Zack de la Rocha - 'digging for windows'

It seems Rage Against The Machine is coming back this year in every way except a reunion. After Tom Morello and co. formed Prophets Of Rage earlier this year, their former lead singer has been busy at work making his own tunes. Zack de la Rocha is finally here with his debut single, 'digging for windows'.

It's safe to say that the song is better than a majority of Prophets Of Rage's debut EP (see our review here). It's not perfect, though. It has a lot of swagger and an interesting electronic based instrumental. It's reminiscent of RATM's typical in-your-face vibe, but not in the same flavor. 'digging' depends on thick, distorted synths with the subtle additions of backing guitars and synth arpeggios later on. It's a less chaotic Death Grips song, really. It definitely has the punk vibe paired with it, though.

Zach de la Rocha may have been out of the game for awhile, but he sounds just as energetic and angry as he was in his prime. It was seen when he featured on Run The Jewels' 'Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)' on 2014's Run The Jewels 2 that de la Rocha wasn't out of the game just yet. Coincidentally, it was El-P from RTG who produced the track! The production of the track is perhaps one of its highlights; it's electronic and experimental hip-hop with just enough anger to still give it the punk rock vibes from RATM. 

The song is pretty upfront with the lyrics; in fact, it starts off with him saying that he isn't here for cheerful lyrics - he's in it for some madness: "Fuck that bright shit / The spot or the flashlights / We in L.A. ducking both / In the shadows with lead pipes." The song deals with the narrator being caught by the cops and being taken to prison as well as falling into hard and unfavorable situations in life. He's angry at the corruption of it all, and calls out the big corporates: "Rise every time my cherry glows / On the end of my cig as / The smoke blows through the bars / And the C.O.’s laugh fades / As he strolls away / Says I gotta pay / Off that roll away / Or it's fuck your visitation days." The lyrics are edgy enough to harken back to that angsty yet relevant tone that RATM always had. 

Prophets Of Rage has nothing on Zack. They may cover Rage Against The Machine, but they're missing the main man that made the songs so real. The song has been confirmed to be the lead single of a yet-to-be-announced LP, and this song shows a lot of positive signs. 'digging for windows' is a great return to music for Zack de la Rocha. Now, we wait. This is the true return of Rage Against The Machine - not in the way we expected it, or necessarily wanted it, but the way we needed it. 

Rating: 81 / 100

Bastille - Wild World

Bastille has always had a cult following which was only amplified by 2013's "Pompeii" and debut Bad Blood. The success of the single and album brought them a whole new sense of success. 2016 brings their follow up to their debut; sophomore record Wild World, and it's just as strong, if not even stronger than its predecessor.

Wild World is simply a lot of fun. It's full of groove and indie flair that make for many indie pop and rock jams. It begins with the dinky and funky 'Good Grief' complete with a dancey chorus and snaps. The sweeter yet grittier 'The Currents' follows it, this time using slightly distorted string punches to add to the warm vocals. The vocals are brought further with sweet lyrics about being swept away from love. The sweeter and lighter songs on the record act as a counter for the more upbeat and excited tracks: 'Two Evils' has beautiful jazzy, reverberating guitar and falsetto vocals which gives it a certain appeal you can't find on the higher energy tracks.

The best songs on this album are the songs that build up. It starts with 'An Act Of Kindness', beginning quietly with a piano before vocalist Dan Smith sings sweetly above them. The chorus kicks in with brilliant harmonies and a pulsing synth that resonates into the next verse. This album has a lot of lo-fi moments that are added in and really add a lot of flavor to some of the more heavily produced moments, and it's a really refreshing contrast. This song has these lo-fi string punches in the last chorus which builds in a beautiful wall of noise that concludes with Smith's harmonies. 'Four Walls (The Ballad Of Perry Smith)' is another example of the building excellence. This one has a slower and more subtle build, ultimately leading to a brilliant guitar solo at the end. This song feels like ends before it really hits that big moment, sadly. The "carry it with you" parts are absolute bliss. Those can't be forgotten.

