Looking for a good listen? Here's the album review thread.

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

So what ever happened to that whole "Link all reviews in OP" thing?

 

[Yodery]

Another review coming very, very soon.

 

[BlueXenon]

Evanescence - Fallen

I found Evanescence on Youtube a few months ago and then I really liked their songs. My mom used to listen to Evanescence a long time ago, and I remembered their song, Bring Me To Life. I searched it on youtube and found Evanescence's channel, and watched their other videos. After listening to them on youtube for a few weeks, I went on Itunes and bought their album, Fallen, and a few songs from their newest album.

Fallen has two very good songs, My Immortal, and Bring Me to Life. My Immortal is a sad piano and string song with a very catchy chorus. Bring Me to Life is a catchy rock song with electric guitars, a loud drum beat,a stringed instrument and piano in the beginning and end. Even though these songs are very good, they are the only songs I would rate 5/5 from the album.

Fallen has some other good songs worth listening to. These songs are Tourniquet, Imaginary, My Last Breath, and Going Under (this is in random order).

Other decent songs are Hello, and Everybody's Fool.

The song on the album that I never listen to anymore is Whisper. The first 2/3 of the song is very enjoyable, and then the last 1/3 is extremely annoying to listen to.

What I like about the album are the catchy chorus's, the amazing vocals, and the amazing sounding instrumental parts of most songs.

A big problem I have with this album is that the songs sound much better or worse depending on the volume you listen to them in (sounds better in high volume). You can say that this apply's to every song, but for me it doesn't. I am not always able to listen to music on high volume.

Another thing I don't like about Fallen, is that there aren't enough very good songs.

I rate this album 3.5/5 because the things I like about Fallen outweigh what I do not like.

 

[Yodery]

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Rating: 10/10
Genre: Hip-Hop


My friend and I wrote this review a while ago... Time to release it to the Smash forum, I suppose. =/ But yeah, screw the modesty, I ****ing love this album.

So, hey teacher teachers, how do we respond to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? How do we respond to the most bloated, egotistical, fantastical, flat-out amazing release hip-hop has seen in three, five, ten years? Ever? I'm not sure what we're supposed to do, so I've got to get the bogus stuff out of the way first. I've got to take a moment to try and hate. Those vocals on "Dark Fantasy", layered a baker's dozen different ways, they're synthetic. Those verses from Raekwon, KiD CuDi, Rick Ross and Fergie add nothing to the record. "All of the Lights"' percussion is soooooo not hip-hop. Half these songs were supposed to be G.O.O.D. Friday, not album tracks!! Kanye isn't a straight up MC anymore, where's the College Dropout-era charm and humor I was promised? This is practically 808s & Heartbreaks, Pt. 2! Kanye, you did me all the way wrong on that one! All the way!

These are the lines along which a cluster of hip-hop geeks will undoubtedly entrench themselves, debating the merits of each in regards to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I've seen it happen already, and it's not pretty. In the week leading to this album's leak, many internet listeners arrived at disappointment through the revelation they'd heard most of the album - however disjointedly - over the previous months. And as they've listened, those who felt let down already continued to feel so as Kanye sings his way through a good portion of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. They've listened as Kanye gets his kicks from pretending to be the first hip-hop producer since perhaps the RZA who can claim to be a composer, a true studio producer who arranges and directs a song from skeletal idea to full-formed beast. "Power", the lead single, arrives on the album imbued with countless minor additions from mere sonic details to a litany of background histrionics on guitar that play off of Kanye's delivery throughout. As does every song. Where Late Registration found Kanye inviting his friend Jon Brion to impart slices of film scoring to the odds and ends of his tracks, here every song contains an underscore as ambitious as the beats upfront. "Hell of a Life" and "So Appalled" alone carry enough auditory sugar as to make listening to this album on any regular sort of listening device almost a fool's errand.

But we could talk about ear candy all day when an album's production has been billed for $3 million and included studio sessions in Hawaii and Paris during which Kanye required all participants wear formal dress attire. We could talk about the amazing layering of eleven different vocalists atop skittering jungle-like percussion on "All of the Lights" or his perfectly timed mining of Nas' vaults for "Devil in a New Dress". We could talk about the stark loneliness of the piano lead on "Runaway", or its depressed cousin on "Blame Game" looped from Aphex Twin's most fantastic piece, "Avril 14th". We could talk about the glass-shattering bass on "Monster" and "Lost in the World", or the glorious transition from the latter track into a modernized vision of Gil-Scott Heron's "Small Talk at 125th and Lenox" that closes the album. We could talk about the excruciatingly precise delivery that fuels Jay-Z, Cy-Hi, Pusha T and Kanye himself through the entirety of the record. We could talk all of that. But let's talk concepts instead, because this album doesn't achieve perfection through sonics alone. By classic hip-hop standards, great production and delivery is usually enough, but these days artists seem to think it takes something extra. And Kanye has delivered that something.

