Hey y'all! Sorry you all didn't get a review last week. I've been exhausted lately with all the work I've been doing, and I feel a little behind on my reviews. I've got some cool articles coming soon, so stay tuned for those.
I did get to see the lovely Carly Rae Jepsen this past week. I had no idea what to expect from this, seeing as this was my first time seeing a pop star in concert. She ended up being incredibly fun and vibrant. To be honest, she sounded great too! She had great stage presence and was very intimate with the crowd. All in all, I would totally go see her in concert again. If you haven't seen her on tour yet and she's coming to your city, I would highly recommend seeing her!
Now, enjoy this new set of reviews!
I did get to see the lovely Carly Rae Jepsen this past week. I had no idea what to expect from this, seeing as this was my first time seeing a pop star in concert. She ended up being incredibly fun and vibrant. To be honest, she sounded great too! She had great stage presence and was very intimate with the crowd. All in all, I would totally go see her in concert again. If you haven't seen her on tour yet and she's coming to your city, I would highly recommend seeing her!
Now, enjoy this new set of reviews!
Aurora is an indie pop singer from Os, Norway, who just released her debut album last week. She's a few years younger than I am too. What am I doing with my life, besides reviewing music?
Well, I'd never heard of Aurora before this year, and listening to this album, I'm glad I chose to review it. Listening through this album, I got strong vibes of another Scandinavian singer: Lykke Li. Everything from the production to Aurora's lovely voice reminds me of Lykke Li's music, especially Li's most-recent effort I Never Learn. This album has a little more of an electronic element to it than I Never Learn did, but still had some of the same dreamy, atmospheric qualities to it.
When Lorde popped onto the scene in 2013 with an album that showcased atmospheric production and lilting female vocals, I knew that it would become a hit to the point where some of them may get overdone. But All My Demons... is an example of one of those albums that actually works well. It's almost the opposite of Halsey's Badlands. Despite the similarities to Lykke Li, it still doesn't feel recycled.
Overall: 7/10
Favorite tracks: Conqueror; Running With the Wolves; Winter Bird; Through the Eyes Of A Child; Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
Well, I'd never heard of Aurora before this year, and listening to this album, I'm glad I chose to review it. Listening through this album, I got strong vibes of another Scandinavian singer: Lykke Li. Everything from the production to Aurora's lovely voice reminds me of Lykke Li's music, especially Li's most-recent effort I Never Learn. This album has a little more of an electronic element to it than I Never Learn did, but still had some of the same dreamy, atmospheric qualities to it.
When Lorde popped onto the scene in 2013 with an album that showcased atmospheric production and lilting female vocals, I knew that it would become a hit to the point where some of them may get overdone. But All My Demons... is an example of one of those albums that actually works well. It's almost the opposite of Halsey's Badlands. Despite the similarities to Lykke Li, it still doesn't feel recycled.
Overall: 7/10
Favorite tracks: Conqueror; Running With the Wolves; Winter Bird; Through the Eyes Of A Child; Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
Brian Fallon is the frontman for popular New Jersey indie rockers The Gaslight Anthem. The Gaslight Anthem is a band that, while I've enjoyed them, never really loved them. Aside from their single "45", I never really found them all that exciting.
To be completely honest, I kind of feel the same way about this one, although I like it better than what I've heard of The Gaslight Anthem. It's not a bad album by any measure. It's just about what I expected. No surprises. or anything here. Just straightforward rockers with a 60s and 70s influence. It has replay value, seeing as all the tracks on here are under three minutes and 45 seconds and are all good, but there's just not much else to say here.
Overall: 6/10
Favorite songs: Among Other Foolish Things; Rosemary
To be completely honest, I kind of feel the same way about this one, although I like it better than what I've heard of The Gaslight Anthem. It's not a bad album by any measure. It's just about what I expected. No surprises. or anything here. Just straightforward rockers with a 60s and 70s influence. It has replay value, seeing as all the tracks on here are under three minutes and 45 seconds and are all good, but there's just not much else to say here.
