Tool "Ænima" (1996)

Three years on from their burly debut Undertow, American outfit Tool make dynamic strides forward. In scale, atmosphere and dynamism Ænima goes further inwards and beyond their horizons, helping us to all seventy eight minutes available to CD format of that time. These lengthy songs takes their time, meandering in a madness that lays beyond. After its first three songs, each track is broken up with some form of interlude, a few of which are rather fascinating. So far I have found Tool to be a strange band to decipher, its a slow process but that strangeness is now starting to seem like whats to be embraced. Its all so obvious now, as the analytic mind turn on, the signs light up.

More so than before do these songs unfold like abstract emotional journeys. Playing with loud-quiet dynamics, the group craft songs with a keen ear for atmospheres which can stir the mood and dip toes into psychedelic realms before they so often erupt with groove and aggression. Once again its Keenan's shouts and groans that seem to resonate most with these outbursts as his words reach their pinnacle at the crux of the musical momentum. It is perhaps the brittle and stale, buzzing guitar tone that withdraws what should be obvious. Riffs crafted with precision and cohesion that's just unlike other bands of the time... or anything Ive heard. They just have an edge in that department that feels blunted by a grisly and chromatic production style.

 When the temperament is calmer, with an often unsettling demeanor, these guitar bends do resonate sweetly but that is just a personal preference. The drums play straight in heavy sections but conjure its share of atmosphere, guiding the direction exquisitely. Keenan gives a lot of emotional clout to the music, his frustrations and musings delineates much of the upheaval and unrest the compositions hold in their peering to the darkness that lurks in the shadows of every song. Even in its boldest of scenic passings does the mood not feel far from a strange madness, even the unleashing of roaring intensity does not go all the way in to that which stirs beyond.

This darkly bizarre side of this record lays itself bare on a handful of its many interlude tracks. Experiments in noise from the electric zaps and interstellar storms of Ions, to a babies needing cries, drowned out by alien buzzing and flickering voices on Cesaro Summability. Die Eier Von Satan stands stark apart from anything else at work as a commanding, domineering German voice recites a recipe for baking cookies as if at a Nuremberg rally. Its a fine piece of paranoid Martial Industial but feels more like a cheap trick more so than any true insight into historical prejudices, the song is of course fantastically string, as well as a haunting reminder of the perils of man.

The record comes to a close with a snippet of the then recently deceased Bill Hicks to tie noisy synth experiments into a lengthy epic closer of psychedelic exploration that ends with the alarming cries of "prying open my third eye" over and over. The bands ability to hold and progress a moment really shines and ends the record on one hell of a bang. I still feel like there is deeper to go with this record but I can firmly see the excellence and praise music fans heap on this band is showing. It will take longer for me but I am enjoying the process and eagerly awaiting Lateralus.

Favorite Tracks: Stinkfist, H, Forty Six & 2, Jimmy, Die Eier Von Satan, Third Eye
Rating: 8/10

Bring Me The Horizon "Amo" (2019)

Ive been highly anticipating Bring Me The Horizon's return since their monumental That's The Spirit, a modern day Hybrid Theory. Its unsurprising to hear the band further move into the Pop realm, the continual direction shift is fruitful and exciting. Inviting larger synth elements of EDM and Electropop in to subtly tune out their distortion guitars in places, they manage to retain an intensity and heaviness associated with the band. Its the songwriting that triumphs once again as infectious catchy hooks take hold center stage in much of the music. Oli is a huge component to its achievement, taking his voice to many harmonious places with many infectious lyrics. Amo is a logical move forward but perhaps not quite at the same grade.

BMTH certainly have a finger on the pulse of current music and an uncanny ability to evolve their sound and infuse these fresh Electronic and Pop ideas. The transition is utterly seamless and its broadened pallet of sounds gives a depth to the experience as key songs stick out with a defining character. Title track Amo and Mother Tounge pulls in 90s Dance pianos and punchy strings for a Pop epics that spans the decades. Mantra, Wonderful Life and Sugar Honey Ice & Tea, bring in sonic seven string guitar groves in the choruses offset by lighter overdrives between. Interlude pieces Fresh Bruises and Ouch dive into some flavored Glitch Hop passageways and only Nihilist Blues sounds behind the curb with a synth sound reminiscent of 009 Sound System.

