Greyson Chance - Homerun Hitter - Single [Review]

American singer and songwriter Greyson Chance is set to release his next studio effort Palladium fairly soon (to the best of my knowledge, a concrete release date has yet to be revealed), and "Homerun Hitter" makes for the album's third single following the title track and "Athena" (both reviewed here). "Homerun Hitter" starts off very softly, with Greyson softly humming over a gently strumming acoustic guitar, and the melody in the verses is chillingly beautiful, with Chance singing in a somewhat higher register that occasionally drifts up into falsetto. The song takes a somewhat surprising turn, however, when it suddenly becomes a bit more upbeat in the chorus (which sets it apart a bit from the first two Palladium singles): "...'Cause I thought you were the homerun hitter, the cherry that never bitters..." I love the rhythm of the chorus, and I, in fact, think that this might be my favorite song of the three singles so far. While I don't know for sure, I suspect that "Homerun Hitter" was inspired, at least partially, by Greyson's ex-boyfriend Ben, with whom he broke up not too long ago. Chance has even commented on the song's meaning, saying, "'Homerun Hitter' is... a cold splash of water to the face. It represents that moment of looking at yourself in the mirror, unsure of what to do and where to go next. Sometimes you can be in love without it being the right love." Not only does he directly refer to being in love, that feeling of not knowing where to go next is definitely a relatable feeling after a relationship ends. Like "Palladium" and "Athena," this is a very open, honest, and vulnerable Greyson Chance, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing what the rest of the album has to offer. I seem to recall Greyson saying that this would be the final single released before the album drops, so we will hopefully get a release date and tracklisting soon!

Within Temptation - Don't Pray for Me - Single [Review]

"Don't Pray for Me" is presumably the fourth single from Dutch metal band Within Temptation's upcoming eighth studio album (the title of which has not yet been revealed). The string of new singles began two years ago with "Entertain You" (reviewed here) and continued with "The Purge" (reviewed here), "Shed My Skin" (reviewed here), and now "Don't Pray for Me." While all four songs are great songs in their own rights, I do think that "Don't Pray for Me" might be my favorite. Like the band's last album Resist, there is somewhat of a futuristic synthy sound to it while still maintaining a heavy metal weight to it. (The music video even has somewhat of a futuristic sci-fi feel to it, as does the music video for Resist's lead single, "The Reckoning.") The song also features a persistent choir motif throughout which I love because I really love symphonic rock and metal, and it brings me back to the days of The Heart of Everything (my second favorite Within Temptation album next to Resist) when songs like "The Howling" and "Final Destination" brought in theatrical aspects such as a choir. Close to the end of the track, we also get frontwoman Sharon den Adel's haunting chanting in a higher register than most of what she offers on the rest of the song, also a signature sound that brings me back to the band's earlier days. The song's meaning is definitely up for interpretation (as is typical of Within Temptation's style of songwriting as their lyrics are sometimes rather cryptic and open-ended), but I personally interpret it as being about overcoming strife and hardship relying on no one other than yourself: "In hell is where I stand," Sharon declares in the second verse. "It's where I find my inner strength." Speaking of the lyrics, I definitely have to tip my proverbial hat to this song's lyrics because I think that this song makes for some of the band's best lyrics to date, and I especially love the line, "For my confessions, I don't need a church." As I said, it, to the best of my knowledge, is still unclear whether these four singles released over the last two years are standalone singles or are the first four singles from an upcoming studio album, but I am definitely hoping for the latter and am hoping that the band makes an announcement about the next album soon!

