If I could even bring myself to call this a pop-punk record, it would easily be the best one ever. With all of the catchy hooks and vocal harmonies of 'pop punk', the stunning musicianship of post-hardcore and thoughtful lyrics, this album stands out, especially against the rest of the Kidcrash catalog. Get on it.
It might be a bit early to be celebrating that autumnal/winter-y vibe already but I'm too excited to ignore it. This album encompasses every emotion one could feel on a crisp fall day. There are small moments of comfort but it's mostly vast expanses of bleak, raw sadness which, let's be honest, should be expected from Conor Oberst. The textures throughout this album are ever-changing and diverse enough to carry the singular theme of seasonal depression without becoming stale or monotonous. Throughout the time signature experimentation, genre re-definitions (I'm pretty sure he helped invent 'folk punk' with the track "The City Has Sex") and Conor's shaky ramblings, Letting Off the Happiness is easily one of his most solid albums and one of my favorites of the season.
Hey everyone. I know a lot of you appreciate what I do, despite me slacking quite a lot. I can now assure you that it was all for a good reason. My band, Fugue, has been working super hard on this release for a little over a year now and finally got all our CDs in and are waiting on the 7" vinyl to be pressed. It's certainly not much of a departure from our last EP, Ancient Glass, but it's more of a growth into doing what we really set out to achieve in the first place. Anyway, I would really appreciate it if you guys all checked it out! It's up on bandcamp for high-quality download with a name-your-own-price kind of deal, so feel free to give us what you think it's worth or if you're poor like me just snag it and tell all your friends. I'm fortunate to have a platform such as this and my gratitude for what small 'following' I have is enormous. Ok, I'm done with the shameless self promotion, time to post some music that isn't mine.
If Fleet Foxes weren't boring and Vampire Weekend had musical talent and they formed a rockin' supergroup, they would be Local Natives. This debut album has all the catchy, hopped up rhythms but without all the fluff and the vocal harmonies really bring everything together. Most of the arrangements on the album just really seem to show some extreme effort. The only issue is, the first half of the album really seems to gel and all of the songs are fantastic but once you get to that half-way point, things start getting a little monotonous. Maybe it just hasn't grown on me or the first bunch of songs are sooooo good that the others pale in comparison, I have no idea, just welcome in the warmth of summer with this album and thank me later.
I know I havent posted in too long...don't be upset! I have a slew of amazing albums for you all to check out and I figure I'll start off with something familiar for anyone who digs all the stuff I post. I've posted just about every other kickball album on here, I think, so here's their first, self-titled release from way back. I couldn't even find a good sized picture of the album art but here's a picture of them rocking out for good measure. this album is extremely sparse but still has all the wonky, twangy guitar and eccentric drumming you love about huckleberry eater but more of a happy vibe, perfect for the weather. Get on it.
Ok. To spare yourselves the time of reading an entire little review, just do yourselves a favor and glance at the cover art and the name of the album for a quick second. If you haven't come to the conclusion that this is some heavy, depressive black metal already then you should probably just ignore this post. This album is not for the faint of heart or people with no patience. It's very atmospheric and droney between the disgustingly intense surges of hatred and self-loathing. The whole thing is an abomination in the best way possible. It's all one guy from texas (I believe he goes by 'Plague') who hates pretty much everything and makes it VERY clear. Check this out if you hate yourself.
Ok...honestly, if you don't know about Animal Collective by now, then I don't even know where to begin. Ridiculously catchy yet super weird in outer space, these guys do what they want, how they want it...and it's fantastic. This is definitely their "poppiest" and most "accessible" album yet but it's still got all the quirky things that make AC so great, as well as new-found pop sensibilities that made Pitchfork soil itself and now every hipster worth his salt loves AC. I'm sure almost everyone who comes here has, at least, heard of this but it certainly was one of the very best albums of the year even though it came out right at the beginning of it. If you somehow haven't heard this yet, give it a listen for sure.