Category: Classic Album Review

Reviews of older and classic albums

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Classic Album Review

Classic Review: Section.80 by Kendrick Lamar

In general, discussion of the Kendrick Lamar canon is limited to the holy trinity of good kid, m.A.Ad city, To Pimp a Butterfly, and DAMN., with the occasional nod to untitled unmastered. Rarely is there mention of Section.80, Kendrick’s 2011 debut. It’s true that some of the tracks haven’t aged well (“No Makeup”, “Tammy’s Song”), but in my opinion there are many more hits than misses on K. Dot’s first studio album. It isn’t as focused as GKMC, as ambitious as TPAB, or as eclectic as DAMN., but Section.80 has a story to tell all its own.

That story centers around Tammy and Keisha, two characters who struggle to make sense of the world around them. Kendrick paints a picture of this world in great detail throughout the album’s runtime. On “A.D.H.D”, he reflects on the drug abuse that is so prevalent in his generation by saying “You know why we crack babies?/Because we born in the 80s, that A.D.H.D crazy.” “Ronald Reagan Era” describes Kendrick’s hometown of Compton, California in a way that only a true emcee could. In one bar, he says “1987, the children of Ronald Reagan/Rake the leaves of your front porch with a machine blowtorch”, which speaks to the generation of children who have been negatively affected by president Reagan’s policies. The narrative continues on “Keisha’s Song”, in which the titular character becomes a sex worker in order support herself. Like Tupac’s classic “Brenda’s Got a Baby”, Kendrick shows how this vicious cycle of neglect ends in tragedy. On “Ab-Soul’s Outro,”, the penultimate track on Section.80, Kendrick meditates on the themes presented throughout the album. In a particularly candid moment, he says “I’m not on the outside looking in/I’m not on the inside looking out/I’m in the dead f—— center, looking around.”

Even in 2011, Kendrick – who had not yet reached his prime – was no stranger to the Odyssean task of creating a concept album. He would continue to develop this skill with each project following Section.80, cementing him as one of the most gifted storytellers in hip-hop. While the narrative on this project isn’t as compelling as those found on his later albums, it is definitely worth a listen. To see the world through Kendrick Lamar’s eyes is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Favorite tracks: A.D.H.D., Ronald Reagan Era, Rigamortus, Kush & Corinthians, HiiiPoWeR

– DJ Mango

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Classic Album Review

Top Choice: Best Albums of All Time

Being an avid listener of music, I still have a relatively short list of albums that I can truly listen to straight through, again and again, and continue enjoying them the same amount as my first listen. I’ve compiled a list of albums from multiple genres and multiple themes. While they are perhaps not universally loved or recognized, these are the albums I consider to be the best of all time. 

La Maison de Mon Rêve – Cocorosie 

The Casady sisters have created an entire discography of  incredible experimental albums and this one is no exception. This is the single most unique album on this list, with soft vocals and harmonies, narratives that draw you in, and samples of really interesting sounds such as a creaking door or the sound of a shower flowing. 

Blonde – Frank Ocean 

An avant-garde album that is still widely loved by fans of rap, R&B, pop, and so on; this album had to make the list. I listen to this one at least every month and I continue to enjoy each song. The lyrics are beautifully constructed, the album is well produced, and the musical arrangements are languid but memorable. There’s a reason for the acclaim this album received, and if you haven’t listened to it in entirety, you need to ASAP. 

Bitchcraft – Spooky 

I won’t get into too much detail for this one since you can check out my full review of the album, but this is definitely one of my top albums of all time. Each song flows together perfectly, and it’s short enough to listen to and enjoy in a short listening session. 

The College Dropout – Kanye West 

This album is filled with songs that are forgotten or underrated in the first place. The album chronicles West’s early life in his first foray into music produced by a label. The narrative is compelling: it follows his choice to drop out of college to pursue a career in music, his life-altering car crash, and his experience navigating the music industry. 

I’ll likely have a part two for this topic since I’m pretty passionate about certain albums. Hopefully, you’ve been able to learn about a new album or are compelled to check out a classic album. Thanks for reading. 

