New/Trending/Popular: "Story of an Immigrant" by Civil Twilight

I've been waiting for new Civil Twilight material since I fell in love with their previous album, Holy Weather. It's finally here, and I'm so happy. (You can find the album art here. I don't want to save the album art and share it without proper credit to the band. Plus, you'll be on the artist's website and you can explore all things Civil Twilight.)

"Oh Daniel" reminds me of Mumford and Sons. This really only happens at the choruses. I love the guitar in this song. And I believe I hear an organ of some sort. "Holy Dove" is great as well. The band REALLY wants to know if you'll be their holy dove, but I can deal with the limited lyrics because the music is enticing.

"When, When" is an island song for those who don't enjoy reggae. The chorus reminds me a lot of "Oh Daniel" melodically, but I still enjoy this poppier version of Civil Twilight. "Story of an Immigrant" doesn't stand out to me too much, considering it's the title track. I have basically the same feelings about "Let It Go." Steven McKellar's voice sounds particularly dreamy on this track, which may be the only reason I like it.

I'm a huge fan of the bass tone in "River Child." I wish it didn't get so lost in the chorus. This is one of my favorites my favorite on the album, minus the autotune. "All My Clothes" is another sick bass track. Immerse yourself in this song and you'll be pretty damn happy.  "The Other Side" is something I'd like to see more of from Civil Twilight. If the album were full of tracks as great as this one and "River Child," I'd be much more enthusiastic.

I'm a big fan of the second half of the album, including "Didn't Know When to Stop." Lyrically simple, the song reminds me of a chase scene. Maybe you should add this one to your running playlist! As for "Only For A Time," I have two words: THAT BASS.

"Love Was All That Mattered" actually gave me chills. The simplicity of the song is breathtaking. It reminds me of a Beatles song that I can't entirely put my finger on. Or maybe it's a Muse song? There's a huge age gap with those two bands, but certain elements of their songs are evident in this Civil Twilight track. There's something hauntingly familiar about this song, which is a talent that Civil Twilight really pulls off. Their bonus track, "Believe," brings me back to the Holy Weather days.

Do I sound crazy if I say that vocally and instrumentally this album is great, I'm just not the biggest fan of all of the songs? Probably. The first few songs are decent, but Civil Twilight redeems themselves with a killer second half of the album, starting with "River Child." While I prefer the dark storminess of Holy Weather, Story of an Immigrant is admittedly an easier, passive listen. I'm always grateful for more Civil Twilight content. Yet, I can hear elements of other bands hot on the scene influencing Civil Twilight's sound. I can assume I'll like the whole album more with each listen. Even so, I love Civil Twilight and I just ordered this sick vinyl for Story of an Immigrant: https://www.pledgemusic.com/checkout/1254173. You should too.

Rating: 7/10

New/Trending/Popular: "Drones" by Muse

With their three most recent albums: "The Resistance", "The 2nd Law", and "Drones", Muse sold 128,000, 108,536, and 84,200 records respectively during their first week of sales.

Now statistics are certainly not my thing. And it's usually one of the last things I think about when it comes to music. However, after listening to Muse's most recent album, "Drones" I became intrigued. If I, a pretty big Muse fan, was upset with this album then what are the chances that other Muse fans have lost significant interest in the group (or at least their work with this album)? 

Of course, looking at sales alone is not a great measurement of a band's success. But as a pretty large commercial rock band, one can kind of argue that their sales can correlate with the size of their fan base. Obviously with those numbers, and at least with my opinion, the quality of music that has been coming from the band has significantly decreased. Whether it is due to Matt Bellamy's lack of ability to write decent lyrics, or just the band's slightly generic work, I do not know the exact cause of the lack of interest in the UK three-piece rockers. But what I do know is that their music certainly has not gotten better since 2009's, "The Resistance". And despite its return to a more "hard rock" sound, Muse has lost a lot of their artistic vision, and have compiled a bunch of generic riffs accompanied by even more ridiculous, somewhat "Full Metal Jacket" inspired lyrics that appear on this new record. Now do not get me wrong, I agree with a lot of what Muse is trying to say thematically with some of these songs, but with Bellamy's over-dramatic delivery, unoriginality, and inability to leave anything to the imagination of the listener, I am let down and kind of bitter that one of my favorite childhood bands would put out such a lack-luster record. 

