Willow "Coping Mechanism" (2022)

  

With a chronological step back from an adored Empathogen, Coping Mechanism shifts its fundamental appeal to serve my tastes immaculately. Willow's entangled expressions and gushes of emotional out-poor feel familiar, yet beneath the music nurtures antagonistic intensities, highlighting darker emotions of anger, frustration and sadness. Ever present overdrive guitars dabble in Alternative Rock, Grunge, Emo and Indie, amplifying a hurt in her lyrics. Sailing above with a playful, creative voice, she finds a beautiful resonance with the unsettled rumble of enthused guitar noise.

From a perspective, these songs could be boiled down to catchy Pop Rock songs centered on angsty teenage emotions. Fortunately the underpinning Pop sensibility blossoms with maturity. Willow's lyrics navigate emotional stresses, gracefully avoid the fallacy of simplicity. Her words dissect, introspect and reflect, mostly on the grief of a breakup, in search of a Coping Mechanism. Opposing aspects of these narratives explored often manifest into beautiful vocal inflections. Its a riveting tug and pull, back and forth, an internal mental battle channeled into infectious sing-alongs.

 Producer Chris Greatti and songwriter Asher Bank deserve high praise for their instrumentals. Creatively exploring the aforementioned genres, a Pop Punk ease and occasional touch of Metal aesthetic breeze by effortlessly. The duo weave it all into a cohesive set of both tuneful and mildly aggressive numbers without repeating themselves. One can hear many ideas pulled from across recent decades, rearranged into a new beast. Shifts in guitar tone and color, occasional synths and detailed drum grooves flesh out the experience with continuous variety that's immensely enjoyable.

Coping Mechanism flows, gushes with an infectious liveliness. Willow dances in the river, exuding expressive brilliance. Existing near to unreachable artistic perfection, devoid of weak spots, only its ending seems to dip slightly as the melancholy sways of No Control breaks down intensities for Batshit's return to animated eruptions feeling short of a final statement to wrap it all up. Other than that lack of a landing, this record has been utterly brilliant. Paying close attention to the track listing, trying to select my favorites, I realized the first nine songs are simply sublime. Just wonderful!

Rating: 9.5/10

Ocean Grove "Oddworld" (2024)

Having struck gold with Flip Phone Fantasy and Up In The Air Forever, could our Aussies from down under make it three for three? Oddworld sticks with the winning formula. Brimming with enthusiastic energy, their high octane production pushes out another bunch of upbeat banger reveling in the Rap Metal Limp Bizkit inspired lane of Nu Metal. With a little less rap in the mix, shades of Brit Pop return with an emphasis on the soaring Oasis alike, hands behind the back, singing. So to can one hear a sampling footprint from the early Rave years of fellow Brits The Prodigy on Raindrop.

At twenty five minutes, Oddworld is notably shorter. Less songs and two interludes highlight a sense of lacking potency. They've put forward their best but there's less to go around. Cell Division and Fly Away roar out the gate with pace and groove. Slamming riffs, quirky melodies and soaring singalongs set the tone. Stunner and Raindrop keep things flowing, spinning the same ideas through expectant motions. 

 Interlude No Offence Detected revives some Limp Bizkit vibes again with the quirky perusing baseline. It doesn't lead anywhere, as the band proceed to spin their wheels. Last Dance offers a shift in tone. Shimmering guitars and atmospheric reverberating noise creates a loud moody softness to mellow in a heartfelt sorrow. Album closer OTP makes its mark, pivoting to a hard hitting, darkly electronic beat. Built to house ear catching raps, their guests verses' fail to make the concept a memorable one.

Despite being lively, uplifting and infectious, the record suffers a sense of routine as only a couple of songs reach beyond the fundamentals of their sound for something great. It could also be a case of fatigue or familiarity on my behalf but sadly my enjoyment has dropped from the ecstatic highs their last two outings bestowed.

Rating: 7/10

Rina Sawayama "Rina" (2017)

 

 It turns out Sawayama was not Rina's debut. This one flew under my radar, a twenty four minute EP released a few years prior. Self funded and independently released only piles on the praise for what initially felt like a tacky take on 00s Pop. Getting past a couple of mediocre tracks, familiarity revealed the subtle powers of brief tuneful melodies and glossy aesthetics centered around her persuading voice.

