Avril Lavigne - Love Sux [Review]

Love Sux is Canadian pop-rock musician Avril Lavigne's seventh studio album, a highly anticipated album by many for a couple of reasons. Not only did it simply feel time for a new album since it had been three years since Lavigne's sixth album Head Above Water, but Love Sux is a return to form for the singer. Ahead of the album being announced, Lavigne collaborated on a couple of singles with WILLOW and Travis Barker ("G R O W") and her current boyfriend MOD SUN ("Flames"), and both songs (whether intentionally or unintentionally, I don't know) served as precursors for what was to come on Love Sux. Much like her 2007 third studio album The Best Damn Thing, Love Sux is an album fueled by pop punk reminiscent of the likes of Simple Plan, blink-182, Sum 41, etc., and the album doesn't waste any time getting into that vibe, opening with the loud, heavy, and high energy punk rock number "Cannonball." "Cannonball" opens with the staticky sound of instruments plugging in, making it such a great way to open the album as that definitely sets the overall tone of the album. "Like a ticking time bomb, I'm about to explode!" Avril shouts after the instruments kick off. The chorus is a soaring, catchy melody that is sure to get stuck in your head after a couple of listens. I am not going to spend a whole lot of time addressing the lyrical meanings behind most of the songs on the album because many of the songs have a similar (if not the same) lyrical theme, and that is another way that "Cannonball" sets the mood for the album. Lavigne has stated that the song is "about being a fierce bitch," but, as is the case with most of the songs on the album, it addresses a bad breakup and how the speaker feels free and happier now that it's over: "You did me dirty," she aggressively proclaims in the first verse. "Now, I'm gonna live a life without you... and I'll be happy if we never speak again." (Like I said, that pretty much sums up the entire theme of nearly the entire album.) I like the melody of "Bois Lie" (the spelling of which is likely intended to be a reference to Lavigne's very early hit single "Sk8er Boi"), but I am not a huge fan of Machine Gun Kelly so don't love his being featured on it. One thing that does thematically stand out with "Bois Lie," however, is that it's not one-sided. Despite the title, MGK argues that "girls lie too," so we sort of get both perspectives of the failed relationship.

"Bite Me" is the album's lead single and is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. It's so catchy, and I especially love Lavigne's "eh-oh" at the beginning of the chorus because something about it takes me back to old school Avril from Let Go and Under My Skin. It's such a fun song that, like I said, as is the case with most of the album's material, is about feeling free and empowered after the end of a bad relationship: "Should've held on, should've treated me right," the chorus advises. "I gave you one chance; you don't get it twice." (She also released an acoustic version which even got its own separate music video.) We then get the album's second single, "Love It When You Hate Me," a collaboration with alternative hip hop artist blackbear who solely commands the second verse. Avril has described the song as being "about ignoring all the warning signs and doing something knowing, full well, you shouldn't." With that in mind, I would argue that it's more specifically about the consequences of having jumped into bed with someone whom you knew wasn't right for you. While I am not spending a whole lot of time discussing the sonic elements of the music (the reason behind which I will explain shortly), I will say that there is a part in "Love It When You Hate Me" that reminds me a great deal of "Runaway" from The Best Damn Thing. Here in "Love It When You Hate Me," Avril's voice melodically soars in the pre-chorus, "...and I ignore all the warning signs...," and in "Runaway," she sings (interestingly, also in the pre-chorus), "...and I feel so alive..." The melody between these two parts is nearly identical, and they even both start with the same two words. Given that both songs (albeit in different ways) thematically address being impulsive, it's not a stretch to imagine that it might be an intentional callback to that song. As one would expect given that it's the title track, "Love Sux" (which sonically reminds me a bit of Under My Skin's "He Wasn't") is such a great representation of the album's overall story: "Na-na-na, not another breakup. When I think of you, I just wanna throw up." "Kiss Me Like the World Is Ending" is another one worth mentioning because, despite the title of the album, it addresses love from a more positive perspective. Written with and about her boyfriend MOD SUN, it is a lovey-dovey number about getting swept away in the honeymoon era of a relationship: "The stars shine for the two of us... so sweet and mysterious." 

"Avalanche" is another highlight, mainly because it's the first of only two occasions on the album that veers a bit away from the raw punk sound heard throughout most of the album which is exactly why, as previously stated, I am not spending a lot of time in this review discussing the sound of each song. Doing so would quickly get redundant because, as is one of my minor complaints with the album, it's a bit monotonous sonically. Although I have found this to frequently be the case with pop punk albums, The Best Damn Thing does at least offer up a lot more variety with tracks like "When You're Gone," "Innocence," and "Keep Holding On." Although a band eventually joins in, "Avalanche" begins on an acoustic note reminding me a bit of Head Above Water's "Goddess." I love the melody of the chorus, and I also love that it's one of the few spots on the album that doesn't address a relationship. It is instead about admitting that you're not okay emotionally, making it the one song on the album to which I most relate. I also really enjoy the guitar riff that fuels the chorus of "Deja Vu," and other highlights include "All I Wanted" (if for no other reason than that it features Mark Hoppus on guest vocals, an absolutely iconic name in the world of punk rock) and "Dare to Love Me" (the album's only soft ballad driven primarily by piano and orchestra). The album then closes on an upbeat note with "Break of a Heartache," perhaps (especially because of its speed) the most punk rock that the album gets. It's somewhat of a historical move for Lavigne because this is the first time that an album of hers doesn't end with a soft ballad. I overall have complex feelings about Love Sux. I am so happy to see and hear this return to form and there are some great gems on it, but one of the reasons why I love her 2013 self-titled album as much as I do is because of the variety on it, whereas, as previously stated, Love Sux gets a bit monotonous after a few tracks. The chorus of "Deja Vu" says it best: "It's the same thing over and over again." A close friend also pointed out that he felt that the equalization is off on certain tracks, and I went back and listened specifically for that and found myself agreeing; on the first three tracks especially, I am not sure if her vocals are loud enough, and on "Dare to Love Me," her voice seems to suddenly get a bit louder once the second verse begins. I think that, overall, this might be my least favorite Avril Lavigne album so far, but like I said, I am also thrilled about the return to form.