Its mostly dense and detailed music, cramming many instruments and complimenting electronic tones into the available space, scaling its richness with the ebb and flow of the music which graces between its fluffy, light pop and crunching grooves, both between songs and within them too. Its A dynamic record with a depth of variety and detail for the ears but with many listens the edge is taken off its less focused and atmospheric leaning compositions that slow the stream. Amo is ultimately a great transition for the group, a strong strive forward but moving from one peak to another they loose a little in the quantity of killer tunes. That's The Spirit was a riot from start to end and Amo drifts of on differen't avenues, intensities and styles that breaks up its magic for periods. The variety is great but not each approach is triumphed.

Favorite Tracks: Mantra, Sugar Honey Ice & Tea

Rating: 6/10

Warpaint "Warpaint" (2014)

It took not but a few songs to be overcome with the feeling of adoration. I knew that this record would be enjoyed immensely and serve as a "go too" for a mood alteration, much like a Fever Ray or Feel It Break. Now that I make those comparisons I realize how much Dream and Art Pop vibes are on display. Initially I felt Post-Punk moods from the warm pulsing baselines that patrol and measured drum patterns. Those moments arise in due time but a lot of the record goes into a luscious Ethereal tangent. Either way its stirring up my favorite ingredients in the musical pot.

Warpaint are a four piece outfit from Los Angeles who I had not encountered before a recommendation for this self titled record, which is their second. Its a scenic collection of tracks with calm, soothing indulgences of the dreamy and slightly psychedelic variety that shuffle into bursts of hurried and pushed temperaments that create a slight tension and unease, mainly enforced by pulsing, filling baselines and drums with a sharp edge to cut through. The contrast does much for the records flow as it mostly musters its way through different measures of a similar medium.

With everyone pitching in vocals, the music is constantly graced by soft effeminate singing, layered and harmonious. Both are complimentary and crucial too the dreamy persuasions the music sways through. Its key melodies are often bare but illusive, drifting into the wash of sounds and occasionaly jumping up front to great effect like at the beginning of Biggy. With attentive ears one can dress down the foggy, reverberated sounds and hear quite a keen and straight forward arrangements of looping melodies that may have not been as charming without this merging setting.

Although I have really enjoyed the record, it is mostly its tone, mood and setting that I adore, a sign of becoming more at home with these Dream Pop and Ethereal styles. Its charm is more so with my want for this sound. It is undoubtedly a strong, consistent record but all its songs are suspended between good and great, never quite leaping off the page so to speak. It has many fond, engrossing passageways but none that quite peak the senses. Either way I have enjoyed it and will seek out more!

Favorite Tracks: Love Is To Die, Biggy, Disco

Rating: 7/10

Cane Hill "Kill The Sun" (2019)

The year is off to a fantastic start as we follow up on Puppy's The Goat with an alarmingly different and brilliant EP from the Deathcore and Nu Metal inspired Cane Hill. A change in direction? Or a one off? Either way there is no doubting the exuberant experience that awaits as the band bring out Americana tones and influences to fuse traditional song writing with modern electronic aesthetics for emotionally charged sound that stands mightily tall. Only a single song musters distortion guitar for a brief period, bar the enigmatic use of lead guitars. This total shift in style lands the rockers in an strange place, echoing the glory of the 90s Alternative music scene, while pacing forward with an engulfing dreamy overtone.

Serine acoustic guitars with a country tang find themselves plucking smooth licks accompanied by slow, electronic, reverb soaked percussive lines. Its indulgent, degrees of synthesized details wage in the distant spaces. Save Me gets a beautiful inclusion of pianos alongside the acoustic foray. It is singer Elijah Witt who illuminates the already gleaming instrumentals with a performance to roll back the years and give reminiscence to many great singers of that era. Acid Rain in particular has strong Layne Staley vibe, the lyrics too as they dive into drug reliance. It is no disservice, his singing is charming, inviting and resonating with emotions, a peak on the summit.

