Tag Archives for B+

Miley Cyrus – “Bangerz”

(Photo Credit: Rolling Stone)

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “4×4,” “Wrecking Ball”

The opening track on “Bangerz,” called “Adore You,” is a very slow-crawling song about romance. It’s unexpected, but it sends a message – theatrics aside, Miley is taking her music seriously. She easily (and maybe expectedly) could’ve released an album of fun, partying Ke$ha copies, but she hasn’t. There is some of that present, but the focus is on a more mature persona. And she’s showing her maturity in countless ways; the album mixes club beats, synth and even country rhythms over songs about love and romance (sometimes). And say what you will about her VMA’s bit, anyone that still sees her as a young child star is blind to the maturity of the performance (shame on you, Robin Thicke). Maybe it wasn’t the best way to do it, but the message was sent, she watched the waves that were made, and she’s standing by it.

Although this is her fourth album as Miley Cyrus, she’s calling it a ‘debut,’ because it’s the first album she’s released since leaving behind Hannah Montana. (On last Saturday’s “SNL”, she offered a brief update on Montana: “She was murdered”). It does definitely feel like a debut, or even the debut of a new character. She’s only 20, but being a child star, going through a failed engagement and being scrutinized under the public eye since she was young have certainly given her material. Lyrically, she’s fitfully dealing with adulthood, trying to recoup by sounding seasoned but still gleefully admitting to partying, driving fast and drug use. (Yes, it is a little uncomfortable to hear a 20 year old singing about Molly, but less uncomfortable than hearing the 55 year old Madonna sing about it). “4×4″ and “We Can’t Stop” are odes to a wild life, while “Wrecking Ball” and “Adore You” show varying struggles of recovery.

The album has great diversity, not without faults. It isn’t as fun as it seems like it should be. Some songs, like “FU,” really don’t go anyway and would’ve been better off staying on the drawing board. And, as much as it’s common practice for a song to get introduced by saying a rapper/producer’s name, the number of songs that start with Miley just saying “Mike Will Made It” gets very comically repetitive/annoying. Still, the faults are predictable ones for a star attempting to re-distinguish herself.

What wasn’t expected was the guest spot contributions. Britney Spears shows up for a great spot on “SMS (Bangerz),” and Future backs up the soulful “My Darlin’.” Even Nelly sounds great on “4×4,” rapping over what I can only call electro-country on the album’s most diverse and fun song. Miley doesn’t rely on the power of her voice nearly as much as she should, but when she does, you’re reminded that she can really sing. The ballad (and big hit) “Wrecking Ball” and the surprisingly effective closer “Someone Else” are the two songs where she shines vocally. She should’ve relied on her own vocals more, and the album is certainly faulty, but “Bangerz” is still a very memorable and progressive release.

-By Andrew McNally

Cage the Elephant – “Melophobia”

(Photo Credit: IGN)

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “Come A Little Closer,” “It’s Just Forever”

Cage the Elephant’s previous album, 2011’s “Thank You Happy Birthday,” was a nearly-perfect throwback to the early 90’s grunge bands like Mudhoney, Pixies and the Meat Puppets. “Melophobia” kicks it back even further, embracing that sound with healthy doses of 60’s harmonies and 70’s rhythms.

On the whole, the songs on “Melophobia” are not quite as fast or rowdy as those on the predecessor, but previous great ballads like “Rubber Ball” and “Back Against the Wall” have shown us that the band can handle pretty much whatever they feel like trying to do. They do have moments of speed and distortion, the best being “It’s Just Forever,” a song that has a great guest spot from Alison Mosshart and sounds more like a Libertines-style garage song than anything else. “Teeth” also starts off as a late-album surprise with this speed, until it turns into music behind spoken word (something many bands try, usually unsuccessfully – it isn’t great here). This is a different Cage the Elephant, sonically, but not fundamentally. They’re still embracing decades worth of influence on each song.

Opening track “Spiderhead” has a backing keyboard beat that gives it a funky rhythm – like Fitz and the Tantrums waking up on the wrong side of the bed. Second track and leadoff single “Come a Little Closer” is a ballad in the same way 2011’s “Right Before My Eyes” is; it’s a pretty song, one that acknowledges the roughness behind it. Cage the Elephant has a way of making radio-friendly songs out of wild rhythms and rough vocals, and they continue that on “Melophobia.” The 60’s odes hit a peak on “Telescope,” whose chorus is lifted from a famous John Lennon quote (also, happy birthday John. Well timed, guys).

