thegothicarchitecture

[thegothicarchitecture]

Track Reviews (Aug 30 -> Sept 5)

Best

Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven

The new Mannequin Pussy single sounds like catharsis for singer "Missy" Dabice, whose reinterpretation of religion and divinity is tied to the perverse and unclean. This idea of finding salvation in what makes us human, along with Missy's electric vocal performance, really gives this song a lot of character.

Slaughter Beach, Dog - Engine

I have to thank Jeff Rosenstock for including the Slaughter Beach, Dog reference in his last album. I had never heard of this band prior, and was blown away by this new single!

Meh

Dorian Electra - Puppet

While I really enjoyed Freak Mode and anon, this single is doing nothing for me. For an artist as boundary pushing as Dorian Electra, the lyrical concept is beyond cliche with some horrible similes ("Miss Piggy squeal like muppet" is a particularly horrendous line), and the production is extremely dry and underdeveloped. Hoping for better on the album proper.

Worst

Bladee, Nation, Varg - Every Summer

An important rule of production to learn early: Don't have every channel cranked up super high and shoved into the foreground. If every instrument and impulse is mixed as high as possible the end results could be nausea inducing.

What you're left with is just layers upon layers of tracks with endless reverb, the final product sounding extremely washed out and incomprehensible. This track could have been salvageable but as it is now I have no intention of ever returning.

[thegothicarchitecture]

HELLMODE - Jeff Rosenstock

More Jeff songs, same signature stock 🍲

I continue getting the same impression that Jeff Rosenstock is sticking to a sound he knows will work for him. Not to say that his schtick is getting old, as he still finds new and inventive ways to surprise listeners on every release, but each subsequent release feels more like an additional helping of the same, once perfected dish.

Personally I don't ever expect Jeff to top WORRY., a flawless album in my eyes with the best B Side medley since Abbey Road. Following this, POST- had one of my favorite songs of the decade with the closing track "Let Them Win," a despondent and half-defeated rallying cry which encapsulated the feelings of most Americans coping with Trump's electoral victory in the 2016 election. While I don't make my album reviews political, Jeff Rosenstock has a lot of opinions on the matter, and one of his strongest talents is his ability to write clever lyrics with biting socio-political commentary.

So does his knack for clever lyricism carry over into this release?

Yes and no.

For one, I'm disappointed by how lackluster and vague his political commentary is this time around. FUTURE IS DUMB and I WANNA BE WRONG bring nothing new to the table that he hasn't said better in the past. However, I'm also surprised by how unflinchingly raw and personal his best lyrics are on HELLMODE, with lines that make me wonder if he is having serious marital and mental health problems.

This is no more apparent than on the opener WILL U STILL U, which sounds as if Jeff is admitting something horrible that will eventually come to light and ruin his relationship. LIFE ADMIN feels like an apology song directly to the same person in the aftermath of said event, with some of Jeff's best lyrics showcasing his penchant for circular simplicity ("Might go to the desert 'cause I make enough to fuck off to the desert") and specific details that put you firmly in his World of boba and vinyl records. HEALMODE pushes you into his World even further, with gently plucked acoustic guitar and lyrics as intimate as this musical backdrop. This track details a beautiful little story about staying in during the rain, with detailed descriptions of the sticking pine needles and fog that make you want to nestle up with the person you love most.

As a minor drawback, the songs themselves can often feel like rehashed leftovers of previous releases (FUTURE IS DUMB sounds like a Frankenstein hybrid of Melba and I Did Something Weird Last Night) or complete misses like HEAD. However, some of Jeff's best songs show up on this release. LIKED YOU BETTER is a fun and energetic song that's begging to be belted out at a karaoke night with a group of friends (nobody else would know it but fuck it'd be fun!). DOUBT is a sleeper favorite for me, a song I wasn't fond of when I first heard it as a single but one that fits perfectly in the album's tracklist. Also the message about speaking when you lose your voice is applicable to me as more than just a metaphor, as freezing up is one of the scariest experiences that I'm sure people like Jeff are all too familiar with. And for somebody who's been feeling crippling doubt and anxiety since around the time We Cool? came out, I've always gravitated towards Jeff's music.

