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(02/25/20 6:00pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
After what seemed like a wait of a million years, the Aussie psychedelic rock band, Tame Impala, finally released their fourth studio album after a painstakingly-long wait. The album, The Slow Rush, was released in full on Feb. 14, 2020, and it was inarguably the best Valentine’s Day present anyone could have asked for.
Thankfully, however, none of us had to wait until 2020 to get even the slightest taste of new music; we were gifted with the single "Patience" in late March of 2019, the first work of musical art from the band since Currents in 2015. Although not on the album, this track alone gave us a great taste of what new to expect from the band that put out three full-length albums prior, all distinctly different in sound and character. Listening in retrospect, "Patience" introduced us to some of the themes covered in the new album and gave us a decent introduction for the “feel” of the music we would later get to experience in The Slow Rush. This sampling trend continued on with the release of the single "Borderline"—not long after "Patience"—and then so on and so forth with the releases of "Posthumous Forgiveness," "It Might Be Time," and "Lost in Yesterday," all featured on the album. A little bit at a time, we were drawn into the album and the ideas that fueled its creation before it was even released. With all the single releases—and later with the full album—we received everything we love about the old Tame Impala but with a new, fresh twist.
Mind-altering emotional vulnerability
Before diving into the thematic aspects of the album, we first have to establish who the mastermind is behind Tame Impala. As some of you may or may not know, Tame Impala is comprised of one man who creates and produces the music, and then has a flawless backing band to accompany him. Kevin Parker is the real powerhouse of the cell—the mitochondria, if you will. Every Tame Impala album thus far has contained the thoughts and feelings of Parker, expressed through music composed by the man himself.
If you actively listen to Tame Impala’s past albums, you’ll find that Parker is no stranger to expressing emotional vulnerability, and that doesn’t change in The Slow Rush. With music as his creative outlet, Parker’s lyrics contain a wide range of introspective thought and conscious awareness—along with the musical compositions to complement. The overarching theme of The Slow Rush is personal reflection in relation to the passage of time. One of the most admirable things about Tame Impala’s music—and this album is no exception—is the timelessness in regard to those personal reflections. The Slow Rush is by no means tailored only to those who struggle in their coming-of-age years; this album is one that is and will remain relevant throughout all stages of life.
A prime example of a song that explores that concept of internal struggle tied with time is "On Track," where Parker takes on a first-person narrative, worrying about being on-track in life, which is a very universal problem that many feel pressured about in our day-to-day lives. Many of us have yet to realize that there is no right or wrong “track” for any of us to be on, and this is one of many songs on the album that reminds us of the fact that we’re all going at our own pace and we should experience our lives in the personalized stages that they come in.
Psychedelic synths and entrancing percussion
The Slow Rush can very well be compared to Currents in its characteristics of Tame Impala’s version of psychedelic music; the style of psychedelia that they ensue is similar in both albums and is immediately recognizable as Tame Impala’s signature sound. Each and every song on both LPs truly takes your ears on a symphonic journey, demanding your full attention to the detail of the compositions that make up the aural ecstasy.
What’s unique about this album is the heavy reliance on percussion, and even heavier reliance on synthetic sounds that mimic retro, funk, and in some cases even disco music, while somehow still fitting into their unique psychedelic mold.
Taking it back to my point about how “Patience” exemplifies this perfectly: even though this song, again, was not included in the album, it still shows us this new stage of Tame Impala that embraces a bizarre mix of genres. Another song that induces a musical era flashback is “Breathe Deeper,” which has a distinct, retro-type feel to it by way of soaring synths and tight percussion. Many songs on the album hold either a very strong or sometimes looser grip of this concept, but it really gives overall character to the album as a whole and makes it stand out just as much as the theme.
In numerous interviews with Parker throughout his career, he talks about how Supertramp, the progressive English rock band, has moved him and his music during his life and career. In Currents—and even sprinkled into Lonerism (2012)— you can definitely see where he’s coming from and how Supertramp has motivated some musical decisions when Parker produces. In The Slow Rush, this influence is taken to a new level, and a lot of songs from the track list seem to loosely model some of Supertramp’s most popular songs. Take, for example, “It Might Be Time” in parallel to Supertramp’s “The Logical Song.” Listening to Supertramp’s Breakfast in America album (1979), there are a lot of components that The Slow Rush mimics. In no way is it a copy or even derivative of Breakfast in America, but Parker allowed that unique style of music to help mold this modern psychedelic album, and it was fabricated to perfection.
Recommended if you like:
Pond
Crumb
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Featured Image: The Duke Chronicle
(02/05/20 2:28am)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
(01/24/20 6:57pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
On Jan. 17, 2020, Mac Miller’s posthumous album was released, a little over a year after his sudden and tragic death. The album, Circles, was produced and finished by Jon Brion, per the request of Mac’s family. Brion, who had helped Mac work on the project before his passing, released it on his behalf as his last album and last piece of work for the world to hear.
Karen Meyers, Mac’s mother, published an Instagram post on Jan. 8 announcing the album’s release date and gave a brief overview of the conceptualities and significance behind it. The two-paragraph exposition revealed that not only was Mac working on another project before his untimely death, but it was to be completed by his visionary companion Brion, and set to release just a week later. Circles would be a conceptual counterpart to Mac’s last LP, Swimming. As mentioned in the post, the spirit alluded to by the parallels was the idea of “Swimming in Circles.”
