album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
'The Spark' Isn't Enter Shikari's Worst Album
On September 22nd, 2017, Enter Shikari released their most ambitious and personal album ever, The Spark. However, many of the dedicated fans seem to think that The Spark is the end, worst album ever, going to end their career, and I am here to prove those doubters wrong!
By Kyle Stumpo8 years ago in Beat
Rodney DeCroo: Old Tenement Man
For a non-believer, one of the strangest stories in the Bible has to be that of Jacob wrestling with God. For those who aren’t familiar with the story, God, interestingly, lost the fight, but was able to dislocate Jacob’s hip, causing Jacob to limp for the rest of his life. What doesn’t kill you doesn’t necessarily make you stronger. Some wounds last forever, and for those who have been deeply scarred, healing is the work of a lifetime.
By Ryan Frawley8 years ago in Beat
Trippie Redd - 'A Love Letter To You 2'
Trippie Redd has an opportunity to distinguish himself. Strengths/Weaknesses I’m just casually sipping lean right now while I listen to numerous beats so I can croon about the reckless lifestyle I lead. Aye, and these haters better stop calling my phone because ya boy is in the salon getting his dreads dyed. Alright bruh? What color should I do this time? Red? Yellow? Blue? All three…?
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
Fifth Harmony Proves You Can Be 'Miss Movin' On' with New Album Minus One Group Member
On December 19, 2016, a shattering blow would come to four out of five members of the pop music and somewhat iconic girl group Fifth Harmony, as news broke early that morning via Twitter that Camila Cabello had chosen to leave the group and pursue a career as a soloist.
By Chelsea DeVries8 years ago in Beat
An Album Comparison
I first discovered the folk opera Hadestown a couple of years ago when I was researching the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, one of the favorites, and found that there was a concept album based on this story. The album was available for listening on YouTube and I was instantly obsessed. Unlike your typical concept album, there are different singers playing the different characters in the story. It feels like the cast recording of a musical and my first thought was that there should be a stage production. Sure enough, there was one in New York but it came and went before I had the chance to see it. So I looked up everything I could find of the production online which was tantalizingly little. Then it was announced a few months ago that a cast recording was to be released and I quickly pre-ordered it off of iTunes and waited for the whole thing to be available with a track released every few weeks to wet my appetite.
By Rachel Lesch8 years ago in Beat
A.Boogie - 'The Bigger Artist'
His talent speaks for itself. Strengths/Weaknesses It seems like every other day there’s a new artist going viral or dominating Soundcloud with their music. Music has never been so easily accessible, and listeners are consuming music much faster than at any other point in history. There are so many trends and fads that it’s easy to get dizzy trying to keep up with all of them. With so many artists to choose from and numerous channels to discover them, many artists will be here today and gone tomorrow.
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
Macklemore — 'Gemini'
Here is an album review of Macklemore's Gemini. Strengths/Weaknesses Let’s face it: Geminis are the punching bags of the zodiac. The rest of the zodiac would have you believe that they’re two-faced and shallow. They're stereotypically associated with snakes for their deceptive behavior.
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
PartyNextDoor — 'Seven Days'
Party has come a long way since first bursting onto the scene. 1. "Bad Intentions" I immediately liked the vibes on this opening track. Party doesn’t get enough credit as a producer. He has his own distinct sound; his instrumentals never sound as if they’re attempting too much, but they never feel lackluster, either. The nocturnal R&B vibes he has cultivated over the years becomes a little more polished with every project.
By Rap Disciple8 years ago in Beat
Euphoria Mourning: No, It's Not a Typo
Hello, and welcome back to Second Chances where I take another look at a maligned or forgotten piece of pop culture. For the longest time, I was behind the times when it came to my musical interests. When my classmates were part of the grunge revolution, I was still listening to classic rock. I didn't get caught up until I got to college in the late 90s. That was when I first learned of Chris Cornell.
By Adam Wallace8 years ago in Beat
'Hamilton': An American Musical Soundtrack Review
When people first started raving about Hamilton on Broadway, the first response was "It can't be that good." Mixing hip-hop with a musical? It sounded like showrunner Lin Manuel-Miranda was trying to combine two audiences together and would attract neither one of them. After listening to the soundtrack, Manuel-Miranda did a fantastic job at weaving in the elements of both from seemingly opposite and conflicting genres. After all, rap and musicals are practically oil and water when it comes to their fanbase. The fans of one genre aren't likely to go and try the other. In fact, I'd argue, Hamilton is more musical than rap album.
By Michael Bergonzi8 years ago in Beat
You Want It Darker
2016 was a dark year full of, among other bad omens, the deaths of many icons of the musical community. Among the many musical legends we lost that year was Leonard Cohen, the legendary Canadian singer/songwriter and poet who passed away on November 7th, a day before Trump won the presidency. Cohen's passing was but the latest in a long line of music deaths and it only served to further the notion that 2016 was a terrible year. Before he left us however, Cohen released You Want it Darker, his fourteenth and final studio album. Released just 19 days before his passing, the album gives us Cohen's final musings on life with nine of his most strikingly poetic and darkly prophetic songs delivered by a man not quite ready to go gently into that good night.
By Matthew Frati8 years ago in Beat