Another fond aspect of the music its its swaying into briefly esoteric and Ethereal vibes that its steady and measured drum loops build structure for. The use of compounding reverbs and subtle synths organically weave in between traditional components with a fulfilling chemistry. The last track gets particularly into these experiments with a lively drum performance leading the music into darkly, ambiguous electronic madness. It closes the record as the sound rolls and rumbles into a cacophony of crazy. Its intense and that intensity Metal heads have is found elsewhere in climatic moments that take the gentle tunes and raise the tension with drums and guitar leads chiming in to expand the depth.

I can't flaw a thing with this project other than wondering why this is just six tracks? As a full album I believe it could contend for accolades and a place in the hearts of music fans for years to come. It really is striking just how natural and matured this sound is for them. It might be a side project but could easily be a main focus for them. I'm aware of many bands making heavy music but not so many with an edge like this! I hope I get to see this live at some time, I imagine it will be magic!

Rating: 8/10

Future "Future" (2017)

This post may be brief since I never intended on covering this record. I simply have to comment on what a quintessential example of Trap this is, for both the good and the bad. Future is an Atlanta rapper, once part of the Dungeon Family collective associated with southern legends Outkast. I've heard him mentioned with the roots and origins of the now massively popular Trap sound of Rap music. This album is the first of his Ive heard, at first mistaking a track for the Migos. It banged hard tho, for all that is formulaic, routine and factory about the music, through it the hypnotic inducing vibes resonate. In one mood its illuminating and in another can be utterly tedious.

Its seventeen tracks have nothing between them that elevates the formula at work. Its a production line to churn out tracks with all the hallmarks of the trendy sound, tight shuffling Trap beats with all the typical hi hat tones and snaps. The deep bass hits bang under an assembly of instruments playing short melodies on loop. They conjure a mood for Future to Mumble Rap his way to heaven with the common flows and quirks like "skeet skeet" and other goofy noises between the lines. His voice and back up tracks become another layer of sound, the inflections and auto tune constantly swaying. His verses a blur of recycled rhymes that require attention to decipher.

When focusing on those lyrics little of interest bar a reference to Southern legend Master P arose to me. Much of the content is materialistic and embodying the worst stereotypes. At times excessive use of tropes makes one wonder how much of this record is self aware? Some of the skits are utterly hilarious and for the most part this record bangs and rumbles the Trap vibes but as said above it becomes easily dissect-able when you've had enough of the groove. Future does sneak some great hooks in there but its the rhythm that wins me over as his words are just too slurred. Its a love hate record but I don't take it that seriously. If I'm in the mood for mumbling and trap beats it absolutely bangs with crazy dark and esoteric vibes.

Rating: 6/10

Lil Peep "Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. 2" (2018)

I was very keen to get into this record after enjoying Pt. 1. Ive grown rather fond of Lil Peep and his "Emo Rap". He reminds me fondly of youthful attitudes, his angle of expression is an inevitability of obvious influences converging in a modern era of connectivity. From what I can tell, this record was assembled posthumously. With lots of unfinished material left behind, producers Smokeasac and IIVI put together another album of the same tone, feeling and theme however its twice in length with thirteen cuts.

Both producers worked with him on the first project however this one is a notably sharper product. The song structures are rooted in a popular format, the beats are tidy and everything feels well formulated. Its another collection of shuffling trap percussive arrangements and emotive, melancholic guitars to create stiring, dark, introspective atmospheres. The temperament is very much an extension of the first record, tightly tuned with no artistic progression given the situation. Part two is a fitting title.

