Billie Eilish "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" (2019)

Here's a fact that makes me feel drowsy, Billie was born after 9/11... Let that sink in, what a reminder of how time gets past you... Her name has circulated past me plenty of times and after hearing she broke records for youngest performing artist at various festivals I had to check this one out. When We Fall Asleep is her debut album and the Teenager's hype presents itself swiftly but lasts after many spins. With a charmingly soft and subdued voice, this fusion of Pop and Electronic music stands apart with an Avant-garde edge in vocal experimentation that toys with distortion and more.

The norms are present, typically sensible and poppy melodies linger throughout. Warm and easy pianos drop in chords to chime with airy synth tones in easily digestible arrangements. Softly strummed guitars and easy percussion make for light listening too, its all good stuff. Each song has its temperament and the charm emerges mostly from these snappy crunchy beats, that bite into stereo spectrum, crisp and brittle. With sharp attacks and swift decays they carry quite the subtle persuasion, infusing a keener edge that sticks into her mostly approachable music.

Across the songs her voice shows quite the dynamism, often breaking from the breathy and softly sung words that malign most the instrumentals. Heavenly choral harmonization and quirky pitch shifting, many of the songs have a twist that ends up being a focal point of delight. Playing with echos, reverbs, stuttering delays and distortion its clear that a lot of experimentation takes place in her process. Whats wonderful is how it lands on the target. Never does a vocal quirk feel forced, its all very inspirational and fluid, emotional and riveting in authenticity.

Her songs seem to be able to take these abstractions and flesh them out into living entities that feel and express. This even extends the spectacle of including samples from the Micheal Scarn episode of TV show The Office. On one hand it seems unrelated to the lyrics but somehow fits in. There isn't a moment of this record I don't love. Its well fleshed out with exciting musical experimentation that flourishes, swaying between emotive surges and bursts of percussive force. On a couple of tracks her vocal style almost borders ASMR, a slight irritation but a possible influence on a young artist who undoubtedly knows of the phenomena. This has been a fantastic record and I can't wait to hear what she will do next!

Favorite Tracks: You Should See Me In A Crowd, When The Partys Over, I Love You, Goodbye
Rating: 8/10

3TEETH "Metawar" (2019)

Hot damn do I love Industrial Metal and what a big meaty slab of electrocuted industrious filth this record is! Metawar is the Californian bands third full length and its undoubtedly my cup of tea but I can't praise it for originality. A fine tuned titanium studio production and good songwriting holds it up well against the obvious influences worn proudly here. From Nine Inch Nails, to Marilyn Manson, Ministry to Fear Factory and all in between, everything at play here feels but a fraction away from vibrations and moods conjured many a time before them, however it does have its own stamp.

The one place they excel is with the thrilling eight string guitar sound. Its dense, tight and lavished in a bludgeoning tone that inches towards sounding like moving parts of an industrial piston powered machine of death! They ring out with big chunks of booming momentous noise, taking influence from the likes of Nu and Groove Metal in its rhythmic sense of bounce. Its a delight mixing in alongside the harsh and jarring synths blare out anti-melodies. They feed into the unsatisfied, angry and dystopian feeling of rebellion these songs cry like anthems. The battering drums and deep baselines ram themselves into the condensed wall of noise being propelled your way, its a cohesive force of destruction that batters with its industrial metallic might.

Singer Alexis Mincolla has a firm and defining presence in the limelight. Roaring with fiery, strained screams between twisted, tormented spoken words of infliction he sounds apologetically like Manson. If they shared a third factor its the ability to put a sung hook down in a nature that grabs your attention but living in the shadow of such an artist he only occasionally escapes that mold of seeming like his influence. Its so well executed that its no drawback. If your looking for originality it may only be in one department but when it comes to the music this will easily win over Industrial fans.

At forty six minutes it does run through a fair few mediocre songs. The energy and temperament shifts through aggressive, atmospheric and alien vibes to keep it flowing however after a handful of listens you'll suss out your favorites. Its best comes on a handful of tracks and despite sounding utterly sharp and pounding the songs don't quite reach for the stars. There is much too love here, much promise for this band and if they continue improving I could see this sound being pushed further.

