Category: Music

When asked to describe himself as an artist, Ed Sheeran proudly admitted to being an “acoustic balladeer who sings soppy love songs to teenage girls”. Yet in the same interview with The Telegraph, he also proclaims that he “doesn’t make music for critics”. These two statements seem to conflict with each other, and the latter seems to be an attempt to justify his artistic credibility for writing the teeny bopper love songs he’s know for. Yet, with the English singer-songwriter’s sophomore release, x, he is able to achieve the best of both worlds.

To recap, it’s been three years since his breakout debut album, +. The artfully minimalistic pop album eventually hit the top of the charts worldwide, spawning hits such as “Lego House”, and the Grammy-nominated “The A Team”. He spent this time touring America and the world both as an opening act to huge artists such as Taylor Swift and headlining a tour of major venues. He also casually penned a few hits for Ms. Swift and One Direction. Far from a lucky streak, this new album continues the trend of success.

The album’s lead single, “Sing” is an infectiously groove that clearly takes its influence from 70’s funk and disco groups (the Nile Rogers influence is strong in this one). It’s immediately obvious that this is the production work of Pharrell, the king of musical throwback Thursdays. This is the fourth major hit that Mr. Williams has been involved in within the past year, and it features all the characteristics of his work: groovy rhythm work, insanely catchy vocal hooks, and ultra-tight harmonies. As always, it’s a perfect execution of reviving musical stylings that have been relatively dead within mainstream pop for decades now.

Throughout the rest of the album, Sheeran proves that he has a wide variety of influences, giving reminders of past artists while staying original to himself. There’s the bluesy “Thinking Out Loud”, sounding like a cut tossed from a John Mayer album, soulful guitar solo included. “Runaway” takes it’s influences from N’ Sync and the Backstreet Boys, yet “Don’t” is reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys. “The Man” sees him rapping about road life a la Eminem, and pulling it off surprisingly well. And I can’t put my finger exactly on why, but the brooding “Nina” seems to call out to Toto.

It’s almost an insult to just refer to Sheeran as a singer-songwriter, because he’s a fairly impressive guitarist in his own right. As with his previous album most of the instruments on the album were played either by Sheeran himself, or producer Jake Gosling. “Tenerife Sea” and “Bloodstream” both feature some fancy fretwork; nothing overly complicated, yet still impressive by pop’s standards. Of course, he is really able to show off in live performances, creating lush backing tracks using just his voice, his guitar, and a looping pedal (check out the live version of “Don’t”, which completely blows away the studio version that was amazing in it’s own right).

Of course, there are quite a few overdubs on the album, however these are kept in check to create a vibrant yet minimalistic soundscape. This is clearly the touch of Rick Rubin, the third major producer involved in the album. It’s a smart move that helps the album stand out from the field of overproduced electronic-pop that is dominating the charts nowadays.

Arguably the most important part of a pop song is the lyrics; they mainly just need to be catchy, no real meaning needed. While x’s lyrics are far from deep philosophical meanderings, they are able to comment on relationships and sex without being overly cheesy, sappy, or clichéd.

The one major flaw of this album is that the performances are a tad cold and too perfect. I wasn’t able to detect any notable auto-tune on Ed’s voice, which is a good thing. And while the main instrumentation on show are acoustic guitars, pianos, and vocals, the performances are polished slick (including an annoyingly over-compressed piano on “Nina”). A bit more edge and slight imperfections would really amplify the more dramatic moments in the music.

Yet despite this, Ed Sheeran has made an album that exceeded expectations for him. Coming off of a successful first album, he lived up to the hype and delivered a solid pop album that should stand up on its own for many years to come. The minimalistic yet varied production marries perfectly simplistic and meaningful lyrics to create a memorable collection of songs that is well worth a listen.

There was one thing on my mind when I first listened through Sam Smith’s debut album “In the Lonely Hour” and that was Adele. He has been on my radar since I discovered him through Disclosure’s single “Latch.” There’s no denying that he has a phenomenal and unique voice that should be capitalized on. His contributions to “Latch ” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La” are invaluable, but I think that they are put to best use in this album. However, my biggest issues with the album are rooted in the music itself.