Aside from build ups and indie flairs, there are some real rocking jams on this record. 'Blame' is the clearest example, the song starting off big and confidently with that giant riff. The chorus explodes with huge drums and epic guitar, and made all the more epic by the motivational lyrics: "Fall upon your knees  / Sing ‘this is my body and soul here’ / Fall upon your knees/ Sing ‘you’ve got the power and control’ / Don’t pin it all on me". 'Power' also finds a lot of its energy originating from the guitar. Besides guitar, brass plays a big role in the record's core; songs that are brought up by fat brass moments include the electrifying 'Send Them Off!' with its giant chorus and the beautiful 'Oil On Water' which pairs the brass and orchestras of the record in one track. 

There are a few moments that are a bit disappointing on the album, though. One of them was that 'Four Walls' concluded just as the solo seemed to start moving (as previously mentioned). It felt like the song was about to go somewhere huge before it was stopped by an interlude. The interlude seems to fight itself with what it wants to be. The album cover and the interludes indicate the band wanted something cinematic and dramatic. While those qualities are true of some songs, there are a lot of moments where it seems that theme is masked by the necessity of a big stadium-filling presence. The end of the main album especially seems to have that issue, and it results in a lot of very average indie pop tracks that take it out on a very dull note considering all of the character the rest of the album had.

Bastille's sophomore record is a great example of a band progressing and evolving. Their debut gave them publicity as well as a foundation of works to come. Lots of bands have albums that either try to so something completely different or something that's too similar to the former. Bastille used the defining elements of Bad Blood, added their new experiences into them, and created Wild World. If the band is capable of doing that, I'm exited what to see what they do next. The future's looking bright for them.

Favorite Tracks: Send Them Off!, An Act Of Kindness, Two Evils

Least Favorite Tracks: Winter Of Our Youth, Snakes

Rating: 79 / 100

Lady Gaga - 'Perfect Illusion'

And just like that, she's back. We knew it was coming but it's still hard to take it in - Lady Gaga is back with new music! A week ago, a fansite found details of a single scheduled for release on September 9, and it's all solidified!

'Perfect Illusion' is Gaga's long-awaited return to the music world. It sounds like Gaga has reinvented herself since she put a pause on music for awhile. 'Perfect Illusion' starts off with clean guitar and a bassy synth as sparkly synths build into the first verse. Gaga seems to be channeling Demi Lovato as well as her own grandiose in her vocal approach - the high and powerful pre-chorus leading in from softer verses serves as a big contrast between them. The instrumental is put on the backburner as the song tunes into Gaga instead of the rest of the music, her vocals as powerful as ever. 

As great as it is to have Gaga back, it's really hard to really appreciate this song. There's just a lot of inconsistencies and places it just didn't go. For one, the mixing seems to have taken the instrumental and put it on the backburner. By backburner, I mean it sounds like the song was mixed five minutes before it was released. Gaga's vocals are so loud above the instrumental and it kills the bass that could be supporting her higher voice. Gaga's vocals are great but without that big, in-your-face synth instrumental this song feels empty. Listening to Gaga yell "Perfect illusion" for two straight minutes isn't exactly the most fun listening experience, either. Take that and the lack of meat in the instrumental and you're left with a super underwhelming track.

I'm as happy to see Lady Gaga back as the next person, but 'Perfect Illusion' doesn't feel like the appropriate come back. There's just nothing to dig into with it. It has Gaga, and that's about all the credit you can give. The song is written badly, mixed badly, and there's no bass beyond the intro. If Gaga has more planned, let's hope they feel more big. You can't have Lady Gaga and underwhelming in the same sentence.

You can listen to 'Perfect Illusion' via Apple Music.

Rating: 50 / 100

La Femme - Mystére

In listening to music that is sung in a different language than one in which you are fluent in, things can seem a bit overwhelming. What you tend to tune into with foreign music like this is the melodies and the instrumental. As an American, that's what I went through listening to La Femme's new album Mystére.

Taking French classes throughout my life, I was able to piece bits and pieces together, but after summer break I've been a bit rusty. So while I can pick out words and phrases, I can never substantiate a meaning, leaving the instrumental to do all of the talking. With this album, though, it leaves me wondering if the meaning of the words is what makes these songs.

