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Showing posts from September, 2019

The Comet Is Coming, The Afterlife, Album Review

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The Comet Is Coming The Afterlife Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music The way music is produced and release has changed drastically over recent years. What used to be an orderly system of releasing an album maybe once every three years, has transformed into the extremely fast-paced environment that is the modern music industry. In order for newer artists especially to stay in the minds of listeners, most feel the need to be constantly releasing music, with some of them even releasing more than one project in the same year. A good example of an artist who has done so this year, is none other than electro-jazz trio; The Comet Is Coming. I first discovered this band back in early April, when listening to their newest album at the time;  Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery , which was released towards the end of March. To this day, I still love this album, and you will be able to find out where it ranks at the end of the year. But de

Liam Gallagher, Why Me? Why Not., Album Rview

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Liam Gallagher Why Me? Why Not. Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Note: When reviewing this album, I will be mainly referring to the deluxe edition of this record. The year was 2017, and the date was the 6th October. Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher released his debut solo album As You Were , which was highly praised by reviewers, fan, and of course myself. As You Were filled a void in the hearts of many who were longing to experience the unrivalled aesthetic of Oasis once more. Of course Liam's brother Noel Gallagher took off with his own band High Flying Birds, but Noel cemented himself as someone who wanted to break out of the traditional Oasis style, whereas Liam knew that this style is truly what many fans are asking for. After the critical success of As You Were, I was both nervous and excited to find out where Liam's solo career would take him next. Would he ultimately become a bit of a one-trick pony, or would he

Bakar, Will You Be My Yellow?, EP Review

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Bakar Will You Be My Yellow? EP Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music If you haven't yet heard of UK artist Bakar, I would definitely recommend him. After discovering his debut album Badkid in 2018, I was captivated by his versatility and the moody atmospheres that he created in many of Badkid's tracks. Things went a little quiet in terms of me listening to Bakar since that album. There was the halloween track he released; "Dracula", and the single released in march; "Chill", but neither sounded quite as interesting to me on the surface. However, my attention shifted back to Bakar after listening to his recent single "Hell N Back", which In my opinion, is one of the sweetest tracks to released this year. But little did I know, that this track would be the herald of this bran new EP from Bakar. I remember that a selection of tracks on Badkid felt aesthetically similar to the artist King Krule, especially

Sampa the Great, The Return, Album Review

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Sampa the Great The Return Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music I first discovered Sampa the Great when I stumbled upon one of her most well known tracks currently; "Final Form" back when it was released. The impression that this song gave me was incredibly strong, and it displayed a tonne of promise. Sampa's vocal attitude and the production value ultimately made this track sound like what was set to follow was going to be extremely professional. And now that we have the recent release of Sampa's debut album The Return, we finally have a chance to experience what Sampa the Great is truly made of. This album begins with a extremely soulful, almost chant-like melody which comes in the form of the track "Mwana", which does a marvellous job of setting the spiritual tone which will later span across the majority of the record. I quickly notice that stylistically, this album could arguably be compared to the likes of artis

JPEGMAFIA, All My Heroes Are Cornballs, Album Review

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JPEGMAFIA All My Heroes Are Cornballs Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music JPEGMAFIA has been a name which I have heard bouncing around for quite some time. With his early 2018 album Veteran  being somewhat of a great success, it honestly feels like the Baltimore rap artist should've been somebody who I had listened to before very recently. However, the reality of the matter is that I hadn't actually taken the time to listen to JPEGMAFIA in a truly analytical way until very recently, upon the release of one of this album's teaser tracks; "Beta Male Strategies", which won me over and served as my gateway track, thanks to its surreal, distorted and almost whimsical approach. I still feel that the all-out relentless distortion found on this track was something that Veteran felt ever-so-slightly lacking in. But thankfully, as I discovered upon my first full listen of this album, is that JPEGMAFIA's style has evolved further in

Talkslow, Live at The Hope & Ruin, Thursday 12th September 2019

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Talkslow Live at The Hope & Ruin Thursday 12th September 2019 Follow Talkslow on Facebook Twitter Instagram Listen to Talkslow on Spotify Apple Music The 12th September 2019 marked the live debut for three-piece pop group Talkslow, and while this may be a new name to many people, it'll be one that you'd definitely want to try and remember. I was incredibly excited to see Talkslow, not only because of all of their amazing singles, but also my personal connection with the band that goes very far back. To add a bit of context as to why Talkslow's first live show was such an important moment for me, I will need to shgare a bit of backstory, and it all begins with a band named Episodes. Episodes were one of the first bands I knew that a friend of mine was part of. With this, me and a bunch of other schoolmates ventured into the town of Worthing to see them play at a local venue, which was known as the Vintner's Parrot at the time. Me and ma