MARINA - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land Tour - Live at Terminal 5 [Friday, 2/25/22] [Review]

Marina Diamandis (formerly known as Marina and the Diamonds and now mononymously as MARINA) is one of my favorite musicians/vocalists of all time, and seeing her on her Ancient Dreams of a Modern Land Tour (to promote the album of the same name) was such a memorable experience, a memory that I will forever cherish. I saw MARINA on her LOVE + FEAR Tour as well, and it's honestly really difficult for me to choose which show that I prefer because they were both such great experiences for different reasons. The show that I saw during the LOVE + FEAR tour was outdoors at the NYC Summerstage in Central Park, and that made for a magical, unique experience, especially since the show was in September and the weather was absolutely gorgeous - perfect, in fact. This, however, was in February and was consequently indoors, and the wait outside was brutal because of how cold that it was.  We got to the venue as early as possible because we wanted as close of a spot to the stage as possible, but much to our surprise, when we arrived, the line was very, very long, and like I said, it was unbearably cold outside, so waiting in that line was not fun (especially since I really hate winter as it is). MARINA is, of course, so worth it, however, and the concert was definitely worth it. Unlike the last time that I saw her (when she had two opening acts - LPX and Daya), MARINA only had one opener this time; opening for her was Swedish pop singer Tove Styrke, and although I was only marginally familiar with her prior to seeing her, she put on such a great show, and I absolutely loved her outfit. She had so much energy and also just seemed like a genuinely kind and caring person. Highlights from her show were her new single "Show Me Love" and her cover of ABBA's "Super Trouper." (See her set list below.)

1. Changed My Mind 
2. Mistakes 
3. Mood Swings 
4. Super Trouper 
5. Start Walking 
6. Say My Name 
7. Show Me Love 
8. Borderline 
9. Sway

Before the show started, my best friend and I went to the bar to order some drinks, and at the bar, there was a sign that said that Tove Styrke was on at 8 while MARINA would be on at 9, and I was pleasantly surprised by the punctuality. When it comes to most shows that I have attended, there is a rather long wait in between acts, and very rarely does the main act come on when they are supposed to, but MARINA started her set at right around 9:00 sharp. As previously stated, each of the two MARINA shows that I have thus far attended had its pros and cons, and while this show took place in midwinter (a definite con), it being indoors allowed for a bit more theatricality and color. MARINA was dressed in a billowing teal top with black leather skintight leggings. Her eyeshadow color matched the color of her top, and her hair was piled in a very high ponytail at the top of her head reminiscent of Ariana Grande's signature 'do. (See MARINA's outfit that night here.) When I saw MARINA on the LOVE + FEAR Tour, she was dressed much more casually in a sleeveless off-pink tee featuring an image of a dog, with a matching color mini-skirt. (Check that out here.) The stage also featured a lot more color, and unlike the LOVE + FEAR Tour, MARINA had a live band this time around, making the show feel more like a rock show. That, of course, came with pros and cons. I loved that rock show vibe, but the last time that I saw her, she had dancers doing ballet-like interpretive dance most memorably during "Believe in Love," and I did really love that. That kind of theatricality was largely missing this time around, but it was replaced by a more theatrical outfit and colors, as previously stated. As I expected would likely be the case, MARINA opened with "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land," also the album's opening track, and the set list (shown below) also featured a lot of pleasant surprises.

1. Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land 
2. Venus Fly Trap 
3. Froot 
4. Man's World 
5. Are You Satisfied? 
6. I Am Not a Robot 
7. Oh No! 
8. Purge the Poison 
9. Handmade Heaven 
10. Hollywood 
11. Happy 
12. Forget 
13. Can't Pin Me Down 
14. Teen Idle 
15. Highly Emotional People 
16. I Love You but I Love Me More 
17. How to Be a Heartbreaker 
18. Bubblegum Bitch 
19. Goodbye
    

Something that really stood out to me during this show was the energy level of the crowd. Very rarely do I attend a show with a crowd that was this excited, and it wasn't just during the big hits or fan favorites either; it was pretty consistent throughout almost every single song. One thing that surprised me about the set list is that even though most of the songs (seven out of the total nineteen) were from Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, a lot of attention was also placed on prior albums, especially The Family Jewels and FROOT. Very little attention was paid to her fourth album LOVE + FEAR, with only "Handmade Heaven" being performed from it. That was a minor disappointment because my favorite song from LOVE + FEAR is "To Be Human," the song from the album that I feel would have best fit the overall theme of ADIAML (although I do understand the inclusion of "Handmade Heaven" as well because of its focus on nature, which made sense coming after "Purge the Poison"). Another thing that came as a surprise was the fact that even though she recently re-released ADIAML as a deluxe version featuring three new songs ("Happy Loner," "Pink Convertible," and "Free Woman"), she did not perform any of those new songs, and another big surprise was that she didn't perform "Primadonna" (one of her biggest hits), although she apparently did the following night when she played a second show at the same venue. I was also a bit disappointed that she didn't perform "New America," which would have been a really fun and intense song live.  As I said, however, most of the surprises were pleasant, and amongst them was the fact that she played my favorite song from FROOT - "Forget." Its exclusion from the LOVE + FEAR Tour set list was its biggest disappointments for me, so the second that she began with "Sometimes I think I'm not that strong...," I screamed with excitement.

