Father John Misty is like a pretentious on-again-off-again boyfriend you can't stop thinking about. Sure, he says some douchey stuff, but he makes you feel really good. Also, he's kinda hot. So you decide to keep coming back to him over and over again.
This has got to be one of the best albums of 2015. The emotion, the wordplay, the relatable funny-sadness and the gorgeous lyrics are all components of this incredible album. Even though his pseudonym sounds like a cult leader, Josh Tillman can really work it.
This album is about his relationship with his wife, Emma. In a way, he makes his the romance between him and his wife more universal, as if his love is with the Earth. It makes it seem like his wife is his world, which is sweet. "The future can't be real, I barely know how long a moment is / unless we're naked, getting high on the mattress / while the global market crashes" is a great example of this.
Even though all of this album's songs sound amazing, two tracks in particular carry a Banksy-esque, cynically white male pseudo-edginess which just tires me out at this point. Both "Bored In The USA" and "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt." feature his singing about how ignorant and arrogant the world is, while he is above it. Which is arrogant in itself. Even though the lyrics have me rolling my eyes (especially "The Night..." which is all about his hate-fucking a girl who says "literally", which makes him "want to fucking scream". Really.) there's something about his self-hatred, or maybe it's the unintentional irony, which keeps these songs from being total losses. They're still very good songs to listen to.
I think it's fair to compare his style to Sufjan Stevens. Both of them put out incredible albums this year, and both have the irresistible way of conveying -- dare I say it -- epic emotion. The sweeping instrumentals matched with Tillman's vocals can literally carry you away.
And, much like that boyfriend you can't seem to forget, Father John Misty knows just what buttons to push to make this experience an enjoyable one.
RELEASE DATE: February 10, 2015
LABEL: Sub Pop
RUN TIME: 45 min
TOP TWO TRACKS: "Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)", "Holy Shit"
GRADE: A
FINAL COMMENTS: The laughtrack in "Bored In The USA" sends shivers down my spine. Literally.
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Killers -- Battleborn
Battleborn is like a long, weird dream. The songs overlap and reference elements from previous albums, even borrowing a riff from a previous song to continue the storyline, much like a dream draws from personal experiences to make it more realistic. And neither of them make much sense. As much as they enjoy referencing themselves, The Killers can't quite seem to decide on a single meaning, instead just sprinkling their own song titles and recycling lines from previous songs to provide the illusion of a storyline. If all of this interconnected to have a final, meaningful conclusion, it would certainly feel much better to the listener than just randomly interspersed references to make the band seem clever. Although this tactic impressed Fourteen-Year-Old Me, Present Me is unimpressed.
Other than the inside references, a common theme with this album is romance. While the album could be interpreted as a follow-up to their biggest hit "Mr. Brightside", "Miss Atomic Bomb" is certainly a continuation of that storyline. It's anybody's guess if the rest of Battleborn is related or not.
"Flesh and Bone" is one of the weirdest songs about sex I've heard in a while, and the cliched joy of discovering another person's body for The First Time. There are plenty of cliches interwoven throughout the entire album. I'm starting to wonder if B-Flow writes any of these songs in over fifteen minutes.
I think what I love the most about The Killers is the way Brandon Flowers delivers these lyrics, sometimes with such power. I can't see much that makes The Killers unique musically, but I'll be damned if I don't mention how Mr. Flowers can belt 'em out. That and the admittedly overused outside-Vegas desert aesthetic the album carries on from, like, the entire Killers existence work together to sell the album. Some of the songs are sad, and some of them are catchy, but I can't say any of them are 100% original.
RELEASE DATE: 2012
LABEL: Island Records
RUN TIME: 66 mins (1 hr, 6 mins)
TOP TWO TRACKS: "From Here On Out". That song is a true gem amidst plastic ones. ("Miss Atomic Bomb" is actually pretty good, too.)
GRADE: C+
FINAL COMMENTS: Gosh, these guys rely heavily on cliche and their established fanbase. Brandon Flowers is a Mormon.
Other than the inside references, a common theme with this album is romance. While the album could be interpreted as a follow-up to their biggest hit "Mr. Brightside", "Miss Atomic Bomb" is certainly a continuation of that storyline. It's anybody's guess if the rest of Battleborn is related or not.
"Flesh and Bone" is one of the weirdest songs about sex I've heard in a while, and the cliched joy of discovering another person's body for The First Time. There are plenty of cliches interwoven throughout the entire album. I'm starting to wonder if B-Flow writes any of these songs in over fifteen minutes.
