Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

Monday 11 March 2024

Black Rob "Life Story" (2000)

 

Sad to say, but this debut has been a major disappointment. Bad Boy records seems to save its best for Puff 's records. I Love You Baby was a fantastic introduction, a tense, dramatic song, built up by mafioso string sections and Rob's gritty story telling. This song sharing also happened with Mase, here it features three years later!

Life Story has weak production. Sounding like left over cuts from prior records, similar Bad Boy tones emerge, subdued by there mediocrity. Soulful croons, trendy repetitive groove beats, mafioso theatrics and rubbing shoulders with R&B singers, it all feels a couple years behind the mark. With more care this might have gone somewhere.

Without lively backing from instrumentals, It becomes obvious Rob's aesthetic and temperament isn't all too exciting on its own. Gloomy moods are common and his story's often lean on the depressive side. Without that much needed musical relief from the brevity of expression, these songs frequently lull into a dull drone.

Thug Story is the one track of merit beside the aforementioned. Rapping over Slick Rick's classic Children's Story, the liveliness illuminates Rob and elevates his performance. His take on the original rhymes are decent, repurposing its tale for his own. These two tracks were all I found among this unfortunate misfire.
 
Rating: 3/10

Tuesday 5 March 2024

Ministry "Hopiumforthemasses" (2024)

 

This sixteenth chapter, proclaimed as their second to last record, Al Jourgensen's Ministry strive onward with their current temperament. Similar in tone and aesthetic to AmeriKKant and Moral Hygiene, the band issue another set of disgruntled social political observations. With vocal snippets and dystopian instrumentals, the hot topics and events of the last few years in American life get a familiar treatment.

Thudding, punchy, repetitive drum beats guide groovy mid-tempo metallic riffs through the barrage of Al's shouted snarls and keen sampling. A subtle collusion of deranged synths and odd instrumentation line the core elements on occasion with a distinctive flavor. Mostly, it falls within expectations, Cult Of Suffering ventures boldly off the track with soulful singing and dreamy guitar chords over a warm crooning baseline.

Otherwise, its been business as usual, fun, predictable but lacking the bite of its predecessors. Aryan Embarrassment struck a nerve with an astute point aimed at paranoid antisemitism. As to be expected, not all messages resonated. Just Stop Oil's fun anthem couldn't stir much compassion for their ridiculous message. Hopiumforthemasses is fair but milder, ending with the tacked on Ricky's Hand. A stiff piece sounding like a re-recording of a lost composition from their Synthpop days.

Rating: 6/10

Friday 19 January 2024

Kid Cudi "Insano" (2024)

  
Keeping steady pace, Kid Cudi returns from Entergalactic with a loose concept. Taking twenty one shots, these shorter cuts seemingly throw out ideas to see what sticks. Linked together by recurring buzzy sub-base lines, the referenced insanity is heard instrumentally as the aesthetic experience explores an unusual spectrum of melodic presentation. Repetitive tunes often run through mild manipulations, playing into an artsy atmosphere. Trap beats bustle harder than usual. Kicks, claps, snares and hit-hats from all directions chime in, amping up the sequenced rhythmic energy. Its these base oriented tracks that mustered my attention as between them, Cudi leaned into his established style, smoothing out the records exit with a string of colorful songs.

Running commentary from a boisterous DJ Drama and lack of lyrical focus gave me little else to latch onto. Insano feels like a round up of studio time spent without direction. Vocally, Cudi spun his style with the records best hooks feeling almost recycled from previous records. Nothing offensive, the record just lacked anything with shock and awe. Electrowavebaby perked an ear for its redesign of Ace Of Base's All That She Wants. That's the second record of 2024 to include this memorable 90s hit. Its a fun track, flush with zany zapping sounds and some endearing singing. The second track Keep Bouncin' is a banger, the baseline melding with crisp pianos is a classy conclusion to its dark, speedy energy. Other than that, its a mediocre record with flashes of distinction that fade among its extensive tracks. Good for a mood tho.

