musicisntgoodtbh

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Grado SR60x Review

Sound

Highly detailed, bright, lively, sparkly and energetic are words that immediately come to mind when describing the SR60x’s tonal characteristics. The Grado house sound is one that is iconic and historic. A shimmery and bright treble extension with a mid-bass bump and recessed sub-bass make the headphones incredibly unique tuning wise. The SR60x’s are punchy, tight and in your face headphones. This tuning is especially suited towards rock, folk, and jazz. This is especially evident when listening to rock music where the SR60x’s make electric guitars roar and drums pound. For instance, the Velvet Underground’s “Foggy Notion” is phenomenal. Excellent instrument separation between the guitars of the left and right allow every single note to be heard clearly and really show-off the interplay between the instruments. Drums are driving and snappy with an exceptionally fast attack and decay. Another fantastic instance of the Grado’s ability to bring rock music to life is “My Cherry is in Sherry” by Ludus. An absolute cacophony of guitar and drum syncopation for the intro are handled exceptionally by the Grado’s. The SR60x’s perfect timing on each guitar note and each drum hit creates a feeling much akin to an incredibly well-practiced live band. The bass guitar is round, thumping and prevalent without ever being overpowering. Female vocals shine especially well on the SR60x’s. “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” by Ella Fitzgerald was an experience to say the least. So incredibly smooth and natural sounding. The warmth of the song perfectly balances out the Grado’s bright nature. Fitzgerald’s voice is gorgeous and incredibly nuanced. Detail retrieval is fantastic. For instance the sound of Ella Fitzgerald’s quick and shallow breaths before a new vocal phrase all throughout “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” is an  entirely new detail I never noticed before. Bravo!

Soundstage wise the SR60’s are wide. Certainly the widest headphones I have ever heard at least. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has always been a go-to song to test soundstage and the SR60x’s handle the track with ease and finesse. The separation between synths, percussion, vocals, and sound effects create an incredibly lush and dense atmosphere.

To address the infamous Grado treble I haven’t had any instances of piercing or sharp treble yet and I doubt I will considering I’ve used these obsessively the last week putting it through its paces with a wide range of genres. Yes, the treble is the emphasis on this headphone and the bass is less pronounced but this is nearly never a problem EXCEPT with one genre. That genre is rap music. The lack of sub-bass really leaves a lot to be wanted when listening to the genre. For instance, Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” was dull and boring. The 808 bass still is very much there but sounds rather anemic and thin. The track sounded quite lifeless to be honest. Thankfully, this isn’t the case for every rap song played on the SR60x’s. Gunna’s “Who You Foolin” sounded exceptional. The booming 808 bass meshes perfectly with the treble-heavy sample and Gunna’s vocal performance creating a wonderfully balanced experience.

Comfort

Unfortunately, the SR60x’s aren't very comfortable. The comfort isn’t abysmal but it  isn’t good either. The stock pads are quite honestly awful. A simple fix however are Yaxi Pads increasing overall comfortability by a landslide. The headband is also quite tight but can be easily remedied by bending the steel band outwards creating a looser fit. With these two changes the SR60x’s become much more suitable for long listening sessions. I listened to these for around 3-7 hours daily and honestly I never felt any sort of discomfort except for maybe past the 6 hour mark where I felt a light fatigue.

Build

The SR60’s are nearly all plastic and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. They do feel a little cheap in hand but I doubt they would ever break given proper care. I think they’re similar to the Sennheiser HD25’s in this regard. Cheap feeling but built to last is how I feel. I’d like to see more metal or at least higher quality plastic but at the sub $150 price point I can’t be asking for too much. 

TLDR:

The Grado SR60x’s are fun, lively, energetic, tight, and fast headphones. They are in your face and excel at making guitars, drums, and vocals sound great. They are incredibly clear and detailed. Comfort is mediocre but can be good if you upgrade the stock pads and bend the 

headband slightly. Build is plastic but seems to be well-made and durable. If you’re looking for a headphone that’s unique, fun, and storied this is it.

VERDICT: 9/10

I really do love these things. An absolute blast to listen to and at only $139 how could you go wrong?

Standout Tracks

Foggy Notion - The Velvet Underground

My Cherry is in Sherry - Ludus

Who You Foolin’ - Gunna

America the Beautiful - Ray Charles

About Time You Came to Me - Jay Jayle

Sweet Blindness - Laura Nyro

La Fiesta - Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade

Lonely Comin’ Down - Dolly Parton

Spring Can Really Hang You Up - Ella Fitzgerald

Sometimes - My Bloody Valentine

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The 5 worst and the 5 best that 2020 had the offer

The Worst

5. Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou: - May Our Chambers Be Full

4. Playboi Carti - Whole Lotta Red

3. Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open

2. A.G Cook - 7G

1.Eminem - Music to be Murdered By

The Best

5. Makaya McCraven/Gil-Scott-Heron - Were New Again

4. Charli XCX - How I’m Feeling Now

3. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo

2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

1. clipping. - Visions of Bodies Being Burned

Honourable Mentions:

21 Savage & Metro Boomin - Savage Mode II

Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure

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Best of 2020: Songs

The ten best from 2020. 

10. Pain Everyday - clipping. 

9.  The Raven - Destroyer 

8.  Dreary Nonsense - Thee Oh Sees 

7.  Hoax - Taylor Swift

6.  God is Perfect - Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist 

5.  What’s Your Pleasure? - Jessie Ware 

4. party 4 u - Charli XCX

3.  New York is Killing Me - Gil Scott-Heron, Makaya McCraven

2.  Say the Name - clipping. 

1.  Shameika - Fiona Apple

Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2GoMn18gKi984WlQ0GIzSZ?si=kk-DvDrRR0y0_cWIR0hoGQ

Honourable Mentions:

If Loving You is Wrong - Against all Logic

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Various thoughts on various albums #1

I’ve been quite bored with the writing I’ve done lately, which essentially boils down to dissections and reflections on a multitude of different psychology papers. In efforts to keep creatively sane I’ll be writing these short reflections on albums I’ve been listening to lately.

