Gone Is Gone - Gone Is Gone

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Everyone loves a good stoner rock anthem. Supergroup Gone Is Gone just released their debut eponymous EP, and it's full of those. The band's giant lineup features Troy Sanders, vocalist and bassist of Mastodon, guitarist Troy Van Leeuwin of Queens Of The Stone Age, Tony Hajjar on drums from At The Drive-In, and multi-instrumentalist Mike Zarin. If that lineup alone isn't enough to pick this record up, you may be crazy.

As with any good stoner rock record, you have to have riffs, and this album is chocked full of them. Right from the get go with the giant riff of 'Violescent'. you know you're in for a mental listen. The instrumental crashes epically while Troy Sanders sings roughly above the thrashing riffs. Big instrumental moments are a key part of the record, the epic six minute anthem 'This Chapter' closing the record on many big moments. Other excellent moments include the incredible "All that bleeds is dying" part that concludes 'Stolen From Me' and the evil sounds of 'Praying From This Danger'.

The album does have a few faults in it, though. Two interludes can be found within the record, not really adding anything and interrupting the flow. 'Recede and Enter' does a better job at transitioning into the next track, but 'Character' is an aesthetic interlude with spoken word coming straight from Corey Taylor's playbook and feels like it just drags on for too long. There's also the case of 'Starlight', which is a good song overall, but the vocals and instrumental don't quite fit together. There's a lack of cohesion on the record that makes it hard to really take in at some points.

Gone Is Gone is the new force on the block. Their debut EP shows that they know how to bring the jams, though a little more work is needed, perhaps more chemistry within the group. That cohesion issue really broke apart the record in some places. Their album will be absolutely massive when it drops, though. There's plenty of jams on this record to keep us good until it comes, luckily.

Favorite Tracks: Violescent, Stolen From Me

Least Favorite Tracks: Character, Recede and Enter

Rating: 66 / 100

 

Emily Jane White - They Moved In Shadow All Together

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Darkness always holds some sort of meaning, regardless of what light is shined upon it (or lack thereof, rather). Emily Jane White uses her distinct brand of dreamy, dark folk in her new album They Moved In Shadow All Together to take you on a revealing journey of your inner self. It's a truly cleansing experience to listen to this record.

This album isn't dark folk in the reign of Chelsea Wolfe; this album does not condemn humanity or sound like darkness is swallowing you. It feels more like your running into a pale horizon as the darkness slowly trails behind you, taking memories and dreams with you. It's beautifully put together, beautiful harmonies and slowly trudging instrumentals making the music resonate through your core. The albums also flow gently like a calm sea, 'Pallid Eyes' especially feels like it has a calm sway to it. 'Antechamber' has it's own type of presence, its soaring harmonies contrasting the dark instrumental that has a odd optimism in it. The instrumental moves like a ballet dancer, weaving gracefully in and out and stunning jumps and dives. This album, while slow moving and dark, has a lot of character embedded within it.

Have I mentioned this album is beautiful yet? There are so manny blissful instrumental moments on it that add so much taste to it! The piano performances on the album are fantastic: moments include 'Rupturing' which has a gorgeous ascending piano part that is accompanied by strings to build back in (it reprises itself as a sort of pre-chorus), 'The Black Dove' with a sweet piano intro that leads into a mysteriously and grandly swelling into a truly epic folk song led by confident percussion. The drums on this album are absolutely fantastic, too. Whether it be the slow guiding beat to 'Frozen Garden' or the epic crashes of 'Hands', the percussion on this album was executed incredibly, done with master precision. The instrumentals can also swallow you whole, in the case of the amazingly beautiful cavern that is 'Nightmares On Repeat'.

The lyrics and vocal melodies on this album may the best part of the record. The harmonies are spine tingling and the words chilling. There's not a single lyrical moment to be highlighted, as the entire album is written incredibly. Every word and every line feels so perfectly in place in the scheme of the story this album has that it's almost like you can reach out and hold them. The melodies add movement to this wonderful story, take the haunting melodies of 'Moulding' for example. Absolutely crushing and beautiful.

There's something starkly beautiful in the simplicity of They Moved In Shadow All Together. It hits so close to the heart and feels so real and personal... It sounds like the lovechild of Aurora's music and Chelsea Wolfe's (two artists I can't get enough of), fitting right in between the beauty of both artists' styles. Emily Jane White's new record is a folk masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned. Listen to it. It'll change you.

Favorite Tracks: The Black Dove, Nightmares On Repeat, Hands, Antechamber

Least Favorite Track: The Ledge

Rating: 89 / 100

 

Top 10 Albums Of 2016 (so far):

  1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
  2. AURORA - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend
  3. Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
  4. Deftones - Gore
  5. Dream Theater - The Astonishing
  6. Foxes - All I Need
  7. Daughter - Not To Disappear
  8. Gojira - Magma
  9. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
  10. Emily Jane White - They Moved In Shadow All Together

Chevelle - The North Corridor

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When taking on a Chevelle record, you better know you're heading into the territory of nothing but jams. Their eight record The North Corridor is full of those big riffs, but does find its ways to make it sound repetitive, much like some criticisms of their previous albums have claimed. There hasn't been any curve in sound, if that's what you're looking for.

This album has a very safe alternative metal sound to it. The riffs are big and in your face, if not repetitive, and the spidery vocals and big choruses make up each track. Opening track 'Door To Door Cannibals' starts off with promise, but ends up just being boring, and by the final chorus has you waiting for the end to come. The Tool-esque melodies (the song's vocals has be thinking of 'Ticks & Leeches') give this track some endearing qualities to metal fans, and the big alt. metal chorus is also a treat. If you want a great chorus though, 'Enemies' is your song: its chorus is absolutely massive, though the verses are a bit stale.

The problem with this record is that yes, the riffs are big and metal, but they all kind of sound the same. 'Joyride (Omen)' has that big, upfront metal sound with the distorted bass but just fails to do anything else with its sound besides sound really standard. This album feels like it's full of attempts at something interesting, but none of these attempts got anywhere. 'Punchline' is full of references to jokes, which is lyrically amusing, but has no real place in the album. There's a lot of lyrics that just seem off in the record; 'Young Wicked' comes to mind - it feels almost like it was going for an 'Another Brick In The Wall' vibe - but in oddity it makes up for an engaging instrumental and progression. 'Shot From A Cannon' clocks in at a huge 8 minutes, but there's really no purpose for it to be that long. It's length can be thanked for a long, stale instrumental jam section complete with an uninteresting lead guitar and all. A very incompetent ending to an album that feels much the same. 'Rivers' also has that big instrumental ending, but in grandness it lacks substance to make it actually good.

Chevelle brought jams, sure. These jams get stale after hearing them consecutively on the album, sadly. There's little engagement on The North Corridor. Fans who were disappointed by their last effort La Gargola won't be impressed much by this release, either. It's stale and uninspired. Not much else to it.

Favorite Tracks: Enemies, Young Wicked

Least Favorite Tracks: Shot From A Cannon, Punchline

Rating: 56 / 100

Jay-Z - 'Spiritual'

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Seven people have died over the course of the last week in three different locations. First, Alton Sterling was shot and killed by officers while selling CDs in Baton Rogue, Louisiana. Then, Philando Castile was shot and killed in front of his bride and four-year old son by a cop over a broken headlight in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Lastly, in Dallas, Texas, during a peaceful protest in response to these events, snipers opened fire into the crowd, killing five police officers watching over the protest.

This is the state of America. It's starting to feel as if we can't go a week without another mass-shooting occurring. The line is starting to blur over what exactly our issue is; are our cops racist? Do we discriminate against blacks as if it's the normal thing to do? Do too many people have guns? All the issues keep piling up, as if we can't even come to a consensus on what the real problem is.

