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.
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Mediocre 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.”
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.
Album Review – AFI The Missing Man EP
What I would consider to be an early Christmas gift came on December 7th in the way of new songs by one of my favorite bands! That’s right, AFI released a five track EP on the heels of 2017’s eponymous Blood Album. That’s a pretty quick turnaround considering there were four years in between their last two albums. Overall though, I wasn’t super impressed by this EP. Of the five new songs released, I really only liked “Trash Bat” and the single “Get Dark,” mainly because they they were quick and punky in nature. The other three songs mixed acoustic guitar and almost detached sounding vocals. Regardless of what I thought of this EP, I’m still glad I got some new tunes so soon and in an interview with KROQ the band promised new material from Blaqk Audio (Davey and Jade’s electronic side project) early next year and that they’ve already started work on the next AFI album – fingers crossed for a 2020 release! Go give The Missing Man EP a listen and let me know your thoughts.