The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 158

Loving the activity here today guys. Thank you all

 

For session 10 I was paired with @sophos34 and he assigned me two albums. He gave me a choice of genres to select from and I chose hip hop and pop since those are genres I'd like to explore a bit more.

Vince Staples
Big Fish Theory
2017



I had previously listened to Vince Staples' debut full-length album Summertime '06 but hadn't gotten around to listening to his second full-length Big Fish Theory that was released last year. I could immediately tell that I was going to enjoy the album. Overall, I enjoyed the beats. They weren't so in-your-face that they overshadowed the vocals, but they weren't so subtle that they went unnoticed. Vince's lyrics and wordplay are incredible and it's easy to see why he's already one of the genre's stars at the young age of 24.

The entire album is terrific, but the standout tracks to me are Big Fish, 745, Yeah Right, Samo (probably my favorite track on the album), and BagBak.

I apologize for the relatively short write-up on this album (and the Charli XCX album coming up), but I don't have enough knowledge in either of these genres to really write about these albums from a technical standpoint. I just know that I liked this album a lot and it's one that I will absolutely be returning to! It's a really short album at only 36 minutes long and it's a very catchy and accessible album, in my opinion.

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Charli XCX
Pop 2
2017



Prior to this session, I had heard of Charli XCX but wasn't familiar with any of her original material. Pop 2 is the fourth mixtape that she has released and it came out at the tail end of 2017. Pop 2 is (unsurprisingly) a pop album, but there are some hip hop guest vocalists that contribute. Most of the tracks have featured guests including Carly Rae Jepsen (Backseat), Tove Lo (Out Of My Head), and Cupcakke (I Got It).

This album is very catchy and an easy album to listen to. My favorite tracks to date are Out Of My Head, I Got It, Delicious, and Track 10. I can see myself coming back to this album some, but probably not as frequently as I'll revisit Big Fish Theory. I don't want that to sound like I'm being negative on this album - really, it's great! It's just that I'd have to be in a particular mood to listen to this album.

A big thank you to @sophos34 for helping me branch outside my comfort zone a bit to explore some new music I might have not heard otherwise. That's what this club is all about!

 

@Joe4th and I have exchanged for this week.

I will be listening to the new Brian Fallon album, Sleepwalkers, and he will be checking out Mirrors by U.S. Royalty.

 

@Patterns in Traffic and I traded a WHILE back(forgive me) and he recommended:

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Wrong Creatures

BRMC is a rock band from San Francisco, California and this is their 8th studio album. The band mixes together a sound similar to that of bands such as Ghost, The Jesus and Mary Chain with some Pink Floyd mixed in.

The album opens with DFF, an intro track, that has this dark, haunting, cult-like vibe mixed with tribal drums and then immediately goes into Spook. A song that starts with a guitar tone that brings a swagger with it that remains throughout the rest of the album. You could almost picture someone like a young Johnny Cash rocking out with testosterone just dripping from his leather jacket.

One of my favorite tracks on the album King of Bones, is one of the rock heavier songs on the albums and has this great distortion on the guitar and works well against the heavy bass throughout it. While the other rock track and most commercial sounding on the album, Little Thing Gone Wild, has this uncanny ability to make you get up and rock out. I say "commercial" because it feels like one of those songs that could be featured on an Apple Music ad on TV.

The best track on the album, in my personal opinion, is Ninth Configuration. It is by far the longest track on the album but it never over stays it's welcome and leaves you wanting more. I can only imagine how impressive it is in a live setting. It is almost as if Pink Floyd went country.

Being an atheist, I was immediately drawn to the song Question of Faith (which nicely follows Ninth Configuration) and it did not disappoint. It has a sound that draws the biggest comparison to Ghost, who are one of my favorite bands. It also holds some of my favorite lyrics on the album: "You're never gonna know, your own, your own, what leads in the nights, just a question of right, as you question your own." It doesn't smack you in the face as some bands tend to do but just asks you to question yourself and your beliefs, as the song title suggests.

Closing track, All Rise is really impressive and has this amazing build up with pianos and flutes and it works so well. The build up swells and then gracefully settles down by the end.

My only criticism of the album is the song Circus Bazooko. It just doesn't fit in with the overall tone of the rest of the album and has a calliope (hence circus) playing in the background and it felt like I was in a weird time warp listening to a Zombies album. It is a good song but doesn't really flow with the rest of the album.

