Gojira - Magma

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French behemoths Gojira never go lightly into a new frontier. The band's sixth effort Magma shows a more emotional side to the band, being written and recorded after the death of the band brothers Joe Duplantier's and Mario Duplantier's mother. The album feels angry and seeks vengeance, confidently taking strides with each powerful track making a new mark.

Gojira has always been an interesting band. Their lyrics always had some charge to them, typically that of a pro-environmentalist view. Magma doesn't feel the same way other big albums from this band has felt. The impact of their critically acclaimed From Mars To Sirius is present on this album, but in a different kind of light. There's a very apparent disposition on the album. The instrumentals speak for it - melody combines with cavernous and brooding booms of noise that create a tense atmosphere around each track. 

Melody is a key component in this record, and something that is somewhat new for Gojira. Their music never really keyed in on the melodic side of things. This has changed with Magma, where many tracks even centralize themselves around melody. Single 'Stranded' is the first song to give a taste of a revitalized Gojira, beginning straight off with an electrifying riff with a crazy guitar effect. The song bases itself around the riff before the climax of it, where a clean and melodic part comes in - a first for the band. The part of the song comes as a big surprise and a fresh taste of something different. It's big and epic, and doesn't bring the song down in any respect - if anything, it raises it to something new.

Melody plays different roles throughout the record. The brutal 'Pray' makes use of moody dark melodies on top of crushing riffs to create a giant atmosphere. 'Pray' is perhaps the most metal sounding song on the record, beginning with that dark atmosphere with distant flute in the background (the flute plays a surprisingly major key in this record, too). There's something so hauntingly dark about this song that goes beyond it's composition, its hard to comprehend. Title track 'Magma' has much the same structure, beginning creepily before a threatening instrumental kicks in. The verses feature a strange guitar line and almost monotonous vocals that feel like a religious chant. The choruses have giant vocals with resonating harmonies, progressing on from the verses. The bridge is just massive, incredible screams that bring the song into its instrumental climax. The large majority of the song is centered around the guitar, which is featured in an electrifying solo with that strange guitar effect, before a cleaner distortion ending kicks in to end the track with violent vocals.

Of course, with any metal band, the instrumentals have to play a big role in the composition of each track. As mentioned prior, flute makes a big but subtle impact throughout the record, being featured in the background of multiple tracks. Big riffs carry many of the songs forward, including intro track 'The Shooting Star', bringing the album in on an intense note. The big riffs accompanied by the expansive vocals create a giant epic track. The guitar riffs in this song progress in a such a dark way, that small movement in the verses adding so much intensity to it.  'The Cell' is all about the riffs, literally being a three-minute punch in the face of heaviness. Instrumental interlude 'Yellow Stone' is slow and dark, like much of the rest of the record, and progresses the album into its darker half with ease. 'Only Pain' features that same guitar effect from 'Stranded', ending even bigger than the single does. Guitar is the central focus of 'Silvera', epic riffs accompanied by brilliant melodic guitars that soar high above the dark rhythm. The album ends, surprisingly, on a soft note. 'Low Lands' is a heavy track that ends acoustically, leading into the final track, the instrumental 'Liberation'. The track is just as the title claims; it's the aftermath of the brutality of the album and the consequences of its intensity. Its a very stripped down track, acoustic guitar and a tribal drum beat. It's calm and recollective, not much to it besides the reprieve of the end. An interesting choice to end the album on a song such as this. Perhaps it was a send off from the brothers to their mother; the album was the emotion they faced at her loss, and the end is their final release and acceptance.

Magma is a huge album. It's unlike other albums of its kind in that it doesn't focus on the riffs. Instead, it focuses on the emotions of the music. It's dark and angry, but with a disposition that makes it personal. It's the summation of sound of anger that burns within us at the time of loss. It's the summation of the sadness we feel, too. It's the summation of that side of the human spectrum of emotion, and with that, it made its brilliant mark.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway

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Being a band of giant caliber means there's a lot riding on every release. If it's not like the classics, the fans won't take easy to it, but at the same time, if it's not different, people will call you a sellout. The balance lies in taking all of what you were before, and progressing forward with new elements to take the sound one step further.

Red Hot Chili Peppers tried their best with this. The Getaway is a funky record, but it lacks something. It had the signature RHCP flair to it, that's undebatable, but it feels so standard for them. It's RHCP, but nothing more and nothing less. The infectious sound just overuses itself throughout the album, giving the album a great start but a less than memorable body.

