NEW BLOG

Hey everyone, I have decided that I needed to ante up my blogging game, so I have moved to WordPress! I'm keeping this blog here as an archive of my early work. That, and I'm just too dumb to figure out how to officially switch from one blog to another.

Here's the link to the new blog:

thehighfidelityreportblog.wordpress.com

Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' - REVIEW

How far can a person fall from grace before they are deemed irredeemable? It doesn’t seem to matter much for one of the most interesting artists in contemporary hip-hop, Scott Mescudi, otherwise known as Kid Cudi. It’s been about a year since his rather experimental rock-like album that was met with a considerable amount of disdain and disappointment across the board. I couldn’t even finish it myself. I was very put off with whatever Scott was trying to go for in Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.

But things are different now. Kid Cudi came through with one of the very last major releases of 2016. Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is Cudi’s most earnest and surprisingly satisfying album in a long time. I had been quite acquainted with Kid Cudi since 2011. His first two albums were wonderful testaments that hip-hop can mix well with space-rock and trip-hop textures and still be catchy enough for anyone to remember the melody and lyrics. While themes of astronomy and personal suffering carried swiftly in his first few albums, I was saddened with the lack luster streak that had bestowed upon Cudi since 2014. It’s now more obvious than ever that the old Kid Cudi is back, and he’s trying to make up for lost time.

The disheartening thing about the present state of affairs now is that Kid Cudi may be falling ever so shortly of his previous vigor. While Passion certainly holds several moments of pure Cudi creativity, it’s quite apparent that this new album feels more like Kid Cudi attempting to bring back his glory days than trying to create new material and delve into new territory. But I completely understand why he’s doing this: he’s tried too hard to create a new anthology of sound that just never took off with critics or even the closest of fans. It’s like how Dan Brown never changed his formula for every single Robert Langdon novel he wrote. He stuck with an overdone formula because he knows it works. Scott Mescudi is now trying desperately to cultivate the formula that once worked so well for him in the past.

While it could be debated for hours as to whether an artist should try to be on top of the world again after they have already reached their prime, I personally will give Scott a pass this time. After a streak of embarrassing events like being publically disavowed by former music mentor Kanye West during one of West’s concerts and Cudi admitting himself to a rehabilitation center for depression and suicidal thoughts, Scott Mescudi needed a light at the end of the tunnel, and Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’ is that light. However, despite the noble or even admirable attitude Kid Cudi brought when he released this album, this does not excuse him from hard criticism of the music itself. Context is always important, but musicianship is paramount.

Kid Cudi’s new album, while trying to be the new Man on the Moon but not at the same time, is ridiculously repetitive. It’s not that Kid Cudi’s music hasn’t been built on repetitive melodies and song structures since he started releasing music, the problem is that these new melodies are kind of boring, to say the least. What also doesn’t help is that the album is way too long; clocking in at about an hour and 27 minutes, and most of this is because every song is drawn out like there’s no tomorrow. Within each song, no matter how good it may be, is just the same beat, melody and bass line; over and over again. Every song is two or three minutes longer than it needs to be. All this in mind, Kid Cudi actually committed a common music sin: having his album be severely frontloaded. The best songs on the album are the first three songs, but at least they're filled to the brim with classic Cudi melodies and beats that will give the impression that he’s performing these songs in the dark, in some type of desperation, like a cry for help. The third song, “Releaser”, is honestly the most impressive thing Kid Cudi has put out in years. Even though it’s cursed with the repetitive nature of the album, the melody itself and the keyboard riff softly playing in the background is grimly haunting. The beat is slow and heavy, dragging on like the weight that Kid Cudi must have been feeling like he’s been carrying for the better half of 2016. It’s accompanied perfectly with former model Kacy Hill, singing ominously “I think I’m on the verge of breaking” and providing evocative opera-like vocals.