Other highlights were "I Am Not a Robot" (the song that made me a fan more than a decade ago), "Purge the Poison" (such an insanely fun song to hear live), "Hollywood" (which she will probably always include on every tour because of "Actually, my name's Marina"), "Teen Idle" (a fan favorite that will likely also always be included), "Bubblegum Bitch," and "Goodbye" (which functioned as the encore). When I saw Evanescence in January, I remarked in my review that it surprised me that they opened and closed with the same songs that open and close The Bitter Truth, and I was similarly surprised here because MARINA did the same thing (with ADIAML). This was overall such a phenomenal show, proving MARINA to be a memorable vocalist as well as stage performer, equally captivating dancing with a mic in her hand as she is sitting behind her piano. My only complaint, one that my best friend with whom I attended the concert would definitely agree, is problems that we had with the venue itself, Terminal 5. We ended up agreeing to hit the merch table after the show (mainly because the floor was GA and we wanted as good a spot as possible). The merch table was not easily accessible, however; it was sort of hidden, and there were no signs directing people to it. Therefore, after the show ended, we got in what we believed to be the line for the merch table, but when we finally got to the front, we realized that we were in a line exiting the building and that the merch line had been parallel to ours. We briefly (literally no more than ten seconds) paused to look at the table to see if there was anything worth getting in the merch line for when someone (presumably some kind of security guard) rudely accosted us and told us to move. It was incredibly rude and uncalled for, so we just left, and because of that, we agree that we would be hesitant to attend another show at Terminal 5.

Ghost - Twenties - Single [Review]

"Twenties" is the third single from Swedish metal band Ghost's upcoming fifth studio album IMPERA, coming out on March 11, 2022. First to drop was "Hunter's Moon" (reviewed here) back in the fall of 2021 to promote the horror film Halloween Kills, and second was "Call Me Little Sunshine" (reviewed here), which was released on January 20, 2022. "Twenties" is probably the heaviest of the three, with a relentlessly chugging guitar riff that persists throughout most of the song. It is, in a lot of ways, one of the more unique Ghost songs of their discography so far, using a lot of uncharacteristically casual language and slang such as "Da Rulah" (the ruler) and "moolah" (money). Frontman Tobias Forge (or I guess that I should say Papa Emeritus IV)'s vocals are also a little more aggressive than usual, a bit comparable to those on Meliora's "Mummy Dust." The title of the song, its lyrics, and the big band intro all reference the 1920s, a decade of political strife and the rise of empires such as the Nazi regime, but given that this song and upcoming album are being released in 2022, it's very likely that it's also referencing the 2020s, drawing parallels between the two decades (definitely fitting given what is happening in Ukraine right now). Its unique sound seems to have caused a lot of polarity amongst the Ghost fandom, with a lot of fans (like myself) really liking the song and a lot of fans hating it, with one reviewer on YouTube even calling it "the worst Ghost song." I love the rhythm of the aforementioned guitar and also love the recurring choir heard throughout the track, which, according to Genius, features Forge's daughter Minou Forge (who is also heard in the Prequelle opening track "Ashes"). I have personally really loved what I have heard from Impera so far and can't wait for the album to drop in just four days!

Ghost - Call Me Little Sunshine - Single [Review]

Fans of Swedish metal band Ghost can finally rejoice at the news of a new album, as IMPERA will be hitting music stores on March 11, 2022 - only a little more than a month away! Although I only just discovered and became a fan of the band in the spring of 2020 after hearing and instantly falling in love with "Mary on a Cross" and therefore haven't experienced the painful wait since 2018's Prequelle that a lot of other fans have experienced, it still feels like it has been a really long time, especially since, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems like this album has seen delay after delay. Last fall, fans saw a shimmer of hope when the band released a brand new song to promote the horror film Halloween Kills. Titled "Hunter's Moon" (reviewed here), the general consensus seemed to be that as exciting as that was, it wasn't likely the lead single from the upcoming fifth studio album because it was more than likely just a standalone single to promote the movie. However, as you'll see from the tracklisting provided below, that hasn't turned out to be true as IMPERA will indeed feature "Hunter's Moon" as its fifth track. We finally got some more substantial news about the album, however, when, on January 20, 2022, Ghost dropped another new single as well as announcements regarding the album, including the title, the cover art, the tracklisting, and the release date. The single is titled "Call Me Little Sunshine," and I instantly fell in love with it.

Frontman Tobias Forge (or I guess, as Ghost fans will understand, Papa Emeritus IV) enunciates vowels in such a way on this track that reminds me a great deal of Metallica, and the song is Metallica-esque not only for that reason but also because of its lumbering, heavy guitar riff a bit reminiscent of past Ghost tracks like "Cirice" and "Majesty." I love its guitar riff so much in fact that I think that it steals the spotlight away from Tobias (although I love how Forge sort of deeply whispers the "call me" part of the title at the very beginning of the chorus). Loudwire also called attention to the riff in its review of the song: "[It] counters the bombast of 'Hunter's Moon' with a reliable mid-paced hook riff that opens the track and carries forward..." It has been stated that IMPERA will overall address the unavoidable fall of empires, but it also seems to be heavily influenced by iconic occultist Aleister Crowley. The IMPERA album cover (featured above since there doesn't seem to be an official single cover for "Call Me Little Sunshine") is a direct homage to a photograph of Crowley, and the "Call Me Little Sunshine" song title is also a reference to a Crowley quote; when asked why he was so fascinated with the mark of the beast, Crowley replied, "[It] only means sunlight. You can call me Little Sunshine." Like "Cirice," I see the song as being about empathy and reaching out to people in pain, people who (like Lucifer) are outcasts and feel alone: "You will never walk alone. You can always reach me. You will never ever walk alone." It's a beautiful song, and I cannot wait to hear what IMPERA as a whole has to offer!