Beginning with "Dead Inside", we experience the first instance of mediocre songwriting. Especially within the context of the album, as the song is an obvious song rings as a break-up song from his recent engagement with actress Kate Hudson. It seems as though Bellamy just throws the word "Drones" into the lyrics just to make it seem as though it belongs with the rest of the songs on the album. The song also contains the archetypal Muse bridge, featuring the dramatic belting from Bellamy. I will give Muse credit in that Bellamy's voice still sounds great, and the band is still tight as ever, but with lyrics such as "Open up to me. Stop hiding from me, it's hurting babe, only you can stop the pain", it seems as though the lyrics could have been written by a teenager who just got dumped for the first time and decided to go into a Stan Marsh post Wendy breakup depression. 

Now we pretty much all knew that their second single, "Madness" off the 2nd Law, might have taken the cake for some of the cheesiest lyrics ever produced by the UK rock group. But Madness might be dethroned by the second track off Drones, "Psycho". Bellamy wails, "I'm gonna make you, I'm gonna break you, I'm gonna make you, a fucking psycho. Your ass belongs to me now". As I mentioned before, the song has a great message and touches on an important issue; however, it is done in such a way that pretty much over-satirizes the topic and it really just makes me want to turn the song off because it just seems very overdone. When Bellamy actually sings the words, "A fucking psycho", it pierces my eardrums in a similar way it would a parents if that song were to come on a pandora station in front of their kids. Just nothing sonically pleasing about Bellamy's delivery, and while I can kind of understand where he is trying to come from, it just seems way too over the top for me to take seriously. Even the guitar riff, while it does return to a similar feel of Muse's older material, feels overly simplistic and kind of bores me compared to the likes of classic riffs such as "Plug in Baby".

The track "Reapers" begins with a Van Halen inspired guitar tapping solo. Again the band proves to lack a significant amount of originality, despite Matt Bellamy's obvious skills with a guitar. And then when the lyrics and main riff come together, I am just left wanting so much more. After the release of this track's lyric video, Rolling Stone made comments comparing the track to the work of grunge heroes Rage Against the Machine. And where the main riff does sound reminiscent of something once played by Tom Morello, but the lyrics are the furthest away from edginess of Zach De La Rocha's. In fact, I cannot really decipher whether or not Bellamy is utilizing war as a metaphor for his mediocre love life, or his love life as a metaphor for how much he hates war. Either way, this metaphor seems to take the helm of this album and drive it straight into a wall.

Despite some rememberable riffs here and there and some solid musical moments from the group as a whole, the album just leaves me wanting more thematically and less theatrically. Obviously as a fan of music and a fan of art I usually associate theatrical music as being tasteful and at the very least interesting. However, when you get down to the meat and potatoes of this record, the story Bellamy writes is so overused and dried out that by the end of the record it makes me think of a score a thirteen year old kid would use for a play he had to write for his English class project, and would end up earning a solid D- at best from his teacher. Look forward to this play to be featured during their live set in Muse's upcoming 2016 international stadium tour.

Rating: 3/10

What We're Listening To: "To Pimp A Butterfly" by Kendrick Lamar

Following the success of "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City", the expectations for Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar to meet the prowess of his hometown-inspired LP were tangible. However, very few could have guessed that his next commercial effort would turn out the way 2015's "To Pimp A Butterfly" did.

