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

Taki 183 - REVIEW

I can shamelessly admit that I've probably spent the better half of my life in front of a computer screen, and nearly all of that time was spent being on the internet. I could probably write an entire thesis about how the internet has become this seemingly organic, complex, and grandeur entity of its own. Despite it being the product of ordinary and not-so ordinary people, the internet is something unlike many of the typical expressions of the human condition. And this is because the internet is where the human condition goes to exert and challenge itself to the most extreme and deepest ends. Like an underground fighting club designated to be a form of psycho-therapy for spiritually lost young men, the internet is where people demonstrate their true form, more or less.

So naturally, there's been more than enough music releases that encompass the atmosphere that the internet harbors, and the broader outside world that has evolved around it. Because let's face it, the internet and the plethora of subcultures that manifest it have become quite prominent in our development as a society and culture. The same can be said about the very art that is utilized to express this development.

One album in particular that instantly comes to my mind when thinking about the ever growing cyberpunk culture in our society, along side the brutal and unforgiving industrial hip-hop album No Love Deep Web by Death Grips, is the severely underrated electropop album, Taki 183 by French electronic artist, DyE. He is a solo artist whose real name is Juan de Guillebon. I was unable to obtain any relevant information about him or anything about the two albums he's ever released on an indie label. But despite DyE's ghost like status in the music world, and the meme-like quality that the lead single has had on internet culture, this album is surprisingly a lot better than I was hoping it was going to be when I decided to give it a try.

Let me begin by getting out the way the most popular, and more than likely, the only song anybody might know from this album, "Fantasy". This song is driven off a simple keyboard riff that softly plays in the background that is accompanied by a beat set at a slow tempo. I'm not exactly sure if DyE himself does the vocals for the album or if he features unaccredited people on certain songs. Either way, the song's lyrics are relatively abstract and the melody itself follows a wavy and reverb wall of sound indicating the vocals or the lyrics are not the focal point of the song, but rather just another instrumental aspect to it. As I mentioned earlier, you may already know the song because, just like me, you stumbled upon its infamous music video one day on YouTube when it was trending or a friend sent it to you hoping you would be grossed out by the video's content. While I was a little shocked when I first viewed the video myself, I wasn't turned off by the music as I realized that the soft and dreamlike quality to "Fantasy" was deliberately meant to be juxtaposed against the extremely violent and horrific anime sequence being presented before the viewer. This is something DyE has done with several other of his low-budget music videos.

The rest of the album is actually quite versatile and unpredictable as it fluctuates extensively between its electropop and techno influences. It almost seems as though DyE composed the album with the intention that he didn't want any two songs to sound exactly alike, and he effortlessly achieves this objective. Each song on the album encompasses a specific mood and atmosphere that is exclusive to that particular song. The opener "Nike", introduces the album with a happy go-lucky track that utilizes a loud and fuzzy keyboard riff that bounces endlessly with a beat that'll make you want to smile. "Hole In Ocean" is more reminiscent to a traditional ambient track with an alluring beat and deep bass line with vocals that seem to want to take the listener to sleep. The most ominous track on the album, appropriately titled "Vader", is a track that I feel like is the epitome of a cyberpunk song, if a song could really sound as such. It's menacing, scratchy, and immensely noisy as blips of distortion and slight feed-back make me feel like its the year 2032 and I'm a shut-in hacker living the "high tech, low life".

The rest of the songs on the album generally seem to serve as wonderful background music for a multitude of occasions. Driving around town late at night, passing by the endless stream of cars on the highway, billboards for ads you don't care about, and neon lights for shady places. Or occasions like staying up late on your favorite website, connecting with people you've never seen in person but feel closer to them than you do with people you encounter in real life on a daily basis.

But despite all the upsides to the album, there are of course some downsides I need to address. The album can seem a little underwhelming at first, especially if you're not necessarily into slower electronic music, or if you only care about singles and not really albums as a whole. The album can also appear boring after a while, so then it becomes more of a nostalgia piece that's only good to listen to maybe every couple of weeks, if not months. Or it could be the down right gigantic disappointment that is the God-awful title track that sticks out like a sore thumb. That track is so underwhelming that it honestly just feels like someone trying to imitate DyE, rather than DyE himself just making a bad track.