Beginning with the two singles gives the album some hope. 'The Getaway' introduces the album with beatboxing percussion before a groovy beat and spidery guitar kicks in. Anthony Kiedis's flowing melodies sweetly fly over a light and bright instrumental. Lots of dreamy guitar parts start making their way into the track, providing for lovely tastes of ear candy. Female vocals kick in as little parts during the pre-choruses and the final climax of the track. This song is really just a great build up into the album, levels being progressively added in subtle but brilliant ways. 'Dark Necessities' follows up, starting off big to begin with, quiet bass and muted guitar contrasting each other as piano chords and arpeggios bring the track into a punchy bass line. The song features groovier vocal melodies and nice piano chords that add a lot of aesthetic to it. Closure track 'Dreams Of A Samurai' is a very surprising song, considering its an RHCP song that's actually evocative. It builds brilliantly with lots of noise and powerful guitars bringing it up, a sweet bassline that accentuates the background choir, ending with a dreamy and confident note. A strong closure for an album that has songs that don't live up to the rest of it.

And that's where it all goes down. The rest of the album is just uninteresting and bland. There's a lot of groove and color on the album, but nothing that you haven't heard before, or anything particularly good. After the first two tracks, you'd skip the entire rest of it to find something particularly stand out. The third track 'We Turn Red' is extremely groovy, a big drum beat and powerful verse brought into a strangely sweet verse. The verses and choruses feel like they should be part of different songs, or at least the instrumental vibes of them reversed. 'Sick Love' is pretty solid, though the solos near the end need a lot more punch. It feels way too quiet and subdued to stand out. The solo itself is great - production is its enemy. 'Goodbye Angel' is another track with great solos and a solid instrumental. The lyrics bring this one down, like they're trying way too hard to sound modern. The rest of the track is pretty great - the drum crescendo is epic and the harmonies are sweet. The "Ay yo, ay yo, ay yo" parts really kill it for me, sadly. Thankfully, the rest of the track makes up for it.

While those songs hold some ground, much of the rest of the record is bland. Lots of tracks don't even have good climaxes or hooks that can justify them. 'The Hunter' has lyrics that are just so obvious. There's no thought or depth to them, it's like they've been laid out on a plate for you. 'Detroit' has a strong riff in it, but the rest of really doesn't carry the same punch the riff has. The vocal melody doesn't even feel like it fits in.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' new album isn't the greatest. It has some good bangers on it, but not enough leverage in other tracks to bring it up. It's just boring. That's all that can be said. It's a real shame too, since a lot of their iconic tracks worked so well with the quieter sound they have made good. Perhaps it's the production that made this album its victim, or just a lack of inspiration. Maybe the next record will tell.

Favorite Tracks: Dark Necessities, The Getaway, Goodbye Angels, Dreams Of A Samurai

Least Favorite Tracks: Detroit, The Longest Wave, Go Robot

Rating: 65 / 100

Swans - The Glowing Man

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Post-rock has the potential to be so many different things. It can be wild and frantic, moving in ways and shapes that the mind can't predict. It can also move in slow and melancholy ways that build slowly over time, allowing for massive spaces of atmosphere to settle in. Post-rock legends Swans find a compromise right in between these two extremes in their new record, The Glowing Man.

Going into a Swans record means you have to be mentally prepared to handle an otherworldly experience. Each record is like something from another dimension. Over their multi-decade spanning career, they've carved a niche for themselves. This album borrows heavily from their latest efforts: 2012's dramatic The Seer and 2014's funkier To Be Kind. The Glowing Man is like a coagulation of the two albums, the influence of both being clear while still one substance as it stands.

Nearly half of the songs on the record have a runtime of over twenty minutes, and while those times may seem as off-putting, a lot goes on within each track over that long span of time. A mild sense of the giant build ups this album has can be taken from the first track, 'Cloud Of Forgetting', that begins quietly with distant guitar before big guitar and kick hits come in to end the track. The track builds slowly over its twelve and a half minute length, with creepy vocals from Michael Gira depressingly and revealingly occur throughout the track, ending with deep descending pianos. Following that track is the epic 'Cloud Of Unknowing', a track that truly exemplifies the sound of Swans. Beginning creepily with scratches and horrific and panicked sounds, accompanied by terrifying screams of the tortured, massive, dark walls of noise build into a petrifying heavy climax that lead the song into a gentle ending, with church bells that act as both a throwback to The Seer and the feeling that this song is inspired by the absolute depths of Hell itself.