In 2015, Lamar trades generally minimal production and bangers like "Swimming Pools" and "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" for influences from Jazz, Funk, and old-school R&B. This starts early as the beginning of "Wesley's Theory" is a faded-in sample of an obscure Boris Gardiner song (have you ever heard of that person? I had not). This is followed immediately by an eerie feeling that the recording was captured in the Parliament starship, and George Clinton and Thundercat are brilliant here. Kendrick critiques rampant spending and mismanagement of money and fame that he appears to perceive in the culture around him. This track's mojo bleeds into one of the most entertaining songs on the album, "King Kunta", a "Slim Shady"-esque march where Lamar criticizes plagiarism and ghostwriting in modern hip-hop. The proverbial Greek chorus of female voices on these first two tracks are fun, and the bass is truly the star of the backing tracks early on.

Kendrick moves away from the style of the first segment of the album both in his delivery and musically on "Institutionalized", "These Walls", and "u". These songs introduce in a general sense the album's two main thematic pillars: political issues in black culture and borderline self-shaming introspection. Lamar paints himself as not only a harsh critic of his own community, something that is both incredibly refreshing and indicative of the artist's intelligence, but also a harsh critic of himself. Kendrick contrasts his criticisms of the white establishment and the injustices of American society with the injustices his neighbors commit amongst themselves. He raps about feeling guilty for not helping a stranger on "How Much a Dollar Cost" and black on black crime on "The Blacker the Berry". The album ends with a "live" version of the album's first single, "i", which immediately rolls into "Mortal Man", a track that sees the conclusion of the poem Kendrick breaks into segments and recites in between songs throughout the album. Lamar then proceeds to interview a posthumous Tupac Shakur; a move that both captures Lamar's exceptional creativity as well as his respect for who Tupac was and what he believed in.

To say that every moment on this album was deliberate feels like an understatement. Kendrick Lamar incorporates so many overarching themes and uses an assortment of musical influences and delivery styles and cadences to keep the listener's ears fresh during this 78-minute endeavor. Lamar chooses to shun convention and rap about things that matter, rather than rap about what have become the vile touchstones of his genre (women, money, drugs, violence). This album's messages are such that you have to listen to the album in its entirety to fully digest their meaning, and Kendrick Lamar is such a brilliant artist on "To Pimp A Butterfly" that for the repeat listener this does not feel like a chore at all.

There are few albums that are truly genre-defining, and a lot of the time it takes a few years for an album to be deemed as such. What Kendrick Lamar has done in 2015 not only serves as a reference point for what is going on in today's society, but he has created a new standard for all future hip-hop albums to come.

Kendrick Lamar had the Best Album of 2015.

Rating: 10/10

What did you think of this album? Leave us a comment and let us know!

What We're Listening To: "Smoke + Mirrors" by Imagine Dragons

Following the resounding success of their mainstream debut "Night Visions", Las Vegas Alt-Rock outfit Imagine Dragons had everything going for them. Following a massive tour, award show performances and acceptance speeches, and the plethora of charms that accompany major breakout success, it seemed that the sky would be the limit for Dan Reynolds and company on their follow-up album. After loving "Night Visions", seeing them perform on tour and hearing that Dan Reynolds had allegedly wrote tens of songs before grinding the material down to typical album length, "Smoke + Mirrors" was a very personally anticipated record.

So what went wrong?

Many of the important elements from the band's first album remain on "Smoke + Mirrors". From the arena-adaptable gang vocals, huge reverb tones, massive percussion, and a pop-radio sensible lead single, it is confusing when viewed from a wide lens or a first listen that this album drew so much ire from critics and general disappointment from diehard fans. The band experiments with folk, EDM, and even hip-hop again on this album, and it also seems like the lead guitar is deployed on this collection of tracks in a more effective and pleasing manner than on their debut.

Sadly, making great music is much more nuanced than getting by on the same idea, but by the same token taking risks that are ill-conceived can also lead to an overall lackluster endeavor. At best, there is an ethereal finesse or a "mojo" that Reynolds seemed to lose writing for this record that was present on "Night Visions". At worst, much of the songwriting comes off as a bland and tiresome retread, with each song seeming to have the same core concept and structure as the song before. I'm not at all saying that Reynold's source material was inherently uninteresting, but I am saying that when Vampire Weekend did an album about struggling/dealing with agnosticism they attacked the subject matter with different emotional lenses and angles that produced songs that were fresh and independent of one another. Melodic potency is also something that this album lacks for minutes at a time and tracks like "Smoke and Mirrors", "It Comes Back To You", and "Trouble" are completely non-memorable because of this.