Some wager that nothing changes until someone important speaks. Many artists have turned to music to express their views on the matters tearing our country apart. Jay-Z is the latest musician to offer input, releasing a new single titled 'Spiritual'. The song was written a year ago, and seems to be more relevant to the Mike Brown case than this last week's events. This just goes to show, though, that as a country we have made little progress in correcting our errors, as the message of this song still holds true to today.

In a message released alongside the track, Jay-Z stated: "Punch (TDE) told me I should drop it when Mike Brown died, sadly I told him, 'this issue will always be relevant.' I'm hurt and saddened that I knew his death wouldn't be the last... I'm saddened and disappointed in THIS America - we should be further along. WE ARE NOT." The song was written a year ago, but all of it is still relevant. The pre-chorus of the song reads 'Spiritual, yes it is spiritual / No I am not poison, no I am not poison." The message simple, but the delivery sounds pleading, as if it's desperately trying to make the message heard. It seems that hasn't worked yet, as the song continues later 'Got my hands in air in despair / Don't shoot, I just want to do good."

The song has a dark complex surrounding it. The piano serves as the main instrumental melody, flowing mysteriously and all-too knowingly. The song is relatively simple in terms of instrumental, mainly focussing on the message rather than the means. It does have a dark sound to it that feels very rejected and abused, though, which takes that message another step further. The song is't anything special, beyond it's message, but that seems to be the point.

Will things change in America? How many will die by the hands of others before we say enough? Jay-Z's 'Spiritual' comments on the nature of black prejudice faced in society, seen as far back as last year with Mike Brown and as recently as just a few days ago. It's a dark place when the people supposedly protecting you are what you have to be afraid of every day. We can change when we find the love and peace in our hearts to love each other and everyone. That day just seems to keep getting farther away.

Rating: 73 / 100

I would like to offer my condolences to all of those lost and affected by the tragedies of this past week. The world is cruel and at times evil, but in the end, we will all see our way out of the darkness into a better light. Rest in peace to all of the officers and individuals who lost their lives and were injured, and our thoughts are with the families and friends to those affected, and to those who live every day fearing this is what they will have to face. Spread love, not hate.

Message To Bears - Carved From Tides

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A good ambient album will take you places. Some albums will take you to some place fantastic and mystical, while others can take you on a late night stroll through the forest or a late night through the city. Message To Bears' fifth record Carved From Tides is like a snow-ladden travel through the unknown. You don't know where you're headed, but it's certainly chilly and full of wonder.

This album has tracks that are simply beautiful. 'Spin-Float' features sweet, rich acoustic guitars on top of atmospheric synths that fill the track with a warm glow, and guest Gemma Alexander sings enchantingly over it. 'Breathe' is another beautiful track, shining with the same kind of dreamy piano vibe as Radiohead's 'Daydreaming'. What this track differs with, though is the beat that churns with the ever growing track. It builds in an almost epic way, as the instrumental becomes ever-more encompassing with its crystalline piano and sampled vocals. 'They Ran' is much the same, in a different way, though. The track features effected piano rather than the purer format, and focusses more primarily on growing ethereal vocal samples to make up its atmospheric vibe.

This album almost tells a story. The music flows like poetry without words. From the beginning you get the feeling of walking somewhere just before dawn with snow falling gently from the sky - the synths shimmering with the same glow and the snowflakes. You get the vibes of walking through a snowy forest in 'Blossom', while at the end with 'Hold On', rather than being a giant climax of a blizzard swallowing up the sky (surely that's not what you expected, though), you can feel the snow slowly trickle off into a gentle flurry as the first streaks of light breaks through the grey clouds. It's a very warm feeling you get at the end of this record; that's not to say that the album is otherwise cold and unwelcoming - well, it will give you chills, - but it feels like your experiencing a faraway familiar emotion. 'When You're Gone' seems to personify that emotion, speaking of ghosts in a distant way, as if it haunted the narrator until this sort of revelation. It's hopeful. It's interesting - you can't quite put a finger on exactly what the emotion is, perhaps nostalgia or one of its offspring, but it certainly feels lifting.

