You Will Never Be One Of Us by Nails

Grindcore/power-violence act Nails have established themselves as one of the premier groups in the genre with their first two releases, both of which have garnered a rather impressive amount of acclaim. They have a sound that is hard to explain to those who have yet to hear them, as their frantic, chaotic, straight to the point tracks normally fail to even exceed the one minute mark. Their punchy guitars, roaring drum beats, and nasty, guttural vocals all come in with such ferocity that they're over before you even have time to click play.

On You Will Never Be One Of Us, Nails do branch out in some ways, with Violence Is Forever coming in at a modest three and a half minutes, and the closer They Come Crawling Back taking up eight minutes of the 22 that the album runs for. Even on the longer cuts however, the band deliver the same kind of music you would find on their previous two efforts, and with Converge's Kurt Ballou behind the scenes producing yet again, you're all but guaranteed to find some of the ugliest sounding guitar riffs around. Frontman Todd Jones, who provides both the guitar work and the vocals for the band, doesn't shy away from experimenting with the same hardcore/metalcore territory that many of the bands Ballou has worked with in the past have, especially on tracks like the aforementioned They Come Crawling Back, which features some mathcore influenced, headbang worthy breakdowns and slow-paced drum beats that in turn build up into multiple chaotic interludes before the track comes chugging to a halt.

While the rest of the album isn't as patience testing as the 8 minute epic, it still delivers in plenty of other ways. The title track, which was released as the album's first single is another highlight, as the band kick off the album with monstrous blast beats that are delivered with such attitude and flair that you can't help but feel the music. They take a groovier approach on Made To Make You Fall, with an intro that in some ways is reminiscent of groove-metal pioneers Pantera, that is before the track descends into hell once again and the groovy instrumentation is swept away in favour of more bone-rattling guitar riffing and drumming.

When it comes to what sets this album apart and it makes such a great inclusion in their discography, I think it's simply just how well they manage the pacing of their songs. Not only does the band manage to make the most of even the shortest tracks, but they also seem to include everything imaginable within these tight timeframes. There are plenty of short, Converge-esque breakdowns and guitar passages, and just as many moments where the band create such an enveloping wall of sound that you truly become beat down by the brutality they are presenting you with.

In the time you've spent reading this review, you probably could have listened to this album in it's entirety, so that's where I'll leave this. Nails have yet to disappoint thus far into their career, and if you found yourself enjoying either of their last two full-lengths, this truly is a must hear. They aren't changing up their style, and they aren't looking to make any new fans, they're just taking the same style they've perfected with their last two efforts, and this time they're cranking it up even louder.

Rating: 4/5

Check out the title track You Will Never Be One Of Us below:

You can pre-order the album over on the band's merch site here.

Hella Personal Film Festival by Open Mike Eagle & Paul White

I find that the best way to describe Open Mike Eagle's approach to hip-hop as the type of rap that is enjoyed by men who wear scarves in the summertime and rap fans who also enjoy anime and Discovery channel documentaries. The Chicagoan emcee's blend of dry humour and intellectual lyricism with stories that present the irony of every day life never fail to provide both a laugh and some thoughtful discussion. Just last year with the release of his EP A Special Episode Of, Mike released one of the better rap projects of 2015 while only giving us about 20 minutes worth of material.

This time he's back with a lengthier project, and he's joined by producer Paul White, who is perhaps most know for his work with the always eccentric hip-hop artist Danny Brown. With Mike Eagle tackling topics such as technology, death, racial stereotyping and more, he still manages to stay as fresh and quirky as ever, and over the upbeat, childlike production of Paul White, the duo deliver an excitingly enjoyable hip-hop project.

It's hard to point a finger at exactly what makes this album work so well. Is it the varying production that swings between moments of being soulful and nostalgic to channeling inspiration from indie rock and 8bit video games, or is it the lyrics themselves that are among the most polished we've gotten from Mike thus far in his ten plus year career? Regardless, both contribute to the ever changing scape of Hella Personal Film Festival, and result in some fascinating moments. The track Check to Check for example, see's Mike explore the world of technology and our dependence on it. He states he's living "check to check" as he always finds himself in between checking some form of media. He constantly rides the line of lyrics that contain just as much humour as they do truth, and even at his silliest on cuts like Smiling where he claims to be avoided like a ghost fart because of his race, there still seem's to be a fair bit of sincerity in the lyrics. It's this mix of social inspection with Mike's tendency to poke fun at himself that grabs the listeners attention, and regardless of the instrumental backing him, remains the highlight of the project.

As the album progresses, the duo's consistency becomes highlighted as they deliver track after track that tells a story of it's own, both lyrically and instrumentally, and contributes to the overall theme of the album. That is, until the lackluster track Protectors of the Heat, which finds a tribal inspired instrumental with primarily loud percussion. It is also perhaps the only moment on the project where Mike seems to rely a little too heavily on a catchy chorus instead of delivering exciting, off the wall verses. Typically he presents just a simple couplet for the hook on these songs, and with their relatively short lengths (only Protectors of the Heat surpasses four minutes in length) it seems to fit quite well. Nonetheless, it doesn't take long for the two to get back on track and finish the album just as strong as they kicked it off. On Dive Bar Support Group we find Mike discussing both machoism and gentrification, while also dipping into themes such as alcoholism. It's a rather ambitious lyrical piece that showcases just what the emcee is capable of, and the sadness from the vocals seep into the poppy instrumental that backs him, making for one of the best tracks on the whole project. We see just how easily Mike can transition from deep topics to self satire on Drunk Dreaming, where he discusses just that, being drunk. The track is silly, fun, and lighthearted, an approach that these two seem to handle incredibly well on multiple occasions on this record.

When listening to this album it feels as if Paul White and Open Mike Eagle were a collaboration that needed to happen, despite it being a full-length album that I never expected us to get. The way the lyrics flow through the warm and fun production is a welcomed addition to Mike's always impressive approach, and helps make this a stand-out in both artists discography. To some it could seem a bit gimmicky, and that's fine. It isn't a project that everyone will get, nor will all rap fans enjoy, but to those of you who fall into the categories mentioned above, this is definitely a project worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5/5

Check out the track Check to Check below:

You can stream and download Hella Personal Film Festival over at Open Mike Eagle's BandCamp page here.

3001: A Laced Odyssey by Flatbush Zombies

With what is easily one of my favourite album covers of the year thus far, the hip-hop trio Flatbush Zombies gave perhaps the most accurate look into the style of music they create. It's colourful, it's cartoony, and unlike the usual wavy, drugged out cloud rap you're used to hearing, while still containing many of the same elements. All three members, Zombie Juice, Meechy Darko, and Erick "Arc" Elliott bring their own unique style to every track the Zombies have recorded. Juice's spastic flow and high pitched vocals contrasts Meech's dark and dreary approach perfectly, and when met with Erick's phenomenal production it has resulted in two fantastic mixtapes with D.R.U.G.S in 2012 and BetterOffDead in 2013.

With all the hype and excitement surround Flatbush Zombies sound, as well as their participation in the "Beast Coast" movement alongside rap collective Pro Era and hip-hop duo The Underachievers, the release of their debut studio album has been something I've been anticipating for quite some time. Now, two years since their last release, the Clockwork Indigo EP which they released as a collaborative effort with The Underachievers, the long awaited full-length album 3001: A Laced Odyssey see's the light of day.

The confines of drug rap are pretty snug to begin with, in my opinion. While the Flatbush Zombies have always taken quite a bit of artistic freedom with their sound, lyrically they have never strayed too far from topics such as drugs, money, and spirituality. While I went into this project hoping to hear the group branch out a bit from the genre and try to tackle some more mature and creative subjects, the lyrical content instead stayed true to what the members have always done. It wasn't too big of a disappointment however, as Meech and Juice both delivered some of their best verses yet, and accompanied them with rather unique flows on tracks like the opening cut The Odyssey. It's a great choice to kick off the project, as it sets the tone without giving away too much of what's to come. The strong start continues with the third track R.I.P.C.D, which is the Zombies ode to the death of the CD as a media format.  As always however, the lyrics tend to venture off topic and range from religion, to the state of rap music, and to drugs as well.

