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I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - 1981 Extended Play Review

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - 1981 Extended Play

Release Date: November 9, 2018

Genres: Synth-Pop, Pop Rock

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (often expressed as IDKHow) is an up-and-coming pop duo comprised of Dallon Weekes (former bassist of Panic! at the Disco) and Ryan Seaman (former drummer of Falling in Reverse). 1981 Extended Play contains the three singles they released earlier this year (“Choke”, “Do It All The Time”, and “Bleed Magic”) as well as three others. Clocking in at only sixteen minutes, the EP serves as a perfect introduction to this relatively unknown band that definitely deserves to be heard.

It’s hard to pinpoint a way to describe the style of this small set of songs. In terms of sound, no two songs sound alike, yet they all fit into this unusual genre that the band has created for themselves. The bass guitar has to be the star of the show here as Weekes uses it to create entirely different grooves for each track. Bass is almost always used to provide a rhythm for the rest of the song to build on, but Weekes uses it in place of a lead guitar on basically every song here (aside from maybe “Absinthe”). On “Do It All The Time”, the bassline even carries the entire track, and it even gives the song a strong funk vibe. Electronic production plays a strong supporting roll across the EP too, giving the project a strangely 80s feel while also feeling completely modern. As I said, it’s difficult to pinpoint, but the sound is flawlessly smooth and makes the EP feel incredibly fresh. Brass instrumentation even pops up here and there to give an additional punch to the production, most notably in the choruses of both “Choke” and “Social Climb”. Beneath all of this is strong drumwork that ebbs and flows with the wildly changing instrumentation found throughout the tracklist. The drumming never really stands out that much, but that doesn’t detract from it at all. Some of my favorite moments are the high hat taps and symbol crashes that lead up to the explosive chorus on “Social Climb”, and the absolutely wild percussion that meshes perfectly with the leading bass guitar on “Bleed Magic”. Some electronic guitar work can be heard across the album too, but it’s obvious that the duo intentionally avoided its use in favor of more untraditional instrumentation. IDKHow’s sound is completely unique, and it’s eccentric nature breathes life into this short tracklist.

Lyrically, 1981 Extended Play definitely takes a bit of a darker route. On “Choke”, this sentiment is especially true, and it’s even a little too dark for its own good. The song has the most playful instrumentation of the entire EP, especially in the chorus, yet its lyrics are filled with stark imagery about death and arson. The lyrics don’t really bother me, but it’s the over-the-top juxtaposition between the instrumentation and the lyrics that just doesn’t quite hit the right mark. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy the song. I just think that the instrumentation and the lyrics could have both been toned down a bit to match each other. Other than that, the rest of the EP holds up really well. “Social Climb” describes an unstoppable romp through the city, which pairs incredibly well with the massive energy of the song as a whole. “Bleed Magic” almost plays out like a vampire stalking its prey, while “Absinthe” uses the imagery of witches to get across the point that you shouldn’t believe everything you hear. Finally comes “Do It All The Time”, which takes aim at the entire popular music scene by satirizing it and making some direct shots too. While the writing across the EP doesn’t really do much to make itself standout, Weekes sings with such a swagger that anything that comes out of his mouth sounds believable. It’s this confidence that gives his vocals a sort of magnetic aura, and his generally dark writing matches this swagger perfectly.

To put it bluntly, I would recommend this EP wholeheartedly to anyone. The project as a whole is creative on all fronts and it sounds completely fresh. Every song is a uniquely fun experience and I think that 1981 Extended Play is certainly worthy of your time, especially considering how short it is.

Best Tracks:

* “Social Climb”

* “Bleed Magic”

* “Absinthe”

* “Do It All The Time”

Worst Track (though it isn’t bad):

* “Choke”

Final Score: Weak 9/10

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Imagine Dragons - Origins Review

Imagine Dragons - Origins

Release Date: November 9, 2018

Genres: Indie/Alternative Rock, Indie/Alternative Pop, Pop-Rock

It’s been about six years since Imagine Dragons skyrocketed into mainstream radio and cemented their place among the pop-rock elite. Their debut single “It’s Time” finished on the Billboard Top 100 at the end of 2012, and the following year it made it again, as well as “Radioactive” and “Demons”. “Radioactive” still holds the record for best-selling rock song in US digital history, and previously held the record for the longest time atop the Billboard rock charts, having stayed at number one for an astonishing 23 weeks. Their sophomore effort, Smoke + Mirrors, didn’t produce any massive hits like Night Visions did, but their 2017 album Evolve spawned the mega-hits “Believer” and “Thunder”. Needless to say, Imagine Dragons have experienced nothing but massive success since we were introduced to them in 2012. Night Visions was a nice indie pop-rock album from a band with nothing to loss. Smoke + Mirrors saw the band experimenting a bit, but ultimately failing to recapture the magic of their debut. Evolve marked a massive drop off for the band in terms of quality though, and Imagine Dragons dove headfirst into generic electronica and focused almost entirely on creating anthems that would hopefully top the charts. Only a year and a half later and we’re already met with a new project from the group, and Origins is further prove that Imagine Dragons has become one of the worst bands making music today.

There isn’t much to praise on Origins if I’m being honest, but I suppose I’ll do what I can to give credit where credit is due. Opening track and lead single “Natural” is a hard hitting anthem with a great lead up that explodes at the chorus. The percussion is massive and helps to accentuate Dan Reynolds’ equally massive vocals. The song is really nothing new for the band, but the execution manages to hit the nail on the head and opens the album up strongly. Another anthemic single that stands out is “Zero”, which was actually recorded for the Ralph Breaks The Internet movie soundtrack. “Zero” is an anthem for the outcasts of the world and sees Reynolds singing about being a “zero”. It’s pure pop-rock bliss and the song chugs along at a rate that Imagine Dragons have never really performed at before. The song is quick, catchy, and fun and it’s definitely my favorite track on the album. The only other track that might be worth checking out is “Cool Out”. Its production is warm and inviting and it compliments Reynolds’ fairly mellow performance. The chorus has a very sing-along vibe to it, and it features some shimmering guitar and synthesizer riffs. The song’s lyrical content is exactly what you would expect from a song titled “Cool Out”, and the instrumentation really pairs perfectly with the lyrics. Aside from these three songs, I can’t really recommend any others sadly, but I do advise you check these out, if nothing else.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is quite a bit wrong with this project. I think the overarching problem that has come to affect all of Imagine Dragons’ music is a complete loss of identity. The band has become an amalgamation of all mainstream pop, rock, and electronica, but they fail to really succeed in making good music for any of these genres. Without any clear identity, it’s increasingly obvious that the band doesn’t really know what they’re doing, and neither do their producers. The only common element found in every single song here is that they’re all trying their best to be chart toppers. Lyrics are generic and easily applicable to millions of people. The choruses are almost all anthemic and Dan Reynolds constantly sounds like he’s singing way harder than he’s even capable of. The production across the board is overblown and drowns out any semblance of organic instrumentation. To put it shortly, Imagine Dragons attempt to appeal to everyone in one breath, but in doing so, they sacrifice any artistic integrity they might have had left.

Now that I’ve addressed the album’s shortcomings as a whole, I want to dive into this abomination of a tracklisting. Some of the cuts are fine, they just falter in specific instances. “Boomerang” is a nice love song that leans on the mellow side, but Reynolds’ vocals drag the song down greatly because of how unnecessarily massive they are compared to the scope of the rest of the song. “Bad Liar” shows Reynolds’ more vulnerable side and it reveals some of his romantic shortcomings, but the production in the chorus is so atrociously overblown that it makes the emotion of the song feel inconsequential. Finally there’s “Stuck”, which doesn’t really do anything egregious. It’s just an average pop song with average lyrics and an average composition. In terms of the truly bad, there is a string of three songs that represent the lowest of the low for Imagine Dragons, these being “Bullet In A Gun”, “Digital”, and “Only”. “Bullet In A Gun” is atleast a bit catchy, I’ll give it that. It shows off some of Reynolds’ absolute worst vocals, which are emphasized by mindless repetition and stupidly obtuse lyrics. “Digital” is without a doubt the single worst song that Imagine Dragons have ever recorded. Dan Reynolds sounds like he’s trying to appeal to the Fortnite generation of kids as he sings about the youth rising up with their “digital heartbeat”. Some of the lyrical highlights here include “I want a new world without the order” and “We don’t wanna change, we just want to change everything”. And this beautiful poetry is sung over the amazing sound of the frantic electronics and mindless noise that comprise the production. Finally there’s “Only”, which tries so hard to be an EDM song without doing a single thing to actually excite the listener at all. These three tracks that come one after another truly represent the pure wretchedness of this album, and the other tracks that I refrained from mentioning come close to matching them as well.

Origins is an absolute mess of an album. There are a few standout moments on the tracklist, but even these songs don’t rank among the band’s best songs. On the other hand, some of the bands absolute worst songs can be found here, and they comprise an entire half of the album. Aimless production, bland lyrics, generally poor vocal performances, and an overall lack of identity drag Origins to the ground, and it’s hard to picture Imagine Dragons making music any worse than this.

Best Tracks:

* “Natural”

* “Cool Out”

* “Zero”

Worst Tracks:

* “Machine”

* “West Coast”

* “Bullet In A Gun”

* “Digital”

* “Only”

* “Love”

Final Score: Strong 3/10

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Joji - BALLADS 1 Review

Joji - BALLADS 1 Review

Release Date: October 26, 2018

Genre: Lo-Fi R&B

The life of George Miller has been quite an interesting one. He rose to fame as his YouTube persona, Filthy Frank, who is most well known for starting the Harlem Shake craze in 2013. He’s made music under the guise of Pink Guy in the past, another persona from his YouTube channel. That music was generally comedy based and leaned more towards hip hop, a far cry from his music now. It’s been a little more than a year since the FilthyFrank channel has been active though, as Miller has taken up a new career as an R&B singer, now going by the name Joji. He signed with Asian record label 88rising, and his first EP under the Joji pseudonym dropped in November of 2017. He was featured prominently on 88rising’s collaborative album Head In The Clouds, but it wasn’t until last week that we got his debut solo album, titled BALLADS 1. On BALLADS 1, Joji definitely shows some promise, and many of the songs are truly great, but the album itself really doesn’t do much to help establish Joji as a rising artist.