Title track 'The Glowing Man' is much the same, while not being quite as utterly scary as the former track. It's more of an experimental song, glitchy guitars accompanied by atmospheric splashes of synths. It has a dramatic and heavy, thrashy middle section that sounds like a heavier, somehow darker version of Nine Inch Nails. Several songs feature the use of synths to help build the cavernous and endless atmosphere the album really banks on, including 'People Like Us' and 'Frankie M', the latter of which is another track that has a massive, heavy guitar part as its culmination.

The only real issue with the album is that some of the songs are really drawn out. While the tracks are brilliant in their own rights, a lot of them could be shorter. After twenty minutes of the same song, there's a lot of progression that could even serve as parts of a bigger whole, and perhaps better off as separate tracks. The album banks on long sections of repeating measures that slowly and slowly build up and slow down, sometimes really dragging down the mood. It does work in the favor of 'Cloud Of Unforgiving', since that track's devilish overtones really play to the slow and building intensity. It works in most tracks in the same way it doesn't.

Swans never go small. Each release is a work of art, in a different and strange way. The Glowing Man may be one of the band's darkest releases, long drawn out songs building with subtle intensities to brilliant and powerful climaxes that peak with such darkness and power that you cannot forget. Another brilliant piece of post-rock from a brilliant band. Some songs are dragged down by their length, but in the end this album wouldn't be quite the dark monster it would be without that factor. Give it a shot - it's an album that'll leave you thinking for a long time.

Favorite Tracks: Cloud Of Unknowing, The Glowing Man

Least Favorite Track: When Will I Return

Rating: 7.5/10

Jon Bellion - The Human Condition

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If you've ever needed the feel good vibes of Disney music in your uncensored summer jams, Jon Bellion has you covered. His new album The Human Condition is full of hits and bangers ready for the thrill of summer, but lacks distinction as a full album.

This album has loads and loads of color to it. There are lots of different sounds on it and heaps of personality laced into each track. The unfortunately titled 'Maybe IDK' is the height of it, starting symphonically and kicking in to the feel good acoustic fingerpicking accompanied by strings in the verses. The choruses of this song are fantastic, big and powerful with pop strings subtly lying underneath the building beat and soaring harmonies. The song itself is very catchy and uplifting, and screams summer all over it. Lots of the vocal moments on this record are where it shines such as the song 'All Time Low', that has some cool sampled vocal parts throughout it, and the "Low, low, low" parts in the chorus are great. The hip-hop centric 'New York Soul (Pt. ii)' is an interesting one, as it begins just as you'd expect any standard pop-rap track to begin, but progresses into a darker track, becoming a more serious one than a fun-toned one. The last big banger on the record is 'Guillotine', which is just purely infectious with its gooey choruses and scatted backing harmonies.

This album isn't absent from all flaws, however. A lot of tracks lack cohesion and feel slapped together out of necessity. 'Woke The Fuck Up' is a song brought down a peg by this factor - a catchy and funky track that is brought down by its weird samples and strange transitions. 'Morning In America' has a premise that feels a bit too real to compliment the album and the tonality of the song itself. A bunch of little parts have issues, too. In 'Weight Of The World', a really cool guitar part comes in, but as energetic as it comes in it falls flat as a big moment that should follow it never comes. It almost just sits there and waits for something that will never be there. '80's Film' is similarly themed, it's 8-bit synths not seeing much accompaniment besides vocals until halfway through second verse - way too long of a wait for the song to finally start building up (a problem that 'iRobot' almost faces, too). Not to mention, that build up is just the introduction of a beat. The song's shortness doesn't justify the lack of body, and it ends too abruptly before that can be addressed.

Jon Bellion made what he set out to do - make a great album for the summer. It's the perfect soundtrack for a road trip down the coast into the sunset, or for a trip down by the beach. Without the context of summer, though, some tracks miss out on the hype. The tracks in question lose some energy as a result of being incohesive and feel like fillers as a result of laziness. It's a great album to kick back and jam to, and with summer break just around the corner (or already here, for some), a new addition to your playlists has just arrived with the release of The Human Condition.