Lady Gaga - Hold My Hand - Single [Review]

Whereas Berlin offered up "Take My Breath Away" in 1986 for Top Gun, current pop sensation Lady Gaga released "Hold My Hand" earlier this year specifically for the film's sequel, Top Gun: Maverick. (In fact, not only did she release the song alongside the movie, she also helped write the film's score!) The song is a bassy power ballad that eventually brings in electric guitar reminiscent of '80s rock, and the track as a whole reminds me a great deal of Faith Hill's 2002 album Cry (especially the title track and "Unsaveable"), and while I do really like it, I can't say that it's Gaga's best work to date. It just feels kind of like a generic power ballad to me lacking in the unique creativity at which Gaga usually excels. (It's also a tad annoying to me how Gaga is seen artfully slamming away at a piano in the music video, yet I don't hear any piano in the song, so if it's there, it has to be buried deep.) With that being said, however, her vocal delivery is powerful to say the least, especially in the song's chorus. (Love her or hate her, you can't deny that Gaga has pipes.) The lyrics of the song remind me a bit of Gaga's 2017 song "The Cure" as both songs are from the perspective of someone offering to be a source of comfort for someone going through a rough time: "So cry tonight," she belts out in the chorus, "but don't you let go of my hand. You can cry every last tear. I won't leave 'til I understand. Promise me; just hold my hand." As is the case with a lot of music and, for that matter, art in general, the song is open to more than one interpretation. As Gaga herself states, "When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn't even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film's heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we've been living in... I wanted to make music into a song where we share our deep need to both be understood and try to understand each other - a longing to be close when we feel so far away and an ability to celebrate life's heroes... This song is a love letter to the world during and after a very hard time." With that explanation offered, it's easy to see how she might have drawn inspiration not only from the film but also from recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, making it even more culturally meaningful.

Greyson Chance - Palladium - Single / Athena - Single [Review]

Greyson Chance will soon be following up his Trophies EP with a new album titled Palladium and has so far released two singles from it - the title track and "Athena." "Palladium" is very beautiful, featuring somewhat of an alternative rock Imagine Dragons meets Passion Pit vibe to it. Acoustic guitar and piano dominate the track along with Greyson's mid-register vocals, softly and gently fluttering throughout the track. (I absolutely love his vocals on this track; I would even go as far as to say that this is some of his best vocal work to date.) He also, in the latter half of the track, shows off his range by rising into falsetto in the song's bridge. The song is beautiful not only sonically but also thematically, as it is from the perspective of someone who yearns to be a specific person's protector and guiding light: "I just wanna try to protect you," Chance declares in the song's chorus, "like your skin protects your blood... and if I ever let you go, then my whole kingdom's done." Commenting on the song's meaning, Greyson has stated, "The song is inspired by an ancient Greek myth I had researched when I was in college studying archaeology. When I was writing the lyric, I thought of how the myth relayed back to my own life. Palladium is about protecting the most sacred parts of yourself, which in this case, is my creativity as an artist. Throughout my entire career, I have been told what my music should sound like." This is interesting because that very much makes it a song about self-love (as is his song "Bad to Myself"), but the beautiful thing about music and art in general is that, much of the time, it is open to interpretation and can therefore also be regarded by someone as a love song directed toward someone other than yourself.

In keeping with the theme of Ancient Greece (which will perhaps be the theme of the album overall?), the second single released thus far from Palladium is titled "Athena." "Athena" is a tad more upbeat than "Palladium" and also features electric guitar, but it is still in more or less the same vein, again sounding like a soft rock track reminiscent of Imagine Dragons or The Lumineers. Once again, though, I really love Greyson's vocals here. He seems to be striving to experiment a bit with his tone and his range, and I am here for it. (He almost doesn't even sound like himself in the verses, but he sounds great!) Of the song's meaning, Chance has commented, "'Athena' is all about letting go and surrendering to love... Athena is a God mainly associated with love, but she is also so much more than that. In many myths, Athena appears stubborn and hardheaded. In past relationships I've exhibited those same traits, and even more unfortunate ones too. For me, Athena is about recognizing those faults, and acknowledging that every person needs love... they key is just being open to it." I think that it is also worth mentioning that Athena is also known as the goddess of wisdom, so, in the song's chorus, when Chance pleads, "...Where is Athena? God damn it, I need her," he is very likely also asking for the wisdom needed to open himself up to love. The theme of the song reminds me of a line from his song "Low" in which he sings that "I think I'm ready to hear 'I love you.'" As previously mentioned, "Athena" features electric guitar, and that aspect of it reminds me so much of Jack's Mannequin, especially their song "Spinning" which even got stuck in my head after listening to this. I adore both of these songs, and if they are harbingers of what's to come on Palladium, then this is likely going to be Greyson's best album yet.

