Deftones - Gore

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Art metal is brought to an all time high with every Deftones release. The alternative metal outfit have released their highly-anticipated follow up to 2012′s Koi No Yokan in the form of Gore, an new exploration of melody and riffs that are new for the band whilst still giving out what they are best at: beautiful pieces just excreting passion and tension.

As Deftones are one of my favorite bands, it’s only right to do a track-by-track review for this one.

1) Prayers/Triangles - I’ve actually already reviewed this song, but the context of it’s opening position on the album gives it a new punch. It’s feedback intro and light drum beat enters the album on an eerie note, before Chino Moreno’s flowing melody soars over a punchy bass track and dreamy guitar work. The tension in his voice adds to the chorus’ relentless bout of emotion, crying, “Prayers, lay it on the line / You will never be free… / Triangles, placed in your mind / You will never be free,” leading to an outburst of anger of the bridge which is reprised in the outro. A standout track and a fantastic opener to a thrilling album. 9.5/10

2) Acid Hologram - The first taste of brand new music for those who have been following the singles, ‘Acid Hologram’ can be confusing. Moreno’s almost dreamy melodies and harmonies soar over thick guitar. Something with this track just doesn’t sit me with my initial listens... While it is a somewhat of a signature with Deftones music to pit clean and heavy together, it just doesn’t seem to work with the heavy distortion and the soaring vocals. Isolate either or, and they are both fantastic performances. The song definitely takes some growing, and as of right now, it’s still in that phase. 8/10

3) Doomed User - Back to familiar territory for fans; ‘Doomed User’ is heavy. It has a big heavy metal, Alice In Chains vibe, especially the choruses. Stephen Carpenter’s triumphant guitar licks elevate the song to a massive level, as Chino roars over the choruses and brings it back during the chorus for a slight reprieve. It doesn’t last long, as this song’s constantly chugging big riffs and headbang moments that just ask to be jammed to. It’s easy to forget the lyrics to the song, which do have some tasty moments. Particularly the bridge’s, “Go waste your breath somewhere to someone new / Your castle’s burning down, here / Your kingdom is burning down,” grabbed my attention. This song has a lot going on, and that also means it a lot going for it. 9/10

4) Geometric Headdress - The guitar in this song is just awesome. Carpenter’s finest moment on the album is on ‘Geometric Headdress’, the guitar just adding such a mysterious and urgent feel to the song that makes the backing synths sound massive. Chino sings beautifully in the chorus while Abe Cunningham delivers a badass performance on the drums - another highlight of the track. There’s not really any clear statement that can be said to define the intensity this track has. It’s just huge. 10/10

5) Hearts/Wires - Beginning creepily, like a more bluesy and ambient reprise of the eeriness of the intro to ‘Prayers/Triangles’, the track begins softly with atmosphere and beautiful guitar. When the body of the song comes in, it just feels beautiful, like a whole different beast has entered the game. Like the softer tracks on 2010′s Diamond Eyes, Chino shows off his quieter range delivering hypnotizing verses and an intense, emotional chorus. This song doesn’t disappoint on any front. It’s beautiful intro is followed by a beautifully composed instrumental that brings Chino’s melodies to a whole new wavelength. The intensity of the choruses scream back to the aforementioned album’s title track (which also just so happens to be my personal favorite Deftones song) and I just fell in love with those one as I heard it. There’s no more to it than a brilliant sense of elation and yet, a sadness this song has. 10/10

6) Pittura Infamante - Triumphant guitar chords bring this song to a huge start, with Cunningham delivering another brilliant performance on percussion. continuing with the tantalizing melodies from the previous track, ‘Pitture Infamante’ has a wonderful chorus melody that’s so enchanting, you almost miss how epic the chorus sounds as a whole, the chugging guitars and bass driving the song like an engine at full roar. The guitar feels like it was inspired by Porcupine Tree - that’s the first thought I had, hearing the intro. The bridge sounds epic and grand, Chino’s lyrics showing sensuality while also taking over a thrilling sense of imagery: “I’ve sank through the cracks / I’ve drowned every one / To bathe in your soul,” on top of purely electric guitar riffs. The song’s outro is pure intensity and brings it to a thrilling conclusion. 9.5/10