Those that viewed the "Runaway" short film might be able to more acutely appreciate what Kanye wants his listeners to experience on this album, but multiple close listens should reveal a lot of the details regardless. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is by and large a cinematic experience, featuring a specific cast of characters with some bit players who deal with a specific set of themes and consequences which build towards an open-ended conclusion about the world Kanye inhabits. Jay-Z represents his future, Rick Ross represents his past and his aspirations, Nicki Minaj represents his desires and impulses, Pusha T represents his cold, cold heart. Satan, raised hands, bright lights, the Magic Hour, loss (both of place and of relationship), and power are recurring themes throughout the record. These are highlighted by symbols both literal (Kanye's ****) and metaphorical (herons in the sky) that further drive home the distinctly Greek tragedy that is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It's the dichotomy of making his most spare, personal statements on the opening of "Runaway" without any vocal masking before repeating the song's lyrics draped in indistinguishably disgusting autotune mumbles, unleashing the embarrassment he should have felt all along. It's the heart-wrenching way he sings without any mechanical aid on "Blame Game", utterly failing to match John Legend's clenched-throat performance and in the process bringing this reviewer deep into utter despair and sorrow. I have cried not once but twice to that song.

See, there are few more human albums in hip-hop than My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In a genre fueled largely by ghetto fantasies and corner bravado, it has often been hard for artists to balance their true feelings with the expectations placed on them by the genre's listeners. As such, it's no surprise that Jay-Z is the genre's biggest MC, or that the ramshackle pseudo-lyricism of modern day Lil' Wayne is marked as the one truly dependable commodity in the pop marketplace. As a culture, especially as hip-hop has trended more and more as the preeminent pop force, we the 'true heads' find it difficult to let go of the old hip-hop ethos. Tight rhymes weaved through intricate poetic devices atop raw, stripped down funk and jazz loops. Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, LL Cool J, Pharoahe Monch. The MC. And there's no room in that narrative for an album like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an album as depraved emotionally as Biggie Smalls on Ready to Die or Eminem on The Marshall Mathers LP with all the pop bombast of Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 or Kanye's own Graduation and the trainwreck that was 808s & Heartbreaks. In a genre whose diehard fans often feel castigated within a pop marketplace, told to know their place and accept things can never be as they once were, it should be markedly easy to make plenty of excuses why Late Registration or The College Dropout were better efforts from Kanye. Those albums are just so much safer and typical, with various songs for various types of hip-hop fans.

But this one? This Fantasy? This is Kanye's A Piece of Strange, a front-to-back narrative of disappointment and cultural excess that captures the raw essence of its creator like only the greatest of albums can. We open with Kanye cruising lonelily in his Murcielago, explaining how he's often fantasized about the day he could create the work of his dreams. We follow Kanye on his rise to the top of Mount Olympus, his recently-revealed mandingo prepared to put any and all ***** in a sarcophagus, bruise any and all esophagi. He quickly becomes sick with the nature of his fantasy, however, reminiscing on his simpler days before hunching solemnly over a simple 4-note piano progression, the lonely musician and his instrument. And despite all this pain, resembling ballet's appreciation for the most excruciating of human dance, Kanye responds to Swizz' remark that "this **** is ****in' ridiculous" with an "I love it, though" to open "Devil in a New Dress". He lets us in on his relationship woes on "Runaway", flips out over them on "Hell of a Life" until his club hoochies start leeching him for more than he's willing to indulge. At this point he completely breaks down, stressing whether the sex was ever worth it before sending a torrent of swirling, distorted vocal all around the room (seriously, invest in a sound system) in pure fury, referencing "All of the Lights" and a woman who buys coke with Kanye's money, quoting a Chloe Mitchell poem and then dropping all conceits, singing hopelessly into the microphone in Kanye's crowning achievement as a vocalist. He laments, "I can't love you this much" and, just as the listener begins to feel as awful for Kanye as possible...he gets a butt dial from the woman he's been in shambles over, and listens closely as Chris Rock delivers a darkly hilarious rendition of the conversation Kanye overhears.

And as "Lost in the World" storms out of all this dreariness with a thunderous, plodding house bass and Kanye taking Bon Iver in every which direction as the song exudes nothing but triumph, I come to a realization. While these songs are certainly able to be heard as a hip-hop album typically is, single after single... it does no justice to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Because this is Kanye's fictional biography of his relationship with hip-hop and American consumerism, it is his excising of personal demons and an extended response to his thoughts post-Taylor Swift. "You're my devil, you're my angel" he spits in music's general direction, stumbling into the African breakdown of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" while again begging anyone who will listen to run away from him as he stands triumphantly in the middle of multiple layers of Bon Iver, the beat to "Power" slowly circumferencing the original beat until the end of Gil-Scott Heron's "Small Talk on 125 and Lenox" begins to come on over the loud speaker, asking over and over "Who will survive in America?" Is it true artists like Kanye, those living "as we do, upside down ... hosed down daily, with a gag of perfume"? Or is it the "bubbling, bubbling, bubbling" in the mother country's crotch? The oppression of colonization and mainstream groupthink? Kanye, despite his indomitable ego, does not take the opportunity to provide us with answers. When left on repeat, "Dark Fantasy" will open with Nicki Minaj's fairytale introduction, and astute listeners will notice the melody of "Lost in the World" mumbling hopelessly underneath. Thus, an ouroboros is born, and like the serpent Kanye arrives before us again, in a perpetual state of rebirth and self-destruction.

The original cover art for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy depicted a demonic Kanye West splayed across his sofa, ridden cowgirl by a beautiful phoenix. The phoenix, like the ouroboros, represents perpetual rebirth and intense, pre-ego power and fury. These two animals are the symbols which nurture all that Kanye put into My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and one can't help but think that Kanye must be very proud of himself for creating not only an ambitious album, but mastering it. Owning it as though the album didn't require the excruciating amount of effort to create it that it undoubtedly did. But it is the heart, soul and humanity of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that ultimately marks it as the defining pop moment of 2010. We surely ain't never heard a hip-hop album like this before, sonically or thematically. Kanye posited on 2004's College Dropout, "I got a problem with spending before I get it/We all self-conscious, I'm just the first to admit it." Six years later, Kanye is undoubtedly the most openly self-aware MC. And the music world should be grateful to have him. I know I am.

 

[Yodery]

why the **** aint no one posting in this thread i mean goddamn

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

I might get something done. It's going to be hard, considering how busy I am right now.

 

[Luigitoilet]

i'm more of a songs guy than an album guy. my attention span comes and goes. it wuold be nice to see more people post in here though. by more people i mostly mean Illmatic because i don't really feel like reading yet another OK Computer essay or radio-rock music review in lieu of discovering something new.

still though, might give another whirl. just got to think of an album i feel like listening to all the way through right now

ah, i got it!

Blank Banshee - BLANK BANSHEE 0

What starts out deceptively as a pleasant, if not exactly groundbreaking chillwave album gradually starts to reveal itself as something else. The spastic rhythms of glitch electro, the chopped n screwed vocals of hip hop and the whimsical and dreamy synthlines of new wave and chillwave music coalesce into something new. Blank Banshee is part of a burgeoning "subgenre" that people are calling "vaporwave". The aesthetic of the music and art calls back to early 2000s video-games, with Dreamcast soundchips and awkward 3D jpeg models. It emphasizes the unnatural and in doing so the emotional affect is intensely offputting while also being strangely touching.

I stumbled across this album a few months ago and it almost immediately found a spot in my top ten of the year.

highlights

"Dreamcast" http://blankbanshee.bandcamp.com/track/dreamcast

"Wavestep" http://blankbanshee.bandcamp.com/track/wavestep

"Teen Pregnancy" (my personal fav) http://blankbanshee.bandcamp.com/track/teen-pregnancy

other "vaporwave" artists to check out,

Mcintosh Plus
Internet Club
[Information Desk]

 

[z00ted]

Wowwww teen pregnancy is pretty sick, definitely gonna get that album. Thanks for the writeup/review!