Post Malone, Hollywood's Bleeding, Album Review

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Post Malone Hollywood's Bleeding Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Post Malone had quickly rose to almost global recognition seemingly overnight with his debut record Stoney , and one of his most pivotal singles "Rockstar". However, recognition didn't necessarily amount to appreciation towards the American rapper, singer and songwriter in my case. Even with his second full-length album Beerbongs & Bentleys early last year, I still restricted myself from listening to it. To put it bluntly, I simply wasn't interested. however, Posty has shown me a different side to himself which might just have me hooked. Especially in the year of 2019, he has displayed far more uniqueness to his trap/emo rap counterparts, and has instead taken the approach of making far more ambient and gritty music. And no album elaborates on this better than Hollywood's Bleeding .  I honestly didn't get hooked on Posty until quite recently,

Kesagake, Anyone For Tea?, Album Review

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Kesagake Anyone For Tea? Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Kesagake are one of the several local bands that I have been lucky enough to be in touch with. Each and every one of their live shows that I've been able to see have been incredibly entertaining, and showcased a signature aesthetic to the band, which would later be channeled into their debut album, Anyone For Tea? The band have spent a tonne of time and effort into this project, with Anyone For Tea? seemingly being a long time in the making. It was just over a year ago that I listened to the first teaser track of this thing, "My Country", and I was awestruck by how advanced Kesagake's sound already was. Fast-forward to March of this year, and we were treated with another single release under the name of "A Victim Of Circumstance" which saw the band solidify their style even further. And, now, we have an album that I have been anticipating for a long time

Lana Del Rey, Norman F**king Rockwell!, Album Review

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Lana Del Rey norman F**king Rockwell! Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music I would argue that Lana Del Ray is one of the most unique and influential pop artists of this generation, even getting my attention way back in a time where I loathed anything mainstream.  This was thanks to her phenomenal 2012 album Born To Die , which took the world by storm with its melancholy intricacy and whimsical beauty, and elevated Lana to mainstream recognition. Between that album and 2019 however, I found my high opinion of Lana slightly dwindling out. I never really paid the same level of attention to the artist... until now. Norman F**king Rockwell was an album title that got my attention back in my days of working for a music magazine, in which we'd have a list of upcoming albums, with Lana Del Rey's latest piece being one of them. That being said, I sort of skimmed over a couple of teaser tracks. I found "Mariners Apartment Complex"

Black Futures, Never Not Nothing, Album Review

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Black Futures Never Not Nothing Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Black Futures are a group that I haven't really given the benefit of the doubt until very recently, when this debut album of theirs released. Initially having Black Futures recommended by a mate of mine, I decided to give a few of their teasing singles a listen. This album has obviously been quite a while in the making, as the tracks I was listening to are included on the full record, despite being released way back in 2017. My initial thoughts on the music from Black Futures was that I did indeed like it, but not strongly enough to keep my interest. However, seen as Black Futures share a similar musical style with The Prodigy (whose frontman, Keith Flint, unfortunately passed away). I was left longing for that intense and oversaturated electronic punk; a perfect opportunity for Black Futures to re-introduce themselves to me with their album; Never Not Nothing . Keep in mi

TOOL, Fear Inoculum, Album Review

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TOOL Fear Inoculum Album Review Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Theres an age-old saying that each album of music is its own different experience, and this saying has never rung more truth when it comes to the discography of TOOL. One of the flag-bearers of progressive metal, TOOL have blown the minds of listeners ever since they formed almost 30 years ago in 1990. But its only recently, that the band have made a bit of a splash after a nearly 13 year hiatus since their 2006 album 10,000 Days .  With the return of TOOL in 2019, came the entirety of their discography finally being streamable, and with streamers finally recognising the band, it would also be the perfect time to release a new album. That album has finally come, in the form of their 5th full-length record; Fear Inoculum. Ever since I started getting into metal, I have had a funny relationship with the band. I first discovered the band thanks to Guitar Hero World Tour of all sour