I will admit that this album isn't for everyone but it's definitely impressive enough to be labeled as a "hidden gem" as the only way to find out about it it seems, is through random blogs (like mine), screenshots of songs posted on social media, or somehow finding out about the music video for "Fantasy". I guess what I'm also trying to say is that Taki 183 has become like this personal cult classic for myself and the people who I try to show it to. But given that it's been about 5 years since it first came out, it might never gain any more momentum than it has already, but I'm sure DyE is okay with this, seeing as he still had enough motivation to release the follow up to his debut, Cocktail Citron, just two years ago. And believe me, it's just as eccentric as Taki.

Overall: 7.2 out of 10

The Glow, Pt. 2 - REVIEW

I'm sorry everyone, I have been struck with a bad case of writer's block recently and I just couldn't bring myself to review anything that has been released in the past two weeks or so. I just haven't been able to think of anything substantial to write that would do any album justice, rather if it was critical or appraisal. But to get back into the groove of things, I thought that I revisit my favorites list and review something from it, and lately I've been in a somewhat introspective mood. I've been staying up very late into the night, discovering new music, or listening to old music and just thinking about the future, which still frightens me quite a bit. But who isn't afraid of the future?

One of the most acoustic albums, aside from Pink Moon, that I recently added to my favorites list, which I added about three months ago or so at this point, is The Glow, Pt. 2 by Phil Elverum's first musical project, The Microphones. This band, much like Phil's contemporary musical project, Mount Eerie, was a relatively prominent lo-fi indie band in late 90s and early 2000s that created incredibly gloomy and dramatic music that focused heavily on acoustic instrumentation, soft vocals, and a mixture of ravaging sounds and noises that further added to the dreary but also intimate feeling that one gets from the music.

Unfortunately, there was almost nothing I could substantially find concerning the production of the album of itself, and this doesn't necessarily surprise me as I have began to notice these past few months that Phil is a very reclusive and private person, and that's completely fine. I'm almost certain that it's this introverted nature of his that he's been able to produce the kind of albums that he has. I at least know that he uses mostly analog audio equipment to record his music and produces in private studio spaces to further alienate himself to ensure that he's completely in control of what's going on. The result are densely layered albums that seem to tug at your feelings or deep thoughts.

The Glow, Pt. 2 is the kind of an album that one could ideally listen to for certain introspective occasions. It's about an hour and 7 minutes long, so it definitely has the duration of a lengthy car ride somewhere or a wonderful supplement to your insomnia. When I first listened to the album in it's entirety, I was riding on the Mega Bus from Austin to Grand Prairie. I rode during the night time so I knew I would be in for a nice, relaxing ride. But since I have a bad habit of not keeping myself hydrated, I had developed an annoying headache in the middle of the trip, so I was basically in a considerable amount of pain while stuck on the bus. I was constantly looking through my phone for relaxing music, which I truly believes helps to relieve headaches, and I threw on The Glow, Pt. 2.

I don't know what is was, but I felt like the album was reveling in the pain with me. Like it's music was perfectly fitting my situation but was also distracting me from my headache at the same time. It was during this headache filled bus ride home that I noticed something about the album that I could not believe I wasn't noticing before: Throughout the entire album, there is a single note that is repeated over and over again until the very end of the album. In my research in trying to determine what was the noise I was hearing, I found out it was the imitation of a foghorn that ships use when traveling at night, because you know, it gets pitch black out at sea without the moon.

And to be completely honest with you, this foghorn is one of the most ominous and relaxing things I've ever heard in an album. It's striking to hear that it literally permeates throughout the entire album, giving you this feeling that something is following the listener. Like a ghost lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike, but never does. I used to think that the foghorn itself was what "the glow" was in reference to the album's title, since it seems like the audio equivalent to a glow of light. But no, it can't be that since the album's title is actually referring to a song entitled "The Glow" from the Microphones album that preceded this one.

And that's the thing about Phil's music in general, including this album. Despite all the substance, ominous noises, and acoustic guitars, I can't help but feel that Phil's music doesn't seem to be about anything, it just exists. Or perhaps I just haven't thought about the lyrics all that much, because I haven't. I'm usually too distracted about how darkly beautiful Phil's music is. Generally, I get the feeling that this album deals with loneliness, insecurity, and isolation.

Even though the album has been criticized for having "too much filler", I would defend the extensive use of the instrumental and interlude tracks as a central part of the album's dark and moody atmosphere. In fact, I feel like the album wouldn't be as dramatic or as astounding without all the "filler".  Aside from those tracks, the "main" tracks of the album are just as beautiful. I still get can't get over the chilling feeling from songs like "The Mansion", "I Felt My Size", and "Map". And despite how "quiet" this album is for the most part, don't be surprised by the extremely lo-fi and brutal attack of the aptly titled, "Samurai Sword".

