asking alexandria - the black

album art > the actual album

album art > the actual album

exit danny worsnop, enter denis stoff. if it weren't for denis' ukrainian accent, you wouldn't really notice a major difference in their vocals. denis does seem to have a larger range on both screams and cleans but it's really irrelevant here because he's never saying anything worth a damn anyway. i'm not one to get mad at explicit lyrics but how many f-bombs does one album need? we're still dropping them before breakdowns? they even spell it out for you on the last track. it was done "best" on their first album.

i'm glad the band decided to work back in some metalcore and there are times where i'm legitimately enjoying myself. however, these points never last an entire song because that hard rock influence rears its ugly head and i get bored again. who decided that ballads were what anyone wants from them? so many questions and i don't know if i want the answers.

i don't think i ever want to hear this album in full again. i don't think i really love anything about this album. just a lot of mediocrity.

top tracks: let it sleep, circled by the wolves

score: 30

hands like houses - dissonants

it's not on spotify, google play or apple music because streaming is "bad"

it's not on spotify, google play or apple music because streaming is "bad"

with this third installment in hands like houses' career, they're going at it without their keyboardist. normally, one would think that a post-hardcore band doesn't really need one of those, but i always enjoyed how real his parts sounded on their first two records. on this one, they continue to use synths/keys but they just don't have that same flair or the same flourishes. they held their own in the past and now the electronics are very typical.

continuing on the typical, it seems like they're embarking on the trendy arena rock stylings that a lot of bands seem to get into as they become more popular, seemingly in hopes that they'll grab more fans/shows/whatever. to counteract this, they've brought back some breakdowns and gritty scream-like clean vocals which can be nice.

all in all, these guys put together a solid album but one that really isn't that memorable and slowly gets more boring as it progresses.

top tracks: i am, colourblind, new romantics, grey havens

score: 59

david bowie - blackstar

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

blackstar chart.png

score: 87

five for five: vol. 2

alison wonderland - run

  1. pretty typical edm but i like female vocals
  2. lyricism is far from the strong point
  3. the best thing about this is that it kind of slaps
  4. i really don't need to listen to this much anymore
  5. this is like jack ü b-side material

score: 59

the maine - american candy

  1. the "pop rock band for the girls" aesthetic done right
  2. i don't really identify with this at all
  3. if rock was actually in right now this would be top 40 material
  4. i could see this being people's "guilty pleasure" album
  5. still too pretty for my regular consumption

score: 67

all time low - future hearts

  1. the "pop rock band for the girls" aesthetic done meh
  2. i shouldn't have listened to this
  3. the mark hoppus feature was entirely wasted on here and that's tragic
  4. i wanted pop punk and got rock pop
  5. these are like green day - uno dos tré b-sides and that's no good

score: 22

carly rae jepsen - emotion

  1. i wish she'd stop being cute sometimes, like write a dirty song already
  2. i really like you is actually a very solid song despite its slight annoyance
  3. too bad taylor swift did 80s pop first because this album's better and gonna get slept on
  4. it's a little too long of an album though, could've easily knocked off like 5 tracks
  5. black heart or i didn't just come here to dance better be her next singles if she wants to pop off

score: 71

polyphia - muse

  1. very proficient guitar players, less proficient compositions
  2. these songs take so much effort to listen to because they're so solo heavy
  3. the chon feature has the best replay value
  4. the songs aren't inherently bad at all but with all the soloing it needs more low points
  5. the album would do better with vocals, honestly

score: 57

the money pit - the money pit

“sometimes i wanna, i wanna blow up everything”
— i want my money back

tom hanks stars in the money pit, a movie about a couple struggling to repair an old house. nic newsham and bobby darling star in the money pit, an album about a couple successfully repairing an old band. they're not looking to dwell on the past and neither should any listeners. we're all met with various staple gatsbys american dream stylings (staccato guitar riffs, sultry crooning, tasteful drumming), but they're done in a way that feels fresh and forward thinking.

the melodies on nearly every track feel so effortless and easy-going. it's hard not to get lost and vibe out and it would be wrong to fight that feeling. that's what the album feels like, a respite from all that is hectic in the world. for a solid 30 minutes, you don't have to care about a thing but your own enjoyment for once. follow the drums through a simple journey with complex accents. follow the bass lines to your soul and feel the grooves. fly away and hover low with the vocal tones. return home once it clicks and all elements work together. 

it's easy to get hooked on old memories of the house you've known for years, especially when no one was living in it. the house never really became dilapidated, either. the money pit isn't entirely a money pit when all it really took was a new coat of paint to make it all pop.

top 3 + bottom none: i want my money back, killing time in hawaii, devastator

guest review by @internaldivide 

The Money Pit is the return of two greats within the indie/alternative scene, Nic Newsham and Bobby Darling. This is their first musical venture together since Gatsbys American Dream's self-titled album in 2006. With this album, they show that they haven't lost a single step along the way.

