Evanescence - Better Without You - Single [Review]

American alternative metal band Evanescence's brand new studio album (the first wholly original one in a decade) The Bitter Truth is set to drop in just a few weeks (March 26th), and "Better Without You" marks the fifth single (and very likely the final single before the album is released) released from the album. It has been nearly a year since the album's first single "Wasted on You" was released in April of last year, and that one remains by far my favorite of the five songs released so far. "Better Without You" is strong, although there are some problems that I have with it which I will discuss shortly. My favorite aspect of the song is the very opening - the sound of a device winding up and then a music box playing a haunting and beautiful melody that reminds me a lot of Ben Steed's "Your Lullaby" (which I am 100% sure is a complete coincidence, especially since Ben is an indie artist whom Amy and the band probably have not heard). The intro also reminds me a lot of Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale's song "Shatter Me," and that probably is not a coincidence. Frontwoman Amy Lee covered "Shatter Me" with Lindsey at certain shows during the Synthesis tour, and she is also good friends with both Lindsey and Lzzy, so the intro here could very well be an intentional homage to that song. The music box melody is eventually broken by a staticky electronic sound (although the melody continues as accompaniment throughout much of the song), and the song then gets pretty heavy. (In fact, it might be the heaviest single released so far. It's either this or "The Game Is Over." I can't decide.) The slamming and unforgiving guitar riffs are definitely some of the song's highlights. The tightly controlled melody of the chorus is also pretty powerful, and it reminds me a lot of the song "Virtual Reality" by the band Scarlett Seven (a rock band that has sadly retired which was fronted by Amy's sister Lori Lee).

Revolver has called the song "a biting, anthemic fuck-you to the forces that have attempted to hold [Amy] back," and Amy herself has also made a statement about the song on her Instagram page: "This song is about my journey, and some of what I had to overcome to get where I am, and where our band is, today. I've fought many battles for my self and my music which are very intertwined..." The song touches upon sexism in society and in the industry (as did previous single "Use My Voice"). Speaking from the perspective of a patriarchal figure attempting to put her in what he perceives to be her proper place, she sings in the first verse, "...This is my world, little girl; you'd be lost on your own." It's fairly obvious that Lee is referencing people in the past - especially men - who attempted to hold her back creatively, and I don't think that it's any coincidence that the song opens with the sound of a music box "winding up." (Evanescence fans should understand what I mean by that.) It is a very empowering song that can have individualized meaning and significance depending on the listener. Amy even said on the aforementioned Instagram post, "Don't ever let fear stop you from being who you were born to be." If that fear is ultimately the you that we are better without, we're all afraid of different things. I do love how brutally honest the lyrics of the singles have been thus far; they have definitely lived up to the title of the album. However, I am fearful that while I definitely won't hate The Bitter Truth, it might end up being my least favorite Evanescence album so far based on what I have heard so far. Like many of the singles thus far, it's poorly mixed; Amy's vocals are often drowned out by the instruments (especially guitar), and it's hard to understand the lyrics as a result. I also really miss the theatricality of epic tracks like "Whisper," "Your Star," "Never Go Back," and so forth; The Bitter Truth has so far not offered much in the way of that grand-scale sound, but we will find out in approximately three weeks!

Greyson Chance - Holy Feeling - Single [Review]

American singer/songwriter Greyson Chance is supposed to be following up his studio album portraits (which I reviewed here) sometime this year, and I say supposed to be because it sure has been a long tease. Following the release of portraits in 2019, the singer first released a new song titled "Boots" later that same year, and promotion of the new album has been a slow burn ever since, with five more songs released since - "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," "Athlete," "Bad to Myself," and now "Holy Feeling." (It is still unclear how many of these songs will remain standalone releases and how many will end up on the album. Chance is notorious for releasing singles that end up homeless, so it wouldn't surprise me if not all of them make the cut.) "Holy Feeling" begins with ambient nature sounds such as animal calls and moves into acoustic guitar underneath Chance's signature smoky low register. "Your body is here, but your eyes are wandering off," he begins, "in the cracks of your ceiling; I'm wondering where you are while I'm getting lost in the soft light under your skin. I'm waiting for you to give up and let me in." I do think that these lyrics (as well as some that follow) potentially have a sexual meaning as well as more abstract meaning, as I do think that the speaker (like Chance himself) is reflecting on his lover being present during a sexual act in body but not in spirit. (The chorus going on to assert that "it brings you to your knees, so give into me, holy feeling..." does nothing to curb this suspicion for me.)

