Category: New Album Review

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New Album Review

Album: Time Machine – The Geek x Vrv

Album: Time Machine – The Geek x Vrv

Best Tracks: Payeng’s Ark 1979, Electric City 2015, Get Funky 1933, Kanagawa Waves 1831

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Axel Rondeau & Vincent Téoulé became the funky, electro-hop duo known as The Geek x Vrv in 2013, taking their inspiration from artists like Gramatik and infusing their own funky style into their music. I recently came across their album, Time Machine, while browsing music and I am happy to say it is one of my favorite albums ever.

Time Machine takes listeners beyond genre lines and time periods with each song labelled around a time in music that was important for The Geek x Vrv, going all the way back to 1831 with Kanagawa Waves 1831 in which there are many eastern instruments that lead the track. The LP itself has influences in genres like hip-hop, future bass, electro, funk, and disco. Many tracks combine these elements to provide an even more unique sound.

Time Machine starts with Get Funky 1933 and Oh Baby 1939, excellent openers that draw similarities with Daft Punk combined with funky grooves that have inspiration from much earlier music. Songs like Roller Disco 1980 and Time Machine 1985 take from the age of disco with brass instruments and funky grooves which perfectly encapsulates the time periods The Geek x Vrv draw from in Time Machine. The future bass side of things can be heard in Payeng’s Ark 1979 and Electric City 2015. Then, the LP is tied together with some slow Jazz in Paris Jazz Club 1920 to finish off.

All in all, this is a perfectly crafted LP in my opinion that I believe has not received enough attention. I highly recommend this album.

-Tegan

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Braids – Shadow Offering

ALBUM REVIEW: Braids – Shadow Offering

BEST TRACKS: Just Let Me, Upheaval II, Young Buck

FCC violations: Snow Angel, Fear of Men

This three-piece band from Calgary, Alberta is a group of friends that met over ten years ago when they were in high school, and started rehearsing in a dingy garage. In these formative years, the band had success, winning a songwriting contest and being invited to play at Sled Island Music Festival. Following this success, the band collectively made the bold decision to postpone going to college so they could continue making music together. Since then, Braids has released 4 studio albums that are all very highly regarded by their audience. With their most recent release, Shadow Offering, Braids creates a deeply emotional, heavily ambient 45-minute journey. Braids claims that with Shadow Offering , they were able to go back to their roots and take the time to slowly rediscover their artistry, and it certainly shows. Shadow Offering has personality, originality, and passion.

On Shadow Offering, Braids fully embrace their spacious, shoegaze side, which they had been restraining in their past records in favor of a more electronic-pop palette. In lead singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s voice, there is an outpour of fierce confidence. Even though she sings lyrics that are often about her own shortcomings, her voice is strong, proud, and unapologetic. Resonating piano keys and humming bass invoke a sense of deep reverie. The way that the drums sometimes pick up with a rush of flourishing guitar strums keeps the album fresh and invigorating throughout.

When listening to this album, I truly felt the pain of a poisoned relationship. The candidness in which Standell-Preston discusses the way that she wastes time on frivolous dreams in ‘Upheaval II’ is almost lighthearted but you just can’t ignore the underlying sense of dread that hints that this self-destruction is less harmless than it seems.  I recommend this band if you like Ravenna Golden, Fiona Apple, or Angel Olsen.

-Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Weight of the World by MIKE

ALBUM REVIEW: MIKE – Weight of the World

BEST TRACKS: What’s Home ½, Allstar, Plans

FCC violations: every track

For the uninitiated, MIKE may appear to be just another artist capitalizing on the hazy lo-fi sound that has pervaded the underground hip-hop scene. While the album certainly embraces this aesthetic – its instrumentals are chock full of obscure loops, pitched vocal samples, and compressed drums – to say that Weight of the World is just another alternative hip-hop project would be a disservice. What sets MIKE apart from his contemporaries is his knack for delivering dizzying flows and his ability to convey emotional gravity in the mundane.

As I said before, Weight of the World does not shy away from lo-fi sensibilities. Every track features a sample so distorted that even the craziest of crate diggers would be hard-pressed to identify it. Out of time drums complement these woozy loops and leave plenty of room for MIKE’s weighty, baritone voice, which he uses to spit bars built upon dizzying internal rhyme schemes. This album’s consistent sonic palette conveys a sense of unity, so much so that Weight of the World feels like a 35 minute-long rap song with dozens of beat switches.