At this point, I believe it’s safe to say that the fat middle part of the album is actually very boring and practically unnecessary. You could cut out about half of the songs on the album and it would be significantly better to listen to, not to mention less time consuming. Similar to Frank Ocean’s Blonde, the brilliance of the album stems from the introductory and concluding tracks. The album closer, “Surfin’”, is an incredibly catchy get up track, and I suppose it’s meant to represent that despite all the pain that Cudi has been through lately, he sees the future  looking very bright, if not fun to experience.

While the old Kid Cudi may be back, it doesn’t seem like he’s been fully awakened just yet. Maybe the next album will blow my mind like how Man on the Moon II did when I was a junior in highschool. Either way, anything is better than another Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.

Overall: 7.0 out of 10

Skeleton Tree - REVIEW

If there’s a feeling that I have been suppressing since the moment this year began, it's this eerie feeling that death literally surrounds me. It is as though everywhere I turn when I'm online I am met with multiple reports of people dying, for all kinds of reasons. 2016 alone has taken with it countless people; both famous and non-famous. People vanishing everywhere. The feeling of death looming around me gives me an anxiety that does nothing more than constantly remind me that sooner or later, death will come for me, and everyone I know. It’s only a matter of time and circumstance. But despite death being one of the most obvious facts of life, it is unanticipated death that we seem to have never been able to conquer as people.

While death, love, and loss are nothing new for the “grand lord of gothic lushness”, Nick Cave and his band, the Bad Seeds, are back to deal with these issues on the most substantial and intimate level yet. Nick Cave’s newest album Skeleton Tree is the result of two years of arduous work that is forever marked by but not cursed, with the unexpected death of his 15 year old son, Arthur. The direction of the album’s tone and production was changed the moment Arthur's death became a reality. What we have now is some of the most authentic and sincere embodiment of anguish, grief, and solidarity that can be found in music today.

I almost feel like I don’t even have the right to really critique this album as it was made out of so much pain. But like any strong person knows, life is full of pain and suffering. It is a part of the very essence of being human. We cannot completely rid of it, we can only deal with it as it comes. Nick Cave beautifully yet solemnly deals with his pain in this dark and gloomy record that douses itself in dark and ominous texture.

The general structure of the album derives from minimal instrumentation that utilizes low but heavy bass in the background, soft drumming, and fuzzy keyboard riffs that wane with an obvious sorrow. Nick Cave’s voice in the album sounds like it’s forcing itself to make the words come out as he either somberly speaks like he’s reciting poetry or he is singing with his heart on his sleeve. In certain songs where Nick Cave is at his most vulnerable, like “Magneto” and “I Need You”, he displays a type of unapologetic sadness that pierces through your very being, given how seriously you take your listening of the album. I honestly have not felt this emotional while listening to an album in quite some time. Off the top of my head, I can only think of certain moments from Radiohead that give me this type of feeling. The endings to “Fake Plastic Trees” and “Videotape” come to mind. 

The atmosphere the music creates ranges heavily between the cold and mechanical, and the desperate and lamenting. It’s all surprisingly breath-taking though. If I really had to try to attach a concept to the album, I would have to say it was the five stages of grieving: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And it appears that all stages are present within the album’s lyrics, Nick Cave’s voice, and the stark instrumentation from the band.

While this album may have been hard to make for Nick Cave, I’m glad that we even have it all. For an artist who’s been releasing music for the past 30 years or so, we’re lucky to have gotten this beautiful but melancholic album from a man who has lost a part of him.

Overall: 9.3 out of 10 

American Football (LP2) - REVIEW

From the observations I have made in recent time, I have come to the conclusion that most long-awaited albums that are highly-anticipated, especially coming from artists that have made a significant and often surprising mark on music history, tend to be new material that is just very disappointing. Where exactly does this phenomenon arise from? I’m almost certain that a lot of it has to do with the fact that people are very susceptible to comparing one work of art with another if they both come from the same artist. This comparison can be seen as fallacious as I always like to believe that an album deserves to be examined and judge based on its merits and by it existing in some sort of hypothetical vacuum. But I’m being a little naïve here if I honestly expect to judge the new American Football album in a vacuum and not in the context that it actually exists in. It is for this reason that I have to declare that the new album from American Football is a staggering disappointment, as I was afraid of it being so.

