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Categories
New Album Review

The Angel You Don’t Know Review

Album cover of Amaarae's The Angel You Don't Know

Written By Miranda

My favorites: LEAVE ME ALONE, HELLZ ANGEL, 3AM 

Listen if you like: Ajebutter22, WizKid, Obongjayar 

Amaarae, a Ghanaian American R&B musician, released her first album yesterday: “THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW.” Amaarae is a groundbreaking artist, focusing much of her music on gender and representation. Her first EP, “Passionfruit Summers,” was well-received by fans in Ghana and worldwide, gaining rankings on Apple Music. Amaarae is also interested in fashion and makeup as obvious by visiting her Instagram @/amaarae and her online appearance in Vogue magazine. Amaarae is an activist for feminism, gender identity, LGBT rights, and most recently the campaign to end SARS. LGBT Ghanian citizens face discrimination and violence, but Amaarae is vocal about the rights of these individuals, and we see this reflected in much of her art. 

The album seamlessly glides between different genre influences including Afropop, R&B, mall rock, dancehall, and more. Amaarae connects popular Afropop with western styles of rap and R&B to create a tantalizing combination of sound that you’re sure to love. In a press release about the album, Amaarae said: 

“With this new project, this new chapter in my musical journey, I feel so incredibly alive. I strived to colour outside of the afro-pop parameters and re-define for myself what it means to create African music. Sonically, visually and spiritually my message is stronger than ever. I feel like the true me has resurrected and it’s only going to get more insane from here.” 

And re-define music she sure has. The 14-track album dives deep into social commentary, consciousness of global issues, and themes relevant to any young adult through wispy, light vocals contrasted against tougher-sounding rap verses. Listening to the sequential tracks, “TRUST FUND BABY” and “HELLZ ANGEL” best exemplifies this interesting contrast. The album exudes confidence and ambition, and especially as a debut album it definitely delivers something amazing. Give it a listen and definitely keep an eye out for Amaarae’s continued rise to relevance in the alternative/rap/R&B circles.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 11/17

Moveys Album Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1PEELPeel [EP]Innovative Leisure
2SLOW PULPMoveysWinspear
3PAPI SHIITAKEQuarantine Dream [EP]Trash Casual
4JORDANA“I Guess This Is Life” [Single]Grand Jury
5SUPERCRUSHSODO PopDon Giovanni
6TOMBERLINProjections [EP]Saddle Creek
7SINAI VESSELGround AswimSingle Occupancy
8IDLESUltra MonoPartisan
9JULIEN BAKER“Faith Healer” [Single]Matador/Beggars Group
10KISSISSIPPI“Around Your Room” [Single]Triple Crown
11CASHINOVABig DragonStophouse
12SOFT BLUE SHIMMER“Cherry-Cola Abyss” [Single]Disposable America
13BIICLANo Place [EP]Good Luck Have Fun
14CARIBOUSuddenlyMerge
15DAKOTA THEIMSomewhere Under The SunSelf-Released
16JACQUES GREENEDawn ChorusLucky Me
17JR JRAugust And Everything Prior [EP]Love Is EZ
18KENNEDY ONEMetropolis [EP]Self-Released
19PRINCESS NOKIAEverything Is Beautiful/Everything SucksSelf-Released
20PUBLIC PRACTICEGentle GripWharf Cat
21SHYGIRLALIAS [Advance Tracks]Because
22TOBIElements Vol. 1Same Plate/RCA
23YVES TUMORHeaven To A Tortured MindWarp
24BEAU DEGAHoly CannoliSelf-Released
25DENZEL CURRYUnlockedLoma Vista
26DISCLOSUREENERGYCapitol
27GEORGE CLANTON AND NICK HEXUMGeorge Clanton And Nick Hexum100% Electronica
28LAND OF TALKIndistinct ConversationsSaddle Creek
29MOMMATwo Of MeDanger Collective
30SASSY 009KILL SASSY 009Luft

