Childish Gambino - 'Me and Your Mama'

Donald Glover is a lowkey legend. His acting career is just starting taking off, and in the midst of it all, he's about to release his third record as Childish Gambino, entitled Awaken, My Love. Not only is the record a surprise, but it seems to be a departure from his original sounds, as well.

The first single he's shared from the record is called 'Me and Your Mama,' an expansive six-minute long track that blends blues and rock in a dark and aesthetic way. There's a lot of passion and sensuality packed into the one track, and that core message takes many paths.

The song is introduced with a sparkling pianos akin to Radiohead's 'Daydreaming' with various sounds pounding the bass and a higher one that swims through the falling stars the piano creates. The ethereal choir chants "I'm in love when we are smokin' that la-la-la-la-la" over the intro, referencing Gambino's addiction to marijuana and the implications it has on love.

The song proceeds into its hook and verses, thick guitar carrying them through with bluesy, southern genius. Gambino sings passionately, screaming with both sensuality and pain as the song slowly but thoughtfully progresses. The R&B flair combines beautifully with the old-fashioned blues rock vibe the song has, and Gambino electrifies the song even further with his delivery. The song's intensely emotional core gives way to a peaceful instrumental conclusion that revels in a blues improvisational piece that you hear in black & white, the synths adding a modern touch to it.

The song can be interpreted in two ways. One takes a look at a bigger picture that encompasses the album, while the other takes a personal delve into the track's lyrics. Taking a look at the tracklist for Awaken, My Love, it looks like Glover is writing to his son. Songs like 'Baby Boy' and the similarly titled 'The Night Me and Your Mama Met' are found in the tracklist, and the title itself seems to be a call to his newborn son. Perhaps this album will be a life lesson, of sorts; maybe 'Me and Your Mama' is a sort of warning. The song itself is about love, or rather, how difficult it can be. Glover tells his girl in the first verse: "They wanna see us fallin' apart! / You know that I love you! / So let me into your heart," begging her to let him in, regardless of what everyone else wants. He goes further in a reference to Smokey Robinson and Outkast in the bridge, chanting "Girl you really got a hold on me / So this isn't just puppy love," claiming he knows his love is real and more than just an idea. He wants her.

Childish Gambino is about to change the game. December 2nd is when Awaken, My Love drops, and 'Me and Your Mama' really shows it. It's a brilliant song, bringing Pink Floyd and James Brown together into a simplistic but powerful track. Donald Glover is a artistic genius, and it's about to show.

Rating: 89 / 100

Future - Used To This (ft. Drake)

I've had a decent break from Future lately, which I really needed. I was getting really sick of him - he was on everything. You listen to any hip-hop record, Future's there. You go for a trip to mall, Future's playing. You look right - you guessed it. Future's probably standing right there.

Desiigner has been building off the sound and he's someone I can finally get behind since he's added some melody to his music. Taking a break from Future has allowed me to take a refreshing new look into his new single, 'Used To This.'

Too my surprise, it's actually a good song. There's a sort of love-or-hate relationship I have with his music, but this track was a clear winner. The song's instrumental isn't empty and solely consisting of the same spidery and bass synths, but instead features a pretty catchy and pretty piano line that isn't too simple such that it keeps your attention. The beat is standard and the bass accompaniment is still there, but it's behind the piano and it's a really refreshing palette to come into. Perhaps producer Zaytoven is to thank, but regardless, it's a new sound.

The verses themselves are expected, but they're not annoyingly spit and have flow. The song's about Future and Drake being at the top of their genre, the hook of the track revolving around partying and the products of their successes: "Get the llama, I party with the real Madonna (yeah)... Drop-top Porsches, I'm so used to this... Mansion in the hills, I got used to this." Future's verses are expected of him, all about the party life and riches. Drake's verse is also expected, but that means it's pretty humbling. Putting aside the Drake has a lot more variation in his flow (and a lot less noticeable, presumably "aesthetic" autotune), he also covers his family and friends and how he keeps them in his mind and will always be able to thank them for where he is.

