country grammar

1y

yes did you see what the theme was for this week?

Purrp

1y

Even though I picked this weeks theme I’m having the toughest time deciding what I want to pick

I could go with something that definitely still means a lot to me and changed my tastes when I first heard it way back when or something a little more recent that widened my sonic palette

hemaglox

1y

album that expanded my taste in music @op

Chris Stapleton - Starting Over

yes it's a country album but give it a chance

also will be posting my review for For Those Who Have Heart soon

Zoobooks

1y

Aquarium by Aqua

This album is intense and probably the most poppy pop album I've ever heard. This s*** is aggressive. I didn't read this week's OP carefully so this whole week I thought I was gonna be reviewing an Arca album.

• Happy Boys and Girls: This song stresses me out
• My Oh My: Not my type of song but not awful. I like the bridge
• Barbie Girl: This song is a classic and clearly infectious, but also feels like some CIA torture s***. I think it's the man's performance in this song that really makes this very uncomfortable
• Good Morning Sunshine: Kinda generic but honestly not terrible and I could listen to this again. Not feeling the man's verse towards the end, though
• Doctor Jones: Again, not my thing, but not terrible. Catchy song and Lene has solid vocal performances in this track and throughout this album so far
• Heat of the Night: Catchy I guess but overall painful. Don't know how to explain it, but just doesn't feel right
• Be a Man: Lene clearly putting the team on her back
• Lollipop: I'm not sure how I feel about this it just makes me laugh
• Roses are Red: Pretty similar to Lollipop tbh...
• Turn Back Time: Again, a solid Lene track. She shines on the slower stuff
• Calling You: More formulaic stuff, doesn't really stand out

4/10 - Overall, I'm surprised I did find things I liked on here and I think that Lene has a lot of talent. I'm curious to see if she released solo projects. However, not something I would listen to out of this context

@Extraterrestrial @saveme

TorturedEchi

1y

Dam this sounds fun @op so do i just submit an album to this theme? If so then

Slipknot - Vol 3 subliminal verses, I can say that this was one of the albums that pretty much got me into numetal/metal aside from LP. Also introduced me to one of the greatest drummers oat

Purrp

1y

Juice Wrld- Death Race for Love

To start off this is my first Juice Wrld project - I never realized how much bro sounds like Post Malone, idk how I feel about that. I feel like it plays very largely into his appeal but thats a point I don’t feel like elaborating on. That said I don’t think Juice is for me based off this project, the angsty d*** rap s*** doesn’t really do much for me coming from him. The production was nice specifically on Flaws and The Bees Knees.

I relistened to my highlighted songs a few times before this review and sometimes I think they’re mid sometimes I like them. Even when I like the songs I forget what I liked about them as soon as something else comes on and nothing sticks with me after. I can’t tell if it’s his energy carrying the tracks or the beats but Ik it’s really not the substance for me. He can flow I guess but Idk Juice did not save my life with this one.

It came to my attention that this is a posthumous album so I may check out some of his other work but i this was very meh on this, I can see what people like about him but it means nothing to/does nothing for me. I could never hear another Juice song or this album again and feel like nothing was lost.

Highlights: Big, Flaws and Sins, The Bees Knees, Syphilis,10 Feet, Make Believe, Out My Way

4.5 - 5/10
@op
@Hndrxx_Free

hemaglox

1y

A Day To Remember - For Those Who Have Heart

More rock music let’s gooooooo

I have no idea what this is. Honestly, fine with that though because I could use some diversity in what I’ve been listening to. This past week I was bumping SOS and then Enter the 36 Chambers before, so this is a nice change of pace.

Alright right off the bat Fast Forward to 2012 could fit right on the Tony Hawk Underground 2 soundtrack. I’ve been replaying that recently (goated game btw) and this has that of-the-time melodramatic rock sound that I associated with the early 2000s that I enjoy but probably passively and more out of nostalgia than anything. Also that death metal (again idk rock genres sorry) vocals in the chorus about important friendship is…ngl I laughed out loud. I f/w the message–friendship is, very important to me, but the way its presented and executed here…it’s just a hilarious clash. MY FRIENDS COME FIRST!!! Honestly a guilty pleasure of mine.

Speak of the Devil I can take more seriously though. The messaging comes off as sincere (well, more sincere than the previous track) and that hook has a good melody. Drums on this track are also pretty good. I’m not sold on the death metal voice or what exactly it represents here. Is it an inner voice or the people that pushed this character to wanting to commit suicide? Either way it feels too over-the-top especially for this type of message. Still though, I bet this song kills in Rock Band.