“Money on My Mind” is such a strong start to the album and probably one of the best of the album. It’s reminiscent of a song off of Disclosure’s Settle. It treads along the line of a new string of artists condemning the luxurious lifestyle that has swept the industry. The neat production by Two Inch Punch and Smith’s punchy vocals make for a compelling song about denouncing the entire music industry structure from writing for taste or being a puppet to the industry. I think it’s Smith’s defining song on the album and of him as an artist. However, the rest of the album doesn’t hold up to its fantastic opening.

I understand the compulsion to have a cohesive theme on an album. Adele did it with 21 and its theme of scorned love and Arcade Fire had The Suburbs’ theme of regret and wasted youth, but Sam Smith decides to go with the hopeless yearning and complaints of unrequited love. It’s a theme that makes for some powerful songs that purge the emotion of a man who is almost frustrated with what his love life has become. The album could have quickly fell to something insincere matching what he was just condemning in “Money on My Mind”, but instead it takes a genuine approach through soulful R&B tunes like “Stay With Me” and “Good Thing.”

Where my praise turns to some criticism is that there is a monotony in the tone of the album. After the fourth song you realize that it’s just going to be one serving of desperate yearning delivered in easy to take tablets of pop and soul. However, this is where my Adele comparison comes in. Sam Smith drives the album as a vocalist. Instead of going for the strong belt and screaming that is meant to cram insincere emotion down listeners’ throats, he displays restraint and raw emotion that made Adele such a sensation. Right now, what he lacks are the same thematically homogenous tunes, but differing delivery. It is a safe debut album, but I think Smith has the talent to mature as a song writer and deliver something truly remarkable.

To succinctly review Curtis Harding’s debut solo album would be to simply reiterate the album title. This album truly is Soul Power. This album uses its long arms to reach out to influences such as soul, gospel, blues, Motown, garage rock and even a smidge of disco/funk. Curtis Harding has appeared in the past as a background singer for Cee Lo Green and in the band Night Sun, a collaboration with Black Lips rhythm guitarist, Cole Alexander. In fact, you’ll notice that the song, “I Don’t Wanna Go Home” appears on both this album and the new Black Lips album. They wrote it together, and it is one fine song.

Sonically, this album hits the sweet spot of fidelity. It’s not too lo and no too hi. Hipster Goldilocks would be pleased. Mr. Harding displays a powerful seasoned voice. You can hear the experience in his vocal chords. He’s obviously been doing this for a while. The guitar work is self-aware that the main attraction here is the vocals. The rhythm section is comfortably solid. The drums sound amazing, in fact. The ride cymbal on “Freedom” takes me back to the dry martinis in jazz bars I never actually had. The bass is great as well, keeping in the pocket and tossing in fills whenever it so feels it to be appropriate. Horns and keys also make their appearance to add to an overall thickness to the sound and make you really feel the message urtis Harding is trying to convey to you. Actions speak louder than words, and music speaks even louder than that.

This is not really a genre I dive into often, so I wouldn’t be reviewing this is I didn’t find it to be spectacular. I really enjoy this man’s voice, but more so his songwriting. Every song is a breath of fresh air without being all over the place or inconsistent. The first track, “Next Time,” is reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival, which really brings you in for the ride to come. You really feel motivated to listen to the whole album, and the songs you decide are the best are a matter of personal taste. I personally enjoy “Surf” and the first single from the album “Keep on Shining.” Honestly, if you’re looking for really accessible soul/gospel rock, this is your golden ticket.

Soul Power is best enjoyed on your feet, because groovin’ on ya rump just ain’t as fun.

A lot of bands claim to be “rock and roll” these days, to the point where the phrase is being watered down to simply anyone who picks up the standard rock instrument faire. This being said, The Orwells play rock and roll. They aren’t doing anything groundbreaking or crazy here. Garage rock has been revived plenty of times by now. However, that doesn’t make this album any less enjoyable to listen to. What we have here is a really solid album, albeit not very risk taking.

I’ve seen The Orwells twice in the past few years. First, when they were just a few high schoolers from Chicago opening for FIDLAR. Since then they’ve been on Letterman, Jools Holland, heck I even saw this very album being advertised on YouTube yesterday. Their live act is where they thrive most, driven by a tall pale frontman who shares a namesake with New York’s 52^nd governor and dons long wavy blonde locks that will make your girlfriend jealous. The lead singer channels classic frontmen such as Iggy Pop as he romps his way through the stage and into the crowd. The Orwells have garnered a reputation for causing a bit of ruckus wherever they go and on TV performances. This is (at least, from me) highly welcome. They’re kids. They want to act like rock stars. I fully condone their debauchery.

You’ll mostly find yourself focusing on the guitar and vocals through this album. They’re both equally reverberated and dirty and blend into each nicely. You have gritty growling guitars coming at you, just as you’d expect from a garage rock band. The vocals are very strong on this album. Lead singer, Mario Cuomo, spits out vocals with an uncaring attitude on verses and shows his true power belting out choruses. The rhythm section is bare bones. The drums and bass keep their place silently nested in the back of most songs, holding tempo and the sound together. No one here is really amazing at their instruments, but they play in a genre where virtuosity isn’t demanded. As mentioned before, they aren’t really taking risks here, but it’s still some damn fine punk rock and roll.

Song themes basically cover booze, babes, and detachment from a supposed meaningless world. They just got out of high school, so this album really appeals to one’s inner teenager. The album title, a play on words from the famed Elvis Estate and the album art, a simple suburban home, broadcasts their message quite obviously. One needs to realize that these guys are 20ish years old and they’re just going to “let it burn.” This band has the benefit of starting early. This is their second release after 2012’s “Remember When.” The Orwells still have plenty of time to grow, mature and work on their songwriting and instrumentation. They’re becoming more solid by the day, so keep your eyes on these Chi-Town rockers. I recommend wrapping your ears around “Dirty Sheets” and “Who Needs You,” two standout tracks on the album.

Disgraceland is best enjoyed on a skateboard, provided you can fit those ear buds through your long, greasy hair.

I really, really didn’t want to dislike this album… When I heard that there was gonna be a follow-up to Blunderbuss, I was excited for more of the same, or at least a little more experimentation that could push forward the evolution of the Jack White sound. What I got was really… false advertising. When the first snippet of the title track came out it sounded PUNCHY, it came out with a bang. Distortion, grinding guitars, Jack’s signature vocals and his hilarious take on singing Spanish lyrics and the violins, OH MY THE VIOLINS. I was excited, I was ready for a weirdly delayed “Freedom at 21”, and a grindy “Sixteen Saltines”, and a soulful “Love Interruption”. And instead of that we get five or six songs straight of nothing but Jack’s attempt at country-rock.

I have a picture I took on my phone of Mac Demarco wearing a bra on his head. A girl threw it on stage when I saw him perform in Philadelphia. He simply smiled and put it on his head, where it stayed for the next two songs. There is a shocking disparity between Mac Demarco’s live shows and his studio recordings. Live, he puts on a crazy show filled with energy, silly jokes, a childish sense of adventure, and his signature gap toothed smile. His studio albums, however, are more laid back and relaxing. There’s a documentary of him on YouTube called “Pepperoni Playboy,” a playful but poignant look into who Mac is, and how the magic happens. He records all of his music in his Brooklyn apartment, a neat little setup located under a bunk bed. Demarco knows what he’s doing and he does it well to craft a fine lo-fi sound.

In less than a quarter second into the album the vocals come in. Most albums start with an instrumental intro. Mac just dives right in singing. He’s got something to say, and he isn’t going to wait to tell you or sugarcoat it any bit. In less than ten seconds into the album his falsetto comes out, reminiscent of a jazzy chamber singer. The whole album has a jazzy feel to it, in addition to the overarching lo-fi psych-guitar pop feel. I’ve read a few attempts to try to come up with a genre for Mac Demarco from “Slacker Rock” to “Jizz Jazz.” I’m not particularly one to genre-pick. I recommend you listen for yourself and try to come up with your own kooky genre name.

