Smith Westerns: Soft Will ALBUM REVIEW

If you told me circa 2011 that I would one day enjoy a project by Smith Westerns, I would have rolled my eyes. That's because in 2011, Smith Westerns had just put out their sophomore LP Dye it Blonde, an album I wasn't ( and still aren't) too keen on. Why? Well, to me the songs had catchy melodies and some pretty playful guitar leads, but the album as a whole was seriously lacking in clarity. From the vocals that were ofttimes pushed so far back in the mix as to make them unintelligible, or the rhythm section suffering from being mixed too close together, making them sound muddy. So, you can understand why I was a little hesitant to listen to SW's latest LP Soft Will. That being said, I actually found myself loving almost every track on the album. 

It helps that the album starts out with three top notch tracks, the Beatles esq "3am Spiritual" which has a killer chorus, "Idol" with it's infectious melody, and "Glossed" which, as the title implies, is a smooth and dreamy little tune. 

The album does hit it's first bump with the track "XXIII." An instrumental track, that while not terrible, just doesn't do very well on repeat listens. But, the LP picks right back up after that, with tracks like "Fool Proof" and "Best Friend." The album also closes with the wonderful "Varsity," which is the perfect summation of what SW were shooting for on Soft Will, delivering an album that sounds clearer, and is more cohesive in terms of lyrical themes. 

I'd say that SW have done a 180 in my mind. I've gone from cringing at most of their songs, to bobbing my head and even singing along to most of the tracks on this LP; I love it when a band does that.

8.5/10

Kings of Leon: Mechanical Bull ALBUM REVIEW

I first listened to Kings of Leon back in 2008 when they released their 4th studio album, Only By the Night, and my 14 year old self found a new favorite band. Granted, that album is not considered to be KoL's best, but that didn't and still doesn't, stop me from enjoying it immensely. Songs like "Manhattan" and "I Want You" still get regular rotation in my CD player. 

After backtracking through the band's previous material and finding even more great songs like "Molly's Chambers","Ragoo" and "Tapper Jean Girl" I was in love. Sadly, the band's 2010 release Come Around Sundown was a pretty huge letdown, the same kind of letdown that OBtN was for so many other KoL fans. 

Well, it's been nearly 3 years since that album and KoL are "returning to form" on their latest album Mechanical Bull. But, the question is, what form are KoL returning to? The southern tinged hard-rock of their first album? The jangly rock of their sophomore release? Or the early phase of their arena sized rock sound? To me, it's simple, KoL are combining all of their past elements into one release, and for better or worse they have put together an album that sounds like what you'd expect, more KoL.

Personally, as a fan of most of their output, I find myself clinging to songs like "Supersoaker","Rock City" and "Beautiful War" simply because these tracks contain all the things I love about this band; great melodies, catchy choruses  and a real knack for driving guitar leads and rhythm sections. 

But Mechanical Bull exhibits a key flaw with KoL's recent output; they are just too set in their ways to create anything truly unique to both themselves and rock music at large. Whereas albums like Aha Shake Heartbreak showed a band blossoming into something truly special, MB shows KoL as being a band more concerned with just putting music out there, regardless of whether or not it sounds like a dozen other bands or not. This fact is most evident in the way the album flows, with a lot of the songs in the mid section sounding a little samey-samey with  only a couple of standout moments like the track "Comeback Story."

Anyway, I feel like I'm ranting a bit now. In short, I did enjoy listening to MB, and in fact, I pulled some pretty great singles out of this LP. But I just can't say this LP is as good as KoL's earlier stuff, for the simple fact that a lot of it sounds like modified versions of those early songs. 

7.0/10

Drake: Hold On, We're Going Home TRACK REVIEW

 

If you told me a couple years ago that I'd enjoy anything by Drake, I would laugh and subsequently slap you in your smug face... But in truth, Drake's last album Take Care marked a turning point for how I feel about this guy. And granted, that album wasn't perfect, but it had a fair bit of ambition and a lot of good ol' fashion pop sensibility.

And Drake is continuing this trend of impressing me on his latest single "Hold On, We're Going Home." Which features Drake going all 80's slowjam on us; with a percussive, driving beat, and some pretty decent singing from Drizzy. Sure the lyrics are repetitive and vague, but I just can't deny how catchy and simply smooth this track is.

Justin Timberlake: The 20/20 Experience ALBUM REVIEW

Yes, I know this review is incredibly late; but with the recent announcement of a part 2/ B-sides collection from The 20/20 Experience, I just had to share my thoughts on this LP.

Justin Timberlake is a man who needs little introduction. He started his music career off as part of the hit-making boy band NSYNC, and while other members of that group have pretty much abandoned the music biz since the 90's, JT has enjoyed a rather successful and critically accepted solo career. 

Personally, I've never listened to his first solo LP, and while I enjoy the singles off of Future Sex/Love Sounds, I never found the rest of the album to be all that great. 

