Table of Contents:
Alice in Chains – Rainier Fog
AIC RELEASES THEIR THIRD ALBUM WITH VOCALIST WILLIAM DUVALL.
On the reformed Alice in Chains’ third album, Jerry Cantrell, William DuVall, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney continue to make their trademark grunge, carrying on with the sound of their past two albums. The doom-laden opener, The One You Know, is one of AiC 2.0’s best songs yet. Fly recalls the acoustic rock of the band’s Jar of Flies and Sap EPs. Drones is a bluesy rocker that feels somewhat uncharacteristic for AiC. The title track, Red Giant and the William DuVall-penned, So Far Under are all highlights.
Rainier Fog isn’t Alice in Chains’ most exciting or innovative record and half the album dulls in comparison to the other half, but at only ten tracks, it doesn’t necessarily overstay its welcome either.
7/10
Grunge, Alternative Metal, Doom Metal
Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino
THE MONKEYS RELEASE A CONCEPT ALBUM ABOUT A HOTEL AND CASINO ON THE MOON.
How do you follow up a crossover smash hit album like 2013’s AM, which made the Monkeys one of the biggest rock bands in the world? By waiting half a decade, swapping out guitars for piano, and making a concept album about a lunar hotel and casino.
By this point, Arctic Monkeys fans were no strangers to the band changing their sound, the biggest change of which (prior to TBH+C), was when they made their desert rock album, Humbug, in 2009 with the help of Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Compared to the punky, fast and very British style of the first two albums, Humbug was slowed down and somewhat Americanized, evoking the California heat and a mirage-like daze; Alex slowed down his delivery noticeably too, and started leaning more towards a croon, which would become a staple of the band’s sound going forward.
This change in style lost the band certain fans, but they also gained plenty of new ones. They continued to alter the template set by Humbug through Suck It and See and AM, adding and removing certain elements, until they honed in on a distillation of that sound and won over their widest audience yet with the latter, which was a culmination of the 2009-2013 era of the band. But, Arctic Monkeys have been telling audiences that they do things their own way since the beginning, on songs like Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? (“…But we’ll stick to the guns, don’t care if it’s marketing suicide, we won’t crack or compromise…”), so by the time TBH+C came out, fans shouldn’t have acted so surprised that Alex Turner followed his heart and vision, ignoring all and any commercial or fan pressures.
Star Treatment introduces us to the sound of the album and a familiar, but strange narrator — one that sounds like he could be Alex Turner (“I just wanted to be one of The Strokes…”), but then sings about being a singer in the 1970s, a time before Alex Turner was even born — it’s a bold way to start the album. People were (foolishly) expecting another Do I Wanna Know? and got a piano ballad with rich instrumentation and some of Turner’s most obscure lyrics yet. The initial shock of hearing this was one of the greatest listening experiences I’ve ever had. One Point Perspective is dreamy with it’s synths and its soulful, David Gilmour-like guitar solo. American Sports is engrossing, enveloping your mind with pure, grade A sonic bliss. The title track is sung from the perspective of a hotel worker, with Alex Turner singing about kissing underneath the moon’s side boob. Golden Trunks is sinister and mysterious, likely a critique of the Trump administration, comparing politicians to wrestlers (“the leader of the free world, reminds you of a wrestler wearing tight golden trunks”).
Four Out of Five was a perfect choice for a lead single, and has an exceptional build up and outro, as well as some of the tastiest synthesizers you’ll ever hear. Musically, The World’s First Ever Monster Truck Front Flip sounds straight out of The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds or SMiLE, with it’s percussion and plucky bass lines, akin to the sound of famous session musicians that worked on those albums (The Wrecking Crew). Science Fiction is dark and ominous, with Turner singing that he tried to write a song that “may well just end up too clever for its own good”, which is likely a cheeky nod to Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino itself, an album sure to be misunderstood by the fanbase for years to come.
Cam Avery (Pond, Tame Impala) provides backing vocals on the suave She Looks Like Fun. Batphone sounds somewhat like a continuation of the hip-hop blending that was being done on AM songs, like Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? The album closes with The Ultracheese, a glammed-out, Bowie-like piano finale, which references the melody of Qué Será, Será.
