These reviews contain my personal opinions on select releases in contemporary music and were published in LSMSA's newspaper, The Renaissance, in a column I started.
Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs
November 30, 2018
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Abstract hip-hop, cloud rap
Earl Sweatshirt’s third album was highly anticipated but arrived with little fanfare: the thrown-together title and questionable cover prove as much. Appropriately, the content is not crowd-pleasing either. It is brief and dense, usually without hooks, divisively lo-fi, and generally structured unlike most hip-hop releases. Its production draws obvious influence from Madlib and underground hip-hop as a whole, but the looped, glitchy jazz and soul samples are made Earl’s own. Throughout his impeccable verses, which are buried in the mix, Earl is standoffish, yet vulnerable, and both depressed and triumphant. The mood created is layered and unique. Some Rap Songs exists on its own terms, and luckily, those terms culminate in an impactful and nearly flawless album experience.
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Standout tracks: “Ontheway!,” “Azucar,” “Riot!”
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8/10
The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships
November 30, 2018
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Pop/rock, art pop
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In many ways, I find this album completely obnoxious. The opening suite introduces patronizing, insincere lyricism, limp vocals, and embarrassingly cheesy instrumentals, retreading the past decade’s pop and alternative trends in hopes of encapsulating the state of 2018. As the album—which is overlong in the first place—goes on, it does improve, but its weaknesses only move from heinous to tolerable. However, as much as I dislike most of the music here (the last few songs are exceptions), I appreciate what the band is doing. Unlike most of their peers, the 1975 are clearly aiming to make something truly great. Though their statement falls comically short, the ambition is there, and the result is much more interesting than mediocrity.
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Standout tracks: “Mine,” “I Couldn't Be More In Love,” “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”
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4/10
Boygenius - Boygenius
November 9, 2018
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Indie folk
Boygenius is a collaboration—a supergroup, if you will—between indie artists Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The project is, in part, a response to the three being thrown into the “women in indie rock” catchall, intending to subvert such reductive grouping. Musically, the trio deliver a short set of earnest folk, full of harmonies and tinged with country roots, emo, and grunge. The result is enjoyable, but there is not enough time for each singer-songwriter to establish themselves over a mere six songs. Also, short releases are forced to rely on quality outweighing quantity, and a few too many lines on this fall flat. Boygenius sounds like a lovely jam session but not a fully satisfying EP.
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Standout tracks: “Bite the Hand,” “Salt in the Wound,” “Ketchum, ID”
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5/10
Thom Yorke - Suspiria
October 26, 2018
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Film score, ambient, psychedelic
This is Thom Yorke’s first soundtrack, created to accompany Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the 1977 horror film Suspiria. As seen primarily in his work with Radiohead, Yorke’s greatest strength is his ability to distill qualities of his experimental influences into detailed and impactful pop music. However, the challenge of scoring a film sees Yorke handling new territory, marrying his plaintive balladry and electronic musings with elements of psych- and krautrock, sound collage, early synthesizer music, and choral and orchestral music. Though this change in context provides a renewed edge, the ambient compositions that make up much of the album are merely competent and often meandering. Yorke is better off with traditional song structures, displayed in several eerie psych rock tracks and especially as he offers a few gorgeous examples of his trademark: falsetto tearjerkers. However, outside of those moments of clarity, the soundtrack provides menacing atmosphere and little more.
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Standout tracks: “Unmade,” “The Universe Is Indifferent,” “Suspirium Finale”
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6/10
Julia Holter - Aviary
October 26, 2018
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Progressive pop
Aviary is a sprawling work, spanning an hour and a half and filled to the brim with chamber pop cacophony, esoteric literary references, and emotional release. Despite its long runtime, the album never lets up its maximalist intensity. This is an album that questions what it means to create “experimental” commercial music. Julia Holter has described the record as a playful and cathartic, stating that she believes art does not need a message, yet, the careful complexity of the lyrics and composition is clearly intentional. The album is not avant-garde for its own sake, either; as soon as the listener suspects as such, a soaring melody emerges to pull them back in. Each song is a lush world of its own. Holter has hit a sweet spot with Aviary, crafting an album that stands up as pure expression just as well as it reflects the noisy context of the world.
