https://vimeo.com/121248988 February was a massive month for music that included a lot of heavy hitters dropping full lengths as well...
This is the third solo offering from The Internet, and while it's the shortest of the trio it might show the most potential. At only 18 years of age, Steve Lacy shows a command and understanding of funk and soul well beyond his years. He is as equally strong in front of the boards as he is behind them; giving us glimpses of what might be the next big thing.
After Laughter was a surprising return from the traditionally pop leaning punk-rock band that not only managed to reinvent and reinvigorate their sound but has made me a fan in the process. Their 80's pop influenced sound combined with Hayley's still great vocals and punk musings made for an unexpectedly great combination.
This was my first Feist album and it was an exceptional piece of art; full of raw emotion, minimalist production, and her incredibly layered voice. It was a surreal listen that left me floating through the ether and it's one of my favorites of the year thus far.
While there are a few moments in Lust for Life that drag a bit, Lana is still able to wring out interesting narratives and songs from her now familiar melancholic style. As a whole, I don't know if I loved it more than my favorite project of hers, Born to Die, but there are definitely moments in here that I do.
Arcade Fire has delivered a mixed bag with Everything Now. There are some really great moments of synth heavy pop-rock here that get undercut by poor songwriting and flat messaging, despite their noble intents.
A trippy techno vibe greets listeners like the flickering screen of a fractured computer monitor. This song is what it sounds like to straddle the threshold of an ancient Buddhist temple and the edge of The Matrix.
As You Please is good, old fashioned (mid-90s) soft alternative rock that won't necessarily blow anyone away but still does more than enough to be noteworthy. It's hard not to find yourself bopping right along with the music.
Torii Wolf's haunting vocals and unbridled creativity paired with Premier's masterful production, create one of the most unique listening experiences I've had in quite some time and I hope they have even more in the works.
While Django Django's previous efforts felt a bit more artsy in intention, the experimentation on Marble Skies feels done with the sole purpose of creating something fun. And it is fun, it's a lighthearted, head nodding romp full of brilliant melodies and earworm hooks. It's almost impossible not to be pulled into their joyous orbit.
Little Dark Age is full of MGMT's clear reverence for '80s pop and rock - with all of the vintage synths, dub effects, and just overall aesthetic feel, but with their own decidedly psychedelic twists thrown in for good measure. They create an interesting dichotomy of warm, buzzing production and darker, more cynical lyrics and the result is a largely pleasing listen from start to finish that contains some of their most infectious work in years.
In my experiences, just mentioning Red Hot Chili Peppers is often enough to spark a full-on debate. I think this speaks to the fact that they're just one of those bands that you either love or hate. So, like any millennial would, I posted a status on Facebook asking my friends to tell me how they feel about them, and they sure came through.
Voids was the first album I've heard from Minus The Bear and it was all very solid indie rock with some great guitar work that seamlessly blended their various elements to create some really compelling music.
Humanz was my very first Gorillaz album and it left me as confused and mystified by them as I was before. Genre wise it is literally impossible to classify the album. It felt like they took the parts they liked from each genre and tried to put them together to create one product. It made for an interesting listen and when it worked, it really worked. But that was only about 50% of the time.
Allan Kingdom's major debut may not be particularly groundbreaking but it is still a very strong first offering that manages to push the envelope of what is modern hip-hop that much more. With shades of Cudi, he's got a bright future ahead of him.
Bryson Tiller's follow-up to his massive first project feels like a quarter step forward than a major leap ahead. That's not a bad thing as he still sounds great, just expect more of a remaster of something already stellar instead of something wholly new and exciting.
Painted Ruins is an absolutely gorgeous album that delivers some of the densest and intricately layered compositions I've heard all year, delivering hidden nuance with each new listen. It's a moody, cinematic album that's been well worth the 5 year wait. Check this one out now!
Sleep Well Beast doesn't totally shed their controlled, intimate approach to their music but it's more aggressive (in their terms) sound has paid off in meaningful ways, adding a new dimension to their music and overall ceiling as a band.
This song is tantric, overtly spiritual but not too full of itself. The Jack Johnson influence is noticeable, but overshadowed by everything that makes the track so memorable; tone, tempo, effects and such.
For our first Musicphiles podcast of 2018 we have our very first guest on! Aspiring drummer/artist Jaron Lamar Davis stops by to talk about his upcoming eclectic alternative electric jazz hip-hop album called My View Through the Lense of Music and the process of creating his first album. As well as giving us a trained musician's point of view on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and the increase of jazz, blues, and funk influences in hip-hop and 'urban' music in general. Then he joins us in listing our most anticipated albums (confirmed and rumored) of 2018.
Fever Ray's sound is not easily quantifiable nor is it's intent, it's quintessential mood music and just one of those things where you just know it when you hear it. I'm not sure that I enjoyed Plunge as much as her first album, at least not immediately, but there's no denying the sheer creativity and boundary pushing present that succeeds at evoking emotional response better than almost anything else that comes to mind.
Sonically and melodically The Wombat's latest album is a beautiful record who's bubbling upbeatness is infectious which creates an interesting dynamic between it's content full of heartbreak and a bad love. This may not be one of the deepest nor thought provoking rock albums I've heard in recent memory but it's certainly one of the most enjoyable. And sometimes that's what it's all about.
The Neighbourhood have tried to recapture some of their initial musical potency with their third studio album, and while I felt like it was a solid effort overall, it still felt a bit contrived when compared to everything else out there and at this point I'm not sure what they could do to regain that initial spark.
Like a lot of today's music, trying to put a label on or even describe their overall sound is damn near impossible. It's a little bit of pop, a little bit of punk, a little bit of electronic, a little bit of hip-hop, and a whole lot of countless other influences. It all sounds highly experimental, and a bit chaotic, but never so much that they lose their cool. Young Fathers have crafted something special here and I've found it difficult to pull myself away. This one is a must experience.