The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 119

So here's my first write up from round 6, recommended by @Fucking Dustin;

The Money Pit - The Money Pit (2015)

So although I've never listened to The Money Pit before, I do know the band features former members of Gatsby's American Dream, a band I'd been recommended in a previous round of the music club and enjoyed but hadn't gone back to. Straight away its pretty obvious that this is a different animal to GAD, more power pop with some emo influences and the majority of the songs here are really catchy and had me tapping my foot along to the beat. It most brings to mind a band like Panic at the Disco, danceable, upbeat pop with a nostalgic vibe. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would say it's definitely something I'll come back too, the standout tracks for me were I Want My Money Back, Killing Time In Hawaii and Lawrence, Kansas.

 

okay @Fuck You Aurora gave me One More Light by Linkin Park

It's still surreal that Chester is gone, especially because I was supposed to see them with Blink like a week later

I can see why Linkin Park purists wouldn't dig this, thankfully I'm not a purist, this definitely felt more in step with what's popular nowadays versus what was popular in 2000

I appreciated the features and that Mike Shinoda had 2 songs because it's still hard to listen to Chester sing sometimes,especially songs like Halfway Right

overall I enjoyed this

 

Now to @Kiana’s second suggestion
Rey Pila- The Future Sugar

Immediate I liked the opening track, Fire Away. I looked into the band and saw that Julian Casablancas actually produced that song so of course I liked it. They’re also signed to his record label, so I’ve heard the band name before but never bothered to give it a listen. I was expecting a straight forward rock album but I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong! My favorites are probably the first 2 tracks

 

You are all cordially invited to discuss Bowling For Soup with me: Bowling For Soup

 

Sorry for still being late! Very busy day yesterday. Tomorrow, I promise

 

This week I'll be listening to:

The New Frontiers - Mending
Jason Isbell - Southeastern

And @Craig Manning will listen to:

Ali Barter - A Suitable Girl
Angus & Julia Stone - Snow

 

So, here's my review from last week, I listened to Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt thanks to @iCarly Rae Jepsen

You know, it's funny I never really got into No Doubt except for the singles. I always thought Gwen had a pretty sweet voice, so, the album opens up with a classic 90's tune, the ska eccentric " Spiderwebs". It's not a bad opener to say the least. It's a fun catchy tune that will make you get up and dance ! The production on this album is pretty good, everything stands out, not only does this album offer a lot of ska but it also offers a lot of reggae. " Happy Now ? " and " Don't Speak " are cool songs too. Overall this album didn't do much for me, I really couldn't connect to the whole early 90's thing. I can respect the album for what it is, I get what they were trying to do. But it's nothing that really jumped out at me. Maybe it's because a lot of bands than were going for that sound, but it's safe to say No Doubt nailed it on the head in the terms of the style.

 

Great reviews! I totally feel ya on the style of Swervedriver. It's definitely a very niche sound. Glad you dug the Lo-Tom album though. It's quite the jam.

 

I actually spun Lo Tom again a bit last night just for funsies.

Excited for your write ups of my Recs!

 

Nice!! Yeah, I'm working from home today and then will be stuck at the airport for a few hours tomorrow so no excuses to not have 'em by then haha.

 

Wooooo

 

@bree1981 assigned me:

Davey Dynamite - Holy Shit
This album caught me off guard. It felt very juvenile...yet wise in its own way? I will say there's no line I've ever heard that's resonated with me quite like "I've got acne and I'm balding [at the same time/and I don't mind]" hahaha. I enjoyed this a lot, it's got a lot of heart behind it in a way that makes it resonate with the aggressive, very very up-front lyricism. I'm not sure if this is an album I'll revisit but I certainly enjoyed my first listen.

Sincere Engineer - Rhombithian
The vocals and bass in this album were wonderful. It felt much more relaxed than Davey Dynamite, which had a lot of upfront bite to it, yet it still felt energetic and had a slightly more poetic grit. I can see myself listening to this one a lot, I certainly wish it was a bit longer but that comes with the territory I suppose. There were some interesting lowkey instrument choices that intrigue me as I listen to it more. Deeana Belos definitely has me sold on this one and I'll be keeping my ear out for more.

 

Ooh Southeastern is so good. I assigned it to someone but I think they got busy

 

Top three of the decade so far for me.

 

Same, pretty sure. I don't know if I can think of anything better

 

"Cover Me Up" is almost definitely my favorite song of the decade.

 

I'm listening to Southeastern right now! Jason's voice is beautiful. I'm going to love this

 

And the Nashville Sound was definitely one of the best albums of 2017.

 

I definitely need to listen to it. I've never really listened to country and it's time to change that!

 

It was at the top of my list for a while but I reevaluated and had to move Phoebe Bridgers up to #1

 

Hell yeah!

Topped my list.

 

Agreed! That is why I prefaced with “one of”. Phoebe topped mine as well.

 

There is clearly a country influence. But if you think of it as just singer/songwriter music and focus on the stories within the lyrics, it kind of opens you up. I don’t listen to really any pop country artists, but I dig a lot of the artists like Isbell and Moreland that are just really good story tellers and lyricists. They often have the Springsteen down on your luck, but keep working attitude. It’s good stuff.

 

hi frenz here is my belated review!! I was recommended Apricot Princess by Rex Orange County

I started listening to this album knowing basically nothing about the artist except that I recognized his name, but I didn’t realize from where until I heard his voice, which I knew from repeated listenings of one of the best albums of 2017 (spoiler alert it’s flower boy, flower boy is great, listen to flower boy). I enjoyed it through my first listen, it’s pretty short at just under 40 minutes, but I did find myself checking the length by the last track. I was impressed by the artistry throughout, especially with the production and especially considering this lil 19 year old kid wrote everything himself — regardless of whether or not this is my kind of music, that’s impressive. The lyrical themes started to wear on me by halfway through the album, though. I’m not sure there’s a single song that doesn’t revolve around romantic love and while that isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself, Rex never expands on that theme or progresses past lyrical cliches about love. He could also do away with saying “I guess” in just about every song imo. In summation, I’m probably not gonna come back to this album because it’s a little too piano-driven-indie-pop for my tastes and the lyrics didn’t resonate with me at all, but considering how young Rex Orange County is, this shows a lot of potential for him as a musician and I could see him getting huge in the mainstream in the future and maybe even releasing something I’ll really jam to.

thank you @Wall Of Arms for the rec! It might not have been up my alley but it's definitely the kind of thing I'd listen to so I can continue to call myself a cultured music fan lol

 

More than welcome and absolutely all fair criticisms too! I think that's why I love it (apart from the scatty Brit indie sound anyways) - I hear such potential here and feel like he could be a real gem in years to come.