Loner Review

On her album Loner, Caroline Rose gives her listeners a thoughtful examination of female sexuality, punctuated by sick synth riffs. Each track blazes with originality and energy. Caroline's satirical lyrics find humor in serious issues like mental illness and misogyny.  

However, I think Caroline's thoughts on sexuality are the most compelling part of this album.

"Soul No.5" is Caroline's confident assertion of her own sexuality. She yells, "I like to keep a loser freak in the sheets." This declaration shows her casual, glib attitude toward a topic many people still find taboo.  

On "Smile", Caroline uses a cacophony of distorted voices to explore how annoying it is for women to be told to smile constantly.  "Bikini" deals with the commodification of the female body. 

"Getting To Me" and "Animal" both explore romantic relationships. "Getting To Me" expresses a desperate longing for romance.  "Animal" exudes physicality. Caroline explores the lust she feels for an ex. Anger toward her ex's new partner consumer her thoughts until she loses reason and becomes "like an Animal."  

The cover art is fantastic and belies the humor present on this album. Caroline creates a visually striking red and white color scheme, reminiscent of the sharp and focused color schemes of early White Stripes albums. This draws the eye to the album and holds the viewer's attention. The font choice and framing of the shot remind me of a Wes Anderson film. Caroline's casual attire, the red sweatsuit, gives the album a casual visual aspect, which matches with the frank tone Caroline addresses serious issues with. Of course, the most striking feature of the cover is Caroline's mouth filled with a pack of cigarettes. It's comical, but it also hints at the dark, mordant humor of the lyrics. 

Conclusion: It rocks and it has something to say. Listen.  

Wiki Woes

Most professors tell you not to use Wikipedia because anyone can edit the website, which calls into question the validity of the information. Today I discovered one of Wikipedia's other flaws. Many of the pages are not up to date. I was trying to delve into the history of Atlanta Hip-Hop, but the history section ended in 2010. While that is little time historically, in the rap world eight years might as well be a century. I couldn't let this stand. Here is the "History" section of the article.

In the 1980s and early 1990s Atlanta's hip hop scene was characterized by a local variant of Miami's electro-driven bass music, with stars like Kilo Ali, MC Shy-D, Raheem the Dream, and DJ Smurf (later Mr. Collipark).[1] MC Shy-D is credited with bringing authentic Bronx-style hip-hop to Atlanta (and Miami), such as 1988's Shake it[3] produced by DJ Toomp; Jones was signed to controversial Southern hip hop label Luke Records, run by Luther Campbell aka "Uncle Luke". Arrested Development won the Grammy in 1992 with Tennessee, while Mr. Wendal & People Everyday and Kris Kross won with their hit song Jump. The group Tag Team released their debut platinum certified album Whoomp! (There It Is) (album) on July 20, 1993, spawned by their hit single of the same name.[4] 

By the mid-1990s, the rise of LaFace Records artists Outkast, Goodie Mob and the production collective Organized Noize led to the development of the Dirty South style of hip-hop and of Atlanta gaining a reputation for "soul-minded hip-hop eccentrics", contrasting with other regional styles.[1] While Atlanta-area hip hop artists were from the suburban Decatur area, their prominence was eclipsed by music associated with these artists from "The S.W.A.T.S." ("Southwest Atlanta, too strong"),[5][6] i.e. Southwest Atlanta, plus territory extending into the adjacent cities of College Park and East Point. The term "SWATS" came into vogue around 1996, initially made popular by Outkast and Goodie Mob.[7] 

From the late 1990s to early 2000s, record producer Lil Jon became a driving force behind the hip hop subgenre known as crunk, known for its upbeat and club oriented hip hop sound. Record producers L.A. Reid and Babyface founded LaFace Records in Atlanta in the late-1980s; the label eventually became the home to multi-platinum selling artists such as Toni Braxton, TLC, Ciara. It is also the home of So So Def Recordings, a label founded by Jermaine Dupri in the mid-1990s, that signed acts such as Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Xscape and Dem Franchise Boyz. The success of LaFace and SoSo Def led to Atlanta as an established scene for record labels such as LaFace parent company Arista Records to set up satellite offices.