Message To Bears creating an ambient masterpiece. A lot of the tracks do work better in context of the album's consecutive poetry rather than standalone items, but as one start-to-finish piece, it's a fantastic listen. It gets slow at parts - which is what adds to the standalone argument - but it can be forgiven for that at its emotional climaxes. It's like a fine diamond that's not quite so perfect. It's cracked with the stories of a lifetime, that story being told through the music of Carved From Tides. Ambient album of the year goes to this one.

Favorite Tracks: Breathe, Hold On, Blossom, When You're Gone

Least Favorite Track: I'll Lead You There

Rating: 84 / 100

Biffy Clyro - Ellipsis

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Scotland's key rockers Biffy Clyro are back and bigger than ever in their new album, Ellipsis. After extensively touring for their last release (2013's Opposites), the band took a break for awhile before getting their blood flowing again. And here they are, back and in full force. Ellipsis brings all the jams - Biffy has never been in better shape.

One thing you need to know for any Biffy Clyro record: the riffs will have you off your feet. This album even goes relatively easy on the riffs for Biffy standards, but they do exist and they do make their presence well known. The riffs kick off immediately with opener 'Wolves Of Winter', the dark intro building into the thick riffs. Vocalist Simon Neil's vocals blend brilliantly with the driving guitars, especially in the second half of the second verse - that's some great stuff. Heavy yet melodic is always an awesome combo. The song's solo is also electrifyingly awesome, too. 'On A Bang' is led by the rolling distorted guitar powerchords, Neil's vocals chanting proudly and powerful in conjunction with the heaviness. The album's closer 'In The Name Of The Wee Man' is also packed with fast punches of energy in the riffs, while still finding quiet moments, including the brilliantly composed bridge, deceivingly quiet while building urgency into a massive ending to a massive record. Other jams include 'Flammable', a song with loads of groove and is extremely infectious. This song will get you moving in your seat just listening to it, the great alt. rock chorus keeping you at it's beckoning.

This album also sees a lot of a softer side of Biffy Clyro. When the riffs aren't pounding into your ears, there's a lot of poppier, lighter rock tunes going on, some songs even abandoning guitar as a focus in favor of something else. The poppier sound can be easily heard in 'Friends and Enemies', which has very uplifting vibe and definitely segues from the former opener track in a good way - it has that good balance of heaviness and poppiness to it that makes it a success. 'Animal Style' falls in the same category, though it has more of a stoner rock vibe instead. The chorus is big but focuses more on the vocals than the big guitars. 'Don't, Won't, Cheat' utilizes gang vocals in a great way, keeping their harmonies interesting while not detracting attention from the lead. The guitar in this one is also very interesting - it sounds complex, while still feeling generally simple. Then the album gets into 'Re-arrange', which is very sweet and quiet. It has a very gentle, almost lullaby-esque melody going with it that flows like a sweet breeze. It feels genuinely happy, and that's always welcome in any song. The quietest song on the record is the beautiful 'Herex', an acoustic track blending full acoustic guitars with angelic orchestras; an amazing song full of emotion. In an album the begins and ends huge, it's nice to find gentle gems like this at its core.

The poppy sound does feel a bit beaten to death by the end of the record, though. By the end of the record, the last of the pop-rock run with the song 'People', it just feels repetitive. When you hit 'Howl', it's almost like you've already heard the same song before - and done in a more engaging respect earlier on in the record. There's also the failed experiment with 'Small Wishes', that almost feels like a country song (that's probably where it fails with me, at least). It just feels so odd and out of place amidst a record otherwise filled with jams and ballads that it almost alienates the vibe the album had going on leading up to it.