MARINA - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (Deluxe Edition) [Review]

Last year,  Welsh/Greek alternative pop musician Marina Diamandis (who goes by merely her first name in all caps) released her fifth studio album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, a condensed album compared to her fourth album LOVE + FEAR (as it showcases only ten tracks compared to LOVE + FEAR's sixteen tracks) which I think worked to its benefit. Many fans were left disappointed, however, that previously teased songs such as "Happy Loner" and "Pink Convertible" did not make the cut, but MARINA did promise that we would at least hear "Pink Convertible" eventually. (A fan asked her on Instagram why "Pink Convertible" was not included on the album, and she said, "She's safe in a garage don't worry.") As much as I absolutely adore MARINA, however, I tried not to get my hopes up because she has said things in the past that didn't end up coming to fruition. (She once teased a FROOT repackage which would include a batch of new songs and then changed her mind about that, and she has also promised more than once that she would release the FROOT outtake "I'm Not Hungry Anymore" but still hasn't done so.) She then eventually said that a deluxe version of ADIAML would end up seeing a release, but I, again, accepted the possibility that she would end up changing her mind, but she fortunately did not, and the deluxe edition ended up seeing a January 7, 2022 release after "Happy Loner" was released as a single in late 2021. The first ten tracks on the deluxe edition are the exact same ten tracks on the standard edition of the album, and seeing as how I already reviewed the standard edition of the album, I will focus this review primarily on the five extra tracks that the deluxe edition offers.

I should start by saying that if, like me, you are a collector and enjoy collecting physical copies of albums, this deluxe edition of the album has not seen a physical release, only a digital one. It has yet to be seen whether or not there will be a physical release, but in this day and age when digital music seems to be most people's go-to, I honestly doubt it. (I did use Play Anywhere to create my own CD, however, especially since I enjoy listening to CDs in my car.) The first new track featured on the deluxe edition is "Happy Loner," a soft piano ballad in a similar vein as past songs such as "Numb," "Happy," and "Handmade Heaven." This one honestly took some time to grow on me. I like it a lot more than I did when I first heard it, although it's still honestly one of my lesser favorites from the album as a whole. I love how her vocals are a bit echoed and layered throughout the track, creating an atmospheric and ethereal effect. I especially love the chorus, especially when her vocals soar on the line "I'm sick of it all; I wanna give it up..." Somewhat similar to how she did on the FROOT track "Solitaire," MARINA addresses her appreciation for solitude, and the weird thing about this song is that I both vehemently relate to it and don't relate to it at all. In the bridge, for example, she sings that "I pick up on everybody's energy, always used to feel like there was something wrong with me." As an empath, I 100% understand and relate to that, but I handle my pain very differently than the speaker of this song seems to. I usually can't disconnect or else it gets worse. Even though I know that I run the risk of feeling like I am being a burden and am dragging others down, I usually feel incredibly hungry for companionship and comfort. The speaker of "Happy Loner" seems to feel the opposite, however: "When I'm alone, things are under control," she explains in the opening verse. "When I'm alone, I can turn off the world."

We then get the legendary "Pink Convertible," legendary because of how long it has been a part of fans' collective consciousness. Regarding the album as a whole, this song is definitely a huge standout for me. I absolutely loved the instrumental when that leaked (which I listened to for two reasons - (1) it was just an instrumental, and (2) I wasn't sure whether or not we were ever going to get a proper release, since, like I said, we still haven't of "I'm Not Hungry Anymore"), as it had this fantastical, otherworldly quality that reminded me a great deal of Diamandis' 2012 album Electra Heart. I still very much feel like the song has Electra Heart vibes, reminding me especially of tracks like "The State of Dreaming" and "Teen Idle." In fact, further clarifying why the track was cut from the initial release of ADIAML, MARINA wrote, "It was just very hard to narrow it down to 10 tracks + this one had a slightly different sonic edge to the other tracks," and as much as I adore "Pink Convertible," I agree that it has a different vibe than the album overall does. MARINA described the song (in a since deleted tweet) as "very Rodeo Drive Melting Handbags Apocalypse meets Let's Pretend It's All Fine," and if that's not the best description of a song ever, then such a thing doesn't exist. I love how there is definitely (as is typical of a lot of her music) a cynical storytelling approach taken to the song, as it is about people living in a blissful bubble in which they can ignore what is happening in and to the world around them: "I just wanna forget how fucked up is our planet." Despite that, however, its light guitar, keyboard, and harp create a dreamy, whimsical quality. I love that dichotomy, and although, like I said, it is sonically pretty different from a lot of what's on the album, it definitely fits thematically, as it is very thematically similar to songs like "Purge the Poison" and "New America."

"Free Woman" is the final new song that the deluxe offers, and it's my least favorite of the three, possibly even my least favorite on the album overall. Don't get me wrong; I by no means hate it, but it's just one of the weaker ones. It doesn't, for example, have the playfulness of "Purge the Poison," the depth or beauty of "Flowers," or the big soundscape of "New America." It's rather minimalist in its instrumentation and melody, although I do like how the instrumental seems to feature a bit of Western influence. Like "Pink Convertible," though, it definitely fits a lot of the album's themes, working as a sister song to feminist tracks such as "Venus Fly Trap" and "Man's World." On "Free Woman," Diamandis addresses patriarchal problems such as women being ridiculed as they age, being reduced to their physical appearance and their bodies, and being abused. She argues that she has risen above and that it doesn't bother her like it used to: "...You can't extinguish me," she asserts, "'cause I'm a free woman." This is the one song of the three new ones that, as far as I know, fans were not aware of until recently. The deluxe edition of the album also includes a demo version of "Venus Fly Trap" as well as a demo version of the title track, and it's very cool that she has officially released a couple of very raw and unpolished demos because I don't think that most artists would do that. (The "ADIAML" demo is especially very raw, with MARINA's vocals being muffled and tinny.) Some fans have compared the "Venus Fly Trap" demo to old-school MySpace and pre-TFJ MARINA, and I definitely hear that. Although part of me wishes that the Beach Bunny mix of "I Love You but I Love Me More" had also been included since I love that version and even prefer it to the album version, I am just so happy that this got released, especially because of "Pink Convertible" being included. (I am seeing MARINA live a second time in a couple of weeks and can't wait; I will definitely be reporting on that!)