Here's another review I wrote a while back, hope you guys enjoy it. Talk Talk is one of my most revered bands and I consider this album it's lost offspring. I may do a review for Spirit of Eden (my favorite album) somewhere down the road so this one makes more sense, but we'll see. Everyone should definitely check it out though!

.O.rang - Herd of Instinct

Imagine Talk Talk taking a turn down a fork in the road and it leading them into a path even narrower than the one previously strolled. Along the newly discovered path they confront some sort of obstacle that splits them apart. Pick whatever you want it to be, a sharp crackling fire or some rabid animal. The omen has it's way with a member and injures or perhaps kills him, which inevitably leads to a more dark and raw emotionally influenced group. Talk Talk decides they can't allow their current name to linger on after the loss, resulting on the decision of .O.rang as a replacement. And the switch shines exceptionally well, evicting that type of insanity or distraught that can come with certain moments of loss in life. Yet somehow within the change, they manage to keep the subtle textures and gracious elements of the previous sound that placed a huge stamp for them on the map of music. While Talk Talk was the audible form of discovering faith, .O.rang is the aftermath - a celebration of holding true to that faith despite whatever odds you are up against. It sweeps it's listener through lush uncharted terrain that at times may be deemed a bit frightening. However there's a light at the end of their madness, and if you make it through it all you'll certainly find yourself dancing along - content with the experience as a whole.

A different perspective on the sound (that may be a bit more relatable for those who have not heard the album) could showcase the song After the Flood going out on it's own after Laughing Stock's underground success. Finding a wife, building a home in a desolate rainforest, having a few children and then coining them collectively with the title, Herd of Instinct. .O.rang is the soundtrack of these children's lives within their feral/third world environment. As if they're running through various murky puddles of rain during a sunshower, it paints a vivid atmosphere for it's audience. Very full and alive, consuming your mind and forcing you to pay attention to every minute detail. Much more abrasive and abstract than any Talk Talk release - insanely deep and layered to the brim with various voice samples, rain, tribal drum beats, cymbal clashes, thunder, eerie jitters and extremely grooving bass lines. Reminiscent drone that carries something along the lines of what Animal Collective has produced in recent memory but much more sophisticated and traceable. The material feels improvised and then pieced together, showcasing how truly remarkable these two musicians worked off of each other. Unlike Talk Talk's work, the song structures in .O.rang were not planned before being recorded - directly quoting Webb, "it was recorded before it was written."

Herd of Instinct is a special and unnoticed gem that is must for any avid Talk Talk or Mark Hollis follower. Not only does it dig deeper into the minds of two hailed geniuses, but it also keeps things very fresh and creative - proving that Lee Harris and Paul Webb made phenomenal contributions to the work of their previous group and can undoubtedly carry their own weight outside of it.

 

[Yodery]

Gonna write a review for my favorite album ever soon... Stay tuned!

 

[z00ted]

Sounds awesome, what is it?

 

[Yodery]

"The Mollusk", by Ween.

 

[z00ted]

Lol, just found out by stalking your conversation with Dark Horse.

Great album. Was extremely addicted to it around this time last year. Not sure if it would be in my top 200 though. Still suuuuuuper sick, would definitely jam it hard with you if we ever met.

MUTILATED LIPS GIVE A KISS ON THE WRIST

oooooooooooocean man take me by the handddddd

 

[Yodery]

Aye, aye, ayeeee!!!

The blarney stone, brings a tear to me eye~

 

[z00ted]

Somewhere, Spire is smiling.

 

[z00ted]

omg this blank banshee album is soooooo goooood

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

Lol, just found out by stalking your conversation with Dark Horse.

Oh **** now you know about how I was all like "Ayyye Yodery you should totally try this album" and he was all like "Aw hell naw nikkuh" and dropkicked me in the face like that.*


*I might have taken some liberty with this

 

[Yodery]

damn i just realized how much i love have a nice life

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

Note: there will probably be tons of typos that I missed. Also I should probably mention that I love The Mars Volta.

Artist: Ticktockman
Album: Ticktockman
Genre: Hard Rock, Experimental Rock
Verdict: 8.6

A good way to describe ticktockman is to view them as hard rock through The Mars Volta-tinted lens. What I mean is picture The Mars Volta if The Mars Volta had a much larger hard rock influence, more restrain and control on their experimental parts, and didn't have a singer that sounds like he was just kicked in the balls. To most people, that's better than The Mars Volta, and to me, it shows by being on my albums of 2012.

