Hi, everyone! As we approach the halfway point of 2020, I'm anticipating some other great records that are going to come late here in the second quarter of music. May was sort of average- some good releases, some not so great, but I'm still excited to share the music I enjoyed with you today!
Fetch The Bolt Cutters- Fiona Apple
Well, this was unexpected. The NYC singer/songwriter released her first album in eight years… and received the FIRST TEN from Pitchfork since (you guessed it) My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. If you didn’t think that was enough to spark my interest, you’d be wrong. Over the last twenty-five years, Apple has been rather sporadic with her releases. Her first two records were released at a reasonable time, but she took a six year break from ‘99-‘05 before releasing another full-length, Extraordinary Machine. Another seven years down the road came The Idler Wheel in 2012. My point is, every time she releases something, it’s damn near worth the wait. When I dove into FTBC, I instantly fell in love with some of the new musical ideas Apple incorporated into her signature acoustic tracks; they hearkened back to her previous work on The Idler Wheel and such. Her songwriting is pretty sharp, too, which is nothing new either. I think tracks like “I Want You to Love Me,” “Shameika,” “Under the Table,” “Ladies,” “Cosmonauts” were some of the standouts across the project. Though it’s got the basics down for being great, I sort of question why this record was given the coveted “10” in the first place. It doesn’t really feel like such a generation-defining album. To put it tersely, it’s overhyped to some extent. There were a lot of awesome records between the release of MBDTF to now that would have been more deserving. I didn’t like how Apple was trying a lot harder to be edgy on some places on this record by slathering experimentation all over the title track, also on “Relay,” “Newspaper,” “Heavy Balloon,” and the finale “On I Go.” That really didn’t sit all that well with me. Again, I don’t want it to get discounted that Bolt Cutters is a “bad” record or I’m giving it a “mixed” review. It’s got some great moments! As I said, I don’t know why there had to be so much changed to the past greatness of Fiona Apple on here. 7.5/10.
how i’m feeling now- Charli XCX
I’ve been getting into a lot of PC/Hyperpop music recently, and figured I’d check out a record from one of the genre’s biggest faces. Charli XCX has been one of the more fun artists to have evolved over the 2010s up to now, and I was certainly excited to see what other material would be on this album. This was another record that came as somewhat of a surprise. It was quite creative, too, as the UK singer-songwriter’s fourth studio release was recorded in a span of just four weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being recorded so quickly, it’s anything but a rush job. If I’m being completely honest, it’s one of the cleanest and most dynamic records I’ve heard in 2020 so far. For the most part, it’s pretty well-paced. In my eyes, eleven tracks and a thirty-seven minute runtime is pretty ideal. A lot of the vocal deliveries sound super sharp, with some being a bit of a step-up from some of the cuts we got on her self-titled project from last year. One specific element of the album I’d like to dive deeper into is the production style. It’s got a melting pot of people who contributed to it, with guys like PC Music’s founder, A.G. Cook and 100 gecs member Dylan Brady getting executive producing credits on here. For those of you guys who listen to Gecs, you’ll know that they tend to sound quite brash in their mixes. They’re kind of like the rock equivalent of Death Grips. I like 100 gecs, but I think the cuts produced by Dylan Brady, “claws,” “i finally understand” and “anthems'' don't really fit Charli’s overall style. They left a bit of a foul taste in my mouth. Conversely, the more smooth and heavenly production by Cook on cuts like “pink diamond,” “forever,” “7 years,” “enemy,” “c2.0,” and the closer, “visions” were ones I enjoyed a lot more. Despite having a few hiccups here and there, how i’m feeling now is a wonderful culmination of Charli’s“new” image that she’s built up over the last few years. 8.5/10
Melee- Dogleg
This is the debut full-length from the Detroit punk rockers, and one that instantly caught my eye with its teaser material. Both “Fox” and “Kawasaki Backflip'' were enough to get me to sit down and review this project in full. I also got to sit down with bassist Chase Macinski this month, too, so I guess you could say this was perfect timing. We talk more about the writing process on the record, which you can find here!. I first want to say that this is just an incredible record, and how it might be one of the best punk projects I’ve heard in my reviewing days. For a debut record, the crystal-clear production across the board is great. I love the delivery from lead singer Alex Stoitsiadis, and the supporting instrumentation from Chase and the gang is unbelievable, too. Along with the two singles, my favorites from the record were “Bueno,” “Prom Hell,” “Wartortle,” “Wrist,” and the closer “Ender.” For a ten-track record, being able to enjoy seven or eight of the tracks is a clear sign that consistency appears to be Dogleg’s goal. Now, let’s talk about the two tracks I haven’t mentioned yet- both more of the weaker ones in the list. I wasn’t the biggest fan of “Headfirst” and the direction they choose to take on it. Secondly, while I felt “Hotlines' ' had a great instrumental, it flounders vocally compared to a lot of the more powerful cuts across this thing. I know I just keep rehashing the same idea that Melee is great and all, but it’s really because I haven’t anything bad to say about this record. Dogleg is easily one of the hottest newcomers in 2020, and I wish Chase and the band the best of luck with their music down the road! 9/10
