Uneven Noise

I review music in various forms: album review, Billboard reviews, single reviews, and whatever else I can think of doing.

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Music Streaming Service Review: Google Play Music All Access

     Sometime last year, I decided to terminate my relationship with Spotify for no real reason other than I got a Chromecast and I was excited to try it out with Google Play Music All Access. Once I made the switch from Spotify to Google Play Music All Access, I fell in love with my new music streaming service. The main reason why I fell in love with Google’s service is because it allowed me to stream my own personal music library alongside their catalogue seamlessly. I was finally able to stream artists like Atoms for Peace, The Beatles, and The Black Keys (their last two albums) because I already owned their music. This feature makes All Access the music streaming service to beat.

     All Access has five areas in which you can find music to play: Listen Now, Top Charts, My Library, and Browse Stations. In the Listen Now section, you find three subsections in which you can find something to listen to. There is the first section in which the service curates stations based on activities that you might be doing whether that is working out, unwinding, or driving. Upon clicking a certain activity, All Access asks to pick a genre that you want for your music. At this point, you choose one of three stations that it suggests for you. I love this function because no matter what you are doing you can use this to find the right music for the moment.

     Another fantastic thing that makes All Access my music streaming service of choice is its recommendation section. In the “Recommend for you” section, All Access gives you suggestions based on your listening history. Its suggestions are broken down to two areas (stations and albums) based on artists, genres, and songs that you like. If you don’t like anything that you are suggested, you can always start the “I’m feeling lucky” radio, which is based on your own musical tastes.

     When it comes down to it, All Access surpasses other streaming services in functionality and features that I want in a music streaming service. It may not be as flashy as Tidal, as popular as Spotify, or as trendy as Rdio, but All Access allows me to check out a large catalogue of music with my own music integrated right into the service. In a crowded market of other services trying to stand out, All Access offers the right features that enhance my music listening experience.

What it gets right

The ability to upload your own collection to stream alongside their catalogue.

Flawless functionality.

The “Recommend for you” section.

What it gets wrong

No desktop app.

Lack of social integration.

Lack of the ability to follow an artist to keep up with their latest releases.

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Music Streaming Service Review: Spotify

     Back in 2011, one of my friends told about a program that allowed you to listen to music for free legally. I checked out the program and the way I listened to music was never the same. Spotify (the aforementioned program) allowed me to explore an endless amount of music for the price of listening to advertisements occasionally. This worked well for me because I now could try an album before buying it. The only thing that initially bogged down the experience was that I couldn’t integrate my own music library in order to fill the cracks that Spotify had in its catalogue. So when I heard that Google Play Music All Access offered this option, I severed my ties with Spotify.

     Recently, I decided to try to give Spotify another try after using Google Play Music All Access for five months. I discovered that Spotify updated in the months that I was away from the service. One of the changes I noticed (especially on the mobile version) is that Spotify has a Your Music section. In this section, users can build their own music library by saving music from the Spotify catalogue. This section was the first thing that Spotify showed to me upon opening the app on mobile. This focus on this Your Music section is nice because it encourages the listener to save their favorites into this section so they can quickly access them.

     In addition to the Your Music section, I have found Spotify’s Discover section to be nice. In this section, Spotify curates music for the listener in three areas: Discover Weekly Playlist, New Releases for You, and listening based curation. The main focus of Spotify’s discover section though is the Discover Weekly Playlist. This is a playlist that contains curated music and deep cuts based on the user’s listening habits. From my personal experience, I have found that the Discover Weekly playlist to be okay for curation purposes. I am not that into the idea of this kind of discovery curation because I feel like it does not allow me to properly explore a new artist. When it comes to exploring a new artist, I prefer checking out one of their albums not just listening to one song from them alongside 29 other songs by different artist trying to compete for my attention.

     Spotify’s features, catalogue, and pricing make it a pristine service for your music streaming needs. With competition from other services heating up, Spotify looks ready to take on the likes of Apple Music and Tidal. For me, the one thing that holds back Spotify from being the service that I use is that it does not allow you to upload your own personal music library to stream alongside with their catalogue. However with services like Apple Music and Google Play Music All Access allowing users to do that, it might be only a matter of time before Spotify adopts such a feature.

What it gets right

The Your Music section.

Diverse Playlists.

Lyrics, Last.fm Scrobbling, Connect.

What it gets wrong

Can not upload your own personal library.

Awkward functionality flaws.

Mediocre radio.

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Music Streaming Service Review: Rdio

     Launched back in 2010, Rdio is one the veterans of the music streaming marketspace. Its clean interface and social integration have attracted users to its service over the years. I tried out the service after being dissatisfied with Rhapsody. The reason for my dissatisfaction is because it lacked certain essential albums for me. So with an eager spirit, I dove headfirst into my free trial run of Rdio.

     One of the things that I love about Rdio is how it designs its artist and album pages. On Rdio’s artist pages, you can find their inspiration as well as what acts they have inspired. On the album pages, you can find general information with a comment section so you can see what others thought about the album. Another thing that I love about Rdio is its radio function. Unlike other music streaming services, Rdio allows you to tune your station by giving you an option to only play just an artist or your favorites (depending on what your station is based on), being adventurous, or finding a good balance between the two.