The music on here combines the best elements of peak Beach Boys, mid 1970s David Bowie, Serge Gainsbourg, sci-fi film soundtracks and whatever other diverse influences Alex Turner was inspired by during the writing and recording of Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino. The album manages to sound both vintage and futuristic, feeling like an album that’s truly ahead of its time. This is also one of my favourite lyrical albums, with everything Alex Turner sings being extremely quotable throughout (e.g. “I lost the money, lost the keys, but I’m still handcuffed to the briefcase”, “I launched my fragrance called “Integrity”, I sell the fact that I can’t be bought”, etc.) — truly brilliant and humorous wordplay.
Despite how polarizing this album was, it still led to a sold out world tour and the band’s fourth Mercury nomination, so it clearly wound up being a success in both commercial and artistic ways, with most of the naysayers being “purists” who are trapped in 2006-2007 and want the band to stay as some local Sheffield band, instead of global superstars. Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino is one hell of a bold album for the band to have released after a blockbuster like AM, and one of the greatest left-turns in music history since Achtung Baby and KID A.
10/10
Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop, Lounge, Art Rock, Piano Rock, Glam Rock
Beach House – 7
BEACH HOUSE EXPLORES THE WORLDS OF NEO-PSYCHEDELIA AND SHOEGAZE.
7 is Beach House’s most experimental album yet, adding psychedelic and shoegaze elements and textures, giving their candy-coated dream pop sound an extra dose of colour, in contrast to its monochromatic artwork.
There’s unlikely to be another my bloody valentine album any time soon, so songs like Dark Spring should tide shoegaze fans over for a little while longer. Pay No Mind evokes memories of early Smashing Pumpkins. Lead single Lemon Glow makes use of some pitch-shifting electronic sounds. Black Car is ethereal and hypnotic. Drunk in LA paints a scene of an ocean of neon.
7 is another typically sublime Beach House album and one of their most aurally-pleasing.
8.5/10
Neo-Psychedelia, Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Ethereal Wave
Death Grips – Year of the Snitch
DEATH GRIPS RELEASE THEIR FINAL ALBUM?
Death Grips entered the scene near the start of the 2010s and seemed to disappear by the end of the decade. Between 2011 and 2018, they had put out six critically acclaimed studio albums, a legendary mixtape, an instrumental album, an EP, and a handful of singles. Fans were eating well, so it was only inevitable that the band would need to take a rest. By 2018, it’d be safe to assume that the band was burnt out, but basing that notion upon the music alone would not lead to the same conclusion. Year of the Snitch sees the band continue to battle complacency and experiment, with a weird album full of icy synths that sounds like it was recorded inside of a skating rink.
Death Grips Is Online displays the chilly synths that will be heard throughout the album and continues the trend of self-referential songs, like @deathgripz and Death Grips 2.0. Songs like Flies, Linda’s in Custody and Hahaha are as interesting as they are bizarre. Black Paint is one of their heaviest, most metallic songs and should appeal to fans of Jenny Death and Bottomless Pit. Streaky is a synth-driven song in the vein of Eh. Dilemma uses synths that sound like something from classic Genesis, Camel or Gentle Giant. The vocals of Disappointed alternate between MC Ride’s smooth and screamed vocals — in fact, a lot of the vocals on Year of the Snitch utilize MC Ride’s gentler, smoother voice over his screaming/shouting one.
Year of the Snitch may not be as impactful or impressive as The Money Store, The Powers That B or Bottomless Pit, but it’s still an indication of a band at the height of its powers and a fantastic end to their run of albums in the 2010s.
9/10
Experimental Hip-Hop, Synth Punk, Glitch Hop, Industrial Hip-Hop, Digital Hardcore
Frank Ocean – Endless
FRANK OCEAN’S RE-RELEASE OF HIS VISUAL ALBUM.
In 2016, after four years of eager anticipation for a new album, Frank Ocean dropped the unconventional Endless, a visual album exclusive to Apple Music, with music that soundtracks footage of Ocean woodworking on a staircase — the album being used as a means of ending his Def Jam contract, with its unconventional and confusing release acting as a “fuck you” to his now ex-label. The next day, he self-released Blonde, his true sophomore album, though Endless is just as important and just as great as that album.
Endless was eventually given a limited physical release in 2018, and considering that most music sites use that year as the official release date for this version of the album, it will be categorized under such.
More than half of Endless consists of short songs under 2 minutes-long, but this allows for an album where each song flows into the next, making for an entire experience rather than just individual tracks, though there are still some proper songs, like the glorious opener, At Your Best (You Are Love), U-N-I-T-Y and Slide on Me.