Aporia- Sufjan Stevens & Lowell Brams
I don’t believe I’ve heard any Sufjan Stevens projects since Carrie and Lowell because I’ve been in love with both for the longest time. I knew the acclaimed singer-songwriter has bounced between new-age and folk music for his career, but this project specifically caught my eye. It was because he had been collaborating with his stepfather- THE Lowell from the aforementioned 2015 album on this go around. Even though I’ve never reviewed a “classical” record so to speak, I think listening to Aporia was a fine experience. However, it wasn’t necessarily a record that resonated with me all that much emotionally. Across the collection of twenty-two songs, there were only a few that I would say gave me any sort of reaction. Those would be “Ousia,” “What It Takes,” “Disinheritance,” “Afterworld Alliance,” “The Red Desert,” or “The Unlimited.” To clarify, the first three tracks I just mentioned were placed in the one, two, and three spots in the tracklist. So, yeah, some clear consistency issues coming up right off the bat. For most of the middle stretch of Aporia, the tracks felt very nebulated and underdeveloped. Instead of having short, thirty-second bursts of atonal notes and sounds, I wish so much more musically could have been added to the mix in general. Everything sort of blends together and sounds the same, and it’s not until you reach the back end until you get the same vibe as you did in the beginning. By then, I had become so disinterested in the project that I had sort of just started to listen to it all somewhat half-assedly. I feel bummed out that I couldn’t get much more out of this record. Maybe you found something out of this that I didn’t, and I’d be interested to hear different takes on it. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a better place to start with Sufjan’s instrumental projects, consider this one as an afterthought. Go back to The BQE or Run Rabbit Run, and then relisten to this. I think you’ll be able to notice the decline in quality here after hearing them. 6/10
Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial- Roddy Ricch
This will be another record from a newer face this month, this time going towards the pop rap genre with this Compton rapper’s second full length effort. This guy has definitely been helped by the new wave of TikTok- he is within the pantheon of artists that are popular on the app. “Ballin’” from DJ Mustard’s record, and this album’s singles “The Box,” and “High Fashion” have been ageless throughout the app's quick-moving trends. I like all three of those songs, so I was definitely eager to see if the record had the same level of quality. Unfortunately, it was sort of a different story. A lot of readers will know that I ask a lot of artists that I interview if they prefer production value or lyricism when they make songs. I wouldn’t even have to ask Roddy what he prefers more for this record, because it’s quite clear to see that it’s production, no question. When he can’t scrape together a decent verse, he leans on the production to be the saving grace of a track. I thought he was someone who could be a face of the future in rap, but I had been proven wrong. Even if the production is his priority, it tends to sound very repetitive across the project. Not only that, but for someone who’s a West Coast rapper, it’s weird to see that he’s blending a lot of Southern hip-hop elements that are “in” right now. Across the sixteen tracks, I could only pick out a couple of new songs that I enjoyed all the way through; “Start With Me,” “Moonwalkin,” and “War Baby” would be my top choices. Out of the two singles from this project, I’m sad to say “The Box” has not held up for me as much as I would have hoped. Aside from the ultra-famous hook, the verses aren’t all that memorable in my opinion. That pattern of decent hook/bad verses pours into tracks like “Perfect Time,” “Gods Eyes,” “Peta,” “Boom Boom Boom,” “Bacc Seat,” “Roll Dice,” “Tip Toe.” While it’s certainly not the worst rap offering we’ve gotten in the last couple of years, PEMFBAS shows the Ricch has a little more growing to do as an artist for any future projects. 5.5/10
SONGS OF THE MONTH:
Fox- Dogleg
Notice Me- Harmless
I’ll Follow the Sun- Beatles
In Dreams- Roy Orbison
Falling for the Wrong One- Dreamer Boy
Still Not a Player- Big Pun
Tears in Rain- Vangelis
Playa Shit- Nxxxxxs
Kyoto- Yung Lean
Picture This- Kero Kero Bonito
So, did you agree with my takes, or did you think there was a record that was unfairly rated? Feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss more on these records! My inboxes are always open if you need someone to talk to! In the meantime, stay safe- especially in this time of unrest across our country! I hope to see you back here soon checking out more content!
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