     Rdio doesn’t have many flaws. In fact, the only thing that Rdio lacks is the ability to upload your own personal collection to the service. Despite that, Rdio’s catalogue is the most comprehensive out of all the streaming services. However, Rdio doesn’t have an outstanding feature that draws users to its service like Spotify with its free service or Tidal with its high-quality streaming. With a lack of a key feature, Rdio might find it difficult to compete in a crowded market.

    Overall, Rdio is a fantastic music streaming service for those who love Pandora and Spotify. Its radio functionality and social integration make it a solid choice as a music streaming service.

What it gets right

Sleek Design.

Detailed album and artist pages.

Radio functionality.

What it gets wrong

Inability to upload your own personal music collection.

Lack of a keystone feature.

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Music Streaming Service Review: Tidal

     When Tidal was relaunched in March of this year, I signed up for a trial run of the service. The main feature that drew me into trying the service was the promise of high quality music streaming. Before Tidal presented the option to me, I hardly cared about the audio quality of my music. All that mattered to me was that I could listen to whatever music I wanted. However, I saw high quality streaming as a means to enhance my music listening.      Once I started streaming music in high quality, I heard a notable difference in audio quality. The difference made songs more defined on certain frequency ranges. So with an appreciation of the improved audio quality, I began to find what Tidal had to offer. One of the things that it offers is a fantastic editorial section. This part of Tidal features different articles that range from album of the week picks to an artist talking about another artist’s work. I found myself being encouraged to explore the music that was being featured in these articles. Another favorite feature of Tidal’s are the playlists. Most playlists are organized by genre, mood, or activity. However, Tidal has playlists that are centered around record labels, producers, or movies. This feature might not be unique to Tidal, but I found their playlists unique and informative.      Despite this, Tidal does have its fair share of faults. One of these faults is its library size. With a library containing twenty five million tracks, Tidal is missing many albums from artists that I love like Manchester Orchestra, Vampire Weekend, and La Dispute. Another fault I found with my time with Tidal is its radio playback feature. While using this feature, there are times when Tidal will play an interview clip of an artist instead of playing a song which is odd and annoying. One of the key things that brought down my experience with Tidal is that it promotes the work of its co-owners over the likes of other artists. Lil Wayne’s FWA mixtape is still being featured in the “What’s New” section of Tidal despite it being out for longer than a month at this point. In addition, Tidal recommended the album to me when it released despite my listening history suggesting that I would not enjoy the album.      Ultimately, Tidal is best for those people who highly value sound quality. While their editorial content and playlist are great, the high quality streaming is what can draw the most people into the service.

What it gets right

Superior sound quality.

Unique playlists.

Informative editorial content.

What it gets wrong

Awkward holes in its library.

Poor radio functionality.

Special treatment given to the works of the co-owners.

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Album Review: The Stillest Hour by The Stars Above

     Almost three years ago, I became a fan of a music project called The Stars Above. This project’s sole member (Michael Jakucs) produced music that connected with me on a spiritual level. The project expanded my musical taste with stunning albums that took me on introspective journeys. After taking some time to explore ambient music under the name Selles, Jakus took some time to focus on making the newest album from The Stars Above called The Stillest Hour. When that album released, I was anxious to check out the album due to how much I love Jakucs’ previous work.

     The Stillest Hour is a good follow up to the sun-drenched sounds of The Stars Above previous album Shoreline. This album features great instrumentation that show Jakucs’ ability to compose music that reaches the listener in such a personal way. For example, I was left breathless after first listening to the track “Invictus”. The beauty of this track is a fantastic reminder of the power of music to take the listener on an emotional journey. 

     The track “Oracle” showcases Jakucs’ songwriting and production skills. The instrumentation and arrangement on this track is amazing. There is a moment in the track where the instrumentation hits you hard in the face, backs down, and hits you again. Another fantastic moment is when towards the halfway point of track Jakucs seamlessly incorporates the sound of seagulls alongside building instrumentation.

      While I love the majority of the instrumentation and production on this album, there are moments when the music turns stale. For example, the track “Turncoat” produces the album’s most lackluster instrumentals. The first half of the track features this reverb soaked instrumental which does nothing to add to the song. Luckily, the song does pick up on in the second half with Jakucs rising from the mediocre instrumental by the means of crashing guitars.

      Overall, I found myself enjoying a great deal of this album. While some of the production elements and instrumentals are dull and questionable, Jakucs comes through with spectacular songs that continue to impress and enthrall the listener.

Overall Score: 7.9/10

Listen to: Time Is Our Curse, Oracle, Invictus

Skip: Turncoat

Purchase/Stream The Stillest Hour: https://thestarsabove.bandcamp.com/album/the-stillest-hour

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2015′s Best Albums of the Year so far....