In summation, this won't convert Jeff Rosenstock haters into fans. What we have here is a collection of great tracks with a few okay ones, on a project that doesn't quite meet the standards set by a string of perfect or near perfect albums in Jeff's discography

Highlights: LIKED U BETTER, DOUBT, HEALMODE, LIFE ADMIN

✮ ✮ ✮ (Very Good)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Happy Together Convenience Store - ElyOtto

ElyOtto comes back with a short EP with 6 substanceless tracks, none of which break the 2 and a half minute mark.

This feels like punching down... but holy crap is this EP awful. I was curious to hear ElyOtto again since my last exposure to their music was on the HELLSCAPE SUBURBIA EP, another short release with maybe one or two okay tracks. I thought about doing a review when that EP came out, but my conscience got the best of me. I figured nothing I could say would be very constructive, and most of it would've been needlessly negative.

Hearing this new EP makes me wish I wrote something earlier. The natural vocals on 2013 being completely out of pitch and unlistenable, the distortion swallowing the high end of THE COPS, and much more which has bled into the production and crafting of this absolute pile of shit.

Happy Together Convenience Store may be the most grating, most low effort collection of songs I've heard all year. This fails as a collection of songs because these are barely songs. This also fails as a sound collage because the tracks use such a rudimentary structure that could be sequenced in a few minutes on FL Studio, and end so abruptly to remind you of the separation of tracks.

I bring up SugarCrash as a case study, as ElyOtto's production has devolved so much since his early success following that song's success. ElyOtto's fluke hit might have sounded like a tutorial song, but an effort was clearly made to craft a song. That song had layers, whereas these songs have maybe one midi melody each with the most basic drum/808 patterns imaginable. SugarCrash used distortion on the vocals as a stylistic choice and not a crutch. These songs are buried in a layer of distortion so thick as if ElyOtto just discovered the AUDistortion plugin. The distortion is also completely misused, as it's not just put on to mask the vocals for artistic effect like WhoKilledXIX. No, the distortion is put on the masters, and ostensibly turned up as high as humanly possible. It's so lazy I wonder if ElyOtto even likes making music anymore, or just doesn't care about what he puts out on streaming services.

Now for some nicer words: ElyOtto, if you ever read this, I'm so sorry you blew up on TikTok so early on. Had your music not gone viral while you were still young and making it, you might've had the space needed to grow as an artist and not feel pigeonholed to a certain sound. You were a budding young artist, and viral fame is corrosive to even the most well adjusted adults. If you are, in fact, not enjoying the music you're making, or the music making process, please take a break! I've made some horrible music myself and took a break because of it, and that desire and ability to create came back. I hope you do what's best for you, and if you take any piece of criticism from this review I earnestly hope it's this final bit of advice.

Highlights:  N/A

½ (Horrible)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Track Reviews (Aug 22 -> 29)

Best

Armand Hammer, billy woods, E L U C I D, JPEGMAFIA - Woke Up and Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die

As somebody who enjoys JPEGMAFIA's production immensely this song is an absolute treat. JPEGMAFIA handles production while E L U C I D and billy woods take the center stage with lyrics and delivery.

The highlight here is billy woods' verse, which has some clever wordplay involving steak and raw meat and some equally inventive rhyme-schemes (e.g. "brain fog" and "chainsaw"). However, billy's verse is as descriptive and immersive as it is technically advanced (reminiscent of his work on Maps earlier this year), and this alone sets him apart from other rappers who only focus on technical ability. Good shit.

Meh

Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE - Sentry

Earl Sweatshirt comes back with a pretty standard song aping the minimalist charm of Some Rap Songs and Feet of Clay. The Alchemist beat contains a stripped down, repetitive loop not dissimilar to that on Shattered Dreams, but Earl's pen game leaves a lot of room for improvement.

I say this as a fervent Earl Sweatshirt defender, who loved every album and EP up through Feet of Clay, but his underwhelming return with SICK! left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe I began noticing the cracks in his facade, as his esoteric style of rapping and the symbolism in his lyrics started to feel more lazy than despondent and reflective.

MIKE's verse felt more substantive upon the first few listens, but between the two rappers there are very few quotables or memorable moments on this cut. The full project has been released as an NFT, which also isn't the best look in 2023. Still I'll save my judgement until I hear the project in its entirety.