– Miranda

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Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: Cannibal Corpse – Tomb of the Mutilated (1992)

It is no coincidence that another of my favorite records, and one of THE best Death Metal albums in history, features Chris Barnes! Tomb of the Mutilated was released through Metal Blade Records in 1992. This is their third studio album, and where Cannibal Corpse really hit their stride. Of course, Chris Barnes handles vocals (and all lyrical content and arrangements), Bob Rusey is on guitar (solos in songs 2, 3, 4 and 7), Jack Owen is also on guitar (solos in 3 and 7), Alex Webster is the mastermind on bass, and Paul Mazurkiewicz is the mad drummer.

The record was first banned in Germany because of the album cover and the “extremely disturbed" lyrics. The album cover soon had to be replaced by a tamer version (until some years later). And the band, itself, was banned by multiple countries altogether for several years. As an aside, this is interesting to me because, unless you have a trained ear, you can’t understand a word of Barnes’ gutterals!

I’d like to list the song titles for you, but cannot; for those are also too controversial. I can tell you that one song, “Hammer Smashed Face" was featured in the movie Ace Ventura Pet Detective, where Cannibal Corpse made a cameo appearance (the band was Jim Carey’s favorite), and is featured as downloadable content for the Rock Band video game series. The song is known as a Death Metal Classic. “I Cum Blood" is also featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. Those two songs, as well as “The Cryptic Stench" and “Split Wide Open,“ are fan favorites and played at most shows. The remaining songs I cannot list, here.

Tomb of the Mutilated has been described as a “high-concept album concerned with extreme necrophilia and sadism” by reviewers Jack Murray and Connur Joyce; especially concerning the last four songs, where the protagonist’s “mental state increasingly deteriorates.” Chris Barnes claims the lyrics are based on a true story, and one of the earlier songs on the record he says is based on his own experience (?!)!

Overall, reviewers rave about this album (as does your Master Butcher). As a rule, all say that it would be hard to pick out a favorite song (though I will) because they’re all awesome! The music is extremely complex and elaborated, especially when compared to their two previous records – unforgettable riffs, crushing bass progression, incredible drumming, and (of course) the unmistakable vocal gutterals.

In 2005, Tomb of the Mutilated was ranked number 278 in Rock Hard Magazine’s book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.

Favorite song: Hammer Smashed Face

Rating: 10/10!! You must have this record in your playlist! It is TRUE Death Metal (IMO)!

What are some of your favorite songs off of Tomb of the Mutilated? 

Stay Metal,

THE SAW 

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Classic Album Review

Classic Review: Madvillainy

MF DOOM is a figure that takes many forms. Some of his known aliases include Metal Face, Viktor Vaughn, and Your Favorite Rapper’s Favorite Rapper. No matter the moniker, DOOM will rap about anything from his comically nefarious deeds (he is known to send imposters to his live performances) to what he ate for breakfast – all while wearing his signature Doctor Doom-inspired metal mask.

Like his partner in crime, Madlib is known under several titles such as Quasimoto and the Beat Konducta. As a self-described “DJ first, producer second, and MC last”, he has worked with industry giants like J Dilla, Freddie Gibbs, Kanye West and Erykah Badu, and is just as comfortable behind a drum set as he is an MPC. He is known for his distinctive production style that features samples of obscure records and boom-bap drums.

The two joined forces to create 2004’s Madvillainy, which is considered by many hip-hop heads to be essential to the hip-hop canon. A true watershed moment in the history of the genre, Madvillainy had a profound influence on the generation of artists that succeeded it: without it, we would have no Joey Bada$$, no Earl Sweatshirt, and no Tyler, the Creator.

After listening to the album, it is easy to see why it is so influential. Madlib’s dusty beats and DOOM’s stream-of-consciousness verses are indicative of the sound that is now commonplace in the alternative hip-hop subgenre. The album opens with “The Illest Villains”, an instrumental driven by vocal samples of various cartoons and movie trailers from the yesteryear. The balance of urgency and camp perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the project by characterizing our villains as a dastardly duo who, in spite of their unrivaled infamy, spend most of their time smoking weed (“America’s Most Blunted”) or trying to pick up women (“Operation Lifesaver aka Mint Test”).