1. The Powers That B by Death Grips

2. The Epic by Kamasi Washington

3. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

4. Sound & Color by Alabama Shakes

5. Blurryface by twenty one pilots

6. Wilder Mind by Mumford & Sons

7. Vulnicura by Bjork

8. Policy by Will Butler

9. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful by Florence + The Machine

10. ‘Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress’ by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

11. No Cities To Love by Sleater-Kinney

12. A Flourish and a Spoil by The Districts

13. Multi-Love by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

14. New Leaf by Rebuker

15. In Colour by Jamie xx

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Album Review: Darling Arithmetic by Villagers

      In a time when music is becoming complex and chaotic, it is refreshing to discover music that is pure and simple. A band that delivers such music called Villagers comes from Dublin, Ireland. The band formed after the break-up of Conor J. O’Brien’s previous band The Immediate. For the next few years, the band released an EP and two albums while touring with acts such as Neil Young and Tracy Chapman. The band broke out with their critically acclaimed debut album Becoming a Jackal. The band followed up that album with another critically acclaimed album called {Awayland}. Recently, the group released their third album called Darling Arithmetic. With two critically acclaimed albums already in their discography, Villagers had a lot to live up to with their third album.

      The opening track “Courage” sets the overall tone of the album. The song is stripped to bare instrumentation and O’Brien delivers forward lines in a sincere tone. The song tells a story of the narrator becoming self-actualized in his life. The opening lyrics begin the story in a relatable way with lines like “Took a little time to get where I wanted. It took a little time to get free. It took a little time to be honest. It took a little time to be me”. The overall song is simple, but that only adds to the sincerity of it.

     The rest of the album follows the same sound-scape with uniquely good songs. One of those songs is the fourth track “Hot Scary Summer”. The song centers on a struggle between lovers. It opens with O’Brien strumming his guitar and singing the line “oh lord so you thank me for my hard work”. This opening sets a hopeful tone despite the struggle that is depicted in later lyrics. These lovers seem worn down by all the fighting and just wanting to embrace each other’s love.

     The final track “So Naive” begins with a quiet guitar riffing that serves as a foundation to O’Brien’s vocals. In this song, O’Brien expresses his belief that he is part of something bigger than himself. The lyrical content is short, but that does not take away from the beauty of the track. “So Naive” wraps up the album in a nice manner that shows sometimes all you need to make good music is just a good song. 

     Overall, Darling Arithmetic is a solid album filled with a collection of honest tracks. The only thing I will say that makes this album less than perfect is that some of the tracks are just pure filler. Other than that, Darling Arithmetic shows what music can be at its most fundamental level: a pure expression of a human soul.

Overall Score: 7.1/10

Listen To: Courage, Dawning On Me, No One To Blame

Skip: The Soul Serene, Darling Arithmetic, Little Bigot

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Album Review: To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar

     Kendrick Lamar is a rapper from Compton, California who began his career in 2003. For almost a decade, he worked his way through the underground west coast rap scene by releasing material. Lamar broke out in 2012 when his major label debut album good kid, m.A.A.d city was released. Since then, Lamar has earned several Grammy nominations and a cult following. Three years after good kid, m.A.A.d city was released, Lamar released the highly anticipated follow up album To Pimp A Butterfly. I was a little worried about this release because I did not know how Lamar could match good kid, m.A.A.d city. With some caution, I checked to see what it had to offer.

     The album opens up with a sample of the Boris Gardiner’s track “Every Nigger is a Star” that leads into the rest of the opening track “Wesley’s Theory”. After a few seconds, the soulful intro gives way to a funky groove featuring a spoken word bit from George Clinton. The way that the track moves from the Gardiner sample to the Clinton spoken word bit sets up Lamar to really dig into the song. One of the great things about this track is the verse structures. The content of the first verse is based on the perspective of Lamar after becoming a famous rapper. This verse details how Lamar goes crazy with his new found fame by the means of partying and spending a lot of money. The first and second verses are broken up by bits from Thundercat and Dr. Dre which add to the arc of the song nicely. The second verse’s content is done from the perspective of “Uncle Sam” or America. This verse acts as the voice of America that wants Lamar to get lost in his fame. Ultimately, “Wesley’s Theory” serves as the perfect way to open up this album.

     The rest of the album is filled with fantastic songs that show that Lamar has not slumped with his songwriting since becoming famous. One of my favorite songs from the album is the eleventh track called “How Much a Dollar Cost”. This song details an event in which Lamar meets a homeless man at a gas station. The first verse details Lamar getting to the gas station and having the homeless man ask for the equivalent of a dollar. Even though the man begs Lamar to give him a dollar so that he could eat, Lamar assumes that the man will just use the money to buy drugs. The second verse focuses more on the internal reactions of Lamar during the exchange with the homeless man. During this verse, Lamar tries to drive away but feels compelled to stay because of the look this homeless man is giving him. Lamar’s mental state in this verse begins as curiosity that grows into rage. This verse ends with the homeless man asking Lamar if he has ever read Exodus 14. That particular chapter of the Bible details the event when Moses parted the Red Sea. Before leading the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery, Moses was a humble man who doubted that he should be the man for the job. The reason why this chapter is mentioned because of the idea of a humble man can do amazing things. Lamar is self-righteous man who clings to his possessions to the point that he won’t part with a tiny portion of it. The third verse brings the song to a close when the homeless man reveals that he is God. After this, Lamar recognizes his greed and lack of humility. The song ends with Ronald Isley singing a plea for God’s forgiveness. This plea asks what Lamar must do other than recognize his sin and pray about it to repent.