The album begins to really slow down for me about half way through, as there are a couple of throwaway moments that feel rather out of place in the context of the record. The two and a half minute cut Fly Away features a simple, straight forward piano beat and has Meechy Darko taking a soulful vocal approach throughout. It doesn't add much other than feeling like an unnecessary interlude, much like the actual interlude Smoke Break does as well. Perhaps Juice and Erick felt that if Meech got a chance to sing, they should as well, and I'm assuming that's how this track was born. It's their ode to marijuana, and is easily the corniest track on the record. It's one of the few outright skippable tracks that Flatbush has produced so far in their career, and the odd use of feedback on the vocals doesn't help to boost the track whatsoever.

Fortunately the two weak moments are rather short, and are broken up with two decent cuts. Ascension, the better of the two tracks that separate the interludes, features some flamboyant production and an incredibly in your face hook that features Meech claiming his goal is to be better than God. Trade-Off, the latter of the two is still an enjoyable cut, and the ambient influence found in the background during the first few moments of the beat is a rather impressive inclusion from Erick Elliott. Through the chorus the beat takes on a  much harder edge, but fails to really connect as the production seems to be a little too thin and uninspired. That, accompanied with the laughable hook of "it's the work hard play hard, I just got a blow job" holds this track back from being all that memorable.

The record finishes off strong with cuts like New Phone, Who Dis? and This Is It which lead into the epic 13 minute closing track Your Favorite Rap Song which for the first six or so minutes definitely is my favourite cut from the album. The old school New York street influenced production is accompanied with the best pure rapping that the trio deliver on the project, and definitely brings the album to a solid finish. However, the biggest, and perhaps only problem I have with the song is the decision to include 5 minutes worth of fans praising the trio at the tail end of the track. It's something I only bothered listening to in complete perhaps once or twice, and while there were some funny moments, and I'm sure provided a cool moment for those featured, it just doesn't add anything to the project, except for making an overly long project even longer.

I've given this album a couple weeks now to change my thoughts, and unfortunately it hasn't been for the better. We get a couple stellar cuts, and a few others that are worth multiple listens, but ultimately 3001: A Laced Odyssey is bogged down by some of the least interesting moments I've heard the trio deliver. I could easily pick out four or five tracks that, without their inclusion would make the album much more enjoyable, but because of how much was forced into an album that got stale rather quickly, it just doesn't resonate with me the same way that the Zombies did on their two earlier mixtapes.

Rating: 3/5

Listen to the track The Odyssey below:

Disguise the Limit by Nyck Caution

If you couldn't tell by the wordplay in his stage name, Nyck Caution (get it? NYC, like New York City) is a New York based emcee who has gained a fair bit of exposure in the past few years thanks to his work as part of the hip-hop ensemble Pro Era, a group that also houses the likes of Joey Bada$$, Kirk Knight, and CJ Fly among many others. Despite the plethora of gifted artists who belong to the collective, Nyck has always managed to stand out thanks to his slick flow and unique voice that always brought a nice change of pace whenever he would appear alongside his label mates on a track. With that being said however, much like many other of the emcees that occupy the Pro Era roster, he has been relatively quiet over the past few years, and it has really been Joey Bada$$ who has brought the group their popularity. That's not to say others haven't been releasing projects, as Kirk Knight's Late Knight Special was released just last October, and CJ Fly has a project of his own under his belt with Thee Way Eye See It. For Nyck however, he hasn't taken on a full project of his own since Pro Era's come up, and with his release Disguise the Limit, he's looking not only to make a statement, but also to remind those who had long forgotten about his impressive performances on other emcees projects' that he's still around.

If you're already tired of hearing me discuss Pro Era, then chances are this project won't be for you. Not only is it filled with guest verses and production credits from friends of Nyck's, but lyrically the record is cluttered with references to his peers as well. Most of these prove unnecessary and serve no purpose other than to remind those not familiar with Nyck that he is a member of the collective. While that's a rather minor issue, it unfortunately isn't the only problem I found with the lyrics on this thing.

One of Nyck's strongest suits when it came to his guest features in the past, were as I mentioned, his flow and his lyrics. However, when you get fourteen tracks that present almost the exact same formula of songwriting and subject matter, there isn't much room for surprises or anything impressive, as we've heard it all so many times before. Many tracks simply deal with his past or how skilled of a rapper he is, aside from the emotional Out of Reach that deals with the death of the late Capital Steez, who was also a member of Pro Era before his passing in 2012.

The beat selection throughout feels fairly mediocre in terms of what I've come to expect from a Pro Era project, which is rather surprising especially considering the production is handled by the likes of Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers who both lend instrumentals to the record. For the most part, it feels as if there's an uncertainty of what style the project is going for, as we get the more traditional gritty New York street style beats at certain points, but also get a fair share of cloud rap instrumentals and at other times production that is rather alternative and unexpected. The Kirk Knight produced cut Wordsmith see's Nyck spitting over a dirty, distorted guitar instrumental, something that certainly stood out, but also could have been cleaned up a little bit as the guitar did sound rather rough around the edges and does distract from what's being said on the song. The track Church also see's a rather adventurous risk as the instrumental progresses from your traditional hip-hop beat into a electronic dubstep breakdown.

There's not much to discuss in terms of individual tracks or the lyricism, as everything on the project is competent, which may be the biggest problem I have with it. Everything feels the same, and while there were a few tracks that differ instrumentally, Nyck himself stays the same with his approach throughout. I still think he has a ton of skill, but his songwriting remains very raw and until he is able to prove he's more than just a rapper who can drop a nice feature on someone else's track, he will continue to fade to the back of Pro Era's line up.

Rating: 2.5/5

Check out Nyck Caution's track Church below:

Vroom Vroom EP by Charli XCX

Over the past few years, English born singer Charli XCX has become a household name within the world of pop music, thanks in part due to her collaborations with Iggy Azalea and Icona Pop and also with the release of her first two full-length albums. I was never blown away with the music Charli has released in the past, and for the most part all she offered was a fairly strong voice in terms of the pop realm, and lyrics that at times did stick in your head. With that being said, on her latest EP Vroom Vroom she looks to take a very different approach to her songwriting, and brings along talented producer SOPHIE to provide her with the suitable instrumentals.

SOPHIE, who just last year released his debut solo full-length Product has proven himself to be very gifted artist when it comes to creating wonky, unorthodox, catchy pop tracks and he furthers that with his work here. While the lyrics are rather catchy and are sure to please even those who are partial to traditional post-2010 radio pop, the real heart of the album is the club style production that is cranked full of loud bass, angry synths, and at certain moments some rather abrasive and in your face noises.

The project kicks off with the title track Vroom Vroom, a fast paced synth driven cut that houses some very loud drum work. The progression on the song is rather impressive as it switches back and forth from feeling like a club ready dance song during the verses, to highlighting Charli's vocal ability in a very radio friendly fashion on the chorus. Lyrically it introduces you to the same topics that are discussed throughout the other three tracks as well as they're simple, straightforward braggadocios lines that catch your attention during the hook and work together quite well with the production.

The second track Paradise carries an even quicker pace and contains some clear techno influence throughout. Bubblegum pop artist Hannah Diamond also makes an appearance on the track, and even with the inclusion of the sped up vocals that typically have me cringing over how similar they sound to Alvin and the Chipmunks fail to prevent me from enjoying this song. Up next is Trophy, a song that contains some more booming drums and an interesting vocal sample but plays to Charli's vocal ability quite well yet again. It's another moment where we find SOPHIE showcasing his ability to make a simple pop beat so much more, as we see many different passages and verses and the incorporation of a plethora of different sounds, something you wouldn't typically expect to find in your average pop tune. The closer Secret (Shh) is perhaps the most contradicting track on the album as it opens with rather ugly, noisy synth based production but transitions into a chorus that in many ways reminds me of a more well put together version of Iggy Azalea's Black Widow. 

