Since this is a blog, I am going to pull no punches and give you my bitingly blunt opinions of this week’s newest releases. I will do my best to steer clear of profanity and stereotyping, but I consider myself a true music elitist, so expect an indictment of one (or more) artists that you like. Or, this guy might even really dig something that came out this week and you will just have to read on to find out.
Since the weather is nice and we should all be frolicking in the sunshine, a rundown of anything worth listening to comes first. That will save the readers some time, at least! First, Murs and 9th Wonder’s collaboration Fornever. Hip-hop heads have been eagerly awaiting this one for a long time, myself included; 9th Wonder is simply one of the greatest beat masters of the last few decades and he does not disappoint on this disc. Murs can be preachy at times, but he is flipping more quality rhymes here than on anything since The End of the Beginning. There are some weak ones to be sure, but do not miss Fornever if you want an example of what two of the best modern hip-hop artists are capable of.
No surprise, but there is only one other halfway decent album coming out this week. Dosh of Anticon reknown is releasing his album Tommy (no relation to The Who, as far as I know) today, and fans can expect more sonic experimentations, as well as another appearance from Andrew Bird and a variety of other talented musicians. What I have heard leads me to believe that Dosh has included some more dance-y tracks than previous albums.
Now on to everything else, i.e. stuff that I already hate or will hate as soon as I listen to it! The elephant in the room is the new MGMT album, Congratulations. I will not waste too much space on this boring sophomore effort, and all I can say is that sounds like a bastardized, whiny 21st century version of something a baby boomer might have tripped to in college. Yawn. If you like Of Montreal or bands that are not as good as Of Montreal but still try to sound like them, give it a shot. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Coheed and Cambria’s Year of the Black Rainbow drops this week, too. This band was only relevant when they released Second Stage Turbine Blade, and even that is a stretch. Prog, melodic, you get the idea.
I know some readers may be from Cincinnati, but I truly believe that local heroes Foxy Shazam are pretty bad. In addition to a Super Bowl commercial sell-out moment, the band’s self-titled album is their first on a major label and promises to be even more corporate washed than ever before.
I’ll end the harshest criticism there and end with a tone of indifference. Bleeding Through, admittedly one of my favorite groups at a prior point in time, released their album today, which is also self-titled. I haven’t kept up with the band for many years, but it feels like I never left! Nothing has changed here (as far as I can tell) – just metalcore that sounds like Dethklok at points and crew hardcore at others. Fans of the band may enjoy this.
Yeah, yeah, I know. Too harsh and not witty enough, but I seem to have spent too much time in the sun and I am beat, given that I passed out and regained consciousness several times while writing. Feel free to ignore my ramblings and enjoy this week’s releases, you will probably disagree with me.
Keep living and listening, lobsters!
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