The ambition in this record is fantastic. It sounds fresh, with the band members activley seeking to ad new dimension to their songs. The experimental parts on songs such as "The Architect" and "Exposè of New Orleans" do a great job of adding new texture and originality. Fortunatley, the control on these experimental parts is also incredible. Though there are experimental parts that add dimension, the band makes sure to not draw them out, and make sure that it doesn't degenerate into a self-indulgent mess.

And on top of that, it's also a great, fun record, full of energy. It's the type of record that you can just sit back and jam to, right from the energy-packed intro of "Archaic Republic."

Unfortunatley, there's also the fact that the hard rock guitar tone doesn't really vary throughout the album, which may cause some of the later hard rock parts to sound unorigional. Overall, however, this is a great debut album, being able to balance between hard rock and experimental rock very well. Well deserving of my prestigious (shut up) rating.

Selected Cuts:
Archaic Republic
Exposè of New Orleans
Dirty Ole Sunset

 

[Yodery]

because i don't really feel like reading yet another ok computer essay

... >____>"

 

[z00ted]

fitter
happier

more productive

 

[cannedbread]

that song ruined ok computer for me tbh
it made the message too obvious for me

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

Sheeit Herd of Instinct is good. Talk Talk is mad legit btw.

 

[z00ted]

yeah, us *****es brew bros love some .o.rang

 

[Luigitoilet]

Ween is one of those bands i really dislike for no good reason. i think spire was too overzealous in trying to get me into them. just kinda want to punch those dudes.

 

[Yodery]

B-but The Mollusk is perfect in every way. ;_;

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

I feel like LT's going to love me for this one. Also, this is all coming from someone who hates mathcore.

Artist: Rolo Tomassi
Album: Hysterics
Genre: Mathcore, Experimental Rock, Electronic, Punk Jazz (Yes, that's a genre)
Rating: 9.2

What a schizophrenic record. Harsh screams quickly give way to soft, delicate clean vocals. Quiet, calm, piano pieces give way to sharp and chaotic mathcore guitars that give way to electronic parts. And yet it all works, coming together to create a demented masterpiece, a record that runs the gamut of emotion. By far, an incredibly fascinating album.

An example song would be "Abraxas." The song starts with a frantic, syncopated part, before quickly transitioning to a fast, syncopated jazz part, with builds that quickly collapse into themselves, all adding tension and passing through a large amount of emotions. The frantic pace is then kept up when it switches to a keyboard lead, before the song slows down in tempo a lot (who doesn't love chiptune breakdowns). In comparison, the keyboard part only speeds up, with the band revolving around it. For the outro, the guitars come in, playing much more relaxed riffs that still fit with the keyboards and the rest of the band, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. All of this happens in under 2:30.

Probably one of my personal favorites from this album is "Nine." This song starts off fast, with the guitars and keyboards working in tandem and fitting together perfectly. 30 seconds in and it transitions to a syncopated, beautiful clean part, with calm vocals that sharply contrast to the screeched vocals of the intro. The sudden heavy/soft switches that follow do a create job at creating conflicting emotions. As it transitions out of an aggressive part, it then transitions to an absolutely beautiful, clean part. This part starts off with just an unaccompanied guitar. However, more and more instruments are added, adding many layers that don't clash at all, only complement each other. Then, when you'd expect a return to a heavy part, the song dissolves into a beautiful unaccompanied piano part that fades out to end the song.

The album ends with the by far the longest track on the album, the 14 minute long "Fantasia." This track starts off slow, starting with a quiet, unaccompanied piano, before the instruments come in. The instruments here do an incredible job of creating atmosphere and tension,. Suddenly, the vocals come in, and the distortion is cranked up, doing a good job of catching the listener off guard. It then transitions to a much softer, unhinged, yet faster part, with clean vocals. The distorted part that follows is full of energy, with synths being used to add dimension to what could have been an uninteresting part. These different parts convey a wide multitude of emotions, from sadness to anger to unease. The song then goes to a long, experimental, atmospheric, electronic bridge, that gives the listener a feeling of unease and wonder. The song ends with a distorted guitar part playing the bridge, which, despite the tone, still evokes a strong feeling of sadness. This odyssey of a song is a phenomenal way to end the record.

Overall, this is an incredible album that presents a wide range of emotions. Though there are many changes per song, these changes are fleshed out and have substance, unlike some other bands, whose changes just come of as self-indulgent. The experimental parts themselves are masterfully executed, and to top it off, the lyrics are phenomenal themselves. Basically, this is a beautiful, schizophrenic, demented masterpiece.

