One of my favorite alternative bands, Bear Hands, finally released their latest full-length album, Fake Tunes, nearly three years after one of my favorite records ever, You’ll Pay for This was ironically (or not) released on tax day. This album was a strong follow-up and I’ll certainly be listening to this in the pool all summer long!
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Album Review: Motionless in White, Disguise
I know I was slow to become a Motionless in White fan, and I credit my sister 100% – she’s obsessed. I also grew to like them after some chance encounters with the members; all of the guys were genuinely nice! It seems like they are constantly touring, so I’m always surprised that they manage to put out new music every couple of years. And it’s good music, too! Not a lot of bands can say that really. So it comes at no great revelation that the new album, Disguise, is a strong one. It’s very eclectic for them, so there is something everyone should like.
The two singles that debuted before the album’s release last weekend were solid, and would appease old and new fans alike. Title track, “Disguise,” was gritty and intense, much like most of their catalog. I was a bigger fan of “Brand New Numb,” as it was still heavy, but a lot more clean vocals which I’m a fan of from them. The rest of the album goes to all corners of creativity, most evident in the techno efforts of “</c0de>” (my personal favorite), and “Legacy,” which was a much slower paced song. For those die-hard old-school fans, “Undead Ahead 2: The Tale of the Midnight Ride” is a nice nod back to their first record, and my sister’s favorite, Creatures.
Like I said, there is a lot to like here in Disguise‘s ten tracks! I also appreciate that the band has evolved in small steps over their past five full length releases. If you change too much from one record to the next you’ll get ripped to shreds like Bring Me the Horizon, but bands get bored of doing the same old thing, so I think they’ve mastered the art of mixing their new interests with fans’ old ones. Bravo!
Album Review: Vampire Weekend, Father of the Bride
It’s been nearly six years since we’ve heard new Vampire Weekend material, and since then they’ve lost eclectic member, Rostam Batmanglij. No lie, I was a little nervous for this release. Even with the onslaught of singles released in the past couple months, I still wasn’t convinced this record would wow me.
Read moreAlbum Review: Cage the Elephant, Social Cues
This weekend, besides being filled with candy, was also an intense drawing weekend. And with that means I also had the opportunity to binge some new tunes! Fresh in the mail came Cage the Elephant’s fifth EP, titled Social Cues. The radio already had me very fond of their lead single “Ready to Let Go,” and I was starting to warm up to the track collaborating with Beck called “Night Running,” so I was pretty pumped to give the full album a listen.
Read moreMediocre Music Review: Bad Suns & Wallows
Sad to report that this weekend I listened to two pretty disappointing new releases.
Read moreAlbum Review: Foals, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
Folks, the amount of fantastic indie/alternative records coming out this year is unbelievable, and Foals latest is no exception! Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 is just that, part 1! The second half is expected sometime in the last quarter of 2019 and frankly I cannot wait!
Part 1 is exceptional from track one to ten, even if some are a little slow and not quite my speed. This album has everything you’d want to hear from Foals, but with four years maturity and the departure of long-time bassist, so it’s different, but in the best way possible. I’ve never heard a band use the cymbals as well as Foals does on all records, and the guitar playing is top-notch. I love a good mathematical riff!
If you happen to need further proof that this band is the real deal go check out any of their live performances. You will NOT be disappointed! Standouts from the album include “In Degrees” (seriously, go listen to this!) and “Exits.”
Singles of the Week
I’ve decided that since I love music, I’d let you all know what I’ve been jamming to during the week!
Read moreAlbum Review: I Don’t Know How But They Found Me’s 1981 EP
What does Dallon Weekes of Panic! at the Disco noteriety plus Ryan Seaman of Falling in Reverse fame equal? A ridiculously long titled band called I Don’t Know How But They Found Me. And wouldn’t you know, their new EP isn’t even made up of words, called 1981. Fascinating.
Despite all of that potentially unnecessary, but fun, wordplay I really liked this six-track EP! If I had to give a gut genre labeling I would call them disco cabaret. Is that a thing? I have no clue, but it is now! It was a nice mix of both and the composition and lyrics were really fun, albeit a little morbid (“Choke”, for sure). One of those six tracks is a 30 second intro, but it bled nicely into their lead single, the aforementioned, “Choke.” It’s a standout for sure, but I found myself really enjoying “Do It All the Time” and “Social Climb.”
I’m definitely looking forward to more music from these two in the future and hopefully a tour!
Awards Season Continued: 2019 Grammy Awards
Full disclosure, I have not watched all of the Grammys yet, so you may see some updates here.
All in all, I didn’t think there were too many surprises with who took home trophies last night, but Top 40 isn’t totally my jam, so I can’t say for sure. I was a little disappointed that Underoath didn’t take home the Metal Performance award, and I was also a little bummed that Chris Cornell posthumously took home the Rock Performance (obviously he would, just like Bowie in 2016), only because the other nominees were great, too! In all my pre-Grammy research, the consensus was that Kacey Musgraves would take home the top honors because she was essentially the only country artist nominated; everyone else would be splitting hairs, and she did. Despite me not being a country fan, I have seen her perform live and she’s quite impressive, so kudos to her. Even though others deserved what they won, I was surprised that Post Malone got no love.
Speaking of Post Malone, let’s talk live performances of the night. I watched Post Malone “collaborate” with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Let’s be real. Those were two separate performances, except Post played guitar when the Chili Peppers were on. Eh. And as much as I love RHCP, why weren’t any of the other rock nominees out there performing with him?? Like Greta Van Fleet! That would be something to see! Lady Gaga was fine. A bit much for a soppy ballad. I read and accurate Twitter comment this morning: “If I muted Lady Gaga’s performance, I would have thought she was singing a metal song.” I also managed to catch Cardi B’s performance was very cabaret, but I enjoyed it!
In other controversial news, was Drake’s acceptance speech getting muted and then cut to commercial! Scandal! It seems to me like he got his point across, and I feel like the Grammys only aided him in his message. But to recap, he basically said that the awards don’t matter, that if you have people paying money to see you live or know the words to your songs than you are already succeeding. And I totally agree with that! I feel like the Grammys are just a Top 40 popularity contest/showcase, but it’s also not bad to get one either. Good for you, Drake!
Of all the major awards shows out there, this is one of my least favorite, so take this review with a grain of salt. For all award winners, check the link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/10/entertainment/grammy-winners-2019-list/index.html
Album Review: FEVER 333, Strength in Numb333rs
Fever 333 are one of the most explosive and exciting bands that I’ve listened to recently, so I’m very excited to be doing this review! Not even a year after their wildly successful and amazing EP, Made in America, the band released their first full-length album, Strength in Numb333rs. Man is this record impactful! It’s in your face right from the get-go and they don’t stop for 10 tracks! The lead single “Burn It” is reminiscent of the EP and is catchy as hell, where “Inglewood/3” slows down a little bit at the start and then rips your face off at the end. Personally and politically charged, this album’s lyrics are angry and lead singer, Jason Aalon Butler, is literally screaming most of them at you. A method that works, because after one listen all of those songs stuck with me.
Having seen them live twice with a lot less content to perform, I can’t wait to see them again and take over the entire venue, let alone the stage. They’ve got a polarizing presence in the rock scene and I know that they are going to get the recognition they deserve very soon (fingers crossed for the Grammy Awards on February 2nd)! Stand outs on the record for me include “Am I Here?,” “Prey for Me/3,” and “One of Us.” Do yourself a favor, and go listen to Strength in Numb333rs. Like now.