Evanescence - Evanescence + Halestorm - Live at DCU Center [Thursday, 1/20/22] [Review]

Anyone who knows me likely knows how much I love alternative metal band Evanescence. I have been a huge fan ever since discovering them back in 2003 when I saw the "Bring Me to Life" music video (which recently hit a monumental milestone on YouTube!) on MTV (back when MTV actually lived up to its name and was related to music). I got to see them live in March of 2007 in Hartford, Connecticut when they went on tour to promote their 2006 album The Open Door, and I am so happy that I finally got the chance to see them a second time. (I made a promise to myself that I would once I finally got wheels, and I kept that promise.) This show was once again in a New England state, only this time in Worcester, MA (where I saw HIM on their farewell tour except that was at the Worcester Palladium). The venue was a pretty decent size, and I got there as early as I reasonably could without having to wait outside in the cold for too long (as it was freezing cold outside - pretty close to 0 degrees F if I remember correctly) because I wanted a good spot, and I did manage to get a very good spot; this might have even been the closest that I have ever been to the stage at a concert, and, of course, the fact that I paid a pretty penny to be in the pit didn't hurt. Shortly after I got to my spot in the pit, the opening act came on stage - Lilith Czar. I quickly realized that I had seen her album cover (her album title being Created from Filth and Dust) before and had also heard a couple of the songs that she performed such as "King" and "Anarchy." She was pretty good and had great energy, and I loved how she credited Evanescence and Halestorm (I think prior to "King" which would make sense because it's kind of a feminist anthem) as having helped to smash the glass ceiling for women in rock and metal. Lilith's set was a relatively short one consisting of six songs plus the "Intro Poem" introduction, but shorter sets are typical for opening acts. Some shows (as stated above on the tour poster) featured Plush as the opening act instead, and while I am not all too familiar with them either, I did recently hear one song titled "Hate" which I really liked.

It was not a long wait after Lilith wrapped up with "Anarchy" that Halestorm came on, and while I will say that there is only a small handful of Halestorm songs that I like, they definitely did put on a good show. I love frontwoman Lzzy Hale's wild and chaotic energy, and highlights of their set included "Love Bites (So Do I)," "I Miss the Misery" (which they closed with), and, of course, "Break In." "Break In" was my favorite part of Halestorm's set not only because I love the song - a beautiful and haunting piano ballad in which the speaker is thanking someone for being their rock - but also because Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee came out and joined Lzzy on vocals, which I totally expected would likely happen given that the two have not only done so countless times in the past but also because Halestorm re-recorded the song in the studio with her. (You can watch my video recording of the performance here.) I really liked how they encouraged audience participation when they did "I Miss the Misery," which was one of the main reasons why, as I said, it was one of their set's highlights. I also enjoyed Arejay Hale (Lzzy's brother)'s drum solo which was very impressive (and he was very easy on the eyes too). I overall enjoyed their set, and, as I said, they did put on a good show. With that being said, however, I, as I said, only like a handful of Halestorm's songs. I saw someone say in an Evanescence fan group on Facebook that while they don't hate Halestorm, they didn't love their set when they saw them with Evanescence because Lzzy Hale is a rock star through and through and doesn't have the range or as many facets as Amy Lee does, and I completely agree. (The idea here, of course, is not to pit these two women against each other in any way whatsoever; they're very close friends which is awesome. All that I am saying is that I vastly prefer Evanescence as a band and that I prefer Amy's vocals and style.) I was surprised, however, that Halestorm's set wasn't longer; with Halestorm and Evanescence co-headlining, I expected their sets to be about the same length, but Evanescence's was about twice as long.

After Halestorm finished their set, I heard a lot of people around me complaining that Evanescence was taking a ridiculously long time to come on, but I didn't think so. I totally understand being anxious for who you're ultimately there for to come on (especially since it was a Thursday night which meant that a lot of people had to work the following morning), but it was approximately a half-hour wait which wasn't all that long. I have been to shows at which I waited much longer than that. Anyway, when I first heard The Bitter Truth when it came out last March and listened to the transition between "Artifact / The Turn" and "Broken Pieces Shine," I just knew that that was also how shows would open when they toured for the album, and I was correct. (You can hear both songs together in one track here.) I envisioned it as such: the stage would stay mostly shrouded in darkness with only a little bit of lighting and colors as "Artifact / The Turn" played, the band not yet on stage, and only when "Broken Pieces Shine" started and that incredibly sick guitar riff came would the stage light up fully, revealing the band members and eventually Amy once she started singing the first verse, and I couldn't have been any more on the money. (Amy was at first centered and elevated in the background in shadow before making her full entrance which was very cool.) I just knew that the quiet atmospheric nature of "Artifact / The Turn" while fans anticipated the band to come on stage and then that guitar riff coming in to cut through that and actually get the show started would be a kicka** way to start the show. (Plus, Amy has said before that "Broken Pieces Shine" was essentially written as an anthem for us the fans, so it only made sense to open with it.) That countdown and opening riff at the beginning of "Broken Pieces Shine" was honestly what I was most excited for, and I was not disappointed. Before I continue discussion of the show and some of its highlights, however, I will reveal the set list. There were definitely aspects of the set list that took me by surprise while there were also a couple of aspects that disappointed me, but I will get into all of that shortly.