Unsurprisingly Lil Peep is again a lonely and troubled figure on this record. His plain language shapes up with sharper poetry in some of the hooks. His lyrics are mostly direct, flavored by profanity and fueled by his pains, giving a intimate window into his life at times. Each song has its seasoning and his approach to the memorable Life Is Beautiful as sadly entrenched with sarcasm. Its dark, depressing but the expression is wonderful as his bitter sweet is birthed into musical art.

The whole project flows with a very steady consistency that does let any favorites leap out. The last few tracks always seem to leap out at me though. The darkly, esoteric strummed guitar tune in the backdrop reminds me fondly of the sort of acoustic break you might hear on a Metal record. In fact the guitars are a continual source of pleasure. Great record, notably more "pop" and loses out on the impact of the first album but ends on a very high note with its best numbers.

Favorite Tracks: White Girl, Falling Down, Sunlight On Your Skin

Rating: 7/10

Puppy "The Goat" (2019)

Could it be that this new year starts with its best release? If you needed something to sweep you off your feet then The Goat is it. I'd been keenly awaiting English trio Puppy's debut album after adoring their EP Vol II. Id also heard a few of these new songs live at Download Festival and other shows. Now with the music put to wax I hope a spark is lit for them, its become increasingly harder for small acts in the shrinking world of rock music to get noticed. Even with an utterly fantastic debut record like this it may not be enough but this album is a success of its own making.

With an ear for Alternative Rock moods, the stature of Classic Rock licks and momentous sways of Groove Metal's simple bombastic grooves, Puppy electrify through their brilliant guitar work. It requires no exaggeration through dense distortions or cheap thrills. With a sublime vocal presence the album rolls out like a perpetual riff fest that will tug on your emotions and give you a soar neck. The setting is ripe and fond, a keen production that brings the trio together with a crisp crunchy flavor illuminated by harmonious layered vocals that frequently culminate together.

Opening with a Nu Metal syncopated groove to roll back the years, album opener Black Holes gets the record rolling as an example of the dynamism heard throughout. Swaying between crunchy stomping riffs and joyous, emotive chord arrangements the arsenal of riffs lead into a beautiful, earnest singing as it does over and over through the twelve songs. It never tires! This record has been on repeat since its release five days ago and I'm drowning in my adoration for the magic moods it conjures.

As the album progress it feels like the more varied cuts stack up in the second half. A different vocalist on I Feel An Evil, the emergence of a blast beat and a couple of heavier drum patterns keep the records momentum swinging after the timeless sonic grooves of Entombed from Vol II goes by. It holds some of the heaviest riffs and a couple of guitar leads too. It makes for two excellent halves of a whole.

The Goat is never dramatic, self-indulged or too serious. Its continuously fun, uplifting and light hearted yet its music comes from a genuine source of expression. The continual unleashing of riffs will have you writing off lists of bands, riffs and fond similarities, mostly from the 90s decade. As a band they wear their influences loud and proud yet have a dynamite chemistry to express themselves with an originality that can only be known as Puppy. The punch of Metal, the class of Rock, the emotions of Alternative Rock and even a little Grunge ferocity in moments, they have it all.

After a couple of spins a more current, and now obvious parallel, revealed itself. Singer Howard has beautiful vocal range with a tone not far from Papa Emeritus of Ghost at times. Once I made that link tracks like Poor Me sounded uncannily alike in a handful of instances, that and the darkly interpretation of religion in their artwort. There is something similar at work in these bands reinventing the old and its wonderful.

I cannot get over how good this record is. If I had anything to be critical of it would be the formula of the songs. Puppy have such a riveting presence and arsenal of riffs it almost feels as if the music is pegged back from spreading its wings and exploring progressive tangents. The band stick with straight forward structures, three to four minute song lengths and it serves them well but my taste would delight in this group daring and experimenting however its their first record and I shouldn't get ahead of myself, this promising young outfit have well and truly delivered with The Goat.

