Average Rating: 3.10 Rating Variance: 0.84 Objectivity Score: 94% (Very Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name4.0 excellentHop Along Bark Your Head Off, DogThere's nothing about the sound here that is inherently different or unique that makes Hop Along's third album so good. Frances Quinlan's vocals are strong, backed up by quality melodies per usual. It's the songwriting, and more specifically - the song structure, that sets this album apart. A lack of typical versus-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus songs keeps you wondering what's going to come next, and forces you to listen more than just a couple times to really figure things out. The change in melody from first verse to second verse in "One That Suits Me", the wandering journey in structure of "How Simple", and the transition in "Not Abel" emphatically state what is album is about - and why it's so good.The War On Drugs A Deeper UnderstandingIt's not that the songs are worse - it's the album. The fact that Adam Granduciel turned a simple, boring piano chord duo into the classic that is "Up All Night" shows that despite making zero steps forward in evolution, there is still plenty of inspiration left. What drags this album down is the awful pacing. Individually, "Thinking of a Place", "In Chains", "Clean Living", and "You Don't Have To Go" are all formidable tracks, with In Chains being among their best ever. Collectively, it can feel like being stuck in mud, with Adam's increasingly raspy, out of breath-like voice becoming ever more apparent. All in all, still quality, and still worth listening to.3.5 greatserpentwithfeet soilWhat else could you expect from someone who studied Vocal Arts in Philadelphia? The flurry of vocal arrangements steals the show here, with the pulsing, sparse backgrounds serving as the perfect framework for a twisted saga of emotion. "wrong tree" shows serpentwithfeet taking three steps past neo-soul, functioning closer to a modern version of the Beach Boy's "Smiley Smile" that might exist in the upside-down. It can be a challenging listen at times, after the perfectly woven feeling of despair in "cherubim", the listener keeps waiting for the next minimalistic outbreak, but it just never quite comes. Despite this, "soil" is an exceptional debut album that deftly works around the boundaries of today's R&B and neo-soul styles.2.0 poorIron Maiden No Prayer For The DyingIt's not very good, and that's all there is to. Most songs feature some redeeming feature, be it a wailing guitar solo, a classic riff or two, or classic Bruce vocals. The issue here is that not once does it all come together, or does it even come close to coming together. The songs feel disjointed, lacking in spirit, and sound like a band running low on ideas. Milo Greene Adult ContemporarySongwriting hasn't always been their strongest point, although previous albums did feature a pristine track or two. It's the harmonies that keeps folks coming back, and the departure of Andrew Heringer really hits hard. Marlana does her best to pull the weight, but the rest of the newly formed trio simply aren't built to fill out the rest of the vocal sound. The songwriting? A minor step back that feels like a leap without the signature sound. The band feels a bit lost, bouncing from cheap folk to forced synths, all while hovering around an 80s Fleetwood Mac vibe. Overall, it sounds like it's time for a reset.
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