To be honest, I don’t have too much to say about this project. BALLADS 1 plays out as a typical lo-fi R&B album generally does. Joji’s vocals are generally soft and slurred, and they’re almost hard to make out at times, a trick that helps to mask the fact that his vocal range isn’t all that great. The instrumentals are typically piano driven, with synthesizers coming in to help in certain songs. Joji is melodramatic more often than not, but it’s clear that the passion he sings with isn’t fake. All of these pieces combine to make your run-of-the-mill lo-fi R&B project, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Despite Joji’s lack of a great singing voice, he manages to infuse his songs with a lot of emotion through his muffled voice that even occasionally quivers to reflect his emotional instability. At times, his voice seems to work as an additional instrument, as it rides the low-tempo instrumentals almost flawlessly. Sonically, BALLADS 1 is a fairly enjoyable listen. It’s mostly the songwriting that doesn’t hold up. With each passing song, it’s clear that Joji is an amateur when it comes to songwriting. The rhyme schemes are painfully drab, and they typically follow the same patterns throughout the album. Many of the verses are incohesive, with lines randomly thrown in them, I assume in order to create an easy rhyme. Joji’s lyrics are barebones and lack any sort of depth. Even in interviews, Joji doesn’t seem to be able to explain his shallow lyrics very well. Of course, in a genre such as lo-fi R&B, lyricism isn’t the central focus of the music, so I can’t fault Joji too much for his lackluster songwriting. I just would have appreciated a little more polish when it came to his lyrics and song structure.

When it comes to actual songs, there are a few that stand out. The clear cut show-stopper has to be “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK”. The instrumental is pristine and angelic, and it’s definitely the most polished on the album. Joji gives his most desperate and vulnerable vocal performance here, and the chorus explodes as Joji cries out to the girl he wants. “WANTED U” is backed by a melancholy electric guitar loop that culminates in a frantic solo at the end. The song also features some of Joji’s most compelling lyrics, and his imagery here is better than most of the rest of the album. “CAN’T GET OVER YOU” is the weirdest song in the tracklist, but Clams Casino’s production is incredibly playful, yet mellow, and matches Joji’s awkward falsetto perfectly. “YEAH RIGHT” and “COME THRU” stand out for their overall catchiness, which is always nice to encounter in moody albums such as this one. As for bad songs, “WHY AM I STILL IN LA” takes the cake. It’s only about three and a half minutes long, but it feels like it’s at least five. The song is so incredibly boring, and even the wall of reverberated electric guitar chords that interrupt the song can’t save it. “R.I.P.”, which features Trippie Redd, has a similar problem, as the song feels longer than it really is. “R.I.P.” is also far too dramatic for its own good, even among a tracklist composed of overly dramatic songs. The rest of the songs just don’t do much to stand out. Some of them are held back by strange production choices. Others are held back from poor songwriting and boring narratives. To be fair though, I commend Joji for creating an album that is varied enough to the point where no two songs sound too similar, a problem that is often found in this genre.

Overall, there is nothing inherently bad about Joji’s debut studio album, but there isn’t anything inherently good either. Aside from the handful of tracks that stand out among the tracklist, the rest of the album generally fails to make any lasting impression. With a genre such as lo-fi R&B, it’s kind of hard to evaluate an album as a whole. The appeal of the genre is that it’s sad, without drowning you in it emotion. Often the lyrics aren’t important, and neither is the singing. Rather the overall vibe of the album is what makes or breaks a project. And does Joji succeed in doing this? Yeah, for the most part. But while Joji does bring his own sort of spin to the genre, it isn’t enough to set him apart from his contemporaries. What Joji does bring is promise, and with some work on his lyrics and song compositions (which will inevitably come with experience), I’m excited to see what he creates in the future, wherever his turbulent life takes him.

Best Tracks:

* “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK”

* “WANTED U”

* “CAN’T GET OVER YOU”

* “YEAH RIGHT”

* “COME THRU”

Worst Tracks:

* “WHY AM I STILL IN LA”

* “R.I.P.”

Final Score: Solid 6/10

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Twenty One Pilots - Trench

Twenty One Pilots - Trench

Release Date: October 5, 2018

Genres: Alternative Hip Hop, Alternative Rock, Reggae, Pop

Reviewing Trench by Twenty One Pilots was definitely a strange experience for me. There are very few bands and artists where my opinion of them changed so drastically. Before Twenty One Pilots blew up, I considered myself a massive fan. Vessel was on repeat for several months and I knew basically every word to every song. Blurryface rolled around in May of 2015, and I wasn’t really a fan, but I eventually forced myself to like it. I saw the duo live in October of 2015 and had an incredible time at the concert. However, as time passed, the band’s tragically annoying fanbase (nicknamed ‘The Skeleton Clique’) wore on me, and my love of Twenty One Pilots came to a screeching halt. It wasn’t until now that I finally returned to their music, and I tried to have an open mindset, although that was difficult at times. I revisited their albums before writing this review, and I found that there were a lot of shining moments, but mostly an abundance of potential. Vessel has many of the bands best songs to date, and Blurryface, although it admittedly had some rough song writing and overblown production, shot the band into the ears of anyone with a radio, whether they liked it or not. I was never a huge fan of the band’s debut, but even that self-titled record had some great songwriting that carried into their other projects. All of these albums eventually led to this one, Trench, and after a strangely silent three years, Twenty One Pilots have come back stronger than they have ever been.

Before I get into the actual review, I want to explain Trench’s narrative as quickly as possible, considering it is a genuine concept album. There is a fictional city named Dema, which is controlled by nine Bishops (Nico and the Niners). A rebel group, known as the Banditos, is working to escape the control of the Bishops, and to ultimately leave the city of Dema. The Banditos wear jumpsuits that are lined with yellow tape, and Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are both members of the the Banditos. Nico is also Blurryface (from the previous album), which is basically the representation of Tyler’s insecurities. Leaving Dema and escaping the Bishops is essentially an extended metaphor for escaping your insecurities and being able to live how you want to live. There’s even more lore than all of this, and you can easily find a lot of fan theories and Reddit threads that go deeper into it all. If you’re interested in a learning more, but in a more enjoyable and accessible fashion, I would recommend watching the music videos for the lead singles “Jumpsuit” and “Nico and the Niners”. Hopefully that crude explanation of the album’s concept is sufficient because I’m moving on.

The most notable and all-encompassing improvement on this new Twenty One Pilots album is an overall sense of cohesion that can be seen in every aspect of the album. Although it might sound absurd, the album’s overall narrative actually works pretty well with the themes of the album. There are really only four songs that are truly devoted to the album’s narrative, those being “Jumpsuit”, “Nico and the Niners”, “Bandito”, and “Leave the City”. Aside from “Nico and the Niners”, none of these songs really force the narrative down your throat either. The lyrics to these songs are packed with metaphors, and they all happen to fall in line with the narrative arc. And although the rest of the songs don’t make any serious allusions to the story, Tyler Joseph's metaphor-filled songwriting has led to many fan connections and theories that aren’t necessarily far fetched by any means. The narrative holds up, and many of the songs support it well. It’s vague enough to keep much of it open to interpretation, but what is directly stated builds a solid framework for the story to work itself out in.

Keeping up with the theme of cohesion, the songs on Trench have solid structures that don’t jump around too often. The rapping has been dialed down a lot on this project, and though that may upset a lot of die-hard fans, it ultimately lends itself to smoother songs with cleaner structure. That’s not to say there isn’t rapping at all. “Levitate” is the best rapping that Tyler Joseph has ever done on a track, hands down. His flow is nearly flawless, and he honestly stands his ground among a hip hop heavy mainstream in 2018. “Neon Gravestones” is also rap-centric, but in a completely different way. My roommate told me that he thought it sounded like Hamilton (the musical), and I definitely agree. “Neon Gravestones” is actually a very important track, as Tyler expresses his discontent with modern society’s glorification of death and suicide. “Levitate” and “Neon Gravestones” are the two best tracks on the album (in my opinion), but I still think the decision to remove a lot of the rapping on the album was a smart and justified one. Tyler Joseph is able to convey a lot of different emotions through his voice, and that range is evident throughout this project. “Jumpsuit” contains almost childlike vocals from Tyler, which reflects the song’s themes of fear and protection quite well. His falsetto on the chorus of “Morph” is earcandy, and he uses it again on the incredibly peaceful “Bandito”. “Smithereens” and “Legend” both remind me of the older work of the group, and a lot of that can be attributed to Tyler’s signing. And I can’t even explain it, but something about his vocals on “The Hype” are just so addicting to me. The tracklisting here is littered with impressive showings from Tyler Joseph, and he comes across as a impressive singer here more than any other project, rather than just an introspective songwriter who happens to rap over alternative rock production.

