Fall Out Boy: My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark ( Light Em Up) TRACK REVIEW

I want to make one thing clear before I start this review... I have a soft spot for Fall Out Boy. No, I don't own any of their albums, in fact, I only really like material from their first couple of albums. But the songs I do enjoy, I enjoy for their energy and yes, catchy choruses. Because, c'mon, you can't deny the pure ear-candy of "A Little Less Sixteen Candles" or "Dead On Arrival"... I dare you.

But sadly the latest track from FOB in what, 8 years? is anything but great. To start, the instrumental; who thought that taking away the fast and punk-esque instrumentals and replacing them with bland electronics was a good idea? I mean, yes, when done well, this style of rock music can be pretty great. Unfortunately, I just don't think they executed this style well, and just end up sounding bland and un-inspired. And the lyrics... I know FOB was never a thought-provoking band, but their older songs at least had some form of endearing charm in the lyrics... which is nowhere in sight on this track. So really, aside from the overly-long title; this song just doesn't have any of the elements that make FOB an enjoyable band; at least for me.

Wavves: Demon To Lean On TRACK REVIEW

"Demon To Lean On" is the latest single from Wavves' forthcoming LP "Afraid Of Heights", which will be released on the 26th of March. This, and the other single dropped so far, seem to point toward a stylistic change for Wavves; moving away from the stoner surf-rock of "King Of The Beach" in a more 90's tinged, grunge-y sound.

I'm finding this to be a rather refreshing change of pace for the band, seeing as I wasn't really big on Wavves' prior material. I'm looking forward to the release of "Afraid Of Heights" and hope that the rest of the tracks on it can live up to the first two singles.

A$AP Rocky: LONG.LIVE.A$AP ALBUM REVIEW

Lets think about this for a minute. A rapper with zero reputation, an average flow and a penchant for weed rap gets signed to a major label with a 3 million dollar contract... All of this because of a mix-tape.

Now under normal circumstances, I'd call BS on the record label and say that they're obviously just signing this guy because of the controversy. But while "LIVE.LOVE.A$AP" did feature a bevy of weed raps and rap cliches, it also had some of the best beats of any mix-tape or album of that year. With contributions from guys like Clams Casino and Big Tony, the mix-tape made the 3 million dollar contract make sense ( at least to me).

And luckily, "LONG.LIVE.A$AP" is similarly reassuring. While Rocky still isn't the most lyrical or deep MC you'll come across, he still has a great ear for beats and, for the most part, hooks.

The album starts of right with the dark rumble of the title track. Rocky throws out a bunch of random images of a house full of dishes, cocaine and various other "gangsta" imagery. The next track "Goldie" you might recognize as being one of my favorite singles from last year; and it still stands out among the other tracks on "LONG.LIVE.A$AP". The following tracks "PMW" and "LVL" are also great, with Clams Casino producing the latter.

Unfortunately, after a streak of great songs, the tracks "Hell" and "Pain" are less than stellar. The hook on "Hell" delivered by Santigold, is just so flat; and the beat on "Pain" is similarly dull. The track "F***in' Problems" picks things up before "Wild for the Night", with it's Skrillex produced beat comes through, leaving an odd taste in your mouth.

After the stellar "1Train", which features pretty much all of the biggest names in underground rap at the moment, the album takes yet another dip with the only truly awful song on the album "Fashion Killa"
Thankfully, "Suddenly" closes the album out on a high note and the track "Phoenix" is pretty decent too.

"LONG.LIVE.A$AP" is surprisingly good for a mainstream rap album. While the second half is a bit spotty and A$AP never really spits anything profound, it's a really fun album to listen to, and I found myself feeling satisfied despite the flaws.

7.5/10

Converge: All We Love We Leave Behind ALBUM REVIEW

Converge have been around for a while; in fact, they've been making music for the last 22 years on a regular basis. And with 8 albums under their belt, many of them critically acclaimed, and guitarist/ producer extraordinaire, Kurt Ballou; Converge have made quite a legacy for themselves. All We Love We Leave Behind is the 8th studio album Converge has released, and the fourth to be released via Epitaph records. All of which have been produced by Kurt, who is a pretty prominent  figure in modern metal/ hardcore music.

Now up until the release of AWLWLB, I was only ever aware of Converge, and never truly listened to any of their music. But let me tell you, AWLWLB will forever be known as the album that got me hooked on Converge. With it's ruthless aggression and it's incredibly cohesive sound, it's an album that I found incredibly enjoyable form beginning to end.

The album starts with the cutthroat single "Aimless Arrow", a song describing someone who is leaving behind the people that love them the most to live a selfish life. Going further, lead singer Jacob Banon screams out the line "Aimless Arrow/ Lost from the start" driving the sentiment home. The next two tracks "Trespasses" and "Tender Abuse" blend together in a flurry of pounding low-end that is liable to scramble a few brains if listened to loud enough. The following track "Sadness Comes Home" features a great guitar lead during the verses, and like the previous tracks, is unrelenting in it's aggression.

In fact, there are only a couple of spots where Converge see fit to slow things down. And when they do, it's not for long; a great example is the song "Coral Blue" a fantastic track that has the most melodic chorus on the album, and reminds me a lot of early Baroness albums.

Converge have not only proved that they're better than ever, with a slightly less cacophonous sound and a bit more melody to boot. But they also put together one of the finest hardcore punk/ metal albums I've heard in years.

9.3/10

Classic Review: Coheed & Cambria: No World For Tomorrow

Coheed & Cambria, to me, have always represented the instantaneous side of prog music. With singles like "A Favor House Atlantic" and "Blood Red Summer" exhibiting the bands ability to craft pop gems and songs like "Welcome Home" that show far more of their prog-rock side, yet still remain instantly enjoyable on first listen. Now while everyone's usual favorite album from C&C seems to be "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV." I think that "No World For Tomorrow" is the bands best effort yet; intricate, but perfectly balanced; not to mention, incredibly memorable.