Favorite Tracks: Affluenze, American Landfill, President X, Pumped Up Kicks

Rating: 7/10

The Comet Is Coming "Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery" (2019)

 In this age of bizarre and unusual musical machinations aided through digital connectivity, this London based trio, The Comet Is Coming, have an eclectic but related assembling of influences. It does however sound as if this could of taken place in the 90s. Jazz Fusion, Progressive Rock, Psychedelia and Electronic music collide with a hint of metallic rhythm styling to the likes of Groove Metal underpinning the approaches to groove and melody. With a drummer, saxophone and keyboard players these three make a rich tapestries of oozing sound, weaving layers of soaring sound between the thudding backbone of rhythm that propels these songs along.

Its typically progressive, winding passages of vividly colorful instrumental tapestry evolves beneath the ever adventuring and freely expressive Sax that jams and howls in the wind. It does however find its way around to stomping drives of primitive minimalism as a couple of notes will rhythmically bounce similar to a Machine Head riff. In these moments one could perhaps hear it as a guitar riff but its execution with the electronic synths hails to EDM and Dance music. Its magnetic and also infects the Sax which occasionally breaks from its advantageous swells of dexterous freting into simplistic dances between a handful of notes.

The three have a sparkling chemistry however its drummer Max Hallett who puts the cherry on top. Oozing, luscious spacey synths aside, the constantly animated and lively percussion seems to anchor everything together. its almost like a third instrument when the beat drops out and an array of symbols shimmer like stars. The range and timbre is enjoyable too, at first its mainly a more Rock oriented kit but as the album develops more worldly drum tones become involved. The only vocal element comes from Kate Tempest who lends her voice and poetry with an impactful appearance that suits the instrumental sound well.

The albums structure and duration feels very tasteful. At forty five minutes it manages to feel lengthy and epic without being a slug. Only one song gets deep into length at eight minutes, most are four five and hold attention from start to end. With slick transitions each song ends up feeling like one part of the bigger picture making for an engrossing listening experience! There isn't a dull moment here however a couple of tribal bass thumping grooves certainly get my attention the most. Cracking record I think will stay with me for years to come!

Favorite Tracks: Because The End Is Really The Beginning, Blood Of The Past

Rating: 7/10

Slowthai "Nothing Great About Britain" (2019)

This debut album by up and coming Grime rapper Slowthai sets a candid tone from the offset with its "Nothing Great About Britain" title. Its a striking statement reflecting the albums mood and grim outlook on the failed estates of England's working class. With a sharp talent for the mic, a unique vocal inflections on pronunciation and a fine set of instrumentals this makes for a riotous listen. Despite the lingering gritty gloom of his pessimistic perspective, the tales and story's of urban life trapped on this island are captivating and elevated by the energy he packs. Sturdy rhyme skills, boisterous presence and ripe youthful vitality, Slowthai can be playful and cheeky at times with no shortage of attitude but beneath it all lies thoughtful expressions that offers a lot to think on for the challenges of the youth in this country today.

Socially and politically aware, Tyron tackles the hardest of topics including mental health, poverty and drug abuse with a raw and unapologetic attitude to make light of itself in the haze of his exuberant liveliness. Hailing from Northampton he embraces his identity and heritage without pride but an authenticity that is a firm fit for the Grime sound. Going through all the temperaments he can take this sound to measured places. Doorman has a fantastic Punk energy to match his accent drenched singing, it flows between typically styled Grime beats, influenced by the likes of early Dizzee Rascal. In other tracks like Gorgous, Crack and Toaster, he slips into more soulful and reflective flow, showing a sensitive, appreciative side to himself too. The last three songs dive deeper into the dark and the album packs an absolute banger with Inglorious, featuring Skepta who delivers a veterans rap. Its a wild song, a big booming baseline with heavy lyrics cruising over the crusing beat.