I think that the probable sexual innuendo is intended to be secondary, however, as Greyson had this to say about the song's meaning: "'Holy Feeling' is about being present and focusing on the beauty of what's in front of you, instead of what lies unknowingly in the future." While I am not religious in this sense myself, I am sure that there are some Christians who would be upset by some of the lyrics, deeming them as sacrilegious: "...so what do you need?" Greyson demands to know in the aforementioned chorus, "Holy feeling, the type your God can't give you..." It seems to me as if Chance is requesting that his lover be present with him in the moment, not in divine thought worrying about things like fate and where the future is headed, because he can bring him greater peace and relief than God ever could. The song has a soft piano rock quality to it that is typical of Greyson Chance's music, reminiscent of artists like Edwin McCain, The Fray, Gavin DeGraw, and so forth, and it's sonically the type of song that you would expect to hear near the end of a feel-good high school movie in which a sports team enjoys an epic victory in the rain. It's a nice song, although "Honeysuckle" remains my favorite of the new bunch so far. Greyson also released an acoustic unplugged version of the song, which is much more stripped back and more raw (both in production and in Greyson's vocals) than the original version.

Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails over the Country Club - Single [Review]

American singer/songwriter is set to release her new studio album Chemtrails over the Country Club on March 19 this year, only a little more than a month away, and the title track is the second single to be released from the album following "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" (which I reviewed here). I don't hate "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" but also consider it to be fairly weak especially in comparison to the masterpiece that is Norman Fucking Rockwell! (reviewed here), and although I definitely prefer "Chemtrails over the Country Club" to "Let Me Love You Like a Woman," it still doesn't come close to capturing the way that NFR! makes me feel. It's rather simplistic in its production, although the melody is interesting in how it gently wavers like ocean waves, especially in the chorus: "I'm on the run with you, my sweet love," Lana coos. "There's nothing wrong contemplating God under the chemtrails over the country club." Lana is initially accompanied by very light and gentle piano, drowned out by Lana's loud but also somewhat distant vocals, while more instrumentals gradually join in as the song progresses. What is most interesting about this track is that it takes a somewhat unexpected turn near the end, with the last forty-five seconds or so leaving Lana's vocals out of the equation and sticking to merely a marching rhythm carried out by snare drum and cymbals. The music video is even more unexpected, as its initial imagery of summer paradise is jarringly interrupted by horror-esque images of fire, fangs, and blood. All of this suggests to me that there might be something somewhat sinister lurking underneath the song's seemingly happy lyrics. Throughout the song, Lana references bliss in listed activities such as swimming, drag racing, meeting for coffee, and so forth, but, as Genius points out, chemtrails are a popular discussion amongst conspiracy theorists who believe them to be emissions of harmful chemicals being dispersed by the government. It is therefore possible that the song is touching upon blissful ignorance, using said conspiracy theory as a metaphor. All in all, it's not a bad song by any means, but neither this nor the preceding single leave me thinking that Chemtrails over the Country Club is going to be Lana's magnum opus, and I hope that the album offers other numbers to which I connect more deeply than I have these two.

Lana Del Rey - Summertime (The Gershwin Version) - Single / You'll Never Walk Alone [from The End of the Storm: Official Soundtrack] [Review]

Back in 2019, American singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey released a cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time," and while it was originally intended only for a Sublime documentary and not for her soon to be released studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell! (which I reviewed here), it ended up making the NFR! cut all the same. The Sublime song (and, obviously, by default, the Lana Del Rey cover) samples the classic (and very old) jazz song "Summertime" by George Gershwin. Lana herself has always seemed to be a big fan of old school music, especially jazz, so it comes as no surprise to me that she has now covered the original version of the song that Sublime's version samples. (The song has also been covered by Billie Holiday, of whom Lana is an avid fan.) It's really only a small part of the song that "Doin' Time" samples, making this song a very, very different song. It's much slower and more focused, but fans of the Sublime song (and/or, obviously, the Lana Del Rey cover) will definitely recognize Lana's opening lyrics and melody: "Summertime, and the livin' is easy." The song begins with somewhat eerie chanting and gently strumming acoustic guitar, and even though other elements do join in (such as piano and a very gentle and soft beat, just to name a couple), the song remains pretty tender and slow throughout its entirety. (The tempo, in fact, never really changes at all.) What's interesting is that, according to Genius (and I had honestly suspected as much anyway because of some of the song's lyrical phrasing with words such as cotton and mammy), the song, originally being part of the play Porgy & Bess, was written from the perspective of a black slave living in the south addressing a white baby, assuring the baby that he/she is going to have a good life because he/she is white: "Oh, your daddy's rich, and your ma is good lookin', so hush, little baby; don't you cry." Because of the song's lyrics being rather poetic and abstract, however, it can of course be repurposed and reinterpreted. Lana, for example, is very unlikely intending to sing from such a perspective (as that would be kind of inappropriate). Like I said, however, the great thing about poetic and abstract art is that there isn't one single way to view it, and I adore this take on the song. It's so haunting and beautiful.