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Standout tracks: “Voce Simul,” “I Shall Love 2,” “Les Jeux To You,” “Words I Heard”
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7/10
Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
October 26, 2018
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Noise rock
Previous releases from noise/industrial outfit Daughters were brief, fast, and hard, but their first album in eight years draws out their sound, aiming to create an agonizing slow burn. With wailing vocals, tribalistic percussion, and growling guitars, You Won’t Get What You Want is certainly heavy, but some attention is diverted to atmosphere, which is moderately successful. I enjoy portions of this solid album, but ultimately find it unremarkable. Harsh, punishing rock music is nothing novel in itself, and the songs here are not well-written or diverse enough to make the album’s messages of urgency and bleakness convincing.
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Standout tracks: “Long Road, No Turns,” “Daughter,” “Guest House”
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7/10
Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'N' Place
October 1, 2018
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Dream pop, noise pop, twee
After their sunny, cutesy electropop made them an internet sensation, KKB kicked off the year with the release of TOTEP, an excellent EP which signaled a new direction for the group. Its four songs retained KKB’s sweet melodies and earnest lyrics but marked a shift to a guitar-driven indie-rock style, incorporating glitchy experimentation and lacking the occasional Japanese lines of their previous work. Playing on themes of loss of innocence and degradation, this album is a full-length exploration of the ideas presented on TOTEP. Time ‘N’ Place is not as consistently compelling as its concise cousin, but the juxtaposition of sugary songwriting with existential topics and noise elements is a proven formula, working especially well for such an innocent-sounding group. This release creates a unique, dreamy atmosphere brimming with infectious moments.
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Standout tracks: “Only Acting,” “Flyway,” “Make Believe”
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8/10
Tim Hecker - Konoyo
September 28, 2018
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Ambient, drone, electroacoustic
Ambient composer Tim Hecker’s latest album combines his electronic style with imperial Japanese court music, called gagaku, to create dissonant and dizzying soundscapes. This synthesis results in a majestic, shimmering atmosphere of desolate and boundless drone music. The tumult permeating the record makes for a thrilling, thought-provoking experience, but it also leaves little for the listener to latch on to. This release is both formless and imposing, with its moments of beauty subverted and dissipated before they can put the listener at ease. These are not necessarily weaknesses, and Konoyo is thoroughly interesting, if liminal and only sometimes appealing.
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Standout tracks: “This Life,” “In Death Valley,” “In Mother Earth Phase”
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5/10
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Lil Wayne - Tha Carter V
September 28, 2018
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Hip-hop, trap, pop rap
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A return to the spotlight that Lil Wayne fans have waited five years for after a series of delays, this album responds to high expectations by being just about as middle-of-the-road as possible, unlikely to disappoint but seldom inventive. Wayne raps well, writes soundly, and covers a wide variety of styles without compromising his personal vision. What holds this release back from a slightly more positive rating is not poor performance, but Wayne’s decision to fill the run time of a full-length movie with unremarkable songs. He appears to flirt with attempting a storytelling epic without committing, the result being a record that is enjoyable and triumphant but utterly hodge-podge.
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Standout tracks: “Don’t Cry,” “Mona Lisa,” “Let It All Work Out”
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3/10
Milo - Budding Ornithologists are Weary of Tired Analogies
September 21, 2018
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Abstract hip-hop, jazz rap
In what is apparently his last release under the Milo moniker, Wisconsin rapper Rory Ferreira delivers with a continuation of his chilled-out, verbose style. Witty and confident, Ferreira raps as if he’s reading a thesaurus, usually managing to make this sound more clever than pseudo-intellectual. The jazzy production here also leaves a positive impression. However, as Ferreira himself admitted upon the album’s release, Budding Ornithologists… is a freeform take on the Milo sound, which shows little progression from his later work and sometimes leaves the record without direction or coherence. This album is worthwhile but offers nothing that Ferreira hasn’t previously proven himself capable of.
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Standout tracks: “Mythbuilding Exercise No. 9,” “Stet,” “Sanssouci Palace (4 Years Later)”
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6/10
Noname - Room 25
September 14, 2018
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Hip-hop, jazz rap, soul
Soothing and understated, this album is built to sound effortless. However, as welcoming as Noname’s contemplative, almost spoken-word verses and laid-back grooves are, the album’s energy is inconsistent, and it fails to pack a punch. Noname is a charismatic emcee, displaying imagination and insight throughout this release; sadly, the music here is held back by a lack of dimensionality. Room 25 is perfectly pleasant but missing the substance that could make it something more.