The chemistry between the two artists who created this project is shown in abundance on each and every track, and while it may not appeal to those who haven't at least found some enjoyment in either artists previous work, it is sure to please those who are already fans, or those who are interested in a wonky, unique bubblegum bass pop project. While incredibly short and to the point, this definitely puts the duo on my radar, and I hope to see them teaming up many more times in the near future.

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the title track Vroom Vroom below:

More Rain by M. Ward

Folk singer-songwriter M. Ward of both She & Him and Monsters of Folk fame has always managed to deliver his most impressive material by himself, in my opinion at least. During the span of what's now been an illustrious 15+ year career, he's managed, as a solo artist to avoid releasing anything less than an enjoyable record. On his newest project, his first under the M. Ward alias in four years, he looks to continue that streak while also incorporating many new elements into his traditional folk sound.

The pitter patter of rain pouring down in the (More Rain) intro leads us into the album's first real track, Pirate Dial which is one of the expected signature folk tracks. It features some fantastic layered acoustic guitar with the ambient sound of rain fall heard in the background. One of the most visceral and beautiful tracks on the album, the sparse instrumentation helps create a wonderful atmosphere while Ward's vocals contain just enough reverb to make the indie influence evident. He follows this track up with Time Won't Wait Up, a much more upbeat americana track that features multiple vocal tracks from Ward and his chanting of "do do do" almost evokes a certain doo-wop feeling, something that certainly is a new addition to his ever changing repertoire. This same feeling reoccurs on the track I'm Listening as well.  It's one of the slower tracks on the album, and the enchantingly quiet guitar work in the background is met with Ward's whisper like vocals which help to deliver yet another impressive cut.

The album certainly does start off hot, but there are a fair share of not so impressive moments as well. A perfect example would be the fairly generic cut Confession, which fails to stand out thanks to the lack of lyrical substance and some of Ward's weaker guitar play on the album. Despite the intriguing electronic elements that comes with the use of a synthesizer, Girl From Conejo Valley also fails to make all too much of an impression, and at this point in the album it becomes clear that Ward is capitalizing a bit more on the slow-paced, atmospheric tracks than he is the upbeat, heavily instrumentally layered moments. Fortunately, there's no shortage of the slower tracks throughout, and they're covered with Ward's echoey, distant yet inviting vocal approach that causes you to feel if he's singing to you, rather than at you. At times, the album reveals a certain familiarity to fellow folk artists Father John Misty's work, yet with a much more serious and accessible tone.

At only 38 minutes in length, there's no need of the album overstaying it's welcome, and it's a good thing that was the approach taken. The layered vocals make for a nice change, but they're used in such an abundance throughout, that one or two more tracks tacked on at the end could have resulted in overkill. Instead we find a nice mix of a plethora of different instruments, ranging from horns, to violins, to moments where we actually get some rather loud and booming percussion. It's when Ward puts his focus into his trust guitar that we really hear something special though, and on a track like Phenomenon, a song that is closer to honky-tonk country than it folk, that we see why. When complimented with light use of an organ, a banjo, a bass, we see how much can be put into a track while still keeping it simple and precise.

The variety of genre influence and overarching introspective theme of More Rain makes it a welcomed addition to what is already a superb musical catalogue for the accomplished song writer. There are certainly some moments stronger than other, and it feels as if more effort went into a handful of tracks than did the rest of the album, but ultimately it doesn't stop the record from being enjoyable.

Rating: 3.5/5

You can listen to M. Ward's track Girl From Conejo Valley below:

untitled unmastered by Kendrick Lamar

From the groovy opening bass line and spoken word vocals to the concluding chants of "pimp, pimp!" Kendrick Lamar manages to make untitled unmastered one of the most cohesive hip-hop compilation albums released in quite some time. The eight songs featured, many of which have been performed on live television recently during the Grammy's as well as on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, were recorded at different times over the last three years. It becomes very obvious the influence that Kendrick's last project To Pimp A Butterfly had on the recording, as there are moments of very similar instrumental progression and spoken word passages that K.Dot experimented with on the album. That's not to mention the use of many direct references not only to the album's title, but also to tracks like Mortal Men and King Kunta.

The surprise release of this project not only serves as an unexpected gift for all fans of the Compton born emcee, but it also proves his versatility and consistency. These tracks aren't driven by the same overlying theme that surrounded the recordings on TPAB, and yet they still work as both songs that could easily be hits, and deal with some very interesting and important subject matter.

The album's opening track, which can't be called anything but that, since the tracks are all untitled, is an ambitious effort that finds Kendrick discussing the future of the world over a deep bass line and haunting piano play. Eventually we get to an interaction between the emcee and God himself, who asks "what have you done for me?" The track is reminiscent of TPAB's How Much a Dollar Cost in it's introspective discussion of faith, and Kendrick's apparent fear of not being accepted into heaven. Not only does it start the project off on the right foot, but it's one of the most memorable moments throughout the album as well.

The second track on the album see's a beat more similar to something you would have found on TDE label mate Jay Rock's recent album 90059, and yet with the few moments of freejazz influence, you're reminded exactly who it is you're listening to. The lyrics on the cut see Kendrick exploring his fame, and how his own life has changed while the life in the hood remains all consistent. It's also the first time on the project we hear the chants of "pimp pimp," something that becomes a reoccurrence as the album moves on. 

The following track is one of the most impressive lyrically, and was debuted quite some time back live on the Colbert Report. Kendrick discusses encounters with members of many different races, and the advice they give him on how to live his life, yet when he arrives at the white man, all he wants is a piece of the emcee. The song is clearly being used as a metaphor for record labels and the music industry, and as far as the songwriting goes, it's one of my favorite moments on the project.

After a short interlude, we get the fifth cut on the album which see's an appearance from Anna Wise, an artist who many will recognize from her contributions on TPAB. The dynamics on this song are quite impressive, as we see Kendrick aggressively handle the laid back jazz lounge instrumental, while Wise delivers a much more beautiful and traditonal hook to the song. The duo are also joined by rappers Punch and Jay Rock later on in the track, and both drop solid verses to bring the cut to it's conclusion. Up next is the sixth track, which instrumentally reminds me a lot of the For Sale interlude from TPAB, but quickly expands to much more thanks in part to a feature by R&B/soul artist Cee-Lo Green. The song digs deep into the concepts of human flaws, as well as embracing unique traits with lines like "look at my flaws, look at my flaws, look at my imperfections and all. Look at how you think my mystique is a round of applause." This track in particular is an example of Kendrick's ability to step away from the misogynistic stereotypes that surround the hip-hop music and culture, and instead make something that can be seen as positive.

The album takes quite a turn stylistically for the seventh track, as the eight and a half minute long cut begins with much more of a "banger" beat than we've heard thus far, which is somewhat ironic considering producer/rapper Swizz Beats claimed it was his five year old son Egypt who actually provided the production on this one. Nonetheless, it isn't long before the instrumental transitions into something much broader, as the eight minute track fails to ever get repetitive, and in fact is more like three separate songs placed into one album slot. The final third of the track provides one of my favorite moments from the project, as we get a very lo-fi, direct cut from the studio audio from Kendrick. You can hear background noise, speaking, and chairs squeaking among other things, but it feels so organic and natural that it's almost as if you're in the studio as well, which is just another example of K.Dot incorporating elements of other genres into his own style.

That brings us to the closing track, which some may know as Blue Faces, which was debuted just a month or so back on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show. The song sees the rapper delve into the mind of a love interest to ask her why it is she's so sad. The funky, fast-paced instrumental might have served better as an opener than as the closing track, but it's still yet another solid moment and brings the album to a rather quick conclusion.

It's hard for me to assign a rating to a compilation project, but it feels like much more than just a collection of untitled and unmastered tracks. It isn't anything like Kendrick's earlier releases, and all of his previous releases have been unlike anything he's released prior to those. While the core of the album is clearly influenced by his last release, it's a much more streamlined and to the point approach that still manages to be both unique and inventive. There are some moments better than others, and it does feel rather raw at times, but ultimately it's yet another fantastic release from the Compton native that will keep fans foaming at the mouth for his next release.