VV - Loveletting - Single [Review]

In 2017, I finally fulfilled a long-standing dream of seeing one of my favorite bands of all time - HIM. Seeing them followed the devastating news that they were disbanding after more than two decades together and consequently going on a farewell tour, and I knew that I would need to see them on that tour since it was going to be my last chance. It was such a great experience, but it was also a very emotional one, knowing that it was my last chance and also knowing that I was never again going to hear a new HIM song. Fast-forward to 2020, however, and HIM frontman Ville Valo (under the name VV) released an EP titled Gothica Fennica Vol. 1 featuring three new songs - "Salute the Sanguine," "Run Away from the Sun," and "Saturnine Saturnalia." While it was not HIM, it might as well have been because it sounded just like HIM's typical style of melancholy bluesy metal; VV even revived the heartagram, now slightly updated so that his initials were featured within. There was unfortunately no news, however, regarding whether or not the EP was an album sampler or if there would be a Gothica Fennica Vol. 2 - no news until recently (two years later), that is. On April 8th, VV dropped a new single titled "Loveletting," by far my favorite of the four songs that Ville has thus far released as a solo artist. Like the three songs on Gothica Fennica Vol. 1, it's definitely very much in keeping with HIM, reminding me most especially of the band's 2010 album Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice, Chapters 1-13. A somewhat melancholy but also beautiful and hopeful keyboard motif opens the song which is primarily a mellow rock song with the keyboard motif being joined by a gentle electric guitar riff, and Valo's velvety voice singing the lulling melody of the chorus is enough on its own to remind me of how much I have missed HIM. It lyrically seems to address star-crossed lovers who cannot be together: "Two heartbeats out of sync with each other and crying." (This is also typical HIM territory thematically.) While I don't know for sure, I am thinking that Ville is probably playing all instruments on the track because that was apparently the case on Gothica Fennica, and even though Ville has announced a solo album on the way titled Neon Noir (the lead single of which being "Loveletting"), it's as of now unclear if the three songs on the EP will be on the album or if there will be a Gothica Fennica Vol. 2. Either way, however, I am so excited about this album!

Harry Styles - As It Was - Single [Review]

Following the late 2019 release of his second solo album Fine Line, Harry Styles is releasing his third studio album, titled Harry's House, on May 20th. The album's lead single, released on April 1st, is titled "As It Was" and broke records on its first day of release. The song is an uptempo alternative pop song with synth that gives it a bit of an '80s and early '90s feel. (Parts of it, in fact, especially the motif with which the song opens, remind me of The Cure's 1992 song "Friday I'm in Love.") In keeping with the title of the album (which, again, is Harry's House), the lyrics of the song definitely do seem to address some sort of isolation or being held back from human interaction: "'Harry, you're no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor?'" Styles also claims that he can't interact in the way that he would like to because "gravity's holdin' me back" and asks for someone else to be the one to make the first move of reaching out: "I want you to hold out the palm of your hand." The intro of the song, in fact, features a young child speaking the following words: "Come on, Harry, we want to say goodnight to you." As Styles has confirmed himself, that is actually Harry's goddaughter Ruby and is from an actual voicemail left by her: "[Ruby] got a streak of calling me every night before bed," he revealed, "and I missed it once, and she wanted to let me know that she was quite angry with me." Once I learned that, this song (and especially that intro) became so much more precious, and it definitely fits with the song's theme of social isolation. Harry has also further elaborated upon the meaning of the song, commenting, "The song is about metamorphosis, embracing change and former self, perspective shift and all that kind of stuff." I personally love the fun, synthy energy of the song and can't wait for the album, especially since I feel like if this song is a harbinger of what's to come on the album, this may just end up being even better than Harry Styles or Fine Line!