TOP ADDS

ArtistRecordLabel
1WISH TRAPSCatch ItDivan Rouge
2QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS“Postcard From Spain” [Single]Saddle Creek
3RATS ON RAFTS“Tokyo Music Experience” [Single]Fire
4BEAU DEGAHoly CannoliSelf-Released
5JENNY ONew TruthMama Bird
6MUMBLE TIDELove Thing [EP]Nothing Fancy
7GASPARD EDENSoft PowerCoyote
8JANE WEAVER“The Revolution of Super Visions” [Single]Fire
9DED RABBIT“Gotta Get Outta This Place” [Single]Dirty Fader
10POSITIONERUnsteady Hands [EP]Thrill Me

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 11/17

Your Receding Warmth Album Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1BOUNDARIES Your Receding WarmthUnbeaten 
2CHAMBER Cost of Sacrifice Pure Noise 
3YEAR OF THE KNIFEInternal IncarcerationPure Noise
4SEED OF PAIN Flesh, Steel, Victory… Plead Your Case 
5BLOODBATHERSilence [EP]Rise
6CARCASSDespicable [EP]Nuclear Blast
7SO THIS IS SUFFERING “Moonlight Serenade” [Single]Self-Released
8AS I LAY DYING “Destruction or Strength” [Single]Nuclear Blast 
9AUGUST BURNS REDGuardiansFearless
10NAPALM DEATHThroes Of Joy In The Jaws Of DefeatismCentury Media
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 11/17

Natural Born Killers Album Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1JAMES MASSIAHNatural Born Killers (Ride for Me) [EP]Levels
2JACQUES GREENEDawn ChorusLucky Me
3DISCLOSUREENERGYCapitol
4GEORGE CLANTON AND NICK HEXUMGeorge Clanton And Nick Hexum100% Electronica
5CARIBOUSuddenlyMerge
6PROSPAControl The Party [EP]Prospa
7SHYGIRL“Freak” [Single]Because
8MEMPHIS LK“Letters In Concrete” [Single]Dot Dash
9YAEJIWhat We DrewXL/Beggars Group
10YVES TUMORHeaven To A Tortured MindWarp
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 11/17

everywhereigo by babyxsosa
ArtistRecordLabel
1BABYXSOSA“Everywhereigo” [Single]1602599
2MFNMELO“Yallwhadinthere” [Single]Self-Released
3JOPIPPINSDigital NativeBoring Life
4RUN THE JEWELSRTJ4Jewel Runners/RBC/BMG
5CONRADFRMDAAVES“Vintage & Adventurous” [Single]boutabagmusic
6TUAMIEEmergency Raps, Vol. 5Mutant Academy
7AFRIQUAColoredR & S
8TOBIElements Vol. 1Same Plate/RCA
9JAMES TILLMANModern DesiresMusella Creative
10YOUNG THUGSo Much Fun300 Entertainment
Categories
New Album Review

Album Review: “Inner Song” by Kelly Lee Owens

ALBUM: “Inner Song” by Kelly Lee Owens

RELEASE YEAR: 2020

LABEL: Smalltown Supersound

RATING: 8/10

BEST TRACKS: “Melt!,” “L.I.N.E” and “On” and “Night”

FCC: Clean

Kelly Lee Owens, Welsh electronic musician, released her second album “Inner Song” at the end of this August. The album has 10 songs that all vary from techno and dream pop to what almost sounds like the instrumental of an 80s horror movie (which I love). The songs are long, ranging from 3 minutes to almost 7 and a half. The album is perfect for fall walks and drives. 

The first song on the album,“Arpeggi,” reminds me a bit of Goblin’s tracks in the movie Phenomena. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. Other songs are more techno like “Melt!” and “Night,” which remind me of her older songs like my favorite “More than a Woman” from 2017- all bangers!! 

My favorite song on the album has to be “L.I.N.E.” This song is sooo pretty and calm. There’s a repetitiveness in her lyrics and the pattern of the songs. “L.I.N.E” along with “On” are a bit softer and more ethereal than the other songs on the album. There’s so much range in the different types of songs she has here- from dream pop to techno, she does it all! 

