of soft-rock, and is the least electronic song I've ever heard from Daft Punk. The track "Doin' it Right" is more akin to what Daft Punk usually do; vocoder vocals with a great beat; Panda Bear is also featured on the track, bringing a nice human element to the proceedings. And then there's "Contact", which is an amazingly tense track, that escalates beautifully, and finishes the album on  a high note.

"RAM" is another immensely enjoyable album from Daft Punk, who prove that they can still make some of the best dance music around; and "RAM" is a darn near perfect dance album.

9.8/10

Chance The Rapper: Acid Rap ALBUM REVIEW

Chicago's very own Chance The Rapper has gone from a relatively overlooked MC, to being featured on Pitchfork and many music blogs around the net for his latest mixtape; Acid Rap. 

And the hype is justified, mostly; Acid Rap is a pretty stand-out mixtape. Songs like the opener and "Cocoa Butter Kisses", are extremely well produced and have killer hooks, and Chance has some clever wordplay to boot; with the hook on "Cocoa Butter Kisses" musing about how his addiction to cigarettes causes strain in his every day relationships ( "cigarettes on cigarettes, my momma think I stink/ I got burn holes in my hoodies/ my homeboys think it's dank").

Other standouts include the fun "Nana" and "Juice". However, the highlight of this LP is "Everybody's Something", it combines the best of Chance's talents into a singularly amazing song about how "everybody's somebody's everything", with a great chorus featuring singing by Chance himself; a skill he flaunts all over "Acid Rap". 

After that track, the album finds Chance falling into some unfortunate rap cliches and poor hooks. While the production on a track like "My Favorite Song" is bright and fun, the vapid chorus is enough to make the prospect of repeat listens a little foreboding. The worst offender though, is the track "Smoke Again ft. Ab-Soul", and that's a little sad, because while he's not my favorite rapper from the TDE collective; Ab is usually a much more profound lyricist; I mean, the line "let me put my mouth where you potty, boo" is downright 

amateur. 

It happens every three months or so; a young MC comes out with a killer single and thus the entire mixtape receives a lot of attention, only to have that project be mediocre at best. Luckily, like Big K.R.I.T or Kendrick Lamar, Chance The Rapper has managed to put together a fun, sometimes fantastic mixtape that shows a lot of promise for an upstart MC.

8.0/10

Classic Review: Neutral Milk Hotel: Everything Is EP

While the internet is buzzing with news of NMH's reunion; I see it as the perfect time to review the discography of what I can easily say is my favorite band. I won't go too in depth with the history of NMH, ( I recommend reading the fantastic book from the 33 1/3 series, all about In The Aeroplane Over The Sea) 

I will talk about all three official releases they put out from 1994-1998. 

"Everything Is" Is the first project released under the Neutral Milk Hotel monkier; at this point in the band's history, it was mainly Jeff Mangum with help from friends in the Elephant 6 Collective. And while the recording is pretty rough, the songs still shine through; especially on the title track and the closer "Tuesday Moon". The only other two tracks ( at least on the CD I purchased from a bargain bin) are "Snow Song Pt.1" which is the first glimpse of Jeff as the stripped-down and quite songwriter he would soon embrace on the following full lengths. And the sound-collage "Aunt Eggma Blowtorch", which is easily the weakest track, and also the longest at 5 minutes. 

It's still rather impressive that there's really only one so-so song on here, seeing as this was made with basically shoestrings and an acoustic guitar.

8/10