Foxygen - Hang VS. The Strokes - The New Abnormal
The Strokes - The New Abnormal
In many ways, I see these albums as evenly matched. They both capture the essence of a particular era of pop music. For Hang, the reference is the grandiose era of theatrical late 70s glam rock (minus a bit of the glam), and for The New Abnormal, it is the slick college pop of the late 90s. Although both are meticulously crafted and varied within those parameters, I was drawn to the latter. After a relatively long run of 70s inspired power pop last year, The Strokes felt refreshing, while Foxygen’s broadwayseque leanings tilted towards melodrama
Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. Bill Rieflin - Birth of a Giant
Adventures of Jet - Muscle
Very tough, because I am currently fascinated by Rieflin’s musicianship, and this debut solo album from him is very revealing. Despite the presence of Robert Fripp and Trey Gunn, however, there were some mixing and production issues that were hard to overlook in comparison to the slick clarity offered up by Muscle.
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories VS. 88Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐
88 Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐
Contentious showdown of the week award goes here. I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories is a conceptual and technical tour-de-force, made all the more astonishing by the fact that Toehider is a one-man project. It's also an album that warrants deep investigation and contemplation, so choosing ◯△☐ in the context of Tier 1 allows me some time to let it simmer a bit in the background. Aside from that, since Cynic's last album, i am having increasing resistance to progressive metal, and although I wouldn’t consider I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories a progressive metal album per se, it has enough content in that style to hold me at bay. All that being said, I am truly fascinated by 88Kasyo Junrei. Their frenetic Green Day-meets-King Crimson vibe is truly distinctive and engaging, transcending the language barriers presented by their defiantly Japanese identity.
Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Mandy, Indiana - I’ve Seen a Way
Zombi - Surface to Air
I wish that I could say that this one was tougher, because I am interested in Mandy, Indiana’s dystopian post-industrialism. Zombi’s analog synth noodling backed by highly organic Peart-inspired drumming hits just a bit too close to home for me to pass it up, though. Winner.
Viewer’s Choice
Foxygen - Hang VS. The Strokes - The New Abnormal
The Strokes - The New Abnormal
Adventures of Jet - Muscle VS. Bill Rieflin - Birth of a Giant
Adventures of Jet - Muscle
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories VS. 88Kasyo Junrei - ◯△☐
Toehider - I Have Little to No Memory of These Memories
Zombi - Surface to Air VS. Mandy, Indiana - I’ve Seen a Way
Zombi - Surface to Air
No comments:
Post a Comment