Frank Ocean sounds magnificent here, and while he doesn’t quite have the range of a Michael Jackson, he certainly has the artistry and soul. As for the production, this is pure ear candy, with plenty of ambience, colourful timbres, and pleasant tones that will flood your headphones with sonic sugar. There’s dramatic pianos on Alabama, gentle guitars on Slide on Me and Higgs, and some of the tastiest synthesizers and drums you’ll ever hear, everywhere else — everything sounds real good. From the first note of the album, up until the end of Mitsubishi Sony, Endless is absolute bliss.
Like nostalgia,ULTRA., Endless isn’t an easily-accessible album (it’s not on streaming and the physical copies are quite rare), which means that there are countless people out there missing out on one of the best albums of the year, but if you can manage to access it, your life will be all the better for it.
10/10
Experimental Hip-Hop, R&B, Art Pop, Neo-Soul
Jack White – Boarding House Reach
JACK WHITE GETS EXPERIMENTAL.
After a couple of increasingly country-influenced albums, Jack White switches things up and gets more experimental than he’s ever been with Boarding House Reach, which ends up being the most distinct album in his entire discography yet.
Connected By Love, its warbling synths and its big chorus make for one of Jack White’s poppier moments, though it’s far from selling-out. The downbeat Why Walk a Dog? is somewhat reminiscent of the nihilistic sound of a song like Pink Floyd’s Welcome to the Machine. Corporation and Respect Commander are two of the most successful experiments here, with both offering plenty of dynamism and texture. Ice Station Zebra sees Jack White get funky and rap. Over and Over and Over is this album’s classic Jack White banger, continuing on from from what he did with Sixteen Saltines and Lazaretto.
Everything You’ve Ever Learned seems to end just as its getting interesting. Get in the Mind Shaft and Hypermisophoniac are both quite experimental, though that synthesizer riff in the latter does get a bit annoying by the end. Abulia and Akrasia, Esmeralda Steals the Show and What’s Done Is Done are country-flavoured tracks, all of which feel out of place (the first two of which are spoken-word interludes) and would have been more suitable on Lazaretto instead. Humoresque is a rather tame final track, though the pianos in the outro do sound nice.
Boarding House Reach is an inconsistent album with some experiments that don’t always land, but is still one of Jack White’s boldest and most daring albums yet, with a handful of great songs, but also plenty of filler.
8/10
Experimental Rock, Art Rock
JPEGMAFIA – Veteran
DAMN, PEGGY.
Where JPEGMAFIA’s debut album, Black Ben Carson, was a decent, if not somewhat unoriginal debut, Veteran feels very much like it could have only come from the mind of Peggy.
The opening track, 1539 N. Calvert, has some of Peggy’s best beats yet, laying the foundation for his recently-upgraded production style. A propulsive, almost-tribal like vocal chant drives the chaotic Real Nega. Baby I’m Bleeding is reminiscent of the chopped-up vocal sampling of Death Grips’ Niggas on the Moon. The experimental production on Rock n Roll Is Dead sounds like the type of deranged tape experiments that Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention would have done on late 1960s albums like, We’re Only in It for the Money and Uncle Meat. 😱 and Macaulay Culkin are both moody, R&B-laced pieces with sublime production. Whole Foods (along with a squeaking sound that sounds like shopping cart wheels) and Williamsburg both deal with the gentrification observed in his native Brooklyn neighbourhood. I Cannot Fucking Wait Until Morrissey Dies is so good that even Morrissey might struggle to not enjoy it. The Tom Clancy-referencing Rainbow Six and the closer Curb Stomp are both hardcore, dark and dystopian.
There’s a handful of interlude songs (Dayum, Libtard Anthem, DJ Snitch Bitch Interlude, Germs) that don’t really work outside of the context of the album, but as part of the complete album, it’s reminiscent of the aforementioned Zappa stuff from the 60s, making for a dynamic and truly experimental listen from front to back.
Veteran is JPEGMAFIA’s most realized and idiosyncratic work as of its release (plus there’s plenty of incredible non-album singles from this era) and has him sounding as savage and hungry as ever — a sign of more greatness to come from one of rap’s most interesting (and sure to be polarizing) figures since Kanye West.
10/10
Experimental Hip-Hop, Industrial Hip-Hop, Glitch Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop
Judas Priest – Firepower
JUDAS PRIEST RELEASES THEIR BEST ALBUM SINCE PAINKILLER.
