Song of the Week

“Cheap Music” by Handsome Furs from Sound Kapital

Cadence Weapon is awesome, and more people need to know about him. One of my favourite reasons for liking him is the same reason I really, really fucking loved My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West. Both men can actually rap…and the music that accompanies it is actually good. I tire of rap easily if I’m bored by the beat and background music. Let me compare Shad and Mac Miller for a moment. Shad dominates. By far. Mac Miller doesn’t come close. But the thing is, some of Miller’s songs are really catchy, and musically, just awesome. What Shad spits is pure poetry, but sometimes, when I want to rap along (yeah, I’m that fucking white) it’s easier when the song itself is actually fun. That’s why I love Cadence Weapon, as his songs tend to rave a little bit. The last material from Cadence as well was his featured vocals on “Coming Home” with Shout Out Out Out Out. Fucking brilliant track, and great video too. 

If you haven’t heard of Cadence Weapon, listen to “Conditioning.” It’s a bit of a different sound from his first two albums, but it still contains some classic Cadence formula: a slick beat, a slick rap, then a high, burst of energy. This song hits home, both metaphorically and literally haha. He references his hometown of Edmonton, and growing up there. Recently he took a break from his music career and server a two year term as the poet laureate for the City of Edmonton. Nifty eh? He’s black, a rapper, but also educated! Astrological! Anyways, “Conditioning” is a prime leading song, without a doubt the strongest song on this album, but most definitely not the only one. 

I’m used to his disco/dance style, but he even taps a little into more mainstream rap on this album. “Hype Man” basically describes the recognition he deserves but doesn’t get. The beat is even super similar to that of today’s rap. Really low-key and tssssss-like. Hahaha, don’t know how else to describe it. One of the things that I love the most about this album in particular, is when he just sort of chills out and basically talks as he raps. No emotion or power, which creates an intensity of it’s own. Sometimes he fucking screams, and just owns, but other times, it sounds like he’s just too tired to rap anymore. It sounds almost sarcastic, but it fits, like on “There We Go” which itself, is slower, and has a softer chorus and an overall dreamier feel to it. I just wish he would just constantly explode and let his energy out, I feel that’s what he can do best. But hey, we can’t always be on a 24/7 rave right?

And not just rap fans should appreciate this record, Hope in Dirt City really has something for everyone too. There’s some 80’s throwback tracks like the closing title track or “Crash Course For The Ravers” that sound like they should have been on the soundtrack Drive. “Jukebox” also has it’s own funky beat and saxophone that closely resembles “Real Estate,” from his previous record. All of these are filled with fun synths, slap bass and quick, simple drum patterns. It’s the most upbeat underground hip-hop I’ve ever heard. Not to mention his quick wit and charm that he delivers on each track will surely please all. 

Cadence Weapon, aka Rollie Pemberton was born for this shit. His dad was a DJ, so he himself grew up with house music. He’s created a perfect formula, with a perfect balance of dance-music and rap. He’s been a poet laureate, a Polaris Prize nominee for his debut album, and this is third consecutively fantastic record. And he’s in his mid-20’s. A truly talented and amazing individual, with so much potential. I feel that with Hope in Dirt City, he could really take off. I’d love to see him explore things and experiment with other genres, he’d definitely pull it off and do a good job. Maybe something dub? Or doing a song with the big names like Kanye or Jay-Z? No idea. Even if he doesn’t get big, I don’t care. His music is still amazing. 

Final score: 8.9/10

In a blog post when A Sleep & A Forgetting was announced, Islands frontman Nick Thornburn said this album was influenced by heartbreak. Also, this album was release on Valentine’s Day. Look, I love Islands I really do. I loved their debut, I fucking LOVED Arm’s Way, and Vapours also had it’s moments. But this album is a real fucking sloppy downer at times. Like, almost Death Cab-like, but in a little more of a poetic and avant garde manner. That being said, this album isn’t shit (hence the 6.9 rating) but it has nothing on their previous releases. At the same time, Islands are known for their artsy, experimental style, so obviously each album has it’s own meaning and reason.