     To Pimp a Butterfly ends with the track “Mortal Man”. This track ties the album in for a great close. Lamar’s lyrical content of this song speaks of his desire to make a change in this world. Despite his grand view of the future, Lamar does recognize that he is still a man who is capable of making mistakes. So for the majority of this track, Lamar strikes a balance between detailing his desire to become an important figure in the world and questioning the listener’s loyalty for him when stuff goes wrong. The track ends with Lamar having a mock conversation with Tupac Shakur. This conversation was constructed by taking segments of an old interview that Shakur did and Lamar wrote his side of the dialogue. The exchange between Lamar and Shakur is genuine to the point you forget that Shakur is dead. The content of the conversation centers around Lamar and Shakur talking about their experiences and views of America. It ends with Lamar reciting another poem that shows the significance of the album title. After that, Lamar asks for Shakur’s perspective on the poem. However, Lamar calls out to Shakur after realizing that he is no longer there. This ends the album with the idea that Lamar can no longer look to the past for answers. He must look forward if he wants to become a change in the world.

     Overall, I loved this album. The variety of themes and tracks found in this album are amazing. While most of these songs are not relatable, Lamar’s honesty about his struggle is inspiring and make for an incredible listening experience. However, the only flaw I found with the album is a minor one. This flaw is found with the song “Complexion (A Zulu Love)”. Half of the second verse is just the first verse repeated which doesn’t add anything to the song. Otherwise, To Pimp a Butterfly is a fantastic follow up to good kid, m.A.A.d city.

Overall Score: 9.6/10

Listen to: King Kunta, u, How Much A Dollar Cost

Skip: Nothing

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Mixtape Review: If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late by Drake

    Drake is a Grammy award-winning Canadian actor, rapper and singer who gained global fame in 2009 when his critically acclaimed mixtape So Far Gone was released. Through the coming years, he would release albums that would increase his fame. Despite his fandom, I never enjoyed anything I heard from him. His blend of R&B and hip-hop music seemed like he would produce good music, but his vocal delivery always left me disappointed. Recently, he dropped a mixtape called If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. This mixtape has been gaining some critical acclaim. With this rise in Drake’s popularity once more, I decided to check out what this mixtape had to offer.      Starting with the opening song “Legend”, Drake goes back to his usual apathetic flow that turns me away from his music. This song comes off as another arrogant hip-hop anthem that fails to impress. The beat reflects the laziness of the lyrics with a bare bones drum beat and a synth line that has no interesting elements. The main hook of this song holds the message that if Drake would die right now, he would be a legend. Sadly, that is the only notable line from the track. Drake goes on about how great he is and how weak his enemies are for the most of the track.      Fortunately, the rest of the mixtape is much better than “Legend”. The next track “Energy” takes the mixtape in a needed direction. This song kicks off with a piano that plays a minimal line that leads into the most aggressive that I have heard Drake sound. “Energy” is another anti-hater rap song, but it is a good one. The combination of the low-key beat fused with Drake aggressively rapping about his enemies trying to drain him of his energy makes for one awesome track.      Sadly, the entire mixtape is not as outstanding as “Energy”. The fourth track “Know Yourself” reminds me why I never liked Drake’s music. The beat lacks any substance to the point it comes off as a recycled beat from another lackluster rap song. The verses address similar material that “Legend” addressed: Drake is great and his enemies are awful people. While “Energy” made something great based on its subject matter, “Know Yourself” falls flat as soon as Drake begins his verse. Setting lyrical content aside, Drake’s tone and emotions are annoyingly dull. Pairing this alongside with a lackluster beat, “Know Yourself” is just another example of why I never liked Drake’s music.       Drake ends this mixtape with the track “6PM In New York”. This track is aimed at several figures in rap genre with an emphasis on Tyga. The song kicks right in with a beat that sounds like a drum beat looping while Drake delivers some great lines. Some lyrical highlights include lines like “you need to act your age and not your girl’s age” and “I know rappers that call Paparazzi to come and get 'em. To show they outfits off, guess they need the attention. I remember when it used to be music that did it. But then again times have changed, man, who are we kiddin'?”. One of my favorite things about this track is that Drake seems to be having a great time delivering these lines. This is evident when he raps the lyric: “Yeah, yeah, oh, you gotta love it. Oh, you got, oh, you gotta love it”.      Surprisingly, I found myself enjoying this mixtape. There are times when Drake delivers his usual apathetic material, but those moments are few. Songs like “Energy”, “6PM In New York” and “Used To” show off how Drake can sound when he has life in his music. I am hoping that this is a sign of things to come from him.

Rating: 7.9/10

Listen to: Energy, 6PM in New York, Used To Skip: Legend, Know Yourself, 10 Bands

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Top 15 Albums of 2014

1. To Be Kind by Swans

2. Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light On Everything by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

3. Another Language by This Will Destroy You

4. Thereafter by Save Us From The Archon

5. Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters

6. Cope by Manchester Orchestra

7. St. Vincent by St. Vincent

8. Tyranny by Julian Casablancas + The Voidz

9. Perfect Hair by Busdriver

10. What Is This Heart? by How To Dress Well

11. Here and Nowhere Else by Cloud Nothings

12. The Last Dawn/Rays of Darkness by Mono

13. In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith

14. Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!