Even though I still have a long way to go in terms of shuffling through Phil Elverum's discography, as the only other album I've heard from him is Mount Eerie, I'm ready to see what else Phil has conjured up in his head. At the same time however, the only thing that has tainted my experience with Phil's music is that his wife, Genevieve, has recently passed away from cancer. I can't imagine what he must be going through right now. Especially since him and Genevieve had their first and only child together not too long ago. All my condolences and respect to him. But I'm not proclaiming that this album or any of Phil's albums are haunted now, it's just something to bear in mind. The music is still beautiful and ominous no matter what happens.

Overall: 9.2 out of 10

The Glowing Man - REVIEW

The present day incarnation of post-rock and experimental rock collective known as Swans have finally released the concluding piece to their modern day "trilogy", The Glowing Man. Riding on the waves of sheer creative force and passion like he always has, front-man and lead singer Michael Gira sets a tone of isolation and desperation in this washed out and lethargic album that despite it's most impressive and riveting moments, falls short of it's high expectations in comparison to it's predecessors, The Seer and To Be Kind.

As people may or may not know, Swans is the name given to the musical project that is under the direction of Michael Gira, who is now 62 years old. Their first incarnation saw the release of several albums in the 1980s that fell under the label of "no wave" and "noise rock", that sounded very violent and dirty, but not necessarily in the fashion of a typical metal band around the time. After several lineup changes, 90s Swans encompassed more of an industrial and post-rock sound that became increasingly experimental leading up to the band's disbandment in 1997.

After his work with Angels of Light, Gira decided to reform Swans in its current incarnation. This version of Swans offered a brand new lineup and a significant change in the composition of their albums. As they have become extremely consistent and comprehensive as the albums have a more set structure and thematic atmosphere when listening to them. That's why The Glowing Man is a part of this "trilogy" of recent albums. Even Gira himself stated that this album was "the final recording of this configuration of Swans".

While The Glowing Man did not reach the level of intensity and ferocity that absolutely gripped me from their two previous albums, the album is a still a tremendous effort for a concluding album, as this is probably the hardest thing to decipher about the record. I've asked myself several questions when writing this review: "What if the album's incredibly drawn out and slow nature was completely intentional?" "What if Gira and his crew who took everyone who listened to The Seer and To Be Kind on a musical journey full of gusto and power, made this album just to mellow them out in the end?" "Did Gira simply run out of ideas and become lazy this time around?" Either way, the album still leaves a lingering feeling of lackluster by the time it's over, intentional or not. But that doesn't mean it was a bad record in any sense.

Even though there are disappointing aspects to analyzing the album holistically, there are still plenty of moments in The Glowing Man that make it a fun listen regardless of what came before it. The title track and "Frankie M" are the pillars of the album, that take the listener through this seemingly endless journey through the desert. I say this because these songs made me feel like I was lost in a vast, open area, like a desert, and that I was trying to go somewhere, and I tirelessly trailed on step by step, hoping I would make it until the end. Other songs on the album, like "The World Looks Black/The World Looks Red", also contribute this theme of searching and looking for answers to impossible questions where anxiety and stress hang over the listener like a dark cloud made just for them. I just couldn't shake this feeling that the album depicts a person on this spiritual quest for some kind of solace or enlightenment. This feeling is supported through Gira's vocals that sound like contemporary hymns or chants, and the fluctuation between the repetitive, stoic instrumentation and the massive crescendos that make the listener feel like everything is coming down all at once. These crescendos, by the way, are perhaps some of the most intense and profound moments in any Swans album, and I'm glad Gira and company were able to appropriately incorporate them into this record as well.

The album cover itself appears to mimic a Native American hieroglyphic, perhaps to imply the presence of mysticism as one of the album's themes. Or it could mean nothing at all. This is yet another problem with trying to tackle Swans' music. You can never tell if you're reading too much into something, or not reading enough. In fact, I specifically remember when watching a mini-documentary by Pitchfork that covered The Seer era in 2012, when one of the interviewers asked Micheal Gira who "the seer" was inference to album's title, and Gira immediately scoffed and almost laughed, as he quickly said "Oh, I don't know. I don't think that part means much honestly. When I created that phrase when writing the the title track, I was just saying random things until something seemed to fit."