Taylor Swift - Evermore

This album feels more or less like Folklore B-sides in terms of quality and depth. I read a review the other day discussing Swift’s frequent abuse of the simile and metaphor and it’s something I can’t rid my mind of. Many of the times I feel Swift gets caught up in obscuring meaning through simile. Perhaps it works and does add emotional depth to many of her songs but I suspect that much of the emotional disconnect I have with her is a result of this abuse of the figurative tool. Back to Evermore, it really does seem like these are songs that never made Folklore. The songwriting is significantly weaker, the songs are too samey to hold any of my interest for an entire hour of the album’s runtime and the emotional potency that its sister album often offers isn’t up quite there as well. It doesn’t help that I abhor the National and Bon Iver who both make features on the record.

The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You

My goodness, what a train-wreck. Cramming twenty-five songs in an hour and 11 minutes is absolutely unjustifiable for an album of this quality. The main issues I had with Wildflower are on this record but to an even larger extent. That is The Avalanches have lost all of their charm. The sonic textures, the incredible mastery of the sample as a production tool, the seamless transitions, the turntablism, the personality and grit have all gone. We Will Always Love You feels so sterile, so unimaginative, so unadventurous and devoid of personality that it is absolutely not worth paying attention to. Rather than focusing on the creative and infinite possibilities that sample manipulation offers, the entire album utilizes samples as a sonic background rather than a foreground. This is the main issue I have with the album, it really just seems like The Avalanches felt like making a “nostalgic-sounding pop album” and invited a plethora of artists hoping it would make up for the lacking quality of the song compositions. The Roches and Carpenters samples made me smile though

Pylon - Gyrate

Bloody brilliant! It’s crazy to think just how many fantastic bands came out of small-town Athens, Georgia. R.E.M, The B-52s, Of Montreal just to start. But Pylon was one that I hadn’t heard of. Their debut album, Gyrate, is an energetic, angular, and strangely danceable collection of post-punk and new-wave tunes. Not only is the band absolutely tight but the vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay is phenomenal. Her often unintelligible growls and shouts are abrasive and brash. With this abrasiveness in mind it is amazing how well she keeps a clear and melodic nature over the performance. This is especially evident on the song Precaution. The band just oozes confidence and energy and they aren’t afraid of what you think. At the same time they don’t shy away from creating grooves that are infuriatingly infectious and dance-able that you can’t help but move your head. Songs like Volume, Weather Radio, and Danger exemplify this dance-punk stance that the band often takes. What a shame they never got the recognition of their contemporaries. 

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A Reflection on The Langley Schools Music Project

Innocence & Despair, the only album by Langley Schools Music Project is a record that in concept I am absolutely enamoured by but cannot blindly praise like many of the fanatics of this cult-classic collection of pop tunes. However fascinating the story is behind the record, flaws in execution and occasionally poor song-choice really hold this album back from shining and possibly even from attaining much greater cultural significance in the scope of “outsider music”.

It's the summer of 1977 and first time music teacher Hans Fenger has gathered elementary school students from four different schools in Langley, British Columbia to record and perform an album of classic pop covers ranging from the Beach Boys to David Bowie in a boiling hot school gym. Armed with nothing but a few microphones, a guitar, a piano, a raggedy school drum-set and a choir of young students the recording was finished in a single day and recorded directly to tape. No mixing, no mastering, no post-production, none of that. Simply microphones straight to tape and then shortly after pressed onto vinyl, where around 200 were made as keepsakes for the families of students who participated.

Come 2001 record collector Brian Linds finds the record in a thrift-store and is absolutely enthralled by his find. Linds, being enthusiastically fascinated by the album tracked down and contacted Fenger with the proposal of finding a record label to reissue the album.  Shortly after, label Bar/None reissued the album to much critical acclaim, even winning reissue of the year from a multitude of different publications. 

Now that’s a story for an album that any music lover would fall head-over-heels for. And, frankly put, so did I. And does it succeed in delivering the hype that such a story would conjure? Yes, to an extent! The album is absolutely strange and profound for the most part. See, this isn’t a collection of children singing “Mary had a Little Lamb” or “Jingle Bells”, but a collection of songs often loaded with complex emotional concepts that are simply jarring to hear coming from children. Fenger has even noted this himself, 

“I never liked conventional 'children's music,' which is condescending and ignores the reality of children's lives, which can be dark and scary. These children hated 'cute.' They cherished songs that evoked loneliness and sadness”. 

This loneliness and sadness is especially evident and potent in the covers of “Desperado” and “The Long and Winding Road” where a single student sings accompanied by nothing more than a piano. However cheesy and cliche the subject matter of these covers are, the student still does an unimaginably fantastic job at selling the idea that she herself has experienced the situations that the song lyrics ensue. And that is weird. It really is weird and not just weird, but jarring. I suspect that this phenomenon of musical whiplash is caused by the interaction between the often mature nature of the song and the innocence expressed by the youthful voices. Another example of this strange phenomenon is on “Mandy”. Jesus, is it strange hearing a choir of kids sing this one.  That’s where this album really shines, the strange juxtaposition between youthful innocence and mature desolation is surreal and quite simply put, profound. 