In terms of lyrical content, Trench sees the band as much more optimistic and accepting individuals, rather than the emotional wrecks that we’ve seen on previous efforts. That isn’t to say that this album isn’t emotional, it’s just much less “emo” than before. “Legend” sees Tyler addressing the recent death of his grandfather, but his outlook on the situation is beautifully optimistic. “Leave the City”, the album’s closer, ends the albums narrative, but its metaphor shows Tyler accepting his mental health and he seems to have come to terms with living with it. “Smithereens” is similar to Blurryface’s “Tear In My Heart”, but sadly the ode to his wife comes off as cheap and simply unappealing. Tyler Joseph also writes about some new topics too. On “Chlorine”, he sings about the cleansing power of music (it’s not as cheesy as it seems), and on “Pet Cheetah”, he addresses the writer’s block that afflicted him while writing the album. “My Blood” is a simple, radio-friendly take on brotherly love, and its sincerity is tangible and powerful. The song topics across the album are fairly varied, and it keeps the overall effort feeling fresh all the way through.

In terms of the album’s actual musical composition, the album is much more reserved than the bombastic Blurryface. Twenty One Pilots is often seen as a genre-hopping group, which is just as often a detriment as it is something to be happy about. On Trench, they tone things down and iron out a lot of these musical inconsistencies. Sure, there are definitely hints of many different genres here, but the overall package is simply a solid pop record. Josh Dun’s drumming is consistently a highlight in the composition of each song, and the production is created in a way that almost seems to be built around it. “Jumpsuit” opens the album with a pounding bassline that comes in and out at the chorus, but it’s Dun’s drumming that carries the rest of the song and controls the build ups. The chorus of “Chlorine” exists in a open void with only a twinkling production effect and some mellow drumming to uphold it. A lot of the ukulele that made up several of the older Twenty One Pilots songs is now reduced to a supporting role, which honestly works much better. It’s used more consistently, and it supports the production better than it would have led it. The consistency throughout the album unfortunately leads to some stale production however. Much of this is due to tracks being too long with the production unable to hold it up. “Chlorine” drags on way too long for its own good as the final two minutes are completely unnecessary. “Bandito” has a really slow start with choruses that drag on too long, but it’s luckily saved by an explosive finale. “Cut My Lip” is sadly boring all the way through. The lyrics are boring, the production is boring, and everything just feels way too slow. Like the other aspects of the album I’ve looked at, the production is good for the most part, but it isn’t without its problems.

Overall, Twenty One Pilots have delivered a very solid record that is a good listen from front to back. Nothing here is that new, but rather they have built upon a lot of the foundation they have established in their previous albums. Much of the album is an improvement on the past, though some of the changes here don’t quite pan out all the way. Making Trench a concept album works surprisingly well, and it holds the album together in a strong way. The songwriting isn’t as emotionally potent as albums like Vessel, but the songwriting is still strong despite this. As a whole, Trench is definitely worth a listen, especially if you leave behind any previous notions you may have had about the band and its fanbase.

Best Tracks:

* “Jumpsuit”

* “Levitate”

* “Morph”

* “My Blood”

* “Neon Gravestones”

* “Nico and the Niners”

* “Leave the City”

Worst Tracks:

* “Smithereens”

* “Cut My Lip”

Final Score: Solid 7/10

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Logic - YSIV Review

Logic - YSIV

Release Date - September 28, 2018

Genres - Boom Bap, Trap, Rap, Pop

As Logic’s atrocious third album Everybody came to a close, it was made apparent that his fourth album would be his last. Fast-forward about a year and a half and that fourth album is here, titled YSIV. However, as the album opens, it’s made clear that Logic had tricked us all, and YSIV would really just be the final piece in his Young Sinatra series. To be honest, I didn’t know what to make of this. On one hand, Logic has consistently proven that, on a technical scale, he is one of the best rappers of this generation. His flow is nearly flawless on anything he touches and his ability to reach incredible speeds is something that just isn’t seen anymore. However, Logic’s talent can’t make up for his generally uninteresting song topics and his many failed attempts at being some sort of activist. He struck gold with “1-800-273-8255”, but his other songs about making some sort of change come off as cheap and almost forceful. Luckily, Logic dials things back for YSIV, but his songs are still bogged down by inconsistent writing and a general lack of anything interesting.

YSIV opens up with “Thank You”, an over 7 minute long track that contains about 4 minutes of voicemails that fans had left him prior to the album’s release. This track perfectly sums up my thoughts on the album. Logic’s verse here is great. His confidence is infectious without being overbearing and his flow is silky smooth. Then comes the chorus. Logic makes an attempt at singing, and it’s truly awful. Featured artist Lucy Rose joins Logic on the chorus, but she adds absolutely nothing to the song. Luckily, this is better than many of the other features on the album, who actually bring the songs down with poor vocal performances and lack of any substance to their lyrics. Finally we get the 4 minutes of voicemails, all over a boom bap beat. It’s overindulgent to put it lightly, and it ends up dragging the song out far longer than it ever should have. Aside from a few tracks, every song on YSIV is affected by one or both of these negative scenarios. “One Day” features a mirage of horrendous vocal performances from Ryan Tedder over the most bubblegum-pop production Logic has ever rapped on. “The Adventures of Stoney Bob” contains a weak vocal performance from Kajo, and a rap verse from Slaydro that sounds amateur in every way possible. Logic raps about he wants “run on a train on this girl [...] and her name is Mary Jane”, and the song is essentially a love letter to weed. The production is hazed out and matches the song perfectly, but as with many Logic songs, it’s so boring and it’s been done before. It even has a groan-inducing runtime of 4 minutes and 20 seconds. “Ordinary Day” is nonsensical and features yet another poor vocal performance on the hook, this time from Hailee Steinfeld. “100 Miles and Running” is possibly the most out of place song on the tracklist as Logic forays into funk territory. John Lindahl gives a tragically bad vocal performance here, and Wale delivers an average verse, but he never seems to find his footing. Logic ends the song with four attempts at a rapping trick he does on stage at his shows, where he raps incredibly fast to show how cool he is. It would have been cool if it was actually original, or if he actually did it correctly on the first try. Instead the track is 6 minutes long and Logic indulges us in his little trick that comes off as boring by the end. The final song is “Last Call”, where he basically copies Kanye’s closing moment from The College Dropout. The difference is that Kanye’s album was his debut, and his album was incredible, and his story was interesting. Logic decision to do it here is almost fanboy-esque, and he never really justifies spending 10 minutes on a single track, documenting his mildly interesting rise to stardom. Logic fails to grab the listener’s attention very often, and his decision to include way too many verses in his songs and way too many self-indulgent tangents causes the listener to get even more bored. The guest appearances here are, for the most part (we’ll see some exceptions in a bit), horrible and irritating. YSIV runs for 76 minutes, but contains only 14 songs. As someone who seems to be obsessed with hip hop and its history, it’s mind boggling that Logic thought that this format would work out.

For all of the annoying things that pop up on YSIV, the constant is Logic. That might seem obvious, but it’s true, and the moments where Logic is rapping on this album are definitely the best. When you look past all of the bad featured artists, the weird skits, the minutes upon minutes of spoken word, and the terribly incohesive song topics, Logic’s verses still hold up. Logic is the type of guy who can make anything sound interesting, at a surface level. As stated before, his flow on any beat is unparalleled, and his confidence and charisma bleeds into his rapping. His commitment to positivity is rare in the rap game, and he is able to maintain that positivity while still going hard on many of his verses. Of course not all of his verses are great, but most of them are, and getting to a verse after a long chorus or unwelcome interlude is like finding a diamond in the rough. “Everybody Dies”, “The Return”, and “The Glorious Five” feature some of Logic’s best rapping ever, and they all come one after the other. The production on these songs is incredible too. “Everybody Dies” is mellow with accentuated bass and small flairs that add character to the beat. “The Return” is built on part of the beat from Kanye’s “Crack Music”, and the chorus has a chant along quality that is surprisingly hard. “The Glorious Five” has a light quality to it, and the production in the chorus features Logic’s chopped up vocals, a staple to the production on his debut album Under Pressure. Logic’s love for hip hop shines through on plenty of tracks, and it actually works a lot of the time, rather than coming off as cheap. On the title track, Logic uses the chorus from the legendary “Life’s a Bitch” by Nas, but the introduction of a much darker beat makes the message of the chorus stronger and it connects to the rest of the song well. On “ICONIC”, Logic uses the hard hitting beat from Jaden Smith’s “Icon” to make his brag rap even more braggadocious and the swagger he raps with is incredibly entertaining. The most talked about track of the whole album though is “Wu Tang Forever”, where Logic was somehow able to round up the entirety of the Wu-Tang Clan (minus Ol’ Dirty Bastard of course). Each member gets their own verse, and most of them make the most of their time on the mic. The most surprising part of the song though is Logic’s verse, which actually stands among the top verses on the 8 minute song. Logic has cemented his place as one of the best rhymers in the game right now, and when he decides to stick to his guns, his talent really shines through.

YSIV is the most inconsistent album has released in his career. It has the highest highs of his catalogue, but also contains some of the most wretched songs Logic has ever penned. Most of all, too many of the songs just come off as completely average. His decision to rely on features for many of the choruses and to include lesser rappers on his songs was a mistake, and sadly it’s a mistake that constantly pops up on the album. The songs are way too long and so is the album, and most of this is a consequence of Logic’s overindulgence. However, when Logic sticks to what he does best, the album thrives. His flow is undeniable and has only gotten better with time. If only that could be said for Logic’s discography.

Best Tracks:

    “Everybody Dies”

    “The Return”

    “The Glorious Five”

Worst Tracks:

    “One Day” ft. Ryan Tedder

    “Ordinary Day” ft. Hailee Steinfeld

Final Score: Light 6/10

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Why Don’t We - 8 Letters Review

Why Don’t We - 8 Letters

Release Date: August 31, 2018

Genres - Pop, R&B

It’s 2018 and the idea of a boy band is starting to become a thing of the past. In fact, with the death of One Direction in 2016, it felt like boy bands as a whole were dead too. However, there are still a handful of boy bands that have persisted and have achieved decent levels of success. Atop this new wave of boy bands is Why Don’t We, which is comprised of members Jonah Marais (20), Corbyn Besson (19), Daniel Seavey (19), Jack Avery (19), and Zach Herron (17). With five EPs and plenty of singles under their belts, Why Don’t We has finally forayed into album territory with this eight song effort, titled 8 Letters. For the most part, their previous music has been pretty bad, with horrible electronic production and shallow lyricism. On 8 Letters though, all aspects of their music has improved. That being said, an improvement doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good.