This album isn’t as inherently memorable as the two previous, because the songs feel a little more conventional on this album. On the whole, it doesn’t quite stand up to the band’s first two. But it is still a very enjoyable album. The band’s blending of typical structures and off-the-rails energy sounds even more perfected now, and they’re using 90’s angst on top of funkier rhythms and harmonies that sound straight from the 60’s. Although it’ll take a number of listens to learn, it further cements Cage the Elephant as one of alternative’s most unique and underrated bands.

If you like this, try: My all-time favorite album – Foxygen’s 2013 album “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic,” a self-referential indie duo ripped straight from Lou Reed.

-By Andrew McNally

Fuzz – “Fuzz”

(Photo Credit: Pitchfork)

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “What’s In My Head?” “One”

There’s been a few bands called Fuzz already, but no one deserves to inherit the name more than Ty Segall. Segall has already made a name for himself as the most prominent man in garage rock, never fearing to turn the volume and the distortion past the max. And with this debut of yet another side project, he’s matched his output from 2012. This, his solo “Sleeper” and an album with Mikal Cronin called “Reverse Shark Attack” are his 2013 contributions. His work isn’t consistently great, but it’s usually pretty reliable. “Fuzz” isn’t as good as Ty Segall Band’s relentless 2012 album “Slaughterhouse,” but that’s easily in my top 10 favorite albums.

Here’s the thing though – this isn’t a Ty Segall project. This is a band, one that wants to be seen as one. Ty Segall’s name shows up nowhere on the cover or in the band name. He doesn’t even play guitar – he’s on drums (and still on vocals). Fuzz is easily the most comprehensive-feeling project he’s done. Even “Slaughterhouse” showed how much Segall was in control. This is where “Fuzz” excels the most. It feels like a proper band. A very loud one.

The album starts with a feedback drone on “Earthen Gate” before starting the song on a crawling pace. The pace doesn’t last, but it helps to separate this from Segall’s other heavy works. “Fuzz” has the intensity, volume and distortion of “Slaughterhouse,” but purposely leaves out the speed. The tempos are largely pretty fast, but the songs take time to develop instead of blowing through at brutal, rapid paces. And there’s some experimentation, too. The album’s midpoint has two of the three longest songs – “Hazemaze” stops periodically and resets itself, and “Loose Sutures” has a lengthy period of near silence before Segall gets a drum solo. The closer, “One,” (the longest track) sets a blisteringly fast pace behind a punk beat and lets the band mess around on an instrumental finale.

The album has a feel of very early metal, back when it was kids in garages playing fast and loud while avoiding the simplicity of punk. “Fuzz” has a powerful, thrash element to it, thanks mainly to Charles Moothart’s pillars of guitar. Some simple riffs and solos turn a garage rock album into a classic rock-resembling one. But the album does feel a little repetitive at points. The volume you’d expect from a Segall project is there – “Preacher” is among the most assaulting songs he’s been involved with. But occasionally it rests just on the volume factor, which is nothing close to shocking for fans. And having the album’s longest track have such a long period of near-silence is pretty disappointing, as listeners might expect a soloing adventure. Luckily, it ends before it starts to get too gimmicky, and it ends on such a strong and fun track. We may never hear from Fuzz again, or they could release another album by March. But their debut is more than decent, with the loud and crunchy guitars we love, some great drum work, Segall’s strong voice (and a great vocal sub from Moothart), and that nostalgia factor. It’s not the best album Segall’s had his name on, but it does stand as one of the better ones.

If you like this, try: I’ll get out of Ty Segall because there’s so many garage-punk bands I love right now: Metz, Parquet Courts, Thee Oh Sees, FIDLAR, Pangea and the unforgettable Jay Reatard all have A++ albums to check out.

Justin Timberlake – “The 20/20 Experience 2 of 2”

(Photo credit: thelineofbestfit.com)

Grade: B-

Key Tracks: “True Blood,” “Take Back the Night”

It’s rare that the second album in a double album is an improvement over the first (look at the mediocre “Use Your Illusion 2,” “Hypnotize” and the second disc of “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness”). But when it does happen, it’s usually because the musician has used up the potential singles and leaves more room to move around. This isn’t necessarily true of this double album, as “Take Back the Night” might be the safest song across either disc, but the ambition is just a little stronger on Part 2. Despite the clunky title.