Jake the Underdog, Glitch Gum - FRIEND REQUEST

Glitch Gum's style of hyperpop infused pop punk is beginning to sound less novel and cutting edge and more like a rehash of 2000s pop punk. This song would fit snugly on an early Wonder Years record, as the synth lead and power chord guitar riffs are as saccharine as anything you'd hear off of Get Stoked on It!

If Glitch Gum wants to work within the confines of the genre that's not a bad idea on paper, I absolutely adore the Get Up Kids and Motion City Soundtrack and they have somewhat similar styles. The distinction for me is that Justin Pierre and Matt Pryor are much better lyricists. The nasal vocal affectation used and the cheeky lyrics consisting solely of video game references do absolutely nothing for me on this song. Maybe it'll do more for you.

Worst

N/A

[thegothicarchitecture]

Track Reviews (Aug 14 -> 21)

Best

undescores - Old money bitch

The narrative on this song really beats out any competition. The nuanced portrayal of an obscenely privileged little princess who wants punk cred, one who shoplifts and dyes her own hair to fit in. I love that this titular "Old Money Bitch" is not an effigy to privilege, but rather a somewhat layered character who feels overshadowed by their parents accomplishments while perpetually unable to escape and live a normal life. Her frivolous and misguided attempts to fit in make her stand out more as an untouchable little shit, and the ambiguity about underscores relationship to the character (as a purely fictional character study, somebody they knew irl or a self insert) in a World that wants to tear down "industry plants" makes the song's dance with danger one worth exploring across numerous listens.

awakebutstillinbed - airport

Admittedly, the mix on this song isn't perfect. However, I have to recognize the amazing songwriting and lyrics. This song is raw as hell, and Shannon Taylor can still scream like a banshee murdering her fears. The lyrics at the end about not recognizing yourself hit me hard, maybe I can relate more to them than I'd like to admit. Overall, this heart wrenching little song was one of my favorites this week, and I'm eagerly awaiting this new album!

Meh

The Menzingers - Hope is a Dangerous Little Thing

The Menzingers have a tendency to sound a bit constipated on their more anthemic tracks (looking at you "America (You're Freaking Me Out)"), but the band also tends to shine when writing simpler songs. The concept on this track is broad but very relatable, and it's not hampered by some generic-as-Muse political gesturing. Hope is a dangerous thing indeed.

blackwinterwells, FloodDubs - Glass Cannon

This newest song from blackwinterwells sounds pretty dry and faceless, as if to be buried in a playlist with thousands of similar songs. I guess I'm not surprised the sound and structure of 2012 dubstep is coming back in 2023, I just wish blackwinterwells incorporated this signature sound with their own (and didn't eschew personality).

Eyedress, Mac DeMarco - The Dark Prince

Zzzz....

Worst

The Streets - Too Much Yayo

It's been diminishing returns for the Streets since Original Pirate Material, but this is a new low. The farty synth and drill 808s make for a strange instrumental, and the horrible singing makes this a worst song of the year contender for me. Mike Skinner, lay off the yayo.

[thegothicarchitecture]

SCARING THE HOES - JPEGMAFIA, Danny Brown

Mom, come pick me up I’m scared :(

Danny Brown and JPEGMAFIA have been discussing a collaborative project in the works for a while now.  Now that an album has finally been released and is available on streaming services, and I have listened to both the album and the rapturous praise it has garnered from some critics as of writing, I am left with very mixed feelings on the project we actually got.

I think I should start with the concept of a collaborative debut from these two particular rappers.

Was this a misguided attempt? JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown have largely disparate styles, and while many of the beats on this tape are stellar the chemistry between the two rappers is so lackluster it pulls away from my enjoyment of the record significantly.

On the topic of the mix, rarely do I listen to an album where the leveling between tracks is so consistently inconsistent. Song for song the vocals are leveled somewhere from way too low to just barely audible, only on occasion being mixed high enough to make out what’s being said.

The times where the vocals are mixed better still frustrates me in the context of the record. Why couldn’t every song be mixed properly? The fact that I had to listen to the album multiple times and then read through genius to decipher 90% of the lyrics makes me wonder how anyone can argue this is a good mix for a collaborative rap album, how anyone who cares about rap can defend a mix where most of the vocals are mixed as loud as the quietest impulses in the percussion. Or lower!