But how do the more up-beat and choir focused songs such as David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ hold up? Well, this is where the record occasionally suffers. Frankly put, I don’t care for any cover of “Sweet Caroline” no matter how special the context. And this doesn’t just go for Neil Diamonds’ suburban mom classic but also for the covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon”, Paul McCartneys’ “Band on the Run”, and many others. However, I can occasionally excuse the often sloppy playing and poor-song choice on the band-focused tunes when Fenger’s arrangements shine. This is especially evident on ‘Space Oddity’ where dynamics and composition are not taken lightly in the slightest. I really do applaud Fenger for pulling this one off, and pulling it off well. The only gripe I have with this one is the drummer who seems to be absolutely pissed at his crash cymbal and hits the damn thing like his life depended on it. Harmonies on the Beach Boys classic “Good Vibrations” are great. The students have a clear knack for dynamics and harmony and this is especially evident here. 

I’m quite lazy to end this review properly. So I’ll simply state, for the handful of poor song-choices Fenger makes and the often poor playing, it still is special. It’s not groundbreaking, it’s not well-engineered, there aren’t any crazy feats of vocal talent, and there is no instrumental virtuosity, but still, it is special. It captures youth and the often complex emotions that accompany it perfectly. For all the loneliness the album often portrays it balances this desolation with songs of hope and inspiration. It’s not just one sugary optimistic pop tune after the other, but rather an emotionally diverse blend of songs.  Innocence and Despair is a freeze-frame of youth and demands the listener to not only take these kids seriously but also to view them as emotionally complex individuals. 

7/10

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Ambitious and Abstract; Julia Holter’s Aviary

Holter has always been an artist that has garnered my utmost respect. In terms of musicality, arrangement, and sound design. She has continued to awe and inspire over and over again. Holter’s previous effort Have You in My Wilderness was a soaring success of an album that brilliantly and seamlessly blended aspects of dream, chamber and baroque pop. While Have You in My Wilderness showcased Holter’s highly refined and lush pop sensibilities, her next project, Aviary would take a complete 180, once again returning to her experimental roots.

First and foremost, Aviary is a long, challenging and patience-testing album. At a run time of almost 90 minutes, the listening process feels almost impenetrable as Holter takes us on a sonic journey that is incomprehensible in nature but beautiful by design.

Turn the Light On, begins our journey with buzzing, cacophonous and tense instrumentation both grand and epic in proportion. Holter’s voice soars through the chaos and unrestful tension of the string instruments. A beautiful display of Holter’s understanding of tension and release. The track is designed as one ever-building crescendo. It is pure sonic bliss.

Chaitius is a piece split into three segments. The first third exquisitely showcases Holter’s knack for classical music. The piece is beautifully arranged and orchestrated with lush string instrumentation. Abruptly it turns to a spoken word-esque piece where Holter repeats the word “joy” as her voice is drenched in reverb and delay. The sound can only be described as glitch-like and abstract. The phrase “Open my wings with joy” smoothly transitions into the final portion of the song where Holter’s voice is heavily layered erupting into a gorgeous crescendo.

Tracks like Voce Simul, Another Dream, Colligere, In Gardens Muteness, I Would Rather See perfectly encapsulate the sonic aesthetic of the album. The tracks feel shrouded in mystery and distant yet still feel relatable, warm and most importantly, human. Holter’s vocal performances are incredibly alluring and often strange, sometimes reminiscent of Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins.

Everyday is an Emergency begins as a flurrying assault of sound. The instrumentation is shrill, sharp and incredibly tense as strings, wind instruments, and vocals drone with almost no end in sight. Picture yourself in an Aviary, surrounded by hundreds of birds chirping, singing, and screeching, with no sense of cohesion. The first half of the song is just that and is complete sonic assault and chaos. At around the halfway point, the drone gives out transforming into a melancholic and dark ballad. The lyrics are esoteric and Holter’s solemn vocal delivery gives the track a strange sense of urgency and seriousness.

The lead single, I Shall Love 2, is an awe-inspiring display of Holter’s musical talents. The song is subtle in its beauty and demands a careful ear. The buildup is slow but incredibly rewarding. The crescendo bursts into a tornado of sounds as Holter sincerely repeats the phrase “I shall love” accompanied by layers upon layers of instruments and vocals. The track is simply put, beautiful. It’s accompanying song I Shall Love is a grandiose spiritual successor. It begins dense and engulfs the listener with a wall of sound, the thundering double bass is front and center in the mix with Holter chanting “I shall love” in the background, choir-like in nature. Horns can be heard in the back of the mix, adding onto the already plentiful mix of sounds. Powerful and glistening, I Shall Love shines through like a light beaming from the heavens.

Concluding the album is Why Sad Song; a track Holter has had in her backlog for years but has never gotten a formal release. Beginning as an ambient piece it blossoms into a calming and entrancing ballad. One of the more straightforward selections from the album, Holter’s somber vocal delivery releases all the tension the album has built and is the perfect resolution to our sonic journey.

Aviary is a master class in chamber pop and progressive pop music. It is lush, dense, horrifying and beautiful. Aviary is Holter’s definitive magnum opus.

9/10

Photo by Dicky Bahto

#julia holter #aviary #music #music review #pop #dream pop #Experimental #chamber pop #indie #opinion #review #2018 #albums of 2018 #best of 2018 #music critic

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Revisiting Joanna Newsom’s Have One On Me

The first time I heard Ys, I thought, “Well what a colossal waste of time”. Gimmicky, pompous, and forgettable were words that sprang to mind. However, it had a strange allure. I was drawn by the cover art and the idea of a singer-songwriter armed with nothing but a harp. Part of me thought, “Let’s give it another shot”. By the fourth listen I was absolutely enthralled and quite frankly, amazed at the poetic extravagance that was Ys. It’s arrangements, it’s twisting song structures, it’s rhyme schemes, the metaphors, the allusions, the allegory, the imagery. It was a poetic and grandiose work of art. Have One On Me was my next stop in her discography.

