SUNBEARS! - "Dream Happy Dreams" (2009)

90%

Dream Happy Dreams by SUNBEARS! is easily one of the best albums of 2009, and yet, it doesn’t even get half the recognition it deserves. This skillful duo masterfully pulls off a combination of an experimental and psychedelic sound with bubbly, electric indie pop. The melding of these two sounds results in an album that is very accessible, and delightful to listen to. Throughout the album, there are moments reminiscent of Of Montreal, Beirut, Animal Collective, and other such bands (to name a few).

The album begins and ends with two pleasant instrumental tracks, “Le Penné Pageant” and “Sunshine At 9 P.M.”, and in between those two are five epic, happy yet melancholy, unique, beautiful songs. The lyrical content is cute and poetic, and invokes the urge to smile and cry—AT THE SAME TIME. There is not a single dead spot in all thirty-one minutes of this gem of an album. Their sound is unique and interesting, and yet, it’s not difficult to listen to, as some bands of this ilk can be. It’s an album to listen to when you’re happy or sad, alone or with friends, etc. I can’t say anything else except for: LISTEN TO IT!

tl;dr: An experimental psychedelic indie electro pop rock orgasm that’s easy to listen to and adore. Highly recommended.
Best Tracks: “All You Need Is Sleep”, “I’m Alive!”, “Dream Happy Dreams” and “Little Baby Pines” (The album is very short; it’s worth it to just get the whole thing.)

~Probey

1. La Penné Pageant
2. All You Need Is Sleep
3. I'm Alive!
4. Dream Happy Dreams
5. Little Baby Pines
6. A Lovely Tuesday Afternoon In June
7. Sunshine At 9 P.M.
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Rob Swift - "The Ablist" (1999)

81%

DJ Robert Aguilar, working under the pseudonym Rob Swift, teamed up with a number of rappers and a slew of live musicians to record The Ablist, a journey through stylistic variations on hip-hop that is truly focused on the music. This is rare on the rap scene, to see an artist bent on laying down the tastiest grooves or the cleverest rhymes rather than using the album as a vessel for their culture and political views. Swift and his crew succeed in making a thoroughly satisfying auditory experience. Swift himself specializes in the craft of turntablism, sampling voices and instruments in a smart way, not to mention performing on the “wheels of steel” with a style that augments the flow of the beats.

Phone messages from Swift’s friends and snippets of in-studio brainstorming constitute eight spoken-word interludes, which are included in the interstices between the songs. These add a feeling of the work and enthusiasm that went into the album’s creation, and they include. Every MC featured has both chops and lyricism, whether on the true posse cuts (“Modern Day Music,” “Turntablist Anthem,” and “Musica Negra [Black Music]”) or on the solo and duet tracks (“I’m Leaving,” “Night Time,” and “Gangis Khan”). On an interesting side note, Swift proves his authenticity with “Gangis Khan,” as it was recorded acapella, on speakerphone, and live from federal prison. Every other track on the album is an infectiously laid-back instrumental groove in which vocal samples play an important role. The Ablist is a compelling hip-hop album and has a profusion of genuine musical energy.

tl;dr: An excellent experiment in hip-hop. Recommended.
Best Songs: “Dope on Plastic”, “Modern Day Music" and “All That Scratching Is Making Me Rich”

~Nilla

1. Day One
2. Dope On Plastic
3. What Would You Do?
4. Night Time
5. Modern Day Music
6. Two Turntables And A Keyboard
7. Fusion Beats
8. Alma's Message
9. Turntablist Anthem
10. Let's Talk Relationships
11. I'm Leaving
12. Brainstorming
13. All That Scratching Is Making Me Rich!
14. Ben Fee The MC
15. Musica Negra/Black Music (Remix)
16. Gangis Khan
17. This Is Our Day
18. The Will To Do Something Different
19. Something Different
20. Gangis Khan Returns
21. The Ablist
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Burzum - "Filosofem" (1996)

99%

Released on New Year’s Day of 1996 but recorded in 1993, Burzum’s fourth and, as of yet, final metal album is generally recognized as a classic of the black metal genre, not just within metal circles, but also by the general music-listening population. Its popularity stems from the infamy of its sole member, Varg Vikernes, and its relative accessibility; many of the songs contained on Filosofem are inflicted with elements of shoegaze, industrial, dark ambient, and noise. While this wide array of influences might suggest that Filosofem is a convoluted and challenging listen, it certainly is not (or at least not to too great an extent), due to Varg’s minimalist genius. The songs, all over seven minutes in length, utilize heavy repetition to wondrous effect. From the crashing cymbals and creeping, frosty riffs of “Dunkelheit” to the droning guitars and keyboards of “Gebrechlichkeit II”, Filsofem is a repetitive but constantly changing masterpiece that never loses its focus, despite its focus constantly changing.