In 2009 The New York Times noted that after 2000, Atlanta moved "from the margins to becoming hip-hop's center of gravity, part of a larger shift in hip-hop innovation to the South." Atlanta hip-hop’s pop breakthrough—everyone from Jermaine Dupri to OutKast to Lil Jon—involved the blend of various distillations of hard-core sounds from the West, bass beats from Florida, and styles and images from the North.[8] Producer Drumma Boy called Atlanta "the melting pot of the South". Producer Fatboi called the Roland TR-808("808") synthesizer "central" to Atlanta music's versatility, used for snap, crunk, trap, and pop rap styles.[1] The same article named Fatboi, Shawty Redd and Zaytoven the four "hottest producers driving the city".[1]

2010 is ancient history. Between 2010 and 2018 we saw the rise of smartphones and social media, the rise of memes and the rise of streaming. The way we consume and interact without music is fundamentally different. That was too much to cover. I just wanted to emphasize how the music of Atlanta has become a dominant force in American culture. I talked about some of the most popular rappers for the ATL and how they have affected American culture at large. Here's what I added to the "History" section of the article.

In the 1980s and early 1990s Atlanta's hip hop scene was characterized by a local variant of Miami's electro-driven bass music, with stars like Kilo Ali, MC Shy-D, Raheem the Dream, and DJ Smurf (later Mr. Collipark).[1] MC Shy-D is credited with bringing authentic Bronx-style hip-hop to Atlanta (and Miami), such as 1988's Shake it[3] produced by DJ Toomp; Jones was signed to controversial Southern hip hop label Luke Records, run by Luther Campbell aka "Uncle Luke". Arrested Development won the Grammy in 1992 with Tennessee, while Mr. Wendal & People Everyday and Kris Kross won with their hit song Jump... 

As of 2018, Atlanta Trap music continues to dominate the pop music charts. In 2017, Atlanta recording artist Future had back-to-back releases that debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Atlanta artists, most notably Lil Yachty have capitalized on internet to make their name. Infectious personal branding allowed Yachty to spread across social media. His 2018 release Lil Boat 2 opened at number 2 on Billboard. 

Atlanta Hip-Hop influences other mainstream forms of media. Comedian, actor, and musician Donald Glover, who raps under the name Childish Gambino has gained critical and commercial success with his television show Atlanta. The show chronicles the lives of two cousins trying to navigate the Hip-Hop world. Its acting and social commentary have earned it two Golden Globe awards and two Emmy awards. 

Atlanta’s hip-hop scene created of many of the decade's dance crazes. Dances like The Dab, the Whip, and the Nae-Nae have all ascended from hip-hop into the mainstream. Proof of their mainstream success is plain to see. Notably, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton did a “Dab” on the popular talk show, Ellen.

I've done my job. The next person who needs to know about rap from the ATL won't be left in the dark and the world will never forget about the most awkward dab of all time.

Scorpion Review

Drake is at the top of pop stardom. A single from his latest album, called “In My Feelings” just knocked another from the same album from the Number one spot. He now has the most number one singles of any rapper.

While Drake might be a superstar, the album that spawned these singles is not so stellar. I’ll break down my thoughts in this review.

SCORPION- Drake

The Good

• The Production
• Bangers 
• Drake’s X Factor

The Bad

• Filler Tacks
• Separation of Rap and R & B

The Ugly

• Drake’s struggle with paternity 

There’s a lot to like on Scorpion.

The production on this album, like every Drake release, is top notch. He as a star team of producers behind him and the beats here range from simple and snappy to deep melodic and moody.

Scorpion has bangers too. “In My Feelings” is the platonic form of a Drake hit. Cheesy yet charming bars about women over an earworm hook make this an ideal pop rack track. “Emotionless” and “Nice for What” are two other standout tracks. 

There’s also Drake’s X Factor. Drake possesses this melodramatic charm that has allowed him to rise of the top of the rap game and break all of the conventions of the genre while doing so. Most of Drake’s music is spent musings on the trials of women and fame, but he has the charisma to make the most ridiculous bars sound cool. Take the following from “God’s Plan.”

She said, 'Do you love me?' / I tell her only partly / I only love my bed and my mama / I'm sorry

I would laugh if anyone said this to me in real life, but Drake makes it sound smoother than Shaft.

My biggest complaint, by far, is the album's excessive length. It is easy to contrast this album's length with the brevity of another recent album I enjoyed, Kids See Ghosts. Every track on Ghosts seems to have a meaning or try to break some new ground. On Scorpion, half of the tracks seem to be throwaways. These songs also make the album unfocused; I struggled to find a theme that made the album a cohesive whole.

Drake’s other misstep was separating the album into two halves, one focused on rap and the other focused on R&B. Drake reached his level of popularity by being one of the first artists to combine the two genres by himself. Separating the two takes away one of his biggest strengths.