Rating: 4/5

Listen to Kendrick Lamar perform Untitled 2 (Untitled 8 on the album) live below:

Jerome Raheem Fortune by Rome Fortune

My first experience with Rome Fortune's music came with the release of his 2014 EP Small VVorld, a project that didn't blow me away, but did make a solid impression nonetheless. On the project, it was made immediately clear that the Atlanta, Georgia based emcee had an ear for intriguing instrumentals and was able to match them up with the perfect flow seemingly with ease. So, going into his debut full-length album, Jerome Raheem Fortune, I was hoping to see him capitalize on the same spacey, wavy, intricate production style that made his older material stand out. Fortunately, the album delivered, as this is perhaps the most diverse project I've heard from Rome thus far into his career, as he comes through with various flows, and couples them with some fantastic production.

When the opening track All The Way began, I was forced to check my iTunes library because I could have sworn I had accidentally put on a song by a synth-pop act like Carly Rae Jepsen or Chvrches. Not only does the beat feel far off from what you would expect on a hip-hop project, but Rome Fortune's singing voice comes through in a way that sounds like he could be making radio-ready pop music. It's not one of the best tracks on the project, but it certainly sets up the listener for what's to come up next, and overall is still an enjoyable cut.

That same pop oriented singing comes into play multiple times on the album, and it almost always works for the best. Some of the records finest moments, the song Love for example, see's Rome alternating between his deeply pitched natural singing voice and a much higher autotune approach delivered over top of a dance influenced club beat. Of course, the use of upbeat danceable tracks doesn't stop there, the appropriately titled Dance is another cut that see's Fortune handling a lot of singing duties, and while lyrically it might not be the most impressive, it's the production, catchiness, and his flow that help drive the track just like with the rest of the album. 

It's not all poppy dance rap on the record however, as many tracks exude a certain alternative trap flavor, a la Chicago rapper Lucki Eck$. The song Blicka Blicka features a sparse, spacey instrumental with Fortune spitting some trap inspired bars without digging so deep into the drill or trap scene that you feel like you're listening to a project of those genres. The following cut, Heavy as Fathers see's a similar approach, and opens with the line "sniffed a bunch of cocaine last night,"  which gives you an idea of the "turn-up anthem" that the track really is. There's no promise of broad, introspective lyrics that will make you think on this album, but Rome is still constantly is able to bring more to the table than your run of the mill turn-up party rapper on cuts like these. 

There are a few deeper moments lyrically throughout Jerome Raheem Fortune as well, like on the cut What Can You Do where Rome spends the track reflecting on his childhood, his relationship with his father, and his struggles with drug addiction. While it doesn't always feel as if he's reaching as far back as he can, the sung of chorus of "what can you do about it? not a god damn thing" shows his fairly lighthearted perspective on the matter, and before too long we're back to the more upbeat, fun, entertaining tracks.

Still I Fight On, one of the most ambitious tracks in the listing as far as length goes, clocks in at over six minutes, and while the instrumental begins sounding like perhaps the most traditional the production on this project gets, it quickly progresses into one of the finer alternative trap beats found in the listing. The tinny claps met with the shiny synths and dirty bass all slide into the background as Rome takes front and centre with his rhymes which while ultimately aren't anything spectacular, remain entertaining and prove once again that he's able to hold his own.

The album wraps up with a couple more interesting tracks, as both Paid Back Loans and the closing cut Find My Way are memorable moments from the project. The guitar based instrumental on Paid Back Loans is a small but solid change from the earlier instrumentals, and the warm, tropical production on Find My Way is a strong way to wrap the project up and leave on a high note.

The combination of perhaps the best production I've heard on a hip-hop project so far this year, a plethora of fantastic hooks, and a strong enough flow and lyricism to help Rome Fortune stand on his own makes Jerome Raheem Fortune a fantastic debut full-length for the Georgia native, and proves that he may just be a hip-hop star in the making.

Rating: 4/5

Listen to Rome Fortune's track Blicka Blicka below:

This Unruly Mess I've Made by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

It can easily be said that Macklemore has taken over as the face of pop rap over the last few years. Loved by the mainstream audience, but despised by many self proclaimed hip-hop heads, he's been put into a tough position because of his success. As an underground Seattle rapper, he released his fair share of projects, including his sole full-length album as a solo artist The Language of My World back in 2005. However, it wasn't until he met producer Ryan Lewis and the two decided to team-up that his career began to take off.

As a duo, the two independently released two EP's before their debut album The Heist hit stores in 2012. Packed full of decent production and fairly average pop rap rhymes, it was the subject matter of tracks like Same Love, and the catchiness and comedic punchlines of hits like Thrift Shop that helped the duo rise to the top of the charts. Of course it wasn't all smooth sailing for the duo however, as they received a fair bit of backlash from the rap community, especially when they were awarded the Grammy for rap album of the year in 2013 over Kendrick Lamar and his monumental release Good Kid MAAD City. The duo refused to let the lukewarm reception get to them though, and tracks like the new album This Unruly Mess's lead single Downtown made it clear they weren't prepared to back away from the pop sound anytime soon. That eventually became an afterthought however, as last month with the release of the album's second single White Privilege II, Macklemore took on a very important topic, and despite early criticism from your's truly, I've grown to enjoy the track quite a bit and respect it not only for it's relevancy, but also for what Macklemore offers lyrically.

Even with one solid single, I still went into this album expecting to be disappointed by sugary pop hooks and cringe worthy attempts at musical comedy. Nonetheless, I felt the need to give it the time of day, and astonishingly, I ended up being quite impressed.

The album kicks things off with one of the best lyrical displays Macklemore has offered thus far in his career, as Light Tunnels see's the Seattle emcee detail his experience at the Grammy awards and his thoughts during his upset win for rap album of the year. We also get a peak into the mind of the rapper, as he mentions how insecure and uncomfortable the award made him, as well as how much he began to doubt his skill after the criticism he received. Lines like "I don't like who I am in this environment, I forgot what this art's for" help reinforce what he explains throughout many of the albums deeper moments, which is that he cares about hip-hop and can offer more than just being "another white radio rapper." The song's chorus, sung by Mike Slap is the same generic pop hook I've come to expect from Macklemore, but it isn't enough to stop me from enjoying this track, as the introspective bars have me actually caring about what the emcee is saying, something that very rarely happened on his last album.

Other deep cuts like the aforementioned White Privilege II which serves as the closer, and Kevin a track that features Leon Bridges and details the overdose of one of Macklemore's childhood friend's, show us a much more honest, down to earth conscious hip-hop side of the duo that I didn't expect to find on this record. In the past, with songs like Same Love, I've felt like Macklemore was simply using current world issues for his own gain, and while I'm not necessarily convinced that wasn't the case in the past, I don't feel that way with these cuts on Unruly Mess, because there's a touch of sincerity, and it feels like there's something to prove with each line delivered.

It's not all positives on the album though, and that same cheesy mainstream pop culture artist who we've come to know appears multiple times on the album. Downtown is an obvious example of that style, but we get tracks like Brad Pitt's Cousin, Dance Off, and Let's Eat as well which see rather lackluster punch lines and weak attempts to brag. I struggle to take Macklemore serious when he takes a braggadocios lyrical approach, and the overly radio friendly production doesn't do much to elevate the tracks either. There are however, a handful of cuts that sit somewhere between those that are self reflective and the others that are drenched in pop influence. Buckshot, a cut that features New York hip-hop veteran KRS-One and iconic producer DJ Premier centres around Macklemore's experience with graffiti art, something that any one familiar with KRS-One will know he also is well versed in. It's a very enjoyable track, and sits on the fun side without relying on too clean of a chorus or too much pop influence. The indie-rock flavored instrumental on St. Ides is another one of the album's highlights, as the lyrics reflect on Macklemore's history of alcohol abuse. The twangy guitar featured on the track helps make it one of the better beats throughout the project as well.