Jon Brion, a songwriter, movie composer, and producer, worked closely with Mac and his visions for both Swimming and Circles. Brion is credited with co-producing over half of the tracks on Swimming, and was expected to amount about the same contribution to Circles. Mac had his solidified vision for the latter, and Brion was to help sharpen the divination of everything it was to become, from the lyrics to the overall sound.
“There were supposed to be three albums: the first, Swimming,was sort of the hybridization of going between hip-hop and song form. The second, which he’d already decided would be called Circles, would be song-based. And I believe the third one would have been just a pure hip-hop record. I think he wanted to tell people, “I still love this, I still do this.””— Jon Brion, in an interview with The New York Times.
Swimming, which was released on Aug. 3, 2018—just a month before Mac’s death— is a full-body, stream of consciousness work that is extremely introspective and induces the purest forms of emotional vulnerability for the active listener. As Brion mentioned, Swimming is more hip-hop based—which is what really gives it that stream-of-consciousness component. The album is subjectively melancholy, bringing Mac’s mental tribulations to the forefront of the musical conversation. For many, this album hit harder following his death, namely because he presented himself as very vulnerable, and we were essentially left with this image of him as someone who was in the midst of trying to overcome his psychological distress; however, his time was cut short in trying to break through that wall of adversity. This dismal awareness was heavy, and echoed in the hearts of many fans and admirers every time they listened to “Wings” or “Come Back to Earth.” While this was the reality of the situation, Circles transcended this idea, and offered us a little bit more closure from the artist.
Circles, although not an embodiment of a mental breakthrough, still breaks the downbeat pattern of the previous album. In Circles, Mac’s perspectives seem to shift, transgressing and focusing more on the world and his relationship with everything around him in a slightly more positive light, rather than being so inner-focused, as in Swimming. Circles is everything that the word bittersweet means; it’s a somber experience to listen to new music from a beloved artist that was so soon taken from us, but it’s beautiful to have this last piece of his voice and expressions that repaves our idea of him as he conveyed himself in Swimming. In a way, it really acted as a last goodbye and final accomplishment.
As a precursor to Circles, the posthumous single, “Good News,” was released on Jan. 9th. This earnest song set a great precedent for the rest of the album, since it still confronts a bleak subject but takes on a new optimistic undertone. The rest of the songs in Circles match this idiosyncrasy, shifting the attitude on certain subjects to a more light-hearted side of the conversation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIHF7u9Wwiw
The album, to no one’s surprise, is a masterpiece in itself. As Brion said, it takes on more of a song-based tracklist, and compared to Mac’s previous recordings it deems itself slightly experimental. The entrancing funk embedded in almost every song makes it every bit as infectious as Swimming was, but in its own respects. It is perfectly curated and beams with Mac’s talented artistry. Brion, to his credit, also— in the most honorable way—finished producing the album all while upholding Mac’s vision and preserving his sound. Most of the tracks on Circles are more song-like than we’re used to from our beloved rapper, and a decent majority of them are noticeably more upbeat. But even with this in mind, a lot of lyrics still hit a little too close to home, most notably one of the lines from “Good News,” in which Mac sings, “There’s a whole lot more for me waitin’ on the other side.”
As a complementary bonus to the album itself, music videos were released for every song on the day of the album’s release. The videos were distributed by DatPiff and organized into a playlist on Youtube; they were also featured as video covers for the songs on Spotify. Each one complements its song perfectly, translating each individual track into a visual aesthetic. This only further solidifies the album as a finished body of work, and as Mac’s last piece of art for all of us to indulge in.
On the day of Circles’ release, all social media platforms were flooded with comments of emotion and praise, all induced by the album’s impact. The effect that Mac and his music had/has on us and how this final album was the perfect point of closure was the main focal point of the public mind. This posthumous album gave us a perfect goodbye from an artist who not only made a large generational impact, but who we all felt like we knew on a personal level. From those who simply enjoyed his music to those who credit his music for helping them through the toughest of times, Mac reached and touched everyone individually. Circles was like an ambient parting, and it all felt just as personal as his music has always been in the hearts of his fans.
With Circles, Mac reminds us all to live in the present and make the most that we can out of the life we’re given. In the song “Everybody,” he leaves us with, “Everybody’s gotta live// And everybody’s gonna die// Everybody’s gotta live// I think you know the reason why.”
Sources: Instagram, The New York Times, YouTube
Featured Image: Baylie Clevenger
(09/18/19 1:00am)
Hollywood’s Bleeding is the third full-length album from Post Malone and arguably his most respectable one to date as far as themes and motives go. While keeping his familiar trap vibes prevalent, Malone also tries new sounds and even genres on for size in a select few songs, which ends up working out really well for him. The album is an insightful master work that’s all about taking risks—both on a surface and introspective level. In it, Malone opens up and shows off more than we’re used to, and in most ways, it deems itself outstanding, but not in all respects.
(09/16/19 1:30pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Hollywood’s Bleeding is the third full-length album from Post Malone and arguably his most respectable one to date as far as themes and motives go. While keeping his familiar trap vibes prevalent, Malone also tries new sounds and even genres on for size in a select few songs, which ends up working out really well for him. The album is an insightful master work that’s all about taking risks—both on a surface and introspective level. In it, Malone opens up and shows off more than we’re used to, and in most ways, it deems itself outstanding, but not in all respects.
