album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
David Byrne: Still Making Sense. Top Story - December 2018.
"All I want is to breathe." I hear you, David, I really do. It's sweltering in the Hammersmith Apollo in west London, and the sweat is pouring off me. And the beat goes on, as Byrne's band power through the opening track from Talking Heads' Remain in Light album, "Born Under Punches."
By Andrew Beasley7 years ago in Beat
It Came from BandCamp Volume 2
When doing the 365 albums in 365 days challenge I have heard a lot of odd things on the old BandCamp. So I started to think... hey some of these are pretty good! And some of these are so bad they are entertaining! But not a lot of these get much exposure, so I am continuing these monthly lists and giving a few of my favorite finds, from the dredges of BandCamp, a bit of a micro-review!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Raoul Vignal - 'Oak Leaf'
Often, when an artist is coming up with music that is subtle, often gentle, and is not a widely established name, somehow he keeps slipping under the radar of the wider audience. Some do make it, others fall into the shadows, and those that do have an enduring quality eventually reach the ears of more than just a cult fan base, even after they stop playing or are sadly gone. Such was the case with the late, great British singer/songwriter Nick Drake, who has only in the last few decades gotten the wider recognition he should have garnered way back in the 70s when he was still among us.
By Ljubinko Zivkovic7 years ago in Beat
Late Review: My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless'
Would you listen to a music genre called "shoe-gazing?" Aside from the peculiar name, shoe-gazing can be described as an off-brand, British version of indie rock and alternative rock that emerged in the 1980s. Pioneering the sound, My Bloody Valentine's music projects provided musicians and artists templates to start from, reaching peak critical success with the album Loveless, released in 1991.
By George Gomez7 years ago in Beat
Black Tongue's 'Nadir' Is the Jedi the Metal Community was Looking for
This current year, 2018? Quite a year for music. Bands like Soreption, Behemoth, Revocation, Aborted, Irreversible Mechanism, Dragonlord, and a whole bunch of other groups dropped pretty solid albums. While I disregarded some records, like Anaal Nathrakh's new one. Heard it was pretty good. But in general, it's been a fairly busy year. Back when 2017 was ending, and there was some pretty anticipated and praised records, that streak just seemed to have not stopped. The music senses continued to tingle until something sparked in my head.
By Chase Pozzi7 years ago in Beat
MUSE—'Simulation Theory': The Super Deluxe Review
If you're a friend of mine or indeed have stood anywhere in hearing distance of me, chances are you know I'm a big fan of Muse. They've been my favourite band for nearly a decade and I've enjoyed everything they have put out thus far.
By Peter Ellis7 years ago in Beat
The Voice Inside My Head: What We Can Take from Blink 182’s Self-Titled Album 15 Years Later
The early millennium saw a change in America, the world, and Blink 182. If you were coming of age in the turmoil that was post 9/11, growing up in uncertain times, when the usual narratives disintegrated into dust, Blink grew right beside you. They released their self-titled album, usually meant for a debut, but one could easily call this a re-birth. The early part of the decade forced us to move, to think, to grow and Mark, Tom, and Travis did that on this album, without hesitation. It was 2003, two years after the towers fell. The war in Iraq was caught on camera, the Lord of the Rings movies were the biggest films in the United States, and Blink dropped an album after a hiatus. The world was still shook in the aftermath of 9/11. Fear, paranoia, and darkness flowed from newsstands to newsfeeds, while war and xenophobia bounced in and out of thoughts and conversations. This album wasn’t meant for the world though, it was meant for you, and you alone.
By Kendra Brea Cooper7 years ago in Beat
Within Temptation - 'The Heart of Everything'
Dutch rockers Within Temptation have to be one of the most daring groups in music today. With every album, Within Temptation add something new to their music and their fanbase increases. Following the success of Mother Earth and The Silent Force, the group released The Heart of Everything in 2007. It has a lot of similarities to their album before this one, The Silent Force, but the group upped their game. The strong use of orchestral vibes were present, but also a lot more acoustic was, as well as epic sounds that were perfect for their next live albums, Black Symphony and An Acoustic Night at the Theatre.
By Chloe Gilholy7 years ago in Beat
Psycroptic - 'As the Kingdom Drowns'
Formed in 1999 Psycroptic is an Australian technical death metal band from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. With long time and founding members drummer Dave Haley and his brother Joe Haley on guitar who has been keeping band consistent in its style, yet somehow finding new ways to inject some new crazy jazzy styles to their sound over the years. As the Kingdom Drowns is the band's seventh release and second on their new label Prosthetic records following their 2015 self-titled album. Other albums include The Isle of Disenchantment (2001), The Scepter of the Ancients (2003),Symbols of Failure (2006),Ob (Servant) (2008) and The Inherited Repression (2012) so to say these guys are tech death vets is all but an understatement!
By Rip Mitchell7 years ago in Beat
Father John Misty - 'God's Favorite Customer' // Album Review
Genre - Signer-Songwriter, Contemporary Folk Release Date - June 1, 2018 Father John Misty is the pseudonym for California based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Josh Tillman. It has been quite the interesting past couple of years for Josh artistically. It seemed as if every single time a new Father John Misty album was released, it had its own distinct style and feeling. His debut album in 2012, Fear Fun, was a series of lighthearted and often quirky songs picking fun at the entertainment industry, while his sophomore effort, 2015’s I Love You Honeybear, was a much more focused album portraying Josh’s feelings on modern love and things of that nature. Both of these albums I enjoy very much for different reasons, but Josh didn’t really blow me away until he came out with last year’s Pure Comedy. A record that shifted Josh’s focus more towards a politically charged angle without sacrificing what made him such an endearing songwriter to begin with. The songs on Pure Comedy were a lot more intricate in their design and structure, which turned some of his older fans off, which evidently is something he sings about on this new album on the track “The Songwriter.” I, however, was instantly captivated by Josh’s emotion and witty songwriting coming to light in a more serious atmosphere than what he had experimented with before. I feel like Pure Comedy is without a doubt the best written album of 2017 and a look into any of the songs on it is a clear indicator why.
By Arthur Welch7 years ago in Beat