Since Rob Halford rejoined Judas Priest on 2005’s Angel of Retribution, there hadn’t been a new album that could hold a candle to any of the band’s best work between 1976-1990. The aforementioned album was a good enough return for Halford (after two albums with singer Tim “Ripper” Owens filling in), but a classic it was not. Nostradamus walked the line between ambition and parody, and Redeemer of Souls was the first without founding member K.K. Downing, having some good songs mired by dull production. Then came Firepower and that all changed. The band had now been with Richie Faulkner for several years and his (relatively) youthful influence seems to have been rubbing off on the Birmingham legends.
Ever since they released Painkiller in 1990, it seems like that has become the benchmark for their style and sound, but considering that was their first album with longtime drummer Scott Travis, it makes sense to use that as a guide. As that album was one of the best metal albums of all time, so it’s more than understandable why the band would try to remake it and Firepower definitely comes closest. The title track and Lightning Strikes both show how capable the band still is at making killer metal songs, decades later. Rob Halford continues to sound amazing, being in his late 60s at the time of recording. The interplay between Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner has inched closer to that of Tipton and Downing in their heyday.
Judas Priest was firing on all cylinders with Firepower, which is a testament to the staying power of the band.
8/10
Heavy Metal, Speed Metal
Kanye West – ye
KANYE GRAPPLES WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER.
How many Grammy-winning, critically acclaimed, globally beloved music icons would start off an album with a song called I Thought About Killing You? Probably just one.
Surrounded by controversy from saying that “slavery was a choice” and from a photo of himself shaking hands with President Trump with a M.A.G.A. hat on, this album seemed to have absorbed a lot of the criticism against him from his detractors, but if you remove the politicized nature of damn-near everything that’s come out since Trump’s presidency, you’ll find a gem of an album here, where Kanye exposes his bipolar disorder for all to see.
I Thought About Killing You is one of Ye’s most exciting and experimental tracks so far.Yikes is a banger, with Ye comparing his recently diagnosed bipolar disorder to a super power. All Mine is filthy fun with one of Ye’s funniest lyrics (“I love your titties ’cause they prove I can focus on two things at once”). Wouldn’t Leave is a desperate and vulnerable plea, asking his wife to stay with him. Ghost Town soars high as a mental health anthem. Violent Times is a tender song aimed towards his daughter and how he wants her to stay young and innocent, safe from the vultures and perverts of the world.
It’s an album that was somewhat written off as weaker than his previous works (especially due to its brief runtime), but like most of his music from Yeezus onwards, sometimes it takes listeners repeated listens to catch up to Kanye and his erratic mind. This album may be short, but it’s still a classic like all that came before it.
10/10
Trivia: This was the second of five releases that Kanye West produced in 2018 from his famous “Wyoming Sessions”.
Experimental Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop Rap, Neo-Psychedelia
KIDS SEE GHOSTS – KIDS SEE GHOSTS
KANYE AND KID CUDI TEAM UP AND CREATE A PSYCHEDELIC HIP-HOP MASTERPIECE.
Kid Cudi had been collaborating with Kanye West since 2008, when he first appeared on Ye’s 808s & Heartbreak. After continuing to work with each other over the next decade, it finally culminated in a team up on KIDS SEE GHOSTS, where Kid Cudi’s love of rock music and Kanye West’s penchant for sampling obscure songs blended into a psychedelic hip-hop masterpiece that even detractors of this era of Kanye couldn’t get enough of.
Opener Feel the Love features Kanye stalwart Pusha T and some interesting scat singing from Kanye. Fire sounds like walking through a psychedelic jungle. 4th Dimension is based around a Christmas song and goes to show how transformative sampling can be when done this creatively. Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2) is a sequel to Ghost Town, which appeared on Kanye West’s Ye one week prior. Reborn is an entrancing lullaby and one of the finest things either party has ever been involved with. The title track sees a suave feature from Yasiin Bey (Mos Def). Cudi Montage makes use of an abstract solo Kurt Cobain guitar sample. The cover art is a sight to behold and is dare I say, even better than Takashi Murakami’s other work on the cover of Graduation.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS is a beautiful synthesis of two artists’ styles and one of the greatest collaboration albums in hip-hop, even if it’s only about 24 minutes long.
10/10
Trivia: This was the third of five releases that Kanye West produced in 2018 from his famous “Wyoming Sessions”.