Mastered sounds that don't always catch fire
No one has ever necessarily known Post Malone to be the artist whose music is cutting-edge to the trap or rap industry; in fact, he’s more or less been known to blur the lines between genres throughout all of his albums thus far. One of the things that makes Hollywood’s Bleeding a work worthy of pinpointing in Malone’s career is its deeper dive into this concept of genre-blending. Even though we all know we can’t necessarily label Malone or stick him in a direct section of the music scene, he does still have some trademark sounds and styles that lets him put his own twist on what he’s creating. He makes great music, and that fact is remembered as Malone seems to go further out of his comfort zone with many of the songs on Hollywood’s Bleeding.
Although we can’t put a definitive label on Malone’s music, he does usually sway towards a certain adaptation of trap, obviously. But, with some of the tracks on Hollywood’s Bleeding, he almost completely abandons that tendency and teeters more towards hip-hop and indie-rock, like in “Circles”, “Allergic”, “Myself” and others. These select tracks are more than refreshing, because it’s evident that Malone is expressively confident in his ability to take hold of and manifest other genres while still staying on-brand. They’re also straight-up ear candy and the only flaw within them is that the duration isn’t long enough. Looking at the album as a whole, it’s great that songs like these were sprinkled in, but a larger dose really wouldn’t have been so bad.
The songs that feature Malone’s creative extension seem to be the best on the album in a few ways; they contain the most hooks, the best beats and oftentimes the best lyrics. About half of the remaining tracks can be thrown into the “monotonous trap” pile. When listening to the album as a whole, I noticed myself mentally clocking out and passively listening to the tracks “Die For Me”, “On The Road” and “Goodbyes”, and the only redemptive quality seems to be the fact that they have featured artists. These songs in particular were just missing that extra “something” that we look for in Malone’s music. Even so, I cannot discredit the meaning behind these songs, but the song structure, mediocre balladry and lack of good hooks left me with a weird feeling of dissatisfaction even after multiple listens.
Along with the new stuff, Hollywood’s Bleeding also throws us some of those branded trap beats, like in “Wow.” and “Saint Tropez”, which prove that not all the trap songs on the album are monotonous and do, in fact, slap.
Good lyrics that can be few and far between
Post Malone is no stranger to vulnerability. After all, "I Fall Apart" is still one of his most popular songs to date. Although Hollywood’s Bleeding isn’t necessarily a collective work revolving around a singular thesis, it does have a thematic drive behind it. You’ll find that in most of the 18 tracks on this album, Post interjects more raw emotion than we’re used to on topics of being wronged in friendships, romantic relationships, and even plagued by the place he once lived; L.A. This type of lament is found more blatantly in his lyrics and vocals rather than the music, like in the song “A Thousand Bad Times.” That song in particular isn’t even all that sad on the first listen, but if you pay more attention to the emotions being conveyed in his voice, it’s more evident that it’s a pretty personal piece of composition. In fact, most of the lighter, upbeat tracks are actually the darkest in their lyrical and vocal respects.
However, in this case darker isn’t synonymous with heavier. While most of the music is fresh, a good amount of the lyrics struggle to live up to many people’s poetic standards. The lyrics in most of the songs can be considered as a shallow delivery of these impressionable topics. A great example of this is the song “Enemies”, featuring DaBaby. The motives for the song, as stated by Malone in an interview with Spotify, are the collective reflection of DaBaby and Malone, who together realize that most friends can be fake. This is a great topic of conversation because I’m sure we’ve all been there once or twice, but the lyrics are, as some would say, a bit lacking. They aren’t too deep, but they get the message across. This trait can also be found in a lot of the other more introspective songs. I don’t want to say that this was necessarily a bad thing or impacts the overall quality of the album in a super horrible way, but it gave me that weird feeling of dissatisfaction and emptiness again. Malone isn’t solely infamous for his delivery of poetic justice, but some of the greater songs on the album really do pack more of an emotional punch and that’s owed to the lyrics. There are plenty of other songs that give some clever lyrical wit, and again, this is usually found in more of the upbeat songs rather than the ones that just sound sad. My favorite example is “Allergic”, which is poppy, light and also features one of my favorite bars on the album: “I took your drugs and pills just to feel something else//’Cause I can’t feel you no more.”
Featured artists add a little sugar and spice
Another offbeat trait this album has is the astounding number and pleasantly weird range of featured artist, from Halsey to Travis Scott to Ozzy Osbourne. A lot of variety was added to this album, and to my knowledge, no one is complaining about this. It makes the album all the more tasteful. It helps weave different styles into this blanket album that covers a good number of genres.
Hollywood’s Bleeding is true to Post Malone’s persona and further reveals his talent and vision. Although lacking in some lyrical respects, the album has more than a few redemptive qualities and fresh sounds that everyone should listen to. This album will long continue to be prominent in his career and will continue to be played on repeat.
Top Tracks:
Circles
Saint-Tropez
Goodbyes
Recommended if you like:
Rae Strummurd
Yung Pinch
Juice WRLD
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
(09/15/19 3:45am)
The new Travis Scott documentary—produced by the man himself—was a great cinematic reflection of Scott’s progression as one of the most individualized and ingenious artists of our generation. The documentary highlights some of the most pivotal moments of his career and what he did to get to where he is today. Aside from minor production details that I personally would have liked to see, this new documentary did an amazing job connecting its audience to Scott’s personalized story. Through clips of his shows, interviews of his fans and highlights of his day-to-day experiences, it perfectly showcases the raw talent, hard work and dedication that fuels Scott’s creative vision.