American Football, an emo rock band that was originally active for a brief moment in the late ‘90s, can best be described as a one-hit wonder. Instead being famous for one particular song, American Football became relatively famous throughout the years because of one particular album, their self-titled debut. For 17 years straight, it was their one and only album they ever released as the band quickly broke up a few days after the album was finished. This was because the members would no longer be living in the same city and they had other career aspirations. The band is a simple trio, with two of the members being childhood friends, and the singer/guitarist being someone they met in college. The band they started was only ever meant to be a side project and even they became surprised at the cult-like status that their debut holds among young people.

Their self-titled debut is held as one of the best emo rock albums ever made by quite a few publications and when the smallest of news of a possible follow up began to surface on the internet during the summer, it seemed like everyone was preparing for another instant classic. While some certainly believe that that is the case, I do not find this album to be anywhere near the level of earning the title of “classic”. The new American Football album, which of course, just had to be self-titled like its infamous predecessor, completely fails at trying to match the level of originality and emotion that the first album had.

Even from the first few moments of the opening track, the new American Football album holds almost no substantial ground as lead vocalist and guitarist Mike Kinsella sounds like an empty shell of a man. When he sung on the debut album as a young man in college, back in 1999, he sounded just like the typical angsty teenager that is very common in many emo rock bands, which further materialized the notion that the music being heard is meant for young people and the particular problems they face growing up. I have no way to fully tell whether or not Kinsella’s vocals on this new album is completely intentional with a “I’m grown up now and face different problems but I’m still very emotional” feel to them or if his vocals are simply not captivating like they used to be when he was 17 years younger.

The instrumentation itself, while still relatively true to what fans had experienced with the debut album, is also quite disappointing. The entire time while I listened to it, I rarely found any spectacular moments of instrumentation that’s worth noting. At some moments, I felt like I was listening to mid-2000s Lifehouse; other moments reminded me of the soft bits of the awful sub-genre known as post-grunge, which bands like Nickelback, Creed, and Stained are usually categorized under. Most of all, the instrumentation was just so incredibly boring that it brought no emotional response out of me; I was constantly waiting for something special to come, but it never happened.

And that’s the biggest problem about American Football’s second album: It feels incredibly forced. While I can think of numerous moments from their debut that easily trigger nostalgic feelings of highschool memories and teenage relationships for me, I just wasn’t getting those feelings at all with this new album. More or less, this album is pathetic for everything it was trying to do. And while I do give major props to the band for pulling this exceedingly bold move and releasing an album 17 years after their last and acclaimed album, I don’t believe that excuses them criticism for coming out with this disenchanting experience.

I don’t know who’s truly to blame for these types of albums. Is it the incessant hype culture that exists in our rapid and highly technological world? Probably. But I firmly believe that artists need to know that their golden age is over, or that their 15 minutes is up. This phenomena of hype and disappointment isn’t anything new as I can think of numerous of contemporary examples: Guns n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, Pink Floyd’s The Endless River, Dr. Dre’s Compton and so forth. I just think that we as a culture need to let things be released as they come and stop acting like an artists’ new album is going to be on an OK Computer type level.

Overall: 5.4 out of 10

My Woman - REVIEW

For someone who has been flying quite low under the radar of the mainstream, St. Louis native and indie folk singer Angel Olsen seems to have finally caught her big break as she's been getting waves of attention from various music publications this entire inferno of a summer. In fact, Angel has been so well hidden that I personally only found about her a few months ago through Pitchfork giving her "Best New Track" for the strikingly well executed and synth-driven sappy ballad of "Intern", which serves as the first song on Angel's newest and somewhat anticipated album, My Woman.

