Rapid Review – 6/16/20

Hey everybody! Sorry for the silent Friday last week. Here is today’s post:

The noise rock band No Age drops their sixth studio album Goons Be Gone that adds to their consistent output of solid art punk and rock music. One unique aspect of this band is that the vocalist is also the drummer (Dean Allen Spunt). He records fuzzy vocals for the album, giving the listener a taste of it in the track Sandalwood, which is backed by a vintage rock instrumental. On this record, No Age diverges from their usual fast-paced noise rock into a slower post punk delivery. The interlude Working Stiff Takes a Break contains these great stuttering horns (saxes and trumpets) for 61 seconds, backing Spunt’s vocals. Toes in the Water is a highlight as the instrumental track descends into an interesting drone of flicking metal sounds and lo-fi distortion. A Sigh Clicks repeats a three-note melody in the instrumental on a blusterous guitar as Spunt steadily delivers the most conventional post punk vocals on the record. Puzzled has a freaky, peculiar intro of an augmented voice that transitions into some upbeat, head-nodding instrumentations and refrains. Goons Be Gone is just a decent post punk record with some intriguing digital production sprinkled in. I would give it around a 7.

K-pop girl group TWICE releases their eighth Korean album and eleventh studio album MORE & MORE, furthering their popularity and domination in the K-pop scene. This seven-track record is a fairly usual release by the outfit in length and content. I don’t listen to much of any K-pop, but I’m always willing to give anything a try. I was surprised to hear some familiar production as the girl group is pretty heavy on bubblegum pop. Generally, I feel quite indifferent to the album as there are some interesting elements, but there are also a few dips. In my opinion, Anthony Fantano sums up MORE & MORE pretty well on his YUNOREVIEW segment. There are some great lead vocals, melodic hooks, and great bubblegum pop production; however, when they lean towards experimenting with trap or reggaetón, it kind of just sounds like lackluster appropriation of western music. The use of sounds from such genres seems pointless to me, especially with the lack of a new twist or creative incorporation. I would give it a 4-5.

Famous ambient and shoegaze band This Will Destroy You issues their seventh full-length album Vespertine. I always knew about this band from subreddits and different outlets, particularly for their debut album cover of the bear on Young Mountain. I was intrigued by their third studio record Tunnel Blanket and enjoyed its combination of ambient and shoegaze. So, I gave this new album a listen, and I am utterly surprised. This Will Destroy You delivered a completely ambient record without any harsh noises. The whole album contains eerie ambient music with great string instrument incorporation throughout the tracklist. Vespertine is truly a holistic experience beginning with the scary muffled intro Building that immerses the listener into a vortex and ending with the gargantuan 21.5-minute long closer Garden. The best way I can describe the album is that it is phenomenally serene. One of the few ambient albums I have enjoyed. I would give it an 8-9.

Lastly, I recommend Splinters from an Ever-changing Face for good metalcore and 1000 gecs for some funky, fun experimental hip-hop with electronic/dubstep incorporation.