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The 'Shroom:Issue 107/Palette Swap: Difference between revisions
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<div class="shroombg shroomcursor shroomthumb ps"> | <div class="shroombg shroomcursor shroomthumb ps"> | ||
[[ | [[File:PaletteSwapBanner.png|center]] | ||
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I’m very happy to report that we actually had some entries for the art contest this time, so it’s nice to award some prizes! | I’m very happy to report that we actually had some entries for the art contest this time, so it’s nice to award some prizes! | ||
In First Place, with 11 votes, | In First Place, with 11 votes, it's {{User|Walkazo}}, with her art that captured how many fans were feeling about [[King K. Rool]] being left out of the new games.<br> | ||
[[ | [[File:KRoolKold.png|300px]] | ||
<br clear=all> | <br clear=all> | ||
In Second Place, with 2 votes, {{User|The Pyro Guy}} created this mod wondering where the Kongs would go if DK Island never thawed out. Somehow I think the [[Ice Climbers]] are less than pleased…<br> | In Second Place, with 2 votes, {{User|The Pyro Guy}} created this mod wondering where the Kongs would go if DK Island never thawed out. Somehow I think the [[Ice Climbers]] are less than pleased…<br> | ||
[[ | [[File:DCKTFMod.png|300px]] | ||
<br clear=all> | <br clear=all> | ||
Congratulations to our winners! Walkazo will receive 5 | Congratulations to our winners! Walkazo will receive 5 'Shroom tokens while Pyro Guy will receive 3. Thank you to both of you for participating, and thank you everyone who voted! | ||
=== Legend of Zelda Music Contest === | === Legend of Zelda Music Contest === | ||
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5. We will be watching out for any plagiarism in entries. Remixing a song in a new key, tempo, or style is fine. Changing one or two small things in a song and calling it good is not. Please don’t try to pass off a Zelda song as your own! | 5. We will be watching out for any plagiarism in entries. Remixing a song in a new key, tempo, or style is fine. Changing one or two small things in a song and calling it good is not. Please don’t try to pass off a Zelda song as your own! | ||
You will have until <b>March 19th</b>, the day when the next issue comes out, to submit your music! There will be an official | You will have until <b>March 19th</b>, the day when the next issue comes out, to submit your music! There will be an [[mb:threads/36430|official topic]] in the Fan Creations board on the forums, so post your entries, questions, concerns, etc., there. | ||
Good luck to all you composers! | Good luck to all you composers! | ||
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=== Pokémon Art Contest === | === Pokémon Art Contest === | ||
What’s your greatest <i>Pokémon</i> memory? Your first starter Pokémon? Maybe it was when you beat the Champion for the first time. Or how about that Shiny Gible you hatched after 468 eggs? Whatever it is, we’d like to see and hear about it! Draw it for everyone, and you could win some | What’s your greatest <i>Pokémon</i> memory? Your first starter Pokémon? Maybe it was when you beat the Champion for the first time. Or how about that Shiny Gible you hatched after 468 eggs? Whatever it is, we’d like to see and hear about it! Draw it for everyone, and you could win some 'Shroom tokens! | ||
You don’t have to draw something from the main series games. Have a strong connection to one of the spin-offs? Maybe a favorite card in the TCG? A plushie that you absolutely adore? Do share! Tell us your story! | You don’t have to draw something from the main series games. Have a strong connection to one of the spin-offs? Maybe a favorite card in the TCG? A plushie that you absolutely adore? Do share! Tell us your story! | ||
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4. Your art should have an accompanying explanation of what it is. Give a paragraph or so explaining what's going on, what your inspiration was, etc. We'll be posting these in the voting, so keep it clean! | 4. Your art should have an accompanying explanation of what it is. Give a paragraph or so explaining what's going on, what your inspiration was, etc. We'll be posting these in the voting, so keep it clean! | ||
You also have until <b>March 19th</b> to submit your entries to the designated thread in the Fan Creations board on the forums. Voting will last another month after that. | You also have until <b>March 19th</b> to submit your entries to the [[form:36431|designated thread]] in the Fan Creations board on the forums. Voting will last another month after that. | ||
Good luck to all artists, and happy creating! | Good luck to all artists, and happy creating! | ||
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|no6win5=Yoshi876 | |no6win5=Yoshi876 | ||
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| | |no7win2=[[The 'Shroom:Issue 105/Palette Swap#Community Advertisements|'''Community Advertisements''']] | ||