Mystére is the band's sophomore release, and for what it's worth, it continues to showcase the band's diversity. Almost every track is something different - opening number 'Sphynx', the album's gem, builds over its five-minute length with rising and falling synth arpeggios forming an electronic storm. The next song 'Le Vide Est Ton Nouveau Prénom' then sees an acoustic instrumentation, sounding almost like an old baroque piece. Later pieces are more experimental, such as the hauntingly orchestrated 'Al Warda' and the indie pop flair of 'Tatiana'.

While it has diversity, it doesn't necessarily have quality. After the album's strong start is masked by a plethora of forgettable and seemingly filler tracks. It's beginning appeal doesn't even last all that long; by the fourth song 'Septembre' you have to ask if you've accidentally stumbled onto a children's French album instead of an impressive electronic experience.

Experimentation and diversity is welcomed, if not encouraged, on any album. The only restriction should be if you can create something still cohesive and good. This album is all over the place and that really brings it down. There's just a lot of things to question on this record, including the drawn out, thirteen minute track 'Vagues'. It really doesn't need to be that long.

La Femme may be an important band for France's indie scene, but this album is simply a mess. The ideas are all there, and they could've been great, had there been more cohesion between tracks. Mystére feels lost in its own execution. Before they progress further, they need to step back and tackle one thing at a time and really nail that. Then figure out how to blend styles into a cohesive experiment.

Favorite Track: Sphynx

Least Favorite Tracks: Septembre, Vagues, S.S.D.

Rating: 61 / 100

The Warlocks - Songs From The Pale Eclipse

The Warlocks have covered a lot of ground spanning their nearly two decade long career. They started off with long, drawn out jams spanning well over ten minutes. The eventually began shortening the lengths of their tracks in favor of something more confined. Their 7th album Songs From The Pale Eclipse is full of mid-tempo, condensed psychedelic rock tracks that the band has evolved to make, but none of them really amount to much.

Psychedelic rock's purpose is to take you on some sort of trip. This album doesn't feel like a psychedelic rock record as much as it does a full hour's study on the same mood. The one track on this album that feels definitively like a psych rock track is 'I Warned You' that finds itself spiraling with keyboards and harmonicas by its end. The album is otherwise a bluesier record, which in theory wouldn't be a problem.

Sadly, the problem in lies in the fact that the album pretty much sounds the same throughout its entirety. It's not until the final two tracks you can finally say "That's new." The album's opus 'Lonesome Bulldog' provides a hopeful outlook on the rest of the album, the Nirvana-esque approach to the guitar that ultimately builds to a powerful guitar solo to carry the track to its end. Everything this album wants to say is taken care of within the first songs. The opening number 'Only You' sets the dark tone of the record, and 'Lonesome Bulldog' sets the sonic scene the rest of the album wishes it could replicate.

For what it's worth, the lyrics on this album do shine at points. The main lyrical success is 'Drinking Song', a song that begins off by singing off the joys of drinking with drunkenly sung lines such as "All alcohol, he never pretends / Bet you're gonna meet a million best friends," before it relapses on itself and speaks of the horrors of it: "So many times I wanna give you up / Especially when I'm so fucked up / So many lives you've taken without regret / Won't be the first time or last to give you up." The song's bridge consists of a guitar solo that sounds as equally defeated as the vocals do, before the song somberly ends with vocalist Bobby Hecksher whimpering away as alcoholism takes him away.

The longest song on the record, 'Dance Alone' also has something interesting going on it, and that lies in the song's reminiscent composure. It clocks in at six minutes, half the length of the band's older jam songs that sound much the same. The song has multiple different pieces to it that reprise themselves throughout, including the bubbly guitar parts in the verses and reverberating guitar chords that build the choruses. It feels like a nice little moment of appreciation for their past. While it's not really a special track in the album, it does have that interesting quality going for it.

Songs From The Pale Eclipse is a chill album, but there's little incentive to listen to it after the first two or three songs. Everything pretty much sounds monotonous. You start at the beginning and tune out until the end, where 'I Warned You' brings real psychedelic rock to the table and 'The Arp Made Me Cry' takes the album out on a somber note. You can tell The Warlocks tried here, but they really didn't find much ground. The same general idea is used throughout most every song and for that, this album ends up feeling dull. The band's definitely capable of bigger and better things; let's hope this isn't the start of a downfall.