I've breezed over White Privilege II a few times already throughout this review, but I feel like it's important to address the track a bit further. The song of course discusses the black lives matter movement and the ongoing struggle between black youth and police officers in the United States. Macklemore mentions the silence he and many other white artists have resorted to while the incidents continue to occur, and he also reflects on the hip-hop culture and those who consider him to have "stolen the sound" for his own gain. I have already said I was dismissive of the song at first listen, but since I've come to respect the emcee more, not for making a track on something important, but as serving as the connection between what's occurring and a mainstream audience. No, you shouldn't feel sympathy for Macklemore when hearing this track, but it's purpose is instead to inspire those who have set in silence and have remained uninvolved with protests and demonstrations to stand-up and be heard. Regardless of your opinions on the matter, it's a track that warrants a listen for the power behind the message alone, and the lyrical display from a man who prior to this track was nothing more than a boring pop rapper, at least in my opinion.

The best moments on This Unruly Mess I've Made are easily the best that the duo have offered since they began teaming up, and I'm very impressed with what they've done throughout the LP. Unfortunately, there are still a handful of tracks that feel phoned in, as if the sole reason they were included was to appeal to a more a mainstream audience, and that hurts the album quite a bit. Nevertheless, my opinion on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis has been altered quite a bit, and I now see a lot more potential in their sound. If they can trim out some of the more uninspired moments in the future, Macklemore will have plenty more award shows to write about.

Rating: 3.5/5

You can listen to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' White Privilege II below:

Fervor by Daydream Society

Daydream Society is the solo project of Fort Wayne, Indiana based ambient musician Bryan Mullins. He first caught my ear with his 2015 release: For Now, a very impressive record that saw him use a traditional synth based sound to create some very uniquely lush soundscapes as well as some spectacularly vivid imagery. He released the follow-up to that project, Avulsion, this past January, and while it stayed true to that same sound found on For Now, it also saw him dig a bit deeper as an artist as he tried to define his stylistic direction a bit further.

If one thing can be said about both of the last two projects, it's how much I found the music correlated with the album art. The brightly lit neon city that graces the cover of For Now matches the vibrant synths of the album perfectly, and often times the music itself provoked the feeling of walking down a brightly lit city street on a dark rainy night. Meanwhile, the artwork for Avulsion is quite different, yet the wintery forest that you are presented with on the cover still manages to connect with the music quite well, as this time the sound is more of a warm blanket, enveloping you much like the bright sun that can be seen peaking through the aforementioned trees does to the forest.

So, what about the newest album, Fervor? This one was hard to get a read from by simply looking at the album art, but after hearing the first few songs, it becomes immensely clear what the artistic direction is. The project, which Bryan himself referred to as being "an album about love, without using any lyrics" is the darkest I've heard him get. The angry, dirty distortion on tracks like Daring to Deceive You and Fate or Fiction Pt. 2 feel both loud and abrasive when contrasting the hauntingly beautiful synths that occupy most of the other tracks, however when set against the backdrop of the shadows and darkness of the album's cover, it all seems to make complete sense.

While he has classified his previous projects as experimental, it wasn't until Fervor that I felt the tag truly belonged. The closing track The Best Dream of Your Life, a cut that comes in at nearly 7 minutes long, is a wonderful example of that. The extra slow pacing of the piece is wonderful, and while it's kicked off with the same buzzing atmosphere that you might expect, it's as the track progresses that we find surprises such as the ugly keys which manage to still boarder on being pretty in their own eccentric way. When that's mixed in with what appears to be a very sci-fi inspired sound, it creates one of my favorite tracks on the entire album. It was an ambitious decision to venture further into experimental territory, but fortunately the plethora of new sounds included on this record don't interfere with the same atmospheric nature that can be found on the rest of Daydream Society's projects. Even with some moments being more out there and unpredictable, the project as a whole remains very coherent and has it's own unique identity without alienating any of the elements found on older material. 

This is certainly the most ambitious Daydream Society album I've heard, and for each second of beauty and love, there's also a moment of sadness and despair, but after all, isn't that what love is? In many ways, I consider an ambient piece to be much like surrealism is in art. You may not be able to hear or feel exactly what the artist was thinking when creating it, but each listener will have their own interpretation of what's beneath the surface. For me, Fervor is a journey for both love and lust, a journey that has ups and down, and is equal parts alluring as it is tragic. Is Fervor Mullins' best project? Perhaps not, but it certainly is on par with the rest of his works. What it truly is however, is a sign of musical maturity and further development of what was already an incredible approach.

Rating: 4/5

You'll be able to download or stream Fervor on March 1st, over on Daydream Society's bandcamp page here. In the meantime, head over and check out some of his other material.

Ufonaut by Entropia

For those not familiar with Entropia, they are a Polish post/black/experimental metal outfit who really hadn't crept onto my radar until the release of this LP here; Ufonaut. With that being said, the fusion of black metal and post metal, also known as blackgaze, has been one of my favorite metal sub genres over the past few years, and it has led me to a handful of fantastic releases from the likes of Deafheaven, Ghostbath, and Harakiri for the Sky. So, when going into this album, I clearly had high expectations. Fortunately for myself, and any other fan of this genre, Entropia delivered in quite impressive fashion. 

On Ufonaut, the band encompasses a traditional black metal style as means to create a basis or outlining sound for their music, but it's their ability to take influence from other subgenres and incorporate them throughout that really adds the extra substance to this project. The opening track Fractal is a great example of that, as the opening 45 seconds or so, see's the band weaving in and out between a much more traditional black metal guitar riff and some Mastodon-esque sludgy, slow paced guitar stylings. As the track progresses, we also see the band incorporate the use of an organ which helps contribute to the very haunting nature of the song. As it comes to end, horns are introduced, which really allow for the group to build a fantastic crescendo to what is easily one of the best moments on the entire LP. 

From there, you find much more of that same risk taking and genre bending formula as the album proceeds. Songs like the title track Ufonaut see the band experiment with some slower, cleaner guitar tones in between heavy, hard hitting moments, while both Mandala and Paradox are used to showcase the group's more experimental side, as they use variations of middle eastern instruments to help create some intricate, folkish instrumental passages. The record's closing cut, Veritas is also worth mentioning, as it's the longest track on the record and also perhaps the loudest. It finishes the album off with a fantastic climax, thanks to the final minute of the track which is full of in your face, wretched, ugly screams that really help drive their sound into your head like a car with no breaks smashing into the side of a burning building (that was seriously the best analogy I had.) 

Aside from Veritas however, the vocals do, at certain moments at least, tend to come off as rather gimmicky and annoying. It's not so much the vocalist himself, (who goes by the stage name of U, as each one of the band members is named after a letter from the word Ultra,) but it's the production choices. Like on the aforementioned opening track Fractal for example, we find a blowing, wind-like noise appearing seemingly every time U opens his mouth, and then as the album continues, the vocals become coated with an echo effect that would make you assume the band recorded the frontman while he was screeching in a dark, empty cave. And while typically that might be a positive on a black metal project, this isn't your ordinary record, and the rest of the production is rather clean and lively in comparison to the raw, lo-fi nature of the vocals. 

With that being said, the vocals only appear on perhaps a third or so of the album, and the focus clearly lays on the instrumentation, which is of course consistently fantastic, so it doesn't interrupt my enjoyment all that much. There really isn't anything on this album that doesn't deliver in a unique and intriguing fashion. It's certainly heavy enough to welcome any fans of more traditional black metal acts, but it also keeps you guessing by firing post-metal inspired passages at you on nearly every single track. A great addition to the Polish black-metal scene, and a fantastic statement for all blackgaze bands around, Entropia delivered a very nice LP.

All in all, I'm giving Ufonaut a 4/5.

Let me know down in the comment section, have you heard the album? If so, what'd you think?

Listen to Fractal, the second single released from the album down below:

You can download or stream the album over on Entropia's bandcamp page here.