In the end, The Glowing Man still manages to be the most fitting, and perhaps bittersweet end to an epic and beautiful trilogy of albums. Even though its biggest letdown was being unable to have those strong, memorable moments that get people excited and reminded on why they should listen to a particular album once again. I just could not find those moments like I could with The Seer and To Be Kind. I can only guess what Gira and his friends may come up with next, or maybe this truly is the end of Swans, who knows. And even if it is, I would be completely fine with that, as Swans has given us more than enough music to last us several decades.

Overall: 7.8 out of 10

Wildflower - REVIEW

Imagine yourself driving on a dark highway, late into the night, and you change the radio dial to a station that didn't previously exist until this moment, it just appeared. And on this station, they played a series of songs that fluctuated between a number of genres, like a kaleidoscopic medley of samples from various eras of music. You become worried, wondering if you've gone crazy. But you haven't, it's the music that has, and somehow you're alright with this. You begin to feel the fun grooves of the sampled beats. You're not sure what you're listening to, but you love it. It turns out that this fictional radio station in this scenario has actually been playing the new album, Wildflower, by plunderphonics and electronic group, The Avalanches.

As it's been about 16 years since their beloved and critically acclaimed debut album, Since I Left You, The Avalanches are back in full force with an album that can't make up it's mind on what it's truly about, but that's all a part of the fun. The album, like stated before, incorporates a plethora of sounds, samples, and instrumentation from a variety of genres that ranges from hip-hop, dance, electropop, electro-swing, disco, and funk. There's even samples of gorgeous R&B that I was able to find in the album. Think about how particular it would sound if the styles of Daft Punk, Gorillaz, and DJ Shadow were to be mixed together. That's what Wildflower kind of sounds like.

To me, the album is so versatile and colorful, that I almost feel like I'm in a Baz Luhrman film when I listen to it. You know, that seemingly unpredictable, exaggerated, and over-the-top romanticism that dazzles and flusters with every waking moment, as there are virtually no boring moments in this album. There may be slow and calm moments, but never boring.

The most interesting thing about Wildflower is that it's a contemporary album that is filled to the brim with nostalgia-like melodies and fantastical tones. Many of the songs on the album could be used as the closing song or the end credits song of a heart-felt film that warmed your soul, or least it did by the time it ended. If you want feel good about things, songs like "Sunshine", "Because I'm Me", and "Subways" will definitely make you either want to dance with joy or lay comfortably in content. I guess another part of the album's captivating appeal is just how distracting it is. Like most of the time, I'm able to listen to albums that flow well with the work I'm focusing on, and they actually do a good job of providing a balance between enjoying something and getting my work done. Not this album, it's far too fun to simply have in the background. At least I think so.

And like many of the greatest albums that are either critically acclaimed or that I love personally, Wildflower does a tremendous job at flowing well with itself. Like a well executed stream of consciousness that one would find in a book like American Psycho. Wildflower presents itself like this singular entity of mixed genres and samples that will surprise and delight. In fact, it's not surprising if one finds oneself not being able to tell if one song has started or one has ended, but I suppose that's just what happens with this type of music. This is compelling and beautiful work, nonetheless.

Overall: 8.7 out of 10

Deathconsciousness - REVIEW

My first album review is a combination review of one of my favorite albums and an album that has turned into this giant sleeper hit. An album that I feel, has gone virtually unnoticed for the longest time, only to be to discussed and shared on the most esoteric and perhaps pretentious of music loving communities on the Internet. It has been reviewed by only so few critics in the past couple of years, but yet no tremendous momentum has been gained for it. Not even Pitchfork, one of the main proprietors of bringing to light underground and indie artists to a more mainstream level, has reviewed this album. This album, is Deathconsciousness. It was initially released at the very beginning of 2008 by the post-punk band, Have A Nice Life.

The band itself is a simple duo from Connecticut; Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga. Together, they spent a grudgingly long five years to create this modern day masterpiece. A masterpiece whose original master files were lost in an unexpected hard drive crash. The closet thing we have to the masters are lossless audio files. Thank god for FLAC and other audio codecs. You can pretty much archive any album in perfect quality, just in case the apocalypse occurs.

Deathconsciousness is what I would imagine to be if post-punk and shoegaze could get to their most darkest and ominous points, without it being straight up industrial or sinister ambient like Nine Inch Nails or the spooky bits of Aphex Twin. The album can generally be regarded as a post-punk album that beautifully blends reverb vocals, fuzzy guitar strumming, sharp gun-shot snare drumming, and brooding bass that underlies everything. Even then, I'm still missing a few intricate sounds that are present in each song that helps to make each song distinguishable from every other one. The album flows like a long dream that has different modes and phases to it, but it's all still the same dream. It can be considered as a wonderful mix of shoegaze, post-punk, drone, ambient, and even post-rock.