I could keep harping on the horrible mix to no end, but I would have to stop myself for the sake of time. I’ll just conclude this point that the mix hides what should have been a string of bombastic and fun performances by Danny and JPEG alike.

The opener Lean Beef Patty needs seasoning.  I was considering putting out a track review when this was released as the first single of the project, but I wanted to wait until I heard it in the full context of the album.  Overall, JPEGMAFIA relies again on very “edgy” yet not the slightest bit controversial humor, lines like “fuck yall **** I feel like Papa John” should have been left on the cutting room floor even when they were still relevant. Danny’s verse, while better, seems like a nonsequitur about drug and alcohol abuse when compared to JPEGMAFIA’s more vaguely political verse before.

Steppa Pig picks up the pace with a beat that is more interesting and with better performances from both JPEG and Danny. The title track after may be the album’s opus, a song that is a funny commentary on making weird, commercially unappealing music with layered sax squeals and clapping before the percussion drops in. Stylistically I think the album shines when the weird elements in the production are more sparse and spread far in between so the vocals get some elbowroom, which happens to be exemplified well here.

Other songs like Garbage Pale Kids and Where Ya Get Ya Coke From? have phenomenal beats behind them but the clashing with the vocals in the mix cannot be overstated.

I usually don’t like to pull other critics into the conversation, but I’ve now watched Crash Thompson and Brad Taste in Music (reviewers who I like and respect) give this album very high scores while endlessly criticizing various aspects of the songs or the skill level between the two rappers.  I wonder if this is a case of the Emperor’s new clothes, where no one wants to be the first to criticize one of music’s biggest tastemaker’s holy cows.

The best defense of the album I heard was Shawn Cee’s description of the beats as making you want to eat your vegetables, which describes the production well but not the final product.  If the lyrics, vocal mixing or chemistry between JPEGMAFIA and Danny does not factor into the equation, this should’ve been released as a beat tape. I think then it would’ve turned out less artistically and conceptually scattered.

Highlights:  SCARING THE HOES, Garbage Pale Kids, HOE (Heaven on Earth)

✮ ✮ (Okay)

[thegothicarchitecture]

10,000 gecs - 100 gecs

10,000 gecs isn’t a perfect album, but it may be the ideal summer record.

That may be a strange declarative statement to start on, after all I’m reviewing the newest batch of tunes by snickering Hyperpop hooligans Lauren Les and Dylan Brady, who seem to not care at all what you think about them (or care deeply that you don’t think that they care what you think of them). 

But this album feels like Summer, or it at least sounds sunny. For as manic and colorful as hyperpop music has sounded for its first few years of existence, sonically a hyperpop album has never sounded this sunny.  Compare this with Brakence’s moody and self obsessed Hypochondriac last year, which seems to brilliantly evoke Autumn, or WhoKilledXIX’s misanthropic and boastful 19.  Even Food House’s debut, as much as I love love LOVE the production on that album, sounds like colorful and happy music you’d blast at in indoor rave in a cold, dystopian hellscape. The same way 90s techno was an escape for the queer clubbing scene from the masses but applied in a post Covid, terminally online world, Food House captures the storm before the calm.

The new attitude on 100 gecs latest release is just screaming “we don’t care.” The infusions of ska, hip hop, nu metal and bedroom pop are balmy and refreshing, and never feel pigeonholed by the hyperpop genre label floating over the duo’s head(s) since 2019.

In fact, this album branches far away from hyperpop at times.  I Got My Tooth Removed is a straight up ska song, no punches pulled and no apologies made.  The humor comes from the song itself, a funny melodramatic ballad about losing a tooth like a lover with all emotion snapped out of it under the weight of a heavy handed, ska laden chorus.

The Most Wanted Person in the United States is another hilarious song, Laura Les doing her best Kreayshawn impression with a bright and choppy rap verse.  The instrumental uses a glut of sound effects in a manner reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s Logan Rock Witch, utilizing a walky talky sound and a sample from “Insane in the Membrane” in lieu of the sounds of toys.  But also what might be the sounds of toys. It’s pretty crazy.  

