Karmin's third studio album is independently released after being dropped from their record label in the wake of disappointing studio effort Pulses. While this new album does unfortunately stick with the same pop-leaning and derivative sound, falling out of alignment with the creatively produced rap covers and great harmonies which characterized their rapid start on YouTube, … Continue reading Karmin – Leo Rising
Month: August 2016
Carly Rae Jepsen – E-MO-TION: Side B
Coming off one of the strongest pop albums of the decade, Carly Rae Jepsen and her contingent of masterful writers and producers celebrate the 1 year anniversary of breakthrough album E-MO-TION with a collection of B-Sides. These do their part to continue the all-out sugar rush that the parent album started. Each one of these … Continue reading Carly Rae Jepsen – E-MO-TION: Side B
Lindsey Stirling – Brave Enough
EDM violinist and YouTube superstar Lindsey Stirling steps up the dance factor on her third studio album, bringing in more well-known producers and features to further propel her into the public consciousness. The combination of pounding, dubstep-influenced beats with her signature rapid-fire violin sound that we've come to love from her since her first viral … Continue reading Lindsey Stirling – Brave Enough
Frank Ocean – Blonde
After an agonizing 4 year wait, visionary artist Frank Ocean has released Blonde, as well as an accompanying visual album Endless, and reveals that the wait was certainly worth it. It is difficult to approach such a sprawling work in the context of a review, because there are so many different interlocking aspects and allusions that the … Continue reading Frank Ocean – Blonde
Young the Giant – Home Of The Strange
Young the Giant's third studio album attempts to forge a new sound for the band, veering towards a political path and implementing more complex instrumentation and distorted vocals, but still ends up falling under the same umbrella as other contemporaries at times. Still, this is a high quality alternative record and the musicianship displayed is … Continue reading Young the Giant – Home Of The Strange
PARTYNEXTDOOR – P3
Songwriter, producer, Drake protégé and R&B artist PARTYNEXTDOOR’s third studio effort latches on to the rising tide of the popularized OVO sound which is currently infiltrating its way into every facet of the music industry. The minimalistic alt-R&B presented here makes for a project which is incredibly sonically unified, even as the runtime extends past … Continue reading PARTYNEXTDOOR – P3
Schedule Shift
Reviews will be up Tuesday and Thursday instead of the usual Monday and Wednesday this week, it's a busy time at the moment. My review of PARTYNEXTDOOR's new album will be up tomorrow. Apologies!
2 Chainz – Daniel Son; Necklace Don
On a day when we were expecting new music from Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and 2 Chainz, only one of the three promises was fulfilled, and it was the one I was quite decidedly the least excited to listen to. Nonetheless, Chainz came through indeed with a 9-track mixtape announced only 4 days before its … Continue reading 2 Chainz – Daniel Son; Necklace Don
DJ Snake – Encore
Parisian electronic musician DJ Snake's debut album Encore serves as his attempt to establish himself as a household name and a mainstream pop powerhouse with an album that both stays true to his origins and aims for wide-ranging crossover, both in the realms of pop and hip-hop. There is a very wide disparity in genres on the … Continue reading DJ Snake – Encore
NAO – For All We Know
Rapidly rising R&B artist NAO, hailing from England, has released her hotly anticipated debut album, For All We Know. While this is one of the most instantly attention-grabbing sounds presented on a major release in quite some time, a large part of NAO’s appeal is actually her extremely unique voice. It is easy to see … Continue reading NAO – For All We Know
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 