Ariana Grande: "Dangerous Woman" Review

When Ariana Grande released her sophomore album "My Everything" in 2014, she was launched from Nickelodeon star with R&B cred to a full-fledged pop phenomenon. She claimed no less than four top ten hits from that album, becoming the only artist to achieve the feat that year. However, 2015 wasn't as kind to Ariana: a slew of scandals threatened to tarnish her sweet and bubbly image and turn her into-gasp-a normal, flawed person! Add to that a single highly reductive of her earlier hits ("Focus") and she had a lot to prove with her third album. Cleverly titled "Dangerous Woman", Grande has put the syrupy ballads and air-thin pop-rap aside for a sleek, sexy collection of songs that are her most consistent and sonically fresh. She's not the wide-eyed ingenue of "Yours Truly" anymore--that was made pretty obvious with her "doughnutgate" incident last year--and she's just fine with that. Now that her teen fanbase have grown into young adults, she seizes her first opportunity to be her raw-unfiltered self and have loads of fun while doing it. But this isn't "Bangerz": Grande is looking to exist on her own terms, whereas Miley Cyrus was doing everything in power to shock. Her pipes are still her best trait, but this time she tries harder to enunciate so the lyrics stand-out just as much as the music itself, which keeps the urban-leanings of her first two records but strips away the flimsy hip-hop for soul and house grooves. Though hiring Max Martin to usher in this new sound was a predictable move, Grande actually defies expectations by being so unapologetically sardonic, playing against the conventions of pop and releasing profanities and innuendo with unabashed glee. Maybe "Dangerous Woman" isn't classy like her earlier records, but since most of these songs are way more fun and catchy, it's a small burden. Unfortunately, Grande couldn't let go of her bad habit to feature way too many artists--Nicki Minaj, Macy Gray, Lil Wayne, and Future all make appearances--and naturally it's these songs that don't work. Ariana is self-sufficient, and delivers her best hooks when it's just her and a mic. She mostly consolidates her strong suits for "Dangerous Woman" though, so even if the middle third is highly repetitive, it's saved by sweaty dance tracks that ride their funky beats and keep the mood going the entire way through. Even if Ariana Grande the person has made some bad decisions lately, it actually ends up empowering her music and taking it to a viable direction. This is an album that she can build a better career upon, now that she's making no excuses (or apologies) for her persona.

Recommended Tracks:
Dangerous Woman
Into You
Greedy

My Shout-Outs: Senior Year

Well this is weird. 22YO and I'm almost done with college and about to do the adulting thing. 

ANYWAY :)

Let's just get right to it. After one of the most emotionally straining years of my life, I wouldn't even be here right now if I didn't have such a great people to lean on. I don't get to see them often, so it sucks that some of them are graduating! But more on that later. 

As per tradition, the BMB Mellophone section of 2015 gets the first call:
Lexy Henkelman
Michael Jablonsky
Andrea Ranzau
Robyn Gehri
Emily Watkins
Jasmine Hanson
Siri Stensberg
Sam Olson
Grant Sachs
Amanda Halek
Ben Mackie
Gage Donkers
Nalika Nom
Less than three, guys <3

Next, the only people I could stand in the UWEC Symphony Orchestra!
Crystine McGinley-Adams: Violin
Amanda Koval: Violin
Hannah Nennig: Violin
Rose Mish: Violin
Alyssa Edmundson: Violin
Nicole Bergquist: Violin
Katarina Theo: Violin
McKenzie Palmer: Violin
Rachel Burtman: Bass
Hunter Jeske: Bass
Sarah DiPiazza: Clarinet
Zach Arthur: Bassoon
Andy Michor: Horn
Kristina Mienke: Horn
My last year in this ensemble really couldn't end fast enough. A really traumatic experience all around. But I have to say goodbye to the graduates! Crystine, Rose, and Andy, I love you all and wish the best for all your futures!!

I took another creative writing course this year (ENGL 310), which involved poetry writing! Not my favorite class, but these are definitely some of my favorite people!
Anne Sanell
Emily Spence
Shannon Carlson
Josie Peterson
Brianne Ackley
Brandon Hoege

The cool kids in my fine arts administration seminar!
Dani Schmalz
Adam Accola
Kaynen Harris
Katelyn Larson
Mitchell Rea
Adam is gradu-macating! A really great guy who I hope has an equally great life beyond college!

