Category: Track Review

As we all eagerly await the blissful fourth album from the sultry perfection that is Lana Del Rey, her second track from the album has been released today. If you did not already assume so, it was amazing. Teasing us with nautical photoshoots for the single, Lana has continued to build my excitement for Honeymoon.

Lana’s newest album will be dropping this September, but we can all get high by the beach on our honeymoons until then. In typical Lana fashion, she takes to this track with an ethereal voice that transcends perfection. With lyrics of a tainted man who is hard to love, “High by the Beach” has a soothingly rhythmic chorus. What I love about Lana is her ability to craft such an alluringly seductive song on a superficial level, but, often times, these beautiful, delicate songs are comprised of dark, macabre, mysterious, and deadly lyrics, dripping in self-loathing.

You could be a bad motherfucker

But that don’t make you a man

Now you’re just another one of my problems

Because you got out of hand

To me, this track is quintessential Lana. The sound, the lyrics, the perfection. It all brings me back to the immense joy I had when I first discovered the wayward soul that is Lana Del Rey. I have not come across one song, even her unreleased body of work, that has not transported me to a state of blissful rapture when listening to it. “High by the Beach” is no exception to this rule. It is a gorgeous song with a lively melody, paired with the esoteric, obscure, and enigmatic vocals that accentuate the fact that Lana Del Rey is such an immensely talented artist and singer-songwriter.

The sound of “High by the Beach” is a fun and more upbeat melody than that of her album Ultraviolence, and it seems that this track is reminiscent of her Born to Die days, which, I believe, is the closest to perfection an album has come to in a while. Every track was heartfelt, fun, and infectious, and I believe that Honeymoon is on the same track that Born to Die was.

In my opinion, Lana Del Rey has already solidified her album Honeymoon as one of the best albums that will drop this year with her tracks “Honeymoon” and “High by the Beach.” Am I optimistically jumping the gun? Or am I confident that the talented artist has an entire album the likes of her two singles? Definitely the latter. With  Ultraviolence released in June 2014, I am simply astounded that Lana is capable of creating such excellent music and albums in such close proximity of one another. Why am I surprised, though? Again and again, Lana has proven that she is an amazing artist and one of the baddest bitches in the music business.

The queen of flower crowns and sultry perfection is at it again, enticing fans with her upcoming fourth album Honeymoon. Earlier today, Lana released her track “Honeymoon” from the impending album, and what can I say? She simply has one of the most enchanting voices capable of uttering the most soothingly enigmatic songs I’ve heard in my lifetime. Her album Honeymoon is set to drop this September, but we have this dazzlingly gorgeous track to hold us over until then.

With her usual grace and style, Lana takes to this track with her mysterious voice singing of tainted love, a violent man, and their glorious honeymoon. When I first heard the snippet of this song released on Lana’s Facebook and Instagram, I was immediately in a state of blissful rapture. I was hoping her fourth album would continue in the beguilingly enchanting direction that her previous three fantastic albums have gone.

This track is quintessential of the queen of disaster, and I find that it embodies the very essence of the sensational Lana Del Rey. With the song revolving around a dangerous, flawed man, Lana creates a calming melody with a soft voice that is utterly sublime. If the tracks from her upcoming album are close to the lavish vocals and pacifying melody of “Honeymoon,” then the album is already in the running for the best of the year. It is very seldom that an artist continually makes such superb albums, but Lana, seemingly, has done so.

With her first three albums Paradise, Born To Die, and Ultraviolence behind her, Lana continues her legacy of dying young and tainted love. Lana takes to the track with her steamy and ethereal voice that sets the bar high (which I know she will reach) for the rest of her album. I could not help but remark that “Honeymoon” was slightly reminiscent of her earlier work. Each song(s) has its own beauty and originality, but I enjoyed the pleasant and warm chorus and overall feeling of each track quite immensely. The transcendental track from my beloved Lana continues her legacy of glamorous music, and I simply cannot wait to get my hands on her newest album.

Her third album Ultraviolence went in a different direction than her previous two albums, but I loved what she did with it. Despite the love I have for her third album, I will say that I was a bigger fan of her first two albums. “Honeymoon” seems to harken back to the days of Paradise and Born To Die, which is what excites me most about this track. If this album is anything like the plush perfection of her first two albums, I can say that I am the most excited fan out there.