Expecting a spiritual successor to Ys, I was let down by Have On Me during the first few initial listens. It was plain, stripped back of instrumentation, and most of the times linear. I was a little confused, a little disappointed and honestly a little bored. I felt as if the magic of Ys was nowhere to be found on the album. I eventually came around to enjoying the album, but nowhere near as Ys. Have One On Me seemed dull and straightforward in comparison.

I first heard Have One On Me in 2015. It has sat with me all these years as a good album, but not a great one, and certainly not an album that could match Ys. Last night, that opinion changed. After 3 years the album had finally clicked with me. I was stunned and teary-eyed. I realized that Have One On Me does not serve as the successor to Ys, it serves as the direct opposite. Have One On Me is the anti-Ys if you will. It took all of what made Ys great and took it away. Have One On Me trades Ys’ extravagance for modesty, it trades intricacy for simplicity, and it trades fantasy for reality.

Joanna’s voice has nowhere to hide in the mix. Often it is simply her and her harp or her and her piano. Her voice and tone changed significantly in the 4 years between Ys and Have One On Me. It is much more mature to put it plainly. Her words ring out with a sense of truthfulness and honesty. Her voice is solemn and serious. The fantastical bellows of her voice found throughout Ys are still present but much less so. Joanna’s vocal maturity on Have One On Me is what makes its stories so potent. Her voice is raw and her words are simple but beautiful.

Arrangement wise, Have One On Me is often straightforward. The twists and turns in song structure from Ys, have mostly gone. Its instrumentation is less grand as well. Most of the time you have Joanna’s vocals accompanied by either piano or harp, only to be slightly embellished by backing instruments. However, this lack of instrumentation contributes to what makes Have One On Me so emotionally potent. Being stripped back of extravagant instrumentation gives Joanna’s voice the spotlight. Whenever there are extra instruments, it often signals a change in passage. Backing instrument’s don’t distract from her voice but rather support and cradle her words. In the case of Have One On Me, less is more. If Ys is going to a large and extravagant party on a Friday night, then Have One On Me is staying at home and drinking a glass of wine with a loved one.

All in all, Have One On Me marks an important transition in Joanna Newsom’s discography. It marks the transition from girlhood to womanhood. It take’s life’s simple pleasures and pains and exemplifies them without cliche. It tell’s stories of heartbreak and love, often hidden in metaphor and simile. Have One On Me is Joanna Newsom’s definitive magnum opus, undeniably a timeless work of art. It is raw, personal, emotional, poetic, and simple yet complex. It is a woman with her piano and her harp. 

#music #opinion #Have One On Me #Joanna Newsom #thoughts #Folk #singer songwriter

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Top 50 Songs of 2016

Starting off upcoming list is my favourite 50 songs of 2016. Here is a playlist with those songs except for the select few that do not have youtube videos. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgPYrQH2lZ6fWSm8As6mmNK38Wz3bXnpf

1.        Blue Frank:Pink Room- Xiu Xiu (10)

2.        Sapho- Frankie Cosmos (9.7)

3.        Taman Shud- The Drones (9.6)

4.        Fever- Carly Rae Jepsen (9.6)

5.        Good House- Deakin (9.5)

6.        Plastic Plant- Thee Oh Sees (9.3)

7.        Wyclef Jean- Young Thug (9.3)

8.        Lipslap- Kero Kero Bonito (9.2)

9.        Floated In- Frankie Cosmos (9.2)

10.     Dead Man's Gun- Thee Oh Sees (9.1)

11.     Falling- Xiu Xiu (9)

12.     Big City- Kero Kero Bonito (9)

13.     The Glowing Man- Swans (9)

14.     Untitled 3- Kendrick Lamar (9)

15.     BB Poison- Death Grips (9)

16.     Fool- Frankie Cosmos (9)

17.     Robot Stop- King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard (9)

18.     It Means I Love You- Jessy Lanza (9)

19.     My Body's made of crushed little Stars- Mitski (9)

20.     Give It Up- Angel Olsen (9)

21.     Whateva Will Be- ATCQ (9)

22.     Small Bill$- Regina Spektor (9)

23.     Ice Cream- Veronica (9)

24.     Ice Cream- Plastic (8.9)

25.     Unforgiving girl- Car Seat Headrest (8.9)

26.     Shut up Kiss Me- Angel Olsen (8.9)

27.     Eh- Death Grips (8.8)

28.     Pneumonia- Danny brown (8.8)

29.     Solid Wall of Sound- ATCQ (8.8)

30.     Summer Elaine and Drunk Dory- Weezer (8.7)

31.     VV Violence- Jessy Lanza (8.7)

32.     A Loving Feeling- Mitski (8.7)

33.     Magnificent Stubble- Venetian Snares (8.6)

34.     Gamma Knife- King Gizzard Lizard Wizard (8.6)

35.     Wolves- Kanye West (8.6)

36.     Breakfast Eggs- Ty Segall (8.5)

37.     Golden Chords- Deakin (8.5)

38.     Laura Palmer's Theme- Xiu Xiu (8.5)

39.     L.A Girlz- Weezer (8.5)

40.     Fireworks- Mitski (8.5)

41.     Do You Wanna get High- Weezer (8.4)

42.     Grand Hotel- Regina Spektor (8.4)

43.     The Ballad of  Costa Concordia- Car Seat Headrest (8.3)

44.     Subways- The Avalanches (8.3)

45.     When It Rain- Danny Brown (8.3)

46.     Slime Shit- Young Thug (8.2)

47.     Chinchou/Melon Lantern Girl's Choir- Iglooghost (8.1)

48.     Hungry- White Lung (8.1)

49.     Body Language- Carly Rae Jepsen (7.9)

50.     Laser Gun- M83 (7.8)

#Music #Music Review #Music List #Top of 2016 #Best of 2016 #Pop #Rock #Rap #Hiphop #Experimental #Review #Electronic #Reviewer #Death Grips #Xiu Xiu #Frankie Cosmos #Carly Rae Jepsen #Young Thug #Best Songs #Great shit #listen to this #AHHH #rock music #Anthony Fantano but better #anthony fantano

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Ice Cream- Love, Ice Cream (Review)

Ice Cream is a Toronto post punk/new wave duo. My first exposure to them was at the Red Bull Sound Select show that I attended recently. To be quite honest I was mostly there to see Xiu Xiu and didn't do any research on the other three artists beforehand, one of those groups being Ice Cream. Oh man was I up for a pleasant surprise when Ice Cream went up on stage. Now , let's get to that album review.