And speaking of raps, I would be remiss if I didn’t touch on MIKE’s lyricism. Through his flows he paints fragmented pictures of isolation and melancholy. He raps with an emotional intensity as though he carries – to reference the album title – the weight of the world on his back. With bars like “I need somethin’ fast, somethin’ that’ll cut the traffic/I know nothin’ lasts, prayin’ that don’t bust the sadness” or “The only thing that I inherited was blockin’ help, it’s part of pops’ concern/Remember cringin’ at the mirror, I was not myself, that’s still a lot to learn”, it’s clear MIKE is no stranger to his demons.

Weight of the World is a record whose charm may not be entirely apparent in the first listen. As such, it does require a degree of patience to enjoy. However, when you stop and listen, you’ll find that MIKE certainly has a lot to say.

I recommend this album to fans of introspective, experimental rappers such as Milo and Earl Sweatshirt.

DJ Mango

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Ocean Alley – Lonely Diamond

ALBUM REVIEW: Ocean Alley – Lonely Diamond

BEST TRACKS: Way Down, Infinity, Lonely Diamond

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Formed by a group of friends in a backyard shed, this six-piece psychedelic funk rock band got their start playing local dive bars and house shows on the Northern coast of Sydney, Australia. 10 years later, here they are, touring all across Australia and Europe, selling out shows left and right, and playing festivals such as Lost Paradise and Soundsplash, and doing it all without a record label. It’s only a matter of time before this band starts making their presence known in the United States. Ocean Alley’s first album, Lost Tropics is youthful and beachy, their second album, Chiaroscuro is bluesy and mature, but Lonely Diamond, Ocean Alley’s third studio album, is absolutely dazzling mix of them both, taking the tropical, beachy energy of Lost Tropicsbut adding the maturity and pensiveness of Chiaroscuro to make Ocean Alley’s greatest album to date.

The first thing I noticed about this album is the incredible cleanness of the sound. The percussion is tight, the guitar is crisp, and lead singer Baden Donegal’s voice is smooth and clear. The production quality is impeccable, but if you’re used to only listening to fuzzier garage style rock, this album will definitely be a change of pace. However, an album doesn’t have to be fuzzy and chaotic to have energy. Lonely Diamond has more of a deeper, cooler intensity than what you would expect from an average psychedelic rock band. The riffs are often dark on slow, and pulling you repeatedly into crawling buildups that lead to immense, cathartic climaxes.

This entire album reminds me of the time I drove 10 hours straight through the night to New York by myself. It gives me a feeling of thrill and danger, but the knowledge deep down that everything is bound to be okay in the end, no matter where I end up, because life is good.

-Safia

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New Album Review

Album Review: JGM by Lemaitre

Album: JGM by Lemaitre

Best Tracks: Wondering If I’ll Ever Come Down, Eyes Wide Open, Stop Me Fast

FCC Violations: Eyes Wide Open, Stop Me Fast

Lemaitre is an electronic duo comprised of Norwegian artists, Ulrik Denizou Lund and Ketil Jansen. Their newest release, JGM, reflects on life’s ups and downs and the celebration of life. The electronic group switched things up in this EP, adopting an indie-pop style and an extensive use of organic instruments. JGM is inspired by Johannes “Joe” Greve Muskat, Lemaitre’s “third” member who passed in 2019. Even though the EP is based in sadness, all four songs in the collection celebrate life in a perfect way to pay homage to Muskat.

“Wondering If I’ll Ever Come Down” is the lead single and my personal favorite track. It has a more indie Grouplove vibe to me that reminds you to love the life you’re living, which is inspiring. “Eyes Wide Open” and “Stop Me Fast” also maintain an upbeat mood while talking about overcoming loss and their struggles with grief. The use of organic instruments and electronic elements, like guitars and drums mixed with soft synths add an extra layer of emotion that indie songs normally possess, which makes this EP that much more special.

“Joe” is a special song that talks about Muskat specifically and tells the story of him as the third member of the group. I think this track ties together the whole EP and produces a sense of empathy and celebration from listeners.

I think this EP is a powerful message to listeners to enjoy the life they have and to celebrate the people in our lives, whether here or not, because they “never really go away.”

I recommend JGM for fans of Rex Orange County, Grouplove, and Tame Impala.