(09/09/19 7:45pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
The new Travis Scott documentary—produced by the man himself—was a great cinematic reflection of Scott’s progression as one of the most individualized and ingenious artists of our generation. The documentary highlights some of the most pivotal moments of his career and what he did to get to where he is today. Aside from minor production details that I personally would have liked to see, this new documentary did an amazing job connecting its audience to Scott’s personalized story. Through clips of his shows, interviews of his fans and highlights of his day-to-day experiences, it perfectly showcases the raw talent, hard work and dedication that fuels Scott’s creative vision.
A true teaching medium; as any documentary should be
This documentary is absent of any narration; it’s just multiple clips pieced together with a purpose to tell a story and characterize an artist. Although the scenes weren’t placed in chronological order, the film still walks you through an assortment of Scott’s career feats. While doing that, it also teaches you about Scott and his character through interactions with fans, family, and whoever he works with on any of his music. Another nice touch was including what most other documentaries do; input from people he’s worked with and interviews of fans talking about him. It’s always nice to get that outside perspective of fans and the colleagues who feel they are connected to him through his music.
Sprinkled throughout the documentary are short home videos from when Scott—whose birth name is Jaques Bermon Webster—was growing up. This gives the viewers a small glimpse into Scott’s upbringing and family life as a child. Scott was one of three producers of this film, and it’s pretty obvious that much of this documentary was sewn together with his taste and vision. The inclusion of these home videos does the work of a message of gratuity from Scott to his parents. After watching many scenes of Scott’s parents cheering him on and constantly expressing how proud they are, it’s easy to think that those were included as a type of “thank-you” to his parents, which is very heartwarming, looking back at that concept.
Both a sad and happy tear-jerker
The emotion in this documentary didn’t always stem from overwhelming happiness or amazement. My personal experience watching the scene of him losing what he wanted most at the Grammys resulted in absolute heartbreak even for me as a mere viewer. After seeing the dedication Scott put into his work, it was tough to watch his reaction to not getting the award of recognition for his album that he had poured every ounce of his heart and soul into. We all knew that he didn’t win the Grammy he wanted, but my respect for him as an artist only grew when I saw how he dealt with that pain and kept working toward a bigger picture.
Something that established my respect for Scott in the first place was his dedication to his craft; it goes beyond the song-writing process. As seen in scenes before and after his shows, it’s incredible how detail-orientated he is towards everything that reflects and enhances his music. He’s such a strong visionary and that resonates in every part of his work, even beyond the recorded tracks. The documentary features many videos of his shows and performances, and if you’ve ever seen him onstage live, you know just how much energy that puts off. Scott cares just as much about the delivery of his music, especially live, as the music itself.
The downfalls; if any
This documentary tugged on every one of my heartstrings in all the right ways, but one thing I really wish I could’ve seen was a bit more of a come-up story or more about his childhood. This film’s focal point lies mostly on Scott’s album, Astroworld, and other career accomplishments that happened around that period of time in his career. Though I enjoyed this it would have been awesome to see just a little more of how he got where he is today and what he did to work his way up to the top.
This documentary did the job of what all documentaries are supposed to do; it taught us all we need to know about an artist and what makes them special. But this documentary went above and beyond its job of simply teaching us about Travis Scott. The fact that it was produced by Scott himself shows; it was tailored to his taste and vision and you could tell that’s how he wanted to tell his story and invite the viewers into his world. It evoked emotion and gave us more insight to who he is as an artist and as established, branded, talented creator.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(05/23/19 10:09pm)
Compared to the rest of Mac DeMarco’s discography, Here Comes the Cowboy didn’t quite live up to the standards of mellow grooviness that we’re used to from this king of indie. An album-length listen is slow enough to act as a calming sedative to the listener. It’s drawn out with uninteresting—and in some cases predictable— arrangements that more or less parallel DeMarco’s singing throughout the songs. His easy-going voice is common amongst all of his albums, but this one seems to hold a certain monotone dullness to it. The lyrics don’t necessarily shine through either on the surface, but when you take a deeper dive into the meaning, that’s really the only thing making this album one of the most important in DeMarco’s career.
(05/19/19 7:53pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Compared to the rest of Mac DeMarco’s discography, Here Comes the Cowboy didn’t quite live up to the standards of mellow grooviness that we’re used to from this king of indie. An album-length listen is slow enough to act as a calming sedative to the listener. It’s drawn out with uninteresting—and in some cases predictable— arrangements that more or less parallel DeMarco’s singing throughout the songs. His easy-going voice is common amongst all of his albums, but this one seems to hold a certain monotone dullness to it. The lyrics don’t necessarily shine through either on the surface, but when you take a deeper dive into the meaning, that’s really the only thing making this album one of the most important in DeMarco’s career.
Thoroughly uninteresting
Here Comes the Cowboy is powered by over-simplified progressions that drag on from beginning to end. As previously stated, this album doesn’t really follow the standards of mellow grooves from the fanbase; it contains a bit too much mellow and not enough groove. Most arrangements are repetitive and foreseeable, which makes the album more or less boring overall.
DeMarco’s voice seems to resonate within the same note throughout most of the songs, much like the instruments do. He has an unmistakable laid-back vocal tone and it’s very significant to his style, but in Here Comes the Cowboy, his voice echoes a deeper, lullaby tone that doesn’t change pitch much, if at all.