'Used To This' tackles two sides to fame: what's on the surface and what one should keep in mind. Future and Drake both take their respective sides, which isn't something special, but the song itself is a nice mix. It's a step in the right direction for Future - interesting and edging away from the sound he's had for his last three releases. EVOL didn't hit hard, but maybe this next record will. Future's been taking his time with this one, so that means something's coming. Beast Mode 16 is coming soon, and this track can only mean good things are to come.

Rating: 81 / 100

Papa Roach - 'Crooked Teeth'

It's been an interesting few records for Papa Roach. 2012's The Connection ushered the band into a newer, more modern sound that combined their alternative rock and nu metal past with poppier tones and electronic. 2015 followed up with F.E.A.R., a dynamic album that saw electronics and rock blend with more sense of melody and energy.

They're on the brink of another record, due out in 2017, and it's continuing the trend. The band has shared 'Crooked Teeth,' the first track from the as-of-now unnamed album. The song builds off the band's alternative rock midlife and progresses into some new elements.

The dynamic of the song is what really stands out strongly above the rest. The song is introduced by a big powerchord and powerful drumming, leading into a high energy, angry verse on the brink of screaming from Jacoby Shaddix. The chorus sounds melodically and powerfully like something you'd hear from the alternative rock scene in the mid-2000s. The powerful drums drive the song throughout the track as Shaddix yells powerfully.

Electronica is still very much present; in fact, it's further developed on this track than the band has yet dabbled in. There's elements of trap music in the song, right at the beginning of the second verse: powerful drums and big guitars take a break so that a deep, bassy beat can instead fill in under Shaddix's paranoid delivery of "Caved in, hyperventilating... I feel my devil trying to creep back in." The song kicks back in with full force instrumentally to take the song out to the end.

'Crooked Teeth' is a pretty big track. It's somehow maturer than past efforts have been while still maintaining the band's core sounds. Their next record is shaping up to be a big one for the band. Papa Roach may finally be settling the score with their 'Last Resort' past and make it big with a whole new sound.

Rating: 80 / 100

AFI - 'Snow Cats' / 'White Offerings'

AFI has been at it for over two decades now. They've come a long way from the hardcore punk band they were back when they started, though. Every album since the mid-2000s from this band has been a new evolution for them, exploring different elements and styles.

Their tenth album AFI (The Blood Album) will be out on January 20, and ahead of that they've released the first tastes of new music from the record: the songs 'Snow Cats' and 'White Offerings.' Both tracks are quite different from each other, showing off different moods from the record.

'Snow Cats' is the emotional hardhitter of the two. The song's about being caught in the crossroads of expectation and personal need. The chorus sees Davey Havok chanting "I'll wait for you another night (As you like) / Dressed in Himalayan white," somberly admitting that he will submit to the wants whoever he's trying to impress of satisfy, but only when he's ready. The guitar work is phenomenal on the track, the choruses powerful but not over the top, a sweet descending powerchord line repeating at the end of each chorus. The guitar solo delivered by Jade Puget is short and sweet but packed with emotion.

'White Offerings' is the rockier track, anthemic and dramatic in the same way Burials was, but with a more emotional attachment. Havok sings powerfully above a confident riff, driven powerfully in the choruses while chugging with a slowly released anger in the verses. It's heavier than a lot of the band's songs have been over the last few efforts, the riffs big and evil like they've never seen anyway. The bridge angrily chants "I can feel your color changing" in reference to someone who went against the narrator after they confided in him, eerie choir harmonies sounding behind the brooding vocals.

AFI's next record may be one of their best records yet. It's almost like the natural progression of the Sing The Sorrow and Decemberunderground eras - the songs share the same emotion and passion of those records, as well as the sounds. They show growth as a band while still acknowledging the significance of the past. The Blood Album has our attention.

'Snow Cats' Rating: 85 / 100

'White Offerings' Rating: 78 / 100

Run The Jewels - 'Talk To Me'

The hip-hop world revving up, it seems. Yesterday offered up new Drake and new music from Run The Jewels, too!

The eclectic duo of El-P and Killer Mike are back with 'Talk To Me,' the first new song they've shared this year. It's part of Adult Swim's Singles Program running for the next month, and is to be featured on their upcoming effort Run The Jewels 3.