Favorite Tracks: Entombed, Bathe In Blood, I Feel An Evil, Demons

Rating: 9/10

Daughters "You Wont Get What You Want" (2018)

This record record requires a patient listener. Its gloomy, gaunt and desolate persona leaves little room between the dread and imminent doom it poses. You Wont Get What You Want is the American Noise Rock bands fourth album. Its a theater of darkness, a journey into fear and paranoia that drags you down with it. With little in the way of melody or uplift, bombast or groove, one may ask what is the appeal? Where other music may use darkness as its gloss, Daughters find their way straight to the core with unforgiving sounds of mental torment that do not use the common cheap tricks.

A logical comparison would be Swans, the godfathers to this repent-less style of atmospheric music. And that is the key word, atmosphere. As the motions become ingrained the overall feeling of this record emerges with a touch of class. Bold bass lines, meaty industrious drum patterns and the desperate cries of singer Marshall over the front act like the musical framework for an array of maddening sound to assault. Its these tense and eerie siren like sounds that play like alarm bells in the mind of a deranged individual that carve the vision of a harrowing within.

Initially I found the music uncomfortable, invasive and daunting but that is precisely its purpose. Many of the cuts have this unsettling spiraling sequence of notes played through peaked and distorted environments that play into the smothering atmosphere. It actually takes about twelve minutes or so for the music to give some respite as a gleaming melody bursts into life on Satan In The Wait. It has a mirage like quality as it dissipates behind these sirens of dread wailing like all in closing in on you. Other parts have varying degrees of intensity but the whole thing plays as one experience.

Its a theatrical trip, that concludes with many of its recurring sounds amassing into a cacophony of madness on its closer Guest House. Initially tricky to find your way in, its the sort of record that requires the right mood but once the door creeks ajar it doesn't take long for it to burst open. I like to get through records and its time for me to move forward but this is another album I'm convinced every listen would make me love it more. Its journey into dark side of the mind is engulfing and savage, unforgiving, a wild ride that's worth your time if your into the power of doom and gloom.

Rating: 7/10

Sons Of Kemet "Your Queen Is A Reptile" (2018)

This past month Ive been enjoying the sounds of British quartet Sons Of Kemet from our capital city London. This record, their third, is a busy Jazz scenario of unsettled landscapes in flow, occasionally smooth but mostly agitated, engulfed by worldly sounds and vibes that surface their identity. Its cover may be a link to a tribal heritage, something I don't quite hear in the music directly. For all its obvious cultural influences most of the music feels like the madness of a city whirling around an individual.

The ceaseless drums shape up every living moment with lively, energetic pacing that constantly bursts with frantic fills and moments of disorientation that always fall back on the rhythm. Armed with a deep, soft and brown restless Tuba tone, it pumps and plods away with binary pacing that leaves gaps for the Clarinet and Saxophone to fill. On tracks like Angela Davis it becomes quite fast, clustered and maddening as the intensities build with little respite. It is always the Sax that seems to find a human narrative in the atmosphere, sounding rooted as its jam rises above.

These songs drive and evolve like jam sessions, starting with a certain intensity and temperament that moves from one degree to another other the five to seven minutes they last. Occasional obvious grooves emerge but mostly its a bustling jive of instruments jabbing their voice into the fray to be heard. On its smoother cuts the toned down nature lets the lead Sax have a flow of melody but otherwise these notes swing rapidly between instruments. The calmer demeanor is always preferable.

The different degrees and flavors between songs will have you plucking favorites but the album makes a flash with two songs. On Marrie Phipps Clark and Doreen Lawrence a London Caribbean accent brings some social political commentary through recited poetry that gives focus to the instruments. These parts strips the music of its sometime monotonous tone and opens up to its other dimension, the song titles, all of which are names of female social-political figures. Ive enjoyed this record quite a lot but a smoother degree of Jazz music is more to my liking.

Rating: 6/10

Tool "Undertow" (1993)

Still in the phase of getting to grips with a bands sound, Undertow, the debut full length record of American Rock band Tool, has revealed some magics of which I am growing fond of. Bringing one song from their demo 72826, they already sound like a ripening group with that early 90s Alternative scene sound brimming. On this record the songs take a measured step forward, increasing complexity and finding strengths. Singer Maynard performs with an earnest vulnerability in his singing, extending his range upwards, feeling more involved with his lyrics as his wording comes with surges of aggression when he shouts and emotive inflections in softer sections.