7) Xenon - This one is... weird. The electronic transition from ‘Pittura’ halts abruptly, before a disjointed guitar riff comes in, attempting to mesh with one another and just creates a cluster. The chorus comes in promising with the cool lines, “With the lions at the gate / With a diamond in your brain,” but then takes an optimistic sounding melody that melodically works pleasingly with the guitar, but feels out of place before you can accept it. You can tell the type of sound the band was going for here: big and anthemic, but ‘Xenon’ just didn’t get executed the proper way. It has some epic moments, like the crushing drums in the outro, but altogether it just feels like it was slapped together for the sake of it. 7/10

8) (L)MIRL - Another creepy intro to lead the album into its final quarter. This one washes over you with a wave of effected guitar, before a Tool-esque bassline from Sergio Vega and a sweet guitar line dance with each other. The prechorus in the second verse has the same big sounding idea that they tried to capture in ‘Xenon’, but executed properly this time, the song’s flow not being interrupted. It does take you out of it for a second just in the same way that the prior track did, but the recovery period is much swifter. This track, like ‘Pittura Infamante’ has a big progressive rock presence. As to be expected from Deftones, the bridge is massive, and seems to use the same formula of heavy section with razor lyrics like ‘Prayers/Triangles’ and reprises it to end the track. No complaints, it sounds huge! 8.5/10

9) Gore - This one’s a surprising track. Of anything the title track of this record could’ve sounded like, this isn’t what I’d have thought. Chino’s credited with saying this was his least favorite track on the record, but I can’t see how - it’s classic Deftones material. A picked bass chugs quickly on top of a syncopated hi-hat before a crushing chorus comes in to bring groove and metal together. I can just picture Chino moving to this one onstage. It’s epic and driven, just what you need from Deftones. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. The screaming at the end sounds like it came straight from the Adrenaline and Around The Fur days. The ending is tense and concludes with a horrifying shriek, that I want to say is a scream, but honestly don’t want to question. It’s a thriller. 9/10

10) Phantom Bride - The Alice In Chains influence on this record reaches a peak, especially considering this song features the lead guitarist from the band, Jerry Cantrell. Despite the massive guitar presence this song seems to have given its featured collaborator, it’s Chino that really shines on this song. His vocal delivery and falsetto on this song just add a beautiful juxtaposition to the muted guitar in the verses and the electrifying Cantrell solo that makes its way to the bridge of the song. The final chorus explodes with a brilliant light, the powerful guitars and sweet melody leading into a guitar reprieve, which brings the song to an even more intense conclusion. The sheer intensity of the heavy outro is a thrill in and of itself. 10/10

11) Rubicon - Rubicon: a point of no return. That’s exactly what this song is. It burns with a conviction to end this album on an unforgettable note. Deftones bring their all on this track, combining everything you’d want into this one thrilling conclusion. Deeply tuned guitars contrasting a shriller, higher line, a driving drum performance, and Chino’s growls and belts. The song is brilliant and extreme, its conclusion threatening and unrelenting, as if building to what ever is in store next. And after this record, I’m not sure I’m ready for what’s next. 9.5/10

Gore is an experience best taken in as a whole. Each track has an intensity and unchallenged presence that separately makes each a monster, but cohesively makes an absolute beast of an album. Deftones have outdone themselves and crafted an album beautiful yet thrilling and exciting, forming a collection that will be hard to follow up. Gore is a thriller, a challenge that can’t be beaten. All I can say now? Wow.

Weezer - Weezer (White Album)

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No one does big summer jams better than Weezer. Their tenth album, Weezer (White Album) is chocked full of big, feel-good summer rock bangers and is sure to keep your spirits up high.

