he can, and by he I mean their keyboarder. What you hear on the record is just Jordan and Oli's voices spliced together. keep an eye out when you watch a live video. Sounds great though, I just saw them live a few weeks ago -- it's just not Oli.
I'm too lazy to listen to a 52 minute BMTH album right now like I know I made this thread but Medicine is the only song I actually come back to.
My review so far 1. I Apologize If... (9/10)- Amazing somber way to start the album. Feels so massive. The only issue is that the synth modulation sounds like a warped record, which gives me so much anxiety. 2. MANTRA (10/10) - It took a while to grow on me, but the lyricism is about as good as BMTH get (which is to say: average) and that riff tho. Also the production is fire. 3. Nihilist Blues (5/10) - Not feeling this one to be competely honest. Just something about the melodies and the pace just makes me cringe slightly. Like the bass equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. 4. In The Dark (7/10) - A good average Alternative song for radio play. I could see this getting big, but that's not to say it's great. It's just an average pop-rock tune. 5. Wonderful Life (?/10) - I mean... Yeah, idk if I even like this song. I mean I don't hate it so there's that. 6. Ouch (10/10) - This is by far the most different song on the album so far. Operates on a female vocal sample & wow it feels like a Top 40 R&B banger, just with a rock structure. (Also is that line really "I wish you would've fucked the devil?" also has a call back to Follow You, which is a nice touch. 7. Medicine (8/10) - A pretty good alt-pop song! The production is heavenly, but it's just a bit too repetetive, but still enjoyable. 8. Sugar Honey Ice & Tea (9/10)- If you want the riffs back, here you go. It's contrasted perfectly with perhaps the wildest poppiest vocal production I've heard from this band. Also that second verse sounds like it's about to drop into a trap synth before just breaking down. Probably the best "normal" BMTH song so far. 9. Why You Gotta Kick Me When I'm Down (8/10) - Kinda reminded me of modern douchebag hip-hop (Like R I L E Y, Lil Xan & Blackbear) but then exploded into this great rock-influcenced chorus. Very hip-hop influenced rhyme scheme, but it very clearly sounds like BMTH too. 10. Fresh Bruises (7.5/10) - Pretty fun song, but it's mostly instrumental and gives off more of an interlude vibe to me. Feels like they could've done more. 11. Mother Tongue (11/10) - Yeah, this is by far the best song on the album. It's pure power-pop anthem and I wouldn't change a thing. Love the bridge & the "oh-oh-oh-oh" gang vocals. 12. Heavy Metal (8/10) - Damn, these vocals just have such a great tone. Also the featured call-and-response part is so useful and integral to the song. Also these lyrics are pretty good. My only issue is that the riff kinda sucks. And the chorus pops OFF. And that outro-- wow. 13. I Don't Know What To Say (8/10) - Never expected to hear an acoustic guitar on a BMTH album. Pretty good yet predictable outro track. It doesn't really get good until the drums & bass kick in. Also that bridge bit is really pleasant to listen to. So is the guitar solo. Ultimately it's a fun record if you don't set your expectations too high & can get past the first half. Also, really try and appreciate the less structured & more experimental tracks. They're fun as hell. Hope they put the good ones on the life set though.
Mantra and WL, while ok, took the elements of TTS I didn’t like and doubled down on em, and while I’m always afraid of poppier directions, medicine and mother tongue crushed both for me. I guess at this point if they’re gonna be a different band I’d rather them go all out and surprise me; the impressions above have me the most optimistic I’ve been for this yet.
This is way more interesting than That's The Spirit. Unsurprisingly, the few conventional pop rock songs (In The Dark, Mantra) are the weakest ones. However, the second half goes into uncharted territory. Nihilist Blues is like Enter Shikari on steroid, while Fresh Bruises gives me Machinedrum / Burial vibes. Why You Gotta Kick Me When I'm Down is very unique sonically as well. Heavy Metal goes off hard. The most obvious step for them is to move towards a more electronic/hip hop direction in the future right?
If one can accept that they have moved on from their old sound, it is pretty much a decent pop-rock-elctro(?) record.