15. RTJ2 by Run The Jewels 

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Album Review: 1989 by Taylor Swift

                                      Taylor Swift is an American country-pop singer-songwriter who gained notary recently for releasing the only album to go platinum this year. 1989 (the aforementioned album) follows Swift’s critically acclaimed album Red. In Red, I saw potential in Swift with fantastic tracks such as “Red”, “Begin Again”, and “I Almost Do”. However, Red still had a bad track for every great track. So with that in mind, I was intrigued when I heard that Swift released 1989.      1989 opens with the track “Welcome to New York”. This track is grand with its attempt to capture the spirit of New York. I love the background of this track with its open sky feeling that serves as a perfect canvas for Swift to paint on. For the most part, Swift does an excellent job of doing the background justice with vivid lyrics like “kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats”. With the chorus, Swift extends a welcoming hand and lets you know that this big adventure has been waiting for you. Sadly if you have heard a Taylor Swift album before, you know what this adventure is going to be about.      For the most part, 1989 fails to live up to the grand setting that “Welcome to New York” provides. This album tells the tale of meeting someone who you know is not good for you, but you want to roll the dice and fall in love with them. This theme plays out well for the first couple of tracks following the opener. For example, the song “Style” is about a couple who are opposites. This couple clashes, but they recover from each fight. This track features some great instrumentation that complements the overall feeling of the song.      It is not until the lead single “Shake It Off” that this album begins to go bad. Swift’s lyrics in “Shake It Off” present this attitude of “haters gonna hate” that has been driven into the ground in the pop music world. I can’t help but feel that Swift did not really give effort into writing the lyrics for this song. The song attempts to break up the flow by inserting a random bridge that comes out of nowhere and serves no real purpose. “Shake It Off” sends the rest of the album in downward spiral.      The main issue that I have with this album is that it seems to be a sister album to Red, but not in a good way. Red told this story of meeting someone who you know isn’t good for you, but you pursue them romantically anyway. 1989 tells the same story, but lacks the creative element that made Red an interesting album. For the most part, Swift spends the rest of the album after “Shake It Off” lamenting about this now former relationship. I feel like Swift has the run the course of writing songs about how awful her relationships end up. The rest of the songs did little to nothing to engage me or make them memorable. They had solid background tracks, but Swift’s dry lyrics about another destroyed relationship completely turn my interest off.      1989 wraps up with the track “Clean”. This song is meant to serve as a soundtrack for Swift starting over after her latest relationship. While it is a nice concept to send off the album, the track lacks any substance to hook in the listener. Swift’s vocals and lyrics take center stage in this song due to lack of anything really interesting going on in the background. The lyrics are packed full of clichés and do not have anything really interesting to say. Overall, the song stays at one dull level and never really does anything different to make anything noteworthy about it.      Ultimately, I was left with a feeling of disappointment after listening to 1989. I thought with the potential that Swift showed in her previous album Red that she would grow into a mature songwriter that I would come to appreciate. However, 1989 delivers the same story that Swift told in her album Red, yet fails to make much of the album interesting.

Overall Score: 4.7/10

  Listen to: Style, Out of the Woods, I Wish You Would

  Skip: Clean, This Love, I Know Places

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My Top Five Favorite Bands

5. Dead Kennedys

                                                  I was first introduced to this group through a Youtube video of the Foo Fighters covering “Holiday In Cambodia” with Serj Tankian on vocals. The performance impressed me so much that I got interested in the Dead Kennedys. The first album I went to is Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death. That album showed to me that the Dead Kennedys were the real deal. Between their political lyrics and their chaotic music, this group is my favorite classic punk rock band. Their discography contains no weak albums. The one album is often cited as one of the best punk rock albums is their debut Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables. It is with this album that one can get a great taste of what the Dead Kennedys offer with songs like “Kill The Poor”, “California Uber Alles”, and “I Kill Children”.

Recommendation

Album: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Song: "Holiday In Cambodia"

4. The Gaslight Anthem

                                                   The song “The ‘59 Sound” served as my introduction to this group. At the time, I never made it past this song when it came to checking out their work. I loosely followed the band up until they released their next album American Slang. After that point, I became disinterested in the group. I began to develop my music taste with other bands for the next few years. Then in May of 2012, Gaslight Anthem released a lead single for their upcoming album Handwritten. This single (“45”) reignited my interest for the group. This interest grew to love when the album Handwritten was released. That album quickly became my summer album of 2012 with its anthemic rock songs that had a personal touch. Once my love for the band was established, I went back to their previous material and discovered that I loved it with my new musical taste.

Recommendation

Album: The 59’ Sound

Song: "Great Expectations"

3. Against Me!

      Around the time I discovered the magic of going to concerts, I saw that these guys were coming around where I live. I saw that the ticket price was lower than what I was paying for concerts, so I became interested in going. After purchasing the tickets, I dove into their discography to prep for the show. I discovered that they were a good band with solid punk rock tunes. It wasn’t until I saw these guys live that I discovered that they were an amazing band. The way they ripped through their setlist with such great intensity and raw power made easily one of the best shows I have been to. From that point on, Against Me! has been a mainstay band for me to enjoy. Recently, the band has lost a couple of members soon after their lead singer came out as transgender. While this might raise some concerns with some fans, I do believe everyone deserves the chance to be happy. With all that being said, their most recent album Transgender Dysphoria Blues is easily one of their best albums since Searching For a Former Clarity came out.