The instrumentals behind him show an intelligence as intensities and atmospheres shift with a unique energy that feels like the core appeal of Tool. Guitar rifts meander with a steady pacing that has many of the songs refraining obvious aggression and letting it brood in the tracks tone, leading one unsuspectingly into big bursts of energy. The album really gets going with Bottom. The song disperses its build up for a scenic mid section of slow, sleepy drums, hypnotic guitars and a wonderfully intense reciting of poetry by the one and only Henry Rollins. After this recital the track explodes into life and tense riffs shift into a prowling pinch harmonic groove that gets me every time.

The distinctions of the following tracks are talking points of there own. The dynamism and cohesion is fiery, each instrument finds its measure of involvement that varies, setting stage for Maynard to wail his pains away. Its here that the musical structures start to find complexity led by vision as the unraveling of guitar licks ques up with a rotating arsenal of grooves and aggression. They flirt with odd time signatures, pull of the odd extra beat and title track Undertow exemplifies this exquisitely as its rotation of riffs dismantles itself in a whirl of choppy guitar thrashing that starts shuffling the momentum off beat and evolves the music into a mammoth groove.

I am still digesting this record, soaking it in, basking in its ambience. Much of the charm is still mysterious but the spark is there and on a song like Flood it is all laid rather bare. They build a dark, grisly, brooding setting out of chunks of tribal drum striking and reverberated voices drifting in and out of focus behind dizzying guitars. Their vision is stunning. It gets a little grimmer on the closer as the band make an unforgiving mockery of religion, pairing a preacher and his crowd with the baas of sheep. Its another brooding song and its in these surges of atmosphere that I am led onto the magic of their music. I'm sure ill grow fonder with more exposure.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite Tracks: Intolerance, Bottom, Undertow, Flood

Horrendous "Idol" (2018)

Its stunning album cover may be inline with modern trends of brutal music but getting past its darkly, mysterious intro track we arrive in a glorious revival of early Progressive and Technical Death Metal in the vein of Atheist, Death and Cynic. This album brings out the best machinations of that era, uniting pummeling rhythm sections with gleams of melodic uprise and challenging composition that illuminate the musical direction. Horrendous are now a decade into their career and the heaps of praise this record recived brought them to my attention, I will be sure to explore the other three records that make up their back catalog as this fantastic release commands it.

That musical experience of a matured band shows itself through brilliant songwriting that captivates with excellence as monstrous assaulting guitar grooves dance with dexterous baselines filling the experience with an involved depth as the instruments fire together. The drums take on a more complimentary roll, firing off with the shifts, twists and turns of the music and rarely devolving into a straight beat. Blast beats are not plentiful as the band taken a more measured approach to brutality. Its utilized with appropriate timing given the musical direction which often starts out flexing its intensity and then bringing in licks of lead guitar melody and colorful shifts in tone that on a couple of tracks end up in a musical whirlwind you can't get enough of.

With snarly shouts at its fore front, the band avoid a bore with somewhat monotone voicing as the screams and shouts hinge on the pacing, dropping in with varied measures between each cry. It sits nicely over the complex music which is busying through its riffs, shuffling them around and always leading to sonic bursts of lead guitar fire that ignite these already excitable atmospheres of metallic chaos where anything can happen. Its a wild ride that packs in its best numbers at the front of the album, although everything on display is rock solid and the record does close itself with an epic string of riffs on its mighty eight minute epic Obolous.

The production is feasible, capturing the thick warmness of an older record without going overboard on clarity. Its acoustic guitars bring a moonlight shimmering tone to the record that spellbounds the atmosphere on Devotion and other parts of the msuic they grace. The guitars have a bright and filling thrash tone, the drums crunchy and ever present. The bass guitar gets the upfront treatment it deserves as it filling the belly with restless scale exploring. When it does mirror the guitars its usually with a classic Death Metal off note harmonization. Idol is brilliant for simply just that. All though it revives an old sound, it does so without statement, just residing in that era.