Favorite Tracks: Lonesome Bulldog, Drinking Song

Least Favorite Tracks: We Took All The Acid, Easy To Forget, Special Today

Rating: 64 / 100

Sia - 'The Greatest' (ft. Kendrick Lamar)

Sia may just be the undisputed ruler of the pop world. Her last album This Is Acting literally consists almost exclusively of songs she wrote for other artists including Rihanna and Adele. Now, she has a brand new track - 'The Greatest' - with Kendrick Lamar on it. That's just a recipe for success.

The song begins just as any Sia song does - with a keyboard synth intro. The verses consists of that intro repeating itself on top of a minimal pop beat as Sia sings about running from a hard situation: "Uh-oh, running out of breath... / Uh-oh, running now, I close my eyes... And uh-oh, I see another mountain to climb... Uh-oh, I need another love, be mine." The song feels like the narrator is running from the hardships of life and as they hit one after one, she tells herself that she can keep going with the simple statement, "I got stamina." The pre-chorus has a more blatant - but uplifting all the same - cry, "Don't give up, I won't give up / Don't give up," before the chorus explodes in a burst of pride and hope: "I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive / I'm free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest / The greatest, the greatest alive."

While not included in the music video version (presumably the single version), Kendrick Lamar's guest verse serves less as trying to act as a motivator to the self, but more like motivation coming from a fatherly, or even godly figure. He claims that he is "the wisdom of the fallen - I'm the youth," implying that his words resonate with anyone, the old and the young. His verse is a reassuring pat on the back that may be what the narrator needs to carry on. Kendrick ends his verse by saying it's okay to fail, and you will be able to come back and get back up again: "Letdowns will get you, and the critics will test you / But the strong will survive, another scar may bless you."

The music video is in a typical Sia flavor, her iconic teenage dancer Maddie Ziegler performing an interpretive dance throughout a beaten down house. As she jumps from room to room, she is met by groups of teenagers and kids who dance with her, their faces all painted grey as if to say their life has been drained away, while Maddie's face has rainbow paint on it (perhaps a call to the LGBT community) and she is full of life, and brings that life to the others by dancing with them. As the song ends and the video goes to a droning noise, all of the kids fall to the ground in a pile as if their life was drained as the music stopped. Maddie wakes up and looking defeated and the video ends with her crying.

The message of the song seems to be in response to the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida earlier this summer. The hashtag that has been paired with the song and video, #weareyourchildren, now has meaning. Regardless of sexuality or beliefs, today's generation has the freedom to be gay or Muslim or whatever they want to be. We are your children, so why do you hate us? The message is one to be held close not only for strength through life, but for strength in your personality and beliefs.

Sia is a prolific artist, but her messages often serve more as motivation than the almost political statement served in 'The Greatest'. It's by no means bad - it's great to see Sia express her emotions through this song. 'The Greatest' hits a lot of areas and will resonate with a lot of people. Leave it to Sia to make real music in a world of fake messages in pop.

Rating: 83 / 100

Eluvium - False Readings On

Ambience is a beautiful thing. It is often said that nature's noise is the Earth's music, and that's very true. Ambient music is something thought-provoking, often times in emotional ways. It's simplistic, yet in all of its sonic soundscapes it invokes something within its listener.

Eluvium's newest record False Readings On is a masterful collection of drone and ambience. It's not complex but it says all that it needs to be creating beautiful imagery in its minimalism. The album shows his mastery of noise and his ability to create brilliance out of almost nothing.

People who don't like ambience music either don't understand its capabilities, or simply are finding the wrong examples of it. False Readings On shows the brilliance that ambient and drone music can do. It gets off to a peaceful beginning with 'Strangeworks' before diving into 'Fugue State', a slow-moving, churning track that reminds me of the innerworkings of a machine. It has that somber, black and white factory vibe within it that puts you in a cold, foggy winter's day. 

Some tracks aren't so much setting as they are putting you into a certain state. 'Movie Night Revisited' is a calming and nostalgic track - it seems to try and put you into the place where you can relive a close memory. It's followed by 'Beyond The Moon For Someone In Reverse', which then sets you into the scene of a foggy day at sea - a perfect place to reflect quietly to yourself. Nothing's around you, no one near you. It's just you and your thoughts in the middle of an endless beyond. 