The punches don’t stop coming for the fans of the original hyperpop “gecs,” as 757 might be one of the bands punchiest songs to date. I heard a leak of this song from concert footage, and got to see the band play this song at Outside Lands last year, but to my surprise the vocals sound even wetter and more reverb boosted on the album.  This might be one of my few nitpicks, but some of the EQ-ing choices make the vocals sound washed out (even for 100 gec standards) and contrasts with cleaner vocals at various points in the album. However, this doesn’t ruin what is, at the core, one of my favorite 100 gecs tracks from a song and lyric writing standpoint.  

The only song I didn’t really fall head over heels for was Billy Knows Jamie, which doesn’t seem to know how to get out of first gear.  The loud breakdown truncating the song at the end is interesting, but doesn’t seem to build off of anything preceding it and makes the song feel incomplete and a bit underdeveloped.  As a whole the song is still a cool Limp Bizkit pastiche, just doesn’t meet the high bar the group has set for themselves. 

Overall, if your looking to get into 100 gecs without the proper background this album is a great introduction. In fact it might be a better introduction than their last studio record, as there’s no obvious filler like I Need Help Immediately or gecgecgec to pad out the runtime.  This album is a lean 27 minutes to be blasted by the brave, fun loving and adventurous.  All killer, no filler.

Highlights:  Dumbest Girl Alive, 757, Hollywood Baby, Most Wanted Person in the United States, I Got My Tooth Removed

✮ ✮ ✮ ½ (Excellent)

[thegothicarchitecture]

4 Star Albums from the 2010s

Violent Soho - Hungry Ghost [2013]

The Hotelier - Home, Like Noplace Is There [2014]

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly [2015]

Jamie xx - In Colour [2015]

Jeff Rosenstock - WORRY. [2016]

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here.... Thank You 4 Your Service [2016]

Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want [2017]

[thegothicarchitecture]

2019 Album Score Cesspool

January

Say Anything - Oliver Appropriate (✮ ✮ ✮)

Malibu Ken - Malibu Ken (✮ ✮ ✮)

Toro y Moi - Outer Peace (✮ ✮ ✮ ✮)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Albums I didn’t give full reviews (Jan - Oct 2018)

January

Jeff Rosenstock - Post (✮ ✮ ✮ ½)

JPEGMAFIA - Veteran (✮ ✮ ✮)

February

MGMT - Little Dark Age (✮ ✮ ✮ ½)

March

Young Fathers - Cocoa Sugar  (✮ ✮ ✮)

June

Kanye West - Ye (✮ ½)

Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts (✮ ✮ ½)

Death Grips - Year of the Snitch (✮ ✮ ✮ ½)

October

Shek Wes - Mudboy (✮ ✮ ½)

Joji - Ballads1 (✮ ✮ ✮)

Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want (✮ ✮ ✮ ✮)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Kamikaze - Eminem

FREE PRESS GUYS, ONE TIME ONLY! IF YOU WANNA SHOW UP ON EMINEM’S NEXT RECORD JUST @ HIM ON TWITTER

It’s pretty fascinating that Eminem’s new record is called Kamikaze, considering that a Kamikaze pilot tries to cause as much damage as possible by killing himself in the process.   

Namedropping Lil Pump, Vince Staples, Tyler the Creater, R Kelly, Drake, Earl Sweatshirt;  it’s not unintentional that Eminem tries to cover as much ground as possible, but his self awareness is tragically overshadowed by a lack of good songwriting.  The instrumentals are mostly trash, the hooks aren’t any better, and it only feels like Eminem is trying to rap to prove he can cram as many ideas as possible in the album’s runtime.  

Why is he trying to prove this?  In a technical sense, yes, Eminem is a great rapper.  If he wanted to stroke his ego, however, he could read the comments of any music video from his songs pre MMLP2.  People still like him as a rapper, but like with his obsession with bad relationships Eminem always has to seek out the negative.  

While I can rip into this album now, because it is not good, let me start out with the positive.  Obviously, his rapping is not objectionable, and I like how he changes his flow and instrumentals to sort of mock and mime the slower, trap trend that has taken over hip hop.  The opening track “The Ringer” is actually a banger, but the album takes an immediate nosedive from there (like a Kamikaze pilot, A-HA!).  

