The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 325

Kevo turned me on to Starset through the club as well and it was a really pleasant surprise. Really well-written review and I agree with your take!

 

Thank you!

 

Incredible album, one of my favourites of 2016 for sure. I like the lead single from the new album a lot too!

 

Just wanna say I listened to the Starset album and it was fucking incredible.

 

The singer of Starset is on today's episode of the Lead Singer Syndrome podcast. Really interesting chat with Shane Told.

 

Hell yes! This makes me happy, and I really agree.



Also you should join us :)

 

Thanks to @anonimito and the difficult task of cataloging every single exchange in the CMCS since it's inception, I have discovered that I owe @Spenny two reviews. The first of which is:

Allie X: CollXtion II (2017) Twin Music Inc.

(This isn't the whole album but it is the album cover)

Allie X, born Alexandra Ashley Hughes, is a Canadian singer/songwriter. She released her debut EP CollXtion I in 2015 and this is the follow up. It is the second part of five planned collections and each is a multimedia experience with GIF's, links to YouTube videos, digital comics, etc. It reminds me a lot of what Lights did recently with her album and it's taking an album release to the next level and making it more of an experience.

Musically, she sits right in the realm of synth pop or electro pop made popular by Ellie Goulding and CHVRCHES. Even her vocals remind me so much of Lauren Mayberry. The album is only 36 minutes in length but she does a great job in that short time span of keeping your interest. There are a few "slow" songs that seem to drag the album down but they are not bad, I just much prefer the more upbeat tracks. This is a hard album to break down in terms of individual songs because they do tend to bleed into one another and the album does tend to slow down in the mid section. I do love how she dips her toes in the 80's with the production but is still very relevant in todays pop scene.

I recommend this album if you are looking for a nice pop record that is a bit diverse. It is far from perfect but it is still really good. I think the album would benefit from a different track sequencing and ends with a really slow ballad. As I mentioned previously, the production is fantastic and has these beautiful snyths dancing with a piano but it doesn't scream: "hit play again". The opening track on the other hand, Paper Love, is great and I love the whistling in the background and makes it feel so upbeat and happy.

RIYL: synth-pop, electro-pop, CHVRCHES, Ellie Goulding

Favorite songs:
Paper Love
Old Habits Die Hard
Downtown

 

Going back to Trophy Eyes for a bit, I think Chlorine is possibly my favourite song from the pop-punk scene of the last few years. As someone who almost drowned as a child, I found the whole idea of the song really powerful. The song is about how he almost drowned as a kid but a slightly older kid saved him, and a few years ago took his own life.

It's a pretty powerful song and I love the ending lyrics.

"Just two kids, when you pulled me out
We never really spoke but I still saw you around.
Friends of friends.
What does that mean to you no?
I heard everybody came when they put you in the ground."

I know what I'm listening to today!

 

Hello good people of CMCS. Those of you who know me know I enjoy the pop. So it may come as a surprise to some of you that I wasn't at all familiar with one of the most highly-praised pop albums on this site in recent years, Carly Rae Jepsen's Emotion. Thankfully, I've now become acquainted thanks to last week's recommendation by @jorbjorb.



The opener "Run Away with Me" announces itself with some sexy sax (a keyboard sample, but still) and then Jepsen's vocals come in over some soft synths and an electronic beat. The catchy melodies start right away and the tension rises in the prechorus to lead perfectly into the pulsating chorus. There's nothing particularly deep or specific in the lyricism, but it's better than a lot of the output in this genre and it complements the songs very well.

Where "Run Away with Me" has more of a driving chorus, second track "Emotion" fully embraces the pop sound with layered synthesizers, airy vocal effects, and a higher-register vocal performance. "In your fantasy, dream about me and all that we could do with this emotion."

"I Really Like You" is the third track and one that I recognize as the first single from the album. This has a repetitive chorus that is pretty standard pop fare. The production is great and the song is an earworm that is hard to resist even if you're not a huge fan of the repetition or the somewhat trite subject matter.

The next track "Gimmie Love" is a bit of a softer track that again utilizes repetition in the chorus. This one didn't grab me quite as much as "I Really Like You." The slap bass in "All That" is a big surprise that I really dug, and it set the mood for a more sultry song. This one has a Mariah Carey thing going on, kind of that '90s pop/R&B sound which is a cool throwback. "Boy Problems" continues in this throwback vein but it leans more into upbeat, high energy pop. Another great bass performance on this track and I'm pleasantly surprised that the bass is featured prominently on a handful of tracks on this album.

"Your Type" and "Let's Get Lost" are two jams and a half with bouncy melodies that are right in my wheelhome. When I first heard the closer "I Needed You" I was convinced it was a cover of like...a hit song from an '80s movie soundtrack. I was surprised when I looked into it to see that it's not a cover at all. It looks like it was featured on an episode of Song Exploder, so I'm guessing that's where I knew it from. Or maybe it was in a movie or commercial or something that I can't put my finger on because it's creepy how much I felt like I knew this song from hearing it on my parents' radio stations as a kid.

This is a really fun album and a great example of pop music done right. This isn't the kind of thing that I fall head over heels over as I like a little rock in my pop (the Lights album that I recommended to @jorbjorb in return is a great example) and this is more of an all-in pop record. However, this thing definitely brings the hooks and if I'm looking for something lighthearted and groovy I can't think of many better albums. I'm glad to have experienced this one so thanks @jorbjorb for filling a gap in my music knowledge!

Standout tracks: Run Away with Me, Emotion, Your Type, Let's Get Lost, When I Needed You

 

Emotion is hands down my favourite pop record of the last few years, probably since RED. Run Away With Me, Boy Problems, Your Type and I Didn't Just Come Here To Dance were my favourites.

The last B Sides EP was great too.

 

LA Hallucinations is the jam

 

great review. I should be done mine soon as well. glad you liked it

 

This review is a nice read and I'm glad you liked the album! I actually recommended Skin & Earth haha, I'm not as familiar with her other albums but after reading this I'll have to spend some time with Little Machines! I'd say this is a win-win

 

I think a lot of metal and hardcore fans like her because she is married to and has a child with Beau from blessthefall.

 

omg I failed hard

 

Haha it's all good, you dug it and it piqued my interest to dive deeper into her past work!

 

I'm listening to skin & earth now

 

Hope you dig it! It was my 2017 AOTY. No pressure to write another review! We're square

 

Yeah it really hits that sweet spot for me where it's super poppy but still has a good bit of rock elements mixed in. Catchy as hell and the power in songs like "Skydiving" and "New Fears" is great. What I've heard of her past work hasn't hit me as much as Skin & Earth but I definitely need to give it more of a chance.

 

You aren’t the first do to this so don’t worry. I gave @Larry David (miiiissss you) Transmissions by Starset once and he reviewed their follow up Vessels instead.

 

It happened to me once before actually haha

 

Respire
Dénouement
2018



I was unfamiliar with this band until I read the review that @Nate_Johnson wrote for this album about a month ago after being assigned this album by @Night_Sky . When discussing what albums we'd exchange for this session, @Nate_Johnson asked me if I enjoyed his review on the Respire album and also asked if I liked Deafheaven. My answer to both questions was yes, so this album seemed like a match made in heaven! (pun partially intended)

Before getting into this album, I'd like to delve into this band's background some since they are not a band that most people will be familiar with. @Nate_Johnson wrote a great review on this album and he goes into their background also and I urge everyone to go back and read his review if you missed it. Just search "Respire" in this thread and it'll be really easy to find! Anyway, Respire is a band out of Toronto and this is their second full-length album (confession: I stole this fact from Nate's review...Respire doesn't have a Wikipedia page and on Bandcamp it's not apparent at first glance as to what releases are EPs, splits, demos, etc.). Dénouement is the band's most recent release and it just came out last month. They are composed of six main members: Ben Oliver (bass), Travis Dupuis (drums), Darren Scarfo (guitar), Egin Kongoli (guitar, glockenspiel, synth, vocals), Rohan Lilauwala (guitar, glockenspiel, vocals), and Eslin McKay (violen, viola). I say six main members, because there are also several others (referred to as extended family on Bandcamp) that appear on this album. The extended family contributions include trumpet, trombone, saxophone, piano, cello, and accordion.

The album opens with its longest track, the seven minute long Bound. The Deafheaven comparison are immediately obvious as the post-rock/shoegaze music with indecipherable screaming/shrieking is a formula that Deafheaven has popularized as of late. The music itself can be described at times as lush, textured, and soaring. There is some singing around the 4:30 mark of this song and the unique instrumentation (primarily the strings) in this song are enough to show the listener that this album should not be dismissed as a Deafheaven knockoff. There really is a lot to absorb as there is so much going on in this song. @Nate_Johnson probably said it best in his review when he said this album as a whole was exhausting. It's only 36 minutes long, but it seems much longer!

Haunt is next and the music on this track is really awesome and well...haunting. The vocals here are again delivered in the screamed/shrieked style and there are more prominent strings in this track. One thing I'll say here is that the transitions from track to track are really well done, and the album is meant to be experienced as a whole. The highlight for me of the following track, Shiver, is the part of the song without vocals. It gives the listener a chance to catch their breath, so to speak, before the chaos resumes. I've mentioned the strings a couple times already, but I really can't say enough how much depth they add to the songs. The album's first instrumental track is next with Bloom. It's about a three minute long song with horns at its forefront. Catacombs is next and the vocals on this track are quite different from the rest of the album. They're actually decipherable! At least until the finally minute of the song, that is. The instrumentation is so unique, and by this point in the album, it's very obvious that they're not just a Deafheaven knockoff. I really enjoyed the music itself at the end of the track as it was some of the most aggressive music on the album.

Virtue is the last long song on the album at just over six minutes. Roughly the first two minutes of the song are instrumental, and then the shrieking starts and all hell breaks loose. This was Nate's favorite song on the album and I can see why. As he said in his review, this track essentially showcases everything that they do. The final two tracks are those shortest two songs on the album at just under three minutes each. A Heart Still Pines is a quick, aggressive track until its instrumental outro and it features some prominent horns. The closing track is the title track Dénouement and it's an instrumental that ends the album on a calm note. Saxophone is at the forefront of this song.

I enjoyed this album and I would strongly urge any fan of Deafheaven or of bands in the shoegaze/post-rock/black metal genres to give it a listen! I really can't imagine a Deafheaven fan not enjoying this album. On the flip side, I really can't imagine someone who dislikes Deafheaven enjoying this album either. The unique instrumentation really set this album apart from others in its genre, but I'm not sure that would be enough for someone who is not a fan of this vocal style.

This is also an album that I'd need to be in a certain mood to listen to. I'm not exactly sure what mood that is, but I'll know when I'm there! This probably isn't an album to just toss on in the background.

I really hope that what I've said isn't construed as putting this album down! It's very solid, but it's certainly not for everyone (and I'm sure the band would tell you as much).

My favorite tracks are Bound, Haunt, and Virtue. But really, this is an album best experienced as a whole. The transitions and the track sequencing are great and it's a journey. Put on a good pair of headphones and get lost in it for 36 minutes!

Good recommendation @Nate_Johnson ! And also @Night_Sky haha

 

Alright so @Bad Frequencies gave me From Ashes To New - The Future. From Ashes To New are a Nu-Metal band from Pennsylvania. They reminded me a lot of Linkin Park. If you're a fan of Linkin Park you will definitely enjoy this album. When listening to the album I kept thinking I had heard this band before but couldn't quite place it. Upon a little research I found out that They do the main theme song from WWE's 205 Live show on Tuesday nights! This made me like them even more, as I am a HUGE wrestling fan. Anyways, back to this album. The album has some really cool tracks such as "Crazy ", Wake Up" and "Enemy". The dual vocalists, work well together especially for having going through many member changes very recently. I'm excited to see what they do on their next album and where they go from here. Unfortunately with the recent passing of Chester of Linkin Park, and the uncertainty of that band, there is a hole that could be filled for fans of this type of music and From Ashes To New could definitely step right in.

RIYL: Linkin Park, Rap Rock, Nu-metal
Fave Tracks: Crazy, Forgotten, Enemy

 

I'll also apologize for the bigger font...I copied and pasted the word denouement to get the accent mark in (maybe there's an easier way I could've done this...I don't know) and I couldn't make it small again