Selected Tracks:
Abraxas
Nine
Fantasia

 

[Yodery]

On second thought, I'll write a review for a different album...

 

[Luigitoilet]

yeeeeesssss Dark Horse yeeeeeessss. I love Hysterics, and Nine is probably still my favorite Rolo Tomassi song. overall, I still gotta say that Cosmology is their strongest album, but it only barely beats out Astraea

@Yodery: it very well could be an amazing album. I'm going to continue to avoid it for stupid reasons I'm sure. Don't you ever have a band or a movie or something that you just don't like, and you don't want to like, even if there's no real reason?

 

[Yodery]

@Yodery: it very well could be an amazing album. I'm going to continue to avoid it for stupid reasons I'm sure. Don't you ever have a band or a movie or something that you just don't like, and you don't want to like, even if there's no real reason?

As hipsterish as it sounds, I HATE Nirvana. The 90s Nirvana that is. GODDDDAAAAMNNNN, I hate Nirvana.

Anyways, my review is comin' soon

 

[Yodery]

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - House Arrest
Genre: Psychedelic Pop
Rating: 10/10


While previously a double album with the band Loverboy back in 2002, Ariel Pink’s "House Arrest" digs itself back up in its lo-fi avant garde singularity. His 8-track, along with other stuff recorded inside of his bedroom, provides the record for its crazy pop brilliance. Like any other Haunted Graffiti series, "House Arrest" is like nothing else, but every song brings back the stonerish 70s. Soundscapes cover the album in unique textures; all the beats are made from his own mouth! The songs vary from strange pop and heart-touching soul to stoner rock and experimental noise rock.

Kaleidoscopic and shaky, the songs waver on the edge of failure, but Mr. Pink balances his melodies and lyrics almost effortlessly, it seems. "House Arrest" opens with the catchy (but psychotic lol) surfer song Hardcore Pops are Fun. The vox, wired tremolo, and radio production will throw anybody in a loop. Interesting Results is the next song, and it's a rather cute and melodious song, which to my surprise was an awesome rock n roll jive. One of "House Arrest"’s best moments shines in West Coast Calamities. Starting with a fast Davey Jones sample, the slow song is twisted with acoustic-pop. Obviously, Ariel's wit shines as he sings about the warmth, politics, and California girls. Every Night I Die at Miyagis is utterly strange in almost every respect. Part disco monster, part sexual punk, the song mimics late 70s-early 80s melodies. My personal favorite track off this record would have to be the romantic, beautiful, rockish ballad of Alisa. There is something raw and nostalgic about the harmonies that I find to be awe-stricken by, to be honest. Not to mention the song has the best Ariel Pink chorus ever—catchy, exotic, intoxicating, and just all-around awesome. Aside from all his zaniness and fun, Mr. Pink's songs sometimes break its cover, becoming emotionally eviscerating, such as the nautical song Oceans of Weep, where the pianos drop a plethora of churchish (for lack of a better term) melody over a happy and sad abyss. The tune is quiet, small and almost haunting. The album closes on a happy-as-hell rhythm, Higher and Higher, wherein Ariel brings out all the stuff we <3 about him: harmonies of amazing octaves, beatboxing that sound like kick drums, and lyrics that are twisted, but never composite.

Ariel has the ability to turn from surf music to quirky reggae to R&B; I just love his instincts. "House Arrest" is all around a cozy album that somehow makes his music seem much more true, raw, and vintage than the everyday CD quality song. Kinda reminds me of My Bloody Valentine's "Loveless". He surely proves that you don't need a lot of stuff going on to make good music, and that less is certainly more. The music also feels nostalgic, for some reason.

Prepare to be sucked into the ****ed up and twisted hole of Mr. Ariel Pink’s mind. As frightening as the ride may be, don't worry. You'll pull yourself together, and very bit will be memorable.