Almost everything else about this album is terrible.  First (since Marshall is so obsessed with the media’s perception of him as a has-been) lets talk about the subject matter of this record.  While Eminem complains about the “state of hip hop,” he really misses the mark on why he is no longer relevant.  People are so surprised that Eminem has lost it with the release of Revival.  His edge, his creative flow, his relevancy.  But to be honest I didn’t expect Eminem to be as edgy or relevant on that album, even with the Trump freestyle he put out on BET he’s still about as cutting edge as a middle aged white man rocking out at slam poetry night.  

And that’s OKAY!  Artists grow and mature, it’s inevitable and fine, fine, fine.  But he could really stay relevant if he attempted to write better songs, learn from the kids who are actually working there asses off to write good hooks or produce tracks from FL Studios on their laptops and write an album that tries to do something.  But unlike Eminem’s fixation with every problem he doesn’t take accountability for, let me actually focus on the record and not the red herring I could spend hours complaining about.

“Greatest” has a horrible hook, and I had a hard time keeping it on for its runtime.  “Normal” and the Guy series (I guess I could call “Nice Guy” and “Good Guy”) take Eminem’s antagonization of women to r/incel levels.  He doesn’t even sound as angry or compelling as he did on the SSLP or MMLP, but just a defeated and whiney divorcy with nothing better to do but fixate on his hatred of women.  The Paul skits are exciting in the sense that I have two less full length songs to review for this album.  

If I can summarize, this album is not good for a multitude of reasons.  However, if he managed to pull through and just write some catchy or interesting songs, the subject matter would’ve been forgivable.  But when you have a grown man writing horribly clunky songs with no replay value, and you’ve boxed yourself into an artistic corner by insulting all of your potential features, it doesn’t help when you get angry about your waning relevancy.  

½ (Horrible)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Thank You For Today - Death Cab for Cutie

The saddest shortcomings are those committed by individuals with the most potential.   Ben Gibbard sings about a man that has become an absolute nobody in 60 & Punk, and how he has washed away all of his potential by spending his days drinking, going to shows and never maturing at the age of 60.  While the sentiment is effectively conveyed in this brooding, atmospheric closer, it is a shame that Death Cab for Cutie have essentially internalized this message and created a calculated and emotionless album before it that takes few risks at all.

Rather than bask in chaos and self destruction, a lifestyle I would never openly encourage for any band, Death Cab for Cutie have essentially spread themselves out so thin that they barely even fill the shadow of their previous legacy.  

Almost every song is sanitized and forgettable. Lyrics on the songs Autumn Love and Near/Far are almost so basic they could pass as 2018 alternative radio filler.  There are many “ahs” and “woah- oh - ohs,” to fill the filler lyrics with filler between the filler.  Digging through these songs is like finding lint within dust bunnies.

Granted, even though chord progressions are basic, lyrics are basic, and many songs lose my interest as soon as they start, the songwriting on this album is still passible.  Certain songs such as Summer Years and the previously discussed 60 & Punk are actually really great and improve the album as a whole, and are very essential checkpoints for me to regain my energy to tackle the less interesting songs.  But honestly, I haven’t been excited for a Death Cab for Cutie single since 2011′s “You are a Tourist,”  and with the band on a steady decline I am not sure if I’m more complacent or disappointed at this point.

There are mellow albums that are also unique and take artistic risks.  Take for example the Dismemberment Plan’s 2001 album Change.  While a song like Summer Years is reminiscent of that sound, it makes it more unfortunate that this album as a whole sounds so rushed to settle for the mere pace of that album. Without the intriguing songwriting or thoughtful lyrics, Thank You for Today is an example of a talented band selling itself short of its full potential.  

✮ ✮ (Okay)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Willow - Sloppy Jane

From this debut, I can’t stop thinking that Sloppy Jane is the David Lynch of modern post punk.  Granted, I understand that David Lynch has his own competent and impressive discography (it’s definitely worth a look if you haven’t checked it out!), but Sloppy Jane’s new album is almost gratuitously upsetting, psychotic, and hypersexualized that it is equally shocking and competent.  