Early themes paint a sense of glitz and glam, ambitions of a rising star. Cheery, upbeat production with punchy drums drawing on touches of 80s Synthpop and soft Alt Rock guitars opens the record. These nostalgic reaches into the past reoccur through classy production. It flows through a variety of song ideas, none feel original, yet an intriguing assembly of ideas pulling from the past thirty years of Pop music.

 Tunnel Vision drifts into a dreamy avenue, shifting to introspective thoughts. Deploying vulnerable expressions makes for awkward lyrics hinting at smartphone addiction among relationship woes. Its a muddled message. Much of the record has this ambiguous feeling as to which way her words lean. Presenting a bold face with a hint of distress. This lyrical fuzziness is more likely to be at fault with me.

Overall, I'm impressed. This Rina EP strikes me as a leap of faith, a talent unleashed raw and keen, simply getting started and turning up trumps. It doesn't coalescing around a specific vision yet its best songs achieves their own merits. Its been a joyful dive into ideas reminiscent of great songs without being specific.

Rating: 6/10

Tyler The Creator "Chromakopia" (2024)

 
Yesterday's record, Man Down, concluded with an aging rapper losing focus and purpose. Although of a younger generation, Tyler, now fifteen years into his career, continues to mature and challenge himself. Far from reaching his fifties but the contrast emphasizes how vividly empowered by self expression he remains.

Chromakopia is a slice of life record, where Tyler articulates his thoughts on fame, professional stature, reminisces on Odd Future's history, expresses pains of his closeted sexuality and reflects on personal values as an emergence of new family members stands in comparison to his lifestyle and celebrity image.

 His verses pull one in effortlessly, animating his world through the craft of lyricism dressing up plain language. Its the reason he connects so directly. If not already attentive, ears perk as a string of songs delve into an unexpected pregnancy. Tyler tells the tale from both sides of the relationship (referring to himself as T), delving into the hard realities of such a heavy situation. Its honest, sincere, humble and unique.

Getting past a lyrical highlight, the album loosens its peculiar mix of Soul, R&B and Jazz, throwing in dark bangers with big noisy baselines and drum groves pulling on worldly percussion beyond the traditional kick snare drum kit. His production calls back to the quirky magics of Igor, assembling tunes, textures and motifs from seemingly abstract moments, all drenched in the tone of aforementioned influences.

With an ear for voices, instrumentals flow woven between lyrics, vocal ad-libs and soulful singing, often leaning into the strange. Its as to be expected yet charming every time. I'm deeply impressed by how unique his voice and music remains. Familiar, yet fun and impactful through a new set of excellent songs.

Rating: 8/10

Ice Cube "Man Down" (2024)

 

Some critics remark on aging rappers losing vitality and relevancy. I'm more open minded. With age comes maturity and the opportunity to grow. With many 90s icons now entering their fifties, Ice Cube, one of the most important and influential to do it, enters the club. His last outing, Everythang's Corrupt, had bite, a political venom and fiery anger that held well. I still venture back to a handful of those tracks alongside Cube's best songs. That moment has passed, his motivations to return seem routine.

 Despite bringing a studded cast of his 90s contemporaries, Man Down is a stinker. Beats sound tight yet frequently spin short loops that end up droning on. Upfront, Cube raps with his firm flow, fine tuned aggression and smooth, easy to follow, cadence. Its his lyrical content that falters, dropping auto pilot verses lacking creativity to impact. So many lines drop with predictable rhymes, lingering on them for four or more sentences. Many lines seem to fill space just to serve the rhyme. With next to no stories told, this approach is quite disappointing in the shadow of his greatness.

 Early on the moods emulate his classic Today Was A Good Day laid back G Funk vibes. Its a smooth and breezy ride, easy listening. Heading into the midsection, things pivot with 5150. The mood sours with its misogynist leaning rhymes. Then beats go harder, darker but miss the mark. After a few cuts, the variety flows, jumping between sounds emulating his styles but mostly suffer the fate of droning on.

Especially You perks the ears, an Electro-Funk throwback to early 80s Hip Hop. Cube goes for a flow fit of the era but the rhymes are just hollow. Later comes Scary Movie, trying to house a bunch of references to his cinematic career. It houses some of the worst lyrical flops. The album ends on a better note with the reasonable Ego Maniacs but cant save the project. Sadly, this record just lacked purpose.