Painting With by Animal Collective

It's been over 15 years now since the Baltimore based experimental pop outfit Animal Collective released their debut album Spirit They've Gone, Spirit They've Vanished. Now, after a four year span without a full-length release, they have released their tenth studio album Painting With. Four years is the longest gap the group has even taken between releases, and they've used the extra time to reinvent their style, to some extent at least. David Portner, one of the group's co-founders who started in his own side project Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks while the group were on hiatus, stated that the goal whilst recording the album was to simplify their sound, and do away with the long passages and use of reverb that had developed into a very prominent element of their past material. While the decision to change such defying characteristics of their sound didn't hurt the music on Painting With, it didn't do much to help it either, as Painting With is perhaps the most average album the group have released.

The colorful, upbeat and cartoony tracks FloriDada, The Burglars, and Spilling Guts all still feel like Animal Collective, but are elevated by their simplicity, in comparison to the band's other material that is, as well as their short overall lengths. Painting With is the trio's shortest release, coming in at a modest forty minutes, which is proof enough already that they have done away with the use of extended passages. While the music is as mentioned, a tad simpler than those familiar with the band's previous albums may expect, they still create very lush, layered soundscapes that can be challenging at time to listeners. Unfortunately that doesn't always work well with the direct and to the point nature of the tracks, as throughout the album there are quite a few moments where the band have too much going on. On the opposite end of the spectrum, tracks like Hocus Pocus (which features Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale) and Vertical feel as if they're missing something, as if they're empty when stood up next to the rest of AC's musical catalogue.

The album does contain some fun moments, as well as a handful of well-crafted enjoyable pop cuts. Despite that, the music is constantly bogged down by the similarities found throughout the record, as it constantly feels as if the band decided to confine their songs and are frequently holding back intentionally rather than expanding their sound as they have previously done with every new release.

At it's core, Painting With is the poppiest and most fun that Animal Collective have ever been, but it's also the simplest and most direct record that they've released thus far. It's not the fleshed out, unique, experimental pop record that the band are known for, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth a listen. It's hard to get through the full project without tapping your foot and singing a long to at least one of the peppy, upbeat songs, and while Painting With isn't quite their best, I wouldn't say it's their worst release either.

Favorite Tracks: FloriDada, The Burglars, Spilling Guts, Golden Gal

Least Favorite Tracks: Vertical, Summing the Wretch

Rating: 3/5

Check out the album's lead single FloriDada below:

You can preorder Painting With, Animal Collective's 10th full-length studio album here.

All is Dust and I Am Nothing by Slaves BC

Here we are in the 21st century, with a metal scene unlike we've ever seen before. No longer can a band succeed by striving to simply be the "heaviest" or "most metal," because it's been done countless times before. Now, it's about the style just as much as it is the substance, it's about broadening the horizons of the listener and incorporating more than just blast beats and ugly vocals, that is if you want to make a great record. For Slaves BC, they do exactly that with a blend of hardcore punk and blackened doom metal that has established themselves as one of the most exciting upcoming bands in the metal scene, in my personal opinion at least. They've released a handful of singles, 7' splits, and EPs over the last couple years, but All Is Dust And I Am Nothing is their first full-length album, and boy is it ever packed to the brim with the rawest of raw vocals and nasty, chugging, guitar riffs guaranteed to leave you begging for more (or maybe less?)

The album, loosely referred to as a concept album, sees the band explore the meaning of life. If you are unsure of what exactly it is that they discovered throughout this venture, maybe the song titles will help clarify. A quick peak at the track listing gives you titles such as God Has Turned His Back, All Find Their Way to Their Grave, and Everything Is Meaningless. The music however, doesn't deliver exactly in the same vein that the song names might lead you to expect, as the project feels quite a bit more like the narrative of a man's life than it does the emo record that the track listing might imply. As the LP progresses, the screeched vocals, which do at times feel as if they were inspired by early 90's screamo, feel as if they become lower and lower in the mixing. Progressively becoming drowned out in dirty, muddy, distortion. It's as if the man's thoughts are no longer clear, or at least are not distinguishable to those who hear them. The ferocity and raw nature of the vocals are perhaps best displayed when tracks come to a halt, on cuts such as Crawling Through Nothing and Why Are We Here? the band makes the decision to finish the tracks with blood curdling, animalistic shrieks rather than relying on the heaviness of their respective instruments. 

Anyone can pound on a drum set and scream into a microphone, and while at times it may seem as if that's all that the Pittsburgh based hardcore outfit are doing, it always leads to something bigger and badder. Whether they're looking to bring out the ugliest, meanest noise possible on the tracks God Has Turned His Back and Nothing Remains But Death, which feel at times as if they were influenced by mathcore acts such as Converge or Dillinger Escape Plan, or moments where they are looking to create some cleaner, more traditional metal instrumentation like on Everything Under the Sun, the band always seems to be looking to try something different than what you have heard on the previous track. Even if the progression is minuscule, it can still always be found.

Beauty in metal is more prominent than ever before. Subgenres such as post-metal and blackgaze, are seeing acts incorporate lush soundscapes and more atmospheric elements into their sound that previously wouldn't have been accepted as being heavy metal. For Slaves BC however, their sound is as far from being pretty as humanly possible. It's dirty, it's raw, and it's ugly as hell, yet the band refuse to let that be the ultimate selling point of their sound. Instead, they focus on building bone crushingly heavy and slow, methodically placed riffs that when met with the angry drum bashing and wretched vocals makes for arguably the nastiest metal album I've heard this year. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Listen to the the track Everything is Meaningless below:

You can download or stream the band's album at their bandcamp page here.

If you enjoy ugly, disgusting, rage inducing metal music I suggest also checking out my review for the latest Seven Sisters of Sleep album Ezekiel's Hags.

The Life of Pablo by Kanye West

It seems as if The Life of Pablo, Kanye West's 7th full length LP had a release that was based more so around the spectacle itself than it was actually around the music being created. From the way that the man known as Yeezy decided to handle the release, premiering it at Madison Square Garden alongside his latest fashion venture Yeezy Season 3 (which you watch in full over at TIDAL here) to the multiple name changes of an album that began as So Help Me God, which then became SWISH, and stopping at Waves before finally ending up with the title The Life of Pablo. It seemed to be a lot of ego stroking, and left expectations varied among those waiting for the album's release.

While West has had a history of successful releases, with his debut full-length effort The College Dropout winning him one of his many Grammy Awards and giving him his first hit single with Jesus Walks, it wasn't until 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy that Kanye truly came into his own as an artist. The album was an introspective and dark look in at the life of a man who had transcended being a rap artist and had now become an infamous pop culture star thanks to his outspoken ways, and in particular his run in with Taylor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards. He continued to impress critics and fans alike after the release of MBDTF with his following album Yeezus, a record that saw the GOOD Music founder experiment with elements of abrasiveness and noise rap for the first time. It was yet another standout release, and managed to convert many former unimpressed listeners into bonafide fans. 

On his new release The Life of Pablo, we're getting what feels like a reflection on his career as well as a combination of all the sounds he's incorporated in the past. Tracks like Father Stretch my Hands and Highlights are both reminiscent of his early material, the Graduation record in particular, and the I Love Kanye interlude takes a similar formula to the skits found on his aforementioned full-length debut The College Dropout. That interlude is one of the most interesting moments on the album due to the way that Kanye embrace his reputation as a self-centred egotistical man much like he did on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, while also poking fun of it in humorous fashion. Unfortunately, aside from that single track we don't hear much more of that same introspective side of the rapper throughout the LP. We do however get a few cuts similar to those found on the album Yeezus, as both Feedback and FML bring out that same abrasive and a touch more experimental side of Kanye we've seen before, making them enjoyable cuts worth hearing.

While there were many artists recruited to collaborate on the album,(Kid Cudi, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Post Malone, and The Weeknd to name a few) it's the guest verse of rap superstar Kendrick Lamar that really steals the show as far as the star studded features go. His appearance on No More Parties in L.A, which was released as a snippet earlier on, is one of the best moments you'll find on the album. K.Dot has constantly proven himself as one of if not the premier emcee in the game, and he does so here yet again on another artists record. 