This album doesn't do everything wrong; I am still a fan of "I Bet My Life", the first single off of this record, and the songs "Shots", "Summer" and "Hopeless Opus" are representative of the kinds of supporting songs this album could've and should've had on it instead of throwaways like the pretentious "Gold". Additionally, the associated bonus tracks "Battle Cry" and "Warriors" are dramatic and generally enjoyable.

In fairness, this band had a lot of people expecting great things to follow their debut that set the bar astronomically high to begin with, and it seemed for awhile that the Alt-Rock crown (which I think is buried in Seattle somewhere) was theirs for the taking. It is unfortunate then that this band could have solidified themselves as permanent heavyweights in their genre with their sophomore album and simply didn't deliver. Dan Reynolds is instead found spinning the tires in the mud of the infamous sophomore slump, and one can only hope that this promising group can return with an album that has a little more replay value in a few years.

Rating: 5/10

Let us know what you think in the comments below!

What We're Listening To: "The Desired Effect" by Brandon Flowers

Before you take the time out of your day to read this, please understand that I am a big fan of Brandon Flowers. The Killers are my favorite band, so naturally I also enjoy any side projects that the members embark upon (also check out drummer Ronnie Vannucci's band Big Talk, and bassist Mark Stoermer's solo album. Both are extremely different from The Killers as well as Brandon's solo career). I will do my best to not allow my love for the band to cloud my musical judgment. 

With that out of the way, it goes without saying that Flowers' The Desired Effect is an excellent divergence from the norm of sophomore slumps that occur with most artists. If we reflect on the Killers' sophomore effort, Sam's Town, we can see another example of a strong second album. 

After the release of his debut solo album, Flamingo, in 2010, Flowers again took advantage of the Killers' most recent hiatus and kept his creative juices flowing. The Desired Effect was released in May of this year, with four singles being released several weeks prior: "Can't Deny My Love," "Still Want You," and "Lonely Town." 

In advance of these singles, I'll admit that I was worried about Brandon's newest solo album. Flamingo was a brutally honest, heart-wrenching piece of art, that didn't sit too well with critics. Many felt it was too reserved for Brandon, or sounded like another Killers' album. I disagree. Flamingo has distinct ties to the area that Brandon has lived in both past and present. The country nuances pop up throughout the album, and his lonely themes fit the genre. It is not a tried and true country album as we know the genre to be today, but draws influence from the likes of Johnny Cash. Flamingo, to me, represents a place for the outcasts. While the album has country vibes, it works because it has a little bit of everything thrown together. Some people may not like this, but I'm not some people. 

Opinions of Flamingo aside, Flowers leaves the deep-rooted hometown influences in the dust for his follow-up, The Desired Effect. In a day and age (Killers' pun not intended) where a distinctly pop-sounding album has a terrifying stigma for those who feel themselves to be too cool for the "mainstream" world, Brandon Flowers created a FANTASTIC pop album. Yes, I said it. Deal with it. 

The album starts with an "in-your-face," anthemic rock song, very reminiscent of what Battle Born tried to accomplish. I can almost hear Bruce Springsteen singing "Dreams Come True" at one of his marathon concerts. In my opinion, songs 1 through 4 on the album, ("Dreams Come True," "Can't Deny My Love," "I Can Change," and "Still Want You") are strategically placed together to intentionally get them all stuck in your head simultaneously. It happens every damn time I listen to the album. I was extremely reserved about "Still Want You" at first because it seems so far off from anything I've previously heard from Flowers. Yet, it has become one of my favorite tracks from this album.