Rating: 6/10

Monday 15 January 2024

Trevor Something "Archetypes" (2024)

 
My introduction to one man band Trevor Something was through a handful of delightful re-imaginations of 80s Synthpop and Alternative classics. I wasn't pulled into his original music, so this new record of twelve cover songs suited me well.

Trevor's built a unique sound, treading a line adjacent to Ethereal, Synthwave and Electro-Industrial. Like a dream inducing sedative, subdued and sluggish, his soft, distant voice steers us through hazy atmospheres. Layered arrangements of textural synths dance, often with chunky bass wobbles. The usual culprit of echo and reverb masks an otherwise sharp set of steady melodies into a concussive daze.

In this reshaping of originals, a unique soothing, slightly dystopian crooning is birthed. You want to stick around and indulge. Not knowing a track wasn't a barrier to entry either, the warmly dystopian aesthetics, lingering tempo and Cyber-Goth vibes maintain across its duration. Closer and No Ordinary Love where my favorites.

All That She Want's is a surprising throwback but record ends with Change (In The House Of Flies), which I thought would be a lay up. On this occasion, a sterile overindulgence approach lost the original spark. Its smokey, cumbersome stride swiftly dulls. Strange ending to an otherwise unique and enjoyable record.

Rating: 6/10

Sunday 14 January 2024

The Tiberian Sons "Satan's Office Supplies" (2022)

 
Here's a release I overlooked, The Tiberian Sons' first album re-imagining video game music within the Prog Metal format. Anthems Of Liberation was such a blinder, I had to give this a go. Sadly, little joy has arisen from its Paper Mario origins. Once again, I've not heard the originals but one can attest to their thrilling aesthetics and colorful liveliness. Satan's Office Supplies is given a lavish treatment, layered music with punch clarity. Subtle symphonies and jiving synths bustle between the upfront grooves of chomping, snappy drums and Djent rhythm guitar chops. Often stealing the lime light, the lead guitar wails with excitement, delivering key melodies and running away with dazzling solos, vivacious and vibrant, often serving as a voice of expression.

Why this didn't click with me is somewhat mysterious. Perhaps my Prog Metal clock has been run down for the time being. Maybe its the source material not quite matching the intensity. Although this music works, its jovial melodies run counter to a lot of hard hitting rhythm and stints of nostalgic orchestration that melds with a lack of feeling. Origami Castle is a keen example of its ends not quite sticking together.

 King Olly VS Mega Bowser is a similar composition, flutes and airy chorals coalesce around chomping groove and sinister horns, yet the track rides its devilish atmosphere well. The rest of the songs where somewhere in between, its opening five part set of tracks not feeling particularly special. A lot of the record descended into lively rumblings, were a blaze of passing melodies didn't land as they had done last time.

Rating: 5/10

Tuesday 9 January 2024

GGFH "Disease" (1993)

 
Weird, wacky... wonderful? This is a zany descent into dystopian depravity. Cold, sterile, emotionless, Disease plays shrouded by bleak, mechanical aesthetics. Embracing quirky synths, wavy baselines and bustling drum machine abuse, the duo known as Global Genocide Forget Heaven forge unsettled stints of misanthropic commentary. I was turned onto them by Dimmu Borgir's Dead Man Don't Rape and the two bands share little in common besides a grim outlook on humanity and morality.

Much of the records charm stems from passages of rhythm that lock in with its synthetic counterparts. In these strides the grim atmosphere carries some passing joy. Otherwise its an unsettling oddity that rarely feels welcoming, a confrontation slog, forcing one to reflect on the dark subject matter at hand. Snarling, distorted soft shouts bark off through the record with a continual rigorous dissatisfaction.

Its an inescapable grasp, a downwards pull as alien melodies swirl around aimlessly. Vocal snippets from horror movies and the like help paint the music with more strange darkness. The atmosphere is vivid and intentional. Only Plasterchrist detours from its core chemistry. Tense lullaby like bells toy with menace, contrasted over top warm symphonic strings. Its within reach of relief and reprise, yet holds firm to its limbo.