That does however lead into the biggest problem with the project, as many of the best tracks found in the listing were already released as singles. Not only have you already heard the core of the album by listening to the tracks that have already been released, but you've also heard the best moments. When Kanye originally tweeted out the track listing, the album contained just a mere 9 tracks, and some of the singles which had already been released had been left off. No More Parties for example, was originally not going to be on the album, yet ended up being one of the best tracks, making it appear as if the singles were just thrown on either from fear or nervousness. The final single released from the album, 30 Hours, ended up being one of the least impressive moments found on The Life of Pablo, as the song clocks in at five and half minutes, yet feels as long as the name would imply it to be. Like quite a few other cuts scattered throughout, it doesn't bring anything new to the album, and the beat is nothing more than generic and boring filler. Kanye killed a lot of the momentum found on the original album by making the decision to add so many tracks at the last minute, as quite a few of them fail to stand out on their own, and hardly justify the delayed release. 

Most of what's found on the album feels very familiar, as if it's already been heard quite a bit before. Even the most controversial moment on the album, the line from the track Famous where Kanye states that not only might he still have sex with Taylor Swift, but that he in fact made her famous, it feels as if he's living in the past of something that was relevant over 7 years ago. All of the emcee/producer's former releases are enjoyable for their own reasons, but when placed into one single project, it feels more like a convoluted mess than anything new.

At the end of the day, The Life of Pablo is not Kanye's best release, and when compared to his last two albums, it seems like a step backwards. Is it a bad release? Not by any means. But when considering the roll that the Chicago native has been on over his last few albums, and the hype that was surrounding one of the biggest rap releases of the year, it can't help but leave a bit of a sour taste in your mouth.

Favorite Tracks: Feedback, I Love Kanye, Real Friends, No More Parties in L.A

Least Favorite Tracks: Highlights, 30 Hours

Rating: 3/5

If you've heard the album, what did you think of it? Go ahead and let me know your thoughts down below, if you disagree tell me why I'm wrong or just call me mean names.

EVOL by Future

If there's one thing that can be said about Future, it's that he's among the most frequent releasers in the hip-hop scene. Since 2012, he's released three full-length albums and eight mixtapes alongside a plethora of singles and guest features. With all these releases coming so frequent, the Atlanta born emcee has proven his consistency, but is also beginning to border on overstaying his welcome. Now, just over six months since releasing what is easily is best project thus far in his career, DS2, Future is releasing EVOL, his fourth LP.

Less than a month ago Future released his Purple Reign mixtape, and the general consensus on the release was that the trap artist needed to slow down on his musical output. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, and because of the lack of diversity in Future's sound, and for the most part, the trap genre itself, there's nothing new being brought to the table. On EVOL, it's much of the same we've already heard. Albeit there's much less filler and throwaway tracks than Purple Reign, but even the best tracks on EVOL fall short of what the rapper is truly capable of. 

The unfortunate byproduct of releasing an album the caliber of DS2, is the heightened expectations that come alongside the success. With so much music being released, he's smothering his listeners with subpar material instead of giving us the quality we know that he's capable of making. Some of the tracks on EVOL are catchy trap anthems that are worth a listen. Cuts like Maybach and Xanny Family are both incredibly catchy and certainly contain some replay value. The problem is that plenty of the other tracks fail to differentiate themselves from anything else found on his other material, and despite being an album, the project doesn't have the feeling of being any more than another mixtape. 

The track listing also gives us some completely obnoxious tracks, and Lie to Me is the first one that comes to mind. The spacey-synth based instrumental is way too busy and distracting thanks to the heavy bass line that feels as if it's been turned up way too high, making for what is overall some messy production. The lyrics aren't much better, although no one should go into a Future record looking for in-depth or impressive lyricism. Program is the only cut that rivals Lie to Me for the least enjoyable on this project, as the fact that every line ends with "program" drives me insane due to the lack creativity lyrically. 

Future turns it around with the following cut Low Life, that features The Weeknd, straight off of the success of his latest album Beauty Behind the Madness. It's by far the longest track found on EVOL, clocking in at over five minutes, but still managing to remain interesting. The album finishes with Fly Shit Only, a song that features one of the most impressive beats I've heard Future use since DS2, as there's some piano, some electric guitar, and even some distorted, glitchy noise to be found within the instrumental. 

Ultimately Future came up a little short on his latest effort, but EVOL is still nothing to scoff at. There's some entertaining tracks, and some not-so-enjoyable moments as well. If there's one thing to take away from the album however, it's that Future continues to prove that he needs to slow down on his releases. Quality over quantity is what his fans are looking for, and while his frequent output is very impressive, it's leading to more lacklustre songs than necessary. 

It's worth noting that fellow Atlanta, Georgia based rapper Young Thug also released a project this past Friday, and has been quite vocal about his issues with Future in the past. To find out my thoughts on Thug's latest, make sure to subscribe to the blog or follow me on Google+ as I will be reviewing I'm Up soon!

Favorite Tracks: Maybach, Xanny Family, Low Life

Least Favorite Tracks: Lie to Me, Program

Rating: 3/5

Khalifa by Wiz Khalifa

As hard as it might be to remember, there once was a time when Wiz Khalifa was an up and coming hip-hop artist putting out some very interesting stoner rap. His laid back flows, wavy beat selection, and clever yet simplistic wordplay helped allow him to put out some great mixtapes such as Prince of the City, Burn After Reading, and Kush & Orange Juice. As his popularity grew however, the apparent amount of thought and effort that went into his songwriting began to diminish, and after the release of his third full-length album Rolling Papers, it was clear he was heading in a new direction stylistically.  Now, with plenty more popularity and a couple big name awards under his belt, Wiz has delivered Khalifa, his sixth full-length release. Former fans of the Pittsburgh born emcee will probably go into this album hoping for a return to the rapper's former ways, unfortunately, they will end up sorrily disappointed.

Not only is Khalifa the worst album Wiz has put out this far in his career, it's also one of the worst rap album's I've heard in a very long time. The album, summed up as quickly as possible, is 13 tracks with absolutely zero effort, featuring generic production, an overuse of overdubbed vocals and echo effects, boring lyricism, and the Taylor Gang leader attempting to say "I smoke weed" as many times as he possibly can on an album before driving the listener insane. Lines like "my chain shit on your car, my rolex fucked your bitch" on Celebrate, or "gettin' all this paper, got me shittin' in public" two tracks later on City View are beyond cringe worthy. Not even the instrumentals, done mostly by fairly talented producers like frequent Khalifa collaborators Big Jerm, SAP, and Sledgren can help save any tracks on this LP, as most beats feel generic and boring, not even seeming good enough to be filler on an older project of his.

The album is 52 minutes yet feels like a lifetime, with guest features throughout adding nothing more than perhaps an appearance on the chorus or a lacklustre short verse. The only decent features comes on the one tolerable cut on the record, as No Permission features fellow Taylor Gang records label mate Chevy Woods. The instrumental, which is easily the most reminiscent of Wiz's past material on the album, is fairly average, and he appears to at least be attempting to put in an effort lyrically on this track. The biggest issue with the album for me, if it isn't clear yet, is that it's obvious Wiz isn't trying, coming through as a shell of himself even on his other commercial releases. While projects like Rolling Papers and O.N.I.F.C weren't great by any stretch, they at least felt like radio-bait, whereas Khalifa doesn't even seem to be enjoyable enough for the radio. It's not catchy, unique, creative, or anything else that could possibly be seen as a positive quality.

On Zoney, one of the later tracks in the listings, Wiz even brings his son Sebastian onto the album as perhaps some attempt to create a cute moment, but that's the last thing needed on a rap album. The only thing it serves to do is help the listener forget the lyrics earlier on the track, which are among the worst found in the listing. It did garner a smile from me though, because it became evident at this point how heavy Wiz was reaching, just looking to fill-up time and tracks as needed.