1. Artifact / The Turn / Broken Pieces Shine
2. Made of Stone
3. Take Cover
4. Going Under
5. Lose Control
6. The Change
7. Lithium
8. Wasted on You
9. The End of the Dream
10. Far from Heaven
11. Better Without You
12. Call Me When You're Sober
13. Imaginary
14. Heavy (with Lzzy Hale)
15. Use My Voice
16. Bring Me to Life
17. My Immortal
18. Blind Belief

Starting with the highlights, "Take Cover," as one would likely expect being familiar with the song, was packed with fierce and raw energy, and it seems to be a favorite of theirs to play live since they actually debuted it live several years ago long before The Bitter Truth was even conceived. There is a part of the song in The Bitter Truth version (that is not in the version that they used to do live) in which Amy sings, "...so come on inside; rest in peace!" When she sings inside, she holds the second i for several seconds in a high pitched wail, one of Amy's most impressive vocal displays thus far in her career in my opinion, and she nailed it perfectly on stage. "Going Under" was also a highlight because it's a song featuring a different vocal style than Lee usually implements, a much lower register in its verses, so it was really cool to see/hear her do that again. The transition from "Lithium" to "Wasted on You" (The Bitter Truth's lead single released a good year or so before the album was) was kind of a cool moment because while I don't know if it was intentional, it made for a pretty cool thematic parallel. In "Lithium," Lee is of course referring to the drug which acts as a mood stabilizer, usually for people who are manic-depressive. "Wasted on You" is also a metaphorical reference to drugs, with Lee telling the addressee of the song that she is wasted on them like she would be a drug. (The first line of the chorus is even "I don't need drugs.") What makes this even more interesting, however, is that on the final night of the tour (which was the night after the show that I went to) in Newark, NJ, the band followed up on "Wasted on You" with "Part of Me" which also makes a metaphorical drug reference ("I need you now like the drug keeping me alive"). Other highlights included "The End of the Dream" (especially since they combined the Synthesis version and the Evanescence version, which was a very pleasant surprise), "Heavy" (a Linkin Park cover - possibly to commemorate Chester Bennington's passing - which involved bringing Lzzy back on stage), "Use My Voice" (mainly because of how Amy involved the audience for the chanting part of the chorus), and "Bring Me to Life" (which was a highlight for me because Amy did Paul McCoy's rapping part - "All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see..." - another pleasant surprise).

One aspect of this show that made it unique for me is how, with it starting with "Artifact / The Turn / Broken Pieces Shine" and then ending with "Blind Belief," it opened and closed the same way as the album that it was promoting. That usually is not the case. When I saw Madonna in 2015, for example, she opened with "Iconic" and closed with "Holiday," even though Rebel Heart opens with "Living for Love" and closes with either "Wash All Over Me" or the title track, depending on the edition. I was also very surprised by the fact that a good number of the older songs that were played, such as "Made of Stone," "Lose Control," "The Change," "The End of the Dream," and "Imaginary," were not singles. Typically, when an artist goes on tour to promote a new album, most of the songs are from the new album (which was not the case - only seven of the set's eighteen songs are from the new album which isn't even half) while the older songs played are former singles, but singles such as "Everybody's Fool," "Sweet Sacrifice," "What You Want," "My Heart Is Broken," etc. were nowhere to be heard. This isn't really a complaint, especially since, if anything, it goes to show that they probably like to mix their set lists up and play what they want to play rather than keep playing the same songs over and over again; it's just a point of surprise for me. The fact that there were several songs from The Bitter Truth not played was a disappointment, however, mainly because I didn't get to hear my favorite song from the new album, the aforementioned "Part of Me." This was definitely a surprise because I remember Amy saying in an interview that (a) the line in the song "drown me in your blinding light" was written specifically about performing live for fans and (b) it was the song from the album that she was most looking forward to playing; however, only certain dates on the tour featured "Part of Me," and mine unfortunately was not one of them. Not even "The Game Is Over" was played, and that is one of the singles from the new album!

I personally would have scrapped older songs such as "The Change" (especially "The Change" because that has always been one of my lesser favorites on the self-titled album) in favor of some more content from The Bitter Truth. Four songs from The Bitter Truth - "The Game Is Over," "Yeah Right" (technically another single albeit a promo single), "Feeding the Dark" (a fan favorite and one of the heaviest tracks - if not the heaviest track - on the album, so that was another surprise), and "Part of Me" were not played, with, as I said, "Part of Me" being the exclusion that disappointed me the most. I also would have loved to have heard them play band versions of "Imperfection" and/or "Hi-Lo," since, with them being the two new songs released as singles from Synthesis, a pretty recent album, it would have made sense to play at least one. With all of that being said, however, I have far more to rave about than I do to complain about and am so, so grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity to see my favorite band a second time, especially since it had been fifteen years since the first time which was far too long. They didn't lose a bit of energy and are still very much in their prime, and the stage was so colorful with really cool graphics and metaphorical images showing on a screen at its rear. Even though I totally expected this because she has been doing it for several years and did it all through the Synthesis tour, a touching moment was definitely when, right before beginning to play "My Immortal," Amy dedicated the song to us and thanked us for being there for her for as long as we have. I also got emotional during the video interlude in between "Far from Heaven" and "Better Without You." A beautiful piano piece (which is apparently appropriately titled "Time Travel" and is from the Donnie Darko score) played during a video that showcased some of the band's memorable moments over the years, and I especially got emotional when a fan was shown at a concert in the past absolutely bawling his eyes out as he sang along to a song. I knew exactly how he felt in that moment because no artist has hit me emotionally like this band has for nearly two decades now, and Evanescence is part of me, now and always.