Recommendation

Album: as the Eternal Cowboy

Song: "Cliche Guevara"

  2. My Chemical Romance

                                                    Similarly to The Gaslight Anthem, I did not fall in love with My Chemical Romance right away. The very first song that I heard from these guys was “Helena”. After enjoying that song, I decided to pick up a copy of Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. I did not enjoy the album at the time because of aversion to aggressive music. A few years later, The Black Parade came out and my opinion of the group did a complete about face. I immersed myself into the intense music that My Chemical Romance produced with this album. My ventures with The Black Parade made me revisit their previous material. With my new found appreciation for aggressive music, I began to fall in love with My Chemical Romance. To seal the deal, Danger Days came out. I had this album on repeat for months when it was first released. When they broke up, I was upset about the news, but I understood that is for the best. Each one of their albums is a splendid listen that proves My Chemical Romance’s ability to produce a great album after great album.

Recommendation

Album: The Black Parade

Song: "Helena"

1. Incubus

                                    Every journey begins with a single step. When it comes to Incubus, that step was the album Light Grenades. I remember picking the album up wanting to check out the group. Little did I know that I was about to dive head first into falling in love with my now favorite band of all time. From that album, I checked out the quintessential Incubus album: Morning View. That album took my love for Incubus and made it into a passion. Incubus makes music that feels catered to me (which is ironic because they purely write music for themselves). They are aggressive yet beautiful at moments. They are artful but not overly indulgent. They write complex songs yet their songs are simple. Each one of their records is an independent work of art that expresses a different theme. Recently, the band has completed their record contract with Epic Records and they have parted ways with their longtime manager Steve Rennie. With this new found freedom, I am nothing but excited to see what Incubus has in store for its fans in the future.

Recommendation

Album: Morning View

Song: "Anna Molly"

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Old vs New: My Chemical Romance

     My Chemical ended their twelve year run as a band on March 22nd, 2013. During this time, the band rose from the underground New Jersey scene to become an iconic band known worldwide. Their career included the releasing of great album after great album. However in terms of sound, their first and last albums could not be more different. While I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love has some amazing raw punk rock tracks, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is filled with diverse influences of music ranging from punk-rock to new wave. Some (if not most) fans of My Chemical Romance site Danger Days as being the worst album from the band because of how different it is from the rest of My Chemical Romance's discography. All the while, some fans of the group are turned away from Bullets because of the pure rawness of the record. As a huge fan of the group, I decided to compare the albums in a battle of Old versus New.

Sound:

     Bullets is the most raw punk rock that you will ever hear in the My Chemical Romance discography. For the majority of this record, My Chemical Romance plays out this raw punk rock sound extremely well. With the exception of “Demotion Lovers” and “Early Sunset Over Monroeville”, the songs on this record are fast paced and fun. One of my personal favorites on the album is the track “Headfirst For Halos”. The song opens up with this sick guitar solo that builds and builds until the song explodes. From there, the track plays out in a very fun and enjoyable manner that never gets dull to listen to. Now with this being such a raw punk rock sounding recorded, there are some tracks on here that leave me underwhelmed like songs “Skylines And Turnstiles” and “Cubicles”. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these tracks by themselves. They just appear to be basic tracks in comparison to the rest of the songs found on the album.

     Danger Days is a very clean album that explores My Chemical Romance’s influences that range from punk rock to 70’s glam rock. One of the many things I love about this record is the diversity in genres that My Chemical Romance executes successfully. They stay true to their roots with punk rock jams such as “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”, “Party Poison”, and “Vampire Money”. Some of my favorite tracks on here are the big rock ballads that show some hints of glam rock such as songs like “SING” and “The Only Hope For Me Is You.” To put the icing on the sonic cake, My Chemical Romance even has a pretty awesome dance track on here with “Planetary (GO!)”. Even though this album has something for any rock fan, there are tracks on here where I lose interest. For example, “The Kids From Yesterday” is a mid-tempo ballad that is supposed to be a tribute to the past. The song just plays on way too long with nothing but a loud obnoxious cowbell to keep my focus.

Lyrics + Songwriting:

     Bullets is an album that shows off some great songwriting and good lyrics. While this is a raw punk rock album, it doesn’t play like a Clash or Ramones album. My Chemical Romance shows off their talents as songwriters with songs like “Vampires Will Never Hurt You” and “Our Lady of Sorrows”. These songs have great overall song structure and amazing instrumentation. Another example of a great track that shows off good songwriting and lyrics is the track “Drowning Lessons”. This is a song that I find myself enjoying for a couple of reasons. One of those reasons is the songwriting and lyrics are bipolar in mood. This yin-yang effect makes for such an enjoyable listening experience that plays well to the nature of the album. The rest of the tracks on the album are hit or miss due the lacking of many stand-out tracks

     Danger Days features some great and awful song writing from My Chemical Romance. As mentioned earlier, this album goes into different directions with some punk rock, glam tracks, and a dance track. One of my favorite tracks on here is the first single from the album: “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)”. While the track may not be all that original, My Chemical Romance blasts through this song with great intensity. The song starts with this spoken word intro which sets the stage for the craziness of the track. This track features infectious chants of “na” that you can’t help but love. Gerad Way’s lyrics are great too with lines like “Love, gimme love, gimme love. I don't need it, but I'll take what I want from your heart and I'll keep it in a bag, in a box” that show off a very defiant attitude that is found throughout the album. On the flipside of that is the track “Summertime”. This song is easily the least interesting track on the whole album. My Chemical Romance tried to make a classic laid back summer time anthem but failed to make anything interesting out of it.