Full disclosure, this is not something you can just put on in the background, it’s an album that requires your full attention and patience.  I had to take a break from my job to fully focus on the album and follow the loose narrative and sharp stylistic transitions that almost serve as jump scares in an avant garde horror movie.  But the album is definitely worth that patience pound for pound.  King Hazy Lady is a strange and nightmarish opener, fooling the listener with some cooky cutter, car-insurance-commercial style indie pop that serves as juxtaposition for the loud laughter that forces in and out and the full hardcore punk breaks where the singer is moaning “It’s heaven all the time” over pummeling and distorted drums and guitar.  

The reverby guitar and jazzy drums on Mindy transition from the visceral and chaotic opening track to a more lucid and dreamy state.  Folky songs like In the Future It Was Me That Burned it Down and Potassium showcase Sloppy Jane’s artistic ability’s as a solo songwriter and performer, and how her individual contributions are equally tantalizing and upsetting.  Bark Like a God, the only song I could really call “single” material, plays like a surreal and ugly burlesque show with a catchy bass line over growls, drums and tambourine.  King Mitis and Where’s My Wife give me heavy flashbacks to Nirvana’s “Bleach” days.  

Finally, Peroxide Beach serves as the closing narrative epic in the album, even despite its short length as a standalone song.  The lyrics are almost comedically blunt about the fate of a first person character dying in some psychedelic nightmare, as she is suffocated by some warping object in her jaw.  

This debut album by Sloppy Jane plays like a David Lynch film, specifically the uglier sister of Mulholland Drive that is known as Inland Empire. The antithesis of all Hollywood glamour movies, this film follows the career of an increasingly disturbed woman who becomes paranoid and self destructive, associating with the wrong crowd and losing touch with her identity and existence as a complete person.  The rugged femininity and excessive sexuality of the characters as the movie drags along makes the movie almost feel like a live recorded snuff film, or at least a really controversial and upsetting art project.

I try not to give artists too much praise based on initial hype and excitement, but this album remains exciting and engaging throughout its runtime.  Other than a few blemishes where songs dragged on slightly too long or relied too much on the recycling of ideas (see Kitchen Store), I really like this album as a cohesive project and recommend it to fans of hardcore, art punk, and fringe music of all kinds.

✮ ✮ ✮ ½ (Excellent)

[thegothicarchitecture]

TA13OO - Denzel Curry

Every day hip hop is becoming more like rock.  The excess of the rockstar lifestyle, mirrored by rapstars in the bling era, is beginning to wear on rappers who are tired of just rapping about excess.  

Now, especially with a breakout hit single like Clout Cobain, it’s becoming easier to see these parallels between hip hop and punk.  The song seems like a braggadocios track about a car with suicide doors and “bloody” leather seats, but a subsurface, contradicting message is clearly defined in the verses and accompanying music video.  

In reality, the excess in hip hop, the consumption of copious amounts of lean or Xanax and the lavish spending is becoming fatal.  In the Blackest Balloon, Denzel bluntly reminds us that “ain’t shit changed since Lil Peep died.”  It’s a sentiment that is never really embellished upon further in the album, but Denzel’s statement on the issue here is powerful enough to communicate a more sinister side to the luxury and excess that we collectively glorify in hip hop.

Denzel Curry’s TA13OO is (not to anyone’s surprise) an album about taboos. While songs like Cash Maniac, Sumo and Percs break the thematic connection of this 13 track record, these songs still work as great standalone tracks with a less serious collective tone.  Denzel rattles off bars on Super Sayan Superman with a machine gun flow, reminding us of his technical abilities on any give track.  The JPEGMAFIA and JID features are appropriate inclusions on their respective tracks, and all the beats are catchy and well produced.  

While there are no bad songs on this album, my feelings on it as a whole are a bit more lukewarm now compared to when I first heard it.  It is definitely an ambitious project, with some good and even great songs, but I feel as if it is a little under baked musically and conceptually.   Since this album was ambitious conceptually, I was hoping for a little more connection in order to enjoy the songs for what they are.  If this wasn’t constructed as a concept album, I would hope that each standalone track was great in its own right.  Still, this is a really fun and interesting record that just needed a little more time to be fleshed out.