"Between Me And You" pays homage to his deeply honest lyrics from Flamingo. With cutting lyrics like, "There's a power in letting go," Flowers bares his soul. Not that he ever portrays a fake persona with any of his lyrics, but there is something so humbling about this song. I'd love to hear a piano-only version of this track.

I honestly cannot tell if the backing vocals are just layered perfectly, or if Brandon brought in a whole choir to back him up for "Lonely Town," but whatever he did sounds great. I sometimes attempt to harmonize with Brandon and the gang in the car...unsuccessfully. "Digging' Up the Heart" is a fun track to shout at the top of your lungs. Also, did anyone catch the lyric, "He's only human?" I GUESS HE'S HUMAN, NOT DANCER. HAH. But seriously, I can imagine this song in a new wave version of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Someone please create that for me.

"Never Get You Right" could be a decent hit for any other artist, but it's not a favorite of mine on this album. The guitar seems out of place, and I'm just not thrilled by the song. The title of the song is quite ironic, because by the end of the song, he never does get it right for me. This one is just a filler track for me. "Untangled Love," which plays immediately after, gets everything right that the previous song did wrong. It's a redeeming track for the end of the album. Bruce Springsteen might be a bit upset that he didn't write this one, because it's definitely a killer (not a band joke, I promise).

I had the pleasure of seeing Brandon perform "The Way It's Always Been" acoustically at Webster Hall back in March. Since then, I can't imagine the song any other way. I really appreciate the song in that pure form, and I prefer that over this album version any day. 

One thing that is consistent about Brandon's solo efforts is the excellent female background singers, both on the albums and live. This pop album is something that I can listen to at any time, which is something I generally do not say about pop music. Could my affinity for Brandon's normal gig be the cause of this? Possibly. If it is, oh well.

If you want to hear what my 2010 sounded like, give Flamingo a listen. And to supplement that, check out the incredible video for "Only the Young." It still stands as one of my favorite music videos of all time. 

Then, listen to The Desired Effect and tell me what you think. Do you have a favorite track from TDE? 

Rating: 9/10 (I genuinely like this album. Contrary to what you may think, I don't give out 9s freely.)

New/Trending/Popular: "VHS" by X Ambassadors

VHS is a funny name for an album being distributed as digital downloads, CDs, and vinyl. Yet, the alternative rock outfit X Ambassadors has purpose greater than sheer irony for naming their debut album, VHS. According to the band, VHS serves as a look into their past, complete with audio snippets of home movies strategically placed to tie the stories together.

As far as debut albums go, VHS does a great job of highlighting the great parts of X Ambassadors that make them unique. Sam Harris’ lead vocals soar in nearly every song, while still capturing the emotionally charged grit of hip-hop that he loves so much. His brother, Casey Harris, is an extremely talented keyboard player that translates the music that he feels into melodic beauty. Adam Levin on drums provides the backbone of the booming hits X Ambassadors churns out. Rounding out the crew is Noah Feldshuh on guitar. He rips through riffs like a lumberjack cutting down trees. Forgive my poor analogy, but it’ll make much more sense when you hear just how much Noah slays.

I’ll give you fair warning; I really love this album. I’d like to break it down song-by-song, just so you can see why it brings me so much joy. Take my hand and I’ll guide you through this album.

“Renegades” - This has to be the king of all car commercial songs. That is a definitely a compliment. Aside from loving the song, it makes me want to buy a Jeep. Effective marketing? Absolutely. In all seriousness, “Renegades” gives me chills every time I hear it. This anthem for the underdogs translates extremely well live, and enraptures a crowd in its humility.

“Unsteady” - I’m familiar with this song because of its release on The Reason EP, but the song is so good that its rerelease, this time on VHS, is totally warranted.

“Hang On” - Listen to this one with a good set of headphones or some nice speakers. There’s so much going on in this song. The keys, as simple and sporadic as they are, are a poignant part of the song. Simply put, Casey Harris is a wizard.