 Overall I am impressed by how clearly theme and intention are executed but on a personal level this examination of humanities worst was lacking the musical jive to pull me in. It could be intentional, to keep the music confrontational and inches from comfort. A fun listen but after a few spins I'm good.

Rating: 5/10


Saturday 6 January 2024

Hundredth "Rare" (2017)

 

Opening with shiny crimson acoustics, Vertigo croons on contrasting vibes. Its initial Ethereal glaze rubs against a pacey rhythm section. Thunderous baselines rumble, as lively kick snare grooves set a cruising tempo. Swells of overdriven guitar erupt, reveling in their haze of noisy reverberation. Singer songwriter Chadwick Johnson glides in, calming with breezy harmonization, soothing in his softly presence.

Its a chemistry that persists throughout, as this Shoegazing, Alternative Rock hybrid flickers with fondness for a cascade of influences that inspire an inclusive wall of sound production. Forever sounding like a beautiful fever dream, hints of Grunge, Britpop, Post-Punk, New Wave and Dream Pop emerge in subtle suggestions.

Almost all tracks sail with riveting energy. Ebbing and flowing into colorful lulls, dragged by pounding percussion, leaving room to breath and rebound into epic swells of lead melody and momentous guitar riffs. A consistent experience, yielding a monotone expression. Across its forty five minutes its deeply explored yet spinning the same structures in rotation. Fortunately with such blissful energy it rarely tires.

Early on the music feels uplifting and charged with warmth yet as the record reaches its mid point, both lyrics and emotions tilt to darker subjects. Its a subtle shift, a dreary dourness creeps in, the sprint slows. It feels like the same beast yet moodier, as melancholic acoustics drift in and a vulnerability in Johnson's presence grows.

Rare's merits reside on its songwriting and vision. Initially seeming to fit into a familiar umbrella of genres, the record takes on its own memorable character. I do prefer its opening half, the speedy pace a delight that fades into its brooding counterpart. Overall, Rare is a wonderfully engaging set of songs that don't try to rewrite the rulebook but focus on what works and wrap it up into an inspired aesthetic indulgence.

Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 2 January 2024

Crosses "Crosses" (2014)

Having enjoyed the duo's new sophomore record, I ventured back to their debut, released nine years prior. Feeling very much fitting of its era, the electronic percussive arrangements tilt in a handful of directions, ta Disco House flavor of Daft Punk rears its head early on. The rest mostly an assemble of sluggish Trip Hop grooves and subdued drum patterns. They mostly stir echos from Post-Punks expansive umbrella, far from the hard hitting, cutting edge that its followup leaned into. 

This left Crosses with an expression rooted in the moment, something about arriving ten years late has been tricky to reorient. Led by Chino's charm, that inescapable Deftones feeling is prevalent but this time his partner Lopez crafts moody textural passing of mellow sound. Drenched in ambiguous, airy, soft design, many sounds emerge. Gentle guitar licks, plucked strings, a groaning Sax, broody pianos and riveting organ shimmer, with the occasional metallic riff dialing down its intensity.

The two fall into a sway, grooving on sullen, melancholic strides, mustering occasional bursts of energy on odd songs. The Epilogue was my favorite, cruising with pace and bustling in gated toms for a lively energy, the guitar lick and vocals made for a catchy hook. A rarity, much of the music focuses on mood, highlighting a lack of connection in its absence. Ultimately, the duo focus on a side of their chemistry that doesn't quite tick all the boxes for me. A fair listen but not one I'll come back to often.

Rating: 5/10

Friday 22 December 2023

Health "Rat Wars" (2023)

  

Housing four cuts from Ashamed, Rat Wars has been a swift brake in. Retaining their distinct flavor of broody, downtrodden dystopian atmospheres, Health navigate morose and self defeating emotions through the soft, sullen, effeminate voice of Jake Duzsik. Lyrically dark and dejecting, they eerily drift in the cracks of fiery Electro-Industrial pounding. Its inebriating, an alluring chemistry, entrancing and gripping yet on examination, a glum reality composed of crumbling urban sprawl and self abuse.