Filosofem is very different from Burzum’s earlier albums. Whereas abrupt tempo changes, tremolo-picked riffs, double-bass drum patterns, shrieked vocals, and ambient interludes typified Burzum and Aske, and a more experimental variation of that formula typified Det Som Engang Var and Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Filosofem forgoes this formula almost entirely, with Varg exchanging his signature high-register shriek for a much lower industrial rasp, and slowing down the speed of the tracks significantly. The exception to this is “Jesus Tod”, the most aggressive track on the album, in which tremolo-riffing and double-bass beats rule the day, though Varg’s new vocal style is still present.

The final three tracks of the album are an even more pronounced departure from Burzum’s traditional sound. The “Gebrechlichkeit” series features Varg using his industrial rasp in a metreless manner over buzzing guitars and solemn keyboards. The penultimate track is an even greater departure; “Rundgang um die transzendentale Säule der Singularität” is completely absent of distortion and percussion. Here Varg opts for a lone keyboard melody backed alternately by a bass guitar and keyboard swells. The calm and contemplative atmosphere of the final three tracks is a sublime contrast to the aggressive and hateful atmosphere of the first three.

Though Varg’s songwriting on Filosofem is top-notch, the true genius of the albums lies in its production. The stereotypical trebly black metal guitar tone is utilized, but the album’s mixing layers the guitars, giving Filosofem a “full” sound complemented by crisp drums and clear keyboards. The production leaves its mark on each track, transforming Filosofem into a musical odyssey that transports us through hate-filled walls of noise and empty voids of space and back again, all in just over an hour.

Overall, Filosofem is a near-perfect album, a masterpiece of black metal, a perfect example of a whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It is an essential listen for anyone who is remotely interested in black metal, and an excellent starting point for someone who is interested in atmospheric or depressive black metal.

tl;dr: Minimalist atmospheric black metal by the creator of the genre. Pacing is perfect. Listening in album format is necessary. Recommended to all who can bear harsh vocals.
Best Songs: "Dunkelheit" and "Erblicket die Töchter des Firmaments"

~Turkeyballs

1. Dunkelheit
2. Jesus Tod
3. Erblicket die Töchter des Firmaments
4. Gebrechlichkeit I
5. Rundgang um die transzendentale Säule der Singularität
6. Gebrechlichkeit I
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Metric - "Fantasies" (2009)

77%

One of the nice things about Metric is that each of their albums has a slightly different sound. Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? was a catchy dance-punk album; Live It Out was more experimental, and had a louder, more rock-like sound; Grow Up And Blow Away was a simpler, sultry, more mellow album.

Fantasies is no different, in that it is different. It is, for lack of a better word, their most “mainstream” sounding album yet. Not that that’s a bad thing; the album is incredibly accessible, and a very easy listen. While their past albums have mostly been centered around Emily Haines’ talented synth playing, this album has a more guitar centric sound, and they forgo the biting political lyrics seen on Old World… and Live It Out for more intimate, personal lyrics. But, like every one of their other albums, everything is executed with a very high level of skill.

Still, when I first listened to it, I was not impressed. I had downloaded “Help, I’m Alive”, the lead single from the album, the moment it came out (what devoted fangirl wouldn’t?) and I was blown away. It’s an unarguably beautiful song—the sort you only have to hear once to fall head over heels in love with. The lyrics and melody are simple and repetitive, and the song has the same powerful drive from beginning to end. It pretty much only served to make me even more impatient for the release of the new album, and raised my expectations to what, in retrospect, was probably an unattainable level.

I have to repeat: this is not a bad album. However, for Metric, it is a bit of a disappointment. It seems like they took their unique energy and drowned it in a shiny commercial gloss. Not that I have anything against that sort of sound, nor do I think that it’s a direction that Metric shouldn’t pursue, but with Fantasies, it’s almost like they let the gloss overwhelm some of the heart and soul of the album. This could be attributed to their choice in John O'Mahony for mixing (O’Mahony is most notable for mixing for Coldplay). Or perhaps it is simply where their evolution took them. Their previous albums do seem to get progressively more polished.

Many of the songs on the album are quite good, in and of themselves: “Help, I’m Alive”, as previously mentioned; “Sick Muse”, a catchy, solid pop-rock song (I was particularly taken by the opening lines: “Watch out Cupid / stuck me with a sickness / pull your little arrows out / let me live my life”); “Twilight Galaxy”, a more mellow, lush song of the Grow Up And Blow Away variety (again, Haines’ lyrics tug at the heart, with lines such as: “Did I ask you for attention, when affection is what I need?”); “Gold Guns Girls”, a another superb, dancey, pop-rock song; “Gimme Sympathy”, a song of the “Sick Muse” and “Gold Guns Girls” sort, though it’s beautiful, poetic lyrics, and the way it flows effortlessly from beginning to end make it possibly the best of the three; “Front Row”, a seductive and harder song than the others on the album, making it reminiscent of Live It Out, in a way, though it still has the same sheen as all of the others on the album.

I believe the error was in putting them all together on the album. It’s difficult for each of these songs to shine when placed side by side. It took me a few listens to truly appreciate this album. Though it may not have all of the personality of their former albums, it is still a worthy piece. However, I don’t think it is a good place for people to start listening to them; it doesn’t give a full view of everything the band is capable of, and by only listening to this, you couldn’t truly appreciate everything that makes Metric the amazing band it is.