The last thing that adds to the sense of dryness on this album is the lyrics. In plenty of his past songs, DeMarco captures a certain ominous and poetic lyrical delivery. This trait doesn’t fade out in Here Comes the Cowboy, but the lyrics end up being even more simplified and twice as abstract. The verses are composed of simple phrasing and wording, and in some cases, the songs feature the same phrase over and over again, which sometimes gets a bit uncomfortable to listen to. This attribute alone makes it easy for your mind to lose interest and passively listen, making it harder to even give an effort into decoding the meaning.
The meaning, even as an active listener, is hard to catch due to the enigmatic word choice. Most words and phrases are shallow as they’re said aloud, but they hold deeper meaning that makes a lot of sense if you’ve followed DeMarco’s career up until this point.
Nearing the end
There’s a wide range of meaningful songs that comprise this album, stretching from love, to social issues, to humanity, to self-reflection. Although this is a good variety, the blatant theme of this album is the message from the artist; DeMarco might be using Here Comes the Cowboy as his own ending note. As an overall purpose for the album, the theme of DeMarco’s retirement from the music industry is hinted at again and again through the lyrics of a few particular songs.
In the song “Nobody,” DeMarco reflects back on his initial take on fame. He never necessarily wanted to be famous, but his music led him to it a bit haphazardly. He reflects on the life he once had, one of anonymity as a nobody. The sixth song, “Choo Choo,” rings with the lyrics “choo choo/take a ride with me/choo choo/come and die with me.” It’s suspected that DeMarco’s ride was his career, an innocent excursion through his passion. Much of his career brought him success, but it also brought him personal hardship, so with the line “come and die with me,” his career might be the one relinquishing life. “Little Dogs March” is probably the most transparent as far as hinting at DeMarco moving on from his career. His reference goes back to his album This Old Dog, in which he refers to himself as the dog. In this retrospect, DeMarco is telling himself to march on and move on from his past self, hence the title “Little Dogs March.” This theme is just about the only redeeming quality of the album, and it’s perfect because it’s not likely that DeMarco made this album for the fans, he made it for himself.
One of the biggest challenges in critiquing this album is having an understanding of his attitude toward other people’s opinions. He doesn’t feed off of fame, he’s doing what he wants to do with his music simply because he wants to do it—there’s a certain level of respect that should be given to an artist with that attitude and passion for music. From a fan’s perspective, compared to the rest of his music this album just doesn’t do much for us. The only thing it’s good for is bumming us out. The music and the lyrics being so simplified makes it hard to listen to, not only as a whole album but even some of the songs individually can be pretty boring. However, for DeMarco, the goal of the album wasn’t to impress the ears of the listener. Here Comes the Cowboy is an introspective work designed from the thoughts and experiences of DeMarco himself. He made this album a reflection of his own self-worth as an artist and as a realization that he’s grown through his success. The only thing this is for us is what seems to be a good-bye.
Top Tracks:
Nobody
Finally Alone
All of Our Yesterdays
Recommended if you like:
Beach Fossils
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Real Estate
Featured Image: Albumism
(05/02/19 2:43am)
Neotheater, the third full-length album from AJR, provides its audience with equal doses of grand symphonic energy and lyrical introspective dread. Like their other albums, the themes focus on self-reflection, but Neotheater revolves mainly around growing up and going through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood. They’ve outdone themselves yet again with their signature beats, unconventional themes, and hard-hitting lyrics. This album is light-hearted in its sound and heavy in its meaning. It’s pleasing not only to ears but also to the maturing conscious, as the music helps us dance through the troubles many of us are facing as we get older.
(05/01/19 7:24pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Neotheater, the third full-length album from AJR, provides its audience with equal doses of grand symphonic energy and lyrical introspective dread. Like their other albums, the themes focus on self-reflection, but Neotheater revolves mainly around growing up and going through the trials and tribulations of young adulthood. They’ve outdone themselves yet again with their signature beats, unconventional themes, and hard-hitting lyrics. This album is light-hearted in its sound and heavy in its meaning. It’s pleasing not only to ears but also to the maturing conscious, as the music helps us dance through the troubles many of us are facing as we get older.
AJR’s contortion of electro-pop is hard to get tired of, and Neotheater definitely keeps that trademark alive and well. With this album, AJR puts a new twist on their arrangements; this time they lean a little harder towards orchestral sounds. Trumpets, stringed instruments, and more piano sneak their way into the upbeat pops that define AJR’s sound. They infuse these two styles perfectly, and a great track to exemplify this is the very first one, “Next Up Forever.” The compositions in this album are modern on a surface level but have very musical-like undertones. The theater-like music clashes with their contemporary pop, which almost directly defines Neotheater (neo meaning new, and theater meaning… well... theater).
Showcasing every part of growing up that sucks
An aspect of this album that can’t be praised enough is the brilliant approaches to eccentric topics. One example of an obscure angle taken to a topic is the second track, “Birthday Party,” which is told in the perspective of a newborn baby. The lead singer, Ryan Met, takes on the voice role of the newborn and delivers the lyrics in first-person narrative. As a hypothetical infant, he sings and fantasizes about all parts of life, including love, society, friendships, and even a few political matters in a very positive light. “I bet it’s always gonna stay this fun/I bet it’s easy stayin’ away from drugs/I bet our parents always stay in love,” is just one of many verses that ring out and induce our sympathy toward that theoretical baby, who has no idea that life isn’t always that great and simple. “Birthday Party” is a great musical interpretation of the phrase “ignorance is bliss.” It’s a perfectly ironic piece, given that a new life brought into the world is so innocent and pure, clueless of the frustrations of life that are really in store.
