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Band/Artist Profile New Album Review

Album Review: “Unreal Unearth” by Hozier

Album cover art for Hozier's album, "Unreal Unearth". Image is of Hozier's toothy smile, chewing on a daisy while the rest of the face is buried under dirt.

Andrew Hozier-Byrne, better known as Hozier, first captivated the world in 2013 with the international success of his debut track, “Take Me to Church” – a powerful, mid-tempo soul song that addresses difficult socio-political realities of the time.

Since then, the Irish native has achieved musical acclaim with a slew of inter-genre chart-topping hits in rock, blues, folk, pop and dance.

With the release of a third album, “Unreal Unearth”, Hozier caps a decade of stellar lyricism and expert musicianship with a deeply introspective love letter to the humanity of humanity where he seamlessly shape-shifts between familiar genres and dives into a distinctly new soundscape: soft and ethereal.

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New Album Review

Memorrhage’s “Memorrhage” Album Review

ALBUM: “Memorrhage”

RELEASE YEAR: 2023

LABEL: Big Money Cybergrind

BEST TRACKS: “Memory Leak”, “Exit”, “Brain Wield”

FCC: Some tracks have explicit content.

The rage and passion in Memorrhage’s self-titled release still has its dirty, disastrous cybernetic probes stuck in my brain after listening to it three months ago. The Nü-Metal inspired sounds and highly electronic atmosphere the whole album exudes fits into a niche of metal music I never considered I needed for my ears. 

Memorrhage is just a side project done by prolific metal artist Gary Brents. He has been (and still is) a part of Cara Neir, Gonemage, and has been part of multiple other bands over the years. Brents experimented with a multitude of music genres to achieve the sound of Brents’ “tribute to growing up with nu-metal in the 90s/00s” (As stated on Memorrhage’s Bandcamp bio).

But enough about that. Let’s dive into the album.

“Memory Leak”

Each song on this album tells its own narrative. Each is in their own Sci-Fi cyber-hellscape. To start the album off, “Memory Leak” is telling us about a rogue videogame entity wreaking havoc in the digital world through a data leak. Bizarre, I know, but look (and listen of course) to these lyrics:

“It starts with a flicker and an itch

In my dreams and the corner of my eye

Then it’s all over my skin, it’s scalding

A million voices screaming

And I can’t make them stop

I can see the circuits breaking

It lost its mind to technicolor

Dreams of cloaking schemes”

Lyrics taken from “Memory Leak” by Memorrhage

Memorrhage’s horrid beauty forces itself through your ears and makes you understand the emotion and artistry of pain coming from this odd perspective. The brutal sounds drew me into this track at first and then diving into the strange world building in the lyricism made me go slack-jawed and wide eyed in appreciation of the thought and love poured into “Memory Leak”.

“Exit”

And that doesn’t change throughout the whole album. Each song is filled with love and raw emotion that drives further from your expectations at every turn. In “Exit” the pitter-patter, then builds to explosive vocal screams is so good at exciting me for the ‘boom’ I experience at the beginning of the song every time. Any time I want to feel an explosive force of energy course its way under my skin and into my nerves, I flip on this track and start jittering just at the start. 

“Brain Wield”

So… track eight of this album brings us to a particularly heavy variety of instrument and technical diversity compared to the other tracks on this album. “Brain Wield” is listed as the track with the most guest appearances with a total of nine different artists playing a role in the creation of this track.

From Mr. Rager, a DJ makin’ brain ripping record scratches, to a slew of metal vocals coming from Brent’s connections in the industry, “Brain Wield” seems to be the most technically advanced track and I believe it pays off in a big way. 

Memorrhage combines Nü-Metal, some glitch elements, and one of my favorite 90’s genres: turntablism. “Brain Wield” also has a few spoken narrative elements weaved in to help tell the story of this song too (you can read a synopsis of it on the Bandcamp page that is linked above).

All of these additions to this one track are wonderful tools to aid in storytelling and don’t inhibit listeners from obtaining the emotional wasteland this album continues to shove into our ears. 

The Other “Scraps”:

This isn’t to say the other tracks on this album are lame or don’t have the same pull the previous three do, but the magnetism of the aforementioned tracks are so great that I don’t have enough time and space to dive into what makes each song in this album so sickeningly pleasing to me. 

I’ll instead give quick one-liner description for a few tracks:

Reek” is just that: an offensive odor that doesn’t leave your nose but still leaves you addicted to it.

Finesse” includes high pitched electronic bleeps and heart stopping pauses leaving my adrenaline coming to jolting starts and stops.

Utility” has the classic Nü-Metal choruses mixed with hard record scratches and alluring space opera ballad content.