Technically speaking, the album is a double album, clocking in at about 1 hour and 26 minutes. If you buy a physical copy of the album, the first half is entitled The Plow That Broke The Plains, while the the second half of the album is The Future. While I would consider the first half of the album to be a bit more enjoyable, that doesn't mean I don't love the second half. If I had to conceptualize the album in a more literary mentality, the first half of the album seems to represent this ongoing, internal struggle of some sort, but a on a more calm and tame-like basis. The second half of the album is like that internal suffering and anxiety being let out and given the opportunity to lash out. Even the cover of the album is an obvious attempt to instill a sense of dreadfulness in the listener, as a few may recognize on the spot that the cover is actually a crop and darkened edit of the modernist painting, The Death of Marat by Jacques-Louis David, depicting the death scene of French Revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat when he was murdered while taking a bath.

Surprisingly enough, this album is not as stressful as what the titles of the songs or the album cover may suggest. It's actually quite enjoyable in a more conventional sense. There are even times when the album is strangely relaxing. It's possible that some songs could even take one to sleep if one was on the verge of slipping away for the night. In fact, the very thing has happened to me. When I first began to listen to this album, it was always in the dead of night when I nothing else to do but wait for myself to get tired, so I would pick up where I had last left off on the album and somehow in the midst of it's occasional blurry and reverb atmosphere, and I'll just drift away not realizing that I already fell asleep.

The most shoegazy song on the album, in my opinion, is "The Big Gloom". It starts off as a relatively soft piece that becomes insanely heavy half way through it, utilizing the typical fuzzy and blurry pedal effects for guitar strumming accompanied by ethereal like vocals that feel like they are just floating in the air above you. The heavy part of the song is almost as stunning as it's softer counterpart. The song can almost serve as a microcosm for the whole album: this constant battle between the soft & ethereal and the dark & brooding.

But of course, there are so many other highlights on this album that I can also show off for their equally alluring nature. The track "There Is No Food" is like the sound of giving up on hope, and not even wanting to face the abominable future, even though you know its coming. "Bloodhail" is a song that is more reminiscent of old-school post-punk, for those who may like Joy Division. "I Don't Love" is really close in style to the "The Big Gloom" in that it's a shoegazy track, except this one revels deeply in a lo-fi sound. So much in fact that the song begins to blur everything together into a wall of sound until the words "...this love should be!" end it away suddenly. The concluding song to the album "Earthmover", is as epic as its title suggests. The bulk of track attempts to encompass everything that the album had to offer the listener and end the album with a long, drawn out bang. Like epic jam sessions before it, like the ending to White Light/White Heat, "Earthmover" really brings it all home and ends on a sudden but appropriate note.

This album, like many other long driven albums that exceed the one hour mark by a significant amount, can be seen as this staggering but rewarding journey to embark on, if you're up for it of course. Deathconsciousness may be not as monolithic or as tough as a modem day Swans album, but it sure as hell presents itself like an immense storm destroying everything in its path.

Overall: 9.0 out of 10

My Favorites

Some context for the list, criteria, disclaimer, etc.

For my first post outside of the introduction, which by the way, I hoped you found at least a little funny and enjoyable to read, I thought it would be nice to start my blog off with my current list of my favorite albums of all time. Now, I do not claim any kind of objectivity with this list. This list is just as personal and subjective as anybody else's favorites list. I say this because I still have not been able to listen to every album I've ever wanted to. I feel like even nowadays, I have a long way to go. As a result, this leaves the opportunity for me to discover another album in the future that will absolutely blow me away and leave me stunned yet again, at least in the way my top five did in the past.

Now while I shouldn't say that my list is tentative, as that would make me look fickle or indecisive, I would be straight up lying to everyone if I didn't admit that to some minimal extent, my list is subject to change every now and then. If you're someone who believes that if this were truly a "greatest" or an "all time favorites" list then it shouldn't really change. Idealistically, I would completely and utterly agree with you. But let's realistic here: People change, and sometimes that includes the things they like and what they're into.

It's precisely for this reason that I took Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon off my list before I published this post. It's because that album is so old to me at this point; that so much has happened in my life since when I first got into it, that it just feels like an album from a completely different era, an era that I don't remember much from and intend to keep it that way. The album does almost nothing for me now, as I've heard so many other albums that just dwarf the experience I once had with Dark Side of the Moon. I do however, enjoy it every now and then for the sake of nostalgia. Keep in mind that I initially listened to that album casually when I was searching for new music in the summer of 2007. Que the three year dad rock phase that would follow. Ugh, I know, forgive me.