For those of us packing up, moving out and moving away from the houses we grew up in, we know the absolute heartbreak that comes with throwing out things that hold sentimental value, specifically old toys. AJR takes this type of heartbreak and turns it into a metaphorical basis for the song, “Don’t Throw Out My Legos.” The lyrics, “Oh no/don’t throw out my Legos/what if I can’t let go/what if I come back home/can we keep my Legos at home/ ‘cause I wanna move out/I don’t wanna move on,” really tug on those heartstrings when you’re facing the nostalgic ache that coexists with leaving the nest.
“The Entertainment's Here” is arguably the catchiest and, at the same time, most existentially distressing song on the album. The arrangements and beats easily catch your attention, and then the vocals hit you with lyrics like, “but recently I’m thinkin’ bout my purpose on Earth/but I don’t wanna think about my purpose no more/because I may come up short/and I hate bein’ bored.” This song is jam-packed with similar lyrics and it does a phenomenal job at leaving you with an abysmal pit in your stomach. The song in its entirety talks about subconsciously filling your days with distractions to deter you from thinking about any bigger existential pictures. It’s pretty heavy stuff for anyone that’s growing up and trying to find their purpose in life.
These are just a few of many songs that encase unorthodox perspectives and lyrics for the overall theme. Neotheater also manages to cover the world of love as you grow up, like in the tracks “Turning Out Pt. ii,” “Wow, I’m Not Crazy,” and “Dear Winter.” With all these songs together, the entire album tells a remarkable story of self-realization.
A collective work characterizes a journey
Neotheater is one of those albums that is really meant to be listened to from beginning to end, as a full body of work. Every song on its own is incredible as a single, but as a full-length album, the tracks in their set order tell an introspective story. It outlines a melodramatic journey that travels through expectation, hope, downfall, moving on, self-reflection, love, and everything in between. In a sense, it’s almost like listening to a subjective musical, where a character sings and dances through a production centered around individual, personal growth.
The extravagant music of Neotheater accompanies the inner turmoil that many of us can relate to as we embark on our own journey through life. It’s a perfect album for those of us who identify as adult children who need to be told that our thoughts and feelings are normal, and everything will turn out alright. The curtain falls as this album ends on the perfect note, “Congratulations on your bit of success/welcome to the Neotheater/we can’t wait to see what you do next.”
Top Tracks:
The Entertainment’s Here
Birthday Party
100 Bad Days
Recommended if you like:
Jon Bellion
Young the Giant
Featured Image: AXS
(04/24/19 1:49am)
Mat Kerekes’ new solo album is a perfect, early-summer release filled with simple but infectious melodies that function as flawless mood music for the upcoming season. The soft grunge, post-hardcore album, Ruby, is breathing with the spirit of young freedom. Ruby is a refreshing, feel-good creation, but it also captures a bit of audio-induced nostalgia if you were really into the culture that allowed punk rock to thrive.
(04/20/19 3:00pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Mat Kerekes’ new solo album is a perfect, early-summer release filled with simple but infectious melodies that function as flawless mood music for the upcoming season. The soft grunge, post-hardcore album, Ruby, is breathing with the spirit of young freedom. Ruby is a refreshing, feel-good creation, but it also captures a bit of audio-induced nostalgia if you were really into the culture that allowed punk rock to thrive.
Kerekes is best known as the vocalist of the alternative rock band, Citizen. Going solo with Ruby, he really showcased his abilities as a songwriter and producer. Ruby is a modernly classic body of work, and the songs that comprise it are hard to keep off of repeat.
Sounds like Summer
The beginning of the album immediately drops a wave of good emotion on listeners. The first three tracks, “Ruby,” “Diamond,” and “Young” all have pleasantly smooth arrangements. The acoustics and drumlines that make up the compositions of these songs, as well as the fourth song, “Autumn Dress,” are very soothing and mellow. Whether you’re actively or passively listening, these songs, in particular, are hard not to smile or nod your head to. These are the types of songs you picture someone playing acoustically at a small outdoor venue, probably somewhere near the beach. They are radiating with a free-spirited, laid-back vibe and it only makes us look toward summertime with wider eyes.
After the first couple of tracks, the overall sound takes a slight shift into a softer alternative punk. Keeping in mind that quite a few songs in the album are more slow-tempo, Kerekes still laces it with his reinvention of punk rock influence.
Classic, But Refreshing Punk Rock
The second half of the album, while original, has very classic compositions in relation to punk rock. None of the songs are too intense, but the ones that are a little more on the alternative side are composed with guitar and drumlines that subtly support an underlying soft grunge feel. The arrangements with these two instruments, including the acoustic guitar, are very tight and quick with the melodies that reflect the punk sound. Some songs that exemplify this are “Hawthorne,” “Spider Silk,” and “An Ode.” Although most of the songs are slow-tempo, they’re still fresh and they do kick us with a small wave of nostalgia.
It may just be me, but the vocals–to some extent–remind me of The Fray, Train, and bands alike, where vocals are detrimental to the band’s sound and recognition. They have a certain flair that complements their alt-rock subgenre. Like those bands, Kerekes implements a certain kind of emphasis on his voice that accompanies his melodies beautifully and further defines his American alternative rock style.