Eleven tracks at thirty two minutes, the young artist makes an autobiographical arrival with a curated experience seeking quality over content. Luring you in with lively instrumentals you'll stay for the authenticity. Slowthai is a big persona, animating himself vividly with clever lyricism and the occasional implementation of his unique high pitched vocal slur. At times his words do fall to folly, taking aims at the royals with little said on why for example. He is at his best when giving personal tales and thoughts of which there are plenty. If he grows as an artist he could go on to do great things. This debut is not without its flaws but it shows his spark effortlessly.

Favorite Tracks: Doorman, Inglorious, Northampton's Child

Rating: 8/10

Schoolboy Q "CrasH Talk" (2019)

Schoolboy Q is back with his fifth full length record, another cut of rugged street flavored rhymes and slick urban instrumentals. At forty minutes it represents his leanest project to date, which I can't label as quality over quantity. Many of these songs fail to show themselves without dedicated listening. Nothing to be found like a Hover Street, the sort of song that grabs you by the neck and commands your attention. This records best song by a good stretch is Chopstix, coming from the mind of Travis Scott. His synthetic production style and chorus hook nails a intoxicating vibe that would fit sweetly into one of his own projects.

Q comes to the mic as a mean front man, bringing a range of vocal styles to his new project. Often he sounds slightly agitated with a confident demeanor. Keenly pronounced, he affirms himself with steady flows and lyrics that most wavier above mediocrity. With little making a mark the record hits some stiff jarring creative choices. The dreary interlude track Drunk hits a wall with Q rapping with the signature Drake "Ahye" crutch, its one of many aproaches and he changes up his style so often its hard to know who's who. The track Floating has one of the weakest spoken word slurred flows going, I think from 21 Savage. Floating takes an award for the weakest hook, "I got that water, Yea, I got that water". Its dull and a one to endure.

The instrumentals are hit and miss, a good mix of modern kits and sampling oriented vibes. Luckily it sounds like the best hooks land on the strongest instrumentals, yielding a handful of songs to go back on between many unfavorable ones. Handled mostly by three or so producers they conjure up a variety that doesn't have any particular flow across the forty minutes. The experience tends to drag despite short songs, most of which don't pass three minutes. This was all to run of the mill, no focus or arching theme, Q's words don't leave the page to often and its not to the last song that we get a wiff of his flair. Its not awful but Ive found myself expecting so much more from this talented artist.

Favorite Tracks: Chopstix, Lies, 5200, Die Wit Em, Attention
Rating: 4/10

Kate Tempest "The Book Of Traps And Lessons" (2019)

I was dead excited for this release, Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos made quite the impact. Kate's heavy and burdensome poetry paired with impoverished Hip Hop instrumentals made quite a unique potion of the classic formula. This time around there is a clear shift in tone, the limelight lands firmly on Kate as the pace and foundation of drum beats are far between one another. The subtlety of dark ambience pianos, strings and atmospheric keys softly shade the space around her words.

It plays like a poetry piece mustering winds of momentum as the instruments occasionally pick up the musky tone and carry it along. Kate is otherwise quite the smothering ache of your attention. The bleak and quiet despair of mundane existence grasps her words as details of failed relationships, social pressure and societal observations manifest into spiraling thought worms. Occasional flickers of wisdom, conclusion or relief linger but the majority of this record is quite a weight on the listener.

The tenderness and vulnerability captured in her voice seals the authenticity of this expression. Wordplay, narrative and innuendo interweave as trains of consciousness collide with thawed out thoughts, articulated to an exhibit. Its undoubtedly deep and comes in waves of topics, feeling like a linear narrative that seems to fly all over the place. There is much to chew through here however its not quite for me.

The problem I have with this record is how doom and gloom the tone is. Both introspection and outwards reflection finds no light between the clouds. It becomes a downtrodden journey sucking away mood when the already quite instrumentals strip to a silence. Kate's words are inescapable in these moments and her words ring the alarms a degree to paranoid for my taste. These big topics tackled are done so with a bias for the depressing and despite a beauty in her language its path is one that brings you with it. The uplift and conclusion it ends with too feels in too much contrast to all that came before. Its an unsatisfying and forceful look into the shadows.