Rating: 2/10

Cordae "The Crossroads" (2024)

  

Round three, Cordae returns with another fresh bout of life's stories, past and present. The title alone conjure thoughts of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's classic, which the intro tastefully interpolates. Cycling between Trap percussive pallets and nuanced drums grooves, instrumentals play soulful and moody, drifting into R&B territory as guest singers illuminate a handful of tracks with Gospel singing. Samples focus on texture and tone over melody, casting an introspective atmosphere not far from melancholic.

Without a peak or valley, The Crossroads runs through the motions, offering a couple darker bangers early on, then leaning hard into its soulful inflections as the record matures. With Cordae's sturdy cadence holding true, he articulates personal tales, keeping one in the firm grasp of his effortless rhymes. Themes recycle, struggles of balancing success and family shift to the later, as he speaks on becoming a father.

His tales echo familiar feelings of the last two outings, leaving me with little fresh to say. Its instrumental shift to nostalgic soulful samples and plenty of human voices plays good company but lacking melodies and hooks, its staying power has been absent. The Crossroads is a mild, easy going record, doing little wrong yet failing to land a striking blow to grab your attention. Disappointing but only from high standards.

Rating: 5/10

Novelists "Okapi" (2024)

 

Spotify is doing a mighty fine job figuring me out with its algorithms. Lurching in the shadows of Deftones, Lacuna Coil, with flashes of Prog guitar reminiscent of Plini, French outfit Novelists bring the stunning voice of Camille Contreras to this current Pop Metal trend. Contrasting heavy Djent tones with shimmering melodies, their songs sway from soft and serine to punchy and powerful with great conviction.

Contreras is the main charm, her compassionate lyrics and dynamic voice guides the instrumental gracefully. Bellow her, a similar yet toned down creativity akin to yesterdays Chaosbay. Part of the "Progressive Metalcore" crowd, its a seamless fit, leaning more on the traditional guitar virtuoso side. Prisoner's a keen example pivoting from a typical aggressive Metalcore track with a wild burst of dance-floor rhythm.

It ends up exploring an expressive, flamboyant side, with lavish fretwork - something each of these four tracks finds its way to. They are all individual, creative tracks, moving from typical constructs to vibrant compositions with an effortless ease. Not as fiery as others in the scene do it, however its better suits Contreras' temperament.

Rating: 4/10

Chaosbay "Are You Afraid?" (2024)

  

On a somewhat predictable trajectory, yet no less exciting, Are You Afraid lands high octane metallic exuberance. Bolstered by punchy production, Chaosbay fuse catchy pop sensibilities with the edge of Djent guitar brutality. Encapsulated by subtle enriching synths and infrequent glitchy antics, this arsenal of short to-the-point three minute bangers blazes through their very best creative efforts.

These eleven cuts routinely erupt into grabbing "break downs", slamming serious momentum. Far from original yet executed with class, the double down on Eye For An Eye plays a keen favorite. Between these roars of anger, the soaring clean vocals of Jan Listing continuously ropes one into its lyrics themes through infectious cadence.

Taking on different temperaments and tempos defines each song from one another with true personality. Frequently dabbling in curious arrangements - cinematic synths, Trap adjacent percussion and dystopian electronics - simple song structures find space to experiment, elevating past the main theme. Its kept the listening experience fresh, exciting and on "the edge of your seat" so to speak.

 Without a weak point these thirty eight minutes play fun, animated, energetic. Anthems to fist pump, head bang and sing along too. Its been everything I hoped for. Having been teased by The Way To Hell, I'm happy the whole record reached that level of excellence. To my ears, these guys are among a rare few to get me excited about Metal these days.

Rating: 9/10

Fief "VI" (2024)

 

I've raved about prior installation's of Fief's exquisite Medieval Fantasy compositions. Often a niche relegated to background music in RPG games, this artist elevates the sound of antiquated royalty with class. Armed with Lutes, Harps, Bells, Strings and Woodwind instruments, a whirl of jovial melodies rapture the halls and courtyards of monastic reign. Earlier chapters ventured towards natures charm, with softer tones cultivating meditative atmosphere. Over time, a sovereign personality has emerged.

VI arrives unchanged, locked in by dancing merry melodies and an eloquence befitting these nostalgic times' royal grandeur. Sadly, it leaves me with little more to remark on, a fine set of eight arrangements conjuring a soothing mood of simplistic pleasures, dance, chatter, fruits and wines in the presence of kings. With little new to offer, it swiftly becomes a familiar shade of music operating in the backdrop.