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}} | }} | ||
{{ShroomPSTOC | {{ShroomPSTOC | ||
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|author=Walkazo | |author=Walkazo | ||
|authorcolor=yellow | |authorcolor=yellow | ||
|content=Class | |content=Class reports go a little out of hand… | ||
|readmorecolor=yellow | |readmorecolor=yellow | ||
}} | }} | ||
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|author=Walkazo | |author=Walkazo | ||
|authorcolor=yellow | |authorcolor=yellow | ||
|content=Walkazo | |content=Have a Smash with Walkazo! | ||
|readmorecolor=yellow | |readmorecolor=yellow | ||
}} | }} | ||
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Oh man, this next track. I have been working on Steely Dan's magnum opus, "Aja", since mid-2015. I was supposed to have it done once or twice before now, but repeated hard drive failures and life issues have prevented me from completing this monstrosity until now. Widely regarded as Steely Dan's greatest song, it is an 8-minute jazz rock epic that paints a beautiful picture of escaping the aggravating expectations of life to simply be with the person you love most. It's a charming piece that has some of the most absurd chords I've come into contact with. I tested out some new techniques in this song, such as trying to get waves to naturally [[wikipedia:Flanging|flange]]. You can hear this particular trick really prominently from around the 7:30 mark onwards. | Oh man, this next track. I have been working on Steely Dan's magnum opus, "Aja", since mid-2015. I was supposed to have it done once or twice before now, but repeated hard drive failures and life issues have prevented me from completing this monstrosity until now. Widely regarded as Steely Dan's greatest song, it is an 8-minute jazz rock epic that paints a beautiful picture of escaping the aggravating expectations of life to simply be with the person you love most. It's a charming piece that has some of the most absurd chords I've come into contact with. I tested out some new techniques in this song, such as trying to get waves to naturally [[wikipedia:Flanging|flange]]. You can hear this particular trick really prominently from around the 7:30 mark onwards. | ||
Our third Valentine's track is by country pop sweetheart, Taylor Swift. In a genre dominated by awful and repetitive tropes, Taylor Swift stands out as someone who's doing something worthwhile that will actually be remembered by people decades down the road. Even if Miss Swift isn't bringing anything completely new to the table, she's perfecting a genre that's needed a swift (ha) kick in the butt for a long, long time. I can't even really say she's had a mediocre album, let alone a ''bad'' one. "You Belong with Me" is one of her many characteristically memorable tracks, the video for which, accidentally managed to inspire the [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/kanye-interrupts-imma-let-you-finish Kanye Interrupts] meme. A bit of an oddity in this particular chiptune, I decided to use a chiptune "organ" sound during the choruses. I think I've only used it [https://soundcloud.com/8-bit-amphitheater/duran-duran-union-of-the-snake-chiptune once before], but I found that it gave the chorus a really huge, full sound. The whole thing, if I may say so, is among the cutest chiptunes in <i>8-Bit Amphitheater</i>'s catalog. | Our third Valentine's track is by country pop sweetheart, Taylor Swift. In a genre dominated by awful and repetitive tropes, Taylor Swift stands out as someone who's doing something worthwhile that will actually be remembered by people decades down the road. Even if Miss Swift isn't bringing anything completely new to the table, she's perfecting a genre that's needed a swift (ha) kick in the butt for a long, long time. I can't even really say she's had a mediocre album, let alone a ''bad'' one. "You Belong with Me" is one of her many characteristically memorable tracks, the video for which, accidentally managed to inspire the [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/kanye-interrupts-imma-let-you-finish Kanye Interrupts] meme. A bit of an oddity in this particular chiptune, I decided to use a chiptune "organ" sound during the choruses. I think I've only used it [https://soundcloud.com/8-bit-amphitheater/duran-duran-union-of-the-snake-chiptune once before], but, in this song's case, I found that it gave the chorus a really huge, full sound. The whole thing, if I may say so, is among the cutest chiptunes in <i>8-Bit Amphitheater</i>'s catalog. | ||
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|r1c6= ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' OST — 1998 | |r1c6= ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' OST — 1998 | ||
|r1c7= {{ShroomYoutube|-uInmFU6JkU|Original}} | |r1c7= {{ShroomYoutube|-uInmFU6JkU|Original}} | ||
|r2c1= "Vs. Champion [[bulbapedia:Cynthia|Cynthia]]", by | |r2c1= "Vs. Champion [[bulbapedia:Cynthia|Cynthia]]", by Gō Ichinose | ||
