February 7, 2012

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for album review

Album Review: The Moth and the Flame

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Moth and the Flame's self-titled debut album

 

The Moth and the Flame
The Moth and the Flame
Unsigned
November 11, 2011

If such a thing still exists, The Moth and the Flame (TMATF) is art rock. From the carefully crafted tracks on their six-track, self-titled, debut album to the 20-foot-tall anthropomorphic giants used in promoting their symbolic 11/11/11 album release, the Provo, Utah rockers demonstrate a keen eye and ear for aesthetics.

The album’s Radiohead-meets shoegazer sound comes courtesy of Brandon Robbins and Mark Garbett. “How We Woke Up” serves as a proper introduction to TMATF’s flavor. Breathy vocals periodically click and snap into life as Garbett’s keys crescendo before sliding back into oblivion. This recipe keeps the album’s continuity, each track blending effortlessly into the next.

A track not to be missed, “Dreamer” reaches higher than all the rest, boldly using reverb to emphasize its message. Pensive keys reminiscent of M83 develop the album’s atmospheric sound in a new way, meshing perfectly with “Dreamer”’s fellow tracks.

Consistent with TMATF’s artsy character, the high-production value of the “Lullaby II” video commits TMFTF to good art. Filmed on the frozen and precarious-looking surface of Utah Lake, Robbins and Garbett send a melancholy message into a all-too-fitting wilderness. Additionally, the group expresses a commitment to the album’s art on the frontpage of their website, claiming it is “not an afterthought but rather an integral part of the process”. It is for this reason, they say, that the album is only available in physical form.

In a word, TMATF is about feeling. From the emotions in their lyrics to the simple pleasure of receiving an album in the mail, Robbins and Garbett’s album offers a 45-minute reminder of how to appreciate life’s joys.

WEBSITE: http://howwewokeup.com/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/themoththeflame

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Moth-the-Flame/192359697452716

Filed Under: Album Reviews, New Artist, USD Radio Tagged With: , , , ,

Album Review: Senioritis by Dylan Owen

January 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dylan Owen's album, "Senioritis"

By Tom Roth

Senioritis
Dylan Owen
Independent/unsigned
2010

In the entertainment business, the only thing more valuable than cold, hard cash are LKP’s. Not everyone earns them and LKP’s typically expire sometime between 13 and 19 but sometimes last longer for athletes. Some entertainers are adept at making the most of their LKP’s (Shaun White) while others (McCauley Culkin) squander theirs, relieving themselves of one of the industry’s few career boosters. With LKP’s, average work is made above average and above average work is made exceptional.

If you’re still unclear what LKP’s are, they are Little Kid Points. Unique to young entertainers, LKP’s are nicely summed up by the phrase “that’s pretty good… for a kid.” Thus, surprise is a legitimate reaction to 19 year old New York rapper Dylan Owen’s debut album, Senioritis.

Having just graduated from high school at the time of Senioritis’ release, it’s easy to think that Owen would be hard-pressed to find enough relevant topics to address but he makes up for his lack of life experience with mature lyrics. “Old Armor” takes a couple of listens to fully appreciate but Owen’s words of back-home nostalgia come through, relating his familiarity with the place he grew up. Claiming “I wear my past on my sleeve and my heart like a crown” and that “I don’t need a map to know my way around”, Owen makes good use of something common to all listeners.

Arguably the most important track on the album, Owen’s opening joint “The Book Report” sets the tone for Senioritis. According to Owen, the track is “inspired by countless nights on Suicide Hill with my friends, and by the endless feeling of longing for childhood that comes with age” and Owen’s imaginative lyrics of “September, the summer-killing month” and “cigarette kisses” belie his age.

Collaborator, Nico Marchese produces the lion’s-share of Senioritis’ better tracks including “The Book Report”, “Postcards”, “Old Armor”, “Garden of the Gods”, and “Spirit Week”. On the latter, Marchese’s enticing beats redeem otherwise pedantic lyrics about Bud Lime, taking shots, flip cup, and sluts. Strangely though, “Spirit Week” fits nicely into Senioritis’ larger theme. As a school term, the album’s September track, “The Book Report” leads to mid-year’s “Spirit Week”, coming full circle with June’s “I’m Still Spinning”, which Owen claims to have first titled “The Graduation Song”. The continuity makes Senioritis digestible.