The album kicks off strong and anthemic with ‘California Kids’, that channels The Front Bottoms and sets the summer scene. The anthems continue with the big rock banger, ‘Wind In Our Soul’ that keeps the fun alive with tasty guitar licks and punchy piano chords carrying the song throughout. The band also channels twenty one pilots with both ‘Thank God For Girls’ and ‘Jacked Up’; ‘Thank God’ has some very interesting and captivating lyrics, while ‘Jacked Up’ is all about the groove (and innuendos). ‘(Girl We Got A) Good Thing’ is sweet and has a great rocking bridge, complete with big powerchords and a killer guitar solo. ‘Do You Wanna Get High?’ is super pleasing melodically, and builds up into an epic rock ballad finally. It’s a huge moment on the album, the highest in my books, but the energy definitely doesn’t drop. ‘King Of The World’ has pop rock hit all over it, definitely a big summer song with its anthemic chorus. After more jams like the huge ‘L.A. Girlz’, the album closes on a big, happy note with the most summer single ending an album could have, ‘Endless Bummer’, because nothing says summer banger more than “I just want this summer to end”. The song’s about a lost love, a somber but lovely ending, closing out with beach sounds just as it began.

Weezer’s new record shows that they are still champions of their craft. After twenty years of busting out huge anthems, their energy hasn’t faltered in the slightest. They can dominate summer with the biggest rock hits of the year if they want to; and the White Album is definitely their takeover. A huge record for an even huger band.

Favorite Tracks: Do You Want To Get High?, L.A Girlz, Jacked Up, Wind In Our Sail

Least Favorite Track:  Summer Elaine and Drunk Dori

Rating: 8.5/10

 

Top Albums Of 2016 (so far):

  1. Aurora - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend
  2. Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
  3. Dream Theater - The Astonishing
  4. Foxes - All I Need
  5. Daughter - Not To Disappear
  6. Lacey Sturm - Life Screams
  7. HÆLOS - Full Circle
  8. Weezer - Weezer (White Album)
  9. David Bowie - ★
  10. BANNERS - BANNERS

Baauer - Aa

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After years of building up a career with a wide array of remixes and taking over the club scene, the ‘Harlem Shake’ legend Baauer has released his debut record, Aa. It brings together elements of hip hop, electronica, grime, and more to form each track, but sacrifices originality for energy at points.

The album begins with a splash of soothing noise with ‘Church’, that’s a bit off-putting in it’s disjointed nature despite being a refreshment before the meal is served. Unfortunately, the meal doesn’t seem fully cooked. It starts off nice with ‘GoGo!’ and ‘Body’, which balance flow with energy in a strong ratio. Sadly, this trend doesn’t hold too well by the thick of the record. It hits a peak of energy with the grime-influenced track, ‘Day Ones’ before it hits a bad streak, the next two tracks being just plain boring, especially ‘Way From Me’. ‘Temple’ almost brings the album back up, despite going a bit overboard with the animal sounds to hit the “jungle” effect, but it falls back to a low after. ‘Make It Bang’ is just downright questionable, and Future delivers his same, bland flow on top of a hip hop beat on ‘Kung Fu’. ‘Church Reprise’ is where the album should have ended, it taking that pure, washing sense from the intro track and elaborating on it with guitar and more synths. Sadly, what would’ve been a beautiful ending to a bumpy album ends at an all time low with ‘Aa’, the most painfully cliché club track this year.

Baauer’s debut is a bit of a mess. It has a few high moments, but the energy just isn’t sustainable throughout. It sacrifices any trace of originality of his own sound to make up energy, which doesn’t even live up to what it should. The high moments just don’t last long enough, either. Aa isn’t the electronic album of the year, nor will it be very close.

Favorite Tracks: Day Ones, Church Reprise

Least Favorite Tracks: Aa, Way From Me, Sow, Kung Fu

Rating: 5.5/10

The Drones - Feelin Kinda Free

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Electronic meets gritty punk in The Drones’ new record, Feelin Kinda Free. The Australian quintet has offered up their seventh record this year, the first since 2013′s I See Seaweed. The album explores a wide variety of sounds and combines electronics with guitar noise that sounds like it’s being amplified by dirt. 