|r2c2= {{ShroomYoutube|sbBKGgRw_zg|YT}} | |r2c2= {{ShroomYoutube|sbBKGgRw_zg|YT}} | ||
|r2c3= [https://soundcloud.com/8-bit-amphitheater/pokemon-diamondpearlplatinum-ost-vs-champion-cynthia-chiptune/s-xhaKA SC] | |r2c3= [https://soundcloud.com/8-bit-amphitheater/pokemon-diamondpearlplatinum-ost-vs-champion-cynthia-chiptune/s-xhaKA SC] | ||
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</div><br clear=all> | </div><br clear=all> | ||
<div class=shroomsection> | <div class=shroomsection> | ||
== | == Mario's Boombox == | ||
Written by: {{User|Walkazo}} | Written by: {{User|Walkazo}} | ||
Welcome back to Mario's Boombox! In honour of the anniversaries of ''[[bulbapedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]'' and ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda (Series)|Zelda]]'', I decided to do a ''Super Smash Bros.''-themed song this time, settling on a song and video simply called [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8EoXDCk0Y "Smash"] by Screen Team (aka Chad Nikolaus and Angie Griffin), a couple who make all sorts of nerdy YouTube music videos. | Welcome back to Mario's Boombox! In honour of the anniversaries of ''[[bulbapedia:Pokémon|Pokémon]]'' and ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda (Series)|Zelda]]'', I decided to do a ''Super Smash Bros.''-themed song this time, settling on a song and video simply called [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY8EoXDCk0Y "Smash"] by Screen Team (aka Chad Nikolaus and Angie Griffin), a couple who make all sorts of nerdy YouTube music videos. | ||
[[File:BackyardSmash.png|thumb|Cosplay, horseplay, Kirby beach balls and retro ''Mario'' cutouts = best backyard party ever.]] | [[File:BackyardSmash.png|thumb|360px|Cosplay, horseplay, Kirby beach balls and retro ''Mario'' cutouts = best backyard party ever.]] | ||
Now, the song itself isn't that amazing: the lyrics aren't particularly deep and get really repetitive later on, but it's pleasant enough to listen to, and they definitely chose a good backbeat to set it to (by Reaktor Productions). But what makes this worth recommending is the video itself. The Screen Team duo teams up with some friends and together they use 27 costumes to make a video of themselves running, miming and somersaulting around as they pretend to have a ''SSB'' fight IRL, and it's ''really fun to watch''. My only complaint is the dearth of non-CGI Pokémon, especially since spamming [[bulbapedia:Poké Ball|Poké Ball]]s was always my favourite part of ''SSB'', but other than that, my main thought when watching the video is "man, that looked like it was hella fun to do - why can't all my friends be cosplay-loving nerds too?" | Now, the song itself isn't that amazing: the lyrics aren't particularly deep and get really repetitive later on, but it's pleasant enough to listen to, and they definitely chose a good backbeat to set it to (by Reaktor Productions). But what makes this worth recommending is the video itself. The Screen Team duo teams up with some friends and together they use 27 costumes to make a video of themselves running, miming and somersaulting around as they pretend to have a ''SSB'' fight IRL, and it's ''really fun to watch''. My only complaint is the dearth of non-CGI Pokémon, especially since spamming [[bulbapedia:Poké Ball|Poké Ball]]s was always my favourite part of ''SSB'', but other than that, my main thought when watching the video is "man, that looked like it was hella fun to do - why can't all my friends be cosplay-loving nerds too?" | ||
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! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: January 1st – January 17th''' | ! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: January 1st – January 17th''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{ | |{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Malibu | |coverart=Malibu | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Anderson .Paak|Anderson .Paak]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Anderson .Paak|Anderson .Paak]] | ||
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|text=[[wikipedia:Frank Ocean|Frank Ocean]], where are you? Where the HELL are you?! Until the bastard releases his new record, we have this Anderson .Paak album to tide us over, which isn’t meant to be a jab at it. On the contrary, this is actually a really solid neo-soul album, with a really eclectic mixture of hip hop, jazz, funk, disco, R&B both old school and contemporary, all to create a somewhat unfocussed but nonetheless enjoyable listen from start to finish. While some songs, like "Your Prime" and "Silicon Valley", are weak links and come off as ridiculously corny, other songs have really impressive lyrics and flow, and Anderson .Paak most definitely can sing damn well when he needs to. While it’s not perfect, it’s really got a lot going for it. | |text=[[wikipedia:Frank Ocean|Frank Ocean]], where are you? Where the HELL are you?! Until the bastard releases his new record, we have this Anderson .Paak album to tide us over, which isn’t meant to be a jab at it. On the contrary, this is actually a really solid neo-soul album, with a really eclectic mixture of hip hop, jazz, funk, disco, R&B both old school and contemporary, all to create a somewhat unfocussed but nonetheless enjoyable listen from start to finish. While some songs, like "Your Prime" and "Silicon Valley", are weak links and come off as ridiculously corny, other songs have really impressive lyrics and flow, and Anderson .Paak most definitely can sing damn well when he needs to. While it’s not perfect, it’s really got a lot going for it. | ||