Now, usually this is the part where I tell you how this LP is a total 180 and that I love everything about it. Sadly, while I do enjoy this album for more than the singles, ("Mirrors" not withstanding) it isn't a very smooth ride. 

And that's surprising considering how smooth the production is, and how great some of the songs are. My complaints lie more with JT's penchant for writing some of the sappiest and contrived lyrics you're likely to hear this side of an REO Speedwagon song. "Mirrors" being the prime example. It straight-up sounds like an NSYNC song, but without a group chorus. And I'll also add the song "Pusher Love Girl" to the list of supreme offenders, though I'm still able to enjoy that track, because of the instrumental. 

A lot of people got upset when "Suit & Tie" came out featuring a pretty lame Jay Z verse, but I actually liked JT's singing a lot, and thought he managed to craft a pretty great chorus. The track "That Girl" is the clear highlight, showcasing all JT's talents, without all of the cringe-worthy lyrics, and as with the rest of the LP, the production is great. 

Out of the 10 tracks on The 20/20 Experience, I'd say with utmost that confidence that I enjoyed 3 of them immensely, 2 were pretty good and the rest fall into a grey area... with "Mirrors" sitting at the bottom. And ironically, for an album claiming perfect clarity, this LP fails to put out a uniform sound or concept. Don't get me wrong, the album sounds great, but that doesn't make up for the lyrical foils and some overly long songs.

6.8/10

Earl: "Hive" TRACK REVIEW

Earl is getting ready to release his newest album Doris, on August 20th; and has dropped a new track/ video for the song "Hive". Like "Chum" and "Whoa" before it, this track shows off more of Earls obsession with dark sounds and moody production. Though this track has more in common with "Whoa" in terms of lyrical content.

I said it back when "Chum" first dropped and I'll say it again, I'm extremely excited for Doris. Hopefully it will at least live up to the hype and be in league with Tyler's last LP Wolf.

Classic Review: Weezer: Pinkerton

In 1994 Weezer released their debut album, Blue; and became one of the most popular bands in the post-grunge era of music. But instead of following it up with an LP that used the same blueprint of quirky and kind songs about sweaters and surfing; Weezer ended up releasing a frustrated, awkward, and highly personal album, called Pinkerton.

A move that was torn to shreds by critics and fans who wanted another "Buddy Holly". Pinkerton doesn't have many lighthearted moments like "Surf Wax America", but instead, it opts to give the listener cathartic bursts of raw emotion, and sexual frustration. 

The opener "Tired of Sex" starts with noisy guitar sounds, and soon kicks into a loud and rhythm section fueled jam that has a killer guitar solo. "No Other One" features one of front man Rivers Cuomo's most impassioned vocal performances, and like almost every song on Pinkerton, a metric ton of distortion. 

In fact, one of the reasons Pinkerton was canned upon release was because of the production, which was handled entirely by the band. However, in recent years, critics praise the album for how forward thinking it was in terms of sound. And with good reason; all of the songs here ( save for the closer "Butterfly") are rollicking affairs that paint a sonic picture for the intense lyrics underneath them. 

On a more personal note, Pinkerton was among the albums that inspired me to really get into music; and actually helped me through some hard times with it's raw sound and profoundly heartfelt lyrics. 

I mean, come one, "El Scorcho" and "Pink Triangle" may be two of the greatest songs about unrequited love ever written, and "Butterfly" still has the power to bring a tear to my eye. 

If you haven't given Pinkerton a listen yet, I implore you to do so. It's a bit awkward, and can be downright outrageous at times. But once it sinks in, this album has the ability to stick in your mind for weeks on end. 

10/10

Run the Jewels:Self-Titled ALBUM REVIEW

2012 proved to be a fantastic year for music, especially underground Hip-hop; with guys like Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and Death Grips, all releasing solid, to amazing records. But in the maelstrom of quality music, two artists did manage to stand out especially well; the team of Killer Mike and EL-P. 

Both of these guys have been releasing great music for the last 10 years, and EL-P has enjoyed the honor of being considered one of the genres greatest innovators. And when these two came together on Killer Mike’s Rap Music, it proved to be a match made in heaven. Then EL-P came out with Cancer for Cure, another heavy hitter, and is considered one of EL-P’s best. 

So, what are these two highly skilled, critically acclaimed artists to do after having such a successful year? Celebrate. 

Run the Jewels is essentially a victory lap for Mike and P; showcasing their more braggadocios side. If you’re looking for some deep, socially conscious raps; you’re going to be a little let down. Instead, Run the Jewels is a fast-paced, adrenaline filled 30 minutes of pure technical prowess. Tracks like the title track and “36″ Chain” are jittery and feature nothing but pure fire spitting from these two MC’s. 

In fact, the track “No Come Down” is a very apt way to describe this album; because EL-P’s production manages to stay at top speed for the entire runtime of Run the Jewels, and the rapping is never far behind. 

If there is one downside to note, it would simply be how short the album is. Granted, this is a free LP and the content you get is far above a lot of current rap albums being released for $14.99 *Cough* Jay Z *Cough*.

9.5/10