This is an amazing album and is up there as one of my top 10 of the year so far!

9.5/10

Favorite songs:
King of Bones
Ninth Configuration
Question of Faith
Little Thing Gone Wild

RIYL: Jesus and the Mary Chain, Ghost, Pink Floyd

 

Yessss I know we already chatted about this album a bit but really glad you enjoyed it! BRMC is one of the best and most consistent bands out there right now IMO, such a good discography. Can't figure out why they seem to have no following here.

I saw them live a couple of weeks ago and they played almost the entire album. The songs translate really well live, equal parts haunting and rocking.

If you're interested in checking out any more BRMC, I would highly recommend their self-titled debut (a lot of folks think they still haven't topped it) and Howl, which is the big oddball in their discography as it's a mostly acoustic Americana/gospel style record.

 

It is a really impressive record and you are right: I don't why the community here doesn't talk about them more.

 

This week @Michael Schmidt gave me:

Kid Dynamite - Shorter, Faster, Louder

and he will be listening to:

IDLES - Brutalism

 

The first record of 2 that @JediMasterKevo182 gave me was Starset- Vessels

I went into this record a little skeptical to be honest. My friend is a big fan of this band/record and I listened to it when it first came out for him. I didn't remember much about it, other than thinking that it was a little too long.

When I pulled the record up in Spotify, I noticed that three members are wearing spacesuits, but the singer wasn't. That definitely threw me off, but I wanted to make sure I didn't hold that against the music itself.

I definitely had the same feeling as the first time, that it was definitely too long. Some of the songs don't even have interludes and clock in between 4 and a half and 5 minutes, which for a rock song seemed a little long at times. I could definitely hear influences ranging from 30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace, and newer Bring Me the Horizon. His screaming that would come in occasionally sometimes hit the spot and reminded me of Oli from BMTH, but unfortunately sometimes sounded like the guy from Three Days Grace. His singing voice reminded me of Leto from 30STM a lot, in the anthem way that he delivers his vocals, and the hope in the lyrics. My biggest complaint with his singer is the fact that he uses a lot of auto-tune despite having a decent enough voice. The music is good, not great. It unfortunately suffers from sounding a lot like a lot of the other songs. To me, it sounds like pretty standard radio-rock, with a thematic twist to it. I wish they would've explored the rawer/heavier side a little more like they did on "Frequency" Sorry, Kevo. It's ALFM it just didn't wow me.

Favorite tracks: "Frequency" "Gravity Of You" "Last To Fall"

 

.....I gave you Transmissions. The first one

 

God damn it. I guess make that the second record for me?

 

back to the drawing board @Larry David !

 

You are not getting out of Pollyanna!!! You’ll like it too much!

 

I'm jealous of this matchup!

 

I don’t know that Idles record. Looking forward to it though.

 

@JediMasterKevo182??? and I traded and he gave me:

Taking Back Sunday: Happiness Is... (2015) Hopeless Records

Taking Back Sunday needs no introduction. This is the 6th studio album by the band and the second with the original Tell All Your Friends lineup. If you are looking for the follow up to that record, this is a great place to start. The album is very good and sits nicely in their discography and seems like a safe record for them with the reunited members. I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the deluxe edition of the album and it had some nice acoustic renditions of Stood A Chance, Better Homes & Gardens and Like You Do. Taking Back Sunday are a band that love to strip their songs down and they feel so much more personal in this form. I really enjoyed the Live from Oresanz set they released.

My only real problem is with the opening of the album. The preface just seems unnecessary and doesn't add anything to the album. In my review of Tidal Waves I applauded them for their amazing ability to open a record and get you pumped for what is to come. I could have forgiven them with the use of preface but then they go into Flicker, Fade which is a great song and one of my favorites but it seems more of a closing song. (If you haven't learned already from my reviews I am big on the sequencing of albums and hence the reason why I will never have a normal non-pro account on Spotify!)

The run from Flicker, Fade through the rest of the album is really impressive and seems like they didn't skip a beat being apart from each other, especially the back and forth between Adam and John. This is the other thing I love about Taking Back Sunday in that they seem to flow off of one other seamlessly. I did miss this interaction in Tidal Waves.