|tracks="The Season I Carry Me", "Am I Wrong", "Celebrate" | |tracks="The Season I Carry Me", "Am I Wrong", "Celebrate" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Blackstar | |coverart=Blackstar | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:David Bowie|David Bowie]] | |band=[[wikipedia:David Bowie|David Bowie]] | ||
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|text=God, this hurts so much... not because the album is bad. In fact, this is definitely the first brilliant album of 2016, and the best work Bowie has done in roughly 30 years. But seeing this musical icon pass so suddenly, shortly after dropping an album full of songs about his illness and impending death... this is a very emotionally challenging album to listen to, especially for long-time fans of David Bowie. It’s a very experimental jazz-driven album, with only a few elements of his older sharp glam rock style present, but the composition is absolutely brilliant, and the album is sequenced so perfectly to tell a story about Bowie’s struggle with his mortality. Bowie’s vocals are so delicate and scared; it’s genuinely heartbreaking to listen to. This is how you do a depressive album well. Thank you for all you’ve contributed to the industry, Bowie, and thank you for leaving us with one of your best albums to date. You will be missed. | |text=God, this hurts so much... not because the album is bad. In fact, this is definitely the first brilliant album of 2016, and the best work Bowie has done in roughly 30 years. But seeing this musical icon pass so suddenly, shortly after dropping an album full of songs about his illness and impending death... this is a very emotionally challenging album to listen to, especially for long-time fans of David Bowie. It’s a very experimental jazz-driven album, with only a few elements of his older sharp glam rock style present, but the composition is absolutely brilliant, and the album is sequenced so perfectly to tell a story about Bowie’s struggle with his mortality. Bowie’s vocals are so delicate and scared; it’s genuinely heartbreaking to listen to. This is how you do a depressive album well. Thank you for all you’ve contributed to the industry, Bowie, and thank you for leaving us with one of your best albums to date. You will be missed. | ||
|tracks="Blackstar", "Lazarus", "Girl Loves Me" | |tracks="Blackstar", "Lazarus", "Girl Loves Me" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=NottoDisappear | |coverart=NottoDisappear | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Daughter (band)|Daughter]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Daughter (band)|Daughter]] | ||
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|text=I am losing a lot of patience with modern post-rock musicians. Yes, I get it, you want to create a sad, slow, ethereal soundscape to take the listener on a sombre audio journey, but you can still do something engaging with that formula without just being so stripped down and slow-paced that it does nothing but put the listener to sleep. That’s not a journey, that’s just being actively exhausting. I don’t think this is the worst album in the genre by any measure, but the instrumentation is so slack, the lyrics so painfully simple, the song structures so unnecessarily drawn out, that I find it hard to get pulled in to this musical "adventure" Daughter is trying to take me on. There are some brief moments where the album does something ear-catching, but so much of it is throwaway and easily forgettable, that it’s just not worth having to sit through tedium to get to the interesting parts. There is one line in the song "Alone/With You" where Elena Tonra says “speaking to myself is boring conversation,” and I could not agree more. | |text=I am losing a lot of patience with modern post-rock musicians. Yes, I get it, you want to create a sad, slow, ethereal soundscape to take the listener on a sombre audio journey, but you can still do something engaging with that formula without just being so stripped down and slow-paced that it does nothing but put the listener to sleep. That’s not a journey, that’s just being actively exhausting. I don’t think this is the worst album in the genre by any measure, but the instrumentation is so slack, the lyrics so painfully simple, the song structures so unnecessarily drawn out, that I find it hard to get pulled in to this musical "adventure" Daughter is trying to take me on. There are some brief moments where the album does something ear-catching, but so much of it is throwaway and easily forgettable, that it’s just not worth having to sit through tedium to get to the interesting parts. There is one line in the song "Alone/With You" where Elena Tonra says “speaking to myself is boring conversation,” and I could not agree more. | ||