I could write a dissertation on MF DOOM’s lyrical gymnastics and Madlib’s nuanced production choices on Madvillainy, but since the album was released 16 years ago, I’m sure it’s been done already. Instead, I’ll just say this: if you’re a hip-hop fan and you haven’t heard this album, what are you doing with your life? Even if you aren’t a fan of the genre, give Madvillainy a shot. It could change your mind.

Favorite tracks: Accordion, Raid, Figaro, All Caps, Rhinestone Cowboy

– DJ Mango

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Classic Album Review

Metaphorical Music Review

My favorites: Lady Brown, Beat laments the world, Peaceland
Listen if you like: The Deli, Tomppabeats, Schlomo

Nujabes, also known as 瀬葉 淳, or Jun Seba was a Tokyo-born producer, DJ, and composer. Nujabes is mainly celebrated for his influence in the “anime beats” genre as he was the first artist to begin composing simple beat tracks, and with the development of the genre he has gained prominence among fans. His work ranges from sampling hip hop and jazz to producing his own atmospheric instrumentals. He also owned two record shops and founded his own independent record label in 1998, Hydeout Productions; his passion for music is obvious. 

“Metaphorical Music,” a breakbeat album created in 2003, is one of the best albums in his discography. because of the many different artists it features, rapping and singing over the incredible instrumentals created by Nujabes. His production dips into many different genre influences and this is exemplified beautifully in “Metaphorical Music”.  The album flows seamlessly between jazz notes, hip hop beats, and Eastern elements. The album begins with jazzy tracks overlaid with rap verses by Substantial, Pase Rock, and Cise Starr. My favorite of these is “Lady Brown”, a beautiful love song. The verse “She smells like a Happy Birthday/On a Thursday” is one of my favorites out of all the love songs I’ve heard. It’s really a great song. You can get a glimpse of Nujabes’ foray into “chillhop” (before the genre was even created) in his track F.I.L.O. which features artist Shing02. The album finishes with some more simplistic but exquisite instrumental tracks, like “Peaceland.”

Jun Seba tragically died in 2010 in a traffic accident. Following this, artists worldwide performed tributes in his musical style and many modern artists like Otakon and Logic have credited him for his influence in their work. His label posthumously released his album “Spiritual State,” another amazing work. Despite his passing he continues to bring music fans together through his touching, soulful works. 

Give “Metaphorical Music” a listen, with the newfound appreciation of Nujabes and his musical impact. 

– Miranda

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Classic Album Review

Classic Album of the Week: Mötley Crüe: Shout at the Devil

“When this record broke, we were in complete shock and awe over the band’s appearance and sound,” the OG says about Motley Crue’s 1983 sophomore release, Shout at the Devil. “We were listening to AC/DC, Van Halen, Boston, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, and the like; even KISS, with its use of make-up and shock appeal didn’t prepare us for Crüe!”

Mötley Crüe are from Los Angeles, CA, and formed in 1981. The band was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, guitarist Mick Mars, and vocalist Vince Neil. Shout at the Devil (Elektra Records) dropped on September 26, 1983, and sold 200,000 copies in the first two weeks. Many attributes the high sales volume to the record’s (and the band’s) built-in controversy. ’83 was the time just before the PMRC required warning labels on all explicit albums, and Shout at the Devil’s original record cover featured a huge pentagram and photos of the four members in complete costume.

“Every week we were in the record store, looking for the newest record by our favorites, or we’d find new bands to listen to based on record covers. When we picked up Shout, it was the coolest thing we’d ever seen! The cover just drew us in, and we hadn’t even heard any of it! When I got home and played it, and the title track blasted through my speakers, I was hooked! The sound oozed from the record. It was gritty, dirty, and just incredible! It was in your face violent, sexual (straight up, not in innuendos), and overall unlike anything I’d ever heard.”