 

[cannedbread]

in utero is pretty good though

 

[z00ted]

i love you guys :" )

 

[Yodery]

Anyone here like The Replacements as much as I do? o:

 

[Luigitoilet]

in utero is pretty good though

In Utero and Incesticide are masterpieces. I don't care how cool it is to not like Kurt and Nirvana but that's what got me really into music seriously. before Nirvana all I listened to was Kid Rock and Eminem

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

Artist: Flying Lotus
Album: Until the Quiet Comes
Genre: Electronic Jazz
Rating: 9.2


Out of all of the albums that I have ever heard, this album is probably the closest to a personification of a dream. Synth lines flow like splashes of paint against a canvas. Fleeting vocal parts evoke the intrinsic part of humanity. Various influences are melded together to create a surreal, ethereal collage, as well as one of my favorite albums of 2012.

This album is kind of like an experience, with fascinating twist and turns. Mellow, bass-driven songs such as "Sultan's Request" give way to angular, bewitched tunes such as "Putty Boy Strut." The african/soul influenced song "See thru to U" give way to off-putting electronic jazz of "Until the Quiet Comes." These songs do a fantastic job of portraying all of the twists and turns that can occur in a dream. Some songs, such as "Until the Colors Come," are rather short, portraying the fleeting, wild imagination of dreams. And possibly one of the best things about this album is the incredible beauty in it. Songs like "hunger" evoke a majesticness that seems to engulf all of the senses. In addition, fly takes a wide variety of influences and melds them all together to create this sonic dreamscape. Take a look at the soul and african influence on "See thru to U." The Jazz influence prominent throughout the entire album. And yet, flylo combines all of these influence to create a wholly organic masterpiece.

This album is incredible. It perfectly encapsulates all of the mysteriousness and wonder of dreams. It is a magnificent album that draws the listener in and keeps them hypnotically hooked. It is an album with splashes and waves of music that create an incredible, ethereal feel. It is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful album. And to top it off, the production is great too. Overall, I consider this a masterpiece, one of the best albums of 2012 by far.

Selected tracks:
Listen to the whole thing. That's really the best way to experience it by a mile.

 

[Luigitoilet]

Don't sleep on Flylo's other stuff like Los Angeles and Cosmogramma. His older stuff is a lttle more frantic and jittery but it's all dope. Anything that man touches is gold.

I actually thought of an album to do a real-effort review on and I'm actually excited about it!

 

[#HBC | Dark Horse]

Cosmogramma was also fantastic. Haven't got around to listening to LA, though

 

[Yodery]

<3 me some adult swim core lol.

 

[Kellz]

Artist: A$AP Rocky
Album: Long Live A$AP
Genre: Hip Hop/Rap
Rating: 7/10

Long Live A$AP opens with a self-titled single that actually sets the mood of Rocky's growth from LiveLoveA$AP (his famed mixtape) to now. He constantly refers to himself as well as A$AP Mob as "Lords" throughout the album- they're now in charge. This track's beat is one of the better ones on the album, and for some reason it gets a little "martial arts"-y vibe with that sound that's played throughout the song, especially with the music video showing two women dueling with those sticks. The lyrics in this track are pretty decent. He's certainly stepped up from LiveLoveA$AP, actually having way more to talk about other than weed and *****es this time (though, there's still plenty of that offered in the album). He's happy that he and A$AP can now "live forever". He's finally famous.

"Goldie" has a fresh beat produced by Hit-Boy with so-so lyrics at best. It's really just a track for swaggots to bump to, and likely that's the reason it's a single. "PMW (All I Really Need)" is very reminiscent of the cloudy beats found on LiveLoveA$AP. Very trippy, but lacking in lyricism again. And the apparence by ScHoolboy Q on this track only makes me want to see him on a different track instead. After all, the song is "P(****)M(oney)W(eed)", what more could Q rap about? Q can do more than that.

"LVL" is another one that's reminiscent of LiveLoveA$AP, but that's mostly because it's apparently produced by Clams Casino who worked on a good percentage of that mixtape. The beat sounds okay at first, but really gets droning quickly. Sometimes I would get so bored with the song I space out and think about other ****, and that's a shame because Rocky is really boasting about his success here. He's rubbing it in the faces of all his enemies. His ego is actually pretty comically huge. "Kneel and kiss the ring, all hail the king", he demands. Rocky truly thinks he is a Lord. The song ends with very eerie Churchy vocals that would have made the beat a lot more interesting had it been played more throughout the song. But instead, it gets its own little moment at the end. Bleh.

"Hell" is more of Rocky going on about his success with a pretty forgettable beat. That just reminds you of the one you just heard, "LVL". When you get to "Pain", the same style beat just gets very annoying. You're dying for something new. The surprisingly delightful appearance by OverDoz isn't enough to save it.