|tracks="No Care" | |tracks="No Care" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=LeaveMeAlone | |coverart=LeaveMeAlone | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Hinds (band)|Hinds]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Hinds (band)|Hinds]] | ||
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|text=Feels weird to me that there are still tribute bands to the sounds of 1960s British pop and rock music, but I guess I shouldn't complain too much, it's not a sound that's super prominent in throwback gorups these days. Honestly, of all the throwback styles you could base your entire discography off of, early era [[wikipedia:The Kinks|Kinks]] and [[wikipedia:The Beatles|Beatles]] is probably among the better places to pull your style off, but therein lies both Hinds' strongest and weakest suit. The all-girl group is very, very good at emulating that style of raw, abrasive pop music, with many really catchy, fun tunes that almost sound like something [[wikipedia:Ramones|Ramones]] would've written, but it's so derivative of the old 60s greats that I ask... why would you listen to this when you could be listening to the artists Hinds have lifted their style from? I do think it's a fine enough record, but it's very shallow and unoriginal, so I can't imagine it being looked back on as a shining example of musical ingenuity. | |text=Feels weird to me that there are still tribute bands to the sounds of 1960s British pop and rock music, but I guess I shouldn't complain too much, it's not a sound that's super prominent in throwback gorups these days. Honestly, of all the throwback styles you could base your entire discography off of, early era [[wikipedia:The Kinks|Kinks]] and [[wikipedia:The Beatles|Beatles]] is probably among the better places to pull your style off, but therein lies both Hinds' strongest and weakest suit. The all-girl group is very, very good at emulating that style of raw, abrasive pop music, with many really catchy, fun tunes that almost sound like something [[wikipedia:Ramones|Ramones]] would've written, but it's so derivative of the old 60s greats that I ask... why would you listen to this when you could be listening to the artists Hinds have lifted their style from? I do think it's a fine enough record, but it's very shallow and unoriginal, so I can't imagine it being looked back on as a shining example of musical ingenuity. | ||
|tracks="Garden", "Chili Town" | |tracks="Garden", "Chili Town" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=AWarAgainstYou | |coverart=AWarAgainstYou | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Ignite (band)|Ignite]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Ignite (band)|Ignite]] | ||
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|text=OK I am kind of biased against this since I'm a bit of a punk elitist... I know, it's a flaw of mine, but punk is my scene, I can't help it, dammit. Melodic hardcore is a genre that grew progressively pop-influenced and easily marketable as the decades went on, shifting from [[wikipedia:Bad Religion|Bad Religion]] and [[wikipedia:The Faith|The Faith]]'s heavy rhythms, to the glorified pop-punk of [[wikipedia:NOFX|NOFX]] and [[wikipedia:The Offspring|The Offspring]], to the hollow, uninteresting tripe of [[wikipedia:Alexisonfire|Alexisonfire]] or [[wikipedia:Rise Against|Rise Against]] that we have today. Ignite fall into that middle category, but while this newest record of theirs isn't horrid, it leaves a lot to be desired. Too many of the songs just sort of bleed into each other in memory, so same-y they all are, and most of the lyrics are fairly generic '''RISE AGAINST THE MAN''' sentiments that it does nothing for the rebel within me. I do like the songs "Where I'm From" and "Work", which are about lead singer [[wikipedia:Zoltán Téglás|Zoltán Téglás]]'s family's background as [[wikipedia:Hungary|Hungarian]] refugees in the States, which feel really topical with today's global political landscape. But these stand out even more because they feel like the only songs with any real, clear message to them, but I guess it could be worse. It could be Rise Against. | |text=OK I am kind of biased against this since I'm a bit of a punk elitist... I know, it's a flaw of mine, but punk is my scene, I can't help it, dammit. Melodic hardcore is a genre that grew progressively pop-influenced and easily marketable as the decades went