Running at around 26 minutes Ice Cream’s debut titled Love, Ice Cream impressively showcases the dark and cold sonic aesthetic of the duo without being overblown or being unnecessarily long. Many of the songs in the project contain very hypnotic, calculated and repetitive bass grooves with ominous and mysterious synth's that often sound like police sirens. The first track, Plastic , is a great example of this and makes for a very laid back, catchy tune. The subject matter on many of these tracks are abstract and leave a lot to be interpreted yet still feel very dark, industrial and somewhat eery. Lyrics like "Oh, baby you don't know how good a little plastic tastes" on Plastic and "Let me lay my head to rest between your pretty plastic breast" on Veronica really stood out to me and added an industrial vibe to the whole project. Many of the vocals are delivered in a cold manner as the vocalist sings out in a calm and collected manner. Another stand out track for me on this project was the instrumental cut titled BP. It's bass riff is incredibly hypnotic as the bassists incorporates a wah pedal to add a human like tone to the bass. The synth's often blare like sirens which help to create a sense of uncertainty and dread within the song blending perfectly with the bass. Though the project does excel at creating dark, gloomy tracks it also does quite well when it comes to the more upbeat and happier sounding tracks like Dress Me Up and Fired Up. Dress Me Up closes the album perfectly and ends it off on a sweet note. The big selling point of this album for me would have to be the sonic cohesion and unique aesthetic. All the tracks blend in perfectly with one another and not one song feels out of place. With its unique sound, blending the repetitiveness melodies of pop music with dark undertones of post punk.  Just like ice cream, this album is cold, sweet and absolutely addictive.

8/10

Favourite tracks: Plastic, Fired Up, Receiver, Veronica, Material, BP, Dress Me Up

Least Favourite track: Science

Check out their music here: https://soundcloud.com/icecreamband

#music #review #music review #music critic #critic #Ice Cream #post punk #no wave #new wave #Groovy #sick ass basslines #Toronto #Indie #Rad #good shit #dark

[musicisntgoodtbh]

Hinds-Leave Me Alone (Review)

Hinds is an indie/garage rock band hailing from Madrid, Spain. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this album to be quite honest. Their previous singles didn’t really blow my mind but weren’t necessarily bad, just forgettable. 

The song Garden begins with a driving guitar and bass drum groove and slowly evolves with some melodic guitar, which is undeniably fun and catchy. The vocals however sound like what I would describe as a poor copy of Elias Bender Rønnenfelt of Ice Age if he was female and was into pop rock. The following song Fat Palmed Kiddos features some fun vocal melodies with a reverb heavy lead. The vocal melodies and the way the two singers voices interact provide a very interesting contrast in the music and is a large factor in why Hinds can be so enjoyable to listen to. Skipping all the way to the 7th track, Chili Town is another one of those exceptionally catchy and fun songs off Leave Me Alone. Painting a portrait of teenage rebellion, love and the happy-go-lucky nature of many young adults. 

Sadly those are all the nice things I have to say about Leave Me Alone. Every song that I did not mention sadly fails to do anything for me. Songs like Warts, Solar Gap, and Bamboo actually just annoy me. The combination of the rudimentary and amateur playing with the drunkenly-slurred vocals sometimes don’t work at all, creating extremely forgettable and uninteresting songs. The two songs And I Will Send Your Flowers Back and I’ll Be Your Man is Hinds attempting to create meaningful and sincere ballads but fail to do so with extremely one-dimensional playing and boring lyricism. These ballads are as sweet and meaningful as the compliments and drunken texts that you send to your crush on New Years Eve. And if your like me you know those texts and compliments sucked. A lot. 

In Leave Me Alone Hinds proved that they were capable of creating super catchy and exhilarating power pop songs but also shown that their formula and aesthetic soundscape may not work all the time. Moral of the story, don’t flirt with your crush if your intoxicated, it will sound as good as this album and sadly it isn’t very good. 

4/10 

Favourite Tracks: Garden, Fat Palmed Kiddos, Chili Town

Least Favourite Tracks: Warts, And I Will Send Your Flowers Back, I’ll Be Your Man

Further Listening Recommendations: Two- Mac Demarco, Burn Your Fire for No Witness- Angel Olsen, Alvvays- S/T

#Hinds #Leave Me Alone #Music #MusicReview #Review #Critic #MusicCritic #Madrid #Spain #IndieRock #Indie #GarageRock #Jangle #DrunkGirlsSinging #4/10 #Rock #Okay

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Top 25 Albums of 2015

Well, here it is! These are my top 25 favourite albums from 2015. Each of these are absolutely great and I heavily recommend checking them out!