(Note: Acoustic versions of the songs “Gimme Sympathy”, “Front Row” and “Twilight Galaxy” came with the limited edition bundle of Fantasies, and they are a very interesting listen if you can find them. They also do a nice cover of Pink Floyd’s “Nobody Home”, and the B-Side “Waves” is pretty good.)

tl;dr: A well done, solid album that makes for a good listen, with many very good songs on it. However, it is not the recommended starting point for those who are new to Metric. Go listen to some of their earlier stuff first.
Best Songs: "Help, I'm Alive", "Sick Muse", "Twilight Galaxy", "Gold Guns Girls", "Gimme Sympathy", and "Front Row"

~Probey

1. Help, I'm Alive
2. Sick Muse
3. Satellite Mind
4. Twilight Galaxy
5. Gold Guns Girls
6. Gimme Sympathy
7. Collect Call
8. Front Row
9. Blindness
10. Stadium Love
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Hiromi's Sonicbloom - "Time Control" (2007)

96%

In the world of jazz fusion, many bandleaders get caught up in experimentation and forget the most important part of creating music: the composition. Japanese pianist extraordinaire Hiromi Uehara will have none of it. She works on writing songs every day, and the results are beautiful, complex jazz tunes that are cohesive, but also leave room for improvisation here and there. Her fourth album as a leader showcases this perfectly. She took on Dave Fiuczynski to join her band on guitar, and it was a welcome addition to the band; all of the performers have abundant personality, and this trait truly lets the listener feel the universal concept of time presented with the music.

Drummer Martin Valihora is a man of impressive chops, handling the odd meters used on several of the tracks without a problem, even creating rhythmically interesting, groove-oriented patterns to fit them. Bassist Tony Grey is a more laid-back member of the rhythm section, but still provides an energy off of which the leading players can spin angular melodies, striking harmonies, and dazzling solos. And indeed Uehara and Fiuczynski deliver in this department, whether causing the listener to weep with heartrendingly lyrical lines or just shredding (after all, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of showing off).

Don’t get me wrong; there is a reason that Hiromi’s style of music is often called avant-garde. Time Control is certainly a challenge to the ears, and probably not a good introduction to instrumental music. However, if your ears are up to the challenge, the album should prove to be quite a rewarding listen.

tl;dr: It can draw whatever it wants to out of the listener. Emotions, semen, you name it.
Best Songs: "Time Difference", "Time Out", "Deep Into The Night", and "Time Travel"

~Nilla

1. Time Difference
2. Time Out
3. Time Travel
4. Deep Into The Night
5. Real Clock Vs. Body Clock = Jet Lag
6. Time And Space
7. Time Control, Or Controlled By Time
8. Time Flies
9. Time's Up
10. Note From The Past (Bonus Track)
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Green Day - "21st Gentury Breakdown" (2009)

Keep It Real, Please - 55%

Pretension is not the bane of good music. In fact, many bands can use it to glorious effect; Dream Theater, for example, not only writes ridiculous songs about monsters and heroes, but also has the melodrama of James LaBrie on lead vocals. However, when found in a sub-par band and to such a low degree that some may find it convincing, insincerity can be the determining factor for the quality of an album. Green Day’s second foray into the realm of the rock opera is an example of this tragic situation. As soon as the album starts playing, you know that Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown is not going to be worth your while. “Song of the Century” is an introductory track featuring radio-tuning effects and a sole singing voice which, while being a pleasant melody, is simply over-the-top in terms of album structure. The remainder of the album is told in not-so-cohesive units which Green Day has labeled “acts.”

Overly anthemic choruses permeate all of the album’s full-length songs, as do three-chord progressions (I never would have guessed). Very few exceptions to these compositional rules occur throughout the album, and they sound forced when they do. An odd time signature? It’s simply not right. In this respect, the boring songs on the album (such as “¡Viva la Gloria!” and “The Static Age”) are liable to be the most enjoyable. Even the politics on the album are fake, never expanding intellectually. Billie-Joe Armstrong just doesn’t know what he’s talking about. One track near the end (“21 Guns”), however, managed to pleasantly break the flow through avoiding Green Day’s form entirely and more closely following the power ballad style of the eighties; the song displays Armstrong’s vocal and stylistic range in a flattering instrumental context. But overall, there are far better uses for 69 of your minutes. Well, a mere look at the cover art should be deterrent enough for anyone.

tl;dr: Bright points do pop up in the album. For the most part, though, it is ostentatious and formulaic.
Best Songs: "21 Guns" and "Peacemaker"

~Nilla

1. Song Of The Century
2. 21st Century Breakdown
3. Know Your Enemy
4. ¡Viva La Gloria!
5. Before The Lobotomy
6. Christian's Inferno
7. Last Night On Earth
8. East Jesus Nowhere
9. Peacemaker
10. Last of the American Girls
11. Murder City
12. ¿Viva La Gloria?
13. Restless Heart Syndrome
14. Horseshoes and Handgrenades
15. The Static Age
16. 21 Guns
17. American Eulogy
18. See The Light
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