Finale:

This whole album is a unique take on the Nü-Metal genre and I think it does a great job of improving and inventing new sounds within the genre that might’ve inhibited it from reaching greater renown in the past. The glitch-techno aspects of this album are huge draws to me as it feels like a ginormous Sci-Fi adventure in a gorier version of a “Blade Runner” type universe (but far more interesting, sorry Philip K. Dick). 

Memorrhage’s opening album holds great promise to inspire old and new artists alike to return to old, worn-out genres of metal that could use some new sounds and approaches. I am excited to see where Gary Brents takes this project and to see the impact it might have on future sounds in metal.

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New Album Review

Album Review: “O Monolith” by Squid

Squid is a band with a well developed and unique sound. The group hails from the South London post-punk scene. Other bands in the scene include Black Midi and Black Country, New Road.

Instruments used in the project include guitar, saxophone, bass, drums and synthesizers. One change in this album compared to their previous work is an increased use of synthesizers in primary and background instrumentals.

“Swing (in a dream)”

I feel like this song is a bit unique in Squids lineup. The eerie intro heads the song off with retro sounding synths with drums, and then also with guitar. When bass, vocals, and a more distorted guitar come in, the song sounds more like classic Squid, but with the synths continuing in the background.

One interesting musical device used in the track would be the rhythmic relationship between the the guitar and drums. The drums play a straightforward beat in 4/4 while the guitar plays patterns that constantly shift and stress different beats. The combination of the patterns creates a push/pull feel.

“Undergrowth”

This is a very unique track. It sounds like a funk band that was orchestrated by a horror movie soundtrack composer. The track constantly builds energy while gradually interchanging instrumental parts.

Conclusion

I feel that this album is more cohesive than Squid’s previous album, SGK. The tracks that were released as singles are quite good, but do not top the track “Narrator” off of SGK on their own in my opinion.

I’ll give this album an 8/10

Other recommended album tracks: “The Blades”, “Devils Den”, “Siphon Song”

-Daniel Turk

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New Album Review

Album Review: SPEED RUN by Frost Children

I was introduced to the new Frost Children album, “SPEED RUN” by a friend who said that the song “HI 5” seemed like something I would like. Within a few listens the song became a staple on many playlists of mine– the samples of Yoshi from “Super Smash Bros. Melee” made it an easy win in my book.

Pitchfork said in their review of the album that it came off as “creatively vacant,” and that wore away at the listening value of the LP. I’m here to agree on the vacancy described, but also to say that I felt that was the point of the album.

It’s similar to the 100 gecs or Black Dresses use a sense of silliness or airheadedness to add to the appeal of their already-chaotic music. Frost Children adopts this sort of ‘indie sleaze’ idea that is so popular among new and emerging music of 2023 into hyperpop, an ever-changing and growing genre without well-defined limits.

I’ll admit that there are songs on “SPEED RUN” that fall flat and lack much appeal. “ALL I GOT,” which was released as a single alongside “HI 5” and “FLATLINE,” isn’t a song I would write home about. It’s pretty simple and gets grating after a few listens due to its repetitiveness and simplicity.

“SICK TRIP,” heavily criticized in the aforementioned Pitchfork article, is actually one of my favorite songs off the album. It’s cheesy and kitschy in a way that indie sleaze should be. If 100 gecs is praised for songs like “Frog On the Floor” or “I Got My Tooth Removed,” then Frost Children can be praised for the ways they embrace cringe. The duo, siblings Angel and Lulu Prost, have actually spoken previously in an interview with Office Magazine about “embracing cringe.”

Although the album is not a 10/10, it’s fun to listen to and excites a lot of what I love about music and about hyperpop specifically.

Songs to Start With: “HI 5,” “FLATLINE,” “SICK TRIP”

— bel$

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New Album Review

redveil’s “playing w/ fire” : New EP Review

The first time I listened to redveil was earlier this year when JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown dropped their album, “SCARING THE HOES” this past March. When I first heard the track redveil was on, “Kingdom Hearts Key”, I thought it was Denzel Curry rapping given his past feature on Peggy’s “LP!”. I was really confused though when I went back through the album and found out it was an artist called redveil. Curious, I looked through their discography and found this great EP called “playing w/ fire”.

“playing w/ fire” is a hip hop EP that dropped this past April, from the young Maryland-born artist and producer, redveil. It showcases six tracks that are equally as unique in production as they are enjoyable to listen to. 

A Lovely Intro

The EP starts off with “stuck” which not only feels like a great intro given its build up with the track’s layering, but it also feels like redveil wants to show off their production skills before we enter the EP. The track adds onto itself constantly for the first minute until it later becomes this grandiose sound. A singer is going off in the background, the bass from earlier in the song is still providing a solid foundation, and now the brass parts, that were originally playing in the lower register, are now playing in the upper register with a confident sound.

