Review: Charlie Puth – Voicenotes

Tommy Monroe May 15, 2018

Charlie Puth gained the attention of the world with his vocal contribution on Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again.” With songs like “One Call Away,” “Marvin Gaye,” and “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” he continued to give listeners goosebumps. His debut album, Nine Track Mind, was filled with love ballads and heart-warming hooks. Although, that lead to a monotony of similar sounds and less experimentation. However, one special finesse the 26-year-old continues to unswervingly flaunt is his voice.

Voicenotes is his sophomore album and was delayed because it had to be “perfected.” Whenever artists say things like that, they raise the bar a notch higher because all we’d want to hear is an album that has been perfected. After listening to this album, it is indeed worthy of being called a perfected album. Everything from the production, to instrumentation, to the mix is stirring.

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Review: Augustana – Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt

Craig Manning May 14, 2018

“It’s quiet in the streets now/But it’s screaming in your head.”

Augustana frontman Dan Layus sings those words near the outset of Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt, his band’s second major label LP. He sings them in a low register, at a near-whisper. It’s the calm before the storm, both for the song (called “Hey Now”) and the album. Eventually, the song crescendos into a big anthemic burst of sound—one that suits Layus’s big, craggy voice perfectly. The album, meanwhile, delves deep into roots rock in inventive, versatile ways, twisting the threads of the genres under that umbrella in half a dozen different directions. From country to Americana to southern rock to the glossy pop-roots sounds of 90s radio bands like The Wallflowers and Counting Crows, Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt crisscrosses the heartland and comes back with rewarding treasures from every segment of the musical map.

Review: Underoath – Erase Me

Drew Beringer May 14, 2018

When Underoath announced in 2015 that the band was getting back together with original drummer Aaron Gillespie in the fold, it was announced as a “rebirth,” as the band knocked out a couple of reunion shows over the following years. It’s an appropriate way to describe Underoath’s return since it’s been eight years since Ø (Disambiguation) and nearly a decade since the band’s last release with Gillespie in the fold. And obviously so much has changed within the metal scene and music community as a whole during the band’s hiatus; Underoath found themselves at a crossroads between pleasing older fans and drawing in a generation of listeners that may have never heard Define The Great Line. So while a level of musical reincarnation was expected, the extent of that remained unknown. Recorded in 2017 with producer Matt Squire, the band looked to deconstruct the idea of Underoath while incorporating all the moments of anxiety , betrayal, and struggles of the past decade. And ultimately these sessions resulted with Erase Me – the most polarizing heavy rock album of 2018.

Review: Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

Adam Grundy May 11, 2018

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino is the sixth studio album from indie rock superstars, Arctic Monkeys, and it is also one of their more polarizing releases to date. Front-man Alex Turner recorded most of the demos for this album at his Los Angeles home, and composed the majority of the songs on a piano, rather than a guitar. This curious approach to recording a highly anticipated follow-up to a successful record in AM, followed by a lengthy hiatus, just added to the mystery of the album as a whole. Additionally, the unique promotional approach of keeping the entire record under “lock and key” by not pre-releasing any songs prior to the street date only helped with challenging listeners to absorb the entire album, rather than a couple of singles taken out of context.

The general themes found throughout this album are of science fiction, self-reflection, politics, religion, and even technology itself. The sound that Arctic Monkeys have achieved here can be best described as modern “lounge pop,” reminiscent of stylistic artists such as Father John Misty and David Bowie. Even though the majority of these songs were written and composed by Alex Turner himself, and even though it was initially suggested by his bandmates he self-release the album under his own name — due the complexity of how to add the other instrumental parts around the piano/vocals — this is still an Arctic Monkeys album. The rest of the band has enhanced the piano-driven direction of this record by creating an album worthy of your full and undivided attention.

Review: Frank Turner – Be More Kind

Aaron Mook May 8, 2018

It’s almost difficult to dislike an album as inherently positive as Be More Kind. In today’s draining political and cultural climates, Frank Turner not only believes that change is possible, but that it begins within each of us. In fact, if there’s an overarching criticism to be made about the album, it’s that these songs tend to veer into the brand of vague optimism that’s better employed lining the inside of Hallmark cards. But sometimes, even those messages can be refreshing to hear, and considering the relatively low energy on display, Turner’s heart, technical ability, and good intentions carry Be More Kind a considerable distance.

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Review: Twilight of the Gods

Deanna Chapman May 8, 2018

Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock by Steven Hyden is just the journey I was looking for. In the day and age of staring at screens most of the day, reading a physical book was a great way to unplug. I read this book over three days and enjoyed every bit of it. The book is formatted as a double LP. Sides A-D contain tracks that denote each chapter. It’s a clever way to present the book and it’s little things like that which just add a little extra to the reading experience.

This book covers all walks of classic rock. Hyden talks about Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Bruce Springsteen, among many others. He touches on crucial points, too, including the fact that the white men in classic rock pulled influence from artists of color who never received the same kind of recognition.

Review: Swae Lee – Swaecation

Tommy Monroe May 8, 2018

Swaecation is the debut solo album by Swae Lee, member of the rap-duo Rae Sremmurd. On Swaecation, Swae Lee keeps the features to a minimum and recruits Young Thug as the sole guest on the album. Swae Lee is a great creator when it comes to delivering hooks on songs. As a hook-Smith, he has found his way onto several big collaborations with other artists and his impact has been felt on top-charting songs like “Burn Slow,” “Unforgettable,” and “Don’t Judge Me.” Although, Swae Lee has never released a track alone, this album is filled with enthralling hooks.