Rating: 8/10

Favorite Tracks: Soothsayer, The Idolater, Golgothan Tongues

Wardruna "Skald" (2018)

Having enjoyed the Nordic ambience and cultural folk of Runaljod, I brought this album without a first listen. Its a departure from what I remember as Skald trades off depth and indulgence for a grounded minimalism that far better represents what this may have one sounded like. Einar Selvik stands as a dominate presence, a lone ancestral voice to guide us through the echos of heritage and its accompanying instrumentation, of which there is little. Naked and bare, his language is sung with inflections and an honest rawness to invoke what may have been in centuries past.

Purely by impression, his performance resembles runic scriptures and handed down heathen hymns. The poetry of cultures lost to time. His lone voice holds strong as simple single stringed instrument melodies repeat to set the tone. Only on Vindavla do the instruments switch to bring a darker, tense tone as the Lute alike instrument mostly delivers soothing and warm music. One can envision Nordic ancestors sat around a campfire as they exchange stories and sing poetry together.

At its end the record dulls with a fifteen minute accapella. His isolated voice not as charming alone. On my first few listens I struggled to be sucked in to this world but with patience it grew a little. The fault is probably with my own preferences as a richer instrumentation would have lured me in and cultural hymns are often not to my liking through human voice alone. It is however a remarkable performance in the right mood, a soothing and spiritual listen that will evoke historical echos of our humanity.

Rating: 5/10

Anderson .Paak "Oxnard" (2018)

There was some hype around this record. I learned of its release from many places and so was compelled to check out Anderson .Paak who Ive only heard in features with Schoolboy Q and Dr. Dre so far. His voice is soft, slightly nasal, compelling, with an easy, laid back flow to his delivery and persona. Bluring the lines between sing and rap he drifts between both, rhyming verses at a variety of paces that makes his presence an indulgence of good vibes as he comes armed with bright instrumentals.

Oxnard rests firmly as a G-Funk, R&B hybrid of Soul and Hip Hop. Its slick and smooth, tight drum beats mark up against warm and jazzy pianos, glossy trumpets, expressive saxophones, announcing horns and silky string sections. Its essentially drawing from a trending direction in Hip Hop, where the samples are replaced with performing artists. This iteration feels as if its constructed from the ground up with the freedoms of composition letting some musical, textural dexterity flourish.

Its undoubtedly a gorgeous sounding record with its lush instrumentation but often it lapses into the cyclical loop a sampled track would have. With the drums dialed down a little it focusing less on groove and more so on the mood and tone. Its a smooth, laid back mood but my overall experience of these songs was that not much stuck from them. It felt like songs were going through the motions, th the most interesting aspect being the various topics Paak would dive into. Slick sound but failed to be infectious.

After many listens I'm left with not a lot to say about the record. Its ideas land but underwhelming. Perhaps I'm not on its wavelength? Its best moment is Tints which illuminates 80s Pop vibes and packages up the records best hook in the chorus. Besides that a few features like Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Q-Tip catch the ear but none of them bring anything dramatic to the project. Overall its been a very lukewarm listen which I would hesitate to criticize. I gave it quite a few go's and little clicked.

Favorite Track: Tints

Rating: 5/10

Portal "Ion" (2018)

Its January and that means digging through various 2018 top lists for last years treats I missed out on. Australian Experimental Death Metal band Portal caught my eye but not my ear. Its been a drag to see out this record which aims to deconstruct and reassemble Extreme music into the ugliest form imagined. The result is almost unbearable but with some tolerance and repeated exposures to this decadence, little magics were reveal below the surface bar one or two sparse incidents.