A sense of the dirtiness straight off the beginning with ‘Private Execution’, a dark track with a brooding bassline on top of chilling guitar synths and the screeching of scratched guitar strings. This song also highlights the Nirvana-esque lyricism that the band has; quote the second verse: “But what do fish know about water? / I'm probably someone's entertainment.” The next track, single ‘Taman Shud’ brings some funk in the most disjointed of fashions, synths panning left and right on top of the crunchy, staccato picked guitars. Things take a softer turn as the album approaches it’s center, with ‘Then They Came For Me’ and ‘To Think That I Once Loved You’ taking on more personal subjects. The latter of the two is the peak of the album, a massive build up of haunting harmonies as the slow moving monster sluggishly chugs along into a beautiful climax. The Drones take some influence from other artists following the meat of the album; ‘Tailwind’ starts off pretty ominously but then becomes what could be a punk Lorde song, and ‘Boredom’ draws from the Nine Inch Nails playbook. The album ends just as you may expect from a band like this; ‘Shut Down SETI’ ends the record with droning synths and slow buildups.

The Drones’ seventh album is a slow, burning engine, with occasional bubbles of energy and the uncommon beautiful display of embers. It burns with a vengeance and a conviction, each note a burst of emotion. Even then, it almost feels like it’s lacking somewhere; possibly in its adventure to achieve dirty emotion, it loses touch of any sense of purity it may have. But where it lacks in purity it has in rawness, and this album is about raw revenge.

Favorite Tracks: To Think That I Once Loved You, Then They Came For Me

Least Favorite Tracks: Sometimes, Boredom

Rating: 7.5/10

HÆLOS - Full Circle

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Ever wanted to travel into a black hole? Not like, a deadly, heavy black hole, but one that’s scenic and calm... almost empty, in a sense. If the answer is yes, then the debut album from HÆLOS, Full Circle. With everything from crushing atmospheric synths to crystalline vocals, this album will give you everything you need for a beautiful sonic experience.

The absolute monster this album is can be foreshadowed by the introductory track, ‘Spectrum’, featuring a thick atmosphere and a heavy spoken word sample before kicking into the banger ‘Pray’, which begins dark and explodes into a groovy vibe that plays off the darkness. The next track, ‘Dust’, plays off of the synths by being building a wall of noise with layers of vocals and transcendental synths. Part of what makes this album so fantastic is that it’s so cohesive even while ever song is fundamentally different. After ‘Dust’ comes ‘Full Circle’, the title track; a monster track with a plethora of layers to explore and dive into. Midway through the album is the most breathtaking track on it, ‘Earth Not Above’ that redefines everything you know about atmosphere. With a stunningly beautiful piano melody only making the fantastic instrumental that much more powerful and the haunting harmonies that make up the track, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. The beauty continues with ‘Oracle’, a beautiful track that feels so pure and crystalline, it’s like you can feel it’s smoothness while you drown in its buildup of epic proportions.

The album takes a poppy turn to conclude it, the trend beginning with ‘Separate Lives’, and becomes even bigger in the following track, ‘Sacred’. ‘Cloud Nine’ follows suit in a different way, the London trio giving minimalism a spin and this time making the vocals a more prominent part of the song - in some brilliant way, the vocals are just so much more powerful in this track, and heartbreakingly so, with the reverberating, “Why did you leave me?” repeating over somber piano chords and percussion. The album ends just as powerfully as it begun, though with a stronger disposition with ‘Pale’, which, with it’s haunting lyrics and harmonies, ends the album on a very complete way, packed with synths and a confident beat. The album ends like it’s title implies; it comes full circle within it’s unforgettable music.

HÆLOS’ debut is an enigma. It’s so beautiful and fine that you just need to keep listening again and again before you can truly say you understand it, and even without being able to fully comprehend its power, it’ll leave a lasting mark. It draws you in and leaves you wanting more, though we’ll have to wait until this trio goes back to London for their follow up. Until then, this album won’t be growing old any time soon.