The ugliest aspect of this album is how Drake handled his new public fatherhood. Pusha T, another prominent artist, recently revealed to the world that Drake had a child, a fact Drake himself had not made public. Drake uses childish lyrics to address the issue

Thankful for the women that I know / Can't go fifty-fifty with no ho / Every month, I'm supposed to pay her bills / And get her what she want / I still got like seven years of doin' what I want

Let's not forget that Drake isn’t a kid, even if he’s handling his paternity crisis like one of the baby daddies from teen mom. Drake has been massively popular since 2009. A man that’s been at the top of music for that long should have a little more sense

Final Verdict: Recommended with some reservations. Listen to the bangers.

Kids See Ghosts Review

Kid Cudi and Kayne West released a new album.

If you went to high school anytime from 2008 through 2014, these words are enough to send tingles down your spine.

Kid Cudi was able to connect to a generation of moody teenagers with classic albums like Man on the Moon and Man on the Moon II. These albums featured songs that bared Cudi’s raw emotions and darkest insecurities plain for the world to see. Cudi’s openness packaged with the slick production and guidance of Kayne West ensured the staying power of their music. Unfortunately, after a period of mental illness, Cudi’s music descended into mediocrity and with culminated with the 2015 atrocity Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven.

Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Kids See Ghosts proves the duos were and remain a force for making emotionally driven art and music.

Here are my three favorite things about the album.

1. Brevity. At only seven tracks and 23 minutes long it is easily digestible in one sitting. Like an effectively edited essay, Kids See Ghosts trims the excess away and delivers its message in a lean and punchy format. Themes of alienation, loneliness, despair, and triumph shine through the music. The typical generic rap trappings of wealth, sex, and meaningless violence are not present to water down the album's focused vision.

2. Emotional Immediacy. The duo is open about their struggles in life and they leave no trauma unrevealed. Lines like, “And nothing hurts anymore / I feel kind of free” remind me of "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd.

3. Raw Sound. This album is dissonant, which works well with the subject matter. Kid Cudi’s trademark off-key singing emphasizes the aforementioned emotions. The rough edges are intentional. Kayne is a notorious perfectionist, so for better or worse, every sound on this album is meticulously placed.

However, this album has weaknesses.

Some songs are aimless. Songs like “Free” and “Feel the Love” lack clear structure and direction. While this is may not be a negative for some people, I found myself lost amongst verse and chorus, wondering when the song was going to end. Without defined rising action and climax these songs became disorienting.

The album falls into the common trap of romanticizing mental illness. Cudi and Kayne are open about struggling with depression and Bipolar Disorder, respectively. However, instead of portraying these illnesses as the debilitating disorders they actually are, the duo seems to use them to feed into the “tortured artist” trope. 

Conclusion: This album is as flawed as the two men who made it. Give it a listen anyway.

Wide Awake Review

Damn, I like this album.

The band first caught my ear with their 2016 album Human Performance. The singles "Berlin Got Blurry" and "Dust" were constantly on my Spotify rotation last summer. "Dust’s" fat, droning guitar sounds and chanted vocals provide a hypnotic listen. The spaghetti western guitar licks and witty lyricism of "Berlin Got Blurry" make it one of the most unique rock songs of the decade. I consider it an instant classic.

Parquet Courts occupy a unique lyrical space on this Wide Awake, dangling between seriousness and silliness, walking the tightrope between those emotional extremes.

The album tackles pertinent topics such as income disparity, violence and our polarized political climate without devolving into preachy sloganeering. The perfect example of the silly/serious duality comes off Total Football, which contains the political commentary, “Collectivism and autonomy are not mutually exclusive”. They also say “Fuck Tom Brady” on the same track. While the first lyric may be perceived as shallow, the second example shows that this band is truly at the height of their intellectual prowess.

The band’s punk roots shine as strong as ever in Wide Awake’s sound. "Almost Had to Start a Fight/ In And Out of Patience" starts out as an amateurish sounding punk song, but halfway though kicks into gear, developing a groove strong enough to spawn a mosh pit.  

"Mardi Gras Beads" reminds me of Mac DeMarco. I hope you forgive the overused comparison. The hazy vocals and reverb-drenched insurgents are reminiscent of the popular indie rocker. The style works well in this song. What really stands out to me on this track is the solo. While not technically dazzling, the phrasing is magnificent and the interplay between the rhythm instruments and the lead guitar effectively sum up the emotions of the song without the need for words.