Mac is no stranger to guitar pop. His jangly guitars are soothing. He employs 7^th chords into his music to compliment his jazzy voice. Mac Demarco is a phenomenal rhythm guitarist but sadly his guitar can get lost in the mix sometimes. The lead guitar lines are the driving force of the music. The drums are simple, but this is a good thing in this scenario. The minimalist drums keep the tone of the music calm. The bass is simple as well, and fits in perfectly. It sounds as if someone were humming along to the tracks. There are also some keys in the mix on a few songs. They sound very Ariel Pink-esque and show that the artist is expanding his songwriting. Mac sings about the refusal of growing up and “rolling through life / to roll over and die.” He also sings about his girlfriend in a few of the songs. After the last song on the album, there a small period of silence, then you hear Mac come on and say “Hi guys. This is Mac. Thank you for joining me. See you again soon. Buh bye.” I could not think of a better way he could have ended the album.

Salad Days benefits from the relatively new return of vinyl. People are now more often listening to records as a whole instead of just singles. This is good because Salad Days does not really have any standout singles that are begging for FM stardom (if that even exists anymore) but it just sounds so darn fantastic listened to as a whole. This is probably what he was going for, anyway. The album flows as one continuous unit.

This is Mac’s third album after “Rock and Roll Nightclub” and “2.” He has been able to effectively mature as a musician and songwriter without going crazy genre hopping or changing his sound completely. Listening to a new Mac Demarco album feels like seeing someone after summer break in school growing up. They are still the kid you like so much, but a little older, little wiser, and filled with new tricks and tales to tell. My favorite tracks are “Salad Days” and “Picking up the Pieces” but I more seriously recommend the entire album as a whole.

Salad Days is best enjoyed on the porch on a clear summer day, where your only worry in the world is whether or not your cigarette ashes will fall into your Miller High Life.

If Nikki Minaj and Ke$ha had a baby, it would be Iggy Azalea. Iggy’s new album, The New Classic, has sparked a lot of controversy and debate. After listening to the album, I thought the album was overall pretty good for a rising artist, but felt that in some songs Iggy was constantly missing out on an opportunity to really drive her music. For instance, in her song “Black Widow”; the song had a solid foundation, but could have used more base to carry the sound. In addition, I felt that when Iggy tried to slow down her beat like in “The Last Song,” the slow pace did not suit her well. Iggy’s music is very energetic, and I think that she should stick with that sound until she finds herself more as an artist and is better equipped to play around with her sound. That being said, some of my favorites on the album were “Work,” “Bounce” and of course her hit single, “Fancy.” I also really enjoyed the Bollywood influences in “Bounce.” She really took a risk with that song and I enjoyed the Ke$ha flair it had.

I have come to the conclusion that Iggy’s sound can also can be compared to Gwen Stefani and Kreayshawn. It has become harder and harder to create a unique sound these days being that there’s so many already established influences. However, I feel that Iggy while reminding me of some former artists, does have an interesting sound and I am excited to see what she will produce in the future.

Like most so-called “Electropop” acts that are out there, Phantogram is pretty much a staple to the genre. With their release of “Eyelid Movies” back in 2010, these guys stuck their toes in the water and really wowed us with a splash of interesting sonic experiments and songs that combine soul and sadness and beauty and all of that jazz. Now with their sophomore album coming out this year, “Voices” should be that proper follow-up that we’ve been expecting. And… yeah, it pretty much delivers, though it does fall flat a couple of times, but hey, what album doesn’t?

The thing about “Voices” is that you can’t really tell if there is some new found production value, but this is one of the examples that you really have to look at the songwriting capabilities to see if there’s something worthwhile to the record other than Single Power. For those of you who don’t know, “Single Power” is when the album has the potential to push out those radio-friendly nuisances that ring in our ears over and over and over again. “Fall in Love” seems to be the only single that’s up, so that could be a good thing or just as easily terrible. If that’s the only song to be put up on the radio, then does that mean the rest of the songs are hidden gems or garbage?