on, shifting from [[wikipedia:Bad Religion|Bad Religion]] and [[wikipedia:The Faith|The Faith]]'s heavy rhythms, to the glorified pop-punk of [[wikipedia:NOFX|NOFX]] and [[wikipedia:The Offspring|The Offspring]], to the hollow, uninteresting tripe of [[wikipedia:Alexisonfire|Alexisonfire]] or [[wikipedia:Rise Against|Rise Against]] that we have today. Ignite fall into that middle category, but while this newest record of theirs isn't horrid, it leaves a lot to be desired. Too many of the songs just sort of bleed into each other in memory, so same-y they all are, and most of the lyrics are fairly generic '''RISE AGAINST THE MAN''' sentiments that it does nothing for the rebel within me. I do like the songs "Where I'm From" and "Work", which are about lead singer [[wikipedia:Zoltán Téglás|Zoltán Téglás]]'s family's background as [[wikipedia:Hungary|Hungarian]] refugees in the States, which feel really topical with today's global political landscape. But these stand out even more because they feel like the only songs with any real, clear message to them, but I guess it could be worse. It could be Rise Against. | ||
|tracks="Where I'm From", "Work" | |tracks="Where I'm From", "Work" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Hyperion | |coverart=Hyperion | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Krallice|Krallice]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Krallice|Krallice]] | ||
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|text=Not sure what the point of releasing an EP was, but whatever, I'm not complaining. I tell you, this is a great listen for people who were disappointed by the more experimental, almost jazz-like sound of their previous record, [[wikipedia:Ygg huur|''Ygg huur'']] (not that I minded it), since this returns to the long-winded, atmospheric, almost symphonic tones of their earlier work instead of the sheer chaotic passages that formed ''Ygg huur''. There's only three tracks here, although they are very long so there's not a huge problem with that, and there's still very complex, solid composition, with various shifts in tempo and tone throughout each track, all giving it the sense of grandiosity and fantastical scope that I love Krallice for. But still, the songs do lack the kind of conceptual flow that previous outings have generally possessed, and the final track feels like a bit of a weak closer overall. Can't ask for too much conceptual structure from an EP, tho, so I don't want to take too much away from the band for that. It's a solid black metal record, so give it a listen if you're into that style! | |text=Not sure what the point of releasing an EP was, but whatever, I'm not complaining. I tell you, this is a great listen for people who were disappointed by the more experimental, almost jazz-like sound of their previous record, [[wikipedia:Ygg huur|''Ygg huur'']] (not that I minded it), since this returns to the long-winded, atmospheric, almost symphonic tones of their earlier work instead of the sheer chaotic passages that formed ''Ygg huur''. There's only three tracks here, although they are very long so there's not a huge problem with that, and there's still very complex, solid composition, with various shifts in tempo and tone throughout each track, all giving it the sense of grandiosity and fantastical scope that I love Krallice for. But still, the songs do lack the kind of conceptual flow that previous outings have generally possessed, and the final track feels like a bit of a weak closer overall. Can't ask for too much conceptual structure from an EP, tho, so I don't want to take too much away from the band for that. It's a solid black metal record, so give it a listen if you're into that style! | ||
|tracks="Hyperion", "The Guilt of Time" | |tracks="Hyperion", "The Guilt of Time" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=DeathofaBachelor | |coverart=DeathofaBachelor | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Panic! At the Disco|Panic! At the Disco]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Panic! At the Disco|Panic! At the Disco]] | ||
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! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: January 18th – January 31st''' | ! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: January 18th – January 31st''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{ | |{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=PromiseEverything | |coverart=PromiseEverything | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Basement (band)|Basement]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Basement (band)|Basement]] | ||