Many of its thudding kick and bassline grooves feel reminiscent of youthful days, hellbent on escaping ones demons through drugs, enjoying the dance while ignoring the imminent suffering. These entrancing drives of rhythm often feel like falling down a rabbit hole of self delusion. Only (Of All Else) and (Of Being Born) take the foot off the gas, the later sobering up its magnetic march with a grim groan of reality from an earth acoustic guitar to conclude the song. The other explores an acoustic limbo, the plucked strings hold off a frenzy of tense distant synths, ready to unleash in an instant.

 The record is finely crafted, its instruments oozing with texture and intensity, matched wonderfully to serve this nihilistic vision. I fumbled on first listen as Demigods struck me with Deja-Vu. Although not perfectly similar, the same melody can be heard playing out on Old Tower's Moonchamber track. Its amusing how memory works, instantly plucking it out of the darkness. Just a curious footnote for my experience with this darkly persuasive record. Its impressive, will have to seek out more from Health.

Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 19 December 2023

Crosses "Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete." (2023)

 

I was drawn to this project by Chino Moreno of Deftones, the vocal half of this dynamic duo. Drawing inspirations, moods and textures from the likes of Dream Pop, Electro-Industrial and Gothic, Ethereal adjacent music, the pair attempt to carve a distinct niche. Crosses, however, seem inescapable of Moreno's instrumental chemistry. His harmonies relate to melody and rhythm with an all to familiar cadence.

Not intent on exploring new vocal territory, the best of the twos chemistry aligns in the same space Deftones' magic sparks from. The record's most striking tracks could be mistaken for Deftones remixes. Is this a complaint? Absolutely not, just a clear observation. One half of whats to enjoy is firmly rooted in a familiar setting, which Moreno executes with that typical alluring charm. His brilliance never seems to tire.

Crosses' other half, Shaun Lopez, brings character and distinction. Exploring the aforementioned genres' moods, he guides songs with bold, striking percussion. Modern in crisp intensity and rhythmically jolting, groove or bounce aren't words that comes to mind. Steady tempo and snappy aesthetics seem to be key motivators. Shuffling crisp, bold strikes, they land resolute on swift attack and minimal reverbs.

These drum lines come counteracted by melancholic melodic instruments, often virtual but housed in enough echo and reverb to paint ambiguities. The atmospheric touch leans towards soft and darkly shadows, breeding self-indulged emotion reflections. Often Ethereal in tone, they brood without catchy melodies. That falls to Moreno, who most often plays a role of light peaking through sombre clouds.

This chemistry varies track to track, almost all its ideas evoke loose relations to the broad spectrum of Post-Punk evolution in music. For all its explorations, this seems just shy of greatness. Invisible Hand, which plays like a Deftones' remix, sets a high ceiling the rest of the record doesn't live up to. When it comes close, its Moreno's mainstay I'm reminded of. EL-P turns up for a fantastic collaboration. I'm sure he had a hand in the tracks baseline. A cracking listen for fans of anything mentioned here.

Rating: 6/10

Wednesday 13 December 2023

Laurel Halo "Atlas" (2023)

 

Introduced via the Spotify algorithm, a lone track among its ten, You Burn Me, bared resemblance to one of my all time favorites, The Plateaux Of Mirror. Its dreamy pianos pulled me in but sadly the focus of Atlas is not akin to that timeless soothing tranquility. It does however, deal with subconscious narratives. Ambiguity and lofty reverberations house flickers of traditional instrumentation as these gentle mirages embark on temporal musical experiences that eludes a listeners focus in the present.

To my ears, Its early tracks house glimmers of city life. Dense, compounding echos create soft cushions of vague emotional states. Subtly twisted, warped and stretched, these dreary forms of pianos, pads and strings float out of its hazy mist. Somewhere in that gentle flood I hear the sounds of people, perhaps the droning sensation somehow resembling the ever-present background decibels of a city. This notion fades swiftly as its latter half resembles emotional states more often than not.