Biffy Clyro never fails to impress. Ellipsis is a jam filled record, from the beginning to the very end it brings raw energy in the form of riffs, with moments of gentle emotion in between. Biffy has always been great at balancing jams and connective moments. Ellipsis is no exception. It's a standout in their already amazing discography. This band is back, and bigger than ever. Mon the biff!

Favorite Tracks: Wolves Of Winter, Flammable, In The Name Of The Wee Man

Least Favorite Track: Small Wishes

Rating: 87 / 100

2nd Quarter Of 2016 in Music - Wrap Up

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2016 is still rolling by, and the albums are getting more diverse. Here's what I've listened to over the last three months (April - June) and links to the albums I've reviewed.

5-Star Albums (8.5 - 10)

4-Star Albums (6.5 - 8)

3-Star Albums (4.5 - 6)

2-Star Albums (2.5 - 4)

  • None!

1-Star Albums (0 - 2)

 

Top Albums Of 2016 (so far)

  1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
  2. AURORA - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend
  3. Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
  4. Deftones - Gore
  5. Dream Theater - The Astonishing
  6. Foxes - All I Need
  7. Daughter - Not To Disappear
  8. Gojira - Magma
  9. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
  10. Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us

Top Songs Of 2016 (so far)

  1. AURORA - 'Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) (Acoustic)'
  2. Radiohead - 'True Love Waits'
  3. Deftones - 'Hearts/Wires'
  4. Radiohead - 'Daydreaming' *
  5. Panic! At The Disco - 'Emperor's New Clothes'
  6. Foxes - 'Better Love'
  7. Lacey Sturm - 'Rot'
  8. AURORA - 'Through The Eyes Of A Child'
  9. Deftones - 'Phantom Bride'
  10. Thrice - 'Black Honey'

Once again, thanks for reading our reviews and following us! :) There's a lot more to come. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page so you don't miss anything!

The Avalanches - Wildflower

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Nearly 16 years off of its debut release, The Avalanches have finally returned in a big way with this year's plunderphonics epic Wildflower. Be prepare for a long and sweet nostalgic trip with sonic accompaniment by your side.

It's hard to put a finger on it, but each track has a distinct touch of dreamy nostalgia to it. Perhaps it's the scenes in between tracks that simulate beachside chilling or lazy afternoons watching TV, or the somewhat lo-fi feel in each track, but something just feels familiar in each song, from every angle. 'Live A Lifetime Love' has a lot of traffic sounds and active noise in the background that feels just like a commute to work or a drive through the town. There's also the sweetness of 'If I Was A Folkstar', that feels like it goes through the whole spectrum of emotions without being specific to any regard. 'Sunshine' brings you back to that feeling of falling in love for the first time, all the joy and serenity paired with it. It's almost like the album tells the story of life and all its beauties.

A lot of this album, when not stirring up your emotions, is just pure fun. Right from the beginning we have 'Because I'm Me', sounding high and proud with grand strings leading you into the golden city party the album offers. 'Frankie Sinatra' offers an old-fashioned carnival vibe backing hip-hop verses. There's a really playful tone in this one, making it a really fun and vivid listen. Other songs that have this fun embodiment include the absolutely ridiculous (one of those so bad it's good songs) 'The Noisy Eater' and the sweet 'Harmony'.

One thing you have to be weary about with this album, though, is that if you don't get it, it won't do much for you. Listening through it, you can kind of get the feel of the tracks and the emotion packed in with them, but there is a certain alienation you feel if you don't connect with it. It almost feels like a generational thing, a lot of the samples are maneuvered to have a more lo-fi vibe, or just a more relevant vibe to an older time. It will even get a bit boring if it doesn't key in with the listener. That's what set this album off for me - it was enjoyable, but it never really clicked.

The Avalanches didn't disappoint with the 16 year wait since their debut. Wildflower seems to have been well worth its wait time. However, if you weren't there for Since I Left You, the charm of the album may be lost. It's enjoyable even without having listened to its predecessor, but it feels like there's something I'm missing. Perhaps it'll click at another time. For now, I can take this album for a nice chill day with a cold drink. Here's hoping the next album isn't two decades away.