Where do I even begin with Angel's music? The best way to describe it is slow evolution. Angel Olsen seems like the type of girl who's like me: only able and willing to take risks and try new things out one baby step at a time, but once we get to the next level, it's feels great and even liberating. Angel's music is a wonderful blend of contemporary folk and indie rock, combined with elements of alternative country, especially in her earlier work. Half Way Home and Burn Your Fire For No Witness are terrific testaments of Angel's ability to craft meaningful and heart-felt songs, and her latest work is simply her maximizing this ability.

My Woman is the sound of a musician who has finally mustered up the courage to step slightly outside of her comfort zone and create music that comes off as more polished, more concentrated, and most importantly, more bold. The most accessible and catchiest song on the album, "Shut Up Kiss Me" is Angel at her most casual and playful. Similar sentiments can be found on slightly sincere, slightly casual songs like "Never Be Mine" and "Not Gonna Kill You" where the chord progressions and melodies are perfectly matched by Angel's staunch vocal delivery. Another song that sticks out to me as a nice treat is the softly sung and slowly played "Those Were The Days" that is driven on guitar chords that is extremely reminiscent of the playing style of King Krule.

Considering that I only recently found out about Angel Olsen's music, I admit that I'm rather impressed with what little she has put out. While none of her music isn't anything particularly mind blowing or ground breaking like Homogenic or Dummy but it's great for what it is. That being said, it doesn't seem like Angel Olsen is trying to be the next best thing in music, but she's definitely making a name for herself as a female solo artist who isn't giving up anytime soon. I mean, just look at the cover. Her past two album covers were simple drawings. This time around, it's a glamour shot of Angel looking profoundly confident, staring out into the distance, to the uncertain future. A future she's more than prepared for now.

Overall: 8.5 out of 10

Blonde - REVIEW

I honestly can not think of any other album this year that has been more anticipated and hyped than the long awaited follow up to the beloved Channel Orange that gripped the hearts and minds of so many young people back in 2012, who otherwise, probably didn't listen to whole a lot of R&B. I remember around that time, I had just broken up with my last girlfriend, I was close to finishing high school, and I had immersed myself in a world of classic hip-hop. I especially did not write about or kept up with music like I do now. But despite me practically living under a rock at the time, even I noticed the influence and praise that R&B singer Frank Ocean was garnering. Since then, Ocean went on to be perceived as one of the most distinct and prominent singers in R&B and as well as contemporary, mainstream music. His reputation for excellence was only further built on by the multitude of times he lent his beautiful voice to his contemporaries. The most awe-inspiring example that I can think of was his tremendous vocals on Kanye West's 2013 single, "New Slaves". 

So much has changed since Frank Ocean's last album. President Obama's final term is now coming to an end, I'm on my last year as an undergraduate student, I have a wonderful girlfriend of three years, and there have been multitude of albums that have completely taken the spotlight in the music world that have kept everyone busy and distracted. I'm actually quite surprised Frank Ocean finally pulled through and released something, despite the somewhat annoying marketing and teasing tactics he used for weeks on end, having everyone at the edge of their seats, making us wait tirelessly for something to happen. Cryptic photos, a live stream of virtually nothing happening, numerous rumored release dates, and still nothing happened. Past a certain point I was beginning to think that Frank Ocean was just pulling the most elaborate prank this year. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Frank Ocean randomly releases through Apple Music his new music video for what he simply called Endless. It was billed as a "visual album" as several brand-new, unreleased songs played while Frank and some other men, quietly worked on several projects in an empty looking warehouse for about 45 minutes. Naturally, everyone freaks out not knowing what the hell is going on just to have Frank announce that Endless wasn't the real deal. He released his official follow up to Channel Orange a day or two later, which he mysteriously titled, Blonde.