Filed Under: Album Reviews, New Artist, USD Radio Tagged With: , , , ,

Album Review: El Camino by The Black Keys

December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Black Keys' new album, El Camino. Released December 6, 2011

By Sarah Jorgensen

El Camino
The Black Keys
Nonesuch Records
Released December 6, 2011

 

In recent years, The Black Keys have soared to near-mainstream popularity after their last album Brothers – they even played the main stage at Coachella this past April and at Outside Lands in August. Now, the Akron, OH band has returned with their seventh album, El Camino, an album more resonant of their earlier work than of the album that put them on the mainstream success map.

Though the album does maintain some of the synth-driven goodness that made Brothers appealing to so many people, the album also brings back the heavy guitars that were used so well in Magic Potion and Attack and Release. This will be a welcome change for longtime fans of the band, including those who were dissuaded by the altered tone on Brothers. Songs like “Gold on the Ceiling” and “Run Right Back” sound like they are straight off of Magic Potion with their strong drums (courtesy of Patrick Carney) and low-fi guitars combined with Dan Auerbach’s fantastic vocals, which, overall, sound more grungy than angelic on this album. “Hell of a Season” sounds exactly like the title –harsh guitars, energetic drums.

The album definitely does have influence from Brothers. For instance, “Nova Baby” keeps the cleaner melodies and guitars characteristic of the previous album, with a little synth thrown in during the chorus. “Mind Eraser” is reminiscent of “Just a Little Heat” off Magic Potion, though more up-tempo and with a lighter hand on the drums and guitars in the mixing process.

El Camino is just fantastic on the whole. Perhaps I’m a biased listener because of how much I loved Attack and Release and Magic Potion, but I’m glad to see the return of heavier rocking from The Black Keys. Though Brothers made them a household name, it’s great to see the band returning to their earlier style while still keeping elements of their more recent work.  El Camino will quickly become a favorite album among longtime fans of The Black Keys, but I have a feeling it will keep the more recent fans hooked as well.

Favorite Tracks:

“Gold on the Ceiling”
“Hell of a Season”
“Run Right Back”

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , ,

Album Review: White Wives, “Happeners”

June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Being released on Adeline Records, Happeners is the debut album (and hopefully only the first of many)
by White Wives, a band that consists of members from Anti-Flag, Dandelion Snow,
and American Armada.  Backed by the combined experience of the members of these
three bands, Happeners is an album that fuses the passion of a new band with the
focus of veterans to make the most of that passion, with fantastic results.

The album kicks off with “Indian Summer, Indian Summer,” one
of several stand-out tracks. A song about “Middle-American kids searching for
the truth,” the song gives the album a soaring start, complete with some woah-oh’s
and an anthemic chorus sure to be sung by many middle-American kids in the near
future. Other songs that stand out among the batch are “Hungry Ghosts,” a song
about being who you are and moving forward without dwelling on the past, “Paper
Chaser,” a protest song against a capitalist society, and “Hallelujah I’m
Mourning,” easily the most heartfelt and affecting song of the batch.

Although not all songs stand out as much as others, the
album is solid all the way through. It is an album of an increasingly rare
kind, that which can be compared to a book that can’t be put down or a movie
you can’t look away from. This album is this Summer’s hidden gem, but hopefully
won’t be hidden for long, because something this great deserves to be heard by the
masses.

Filed Under: Album Reviews Tagged With: , , ,

Album Review: Taking Back Sunday

June 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Taking Back Sunday's self-titled album is a powerfully creative and passionate fresh start

Taking Back Sunday’s fifth, self-titled album marks the return of long-absent members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, who were last present on the band’s debut album Tell All Your Friends. As a cherished album, there is no doubt that fans will be hoping for the band to return to that original sound. However, rather than go back over old ground, the band bursts back to life with an album that has a sound all it’s own, which still maintains the passion and creativity that were at the core of the band’s beloved first album.

Beginning with “El Paso,” Taking Back Sunday make it clear that this album is going to be different, and then continue to shine with creativity as each new track separates itself from the one before it with a fresh burst of inspiration. Songs standing out from the crowd include “Sad Savior,” future fan favorite “This Is All Now,” and stunningly perfect album closer “Call Me In The Morning.” Each track on this album sounds different from the next, and each track takes the listener on a very unique journey, whether it be a journey of questioning faith, dealing with broken relationships, or figuring out how to deal with the rest of life’s confusion.