The album's ending is where it feels closest to heart. 'Rorschach Pavan' feels slightly more positive than much of the rest of the record, with rich synths and layered punches of sweet noises build into a beautiful, warm texture. 'Individuation' follows up as one of the most sweet tracks on the record. It's simply just piano playing in the rain. It's a simple song, no tricks or strings attached to it. Its brilliance comes in that bittersweet feeling that comes with the rain and the innocence of the piano. Midway through the track, quiet footsteps can be heard as faraway brass accentuates the track. The album ends on 'Posturing Through Metaphysical Collapse', a song that ends the album with a sort of peaceful chaos. It begins in an operatic way, and eventually starts breaking down into a scathing white noise, as if it was collapsing in on itself. Then finally, when the song has finishing imploding within itself, it ends as calmly as it began, and the album is over. 

Eluvium's on his eighth album now, and yet his quality hasn't faltered a bit. False Readings On isn't a masterpiece, but it's a powerful record and will hit you. Each song isn't a wallowing wall of noise, but rather simplistic concoctions of emotion and scenery. It's proof that drone music isn't just noise - it's art.

Favorite Tracks: Individuation, Rorschach Pavan, Movie Night Revisited

Least Favorite Tracks: Drowning Tone, Washer Logistics

Rating: 70 / 100

Opeth - 'Will O The Wisp'

When Opeth has an album on the way, the metal world can't help but to stop and stare. Sorceress is out at the end of the month and promises to be the band's heaviest effort since 2008's Watershed. The title track 'Sorceress' seemed to combine the jazz flavors of 2014's Pale Communion with the band's heavier and experimental moments. The next single 'Will O The Wisp' shows the album is much more diverse than what you may expect.

'Will O The Wisp' is an acoustic track inspired by Jethro Tull's 'Dun Ringill', as frontman Mikael Akerfeldt told Team Rock. Speaking of the song's composition itself, he claimed: "I wanted to do a song with my capo really high, so it's up on the fifth fret. It makes the guitar sound really glittery. I just wanted to go for a simple, catchy vocal melody. It has a slightly positive vibe to it, but the lyrics are really, really dark. It's a beautiful song, I think. I'm really happy with that one."

The song does live up to Akerfeldt's description. It's acoustic instrumentation is bright and warm with an almost baroque vibe to it. The lyrics are upbeat yet hold a dark message to them: the pre-chorus and chorus regally chant, "You're stuck to the failures of your life / Marred with the sorrows of your strife / And time it waits for no one / It heals them when you die / And soon you are forgotten / A whisper within a sigh." The song progresses, eventually gaining a beat and closes our with an electrifying blues solo. The solo feels oddly mature - it's not very metal or wild in any way, it's just an expressive, beautiful guitar solo that feels right at place among the end of the track and acoustic guitars.

Opeth are masters of their craft. Whether it be the demanding jazz metal of 'Sorceress' or the stark acoustic beauty of 'Will O The Wisp', they can handle anything they tackle. Sorceress is bound to be an incredible album and definitely a standout in their discography. Now, we play the waiting game.

Rating: 90 / 100

clipping. - Splendor & Misery

Concept albums are great in theory, and often times prove to be phenomenal in execution. When an album has a narrative or an overarching story or meaning, it's so easy to get invested in them and engrossed in its message as if you were reading a novel. The best examples in recent times are Dream Theater's The Astonishing, a dystopian tale of love and war, and Muse's Drones, a commentary on the increasingly heartless ways of drone warfare. Sure, we don't have any legendary concept albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall knocking at our doorbells every year, but there are still definitely standouts that show up.

Of course, on the other side of things, there will be flops; and trust me, there are few things worse than a failed concept album. Unfortunately, that's what experimental hip-hop clipping. has achieved with their newest record, Splendor & Misery. 

It went for something interesting, and it deserves at least that much credit. It's story follows the sole survivor of a slave rebellion that's traveling through space on his Interstellar cargo ship. In his thoughts of loneliness (besides the ship's computer that has fallen in love with him), he discovers music in the ambience of the ship's creaks and shudders. Unlike the classic representations of anthropocentric insignificance in the face of an endless space, the main character finds comfort in knowing there's an infinite realm of possibility ahead of him, without the pressures of mankind bearing down on him.