Favorite Tracks: Maybe IDK, Guillotine, All Time Low

Least Favorite Tracks: Morning In America, Overwhelming

Rating: 7/10

G.O.O.D. Music - 'Champions'

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Big collaborations amongst a strong group of individuals can either go brilliantly or flop epically. The return of G.O.O.D. Music boasts the likes of Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, and more. Lead single from the follow up of the 2012 debut Cruel Summer 'Champions' shines the light on the fame of these artists and what their stardom has brought them. The question is, is this song conceited and cocky, or rightfully optimistic?

Before delving into the overarching questions this song beckons, the instrumental has to be accounted for. It's banging. Cinematic synths fill the verse instrumentals, creating a big party vibe. Deep bass synths provide the track its powerful low end, creating lots of space between the deep groans of the bass and the high dancing chords of the main synth. The track's beat is perhaps the least notable thing about the instrumental, incidentally. The synths do all the work here. The beat does take over during certain parts, such as behind Big Sean's big verse, where the beat takes a solo before the synth returns in the same pattern. 

The track is pretty evenly split - half of the verses are great, and the other half are awful. The good half sees the song's subject in a thankful light; or, at least, in a non-conceited way. Quavo's verse is the in between - it has no clear side, and it's more neutral if anything. It merely discusses the media's interpretation of his fame, referencing his fame as a source of attraction in the world. Kanye West, ironically, has one of the more grateful verses on the track. He discusses how his outwardness is what crafts him; he says things no one else would dare to say. He then switches subjects to say he has overcome his difficulties and the nonbelievers in the lines "I done lost and made money / Now I'm makin' somethin' they can't take from me / And I'm fresh out of debt in this mothafucka! / And they still ain't ready yet for a mothafucka," the alleged fourteen million dollar debt he was in being easily paid off by the success of his more recent material. Big Sean's verse is, also ironically, probably the best on the album. It is charged and fiery, putting forward his fame like the bullets to his loaded gun of his words. He attacks his opposition (the haters, as it were) with his fast-flowing verse, even going as far to claim he's sorry their hatred can't best him: "Look, I say a prayer for my enemies / They cannot slow down what's meant for me." It's just a generally badass verse. The chorus is sung by Travis Scott, very fittingly placed on top of the deep bass synths which compliment the layers of vocals and harmonies, meanwhile the lyrics serve as a bridge between the good and bad perspectives of fame.

The rest of the collaborators bring the track down in the second half of the song. Desiigner's ad libs on the subsequent choruses just ruin it, and it's his only contribution on the track! 2 Chainz's verse serves no other purpose than to say that every girl he's finds (including the one he's currently engaged with) will bring him to the next girl, and the cycle repeats. Yo Gotti delivers a very conceited verse next, the trashiness of the verse complimented by the tacky samples of "Yuh!" and throaty "Yeahs." Gucci Mane follows up without the transition of a chorus, and it honestly would have been a good verse had it not been for all the ridiculous sounds in the background and his pathetic attempts to try and vocalize the last few lines.

'Champions' is split straight down the center. The first half is worth listening to again and again, the verses strong and from grateful and restrained dispositions, while the second half is almost pathetically sad in how conceited it is. The track's purpose is to shine a light of all these "champions'" fame and how they see it, or, in some cases, how others see it. The choices the rappers made to either thank it or brag about it really crafted a hit-or-miss scenario. That being said, there's a lot of hope for the upcoming Cruel Winter. Lot's of it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Nick Jonas - Last Year Was Complicated

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Nick Jonas has hopped on the going-solo boat. His new record Last Year Was Complicated is interesting - it's not what you'd expect for him, but it doesn't fully shy away from being a standard pop record. Infectious grooves here and there carry the record to its end, but after the first few songs it mellows out.

This album has a good chunk of highlights in it that bring it success. The first track 'Voodoo' is my favorite song on the record - I'm a sucker for songs with Middle Eastern vibes. Jonas' melodies during the choruses are fantastic with fantastic harmonies backing it. The theatrics of the song beg for grand live production, the thrilling percussion and layers of vocals make this song so groovy and such a standout from the rest, it's hard to beat a song like this. Melody carries the song 'Under You', the vocals in the bridge being particularly fantastic. The effected vocals add a lot of flavor to an already colorful instrumental. Some songs like single 'Champagne Problems' just ooze pop appeal, infectious hooks on top of deep beats being on the dance vibe and make the song a big hit. Among the guest spots on the album is Tove Lo in 'Close', where her contribution makes the song a great experience - her duet with Nick in the bridge is brilliant. There are little elements in many songs that also give a fresh taste, such as the groovy guitar parts in 'Touch'.