You wanted something new by this time? You got it. "****in' Problems" is the next single featuring Drake, 2 Chainz, and Kendrick Lamar. It really shows how far A$AP Rocky has come with mainstream names like that lending a hand on the album. Rocky, Drake and Kendrick have one topic here, bad *****es. But they do it so well and fun you start to not care. What's annoying though is the chorus done by 2 Chainz. And it certainly sounds like it was done by him.

I love bad *****es, that's my ****in problem
And yeah I like to ****, I got a ****in problem [x3]

"Wild For The Night" catches a lot of peoples eyes, as it features the Dubstep artist, Skrillex. This song is half fantastic and half horrible. The first forty seconds is Rocky's "trademarked" (I only say trademarked because he uses it way more often than any other artist I know) low pitched edited voice over a very dull joke of a beat rapping about basically nothing. Then suddenly Skrillex blasts from nowhere, and suddenly the song is a kickass rave tune. Immediately after the first chorus though, it goes back to the low voice coupled this time with a quiet, tame version of the techno/Dub beat we heard Skrillex produce. It kills the mood instantly. It eventually builds back into the normal pace, but I ask, if you want this song playing at clubs or raves, why the **** would you start out with that deep droning voice, and then go BACK to it after we actually get a taste of the awesome bit? It's really disappointing actually. It makes me wish the whole track was like that.

"1 Train" is a pretty epic collab of big names, even promoting the rising stars in the game. We got Kendrick Lamar returning to lend a verse, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, and Big K.R.I.T. This actually reminds me of a BET Cypher. Each artist gives a great verse with no chorus to interrupt the bars. Wonderful song for the album, and it sounds like it uses a sample from an old movie score or something.

"Fashion Killa" is another great track to go back to solo A$AP Rocky to. The beat is surprising, it actually gets a feminine and pretty vibe to it. As some fans know, Rocky loves fashion. Here, it seems he found the perfect fashionable girl for him. He references many brand names in the track. It's a happy song overall- and very memorable.

"Phoenix" really shows his lyrical ability. I'm not even saying anything here. If you want to say Rocky can't rap, listen to this.

"Suddenly". You can get what this is about instantly: the difference in then/now in Rocky's life. The thing is, he does it better than ever here, and it's a really eerie song, using a 40's-style female vocal sample that pops in pretty often. Rocky is thanking God in the track for all the fortune in his life, and he says he's quite comfortable and happy, yet the beat is so damn creepy, at least it comes off that way to me. It's very unique in it's own way I guess.

Wanna talk about creepy? "Jodye" is just straight up EVIL. The beat is a demonic production, and the drums when wearing headphones are near deafening. Rocky's lyrics are once again great. It begins with a Spaceghostpurrp diss, rubbing in it that A$AP Mob rose to heights that his crew could only dream of getting to. Rocky makes a point that he rides for his *****s, and dies for his *****s in the chorus. Him and his crew are a fam. He talks of the murder of his enemies and flipping their damn caskets off. Now that's just cold. Toward the end, Rocky goes back to the "Lord" thing.

Substance get me higher, reefer and some fire
The devil is a liar, biased preachers shall retire
Jesus walked on water, I'm preachin' to the choir
Long live A$AP, now bow to your Messiah

Wow, an A$AP Mob member! A$AP Ferg makes an appearance in "Ghetto Symphony". I figured not many A$AP Mob members were on this album to avoid alienating the mainstream crowd with crew members that'd come off like he's pushing it on the buyer. Besides, we heard enough of them in "Lord$ Never Worry". Anyway, with such an epic name and a matching stringy sample for the beat, the lyrics are pretty so-so. Seems like another track to fill the album and nothing special, to be blunt.

"Angels" uses a unique phone dial sound beat, it's actually very pretty sounding. That's it really.


---
There's another track yet to be released if I remember correctly. But anyway, there. The beats this time around are indeed weaker. LiveLoveA$AP was kept alive by the masterful production work on it, let's not even lie. The cloudy beats are very few in Long Live A$AP, but many others can live on their own without being so trippy. Rocky ups his lyrical game on some tracks, and on others is seems just doesn't even try.

It's an okay album, worth the money in my opinion (when it actually is released). Rocky and his odd southern vocabulary did it again to me.

Now excuse me, I need to ****ing sleep.

 

[Yodery]

>tfw u b dat prit-e mofuqquh