I do want to draw attention to Better Homes and Gardens which is a very personal song for Adam and one that I am sure is extremely hard for him to perform live. I applaud him for being so open with his failed relationship and the pain that he felt during this time.



This is a very solid release from a band I adore very much and I will listen to frequently.


Favorite Songs:
All the Way
They Don't Have Any Friends
Flicker, Fade

8.5/10

 

Very nice review and write up!!! Only point is this is actually the second OG REUNION album. Aside from that you were spot on

 

Now its time for me to explain some Patterns In Music that @Patterns in Traffic gave me to listen to.

The Exies- Inertia

Imagine if Smile Empty Soul and the singer from Lifehouse crafted a band together. That's this band, at least for this album, in many songs on this 35 minute 2003 album. I will go on record to say that if that sounds like a bad combination, this band makes it work. Before Patterns recommended this album to me, I could not tell you who these guys were; I had no idea there was even a band by this name. I went in blind with this album and had no idea what I was getting into.

Opening track 'My Goddess' sets the stage for this pop/alternative rock album. The one thing I will note I instantly like about not only this track but the whole album is the gritty rock sound. This sounds like a big rock album from the 90s that wasn't released until the 2000s. My Goddess exemplifies this very well, hitting you with some crazy good guitars and some chanting lyrics that I found myself head bobbing along with. This energy they craft in this track carries on to 'Without', the second track, and one of my favorites on the album. This song is big, heavy radio rock at its finest. The heavy rock song is a total flashback to those times, where bands like this reigned over the radio.

My personal favorite on the album would come two more tracks later, 'Kickout'. This song is good, and sounds like a clash of alternative rock and a dash of pop punk especially in the opening guitars. The lyrics on this song are by far the most personal for the album, with soft and somber verses and a heavy teeth grinding chorus that connects them together. Its a well crafted song for this genre of music. The soft opening into heavier music works well, and its something title track 'Inertia' uses as well, though the structure of this song sounds more like a Adema song than the rest of the album does.
The next highlight for me was the closing song, 'Genius'. This is such a good song. Its a lot slower; being basically acoustic with some cool effect sounds in the background. The song itself is about being in love with a toxic woman but adoring it, shes the evil genius in their relationship. Its a catchy, slow song and its a great way to end the album.

Overall, this album was good. It wasn't something that instantly hooked me in. I can appreciate a lot of tracks on it; and I will return to it for certain songs though. Overall a good listen, especially if you are a fan of any of the bands I named and compared them to in this review. Stand out tracks are: My Goddess, Kickout, Inertia, Genius.

6/10

Natives-Indoor War

This album was not on Apple Music. Nor was this band. I had to resort to YouTube to listen to this; but I am glad I found it. This band is creative, and they have these massive parts in their songs that you can tell they crafted masterfully to create their own sound. The lead vocalist's voice is really good too, fitting in with bands like Boys Like Girls and Panic! At The Disco. Opening track 'The War Inside Of Me' is a great example of this, although it is very brief. Upon listening to it though, you know you are in for a good ride.

And then you hear 'This Island', and you are amazed. This song is a big, anthemic summer jam in a very pop punk way. I was hooked on this track the second I heard it, and I instantly wanted to hit replay the moment the song was done (and I did on further listens after my initial listen). The song lyrically is about recovering from a breakup, being left alone 'on an island' without the other person but learning to live on their own without them. A great message for the song, and it is spelled out in this cool up beat song with a very well done bridge with gang vocals and a music breakdown. I highly recommend pop punk fans listen to at least this song. These songs have this breath of fun to them, they make you want to get up and have a good time with them, sing along with them. Another example of this is 'Going In Alone', which is a certified jam on the album and probably my favorite on the album. The song has these cool strumming guitars through the verses, and a chorus that is a definite ear worm leading up to these powerful "Woah ohs" that you will find yourself chanting along with as you sing the songs.

This band flew under my radar and I have no idea how. These songs are everything I'd like in a pop punk album. Boys Like Girls, Forever The Sickest Kids, Sleeping With Sirens, old Panic! At The Disco. If you like that style of music, you will find songs you like on this album. The two I mentioned before are clear stand outs, but I would like to also recommend 'Big Plans' and 'Ghost'. These two songs are damn good, and can hold their own. 'Big Plans' is the heaviest on the album, and its definitely a song I can see being a fun listen to live in a venue setting. This was the best of the two recs Patterns gave me; and this album is just fun and happy. There were a couple times this week I was having a bad day and this album actually helped cheer me up in the way some of my favorites did. Stellar work on this album, recommend it. Stand Outs: This island, Going In Alone, Big Plans, Ghosts, The Horizon.
8/10

---
Next, I took a one off album recommendation from @nickyeatworld since he was left stranded without his partner.