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Standout tracks: “Self,” “Blaxploitation,” “Regal”
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6/10
Paul McCartney - Egypt Station
September 7, 2018
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Pop/rock
On his eighteenth solo studio album, Paul McCartney’s pop pastiche proves just as much that he’s “still got it” as that his dynamic glory days are long over. For avid fans, or anyone hungry for even more output from the prolific songwriter, there is plenty here to enjoy. Aside from an embarrassing hit-making attempt or two, this album consists of inoffensive, occasionally kitschy pop-rock; a bit much, perhaps, as it pushes an hour in length. This is yet another victory lap for Sir Paul, notable only because it’s his.
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Standout tracks: “I Don’t Know,” “Back in Brazil, “Hunt You Down/Naked/C-Link”
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3/10
Yves Tumor - Safe in the Hands of Love
September 5, 2018
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Art pop, post-industrial
Though dissonance abounds on this release from Yves Tumor, it takes a backseat on this surprisingly accessible pop album. Propulsive beats, washes of searing distortion, and dreamy samples are infused into what could otherwise pass for R&B, if off-kilter. The result is urgently emotional. Throughout the album, it is unclear if Tumor’s frenetic delivery is meant to come off as primal or futuristic, teetering as well between anguish and ecstasy. Tension is built as the cacophony sounds trapped, desperately trying to claw its way out. Enigmatic, but not esoteric, this is a successful release.
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Standout tracks: “Noid,” “Licking an Orchid,” “Let the Lioness in You Flow Freely”
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7/10
Low - Double Negative
September 5, 2018
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Alternative rock, ambient pop
Joining the legion of established alternative rock bands who’ve released an electronic-based album out of nowhere, Low emerges here with a slow-burning statement piece. The album begins by plunging the listener into pummeling distortion, a noisy desolation which occasionally lets up to allow shimmering moments of beauty to shine through. Expansive to the point of near-formlessness, this release opens up over multiple listens, revealing an infectious and original sound from Low.
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Standout tracks: “Always Up,” “Always Trying to Work It Out,” “Dancing and Fire”
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6/10
Idles - Joy as an Act of Resistance
August 31, 2018
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Punk rock, post-punk, noise rock
“Punk’s not dead!” – Dr. Pamela Francis
(It is, however, a very limited form and has been done many times over; there is little left for a traditional punk album to invent in 2018. This isn’t helped by on-the-nose protest song cliché in the lyrics. Still, this release is raw, sardonic, and fun.)
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Standout tracks: “Colossus,” “Never Fight A Man with A Perm,” “Danny Nedelko”
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7/10
Eminem - Kamikaze
August 31, 2018
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Hip-hop
Heralded by some as a return to form—a welcome prospect from one of the greatest rappers of our time—this release instead leaves me empty. On one hand, late-career reenergization is rare, and Eminem’s aggression is appreciated as his fantastic flow does not falter. Still, his messages and many of his hooks are often tasteless and come off as resentful grabs at relevancy. Eminem can rap circles around anyone, but he doesn’t seem to have much to say.
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Standout tracks: “The Ringer,” “Lucky You,” “Good Guy”
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1/10
Mistki - Be the Cowboy
August 17, 2018
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Indie pop/rock
Mitski has abandoned the lo-fi approach of her past work for lush instrumentation. Although the production has changed, Mitski’s strengths—her frank, angsty tone and her melodic sensibilities—remain the same. Her songwriting rarely falters, making this series of maximalist pop vignettes enjoyable from start to finish. However, such an ambitious, intentional sound needs room to unfurl, and short song lengths undercut such resonance on this release. Brevity worked well when she wielded a grittier, apprehensive mood, but Mitski goes for a confident affect here, which her ideas are often not developed enough to support. This is her most inspired work, but previous albums came together as more accomplished.
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Standout tracks: “Geyser,” “A Pearl,” “Nobody”
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6/10
Animal Collective - Tangerine Reef
August 17, 2018
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Ambient, psychedelic, indie pop
This project accompanies videography by Coral Morphologic, released with the intention of raising conservation awareness. Animal Collective ventures full-on into ambient, not far removed from the sound-scaping occasionally incorporated into their previous music. The result comes off as directionless, with awkward, meandering instrumental motifs and vocals that lack the grace to glide within the mix as intended. A style as formless as ambient requires vision and progression to tie itself together, which this release lacks, causing it to overstay its welcome. Interesting, but inessential.
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Standout tracks: “Jake and Me,” “Hip Sponge,” “Best of Times (Worst of All)”
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3/10