The second track, “True Blood,” might be over nine minutes and might be about vampires, but the song adds a bit of depth to the beat and achieves that soulful sound Timberlake tried so hard to find on Part 1. And it transitions, beat and all, into “Cabaret,” an equally great and more modestly-long song that has a well-needed guest stop from Drake. Second single “TKO” is a bland seven minutes, but leadoff single “Take Back the Night” is a catchy number, whose horns and moderate tempo call back to Part 1′s “Suit & Tie.” Musically, the album’s more diverse, making it more listenable.

But, like Part 1, it has many faults. The average song length here is around 5:30, as opposed to Part 1′s 7:00. But at 74 minutes, it’s just as long and bloated as it’s 70 minute partner. the album has a lot of great ideas, but the songs are neither experimental enough to be original or conventional enough to be memorable smashes. They exist in a weird in-between, where they’re mainly all great songs that just go on for 2-5 minutes too many. And that’s not good. Also, Timberlake’s lyrics have been consistently mediocre across the two parts. The worst offender here is “Only When I Walk Away,” where Timberlake profanely curses out someone for only loving him when he leaves. Not only does hearing Timberlake swear like this sound uncomfortable, it’s not believable for a man who is so openly in love with his wife. But the worst offender is the other guest spot, Jay-Z. His summer keeps pushing him further and further from the top, and it continues as he raps about Yoko Ono’s vagina (?) on a song called “Murder.” Maybe poorly timed, as Ono just released a much more experimental, and much better, pop album.

Luckily for Timberlake, these two albums are inherently likable. They’re always catchy, the transitions between ideas are strong, and they’re fun. Almost every song stretches far past a comfortable zone, but sometimes you can get lost in it (“True Blood” especially). The only objectively bad song is, unfortunately, the bonus track that closes the album. “Pair of Wings” has both the acoustic tenderness and lyrical cheese of an N*SYNC throwaway. Otherwise, the album is enjoyable. It’s bold, it’s ambitious and it’s good enough to be a very entertaining pop album, reigning in an age of otherwise unoriginal pop singers.

-By Andrew McNally

Tyranny Is Tyranny – “Let It Come From Whom It May”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: B

Tyranny is Tyranny create a pretty heavy sound for four people. With Russell Emerson Hall and Jason Jensen on vocals and guitar, M. Guy Ficcioto on bass and vocals and Ben Aldis on drums, the band creates a demanding and achingly slow hard rock-noise rock hybrid. The album is only seven tracks but is a full-length time wise, many songs going over five minutes. Think Pissed Jeans slowed down. And the band takes a strong, anti-capitalist approach. They seem to take on the same political fervor as Propagandhi, though aimed at a different target. Their leftist lyrics add a different element to their post-noise rock genre.

The album’s first two tracks – “Manufacturing Truth” and “Owned By Thieves” take more of a direct approach, coming off as decent, heavy rock songs. “Down the K-Hole” is heavier, though, and a little faster. The vocals are more intense and the central rhythm is crunchier, more chord-based. “The Haze of Childhood” is a quiet, instrumental interlude at the album’s physical midpoint (though actually coming earlier time-wise). It’s a welcome break before the intensity kicks up again. “Apostasy” starts off with the same rhythm as the previous song, building into a properly heavy song with a grinding central line. The sixth song, “The American Dream is a Lie,” acts as the first of two magnum opuses, a heavy and constantly changing song. The second, “Always Stockholm, Never Lima” is a destructive finale, feeling like it brings the album to a close.

The vocals contributed to the album are sometimes screamed, sometimes just aggressively sung. Overall, they resemble some of those very heavy but radio-friendly hard rock bands of the early ’90’s (your Sepultura and so forth). The band’s somewhat lo-fi recording makes the lyrics unintelligible at points, but they still contribute to the album. Very liberal rock bands tend to have their own goals, and Tyranny is Tyranny feels no different. They still have some kinks to work out, but Tyranny is Tyranny sounds like the beginning of a good political post-noise rock band.

The album can be found here.

-By Andrew McNally

Surgery In An Opera – “Sad Songs For the Sad State”

(Photo Credit: bandcamp)

Grade: B

It may help that I was, by chance, listening to Brand New’s “Deja Entendu” right before I put on this DIY EP from the trio called Surgery in an Opera. The band consists of Calvin Roberts on vocals and guitar, Eldon Campbell on bass and Joshua Strong on drums. In four songs, the band invokes the image of an early 2000’s pop-punk/emo band, which nostalgia seems to be bringing back to today. The band has a sound similar to that of Brand New without the budget – that catchy emo type of sound that isn’t afraid to go either acoustic or distorted.