Rating: 5/10

Boston Manor "Sundiver" (2024)

  

Exploring the many charms of 90s Alternative Metal, Boston Manor returned armed with exquisite execution over originality. Sundiver is a captivating record led by front-man Henry Cox who's empowered voice swoons in the emotional current. Pivoting from soft streams of emotive vulnerability to roars of clean confidence, he sings unabashed by the overt stylistic imitations of Chino Moreno. So to do his band mates revel in musical arrangements, groovy riffs and aesthetics pioneered by the Deftones. His other flattery emerges in catchy, tuneful deliveries like Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon would do, these two personalities define much of his vocal presence.

 Its all taken in wondrous stride, every track tightly wound, a perfect fit of elements. Broken up by interludes exploring dreamy acoustics, Ethereal Drum n Bass loops and perusing baselines, its main songs are given space to breath in these intriguing lulls. Venturing into Shoegazing guitar aesthetics and mammoth Nu Metal adjacent grooves, Boston Manor navigate their inspirations with class, birthing fiery songs with inviting passion and emotional resonance to engulf. The whole affair is breezy, warm and uplifting as swells of aggression are vented with positivity. Its definitely a contender for best Metal album of the year! I've struggled to put this one down.

Rating: 8/10

Cane Hill "A Piece Of Me I Never Let You Find" (2024)

 

Leaning into their aggressive side, Cane Hill return with a refined amalgamation of the Nu Metal revival, drifting towards the extremes of Hardcore Djent akin to Thrown. Doused in an aesthetic exhilaration similar to an emerging Argent Metal, the band struggle in harmonizing their loud quiet dynamics. A slew of bombastic, even barbaric, syncopated rhythmic riffs stand in contrast to the melodic charms of Elijah Witt. His presence heals the record, offering gleams of uplift in intensity lulls, as infectious crooning hooks bring an emotive memorability to its incessant "over the top" hostility.

The enthusiastic bounce and groove of Nu Metal's influence feels absent as low end guitars churn out harsh brutalities. Routinely focusing on meaty slabs of slamming Djent tone, they lack any character to shape up a songs heavier aspects. As a result, we embark on a cycling slog through empty onslaughts of crunching guitar noise. Spliced with sporadic fret sounds, layered with subtle dystopian synths, the most expressive moments arrive in the big chords left to ring out under clean vocal breaks.

Left to spin in the background, this record simply drifts by. Its hooky breaks grabbing ones attention every time. On closer analysis, these tend to be the only moments that create memorability. Thus its best comes from the soft moody interludes and Witt's clean break outs. Permanence In Sleep and I Always Knew We Were Do have the best choruses, a delight when they arrive. A Piece Of Me I Never Let You Find crudely pushes senseless violence together with a charactered emotional magnetism, falling short on writing memorable songs in the process.

Rating: 6/10

Ihsahn "Ihsahn" (2024)

With the ominous lurch of self titled significance, esteemed musician Ihsahn, formerly of Emperor notoriety, returns on ambitious footing. Forging symphonies of Classical proportion, not just simple complimentary arrangements, we venture with restrained Extreme Metal aesthetics. Throaty screams and heavy percussion pave the way for swells of strings and orchestral instruments to land the powerful impact he would have once manifested through guitars on the likes of an Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk.

With colorful Jazzy inflections and Prog Rock inclinations, these dreary, sombre, atmospheric venture in a tangle between misty melancholic moods and multifaceted, mercurial melodies. Lead guitars often cut through this rich symphonic layer, playing a second expressive voice to the routine groans of Ihsahn's one dimensional cries.

The union of such musical depth and rhythmic force makes for consistent engagement as musical tugs between its two hearts dance a line that doesn't strike sublime balance, often leaning on Metal tropes. Anima Extraneae is a keen example of Classical influences painting scenic beauty without the cage of aggression. These moments are relegated to interludes, however that richness routinely emerges in breaks between the lonely, dark, brooding tangents Ihsahn frequently explores.

When breaking into a stride of glory, the uplift of his steely clean voice is a welcome delight. These pivots empower his symphonies with comforting gleams of colorful resonance, venturing close to something special but never quite fully committing. Despite hearing this inkling of greatness, Ihsahn is a powerful record, brilliantly composed and thoroughly engaging with its vision of dark and beautiful worlds.