25. Grimes- Art Angels (Pop, Art Pop) 24. Holly Herndon-Platform (Experimental, Electronic) 23. Jlin- Dark Energy (Juke, Footwork) 22. Waxahatchee- Ivy Tripp (Indie Rock) 21. Mike Krol- Turkey (Indie Rock, Garage, Psych) 20. Sharks Are ILL- AP Macroeconomics (Lo-Fi, Folk) 19. Jenny Hval- Apocalypse, Girl (Experimental) 18. Everything Everything- Get to Heaven (Indie Pop, Pop) 17. Neon Indian- VEGA INTL (Chillwave, Pop) 16. Timbre- Sun and Moon (Folk) 15. Spangle Call Lilli Line- Ghost is Dead (Shoegaze, Electronica) 14. The Weather Station-Loyalty (Folk) 13. SOPHIE- PRODUCT (Electronic, PC Music, Pop) 12. Chelsea Wolfe- Abyss (Indie Rock, Sludge, Goth) 11. Oneohtrix Point Never- Garden of Delete (Experimental, Electronic) 10. Ommadon- Empathy for the Wicked (Drone, Sludge) 09. Clarence Clarity- No Now (Neo-Soul) 08. Car Seat Headrest- Teens of Style (Lo-Fi, Indie Rock) 07. Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly (Conscious Rap, Hiphop) 06. AFX- Oprhaned Deejat Selek 2006-2008 (Acid House) 05. The Body and Thou- You Whom I Have Always Hated/Released From Love (Sludge Metal) 04. Death Grips-The Powers That B (Experimental Hip Hop, Noise Rap) 03. Susanne Sundfor- Ten Love Songs (Synth Pop) 02. Joanna Newsom- Divers (Folk, Freak Folk) 01. Julia Holter- Have You In My Wilderness (Art Pop, Chamber Pop)

Honorable Mentions 

Bjork- Vulnicura

Father John Misty- I Love You Honeybear

Alabama Shakes- Sound and Colour

Tame Impala- Currents

Machine Girl- Gemini

Freddie Gibbs- Shadow of A Doubt

Timbre- Sun and Moon

Prurient- Frozen Niagara Falls

Alela Diane and Ryan Francesconi- Cold Moon

Daniel Bachman- River

#Grimes #Holly Herndon #Jlin #Ivy Tripp #Waxahatchee #Mike Krol #ap macroeconomics #jenny hval #Everything Everything #Neon Indian #Timbre #Spangle Call Lilli Line #the weather station #SOPHIE #Chelsea Wolfe #oneohtrix point never #Ommadon #Clarence clarity #Car seat headrest #kendrick lamar #AFX #The Body #Thou #Death Grips #Sussane Sundfor #Joanna Newsom #Julia Holter #Music #best of 2015 #List

[musicisntgoodtbh]

5 Disappointments and 5 Pleasant Surprises from 2015

2015 was definitely a great year for music, tons of great releases and tons that were not so great. Throughout the year there have been many albums that I have impatiently waited for but have disappointed me upon release. Here are five of those albums.

5 Disappointments

5. Ghostface Killa and BadBadNotGood- Sour Soul

4. Toro Y Moi- What For

3. Sunn O)))- Kannon

2. Battles- La Di Da Di

1. Beach House- Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars

From the blandness of Sour Soul to the forgetfulness of La Di Da Di these were five albums that failed to reach my expectations and satisfy my anticipation. Though they are not necessarily bad they were forgetful and fairly boring. I definitely expected much more from each one of these artist.

5 Pleasant Surprises

Fear not! There were also albums that have surprised me in a positive way this year. I wasn’t looking forward to listening to each of these albums and had very low expectations going into them but have impressed me after careful listening.

5. Madeon- Adventure

4. Mac Miller- GOOD:AM

3. Tyler The Creator- Cherry Bomb

2. Grimes- Art Angels

1. Carly Rae Jepsen- EMOTION

These five albums did not necessarily blow my mind but have impressed me enough to look forward to the future releases of these artists.  

#musicof2015 #list #musiclist #carly rae jepsen #grimes #tyler the creator #mac miller #Madeon #beach house #battles #sunn o #badbadnotgood #disappointment #surprises #music #critic #2015 #listweek #albums of 2015

[musicisntgoodtbh]

My Top 50 Tracks of 2015

Well, its that time of the year again, list making time. To start things off here is a list of my 50 favourite songs from 2015. Here is a playlist of those fifty songs except for the select twelve that do not have videos on youtube which are starred *. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgPYrQH2lZ6dNlarfhzNyaUet2UVWzIgU

50. Boys Latin- Panda Bear

49. Some People- Colleen Green

48.  Eugene-Sufjan Stevens

47.  Six Degrees- GFK and BBNG Feat Danny Brown

46.  Smut- Neon Indian

45. Cold Ass Nigga- Freddie Gibbs *

44. Hi-Hannah Diamond

43. Runway A-Death Grips

42. Shy Women- The Weather Station

41. Migration- Alela Diane and Ryan Francesconi

40. Antidote- Travis Scott

39. Leave a Trace- CHVRCHES

38. Inanimate Sensation- Death Grips

37. Erotic Heat- Jlin

36. Bang'n on King Dr- RP Boo

35. Emotion- Carly Rae Jepsen

34. Easily- Grimes*

33. Careless- Freddie Gibbs*

32. Thought It Was A Drought-Future

31. Unknown Tongues- jlin

30. The Blacker the Berry-Kendrick Lamar *

29. We Sleep In Pairs-Everything Everything *

28. Lifes Work- The Weather Station

27. Bagels are ILL- AP Macroeconomics *

26. Floridada-Animal Collective

25. Hapsburg Lippp- Everything Everything

24. Serge Fenix Rendered 2- AFX

23. Song of The Sun-Timbre 

22. Chateuau Lobby #4- Father John Misty

21. Artangels- Grimes *

20. The Glitzy Hive- Neon Indian

19. Dao- Holly Herndon *

18. Sticky Drama-Oneohtrix Point Never

17. Alright-Kendrick Lamar

16. Hard-SOPHIE

15. Miss Understanding- Kamasi Washington

14. Vyzee-SOPIE

13. Feel You- Julia Holter

12. January 10th, 2014- TWIABP

11. Silhouette- Julia Holter

10. Cactuses- Mike Krol *

9. Strangers- Car Seat Headrest

8. Realiti- Grimes

7. Taman Shudd- The Drones

6. Frankie M- Swans *

5. Brought to the Water- Deafheaven

4. Have you in my wilderness- Julia holter

3. Sapokanikan- Joanna Newsom

2. Waltz of the 101st Lightbourne- Joanna Newsom *

1. Sea Calls Me Home- Julia Holter

HONORABLE MENTIONS

These are tracks that I also enjoyed but did not make it onto the list. They are definitely worth checking out!