The first and shortest track, “The Escape Artist,” feels like a true pop-punk song. It’s energetic and catchy, with fuzzy guitars and vaguely personal lyrics. Track two, “Down the Beaten Path, or a Song For Those in the Vehicle City,” is slower but more melodic, and it blends acoustic guitar with a distorted, electric one. Again, it’s a catchy song. And it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome – because around the three minute mark, the band stops for about five seconds before quickly jumping back into a chorus. “The Worker Bee Brings Home the Honey” is a song that takes its time to build up, leading up a slow climax and features guest vocals by the very emo-sounding Campbell. Finally, “Wounds Pt. 2” starts acoustic, with very typical pop-punk lyrics. But a very distorted electric guitar kicks in pretty quickly, and Roberts ends up making a very effective use of power chords. The song ends big and loud, blowing out the volume.

Surgery In An Opera are not doing anything revolutionary, and their lo-fi/DIY approach can be seen as both a good and bad quality to their music. But “Sad Songs For the Sad State” is a good little blast of emo/pop-punk. Roberts’ vocals are fine and they’re all along with each other. It’s a promising release for a band that sounds like they know what they’re doing. And if you’re going for that bit of early aughts nostalgia, this EP is just reminiscent enough to do the trick.

The EP is available for streaming here.

If you like this, try: I Kill Giants’ self-titled debut from earlier this year. A little heavier and scream-ier, but they’re another good up-and-coming nostalgia band.

-By Andrew McNally

Potty Mouth – “Hell Bent”

(Photo Credit: Spin)

Grade: B

Key tracks: “Rusted Shut,” “The Spins”

Freshly born at a woman’s college just a short drive from me, western Massachusetts’ Potty Mouth’s full-length debut falls under the increasingly growing umbrella term of “pop-punk.” A decade ago, pop-punk was a very specific genre of music, but nowadays, it’s just anything that fits the qualifications. And technically, Potty Mouth do. Their songs are pop songs, tainted by punk rhythm and intensity. But they aren’t a big-chorus, small town hating band. Their songs have an added reverb tinge to them, uncharacteristic of pop-punk. And the band seems to have a personal attitude, not to be bothered by genre lines.

Potty Mouth have such a fuzzy and distorted sound that they almost start to resemble simple shoegaze bands like Yuck, but they still have definitive song structures. This toying with the basics of genres only helps to show the band’s open attitude and general distrust of being labeled under anything. This non-abiding of genres makes the catchiness of the album seem perversely warped, almost ironic. But it isn’t – the songs are catchy, at times fully embracing the pop element of pop-punk. Equal parts fuzzy and catchy, Potty Mouth properly blend the best of two genres to make that rich, 90’s-revivalist sound.

This isn’t a political album, but the band does take an approach towards equality in their music. And rightfully so, because they are often labeled as a “female band” and not as a “band”. This approach is, I guess, the “punk” element of the “pop-punk,” although that’s still defined more by the energy of the music. Because things aren’t equal, especially in the music world, they’re often labeled as a feminist band. But musings of equality creep into the album, pushing the album above most lyrically-boring pop-punk bands.

But what the album really is, is a decent set of fuzzy, catchy, punk tunes that have trouble separating themselves from each other but are instantly catchy and memorable. Potty Mouth has the energy of a punk band, the catchy rhythms of a pop group, and the reverb of a conventional-leaning noise-rock band. The album isn’t perfect, but it’s a winning combination.

If you like this, try: Yuck’s 2011 self-titled album. It isn’t that great of an album, but the distortion on “Hell Bent” reminded me greatly of it.

-By Andrew McNally

Elton John – “The Diving Board”

(Photo Credit: The Hollywood Reporter)

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “A Town Called Jubilee,” “My Quicksand”

Elton John understands that he may not be attracting a younger fan base, still writing music for a much older audience now. He’s responded accordingly, releasing a stripped-down, adult album. “The Diving Board” does not feature any members of his regular band, the first album he’s done without them since 1979. Instead, John sat down with Bernie Taupin, John composing the music and Taupin writing the lyrics. They wrote “The Diving Board” in two days.

Musically, “The Diving Board” is a very soft record. A majority of the songs are only John on piano, with some faint drums and/or guitar. Only a handful of songs have added instruments, allowing them sound bigger. But ‘big’ wasn’t the goal – those just help to break up the album a bit. “The Diving Board” is a bare-bones, soft rock record. John shows that, after all these years, he’s still immensely talented. Theatrics aside, John’s voice is still strong, even as he sings deeper than usual on this record.