One aspect that nudges this album a little more toward the post-hardcore side is the guitar solos. This is another thing that’s most noticeable during the second half of the album. In a few of the songs, a small guitar solo is integrated a little over halfway through the song. While this is nothing out of the ordinary for the genre, it doesn’t really seem to fit all that well with the other songs on this album. Ruby is filled with predominately slow songs, which isn’t ever explicitly a bad thing, but the hard riffs and rhythms are just slightly out of place. The compositions of the solos are great on their own, but they just don’t seem to fit in too well given the way they’re placed into the songs. This small element does kind of throw off the somber mood that some songs initially have, but it’s nothing detrimental to the quality of the music or the album overall; it was the only thing that truly stood out to me as a small flaw within the arrangements.
Kerekes, the singer, songwriter, and producer of Ruby created a simple, raw album. Nothing within the production is overdone or tweaked too much. This gives the album a very personal, mellow, and savory sound that’s hard to come by in most mainstream music; Ruby is a purely unconventional and fresh album from a truly underrated solo artist. Be sure to add the recently released songs on Ruby to your summer jams playlist now.
Featured Image: Highlight Magazine
(04/03/19 6:29pm)
Following his first Academy Award winning film, Get Out, Jordan Peele broke box office records with Us, his second stroke of creative genius. Although Us reached nearly 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, some professional and fan-based critics have expressed disapproval regarding its label as a horror film. This film, like his last one, embodies a terrifying, disturbing nature that would fit better into a category of corrupt psychological thrillers. I, like many others, am a huge fan of both movies because of this; it’s a very out of the ordinary subgenre of horror. Peele’s imagination generated another perfectly original plotline, and the range of effects he used throughout the movie shows off his great storytelling ability.
(04/01/19 4:17pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Following his first Academy Award winning film, Get Out, Jordan Peele broke box office records with Us, his second stroke of creative genius. Although Us reached nearly 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, some professional and fan-based critics have expressed disapproval regarding its label as a horror film. This film, like his last one, embodies a terrifying, disturbing nature that would fit better into a category of corrupt psychological thrillers. I, like many others, am a huge fan of both movies because of this; it’s a very out of the ordinary subgenre of horror. Peele’s imagination generated another perfectly original plotline, and the range of effects he used throughout the movie shows off his great storytelling ability.
Misguided expectations
A few die-hard horror fanatics, myself included, held the bar pretty high for this movie in terms of terror. It’s not completely clear what such a high standard for that particular aspect can be attributed to. Maybe it was the trailer, which revealed some of the most terrifying scenes of the movie; looking back, it was almost too much of a spoiler for the visuals. Or it may have just been the media’s collective excitement spiraling into even higher expectations since Get Out was such a huge success. Peele didn’t let us down as some may say. He delivered another film that was just as praiseworthy as his first.
Remembering Get Out as a psychological thriller, it was truly unnerving, but that was not credited to the movie’s extent of visual horror. The aura of existential dread is the real leading edge of Peele’s movies. In both of his films, there are plenty of chilling scenes, but they don’t overshadow the obscurity of the fundamental plot. Despite its genre label, this movie might not fit into the horror description. Both of Peele’s films are a different type of terror; they’re completely deranged stories that stem from the unsound mind of a true visionary.
The plotline that Us revolves around is extremely disturbing even as a concept itself. This situational story is a perplex account that’s pulled straight out of a universal nightmare. The foundation of the plot is the idea of soulless, slave-like clones that are bound to the life of their incarnated twin, much like a living shadow. There’s a subhuman second-self to every living being, and they reside in a prison-like underground facility. One prisoner of the clone world, the only one with a true conscious, organizes a revolution inflamed by a desire for revenge. The concept of these doppelgängers stemmed from an actual Twilight Zone episode, titled “Mirror Image.” Peele redelivers this chilling concept at a new angle. It’s an apocalyptic-type scenario on a very sinister and original premise. It’s a madly genius story, and it’s told very strategically with an unforeseen plot-twist that makes the entire story come full-circle.
Well-rounded scares
The world of horror includes subcategories. There are many different types of scares, and, more often than not, a scary movie will focus on explicitly one kind. Some people are more afraid of gore while others react more to ghosts. Us is an all-inclusive movie that features everyone’s favorite kind of fright at a moderate level. This is where some negative reviews of this movie got their start, because Us didn’t hone in on any one type to truly scare the crap out of anyone. While this is true, Us gave us a good amount of differentiation that didn’t distract from the plot.
Us is filled with nonstop suspense that always keeps you on the edge of your seat. It remains unpredictable because you never know what kind of scare will come next. There’s a blend of terror that includes a variety of gore, mirror scares, loud noises, hidden attacks, audio-induced suspense, and all around visual creepiness. Each tactic was tailored to each scene perfectly, but Peele is good at one type in particular, and the entire movie really showcases his talent.
The category of psychological fear truly is Peele’s forte; it’s what makes him such a good writer, director, and producer. He not only has the ability to come up with a good story, but he’s also really good at telling it cinematically. Throughout the movie, there are plenty of unsettling motifs and small hints. They make absolutely no sense in the beginning, but as the plot unfolds, everything connects all at once. You can try your best to predict the outcomes, but Peele’s ideas are a different kind of twisted; they’re ideas that can’t typically be predicted before they’re fully revealed. It’s entertaining not only to the eyes but also to the mind, which is constantly busy trying to figure out what on earth is going on. As the movie reaches its climax, just as in Get Out, you realize how incredibly messed up and appalling the story is. Peele is producing this generation’s Twilight Zone, and it’s probable that his originality will never falter.