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New Album Review

ALBUM PLAY BY PLAY: SEBii – VVV

ALBUM PLAY BY PLAY: SEBii – VVV

BEST TRACKS: Racing, MeMe, Data Looting

FCC Dirty

Arguably, the most notable element separating SEBii from his contemporaries is the pitch of his voice, which he addresses in the first song on this album, Bingo. SEBii claims that despite what people think, his vocals aren’t pitch-bended and that it comes from practice. I appreciate that these bars are self-aware, original, and personal. I think he sounds better singing with a thinner, lower, strained pitch. When he sings quieter, his voice gets really soft, losing any grit and intonation, and everything he sings blends into an unappetizing mush.

Track two is MeMe. SEBii does a good job varying his pitch between soft and gritty in this song, which keeps it interesting. I love the way he says “I be looking super clean”.  I love the raspy whisper of the outro, yet another pitch change. The bars, the flow and the beat is all here. This track is my second favorite on the album.

Moving on to the next track, Winter. Despite it being one of SEBii’s most popular songs I was underwhelmed. It has a solid beat, but this song has no notable lyrics, and sebii maintains a very soft pitch throughout the entire song, which gets monotonous and melds everything into a bland mass. This song is lacking intensity.

The next track is BahBahBah. Even the mystic strings couldn’t save this track. Again, the vocals are monotonous, lacking intonation and inflection.

Racing is the top track for me on the album. The intro has impeccable buildup, leading to a satisfying beat drop. We get to hear both the deeper, rougher side as well as the soft side of SEBii’s unique voice on this song, the variation of which keeps the listener invested. As far as instrumental goes, the sparking piano trills are charming.

Data Looting: This one is pretty catchy. Despite it sounding slightly repetitive, I’m not mad at it. At times though, the lyrics sound rushed and crammed into the bars.

The last track VVV is a cute outro.  I can’t get past the soft, high pitched voice though, it sounds like there’s a mosquito in my ear it gets on my nerves.

I respect that SEBii is unapologetically himself, unashamedly making anime and pokemon references, and owning his unique voice. I wonder what he sounds like when he’s just having a normal conversation.

Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Park – The Airborne Toxic Event

ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Park – The Airborne Toxic Event

BEST TRACKS: All The Children, Everything I Love Is Broken, Come On Out

FCC violations: Brother, Everything I Love Is Broken, The Common Touch, Carry Me

Here’s something you don’t hear about every band: the lead singer of The Airborne Toxic Event, Mikel Jollett, was born into a cult. Along with this album, Jollett released a memoir of the same name in which he relates his experiences growing up in, and later escaping into poverty, the infamously dangerous cult Synanon. Jollett’s harsh life experiences, which taught him about family, loss, and resilience find their way into the lyrics of his songs to make for a truly grounding and profound listening experience. However, this Los Angeles band isn’t just notable for their frontman’s shocking history. I was enchanted by the sense of intimacy, jangly acoustic guitar, and superior melodies on Hollywood Park long before I ever found out about any of the cult stuff.

Hollywood Park exhibits several lively, electric and acoustic riffs and satisfying melodies. Songs on this album range from flourishingly cinematic to minimalistically acoustic. My favorite track on the album, ‘All The Children’ has an exciting buildup that erupts into a cathartic, folksy chorus. A sparking piano and a cinematic violin make an appearance on track 9, ‘The Place Where We Meet A Thousand Feet Beneath The Racetrack’. Jollett effectively uses a country-folk drawling vocal approach at times, coupled with garage rock shouting, to create a unique dynamic.  These songs have the brutal honesty of an Iron & Wine song and the infectious rhythm of a Killers song.

This album feels like something you would hear sitting around the bonfire in the fleeting summer nights after highschool. It inhabits a world of sunsets, dusty roads, and big blue lakes. Hollywood Park truly captures the ever-tenacious all American spirit. Spin this record this upcoming Fourth of July. I highly recommend this album to fans of The Killers, Bruce Springsteen,The Wallflowers, The National, or My Morning Jacket.