✮ ✮ ✮ (Very Good)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Update (8/7/18) - Reviewing new music, regular posting

Hey y’all

So I just wanted to give a quick update.  First, thanks for helping me reach 50 followers!  I haven’t been on Tumblr for a bit and I was surprised to log on and see that I gained 40+ followers over the past year.  I am glad that you all decided to follow, the help really is appreciated :)

Anyway, I think it’d be interesting if I started posting more regularly and focused on newer music.  There have been a lot of albums that have come out this year and I’d love a chance to cover them while they’re still topical.  Also I’ve been considering covering albums of different genres as to not limit my audience.  Granted I’ll still be posting review on rock, punk, emo and indie albums, but I will also write reviews for hip hop, rap and electronic artists I find interesting.

So yeah, you should anticipate seeing reviews up for the new MGMT and Denzel Curry records.  If you have any suggestions, or you are curious to hear my opinions on certain albums, you can comment or message me.

Til later,

TheGothicArchitecture

[thegothicarchitecture]

Review of Cum Laude! - The Velvet Teen

Cum Laude is an album by the Sonoma County based indie band the Velvet Teen.  If you were familiar with the band’s discography only before 2006, this previous declaration may be a surprise.  For those not familiar with the band, this may not be the best entry point (but it will surely be the most jagged).

Front to back, this album sounds remarkably different than the indie pop tunes of the Velvet Teen’s Plus Minus Equal days and their more ambient indie rock on Out of the Fierce Parade or Elysium.  The vocals are distorted and warped beyond recognition, constantly buzzing in a manner that wears off its novelty after the first song.  While the drumming is impressive throughout, the songwriting as a whole is a bit receptive and lazy, using a more stream of consciousness approach to fill the weaker middle of the record.  

While the album as a whole is lopsided, there are some great standalone tracks on it.  Building a Whale may be one of the bands greatest tracks, with a fluid chorus that pulls back the distorted guitar for a blissful synth melody.  333 is probably the best track in the album’s signature style, with the pounding drums and glitchy keyboard lead that is both catchy on its own as well as supportive in back of the shrieking vocals.  Rhodekill and Gyzmkid are fun tracks in their own right, but they aren’t an impressive enough peak to justify the album’s runtime.

Overall, this album plays like a pot of black coffee.  I love coffee, which in a sense makes this a compliment, but a burnt pot at your local Denny’s isn’t most people’s choice of flavor.  It may be good for a few sips to spruce up the morning, but the more you drink of a crappy roast the more you’ll be craving something else.  Maybe just a better cup of coffee.

✮ ✮ (Okay)

[thegothicarchitecture]

Review of Home Like Noplace is There - Hotelier

It is almost midnight here as I write this. On the first day of 2017. 

Basking in the new year, I went on a jog today and spent some time watching Python tutorials on Youtube.  I hugged my parents and really committed my New Year’s Resolutions to memory.  As each year passes, I try to find more ways to improve myself and reflect on any of my strengths and imperfections. My relationship with music, similarly, relies on this heavy reflection that puts the music in a greater context.

What I mean by this is the reason I like to review albums from the past. Our ability to make first impressions is great, but these impressions are often horrible and unrealistic of the thing we are perceiving. When I first heard the opener An Introduction to the Album I thought it was horribly pretentious and whiny.  I don’t know why, I may have just conditioned myself to think that the emotion behind it was exaggerated or fake when it was introduced to my ears. And with eight more songs and so many other albums to listen to, I kind of brushed this one off without giving it a fair chance.

But goddamn, this album grew on me like a dry sponge in water.  While all of the hype over really overrated projects that tried so hard to be iconic or classic (talkin bout that throwback wannabe 70s bullish, basically every pop album two years ago) totally blended in with the woodwork and never really stood out.  Home Like Noplace There Is, an album I dismissed too early for no obvious reason, is remarkable and in my mind a modern classic.  Among the Wildflowers bends and churns these emotional verses with changing tempos, Your Deep Rest serves as an anthem for the realistic and clumsy feelings that follow after a loved one dies.  At one point Life in Drag sucker punches with a post-hardcore approach with screaming that could have come from Merchant Ships, and the next song Housebroken feels like intelligent alternative rock radio.  The variety throughout this album is truly enticing, and throughout its run every song proves itself. 

I don’t have much more to say, writing without criticism is hard. Happy New Year!

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ (Perfect)