As we’re at the peak of this rollercoaster, it immediately cuts all sounds except the organ and a message from redveil’s uncle plays. A message that inspired redveil to name the EP “playing w/ fire”

“Just wanna say, I’m so proud of you man. They don’t know that playing with redveil is playing with fire.”

“stuck” – redveil

After this message, we then move on to the rest of the EP that focuses more on the hip hop aspect of redveil’s music.

The Music

If it isn’t obvious from that spiel, “stuck” is one of my favorite tracks off the EP. However it’s competing with another track I love called “captain”. Unlike the intro, this track gets straight into its melody which makes me jump around while I’m listening. redveil’s style in this “playing w/ fire” just feels so fun to listen to. Although each track is unique, each of them hit that same feeling of ‘I love this so much’ followed by unintentional head jamming or something of the sort.

Because the EP is fifteen minutes long, and because all of the tracks are pretty good, I would simply recommend listening to it in its entirety without shuffle. redveil did a great job at meshing these tracks together so none of the transitions between them feel disjointed.

Official music video for redveil’s track “captain”

Overall

As someone who has never listened to redveil prior, I found this EP to be a great introduction to dive further into his discography with his albums like “learn 2 swim” or “Niagara”. I loved what I heard off of this EP, and am really looking forward to any of redveil’s future projects.

This EP is great listen if you’re a fan of the genre or simply just looking for some good music to pass the time.

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New Album Review

feeble little horse’s “Girl with Fish”: New Album Review

Pittsburgh based band feeble little horse released “Girl with Fish” on June 6 2023, it has since became one of my favorite albums of the year.

On feeble little horse’s Bandcamp page for their May 2021 release “modern tourism”, the band was comprised of just their two guitarists (a lineup lacking their current main vocalist and bassist, Lydia Slocum). I found it pretty interesting to look at this album and see the band in its primordial state.

With time and the addition of new members, the group’s sound has since developed to fall in a middle ground between noise pop and shoegaze.

Favorite track – “Steamroller”

This track is a fantastic example of just how well feeble little horse does dynamics within their songs. About half way through the song, all the instruments and vocals completely pause as if they were taking a breath- listening to it feels like looking down over the edge of a cliff. Next, you are knocked off the cliff and are meet with a wall of sound ornamented by a brief eerie and unfamiliar sounding guitar solo. The part then leads into the second verse of the song.

A combination of opposing qualities: a strong driving power is maintained in the song while soft, pleasing melodies are carried throughout. Of course feeble little horse is not the first band to make a song with both of these attributes, but they bring their own sound to these songs in a way that I can’t help but love.

Official audio for feeble little horse’s song Steamroller

Other Recommended Tracks

It’s hard to not list all the songs off this album in this because it is just so consistent, but below are a few I would recommend.

  • “Freak”
  • “Tin Man”
  • “Paces”
  • “Pocket”

Concluding Thoughts

This has been the third album the band has released in a two year span and I feel they have continuing to improve with each album. I am super excited to see what this group puts out in the future.

Overall I would give this album a 8.5/10

-Daniel

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New Album Review

Album Review: “Everyone’s Crushed”

Water From Your Eyes is a duo made up of Rachel Brown and Nate Amos. In late May 2023, the duo released an album worth writing home about– it’s a unique mix of art pop and rock. It’s the sort of album your somewhat-elitist music friend would like.

The album, “Everyone’s Crushed,” begins with a song titled “Structure,” paying homage to Water From Your Eyes’s 2021 album “Structure.” The opening of the album is slow, almost cryptic, but still inviting– at the very least, intriguing.

The album feels a little bleak– it’s got catchy songs, high-tempo beats, interesting vocals with thoughtful lyrics, but it still leaves the listener with a feeling of melancholy, though not overwhelming. The musical choices made within the album are also pretty unique, and although the music doesn’t sound alien in any respect, it does maintain an “out of this world” sound.

The aforementioned bleakness of the album is the result of the artists’ perspective, which is focused on the struggles and discomfort of the pandemic and what’s come since then.

The album’s title reflects this. “Everyone’s Crushed.” It’s something you’d normally hear at a funeral, or upon hearing tragic news. In the case of this album, Water From Your Eyes seems to be attempting to relay the idea that everyone is struggling, it’s the nature of right now.

The album ends with a song called “Buy My Product,” which seems to be a kitschy kick at capitalism and corporations that spew adverts implying that a product or material good could bring you peace from the ugliness the rest of the album expresses.

