The Veronicas-"The Veronicas" Review

By 2014, seven full years after The Veronicas' last album "Hook Me Up", it had seemed that they were destined to be another novelty teen-pop act of the mid-2000s. True to form, feuds between record labels was the prime culprit, resulting in Jess and Lisa Origliasso to scrap the majority of their intended third album around 2010 or so. Admirably, though, they soldiered on; despite the outside drama, they proceeded to update the material for their third album, and miraculously were able to properly release the eponymous "The Veronicas" in late November. Releasing a self-titled record is usually an indication of a debut, or a rebirth, and there's certainly a lot that has changed about The Veronicas since 2007. For one, they're obviously much older (pushing thirty, in fact), so they all but discard their teen-pop past and instead opt for a wider range of sounds. Of course, this would ultimately result in more soul and more indie rock--indeed, the two genres come together in the truly bizarre opener "Sanctified"--but one thing that hasn't changed is The Veronicas' need to explore mainstream pop sounds. They cannily sprinkle 2010s EDM in small doses throughout, while they toss in punk sounds in "Teenage Millionaire", new wave atmospheres in "Cold", and occasionally drop sassy raps at their convenience. Responsible for this adept mix of sounds is mostly producer Toby Gad, a Veronicas mainstay, but they also recruit Nellee Hooper, Dreamlab, and DNA to season the plate, making "The Veronicas" just as much of a pop classic as their first two albums. Even if it doesn't play quite like a piece as "The Secret Life Of" or "Hook Me Up" did, the Origliasso sisters demonstrate their maverick talents, both lyrically and vocally, to unify these songs regardless of their constantly shifting genres and moods. Not many singer-songwriters age this gracefully, but The Veronicas have already proven they're not cookie-cutter tarts like their long-lost peers. They're sheer determination to make "The Veronicas" work pays off to remarkable rewards. And although their pop stylings can be a bit too calculated (mostly in ballads like "You Ruin Me"), they prove that calculation can be enjoyable when at the hands of skilled craftsmen. It's this deft mastery of style and song that once again proves that the world of mainstream pop has too few acts like The Veronicas.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Sanctified               2. Did You Miss Me?          3. Cruel

4. Line of Fire            5. Teenage Millionaire     6. Born Bob Dylan

7. Always                    8. Mad Love                              9. You Ruin Me

10. More Like Me    11. If You Love Someone 12. Cold

13. Let Me Out      14. You and Me

Death Cab for Cutie-"Kintsugi" Review

As if divorcing Zooey Deschanel wasn't hard enough, DCFC-frontman Ben Gibbard then had to cope with the departure of founding member/producer Chris Walla in September 2014, months before the band's eighth album "Kintsugi" hit stores that proceeding March. Fortunately, Walla's exit happened after recording for the album had all but concluded, so lyrical content doesn't revolve much around his departure. Still, you can't help but wonder if Gibbard somehow tied this event with his divorce from Deschanel in some way, either directly or not. The most obvious detail of Walla's absence is of course the production, which has Death Cab steering towards the new wave revival of the early 2010s, under the guidance of new producer Rich Costey. Hints of an impending loss of a band member could perhaps be seen in parts of "Little Wanderer" or "El Dorado", but by and large, "Kintsugi" is firmly about divorce. 