That brings us to the current day. So far in social media, I've seen people acting like Frank made the newest Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, or that this album was Heavenly-made material. I'm here to tell you that it's not. Unfortunately for me, after multiple listens, or as some of my peers have described as "on repeat", Blonde turned out to be a slight disappointment in my experience. I am not saying in any sense that Frank's new album is bad. I know I would be burned at the social stake for actually proclaiming such a thing. I have always liked Frank's singing and his music, even if I never was a huge fan. 

The paramount negative aspect that I must admit about Blonde, is that there is this sad and lingering feeling that the album just feels kind of forced. This doesn't sound like the result of four years of work, it sounds like the work of one. As a whole, Blonde sounds like Frank trying a little too hard to be mind-blowing or groundbreaking like he did on Channel Orange. I also felt slightly cheated by Frank as the album features a decent amount of short tracks that serve as interludes to fill in the gaps between major songs. I normally enjoy interlude tracks as I feel they usually give an album character by offering snippets of audio that aren't conventional songs, but I wasn't that impressed with the interludes or very short songs on the album as I felt like they could almost be considered pure filler tracks. I'm kind of over the interludes of "Be Yourself" and the juvenile "Facebook Story". I could do without them. Even the interludes that are purely musical like "Good Guy" and "Solo (Reprise)" are kind of unnecessary to me as they feel like unfinished demos that Frank threw in at the last minute. In this regard, the album feels a little incomplete. Perhaps I was hoping too much for a Channel Orange type of experience with this album, and it just wasn't happening with Blonde.

Bear in mind however, that if it was never Frank's intention to imitate the level of creativity and eccentricity that his previous album effortlessly executed, then I actually applaud Frank for his efforts in trying to outdo himself, but in different way. In fact, Pitchfork very recently reported that Frank has become so independent and bold lately that he left his label of Def Jam. He actually released Blonde on his own, along with the help of top-notch engineers and artists contributing their talents to the album.

Aside from what I feel to be the biggest let downs about the album, Blonde is actually quite impressive. This is Frank Ocean we're talking about here. I never excepted him to put out anything he thought his fans would be unhappy with. And that's the thing. No one is really unhappy with it that I know of, and how can anyone really be that upset with it? Once again, Frank takes his alternative and particular mode of production and songwriting to a different plain with songs that are filled to the brim with sonic textures, heart-felt melodies, smooth beats, and an unforgettable voice that prowls through with melancholic-like tones. How else can I describe the dramatic and relaxed cut of his newest single, "Nikes"? The album's opener features distorted & filtered vocals that chill me ever so slightly. The next song "Ivy", slightly contradicts it's solemn opener with an optimistic and watery guitar riff as Frank shows off his stellar vocals like he always does. "Nights" and "Solo" also follow in similar vein of quirky beat back drops and notable melodies that'll probably grow on me even more than they have now.

Probably the most significant part of the album, the part that feels the most thematic and complete, is its ending. The last four songs on the album are Frank at his most sincere and vulnerable. From "White Ferrari" to the end, Frank lays on emotional punch after another with songs that tug at your heart with his whimpering to soaring vocals that are layered over his eclectic arrangements that utilize soft guitar riffs, strings, and somber keyboards to maximize Frank's effectiveness in being wonderfully sappy and earnest with the listener.

I'm not sure if my review of Frank's newest work is an example for myself on how hype culture affects my ability to judge a piece of music, or how it effects anyone when trying to judge music. Either way, in our highly technological and fast-paced world, it seems nearly impossible to get away from herd mentality and the sweet temptation that is "going with the flow". But for someone who sincerely writes about music, I have to be as honest as I can be. Otherwise, there would be no reason for me to write these reviews. I would just look at whatever pops up Twitter or Pitchfork and that'd be the end of it. In spite of all the hype culture and social media, Frank Ocean still manages to get the attention of even the most skeptical of listeners. Blonde may have not been the album I was fully hoping for, but it's an album that people genuinely enjoy, even for all its flaws. 