Rating: 7/10

Behexen "Rituale Satanum" (2000)

Recently discovering Dimmu Bongir resurfaced a desire for more nefarious Black Metal. Spotify offered me up Finnish outfit Behexen, an act I'd not heard of before. Born in 94, they were clearly a product of cultural export from their Norwegian peers. This debut, Rituale Satanum, essentially encapsulates the next logical progression, taking fundamentals and dialing up the intensity. Its in their ridiculous, over the top vocals that Behexen find an edge, instilling terror though chord shredding screams and gravelly howls that can make your skin crawl. Paired with baritone deliveries of ritual chant, they invoke Satan with a seriousness I can only laugh off in bemusement.

The record is an unrelenting ride of hellish fright, pummeling rattling blast beats and shredding evil atonal power chord arrangements, this plays an atypical experience, delighting in a fiendish execution of wicked ideals. Shadowy melodies shrouded in intense aesthetics punctuate an ungodly mood. Manic bursts of frenzied paced led by ripping guitars liven up the closing tracks. Rare lulls between unending onslaught often come masked by esoteric vocal spectacles to illuminate a sinful atmosphere.

Without directly emulating its obvious inspirations, Behexen gracefully bestow their graven personality. Far from ground breaking but firmly their own beast, only Baphomet's Call plays out vibes reminiscent of the Black Metal pioneers, specifically early Immortal. Its mid-tempo busing is one of my favorite cuts across the record. The production is hard, often peaking with distortion guitars melding into a harsh fuzz. Somehow it works. A tad ridiculous with its thematic over the top embrace of satanism but then again isn't that the point? Worth a listen for fans of early Black Metal.

Rating: 6/10

The Madd Rapper "Tell Em Why You Madd" (1999)

First surfacing on Life After Death, Producer Deric Angelettie's agitated alter ego has appeared on a spread of Bad Boy records. The frustrated character, running his mouth, serves well to sprinkle comedy between the music. Having laid the groundwork for this debut, it could have been something special. Instead, skits and jokes land flat, unable to flesh out his personality to comedic effect. So to do the Madd Rappers' verses lack a spark to muster humor. Unless this persistently irked personality is your comedy gold, the joke will get beaten to death across its CD filling seventy minutes.

Its clearly ambitious, bringing a massive array of guests beyond his record label peers. Featured routinely come armed with slick mafioso adjacent lyrics, painting flamboyant lifestyle pictures with their lyricism. It sands in stark contrast to the central theme. Eminem however, meets him at his level, the unhinged Slim Shady persona has the two aligning their lyrics on self destructive energy. Given the date, this flow is a gem for fans, hearing Eminem evolving into his classic Marshal Mathers flow.

Fun fact, a young Kanye West produced that track! Its a rare highlight among an endless string of average bears. Its other merit belongs with 50 Cent on the criminally unabashed How To Rob. Fifty name drops a lot of big names years before his breakout. Other than that, its sadly a missed opportunity to do something unique. Poor execution on a wonderful idea. It seems the last of The Madd Rappers steam was spent on the first Big Boy hits compilation, where his player hating energy musters amusement between the East Coast's record labels greatest songs.

Rating: 4/10

Lil Uzi Vert "Eternal Atake 2" (2024)

Curiosity and novelty handed successor Eternal Atake a generous helping of enjoyment that's dried up on its second outing. A fry cry from the spurious bursts of Metal on Pink Tape, Uzi returns to his bizarre spacey Trap sound, sprinting through routine instrumentals with little regard for songwriting, lyricism or concept.

Fully embracing the "vibeing" approach, songs roll by in a haze of disjointed ad-libs. Spinning short phrases, slang words and physical grunts, a dizzying barrage of often nonsensical aberrations melt away in the colorful melting of auto-tune. Coherence is generally lacking but on occasion a does sentiment makes its mark known.

With a lack of structure, arching theme or story to tell, the record falls short by some distance. Mostly feeling disposable, as if riffed on the spot, little sticks. Although trendy beats play competently, conjuring urban-esoteric moods, the lack of substance upfront sours the tone when Uzi lingers on god awful hooks like "She Stank".

Deep into the flow of dense bass and Trance synth instrumentals emerges Chill Bae, somewhat of a throw back to the Luv Is Rage aesthetic, soft airy synths and Uzi singing plays well as the album seems to pivot into a different beast, mellowing out for its closing tracks but at this point the record feels like a lost cause.

 

Rating: 3/10