Safia

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New Album Review

ALBUM: Silver Silver by Kid Froopy

ALBUM: Silver Silver by Kid Froopy

BEST TRACKS: Some Nights I Feel Like Crying, RNR, New In Town, Meet Me in the Garden

FCC Violations: Meet Me in the Garden, RNR, LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT…

Kid Froopy is on the rise as a new artist and his newest release, Silver Silver, delivers his electronic style in an emotional package. Kid Froopy, an Iowa-based producer began releasing music in high school, but gained attention in 2015 with his remix of Robokid’s “Helix.” Now, Kid Froopy is known for his electronic-pop songs which typically delve into the woes of online communication and social media. Kid Froopy has this interesting alternative sound that is distinctly electronic with sweet sounding synth melodies and a certain glitchy aspect to it that does not overlap the high-pitched vocals. His chill, electronic-pop vibe is perfect for listening in the car or lounging around with friends.

Many of his tracks have a great contrast between the sorrowful lyrics of lost communication and his upbeat pop-y sound. There is even more contrast between tracks such as Hairy which are slow and somber while Meet Me in the Garden feels much more exciting.

Kid Froopy has a great all around sound that borders many different genres while done tastefully and I predict that he will get even popular as time goes on. I recommend Kid Froopy to fans of Jai Wolf, pluko and Ekali.

-Tegan

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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: The Transonics – Lost In Time

ALBUM REVIEW: The Transonics – Lost In Time

BEST TRACKS: Lost In Time, Love and a Blue Light, You’re So Pretty

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This 6-piece band from Columbia very aptly named their debut album, Lost In Time, as it sounds like a blast from the past, belonging to the early 80s but by some heavenly fluke was born in the year 2020 instead. The Transonics are a severely underrated band, with less than 1,000 listens on any given song on spotify. However, when fantastic yet obscure bands are in need of a spotlight, that’s when college radio really shines. With the release of Lost In Time, the transonics are starting to take college radios across the country by storm. This eleven song album soars from beginning to end. What really excites me about this album is that the Transonics are a female-fronted band and strong feminine energy courses through every song in both the vocals and the writing.

The Transonics sound like a mix of the fun and infectious powerpop of No Doubt and the grungy rock and roll of Foo Fighters, with a twinge of early 80s psychedelica. The thing that stood out to me most was that lead vocalist Patti Davis has an electrifying voice that sounds uncannily similar to Gwen Stefani. After a short, 30 second intro, Lost In Time opens with the dreamy title track ‘Lost In Time’ which contains glittering hooks and spacy lyrics about wishes and daydreams.

Lost In Time is reminiscent of simpler times, when the grilled cheese Uncrustables were still a part of school lunches. This album caught my attention because of the album cover, which looks like it came straight out of a Lisa Frank coloring book, and it kept me listening, enchanted, with its exhilarating energy and irresistible riffs. I recommend this album if you want something sweet and lively to boost your mood after a gloomy session of browsing social media, or if you’ve ever been obsessed with the Bratz movies.

Safia

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New Album Review

Album Review: Currents – The Way It Ends (2020)

This is Currents’ fifth release and second studio album, and all I can say is WOW! What a record! This style of metalcore has always been my favorite. This album has a great combination of growls and screams along with clean vocals. There are some songs on this album (A Flag to Wave and Poverty of Self) that are extremely heavy. The riffs in these songs are awesome. You also have songs like “Better Days” that has both screams and cleans in them. This song balances out both vocal techniques beautifully and the harmonies along with the music creates a beautiful song.

This album has more boasting lyrical content along with some beefy riffs. Currents style somewhat reminds me of Architects with their transitions. They have a very electric sound that they combined with technical progressive elements. The into track, “It Was Never There” builds incredible suspense. This was a great first taste of what the album has to offer. They then pick up the pace with “A Flag to Wave” and “Poverty of Self.” The choruses in their songs are really catchy and easily get you to bang your head. Tracks like “Monster” bring that crunchy heavy sound with bellowing vocals and screeching riffs. “Kill the Ache” is the poster child song for metalcore. It is a feel-good track that takes you on a journey. “Let Me Leave” is a more soft and melodic song that highlights Wile’s clean vocals. I love bands who have both a great growl and cleans.  

You can easily see that Currents was having fun with this record and you can also tell that they put a lot of thought in their songs and how they would make the listener feel. I love albums like this because you can easily tell that the band has put in a lot of time, effort, and dedication for this record. Everything is 100% authentic and it helped create an amazing record.

Favorite songs:

The Way It Ends

Poverty of Self

A Flag to Wave

Rating:

8/10

Stay Metal,

THE SAW