Miike Snow - iii

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Soul is on a rise. The past few years have gifted us the soulful and blues giants that include Sound & Color-era Alabama Shakes and newcomer Jack Garratt. The next player on the scene is Swedish indie pop trio Miike Snow, whose aptly titled third record iii has more layers of soul and groove than you can handle.

 iii is simply just an infectious album. Every song has some splash of vitality that grows more appealing with every listen. Straight off the cuff with ‘My Trigger’, the piano intro just screams soul. The piano is a major component of much of the record, playing vital parts in what makes songs like ‘Back Of The Car’ rolling without faltering. The big single from the record, ‘Genghis Khan’, while “unique” in its wording, is packed to the brim with groove and is driven with conviction. It’s punchy, and even has a feel-good church bell synth/piano lead at the end that ends it on a happy note. The band channels the trademark CHVRCHES sound quite a bit on the record, most notably on the cool intro to ‘For U’ with Charli XCX and ‘The Heart Of Me’. Near the end of the album, Miike Snow begins to pour some more color into the mix. ‘Back Of The Car’ builds up into a massive orchestral pop banger that’s hard to just overlook without any notice. ‘Over and Over’ is riddled with a load of electronics and noise, after a triumphant guitar intro that reprises itself throughout the song. The electronics aren’t absent from the entire record, but they prevail most prominently in this track (speaking of electronics and layers, ‘I Feel The Weight’ feels like it’s straight out of Kanye’s book, right up to the autotune). The synth-filled and sweet ‘Longshot (7 Nights)’ concludes the album on a satisfying, if not a bit underwhelming note.

Miike Snow’s third record definitely has a lot of punch to it. It is, however, very style-centric. You won’t be focusing on the words of the songs as much as you will the feeling, which, for this band, doesn’t have any negative connotations to it. Each track has an infectious factor that’ll keep drawing you in. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely not a record to be overlooked.

Favorite Tracks: Genghis Khan, Over and Over, Heart Is Full

Least Favorite Tracks: Lonely Life, I Feel The Weight

Rating: 7/10

ZAYN - Mind Of Mine

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There’s a new bad boy in town. After saying “See you later” to One Direction, Zayn Malik shed his good-boy heartthrob image (which basically means taking his shirt off and getting some tattoos on there) and adopted a much more mature and sensual sound. His first album, Mind Of Mine, is a huge departure from the sound he would otherwise be associated with, but it feels like he tries too hard to escape that image.

The album kicks off with the obnoxiously stylized ’MiNd Of MiNdd’ (I’m not even going to bother trying to stylize every song I mention - it’s way overboard and edgy) that just makes you feel like you’re missing something. It’s cool and atmospheric, but it just doesn’t build up to anything. The first full song on the album is probably the best one; the single that blew up, ‘Pillowtalk’. It’s a very chill song, and it combines every element of sensuality and musicality exhibited in this album, and the background even has some pretty nice guitar work. The slide into the chorus is epic and can’t be unheard after you hear it. The following track, ‘It’s You’ continues with the instrumental intrigue, with a pretty nice one backing Zayn’s falsetto vocals with piano and some sweet strings at the end. Unfortunately, this is where the album introduces its weak point: trying to hard. In songs like this, you can just tell how hard Malik is trying to escape the One Direction sound. ’Wrong’, ’Fool For You’, and ’Bright’ all have this issue. There’s also a lot of cliché songs on the album, like ’Drunk’ (you can guess the meaning there). And I’m pretty sure the song isn’t referring to the energy drink, so can someone tell me what the hell ‘Lucozade’ means?

Despite the desperate attempts to escape his predecessor’s sound, there are some sweet moments on this album. The intermission, ‘Flower’, is actually an Urdu song that Zayn sang over acoustic guitar. It’s a pretty cool moment on the album, and apparently it was recorded in one take! It’s like a calling to his upbringing living in England with a Pakistani family. It’s a sweet moment that’s even cooler once you learn the story of it. Jazzy elements come into play as the groove is introduced in ‘Bordersz’ and ’Rear View’ that spice up the album. By the end of it, there’s no surprises left, sadly, and it ends unsatisfyingly on ‘She Don’t Love Me'.