Lana Del Rey - Blue Banisters [Review]

2021 was a very big year for American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, as she released not one but two full-length albums - Chemtrails over the Country Club in March and then Blue Banisters in October. While I am a huge fan of Lana Del Rey and do feel that both albums offer up some gems, I would overall say that they are examples of quality being superior to quantity, as I do think that 2021 makes for the weakest era of Lana's career thus far. Not only do I feel that the music is weaker, I also feel like the buzz around the albums was nowhere near as loud as it was when it came to past albums, especially not Blue Banisters. (After all, Chemtrails over the Country Club had barely been promoted before she started talking about and advertising Blue Banisters.) I might also feel this way, however, because of how much I absolutely adored 2019's Norman Fucking Rockwell! - Del Rey's best album to date with only Ultraviolence competing for that spot. NFR! is a masterpiece that is going to be hard to top as it is, so releasing two albums practically back to back that are, in my opinion, subpar makes it stand out even more. Part of my problem with Blue Banisters is that most of it isn't technically new material, and while I am glad that some of Lana's unreleased material is being remastered and is seeing the proper light of day (and while I also completely sympathize with her frustration around her material being leaked), it makes the album feel more like a compilation than an album. (I will, as I progress through this review, point to which songs are confirmed leftovers from past eras.) It also helps explain how Lana was able to release so much music in such a small window of time (although, with that being said, she has so much unreleased material that it's clear that she has no shortage of inspiration or creativity and I have no doubt that she actually could muster two brand new albums together in less than a year). Without further ado, however, let's move on to actually discussing the album.

The first three tracks on the album are all tracks that I discussed already - "Text Book" (reviewed here), the title track (reviewed in that same post), and "Arcadia" (reviewed here). "Text Book," as I discussed in my review of it, has a beautiful chorus; however, I don't think that it works as an opening track, especially compared to past openers such as "Ride," "Cruel World," "Norman fucking Rockwell," and even "White Dress." "Arcadia" is by far my favorite of the first three tracks, but it is followed by a very strange track that does not sonically belong on the album at all. A short instrumental interlude, the fourth track is titled "Interlude - The Trio," and, in a review of the album, Stuff writer Alex Behan makes this argument regarding the track a lot more eloquently than I ever could even though I feel the exact same way: "Frustratingly, the booming trap beat that makes Interlude - The Trio such an exciting departure turns out to be a false flag. For just a minute, there's the hope Del Rey might be about to burst through her self-created glass ceiling of style, but it turns out to be a mere palette cleanser." While I don't entirely agree with their stance of her style being monotonous (I do think that she has taken risks on tracks such as "High by the Beach," "Summer Bummer," "Groupie Love," and "Cinnamon Girl"), I do definitely think that the past two albums have felt rather monotonous, and "Interlude - The Trio" offers hope that we might be getting some different flavors than the first three tracks offer, but, as Behan puts it, it's a false flag. "Black Bathing Suit" opens and closes with a beautiful keyboard melody that sounds like a lullaby, by far my favorite aspect of the song. It is overall, like most of Del Rey's material of the recent past, a slow-paced piano piece, although it also features gentle guitar and a soft drum beat. It does, however, take a somewhat interesting turn when the chorus slightly changes the pace and the key, almost even making the track sound like a mashup of two different songs. Like "Arcadia," the chorus of this track reminds me a bit of Born to Die's "Video Games," and although this track isn't necessarily a highlight for me on Blue Banisters, I do appreciate its lyrical content, which addresses both the COVID-19 pandemic and the public scrutiny under which Lana has recently fallen for her weight gain.

One of my favorite tracks on Blue Banisters is undoubtedly "If You Lie Down with Me." It is, however, one of many tracks originally intended for an earlier album, having been written during the Ultraviolence sessions. It is another piano ballad, but not only do I love the lulling melody, I adore the outro - a playful and jaunty melody played by a traditional band featuring trumpet and tuba that sounds straight out of a 1930s or 1940s tune. We then get "Beautiful" which is played on the higher end of the piano, keys trilling and fluttering underneath Lana's vocals. I really appreciate the lyrical message of this one, which, to me, is about how negative emotions such as sadness can be transformed into something beautiful such as art. Lana has repeatedly throughout her career referenced the color blue in her lyrics and song titles, such as in "Baby Blue Love," "Blue Jeans," her cover of "Blue Velvet," "Get Free" ("out of the black, into the blue"), "Norman fucking Rockwell" ("...your head in your hands as you color me blue"), this album's title track, etc. She now has an entire album with Blue in its title, and on "Beautiful," she once again references the color, here in both a literal and a metaphorical sense - literally referring to Picasso having frequently painted pictures with mostly blue hues and also referring to blue as a feeling of sadness. "Violets for Roses," another downtempo piano ballad, seems to be about Lana reflecting on a toxic relationship, thankful that she is now free from it. The song, for a couple of reasons, reminds me a great deal of her Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass poem "My Bedroom Is a Sacred Place - There Are Children at the Foot of My Bed," so much so in fact that I feel confident that both pieces were written about the same person. The first parallel is that both reference violets and roses; in this song, Lana sings in the chorus that "you made me trade my violets for roses," and in "My Bedroom Is a Sacred Place...," she writes in the fourth paragraph that "I love rose gardens. I plant violets every time someone leaves me." Secondly, in this song, she sings in the pre-chorus that "ever since I fell out of love with you, I fell back in love with me" which reminds me of a line from the aforementioned poem: "...The more I step into becoming a poet, the less I will fall into being with you."