 

Soon after releasing "Summertime," Lana released yet another cover version of a classic song - "You'll Never Walk Alone" - which was written in 1945 by Rodgers & Hammerstein for the musical Carousel. I have to admit that prior to hearing Lana's version of the song, I hadn't been aware of the song, but I was absolutely blown away and brought to tears by Lana's rendition. Her version is heavily fueled by piano which is what it begins on (and piano is one of my favorite instruments), but when Lana breaks through, she sings the first verse completely a cappella which is so chilling. She is soon joined by strings, and making for one of the most theatrical recordings that Lana has ever done (if not the most), a Gregorian-esque choir takes control approximately halfway through the track. When Lana comes back into the fold, she is accompanied by the choir, and it is absolutely gorgeous and chilling to the bone. I realize that what I am about to say is very high praise, but it's 100% truthful - I believe that I can honestly say that this song showcases the most impressive vocal work that Lana has done in her career thus far. Her voice here is so angelic and soars; it even boasts somewhat of a vibrato effect, and I don't know if I have ever heard her sing like this before. Don't get me wrong; I am a huge fan of Lana Del Rey and think that she has a great voice, but this just seems like a new and more ambitious style for her, and I adore it. The song is lyrically beautiful but pretty simple: "Walk on, walk on," the chorus encourages us, "and you'll never walk alone." We are encouraged to remain positive through difficult times because we are not alone; others endure similar struggles, and there is light at the end of the dark tunnel especially if we hold on to hope. Lana's cover is featured on the soundtrack to the film The End of the Storm (making the lyrics' references to a storm all the more fitting) along with an instrumental orchestral version of the song (which are also both featured on a limited edition 7" vinyl single). According to Genius, Lana will be releasing a collection of covers some time this year titled American Classics and Standards, and the collection will include "Summertime." With "You'll Never Walk Alone" also fitting the description of that title, I wonder if it will also be featured.

Evanescence - Yeah Right - Single [Review]

"Yeah Right" is American alternative metal band Evanescence's fourth single from their upcoming studio album The Bitter Truth, set to be released on March 26, 2021. Interestingly, frontwoman Amy Lee revealed on social media recently that the song was originally written for the band's 2011 self-titled album (which I reviewed here) but was ultimately cut when the album went in a different direction, and although it doesn't really remind me too much of most of what's heard on that album, it does kind of remind me of the song "Say You Will" from that album. When I first listened to the track, I found myself pleasantly surprised with the upbeat direction, bobbing my head along to the electronic production and beat of the first verse which reminded me a great deal of Muse, especially the material on their 2009 album The Resistance. I instantly loved the catchy verses featuring Lee's spitfire vocals that reminded me a bit of "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" and "Imperfection," and I honestly find the verses even catchier than the chorus (which is interesting because a song's chorus is typically its hook). The song effectively teeters between electro-rock and alternative metal, making a somewhat surprise turn, for example, when it dives into a grinding guitar solo more than halfway through the track. It's almost like it can't decide what kind of song that it wants to be, even suddenly becoming somewhat dissonant and eerie at the very end when Lee, over nothing but piano, softly repeats abridged lyrics from the song's chorus: "Yeah, right, that sounds nice - more than it was worth to sell our souls." (The Evanescence Community pointed out on Twitter that this outro is very reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails, and they definitely hit the nail on the head - pun intended - with that observation because I can't unhear it now.) Much of the material released from The Bitter Truth so far has been angst-ridden and, well, bitter, and "Yeah Right" sticks to that trend. It's a bitingly sarcastic song that I believe takes a jab at the band's former record label Wind-Up. Several years ago, Lee sued the label for unpaid royalties and parted ways with them which was after years of struggle and conflict. (The original vision of the 2011 album, for example, was scrapped due to Wind-Up's insistence, as they were not happy with the direction in which Evanescence was going.) "Someday, we'll get paid more than it was worth to sell our souls," she predicts in the powerful and anthemic chorus. In the second verse, she asserts that "I'm a rock star. I'm a queen resurrected, just as messed up as before. Twist the knife hard, just makes it easier to tell you I don't need you anymore," and I love the staccato way that the beat is rapidly punctuated near the end of that line. The lyrics, as I said, make it clear to me that the song is aimed at the music industry and likely Wind-Up specifically. As previously mentioned, The Bitter Truth is expected to drop on March 26, 2021, and along with the tracklisting (featured below) having been revealed, the album is now available for pre-order. (Please note by the way that the above cover art is courtesy of Evanescenceville, as the band has not released actual cover art for the single. Streaming platforms simply show the album cover.)

