Hi, everyone! May was a pretty solid month of listening, with a lot of high-quality releases and songs to enjoy. As we head closer to the end of the second quarter of 2019, I'm expecting the new releases coming in the next few months to be really high-quality as well! I'm super excited to share the records and songs I enjoyed, and I hope you guys will like them as much as I did!
ALBUMS I LISTENED TO/MY OPINIONS:
Father of the Bride- Vampire Weekend
It’s been a very long time since we’ve gotten a Vampire Weekend record, and a majority of the indie community has responded positively to the singles that have been released this year. This record was made with a rather minimalist production style, but it was a great return from the Ivy League rockers. They explored a variety of different genres on this record, so I would probably consider it as more of an art rock project. There was the standard of ten to twelve full-length tracks, but they introduced interludes between songs. While some artists may just use them as filler, I was actually a fan of a lot of them. The density in these 90-second tracks make them seem as if they’re whole tracks on their own. On the other hand, full length tracks like “Harmony Hall” and “This Life” are actually some of the band’s best songs to date. I think that Ezra Koenig continued showing off his detailed songwriting abilities, and his smooth vocals kept tracks feeling fresh from beginning to end. He also brought in collaborators like Danielle Haim and Steve Lacy, and their contributions added a lot more to the tracks they were on. There were not many cuts on the album that left me bored or uninterested, as every track brought something special to the table. In all, FOTB was a promising return for Vampire Weekend, and had a lot of successful experiments that ended up making the album a winner. 9.5/10
Here Comes The Cowboy- Mac DeMarco
This is Mac DeMarco’s fourth studio album, and sadly, it is the weakest of the bunch. From the get-go, the album was a tough listen. As I journeyed on, the abundance of filler tracks became more and more prevalent. It seems as if he didn’t put as much effort into making these tracks. In fact, there are very few songs that I will likely remember. If I had to pick my highlights, they would be “All of Our Yesterdays” and “Hey Cowgirl”. I’m partial to some of these synth-based tracks because I’ve been longing for that same synthy, dreamy production that was on 2 or Salad Days. Sadly, This outing doesn’t fit the persona he has had in the past. He would write about teenage angst and rebellion while singing over wonky instrumentation. To me, that’s what made him so lovable and enjoyed by so many people. With Here Comes The Cowboy, I feel like he’s trying to get rid of that old persona to completely reinvent himself. Mac got so indecisive to the point where I kept hearing two conflicting production styles: He’s constantly mixing his older and more popular style with a newer and more acoustic sound. The lack of focus with his sound, as the drab songwriting on most of the tracks, are his two biggest flaws on the record. As a result, that really hurt him. I’m disappointed to say that I’m handing out another low score to one of my favorite artists. 5.5/10
TA13OO (TABOO)- Denzel Curry
This was another album I didn’t check out in 2018, and I figured I might do it some justice. I’ve already listened to a few singles off of it already, and I’ve been a fan of what I’ve heard. After a full listen, TA13OO validated everything I was hoping for with this record. Denzel Curry really seems to be cleaning up the game right, as he’s got some super slick rhymes and flows. I was really impressed with a lot of these tracks, the production and rapping were both super clean throughout. Of course, “BLACK BALLOONS” “SUMO” and “CLOUT COBAIN” are classics of this album. Some other new songs I came to enjoy were “SUPER SAIYAN SUPERMAN” and “VENGEANCE”; I really liked “SUPERMAN” because of the lo-fi beat behind it, and I think JPEGMAFIA’s feature on “VENGEANCE” made me appreciate that song a little more. The only song I wasn’t the biggest fan of was “SIRENS”. I found its neo-soul sound didn’t really fit in with the overall aesthetic of the album. What’s even more exciting is that Curry just announced his new album, ZUU a few weeks back. I am super excited for it because of my liking for this album. Hopefully, you will see a review on it next month. Based on the quality of this album, I can definitely see Curry’s abilities going higher from here! 9/10
3:47 EST- Klaatu
This band has been referred to as the “Canadian Beatles”, and were actually THOUGHT to have been the Beatles. I heard about these guys through a Polyphonic video, and I was actually really interested in finding out more about their music. I will say, this album defied my expectations. I was thinking it was going to be one of those weird, esoteric 70s records that a lot of artists have derived influence from. By this, I mean something along the lines of History of the World by the Shaggs, or Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart. Despite being eight tracks long, this album packs a sonic punch similar to later Beatles’ records. It blends the wonky, psychedelic sounds of albums like Pet Sounds and Sgt. Peppers, as well as the hard rock sound that was popular at the time. However, it almost seems as if the album was merely a pastiche, and nothing more. I see it as the band finding inspiration from these groups and making something that reflected their respect for the bands. Songs like “Sub-Rosa Subway” and “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” were some of the standouts off this record, and truly could sound like something the Beatles could have made. Despite some calling Klaatu a rip-off of the Beatles or the Beach Boys, I had no problem with finding enjoyment on 3:47 EST. In fact, I’m now even more inclined to check out the rest of their discography. 8/10
IGOR- Tyler the Creator
After a preview of the album surfaced around social media outlets in early May, Tyler dropped some more info about his awaited LP, called IGOR. To say the least, I was absolutely thrilled when I found out. This album didn’t disappoint and totally lived up to the hype. It was nice to see Tyler mature even more as an overall music figure with this latest outing. He focused much less on the rapping aspect of things and is finally beginning to master the true craft of making an album. Heck, I wouldn’t even call this record “rap” to begin with. Tyler honestly took so much more influence from jazz and neo-soul this time around. The cuts on this album seem to be a lot tighter-sounding than those of Flower Boy, almost like a symphony for the ears. Additionally, I think that the instrumentation choices by Tyler were really solid as well, some of his best to date. I think some of the highlights for me have to be “EARFQUAKE” and “A BOY IS A GUN”. Both have some really solid production and, despite me saying otherwise, have some really solid verses on Tyler’s part. So… remember when all those people called Flower Boy his best? IGOR has definitely dethroned it. It’s short, sweet, and one I’ll be listening to for years to come. 9/10.
SONGS OF THE MONTH
gb/ol/h/nf- Oso Oso
Contact- Daft Punk
When The Sun Hits- Slowdive
Composure- argonaut&wasp
All of Our Yesterdays- Mac DeMarco
Mack the Knife- Bobby Darin
Talk To Me You’ll Understand- Ross from Friends
Moon Love- Boombox Cartel
EARFQUAKE- Tyler, the Creator
Tout ce que je sais- Orelsan
Thanks again for reading this, and happy listening! More bazzreviews content gets published almost every week, so be prepared to see some awesome stuff in the future!
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