Anyway, the opening track is gorgeous. I’m not really one for soft pop and stuff like that, but “In a Dream It Seemed Real” is fantastic. The best part about it are the vocals and percussion, both of which are so delicate. One of the better, and more moving songs on the record. As I said, this is like a much more superior Death Cab album. Unfortunately, their poetic genius does not last through every song. See “Never Go Solo,” which musically is a pretty good song, but as you can tell from the strange title, has some silly lyrics. “This…this is not a band / you…you are not a fan / no one can tell a man / how to use his hands.” Yeah, I dunno. Not their best effort in my opinion haha. 

“Hallways” is cute. It’s sharp, precise, and super reminiscent of something like “Rough Gem” or “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby.” It brings Islands back to their 2006 roots, along with “Can’t Feel My Face.” (Also a weird name for a song…) The latter half of the album is a little more downtempo, and not where I picture Islands as a band. Whereas the first part was really fresh, I felt like the second half was more of a drone, especially with songs like “Cold Again.” Great stuff if your in the mood for it yeah, but I don’t feel like it’s as accessible as their previous work.

As moody, and as bland a few of the songs are, it finishes with a really good one, “Same Thing” that has a really nice beat, and slick guitar melody. It’s depressing. It’s kind of end-of-the-world like too. I like it. There’s a little hope to it too, because the chord progression is a bit cheerier. It’s a recovery, and Thorburn is honest here. He sings about repetition, and how love is a cycle that repeats itself, and is essentially the ‘same thing’ over and over again. It’s a really good closer that makes up for the other parts of the album that weren’t as strong, or lacked in the usual Islands creativity. 

Because of all the personal ties, I feel like this is a Nick Thornburn album, not an Islands album. Every single one of Island’s albums has been such a trip. A Sleep & A Forgetting is without a doubt their most advanced in terms of lyrics but I feel like their songwriting abilities really peaked with some of the amazing ballads on Arm’s Way. The tempo and style of this album also made me think: how fucking awesome would it be if Islands did like a jazz album that was mixed with noise and rock, and a wee little bit of electronic. It’d honestly be miles better than this album. On a side note, I wrote that last paragraph about two weeks ago. I just discovered BADBADNOTGOOD. Oh boy…

Final score: 6.9/10

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing my first ever Portal 2 map, Look Around You.! Show my Steam account some love and feel free to download it. Heck, if you wanna add me as a friend and your down to game some time, feel free to send my Steam account, K-ralz, a message! Anyways, enjoy!

I’m just gonna say this right now, I really fucking loved The White Stripes. If I had to nail it down, and choose my favourite musician/group of all time it’d be either Radiohead or The White Stripes, so if I’m a little biased, and a little too nostalgic, and I mention them too much, I apologize. I personally thought every single one of their albums was amazing. White Blood Cells was actually the first album I ever bought. (Next in line was Willenium and Robbie William’s Greatest Hits. Oh god….) and it’s currently #5 in my 10.0/10.0 albums. (If you remember a while back I published this review, which happens to be #4. I think I’ll do one soon for White Blood Cells.) But anyways, I’d like to apologize if I mention The White Stripes TOO much. I mean, between The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, they were his primary group, so in any review of this album, I’d expect some sort of reference. But yeah…

Anyways, when I first put on Blunderbuss, I really hated the first 20 seconds of the opener,  ”Missing Pieces.” It’s strange, sarcastic, and just totally made me cringe, no lie. But then, all the other instruments came in and it sounded great. I was afraid that White would just burst out of some shell and try really hard to make the most complicated record he ever could, but thankfully, he doesn’t do it. Classic Jack, nothing more. And then, boom, “Sixteen Saltlines” hits, and it’s even better. A hard rock song, with a simple loud guitar a big, cymbal crashing beat. Then, we have the first single off the album, “Love Interruption,” a smart song about all the crazy things love does, and what we want it to do. It’s all solid stuff. Smart, nothing personal or sappy, and catchy at that. 

So next…we have the rest of the songs on the album. I’d really not analyze all of them in detail because well, a lot of them are very similar. Musically it’s all just…blues, and lyrically it’s all just….blues. Now, don’t get me wrong, when you crank up a fucking good old blues record, like some Son House or something it feels good. But it can get tiring and really…blue after a while. At times on this album, the pacing is weird too. “Trash Tongue Talker” felt pointless, and too cheesy for the record. I think i think that because I probably don’t entirely understand blues, but I dunno, that’s just how I feel.