Despite each track having its own sound, all tracks work together as a singular work of art, and may well make up the best album of this band’s career. This album may not have the classic sound that some were hoping for, but it may in fact have something better: A sound of it’s own, that could just be great enough to make it a new classic, adored for years to come just as Tell All Your Friends has been adored for the past decade. This album is a fresh start, and an impressive one at that.

Taking Back Sunday - Taking Back Sunday

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , ,

Album Review: Blueprint, “Adventures in Counter Culture”

May 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Blueprint's new album, Adventures in Counter Culture

By Tom Roth

Hip-hop fans hear Blueprint and think of Jay Z. The famed album went twice platinum as the radio-favorite track, “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” charted at #8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in October of 2001. At that time, a little-known Ohio rapper was nursing an early career, promoting his 1999 debut album from Weightless Recordings, Up to Speed. His name? Albert Sheperd, also known by his stage name, Blueprint.

A decade later, Blueprint has established himself as a stable member of the hip-hop community, building an impressive repertoire thanks to collaborations with Minnesota-based indie-fame-machine, Rhymesayers Entertainment. Eighteen albums and EPs provide a solid argument for Blueprint’s case as bona-fide rap legend and his latest release, Adventures in Counterculture, should be ample evidence to sway any unconvinced jurors.

As in any courtroom, everybody is looking for the “truth” and Print is no exception. From Adventures’ lyrics, it’s easy to tell “truth” was the artist’s foremost concern in making the album. More important than the catchy beat on “Fly Away” is what the words mean. While the funky 80’s synth-beat has John Hughes nodding in his grave, the track’s lyrics are a laundry list of reasons to “pack my bags/take flight/spread my wings/take flight”.

“My Culture” takes the same concern, but on a macro scale. Earning an “amen” cry from the listener, Blueprint laments “Iran and North Korea building nuclear bombs/Iraq and Afghanistan caught up in our wars/So when these rappers only rap about a home or a broad/Its cause they don’t know what’s happening at home or abroad”. Truth? It’s hard to argue otherwise in a world where Ke$ha spends 70 weeks on the Hot 100 charts.

Print’s choice of track titles seems to almost poke fun at the hip-hop artists who are better acquainted with the radio-waves. “Go Hard or Go Home” may share the same title as a banger off of E-40’s 2006 album, but you won’t find 40-Water rappin’ about the song-making process: “even in the smallest things he can hear a hit/Isolate the main part where the spirit is/Then magnify it in size until it’s a hit/I put things in places where they shouldn’t fit”. By the same token, “Keep Bouncing” may produce thoughts of Too

Short who wouldn’t in a million years admit to being broke as a joke or “makin’ out with busted-ass ladies”.

Print’s lyrics on Adventures are surgical in their precision. Time and again, he says exactly how he feels, exactly when he means to say it. “What’s Print’s life about? The same thing I rhyme about”. Case closed.

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , ,

Album Review: Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”

May 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lady Gaga's new album, Born This Way

By Sarah Jorgensen

I’m not afraid to admit it: I’m a huge Lady Gaga fan. However, even I was a little nervous for her new album, Born This Way, to drop. How could she ever top the tremendous commercial success of The Fame and its follow-up, The Fame Monster?

The answer: meshing a variety of trendy sounds with catchy lyrical hooks in one, cohesive package. Throughout Born This Way, Gaga crosses dubstep and techno beats with 80s arena pop in a remarkably seamless way. This is seen on the best of the albums’ tracks, including its energetic opener “Marry the Night” and the upbeat ode to her wigs, “Hair,” complete with 80s-style saxophone and melodramatic drums. Her heavier techno tracks, including “Heavy Metal Lover” and “Scheibe” are pretty excellent.  At its high points, this album really soars – just take a listen to “Edge of Glory” and try to tell me that it isn’t epic.

Gaga also takes more steps to really show off her vocal talent, which is best demonstrated on the Elton John-esque “You and I” and “Americano.” These are two of my favorite songs on the album, because it really reminds you that damn, this woman can really sing.

This isn’t to say that the album doesn’t have its weak points. At times, the songs sound too similar, especially later in the album. This results in some forgettable songs, including “Fashion Of His Love” and “Bad Kids.” Additionally, some songs, including the album’s second single “Judas,” perhaps try a little too hard to be overly edgy, especially lyrically. Were the overdone religious references really worth it?

