Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit’s fourth studio album continues to display the sisters’ airtight harmonies and excellent storytelling while settling into a satisfying and consistent niche throughout its 10 tracks. While the album isn’t particularly abundant in musical risks, this is the sound of a band in full control of what works well for … Continue reading First Aid Kit – Ruins
Month: January 2018
Fall Out Boy – M A N I A
Veteran rock band Fall Out Boy’s seventh studio album, delayed for four months after their bassist Pete Wentz explicitly admitted the songs weren’t good enough in an interview, is certainly a lot more impressive than I’m sure most people expected. However, as evidenced by opening EDM misfire “Young & Menace” remaining on the project, M … Continue reading Fall Out Boy – M A N I A
BØRNS – Blue Madonna
Retro-pop singer-songwriter Børns’ sophomore project continues to display his old-soul mentality, reviving the classic pop sounds of groups like the Beach Boys while infusing the style with more modern synth-based production and moody lyrical musings that attracted a prominent collaborator in Lana Del Rey to the project. Made with only a single producer in Tommy … Continue reading BØRNS – Blue Madonna
Camila Cabello – Camila
Camila Cabello’s long-delayed debut album, establishing herself as a solo artist after leaving Fifth Harmony, comes in the wake of smash hit single “Havana”, which the album was supposedly restructured around. While I can’t immediately see how this was done, as the album contains many slower ballads and more standard pop tracks, Camila is a … Continue reading Camila Cabello – Camila
CupcakKe – Ephorize
Bensbeat is now on Instagram! Follow me at https://www.instagram.com/bensbeatmusic/ CupcakKe, the raunchy rapper and proponent of memes, releases her third studio album and continues to establish herself as much more than a source of exaggeratedly sexual punchline raps. Ephorize, while still certainly containing some of the material you might expect, expands on CupcakKe’s persona with some … Continue reading CupcakKe – Ephorize
Travis Scott/Quavo – Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho
In yet another rap collab that dropped as 2017 came to a close, not to be upstaged by fellow Migos member Offset, Quavo recruits a kindred spirit in Travis Scott for a solid but unsurprising effort. The two stick to exactly what they know and exactly what they’ve been doing for the rest of the … Continue reading Travis Scott/Quavo – Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 