Overall: 8.4 out of 10 

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - REVIEW

Have you ever seen a picture of Earth? Like a really good one? Did you stare at it for a long time? The thing that was always struck me like a laser-guided missile when looking at photos like the infamous Blue Marble, is noticing the pitch-black, and entirely empty space that our planet suspends in. Just a whole bunch of nothingness. Despite all our attempts at communication and searching for anything outside our world, it seems like we truly are alone. All we have is each other on this 4.5 billion year old rock. Please excuse my sentimentality. I just wanted to put things in perspective as I introduced one of the most interesting and perplexing albums I have come across this whole summer, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space, by the space rock and neo-psychedelic group known as Spiritualized.

Following in the general slew of albums that have eaten up my time this summer by a considerable amount, which have been in some form of dream pop, shoegaze, post-rock, or lo-fi indie, I have come across my first real taste for neo-psychedelia outside of my sampling of Deerhunter and Animal Collective. I'm glad I finally took the time to listen to this, as Apple Music and other outlets I venture on to discover new music were constantly bringing up this album, and I can kind of see why.

I suppose it's most appropriate to start with the stellar and heart-wrenching opening that is the title track. The first song on the album actually still surprises me with it's choral and classical sounding like beauty as it flawlessly evokes the atmosphere and illusion of being in a spaceship and looking at our beautiful, blue planet. I honestly thought for the longest time that the song was driven on the melody of the eternally recognizable Canon by Johann Pachelbel, but it's not. It just sounds really close to it, but it's not any less stunning then the archetypal melody for weddings and other wondrous events.

But immediately after the astonishing opener that is the title track, comes a succession of songs that I still haven't been able to understand. This is the only problem I have this album. I don't understand why the awkward and seemingly unnecessary medley of tracks 2-4 were put on this album. The second track is entitled "Come Together", and sadly, it isn't a Beatles cover. It exerts it's maximalist qualities just to be as repetitive and uninteresting as possible. The third and fourth track follow a similar formula in that they are just songs with un-entertaining melodies and arrangements that make me feel like they were added in just for filler. I feel so guilty having to admit this, but this is quite a rare occasion where I sincerely hate a group of songs from an album I am otherwise quite impressed with.

The album begins to re-emerge and eventually fully redeem itself with every track after the fourth one, with the kind of space rock songs that I was expecting to hear from the beginning. For quite some time after the worst part of the album, the songs shift between relatively relaxed ballads, noisy jams, and fuzzy improvisations that encapsulate the album until you reach "Broken Heart". Because until then, the album takes a rather intense psychedelic turn, as one might wonder if the band members at the time were actually under the influence of psychoactive drugs when writing these few songs.

"Broken Heart" is more than likely the emotional center piece of such a turbulent album. The softly sung vocals mixed with the orchestral instrumentation over a simple ambient backdrop genuinely makes me feel sad every time I listen to it. Even when there's nothing to feel sad about.

The rest of the album to the end continues in the groovy vein of jam sessions layered in noise, slight feedback, fuzz, and jazz-like elements. Spiritualized even utilizes the stressful yet amusing effect of crescendos on its grand finale, "Cop Shoot Cop..." And other than the noise rock banger of "Electricity" that even features a harmonica in the background, one could say that this album is reminiscent of various parts of King Crimson's and Pink Floyd's discography. But don't try too hard to listen for those particular similarities as you may not actually find them. They're subtly woven into the shoegazy-like fabric of the album.

Despite any criticism I may have for this album, I'm still more than happy with the product as a whole. It wasn't this monumental, mind blowing thing that I was secretly hoping for it to be, but it grew on me fairly quickly. Which is another thing that doesn't really occur when I'm evaluating an album. I usually either love it instantly or I'll begin to like it after about five to eight listens later. It took me about two or three listens to realize it's beauty.

Overall: 8.4 out of 10