Favorite Track: Firesmoke

Rating: 5/10

Queen "A Day At The Races" (1976)

Proceeding from the sensational heights of Bohemian Rhapsody on counterpart record A Night At The Opera, British legends Queen return with a shaky response from critics at that time, forty three years ago. I find myself at odds with the criticism weighed upon the band. The former record came with peaks and valleys, songs that soared and delves into pantomime theatrics that dispelled the flow in places. A Day At The Races is a far more leveled and cohesive record where the bands eclecticism sticks like glue without a week spot. The problem is however that not a lot here is that remarkable in comparison. The Millionaire Waltz may be its only soaring moment as playful theater musical jollity collides with riveting Heavy Metal licks at weighty chords that culminate in a mid song eruption of electricity... Only Queen could do this.

Starting to develop a better understand of the band, one can hear creaking similarities and writing crutches in the music. Roger Taylor seems to have an uncanny knack of mustering a distinct persona with his song Drowse, perhaps the vocals give it away but then again this is a band of four song writers and given at least a song each it is no surprise these thumbprints arise. Writing these words I can see how these perspectives can be leveraged against the record but It plays so smoothly.

Rolling from one song to the next it ebbs and flows, Brian May's guitar electrifying when timeless Freddie is absent. These spurts of textural heavy guitar tone erupt, filling key parts of the music with true imagination throughout its run time. The intro has a particular glorious use of tape reversed guitar lead to create a suspenseful opening to the record. It is heard again as the record closes on Teo Torriatte, a song half sung in Japanese that peaks with moving group chorals as it reaches its end. A really firm record that flows far better than anything before it but perhaps suffering from to little of their peak magics yet the songwriting is fantastic at uniting style as you'd expect.

Favorite Tracks: Tie Your Mother Down, The Millionaire Waltz, Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy, Drowse

Rating: 7/10

Wolf Hoffmann "Headbangers Symphony" (2016)

There is not much for me to say on this record other than commending it on being a stellar execution of an idea many have flirted with over the years. Given the musical similarities between Heavy Metal and Classical music, not aesthetic of course, It is not to uncommon to see these worlds collide but what Wolf Hoffmann of Accept has done is tastefully unite crunching guitars and battering drums with its symphonic counterpart in a way that relishes the common ground. It will undoubtedly be more appealing to Metal fans as the aggressive instruments have a habit of dominating the synergy but the string arrangements and orchestra get to have a say in how these songs land.

The line up is impressive, not the most best known Classical songs but certainly ones from big names... Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Vivaldi and Beethoven to name a few. Most adaptations work on the darker leaning of Heavy Metal aggression but Swan Lake and the closing Air On The G String yield a classy uplift from his burly distortion instruments. Its actually what I would like to of heard more of as the likes of Night On Bald Mountain and Double Cello Concerto In G Minor lend themselves all to easily. Either way its a fantastic record, well produced with clarity in mind as the two worlds collide in style. A must listen for fans of both genres.

Rating: 7/10

Mare Cognitum "Phobos Monolith" (2014)

It was once the experience of a music lover to flick through crates of vinyl sleeves in a dusty record store, looking for something to land your attention and empty your wallet. In the digital age it is Bandcamp alone that has managed to recreate that market place feeling and so easily am I sucked in to browsing binges. If this illustrious artwork and the promise of "Cosmic Black Metal" isn't enough to lure me in then abandon awaits thee. Fortunately this music matches the class of this modern Black Metal act, a one man band from Portland Oregon. Its got all the shades of Progressive, Post and Shoegaze, not wondering far from the American blueprint, culminating in a sweet experience of darkly voyages into the symphonic abyss.

Two of its four tracks reside more so in the traditional lane. Entropic Hallucinations opens up with a devilish, infesting blast beat and snaky grinding guitar riff played with an allure aided from a sweep effect cruising past its hurtling rhythm like icy winds. Ephemeral Eternities, being the other, also has cunning execution of blast beats with rapid tom drum fire. Going through progressive structures that "follows ones nose" so to speak, they embark on arrangements of tremolo riffs, maniacal drumming and screams both guttural and shrill that check all the boxes of familiarity with inklings of particular bands as influences on this flavorful journey of scale.