'Talk To Me' is everything you'd want and expect of Run The Jewels. It begins ominously with pounding, brassy synths and an urgent beat with a sort of cartoonish panic in them. The bassy synth carries the low end of the track as various synths and samples sound throughout the track to help carry its slamming nature. There's lots of interesting moments throughout it, including the awesome end where the instrumental distorts itself before it's taken over by powerful scratching.

Killer Mike has been heavily delving into politics this election cycle, and his frustrations of it become clear in 'Talk To Me.' Right from the get-go, he's slamming Donald Trump, the lines "Went to war with the devil and shaytan / He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan" featuring in the first verse. El-P's verses are just as politically charged, the second verse spitting "Brave men didn't die face down in the Vietnam mud so I could not style on you / I didn't walk uphill both ways to the booth and back to not wile on you / You think baby Jesus killed Hitler just so I'd whisper?" The song's badass nature sends one succinct message: don't mess with RTJ.

Run The Jewels have been hyping up their third album for awhile, and we've all been waiting at the edge of our seats. It's been a long wait, but's almost over. An interlude in the song says "I told y'all suckers, I told y'all suckers. I told y'all on RTJ1, then I told ya again on RTJ2, and you still ain't believe me. So here we go, RTJ3," foreshadowing that their third record isn't losing any momentum or character. If anything, it'll be bigger than the previous ones were. We're ready for it.

Rating: 87 / 100

Drake - 'Fake Love' / 'Sneakin'' (ft. 21 Savage)

It's always surprises from the 6 God. Drake's just wrapped up his 2016 tour for his latest album Views, released earlier this year (read our review of it here), and he's already on the heels of another release.

On Sunday night, Drake debuted three new tracks from an upcoming album (dubbed a "playlist") entitled More Life, due out on Apple Music in December. The artist debuted three new tracks on his appearance on Apple Music's Beats 1 Radio: 'Two Birds One Stone,' 'Fake Love,' and 'Sneakin'' featuring 21 Savage. Two of those were released as singles on the platform.

The three songs are all refreshingly different from each other. 'Sneakin'' is a darker hip-hop oriented track, complete with Drake's signature guitar synth intro thing. It continues through with an ominous synth and siren samples (as is characteristic of everyone these days) as 21 Savage and he trades off verses. The song's about being tired id beef in his industry - Drake's fame is the product of no one but God and himself, as 21 Savage discusses that its him and his crew who handle their beef on their own.

'Fake Love' is less threatening and is very similar to the sad boy Drake we've come to know and love. It's a poppier single with brighter, peppier synths, though it plays along with the theme of 'Sneakin'' and his fame. This track's about Drake being tired of his friends showing him fake love as a result of his success. The pre-hook croons "That's when they smile in my face / Whole time they wanna take my place / Yeah, I know they wanna take my place / I can tell that love is fake / I don't trust a word you say" as he blatantly calls the conspirators out, before the hook somberly addresses his own feelings toward the situation: "I've been down so long it look like up to me / They look up to me / I got fake people showin' fake love to me / Straight up to my face."

Views may have some competition ahead of it. The songs from More Life are already shaping up the playlist to be something special for Drake. What the rest will hold is yet to be seen, but surely it can't go much more wrong if the singles are to indicate.

Sneakin' Rating: 86 / 100

Fake Love Rating: 80 / 100

Frank Iero and The Patience - 'Oceans'

"The world may fall apart" has taken a new meaning for Frank Iero and The Patience. The band was involved in a car crash while on tour in Australia, when a bus rammed the back of their vehicle. All of the members have survived, but some faced severe injuries. The band has cancelled the remainder of their tour dates in 2016, but their album Parachutes is still due out next week, and as a thank you for the fans' support, they've released 'Oceans' ahead of the record.

While it's the band's second record, it's the first under the moniker of Frank Iero and The Patience. Their name change did not change their sound, though. Frank Iero's defeated vocals are still present above the punk, distorted guitar riffs. The song builds up from just a beat, palm muted guitars, and Iero's single vocals into a blistering chorus with angrier vocals.

As the song progresses, Iero sounds more and more anguished. The second choruses' chunky basses follows his pain as he admits, "You’re still a part of me, the only part I enjoy, and I wish I still had a hold on you like you do, until you’re blue, around my throat." The song is about love in a last resort sort of way - Iero's lover is the only thing he loves about himself.