My #1 favorite song on the album is probably "Dealer," featuring uncredited vocals from Miles Kane. (He takes up so much of the song that I am really not sure why he isn't credited, but I digress.) This song was originally intended to be on a scrapped collaboration album between Lana and The Shadow Puppets (of which Kane is the frontman), as was Norman Fucking Rockwell!'s "California." It was then supposed to be on Chemtrails but didn't make that cut either, and I'm glad that it did get recycled on Blue Banisters (even though a pretty high percentage of Blue Banisters' tracks are, as I said, recycled) because I love it so much, especially since if there is one song on Blue Banisters (aside, of course, from the early instrumental interlude) on which Lana does escape the album's mold and take a bit of a risk, it's "Dealer" (especially because of Lana's vocals which are louder and much more intense than they usually are). "Dealer" is a soft rock song with low bass guitar and keyboards, both of which are heavily washed out by Lana's and Miles Kane's vocals and the steady percussion. It seems to lyrically address depression ("I can't sleep through the tears") and feeling lost in it, like there is no possible way to cure or even relieve it. The speaker tells the addressee not to try to check in on their well-being by contacting people such as their drug dealer, their father, or their doctor because such people cannot possibly know their state of mind better than they themselves do. I also think that there is more than one way to interpret the word dealer. It could be a drug dealer dealing illicit drugs or it could be someone like a psychiatrist or even pharmacist supplying legal drugs like antidepressants. In Lana's entrance to the track (as it begins solely with Miles), she seems to be addressing a lover with whom she has had a toxic, one-sided relationship, so the dealer could even be someone "dealing" intimacy. We then get "Thunder," which is another song originally intended for the aforementioned album with The Shadow Puppets. A demo version of the song actually leaked a few years ago, and even though "Thunder" is still one of my favorite songs on Blue Banisters, I very much prefer the demo version, as it has a lot more energy and is a lot more anthemic. It's a bit stripped down here, possibly to fit the album's overall downbeat energy.

I discussed "Wildflower Wildfire" already here, and the next three tracks are all tracks confirmed to be from the Ultraviolence sessions. "Nectar of the Gods" is another one that leaked a few years ago, previously under the titles "Wild on You" and "Color Blue" (another reference to blue!). It was written, along with "If You Lie Down with Me," nearly a decade ago during the Ultraviolence sessions, and one of the reasons why I am kind of frustrated with its inclusion here is because it, along with the next two tracks, was not re-recorded and has undergone absolutely no changes (other than likely having been remastered) from its leaked demo version. Like I said, these inclusions make Blue Banisters feel more like a compilation album with a few new songs than a new album, and while, like I said, I completely understand Lana's anger and frustration around these songs having been leaked (which she addressed in a live video to fans), the reality of it is that they did leak and she knew that they leaked, so why not finally release that unreleased collection like she teased so long ago instead of releasing a bunch of previously leaked material under the pretense of it being a new album? It's just really frustrating to me as a fan because, like I said, it doesn't really feel like an album. Anyway, I digress. "Nectar of the Gods" is played primarily on acoustic guitar, and I really like the haunting chanting at the very beginning. I also love its references to Ultraviolence's opening track "Cruel World": "What cruel world is this?" and "I get wild and fuckin' crazy." I have always loved "Living Legend," ever since I heard it when it leaked. It is a piano ballad with a lulling, beautiful melody and lyrics in which Lana holds a hero in high esteem. (She has stated that it was written about her first mentor Jane Powers, hence the line about a "sweet baby Jane.") As previously stated, this is another song that was written and recorded for Ultraviolence (once again not being re-recorded or remixed for Blue Banisters) and consequently, like "Nectar of the Gods," bears another lyrical parallel to an Ultraviolence track, this time to the upbeat "Florida Kilos" when she sings in the bridge that "I got guns in the summertime."

"Cherry Blossom" is yet another song from the Ultraviolence sessions that didn't undergo any changes. Several years before it leaked, Lana previewed it by singing it live on Instagram, referring to it as "a lullaby I wrote years ago." Another piano ballad, it is a beautiful song from the perspective of a mother comforting her daughter, and it once again draws parallels to "Cruel World" when, in the bridge, she sings that "it's a cruel, cruel world, but we don't care." Blue Banisters then closes with... you guessed it, a piano ballad! According to Genius, "Sweet Carolina" is a love letter to her sister Chuck Grant. It is clear that the two are very close; Chuck is a photographer who has shot most of the album covers so far, and she also appears in a lot of the photos featured with the art of the physical copy of this album. She appears in some of Lana's music videos such as "Summertime (The Gershwin Version)" and "Blue Banisters," and "Blue Banisters" even name drops her in its lyrics: "Chucky's makin' birthday cake." Given that Chuck did recently have a child, that could be why there seems to be a recurrent theme of motherhood on the album (and could have impacted Del Rey's decision to include "Cherry Blossom"), such as in "Blue Banisters" when Lana declares that "there's a baby on the way." It's a nice enough song but isn't in my opinion musically dramatic enough to work as the closing. Although not on Blue Banisters since it was just recently released in early 2022, Lana did also release a new song titled "Watercolor Eyes" for the HBO TV series Euphoria. The song is believed to have been written specifically for Euphoria, although it does reference an as-of-yet to be released (or heard, since it hasn't leaked) track titled "Rock Candy Sweet" (which was also originally meant to be the Blue Banisters album title): "I think that you taste like rock candy, sweet like beaches..." It's a really beautiful song that reminds me so much of Ultraviolence with its softly strumming electric guitar resembling that album's slow surf rock sound as found on tracks like "Cruel World" and "Pretty When You Cry." Overall, Blue Banisters is a decent album but definitely not her strongest, and I just, as I said, wish that if she is going to release songs that fans have already heard, either advertise the album as a compilation of old recordings or re-record the songs like she did with "Thunder," but at the end of the day, it's her music, and the art is her vision.