Mind Of Mine is by no means a bad album. A boring album? At times, yes. Overall, it’s a pretty average modern pop album. It doesn’t really bring anything groundbreaking to the table besides the assurance to his fans that he’s not done with music. He achieves what he aims for: escaping One Direction. But in distancing himself with this new mature sound, he also seems desperate to escape. For now, it’s a waiting game to see where he goes from here.

Favorite Tracks: Pillowtalk, Intermission: Flower

Least Favorite Tracks: It’s You, Fool For You, She Don’t Love Me

Rating: 6/10

Asking Alexandria - The Black

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Metalcore, and increasingly so, post-hardcore, has adopted the sound of a very distinct fanbase. As is the case with Asking Alexandria, soaring clean vocals above heavy, djent-core guitars following heavy, near-death metal growls define a good portion of their music. The Black follows that suit, but with more grace and a lot more color (despite the record’s title). Unfortunately, with several songs following suit of that very description, this record won’t be taking off with flying colors.

Asking Alexandria tried especially hard to be as edgy and relatable to their fanbase as possible, which, in retrospect, is a good idea. However, if you don’t identify with that, this’ll be harder to grasp. On top of that, a lot of the tracks are almost blatant rip-offs of other bands who make that sound work for them. ‘Undivided’ has the edginess that feels like it was stolen straight from an Enter Shikari song, despite it’s admittedly catchy chorus. The title track, ‘The Black’ is basically a Bring Me The Horizon song, and in its defense, is a pretty good track. The vocals a very much Oliver Sykes during the choruses, and the dark piano and atmospheric background really elevates it. The bridge and ending of the track are fantastic, providing a short reprieve for the intensity of the song. What drags it down is the disgusting screaming on it. This song and opener ‘Let It Sleep’ have that issue - the growls comes straight out of the realm of grindcore. ‘Let It Sleep’ would probably do well as a Cattle Decapitation song. The BMTH comparisons take a cliché turn on ‘I Won’t Give In’ with the gang vocals in the background, which is funny considering that band borrowed from Thirty Seconds To Mars there. If Fall Out Boy had more guitars, the product would be ‘Send Me Home’, but this song is probably one of the best on the record, as it actually feels meaningful and uses that to elevate the song. There is some struggle with grasping meaning on this record, like ‘Sometimes It Ends’, which has just been baffling me with every listen. Is there a meaning to it? Musicianship? An inner struggle? The interludes seem to contradict the deeper message the song may have. ‘Just A Slave To Rock n’ Roll’ is probably the track that makes the least sense. The title literally offers nothing to the song, and it’s more of a bastardization of rock n’ roll, if anything. The intro to the closure track, ‘Circles By The Wolves’, feels wholly unnecessary, not that without it it would be any better, since those screams are back to close out the record. 

This album needed more moments like the song ‘Gone’, or at least the desperation and disposition of it. The song is the most stripped back one on the album, featuring only the harmonies of guitarist Ben Bruce over a sweet symphony and piano. He feels very knowing in his delivery, making the song feel actually meaningful as opposed to a lot of the other tracks. A similar moment is found during the bridge of ‘The Black’, where there’s a break from relentless guitars and instead features a tense and clean atmosphere.

Asking Alexandria’s fourth album leaves a lot to be desired. The good moments are few and far in between, while the rest of it is filled by edgy screaming and whining. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, behind all the guttural screaming, but at that point, I just don’t think I care. The band clearly isn’t incapable of fantastic material, like ‘Send Me Home’ and ‘Gone’, there just isn’t enough power in a lot of the tracks. Their next record needs more substance to surpass this one, which truly won’t have to be too great of a feat.

Favorite Tracks: Gone, Send Me Home

Least Favorite Tracks: Just A Slave To Rock n’ Roll, Sometimes It Ends

Rating: 5.5/10 

Låpsley - Long Way Home

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Making a debut record is perhaps one of the most daunting tasks for an artist. After that first record, there’s room for growth. But first, you have to establish yourself. Låpsley’s debut record Long Way Home delivers an underwhelming electronic pop that centers around one sound rather than showing off her capabilities.