This was an important time in Metal history, Glam Rock began here, with the edgy sounds and lyrical content of Crue and Twisted Sister. In fact, Nikki Sixx, before forming Crüe, was in a band (“Sister”) with legendary vocalist Blackie Lawless, who would go on to form the infamous band, WASP. Before Glam turned into Big Hair Rock (Cinderella, Britney Fox, etc.) and Pop Rock (Poison, Ratt, etc), it was raw, dark, and (ironically) real. Hey, if it weren’t for Glam Metal (in all its forms), there would have been no rebellion against it, by bands (starting with the letter “M") like Metallica, Metal Church, and Megadeth, etc.

“Shout opened the door, for me, to extreme music. It was less mainstream, radio rock and more  underground, less publically acceptable Metal. Crüe changed the game through sound, appearance, and content. Twisted Sister was the first time I had ever heard cussing in a song (F-bombs). Blackie Lawless and WASP pushed all of that to the extremes with song titles, live performance props, and lifestyles! Crüe was kicked off their first KISS tour by Gene Simmons, and Twisted Sister and WASP were continually band all over the world. It was glorious!!”

Favorite Songs: Shout at the Devil ; Looks that Kill ; Ten Seconds to Love

Rating: a perfect 10/10!

What are some of your favorite songs off of Shout at the Devil?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW 

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Classic Album Review

Classic Review: Black Messiah by D’Angelo and the Vanguard

The music of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer D’angelo is like fine wine – it only gets better with time. With two Grammy wins and two classic albums – Brown Sugar and Voodoo – under his belt by the year 2001, he set the bar pretty high for himself. This, combined with the unease of his growing popularity as a sex symbol, led him to take an extended break from recording.

He would not return from this hiatus until 2014, this time backed by a dedicated band called the Vanguard. Black Messiah represents a slight departure from Brown Sugar and Voodoo’s R&B and Neo-soul sensibilities: while those elements are still present, D’angelo also incorporated elements of funk, rock, and psychedelia to create a genre-defying experience.

Black Messiah has the listener’s head bobbing from the start with “Ain’t That Easy”, one of my personal favorites. It builds a Questlove-inspired groove with slightly swung drums and a distorted guitar, leaving room for the transcendent harmonies that D’Angelo is so well known for. The chorus marks the entrance of another guitar track as well as a bass, and it is here that the song’s groove is fully realized.

I cannot talk about Black Messiah without praising “Really Love”, the track that won him a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2016. It opens with a string section, slowly growing in volume and urgency, joined by a lone spanish guitar. The point at which the rest of the band comes in to create a laid-back, intimate groove is the point at which, as a listener, my soul leaves my body.

D’Angelo’s uncompromising approach to his craft resulted in a modern classic that is refreshingly unconcerned with the conventions of genre and style. It is both comfortably loose and surgically precise, playfully jovial and deadly serious, disarmingly intimate and profoundly universal. In short, Black Messiah is a masterpiece. I recommend this album to fans of Prince, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill.

Favorite tracks: Ain’t That Easy, Sugah Daddy, Really Love, Till It’s Done (Tutu), Betray My Heart, The Door

– DJ Mango 

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Classic Album Review

Retro(ish) Review: Palo Alto Movie Score – Devonte Hynes

English singer-songwriter Devonte Hynes, also known as the artist behind Blood Orange, has risen in fame over the past decade. His earlier albums, “Coastal Grooves” and “Cupid Deluxe” are marked by their mixture of R&B and hazy electronica. From 2016 to 2019, he released three more albums (“Freetown Sound”, “Negro Swan” and “Angel’s Pulse”), all of which explore the Hynes’ thoughts on sexuality, race, and spiritual callings.

His score for “Palo Alto” (2014), written by Gia Coppola and James Franco, is a beautiful compilation that reflects the tone of the film perfectly. Based on Franco’s book, “Palo Alto” tells the story of a group of California teens navigating relationships and what it feels like to grow up too fast. Although the movie is no longer to my taste for a variety of reasons, I appreciate Hynes’ musical contributions. The soundtrack is almost entirely instrumental, made up of soft synths and light tones. Overall, it is a melancholy and sentimental score that is meant to echo the lives of the main characters and how they cope with raging hormones, peer pressure, and their own inner selves.