One thing to be noted is that this is NOT a Gatsbys American Dream album and it should not be treated as such. It's a completely separate entity. At the same time, fans of Gatsbys American Dream can find familiarity in The Money Pit through the stacatto riffs and accidentals used on guitar, the smooth vocals, the hard-hitting drums, and the punchy bass. And that's where the comparison ends.

The Money Pit's self-titled album is one of those albums where one can completely vibe out with for its duration. I found myself engrossed as one song lead effortlessly into the next. The lyrics gets you thinking, chuckling, and feeling introspective. The music backs that up with plenty of variety and stylings where each song separates itself from the one before it, yet being cohesive overall.

Being one of my personal AOTY contenders, it makes me estatic to see these two back into making music again. Gatsbys American Dream's music has had a huge influence on the music that I aspire to make. It's the culmination of some of my previous muscial interests, one being pop-punk, and my current interests in progressive and experimental. Their music not only was something to jam to, but like a musical adventure with twists and turns as rhythms and time signatures changed throughout. It helped me become more analytical in all of the music I've come to listen to. I can't help myself in pointing out to others "hey this song is in 5/4 it's so interesting right?" as they roll their eyes. What they made in the past is something I truly have an appreciation for and I greatly look forward to what they have in store for the future.

top 3 + bottom none: I Want My Money Back, Control Everything, Blackout

score: 94

score: 93

album digitally available sept. 4th.
pre-orders available at their website.
follow them on twitter @moneypitmusic.
download 4 tracks from the album below.

sleeping with sirens - madness

sell us the world but we ain't selling out - we like it loud

madness is in fact the emotion that is evoked when coming into this album. are you crazy for expecting a post-hardcore album and receiving a mainstream pop rock album? that's not really what's maddening. the most ridiculous thing is that this album claims to be something different (see the track we like it loud) but it's really much of the same old shit that it claims to be better than.

lyrically, this album is a mess. there's nothing here to truly pick at because it's all more shallow than a puddle. instrumentally, it's about as sound as a paper bag; i've heard these chord progressions done better and i'm convinced that these are 5 seconds of summer b-sides. do yourself a favor and experience the madness once so that you know how to stay far away from it in the future.

top 1 + bottom 3: parasites (special edition cut), better off dead, november, the strays

score: 18

fall out boy - american beauty / american psycho

you take the full, full truth, then you pour some out - american beauty / american psycho

growing up with fall out boy has been quite the wild ride as a listener, so for them everything must be amplified intensely. throughout their entire career they've been under the spotlight for doing things differently regardless of the scene they resided in. this phase of fall out boy-hood is one of their most boyish even though they're at their most mature in their personal lives.

the record is simple and easy to digest. most of the songs don't deviate too far from each other sonically. this makes for a bland run through of the album, but strong individual songs. nothing here is bad music - centuries is a powerhouse with an immense chorus, uma thurman and the title track are the obvious boogie down numbers and twin skeleton's has a sense of raw grit that is unmatched elsewhere. this is not an attack on pop rock, because the boys are some of the best doing it right now. it is more of a point made to note the movement away from more of the drama filled lyricism of the past in favor of lighter themes, movement towards blending dance/hip hop textures with the sharpness of their pop punk.

there is a certain level of skill in balancing so many feelings and styles. there's a great deal of beauty, but the psycho has fallen out a bit.

top 3 + bottom one: centuries, jet pack blues, twin skeletons (hotel in nyc), the kids aren't alright

score: 64

broadway - contexture: gods, men, and the infinite cosmos

i mean after all, i am an abomination - doppelganger

evolution is a concept that when applied to music is something that most every artist strives for. it's the need to explore spaces that are outside the box of the past, the desire to break free of what holds you down. even though the cosmos may be infinite, it's not so bad staying home on earth. with a new lineup, broadway returns to the scene with a whole new outlook.

there's some of everything here: driving rock and roll rhythms complete with melodic soloing, gruff guitars to accentuate the chunky drum sections, and smooth, buttery vocals that sound a tad bit more mature. this spacious atmosphere is also its biggest annoyance. the technicality is few and far between, the soaring choruses are rarely found and the catchy lyrics are traded in for a loose concept of space and tech talk. broadway have definitely evolved, and they've created somewhat of a monster.

top 3 + bottom one: doppelganger, interstellar avalanche, volcano jack, found you

score: 55