As with any new-wave electropop artist, a lot of the music is minimalistic. The problem here is that Låpsley’s minimalism lacks any substance that makes up for the huge space that needs to be filled. Opening track ‘Heartless’ is empty and minimal to begin with before building into a pop beat that carries the chorus. That’s not to say there aren’t any good moments on the record; ‘Hurt Me’ and ‘Cliff’ are both pop bangers that hold a lot of ground. Lyrically, though, this album has some very weak points that anchor it down. The song ‘Tell Me The Truth’ chooses to punctuate the otherwise meaningful chorus lyrics with “I guess,” as if she’s an edge teenager who doesn’t want to open up to an annoyed parent. ‘Station’ is just downright confusing... you can’t really understand what it is she’s saying, and what could be a sampled dog doesn’t help elevate it. The song ‘Operator’ takes you back in time, bringing soul, R&B, and funk and adding a pop flair to it, which while by itself is a pretty cliché track, it does add a splash of color to the album. The only gem of a song on this album is found towards the end: ‘Silverlake’. It’s an enchanting symphonic pop piece with gorgeous harmonies and the visualization of a lakeshore at night. It’s tantalizing and what the rest of the album should’ve sounded like.

Låpsley’s debut wasn’t too well put together, but it only means her sophomore record can only go up from here. By themselves, the songs are tolerable and most have a fun fire to them. The problem that as a whole, the album is largely incohesive and lacks any punch to keep it interesting. Hopefully she can put together a more powerful second record in the future. This time, with closure and substance.

Favorite Track: Silverlake

Least Favorite Tracks: Station, Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)

Rating: 6/10

Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.

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There’s no hip-hop act out there that has a surprise factor quite like Kendrick Lamar. untitled unmastered. was dropped out of thin air onto Spotify a few weeks ago, and fans everywhere have been wallowing it up. It provides an inside look into some unfinished tracks Lamar has recorded over the last few years, all keying into his tendency to dish out some powerful messages.

As the title suggests, a lot of tracks have a strong unfinished vibe to them, as if their mixing and mastering stages hadn’t been reached yet. That being said, each track does have a cohesiveness to them that does play to that factor. ‘untitled 01′ starts off pretty unsettlingly, with someone speaking sensually into you air, but as soon as Kendrick kicks in, the track explodes into a fury of powerful lines and a thick instrumental. There are many epic lyrical moments like the fire of the first track; ‘untitled 03′ slams the music industry - which, is an interesting thing, since Kendrick’s powerful statement at the 2016 Grammy Awards seem to have helped him to spread the message, even considering the track was written three years ago - and ‘untitled 05′, a brutal track of multiple sections that covered abuse to success. ‘untitled 07′ is also a track of multiple parts, but is somewhat more left-field; perhaps it’s due to the fact that the song is dated as being written through 2014 to 2016 - that’s a lot of growth and different ideas to be had.

Where the album’s lyrics may not be the shining point of each track, the instrumentals take over. ‘untitled 02′ has an eerie instrumental, comparable to David Bowie’s creepy ‘Blackstar’ released in January - it definitely has the frantic saxophones in there that lend it to that comparison. These saxophones find their way into ‘untitled 05′, too, in the same manner, while tracks like ‘untitled 08′ use them in a funky manner. The thick beats are complimented by a thicker bassline in ‘untitled 04′, accompanied by piercing staccato guitars. ‘untitled 06′ brings Kendrick back to his underground vibes and classic sound.

Kendrick always has a way with formulating thought-provoking statements that are infectious, controversial, and agreeable all at once with every effort he has. Even this collection of unfinished songs have more substance than a great deal of hip-hop music. untitled unmastered. goes to show: Kendrick Lamar is the king of hip-hop.

Favorite Tracks: untitled 02, untitled 05

Least Favorite Tracks: untitled 04, untitled 6

Rating: 7/10