Watsky - x Infinity
Genre: alternative hip-hop, spoken word
Favourite tracks: 'Talking to Myself', 'Love Letters', 'Brave New World', 'Midnight Heart', 'Conversations', 'Roses'
I had high hopes for this album. The tracks Watsky dropped in the lead up were solid and showed a lot of promise, seemingly shedding some of his goofy charm for tighter production and writing. A fair chunk of these tracks deliver on these fronts despite the result being an overlong and inconsistent album.
There's a lot of incredibly busy, dramatic production on these tracks featuring melancholic pianos and walls of strings. There are moments on this album where I really like what's going on instrumentally, even when it feels unnecessarily busy and a tad overproduced. For most of the album this style pulls through and gives this album the point of difference it needs to make it clear that this is still a Watsky album, it's not trying to fit in with the rest of the hip-hop world.
Some of these tracks are incredible and deserve to be considered alongside Watsky's best, delivering the clever, technical verses he is known for. There are also some decent songs that are enjoyable within the context of the album, even if I don't see myself revisiting them in the future. Unfortunately, a handful of tracks just miss the mark. On an album that's boasting a run time of over an hour it seems bizarre that these tracks made the cut. The hooks are weak and borderline annoying and the verses are forgettable. It just feels so odd to have these tracks dropped between some of Watsky's most polished work.
There are some seriously great tracks to be found here, which makes it even more frustrating that x Infinity carries some unnecessary filler that holds it back from being a solid album.
This is the follow up to Glass Animals' 2014 debut Zaba, which garnered a lot of attention for its mellow, psychedelic pop sound. On this new release, the band go for a sound that is a bit more upbeat and far more overtly poppy than it was on Zaba, weaving catchy hooks and lively grooves into a fresh bunch of tightly produced tracks.
There is still a focus on lush instrumentation with How To Be A Human Being delivering some proper ear candy, but this time around the songs themselves have more of a punch. It's pure fun from start to finish as Glass Animals lay down some quirky and incredibly catchy songs that you can't help but come back for more of.
Some of these tracks are incredible and deserve to be considered alongside Watsky's best, delivering the clever, technical verses he is known for. There are also some decent songs that are enjoyable within the context of the album, even if I don't see myself revisiting them in the future. Unfortunately, a handful of tracks just miss the mark. On an album that's boasting a run time of over an hour it seems bizarre that these tracks made the cut. The hooks are weak and borderline annoying and the verses are forgettable. It just feels so odd to have these tracks dropped between some of Watsky's most polished work.
There are some seriously great tracks to be found here, which makes it even more frustrating that x Infinity carries some unnecessary filler that holds it back from being a solid album.
You can listen to 'Midnight Heart' here:
Banks & Steelz - Anything But Words
Genre: rock, hip-hop
Favourite tracks: 'Giant', 'Wild Season', 'Anything But Words', 'Conceal', 'Love and War', 'Point of View'
Banks & Steelz is a new collaboration between RZA of Wu Tang Clan and Paul Banks of the veteran indie rock bank Interpol. The result is a fairly predictable but well executed marrying of the styles each member is known for.
These tracks are primarily driven by rock-oriented choruses and instrumentation, with RZA providing some rap flavouring on the verses. Each track follows this trading of rap verses and rock choruses quite simply but it never feels repetitive as each track carries its own personality. The instrumentation is varied with some genuinely interesting ideas that do an excellent job of tying the tracks together and underpinning both the melodic choruses and rapped verses.
Anything But Words doesn't break any new ground in terms of blending rock and hip-hop. The songs are predictably structured but carried by the competency of each member as they both bring energy and character to the complete run time of this album, providing some excellent tracks along the way.
Anything But Words doesn't break any new ground in terms of blending rock and hip-hop. The songs are predictably structured but carried by the competency of each member as they both bring energy and character to the complete run time of this album, providing some excellent tracks along the way.
You can listen to 'Giant' here:
Glass Animals - How To Be A Human Being
Genre: indie rock, pop
Favourite tracks: 'Life Itself', 'Pork Soda', 'Mama's Gun', 'Cane Shuga', 'The Other Side of Paradise', 'Poplar St'
This is the follow up to Glass Animals' 2014 debut Zaba, which garnered a lot of attention for its mellow, psychedelic pop sound. On this new release, the band go for a sound that is a bit more upbeat and far more overtly poppy than it was on Zaba, weaving catchy hooks and lively grooves into a fresh bunch of tightly produced tracks. There is still a focus on lush instrumentation with How To Be A Human Being delivering some proper ear candy, but this time around the songs themselves have more of a punch. It's pure fun from start to finish as Glass Animals lay down some quirky and incredibly catchy songs that you can't help but come back for more of.
Glass Animals display a polished sound on this album that strays from and expands upon the sound fans will be familiar with. Regardless of you how you feel about this far bolder sound, there's no denying that How To Be A Human Being is a lot of poppy fun. Definitely check this one out if you're looking for some feel good grooves.
You can listen to 'Life Itself' here:
Those are my picks you might have missed from August. To be honest there are some others I might include in a later post as a catch up when I have more time, but right now that will have to do.
Still heaps of new albums coming in the next few months that I'm waiting on and I'll be reviewing them right here so keep an eye out!
Next month's post will also mark one whole friggin year since I started this blog so it's gonna be a super mega ultra special anniversary edition with cake and a jumping castle and those little Cadbury coated sponge roll things if those are still around and streamers and maybe a clown.* So be ready for that one.
Have nice day :)
* I wish. Except it'll have none of those things and just be another monthly post, it's not really a big deal.
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