And of course I'll shout-out my favorite profs from this year!
Nobu Yasuda
Randy Dickerson
Jason Anderson
Nathan Miller
Matthew Meyer
Cynthia Hofacker
Gene Hood

A random list of people that I can't categorize but appreciate very dearly!!
Alex Exworthy
Hannah Zirbes
Bobbi Freagon
Adam Wysocki
Quinn Reinhard
Trevor Kent
Carlee Schneider
Shannon Durley
Shelby Moore
Sierra Joswick
Paul Soulier
Rachel Eckwright
Chad Mantey
Teresa Wolfe
Haley Reichardt
Shalaine Buehl
Grace Luebben
Maggie Donovan
Mariah Sands
Christine Lasee
Angie Coyle
Matt Strom
Anika Reinighaus
Kirsten Miller
Dan Vaningan
Heather Colwell
Zach Bartsch
Katelyn Klevgard
Molly Jones
Katie Lane
There are ALOT of people from this list that are graduating! Alex, Adam, Carlee, Shannon, Paul, Shalaine, Grace, and Angie. All of you are amazing, wonderful human beings that will go forth and tear all the shit up! Thank you for staying by me for so long, and have fun in your adult lives!!!

So, now would be the time that I acknowledge the top four people that went above and beyond and all that usual sappy stuff. But, this year I didn't think that any one person stood out above the rest because everyone helped me out: equally and in different, valuable ways. 
But I'll name a few that witnessed me break down and give up, and then proceeded to push me forward. They never gave up, and I'll recognize that:

Briana Buchholtz-Oh come on you knew this was coming! 4 straight years of unwavering loyalty and companionship, all of them exciting and rewarding! I love this girl more than I love cats, and that's saying something!!

Jesse Kozak-Hey, the first guy on this part of the list! We had good times this year, too many not to warrant a special mention. A very good friend that has only encouraged me to do my best and to not give up so easily. I wonder what shenanigans will ensue in the fall? ;)

Emily Watkins-Once bae, always bae. No one else took me to Carson Park at midnight and ate McDonald's with me. We sat, we bitched, we played cribbage, we ate tons of calories! But most importantly, she continued to support me through some of the darkest days. I couldnt've survived without here!

Andrea Ranzau-It looks like we'll have a little more time together, which is great because it's always fun with my home-slice around! One of my best friends since freshmen year, she holds me steady when I'm just about to crumble. I'll be so sad when she does leave, but happy that she's given me four years of her time and patience!!

That's it for this year. One more semester to go, and I'll be done with school for the first time in 17 years!!!! I'll once again thank everyone mentioned here for their love and guidance. And to anyone that I may have forgotten: only on paper, but not in my heart!   

Sia-"This Is Acting" Review

Either Sia is the worst publicist ever, or she's on to something. Promoting her seventh album, "This Is Acting", as a collection of songs rejected by other artists (Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, etc) either implies the songs weren't that good to begin with and shouldn't have seen the light of day, or their intended clients are losing their touch on quality material. The end result turns out to be neither scenario: "This Is Acting" is an album that is as far removed from the introverted acid-jazz of Sia's earliest work as possible, and it certainly does feel like she's playing a character rather than giving the songs a genuine personality, yet these are tunes that could have only been recorded by Sia. The Adele-outcast "Alive" is soaring mid-tempo, but it's bombast and plucky production was an ill fit for the songstress' "25", so she was right to let Sia keep the song for herself. The same goes for Rihanna's return "Cheap Thrills", a sparse club-banger that flies in the face of RiRi's 'bitch better have my money' persona. In some cases, such as the opener "Bird Set Free", it was a blessing in disguise to have the song turned down by so many artists, because Sia largely benefits from the song's presence on "This Is Acting". It encapsulates her standard pathos, vocal, and lyrical content; the quintessential Sia song. And in fact, there are a good handful of strong singles here, whether they're convincing or not, starting with the spacious "One Million Bullets", to the effervescent "Move Your Body". Unfortunately, like so many other pop albums this decade, the songs that don't play as singles are the ones that are either too unremarkable ("House On Fire") or clichéd ("Footprints") to attract the ear before they sink into a self-deprecating lull. A litter later, Sia gets her early-2000s on with "Sweet Design" and "Broken Glass", but as anyone would properly guess, both tracks use the era's most unhip sounds, leaving no question as to why no artist was willing to attach their name to them. The truly forgettable "Space Between" ends this exercise in role-play on a turgid note, raising concern as to whether or not the concept of "This Is Acting" came before or after Sia realized that she did not have a strong, binding set of songs here. If she was expecting to compile an album's worth of rejected material, then it's baffling as to why she clumped the back-half with filler. If not, then the whole selling-point of this record is all the more contrived. Sia's voice remains very strong, her melodies are usually accented over beats, but with a good chunk of "This Is Acting" shooting far beneath her abilities, it feels like this is just a stopgap before she offers a worthy successor to "1000 Forms Of Fear".