Impression:

    Bullets is an album that has grown on me due to multiple listens and my evolution in music taste. What used to be an album that I could not enjoy due to its rawness has become a treat for me to hear. The album begins with the Spanish themed “Romance” which leads into the starting track “Honey, This Mirror Isn’t Big Enough For The Two Of Us.” This sets the stage for the entire album about relationship gone sour. Setting themes aside for a moment, this album features great punk rock tracks that are a blast to enjoy. For example, “This Is the Best Day Ever” is a fun filled punk rock track that has elements of pop and goth rolled into one neat little package. There are a couple of tracks on Bullets that I felt underwhelmed by. For example, “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” is the most toned down track on the album. While that is not a bad thing at all, the instrumentation leaves a lot to be desired and the song relies more so on Gerard's lyrics and vocals, both failing to carry the song. Overall, Bullets is a great album for hardcore fans of My Chemical Romance. It’s easy to see how they gained a strong following in the underground scene with this album.

     Danger Days is an album that has been always been strong in my opinion. I can still recall the feeling I had when blasting this album on repeat for months after it came out. However after several listens, I am able to pick up on the album’s weak points. Some of the songs do not come across as interesting or enjoyable. For example, “Kids From Yesterday” is a track that tries to grab onto the feelings of nostalgia. However like “Summertime,” this song does little to actually engage me. That being said, there are some fantastic tracks to be found on this album. Songs like “Party Poison”, “Na Na Na”, and “Vampire Money” show off the brilliant punk rock that My Chemical Romance is known and adored for. Then there are tracks like “S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W”, “The Only Hope for Me Is You”, and “Planetary (GO!)” that show off another remarkable side of My Chemical Romance that I find myself enjoying just as much as their punk rock side.

Verdict: New > Old

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EP Review: Drift By The Stars Above

          The Stars Above is an ambient post-rock project from Los Angeles native, Michael Jakucs. After taking a year off to release an album under a different name (Selles), The Stars Above has recently begun to work on new material for an upcoming album. While the album might be off in the distance, The Stars Above has recently released Drift which is an EP that contains songs that show where he plans to go in the future.

     Drift’s opening track “Where Spirits Have Lease” is a fantastic song that shows the artistic growth of The Stars Above. The track opens up with this edgy atmospheric rock groove that has pounding drum and sick guitar lines. This eventually gets disrupted by crashing guitars around the one minute mark that gives meat to the track. The exchange between the atmospheric sound and heavy guitars develops into a crescendo that results into an ambient soundscape. The Stars Above uses this newfound area of sound to build up the song again with another driving crescendo. Only this time, the crescendo results in an area of an intense post-rock bliss with a balance of dense and ambient guitars that provide this yin and yang effect that plays so well within in the song. At the end of the song, the intensity dies down once more to give way to another ambient section. This section gives you the feeling that you are floating along in outer space. The song ends with the heavy guitar crashing one last time that leads to a spacey outro.

      The second track “Drift” shows a more down tempo flair to the artistic talents of The Stars Above. The whole track features a very basic and hypnotic two chord progression that serves as a ground bass to contain the often wild spirit of the song. One of the many details I love about this song is the cool rapid hazy tones that serve as the backdrop to the opening of the song. The way that this track keeps so contained, despite a couple of instance where it could take off in an explosive direction, plays so well to the nature of the song.

     The EP ends with the lush track “Echoes”. This is similar to the previous track “Drift”, but it has a gorgeous post-rock sound to it. The song has such a nice slow build to it that eventually grows into this sonic texture that is a pleasure on the ears. Listening to this track makes envision a sunrise happening after a night of misery. After the track climaxes, the music fades gradually into silence.

     All in all, The Stars Above delivered a great EP that shows sonic traces of their past work while pushing new boundaries that ultimately shows artistic growth. These tracks make me so excited to hear The Stars Above’s new album. Until I am graced with the new album, I have Drift to hold me over in the meantime.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Listen To: Echoes

Skip:  Drift

Purchase/Stream Drift Here:

http://thestarsabove.bandcamp.com/album/drift

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2014’s Best Albums So Far Number 1: Here and Nowhere Else by Cloud Nothings

