By the time you're reading this it'll probably be a tad later than usual. I had three albums lined up that I intended to review from July but after closer listening and more albums dropping throughout the month I decided to swap two of those out for some better, more interesting picks. In the interest of actually giving the albums some proper time and attention before I write about them this post will be fashionably late. I also had to rewrite two reviews that somehow disappeared despite the fact that Blogger autosaves and I manually clicked the save button. I might be just a bit mad about that. It's okay, that version of this post only contained pure musical insight, the meaning of life and the identity of the Zodiac Killer but it's gone now so oh well.
Sincere apologies to all four* of my readers and whoever the hell it is that reads this in France (Google stats tell me all).
*not really, this blog actually attracts more eyeballs (and hopefully ears) than I thought it would so thank you
Oh Pep! - Stadium Cake
Genre: folk, pop
Favourite tracks: 'Bushwick', 'Wanting', 'Doctor Doctor', 'Trouble Now', 'Tea Milk & Honey', 'The Situation', 'The Race', '7 Babies', 'Afterwards'
This is the debut full length album from Melbourne based folk-pop duo Oh Pep! Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, Stadium Cake offers up some of the most infectiously listenable and refreshing folk-pop in recent memory.
Often playful, sometimes introspective, Oh Pep! manage to create music that exemplifies the characteristics of the genre while still being distinct. There's a quiet confidence to the songwriting and performances on this album that makes each song a well crafted and fully realised piece of a free flowing, complete project. Not a single track here falls flat, each song offers its own interesting musical ideas and hooks that don't feel tiresome even after a few listen throughs. The instrumental performances carry their own intrigue, brilliantly fitted to each song and carefully composed in their own right.
Oh Pep! never lean on lazy songwriting or cliches on Stadium Cake and the result is a collection of mature yet playful and infectiously catchy songs. This one is worth a listen for sure and I eagerly anticipate Oh Pep!'s follow up to what is a stunning debut.
You can listen to 'Doctor Doctor' here:
Thank You Scientist - Stranger Heads Prevail
Genre: progressive rock, jazz fusion
Favourite tracks: 'Mr Invisible', 'A Wolf in Cheap Clothing', 'Blue Automatic', 'Rube Goldberg Variations'
Following up their 2014 debut Maps of Non-Existent Places, Thank You Scientist have put together another winding journey through their own brand of jazz-infused prog rock.
Perhaps not as focused on big guitar riffs and shred fests this time around, the band really lets the improvisational style jazz take the foreground for a lot of this album. The tracks are fairly long, with some taking the listener for a genuinely engaging ride along the blend of prog rock and technically complex jazz performances while other tracks wander a bit too much and don't really earn their run time. The various and sometimes lengthy guitar, saxophone and violin solos, while impressive, can cause some of the tracks to lose focus but when the band strikes a balance between the rock and jazz elements of their sound this album really comes into its own.
The vocals are too often the weak point on this album as well. There isn't much variety in the vocal delivery and I feel some of these songs would greatly benefit from a bit more punch here and there. There is a hint at an overarching concept behind this album but to be honest the lyrics aren't strong enough to leave me feeling a need to delve further into it and tease out exactly what that concept really is.
While there are exciting and interesting moments on this album, some of the tracks drag on with ideas that aren't strong enough to carry the song through.There are some solid tracks and impressive performances to be found here but as a complete package Stranger Heads Prevail is a tad unjustifiably long winded.
You can listen to 'Mr Invisible' here:
2814 - Rain Temple
Genre: ambient, electronic, vaporwave
Favourite tracks: 'Before the Rain', 'Lost in a Dream', 'Transference', 'Inside the Sphere'
Vaporwave, maybe the perfect example of microgenre labelling gone mad, is a genre that I'm always apprehensive to talk about because it's so loosely defined. Not to mention that it's practically relegated to meme hell and seen as a joke about silly hipster music genres. 2814 sit squarely in the vaporwave scene despite not fitting into the nostalgic elevator music cliche ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ* of the genre.
*I couldn't help it
If you're a vaporwave naysayer, don't be turned off 2814. You could drop the vaporwave label from this album altogether because it's first and foremost a properly nuanced and constructed ambient album. The focus of Rain Temple is the expansive soundscapes and build of sonic ideas. Musically, the tracks hinge on very minimalist and repetitive phrases with the drama and motion coming from the introduction of new elements and effects to round out the feel 2814 are going for. The sense of atmosphere is believable, dense and consistent throughout the entire album.
Rain Temple is a nuanced trip through the haunting sounds of a futuristic city. While it doesn't offer anything particularly distinct in its musical ideas or sonic palette, this is a captivating and well constructed ambient album. Check this one out if you're looking for something atmospheric to play in the background.
You can listen to the album in its entirety here:
And there we have it. I hope there was some variety in this month's roundup and if you read this far you hopefully found something interesting.
I have a list of new releases I'm eager to listen to so we'll see what shows up in next month's post!
Thanks for reading and have nice day :)