He is still, predictably, a phenomenal piano player too. One of the album’s tales, “My Quicksand,” ends on a truly haunting piano chord. “Home Again” is centered around some truly beautiful piano work. Often, John takes vocal breaks during the songs that let him play some great riffs and solos. The album has three “dreams,” too, that act as quick, piano interludes where he really gets to shine.

As with most soft rock, it starts to get repetitive. The songs that aren’t the stand-outs start to sound similar, and while they’re never bad, they’re a little too repetitious. Thankfully, the stand-outs are placed throughout the album, so every time a casual listener might get distracted from the album, they’re drawn back in.  Overall, the album could stand to be a little shorter and do with a few less tracks. But “The Diving Board” serves as a welcome return for Sir Elton John, who hasn’t released an album since 2006. The album is beautiful and sparse, and serves as a nice ode to John’s musical origins.

-By Andrew McNally

Said the Whale – “hawaiii”

(Photo Credit: ridethetempo.com)

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “I Love You,” “Mother”

For the most part, Said the Whale is a fun indie band, not setting their sights on doing anything revolutionary or changing music at all. Their single “I Love You” is one of my favorite songs of the year, because it’s a bouncy little number with some oomph that gets stuck in your head. It’s nothing more than that, yet it’s great because of it. “I Love You” has more energy than most of the rest of the album, but it all still acts as a fun little reprieve from life.

Musically, the band keeps it simple. Most of the songs are quick and upbeat, not overstaying their welcome while staying different from each other. Think Two Door Cinema Club’s first album. Unfortunately, there’s something kind of inherently forgettable about music like this. The lack of complexity makes it fun, but doesn’t necessarily make a stand-out.

Vocally, the singer almost sounds like he’s emulating Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig at times. The vocals are clear and the lyrics are often honest and entertaining. The production is crisp, but allows for a little distortion when it’s needed. And the album is over nearly as soon as it starts, probably a good quality for a fun listen like this one. It stops before it gets too repetitive.

With a band resembling Two Door Cinema Club and a singer resembling Ezra Koenig, it’s pretty certain that their album is going to be a decent one. “hawaiii” isn’t anything special, but it’s a good listen, and a nice break from complex indie bands. Chances are, fans picking up this album know exactly what they’re looking for, and won’t be disappointed.

If you like this, try: 2005’s “With Love and Squalor,” or really any album by We Are Scientists. Another fun, catchy but not totally forgettable indie band.

-By Andrew McNally

Balance and Composure – “The Things We Think We’re Missing”

(Photo Credit: Pitchfork)

Grade: B

Key tracks: “Back of Your Head,” “Notice Me”

On a first listen, Balance and Composure might seem like an average, borderline hardcore band. But they ride a nice, uh, balance between hardcore and fourth wave emo, without incorporating too much of either. It’s a balance that takes the best parts of each genre and mixes them into one. It has the intensity of hardcore, without the repetitive ferocity. It has the lyrics and melodies of fourth wave emo, without the wallowing sadness. This album isn’t overly memorable in the long run, but it makes for a refreshing listen.

The band really excels early on in the album. “Back Of Your Head” and “Notice Me” are two of the stand out tracks, showing the band’s energy. Some bands struggle to capture a song’s energy in the studio, but songs like these can make you sweat. For the most part, the album is energetic, taking advantage of it’s distorted, fuzzy sound to make a loud creation. “Dirty Head” is a stand out too, though, as the album’s acoustic piece. Ballads on albums like “The Things…” are usually throwaways, but Balance and Composure have written a simple, affecting piece. Strictly musically, the album embraces it’s blending of different genres.

The irony of the album, though, is that because it embraces it’s unique sound so hard, it starts to get repetitive. No other band sounds like Balance and Composure but Balance and Composure, and at points they really sound like it. The album’s sound goes on a little too long, and because it sounds so similar for so long, it makes it a less memorable listen. “Dirty Head” is a nice reprieve, but it doesn’t do enough to break up the album at all. Varying song lengths also try, to some success, but by the end of the album, it feels just a little too exhausting.

Still, the good outweighs the bad here. This is a good album from a unique band, one that asks to be praised more as an idea than a collection of songs, and it deserves it. Energetic without being upbeat, heavy without being hardcore, and honest without being too sad, it’s constantly riding the right side of a tough fine line. It might get a little watered down in it’s own ideas, but it’s a welcome relief for fans of emo and hardcore who are getting a little too tired of similar bands.

If you like this, try: Defeater’s “Letters Home,” a recent release by a proper hardcore band, one of the best working today.

-By Andrew McNally