This leads me to the downside of this record. Many of these cloudy clusters of ambiguity steered into uncomfortable anxiety. Tension is a key component of these arrangements. A few flavors brewed unrest and disquiet through the powerful effects of Ambient music. Where I often welcome challenging sounds as emotional entertainment, a handful of songs placed me in that soft distress which equally sings praises to its power but derived my enjoyment the full length record experience.

Rating: 6/10

Monday 11 December 2023

The Tiberian Sons "Anthems Of Liberation" (2023)

Looking beyond Command & Conquer, The Tiberian Sons paint a lively love letter to another 90s game franchise. I've never played Namco's Ace Combat series but if this record is a fair impression, then its got an impressive soundtrack! Anthems Of Liberation has songs from across the series. Unleashing bottled up classic VGM energy, the group channel this animated music into a lively Prog Rock / Metal adjacent tone. Its plastered with rich instrumentation, layers of orchestration, synths and human voicings emerge, coloring its rocking riffs and crooning shred guitar with warm spirit.

At times the songs take on a grandiosity when this aspect becomes the focus. When not, the drums drive forward competent riffs for lead instruments to dazzle and shine as the music speeds away. They seem like they are from different universes. One is serious, epic and dramatic. The other half fun, playful, sprinkled with the best of that Top Gun style cheese. Along its journey, the push and pull between its ends is fantastic, always bursting with attitude and charisma yet keeping it fresh.

Anthems Of Liberation is a wallop of fun from start to end, after many spins I can barely figure out what my favorite tracks are. I'm almost tempted to check out the game that inspired it! Or at least the original soundtrack music for now. This one is a fine record for when needing some animated energy to vibe on!

Rating: 8/10

Tuesday 5 December 2023

Mase "Harlem World" (1997)

 

A long overdue followup on No Way Out, I've finally picked up Harlem World, Mase's solo debut. He'd made a soft impression, a voice fit for variety in the mix but unsurprisingly tame on his own. The casual carefree laid back spoken raps didn't amount to much across a lengthy CD filling record. Although it went multi platinum, its legacy feels like a byproduct of the era. Mase runs through the typical themes apprising his status, playing himself as a ladies man and taking shots at his haters.

His cadence is smooth, easy on the ears but rarely does his words muster up the energy to really grab your attention with standout rhymes. Harlem World mostly rolls by a pleasant ride on average beats spliced with goofy interludes. Stated as such in a lyric, the albums best tracks are simply recycled hits from the past decade. That and many of its instrumentals highlight this Bad Boy Records formula candidly.

With typical features from Puff, DMX, Jay-Z, The Lox and many more, the album gets by on a run of the mill routine. The later, however, elevates! 24 Hours To Live lays down a firm concept, asking a question and letting everyone run through their answers verse by verse. Its a great setup for visual raps that The LOX dominate! The following I Need To Be sinks to a low with very questionable topicality that seems to just slip under the radar of controversy when it comes up in Hip Hop music.

The closing Jealous Guy is an amusing piss take. A tongue in cheek jab at "the haters". These rappers drop some ruthless off key singing over top of the smooth R&B singers beneath. Fun once but an earache after the third spin. Overall, this album felt very average, with little memorable to take away. It feels like the hype and promise of the record label made this one a success. Not bad but firmly average at best.

Rating: 4/10

Sunday 3 December 2023

Poppy "Zig" (2023)

 

Still one to follow for her creative ensemble of pop sensibilities and abrasive tones, Poppy returns with a similar set of mashed up sounds. As a pleasant vocal presence, one is drawn to the lyrics. Lightly cryptic, suggestive and occasionally humored, they rarely yield depth when wrapped up in a hook or catchy cadence. Her direct words muster more meaning with plain language, however none of it amounted to anything memorable for me. At times, a sense of reaching for a mischievous truth emerges.

Either way, the record doesn't hit on this front and neither does its bass groove oriented stints of cold calculated Electronica. Trading in overdrive guitars for distorted synths, the instrumentals often converge on flickering rhythmic drives, lavished in dispassionate texture, lacking emotion and accompanying melody. On occasion, atmospheric synths layer in some compassion but without its a rather lifeless stint.

