If there's one thing that country music is all about, it's storytelling. Country music singers tell you a story about someone or something as if they were sitting in their living room talking to you specifically, like you're old friends sitting in a bar reminiscing. And if there's one thing that Richmond Fontaine do well, it's telling those stories. Lead singer Willy Vlautin has a simple sensitivity to his songwriting, it comes across not as elegant poetry, but as simple story. Each song is a little vignette, each dealing with the world that no one notices, or no one cares to notice. Vlautin sings about the discarded, the people on the fringe, the outcasts, and he empathizes with them. Rarely do they find happiness, but if they do, it's not easy, it's bumpy along the way, and it's never perfect. "Just don't run out on me while I'm sleeping" he sings on "Don't Skip Out On Me", "I know you think I'm just a liability". Things are never good in this world, things are just not so bad, they could be worse. It's a careful optimism, or maybe it's a nagging pessimism fueled be cynicism, what's the difference? The music behind Vlautin suits the songs perfectly, the lyrics would be nothing without the band. This is an album that sounds like maybe it's at peace with itself, like things are what they are and that's ok, and maybe there's something to be learned from that. _________________ Progressive Rock
Bas has made an album here that's equally smooth and poignant. He shows off his strengths throughout the entire album with very few missteps, and shows his strong ability as a lyricist. Drugs is a common theme on this album, and he uses drugs to cover more abstract ideas, like in "Dopamine", a song that's actually more about self-awareness and being successful than actual dopamine. He also tackles race relations in the album closer "Black Owned Business", and does it exceptionally well:
Hey world, your favorite movie is on, it's called attack on niggas
The fathers that didn't pass, they all stacked in prisons
But that shit don't get a pass, no that shit don't get a grant
Might as well go fill a bag
Ridin' around, no tinted glass
Why I can't have tinted glass? Cause that cause suspicion
Cops flash like cinemax, don't lack ammunition
Bas doesn't pull punches, and that's what makes his lyrics so effective. Production-wise, the album is great, the beats slick and cohesive and they fit Bas well. This is a really well put together hip-hop album and really shows how good Bas can be. _________________ Progressive Rock
This is an album the constantly ebbs and flows, it never stays in one place, it's constantly restless, like an insomniac. At times, this album is chaotic (like on "Verbena"), showing an experimental side to Jack Colleran, and at times, it's quiet, gentle, serene (like on "Lucid"). Each individual track has some really interesting moments, though altogether as an album, I think there are some issues here. It doesn't sound drastically incoherent, but it doesn't flow together as nicely as I'd like it to. Still though, this album ranges from the chaotic to the cinematic and it's definitely an interesting album. There's a slight lack of cohesiveness, but that doesn't detract from the album too much, it's a solid listen. _________________ Progressive Rock
Matt Corby obviously has a wide range of influences, anywhere from R&B to pop psychedelia, and he incorporates just about all of them on this record, and does so fairly well. The album is a bit inconsistent, as Corby sometimes gets stuck between smooth, relaxing R&B and languid monotony. There are definitely moments where it's unfortunately more the latter than the former, but there are some moments on this album that are fantastic. There's the soulful "Monday", which is without a doubt one of the two biggest highlights on the album, and the painstakingly beautiful "Good To Be Alone", which features some excellent guitar work. Overall, this is an inconsistent, but decent album, with a few major highlights. _________________ Progressive Rock
Desert Mountain Tribe's debut is bombastic, one of the best psych-rock records I've heard this year. The sound is huge, everything about this album is big. The guitars are heavy and thick with so much reverb, they sound like they were recorded in a stadium, the drums sound like there's two sets going at the same time, it's all made to sound big. The songs are crafted well too. If you take a look at album-closer "Interstellar", a nine-minute song that doesn't feel like nine minutes at all. It never outstays its welcome, it's grand, it's genuine, and it's a fantastic close to the album. Overall, this is a top-notch psych rock album that'll rock you about as well as anything Ty Segall's ever done. _________________ Progressive Rock
Cookbook is a talented rapper, you can definitely tell that on this album, but the real highlight of this, to me, is Evidence's production. Evidence has done some great stuff before, take for example his album he did with The Alchemist under the name Step Brothers, "Lord Steppington", so we know Evidence is excellent, and his smoky, vinyl-focused beats are a great area for Cookbook to show us what he can do. The album has a couple questionable tracks, most notably the odd, out-of-place "Omaha", but when this album hits, it hits hard. Tracks like "TBH" and "Phillip Drummond" show that a combination of Cookbook and Evidence makes for some seriously good hip-hop. This is just an EP, so it's not super long, but in the short time it's on, it leaves an impression. It's low-budget, underground, clever hip-hop. _________________ Progressive Rock
This album is only like 12 minutes long (it's an EP) but it packs a wallop. This is grimy, heavy, 70s-influenced rock that grabs you by the balls and will kick you in the face. I imagine this is band downing bottles of whiskey throughout a show, and Christina Halladay probably has more than that. She's not dainty by any stretch, she's got a voice that'll rip through you like a buzzsaw. She's a force to be reckoned with, and so is the band behind her. The guitar work is aggressive, but catchy, the drums are always rumbling, it's a fast-paced hurricane of an EP that really makes me excited to see where these guys go. _________________ Progressive Rock
Typically work from The Body sounds like the soundtrack to hell, like the night terrors of an apocalyptic prophet, but with this album, it's more, and I hesitate to use this word, poppy. Don't get me wrong, it's still as dark and frightening as ever, but this sounds more like what would play if a bunch of people possessed by demons were just kinda hanging out. I mean, if you look at a track like "Two Snakes", it almost feels like a pop song's bassline is running through the whole tune. At its core though, this is still a metal record. What kind of metal is up for debate, there's elements of sludge, doom, and noise all throughout this album. Whatever it is, it's definitely interesting and makes for a really cool album. _________________ Progressive Rock
Typically work from The Body sounds like the soundtrack to hell, like the night terrors of an apocalyptic prophet, but with this album, it's more, and I hesitate to use this word, poppy. Don't get me wrong, it's still as dark and frightening as ever, but this sounds more like what would play if a bunch of people possessed by demons were just kinda hanging out. I mean, if you look at a track like "Two Snakes", it almost feels like a pop song's bassline is running through the whole tune. At its core though, this is still a metal record. What kind of metal is up for debate, there's elements of sludge, doom, and noise all throughout this album. Whatever it is, it's definitely interesting and makes for a really cool album.
Yeah, it's funny. I've heard this referred to as The Body's pop album. And in relation to anything else I've heard by them, it makes sense, but for however poppy it is, it's far from a pop record. Interesting listen for sure though. _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
RockyRaccoonIs it solipsistic in here or is it just me?ModeratorProfile Maryland
Yeah, it's funny. I've heard this referred to as The Body's pop album. And in relation to anything else I've heard by them, it makes sense, but for however poppy it is, it's far from a pop record. Interesting listen for sure though.
"The grossest pop album in history" or something like that, yea. I mean, it's weird, there are some sort of poppy elements to it, but it's still a dark, frightening album, just not as frightening as their others. It's an interesting direction for them. _________________ Progressive Rock
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