While the story may seem fresh, the music that tells it really isn't. In an album of fifteen tracks, it's split almost half and half - eight "proper" tracks and seven interludes. The interludes add up to pretty much nothing more than unneeded ambience. The intro track 'Long Way Around (Intro)' hypes up the record nicely, segues into a confusingly fast verse (not in the line of Eminem, but more in the line of someone reading an instructions manual really fast) that is all of 'The Breach' before the first real track begins, and it's really underwhelming. 'All Black' sounds like somewhat of a mission objective being explained, and at six-minutes long, it just drones on and on. 

There are some good moments on the record, but most are ultimately ruined by something in the end. Take 'Break The Glass' for example, it's a pretty solid track with a haunting instrumental (sounds like that's the engine room of the ship) and distorted verses that build up into an almost industrial rap track. Of course, they had to end it with an ear piercing screeching that is pretty painful to listen to, but at least the meat of the song is good. There are some great gospel moments on the record too, but they're used as individual tracks, and I have absolutely no idea how they fit into the album. 'Long Way Away' and 'Story' are the tracks that consist of these. 'Long Way Away' eventually distorts into white noise while 'Story' follows the piercing noise at the end of 'Break The Glass'.

The only track on the album that really doesn't have a problem surrounding it is 'A Better Place'. It's the album's closure and it feels like an appropriate ending to the narrative and the record. It's upbeat with its proud organs and vocals, resonating hope and an challenging disposition to the frontier ahead of the escaped slave. It's a shortlived victory, though, since the album ends right as it gets off onto a good footing.

Perhaps a concept album just wasn't the right move for clipping. It's interesting to see that the group that usually raps about monotonous stories of living in the hood can branch out into this weird, afrofuturistic story about escaping the world. Granted, the music doesn't really support the effort put that narrative. No tracks really do well as a standalone item, and few of them actually do well in the context of things. But hey, they tried, right? Can't fault them there.

Favorite Tracks: A Better Place, Break The Glass, Long Way Home

Least Favorite Tracks: EVERY Interlude.

Rating: 30 / 100

Skylar Grey - 'Come Up For Air'

Skylar Grey is like the silent mastermind behind many of pop's biggest hits. It's always a welcome treat, as a result, when she uses her expertise for her own projects. Her latest album Natural Causes is due out on September 23, and she's shared the next single from it, 'Come Up For Air'.

Skylar Grey always has a certain swagger in her music. 'Come Up For Air' has all of that channeled through the powerful beat with a phenomenal snare sound. The song is produced by none other than Eminem, with whom she has worked with in the past, so it's only appropriate that the beat is produced to perfection. Her silky vocals sweetly flow in a longing way - according to Grey, this track is a break-up song in which the narrator is still in love, so much so that they will wait forever for the other half to return, even until death. The instrumental is minimal, the drum beat being the primary element. The song also has a low bass synth and reverberating keys that provide for a dreamy atmosphere. Background guitar also adds some character to the end of the track.

Skylar Grey best attribute is her songwriting ability, and while this song may not be the most subtle, it's still heavy hitting. The calmness of the vocals are heartbreaking in of itself, as if she really does have the patience to wait an eternity for her partner to return. It's particularly powerful in the bridge, in which she sings, "And even if this really is the end / I'm sure I'll be alone until I'm dead / Cause no one else will ever quite compare / To them it wouldn't be fair... If you're my Jack then I'm your Rose / And I promise I'll never ever let go," all the while she retains the same patient and calm vocal style, and that's really dark and just plain sad.

'Come Up For Air' is a pretty and beautiful song; the only thing it's missing is an emotional peak or climax - a release. It ends feeling just as restrained emotionally as the beginning, but it's darkness lies in that fact, and that's the character of the track. Skylar Grey seems to be taking a less upfront approach to Natural Causes and a more natural approach. This song is a quiet one, but it's message is all the same, if not stronger than if it was more upfront. Her album has a lot of potential, but the direction isn't clear just yet. The wait's only another few weeks, though. That mystery will be solved soon enough.

Rating: 85 / 100