This is about as much credit as this album can get, though. Outside of these few tracks, the album is a very standard listen. Some songs lack any niche, tracks like 'The Difference' sounding like any other pop song. Some guest spots are wasted, Big Sean being placed in the throwaway track 'Good Girls' and Ty Dolla $ign in the strange 'Bacon'. Other songs have elements to them that bring them down as a whole, while the rest of the song may be fine. A prime example of this is 'Don't Make Me Choose', a good song with a good hook but an utterly cringeworthy chorus, the line "Don't make me choose between my left hand and my right" ruining the whole sentiment of the song. There's no substance after the record's beginning. There a few flashes of creativity hidden few and far between the tracks, but the negatives unfortunately outweigh the majority of the album.

Last Year Was Complicated isn't a failure, but it isn't quite a success either. The album begins triumphantly and perfectly, with a lot of original flair and color to it. The rest of the album unfortunately sinks into a hole of standard pop music that is easy to forget. There's nothing separating a good chunk of the album from any other pop song on the radio, and that really brings the album down after a fantastic beginning. Nick Jonas needs to build off the abilities he showcased at the start of the record when he goes about recording his next album - potential exists.

Favorite Tracks: Voodoo, Under You, Champagne Problems

Least Favorite Tracks: Bacon, Good Girls, The Difference

Rating: 6.5/10

Dark Suns - Everchild

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Progressive rock isn't the first genre that comes to mind when trumpets are in question. This doesn't seem to phase German prog-rockers Dark Suns, though. Their new record Everchild is a brilliant fusion of jazz and blues with all the positive flavors of progressive rock in between.

There are some brilliant trumpet performances on this record, perhaps the albums best quality. They blare proudly on intro track 'The Only Young Ones Left', showing up as surprisingly as you may expect. The rest of the track is a strong driven buildup of riffs and 80s prog-rock vibes and their best. Following it up is another trumpet-baring track, 'Spiders', the track this time beginning on a moody jazz scene before powerchords kick in to accentuate the punchy brass. The height of jazz touches on the record is 'Monster', a very unique song on the record. Beginning with doom jazz aesthetic complete with cavernous pianos and sweet basslines, the song is the only one to feature female vocals on the record, another unexpected surprise leaving for brilliant flashes of creativity. To top it all off, the band boldly ends the album on a cover of Tori Amos' 'Yes, Anastasia', luckily doing the song some justice, moodily beginning and ending it epically, as it should.

On top of the unique qualities of this record are classic, powerful rocking moments. 'Escape With The Sun' is deceptively quiet in its atmospheric intro as gentle blues guitar chords carry a haunting melody throughout the track. This song builds up epically, harmonies increasing as intensity of the instrumental also curves upwards. By the end of the track you have angry guitars powerfully galloping to the climax and high orchestras sounding strongly above a chilling melody. Orchestras are the subtle highlight of 'The Fountain Garden' as well, beautifully shimmering with wonderful chords, inspiring amazing imagery. Perhaps the album's magnum opus is title track 'Everchild', which takes in every quality the band has exhibited in the album and crafts a whole new beast. Starting off with the signature moody piano before turning to dark guitars and brooding drums, the subtle waves of guitars and building noise brings this track to a huge state. The bridge of the song is perhaps the biggest moment on the album, extremes of high and low guitars slamming down with quartered crashes while orchestra back the beautifully haunting words, "I am the everchild" to conclude the song on an incredibly striking moment.

You can never go quite wrong with prog rock, especially when you take it to a grandiose level and add bits of originality to it. Dark Suns brought forth jazz and blues while still maintaining the integrity of progressive rock, all to amazing discord. Not many of the tracks standout as masterpieces, but gems are found throughout an album that doesn't have a dull moment. Being in this game for nearly two decades hasn't faltered Dark Suns - if this is any indication, their sound will only keep going up from here.

Favorite Tracks: Everchild, Escape With The Sun, The Only Young Ones Left

Least Favorite Track: Torn Wings

Rating: 7/10

Beartooth - Aggressive

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Beartooth's sophomore record Aggressive suffers from follow-up syndrome. The band attempts to channel their raw energy into a collection of twelve monotonous tracks that kills the album at its core.