The band reaches out from their punk and indie roots on this album. They have been listening to funk, and it especially shows on cuts like Wide Awake. The track is so groovy it blurs the lines between dance music and rock. I would be hard-pressed to even call it rock music. Like funk and disco music, the song lays primarily on the multilayered percussion section and the baseline. The baseline is funky enough to make Bootsy Collins blush.

Further drawing comparisons to classic Funk music a la James Brown is the simple and repetitive lyricism. The vocals act as another instrument in the mix, adding vocal timbre instead of telling a story or expressing complex emotional statements. This, of course, is not a criticism, the lyrics are masterfully executed and more complex lyrics might serve to ruin the songs spotless groove.

Conclusion: Damn, I really like this album. 

Listen to: Led Zeppelin Three

Listen to Led Zeppelin 3.  If you hate Led Zeppelin you will find sounds that are totally different from what you are expecting from the Zep. If you love them, you will only find more to love.

I’m a huge Led Zeppelin Fan. They are the zenith of Rock and Roll. They strike the balance between accessibility and musicality. They sound hard, need to put on a satanic show to prove it. They’re technically complex, but they never reached the self-indulgence of progressive rock. Some would consider Zepplin grandfathers of both genres.

The band is often criticized as overly bombastic and meat-headed. This may be true.  Don’t get me wrong, Led Zeppelin is dad rock. But goddamn do they rock.

Many people have only heard their big singles, played over and over by their local classic rock radio station. If this describes you I would recommend a dive into their discography. The four of five songs you have heard on repeat for the past twenty years fail to do their music justice.

Most people recommending a Led Zeppelin album would point you to their fourth album. It contains the bands most iconic songs like "Stairway to Heaven", "Rock and Roll" and "Black Dog".   

These songs are incredible, but if you’re anything like me, they are tired to your ears. Years of repetitive play have stripped them of their magic.  "Stairway" is 8 minutes long and seems to lack any actual lyrical content.

Enter Led Zeppelin 3. Out of the bands six classic albums, it is the most underappreciated. I would say it is criminally underrated.  The only cut off the album to receive any radio play is "Immigrant Song."

The album's sound from a typical 70’s rock album to an acoustic odyssey.  Robert Plant’s voice and John Bonham’s driving drum beat create an unmistakably Led Zeppelin sound. The lush instrumentation of the album takes Led Zeppelin in a new of sonic direction while never fully diverging from the bands classic sound.

However, I think the real treats of the album are the folk songs like "Tangerine", "Gallows Pole", and "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp". These songs are masterpieces in their own right. I think these songs specifically showcase the band's musical range.

"Tangerine" is my favorite song on the album. This song is the furthest thing from the typical lewd sex, drugs, and noise of Led Zeppelin. It is clearly the tenderest song in their catalog. Despite only having 12 lines of lyrics, the lush acoustic guitar and instrumentation of the track encapsulate the feeling of being in love on a hazy spring day. The gorgeous pedal guitar solo adds to the track's psychedelic feeling.

"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a blast. Like many other of the songs, It draws inspiration from English and American folk music. Instead of focusing on the mournful or poetic elements of folk, it draws from the celebratory side of folk music. It conjures images of a small, late 19th-century town coming together to celebrate in the town center. "Stomp" has one of the strongest downbeats I have ever experienced in rock music.  This song makes me want to stomp my feet into the dirt. The beat is best explained as a “hoedown” style groove.

"Gallows Pole" has the most interesting history behind any Zeppelin Song. "Gallows Pole" is a traditional English folk song that existed in some form prior to the seventeenth century. The song describes a man’s desperate attempts to save himself from being executed.  As the song increases in tempo and lyrical desperation, a mandolin 12- string and banjo accompany the guitar. In the cruel and final verse, we hear from the hangman himself. Despite taking the bribes, he decides to kill the condemned.

Oh yes, you got a fine sister, she warmed my blood from cold,She warmed my blood to boiling hot to keep you from the gallows pole,Your brother brought me silver, and your sister warmed my soul,But now I laugh and pull so hard to see you swinging on the gallows pole.

The final song on the album, "Hats off to Roy Harper" is trash. Don’t listen to it.

Led Zeppelin 3 is worth listening to because it shows the maturing of a band from a purely hard rock outfit into a unit that could effectively perform songs that span the range of insturmentation and human emotion. Even if you dislike Led Zeppelin, I implore you to take an hour of your life and listen to this album.