Since Ben Gibbard is no stranger to heartbreak (he's only had like, what, sixteen years to hone this craft?), he capitalizes on detailing the end of his relationship to Zooey Deschanel, just as "Codes and Keys" in 2011 detailed its beginning. One key difference between these records, other than different producers at the helm, is that "Kintsugi" actually seems liberated by heartbreak, since it fuels Gibbard's imagination, whereas "Codes and Keys" often seemed too domestic and intimate to resonate on a larger scale. The sonic risks Death Cab takes with this new record pay off to longer-lasting results than most of what they've put out in the last ten years. Producer Rich Costey is the primary aid in this shift, fleshing out these songs with more studio effects--primarily synth overlay, distorted guitars, and the occasional drum machines for additional percussive effects--making "Kintsugi" more lush than anything they've ever done prior. Long-term fans of the band may find this disarming upon the first listen, but this is still standard issue Death Cab. Gibbard hasn't sacrificed his poetic lyrical style in light of the sound shifting to a more pop audience, which seems to only enhance his charms as a songwriter and singer. Also worthy of attention is how Death Cab tackles the trials and tribulations of divorce without ever sinking into the confessional songwriter murk that has bogged down many artists before them. This is all pleasant yet substantive pop that's filtered through rock ambiance, achieving DCFC's unique blend of catchy melodies, musical hooks, and artful compositions. It's easy to tell who Gibbard's "Little Wanderer" is or who has become his "Black Sun", but he also expertly shades the specific details with more universal feelings of loss. It's not an easy trick to pull off (no matter what Taylor Swift may tell you), and "Kintsugi" is really better off because of it. Maybe DCFC will succumb to blandness once Chris Walla's ghost has finally left, but for now, this record is hopeful enough to predict they'll be just fine. It's good to have Death Cab back; the music of the 2010s has been quite dull without them in it.

Recommended Tracks:

1. No Room in Frame        2. Black Sun             3. The Ghosts of Beverly Drive

4. Little Wanderer             5. You’ve Haunted Me All My Life   6. Hold No Guns

7. Everything’s a Ceiling  8. Good Help (Is So Hard to Find)   9. El Dorado

10. Ingenue                            11. Binary Sea

Billboard March Madness - Maestro Style!

So I decided I don't like how the results of the Billboard.com March Madness (so far). Therefore, I am going to cast my own vote for the match-ups while it's still March (better late than never...right?) I realize that many of you will disagree with my picks. I do not care.

Let's go!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROUND ONE

Happy vs. I'm Not the Only One
Winner: Happy. Fuck Sam Smith.

Anaconda vs. Lips Are Movin
Winner: Lips Are Movin. You know why.

Love Me Like You Do vs. Black Widow
Winner: Love Me Like You Do. Ellie Goulding is bae.

Shake It Off vs. Pompeii
Winner: Shake It off. It's hella catchy!

Drunk in Love vs. Bang Bang
Winner: Bang Bang. Drunk in Love is getting overrated.

Take Me to Church vs. Habits (Stay High)
Winner: Habits (Stay High). Seriously, why do people like 'Take Me to Church'?

Fancy vs. Break Free
Winner: Fancy. It's more fun, and Charli XCX rocks it.

Dark Horse vs. Let Her Go
Winner: Let Her Go. 'Dark Horse' is definitely overrated.

Stay With Me vs. Turn Down for What
Winner: Turn Down for What. Again, fuck Sam Smith!!

Sugar vs. Talk Dirty
Winner: Talk Dirty. Fuck Adam Levine and his tasteless antics!

Uptown Funk! vs. Let It Go
Winner: Let It Go. I'm sorry, but I'm not tired of that song yet!

All About That Bass vs. Wiggle
Winner: All About That Bass. Meghan Trainor knows what to do, with her booty and otherwise.

Problem vs. Thinking Out Loud
Winner: Problem. Ed Sheeran is just so bland now :(

All of Me vs. Animals
Winner: All of Me. Seriously, fuck Adam Levine and his ego! The music video for 'Animals' was downright vile.

Rude vs. FourFive Seconds
Winner: FourFive Seconds. You can't argue with an insta-classic!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ROUND TWO

Happy vs. Lips are Movin

Winner: Happy. Because I'm happpyyyyyyy

Love Me Like You Do vs. Am I Wrong?

Winner: Love Me Like You Do. Such a great ballad!

Shake It Off vs. Bang Bang

Winner: Bang Bang. It's even catchier than T-Swift.

Habits (Stay High) vs. Fancy

Winner: Fancy. Tove Lo won because of poor competition last round tbh.

Let Her Go vs. Turn Down for What

Winner: Turn Down for What. Again, Passenger got lucky last time.