Overall, I think “Inner Song” is both fun, party vibes and also a calm, introspective album. It has range and I realize different things about it the more I listen. I hope you all will give it a listen and  enjoy it too <3

Categories
Classic Album Review

The Saw’s Classic Cuts: Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power (1992)

Vulgar Display of Power Album Cover

It may come as a bit of a surprise to many but, Vulgar Display of Power is Pantera’s sixth studio album. Released on February 25, 1992, it is the second Pantera Album from Atco Records (Cowboys From Hell was the first), and the second record that featured the new Pantera sound. The four previous releases featured a very different, Glam Rock sounding Pantera. In fact, the great “Dimebag” Darrell (R.I.P.) used to be know as “Diamond” Darrell before the band’s evolution to pure Heavy Metal!

The goal of Vulgar Display of Power was to be the heaviest album ever, and at that time, it just may have been! Pantera took the notions of violence and anger and translated them into site and sound as never before. Not only Phil Anselmo’s  lyrics in songs like “Mouth for War,” “F****** Hostile,” “Walk,” and “By Demons Be Driven;” but the power of harnessed chaos in Dime’s guitar riffs, Rex’s crushing bass, and Vinnie Paul’s (R.I.P.) thunderous drum playing. Their live shows are legendary, bosting the largest circle pits of the era. The explosive band caused every crowd in every city to explode in a chain reaction.

The title of the album is taken from the 1973 movie, The Exorcist (a great movie, BTW!). The album cover is of a man being punched in the face. Classic! It is an illustration of what this record does to the listener.

Vulgar Display of Power has been dubbed “one of the most influential Heavy Metal albums of the 1990s.” Another critic commented that it “is one of the most satisfying Heavy Metal records since Metallica’s early-80s cult days.” The record has been listed in the “1001 records you must hear before you die.” Everyone agreed that Pantera was “head and shoulders” above everyone else. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Vulgar Display of Power as 10th on their list of the “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time.”

Pantera was the perfect storm of a band – all four members were the best of their craft – that created the perfect storm of a record – a pure ass-whoopin’!

Favorite songs: A New Level; Walk; This Love

Rating: 10/10!! A must-have for the lover of raw metal power!

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Playlists

Wedding Singer

Compiled By Miranda

In lieu of my upcoming nuptials, I want to share a playlist of my favorite wedding songs. The first part of the playlist includes songs that would be perfect for walking down the aisle, and the second half includes songs for the first dance and reception. Listen to the playlist here. Whether you’re getting married soon or not, these love songs will not disappoint.

  1. Clair de Lune, L. 32 by Claude Debussy 
  2. lovers’ carvings by Bibio 
  3. Chopin: Waltz No. 9 in A-Flat Major by Chopin 
  4. Sea of Love by Cat Power 
  5. At Last by Etta James 
  6. Wedding Song – Acoustic by Yeah Yeah Yeahs 
  7. Make You Feel My Love by Adele
  8. Unforgettable by Nat King Cole 
  9. Canon In D by Cello Music Songs 
  10. If I Ain’t Got You – Piano & Vocal Version by Alicia Keys 
  11. Moon River by Frank Ocean 
  12. January Wedding by The Avett Brothers 
  13. I’ll Be There by The Jackson 5 
  14. What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong 
  15. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Mr. Lauryn Hill 
  16. I Would Do Anything for You by Foster The People 
  17. Hung Up On My Baby by Isaac Hayes 
  18. Live And Die by The Avett Brothers 
  19. Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac 
  20. Marry You by Bruno Mars
  21. The Way You Look Tonight by Frank Sinatra 
  22. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) by Marvin Gaye
Categories
Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: VLITMAS – Something Wicked Marches In (2019)

Something Wicked Marches In Album Cover

I must admit, this record (and band) snuck up on me like a haymaker sucker-punch! Released on March 29, 2019 (Season of Mist), Something Wicked Marches In is the debut album from (the “Super Group”) Vltimas. Though the sound of the record is very well mixed and produced, the FEEL of the record is very much old school Death Metal; and you already know The Saw loves some old school Death Metal!

So, first, we must talk about the band. Vlitmas is a three-piece, which is hard to believe when you hear it, but understandable when you consider who these three are. David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel) is known around the world as a premiere vocalist and bass player. His work on the early Morbid Angel records helped set the pace and style of Death Metal. His vocals are a combination of gutteral and lofty clean. He really has a beautiful voice (in either fashion) and his delivery is near perfection in style and material. Vincent is from Texas (and he stereotypically looks the part!), but sings with a European accent. His song writing is always impeccable; dark and eerie, but on time.

Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen (ex-Mayhem) is the masterful Black Metal guitarist from Portugal who set the standard for how his genre’s music should sound. His style, therefore, is less about power chords and breakdowns and more about fast picked tremolo melodies and harmonies, and you already know I love some harmony! He really gives the band a dark feel, but at the same time, his tone almost makes you feel like your floating through time.

Flo Menier (Cryptopsy) is the legendary Canadian drummer that wrote the book on blast-beats, laying the groundwork for what would become Technical Death Metal. He is easily one of the best Tech-Death drummers in the world. His long history of drumming could be studied in the universities! Is style is very smooth, though extremely fast; with off tempo changes, he really powers the sound of every song forward as he sets the pace.

When you bring these three monumental styles together,you get Something Wicked Marches In. Every single song on this record is a literal masterpiece. The record definitely has an early Morbid Angel time-change stamp to it. Each song floats along on Vincent’s awesome vocal style and his brutal bass playing. All the while, Eriksen’s ever changing riffs of melody and harmony fill out the space; adding a thickness that you rarely find in a three-piece band. And his talent gives you something more to this than revisiting Morbid Angel’s past. Flo drives this devilish machine forward, on every song, with his trademark change-ups – blast-beats and lightning double base, and smooth symbol/tom combinations. Nothing about this album feels forced, and never does it seem like Vlitmas is trying too hard. In fact, quite the opposite is true. The three masters blend their respective styles together in a way that has never been done. In a time in Metal history when Death Metal morphed into Tech-Death, Slam, Deathcore, etc (all of which I love!), Something Wicked Marches In is pure Death Metal, perfectly done so as to be a modern masterpiece.

Song List:

  1. Something Wicked Marches In
  2. Praevalidus
  3. Total Destroy
  4. Monolilith
  5. Truth and Consequence
  6. Last Ones Alive Win Nothing
  7. Everlasting
  8. Diabolic Est Sanguis
  9. Marching On

Favorite Songs: I’m telling you, every song is an individual masterpiece! “Monolilith” and “Last Ones Alive Win Nothing” are at the top for me.

Rating: 10/10!! Best of 2019!

Have you listened to this album? What do you think? What’s your favorite song?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Miscellaneous Playlists

30 Ways to Practice Self-Care During Finals

I am a true believer that self-care is one of the most important things to incorporate into our daily routines. Now that the stress of final exams is piled on top of election panic, COVID anxiety, social upheaval, taking care of ourselves emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally is crucial. I try to do one thing every day that brings me joy and comfort. Self-care looks different for everyone, but here are some ways I like to wind down to make sure I don’t get too burned out. Some might work for you, some might not. Some take more time than others, and may only be accessible to you after finals are over. The important thing is to recognize what you love to do and make a little bit of time for it every day!

  1. Re-read your favorite book.
  2. Go on a long walk in nature. Even if it’s a short one, walking every day has been found to be very beneficial for our mental wellbeing.
  3. Buy a plant and watch it grow.
  4. Watch your comfort show.
  5. Call a friend.
  6. Make a collage.
  7. Take a really really really long shower.
  8. Set a schedule for yourself and stick to it.
  9. Go to bed early.
  10. LISTEN TO WKNC!
  11. Buy yourself something you’ve been wanting for a long time.
  12. Bake something sweet and share it with people you love.
  13. Clean your room.
  14. Organize your closet and donate your old clothes.
  15. Paint or draw, even if you’re bad at it.
  16. Dance around your room.
  17. Dress up for no reason.
  18. Journal, journal, journal! Writing out all the things I’m stressed about helps clear my head.
  19. Redecorate your room/home.
  20. Watch concerts of your favorite artists.
  21. GET. OFF. SOCIAL. MEDIA.
  22. Find new music and update your playlists.
  23. Buy some new skin/hair products.
  24. Light a candle.
  25. Make some tea, hot chocolate, or any warm beverage.
  26. Take a bubble bath.
  27. Exercise in your preferred way.
  28. Breathe deeply.
  29. Remember this too shall pass.
  30. Listen to this playlist I made you!