For the most part, the first of half of 8 Letters fares pretty well. “8 Letters” and “In Too Deep” are the most emotional songs on the project, though I do use that word lightly, as there really isn’t too much to them. They’re also two of the most down-tempo songs on the album, and the boys’ vocals are at their most passionate here. “In Too Deep” is probably the best overall song on the project, although it is hindered by its repetitive nature. “8 Letters” is also strong, but its chorus is awkward and disrupts the flow of the song. The other album highlight is “Talk”, the second track on the album. It’s perhaps the most traditional “boy band” song on the album, with each member of the group getting their own moment, and them all coming together to sing the chorus. The song is catchy as hell, and the chorus is incredibly addictive. The thumping bass is great and the slight guitar riff adds a nice tropical vibe to the sound. However, the lyrics aren’t the best, with the gimmick of “we go breaking up like cell phones” unable to carry the song very well. Rounding out the first half is “Choose”, which contains more swagger than the rest of the album combined. The boys control the mood of the song well with confident vocals, which are supported by bass heavy production with trap-leaning percussion. The last minute of the song is unnecessary and disappointing, as the bass comes in way too hard, which is followed by a horrible beat switch up that sounds like a terrible rip off of Kendrick Lamar’s “Element”. Overall, the front half of the album is solid, though definitely not without its flaws.

Unfortunately, the second half of the album is a huge drop off from the first half. First we’re presented with “Friends”, which is without a doubt the worst track on the album. It sounds like something straight off of a Kidz Bop CD, with incredibly childish lyrics and a horrible chant along chorus, in which the boys rhyme the word “friends” three times in a row. It’s clear that it was supposed to be the party song of the album, but it fails in every way possible, and it sounds like it was made for middle schoolers. Next is “Hard” which tries to address the difficulties of being in the friend zone. The song is clearly meant to be one of the more emotional ones, but it comes off as incredibly shallow, with the chorus beginning with the line “I know I said I’ll be your friend, but it’s too hard”. It’s more repetitive than “In Too Deep” and this is one of the few instances on the album where the vocals really don’t sound great. “Hooked” and “Falling” aren’t as bad as the two tracks that come before them, but they suffer nonetheless. “Hooked” has a catchy chorus but it’s dragged down by its overtly sexual imagery, generic production, and overall carelessness. “Falling” tries to be the slowburner that closes out the album, but so much of the song doesn’t work. It’s biggest flaw is that it’s truly boring. On top of that, the beat in the chorus doesn’t match the tempo of the vocals at all, which is a major problem when about half the song is comprised of the chorus. The sound mixing is just abnormally bad on this track, and it ends the album in tragic fashion.

Overall, 8 Letters is indeed Why Don’t We’s best collection of songs to date. However, that really isn’t too much of an accomplishment. The first half of the album shows incredible promise, with only minor flaws in the songs. Sadly, the second half of the album can’t match the quality of the first half at all. It really isn’t even close. In the end, Why Don’t We’s debut doesn’t do anything to cement boy bands’ place in the pop mainstream, but it does have a few tracks that I would say are worth checking out.

My Final Score: 5/10 - Mediocre

Favorite Songs: “8 Letters”, “Talk”, “In Too Deep”

Least Favorite Songs: “Friends”, “Hard”, “Hooked”, “Falling”

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today Review

Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today

Release Date - August 17, 2018

Genres - Alternative Rock, Indie Pop

After about 15 years of sitting comfortably among the greats atop the indie rock/adult alternative music scene, Death Cab for Cutie has faced their first lineup change since their seminal album Transatlanticism. Gone is long time guitarist and producer Chris Walla, and in his place comes former touring members Dave Depper and Zac Rae. With Rae replacing Walla on lead guitar, and Depper becoming the band’s first official keyboardist, Death Cab for Cutie is now a five piece act, with a new producer to boot. Well, he isn’t completely new. Rich Costley also produced the 2015 album Kintsugi, while Walla stuck around only to handle guitar work before finally leaving. With these massive changes to the band, it’s fair to expect a large change in sound from Ben Gibbard and the gang. And while Thank You for Today definitely does sound different than the rest of the band’s discography, Gibbard’s waning songwriting abilities continue to drag Death Cab’s music quality down.

The most drastic change that came with Thank You for Today has to be the production from Rich Costley. The soundscape is far more “spacey” than before, and sounds seem to echo into the darkness. This was a noticeable change on Kintsugi as well, but it seems to be more prevalent here on Thank You for Today. Album opener “I Dreamt We Spoke Again” has an almost mystical sound to it. The echo of the instrumentation is purely haunting, and Gibbard’s layered vocals in the chorus reverberate into the stark nothingness that comprises the soundscape. The final track on the album, “60 & Punk”, contains nothing but a distant piano for about 45 seconds, and this introduction to the depressing closer gives me goosebumps every time. However, Death Cab for Cutie’s original sound is very much present throughout the album. “Autumn Love” is probably the most “typical” Death Cab song here, in terms of instrumentation. It’s an upbeat anthem carried along by a summery acoustic guitar and an electric guitar that has a soaring riff that repeats throughout the song. “Your Hurricane” sounds like it would fit perfectly on the depression-laced indie gem that is Death Cab’s 2005 album Plans, as Gibbard sings about failed love over a very somber instrumental. Overall, Thank You for Today’s greatest strength is its ability to sound refreshing and new for such an old band, while still sticking with its roots.

As mentioned before, the biggest problem that’s continued to plague Death Cab for Cutie for a few albums now is the declining quality in Ben Gibbard’s lyricism. The horribly sad storytelling that made Transatlanticism a true indie masterpiece is gone, and any semblance of metaphor or even simile is lost too. The exception to this rule would be on the aforementioned “60 & Punk” which tells a dark and gritty story of a washed up star, whose problems with alcohol and his inability to grow up has destroyed his life. As with the best of Death Cab’s tracks, it’s truly depressing, but also strangely beautiful at the same time. Sadly, the same can’t be said for many of the other tracks. Lead single “Gold Rush” is about the changing landscape of Gibbard’s hometown of Seattle, and the imagery he employs is incredibly boring and its straightforward to a fault. Luckily, it’s catchy enough to save it from being a complete dud, but it comes pretty close. “You Moved Away” isn’t as lucky, unfortunately. It’s an ode to Seattle eccentric Derek Erdman, who recently moved back to his hometown of Chicago. Nothing about the song works, from the down right stupid lyrics, to Gibbard’s inability to keep any semblance of rhythm in his singing, and it’s a shame that it was written with a beloved member of Seattle’s culture in mind. There is one song on this album that truly stands above every other track though, and that would be “Summer Years”. In typical Death Cab for Cutie fashion, Gibbard sings about lost love, and his continued longing for this individual. His vocals are mellow throughout the song, and it perfectly adds to the desperation in his lyrics. The percussion is quick, varied, and creates a great backbone for the entire song. The electric guitar riff pairs with the percussion well, and the song even features a dark and gritty solo. The production is spacey once again and it rounds out what I would consider near flawless instrumentation. Sadly, the rest of the album doesn’t stack up at all, especially in the songwriting department.

Overall, Thank You for Today is about as average as an album gets. I failed to mention a few of the tracks, and that’s purely because they’re mostly forgettable. They aren’t bad, just average, and they really aren’t worth talking about. For the most part, the other songs don’t move too far out of this average range, in one direction or the other. The change in instrumentation and production is certainly welcome, but Gibbard’s lyricism is too cheesy and underwhelming to be ignored. As a huge fan of Death Cab for Cutie, I can’t say I’m disappointed by this album. It just feels like a fairly inconsequential addition to their now nine album discography.

My Final Score: 6/10

Favorite Songs: “I Dreamt We Spoke Again”, “Summer Years”, “60 & Punk”

Least Favorite Songs: “Gold Rush”, “You Moved Away”

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Amy Shark - Love Monster Review

Amy Shark - Love Monster

Release Date - July 13, 2018

Genres - Indie Pop

Love Monster is the debut album from Australian pop singer/songwriter Amy Shark. Despite being relatively unknown in America, she has already gained a lot of popularity in her home country, and her single “Adore” was even #2 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2016. With Love Monster, Amy Shark shows a lot of potential, but sadly her sound and her songwriting still need a lot of work.

It’s hard to talk about Amy Shark without talking about Lorde. The comparisons are everywhere, from the themes in their music to the type of production found on their songs. Jack Antonoff is even a producer on Love Monster, and he famously produced and co-wrote Lorde’s masterpiece Melodrama last year. Sadly for Amy Shark, she simply just doesn’t stack up to Lorde in any way. Lorde’s songs about lost love and destroyed relationships are far more compelling and emotional, and Amy Shark sounds like she’s really trying to step into Lorde’s lane. Amy Shark isn’t simply a Lorde rip-off though, there just happen to be a lot of similarities between their songs. Amy Shark’s production also contains a lot of acoustic guitars that underlie the largely electronic production. The track “Psycho”, which is produced by blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, features electric guitars in place of acoustic ones, causing it to stand out a lot. The album’s closer, “You Think I Think I Sound Like God”, is an emotional standout, and it’s explosive finale has heavy influences from Coldplay’s alt-rock gem A Rush Of Blood To The Head. However, besides these two tracks, there really isn’t much variety among the songs sonically. The album contains a staggering 14 songs, a number that is far too high for a pop album, and especially for an inexperienced newcomer. Unfortunately, Amy Shark is unable to keep the listener’s attention over the nearly 50 minute runtime, and this problem is worsened by the lack of variety across the album.