Talk Dirty vs. Let It Go

Winner: Let It Go. I'm really sorry, this was a tough choice!!

All About That Bass vs. Problem

Winner: Problem. Maybe it's Ariana. Maybe it's Iggy. But for me it's a no-brainer.

All of Me vs. FourFive Seconds

Winner: All of Me. Simply because it's not a calculated career-boosting move like the other choice...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROUND THREE

Happy vs. Love Me Like You Do

Winner: Love Me Like You Do. Ellie Goulding knows how to make great pop.

Bang Bang vs. Fancy

Winner: Bang Bang. Jessie+Ariana+Nicki=PERFECTION!

Turn Down for What vs. Let It Go

Winner: Turn Down for What. Alright, but even "Frozen" can't top a classic party jam.

Problem vs. All of Me

Winner: Problem. It's sassy and catchy, while John Legend sounds a little sleepy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROUND FOUR

Love Me Like You Do vs. Bang Bang

Winner: Love Me Like You Do. Artistically speaking, it's just the better choice.

Turn Down for What vs. Problem

Winner: Turn Down for What. Bringing Lil Jon back was the best thing DJ Snake could've ever done ever. Like. EVER!

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ROUND FIVE

Love Me Like You Do vs. Turn Down for What

And the winner is...

Turn Down For What!!!

Madonna-"Rebel Heart" Review

There was a time when Madonna's worst enemy was time itself. Aging in a culture so obsessed with youth and quick changes would take its toll on anyone, but it seemed especially difficult for the Queen of Pop to conceal her vulnerability in the new millennium. But then, a new, even deadlier beast came to crack her carefully constructed armor: the internet. If online trolls weren't constantly throwing out 'flop' tags, then hackers were chomping at the bit to secure even a sliver of new music from Madge. After 2012's "MDNA" underwhelmed upon its release, Madonna could no longer keep the internet at bay, and in December 2014 her worst nightmare (yes, even worse than wrinkles!) came true: someone managed to leak her entire thirteenth album before a single was even announced. This may not have immediately seemed like a turning point in her career, but it was: now her legendary need for total security had been breached, the internet appeared to have gotten the best of her. The leaks weren't taken down in time to prevent thousands of eager fans to consume the unfinished material, but Madonna tapped her ferocious work ethic and quickly released six completed songs by Christmas. Over the next three months, the world got to see her sweat as she hustled to continue her performance schedule (The Grammys, BRIT Awards) and properly finish and release "Rebel Heart" in March 2015. All this calamity took precedence over the album: who could possibly create anything of value when put under such a microscope? Hasn't Madonna already lost her ear for cutting-edge pop? As it turns out, the opposite is true for both questions. Not only has Madonna succeeded in making her best album since "Confessions On A Dancefloor", but its far more imaginative and sprawling than any of her records released thus far in the 21st century. 


Unlike her previous albums, which only sported a couple choice collaborators to helm the entire project, Madonna surrounds herself with every important name in modern pop-- Avicii, Diplo, Ariel Rechtsaid, Toby Gad, Blood Diamonds--and even reunites with Kanye West on the sardonic "Illuminati", while enlisting the assistance of Nicki Minaj, Nas, and Chance The Rapper to drop verses about Madonna's favorite topic: letting the past empower the present. And, by and large, that's exactly what she does with "Rebel Heart", as an album, and as a statement of purpose. She's let enough air into her tightly-sealed machine so that the chilly electronica of her last two albums subsides in favor of a kaleidoscopic range of sounds. Of course, dance often lurks beneath the surface, but the hooks--of which there are a bunch--often come in different packages. Rock, soul, R&B, country, pure pop, it's all here, bringing notice to not only how "Rebel Heart" winds its way through these genre shifts effortlessly, but how the songs themselves can hold up no matter what style in which they're arranged. Anyone with a remedial knowledge of the internet can find the early demos of these recordings, but no matter which version you prefer, the durability of the songs to withstand any mix only goes to show Madonna's superior skills as a songwriter and producer. She may not be on the bleeding edge of the vanguard these days, but her instincts are still sharp. There are some embarrassing lines ("Yeezus loves my pussy best", "Oh my God/soaking wet/back and forth/until we break the bed"), but a couple misguided attempts at relevance are acceptable when they are delimited by an otherwise successful set of melodic, memorable pop. Only Madonna, a maverick talent and savvy superstar, could have made this album the late-career standout it is.







Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Living for Love                   2. Devil Pray                     3. Ghosttown

4. Unapologetic Bitch            5. Illuminati                         6. Bitch I’m Madonna

7. Hold Tight                       8. Joan of Arc                      9. Iconic

10. HeartBreakCity          11. Body Shop                    12. Holy Water

13. Inside Out                        14. Wash All Over Me  15. Best Night

16. Veni Vidi Vici                   17. SEX                                18. Messiah

19. Rebel Heart

Madonna's Albums: From Worst to Best

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Kelly Clarkson-"Piece By Piece" Review

Believe it or not, it's really been four years since Kelly Clarkson's last LP of original material, 2011's "Stronger". Filling in the gap since then was a marriage, a baby, a greatest hits collection, and a Christmas album. Certainly a woman that's thirteen years into her career with three children in tow might consider settling down, or at least making a low-key country or acoustic album (most people anticipating that former). Instead, Clarkson did the complete opposite, and created her sunniest--and glossiest--set of songs since 2009's "All I Ever Wanted". Quite contrary to country, "Piece By Piece" is a full-hearted dance-pop record, complete with Kelly's strongest set of pipes yet. This genre shift actually doesn't come as a surprise: all of Clarkson's records have been prime artifacts of the mainstream in their given years, whether it be 2003's "Thankful" incorporating adult contemporary and R&B, or 2004's "Breakaway", still her strongest album that thrived on an angsty pop pulse. In 2015's pop atmosphere filled with EDM and Britpop, making a country album would have made no sense for Clarkson, at least, the part of her that's still enjoying the glow of pop stardom. 

Indeed, she does what she does best, and does it well considering how anemic "Piece By Piece" could've ended up. It's a 2015 pop album for sure: synths, not guitars, loud, not soft, guest collaborators by Sia, Greg Kurstin, and John Legend, and almost no writing credits from Clarkson herself. The particulars don't matter as much this time around, though, because regardless of the big-budget, Kelly still manages to push through the electronic sheen and give all of these songs life and spunk. Both Sia co-writes "Invincible" and "Let Your Tears Fall" are some of Clarkson's best soup-for-the-soul songs, while her personal songs "Piece By Piece" and "Heartbeat Song" are thoroughly genuine, no matter how many words actually came from her pen or another's. Does this record cover old ground? In a sense, yes, but despite their dance-pop settings adding a new flavor, "War Paint" and "Good Goes The Bye" sound more energized and optimistic than Clarkson has been in...well, ever. That's not saying "Piece By Piece" is better than "Stronger" or "Breakaway", because it really isn't. It has a smooth texture to it, which ultimately manners some of Clarkson's more aggressive features. It's this slick consistency in the production that actually works against "Piece By Piece". These are catchy songs, but there's not much warmth to them, no matter how much Clarkson belts and coos behind the gloss. Thankfully, though, this isn't "1989"-level ice; Taylor Swift willingly adapted to Max Martin and Ryan Tedder's cold calculations, while Clarkson forces her collaborators to adapt to her. It's this hard determination that saves "Piece By Piece" from falling into pop obscurity, and instead lifts it to the big leagues in which Clarkson has always been a part of, but now is owning her success.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Heartbeat Song  2. Invincible                         3. Someone

4. Take You High       5. Piece By Piece                6. Run Run Run

7. I Had a Dream       8. Let Your Tears Fall       9. Tightrope

10. War Paint             11. Dance With Me             12. Nostalgic 

13. Good Goes The Bye