I think what I love the most about The Killers is the way Brandon Flowers delivers these lyrics, sometimes with such power. I can't see much that makes The Killers unique musically, but I'll be damned if I don't mention how Mr. Flowers can belt 'em out. That and the admittedly overused outside-Vegas desert aesthetic the album carries on from, like, the entire Killers existence work together to sell the album. Some of the songs are sad, and some of them are catchy, but I can't say any of them are 100% original.
RELEASE DATE: 2012
LABEL: Island Records
RUN TIME: 66 mins (1 hr, 6 mins)
TOP TWO TRACKS: "From Here On Out". That song is a true gem amidst plastic ones. ("Miss Atomic Bomb" is actually pretty good, too.)
GRADE: C+
FINAL COMMENTS: Gosh, these guys rely heavily on cliche and their established fanbase. Brandon Flowers is a Mormon.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Billy Pilgrim -- Billy Pilgrim
I picked this particular album up when I was hitting the town with friends a few months ago. Holding it in my hands, I noticed something: the name of the band (and the interesting font choice for that name) emblazoned on the album cover, which features two blurry men standing back-to-back and strumming guitars. Since I recognized the band's name from one of my favorite novels (Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. Go read it.) I decided to chance listening to the band. And boy, I'm glad I did.
"Get Me Out of Here", The first track is a peppy part-country, part-folk, all awesome tune about escaping the city and returning to nature. Don't let the "part-country" bit fool you, because Billy Pilgrim is full of surprises. This song is all about escape. Escape from the "crowded streets" and the "subway's steamy kiss" to the clarity of the countryside. The cheery guitar quickly transformed into a fevered strum, much like the singer's initial dissatisfaction evolves into passionate cry for escape. It's great.
The following track, "Insomniac", sounds very similar to the initial track, but with some gorgeous female vocals joining in to emphasize just how good it is to be loved. Or how good it is to just finally get some goddamned sleep.
By far the best track on the album is "Hula Hoop". It incorporates both the dramatic harmonica intro with the "ahh-ahh" reminiscent of doo-wop. It's a happy bop with cutesy lyrics. There's nothing kitschy about it, though. It's all genuine, which makes it irresistible to jam out to.
Billy Pilgrim's sound is happy, upbeat, and simple. It masks a poetic complexity which takes the listener by surprise. Sometimes, the sound can be a bit samey, but since it's a solid sound, I don't actually find myself caring too much. I'm disappointed that this band was so short-lived, because this album promises so much.
RELEASE DATE: 1994
LABEL: Atlantic Records
RUN TIME: 32 min
TOP TWO TRACKS: "Hula Hoop", "Lost and Found in Tinseltown"
GRADE: A-
FINAL COMMENTS: This is a really really REALLY good album. When I come back as a ghost, I'll possess people just to make them buy it. Maybe it'll revive the band. Who knows?
"Get Me Out of Here", The first track is a peppy part-country, part-folk, all awesome tune about escaping the city and returning to nature. Don't let the "part-country" bit fool you, because Billy Pilgrim is full of surprises. This song is all about escape. Escape from the "crowded streets" and the "subway's steamy kiss" to the clarity of the countryside. The cheery guitar quickly transformed into a fevered strum, much like the singer's initial dissatisfaction evolves into passionate cry for escape. It's great.
The following track, "Insomniac", sounds very similar to the initial track, but with some gorgeous female vocals joining in to emphasize just how good it is to be loved. Or how good it is to just finally get some goddamned sleep.
By far the best track on the album is "Hula Hoop". It incorporates both the dramatic harmonica intro with the "ahh-ahh" reminiscent of doo-wop. It's a happy bop with cutesy lyrics. There's nothing kitschy about it, though. It's all genuine, which makes it irresistible to jam out to.
Billy Pilgrim's sound is happy, upbeat, and simple. It masks a poetic complexity which takes the listener by surprise. Sometimes, the sound can be a bit samey, but since it's a solid sound, I don't actually find myself caring too much. I'm disappointed that this band was so short-lived, because this album promises so much.
RELEASE DATE: 1994
LABEL: Atlantic Records
RUN TIME: 32 min
TOP TWO TRACKS: "Hula Hoop", "Lost and Found in Tinseltown"
GRADE: A-
FINAL COMMENTS: This is a really really REALLY good album. When I come back as a ghost, I'll possess people just to make them buy it. Maybe it'll revive the band. Who knows?
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