The best part of this album though isn’t any song in particular, it’s the style. Blunderbuss really gives White a chance to expand. (Like the title track for instance, it’s a wonderful, peaceful country-like tune, with a style I’ve never seen from White before.) I’m not saying he was restricted by his work with his other bands, I mean we saw plenty of featured instruments and loads of experimenting with Get Behind Me Satan and Icky Thump, but neither really has the complexity you’ll encounter on Blunderbuss. Having all these sounds come together, and seeing him perform songs on shows like Saturday Night Live really makes me appreciate his musical talent. This is a good spot for Jack White. No, I don’t think this album is spectacular, and some of the songs like “I’m Shakin’” are just rather ugly and unexciting, but I can’t deny White’s ability to write, and create music, whether simple, or complex. 

This is a good album. I don’t think it’s great, just because I don’t think it comes close to any of The White Stripes’ albums. But what was I expecting? That Jack White would just be formulaic and stay the course, trying to live off of his older success? No, of course not. Blunderbuss is the album I expected, and the album that fans of Jack White deserve. No, we’re never gonna get another album by The White Stripes. And you know what? That’s okay. Jack White isn’t dead, and he’s not leaving music for a very, very long time. I’m excited to hear what he has for us coming up in the future.

Final score: 7.0/10

These guys are playing at Hillside this year, and I have not been this blown away by something so different in a long time. Check it out, I’ll have a review on them soon. Also, I got a swarm of new reviews coming up that I promised back in this post, plus Hope in Dirt City by Cadence Weapon and Celebration Rock by Japandroids. Stay tuned. 

I knew their next album wasn’t going to be as good as their first, I knew it! Something as powerful and attention grabbing as Treats probably wasn’t gonna stick around forever. It had a really one sided feel to it, that felt freaking awesome at the time, but after listening to it over and over, I knew there was no way they could replicate it. But Reign of Terror proves they’ve still got an undeniable love for loud, noisy pop music. There’s still tons of head bashing and jumping and fist pumping and dancing to be done on Reign of Terror, but unlike their debut, a lot of it sounds a dull, as many of the songs sound so much like each other and are a bit on the boring side. 

Now, I remember when I first turned on Treats, I jumped. The start of “Tell ‘Em” was fucking loud. I didn’t turn it down though, I just sorta sat through it and went, “holy fuck, that was pretty sick.” They do things a little bit differently with the opener “True Shred Guitar,” and it’s fucking awesome. It starts off with some live recording of one of their concerts, and then for the last minute…”One, two, three, four…PUSH IT, PUSH IT! PUSH IT! TRUE SHRED GUITAR!” It’s dope. An awesome intro that I totally wasn’t expecting. The crowd at the start is nice, had me wondering when there was gonna be some sort of drop, and I wasn’t let down. 

There’s three things that stand out on Reign of Terror. Alexis Krauss’ voice, the guitar, and I don’t know what to call it, but there’s a lot of this…”double-kick” (?) drum. It’s like a really fast paced doo-doo-doo that’s present on a lot of the songs. You can hear it at the start and choruses of “Born to Lose” which is a sweet song, reminiscent of “Crown on the Ground.” Both songs are slow, but at the same time, loud and anthemic with an echoing dreamy outro. Sometimes I feel like it’s hard to get a Sleigh Bells song thats all rave, or all chill. The in-betweens sometimes rock the house. (See “Leader of the Pack”) Anyways, you’ll find that those three things are the most persistent on the album, you can be the judge if they rejuvenate you or put you to sleep.

As I said previously, this album tires quickly. Songs like “You Lost Me” and “Never Say Die” just don’t end. Like…at the start of “You Lost Me,” where she slowly, and airily sings the title of the song. At that point in the album, with lyrics like that, it makes the album feel endless. In a not so awesome way. Krauss’s vocal abilities just get tiresome, and since they’re so featured and up front on this record, they get annoying. Sometimes it works, like on “Road to Hell,” but at times, I feel like they’re trying too hard to recapture songs like the fan favourite “Rill Rill.” Apparently, Treats was rushed, and they really wanted to take their time with this album. I feel like they tried too hard in the end, so focused on just making something so right that it would build on the success of their debut, and be just as fantastic. 