On the note of Gaga’s lyrics, they are the icing on top of a much more substantial musical product; they are really hit or miss. The radio hit “Born This Way” is undoubtedly inspirational and empowering, but it certainly isn’t the most lyrically complex song ever written. If Gaga wants to cement herself as a true legend, she may consider striving for slightly more intricate lyrics.

On the whole though, the album possesses a quality of true continuity that is rather rare in current pop albums. Undoubtedly, the more complex pop that Gaga sings is still a rarity within the music scene today. As a listener, it’s great to hear her reach her “Edge of Glory” and know that she still has even further to go.

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , ,

Album Review: Tyler the Creator, “Goblin”

May 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

Tyler the Creator's "Goblin" is a breath of fresh air within rap

By Alex Floro

The much anticipated, hyped-out beast that is Tyler the Creator’s “Goblin” slaps you in the face with musings of suicide, thoughts of rape and therapy sessions with an ominous psychiatrist Dr. TC (who could very well be a cousin of Dr. Trevis from Redman joints).  But aside from the obvious conclusions that people may reach, Goblin is Tyler’s cry to the confused, the doubting and even the band-wagoning to sit down and “listen deeper to the music before you put it in a box.”

Tyler has the creative ability and potential to produce records and lyrics at the level of the most seasoned veteran. In an album almost entirely produced by himself, Tyler uses wordplay like it was second nature, followed by raw beats you know haven’t been touched by the grimy hands of any record company executive. At it’s best, the album tests the lines of right and wrong and showcase his inner demons with a sincerity most 20-year-old guys wouldn’t dare to touch upon. Most people don’t understand that, underneath the baby eating and decapitated heads, is an artistic expression that wrestles with frustrations with his absent father,  his past, and thoughts about the coming future.

On “She,” Tyler is accompanied by Odd Future member Frank Ocean, and I have to say that it was nice to see Tyler’s softer side. Tyler’s ode to a lost love proves that he is more than just another violent skate punk that some critics like to label him as. It is his version of a love letter that ultimately ends with a screaming dame and transitions to the head knocking “Transylvania.”

The standout for me, though, is “Golden.” The song encompasses almost all the themes of the album including missing his best friend, new found fame and, ultimately, his sanity. It is 5 minutes and 44 seconds of true, vintage Tyler spilling over chilling vocals and a heart pounding beat. “Golden” is one of those songs that you have to play more than once to catch everything contained in the track. In a move that almost mocks his loyal followers, Tyler addresses the issue of Earl, stating, “N***as saying ‘Free Earl’ without even knowin’ him/ See, they’re missing the new album, I’m missing my only friend.”  In the outro, the creepy Dr. TC, with a voice lower than the baritone of Tyler’s, finally subdues Tyler and delivers: “Your friends, they’re just figments of your imagination/Dr. TC, see Tyler, I’m your conscience/I’m Tron Cat, I’m Ace, I’m Wolf Haley, I’m…/Me.” In my opinion, if the album had ended with this, it would have made a greater impact (not that the album doesn’t already deliver a mind f***). So if you’re planning to listen to this song alone, late at night, I advise against it. Just like Tyler, your inner demons may just wrestle you into a straight jacket and throw away the key.

The Internet has been hot on Odd Future’s tail for the better part of two years, with a whirlwind of press surrounding both the group as a whole and the leader of the pack, Tyler the Creator. In a rap climate that has been ridden with overly styled and shallow lyrics, “Goblin” feels like a tornado sweeping through. I had high hopes for the record, anticipating the much expected shock value of his rhymes, as well as bass centered beats any horror movie soundtrack would embrace. What I got were both of those things, but do I think its “greatest of all time” material? Far from it.  What it is though is a breath of fresh air, a new perspective, and a sign of even better things to come from the Creator.

Goblin - Tyler, The Creator

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , , ,

Album Review: Fleet Foxes, “Helplessness Blues”

May 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

Fleet Foxes new album, "Helplessness Blues"

By Sarah Pacitti

Fleet Foxes’ newest album, Helplessness Blues, released May 3 is a melodic, folksy masterpiece. The lyrics are moving and poetic, and the variation of sound is all together powerful – a true personal reflection in its entirety. Lead singer Robin Pecknold’s soothing yet forceful voice resembles that of a Harry Chapin, a Paul Simon or maybe even a Brian Wilson. He sings with a certain nostalgia in his tone, remembering and looking back on a different time,“and believe me it’s not easy when I look back,” Pecknold sings out. This album is a compelling compilation, a mix of songs with acoustic folk guitar, psychedelic sound, and a chilling choir in the background of certain songs on the album, such as in “Montezuma,” the very first track that is heard. 