Favorite Tracks: Frankie Sinatra, Harmony

Least Favorite Tracks: The Leaves Were Falling, Subways

Rating: 73 /  100

araabMUZIK - Dream World

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Elements of trap, hip-hop, and electronica all come together on araabMUZIK's third effort, Dream World, but perhaps not to the greatest of results. The album takes the trashiest parts of all of its elements and combines it into one, flat, sloppy compilation of boring tracks.

For some, just the use of the word "trap" can be enough to deter their attention. This album doesn't do that any favors. Most notably at the core of the tracklist are tracks clearly intended to instigate a late night club and rave vibe, some doing better than others. This theme is first seen in 'A.M.', which tries to be the hype up song any rave needs but just fails in context of the album, given that it's sandwiched between some relatively chiller tracks. This track and the track that does what 'A.M.' wishes it could do better 'Stadium House' are found between the lame, minimal hip-hop beat track 'Try Me' and the slow and chill (admittedly refreshing) 'Mind Trip'. 'Try Me' falls in line with many other dull tracks including 'Loud' (literally featuring someone named Loud Lord) and 'Train Wreck', the latter of which clearly warns you of its quality in the title.

Lots of this album is just plain standard; even lower than that, at points. Songs like the raving 'Senor Breakfast' with Baauer could've been a solid track had it had some form of progression going on - it's mostly just one synth hook on repeat for three minutes without any real elaboration on anything. 'Left Side' had a lot of potential with the sweet piano and bass duo it has going on, but there's no action found within it. A simple piano lick or drop could've easily elevated the track to something more than two loops repeating for three and a half minutes. That's where all the problems lie with this record - araab thought he had something going with the hook for each song, but relying on a single hook in each song and repeating it in every measure of it was not the way of making the songs click. The only song I can say I legitimately enjoyed was 'Chasing Pirates', and that's all thanks to the creaminess of Raiche's melody and voice throughout the song.

araabMUZIC doesn't really seem to understand the concept of a good hook. You get one rolling and repeat it at pivotal moments of the song: a chorus, a repeat, a coda, et al. What you don't do is repeat in every single bar of every single measure of the track. That's where Dream World fails. You're better off skipping this one, unless you need some crappy background music for a party.

Favorite Track: Chasing Pirates

Least Favorite Tracks: Train Wreck, War Cry, A.M.

Rating: 30 / 100

Seconds To Stand - 'Burnt'

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Boston native pop punk outfit Seconds To Stand has been refreshing the pop punk scene for a couple of years now, and have starting offering up some studio content. The band's latest single is 'Burnt', a fresh sounding taste of pop punk that brings you back to the mid-2000's feel.

The song begins with lo-fi guitar that confidently brings in the signature punk drum beat and distorted guitars. Vocalist James Smith gives a great vocal performance throughout the track, singing positively on a seemingly end-all situation, ending the song with the words, "And I don't know what way I can go / But I know I'm not too far / I'll just hold onto my head and my heart". The verses of the track feature sweet guitar licks from guitarist Ray Brunelle and a driven drum beat as the beat and distortion is taken up a notch for the big choruses, with Chris Weeler handling the low end of the track. Nothing really goes beyond standard powerchords and higher leads as far as guitar goes, but that all plays to the flavor of the genre. The buildup of the bridge adds a nice taste of difference in a song that admittedly doesn't change much throughout, leading strongly into the final blast of energy in the final chorus.

Seconds To Stand is all about being uplifting. Their music makes the most out of the negatives of life, making energetic tracks for people both to scream out to and relate to. The band's single 'Burnt' is a great representation of who they are; a fire that won't stop fighting. The only real complaint you can have with the song is that it sounds like a standard pop punk song - nothing besides it's message really screams innovation or something to keep the band separate from the rest. That being said, who doesn't like a good old fashioned pop punk track?

Rating: 68 / 100