The song's grittiness and rawness gives its meaning a little edge. That's what Frank Iero has excelled at, whether it was with My Chemical Romance or solo. His songwriting was unique and had an edge to it that made the meaning stronger. We wish him and his bandmates a speedy recovery, and we're sure Parachutes will be a standout for his career if 'Oceans' is any indication.

Rating: 84 / 100

Pusha T - 'Circles' (ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Desiigner)

The president of G.O.O.D. Music himself Pusha T is back again to share his next single from his upcoming album, King Push. The new song 'Circles' takes about the after party life, Pusha recruiting Ty Dolla $ign and Desiigner for the track, too.

For a Pusha T song, there's an awful lack of Pusha in it. Ty Dolla $ign has more prevalence in the track than Pusha does, which should come as a bit of a concern. That's not to say that this song has much lyrical content - a solid fourth of the lines in the song are "Tell her throw that ass in a circle / Throw that ass in a circle," which serves as both the hook and go to phrases in the verses throughout the song.

The premise of the song is to describe the events that took place after the release of 'H.G.T.V.', released a day before 'Circles'. The three rappers discuss the after-party and flaunting their wealth, glorifying their statuses as successful artists. While the after-party may be all good thoughts and vibes, there are some interesting lines in the song that discuss different topics. It's a success story for Pusha T, or Blowbama P, as he puts it in his third verse - a nickname for him given his starting point as a drug dealer to the president of G.O.O.D. Music. Indirectly, as a response to Pusha's past, Desiigner sings in his hook that "If we get high, you could be my supplier."

Despite the seemingly bland outlook on the song, it's a pretty fun one to listen to. Whether it be Desiigner's 'Tiimmy Turner' crooning that adds melody throughout the track or simply the flow of the words, I cannot say for sure, but I definitely like them both and how they work together to build the flow of the track. Songs like this usually aren't my cup of tea, but this one has groove and flow in a conscious way, which earns it a win for me.

Pusha T's on the heels of his new album, as seen by the two singles. 'Circles' is about the glamour of living as a successful rapper, but in a respectable way, conscious of the past. Pusha T, Ty Dolla $ign, and Desiigner came together in a way that really worked well for the track, and it's going to be interesting to see if the narrative of singles continues forward. Let's just hope the quality doesn't stray as a result of it.

Rating: 83 / 100

Avenged Sevenfold - 'The Stage'

Avenged Sevenfold have a reputation of being the pop boys of metal. It's fair to say - they definitely have one of the more accessible sounds in the genre. While remaining easy to listen to in terms of the levels of metal, they often do it well. Their new song is not one of these cases.

'The Stage' is perhaps one of the most uncreative, gimmicky songs the band has ever put out. From the over-the-top angsty music video to the absolutely dreadful drum mix, this song really has hit all the checks for bad.

You'd think progressive A7X couldn't be that bad. You'd have thought wrong, though. 'The Stage' is melodramatic in the worst ways possible. The band is known for being bombastic and upfront, but this is just distasteful. It does have multiple distinct sections that work to a passable ending that takes the song out on its only positive note. The intro is brought straight from the title track 'Hail To The King' from their 2013 effort Hail To The King in a move which shows that the band is basically ripping themselves off (at least it's not Metallica this time). The song abruptly segues into a clean, almost bluesy bridge after an electrifying solo. The guitar in this part is really great, the instrumental as a whole sounding really genuinely pretty.

Then the heaviness comes back. It's not as bad as the verses had set up, but it's still not great. The song ends with dual guitar solos in that 'Nightmare'-esque fashion and pounding drums (the only part of the album where the drums are tolerable). A classical acoustic ending brings the song to an awkward end as the crash cymbal fails to fade out with the rest of the instrumental. Also, why did they end with an acoustic guitar? What is the relevance?