The Danger in Starting a Fire I don’t have much to say about. I think the death metal voice sounds the best on the first half of this track. With the lyrics about strength and dodging toxic masculinity I feel that, and definitely reminds me of some people in my life I cut out or try to avoid. When it starts moving into that over-correcting angsty in the second half is when it loses me. Started to check how many tracks I had left around this time too. Also is it just me or did it sound like the lead singer tried to rap for like two lines in the middle of the song?

Starting to zone out while listening to this. I actually really like the guitar riff on The Plot to Bomb The Panhandle and again I can kinda see a decent message about cutting off a manipulative girlfriend off, but the melodrama of this song takes me out of it pretty easily. This album is making me feel like I’m at a Warped Tour.

Monument might be my favorite track so far. Message about wanting to “make it” someday and get tf out of whatever slog you’ve grown up in is something that I greatly can identify with. The fear of getting too old, moving away to distance yourself from the people that caused you grief, I really feel it. The hook’s sentiment reminds me of Baby I’m a Star by Prince (don’t get it twisted though that song is wayyy better) too. Would’ve preferred no death metal voice on this track at all especially cause it doesn’t really fit here imo but at least they waited til the very end to shoehorn it in…

The Price We Pay feels like the SDP Interlude of this album. Simple, repeated structure, really pretty production (again SDP Interlude still blows this out of the water imo)--I was getting slight Sigur Ros vibes from the production. Hell, I’d love to sample the instrumental on this tbh. I liked the abstractness of these lyrics too. Maybe it’s cause there’s only three lines, so not enough lyrical diversity to piss me off. Ah well.

The only parts I like about Colder Than My Heart, If You Can Imagine Holy S*** These Track Names Are Longer Than JPEGMAFIA Song Titles are the opening acoustic chords and then the opening lines “don’t point your finger, baby // this isn’t the best time for you to test me”. Maybe it’s cause it sounds like a Drake line. Or this album is starting to mess with my mind. Also why does this song have like 3 pauses just finish the goddamn SONG

NGL, I started folding laundry during Show ‘Em The Ropes. Also, the line “You ruined my ‘04” lmao idk why that line is so funny to me, I think it’s cause I don’t see anything particularly special about 2004 but to be fair I was like 7. Also, okay, when people say that like a year sucks like “2020 was terrible! 2021 was okay though..” etc. It just reeks of conceitedness cause like not everyone experience time the same way you do? I know people where 2020 was like a lit year for them and 2018 was the worst for them. Anyways, this is just me trying to find something to say cause this album aint doing much for me at all at this point.

A Shot in The Dark I thought it was about estranged family but now the chorus is making me think its about old friends I don’t know man anymore these lyrics are like kinda mind-numbing for me rn. I’m like staring out the window at the sun setting and wishing I was outside so imma take a break real quick

Alright I’m back from a walk in the park f*** man why is it still so cold in Seattle, Here’s To The Past has a decent chorus. Again, I vibe with the message of wanting to move away and get away from your past. Hell, I was thinking that as I was walking through the park earlier staring at all the overgrown weeds and wishing I was somewhere warmer.

I Heard It’s The Softest Thing Ever ok honestly I’m looking at these lyrics and this feels like a mish-mash of tracks that I’ve heard so far. Not a lot to write here about. Back to folding and putting away laundry.

Start the Shooting has a decent chorus and the harmonic voices in the 2nd half honestly feel like a breath of fresh air in the otherwise fairly standard production style that I’ve seen all over this album.

Overall this album ngl felt like a slog after the first couple of tracks. I think some more creativity in production would’ve helped (like the vocal harmony on the closing track or the acoustic interlude halfway), but a lot of the lyrics just blend together or feel like empty platitudes too. I don’t hate this album or anything, I just got very tired of it after a couple tracks. Even the highlights I think they stand out from the rest of the album for me, but I’m not sure if I’d give them a relisten. Whatever genre this is (metalcore? That’s what Google says) I am curious to revisit in the future but this project, nah not really.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Favorite Tracks: The Price We Pay, Start The Shooting, Monument

Least Favorite Tracks: Colder Than My Heart If You Can Imagine, Show Em The Ropes, A Shot in the Dark

@ruckus
@op

ruckus

1y

album that expanded my musical taste

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

ruckus

1y

album that expanded my musical taste

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

bakedinatlanta

1y

album that expanded my musical taste

Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai