The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 168

Alright, its time to finish up my week in the CMCS. I have two (technically three) reviews to post tonight, so its best that I just get to it now.

First up, @theagentcoma , taking me out of my wheelhouse by leaps and bounds.

Lights- Skin And Earth

I will start this review off by saying this was FAR out of my wheel house for me. I would never in a million years picked this up and listened to this on my own. In fact, this is something more like what my fiancée would listen to; shes a fan of this type of music. This is a pop album released in 2017, and I will say that I like her voice a lot. Her voice in these songs is actually really, really damn captivating. It commands a presence in these songs, and it is the stand out on this record. Tracks like the third tack 'Until This Light' are what showcase her voice nicely, with powerful and emotional lyrics you can tell were personal to her.

The thing that gets me about a lot of pop artists in general is the music. A lot of times in the Katy Perry brand of pop, the music is bubblegum and bland and its a huge deflector. I will say this album has some cool music and effects to it that makes it stand out amongst pop albums a bit, especially on tracks like 'Savage' that feature a ripping guitar as the structure of the song's background music. The lyrics and her voice are definitely the main focal point of this album, but there are moments like that and 'New Fears' where the music stands out more than you would expect. This is a talented pop artist, in the vein of some of the greats nowadays in this genre (Halsey, etc.) but with a bit of creativity that is rare. I did not hate listening to this album one bit; but I will say that I don't see myself returning to it. Not because it wasn't good, quite the contrary if pop music like this is something you dig, I would recommend this album. Its just not my style, and the run time felt longer than it really was.

Songs with powerful lyrics with a very passionate voice and some cool background effects and music. That's how I would sum up this album. There are some very deep and personal moments for her on this album, and songs like 'Magnetic Field' and 'Fight Club' where she lets her voice hit its peaks are the best especially when the music does so in kind. This album wasn't for me, but I will say if this music is your cup of tea definitely check it out. Standouts: Savage, New Fears, Magnetic Field, Fight Club.
5/10

Phoebe Bridgers- Stranger In The Alps

I am going to start off by saying that album art is creepy and cool. Its like something from a nightmare painting. Phoebe Bridgers is a name I have heard around here a couple times, and apple music describes her as a 'confessional folk rock marked with anger and fragility'. That alone was an interesting description enough to get me intrigued to want to listen to this album. I can say that description was quite accurate, though on first listen of the soft intro 'Smoke Signals' one would not guess that was what was in store for them listening to this album. Its when you start to listen to the lyrics that you would pick up on what was to come; these are honest lyrics. Honestly written lyrics about a real scenario in her life, and the music is so soft and somber with this cool old school guitar, I knew I was in for something unique.

The lyrics are a definite strong suit of this album. The opening line of the second song, 'Motion Sickness', starts off personal with the lyrics "I Hate you for what you did and I miss you like a little kid. I faked it every time but that's alright." you can tell that she's going to be blunt and clear about her situations. This song explains the sickness of her emotions in their relationship and all of the problems they cause for her and the ones around her. It has this cool jazzy guitar going on, something I actually found myself bobbing my head to. There are lots of moments like that, in every song from 'Funeral' to 'Georgia', which by the way has one of the cooler intros of the album with this thumping beat and slowly builds up behind her voice. Just like with Lights, this is a very powerful voice that can be both haunting and alluring when singing the most emotional parts of this album. The song could leave you smiling softly or feeling a sense of dread because of her voice and the lyrical themes of these songs. The ending track 'You Missed My Heart' is the best example of this, with this beautiful background musically, and then the lyrics are this saddening story of loss and separation culminates to murder and being thrown in prison. That's something you notice about these songs; these lyrics are downright haunting sometimes when thought out. 'Demi Moore' is about getting high and sending less than class pictures to someone, 'Killer' deals with murder fantasies and internal struggles. Each of these songs kind of spell these dark themes but in a sweet package that is light on the surface but twisted underneath.

After listening to this album, the album art kind of makes sense. A beautiful field with a dog, but a haunting creepy child in a ghost outfit in the foreground. Just like that image, this album has these beautiful (absolutely gorgeous even) musical backgrounds, but these haunting and sorrowful lyrics at the forefront of the songs. This woman has talent, and I would not mind checking out more of her work. I was pleasantly surprised; this is not a genre I normally dive into but I was happy to have spun this album. Its relaxing, its gorgeously crafted, and its very moody. Stand out tracks: Smoke Signals, Motion Sickness, Killer, Georgia, Chelsea, You Missed My Heart.
8/10

 

I think I told you this but Lights is married to the singer of blessthefall. Awesome band that has a new record coming out this year.

 

So is this a club or a society?

Title seems redundant.

 

Also: I'm only about 65% sure what 'redundant' means.

 

This is a cult.

 

Title is a reference to Are You Afraid of The Dark?
Have you seen that show?

 

@Larry David and I are partners.

He's going to awaken his inner sex god by listening to Bad Rabbits - American Love.

I'm going to delve into Hotelier's Goodness and feel feelings.

 

And now, a special presentation at the request of @skurt . A special administrator release day review.

Pianos Become The Teeth- Wait For Love

As you guys are well aware, I have recently discovered this band from this club. This week in fact. I thought their previous work was grand, bold, and very big in its scope. It was almost fate that @Sheaver10 gave me that album this week, the week of their new album releasing. It was a gamble he took that I would be hooked to be excited for this album, and his gamble was a jackpot. I was hooked, and had high hopes for this album to match the expectations set by Keep You. I am happy to say in a TL;DR: this album not only matches those expectations but beats it.

With only 10 songs and ranging 46 minutes, you would think that this album was a long one. The run time of this album can be daunting, but it never feels long. Pianos has this way of crafting these extremely layered songs that have a lot going on during them, so the songs flow nicely and never feel like a slog to get through. 'Fake Lightning' is a great way to introduce someone to this album, as it sets the tone and mood beautifully with these rolling drums that suddenly kick into chiming guitars and crooning vocals. The drums continue through the entire song, while the rest of the musical pieces just continue to pick up and spread in different directions. And, like most of their work, Pianos doesn't generally follow the verse chorus verse chorus structure. @Michael Schmidt said it best when he compared them to poems almost. The entire song has this slow and somber feel to it, like the intro to a stage play.

And then the second track, 'Charisma' kicks off. This song just takes off from the beginning. The drums, the guitars everything is pieced together nicely especially the strumming guitar in this song. The song seems to deal with the changing of life and love, the moment when two people who have seemingly been waiting for each other finally lock eyes with one another and every thing they have been waiting for just makes sense. These strong lyrics and story telling, along with these thunderous drums and crooning guitars makes for an amazing song and one of my favorites on the album. And it leads into 'Bitter Red', which almost seems to be the other side of the coin. While Charisma dealt with love and life, this song seems to deal with darkness and the inevitable loss and death in your life yet somehow has some of the more upbeat musical pieces of the entire album.

Love, Life, Death and Loss seem to be major themes on this album, not just in these two songs but in many other lyrical treats through the album. Pianos has a grip on this mature sound that they began with the last album. While Keep You began their journey of having this well crafted sound, Wait For Love is the culmination and evolution of that sound. This is best seen in songs like Charisma, Dry Spells, Bloody Sweet, and the amazingly powerful closer 'Blue'. Musically, they are on the top of their game. Booming drums that thunder and roll in the songs, these clear and beautiful plucked guitars that sound amazing in headphones, and vocal works that tie the package together for a beautiful exploration of love, loss, life, and death. This artistic album is beautiful, and prior to this I said 'Keep You' was huge feeling in its sound. If that is the case, Keep You is a Great White Shark, Wait for Love is a god damn Megalodon. This album is giant in comparison, and I highly recommend checking it out. This is a well crafted work of art, and it deserves to be experienced with headphones in and the world around you shut out. Stand out tracks: 'Charisma, Bitter Red, Dry Spells, Forever Sound, Bloody Sweet, Love On Repeat, Blue.
8.5/10

 

Nope. Grew up without cable :/

 

Patrice O'Neal is the only cult that matters.

 

Is it on netflix?

 

Idk. Too busy watching Tiny Toons on Hulu.

 

Water go down the hooooollllleeeee

 

How long do I have?

 

Session starts on Monday, you have until Sunday/Monday to write your review. So a good 7-8 Days

 

Okay, cool.

 

@js977 and I traded.

He gave me:
Crooks (UK): Are We All The Same Distance Apart
Icarus The Owl: Rearm Circuits


I gave him:
Starset: Transmissions
Young Guns: Bones

 

this thread is fun and has made me really happy this week

you're all cool people

 

It's great to have you! Always enjoy reading your reviews.

 

A bit late to the party but on the behalf of @Nate_Johnson I'll be listening to Senses Fail-If There Is Light, It Will Find You.

He will be listening to Strike Anywhere- Change Is A Sound

 

In case anyone missed it

 

@iCarly Rae Jepsen and I will be swapping this week:
They will be listening to:
Rae Morris:Someone Out There

I will be listening to:
Superchunk:What a Time to Be Alive

 

@JediMasterKevo182 nice Phoebe review, she is the BEST

 

I did really enjoy it, more than I expected to. Thank you!

 

I unfortunately need to step out for a while. I’ve just had a lot of shit happening lately and my stress is just piling up and I feel like I have no time to breathe. I’m sorry.