In terms of criteria for an album to have made it on my list:

1. It had to have blown me away in some form or another by at least the end of it. When I listened to the album, I was literally surprised by how well done the album was, taking into great consideration the production, the instrumentation, the vocals, and yes, even the lyrics.

2. It gave me the "Oh my god...this is so beautiful, how did I never know about this?" moment.

3. I hold some kind of personal/emotional attachment to an album. All these albums mean so much to me. As cheesy as that sounds.

4. The album made me go through some sort of experience that I don't normally have when I usually listen to albums.

Quick reminder: I will actually be reviewing some of these albums in the future, but I promise to keep these particular reviews at a minimal as I'm fairly certain that most of these albums are already well known. At least I feel like they are.

On a final note, I just wanted to say that if there are albums on the list that you don't know about, maybe give them a try. You'll be surprised at what you might like. I know I was completely caught off guard by most of these.

And with that, I give you my favorite albums of all time: 

1. OK Computer- Radiohead

2. In the Court of the Crimson King- King Crimson

3. Loveless- My Bloody Valentine

4. Spiderland- Slint

5. In The Aeroplane Over The Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel

6. The Suburbs- Arcade Fire

7. The Velvet Underground & Nico- The Velvet Underground

8. Kid A- Radiohead

9. Deathconsciousness- Have A Nice Life

10. Pink Moon- Nick Drake

11. Surfer Rosa- Pixies

12. Daydream Nation- Sonic Youth

13. Ágætis Byrjun- Sigur Rós

14. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- Kanye West

15. The Glow, Pt. 2- The Microphones

16. Ænima- Tool

17. White Light/White Heat- The Velvet Underground

18. Mechanical Animals- Marilyn Manson

19. Teen Dream- Beach House

20. Dummy- Portishead

Introductions

A little about me

Hello everyone, my name is Anthony Ramirez. I'm currently an undergraduate student at St. Edward's University, which is basically like this private liberal arts place that seems really cool to go to until you meet most of the people there and they turn out to be so much cooler than you. But the professor are super chill so I guess that's the best part. I graduate in May next year like WHERE DID THE FREAKING TIME GO? Is this just because I'm in my 20s now? Why does time go by so fast now? Ugh.

Anyways, I going to have a Bachelor's in political science soon aka living in a box forever. OK maybe not forever, but I feel like I'm going through some mild quarter life crises in which I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. In fact, this is one of the reasons why I created this blog: I needed some sort of creative outlet to flesh out my writing and my annoying, pretentious love for music.

I've basically lived in Texas my whole life, and so far the most significant move I have ever made is going from Bedford to Austin. That's it. And yes, I know, why I am still in this God forsaken state where a million freaking things go wrong and are ripe opportunities for ridicule? Because I love it here quite honestly. Texas, more or less, is all I've ever known, and everyday something happens and it makes my state look like the biggest embarrassment there ever was, and I'm hoping for the day I can be proud of my state, which at this rate I'm almost certain is never gonna happen. *Sigh*

I'm a Mexican-American but from speaking to me it would be safe to assume that I'm pretty much the least Mexican Mexican ever. I don't speak Spanish, never been to Mexico, have no accent, etc.

Politically speaking? I don't want to go into much detail about this since this blog is about music, not politics. To get to the point I'm a mix between a libertarian and conservative. If that doesn't make sense I'm socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Hopefully that helps.

Purpose of the blog

Like I've said before, I created this blog as a personal and creative outlet for myself, but specifically because every time I've ever tried writing for my own personal pleasure I end up giving up and making excuses for doing passive things. Well I'm tired of making excuses and giving up so I thought that by making this, things would feel more official and I'd be less likely to give up on it.

But other than mushy personal reasons, I created this blog primarily to review albums and suggest music for those looking for something new. I specifically wanted to focus on albums that I find underrated and hidden from people, and try to bring these albums to light. I also wanted to focus on reviewing newer albums so then people have another perspective to read from that isn't Pitchfork, Anthony Fantano (theneedledrop on YouTube), or Rate Your Music. All of these sources are amazing by the way; always check them out. Finally, I'll review some of my favorite albums, even if they are rather well known and have been reviewed to death. 

So I hope you enjoy my reviews and hopefully you'll find some cool stuff to check out!