album reviews
Reviews of albums old and new from iconic artists and up and coming musicians alike.
What is Orient Metal: Takasago Army by Chthonic
In December 2020, CHTHONIC singer Freddy Lim and guitarist Jesse Liu joined Flesh Juicer at the Roar Now! Bankah! festival in Taiwan to play “Turn The Sun Off.”
Scorpion Still Stings
Continuing the look at Drake’s discography while we wait for Certified Lover Boy, I will be inspecting Scorpion. This massive, 25-song double album release has racked up an unimaginable amount of streams and is the last look we have at album mode Drake. It’s over three years later and I still find myself listening to this album daily. Since it is a double album, this breakdown will be a bit longer than normal — so, get ready for a long read!
Josh HerringPublished 3 years ago in BeatBillie Eilish is coming with her new 2nd album "Happier Than Ever"!
The music world is less than a week away from the arrival of Billie Eilish’s second album, Happier Than Ever, which she’s been working on since the beginning of 2020. Now that the album’s just around the corner, Eilish sat down for an interview with the LA Times, in which she detailed a struggle she had while writing a song for the album.
Lili LovemoonPublished 3 years ago in Beat- Top Story - July 2021
Flower Boy Signaled A New Era for Tyler, The Creator
Flower Boy officially signaled the bloom of Tyler, The Creator as an artist. Being entirely produced by Tyler himself, the album feels deeply personal as we travel through the emotions of a lonely artist. Admittedly, I took me a while to warm up to this album. Upon my first listen on its release in 2017, I was shocked by how different this version of Tyler was, compared to the one I used to listen to on his infamous Goblin and Bastard albums. The once abrasive, and almost offensive, rapper had changed — and perhaps, for the better.
Josh HerringPublished 3 years ago in Beat The Story of Jonja
Jonja was born in a mountain near the desert. His father was the engineer of an “avant garde“ hotel construction on top of the Valley. His mother suffered from a postpartum depression, which made the old man plunge in his work. Although they were both loving people her madness forced their faithful friend “Shaman” to assume the kid's parental duties.
Javier Garcia AbascalPublished 3 years ago in BeatIt Won't Always Be Like This - Album Review
I discovered Inhaler around this time last year. I immersed myself into Britpop after abruptly ending a year-long obsession with the Beatles, and I soon joined a small community of fans on Twitter who also had much to say about the dumpster fire that was "Blur vs. Oasis," the fierceness of Elastica's first album and the superiority complex of Pulp fans. The majority of my mutuals, of course, hail from the UK, and you're more likely to hear about Inhaler over there than on the East Coast. Some of them posted about the band as well as our shared interests and eventually I just looked them up to see what they were like.
Courtney SkeensPublished 3 years ago in BeatGod's Son
God's Son-- The God Is Here -- my Review By Brian Salkowski It's rare in hip hop for rappers to get emotional. It could be looked at as the rapper going "soft" and diminishes street credibility. What is even more rare is a rapper who takes them emotions and turn them into emotional blunting, if you will, creating a whole treasure chest of things you can bounce creativity off. Nasir Jones does exactly this on his album "God's Son" The music — mostly a dark, sparse boom-bap — follows Nas’ shrewd, crafty approach. The James Brown sample on “Get Down” is an old-school gesture, but it makes for the album’s best track, as Nas’ quick-tongued monotone elegantly folds together tales of street violence and his own rise to fame. Elsewhere he and a sampled Tupac trade soul-baring verses with nothing but an acoustic guitar backing them, and on the Eminem-produced “The Cross,” Nas indulges his Jesus complex over a thin piano loop.
Aurora by Gisela João - Singer Releases Empowerment Album
Gisela João Released recently released Aurora the most empowered album of her career . Gisela is a renowned Portuguese fado singer. She discovered fado on the radio at a young age and started singing it for her family, first, then to friends and neighbors.
Case Study 01 — Album Review
After being “cancelled” by mainstream consumers after a drunken IG live, many missed out on a classic R&B album. Even after demanding to be cancelled (and succeeding by most standards), Daniel Caesar went out and created an amazing album which didn’t receive the love it deserves — ultimately, due to the timing of its release. However, if you find the fallacy of “cancel culture” redundant, then you will find this album to be a true masterpiece. Otherwise, look the other way.
Josh HerringPublished 3 years ago in Beat- Top Story - July 2021
Nothing Was The Same
As we wait for the overdue arrival of Certified Lover Boy from Drake, I will be highlighting some of the discography of the greatest artist of my lifetime, starting with Nothing Was the Same. Many consider this album to be the best of Drake’s discography, and they have a point. While it isn’t my persona l favorite, I can certainly understand the critical acclaim. This album is the height of both the singing and rapping Drake.
Josh HerringPublished 3 years ago in Beat Album Review: Childhood’s End by Ulver
As a writer and musician, I keep looking for the golden fleece. Hence, today my wanderings through the musical labyrinth lead me to Childhood’s End by Ulver.
Music Album Review: 'Lulu' by Lou Reed and Metallica
I believe the idea for Lulu came about after Reed and Metallica played at the 25th Anniversary of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2009 when Reed claimed that he and Metallica were made for each other.