That being said, I do like the closing track. I was really, really, REALLY hoping for another “Treats.” When I first listened to their debut, and heard the title track closer…my head literally blew up. “D.O.A.” is a satisfying end to this sequel record in it’s own right. While dreamy and slow like all the songs after “Comeback Kid” and “Demon” (which are both fantastic tunes) it’s such a tease instead. A few times I felt like it was going to explode with those drums coming in, or the guitar strumming building, but no nothing. A let down? Not really. The vocals make it seem more nostalgic, and made me want to re-listen to the album again, to try and like the songs I initially disliked. But to no avail. I always feel kind of sad because when listening to Reign of Terror in my iTunes, Treats comes up right next. So when “D.O.A.” fades away, and I’m feeling reminiscent, “Kids” comes in and takes that feeling away. That being said, Reign of Terror is the expected, not so surprising follow-up. It’s a good album.

Final score: 7.9/10

Any further review delays will most likely be caused by the Perpetual Testing Initiative. Portal 2’s map creator is brilliant. Above is my first chamber, which is still a work in progress. If you don’t have either of the Portal games, get them on Steam for cheap right now. Heck even if you miss the sale and half to pay full price, it’s still worth it. When I finally finish my first masterpiece chamber, I’ll let you guys know so you can go onto the Steam Workshop and download it. 

Song of the Week

“Stan” by Eminem featuring Dido from The Marshall Mathers LP

I saw Bahamas (aka Afie Jurvanen) perform before he did a wide release of his debut. He was opening for Constantines, (they were actually second in line, followed by a super boring and shitty performance by The Weakerthans) and I’d have to say Bahamas was the most enjoyable act. Constantines weren’t as good because this concert was in my local theatre…meaning sitting down. If I remember correctly I’m pretty sure Bryan Webb at one point came up to the mic after a song and basically said “Yeah, this is a weird fucking place to perform.” Haha, and it was. But Bahamas were so relaxing and chill, and I hadn’t heard that much sound come out of two performers (Afie Jurvanen himself and his guest drummer) since The White Stripes. After the show, I went to buy his album, which was still on a limited release (I got copy #50/200) and it indeed was limited, had to enter all the names of the songs into iTunes manually. A nice guy too, he even autographed the album for me!

Anywho, it was probably the best new band experience I’ve ever had. Pink Strat was, and still is a fucking amazing record. One of the best indie/folk/rock albums I’ve heard without a doubt. The reason being, it was just so…simple. Like, the shortest, cutest, itsy bitsy songs, but they weren’t shrouded in unbelievably shitty lyrics. Yeah, I mean they were about love, and heartbreak, loneliness, nostalgia, happiness etc., but they weren’t cheesy. As the name Barchords suggests, he hasn’t deviated from his simple guitar strumming formula.

When things do get complicated (not very complicated) the execution is perfect. My favourite is “I Got You Babe” which starts with a quick one-two badum psssh and a big old electric guitar. Not a crazy solo or anything, just a super happy intro, that leads into a pretty, cooing and soothing song. Like many other the songs on Barchords, it’s got a feeling of redemption in some sort of blissful way. It’s a lot happier of a record than Pink Strat, where the songs were more focused, and orchestrated carefully. It’s great, but I did kinda hope for some more songs that reached the emotional tones of songs on his debut like “For Good Reason.” There is “Montreal” which is slow, and longing, but it’s more dreamy than sad. 

You know, I keep saying it’s a simple record, but it’s amazing how each song is unique in it’s own way. Like “Time and Time Again” is one of the slower, more serenading songs on the album, with a great, twangy guitar strumming, and soft, smooth vocals. “Caught Me Thinking” is a great, joyous anthem that opens with some good old delay and pedal work. And you can almost hear the beach on so many of the songs. Seriously, Jurvanen could sell Dos Equis or something classy. They really should have his songs playing on repeat at any resort in the Bahamas, it’d fit perfectly.

It’s May, meaning summer is just around the corner. Also meaning, this is the perfect album for any day, rain or shine. Afie Jurvanen ones again proves how much he can draw you in with a simple guitar chord, and charming, slick vocals. If you liked his debut, you’ll love Barchords. Echoes of his debut are clear on this album, with songs like the closing “Where You Go” resembling “Already Yours,” but as I mentioned earlier, it’s a lot more upbeat and refreshing. Not to say Pink Strat was all mopey with depression, it was still a hopefully and happy record, but heartbreak was clear on it, and Barchords is like a part two to that story. He’s moved on, and so happy to live. He’s playing at Hillside this year, so I’m mega pumped. Will definitely be an enjoyable act out in the summer sun.

Final score: 9.0/10