Nobody Really Cares if You Dont Go To The Party- Courtney Barnett

Weekend- Mac Miller

When You See Me- Computer Magic

Yung Lean- Hoover

Umi- Pinkshinyultrablast

Missy Punk- Machine Girl

FYUP- Vaperror

Brite Boy- AlexG

Your Type- Carly Rae Jepsen

Cirice- Ghost

#music #top50songs #2015 #songs #musicoftheyear #list #musiccritic #opinions #folk #rap #hiphop #indie #pop #rock #footwork #shoegaze #musiclist #topsongs #tracks

[musicisntgoodtbh]

Adele- 25 (Review)

To state it quite honestly, Adele has never really been an artist who has captivated me or has caught my attention. Though I do praise Adele for her powerful and impressive voice I believe that this newest album, titled 25, suffers from the same flaws as its predecessors; uninteresting and melodramatic lyrics coupled with production that is equally as uninteresting.

25 opens with the single titled Hello in which Adele seems to be singing about a relationship that she had in the past. Reminiscing the relationship, Hello revolves around Adele apologizing for her mistakes and her trying to get into contact with this person again. I can not deny that Adele does have an impressive vocal showing on this song but the production on this track feels very underwhelming and ceases to evoke any sense of emotional response from me. Following Hello is a jaunty, upbeat little tune called Send My Love (To Your New Lover) where Adele sings about how her and her ex should grow up and learn how to let go of the things that happened between them in the past. Send My Love is one of the better songs off the album that I find quite catchy, interesting and fun to listen to. I Miss You is a lowlight of this album, Adele attempts to be very passionate on this song but does not succeed due to the very boring and predictable lyrics, c’mon Adele we’ve heard this type of song a billion times before on 21 and 19. Thankfully the following track picks the album back up on its feet, When We Were Young is a very impressive track in all aspects. Strong lyrical themes, perfect singing, and a very satisfying instrumental track. When We Were Young are one of those songs in which Adele can be very emotionally grasping and yet continue singing so powerfully. It is quite a magical experience to say the least, a very nostalgic song touching on a very important man in Adele’s life, with a lonesome bass groove that fits in perfectly with the piano. After this fantastic song is another strong track on the album titled Remedy. Though not as emotionally provocative as When We were young, Remedy is still quite a touching song in which everyone can relate to. Circling the topics of having a friend to lean on in a time of pain and darkness Remedy is quite the comforting song reassuring that everything will be alright. Sadly the album takes a large dip in quality after this song. The songs Water Under the Bridge, River Lea, Love in the Dark, Million Years Ago, and All I Ask all fail to tease an emotional response from me or even leave any sort of impression. However, Adele manages to end the album on a high note. The closing track Sweetest Devotion is another fantastic track, and also the most instrumentally diverse on this album. A fun and soulful song with a good selection of instruments, vocal layering and masterful production prove that Adele can make these types of songs which I would love to see more of. 

25 like 21 and 19 is a collection of sad, personal and intimate songs in which Adele attempts to pour out all of her emotions and feelings within. 25, being my favourite Adele album, teases me into believing that Adele could create a soulful, powerful, and emotionally jarring album sometime in the future. As Adele says on Send My Love, “ We both know we ain’t kids no more”. 

Favourite Songs: Send My Love, When We Were Young, Remedy, Sweetest Devotion

Least Favourite Songs: everything else.

6/10

#adele #adele 25 #Music review #music critic #pop music #hello #musiof2015 #6/10 #25

[musicisntgoodtbh]

Oneohtrix Point Never-Garden Of Delete (Review)

Daniel Lopatin as a musician has always intrigued me, his approaches to music, sound, and texture have been a key point in keeping my interest throughout the years. Active since 2007, Daniel Lopatin has many projects and aliases under his belt, from the vaporwave album Ecco Jams Vol 1 as Chuck Person to the ambient projects like Replica and R Plus Seven as Oneohtrix Point Never. 