Pulse Ultra- Headspace

As far as I can tell, this 2002 album is this bands only work. Its the only one that shows up on Apple Music for them anyway. Out of the three albums I'm posting tonight, this is the longest of them. Its also the heaviest rock form of the three, leaning more into the alternative/ radio areas of music. System of A Down, Three Days Grace, that area of music. This album is definitely in my wheel house, and I was quite pleased with what I heard. The album itself was 50 minutes long, and its a journey of a listen that deserves to be listened to from front to back.

Opening track 'Acceptance(Phase I) and by extension 'Finding My Place(Phase 2)' are a damn good 1-2 punch to open the album with fro the first two tracks. Acceptance just fucking rips, with this explosive chorus of "Don't you see, the skyscrapers? They're too big to bring down." the whole song is about paranoia and the feeling that you cannot overcome those that fuck with your mind; but in this heavy rock package. There's parts of this song that remind me of Tool or APC almost, and its beautiful. Finding Mt Place seems to continue this heavy assault, but with some smooth guitars mixed in within the grinding rock guitars. This song has a more big radio rock chorus to it, and its one that I found myself singing along with "Sorry if I failed you, I don't know me, I won't know my face, So find me my place" is a beautifully sung line, and one that is both relatable and contains lyrical themes that seem to follow in a sequel fashion to Acceptance.

The album continues its well crafted passions with 'Put It off', all the way through to the 9th track, 'Build Your Cages'. Unlike some albums can do, this album does not go stagnate in the middle of the album; and this mid track list song is amazingly good. I found myself busting out the ol' air guitar for this one as I did work around the house while listening to this album. This is a clever, banger of a song and as it poses the question 'Is it worth the 15 minutes? Dreams are seldom what they seem.' I found myself belting the lyrics out as loud as I could. This is a damn good song and my favorite on the album bar none. Its also another 1-2 punch with the anthemic rock ball buster ' Tired', a song that's too good with its heavy crunching guitars, crushing drums, and yet smooth lyrics.

This is a good album front to back, and I am happy to have listened to it. It holds up very well, and I wish these guys had made more albums (Or if they did that I can find them). If you are a fan of heavier radio rock like Three Days Grace, this band will quench your thirst for some sweet rock. Stand out tracks: Acceptance, Finding My Place, Put It Off, Build Your Cages, Tired, Despot.
8/10

 

@ShadowTh2b i havnt forgotten about Pentimento, just gimme a couple days. crazy work week for me / a wedding in my family

 

It’s ok I have been fairly busy myself. I’ll have yours up sometime in the next couple days as well

 

Thanks just added this based off of your review. Interested in hearing this now.

 

Lol @Larry David having a senior moment there.

 

So strange seeing Natives on here, didn't realise how big they are. An old friend used to date their ex-guitarist. Six degrees of separation and all that.

 

This sounds like a sweet album, I may have to look into it

 

Great reviews! Glad you appreciated some of The Exies record even if it didn't grab you immediately. I've actually been revisiting it a lot myself since I recommended it to you and really getting into it again haha. It's definitely a product of the early-'00s radio rock era, but done really well in my opinion. I love how the production - the way the drums sound, the way the vocals glitch out from time to time, the bits of electronics peppered in - give the whole thing kind of an industrial feel. Of course, I have a pretty strong nostalgic connection to this album from when I was 16, so I'm biased. I think "No Secrets" might be my favorite track, but "Kickout" is probably second.

Sorry that Natives was hard to track down. I eventually found it on Google Play listed under the incorrect name "The Natives." I'm surprised there wasn't more buzz about this album because it is full of great pop-rock with catchy hooks and it sounds huge. I'm hoping they release the follow-up this year. They've been drip-feeding singles from it since March of 2016, but there's still no release date.

Thanks for listening!

 

Well when that new one drops I’ll have to check it out, they have a very cool sound.


I do the same thing btw, I listen to the albums I recommended people and end up rediscovering my fanboy love for those albums while doing so lol