The album is vulnerable in a way that’s not overt or cliched, and it makes for a good listen for those interested in new and different pop.

— bel$

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New Album Review

Best Released & Upcoming Albums of 2023

2023 has already been a great year for music. In honor of reaching the year’s halfway mark, I’ve compiled five of my favorite albums released so far in 2023 (in no particular order), as well as five albums I’m looking forward to spinning later this year.

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New Album Review

Album Review: “Memento Mori”

Depeche Mode, formed in 1980, revolutionized the goth scene with their distinctive sound.

Now they stand behind their most recent album, “Memento Mori,” released March 24, 2023.

In the wake of Andy Fletcher’s death in May of 2022, this piece serves as a testament to the band’s unique spirit.

It manages to capture Depeche Mode’s signature style even in the absence of one of its founding members.

Photo by Marek Studzinski on Unsplash, used under Unsplash License

“Memento Mori”

Memento mori, a Latin phrase meaning remember you must die.

Ironically, also the subject of my most recent tattoo.

This phrase, adored by the Victorians, stands as a reminder of every individual’s inherent mortality. Its interpretation varies across cultures and individuals.

In Depeche Mode’s album, I see “memento mori” as an invocation of sensation: a narrator lays himself bare before an audience, succumbing to self-doubt and despair.

Through an assortment of carefully-woven sounds, the audience enters the narrator’s “mind palace” (“My Cosmos is Mine”).

An almost smoky synth arrangement coalesces with the dismal energy of Dave Gahan’s vocals. An undercurrent of gloom stripes the band’s characteristic sensuality, painting a romantic picture of misery and yearning.

For an opening track, “My Cosmos is Mine” does an excellent job of setting the auditory scene.

However, the album’s second track, “Wagging Tongue,” is a sharp stylistic pivot. The song is comparably upbeat, though still decidely morose with the lyrics “watch another angel die.”

Compared to its darker predecessor, the song strikes a New Wave tone with a brighter, more colorful energy.

Synths function to produce vibrant electronic beats while Gahan harmonizes with bandmate Martin Gore, whose angelic voice obfuscates the song’s pessimistic lyrics.

Following “Wagging Tongue” was “Ghosts Again,” originally released as a single Feb. 9, 2023.

The song features ebullient synths and a danceable beat, again far removed from the deep gloom seen in “My Cosmos is Mine.”

Together, “Wagging Tongue” and “Ghosts Again” complement each other. However, they fail to connect to the album’s opening song.

As a fan of Depeche Mode’s more woeful sounds, (and a passionate hater of “I Just Can’t Get Enough”) I began to worry about my compatibility with the album moving forward.

I had expected something mournful and dark, but the album appeared to be moving towards the figurative “light.”

I almost considered canceling my review and selecting an album from a different artist, accepting the disappointment of “Memento Mori.”

However, everything changed as the album’s fourth track began to play.

Image of a human skull on a table.
Photo by Mathew MacQuarrie on Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License

A Return to Darkness

Don’t Say You Love Me,” the fourth track on “Memento Mori,” marks a drastic tonal shift away from the colorful New Wave beats of “Wagging Tongue” and “Ghosts Again.”

One may argue that the track represents a return to the style that first garnered Depeche Mode’s admiration within the goth subculture, a melange of cold industrial sounds and Gahan’s reverent voice.

Listening to Gahan wax poetic about tumultuous and toxic love was enough to restore my faith in the album. Each track moving forward continued to capture the often-theatrical melancholia of Depeche Mode and the idea of beautiful darkness.

Final Thoughts

My first introduction to Depeche Mode was through “Violator,” an album they released a decade before I was born.

I didn’t discover the album until around 2015. By then, mainstream discourses surrounding the release had long since faded.

With no point of reference, I consumed the album without an ounce of criticality (arguably one of the best ways to experience albums).

Eight years later, I approach “Memento Mori” with a wholly different perspective.

For individuals unfamiliar with the works of Depeche Mode, “Memento Mori” may not be the best place in the band’s discography to start listening.

While the album is ultimately satisfying, it maintains distance from what I would consider to be the schematic Depeche Mode.

For those just getting into the band, I would recommend starting with “Violator” or “Music for the Masses” before visiting “Memento Mori.”

Recommended Songs

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New Album Review

Indigo de Souza’s “All of This Will End”: Album Review

I was first introduced to Indigo de Souza by my boarding school roommate who had gone to the same school as the singer in Asheville, North Carolina. When I began playing a radio show, I was always excited to play a small, local artist like Indigo de Souza. In the coming years, she would become not-so-small, and her discography would expand in a way I could not be more pleased about.