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Bird Set Free                    2. Alive                      3. One Million Bullets

4. Move Your Body            5. Unstoppable          6. Cheap Thrills

7. Reaper                                  8. House On Fire       9. Footprints

10. Sweet Design                   11. Broken Glass        12. Space Between

Rachel Platten-"Wildfire" Review

Talk about a long journey to mainstream success. Singer-songwriter Rachel Platten is currently thirty-four years old, and is currently off the cuff of her breakthrough hit "Fight Song". Before 2015, she had released two solo records (the first in 2003, then a second LP followed in 2011), but Ms. Platten sat on the fringes for over a decade, writing songs for other indie artists but no audience or major record label was even aware of her existence. So, maybe the breakout success of "Fight Song" was more of a fluke than anything else, but whatever the reason, it caused enough stir to get Platten onto a record label which released her delayed third album "Wildfire" on the first day of 2016. Though the title implies a certain level of bombast, the cover art's imagery contoured by soft oranges and yellows conveys the album's sound and feel in a nutshell. Rachel Platten is just too sweet and good-natured to push herself beyond the familiar, so she ensures that much of "Wildfire" is filled with warm atmospheres and gently pushing grooves. She strays from this template a couple times--the Andy Grammer-assisted "Hey Hey Hallelujah" canned commercialism at best, but the generally enthralling "Angels in Chelsea" hits closer to the creative--but Platten makes no bones about retaining the formula of "Fight Song" and streamlining in further ("Stand By You") or accentuating it with more synths and club beats ("Astronauts"). Predictably, the mid-album piano ballad comes immediately after Platten's big hit (the tuneful "Better Place"), and further stabs at folky Grammer-pop present themselves soon after that. "Wildfire" keeps things simple, a somewhat disarming strategy when put in context to the other over-blown diva sets that littered the landscape in 2015, so it ends up being some low-key relief to the mainstream excess. Of course this record is not without problems of its own--there's a much stronger emphasis on song, for sure, but the blend of synths, guitars, and piano becomes background noise, rather than help push the hooks into the subconscious. However, it's hard to fault Rachel Platten for wanting to play to her strengths, because she's wound up with a pop album that is neither offensive or crass, just enjoyably light and engaging. It might be a little too late for her to cash in after the effects of "Fight Song" have faded, though, so there's also a sense of loss here. If she's lucky enough, she can use "Wildfire" as a record to lay the foundation for a more blossomed career, because she shows talent and promise, but the results either prove that her chance at mainstream success has either passed, or just begun. Only time will tell.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Stand By You          2. Hey Hey Hallelujah                       3. Speechless

4. Beating Me Up       5. Fight Song                                    6. Better Place

7. Lone Ranger           8. You Don’t Know My Heart     9. Angels in Chelsea

10. Astronauts       11. Congratulations                            12. Superman

15 Albums of 2015 That Didn't Suck

Normally, I would countdown a list of the 25 best albums of any given year. However, since 2015 sucked ass, there were so few albums that I actually enjoyed. Even the best records of the year had their fair share of problems, so I will instead give a list (in no particular order) of albums that didn't completely suck this year. Thank the Lord for giving us these rays of light in a world saturated in shit I MEAN DARKNESS lol haha no.

Here they are:

Adele-25 (Soul, Singer-Songwriter, Pop)
Even when she's not at the tippy-top of her game, Adele has more soul than everybody else on the planet combined. Whether you like it or not, "25" was an album everyone needed to hear in 2015, because if she can't revive our collective psyche (as well as the music industry), then who could?
 