Not only is the performance out of place, but the instruments themselves just sound awful. The kick drum in the intro sounds like something a teen trying out a double-kick pedal or a sampling pad for the first time would sound like. The tone of it is so completely dead, too. The snare is okay, and the cymbals are fine, but as for the rest of the kit; it's like they forgot to mic them appropriately. Their new drummer Brooks Wackerman is really not doing them any favors - Bad Religion won't miss him if this is his work now... The guitar lacks bass or crunch, sounding floppy and weak. The lead parts are good, as is expected from Synyster Gates, but what happened to the rhythm guitar? Why does M. Shadows sound like a dying horse in the third verse? What's going on?

To make matters worse, the lyrics are absolutely laughable. By some tragic miracle, M. Shadows seems to have misplaced his own lyrics with an angry middle-schooler's diary. Who let "When did the walking apes decide that nuclear war / Was now the only solution for them keeping the score? / Just wake up / Can’t you wake up?" be words to a song? The key to being prolific and making a statement is ripping cliché metaphors straight out of angry YouTube comments? The second verse sings (in the song's awful, failing melody) "Jesus Christ, was born to die / Leave it to man to levitate his own to idolize / We’re simply sociopaths with no communication baby / I see your angle but we differ from our points of view," as if this isn't the cringiest line you've ever heard in a metal song (barring Limp Bizkit, of course, who made that their thing).

Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, the music video is atrocious. It's a giant metaphor on war and corruption, with handpuppets replaying scenes from the history of man, including the beheading of Louis XIV and World War I. An interesting concept, but done with the wrong song and the the wrong direction. Watching puppets in these scenes with crappy metal playing in the background doesn't do any justice. When Hillary Clinton and Vladmir Putin appear at the end as puppets controlling the other puppets, you can't help but say "Oh, come on." Then another set of strings control those puppets, the strings attached to a skeletal hand that presses a button the detonate a nuclear bomb, sending us back to the age of cavemen, because that's how evolution works. 

There's so much wrong with this song, and it makes me angry. I want this song to be good. Repeated listens lighten the initial "what and why is this" reaction, but fails to make the bad elements of the song any better. It's a badly produced song and a badly produced video to combine into one fail of a show. Hopefully the rest of Voltaic Oceans holds up, because if this song (and the edginess of the album title) are proof of what's to come, we're doomed.

Rating: 59

Rating w/ Video: 40

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - 'A Minute To Breathe'

Climate change is a long discussed issue, and there are still those with power who don't believe it or see its impact. Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens are joining forces to help shed light on the issue in their new documentary Before The Flood, challenging the question of just how much the climate has been affected by human interference and how authorities around the world are tackling the problem.

A powerful documentary can't be as effective without a supporting soundtrack to go with it, though. This film won't have to worry much about that, though; they've got the likes of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross tackling it, with Mogwai and Gustavo Santaolalla in the mix, too. Basically, they have the pinnacles of vivd music working together to create the documentary's soundtrack.

The team has released a song from the soundtrack, entitled 'A Minute To Breathe'. It's a very barebones track. The majority of it it Reznor singing in his signature hopeful yet defeated timbre, the song slowly but surely resonating with the deep, cavernous piano chords somberly backing his vocals. A few spiraling synths make an appearance later in the song to add some dimension to the track, setting the scene in an icy Antarctic field - fitting for the film's and the song's message.

The song's message is what really builds the song. The lyrics are, appropriately, a summation of the climate change crisis around the world. The first verse ends with the lines "We try / Deny / To believe to believe / We can't believe / In anything" to express the lack of acceptance of the issue, the first half of the verse claiming we will only see our faults when it is too late: "We wait / We pray for the rain / For the rain / For a rain / To wash away." The song's chorus hauntingly pleas "I don't want to say goodbye / Stars falling from the sky / We will all be judged / By what we leave behind," hoping that the curse of our own legacies will serve as justification to finally provide a reason to help combat climate change. The song ends in a beautiful building of sound, the world ending in a hurricane of noise (or, if climate change continues, a literal hurricane) as Reznor cries "I just need a minute to breath."

We are destroying our own world, and many refuse to believe so. The new documentary Before The Flood hopes to squash any lasting doubts of climate change, and aims to show how some of the world's leaders are attempting to put an end to it. The film is out worldwide in theaters on October 21. The soundtrack sends much the same message, and four of the greatest artists in film scores and music have come together to create it. We can determine what the fate of the world is - but what will that legacy be?

Rating: 87 / 100