Here are some of my favorite highlights from it:

1. April’s Daydream
2. Palo Alto
3. Teddy & April
4. Soccer Field
5. Teddy Rides Home

Stay tuned in!

– DJ butter

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Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: Suicide Silence – The Cleansing (2008)

You already know I gotta highlight one of the best deathcore albums, in my opinion. This is one of the albums that got me into heavier music and it is still one of my favorite albums to this day. I already have a band of the week out on Suicide Silence, you know The Saw got y’all!!

The Cleansing is the debut studio album by Suicide Silence and it debut at No. 94 on the Billboard Top 200, selling 7,250 copies within the first week. This album became one of the best-selling debut albums in Century Media’s history. This album is noted for its unique engineering style, because it was tracked live in-studio as opposed to track-by-track. After the intro, the first song on the record is Unanswered, one of my favorite songs. This song has some solid riffs and Mitch Lucker’s trademark vocals make this song a very well-constructed opening track.

Each of the songs have a set of lyrics that stand on their own; some of the songs are about religion, others about money and greed, and some about the human race. This record is nothing but a beating, it’s like sensory overload. This album will beat you into the ground with no remorse and will leave nothing behind. Some critics have stated that this album is nothing new, but the early 2000 era was a prime era for the deathcore realm. So many bands from this sub-genre were upcoming bands, so of course they are going to be influenced by one another. Despite the criticism, this album opened the door for Suicide Silence, and helped them develop their skull crushing sound. This style of music is for an acquired taste, but if you love getting beat to death (by music, of course) then this album is definitely for you!


Favorite songs:

No Pity for a Coward

Unanswered

Girl of Glass

Bludgeoned to Death


Rating: 9/10!!

What are some of your favorite songs off of The Cleansing?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: As I Lay Dying – An Ocean Between Us (2007)

As I Lay Dying is one of those bands that are a staple piece within the metal community. Their sound when they first hit the scene was raw, fresh, heavy, and groovy. The type of era of metalcore that As I Lay Dying was in was my favorite type of metalcore. I loved the harmony mixed with intricate riffs, technical drumming, and to top it all off, with some very powerful screams and cleans. Their fourth studio album, An Ocean Between Us is a staple album for anyone who is a fan of the metalcore genre. The sound on this record is timeless, it sounds as if it was released today! This is an album that I never get tired of, when I listen to it I get a nostalgic feeling because it takes me back to when I first started listening to heavier metal and listening to this album with my brothers.

An Ocean Between Us is arguably the best release As I Lay Dying has ever come out with and it is argued that this is the record that defines that band. The album was released on August 21, 2007 through Metal Blade Records and it debut at No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

Nick Hipa commented on the album stating that everyone in the band pushed themselves and they were just experimenting and trying new things on this album. Overall, they were just jamming together and it ended up creating an amazing album. Tim Lambesis stated that they listened to their last album (Shadows Are Security) and they were getting tired of how the genre, as a whole, copies one another and As I Lay Dying wanted to create an album that was different and more diverse. I think they successfully made an album that sounds like no one else, and since it’s so different, it helps their sound stand out and become a recognizing force within metalcore. They didn’t just use the traditional metalcore sound, they had mixtures of deathcore, thrash, and death metal on this record, and I think the combinations of genres is what makes this record so timeless.

Almost all the songs have an epic feel to them, and it carries a message and a meaning within their songs. The cleans are not used to carry entire songs, but to compliment the songs and give it harmony along with the guitar riffs.

I love this album so much and I still know every word to every song, even after almost 13 years.

10/10!!!!!


Favorite songs:

Nothing Left, I Never Wanted, The Sound of Truth, An Ocean Between Us, and Within Destruction.

What are your favorite songs off of An Ocean Between Us?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW