Greyson Chance - Twenty One - Single [Review]

Greyson Chance found fame primarily because of his cover of Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" song, which he performed live on a talent show, the recording of which was discovered by Ellen DeGeneres. Since then, Chance has released an album (2011's Hold on 'Til the Night), two EPs (2012's Truth Be Told and 2016's Somewhere Over My Head), and various singles here and there, but it has been over seven years since he has released a full-length album (even though he does definitely have an album's worth of loose singles floating around out there without a home). A sophomore album, however, titled portraits, will finally be dropping in early 2019 (no specific date has been announced yet), with "Twenty One" reportedly being its lead single. (Update: I have since realized that "Twenty One" is actually yet another standalone single and will not be on portraits.) The song is appropriately titled, as Chance actually is (as of August 16, 2018) twenty-one years old, something that, according to both his Instagram stories and the lyrics of this song, he has clearly been taking advantage of. The lyrics speak to some of Greyson's more - shall we say - frolicsome behavior as of late, such as smoking pot (the song opens with the spoken words "here, you light the bowl"), smoking cigarettes ("but I live in the moment, burnt sleeves and cigarette ash"), drinking alcohol ("cruising all summer, cheap drinks..."), partying ("dancing all night"), and, potentially, having sex ("take another fall for a pretty boy... fucks me all up"). Chance, in the song's lyrics, acknowledges that his behavior can sometimes be construed as rash, as he says that "my friends, they tell me that I need to cut back...," but he justifies his behavior by saying that "we only got one year to be twenty one." The lyrics are not as deep and as meaningful as some of his other recent songs have been such as "Low" and "Good as Gold," but they are still definitely very personal, as they do, as previously stated, speak to Greyson's current place in life, and although I have not been twenty-one for nearly eight years and wasn't much of a partier even when I was and consequently can't much relate to the song lyrically, I still love the song because of its catchy and playful melody, especially during the song's chorus when Greyson sings that "he puts a spell on me, puts a spell on me." I also love the song's beat which (most likely intentionally given the lyrical content) sounds like a lighter being flicked on and off. It's a fun song, but I am definitely hoping for more deep and emotional songs as well, which I am sure that the album will offer. "Twenty One" is, after all, only one of many portraits. (I again reiterate that at the time when I initially wrote this review, I was, for some reason, under the impression that this song was the lead single from portraits, and I sincerely apologize for the misinformation. It is actually "shut up" that is the lead single.)

Within Temptation - Raise Your Banner - Single / Firelight - Single [Review]

Since their release of the epic single "The Reckoning" (which I reviewed here), Dutch metal band Within Temptation has released two more singles from their upcoming seventh studio album Resist (which was originally scheduled for release on December 14, 2018 but has unfortunately been delayed until February 1, 2019) - "Raise Your Banner" and "Firelight." While neither song manages to match the sheer power of "The Reckoning" (which, in my opinion, is one of the greatest songs of the band's entire discography so far, with a visually stunning music video to match), they are competent. "Raise Your Banner" features guest vocals from Anders Fridén of Swedish metal band In Flames, and two versions are available - the full-length version (which is likely the album version) and a shorter radio edit. The song follows Within Temptation's typical symphonic metal sound, and both the song's lyrics and its melody bring me back to the band's 2007 album The Heart of Everything, reminding me especially of that album's song "The Truth Beneath the Rose." My favorite part of the song is when frontwoman Sharon den Adel says (yes, it's more speech than it is singing), "The way that you torment me, the way that you challenge me, the way that you make me bleed..." The song is lyrically similar to songs like "The Howling" and "Our Solemn Hour" from the aforementioned The Heart of Everything, as it seems to cover the tragedies of war: "Raise your banner. Won't you come? Fight the venom. The good die young." The music video also follows in the footsteps left by the music video for "The Reckoning," as it also features futuristic sci-fi elements, this time cyborgs reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell.

The third single released from Resist thus far is titled "Firelight," which features guest vocals from Jasper Steverlinck of Belgian alternative rock band Arid (a band which I admit to never having heard of prior to this song being released). This song, too, has two different versions available - a short single edit and a full-length version. I find "Firelight" to be a bit more interesting than "Raise Your Banner," especially since I consider it to be a unique song from Within Temptation's catalogue thus far. It features tribal chanting that persists throughout the song underneath den Adel's and Steverlinck's alternating parts, and the two of them make a memorable vocal pairing, as their voices sound lovely together. The lyrics are not as transparent as those from "The Reckoning" or "Raise Your Banner" are, but I believe this song to be about how we shouldn't let an opportunity to voice ourselves go to waste, that expressing ourselves is a crucial privilege: "Silence rules spineless fools." This would, of course, also be in keeping with the title of the album: Resist. It really is so unfortunate that the album has been delayed by nearly two months because were that not the case, we would now have the album, and I am really looking forward to this album, as it is, so far, possibly promising to be the best Within Temptation album since The Heart of Everything. It will likely be a tough call to make, however, because I do also really love The Unforgiving (featuring memorable songs like "I Don't Wanna," "Shot in the Dark," "In the Middle of the Night," and "Sinéad"), but I am definitely hoping for more songs with the epic energy of "The Reckoning" to be heard on the rest of the album, which, as previously stated, drops on February 1, 2019 as long as there are no additional delays.

Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complex - Single / Venice Bitch - Single [Review]

Hollywood sadcore musician Lana Del Rey has already announced a follow-up album to 2017's Lust for Life. Having been announced as titled Norman Fucking Rockwell and set to be released in early 2019, Del Rey has already released two singles from the album - "Mariners Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch." "Mariners Apartment Complex" is a folksy piano and acoustic guitar ballad that sounds like it could belong on the latter half of Lust for Life. There is also an instrumental break near the end of the song that calls back to the surf rock and blues rock sounds prevalent on 2014's Ultraviolence (my favorite Lana Del Rey album so far). (I am reminded especially of the song "Flipside" which is found on the Target exclusive edition of Ultraviolence.) On "Mariners Apartment Complex," Del Rey sings in her signature breathy whisper, and she also showcases her vast range, hitting both a low and a high register. Del Rey has come forth about the song's meaning, saying that it's based on an actual experience in which a guy whom she was seeing told her that he felt that they were seeing each other because of how sad that they both were, and Lana was surprised by his comment because she didn't think of herself as sad: "You took my sadness out of context," she explains in the song's opening lyric. I like "Mariners Apartment Complex" for the most part, but the main problem that I have with it is that it, more than likely coincidentally, sounds strikingly similar to the 2007 song "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins. Aspects of the instrumentals are nearly identical, and parts of the singers' melodies are also similar. I cannot listen to "Mariners Apartment Complex" without thinking about "Where I Stood," so it is difficult for me to wholly think of it as an original song.

"Mariners Apartment Complex" features the lyric, "...your Venice bitch, your die-hard, your weakness," and this is a nod to the the second single from Norman Fucking Rockwell titled "Venice Bitch." (Considering the fact that the cover art for "Mariners Apartment Complex" features Lana wearing a shirt that says Venice Bitch and the cover art for "Venice Bitch" features a building, I wish that the covers were switched, but I digress.) I prefer "Venice Bitch" to "Mariners Apartment Complex" because the melody is beautiful in a lulling way, and the song transports me to a dreamy and otherworldly place, especially because of its warbling electric guitar. Like much of Del Rey's work, the song calls back to 1970s folk rock and also, mainly because of the aforementioned electric guitar, sounds a bit psychedelic. Something that makes "Venice Bitch" truly special is that it runs at nearly ten minutes long, making it Lana's longest running song to date. Even so, however, I am easily lost in it, and the ten minutes do not feel like ten minutes. I do think that there will probably be a shorter edit released eventually, considering the fact that it is a single and no radio station is likely to play a song that long. (Del Rey's managers even advised against this song being released as a single, but the gall that it takes to release a single this long despite being warned not to is one of several reasons why I love Lana - she breaks rules.) I already feel fairly confident that "Venice Bitch" will be one of my favorite songs on Norman Fucking Rockwell, and I can even already say that it is one of my favorite songs from her catalogue thus far. It is simply brilliant, and I cannot wait for Norman Fucking Rockwell (even though I am not too thrilled with the title because the vulgarity seems unnecessarily tacky), which, as previously stated, is supposed to drop in early 2019.

Within Temptation - The Reckoning - Single [Review]

Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation is set to follow up its 2014 album Hydra (and lead singer Sharon den Adel's 2018 solo project My Indigo) with Resist, set to be released on December 14, 2018. (The album cover, as can be seen below, is, without a doubt, one of the coolest album covers that I have ever seen, not just from Within Temptation but from any artist ever.) The album's first single "The Reckoning" is not only an epic song but also features an epic and cinematic music video featuring the band fighting off an alien invasion. This is a comeback about which I am very excited, and one reason for that could be that it has, as previously stated, been four years since the band last released an album, and "The Reckoning" offers a fresh energy that proves that the hiatus (caused in part by den Adel suffering from writer's block and from personal problems) was more than likely not only worth it but also needed, especially since I personally consider Hydra to be one of the band's weakest efforts to date, even though I do love songs like "Paradise (What About Us?)" (featuring the phenomenal Tarja, which was a dream collaboration for me), "And We Run" (a collaboration with rapper Xzibit that surprisingly worked exceedingly well), and "Whole World Is Watching" (featuring either Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum or Piotr Rogucki of Coma, depending on which edition of the album is being discussed). "The Reckoning" promises an album afire, however, and as soon as I saw the album title, I suspected that Resist would likely be about the world's currently toxic political climate, caused in large part by Donald Trump, president of the United States. Within Temptation is, after all, no stranger to discussing political issues such as war, as they have on tracks like "The Howling" and "Our Solemn Hour," and when I first saw Resist's tracklisting, I noted that the closing track on Resist is titled "Trophy Hunter," which I am thinking is probably in reference to Trump's endorsement of elephant trophy hunting (something that his sons even take part in themselves), so this promises to be a significant and culturally relevant album (as was 2007's The Heart of Everything which dropped in the heat of the Iraq War).

 "The Reckoning" features guest vocals from Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix (who is unfortunately conspicuously absent from the music video), and I am very pleased with the collaboration because Shaddix really helps amplify the song, which is already very energetic as it is. The song is anthemic in nature, driven by what sounds like melodic horn and electronic, almost dubstep, vibes, giving the song more of a futuristic vibe than the band has ever presented before. (In fact, it seems to be the direct opposite of many of Within Temptation's older songs influenced by traditional sounds like Celtic music.) The melody of "The Reckoning" is catchy, rich, and powerful, and it manages to be both upbeat and dark, hopeful and also bleak. "We're all alone," Shaddix laments in the second verse, "walking in twilight; the night has been long, and so many have fallen. Feel no remorse; light will be breaking. Our freedom is worth it all." One can see from this verse alone how the song manages to deal with both darkness and light in its lyrics, as it points out problems but also offers solutions. The song is, similarly to aforementioned Within Temptation songs like "The Howling" and "Our Solemn Hour," likely addressing war, lamenting the unnecessary loss of life that runs rampant throughout the world. Unlike those songs, however, "The Reckoning" offers hope, reminding us that we have a voice and can rise up and resist the destruction, that we can choose to be better: "We'll rise against; we'll always hold the line of reckoning." My favorite part of the song is near the end of the song when the chorus is repeated in a quieter and calmer manner, which is then broken by an electronic explosion leading into the song returning to its heavy and more aggressive state. (This is also my favorite part of the music video, as the electronic outbreak happens at the exact moment that the band begins to take the alien spacecraft down.) "The Reckoning" is, without a doubt, one of my favorite Within Temptation songs to date, featuring a tone similar to that found on The Heart of Everything (despite some fans' claims that this is a totally new sound for them), only more electronic and more energetic, and I cannot wait for Resist to drop in December.

Troye Sivan - Bloom [Review]

Troye Sivan, originally made famous because of his status as a comedic YouTube personality, has followed up his 2015 album Blue Neighbourhood (which I reviewed here) with Bloom, a work that, for the most part, departs rather drastically from the rather subdued indie sound on the first album. Bloom hints at it on occasion, such as on tracks like "Postcard" and "Running Shoes," but it is overall more of a mainstream and radio-friendly collection of dance tracks than its predecessor. Blue Neighbourhood feels almost like a concept album, seeming to tell the story of a turbulent relationship in a small suburban town. (There is even a brilliant short film titled the Blue Neighbourhood Trilogy which uses three of the album's songs - "WILD," "FOOLS," and "TALK ME DOWN" - to tell a story.) Although a good portion of Bloom, however, is lyrically about Sivan's current boyfriend Jacob Bixenman, it still feels a lot less focused than Blue Neighbourhood. I initially felt rather disappointed by Bloom's efforts, but even though I still prefer Blue Neighbourhood, Bloom has grown on me a bit, as I do appreciate it a lot more than I did when I first heard it, especially since several songs are a lot of fun and are very catchy, with highlights being "The Good Side," "Bloom," "Postcard" (featuring Gordi), "Plum," "Lucky Strike," and "Running Shoes" (a beautiful song that is exclusive to the Target edition of the album). I already reviewed a good portion of the album's songs (the ones that were released as singles), so I am going to limit my discussion here to the songs that I have not yet reviewed.

The album opens with "Seventeen," which is kind of a quiet song with retro production, sounding almost like a pop ballad from the 1980s. (I find this interesting because even though it is a much different song in a thematic and lyrical sense, the album's closing song, "Animal," features similar production, resulting in the album beginning and closing in a similar way.) "Seventeen" speaks lyrically of Sivan having lost his virginity at only seventeen years old to an older man: "And he said age is just a number, just like any other. We can do whatever, do whatever you want. Boy becomes a man now. Can't tell a man to slow down. He'll just do whatever, do whatever he wants." The vinyl edition of the album also includes a reprise of "Seventeen" which is acoustic and much shorter. The second, third, and fourth tracks ("My My My!," "The Good Side," and "Bloom") on Bloom are all previously released singles that I already reviewed. (Check out the reviews here and here.) "Postcard" is one of my favorite songs on Bloom, especially since it's one of the few songs on the album that is reminiscent of Blue Neighbourhood - both lyrically and melodically. The song is a slow and beautiful piano ballad that is lyrically about Sivan missing his boyfriend while they are apart: "Now, I don't sleep unless your body's on me. I won't feel right until we can be underneath everything that's between, yeah. I'm undone about to burst at my seams 'cause I am picturing you beside me, so let me be everything that you need, yeah."

Next on the album is Sivan's sultry collaboration with Ariana Grande, a song titled "Dance to This," which I already reviewed here. "Plum" follows "Dance to This" and is a fun and upbeat pop song that I think might have more than one intended meaning. The chorus declares that "maybe our time has come; maybe we're overgrown. Even the sweetest plum has only got so long." I think that it's likely that, like "The Good Side," "Plum" is about Sivan's ex-boyfriend Connor Franta and that the song is about a relationship coming to an end, but the imagery of fruit rotting also reminds me of a line from the title track from Marina's album Froot: "Leave it too long, I'll go rot like an apple you forgot." ("Bloom" also reminds me a great deal of "Froot," especially since some of the lyrics are even strikingly similar.) The idea there would be that the imagery is sexual in nature and that Sivan is encouraging his partner to get him while he's hot, which wouldn't be too farfetched considering the fact that fruit (or flowers) is used as metaphors for sex in both "Seventeen" and the title track. "What a Heavenly Way to Die" is a low point on the album for me, as it doesn't really do much melodically and falls rather flat and uninteresting. It once again addresses Sivan's boyfriend Jacob (a topic that honestly tires itself out pretty quickly on the album), telling him how being with him is like paradise and how he hopes to spend the rest of his life with him.

"Lucky Strike" is another playful and upbeat track. Powered electronically by synths and what sounds to me like subdued drum machine, it is one of my favorite songs because of its catchy chorus. "You taste like Lucky Strikes," Sivan sings, which is a reference to the brand of cigarettes of the same name. I am reminded of Sivan's song from the Love, Simon soundtrack, "Strawberries & Cigarettes" (which I reviewed here), because of its lyric, "Strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you." I think that it is possible that since cigarettes can be construed as phallic objects and are used orally, the imagery in "Lucky Strike" is meant to be sexual. "Animal," which I already reviewed here, closes the standard edition of Bloom, but Target's exclusive edition features two more songs - "This This" and the aforementioned "Running Shoes." "This This" honestly isn't anything special, but I instantly fell in love with "Running Shoes" upon first listen. It is a melancholy song driven by acoustic guitar, and it features a gorgeous melody with lyrics about a boy whom Sivan seems to have left (likely another song about Connor). It is easily one of my favorite songs on the album and should not be exclusive to the Target edition, but I suppose that it makes owning the Target edition (which I do) feel all the more special. I overall appreciate Bloom for what it is but prefer Blue Neighbourhood, both because of its sound and its more innocent tone. I realize that Sivan is an adult, but because of factors like the somewhat provocative "Bloom" video and the Bloom book (which features intimate photos taken by Jacob), Sivan has become somewhat of a sex symbol, and I don't know how I feel about that.

Blondie - Live at the NYS Fair [Wednesday, 8/22/18] [Review]

I never would have thought that I would ever get the opportunity to see an artist as legendary as Blondie for only a dollar, yet here I am, two days after having done just that. (If someone had told me last year or even just a few months ago that this would be happening, that I would be seeing Blondie live for nothing more than a crisp George Washington, then I would have likely laughed in that person's face.) Blondie, a rock band which made its debut forty-two years ago with its eponymous debut album in 1976, has, over the span of decades, boasted hits such as "Heart of Glass," "The Tide is High," "Call Me," "Maria," and so forth. Even today, with frontwoman Debbie Harry at the fresh and young age of seventy-three, Blondie is still going on tour and even recording new music. (The band, in fact, played five songs from its most recent album, Pollinator, at this particular show.) While some would likely argue that I saw Debbie Harry and her gang well past their prime, I would retort that even though the band members might not be spring chickens anymore, they still put on an amazing show; I am so thrilled that I got the opportunity to see such an iconic band that I have been listening to for approximately fifteen years, and as I said, not only did I get to see Blondie, I got to see them for only a dollar, as entrance into the New York State Fair was a dollar, and the concert itself was free.

Shortly after finding out that I would be attending this concert, I looked at recent Blondie setlists and discovered at the show that the band was sticking to that setlist, as they didn't make a single change to it. The setlist was as follows:

1. One Way or Another
2. Hanging on the Telephone
3. Fun
4. Call Me
5. Gravity
6. Rapture
7. Fragments
8. Maria
9. The Tide Is High
10. Too Much
11. Long Time
12. Atomic
13. Heart of Glass
14. From Russia with Love [encore]
15. Dreaming [encore]

I am, for the most part, happy with the setlist, as they played classics but also, as aforementioned, threw in a handful of new songs from the new album titled Pollinator (which, although a great album, is mixed a bit strangely, as the vocals are - at least in my opinion - too quiet). I would have liked to have heard "Rip Her to Shreds" and "In the Flesh," but beggars can't be choosers, and I, as I said, am happy with the setlist overall. At 8:00 p.m., I was met with two pleasant surprises: (1) There was no opening band, and (2) Blondie began promptly at 8:00 p.m., which was a nice surprise because whenever I see a show, the first band rarely starts when it is supposed to start. Harry wore a white cape over her outfit, a cape which declared in block letters: STOP FUCKING THE PLANET. (Pollinator is intended to be a statement about the bee population gradually decreasing, and Harry said something to this effect later in the show, telling the crowd to "leave the fucking bees alone.") Underneath the cape, Debbie Harry (as pictured below; photo taken by Warren Linhart for http://www.syracuse.com) sported a pink and white shirt sort of like a kimono. (She later removed that to reveal a long sleeve pink shirt with a black belt around the waist.) I was pleased to see Blondie's drummer, Clem Burke, wearing a CGBG shirt because CBGB is basically where the band started.

I found Blondie at its best not during its performance of a classic but during its performance of "Fragments," a new song. It was one of several songs during which Harry was very interactive with the crowd. I have seen some bands (such as Weezer) that seemed to have very little energy and did not interact with the audience much if at all, but Harry frequently told stories and cracked jokes, and she seemed genuinely happy to be performing. She also had a lot of energy, especially for someone in her seventies. Highlights of the show included the aforementioned "Fragments," "The Tide Is High" (during which the crowd was probably most excited, which is honestly a bit sad because even though it's one of the band's biggest hits, it's actually a cover of a song from 1966), and "Atomic" (which featured a killer guitar solo). Many of the band's more pop-oriented songs (such as "The Tide Is High") got a rock treatment, which made the experience even fresher. The show also featured excellent sound quality. I have been to many shows at which the instruments were louder than the singer, and when the singer addressed the audience in between songs, it was difficult to understand what was being said. Debbie Harry's voice, however, was crystal clear both during her speeches and during the songs. Even though some performances (such as "Maria," which was sung in too low of a register but was probably the best that Harry could do at this point) were weaker than others, this was, overall, an incredible show, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to attend it.

Troye Sivan - Animal - Single [Review]

 

With the recent release of actor and musician Troye Sivan's new song "Animal," five songs (exactly half of the standard album) have now been released and heard from his upcoming (due to be released on August 31, 2018) sophomore effort, Bloom. (I miss the days when only one single, maybe two, would be released prior to an album's release. Albums nowadays are spoiled by too much being released too soon.) "Animal" is set to close the standard release (featuring only ten tracks) of the album, and Sivan has reportedly referred to it as '80s-esque, which I can definitely hear, as it does very much sound like an '80s ballad begging to be slow-danced to at a high school prom. (Even the single cover, pictured above, seems like a photo that might have been taken during the '80s.) The song takes an unexpected turn a little more than halfway through, however, when instead of sounding like an '80s pop ballad, it suddenly (albeit briefly) sounds more like a psychedelic Beatles song. At this point of the song, Sivan sings, "All is right in the meadow when I'm lying next to my fellow; baby, that's you...," and while I do not mean to sound too harsh, these are embarrassingly bad lyrics that sound like a love-stricken seventh grader attempting poetry. (I said something similar about "My My My!" when I reviewed that here.) "Animal," which is lyrically about primal attraction to one's lover, sounds like it will probably make an appropriate closing track on the album, which I am looking forward to hearing but at the same time am looking forward to cautiously. The songs that have been released from the album so far - "My My My!"," "The Good Side," "Bloom," "Dance to This," and now "Animal" - have been hit or miss for me, and I have really only been especially excited about "The Good Side" and "Bloom" thus far. My expectation is that Bloom will be substandard in comparison to the indie brilliance of Sivan's freshman debut, Blue Neighbourhood (which I reviewed here), but I suppose that I shall find out exactly two weeks from today when the album is released in its entirety.

Otep - KULT 45 [Review]

When writer and musician Otep Shamaya released her seventh studio album Generation Doom (which I reviewed here) in April of 2016, I was immediately floored by how vehemently brilliant that it was and is. It is my favorite Otep album thus far and is even one of my favorite albums of all time by any artist. It is colorfully lush and beautiful and emotional and deals with personal topics to which I, at the time, strongly related, topics such as love (“No Color”), betrayal (“Lie”), moving on (“On the Shore”) and social oppression (“Equal Rights, Equal Lefts”). I therefore knew that once Otep followed Generation Doom with an eighth album, she would probably have a difficult time topping it, but I had hopes that it would still be a great album, especially since, once we saw the results of the November 2016 presidential election, I assumed that it would be filled to the brim with songs that spoke up against Donald Trump (which it is) but in a new and fun way. (The playful “To the Gallows” - which I reviewed here - is the closest that the album gets to what I had envisioned.) I unfortunately find myself rather disappointed by the album overall, however, which is especially unfortunate considering how much, as I already mentioned, that I love its predecessor, but Otep's eighth album, titled KULT 45, leaves a lot to be desired, and I am not the only fan whom I have seen say this, either; a friend of mine who might love Otep even more than I do (which is saying a lot because she is definitely one of my favorite artists) went to the extent of calling it “one of the most tragic things to ever happen to music” and an “atrocity.” While I certainly would not go that far (especially since there are several songs that I do actually really like), I would at least say that it is my least favorite Otep album thus far.

KULT 45 (the title a reference to Donald Trump being the forty-fifth president of the United States) opens with “Hail to the Thief,” but the track is really more of an intro to the album than it is a song, so “Halt Right” is really the album's first song. The song is the first of many that takes a stab at Donald Trump and his followers, and while I do agree with a majority of the album's content, hearing it repeated in nearly every single song becomes tiresome by about halfway through the album. This one is a standard nu-metal track with Otep rapping on the verses, and as I said, while I do agree with most of the lyrical content of the album, I do not agree with what seems to me to be encouraged on this track, such as when she provides this anecdote: “Confederate flags thrown at half-mast 'cause you called me a fag, and I snapped his neck back with a fist, right-hook; that's all that it took.” One of the major problems that I have always had with Donald Trump is his heinous tendency to encourage and incite violence, something that he did especially frequently during his campaign process, and I don't appreciate the fact that Otep is essentially doing the same here (if I am interpreting the song's lyrics properly). Violence does not solve problems; it merely begets itself, and while this is hardly the first song in which Otep has encouraged listeners to fight (her song “Confrontation” commands listeners to “strike back,” for example), past examples have usually been in reference to voting, protesting, and making sure that your voice is heard, not actual physically fighting. This song, however, seems to be encouraging physical violence, and I wholeheartedly disagree with such a message.

“Molotov” is KULT 45's third track; it features a catchy chorus and chugging guitar and lyrically addresses white supremacists who have been emboldened by Trump's election. I find this song to be much more agreeable than “Halt Right” and definitely prefer it, but I would still consider it one of Otep's weakest songs of her career thus far. It is very direct, not poetic like Otep's writing usually is, and it consequently feels rather uninspired, as does much of the album. “Said the Snake” is a highlight, as it tonally returns to roots found on the likes of albums such as the debut Sevas Tra. “Said the Snake” also offers Shamaya's signature poetic style: “The dead have names like biblical verses,” she purrs at the beginning of the song, “Matthew 19, Mark 21, John 33.” Another example is found in the song's chorus: “'Let me kiss it; I can fix it,' said the snake,” which seems to be in reference to rulers such as Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump promising to help make a country great when, in reality, they cannot be trusted. The fifth track, titled “Undefeated,” is another one of my favorite songs on the album, primarily because of the powerful chanting near the end of the song - “This is what democracy looks like!” The song is comprised mostly of Otep rapping over a guitar hook, and while I love the hook, most of the rapping is, once again, somewhat uninspired: “We got militarized cops,” she raps in slam poetry style, “murderin' unarmed black kids at traffic stops. They're lettin' white kids off after rapin' a girl behind a dumpster...” Shamaya is entirely just in calling attention to this outrage, especially since she is referring to specific cases such as Brock Turner's trial and sentence, but the words are very direct whereas she normally has more of an art of subtlety. It is still, as I said, one of my favorite songs on the album, however.

The first five tracks on the album, for the most part, offer an idea of what to expect from the rest of the album. Other highlights include the heavy (in more ways than one) response to rampant gun violence “Shelter in Place” (which I reviewed here), the playful and self-referential “Boss” (which features the clever line “I'm not a boss bitch; I'm just a boss, bitch”), “To the Gallows” (which should have been placed closer to the front of the album), “Be Brave” (a beautiful piano ballad that more than likely intentionally calls melodic attention to the fan beloved Otep song “Perfectly Flawed” and which should have closed the album), “Feral Oracle” (spoken over eerie ambience; it is sensual and erotic and, like “Be Brave,” unique), and “The Tribe Speaks” (which runs at nearly thirty-two minutes long, meaning that it's probably not on the album's physical release, and is a collection of vocal messages sent in by fans – I did not participate because I unfortunately had not been aware of it). I, as I said, would most definitely not call this album an atrocity, but it is rather disappointing. My favorite songs are “Said the Snake,” “Undefeated,” and “Be Brave,” and I do believe that some parts of the album showcase the artistic talent of which I know Shamaya is capable, but the album overall feels (I hate to keep using this word but can't think of a better one) uninspired. I remember how after Generation Doom was released, a lot of fans were tweeting Otep and telling her how they had hoped that the eighth album would be heavier and more hardcore, and I think that she might have taken that to heart because it definitely is, and while I have absolutely no problem with Otep's heavy songs (songs such as “T.R.I.C.,” “Rise, Rebel, Resist,” "Confrontation," “Sacrilege,” “Crooked Spoons,” etc. are some of my favorite Otep songs), KULT 45 feels far too heavy-handed with not enough tonal variety.

Mike Shinoda - Post Traumatic [Review]

In May of 2017, Linkin Park released its seventh studio album One More Light, an album that lyrically dealt with mental illness and personal struggle perhaps more directly than any of the band's preceding albums. The content of the album coincided with the suicide of Chris Cornell, with whom Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington had been good friends, which occurred the day before the album was released. Little did fans know how even more poignant and heartbreaking that many of the songs on the album would soon become, as Chester Bennington himself took his own life two months later on July 20, 2017, which would have been Cornell's fifty-third birthday. "Battle Symphony" contains the devastatingly relevant words: "If my armor breaks, I'll fuse it back together. Battle symphony - please just don't give up on me..." The title track, which lyrically addresses suicide and some people's views on the triviality of life, even ended up being dedicated to Chester after his death. It consequently comes as no surprise that another member of the band would step forward and write music about the terrible tragedy. (To the best of my knowledge, the future of Linkin Park is not yet clear, but I will be honest and say that I am hoping that the band will be put to bed, as (a) it seems somehow wrong to continue without Bennington and (b) One More Light works really well as a farewell album.) That band member is Mike Shinoda, known not only for his work with Linkin Park (with whom he has been a member since its founding in 1996) but also for his work with Fort Minor (who became popular due primarily to the success of their hit song "Where'd You Go"). This album, pointedly and aptly titled Post Traumatic, is Shinoda's debut album as a solo artist, which he has said that he decided to do due to how personal that the writing process felt, and the album hits all of the same nerves that One More Light does.