The records production to be merited. Phobos Monolith for all its extremities is masterfully mixed to make cushioned and warm tones of all its instruments. They reside within reverberated spaces to amplify its cosmic, astral leaning in theme. The song writing is also champion, it can lock in your attention for fifty minutes as these songs twist, wind, soar and scale. Album opener Weaving The Thread Of Transcendence take a prize for the most progressive track, starting from mysterious embers it stokes a flame that turns into a roaring fire of color as the song blossoms with bright guitar leads and plundering unions with a hurtling momentum stoked by the drumming.

Noumenon rocks the shoegazing strand strongly on a warm and colorful track that almost sways into Alcest territory if it wasn't for snarling, viscous screams anchoring it to darkness. As mentioned before this record has many flavors and they come together sweetly. A very solid record, perhaps just shy of greatness, missing something exceptional. Its foundation is bedrock but never quite exceeds itself. Very impressive, I will be back to check out more of this band soon!

Rating: 7/10

Future "Save Me" (2019)

The self titled Future was a fun record. I found it in the perfect mood for some fun Trap flavor. Fancying some more I went for this new EP but the seven track Save Me offers isn't quite that. Future experiments with a new direction while still operating within the Trap and Mumble Rap circle. The Atlanta rapper brings a host of producers onboard to create a sound very much following in the footsteps of Travis Scott. The result is hit and miss, mostly miss, on the production front. Future's braggadocio and excessively slurred and stylized wording leaves much to be desired but generally amplifies the beats that don't land as well with shallow lyrics. There is a loose theme of drug abuse and mental health but it drops off after the opening track, resurfacing vaguely in spots.

There is a lot of glossy reverb, auto tune and voicing at work. It has a soft Ethereal edge with its indulgent tone but can barely escape the grasp of its influences. Many bursts of vocal groans and discernible auto tune inflections reek of Rodeo, even arrangements and constructs have a uncanny blueprint. A merit is found with Shotgun, a poppy sung vocal hook reigns in the airy atmosphere at work. Its sunny, uplifting but with a belly of melancholy. Very catchy but little else of the record finds this chemistry and with a lack of engaging lyricism the Trap and Mumble tropes end up being rather irritating. Unfortunately its mostly forgettable.

Favorite Track: Shotgun

Rating: 3/10

Living Colour "Stain" (1993)

I may just close the book on this particular musical avenue. A staleness is setting in from a band in steady decline. Their sparkling debut Vivid was quite the experience but since then the re-arranging of influences isn't landing anywhere significant. This time around a tonal rawness and Industrial edge are introduced. Its crass production takes a step back again, the guitar tone has a loose, gritty tone, fit for Thrash and Hardcore riffs but lacking glue. Its on a separate plane from the bass guitar and the musical aesthetic has a sparseness Glover barely holds together with his singing.

His presence is warm in tone, smooth in delivery but the lyrics are handled bluntly. Ideals and topics are persuaded through plain language that sounds so of the time and frankly dated. Its socially and political oriented as you'd expect and the themes range from wealth guilt to sexuality and all of them are expressed with little room for reflection. Essentially I am listing points where this record doesn't resonate. Nothing here is truly awful but the record passes without any attention grabbing moments.

Vernon Reid does get to flash off his advantageous guitaring ability with wild, erupting, dazzling solos however they arise from mediocrity which dampens the impact. There is actually a fair arsenal of thrash and groove riffs in the mix but something in albums raw aesthetic dispels any magic. Auslander is a good example of a track set to bang. Its got a driving Industrial backbone and rowdy baseline yet the two don't gel and the song drifts into a monotone, lifeless drone that chops and churns its way by.

Leave It Alone is about the only song that really has something going for. The rest just gets by on a limb, then Wtff arrives with a turn table break beat jam and the record drops of completely for the remaining few songs. Its a strange record because its loaded with good riffs and interesting elements but none of it fuses and the whole thing is left stiff and stale. Its disappointing but not awful, worth a spin but no more.

Favorite Track: Leave It Alone

Rating: 4/10