I'll be completely honest and admit that I'm not much of a fan of commercial radio rap. With that being said, the pop-rap elements aren't even what makes this album so unbearably bad. There's nothing appealing to be found anywhere near this album aside from maybe one or two tracks that are just a little bit above the horrendous standards the rest of the album sets. I'm not going to ramble on about just how poor this project is, or how far Wiz Khalifa, a once at least somewhat talented emcee has fallen off. Instead, I'll just leave by recommending you stay as far away from this album, or any song found on it for that matter, as possible.

Favorite Tracks: If I have to choose, No Permission is at least better than the other songs found on this trash heap.

I'm not even going to attach a video from the album below, instead listen to Never Been, a track from back when Wiz made enjoyable stoner rap.

Least Favorite Tracks: BTS, Celebrate, Elevated, City View, Call Waiting, Zoney

Rating: 1/5

Yes that's right, one, as in the same number of songs that I can actually ever potentially see myself considering coming back to on this album.

Have you listened to the album yet? If so, let me know your thoughts in the comments section down below!

Is the Is Are by DIIV

It's been four years now since dream-pop outfit DIIV released their debut album Oshin back in 2012. It was an album that did find a very positive reception, but I personally found it to be repetitive, boring, and just like any other dream-pop album to come out before it. Essentially, the band were taking the most accessible albums of shoegaze, things like the reverb soaked vocals and instrumentation and the mixing of those previously mentioned instruments being much louder than the vocals, but leaving behind the atmosphere and "wall of sound" so to speak, that often accompanies shoegaze music.

While I certainly did have my flaws with the band's debut, I also saw that there may be some potential beneath the band's otherwise fairly generic exterior. If they could work out the kinks, embrace more of the shoegaze sound, and leave behind the indie-pop guitar riffs, perhaps, just perhaps they could escape being lumped together with nearly every other band in the same genre.

All that I hoped for, everything that I thought the band could do to right the wrongs they had previously committed, is no where to be found on their second full-length release Is The Is Are. The album is about as incomprehensible as the title, nothing more than a 60+ minute 17 track blur with every song sounding oh so similar to the one before it, and the one before that one, and of course the one before that one as well. Just like on their previous effort, the New York based five piece have compiled a grouping of tracks that easily could be found on any other dream-pop project. The vocals remain for the most part nonsensical, the reverb soaked guitar and vocals remain the same, and the band continues to choose to play almost identical guitar riffs on a regular basis. At times, it appears that the band is toying with post-punk inspired bass lines, but they don't fit the sound that the rest of the group are trying to emulate, and instead of being a nice change of pace it ends up making for a very odd choice. Even after listening to this album time and time again, it's still difficult to remember the tracks and what the band did on them, partially because it sounds that similar, and partially because it's just that forgettable.

There are however, three song's that to do manage to stick out on the album. All three of these songs share the similarity of containing a secondary title of (*name's* Song.) I'm not sure what the significance of the names' included are, aside from Bent (Sky's Song) which features frontman Zachary Cole Smith's girlfriend Sky Ferreira. These tracks are the only time throughout the album that the band truly takes any sort of risk, and actually embraces the shoegaze sound completely by playing with elements of feedback, very heavy noisy distortion, and the aforementioned "wall of sound." Not only do these make for good tracks by DIIV's standards, but they make for fairly enjoyable tracks by any standards. They distinguish themselves from the rest of the track-listing, and actually offer some enjoyable moments. Sky's Song, for example, reminds me quite a bit of iconic noise-rock outfit Sonic Youth, especially the spoken vocals that cause Ferreira to sound quite a bit like Kim Gordon. Bent (Roi's Song) is a track that features lots of distortion and feedback, making it one of the noisier cuts on the album, the only other truly noisy track is Mire (Grant's Song), as it also features a ton of feedback, but rather than fading, it stays in the background of the recording throughout. As the final few minutes of the song nears, we get a short little noisy interlude as well. While the guitar passage continues, there's also a ton of other noises going on, someone playing with their strings causing even more feedback as well as the drummer going completely off tempo, and it creates something that actually sounds worthy of the shoegaze tag.

To sum up DIIV's recent effort, it's 85% what every other dream-pop is doing, 15% quality. The three songs where the band step out of their apparent comfort zone and really strive for something different, they succeed, but on almost every other track the group seems comfortable with these interchangeable elements that make the album as boring and uninspired as it ends up being.

Favorite Tracks: Bent (Roi's Song), Blue Boredom (Sky's Song), Mire (Grant's Song)

Least Favorite Tracks: If I could remember any other songs, I'd tell you, but I already forget them.

Rating: 2/5

Moth by Chairlift

To be as blunt as possible, synthpop is very in at the moment. A genre that first became prominent back in the early 80's, it saw acts like Yellow Magic Orchestra and Depeche Mode help pave the way for acts to come later on throughout the 90's and 2000's. Even just taking a look back to last year will show you a plethora of fantastic synth based releases, with the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Chvrches, and Neon Indian all releasing fantastic synth driven albums (and if you want to read my thoughts on Carly Rae's E•MO•TION you can do so here.)

So where does Chairlift come into all of this synth music being put out of late? Well, with the release of their newest full-length LP Moth, the Colorado based duo are clearly showing that they have been inspired by the synth-pop acts of late, as rather than sticking to their dream-pop/electronica roots, they've embraced the trend themselves, and while they've frequently incorporated the synthesizer into their sound, on the new album we see it become their primary instrument for the first time.

From the moment Look Up, the album's opening track begins, it becomes evident that this is not the same album that other artists of the genre have been putting out. In fact, throughout the album, it feels as if not only are Chairlift embracing the synthpop sound, but they are also looking to explore every crack and crevice of the genre. While Look Up serves as an intriguing taste of what's to come, it ends being somewhat of an afterthought once you get into the best that this album has to offer, beginning with the following track Polymorphing. Not only does the track serve has an incredibly catchy and enjoyable listen, but it also seems to be modelled after the same style found on Neon Indian's latest album VEGA INTL. Night School. Even with the clear influence, Chairlift still manage to separate themselves from their peers through many different unique elements used in their sound.

Also unlike some other acts in the scene, the duo frequently go out of their way to incorporate many different instruments on tracks throughout the album. Just take a look at the acoustic guitar featured on Romeo or the violin used in the outro of Ottawa to Osaka for proof of the bands versatility. We also see them take risks by incorporating loud, booming drums at times, as well as lots of progression throughout the tracks. The aforementioned Ottawa to Osaka is easily the best example of that progression, as the song opens with a bit of somewhat of an experimental sound, before settling down as Caroline Polachek begins singing. Not only is her voice fantastic on that track, but also throughout the album, as she delivers beautifully sung hook and after beautifully sung hook, sometimes delivering the lyrics in a hushed whisper, and on one track in particular playing around with a more raw style.

That track is Unfinished Business, and easily serves as one of the project's less interesting cuts, as Polachek seems to be looking to let her vocals loose on the chorus, but for whatever reason sounds as if she's being held back as her voice cracks and ultimately falters out. The track isn't helped much by also containing the most uncreative and uninspired instrumental featured on Moth.  Having said that, aside from Unfinished Business, even the lesser cuts on the album are still quite enjoyable. Tracks I found forgettable after my first few listens like Look Up, and the closer No Such Thing As Illusions I'm now finding myself enjoying and coming back to semi-regularly. As much as Chairlift succeeded in creating great radio-ready catchy singles, they also paid a lot of attention to insuring the flow of the album remains consistent and almost every track has something to offer.

From beginning to end, Moth is an album chalked full of danceable, catchy, sing-a-long pop tunes that anyone with an appreciation for pop music will enjoy. Is this an essential synthpop record? Of course not. It does stand on it's own though, and can easily rival any of last year's releases of the same genre.

Favorite Tracks: Polymorphing, Romeo, Ch-Ching, Crying in Public, Moth to a Flame

Least Favorite Tracks: Unfinished Business

Rating: 4/5