Anyway, from the get go, “Nothing But Trouble” grips you with the pulse-pounding drums and the burst of what seems like a bitcrushed horn section just glitching across the whole track. Sarah Barthel’s voice is the perfect contrast to the chaos around her and the sugary softness of it offers up something in likability, but it will wane in other tracks. “Black Out Days” gives you the same thing with the buzzing synths following Barthel’s wails of “OH WAY AY YA OH WAY AY YA”. “Never Going Home” is a cool break in between craziness with Josh Carter’s vocals being a little bit less prominent. The one thing about this album that I’m not too big of a fan of is Josh Carter’s vocals which were soulful and somber in tracks like “You Are the Ocean and I’m Good” or “Turn It Off” which were my absolute favorite tracks off of “Eyelid Movies” and this time he’s kind of just pushed to the side to sing repetitive hooks.

Sadly, the 2nd half of the album is where things start to go a bit downhill. “Howling at the Moon”, although it starts like a Flying Lotus track just derails with the off-beat vocals. I’d rather have that as an instrumental. Barthel’s vocals don’t go well with the chaos because she’s trying to make it even more chaotic and her voice doesn’t fit it. Get someone like Alice Glass from Crystal Castles if you would want to do something like that. “Bad Dreams” has the same problem, a great, intriguing instrumental but pinpoint the moment where Barthel has some trouble hitting the high notes. Something that should be soulful just plummets to something screechy. “Bill Murray” sounds like a more tolerable Lana Del Ray song, and if anyone, ANYONE knows me, I don’t like her. The redeeming factor is that I can hear Barthel summoning her inner Annie Clark for the choral additions and reverberated vocals. “I Don’t Blame You” is the somewhat saving grace. The production has enough contrast that it pulls you in, and Carter’s singing is a lot more soulful than in “Never Going Home”. It sounds like an unholy union of Passion Pit and Bloc Party.

Final Verdict for this album: The production and the instrumentals are fantastic with each and every noise is in it’s right place and keeping you hooked, but the songs can get tiresome after a while with repetition or with just lackluster lyrics and forgettable hooks. If you’re going to choose an album to listen to, check out “Eyelid Movies” instead, but this does sound good, it’s solid.

Thee Oh Sees’ Drop… this is one that’s kind of hard for me to review because of all the stuff that has been going with these guys in the past year or so. John Dwyer (vocals/guitar) has gone on to do his synth-related solo project Damaged Bug, and before that it was announced that they we’re taking an indefinite hiatus to work on other things. Then THIS THING comes out of nowhere and… you get it, they’re weird. But that’s what expect from Thee Oh Sees, right? Weird, loud, fun antics that are captured through noise and shouting “woo” all the time, right? Well….
 
This release, surprisingly, is a lot more tame than the others. I came in listening to “Floating Coffin” and had so much fun with all the distortion and reverb and psychedelic elements while still grinding out some face-punching riffs and basslines. But to come to this, AND look at the cover of the album, it’s not as crazy as one would imagine. Songs like the opener “Penetrating Eye” and “Savage Victory” are slow meanders through weird landscapes made by off-putting effects. “Savage Victory” has this delay on a scratched guitar that makes it sound like a door creaking open to reveal something sinister in the next room.
 
The other moments on this album that do have a little more energy like “Drop” and “Put Some Reverb on My Brother” seem to be dying down even in their own right. The guitar solos are becoming less coherent and more noisy, but not in a very good way. Do they grind? Yes. Do they screech? Yes. But are they enjoyable to listen to? No, they’re like nails on a chalkboard. This is coming from a guy who LOVES Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, but where have riffs and elements that experiment with sound, this doesn’t and leaves me somewhat deaf. 

 
The other thing I have to commend is the production on the whole album. They maintain a way, somehow, to produce songs that are grindy enough to grit your teeth, and smooth enough with the drums and the basslines that keep you swaying with a pout like you’re a bad boy.
 
Final verdict, is this their best? No, not by a long shot. If this is what they want to go out on, then it’s a calm after the whipping maelstroms that are “Carrion Crawler/The Dream”, “Floating Coffin”, “Castlemania”, and “Putrifiers II” If you want to go ahead and listen to some calmed-down punk (if that’s a thing?) go ahead and check this album out. But if you really wanna hear the raw power of these Californians, check out something else these guys have done.