Ghost - IMPERA [Review]

IMPERA is Swedish metal band Ghost's long-awaited and highly anticipated fifth studio album, with it having been four years since the band's fourth album Prequelle (although they did drop small releases here and there such as the two tracks on the Seven Inches of Satanic Panic single and their incredible cover of Metallica's "Enter Sandman"). Admittedly, IMPERA was a bit of a grower for me because I felt lukewarm upon first listen (even though I instantly loved the first two singles "Hunter's Moon" and "Call Me Little Sunshine" when they first dropped). I remember seeing several friends who are Ghost fans saying on release day that the album was beautiful and might have even been their favorite Ghost album yet, and I initially found myself thinking that I didn't quite feel the same way but wished that I did. While I still don't know that I would call IMPERA my favorite Ghost album thus far (an honor that I think still goes to Prequelle), I am definitely absolutely in love with it now and definitely think that beautiful is, overall, a great word to describe it. As is Ghost tradition (with Meliora being the one exception as it opens with "Spirit"), the album opens with a short instrumental intro titled "Imperium"(a word meaning absolute power, which makes sense given the album title being a variation of that and frontman Tobias Forge having revealed ahead of the album's release that the album would be about the fall of empires). "Imperium" is absolutely gorgeous, a slow acoustic piece that builds in intensity and weight as it progresses, eventually bringing in electric guitar and a marching beat. Forge has described it as having a "national anthem opening" quality to it, and I can definitely hear that, especially because of its aforementioned marching beat which also gives it a bit of a militaristic quality. The melody heard via the electric guitar is also repeated again at the very end of the album (which I will call back to when I get there). IMPERA then gives us "Kaisarion" which is my least favorite song on the album. While I by no means hate it, it has somewhat of a punk rock quality to it, and I don't know how well it works here. It also feels a tad too long. Running at just over five minutes in length, it is a bit redundant, and by the time it reaches four minutes or so, it feels like it has already done pretty much everything that it needs to.

Interestingly, whereas "Kaisarion" definitely sets the stage for the album's previously mentioned theme involving the fall of empires (as it addresses, as Ghost often does, Christian hypocrisy and dominion and even directly states in the first verse that "we're building our empire from the ashes of an old" which calls attention to a wheel turning as empires fall and new ones take their place), the next three tracks seemingly veer away from it a bit, with "Spillways" and "Call Me Little Sunshine" (the album's second single which I reviewed here) hitting upon a theme similar to that of Meliora's "Cirice." "All your faith, all your rage, all your pain," fictional frontman Papa Emeritus IV declares in the pre-chorus, "it ain't over now, and I ain't talking about forgiveness." The title of the song (which is recited in the song's chorus) is in reference to a structure that is intended to help release a controlled amount of water from a dam to prevent overflow, emphasizing the song's theme of our souls needing to purge that bottled up darkness (rage and pain). I love the somewhat poppy and retro synthy sound to it (reminding me of Bon Jovi's "Runaway"), making it one of the catchiest songs on the album. We then get "Call Me Little Sunshine" and "Hunter's Moon," both of which I already reviewed since they are the album's first two singles. (Check out my review of "Hunter's Moon" here.) "Watcher in the Sky" is one of IMPERA's heaviest tracks, featuring a thumping and chugging guitar riff following Forge opening the song with the chorus. The song is a bit repetitive, since the main hook ("Searchlights looking for the watcher in the sky") is heard nearly twenty times throughout. In the Metal Hatter interview with Tobias Forge to which I linked earlier in the review, Tobias said that the song addresses the irony of using science to reverse humanity's progress, and fitting the overall theme of the album, it lyrically makes Machiavellian and totalitarian references which makes for a nice transition into the next track as it is titled "Dominion," a short instrumental track Forge described as "majestic." Featuring horns, it also sort of works as an intro to "Twenties," which I already reviewed since it was released as a promotional single ahead of the album's release. (All I will say in addition to what I already said about "Twenties" in my review of it is that I now love it even more than I did then. It might even be my favorite song from IMPERA; the pulsating rhythm of the big band intro is - for lack of a better word - sick.)