That isn’t to say that the album doesn’t have its shining moments. Opening track “I Got You” is simple, stunning, and ultimately a perfect indie pop song. It opens with a single acoustic guitar, but then the percussion comes in, and finally the electronic production settles in. It’s one of the few truly happy songs on the album, but its subtlety makes it so much stronger. “Psycho”, which also features Mark Hoppus on vocals, is a great duet contrasting the comforting and jealous types in a relationship. Shark represents the comforting type, while Hoppus represents someone riddled with paranoia. The two meet in the middle though for a hauntingly beautiful chorus about dedication and love. “Leave Us Alone” is a painful ballad where Amy laments a past relationship. She sings depressedly over echoing drums, that sounds like they’re hidden in the past with her former relationship. She nearly screams as she begs for the memory to leave her alone. “Mess Her Up” is a largely electronic track with booming production, and I commend it for being one of the truly entertaining songs on the album.

Love Monster is a product of its influences and the inexperience of its creator, Amy Shark. Lorde’s influence covers the album from front to back, but Amy Shark brings enough new to the table that it isn’t simply a rip-off. Daft Punk’s influence can be heard on many of the electronic pieces, and Coldplay’s pop-rock sound of the early 2000s can be heard throughout as well. Amy Shark falls into the trap of only writing about love, and mostly about her failed experiences with it. Her melancholy is overbearing at times, but when she channels it correctly, it’s truly powerful. While most of the album is average and fairly forgettable, there are a handful of songs that really show off her talents. However, there are also other songs, which I chose not to mention, that really do not her justice at all. With an album that contains 14 songs, it’s strange that these tracks weren’t left on the cutting room floor, but I’m sure that’s something she’ll learn to acknowledge with time and experience. Overall, Love Monster is a promising debut album from a singer who is still finding her own footing in a music industry that is saturated with similar sounds. I look forward to hearing from Amy Shark again, and I’m sure she’ll only get better with age.

My Final Score: 6/10

Favorite Songs: “I Got You”, “Leave Us Alone”, “Psycho”, “Mess Her Up”

Least Favorite Songs: “I Said Hi”, “The Idiot”, “I’m a Liar”

[nathanorenstein-blog]

KIDS SEE GHOSTS - KIDS SEE GHOSTS Review

KIDS SEE GHOSTS (Kanye West and Kid Cudi) - KIDS SEE GHOSTS

Release Date - June 8, 2018

Genres - Experimental Hip Hop, Psychedelia, Rap Rock

Kanye West and Kid Cudi have been collaborating regularly for about a decade now, and it only seems right that they have finally come together for a full length studio album. Under the name KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye and Cudi have developed a sound that blends their unique styles into a well-polished and near flawless album. Cudi brings his soulful singing and his infectious humming, while Kanye handles most of the chopping and provides some pretty “Kanye-esque” verses. West and Cudi have both publicly struggled with their mental health in the past, and KIDS SEE GHOSTS plays like a celebration of their successes and of life in general. Before KIDS SEE GHOSTS, Kanye gave us ye, his most candid album since his debut. It was dark, yet hopeful, and it showed how Kanye was taking steps to better enjoy life as a whole. KIDS SEE GHOSTS is his accepting of his new life, and the fact that he so perfectly meshes with longtime friend Kid Cudi makes the glowing positivity of the album radiate even more. Kanye and Cudi share the spotlight equally, and they both lend their talents to the album in amazing ways. Together, they have let their positivity and love for life lead them to create an album that I wouldn’t hesitate in calling a masterpiece.

“Feel The Love” opens the album with some of the best vocals that Kid Cudi has lent to a song in his life. They echo hauntingly, backed by minimalistic electronic production from Kanye. Strangely enough, Pusha T comes in with the first verse of the album. He approaches his verse with such swagger and triumph that you can’t help but feel like you truly are listening to a king. As the verse ends, the production just explodes into the most violent noises Kanye has created since Yeezus. The bass booms as Kanye starts making gunshot noises, which in theory sounds pretty terrible. However, the combination is one of my favorite choices of production Kanye has ever created. The percussion comes in to take the place of the vocals, all while Cudi continuously chants “I can still feel the love”. The juxtaposition between the gunshots and the lyrics is massive, but the sheer power of Kid Cudi’s vocals and emotion allow the song to have an incredibly positive vibe.

“Feel The Love” transitions flawlessly into “Fire”, which uses marching-style percussion with Cudi’s humming to create a dark and extremely powerful beat that carries the entire song. Kanye and Cudi each have a verse that they use to denounce those that have looked down on them in the past. As with most of the album, the two stand tall and confident, and they’re able to overcome the criticism to find peace within themselves. Clocking in at only 2 minutes and 21 seconds, the song is extremely short, but it doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. There’s even a 30 second electric guitar outro that feels weirdly out of place but also perfectly executed, a combination that seems to happen a lot on this album. “Fire” is short, yet potent, and it’s just as important as any other song on KIDS SEE GHOSTS.

“4th Dimension” is perhaps the most out of place song on the album thematically, but it’s inclusion does not feel at all incorrect by any means. It opens with a sample of Louis Prima’s 1936 song “What Will Santa Claus Say”, which Kanye then loops as the base for the song’s production. He also adds a very quick drum beat to intensify the song. Kanye verse comes first, and he chronicles a sexual experience that he’s had. The verse comes equipped with some great one liners and sly word play, and doesn’t come off as horribly cheesy and gross like “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” from The Life of Pablo does. Strange cartoon-ish laughing interrupts the song, which is then followed by Cudi’s verse, which acts as a departure from Kanye’s very sexual lyrics. Cudi raps about how he’s recovered from his dark past, and you can almost feel the confidence that he exudes. His flow on “4th Dimension” is also amazing, and it meshes with the beat incredibly well.

The next song, “Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2)”, is the sequel to “Ghost Town” off of ye, and it basically follows right where 070 Shake left off. The song doesn’t really have much structure in the way of verses or anything like that, and it’s mostly just composed of variations of the chorus. As the title suggests, the song is about Cudi and Kanye’s freedom. More specifically, it’s about their freedom from the addiction and depression that afflicted them both in the past. Kanye and Cudi trade off on vocals, and every appearance ends with some variation of the line “I feel free”. The vocals come with a massive echo that engulf the entire soundscape, and the bass heavily production amplifies this even further. Ty Dolla $ign also makes an appearance on the track, and his vocals are so heavily layered that it sounds almost god-like. The song is a celebration in every sense, and it’s the perfect track to have right in the middle of the seven song tracklist.

“Reborn” seems to have become the fan favorite from the album, and for good reason. It’s easily the most emotional moment on KIDS SEE GHOSTS, and it’s also the most solemn and lowkey. If the “Freeee” is the party celebrating the newfound freedom that Kanye and Kid Cudi feel, then “Reborn” is the kickback that follows. The themes are very similar, but the approach to “Reborn” is much quieter and emotional. The production, which was actually handled by Cudi this time around, is minimal and hazy but has enough bounce to keep the song from being a complete bore. Kanye and Cudi both talk about their low points in their lives, but they turn this negativity around into something positive and uplifting. The song does last maybe a minute longer than it has to, but that doesn’t take away from the overall emotion of the song. “Reborn” is very much a Kid Cudi track, as it greatly echoes his previous work, and he handles it with great skill and expertise.

Next is the title track, “Kids See Ghosts”, which has some of the most unique production I have ever heard from Kanye West. I saw someone describe the beat as the music that would play on the title screen of a stealth video game that takes place in a jungle. It’s such a ridiculously specific statement, but it actually is the perfect description of this song. Kid Cudi again handles the chorus, but he actually takes turns singing it with none other than Mos Def. Besides the production though, the star of the show here is Kanye’s rap on the second verse of the track. Kanye hasn’t sounded this good on a verse in years. His swagger is staggering, his flow is incredibly smooth, and his ability to flow from topic to topic within a single verse is as impressive as it was years ago. “Kids See Ghosts” is, in my opinion, the best song on the album, and I believe that it should be recognized as one of Kanye West’s greatest creations.

Finally we have “Cudi Montage”, which is built around a haunting plucked guitar riff from the legendary Kurt Cobain. The lyrics are equally haunting, as Cudi and Kanye both rap about how sad and violent the world has become. However, the chorus encourages the listener to “stay strong”, and Kanye asks God to shine his light on him. The chorus has an ethereal shimmer to it, and despite the darkness found within the two verses, the song still feels like a beacon of hope in a world where nothing seems fair. It serves as a perfect closer to an album about overcoming hardships and sadness, and it wraps up the albums central themes perfectly.

Although I doubt it will, KIDS SEE GHOSTS deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest albums in both Kanye West’s and Kid Cudi’s respective discographies. It’s production is loud in all the right places, solemn when it needs to be, and polished all around. Kid Cudi’s singing is at its best and he handles the hooks flawlessly. His humming serves as an instrument throughout the album, and his ability to shape it to the mood of each individual song is amazing. Kanye delivers some of the best verses he’s delivered in years, and his ability to produce the songs equally well remains unrivaled in this generation. KIDS SEE GHOSTS is a masterpiece from front to back, and it’s great to see Kid Cudi and Kanye West working so well together again, especially while in such an improved mindstate.

My Final Score: 10/10

Favorite Songs:

All of them

[nathanorenstein-blog]

Kanye West - ye Review

Kanye West - ye Review

By Nathan Orenstein

Release Date - June 1, 2018

Genres - Experimental Hip Hop, Rap, Trap

Kanye West has never been the type of artist to stick to one sound, style, or theme in his music. Of his now eight studio albums, the only two that sound remotely similar are The College Dropout and Late Registration, but even they have enough differences to make them completely unique projects. He’s rapped about everything under the sun, and he’s never been afraid to get personal about his own flaws, mistakes, and emotions. Kanye has always been known for his larger-than-life ego, his several controversies in the public eye, and his consistent need to do things his way. But above all else, he’s known for his sheer talent in creating hip hop masterpieces. He’s won 21 Grammys, with a total of 68 nominations, and his legacy as a rapper and a producer has already been cemented in music history, before his career is even done. Kanye’s always made it clear that he’s on top, and his attitude toward fame has always been reflected in his music. However, on ye, Kanye is at his most human, and his god complex is at its most restricted here. In 2016, Kanye had to cancel his Life of Pablo tour midway after his hospitalization from fatigue. In 2017, he was official diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2018, Kanye has become one of the most hated celebrities on the Internet, due to his explosive comments about slavery and his allegiance to Donald Trump. ye is deeply personal, and Kanye reflects on the past few years with a heavy heart. The braggadocious raps from his previous albums are gone, and he’s decided to focus on emotional topics such as depression, addiction, love, and family. The production is mellow, allowing Kanye’s lyrics about these themes to really stand out. At only 7 songs long, ye does leave a lot to be desired. But what Kanye does give us is powerful, and ye earns its spot among his elite discography.

ye opens with “I Thought About Killing You”, which starts with a 2 and a half minute spoken word piece. The nature of Kanye’s bipolarism is addressed right off the bat, with Kanye speaking directly to his other personality about his desire to get rid of it. The beat is simple, and it’s composed only of a vocoded sample of Francis Farewell Starlite’s voice and a reverberated bass line. Kanye then starts rapping over the same beat, speaking openly about his depression. However, about a third of the way into the verse, the beat completely switches up, now making use of a sample of “Fr3sh” by Kareem Lofty. Kanye seems to switch into another personality at this point, and his rapping becomes harder and fiercer. Changing the beat to match his rapping is a great choice, and his ability to change it up right in the middle of the verse so casually is astounding. Next comes “Yikes”, which is all about Kanye’s struggle with opioid addiction. This is likely the most catchy and addicting song on the entire album, but its lyrics are probably the darkest on the album. Kanye ends the song by addressing  his bipolar disorder again, but he seems to have come to terms with it, calling it his superpower. The song ends with the same scream heard on Yeezus’ “I Am A God”, showing that Kanye has accepted his bipolarism as something that makes him stronger and it’s something he’s proud of.

“All Mine” is easily the weak link of the album. It has a slick hook from Jeremih and nice industrial production on the second verse, but overall the song doesn’t fit in with the rest of the songs on the album at all. Kanye’s verses can be summed up by the following two sets of lyrics: “I love your titties ‘cause they prove / I can focus on two things at once” and “Let me hit it raw like fuck the outcome / Ayy, none of us’d be here without cum”. “All Mine” might have made a good cut on The Life of Pablo with its trap-leaning production and it’s talk of hooking up with models and pornstars, but it doesn’t belong on ye at all.

On “Wouldn’t Leave”, Kanye expresses his love for his wife Kim Kardashian, and his appreciation for all that she’s done to help him. PARTYNEXTDOOR provides a beautiful hook, and Jeremih provides an equally beautiful bridge. Kanye’s verses are emotional but still packed with excellent rhymes, and his flow is at its smoothest. The beat is made up of very minimal electronic percussion, with shimmering production flourishes that makes the song’s emotion stand out more. The two minute track, “No Mistakes”, that follows is reminiscent of Kanye’s older work, with soulful production and chopped samples throughout. Kanye again addresses his struggles with his health and his finances, but he also finds a way to work in some shots at Drake, following Drake’s beef with Pusha T.

The final two tracks on the album, “Ghost Town” and “Violent Crimes” are two of Kanye’s most emotional songs. “Ghost Town” is truly a tour de force on all fronts and will likely go down as the best song on the album. PARTYNEXTDOOR opens the song up with a great intro, which is followed by an amazingly sung chorus from frequent Kanye collaborator Kid Cudi. Kanye’s verse is addressed at himself, and he sings about his struggles with addiction and fame. Kanye’s made it clear in the past that he’s insecure about his singing voice, and his decision to sing instead of rap here makes the song even more powerful and emotional. The production of the song is amazing, mixing live instrumentation with electronic beats to create a old-school, yet modern, sound. The star of the show here though is 070 Shake’s outro. Her performance is darkly beautiful, while still filled with hope. She sings “I put my hand on a stove, to see if I still bleed”, a line that sums up the emptiness that comes with depression. 070 Shake’s singing is backed by a strong electric guitar solo that dips in and out of the verse, allowing for her vocals to really shine. The album’s closing moment is “Violent Crimes”, which stands among “Runaway” and “Ultralight Beam” as one of the most gut wrenchingly powerful songs Kanye has ever put on an album. 070 Shake returns to open the song up with a beautiful, almost lullaby-like performance. She also sings the chorus, and she’s accompanied by Ty Dolla Sign when it comes in again after Kanye’s verse. Kanye’s sole verse on this track is easily the best verse on the entire album. He describes fatherhood, specifically fathering his two daughters, and his concerns about their futures. He worries that they’ll be sexualized and abused when they grow up, and his experience as a male bachelor gives weight to his statements. Kanye raps “I pray that your body’s draped more like mine / And not like your mommy’s”, showing his concern that they will be viewed only as objects, which can lead to them being taken advantage of. The verse cuts deep, and Kanye’s emotions are vivid as he raps. The production is ethereal, adding to the almost lullaby tone that 070 Shake created in the intro. “Violent Crimes” serves as a perfectly emotional end to an emotional album, and its sentiments are almost palpable.

Kanye West’s ye is a triumph in showing the very human side of his godlike persona. It isn’t a totally coherent package, with Kanye bouncing between different themes all over the place, but the emotion is powerful throughout. Kanye might not have his best verses on this project, and he might not have his best production either, but his openness and willingness to discuss difficult topics is at its best here. ye certainly won’t be as popular as his other albums, but its still very worthy of your time and emotions.

My final score: 8.9/10

Favorite Songs: “I Thought About Killing You”, “Yikes”, “Ghost Town”, “Violent Crimes”

Least Favorite Song:  “All Mine”

[nathanorenstein-blog]

CHVRCHES - Love Is Dead Review

CHVRCHES - Love Is Dead Review

By Nathan Orenstein 

Release Date - May 25, 2018

Genres - Synth Pop, Electro Pop, Alternative Pop, Synth Rock, Electronic, Electronic Rock

Love Is Dead is the third studio album from Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES. The synths are bigger, the hooks are bigger, and the album is bigger. CHVRCHES has improved on their sound, leaving behind the vapid synthesized riffs and filling them with grander, poppier production flourishes. This is largely a result of bringing on allstar producer Greg Kurstin, as opposed to the band taking things into their own hands. However, with the poppier production comes lazier songwriting, and CHVRCHES is at their most repetitive here. Overall, Love Is Dead isn’t really a step forward or backward for the band, and they still remain a fairly average synth-pop group.

As the album’s title suggests, Love Is Dead is largely composed of songs about heartbreak and fading love. At its highest points, Lauren Mayberry’s singing is incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. Opening track “Graffiti” chronicles a breakup, and the hook is full of intense longing. Mayberry’s vocals soar above the crashing drums and climbing synth riff, and her lyrics soon succumb to the ever growing synthesizer. You can almost feel the relationship slipping away from her, making “Graffiti” one the most powerful and overall best songs on the record. “Get Out” is another excellent break up song, as Mayberry’s lyrics are almost yelled in anguish, as she sings emotionally charged lyrics such as “Good intentions, never good enough”. The synth riff that opens the song is fuzzed out but drives the verses along at a quick pace. The riff drops out before the chorus, only to reveal a steady yet strong drum beat. Album highlight “Graves” sounds like it was ripped straight out of the 80’s new wave movement. The verses are carried by a rapid drum beat, accentuated by quick high-hat taps, a synthesized bass line, and a faint synthesized riff that starts to boom during the chorus. Mayberry sings about how she’ll stop at nothing in order for her work to be appreciated as it should, and is likely based on the sexism that is prevalent in the music industry. These songs are among the highlights on the album, and they really are fantastic pop songs. The highs on Love Is Dead are high, but the lows are equally low.

As I’ve stated before, Love Is Dead suffers greatly from repetition issues in the songwriting. Almost every song contains some word or phrases that is frequently repeated, when it could have been filled in with real lyricism. For example, the song “Forever” contains the word ‘forever’ 22 times in each of its choruses. This doesn’t always take away too much from the songs, as the soaring pop production is able to carry the songs along sometimes. However, on other occasions, the songs just feel lazy, and the repetition is incredibly noticeable. Some songs suffer for completely different reasons though. “My Enemy” features two guest verses from The National’s Matt Berninger, possibly the last person who should ever appear on a synth-pop album. His baritone vocals are too much of a contrast to Mayberry’s soprano vocals, and his verses come off as completely drab. “Never Say Die”, on the other hand, is just a mess all around. It has the repetitive lyrics that I’ve mentioned previously, Mayberry sounds bored as she sings, and the pop production is at its most generic. This leads me to another problem that is often seen on this album. Right before the chorus, the synths almost always seem to rise, and then they explode as the chorus hits. Like the other issues with this album, it isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. However, it is noticeable at times and it makes the songs sound bland, as this trend is typical with most radio-ready, generic pop music.

Overall, Love Is Dead doesn’t really do anything for me. CHVRCHES have changed their sound a bit by bringing on producer Greg Kurstin, but many of the songs still sound like generic synth-pop. The songwriting is often bland and repetitive, leaving much to be desired. However, the highs of the album are amazing, and these highlights are among some of the brightest in CHVRCHES’ now three album catalogue. Love Is Dead is by no means a bad album, but it isn’t a very good one either. I would say it’s slightly above average, but I wouldn’t really go much further than that.

My final score: 6.6/10

Favorite Songs: “Graffiti”, “Get Out”, “Graves”, “Heaven/Hell”, “Wonderland”

Least Favorite Songs: “My Enemy”, “Never Say Die”, “God’s Plan”

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Pusha T - DAYTONA Review

Pusha T - DAYTONA Review

By Nathan Orenstein 

Release Date: May 25, 2018

Genres: Hardcore Hip Hop

In December of 2015, Pusha T released Darkest Before Dawn, an album that was supposedly a prequel to the upcoming King Push. Nearly three years later, we finally get that sequel, although its name has now been changed to DAYTONA. Clocking in at 21 minutes and composed of only 7 songs, many fans were initially disappointed that they had waited three years for such a short project. However, DAYTONA is an incredibly tight set of songs, produced almost entirely by none other than Kanye West, and it will likely go down as one of the best hip hop albums of the year.

DAYTONA opens with “If You Know You Know”, a song with a beat that hits you like a truck. Pusha T raps about his dominance of the rap game and the trap game, and his detailed imagery reflects his true knowledge of drug pushing, as he was once a crack/cocaine dealer himself. His lyricism is biting and gritty, and the following line embodies the message of the song: “A rapper turned trapper can’t morph into us / But a trapper turned rapper can morph into Puff”. Kanye’s production is reminiscent of his work on Yeezus, but he has shaped the industrial edge into something much more appealing and catchy. “The Games We Play” opens with horns and a piano, both of which are heavily altered to give them a sharp bite. Push continues to flex his wealth and success in both rapping and selling drugs, and his lyrics further illustrate the lifestyle of a drug dealer. He continues to rap with an intensity that’s uncommon in today’s pop and trap leaning mainstream hip hop, and its even reminiscent of the gangster rap of the 90’s. “Hard Piano” is the one track on the album that abandons the hard hitting grit that makes up the rest of the album’s production. Kanye lays down a dark piano base, supported by a simple trap beat. Pusha T and guest MC Rick Ross discuss the ups and downs of success, and they reveal that their lifestyle maybe isn’t as lavish as its made out to be. This is Pusha T at his most mortal on the album, and perfectly matches the bleak piano beat that Kanye’s created. The chorus is sung by The World Famous Tony Williams, and it gives the song an even darker feel.

“Come Back Baby” features some of the most interesting production Kanye has ever created. The song’s intro is a snippet of “The Truth Shall Make You Free” by The Mighty Hannibal, which discusses the incredibly addictive nature of hard drugs. The chorus is a snippet of George Jackson’s “I Can’t Do Without You”, which is about a reliance on these hard drugs, due to the terrible symptoms of withdrawal. This is a stark contrast to the content of Pusha T’s lyrics, which again talks about his life as a drug dealer and his love for the product. The verses are carried along by a very deep electronic bass bump, which is perfectly cut with the samples Kanye uses. It almost sounds like Pusha T is cutting George Jackson off, and this reflects the contrast in the content of the verses and chorus. On “Santeria”, Push laments the murder of his road manager De’Von Pickett. “Santeria” is arguably the darkest song on a very dark album, and this is headlined by the very eerie, Spanish sung chorus. The beat switch up that comes in with a minute left in the song is muddled and dark too, and it matches the cadence of Pusha T’s rapping perfectly. “What Would Meek Do?” sees Push and Kanye addressing their haters. Both provide strong verses, but Kanye’s decision to open his verse with a small bit of the infamous “Lift Yourself” isn’t one that I’m totally on board with. It detracts from the bite of the song a bit and ultimately lessens Kanye’s overall verse. The final track, “Infrared”, reignites the beef between Drake and Pusha T. Pusha T addresses the overall status of rap, and he recognizes that many rappers aren’t “real”. He of course brings up Drake’s use of ghost writers, and he makes subliminal attacks on him throughout the song. Overall, Pusha T’s attack is as biting as the rest of the songs on the album. Unfortunately, the beat is pretty stale and does make the song seem a bit more boring.

Overall, there really aren’t many flaws in Pusha T’s DAYTONA. Pusha T’s lyricism is as dark and forceful as ever and Kanye’s production is arguably the best it’s been since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Although it’s only 21 minutes long, DAYTONA uses its short runtime to its advantage, and every song is nearly flawless. DAYTONA is probably the best hip hop album of the year so far, and it deserves every bit of praise that it’s been receiving.

My final score: 9.1/10

Favorite Songs: “If You Know You Know”, “The Games We Play”, “Hard Piano”, “Santeria”

Least Favorite Song (if I had to pick): “Infrared”

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KYLE - Light of Mine Review

KYLE - Light of Mine Review

By Nathan Orenstein 

Release Date - May 18, 2018

Genres - Rap, Pop, Trap

Although his first commercial mixtape was released in 2013, California-based rapper/singer KYLE didn’t make it big until 2017. His single “iSpy” with Lil Yachty peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, catapulting him into the spotlight. He was consequently picked to be a member of the 2017 XXL Freshman class, where he delivered possibly the best freestyle and best cypher of the group. A year later, we’re finally presented with KYLE’s debut album, Light of Mine, and although it’s far from perfect, it’s still a promising debut from a talented new artist.

Light of Mine is a surprisingly mature album for an artist who is just now beginning to experience fame. KYLE doesn’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to his emotions, and his openness about his feelings gives the album its own beating heart. Opening track “Ups & Downs” addresses his newfound fame, and how it’s taken a toll on his mental health. “iMissMe” sees KYLE trying to find his past self, while “OpenDoors” sees KYLE openly acknowledging how bad of a boyfriend he’s been recently. However, every song on this album is filled with a sense hope that actually feels genuine and uplifting. Lil Yachty plays KYLE’s conscious throughout the album, and he appears in short skits across the album to remind KYLE to be positive. This is a bit much, and almost forces the positivity angle of the album, but luckily it doesn’t take away from the actual content of the songs. The penultimate song, “Clouds”, is incredibly emotional and solemn, but KYLE is able to reflect on his flaws and realize that everything will be alright. The song perfectly sums up the theme of positivity that holds the album together, and it would be the perfect choice for the album’s closer. Disappointedly, “iSpy” seems to have been merely tacked on at the end to promote album sales and name recognition. It would have made sense anywhere else on the album, but sticking it on the end just feels completely out of place. Despite the album’s final moments, Light of Mine has a very solid flow from beginning to end, and the song topics bleed into each other nicely. KYLE’s overall openness with his emotions makes Light of Mine much deeper and emotional than most hip hop albums, and this allows for the theme of positivity to feel even more genuine across the album.

Sonically, Light of Mine completely embraces the 80’s-esque production that KYLE has been messing with his entire career. “Ups & Downs” opens the album with a uniquely minimal beat, made up mostly a ‘ooo’s that are heavily drenched in autotune. The highlight of the track, though, are the guitar arpeggios that come in during the chorus, bringing another layer of 80’s flair that makes the song sound incredibly smooth. “iMissMe” has a disco-esque synthline that makes the song glow, while “Rodeo” has a piano base that is driven by a thick bassline to create possibly the grooviest track on the album. As KYLE has done on his previous projects, he’s included a track that uses typical video game sound samples as the base of the production. “Games” even carries the video game sound into the lyrics, as the chorus relates his life to a video game, in a way that isn’t actually cheesy. The entire album’s soundscape isn’t completely 80’s-esque though. “To The Moon” sounds very modern with its trap leaning percussion and synthesized bass. “iSpy” also contains trap elements, but the most prevalent sound on the song is the very tropical piano that repeats throughout the song. “Playinwitme” is similar in the way that it uses a piano to drive the production, although there are random bits of acoustic guitar that feel very out of place on the album, and even the song. Light of Mine has a style that isn’t entirely original, but it uses its influences to their maximum potential. KYLE and the wide array of producers on the album shape the 80’s sound of the album into something that is very much unique to KYLE, and this sounds good overall.

Light of Mine isn’t without its flaws, despite the glowing praise I’ve given it. The positive nature of “Zoom” feels pretty forced, but the great beat saves it from falling too low. “To The Moon” doesn’t fare as well, as it’s positivity also feels forced, but its production is an absolute trainwreck from start to finish. “Open Doors” drags on far too long, and the chorus is repeated a whopping four times. “It’s Yours” also drags, but for an entirely different reason. The track provides an account of when KYLE lost his virginity, but it’s followed by a 2 minute speech, thanking everyone that helped him achieve this feat. It’s supposed to be funny, but the skit sounds awkward and out of place on an album that’s been pretty candid about its emotions. Other songs have minor technical problems that don’t detract too much from the experience, but they are noticeable. For example, on the excellent track “Ikuyo”, there are adlibs after every single line in the first verse, and it sounds ridiculous and completely unnecessary. Another great track, “Babies”, which is a duet between KYLE and fellow rising star Alessia Cara, has an unchanging synthesized bass line that makes the song seem more repetitive that it has to be. Light of Mine’s errors aren’t terribly grievous, but there are enough of them to make them noticeable.

Overall, Light of Mine is a solid debut for KYLE. His rapping, singing, and production are all improved from his previous mixtapes, making the album stand above them handily. KYLE’s deeply personal songwriting gives the album a depth that isn’t always common in hip hop. Combining KYLE’s emotional lyrics with the 80’s influenced production, Light of Mine is an album that is uniquely ‘KYLE’. The album suffers from some filler tracks, some awkward production, and some minor technical flaws, but it’s overall an enjoyable listen for anyone who enjoys pop-rap.

My Final Score: 6.7/10

Favorite Songs: “Ups & Downs”, “Ikuyo”, “Games”, “Babies”, “iMissMe”, “Rodeo”, “Clouds”

Least Favorite Songs: “OpenDoors”, “To The Moon”, “It’s Yours”

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Beach House - 7 Review

Beach House - 7 Review

By Nathan Orenstein

Release Date - May 11, 2018

Genres - Noise Pop, Neo-Psychedelia, Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Art Pop

The king and queen of dream pop, Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand, returned with a brand new Beach House album last week, aptly titled 7. 7 is the seventh album the duo has made together, and even after all this time, the band’s sound continues to evolve. It’s still Beach House at its core, but the band has opted for an overall “bigger” sound. Beach House has replaced longtime producer Chris Coady with Sonic Boom, who brought with him an even more space-y vibe to the album. Scally and Legrand even changed up their songwriting and recording style in order to keep things fresh, and they’ve even stated that they went into the writing process with the idea of “rebirth”. The band’s dedication to this idea has paid off, as 7 is the most refreshing Beach House albums we’ve seen in years.

Lyrically, 7 is fairly desperate, but glimpses of hope keep the album lifted up. “Dark Spring” opens the album with descriptions of dying stars, which is followed by the track “Pay No Mind”, a much more mellow track that recounts the helplessness of being in a fading relationship. “Dive” is sung from the point of view of a lover waiting for their beloved to make a move, but the waiting causes the feelings of love to run thin. “Girl Of The Year” tells the tale of a girl who lives in the world’s spotlight, always doing what other people want but never getting what she truly wants. Despite these dreary topics, Beach House has shimmering moments of light too. “Lemon Glow” is a love song through and through, and it also contains the most summery instrumental of the entire album. “Drunk in LA” seems to have a dreary start, but ends with the narrator living happily with her lover. The real star of the show here, though, is album closer “Last Ride”, which clocks in at seven minutes. Entirely inspired by the death of Nico (largely known for her presence on The Velvet Underground and Nico), this track is haunting yet beautiful in every way, and is easily an emotional highlight on a fairly emotional album. Beach House balances the dark and light of their music throughout the album, and lyrically the album remains hopeful, despite its saddening themes.

As I previously stated, this is Beach House’s “biggest” album to date. This is best expressed by album opener “Dark Spring”, which immediately starts with crashing drums and a chugging electric guitar riff. Legrand’s vocals float above the instrumental, and the production flourishes give the song an even larger aura. Another track that highlights this bigger sound is “Dive”, which changes about half way through to unveil a drum pattern that reflects the change in tone of the lyrics. The drums drive the song while two different guitar riffs adds a very indie rock sound. “Lemon Glow” is the most mainstream-friendly song on the album, and is a delightfully bright piece of synth-pop. Comprised almost entirely of electronic production, the song has the sort of glow that its lyrics portray. The song “L’Inconnue”, which contains a great amount of French, is a completely different sound than the rest of the album. With an acapella introduction and a Ratatat-esque soundscape, the song stands out on the album for its beauty and playful darkness. “Lose Your Smile” starts with an acoustic guitar riff that sounds like it could have come off of Coldplay’s Parachutes, while still incorporating the dreamy electronic production that Beach House has come to be known for. The sounds on the album are widely varied, which is something that can’t be said for all of Beach House’s work. This newfound diversity is refreshing and is perhaps the biggest thing that sets 7 apart from other Beach House albums.

Beach House’s 7 is one the best dream pop albums we’ve received recently. As the genre expands more and more, with big name artists like Lorde working dream pop stylings into their music, it’s satisfying to see Beach House expand as well. They continue to be pioneers of the genre, while carving out a niche that is all their own. The major complaint I have about this album is one that I have had with every Beach House album, and that is its dependence on repetition. Repetition is largely a staple of dream pop at this point, but that doesn’t mean that instrumentals that grow stale is acceptable. Luckily, this isn’t a common problem on 7, and the band switches up their sound enough to avoid doing this on the majority of the tracks. Overall, 7 is a great addition to Beach House’s catalogue, and its largely varied songs make this album a great listen for any number of moods.

My Final Score: 7.8/10

Favorite Songs: “Dark Spring”, “Pay No Mind”, “L’Inconnue”, “Drunk in LA”, “Dive”, “Black Car”, “Woo”, “Last Ride”

Least Favorite Song: “Girl Of The Year”

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Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Review

Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Review

By Nathan Orenstein

Release Date - May 11, 2018

Genres - Lounge Pop, Alternative Rock, Space Pop

It’s hard to believe that the last we’ve seen of Arctic Monkeys was in 2013, with their hugely successful fifth album AM. It marked a massive change of pace for the band, but it’s lasting appeal to fans and newcomers alike is far from debatable. Arctic Monkeys’ new sound was met with universal acclaim, and half of the album ended up being released as singles over the course of two years. Five years later, in 2018, Arctic Monkeys are finally back, and they bring with them an even greater shift in sound than AM brought. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino abandons the psychedelic rock and roll of AM, and instead constructs its songs around Alex Turner’s piano and lounge like production. The result is jarring on the first listen, but the initial shock wears off after a few listens. However, the change in sound is still inescapable, even after getting used to more mellow sound of the album. The big question is whether or not Arctic Monkeys’ new direction pays off, and the answer is, well, kind of.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino will likely go down as Arctic Monkeys’ first concept album. Set only one year in the future, Alex Turner plays a washed up rock star, who is now confined to a residency at the Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, a new resort on the moon. In this alternate future, many people have left their lives on Earth to move to the moon, and the trip to get there is fairly easy. Life on the moon is filled with shiny new technology that distracts even more from the physical world, akin to the way technology is slowly sucking away our lives today. The world that Turner has created sounds almost ridiculous, but his songwriting fleshes out the detailed setting easily and unawkwardly. He uses it to reflect on modern life, much in the way a science fiction film would. And Alex Turner makes it very clear how much of an influence science fiction was on the album; there’s even a song named after it. Turner’s smart songwriting has always been a staple of Arctic Monkeys’ music, but here it is at its most diverse and important. Gone are the love songs that made up almost the entirety of every Arctic Monkeys album. Instead, Turner has decided to focus his attention to commentate on fame, technology, social media, and even stranger topics such as advertising. Opening track “Star Treatment” introduces us to his rockstar character, and begins the album with an almost painful lament on the fame that he once had. Turner’s wit has been replaced with a biting cynicism for the modern world on many of the tracks, and the moments of positivity always have some sort of sharp edge to them. As is typical with Turner’s songwriting, most of the tracks here are told through metaphors, some of which can get lost on the listener if they aren’t listening deeply. This has always been a problem with Arctic Monkeys’ music, and Turner even recognizes it on the song “Science Fiction”. Sadly, tracks like “Golden Trunks” are almost impossible to decode, and the verses don’t seem to have any correlation with the chorus. Despite a few snags like this, Turner has successfully managed to create a world that mirrors ours, and his bitter commentary hits home without being overwhelmingly negative.

Though Turner did change up his songwriting approach and themes, it is truly the sound of the band that has evolved the most. It’s hard to describe the genre that Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino would fall into. At its heart, this is still a rock and roll album. There is an obvious influence from Abbey Road era Beatles throughout the album in melody and instrumentation, and some psychedelic elements from AM remain. However, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino can’t be confined to its influences. The production across the album sounds like it was recorded in a haze of cigarette smoke, but at the classiest casino you could imagine. It’s smooth, yet cloudy, and the album has an almost sleazy vibe to it, like you would expect at a casino. The music mirrors the story perfectly, and that’s probably the album’s greatest strength. You really feel like you’re listening to this washed up musician perform with his band in a casino. The piano, and other various synthesizers, are more than often the stars of the songs here. Electric guitars weave in and out, but they are not nearly as prevalent as they have been on previous Arctic Monkeys albums. Pulling from AM, Nick O’Malley’s bass is once again front and center, giving the piano a darker juxtaposition in sound. The drumming can feel awkward at times, as characterized by the out of place drum fills that can be heard numerous times on “Star Treatment”. However, the almost jazz-like drumming often provides an appropriate back bone to the songs. Individually, the artists all perform their instruments relatively well. However, the sum of their parts doesn’t fare as well. As can be expected from an album labeled as lounge pop, some of the songs are just not very entertaining. Turner’s crooning over lounge music instrumentation can be as boring as it sounds like it would be, and this is evident on songs like “Batphone” and “Golden Trunks”. Other songs just don’t really know what they’re doing, like “Four Out Of Five”, which seems to wander aimlessly through different soundscapes across it’s over five minute runtime. The band was able to perfect this new sound at times, especially on the first half of the album, but other attempts sound amateur and flat out boring. The experimentation in sound does payoff occasionally, but I wouldn’t say it justifies an entire album.

Overall, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino will likely be one of the most divisive rock albums of the year, and certainly the most divisive in Arctic Monkeys’ discography. Alex Turner’s songwriting allows him to create a futuristic, yet modern, world in space, but the lounge-like sound of the album isn’t always enough to support that. Instruments occasionally pop up awkwardly in songs, and some songs are just too awkward in general. Arguably the best moments on the album are those that find a groove and stick with it, rather than trying to change things mid-song or trying to introduce a new instrument randomly. But the biggest complaint I have with this album is that it just comes off as boring at times, unable to be supported by Alex Turner’s lyricism alone. Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino certainly isn’t bad, and I probably wouldn’t even label it as a misstep for Arctic Monkeys, but it’s almost too experimental for its own good.

My final score: 6.5/10

Favorite Songs: “Star Treatment”, “One Point Perspective”, “American Sports”, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino”, “Science Fiction”

Least Favorite Songs: “Golden Trunks”, “Four Out Of Five”, “She Looks Like Fun”