The song “The Shrine/ An Argument,” is one of the more meditative tracks on the album. While the beginning lyrics paint a picture of peaceful times, the tempo really begins to pick up and Pecknold exchanges his quiet voice for that of a thunderous, cathartic release: “In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote, in the driveway pulling away putting on your coat, in the ocean washing off my name from your throat, in the morning, in the morning.” Perhaps a song about moving on and letting go, Fleet Foxes really let’s go with this one, jamming out in this track with an incredible vigor, distinct and energetic in delivery.

Helplessness Blues really has it all. Nestled in the middle of the album is a purely instrumental number. Titled “The Cascades,” its tempo fluctuating from a slow calm to a speedy jolt and then back to a slow for the finish, sort of similar to Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas.”  Probably a song worth playing on repeat while studying for finals…probably on repeat because, after all, it is just that good.

In the last track of the album, Pecknold exclaims, “If I know only one thing its that everything I see of the world outside is so inconceivable that often, I barely can speak.” Listen to this album start to finish. Maybe on repeat. Then after, see if you can speak. Chances are, you too, will be left speechless. Enjoy.

Click here to listen to the title track “Helplessness Blues”

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , , ,

“My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” Album Review

December 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

When mountain climbing, don't forget to bring your $300K chain and microphone

When I was three, I took a black piece of construction paper, drew a line down the middle with a white crayon and told my teacher I was finished with my art project. Fifteen years later, I saw the same piece of art, by a different artist, for sale in a Seattle art gallery for $15,000. The artist’s early works are entirely different from his current stuff. Instead of trendy modern pieces like the white-on-black I described, his first pieces are beautiful landscapes that are much more intricate than his current fare.

Now let’s talk about Kanye West.

Just a few years ago, Kanye was new on the scene with hits like “Through the Wire” and “Jesus Walks”. He rocked pink polos. He drank Cristal. He was a rapper.

Now, he shows up at the VMA’s wearing a $300,000 chain shaped like Horus with a matching pyramid style knuckle-ring. He wears a crown of thorns on the cover of Rolling Stone. There’s an entire episode of South Park dedicated to his douche-baggery.

So, how does his latest album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” fit into all of this? Well, in cases like these, it usually helps to check out the first track. “Dark Fantasy” sure as hell ain’t your typical rap. Sure, Ye talks about his “Murcielago”, his “bravado”, and “Chi-town where the Nines flow” but the hook sounds like a guest contribution from Queen with its epic chanting sound. In that regard, “Dark Fantasy” does a good job of setting up the rest of the album, which on the whole is pretty epic.

It’s undeniable that West’s increased celebrity has given him tons of pull when it comes to guest appearances but unlike his debut album “The College Dropout” in which guests were limited to hip-hop artists like Ludacris and Talib Kweli, “MBDTF” showcases the talents of artists from many genres. Among the stars: John Legend and Bon Iver. The third single from the album, which Ye described – in typical big-ego fashion -as being “completely seamless and completely ghetto as f***” has contributions from Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie, John Legend, The Dream, Tony Williams, Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, Ryan Leslie, and La Roux’s Elly Jackson. Keep in mind, all those people are on just one track out of the album’s thirteen.

West gets the album’s singles out of the way early with “Power”, “Monster” and “All Of the Lights” coming within the first six tracks. For those searching for the Kanye of old, look no further than these three cuts. With their rap guests and catchy hooks, they typify the sound that made Kanye famous. However, the meat of the album comes from cross-genre tracks like “Runaway” and “Lost in the World” which serve to induce much head scratching as opposed to foot-tapping.

Just like that artist I encountered in Seattle, Kanye has become famous enough to do basically whatever he wants in regards to his music. “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is definitely a departure from what hip-hop fans have come to expect from well-known rappers but maybe that’s a good thing. As a recorder and producer, West has been known to push the envelope more than others. Let’s let him do his thing and see what he comes up with. If we don’t like it, we can always turn off the “Power”.

Filed Under: Album Reviews, USD Radio Tagged With: , ,
« Older Posts