“Gorgeous” - "Ooooh, so pretty” is reminiscent of “Uptown Funk,” but in a complementary way. Did you catch that quick reference to “Renegades.?” Sam Harris’ falsetto is beautiful. What else can I say? It’s a “Gorgeous” piece of music. Definitely one of the standouts on this album.

“Fear” feat. Imagine Dragons – I love both bands featured on this track. Considering they are labelmates, this is a match made in heaven. Hearing the recognizable “Imagine Dragons vibe” on the chorus roll seamlessly into that X Ambassadors groove makes my ears want to cry happily (if ears were sentient and could weep).

“Nervous” - This song’s chorus has the same effect on me that Saint Motel’s “My Type” does. I could easily listen to “Nervous” on repeat several times without getting tired. The hook gets stuck in your head quite easily. Listen wisely.

“Low Life” feat. Jaime N Commons - With all due respect to Jaime N Commons, I prefer the X Ambassadors only version of this song. Unfortunately, it was not recorded this way, but if given the chance to see X Ambassadors live, Sam Harris will not disappoint and nails the entire song.

“B.I.G.” – This one has a “don’t mess with me vibe.” Easily the next track being added to everyone’s gym playlist, the song gets you ready to knock out any obstacles that cross your path.

“Feather” – This track initially got lost for me among the true knockouts on this album. After a few listens, I came to appreciate the less complicated aspects of this song, making it an easy listen compared to tracks like “Hang On” and “Loveless.”

“Superpower” - “It’s a bird, it’s a plane; Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne.” The guitar parts in this song would be right at home in a chase scene in a superhero movie. Let’s hope those working on the post-production of Batman v. Superman see this article and use “Superpower" somewhere in the film. Honorable mention for best lyrics of this song goes to “I’ve been cooking up a shitstorm.” 

“Loveless” - Though Sam Smith is reportedly slated to record the title track for the new Bond movie, Spectre, I personally would like to X Ambassadors. Yes, I realize that “Loveless” would not fit as the title track, mainly because the song is not called “Spectre,” but this song proves that X Ambassadors could write an epic tune for a pivotal piece of pop culture. Their title track would blow many of the unfortunately poor title tracks away. Everything about the song, including the trumpets, has a foreboding vibe in contrast to the hopeful, bright chords that Casey slams out on the keys.

“Jungle” feat. Jaime N Commons - Another song from the TV commercial circuit, but still oh so good. Again, Jaime N Commons is great, but it would be great to have an X Ambassadors only cut. Not to keep rehashing a live show, but Sam Harris is an exceptional talent, which shows through this song at their shows. Aside from his sultry dance moves, it’s great to hear his voice sing this entire song. Could I be a girl just obsessed with Sam Harris’ voice? Probably, but you have to admit that he is pretty damn great. The nearly explosive bass drum in this song sounds wonderfully distorted, and it fits perfectly. I wish the guitar solo within the last minute of the song was a bit more present in the recording, because Noah Feldshuh’s guitar tone is heavenly.

“Naked” - SO MUCH SAX. And so the sultry side of X Ambassadors comes out to play. They could probably make “Happy Birthday” sound sexy. But who needs “Happy Birthday” when you have “Naked?” “Naked” and “Gorgeous” are my top two songs from VHS (excluding previously released tracks, because I can’t get enough of “Unsteady.”)

The seven interludes sprinkled in among the other thirteen tracks tie-in extremely well with the songs’ themes. I’ll let you draw those interpretations yourself.

If you’re like me and you’re into physical copies of music, head out to Target to grab the deluxe edition of VHS, which features two bonus songs: “Skin” and “Heist.” If you’re not like me, that’s okay too. I’ll just enjoy these two gems by myself.

I hope you can tell by now how much I truly enjoy this album. I wish X Ambassadors all of the success in the world. After seeing their rise to fame over the past three years, I couldn’t have imagined a better full-length debut for the band.

Rating 9/10

What are your thoughts? Which tracks are your favorites? Or am I totally off of my rocker? Give me some feedback, minus Janet Jackson please.