Within Temptation - The Purge - Single [Review]

Several months after releasing "Entertain You" (which I reviewed here), Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation returns with "The Purge," presumably the second single from their upcoming eighth studio album which will likely see a 2021 release. The band promised via their various social media platforms that "The Purge" would be a return to roots for them, much more like their early material than recent records have been. Their exact words, in fact, were that the song has "that old school Within Temptation vibe," and I had somewhat mixed feelings about that when I saw that because even though I have seen a lot of Within Temptation fans complain about the band evolving its sound over the years, I have personally enjoyed most of the material that they have released in recent years, and the seventh studio album Resist (which I reviewed here) is, in my opinion, phenomenal. I am not disappointed at all, however, because "The Purge" doesn't sound (at least not to me) all that much like the band's old material. While definitely not true of "Entertain You," "The Purge" sounds to me like it could easily fit on Resist, featuring much of the same electronic and industrial production heard on a great deal of Resist. It has somewhat of a futuristic approach to it (even the single cover has a futuristic image as does the Resist album cover), although it also does kind of remind me a bit of "Final Destination" from the band's 2007 album The Heart of Everything. I personally consider "Entertain You" to be a large departure from Within Temptation's usual sound, which makes "The Purge" seem like somewhat of a return to form, so that could very well be what the band meant. The song is pretty fast-paced and heavy, with, as previously mentioned, a lot of electronic influence, and I really appreciate its relatively upbeat nature. It lyrically seems to be making a point that Björk similarly makes in the song "Notget" from her 2015 album Vulnicura: "Don't remove my pain; it is my chance to heal." Within Temptation frontwoman Sharon den Adel powerfully belts out statements such as "I've got to bleed it out" and "Let me feel it." I strongly believe the song to be about the necessity of pain; without it, we wouldn't grow. I am really looking forward to Within Temptation's aforementioned eighth studio album, and if these two songs are any indication, then it's going to be a relatively eclectic album given that they are pretty different from each other. In the meantime, both "Entertain You" and "The Purge" are featured on an EP titled The Purge, featuring both songs as well as an instrumental of each.

MARINA - Man's World - Single [Review]

Welsh indie pop musician Marina Diamandis (who formally went by Marina and the Diamonds and now goes simply by MARINA) released her fourth studio album LOVE + FEAR  in 2019, and less than two years later, she is now preparing to release her fifth album, with "Man's World" serving as the album's lead single. "Man's World" reminds me a lot of material from MARINA's third studio album FROOT, released in 2015. The electronic production, especially at the very beginning of the song, is strikingly reminiscent of the FROOT track "I'm a Ruin," and MARINA's vocals are similar to many of her vocals on FROOT in that they're somewhat echoed and distant. Not only does the song give me instantaneous FROOT vibes, but MARINA also said in an interview with Vogue that this album will be very different from LOVE + FEAR in that, like FROOT, it will feature minimal collaboration with others, and the fact that MARINA wrote and produced all of the tracks on FROOT is one of several reasons why I love it so much. I am consequently expecting a sort of FROOT Part II from this upcoming album and couldn't be any more excited by that prospect! That aforementioned interview with Vogue describes "Man's World" as ethereal, and I think that that word definitely describes the song well. Over the years and past four (soon to be five) albums, MARINA has captivated me with her soft porcelain vocals, her catchy hooks, her cynical and sassy anthems (see "Oh No!," "Sex Yeah," "Savages," etc.), and her dreamy and atmospheric melodies, and "Man's World" ultimately blends together everything that I love about her. I absolutely adore her (as previously mentioned) somewhat distant and dreamy vocals in the post-chorus of the song when MARINA suggests, "If you have a mother, daughter or a friend, maybe it's time, time you comprehend the world you live in ain't the same one as them..." That is definitely my favorite part of the song melodically, although my favorite lyrical part is in the first verse: "Burnt me at the stake; you thought I was a witch centuries ago. Now, you just call me a bitch." I also love how Diamandis makes it clear that she is addressing white, straight, able-bodied men who reap the benefits of and participate in institutionalized racism, homophobia, ableism, sexism, and so forth; she is not addressing all men. She makes this clear when she compares the struggles of gay men to that of women in the second verse: "...owned by a sheik who killed thousands of gay men." She also addresses issues such as climate change when she declares in the chorus that "mother nature's dying; nobody's keeping score." It's such a melodically and lyrically powerful song that I instantly loved upon first listen, and, as I said, I cannot wait to hear the album (which, according to Genius, is also going to be titled Man's World). (Update: We now have confirmation that the album will actually be titled Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land.)