Whereas Linkin Park's music blends elements of hip hop and rock together,Post Traumatic is probably first and foremost a hip hop album, making it more similar to Fort Minor''s music than it is to Linkin Park's music. There are, however, also tracks on the album that are very much in the vein of Linkin Park, such as the opening track. "Place to Start" (appropriately titled, since it is where the album starts) is actually a song that was written before Bennington's death, as it was originally intended for One More Light. It is a poppy hip hop song in which Shinoda sings softly about self-loathing and anxiety. The best (or at least the most emotional) part of this song is honestly its outro, which includes snippets of actual audio clips of friends leaving consoling messages on Shinoda's voicemail, such as one saying, "I want to obviously send my love and support and just let you know I'm here for you." "Over Again" is a hip hop song with a poppy chorus, and the song speaks very poignantly about the grieving process; he, for example, touches upon anger when he raps, "...and everybody that I talk to is like, 'Wow, must be really hard to figure out what to do now.' Well, thank you, genius. You think it'll be a challenge? Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance." (It's worth noting that this isn't Shinoda senselessly being a jerk; anger is a typical stage of the grieving process.) One reason why I said that the future of the band is still up in the air is because of the lyrical content of this song, as that seems to be one of the questions that it's asking - what now? The chorus propounds the idea that "sometimes, you don't say goodbye once. You say goodbye over and over and over again," which I think speaks to the idea that when we are undergoing a tragedy such as the loss of a loved one, it, for a good long while, will keep hitting us every day in different ways via a song, a scent, a memory, etc., making the grieving process is even more difficult to endure.

"Watching as I Fall" is the third track on Post Traumatic and is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, featuring a catchy and melodically beautiful chorus. Much like many of the songs on the album, "Watching as I Fall" features a hip hop beat; it also, however, showcases industrial and electronic production, which reminds me not only of the duo twenty one pilots but is also not too far removed from what one can typically expect from Linkin Park. (A couple of Linkin Park members - Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon - even co-wrote and/or played instruments for the album.) The song is very likely about Bennington but is nowhere near as directly so as "Over Again" is, as "Watching as I Fall" speaks more generally of struggling to get through something difficult: "Thinking I'm okay," he sort of raps and sort of sings near the beginning of the song, "but they're saying otherwise. Tell me how I look but can't look me in the eyes." The fourth track is titled "Nothing Makes Sense Anymore" and reminds me very much of Linkin Park's 2012 album LIVING THINGS(which is easily one of my favorite Linkin Park albums, and I, in fact, reviewed it here). It's a soft piano-driven electropop song about the utter confusion and disorientation that comes after a tragedy. I can very much relate to the song, as I clearly recall my own feelings that followed a tragedy a few years ago, and the lyrics of this song describe it well: "My inside's out. My left is right. My upside's down. My black is white. I hold my breath and close my eyes and wait for dawn, but there's no light. Nothing makes sense anymore..." After losing a loved one (whether it be to a breakup or to death), your world suddenly doesn't make sense. You feel like you must be living a nightmare because a world in which that person is no longer a part of your life cannot possibly be real.

Some other highlights on Post Traumatic include "Brooding" (an ambient instrumental piece), "Crossing a Line" (a poppy song with a catchy hip hop beat, which is lyrically, according to Shinoda himself, about the difficult and risky decision to record a solo album rather than a Linkin Park or Fort Minor album), "Ghosts" (featuring a catchy chorus that reminds me of Troye Sivan's "YOUTH"), "Make It Up as I Go" (a hip hop song that, with a clubby beat and guest vocals by female musician K.Flay, sounds very much like a Fort Minor outtake), "I.O.U." (a trappy track about people trying to take from you what is not owed to them; it makes a reference to Fort Minor in the lyrics: "Play major, but Minor's my main Fort"), and "World's on Fire" (one of my favorites because of some of its '80s-esque synths). I really love some of Shinoda's writing style, such as the wordplay in the aforementioned song "I.O.U." As already stated, a line in the song makes reference to Shinoda's band Fort Minor: "Play major, but Minor's my main Fort." Not only is the line referring to Fort Minor, it is also calling attention to the fact that the song is an immediately noticeable minor key, and he is saying that writing music in a minor key is his forté. Shinoda is a great songwriter, and that really shines on this album, which is pretty much a gold album from start to finish. I think that my only problem with Post Traumatic is that it feels incomplete. Once I get to the end of the closing track (titled "Can't Hear You Now"), I feel like there is supposed to be a song following, as the song does not make for an effective conclusion. I have also read other reviewers say that the album feels unfinished in its production, that most of the tracks feel like demo tracks, and while I do agree with that, I don't see it as something negative but rather as something that helps accentuate the album's raw emotion. Only time will tell what's in store for Linkin Park, but it doesn't look as if Mike Shinoda is retiring any time soon.

Otep - Shelter in Place - Single [Review]

Writer and metal musician Otep is set to release her eighth studio album KULT 45 on July 27, 2018 and recently released "Shelter in Place" (the album's second single), and this song is just as politically charged as its preceding single "To the Gallows" (which I reviewed here). I knew that Otep's follow-up to Generation Doom would be an angry response to the heartbreaking fiasco that was Donald Trump's Electoral College victory in November of 2016 (since she was probably the most fired up celebrity against Trump that I personally witnessed during the election process), and it doesn't look like I will be disappointed, as both singles so far take a stab at him in one way or another. ("To the Gallows" is much more direct, but "Shelter in Place" targets the NRA, which Trump fully supports. "Shelter in Place" even mimics a line from "To the Gallows": "Blood on your hands, blood on your suit..." ) Even the album title is likely a reference to Trump, as he is the forty-fifth POTUS. The song features slamming heavy guitar with Otep's signature rapping on the verses. It's a considerably short song, running at only two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, but it definitely does not need to be any longer to get its point across, anger directed toward people who care more about people's rights to own assault weapons than they care about keeping children safe: "Hey, hey, NRA," Otep anthemically chants near the end of the track, "how many kids did you kill today?" This is such a poignant and relevant issue right now because the number of massacres occurring in the United States seems to constantly be on the rise, and the perpetrators so frequently use guns such as AR-15s, guns that have the capability of firing hundreds of rounds per minute. Political activists such as David Hogg (who witnessed friends of his being gunned down at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018) have called people to action, trying to put a stop to this type of senseless killing by demanding that lawmakers put stricter gun control in place. "Shelter in Place" marks two songs in a row that feature the political energy of memorable Otep songs such as "Rise, Rebel, Resist" and "Confrontation," so we are most likely going to get an album chock-full of songs like that, which, as I said, due to the result of the 2016 presidential election, is not a surprise. Bring on July 27th!

Troye Sivan - Dance to This - Single [Review]

Troye Sivan's song "Dance to This" is the latest (and fourth) single released from his sophomore studio album Bloom, set to be released on August 31, 2018. When Sivan released the first single from the album - titled "My My My!" (which I reviewed here) - I wasn't all that impressed, considering it to be one of the weakest songs of his career so far, and I think that I like "Dance to This" even less. "Dance to This" features guest vocalist Ariana Grande, and I should offer the disclaimer that I have never really been much of a fan of Ariana Grande, which could be affecting my opinion of the song a bit. The song opens with sultry and somewhat twangy synth (which is the most interesting part of the song) repeated throughout the song. The verses, which are rather dull melodically (as is the chorus), are backed by a generic drum machine, and even the track's lyrics register to me as generic and uninteresting. The song seems to be from the perspective of a couple (or at least two people who are just falling for each other) who has grown tired of partying and clubbing and wants to go home and dance together privately. (Dancing being used as a euphemism for sex is quite honestly overworked and exhausted.) As for Grande being featured, I, as I said, am not very enthusiastic about it, and that is for two reasons: (1) I, as previously stated, am not really a fan, and (2) this kind of feels like the time when Sivan released an updated version of his song "WILD" with guest vocalist Alessia Cara, which, given the fact that Cara is female, kind of erased the gay identity of the song. It has been reported that Bloom will express Sivan's identity as a young gay man very poignantly, with the album being a lot more sexual in nature than Blue Neighbourhood, so sharing a sexual track with a female vocalist doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me; it seems to be playing it safe. While I am undoubtedly looking forward to the album being released, my hope is that "Dance to This" is not a sign of what to expect from the songs that we haven't yet heard, as I would definitely refer to it as the weakest song of his career thus far. It is simply flat and generic, which is really unfortunate considering the fact that the indie sound on Blue Neighbourhood is anything but.

Otep - To the Gallows - Single [Review]

Outspoken (thankfully so) political activist, writer, and musician Otep Shamaya is back, and after my passionate response to her 2016 release titled Generation Doom (which I reviewed here), I couldn't be happier. "To the Gallows" is the first song to be released from her upcoming album KULT 45, set to be released on July 27, 2018. (In case anyone is confused about the number in the title, Donald Trump is, regrettably, the forty-fifth president of the United States.) The song and its lyrics serve as a big middle finger to our current commander in chief, with lyrics such as "while you're checking your timelines, I'm on the front lines..." (which is a reference to Trump's hyperactivity on Twitter) and "he's a morally corrupt demagogue who's in lust with his daughter so he pays porn stars to dress like her..." (referring to Trump's disgusting comment about how his daughter Ivanka has an amazing figure and how he would be dating her if she weren't his daughter and also to his sex scandals with porn stars). The song begins with a low and eerie chanting underneath Shamaya growling, but it quickly breaks out into her typically heavy mix of rap and metal with a catchy and anthemic chorus, reminding me a bit of songs like "Rise, Rebel, Resist" and "Confrontation" (both songs that are also heavily influenced by political unrest, although Otep has never made it as personal or as direct as she has here). Otep has a long history of releasing music inspired by politics, and seeing as how she is fiercely liberal and vehemently opposed to the likes of racism, homophobia, sexism, and fascism, it should not come as any surprise to anyone that new music from her following the disastrous results of the 2016 presidential election would take on Trump. Even though Trump's America is dark, it is certainly far from hopeless, as we have seen people stand up, speak out, and strike back, possibly more so than we have seen in decades, and I cannot wait to hear what the rest of KULT 45 has in store for us.

Troye Sivan - Strawberries & Cigarettes [from the Love, Simon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] / Bloom - Single [Review]

Since having released "My My My!" and "The Good Side" (review of those songs here), Australian actor, activist, YouTube personality, and musician Troye Sivan has released two more new songs - "Strawberries and Cigarettes" (on the Love, Simon soundtrack) and "Bloom" (as a digital single). Since, to the best of my knowledge, the tracklisting of his upcoming sophomore album has yet to be revealed, there is no guarantee that any of these new songs will actually be on the new album, but it is probably safe to assume that, at the very least, "Bloom" will be on the new album since it is the title track. Sivan has managed to keep nearly everything regarding this album's release a secret, a rarity in a digital age in which information and even songs are prone to being leaked, but rumor has it that we can possibly expect Bloom on June 8th, 2018 (which would be great if true because that's very soon - less than a month away). Also rumored is a collaboration with Ariana Grande, which I will admit is something that I am hoping is not true because a collaboration with someone like Ariana Grande is a strong indicator that the album is possibly going to have a much more mainstream sound than Blue Neighbourhood does, and Blue Neighbourhood's indie sound (which has always reminded me a bit of the downbeat crooning found on Lana Del Rey's albums) is one of the reasons why I love it as much as I do. (Grande would not likely fit in with the likes of Broods, Tkay Maidza, Betty Who, Allday, and Alex Hope.)

Like "My My My!," "Strawberries & Cigarettes" takes a considerable departure from the indie sound found on Sivan's debut album Blue Neighbourhood, going for a more mainstream and radio-friendly sound, which is interesting because according to Billboard, the song was originally intended for Blue Neighbourhood but didn't make the cut. (My thought, although it's just a thought and an unconfirmed one at that, is that the lyrics and melody were unchanged but that the sound and style were updated. I say this especially because the lyrical content, which is about the nostalgia felt after a relationship ends, is very much in keeping with Blue Neighbourhood.) The song is accented by electronic blips, giving it somewhat of a synthy sound, but it is overall a R&B-esque/pop song that reminds me a great deal more of "My My My!" than it does anything on Blue Neighbourhood. As previously stated, the song's lyrics are about a failed relationship and the wistfulness and nostalgia that follow the bitter end, and the title of the song (which is heard in the song's chorus when Sivan croons that "strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you") is perhaps intended to represent the bittersweet feeling that is nostalgia - pleasure brought from good memories but pain brought from knowing that they can never be relived. (Most people find the taste and the scent of strawberries to be sweet and pleasant, whereas cigarettes are usually thought of as smelling bitter and foul. I know that I feel that way; just the scent of cigarettes makes me feel sick, which is one reason why I have never smoked one.) The word nostalgia, in fact, comes from the Greek words nostos, which means home, and algos, which means pain. Although Sivan's vocal ability is not showcased at its greatest in this song, especially not when he seems to struggle hitting low notes in the song's second verse, "Strawberries & Cigarettes" is memorable both for its catchy chorus and for the fact that it's on the soundtrack to a fantastic film.

"Bloom" is an upbeat and poppy song that features an '80s-esque beat that reminds me of "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals. The song's pace and style remind me considerably of Sivan's song "EASE" from Blue Neighbourhood. The verses of "Bloom" feature Sivan spitting out sexual innuendo after sexual innuendo after sexual innuendo in a faster pace than is usual for his style: "Take a trip into my garden; I've got so much to show ya. The fountains and the waters are begging just to know ya..." Some of the song's lyrics remind me a great deal of the song "Froot" by Marina and the Diamonds, as both songs are about a renewed feeling of sexual energy for a special someone. "Don't you give me a reason that it's not the right season," Marina sings, whereas Sivan here sings that "it's the perfect season." Marina also sings that "I've been saving all my summers for you," and Sivan sings that "I've been saving this for you." Both songs also use imagery of fruits and flowers to represent sex, but this is hardly anything new in poetry and music. (The lyrical parallels between the two songs are, in fact, rather extensive, but I make that observation not to accuse Sivan of having ripped Marina off or anything like that but because I am a big fan of both artists and find it cool that both artists seem to think alike, and even if the parallels are intentional, that is likely Sivan tipping his hat to the song, not ripping it off.) "Bloom" is probably my second favorite new song released, with my first favorite being "The Good Side" by far. No matter how many times that I have listened to "My My My!" in an effort to hear it a new way, I still don't much like it, as I consider it one of the weakest songs of his musical career thus far, but here's to hoping that Bloom will overall be an album just as remarkable and as special as Blue Neighbourhood. I am cautiously optimistic.

Troye Sivan - My My My! - Single / The Good Side - Single [Review]

This year (2018) seems to be dream pop musician Troye Sivan's year. At the dawn of the new year, he has already spawned two new singles - "My My My!" and "The Good Side," - from his upcoming (although still currently untitled) sophomore album, the follow-up to his 2015 debut album Blue Neighbourhood. "The Good Side," as I will discuss in more detail, is quite possibly the most beautiful song that he has ever released, but "My My My!" honestly disappointed me when I first listened to it, and even now, weeks after its release, I still consider it one of the weakest songs of his career so far. More upbeat and more playful than most of the material found on Blue Neighbourhood (which is, overall, a pretty melancholy album), the song starts with electronically manipulated vocals which then move into an atmospheric although somewhat clubby beat which is at its most ferocious during the song's chorus. Because of the breathy way that Sivan sings the song's verses, the song also has a soulful and almost R&B vibe to it, and it's lyrically about the sexual excitement of a new relationship. (This is something to which most of us can probably relate - that blissful honeymoon feeling when we first start getting to know and/or dating a partner and how that's when sexual encounters tend to be the most exciting.) I just don't feel that the song accomplishes much, neither melodically nor lyrically. It is a pretty substandard pop song that I would more so expect from someone like Justin Bieber, with a flat chorus that feels like something that you would write to a crush on a folded up note in middle school. ("Oh, my my my! I die every night with you," Sivan sings in barely fluctuating notes. "Oh, my my my! Living for your every move.") That could, of course, be the point - that that magical feeling that we tend to feel at the beginning of a new relationship is similar to the magical butterflies that we feel in our stomachs when we are crushing on someone in middle school. The song is thematically somewhat like Blue Neighbourhood's lead single "WILD," with the notable exception of "WILD" being melodically and lyrically more interesting than "My My My!" is.

The second single to be released so far from Sivan's sophomore album is titled "The Good Side," and after feeling rather disappointed by "My My My!," I hoped that this one would be better once he announced the title. This time, I was not disappointed, as "The Good Side" is easily one of the most beautiful songs that he has released thus far. It is much slower and more downbeat than "My My My!," with an acoustic and somewhat folky Simon and Garfunkel atmosphere to it. The melody is absolutely gorgeous and catchy, and the gentle rhythm of the softly strumming acoustic guitar will likely make you want to lightly tap your foot. I remember feeling surprised the very first time that I listened to the song, as the first five seconds of the song feature a harp being played unpredictably and all over the place, and I jokingly wondered to myself if I had accidentally selected a Björk track. The harp then intermittently returns throughout the song, and pop musician Allie X (with whom Sivan is close friends) is featured on background vocals. The song is lyrically raw and heartfelt, with Sivan addressing an ex boyfriend and apologizing for hurting him and being able to effortlessly move on with his life while the ex boyfriend suffered in pain. There is even a part of the song that most likely alludes to Blue Neighbourhood and its content: "I got the good side of you, sent it out into the blue. The people danced to the sound of your heart; the world sang along to it falling apart." The song is very special to me (and Sivan said that it means the world to him) because it has really helped me move past whatever lingering poison was left in my heart following my own breakup in 2014. I could easily imagine the song being addressed to me from the perspective of my ex boyfriend, and that was surprisingly very therapeutic. Interestingly, one of the new songs is clubby and upbeat while the other acoustic and downbeat, and one is about the excitement of a new relationship while the other about an old relationship having come to an end. It seems like the two songs are meant to be seen as a yin and yang.