To its credit, the album does start off with power. The album is introduced on a huge note with title track 'Aggressive', beginning on a gory harmony of clean vocals and throaty screams that kick in full force with a series of jagged riffs. The song has grand choruses enlarged by the aggregation of screams and powerful vocals. The big chorus theme finds itself holding true throughout a good half of the record, 'Fair Weather Friend' following through with massive riffs backing it, as well. The brutal bridge of 'Loser' is groundbreaking, a cavernous riff backing deathly screams. 'Hated' channels Rise Against during the verses, as if the band taking punk and bringing it into the light of post-hardcore.

Unfortunately, after this short run of the first third of the record, things go downhill. The core of the record lacks any meat - the first third had massive riffs with big choruses and grand riffs that had a distinct punch to them. Perhaps the victim of production, the middle section of the record lacks punchiness. On top of the lack of discretion, the album becomes boring at this point. The problem many post-hardcore bands fall into is that after a triumphant intro, they continue to play off the formula of former tracks, leaving no originality outside the first few tracks. Beartooth falls into this trap - I couldn't even tell the song had changed between 'Censored' and 'Always Dead'. The first tastes of originality comes all too late and in the wrong positioning on the album - the closure track 'King Of Anything' is the only song that sounds remotely different from the rest, being only a distorted guitar on top of Caleb Shomo's raspy vocals. It leaves the album off on an unfulfilling conclusion and leaves it sounding empty, as if something big needs to follow up.

Focussing on the lyrics may ruin the album further for you. With such gems as the pre-chorus of 'Rock Is Dead', featuring the line "I'd rather be deaf, I'd rather be dead than bored out of my mind" and the entirety of 'Loser', you're better off focussing on the instrumental. 'Loser' is carried a lot further with the grandness of its riffs, and 'Rock Is Dead' is supported only by the energy of its ironic rock vibe. The latter brings back the loudness found at the beginning of the record, but with only one subpar track to follow, there wasn't much hope at that point anyway.

Beartooth did not find artistic success on this record, sadly. It feels like an album for those who want to believe they listen to big, heavy metal, but in actuality, are actually listening to the same trashy Pierce The Veil chauvinism put to bigger riffs. The album begins well, but just cannot carry itself through to the end. Their debut blows it out of the park, and hopefully their next record will see that light, too.

Favorite Tracks: Aggressive, Loser

Least Favorite Tracks: Censored, Always Dead, Find A Way

Rating: 5.5/10

Olaf Stuut - Run

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Electronic music comes in many flavors, minimalistic often being one of the last subdivisions to come to mind. Minimalistic electronica, when taken under the hands of experimental masterminds, can be a beautiful thing. Olaf Stuut presents this notion with his new release, 'Run', which bends genre with a subtle flair of funk and hip-hop over dark and brooding synths.

While on the surface the music in the album may seem simplistic, there's a lot going on at the core of it. The album doesn't feature too many vocals, primarily focussing in on the glitchy and blocky electronics, but where vocals do exist, they're spine-tingling. Brilliant harmonies are found throughout the record, right off of the get go with 'Maze' featuring Marlon Penn with puzzling synths and crescendoing harmonies akin to those of Radiohead, straight through to the end with the eleven-minute experience of closing track 'Billow', a track that experiments with the use of acoustic instrumentation not found elsewhere on the record, building up to climaxes and trenches with every turn. Deep, robotic harmonies are one highlight of 'Lush', the other being the brilliantly groovy synth solo found within it. Not all of the harmonies play a positive role on the record though: the ones found on the title track 'Run' are weird and off putting, unless strange harmonies that don't quite fit are your thing.

Instrumentally, this album has a surprising bit of variation among it. Some tracks like 'Pareidolia' feature glitchy percussion (and percussion of many calibers, to go with that) as the main element of the track, electronics serving more of a supportive role. Other songs, namely 'Thank You', focus in on the punchiness of synths with interesting basslines to compliment them. There also some weirder ones, the blocky synths of 'A Scape Reality' and the deep bassy percussion play testament to the experimentation and genius of Olaf Stuut. The experience overtakes the means in 'Extended Travels', the title perfectly capturing all this song is: an exploration. Listening to this song takes you through an adventure, one with no particular beginning or ending, nor does it have many sights to see, but you float through an empty and soft place as this song ebbs and flows like a gentle river.