Experimental Hip-Hop, Pop Rap, Neo-Psychedelia, Conscious Rap
MGMT – Little Dark Age
MGMT’S COMEBACK.
The trajectory of MGMT is one of the most interesting in recent years. MGMT seemingly came out of nowhere in 2007 and became overnight sensations, thanks to hit songs like Kids, Time to Pretend and Electric Feel. Those songs were infectious and inescapable, like some sort of neo-psychedelic plague. So, expectations were high for a follow-up and 2010’s Congratulations polarized their audience due to its direction. The songs were more genuine and artistic, but less immediate and catchy than those on Oracular Spectacular.
Fans of their first album were still holding out for something as catchy as Kids and then their 2013 self-titled album came out and was even more bizarre and challenging than their last album, MGMT. While I enjoy the sonic chaos of their self-titled album, it was far too out there for casual listeners and it seemed like MGMT were destined to fade away from the commercial masses. Five years later, Little Dark Age was unveiled and it managed to appease both old school fans and those who were on board with the artistic experimentation of the band.
Like on their first and third albums, Dave Fridmann (known for producing The Flaming Lips) was back to produce and helped the duo of Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser to create a dark synth pop album that puts their debut to shame — that’s how good it is.
She Works Out Too Much is ironically a great workout track. The titular song is a master stroke of gothic rock mixing with darkwave. When I Die flirts with some eastern sounds and has one of my favourite MGMT lyrics yet (“Go fuck yourself, you heard me right, don’t call me nice again!”). Me and Michael is deliciously 1980s. James is vaporwave cool. TSLAMP (an acronym for “time spent looking at my phone”) and One Thing Left to Try both go hard.
Little Dark Age is a fab juxtaposition of 1980s revivalism and futuristic soundscapes, feeling both new and retro at the same time. The songs here are poppy and accessible, but still retain the experimentalism and darkness of the duo’s post-Oracular Spectacular albums. It’s safe to say that Little Dark Age is MGMT’s best work yet,
10/10
Synthpop, Neo-Psychedelia, Psychedelic Pop
Muse – Simulation Theory
MUSE TRAVELS BACK TO THE 1980s.
Following 2015’s Drones, which was a step in the right direction after The 2nd Law, Muse takes ones step forward and two steps back with Simulation Theory, which jumps on the recent 1980s revivalism craze, which was catalyzed by the TV show Stranger Things (also evident by the album art).
The opener, Algorithm, is one of the best songs here, continuing Muse’s penchant for starting off all their albums on a high note. The momentum continues with the similarly 80s Dark Side and on Pressure, the latter of which sounds more bluesy than the synthpop of the previous two songs, though it’s still one of the better tracks here. The robotic voice on Propaganda is unintentionally hilarious, and then the song goes into some Prince-like cosplay. Something Human is one of the worst offenders here and sounds like generic pop rather than something from a masterful rock trio like Muse. Thought Contagion is a highlight with it’s catchy chorus, though it sounds awfully close to the style of Imagine Dragons (one of the worst bands of the decade); Dig Down also comes too close to this sound, though it lacks any of the memorability of Thought Contagion — it’s one of Muse’s worst songs by far. The Void fortunately wraps up the album with a similar sound to the opener.
Simulation Theory starts off fairly strong before everything quickly begins to fall apart. Had they kept the 80s synthpop theme of those first two tracks, it could have been a far more enjoyable and conceptually-sound album, but like The Resistance and The 2nd Law, they throw to many styles at the wall, with many of the experiments just not sticking.
5/10
Pop Rock, Synthpop, Electropop, Alternative Dance, Synthwave
Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch
TRENT REZNOR DECIDES TO RELEASE THE THIRD EP IN A TRILOGY AS A PROPER ALBUM.
Originally slated to be the third EP in a series following Not the Actual Events and Add Violence, Trent Reznor decided to change Bad Witch to an album instead, noting that the EP format isn’t quite as impactful as it once was (unlike NIN’s 1992 classic, Broken). While Bad Witch isn’t on par with any of NIN’s classic albums (it’s hard to compete when there’s only six songs), Bad Witch is a short and sweet nihilistic detour into experimental jazz.
The aptly titled Shit Mirror is as grimy as its title suggests (in all the right ways). Ahead of Ourselves is another great track. God Break Down The Door sounds like a spiritual successor to the style of David Bowie’s final album ★, and even has a vocal delivery in a baritone voice similar to that of an aged Bowie. Considering that Trent Reznor worked with Bowie in the mid 1990’s on his famous I’m Afraid of Americans remix, it adds an extra dimension to the song and feels like a homage to one of his fallen heroes.