Assaulting with scratchy jarring guitar tones, Portal create blocks of sound out of maddening disjointed fretting noise that's mostly discernible. Lacking any rhythm, groove or melody its becomes a pure rebellion of established ideas and an experiment unto its own. Working with tension, disharmony and atonality the songs bleed into an anti-music mess, they all seem one and the same. Perhaps only Spores makes a mark in being even more wretched and disgusting with an injection of harsh noise and teeth clenching distortion that is at least of interest through aesthetic curiosity.

Each track amasses an arsenal of estranged guitar torture to burrow through in bursts of blast beats between build ups that seem to interchange with the roll of a dice. Not even a sense of momentum is reasonable. In its best moments it reminded me of the scattering, sludgy madness of a young Morbid Angel and discovering Death Metal for the first time, putting together the pieces behind the musics brutal and abrasive aesthetic. When ever a glimpse of that same magic starts to form its swiftly cast down by the shifting intensities that also work to dispel its brief and fleeting atmospheres.

Its most favorable aspect is singer "Horror Illogium" who consistently puts forth a one-dimensional whisper-like throaty growl that wouldn't sound out of place in a conventional Death Metal band. It feels like the only thing grounding the record but he too is a dull roar. Its entirely possible that I am missing the point, not connecting the dots and I'll probably give It a try every now and then but after five attempts its turned into a snooze fest of ideas that seem designed to disgust than inspired to incite.

Rating: 2/10

Lil Peep "Come Over When Your Sober, Pt.1" (2017)

I've had negative connotations attached to this artist, Its lingered in the back of my mind from a few years back, his Hellboy mixtape, which I did not enjoy to say the least. Having forgotten about it I went into this record with little expectations and yet found a brilliance I have to nod the head and give props too. The young Lil Peep is now deceased having died of a drug overdose before a show on his tour bus. Drug abuse is a key theme of his music and from what Ive heard he advocated against their use but there is no doubt the music glorifies them as it does his over struggles which is the musics focal point. Its timing seems like a reflection to Americas prescription drug epidemic.

With each spin of this record its components become quite clear, Trap percussion lines shuffle and rattle out grooves with distinct tonal qualities. Clunky clicks and claps pop between shimmering hi-hats bursts and sub kicks that have a synthetic quality. Behind them gorgeous, sad and melancholy guitar licks pluck simple, steadily paced single note melodies alongside additional guitars, thick, atmospheric synths and a deep, filling baseline laying down foundational blocks. The chemistry is fantastic, dark broody instrumentals with a gleam of light emanating that will never escape its grasp.

Its Lil Peep himself who is that light, a clearly troubled soul who's bearing it all upfront as his outlet with the music. His voice is fantastic, a deep and rustic tone, he finds a soft spot to speak/sing words through a whirl of cloudy reverb. His pace and delivery comes from an easy energy. It doesn't manifest specifically into hooks as much of his simple language and lack of range but it makes for plenty of sing-along-able stints in the tracks, even his faster paced "raps" are easy to pick up on and learn.

The lyrics were originally the least likeable aspect but repetition has revealed much authenticity in his themes. Initially they felt teenage, angsty and glorified but Lil Peep was only twenty one and I think a younger me would really of lapped this up. "Sometimes life gets fucked up, that's why we get fucked up", far from poetic and insightful but through its cursory language and surface level wording a clear picture of his struggles emerge. Emotional pains, relationship woes and drug abuse dominate the tone, as he wallows in the struggle with little positive to grasp onto. "I wish I didn't have a heart to love you", powerful words but deeply saddening too.

Instrumentally, this record has a very concise and expressive sound. Its a brilliant stage for a troubled young man to let his emotions roll out and despite its depressing nature the glorification takes hold and elevates these into anthems in the best songs. I'm truly impressed, at first I thought I would enjoy it from a distance but Ive found myself sucked in to his world and reminded of what youth can be like. His death is a real shame however the tone of the music makes it sound almost inevitable. Next up I will get part two which was released posthumously last year.

Favorite Tracks: Awful Things, U Said, The Brightside

Rating: 7/10