The first eight songs on this album create one of the strongest runs of songs I've ever heard on any album, period. Starting with a somber intro that leads perfectly into the title track. Next is "The Hound ( of Blood and Rank)" then quite possibly the best of coheed's "pop" songs; "Feathers".

All of the songs on this album are filled with detail, yet still manage ( as I've said before) to catch the listeners ear song after song. I fell in love with this album back when it came out in 2007; even though, at the time, I found C&C's music to be darn near intolerable. Though to be fair, I was far more concerned with listening to the latest Incubus or Sum 41 track... But that point aside, "No World For Tomorrow" has remained to be my favorite album of C&C's, not to mention the one album I disagree with almost everybody on. Because, I admit, this album didn't receive the greatest critical reception. But that's what makes art art I suppose.

But enough of my rambling, listen to this album and decide for yourself if it's a "classic" or not; because to me, it really is an overlooked gem.

9.0/10

Classic Review: The Strokes: Is This It

At the time of it's release, "Is This It" was the culmination of a lot of different things. The 90's were over, and rock fans were in desperate need of a great album from a fresh new band. And the hype surrounding the release of the debut album from The Strokes was massive.

Luckily, this album not only lived up to the hype, but in some ways; surpassed it. With songs that are still played frequently on rock radio today, and inspiring hundreds of other bands, eager to capture the same magic. Even The Strokes themselves have been trying to recreate the pure excellence of "Is This It" in their subsequent releases, but while "Room On Fire" came close, the following two albums were either too cluttered (Angles) or too clean ( First Impressions Of Earth).
But enough context, let me get into what makes "Is This It" a classic in modern rock music.

First and foremost, the songs here are all insanely catchy; straightforward but with just enough detail to avoid being too simplistic. Singles like "Someday" and "Last Nite" are upbeat and driving, with great harmonized guitar leads, and the latter; a fantastic guitar solo. But where the singles focused on the more straightforward rockers, deeper cuts like the opener and "Hard To Explain" reveal another side of the album; the side I like to call the "sad slacker". But no matter what mood a track may be in on "Is This It" you can always count on them to be great, and very memorable.

"Is This It" is a top-notch album; sure, it's not the most complex rock album out there, but that's not what it's going for. It instead goes for catchy tunes that might just inspire a bedroom rock-out session.

9.0/10

Top 5 Albums of 2012

No.5                                Royal Headache- Royal Headache



        
     This album really came out of nowhere for me; here was a punk band that played pretty basic punk music with one very notable element that made them stand out... the singer. That, and the fact that the music, while simple, was catchy and had enough interesting moments to keep me coming back again and again. I'm super excited to see where this band goes in the future, especially if the vocals continue to be this inspired and captivating.

No.4                             Spiritualized: Sweet Heart Sweet Light

    This album came into my possession at a time in my life when I was feeling pretty down. And like a shot of pure light into the gloom, songs like "Hey Jane" and "Life is a Problem" simply spoke to me. But the most surprising thing? Even after that rough spot; I still found inspiration and beauty in this album. Because, simply put, it's an incredible album and easily one of Spiritualized's best.



 

No.3                              Perfume Genius: Put Your Back N 2 It 


 
   Few albums and songs make me feel sad or depressed in a genuine way; but the latest album from Perfume Genius does just that. If Sweet Heart Sweet Light was the pat on the back and reassuring hug. Then Put Your Back N 2 It was the long sob leading up to it. This album is beautiful through and through, from the sparse, moody piano playing, to the soft and weeping vocals of front man Mike Hadreas. It was hard picking a spot for this album, because no other release this year has made me feel the way this album does... sad. But not the sad that makes you lose hope and eat a gallon of ice cream. Instead it's the kind of sad that helps you realize that there is a lot more to life than simply being alive; and that's something this album did for me.

No.2                             Kendrick Lamar: good kid, m.a.a.d city


     What an amazing year for Kendrick Lamar. Not only was he featured on some very successful and great projects, but his label T.B.E kind of took the rap game by storm with releases from Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. His crowning achievement however, is the conceptual masterpiece that is "good kid, m.a.a.d city" a rap album that, to me, really sets the bar for concepts in hip-hop albums. From track the opener "Sherane" to the closer "Compton", Kendrick takes the listener through his life growing up with gangs. drugs and the violence that comes with them. But it's not all hardcore attitudes and macho posturing; tracks like "Poetic Justice" and "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst" take a look at love and the affect that Kendricks music has on the people who he raps about. From top to bottom, this is an incredible piece of music and one that I'll be playing well into 2013 and beyond.

No.1                                    Death Grips: The Money Store

    This will come as no surprise if you read my review for this album and the followup "No Love DEEP WEB" But hey, when music pushes boundaries and gives me hope for the future of creativity in a genre... it needs to be praised. Death Grips are doing things that nobody expected ( and in some cases, wanted ) hip-hop to do. The music on "The Money Store" is bright, noisy and ultra aggressive, to the point that it almost seems like they went overboard a little; and in a lot of ways, they did. But that's what makes this such a captivating listen from start to finish; the feeling that at any moment, everything could go horribly wrong and just sound like a ton of abrasive nonsense, but it doesn't. In fact, Death Grips have an incredible ability to balance aggression with subtlety and nuance. Filling their songs with nooks and crannies that only repeat listens can reveal. And with just under a hundred full listens since it was released in May... the rewards for finding those nooks and crannies has culminated in not only my favorite album of 2012, but one of my favorite albums of all-time.