Bad Witch may be on the short side at just 30 minutes, but it’s still a fantastic end to the run of projects that NIN released between 2016 and 2018.
8/10
Industrial Rock, Experimental Rock, Dark Jazz, Noise Rock
Paul McCartney – Egypt Station
THIS TRAIN HASN’T LEFT THE STATION.
After a period of experimentation with 2013’s modernized New, a few collaboration singles with Kanye West (Only One, All Day and Four Five Seconds), and a massively successful world tour, McCartney was experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the mid 2010s. On Egypt Station, McCartney goes back to doing what he does best, with an album that unfortunately sounds safe and boring compared to what he was doing a few years ago.
Most of Egypt Station sounds like your typical McCartney piano ballads and acoustic rock songs, with none particularly standing out, though none of them are as bad as the misplaced Ryan Tedder-produced Fuh You, which is one of McCartney’s worst songs, filled with that generic mid 2010s pop sound that deserves to be buried six feet under and never dug up again. The two ambient Station interludes don’t really add much to the album and feel more superfluous than experimental.
Compared to 2013’s New, which had Paul McCartney sounding reinvigorated and fresh, Egypt Station sounds quite regressive, with an overly long tracklist with little variation of experimentation. Outside of one track, it’s a fine enough album, but nothing to rival recent albums, like New or Chaos & Creation in the Backyard.
6/10
Pop Rock, Art Rock, Baroque Pop, Piano Rock
Pusha T – DAYTONA
KANYE HELPS PUSHA T TO MAKE HIS BEST ALBUM YET.
Alongside his brother as the duo Clipse, Pusha T was already responsible for two classic hip-hop albums (Lord Willin’ and Hell Hath No Fury), but neither of his two solo albums had bested either of those, despite them still being strong offering.. Where The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) had produced the aforementioned Clipse albums, Pusha T’s solo albums were the result of several producers (including Kanye West), and thus didn’t have the same consistency in style and production as those earlier records.
Enter DAYTONA, which was produced almost entirely by Kanye West. Like the later Wyoming session albums that Kanye worked on, ye and KIDS SEE GHOSTS, DAYTONA is very short — in fact, its the shortest of those three albums, at only 21 minutes. Not a second is wasted here though, with this being one of the leanest hip-hop albums ever made, the complete antithesis to the overstuffed, skit-filled rap albums of yesterday.
The intro to If You Know You Know continually builds, until the pressure is too great and bursts open. The Games We Play sounds like a new age theme song to Al Pacino’s Scarface. Hard Piano has one of Rick Ross’ best appearances. The soulful sample in Come Back Baby contrasts nicely with the bass-heavy verses. Santeria sounds as sexy as it does dangerous. What Would Meek Do? continues Kanye West’s sampling of classic prog rock, this time with a clever use of Yes’ Heart of the Sunrise. Infrared sees the inexplicably popular Canadian rapper Drake get caught in Pusha T’s sights, taking aim at him for alleged ghostwriting and for being a negligent father, leading to the infamous Story of Adidon diss track that released a few days after DAYTONA came out.
A brief masterpiece and only one of three incredible albums that Kanye West produced in 2018.
10/10
Trivia: This was the first of five releases that Kanye West produced in 2018 from his famous “Wyoming Sessions”.
Hardcore Hip-Hop, Southern Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Experimental Hip-Hop
Sleep – The Sciences
THE STONER METAL LEGENDS RETURN.
As transcending as an experience as Dopesmoker was, it certainly made for a challenging album, considering it was just one 63 minute-long song. Yes, the appeal of Dopesmoker was how gargantuan it was, and how incredible of a feat the band had achieved in recording such an epic track, but some fans or casual listeners may have preferred the relatively more bite-sized songs of Sleep’s Holy Mountain. While The Sciences isn’t lacking in the song-length department, no track exceeds 15 minutes, so it makes for a compromise between the band’s previous two albums.
After an instrumental intro of guitar feedback and distortion from the title track, Marijuanaut’s Theme starts with a bong rip, followed by one of Matt Pike’s best guitar riffs yet. Sonic Titan finally sees the studio release of a song that had been performed live as far back as the mid 90s, with one such version previously appearing on one of the Dopesmoker reissues — the song definitely sounds titanic. Giza Butler is a reference to Black Sabbath’s bassist Geezer Butler, who along with the rest of the original incarnation of said band are basically deities to Sleep and to the stoner/doom genres and heavy metal in general — Geezer Butler also appears on the butter in the gatefold, along with guitarist Tony Iommi’s face on a piece of toast and drummer Bill Ward on carton of milk). Antarctican’s Thawed (the longest track on the album) builds up slowly, but is spellbinding the entire time. The album wraps up with another instrumental, The Botanist, which is one of the most melodic songs on the album.
Although some fans may prefer Sleep’s Holy Mountain or Dopesmoker as the definitive Sleep album, a case can be made for The Sciences as being the band’s most rounded effort.
10/10
Stoner Metal, Doom Metal
The Smashing Pumpkins – Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.
BILLY CORGAN REUNITES WITH JAMES IHA AND JIMMY CHAMBERLIN.
When Billy Corgan first reunited with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin for 2007’s Zeitgeist, it only resulted in mixed reception and another hiatus, with Chamberlin leaving again soon after and Corgan adding an all new lineup for 2012’s Oceania and 2014’s Monuments to an Elegy. Fast-forward a few more years and we arrive at the closest thing to a full reunion (minus original bassist, D’arcy Wretzky), with the contriving and pretentiously titled, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.
Knights of Malta starts the album out on a sour note, with Billy Corgan singing these “woah woah woah woah woahs” with an effect that sounds like he’s gargling mouthwash as he sings. Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts) almost sounds like an attempt at crafting another 1979, but overall it lacks the timeless magic of that song. Solara, Marchin’ On and Seek and You Shall Destroy all win some favour with their heavier sound, something the Pumpkins have always been able to pull off well.
Considering that Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 is the first time Corgan, Iha and Chamberlin have been back together in 18 years, it’s quite underwhelming, especially at only 32 minutes, but this also means that it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The album has its moments on the instrumental front, but Billy Corgan’s vocals are stating to sound more strained after all these years. Still, Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 is a decent (second) reunion album, with only one truly grating song holding it back.
7/10
Alternative Rock
St. Vincent – MassEducation
ANNIE CLARK REMAKES MASSEDUCTION WITH STRIPPED BACK PIANO ARRANGEMENTS.
Released one year after Masseduction, her Jack Antanoff produced venture into pop, MassEducation is a reimagining of that album, foregoing all the sugary production for nothing but piano and voice.
The arrangements here are all quite pretty, with extra emphasis on Clark’s naked vocals (much like the cover). which provides a nice contrast to the maximalism of Masseduction. I found MassEducation to be far more enjoyable than your typical remix album.
7.5/10
Singer-Songwriter, Piano Rock, Art Pop, Chamber Pop
Tenacious D – Post-Apocalypto
TENACIOUS D SOUNDTRACKS THEIR POORLY ANIMATED YOUTUBE SERIES.
The 2006 cult classic film, Tenacious D & the Pick of Destiny, is one of the greatest music comedies of all time. I cannot say that same for the Post-Apocalypto cartoon that this album is the soundtrack to. Using a series of still images with audio, Post-Apocalypto is barely even a cartoon, and the soundtrack to it has barely any music. At just about 30 minutes, it’s the duo’s shortest album yet, and about one third of that is skits. Despite all this, I still had an amusing time and probably enjoyed this more than most, but even a half-assed Jack Black is entertaining.
The title track makes for a decent theme song to the album and is reprised at the end. MAKING LOVE is a smutty, spiritual successor to dirty D classics like Fuck Her Gently and Double Team. DADDY DING DONG and WOMAN TIME are metal romps and two of the duo’s heaviest songs to date.
I can’t give this album too much credit, as it’s clearly underdeveloped and lacking in scope, but it was still a satisfying enough experience with an interesting concept and it provided some terrific new songs for the Tenacious D canon.
6.5/10
Comedy Rock, Hard Rock
Travis Scott – ASTROWORLD
TRAVIS SCOTT INVITES YOU TO ASTROWORLD.
Acting as both his third solo studio album and a tie-in to his upcoming music festival, ASTROWORLD sees Travis Scott bouncing back after his disappointing sophomore album, Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.