Heading into this album I had very high expectations, due to the excellent singles like Mutant Standard, Sticky Drama, and I Bite Through It and due to the fact that I enjoyed his previous album R Plus Seven so much. Anticipating the album’s release I continuously pondered on how Lopatin would pull off a refreshing yet still very pleasing listen. Gladly enough Lopatin delivered with yet another fantastic album filled with synths, glitches and bleeps and bloops alike. Starting this album we have the introduction which is essentially voice samples of laughter continuously being pitched up and down, creating a very strange, creepy and cinematic tone that will be carried throughout the album. Ezra follows the intro with more vocal samples fluctuating in pitch to match the synthesizer, the song continues to grow and grow coupled with rapid fire synths that sound like they were taken straight from a “shoot em up” arcade game. Ezra continues to grow with Flying Lotus-esque upright bass grooves which sound very pleasant and crisp. After Ezra is the track titled ECCOJAMC1 which is a clever little reference to one of Loptain’s previous project’s as Chuck Person. Unsurprisingly tipping his hat to his vaporwave album Ecco Jams Vol 1 which has become somewhat of a phenomenon recently. Another highlight of the album follows ECCOJAMC1, the song titled Sticky Drama, which I might add is one of my favourite singles of the year, is a very strange and fun tune. On Sticky Drama, Lopatin employs some very raspy, glitchy, and unique synths coupled with his manipulations of what seems to be a human voice, making a very enjoyable and refreshing listen. At this point I realized that Lopatin was evolving as a musician, Garden of Delete being his least ambient album yet showcases his skill and willingness to experiment even further. Another highlight of this album has to be the track titled I Bite Through It featuring even more glitchy sounds and synth melodies that slowly builds up. Climaxing with a constant barrage of synth noises and then quickly teasing the listener into its resolve then yet again returns to barrage with synthesizers. Freaky Eyes starts off innocently as an ambient piece but heavily evolves during its six minute run time. Some very eery and spooky synthesizers builds up the track leading it into the very strange vocal samples that last a few seconds then continues back into its synthesizer grooves. Concluding the album is the track No Good which ironically, is very good. With Daft Punk-esque vocoder vocals and Lopatins signature pitch shifting ambient synths this serves as a very suiting ending. The track continues to grow and evolve with very distorted and glitchy vocals and finishes with some very soothing ambient synth lines.

As a whole I feel that Lopatin went above and beyond my expectations for this new album. Aesthetically and thematically this album is very cohesive, with songs that fit together to paint an image of a fear and uncertainty within a place of comfort. Garden of Delete feels like lying in bed in the middle of the night but feeling like there is someone or something watching you. 

Favourite Tracks: Ezra, ECCOJAMSC1, Sticky Drama, Mutant Standard, I Bite Through It, Freaky Eyes.

Least Favourite Track: Animals

9/10

If you liked this album I recommend Replica by Oneohrix Point Never, Ghettoville by Actress, and Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments Pt 2 by Aphex Twin.

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt5tRaV3iY0

Thanks for reading!

#oneohtrix point never #garden of delete #Music Review #electronic #ambient #experimental #coolsoundsandstuff #bleepsandbloops #Music #Review #criticism #best of 2015 #9/10

[musicisntgoodtbh]

Tropic Of Cancer- Stop Suffering (Review)

"Tropic of Cancer" is a shoegaze/dream-pop/ambient project by musician Camella Lobo. Based in Los Angeles, California this EP sounds quite the opposite of the fun, sunny, and bright nature associated with Los Angeles. Now armed with five solidly built EP's, this most recent one titled "Stop Suffering" features incredibly atmospheric synthesizers, reverb heavy vocals, and some very interesting percussion choices. Opening the EP is the title track "Stop Suffering", beginning with a lone drum beat which builds up with synths and guitars. These factors combined with Camella's vocals play a powerful role in creating the sound in which the listener can so easily get lost in. Eventually a clean guitar paired with her vocal style, gets added to the mix and deepens the atmospheric soundscape even further. The following track titled " I Woke Up and the Storm was Over" is self described by the title. Another dense and atmospheric track with synthesizers which I can only begin to describe as an airplane "swooshing" over the listeners head. This song has a drum and guitar rhythm reminiscent of The XX's work and may possibly be one of Camella's influences. The final track of this EP titled "When The Dog Bites" is definitely my least favourite track. This song is fairly boring and uninteresting, possibly because it sound's very much like the previous two songs. Revealing the musics most obvious weakness, the lack of instrumental diversity and lack of different sounds being employed. With synthesizers and drum beats that sound eerily similar to the previous two tracks, it is quite east to get bored by the time you reach this song. I feel that if Camella broadened her instrumental pallet she could have great success in the future and could very well create an interesting listen through and through. "Stop Suffering's" dreamy atmosphere's, spacey synths and gloomy vocals creates a flat sounding, one dimensional shoegaze album perfect for a rainy day commute to work via public transit.

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXphrT63yzs

If you liked this EP check out Slowdive, Julia Holter, and The xx.

6/10

#music review #tropic of cancer #shoegaze #dream pop #music criti

[musicisntgoodtbh]

Joanna Newsom-Divers (Review)

Returning from a five year hiatus, Newsom returns with a full length album titled "Divers". Her previous effort, the Magnum Opus, "Have One On Me" was a master class in the philosophy of “less-is-more” in terms of production. It showcased Joanna's skill in jumping from style to style and genre to genre in a massive triple album sprawling over two hours of music. "Have One On Me" was undoubtedly a tall task to top during the creation of "Divers" but Joanna, manages to create yet another stunning album which can stand tall against its predecessors in convincing fashion. The album opens up with "Anecdotes" and sets the tone perfectly, introducing the themes of “Space and Time” which play an important role within many of the songs. Joanna's lyrical prowess has shown no signs of decay from the five year gap seperating Have One on Me" and "Divers". Her knowledge in historical fiction/non-fiction are also a large factor lyrically in this new collection of songs. “Divers" lyrical content weaves a story of a love that is intertwined with space and time itself; possibly borrowing inspiration from the movie "Interstellar". Production wise "Divers" is evidently Joanna's most dense album instrumentally. Moving away from her classic piano and harp set up, Joanna steps out of her comfort zone implementing violins, woodwinds, harmonicas, trumpets, mellowtrons, banjo's and what seems to be a harp through a distortion pedal on the song "Leaving the City". Joanna's vocals are either a love it or hate it deal, and frankly I love them. Her strange and quirky singing accent combined with her interesting emphasis on specific syllables creates a unique voice that is instantly recognizable. Joanna easily soars through her vocal range throughout the duration of the album. "Divers" is an album that is sure to stand the test of time and is a solid addition to Joanna's small yet incredibly stunning discography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky9Ro9pP2gc

9/10 

#joanna newsom #music review #review #folk #harp