Electronic music has seen a lot in its development, and within its evolution came a lot of experimentation. Some failed, but others excelled, such as Olaf Stuut. 'Run' is a solid sophomore release that isn't afraid of being different. It creates beauty out of simplicity and makes the most out of what little it does have to make up its minimalistic body. Not quite a masterpiece, but by no means a failed experiment. If anything, it has carved a new path for a masterpiece to finds its way through.

Favorite Tracks: Billow, Lush, Maze

Least Favorite Track: Run

Rating: 7/10

letlive. - If I'm The Devil...

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Los Angeles post-hardcore outfit letlive. has evolved their sound in their new record, 'If I'm The Devil'. The new album abandons some of the harshness found in previous album and fills the gap with filling harmonies and arena--filling guitars.

Balancing energy and quieter moments can prove a challenge, but letlive. does well with this on the new record. Songs including the bombastic 'Good Mourning, America' and the Death From Above 1979-esque, positive sounding 'Nu Romantics' ooze loads of energy and big rock power. The songs on this record tend to have giant bridges and/or endings, definitely aimed for big live moments. The album doesn't miss out on softer moments, however. Closer track 'Copper Colored Quiet' is an anthemic and theatrical song backed by a substantial orchestra that slowly builds up over time, while starting quietly and reaches a climax, which is not as massive as other songs found on the record, but definitely brings the record to a suitable end. 'Foreign Cab Rides' also takes a more somber road, but builds up into a panicy ending with a massive presence,

'If I'm The Devil' may be a more approachable inlet in letlive.'s discography, but it doesn't let that stop some experimentation and risks. Introduction 'I've Learned To Love Myself' doesn't sound quiet like anything the band has done thus far, starting the album on a powerful and dark note. The song feels like it was taken straight out of Chelsea Wolfe's playbook with some guitars slapped on and lyrics taken from Trent Reznor's journal. The song is crushingly emotional, with a broken disposition in the brilliant vocal performance from vocalist Jason Butler. The melody itself tells a story, Butler showing off his signature theatrics with his voice. The disposition of the track is even haunting, Butler laughing at the situation the song describes: the rejection and acceptance of a broken soul. The guitars burst in with grand acclaim, complimenting the darkness of the record, and the crushing nature of the track gets no easier as it progresses. A bold move to start the album with one of the best songs the band has ever written, but it doesn't make the rest of the album any worse.

Other newly treaded areas of the record include the radio-pleaser 'Who You Are Not', seemingly intended to bring in fans from a poppier angle. The song itself is a banger; the fact that it has less of a letlive. vibe to it does not make it any less of a great jam. It's almost a central point of the record; the call to arms gang vocals a recurring theme across the record bringing the determination to an all time high in the song. Lead single 'Reluctantly Dead' is just as good, the determined and grand choruses spewing energy into the record at it's midpoint. 'A Weak Ago' shows signs of flamenco and western influences, the subtle rage in the vocals hidden under the almost ridiculous overtones show the brilliance of the band's creativity. Title track 'If I'm The Devil' begins creepily with a spidery muted guitar track and a choir singing staccatos until Butler's vocals kick in. It builds up in a huge way, the end of the song climaxing then ending quietly as if to provide a reprisal of the emotions experienced within the track. The only flop on the record is the upfront 'Another Offensive Song', which is titled as ridiculously as it sounds. The band seemed to take the "let's be as edgy and punk as we can sound" approach with this one, to negative results.

letlive. does not disappoint. Whether it be the revealing and tortured lyrics found on their debut 'Fake History' or the sharp and rugged riffs of 'The Blackest Beautiful', this band finds way to blend their grandiose with heaviness. While 'If I'm The Devil' may not be their heaviest, or even most true-to-self record, it's undoubtedly a signature album in the band's building discography. The music shows progression and a new mentality towards their sound, which is really all anyone can ask for of any band. They understood that while they had their niche, overdoing it would kill off others, as well as their own interest. Progression is key for musicians, and letlive. did not let that brooding task stop them.

Favorite Tracks: I've Learned To Love Myself, If I'm The Devil, Copper Colored Quiet

Least Favorite Track: Another Offensive Song

Rating: 8.5/10