Sometimes it’s hard to go anywhere with a review other than the most blunt statement, and in the case of the Oklahoma-based band Ripple Green’s new single “Time Piece,” all I can say is that it’s damn good rock. They’re not necessarily reinventing the genre here, but they’re taking the best of what’s been made and adding a personal flair that makes it an entertaining listen.

The band believed that “creativity and expression through music could provide an escape from the mundane life they faced in the plains.” That’s what time piece is. It’s escapism music. Much of jam rock is. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to Phish or Portugal the Man—two completely different bands that have both mastered the genre. Ripple Green has taken the formula and infused it with personal lyrics that as they say:
“turned into an account of how people’s lives revolve around other individuals over time.”

From the chorus to the hook, the song is pretty much an earworm in itself. It all stems from such a seemingly unsuspecting chord progression, however it sticks with you to the point that you’ll be humming the tune all week. Plus, Joel Parks’ vocals just enhance the bluegrass infused sound that the band has and makes it all the more catchy.

The band has described their new EP “Timepiece” as:

A step out of adolescence for Ripple Green that came from spending half of last year in Europe. It signifies moments filled with adventure and a grateful shift in approach to their songwriting.

As for the video, it’s just an expression of joy, youth, and creativity that was all filmed during the 2014 summer solstice. It just reinforces the band’s sound and origins: escape. Definitely look out for these guys in the future.

“The three members of Ripple Green met during Kindergarten in small town Oklahoma. Their formative years were spent being mischievous friends who built slingshots, climbed trees, and made short films. Soon, however, upon leaving Elementary school, the idea to form a band was spawned before any of the members owned or played their instruments. To them, creativity and expression through music could provide an escape from the mundane life they faced in the plains.”

The Timepiece EP is due out on July 31st and is available for pre-sale on iTunes. 

“Fairly Local” and the music video are perfect compliments to what I believe Twenty One Pilots’ new album is going to be. Dark, unsettling, and just what the band needs.

First of all, let me quickly profess my love for Twenty One Pilots. I’ve been following them since the independent release of their self titled, seen them six times live, and own more merchandise than any one man should. I think that can qualify me as a fan. So naturally, when rumors began to swirl around about a new song being released today I was first ecstatic. I mean, it was the first new music the duo has released in two years. However, with any new release from a beloved band, there’s always some trepidation.

“Fairly Local” is definitely closer to a traditional rap song than any of their previous entries into the genre. However, it still maintains the dark lyrics that they have been known for, even if it’s on a different subject matter. While their first 3 albums focused solely on Joseph’s struggle with mental illness, among other unknown parts of his life, it looks as if this song, and possibly this album, if going to focus the on the duo’s new found fame and struggle to remain the local ohio band they began as.

The rapping sections of the song are stronger based on performance by Tyler. There is restraint to it. Similar to that restraint he shows in “Car Radio.” While lyrically it’s not his most impressive work, it definitely gets his point across. The more exciting part of the song is the bridge, which brings the true meaning forward in the catchy rap verse they perfected in Vessel. 

Now, I’d like to address the people commenting that the song is too different from their sound and that they’re selling out for something more mainstream.

I think that “Fairly Local” is the next step in the natural progression of the band. Their self titled was extremely stripped down and somber in tone. Regional at Best brought them to the sound most people are familiar with (the people who claim to be real fans but only listened to Vessel). It introduced the electronic element of their new sound and took a more upbeat approach to Tyler’s personally rooted lyrics. Vessel continued that, even taking songs from Regional at Best, however it also introduced more pop into the mix. Most songs had a hopeful conclusion and left the darkness to be buried in the catchy melodies. I think this is bringing them back to the darkness of the first album with the sound of Regional at Best.

From what I can interpret it’s about their struggle to stay the “local band” that they started out as while controlling ascent to the mainstream. Anyone can interpret it their own way, but saying they’re selling out is a completely uninformed opinion.

At one point in the song, and in the video, it breaks down to the familiar beep boop bops of more main stream rap with a synthetically lowered voice that raps about how “this song will never be on the radio.” This is Blurryface. This is the man who is torn to becoming that mainstream artist or staying local.

Tyler calls out to “the few, the proud, and the emotional” to interpret the song.

If you’re a real fan, then you’re the few, the proud, and the emotional and understand what Tyler is struggling with now. Just keep listening.

Blurryface will be released on May 19th and “Fairly Local” is available on iTunes