STARGAZING begins the album with the type of flute sample that has come to be associated with trap, then the instrumental abruptly changes midway through the song. The trippy CAROUSEL uses cleverly uses a chopped up sample of vocals from Beastie Boys’ The New Style and features Frank Ocean’s Midas touch. SICKO MODE and it’s three different sections are fairly dynamic for a hit single. NO BYSTANDERS samples Bjork’s 1997 single Jóga, but uses it in such a subtle way that you may miss it. James Blake and Kid Cudi show up on STOP TRYING TO BE GOD, with the legendary Stevie Wonder contributing harmonica towards the ending.
SKELETONS is absolutely stacked, with performances from Tame Impala (you can hear it in the synths), The Weeknd and Pharrell Williams. WAKE UP is a slow jam for the ladies, built around a guitar sample and another Weeknd vocal. 5% TINT uses a simple piano loop, but keeps it lively with its production and layers, ending with some divine and heavenly vocals and synths. YOSEMITE sees a return of guitars, something that Travis Scott has shown an appreciation for. WHO? WHAT! features Offset and Quavo of the rap trio Migos, the latter of which Scott had released an album with as Jack Huncho the previous year. COFFEE BEAN ends the album with a more old school-sounding R&B jam.
ASTROWORLD is fairly psychedelic, bringing one of my favourite styles of music into hip-hop, much like Kanye West and Kid Cudi had done the same year with KIDS SEE GHOSTS, though I think that album executed it best. This album still flows nicely from start to finish, never feeling too long at 17 tracks. ASTROWORLD is a major improvement from its rushed predecessor and is more in line with the standard set by Rodeo.
8/10
Trap, Southern Hip-Hop, Pop Rap, Neo-Psychedelia, R&B
Various Artists – Black Panther
KENDRICK LAMAR CURATES AN ALL-STAR LINE-UP OF ARTISTS, FOR AN ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK TO THE MARVEL FILM OF THE SAME NAME.
After inspiring David Bowie’s final opus with 2015’s To Pimp a Butterfly and winning a Pulitzer Prize, Kendrick Lamar was the most important rapper in the world other than maybe Kanye West. It seemed only natural to get Kendrick to curate a soundtrack for Black Panther, a Marvel film that featured an almost all black cast, which was a big deal for African-American representation in a major blockbuster film of this scale.
The album features a stellar cast of artists, including The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Future, Vince Staples, SZA, Schoolboy Q, 2 Chainz, Anderson.Paak and the token white guy, James Blake. Everyone brings their A game and the instrumentals are very fitting of the Afro-centrism of the movie, without delving into self-parody or stereotyping.
Kendrick Lamar appears on every track, despite only being credited on six of the fourteen tracks. For this reason (along with his overall contributions), Black Panther feels like a Kendrick Lamar album proper and though it’s filed under various artists, it’s an essential part of Kendrick’s solo discography. The Black Panther OST is a zeitgeist moment of where rap music and the superhero movie boom had intersected, although having experienced both, the music is vastly superior to the film.
8/10
West Coast Hip-Hop, Pop Rap, Trap, Conscious Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop
The Voidz – Virtue
JULIAN CASABLANCAS PROVES THAT HIS OTHER BAND IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH.
The Voidz were off to a good start with 2014’s Tyranny, which showcased a more experimental side to Julian Casablancas and contained some of his best songs yet, like the sprawling, 10 minute-long epic Human Sadness. Despite that album’s success, you never know if side projects like this will become one-offs or not, but four years later, the band released an album that was even better than their debut with Virtue.
Leave It in My Dreams could be passed off as a lost Strokes classic. QYURRYUS feels like something you’d hear at a dance club in the middle of the desert. Pyramid of Bones and Permanent Highschool both evoke that cool, leather-clad swagger that Casablancas is known for. ALieNNatioN and Pink Ocean have a sexy, midnight swing to them. Think Before You Drink is an acoustic cover of a late 1970s disco song, and would normally sound out of place, but for a band like The Voidz, it feels right at home here. Black Hole is a suitable name for itself. Wink has Julian Casablancas sounding like he’s having way more fun than he’s had with The Strokes in years. Pointlessness is a ballad ripe for a b-movie sci-fi flick, and a fitting climax to the album.
Virtue is a fairly long album at about an hour, but it has so much variety and experimentation to keep it entertaining the whole way through. The Voidz have allowed Julian Casablancas to indulge in creative new ventures and they are becoming a band that can hold its own against The Strokes.
9/10
Neo-Psychedelia, Experimental Rock, Art Rock
FIN
Brett Nippard