Björk-Vulnicura (Experimental, Pop)
Once again proving that she's on the vanguard more than any other artist in pop, Björk's mercilessly long 'fuck you' to her ex-husband has reignited the creative spark that lead to such masterworks as "Homogenic" and "Vespertine". 

Carly Rae Jepsen-Emotion (Pop)
Like I said, this is a list of albums that didn't completely suck. It was over-rated for sure, but "Emotion" still contains some of 2015's best songs, regardless of genre. "Run Away With Me" is pure bliss, "Love Again" is synthpop pleasure, "Making The Most of The Night" and "I Didn't Just Come Here to Dance" are prime club bangers, and the title track "Emotion" is the most successful at incorporating 80s cheese with a more modern taste that was sadly missing on the rest of the album. 

Chvrches-Every Open Eye (Synthpop, Pop)
Carly Rae Jepsen got all the critical attention, but Chvrches by and far made the better pop album. "Every Open Eye" is fresh, fun, and freewheeling; catchy anthems like "Leave A Trace" rub shoulders with slow-growers "High Enough to Carry You Over" and "Playing Dead" and the sequence feels organic, not contrived. 

Death Cab for Cutie-Kintsugi (Alternative Rock, Indie Rock)
Electronics are fully embraced on Death Cab's first album since Ben Gibbard's divorce (and last with Chris Walla), and it results in a warm, intriguing record that covers basic DCFC themes while exploring social commentary ("Good Help Is So Hard to Find") and the pitfalls of fame ("No Room in Frame"). 

Ellie Goulding-Delirium (Pop)
Not Goulding's best work (her weakest, some might say), but like Adele, she still manages to surpass her peers by not letting her creative spirit get squashed by high-thread producers like Max Martin and Greg Kurstin. Less length and more intricacies in the production would've made another EG pop masterpiece, but "Delirium" as it is has gems like "Love Me Like You Do" and "Something in the Way You Move" to distinguish itself as a quality record in its own right.

Grimes-Art Angels (Indie Rock, Electronic, Pop)
An unexpected flurry of effervescent pop, sneering nu-metal, EDM, and R&B, Grimes managed to surpass everyone's expectations by doubly proving her skills as a songwriter and producer as well as her savviness in the realm of mainstream music. Her ventures into modern pop have shown just how poor the genre has become, and what can be done to bring it back to life once again.

Hilary Duff-Breathe In. Breathe Out. (Pop)
Perhaps she should take eight year gaps between albums more often, because Hilary Duff has re-emerged with one of 2015's best pop albums. It's not as calculated as "Delirium", more effortless than "Kiss", and doesn't delve too far below the surface like "Every Open Eye" so everything is light, engaging, and fun. Just how all good pop should be, but Duff's earnestness is making the material work is what ultimately separates her from her peers.
 
Kacey Musgraves-Pageant Material (Country)
The post-Bro Country era has begun, thanks in major part to purists like Kacey Musgraves who kept their nose to the grindstone and brought traditional methods into the present. Her sophomore album "Pageant Material" expanded on the promise of her debut and simultaneously brought country closer to pop/rock ("Biscuits") and further back into the days of country past ("High Time").
       
Kendrick Lamar-To Pimp A Butterfly (Rap, R&B, Hip-Hop)
No rapper in history has garnered so much critical acclaim, and it's not hard to see why: Kendrick clearly deserves it. Unlike canned commercial acts like Kanye, Jay-Z, or Lil Wayne, he sticks to the grass-roots of rap and talks about pertinent issues in US society (as well as the world) and mixes these monologues with mainstream songs that consciously avoid the middle of the road. Blunt and real, just the way it should be.

Madonna-Rebel Heart (Pop)
Sales aren't everything, and chart positions don't dictate an album's quality, because "Rebel Heart" is without a doubt the best pop record this year. It's ambitious, sprawling, enthralling, and very satisfying from start to finish. Yeah it has some weaker songs, some that are simply OK, but even when it stumbles, "Rebel Heart" is delivered with conviction and style from Madonna. The Queen of Pop has reclaimed her throne, and offers a not-so-humble reminder that she did pave the way for modern female artists.

Marina and The Diamonds-Froot (Alternative Rock, Pop)
The under-rated "Electra Heart" worked hard to titillate, but once it was over, Marina Diamandis' next project would take the best aspects of both her first two albums and synthesize them into a cocktail of pop and alternative rock, underlined with disco and electronica. All this results in Marina's catchiest record yet, but it doesn't sacrifice her unique stylistic elements.
 
Purity Ring-Another Eternity (Electronic, Pop)
If you've never even heard of Purity Ring, I don't blame you...but you should look them up right now. They're amazing. Do it. "Another Eternity" is actually their second album, and it builds a foundation for future pop while staying grounded in the present. That doesn't mean it panders, it's just that Megan James and Corin Roddick have married avant-garde ideas with familiar sounds, and it all adds up to ten tracks of electronic joy.
 
The Veronicas-The Veronicas (Rock, Pop)
Like Hilary Duff, it took The Veronicas eight years to release a proper follow-up to their last album. Stupid record labels, always preventing great artists to release great music and shit. I guess it doesn't matter in the end, because at least their new record is out, and it once again shoots to the top ranks of rock and pop. Thanks to Jess and Lisa Origliasso's hip sensibilities, they update pop/rock from the 2000s and infuse them with 2010s EDM and singer-songwriter nuances. The end result is a hearty platter of hits and strong album tracks.
 
Twenty One Pilots-Blurryface (Alternative Rock, Indie Rock)
They may be relatively famous now, but don't let that sudden success fool you: Twenty One Pilots remain as restless as ever. Whether it's squeezing ten different genres into one song, or somehow managing to rap and sing with strong sense of tonality, Tyler Joseph's id is on full display, and Josh Dun accentuates his lyrical themes with all sorts of noises, rhythms, and chords. "Blurryface" is a record that proves being repetitive and safe is so passe; the creative minds are on the rise and now have gotten a grand opportunity to break down the generic confines of modern music.

Honorable mentions go to:
Ashley Monroe-The Blade (Country)
Coldplay-A Head Full of Dreams (Rock, Pop)
Dr. Dre-Compton (Rap, Hip-Hop)
Jamie xx-In Colour (Electronic)
Jess Glynne-I Cry When I Laugh (Soul, R&B, Dance)
Kelly Clarkson-Piece By Piece (Pop)

Grimes-"Art Angels" Review

It was far removed from the hazy, indiscernible electronica that marked Grimes' earliest work, but by no means was 2012's "Visions" her 'pop' record. "Genesis" had a catchy hook, and "Oblivion" mixed Clare Boucher's girlish vocal with fun, squiggly synths, but those one or two cuts didn't detract from an ambitious, varied set of electronic music. It certainly didn't set the charts on fire--it reached a peak of 98 in the US, and didn't go much higher in other countries--and even its poppiest songs didn't make a dent on top 40 radio. Many critics hailed the album as one of 2012's best, but not in comparison to other mainstream records like "Kiss" or "Believe". In the end, though, no matter what the statistics show, "Visions" received enough attention above ground to make die-hard Grimes fans fear that she would eventually answer the siren call of big-budget pop. It didn't help matters when Ms. Boucher signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation management company, and then collaborated with Skrillex understudy Blood Diamonds to produce a track for Rihanna (the song in question is "Go", which Grimes later released herself in 2014 to a nasty reaction from her core audience). Paired with an increasingly fervent interest in her views on feminism and the music industry, Grimes soon became a creature of pop culture. Not intentionally, mind you, but this unfortunately set-up her second major-label album to be a product of business rather than an artistic statement of purpose. 

If Grimes was just another pop tart, that would have been the case. She's not, though, and she spent the first ten months of 2015 proving it: EDM-influenced "REALiTi" came in March, while the rock-driven "Flesh Without Blood" arrived in October. Both songs are equally phenomenal--blending an intoxicating mix of hooks, beats, and style--and are undoubtedly the backbone to "Art Angels". In a nutshell, it follows the path set by its first singles: upbeat pop, harder rock, dance, R&B, and classical music sprinkled in to give the songs texture and shape, but it also showcases a woman easing into a pop career with a level of expertise that even few veterans of the industry have. Not only has her singing improved (you can now hear diction and separation of phrases), but her skills as a producer have increased by leaps and bounds. Normally, it would take many songsmiths to come near the effortless catchiness of  the title track "Art Angels" or balance commercialism with commentary as well as "California" does, but this record is a one-woman show with Clare Boucher as its main star and creative director. "Art Angels" is a record bubbling over with ideas, all focused on mining new paths between genres and moods--"Kill v Maim" suggests gore but its nu-metal settings are outlined by cheerleader chants, "Life in the Vivid Dream" rides an airy atmosphere despite its macabre lyrics describing environmental activism. Of course, such an eager approach to substantive pop can lead to a stumble ("Venus Fly" has potential but Janelle Monae's weak presence in the song becomes its undoing), but it might be telling that the weakest track here ("Laughing and Not Being Normal") is the one that is closest to Grimes' past oeuvre, because it's a darkly bizarre opening for a distinctively sunny album. It's so un-listenable, in fact, that it almost turns you away before the true heart of the record unfolds. Once it does, though, Grimes' talents are undeniably strong, and her songs more often benefit from her experiences in the mainstream than suffer from it. That doesn't necessarily mean that "Art Angels" is a better album than "Visions" (both share their fair amount of filler, "Visions" is more consistent while "Art Angels" is more varied in quality), but it reaches peaks that extend well beyond her past records, or any other pop record of 2015. That's no small accomplishment, and it's simply stunning coming from the artistic prowess of a singular, original talent like Grimes.

Recommended Tracks in Bold: 
1. Laughing And Not Being Normal 2. California             3. Scream

4. Flesh Without Blood               5. Belly Of The Beat   6. Kill V Maim

7. Art Angels                                     8. Easily                       9. Pin

10. REALiTi                                      11. World Princess II 12. Venus Fly

13. Life In The Vivid Dream             14. Butterfly

Chvrches-"Every Open Eye" Review

Glasgow synthpop trio Chvrches had bright pop hits on their 2013 debut, but since most pigeonholed the group as anathema to the mainstream at the time, nothing could have prepared long-time fans for the pure pop blitz that came out of single "Leave A Trace" in the summer of 2015. Not that the fundamental sounds of the song were much different than early tracks "The Mother We Share" or "We Sink", but now Chvrches seemed right in line with other pop acts like Taylor Swift or Carly Rae Jepsen. However, instead of coming across as a sell-out move, "Leave A Trace" proved how the musical landscape reshaped between 2013 and 2015, becoming more hospitable to Chvrches' charms. Indeed: their sensitive synthpop slowly mingled its way through radio until their sophomore album "Every Open Eye" dropped in late September 2015. One precursory listen and it becomes readily apparent that Lauren Mayberry, Marthin Doherty, and Iain Cook are not only a truly unified band--at least two of the three members share singing or songwriting/producing duties at any given time--but they're savvy too. With "Every Open Eye", they don't skirt the issue of sounding more mainstream, mainly because their songs were never that underground to begin with. So, their scope is wider this time around, incorporating house elements in the phenomenal singles "Clearest Blue" and "Keep You On My Side", and then turning to unabashed, bouncy pop in "Empty Threat" and "Bury It". This might alienate early-Chvrches purists at first, but only because "Every Open Eye" pulls a nifty trick: instead of being steeped in emotions and atmospheres, these eleven songs thrive on melody and vibrant beats. This means that this whole concoction can please fickle pop fans by surface pleasure alone, but because the lyrics don't get lost in the production (which itself is more polished than on the debut), each spin unveils considerably more thematic depth than the last. Lauren Mayberry was also keen in giving her voice some grit and growl, pushing through the sheen and giving even the fluffiest tunes a tangible emotional center. Best of all, is that while the songs are buoyed by the strength of the music, they are hooky and memorably enough to stand on their own--nowhere is this more true than on "Afterglow", the closing Enya-esque track that uses only a synthesizer to capture the ethereal grace in Mayberry's lyrics and voice. "Every Open Eye" might be easier to love than "The Bones of What You Believe", but that certainly is no indicator that Chvrches are abandoning their stylistic eccentricities. If anything, they've improved on them, because now that they've faced real stardom together, they've rallied together instead of coming apart. This tight focus makes "Every Open Eye" a notably stronger album overall than their first, and a shining example of what pop should sound like in the mid-2010s.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Never Ending Circles        2. Leave A Trace     3. Keep You On My Side

4. Make Them Gold          5. Clearest Blue      6. High Enough to Carry You Over

7. Empty Threat                8. Down Side of Me    9. Playing Dead

10. Bury It                            11. Afterglow