Review: Middle Kids – Lost Friends

Adam Grundy May 4, 2018

As indie rock continues to evolve, and a growing number of bands keep getting lumped into that genre, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for bands to stick out from the pack. Such is not the case for a relatively new band called Middle Kids, as their brand of indie pop rock flourishes right from the first listen. The group, from Sydney, Australia, are comprised of lead singer/guitarist Hannah Joy, her husband and bassist Tim Fritz, and drummer Harry Day. The group has taken full advantage of the excitement that comes with releasing their debut full-length album by showcasing just how talented this trio truly are.

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Review: Anne-Marie – Speak Your Mind

Tommy Monroe May 1, 2018

Speak Your Mind is the debut studio album by British pop singer, Anne-Marie. The 27-year-old singer has attained several charting singles on the UK Singles Chart and she was also featured on Clean Bandit’s “Rockabye,” which peaked at number one. Ever since the release of her first single, “Alarm,” she has been a consistent sensation in the pop world. Every single she released to support the album has charted. Based on that record, it is safe to say that Anne-Marie is a hit maker.

The British singer takes us through 17-tracks as she tries to mask a heartbreaking experience in electro-pop sounds. From “Cry” to “Bad Girlfriend,” she revisits her previous relationship while exposing the deceit and infidelity her ex-lover brought to the relationship. On “Then” and “Alarm” she tells the story of a man who ungratefully ignored the love she had for him while cheating on her.

Review: The Voidz – Virtue

Adam Grundy Apr 30, 2018

The Voidz, led by The Strokes’ front-man Julian Casablancas, have gone through a few housekeeping changes since their debut album Tyranny. For starters, they have dropped Casablancas’ name from their moniker, probably for the intention of making it known that they are a true band, rather than just a side project. Additionally, the band has used their second album as an experimental canvas on which to paint with all types of styles. While their debut album came across as abrasive and hard to digest, Virtue brings out the best in this crew and if you can stomach the variety of approaches used on this record, it’s quite a fun and trippy ride.

Review: Janelle Monáe – Dirty Computer

Tommy Monroe Apr 27, 2018

It’s been more than ten years since Janelle Monáe launched her first project. She has since been identified by her unique sound. Being from a hard-working family and a musically bland city, she has always highlighted the under-appreciated and the outsider with her lyrics. Incorporating an unbelievable range of musical influences, she continues to innovate her own unique sound with her friends in the Wondaland Arts Society – a musical collective of rising artists she oversees. Prior to Dirty Computer, she’s been nominated for six Grammy Awards, of which she won none. However, Janelle’s consistency is a reminder of why this is a promising project.

Review: Thirty Seconds To Mars – America

Adam Grundy Apr 26, 2018

On Thirty Seconds to Mars’ fifth album, titled America, Jared Leto and his bandmates experiment with big U2-type choruses, patriotic themes, and the deeper meanings of life. The band has long-since been known for their anthemic choruses and there are plenty of those to go around on America, as well as great production and a polished sound fit for a major label and radio outlets alike.

The album itself is front-loaded with the previously released singles “Walk on Water” and “Dangerous Night.” The one-two punch of these tracks play off of each other well, with the latter being the more memorable of the two. Leto sings on the chorus that it’s a “dangerous night to fall in love/don’t know why we fight what we’ve become.” The themes of loss, heartbreak, and longing for a change in the status quo run rampant throughout the album.

Review: The Longshot – Love Is For Losers

Adam Grundy Apr 25, 2018

Side projects, in general, are healthy for the long-term well being of a band as it allows the multiple band members to experiment with new sounds and ideas that may not be best suited for the main unit. That being said, it’s hard to find too many differences between Billie Joe’s new side gig, The Longshot, and Green Day. Billie Joe sounds just as confident as ever on the new LP and it initially reminded me of the sleek and polish of another recent side project (Foxboro Hottubs) but with more production sheen on The Longshot’s debut album.

The Longshot is comprised of guitarist Kevin Preston, drummer David Field, and bassist Jeff Matika (who has toured extensively with Green Day). “Love is for Losers” spans over 11 easily digestible tracks, with a total running time of 32 minutes. Kicking off the set with “The Last Time” Billie Joe croons, “I’ll give you all my blood, til it’s a waste of time/If that’s not good enough, you’re always on my mind.” These tongue-in-cheek lyrics are what we have grown to expect from our fearless pop-punk leader, yet it’s also a good album disclaimer of “take it or leave it.”

Review: Lord Huron – Vide Noir

Adam Grundy Apr 23, 2018

Lord Huron, the indie rock group from Los Angeles, have had quite a few years to grow into their trademark sound of atmospheric landscapes and wandering journeys. Vide Noir, the third studio album and their first on a major label, was mixed by Dave Fridmann (Tame Impala, The Flaming Lips) and self-produced by front-man Ben Schneider, in which he has crafted his early career masterpiece. Schneider recently credited this album to a new habit of taking nighttime drives around LA and the “search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of the universe,” according to his recent social media posts.

Straight from the album opener, “Lost in Time and Space,” we are immediately transported to a dark yet clear night landscape with subtle sounds of buzzing lights, background whispers, a harp, and eventually the folk strumming of Schneider’s acoustic guitar cuts through the soft noise. In the track, Schneider admits, “I don’t know who I am, I don’t know where I am,” and the listener is immediately pulled in to go on this journey with the band.

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Review: From Ashes To New – The Future

Adam Grundy Apr 20, 2018

Change can be difficult, sometimes it feels like it is the most painful concept to deal with. That being said, the Central Pennsylvania rap-rock group, From Ashes to New, have dealt with the replacement of their clean vocalist Chris Masser, in favor of Danny Case, semi-seamlessly. In addition to Masser’s departure, the band has a new drummer in Matt Madiro. The band is able to retain the sound that they introduced through two EPs (Downfall and S/T) and a full length LP, Day One, with an effort that should be worthy of an occasional spin.