say anything - i don't think it is

March 24, 2016

the album's inspiration, not sure if i'm feeling the cover though

the new project from the mind of max bemis is a step in a whole new direction. apparently influenced by kanye west (he even goes to say that he wanted this to be say anything's twisted fantasy) and hip hop in general, he brings a whole new aggression to the band's catalog. working primarily with the drummer of mutemath, each track is laced with half sung half screamed lyrics over top of some hard beats. i love how gritty and hard the tracks hit; lyrically they're just as potent.

the previous album hebrews was made with no guitars and interesting arrangements. this album is almost its antithesis; guitars and samples are piercing and cutting everywhere. even through all this, the drums always find a way to cut through the mix and as a drummer, this is awesome.

i'm not sure if other people will feel as strongly as i do about this thing, it really isn't as easily approachable as the self-titled is. there's one thing that's for certain: no one's really taking risks like this that i know of.

top tracks: 17 coked up speeding, attaboy, rum, #blessed, give a damn

score: 90

kanye west - the life of pablo

February 21, 2016

i could spend ages explaining to you why this album is important and how long it took to bring this thing to light, but that wouldn't be my style. i think everyone's speculated and gossiped enough about this thing, so let me come to you as real as i know how.

what we get on this album is kanye west. introspective, soul samples, punchlines, sex, industrial moods, danceable beats, uplifting passages, brooding lows, real talk, boastful talk, family talk. all of it is unadulterated kanye west. but as a listener, you are most definitely not kanye west. so how do you parse all of this? so far, i honestly am not sure. i'm sure this conclusion isn't what you expected.

i've listened to this album in its various states about 5 times now, and every time i feel something new with the progression of the story of pablo's life, so to speak. sometimes i feel like this album is immensely chaotic and doesn't even know where it's going. other times i look at the tracklist and see the focus; i can understand the ebbs and flows. it's a very spiritual journey that i believe "ends" after wolves, but the 4 tracks after the intermission are very important side quests.

i don't really get it yet, but i like it a lot.

best tracks: ultralight beam, highlights, 30 hours, fade, feedback, no more parties in la, i love kanye

update: with this 1.2 patched version of the album, i've gotta say, he improved on so much. i'm in agreement with every change except for the ad-lib outro on 30 hours. i have no idea why it now falls off the beat. i'm not going to change the score or anything, but man is this album enriching. it's hilarious how i totally didn't care about father stretch my hands on my first few listens/in my first review. my credibility is trash.

i get it now and i still like it a lot.

also best tracks: father stretch my hands pt. 1, pt. 2, famous

score: 94

david bowie - blackstar

January 20, 2016

i found myself entranced by the atmosphere surrounding this album's release, way before i even experienced the music. normally, the background of a project only matters so much, but i think this one's so intertwined with its musicality that to ignore bowie's state of being concerning it would be unfair. personally, i don't know of many albums made with the artist's death in mind. the energy exuded on this album is incredibly haunting, even of its own accord. each track seems so distant, his vocals almost faint at times. it's also very raw and disjointed, very jazzy and adventurous.

lazarus is an incredible song, and in retrospect gains so much more significance. to sing about impending death in such a way just makes you think of where his mind was at in his final times. it makes me consider where i'm going even. the instrumentation is impeccably appropriate for this kind of thought process.

even though i'm no david bowie fan prior to this album, i can safely say that i am one now. this album is simply awesome, a great journey from start to finish. can't say i see myself revisiting it that often, but i am glad to have known its existence.

favorite tracks: lazarus, sue (or in a season of crime), dollar days

score: 87

death grips - jenny death

March 25, 2015

my shit's been retarded since beginning of time - pss pss

death grips create an intensity not known in most hip hop because it's not just hip hop. gritty guitars, hyperactive bleep bloops and all things loud rupture any concept of convention one might have. there's some sort of order in the chaos; the pacing of each song is rather normal (especially compared to niggas on the moon) and the pacing of the entire album is sensible.

mc ride is still very unnerving for a number of reasons: his intensity is always on high, his vulgarity is as outrageous as it is intriguing and his lyrical honesty on certain tracks (specifically On GP) is much more obvious than previous albums. flatliner's grasp of sound texture is near top notch and zach hill's drumming skills have never been more exhilarating. it's the right amount of energy, the right amount of catchy and the right length. each listen there's something new to attach yourself to and that replayability factor is what keeps death grips relevant.