After the droning disharmony of Zig passes, Poppy's voice opens up, some songs focusing on her melodies. A pleasant direction but only Motorbike strikes a nerve. Its soft Disco Funk grooves elevate the hook and color the song with an interesting subtle sway. On a better record, this might have been felt as a weak cut. Loaded with mediocrity, Zig was sadly somewhat of a bore, doing little to make itself known.

Rating: 4/10

Thursday 23 November 2023

Health "Ashamed" (2023)

 

Jumping around their discography, looking for an entry, it was this latest single I really latched onto. Health are a Californian trio that have been at it for almost two decades. Having many remix albums intermingled among their main efforts, its a dense wall of releases venturing in collaborative directions. This four track Ashamed has a balanced mix, two originals and two features. Their sound aligns with Agrro-Tech and Industrial Metal. Its similar to Author & Punisher, deploying meaty slabs of noisy synth over subtle distortions like an assault vehicle guided by tight, hard hitting, snappy drums.

The mood is doom and gloom, a synthetic cyberpunk dystopia traversed at night under neon light. Vocals bleed dour, plain and monotone, then ascending with breezy respite when musical chemistry shifts and a little reverb carries them away. This is the transition of its first two songs, a complimenting shift that lines us up for Sicko.

A sample of Godflesh's classic Breed slips into this one, nestled among its rebuilt core bass and drum groove. Recycling its charm, dreary flat vocals drift by in a haze, lining up an alarmist descend of hellish synth to dazzle one in its sudden urgency.

 The last track, featuring Sierra, bustles with a dark dance floor energy, stepping up its pulsing energy to match the likes of Carpenter Brut and Mick Gorden's Doom Eternal soundtrack blueprint. It retains Health's distinctness, a dense wall of harsh synths turned to a gloomy outlook with its softly pessimistic singing. A powerful introduction to a band who's coming full length I am likely to enjoy!

Rating: 5/10

Wednesday 22 November 2023

André 3000 "New Blue Sun" (2023)

 

A name that would forever manifest anticipation, the talents of André 3000 held promise, surely a musical gem in waiting? Many years on from his legendary career as the artistic half of Outkast, his return to music is a subtle one, venturing into mellow New-Age ambiences. His voice comes not through rap but woodwind as Andre expresses himself with flute performances that meander on free flowing journeys.

Clocking in at a meaty ninety minutes, these eight stints average over ten minutes in length but all share a common breezy ambiguity. Blurry forms, warm and resonate, yet illusive, express wonders lacking comprehension. A swaying mix of environmental sounds and flashes of dazzling melody, nothing concrete is ever anchored to. Instead we drift across moody landscapes in perpetual limbo, at the mercy of this whim.

Its hazy, fever dream nature and free forming spirit makes these songs hard to latch upon. On the journey, many moments of textural beauty and fleeting chemistries arise but they dissolve into the ambience. Each track boils down to that flavor, if you want its company for however long it endures. The two lengthiest cuts didn't do it for me but the rest served a peaceful, captivating New-Age experience, reveling in their own mystique. Its far flung from the rap record everyone wanted but why not? Clearly Andree had a different expression within him and its worth checking out.

Rating: 6/10

Friday 10 November 2023

Turnstile "New Heart Designs" (2023)

 

Today I've stumbled upon a pleasant surprise, a trio of Turnstile songs re-imagined on this latest single. Teaming up with Badbadnotgood, the bands songs get reworked into dreamy mellow alternates. Turns out Yates' clean singing is a supple match for these Psychedelia tinged instrumentals composed of soft pianos and woodwinds drowning in reverberating ambiences. His original takes having an inspired, ample chemistry.

It feels like a happy accident, a curious collision that's led to reworking three tracks from Glow On in a complete u-turn. Mystery gets an airy treatment, a relaxing stroll through an ethereal garden that some how mellows out the stained shouts. Bringing in soft percussion, Alien Love Call turns Lounge in demeanor, squeezing in some free flowing Jazz improv jams between the main vocal sections. Underwater Boi looses me a little as things turn tripy and exotic. Still decent but dang the first two cuts are magic!