I remember when I first saw the album's tracklisting, I thought that "Darkness at the Heart of My Love" sounded like an epic power ballad from the '80s penned by Diane Warren, and that is essentially exactly what it is (sans Warren's involvement). Forge talked about the song with Metal Hammer and said, "This is about people promoting all of these values under the guise of being God-fearing and righteous while they practice none of it. It's just for cash and power." It therefore touches upon a frequent Ghost subject - Christian hypocrisy. As is also often the case with Ghost's music, however, the lyrics can also be heard in a broader sense. As is true of "Cirice" and "Call Me Little Sunshine," this is another example of a Ghost song in which the empathetic speaker is offering his hand to those in need: "When the summer dies," Emeritus offers in the first verse, "severing the ties, I'm with you always..." My favorite line of the song, however, is the following: "Remember always that love is all you need. Tell me who you want to be, and I will set you free." It's a beautiful and epic (epic especially because of the choir brought in late in the song that joins Forge on the chorus) hard rock ballad about sharing kindness, empathy, and love in a world in which there isn't nearly enough of it (hence that darkness that's at the heart of the love; the darkness that the love needs to snuff out). "Griftwood" is another one of my favorite songs on the album, possibly even my second favorite next to "Twenties." I think that it might be the catchiest song on the album, with an infectious guitar riff and chorus, and I also love the rhythm of the verses. It has an arena rock sound to it somewhat similar to that heard in "Square Hammer." Ahead of the album's release, Forge revealed that "Griftwood" is about religious hypocrites such as Mike Pence: "That song's about him and anyone like him who's willing to soil everything they've worked for. They definitely qualify for a front-row ticket to hell which is so ironic because that's what they believe in... He's known as this sort of Bible-thumper believing that he has strong faith, and he's just this awful, awful person..." This is definitely reflected in the song's lyrics which seem to be from the titular grifter's perspective as he makes false promises which he has no intention of delivering: "You want a view from the spire? You want a seat by the pyre and never, ever suffer again?" This could also be seen as in reference to the promise of heaven that Christianity offers, a promise that, according to Forge, would be false.

The album closes with "Respite on the Spitalfields" which is introduced by a very short instrumental segue titled "Bite of Passage." "Bite of Passage" moves gaplessly into "Respite on the Spitalfields," somewhat of a power ballad that does, however, get fairly heavy in the pre-chorus when Emeritus employs a somewhat more aggressive vocal style than usual, probably my favorite part of the song, although I also adore the lyrics of the chorus: "Nothing ever lasts forever. We will go softly into the night." Ghost is no stranger to repeating musical motifs. The melody heard in Meliora's "Spöksonat," for example, is repeated on Prequelle's "Ashes" / "Rats," and here, as previously teased, "Respite on the Spitalfields" ends with the same melody heard on the opening track "Imperium." I have, for a very long time (ever since seeing the 2001 film From Hell), been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper case, and that is what this song is tackling lyrically: "We're here in the after of a murderous crafter," Forge laments in the first verse. "The past is spun like a yarn and mangled with flesh and blood and bones." Tobias did in fact confirm this in an interview with Kerrang! when he stated, "[Jack the Ripper] did the people of Spitalfields and that part of London an enormous disfavor because he was never caught which meant that... they were never sure that he was not going to do it again, so for a long time after, there must have been fear, especially among women, that it could happen again..." The song lyrically addresses that collective fear that unites people, and it's a great song but probably Ghost's weakest closer so far primarily because of its fade-out. When a song fades out at the end, I, for some reason, expect that to lead into something, but it doesn't. As I said, however, I overall adore IMPERA. It's very eclectic, with Ghost at times being in league with Metallica and other times Bon Jovi. I know that some fans didn't like Prequelle because they felt that it was too "poppy," and I fear that such fans must likely hate IMPERA because I think that it's overall undoubtedly the "poppiest" Ghost album so far. I do kind of wish, however, that "Hunter's Moon" had been featured as a bonus track rather than as track 5 because I do think that it feels a bit out of place thematically, and speaking of bonus tracks, I am very surprised that there is no deluxe version of IMPERA with at least one cover included because that seems to be tradition for Ghost, but perhaps that is still to come (as I believe was the case with Meliora).