                                                 The best album of this year so far is the new album from the Cleveland band Cloud Nothings called Here and Nowhere Else. This album follows the group’s breakthrough album Attack on Memory. Ever since that album, I have been a fan of the group and I was extremely happy to hear that they released a new album. I never anticipated that this album could surpass the greatness of Attack on Memory. This album shows off great lyricism, authentic emotion, and fast paced rock that makes Cloud Nothings such a great band to listen to. The album begins with the song “Now Hear In”. The opening paints a picture similar to that of “A Day In The Life” by The Beatles. However, it has a more psychological approach to it as evident by the opening lyrics “I go outside and see all these things that should be real. Come on you're a part of it: can you breathe or can you feel? You're not the same as me but I know we share a thing. No use remembering how it used to be so real”. The narrator of the song is experiencing emotions that are causing them to be disconnected from life. The song builds after the first verse and explodes with the chorus where Jayson Gerycz smacks the crap out of crash cymbals. It’s moments like that where I find myself completely pumped up from listening to the album. Another notable song on this album is the seventh track, “Pattern Walks”. The opening of the track sets the tone with feelings of being paranoid. The group builds and drops the feeling of the song that plays well. In this song, we find our narrator struggling with wanting to change but the past keeps sticking around. The way that Dylan Baldi sings the chorus in this song makes it sound like he is singing “padded walls” instead of “pattern walks” which adds to the emotion of the song. The song’s climaxes show off the pure rawness of the group with the lyrics “I don't feel bored and worried. I just feel strange. Coming up the middle of the thought that I can change”. The album’s lead single is another great song to be found on here. This is where we find our narrator coming to grips with how life has changed for him. This could reflect the struggles of dealing with becoming an adult. The lyrics gives hints to moving forward to a new place in life. Baldi sings in the chorus “But I'm not, I'm not you. You're a part of me, a part of me” which could be a send off to a former part of life that Baldi has outgrown. Overall, I really love where Cloud Nothings has done with the career so far. I will for sure be listening to anything else that they decide to release.

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2014’s Best Albums So Far Number 2: To Be Kind by Swans

         The runner-up to the number one Best Album of 2014 So Far is the new album from Swans called To Be Kind. This is Swan’s third album since their reformation in 2010 thanks to Michael Gira. Now this album’s length might turn some people away from listening to it (the album’s play time clocks in at two hours and one minute). However, there are plenty of good things to be found in this album if people can settle down, be kind, and listen to the album. Right from the start the album, Swans locks you into a guitar-based groove in the song opening track “Screen Shot”. Just as you get settled into the groove, a snare drum whacks you right out of your seat and won’t allow you to get comfortable. The song then evolves into a mystical chant as Gira says things that encompass everyday life. Usually, I am a stiff when it comes to lyrical content being limited. However, it’s within the context of the songs that the lyrical content truly shines like in the opening song. The lyrics are a screen shot of life. Another perfect example of the lyrics shining within the contexts of their songs is the longest track on the album: “Bring The Sun/Toussaint L’Ouverture”. To get clarity on the song, Toussaint L’Ouverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. He took an entire society and transformed it into an independent state of Haiti which essentially shook the institution of slavery in the new world. Keeping that in mind, the lyrics in the song only serve to supplement the crazy instrumentation going on. Gira chants “bring the sun”, the instrumentation is rising like something completely life changing is coming this way. The rest of the song is one big journey that depicts the change that L’Ouverture brought to Haiti and the new world. The very next song, “Something Things We Do” takes a very different take on life. Gira takes the idea of naming things we encounter in life and says things that we do. There is something very haunting about the way that Gira does it that makes the human life seem so shallow and small. The entire album is crazy awesome while bordering on the edge of being pretentious. Overall, To Be Kind is a fantastic listen for anyone who is patient enough to listen to the album because it does require that out of the listener.

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2014’s Best Albums So Far Number 3: Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything by Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra

                   Taking third place in this countdown of 2014’s Best Albums So Far is the new album from Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra entitled Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light Over Everything. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (formerly known as A Silver Mt. Zion)  formed in 1999 by musicians from Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Efrim Menuck, Sophie Trudeau and Thierry Amar. Originally, the group was a project used to show Menuck how to properly score music. That plan went out the window quickly because he preferred music not to be defined by rules. This new album is the group’s heaviest and noisiest record to date. The album opens up with the track “Fuck Off Get Free (For The Island of Montreal)”. In the starting moments of this track, my attention focuses as I hear a small girl say almost giggling “we live on the island of Montreal and we make a lot of noise because we love each other”. After that, a sandstorm of guitars make a lot of noise and I love them for it. The lyrical content of this song depicts the desires of the common man despite the corruption of big business. The phrase “there’s fire in our dreams, fire in our dreams, fire in our dreams” is repeated a few times throughout the song and it makes me really feel the inner desire of the everyday man to seize their dreams. This desire climaxes as the common man unites and takes a stand against impure businesses that have been standing in the way of their happiness as evident by the lyrical lines “our dreams are all of us until the end; fuck off we get free we pour light over everything”. The rest of the album deals with themes of desire, struggle, and loss. My absolute favorite track on this album is perhaps the most soul-draining and that is “What We Loved Was Not Enough”. As compared to the common man being ignited by his desire, this song depicts the cries of a man who has given up on the world. You can just hear the utter heartbreak and despair coming from Menuck as he sings lines like “The world itself consumed. Man that's the only truth. And what we loved was not enough. Even though we wanted to”.  The rest of the song takes you on this grim adventure where hope and love have no power despite our wishes. The keynote moment in this song and album is when Menuck sings “So good night vain children. Tonight is yours. The lights are yours. If you'd just ask for more than poverty and war. If you'd just ask for more”. Its those moments that make the whole album such an enjoyable listen.