Rating: 3/10

Friday 3 November 2023

Code Orange "The Above" (2023)

My own unrivaled excitement for this release has manifested into a glum disappointment tainting The Above. Their previous outing, Underneath, set high expectations. The glitched out dystopian mania shook up a violent foundation, breathing new life into a genre where fresh territory is hard to find. Partially recoiling from such brutal intensities, the band intermingle a reinvention of 90s nostalgia.

Most prominent, their typical approach to Hardcore brutality seem skewed towards Nu Metal. The most aggressive riffs deploy the dissonance and syncopation flavors of that era with a subtlety that blunts its edge. Trademark manic spurts of chaos groan with the downtrodden vibes of a once ridiculed genre. Their tight technical execution absent in favor of this loose, dirty, moody aesthetic inspired by past trends.

Subtly woven in, the texture of Grunge and Alternative Metal has its moments too. On The Above, the band weave through a fair set of intensities and ideals but little about the record feels like a cohesive vision. More so, an exploration of loosely connected ideas drawing from the decades various styles. Some songs step into radio rock friendly verse chorus exchanges, others meander through an arsenal of riffs.

Reba Meyers gets to offer more of her voice, sometimes accompanied by string sections, yet the step into new territory feels off. Mirror is a redeeming experiment. Its unusual Trip-Hop beat seems to aid the songs swell of emotion. Other than that, the record offers little I wanted to come back too. Its angsty downtrodden inspirational origins did manifest with uniqueness. It was just not too my taste sadly.

 Rating: 5/10

Thursday 19 October 2023

City Morgue "My Bloody America" (2023)

 

Still one to check in with, City Morgue return recycling a familiar flavor of feisty aggression. Fusing Trap with Horrorcore and touches of Metal, the duo deploy harsh percussion aesthetics again. Rattling hi-hats and distorted base kicks thump no longer a novelty. Meeting spooky samples and lean distortion guitars, beat production paints ghoulish, nightmare scenarios for their unapologetic lyrics to reign a boisterous noise. Priding its content on death, hate, gunplay and machismo, a lack of depth is hardly a surprise. Most verses simply load in vile obscenities on aggravated flows spat hard.

Among its various leanings, a sense of something curious lingers but never arrives. Despite being a rather dull thirty minutes, the record has a certain foul charisma fit for horror but lacks substance. Its instrumentals fail to lean into its intriguing elements. Only Wicked elevated this unsettled energy to a catchy level. A banger among mediocrity. Its short looping melody illuminates when all instruments fire together. I still think this duo have something great to offer but currently I'm just not feeling it.

Rating: 4/10

Tuesday 17 October 2023

S1gns Of L1fe "The Age Of Cymatics" (2021)

 

This entry serves has a marker of discovery, a favored familiar frontier, voyaged by an artist exploring that magical space between distant stars and our imaginations. Cosmic Ambience, as I've come to call it, the space inspired synth style mastered by Dreamstate Logic, which became an obsession last year. Spotify's algorithms has finally steered me on to neighboring territory. Signs Of Life, presumably using the 1s to distinguish the name, provides a welcome hour of lengthy tracks stiring temporal focus, through dense stellar atmospheres that calm and sooth in their droning.

To deter from my usual astral analogies, I'll get direct. Signs has an approach of intention. Its strengths emanate from visible synths arranged with character and purpose. Bustling on looping melodies, alongside sparse glitched percussion, little feels hidden. The craft doesn't linger in reverberations but strides inline with its projections. Although there is an apt amount of spacious echos for its aesthetic, the spacey mood is thrust forth by bold instruments resonating with one another. Airy pads and lofty synths are present throughout but serve more so as a glue.

I also suspect the VSTs behind this sound are similar, with some bass lines and other tones having an uncanny resemblance. Signs also loves the swells of reverb that shift the music into new phases. One can feelsa greater sense of progression and direction changing on these tranquil cosmic voyages. I'm pleased to have discovered more of this niche to add to my collection, its fantastic music for getting in the zone. This too joins the Temporal Focus playlist. Still searching for more!

Rating: 7/10