Overall: 6/10
Favorite songs: Among Other Foolish Things; Rosemary
Flatbush Zombies are a hip-hop group hailing from--where else?--Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City. New York City is, of course, the home of many a great rapper, especially from Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens.
This album definitely has some of the same feels as those early rap records, with grimy instrumentals and a socio-political tinge. The rhyme schemes occasionally match those of fellow Brooklyn rapper Nas.
As far as the album itself goes, it's not my favorite hip-hop album, but it's not bad either. There are dark and interesting instrumentals and flows on here, and the way these are all delivered are also great. I think that where this album seems to fall off is that it drags on for far too long, and most of the songs on their own feel that way. While the beats are good, they aren't interesting enough to keep this album from feeling a little slow and lethargic at times. To make this worse, there is a song at the end of the album called "Your Favorite Rap Song" that is thirteen minutes long. I don't mind thirteen minute-long songs, but on an album like this, it just seems kind of unneccessary. That last song is cool in that it features calls from Flatbush Zombies fans phoning in talking about how the group has impacted their lives, and hearing about the impact of music on other people's lives is always cool.
Overall: 6/10
Favorite songs: Bounce; R.I.P.C.D.; A Spike Lee Joint (feat. Anthony Flammia)
This album definitely has some of the same feels as those early rap records, with grimy instrumentals and a socio-political tinge. The rhyme schemes occasionally match those of fellow Brooklyn rapper Nas.
As far as the album itself goes, it's not my favorite hip-hop album, but it's not bad either. There are dark and interesting instrumentals and flows on here, and the way these are all delivered are also great. I think that where this album seems to fall off is that it drags on for far too long, and most of the songs on their own feel that way. While the beats are good, they aren't interesting enough to keep this album from feeling a little slow and lethargic at times. To make this worse, there is a song at the end of the album called "Your Favorite Rap Song" that is thirteen minutes long. I don't mind thirteen minute-long songs, but on an album like this, it just seems kind of unneccessary. That last song is cool in that it features calls from Flatbush Zombies fans phoning in talking about how the group has impacted their lives, and hearing about the impact of music on other people's lives is always cool.
Overall: 6/10
Favorite songs: Bounce; R.I.P.C.D.; A Spike Lee Joint (feat. Anthony Flammia)
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Pete Yorn, a New Jersey folk singer releasing his first album since 2010. He was first dragged out of the shadows when he appeared on the 2016 Coachella lineup, as well as with his 2015 single "Summer Was A Day". I wasn't all too familiar with Pete Yorn before then, but given the small amount of hype from indie fans over his comeback, I decided to give this new record of his a spin.
At the very start of this record, Yorn really engages you. This isn't a typical folk album, but rather an alternative album with some folk influences. There drum machines in the album as well as electronic elements complimenting Yorn's guitar and voice. He reminds me a lot of a folkier version of James Blake, or rather, James Blake is a more electronic version of Pete Yorn.
As far as indie and folk rock albums go, this is one of the better ones that has been released this year. It's exciting, engaging, and beautifully made. I think I'll definitely be digging back through Pete Yorn's back catalog to see what I may have missed when I wasn't as engaged in music.
Overall: 8/10
Favorite songs: Summer Was A Day; Halifax; In Your Head; She Was Weird; Screaming At the Setting Sun; Tomorrow
At the very start of this record, Yorn really engages you. This isn't a typical folk album, but rather an alternative album with some folk influences. There drum machines in the album as well as electronic elements complimenting Yorn's guitar and voice. He reminds me a lot of a folkier version of James Blake, or rather, James Blake is a more electronic version of Pete Yorn.
As far as indie and folk rock albums go, this is one of the better ones that has been released this year. It's exciting, engaging, and beautifully made. I think I'll definitely be digging back through Pete Yorn's back catalog to see what I may have missed when I wasn't as engaged in music.
Overall: 8/10
Favorite songs: Summer Was A Day; Halifax; In Your Head; She Was Weird; Screaming At the Setting Sun; Tomorrow