Images: IMDb
Featured Image: IMDb
(03/20/19 4:00pm)
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte and Byte’s editorial board.
(03/19/19 5:05pm)
by Oilvia Weinzapfel
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte and Byte’s editorial board.
(03/10/19 5:01am)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
(03/06/19 5:57pm)
by Olivia Weinzapfel
Public opinion on Disney’s live-action remakes, to no one’s surprise, is starting to shift toward a negative light. Some of the first classics that were recently remade, such as The Jungle Book or Beauty and the Beast, were alluring to life-long Disney fans; it was exciting for children and adults alike to see their favorite classics recreated in a life-like scene. It’s a great concept, but this can only be done so many times before these remakes start to lose their luster. That being said, why does it seem like Disney is making an effort to rework every single original?
Disney is loved by millions, regardless of demographics. After all, that’s a large part of what formed most of our fondest childhood memories. The sentiment of the classics is something that makes the live-action versions irresistible to us as near-adults. Additionally, it begs a question of standards; will it be as good as the classic? No one wants to miss out on an opportunity to see how well Disney will (or will not) recreate it, which continues to secure plenty of funds for the company. As long as the fanbase lets their nostalgia get the best of them, they’ll keep on paying to see these modernized versions of their favorite originals.
Sure, public opinion toward the idea of these remakes is becoming more bitter than sweet. The plain truth is, many of us are getting annoyed by seeming lack of originality from Disney’s producers. But what kind of multibillion-dollar company needs new ideas when they can still feed on the old ones? Creators are already well aware that we’re in love with the storylines and characters of the classics, so it’s an easy money grab. They can’t really be blamed for taking advantage of that convenience. Generally, success with a remake might depend on the success of the original. Some are more popular than others, but it’s doubtful that any of these remakes will turn out to be box office failures.
While creators know this is an easy success strategy, they still face challenges when it comes to putting a new creative twist on movies to add at least some kind of change. To spark a sense of novelty and add some differentiation, creators seem to rely on three things: visuals, famous actors, and new angles.
You could use just about any Disney live-action film as a great example of a movie with astounding visuals. It’s pretty safe to assume that producers have a large budget for effects and awe-inspiring scenery. We’re used to the cartoons, so they have to make it as visually interesting as possible as we juxtapose the original with the remake. This is a simple but effective tool that grabs hold of and maintains our attention span throughout a movie with a predictable outcome; it keeps our eyes glued to a screen even when we know almost exactly what events we’re about to see.
Another filmmaking reliance on live-action movies is casting. Disney casts almost all of Hollywood’s most recognizable and publicly loved actors and actresses for their movies. The Lion King, set to release in theaters by July 2019, has a cast full of famous leads and many other talented voice actors. This film will feature Donald Glover as Simba, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Beyoncé as Nala, and Seth Rogan as Pumbaa, just to name a few. The movie hasn’t been released yet, but the cast list was announced early last year, and it immediately generated positive reactions. We don’t have to know anything else about the production to already be writing the release date on our calendars.
In some instances, however, casting choices might be a little questionable. Fans were probably thrown off-guard while watching the trailer for the next Disney remake, Aladdin. The end of the trailer flashes a scene of the infamous genie emerging from the bottle, and his face is quickly recognized as Will Smith's. In rare cases, this might excite some, but for many others, it might induce preconceived criticism. Based on standards set by the original movie, will Will Smith be able to live up to the legacy that Robin Williams left behind in the animated version? Williams is a widely loved and commemorated character in every role he played, so avoiding backlash with this casting choice is tricky; this aspect of the movie alone regarding one of the main characters might make or break the film's success.
As mentioned before, the same basic storyline still exists in both old and new versions. Creators can work their way around this in one of two ways: different angles or different time periods.
Taking a different angle or perspective on a plot is a refreshing way to recreate these stories. A good go-to method of pulling this off is filming a story from a villain’s perspective. This was beautifully executed in Maleficent, the 2014 version of Sleeping Beauty. We all know the tale, but it’s from another character’s perspective, one that was more or less overshadowed by the protagonist in the early version. This makes the story all the more interesting, since we’re reintroduced to a character on an introspectively deeper level.
Another appealing method of recreation is the evolution of time. Winnie the Pooh, recently released as a live-action version entitled Christopher Robin, is shown in the perspective of Christopher Robin as an adult. This detail is a more relatable one for audience members. Most of us were kids when we first watched Winnie the Pooh, and now we get to see it with Christopher Robin all grown-up, just like us. The nostalgia kicks us once again as we see our lives and struggles of growing up mirrored in filmmaking with a beloved classic character.
As long as Disney’s film creators continue to use these methods of reeling us and our nostalgia in, it’s easy to see why they are delivering remake after remake. As the generation who grew up watching Disney films, it makes sense that producers will be trying to remake as many as they can in the next few years while we’re becoming adults and reminiscing over our childhoods.
Images: IMDB
Featured Image: IMDB
(03/02/19 4:27pm)
Concerts are a special kind of musical experience; a band’s music is atmospherically enhanced for the fans, and the shows forever leave a lasting memory. Young the Giant’s performance at Purdue University’s Elliot Hall of Music on Feb. 21 will be remembered well by fans, despite slight shortcomings in their performance. Small mistakes were collectively waived by the listeners, as the audience ultimately gave a grand ovation at the end of the concert.