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|text=Promise everything, deliver nothing. That seems to be the motto for this band, particularly on this brand new LP that reads like a late 90s post-grunge reject that got lost among the disgustingly massive quantity of angsty pop-rock bands trying to pretend they're punk as hell. The fact that they're British makes this all the more baffling, particularly since literally every track on this album is an absolute pain to listen to in every sense of the word, with bland instrumentals that sound like they were literally lifted off a [[wikipedia:Green Day (band)|Green Day]] song, unenthused, nasally vocals, which deliver some hilariously inane lines such as "when I'm high, I'm high; when I'm low, I'm low". I was so hoping that the age of clueless [[wikipedia:Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] rip-offs had come to an end, but Basement seem very determined to keep that horrible trend alive and well. The only positive thing I can say about this record is that it's mercifully short at just 29 minutes, and thank the Rock Gods for that. | |text=Promise everything, deliver nothing. That seems to be the motto for this band, particularly on this brand new LP that reads like a late 90s post-grunge reject that got lost among the disgustingly massive quantity of angsty pop-rock bands trying to pretend they're punk as hell. The fact that they're British makes this all the more baffling, particularly since literally every track on this album is an absolute pain to listen to in every sense of the word, with bland instrumentals that sound like they were literally lifted off a [[wikipedia:Green Day (band)|Green Day]] song, unenthused, nasally vocals, which deliver some hilariously inane lines such as "when I'm high, I'm high; when I'm low, I'm low". I was so hoping that the age of clueless [[wikipedia:Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] rip-offs had come to an end, but Basement seem very determined to keep that horrible trend alive and well. The only positive thing I can say about this record is that it's mercifully short at just 29 minutes, and thank the Rock Gods for that. | ||
|tracks=N/A | |tracks=N/A | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=PillarsofAsh | |coverart=PillarsofAsh | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Black Tusk (band)|Black Tusk]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Black Tusk (band)|Black Tusk]] | ||
| Line 655: | Line 655: | ||
|text=Sludge metal (aka. Southern metal) has long since been a lost art, only being kept vaguely alive by the progressive and atmospheric stylings of [[wikipedia:Isis (band)|Isis]], [[wikipedia:Mastodon (band)|Mastodon]], and [[wikipedia:Baroness (band)|Baroness]]. Which is fine, they are all fantastic in their own right, but where’s all the purist sludge metal been at? Well they’re been working in the underground in the form of Black Tusk, who have long been operating as a far more boisterous, punk-leaning alternative to the experimental tapestries of their counterparts, and it is glorious. This is some incredible fast-paced punk-metal that stays as a true, attitude-driven ride from start to finish, with intense shouted vocals backed by very thick, grimy, but always assertive instrumentation that harkens back to the days of [[wikipedia:Bad Brains|Bad Brains]] and [[wikipedia:Minor Threat|Minor Threat]] in such a pleasant way. Very good punk and metal album! | |text=Sludge metal (aka. Southern metal) has long since been a lost art, only being kept vaguely alive by the progressive and atmospheric stylings of [[wikipedia:Isis (band)|Isis]], [[wikipedia:Mastodon (band)|Mastodon]], and [[wikipedia:Baroness (band)|Baroness]]. Which is fine, they are all fantastic in their own right, but where’s all the purist sludge metal been at? Well they’re been working in the underground in the form of Black Tusk, who have long been operating as a far more boisterous, punk-leaning alternative to the experimental tapestries of their counterparts, and it is glorious. This is some incredible fast-paced punk-metal that stays as a true, attitude-driven ride from start to finish, with intense shouted vocals backed by very thick, grimy, but always assertive instrumentation that harkens back to the days of [[wikipedia:Bad Brains|Bad Brains]] and [[wikipedia:Minor Threat|Minor Threat]] in such a pleasant way. Very good punk and metal album! | ||
|tracks="God's On Vacation", "Bleed On Your Knees", "Punkout" | |tracks="God's On Vacation", "Bleed On Your Knees", "Punkout" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Hymns | |coverart=Hymns | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Bloc Party|Bloc Party]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Bloc Party|Bloc Party]] | ||
| Line 666: | Line 666: | ||
|text=Ahahahaha... Bloc Party, listen to me. You were never really a brilliant indie rock band to begin with, but at least you knew how to do some exciting tracks in your early days. Stick to what you know, rather than doing a watered down version of [[wikipedia:13 (Blur album)|''13'']]-era [[wikipedia:Blur (band)|Blur]]. Hollow religious platitudes are spread out through the album, which were probably done to breathe a little extra life into the otherwise generic "intimacy songs" that dominate the record, which would be OK if the instrumentation did anything of interest. I admit that using effects pedals to accomplish synthesiser sounds is a clever idea, but the guitar playing is otherwise just so uninteresting and lax that I find it hard to keep interested in the groovy effects, which are backed by predictable, boring song structures and dull vocal performances. I think they’re trying to sound bittersweet and deep, but it just feels like a cynical attempt to ape the popularity of downtempo club music like [[wikipedia:Flume (musician)|Flume]]and R&B-infused rock music like [[wikipedia:Coldplay|Coldplay]]. One track, "Into the Earth", even sounds like a shallow copy of [[wikipedia:The Roots|The Roots]], which is just pathetic. | |text=Ahahahaha... Bloc Party, listen to me. You were never really a brilliant indie rock band to begin with, but at least you knew how to do some exciting tracks in your early days. Stick to what you know, rather than doing a watered down version of [[wikipedia:13 (Blur album)|''13'']]-era [[wikipedia:Blur (band)|Blur]]. Hollow religious platitudes are spread out through the album, which were probably done to breathe a little extra life into the otherwise generic "intimacy songs" that dominate the record, which would be OK if the instrumentation did anything of interest. I admit that using effects pedals to accomplish synthesiser sounds is a clever idea, but the guitar playing is otherwise just so uninteresting and lax that I find it hard to keep interested in the groovy effects, which are backed by predictable, boring song structures and dull vocal performances. I think they’re trying to sound bittersweet and deep, but it just feels like a cynical attempt to ape the popularity of downtempo club music like [[wikipedia:Flume (musician)|Flume]]and R&B-infused rock music like [[wikipedia:Coldplay|Coldplay]]. One track, "Into the Earth", even sounds like a shallow copy of [[wikipedia:The Roots|The Roots]], which is just pathetic. | ||
|tracks="The Good News" | |tracks="The Good News" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=WinterThrice | |coverart=WinterThrice | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Borknagar|Borknagar]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Borknagar|Borknagar]] | ||
| Line 677: | Line 677: | ||
|text=Fusing black metal and power metal seems extremely odd to me, giving how diametrically opposed those two genres are, but to Borknagar’s credit, they justify it for the most part with complex guitar progressions and powerful vocal dynamics. You can’t say the vocalists in this group can’t sing, in fact [[wikipedia:ICS Vortex|Simen Hestnæs]] is quite an incredible singer, and he can definitely give a potent death growl or screech, but something about the album isn’t getting me raising my first to the sky, shouting "Valhalla!" The album, for all its complexity, lacks the energy needed to really establish the epic grandiosity demanded by this style of music, and many songs feel a little bit too understated or even underwritten for the tone trying to be conveyed. "Noctilucent" is one of the most egregious offenders in this. | |text=Fusing black metal and power metal seems extremely odd to me, giving how diametrically opposed those two genres are, but to Borknagar’s credit, they justify it for the most part with complex guitar progressions and powerful vocal dynamics. You can’t say the vocalists in this group can’t sing, in fact [[wikipedia:ICS Vortex|Simen Hestnæs]] is quite an incredible singer, and he can definitely give a potent death growl or screech, but something about the album isn’t getting me raising my first to the sky, shouting "Valhalla!" The album, for all its complexity, lacks the energy needed to really establish the epic grandiosity demanded by this style of music, and many songs feel a little bit too understated or even underwritten for the tone trying to be conveyed. "Noctilucent" is one of the most egregious offenders in this. | ||
|tracks="Rhymes of the Mountain", "Erodent" | |tracks="Rhymes of the Mountain", "Erodent" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Moth | |coverart=Moth | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Chairlift (band)|Chairlift]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Chairlift (band)|Chairlift]] | ||
| Line 688: | Line 688: | ||
|text=Hell yea! Loving this funky synthpop that Chairlift have got going on with this record! Chairlift have created something genuinely curious and eccentric on this album, a beautiful call back to not only the synthpop sounds the 1980s but also the soul pop tones of the 1970s, framed around quirky indie pop production that just really does it for me. The songs do follow standard pop song structures, but they still keep an air of unpredictability since you never know what new type of beat or instrument they’re going to throw in, or what vocal tone the supremely talented [[wikipedia:Caroline Polachek|Caroline Polachek]] is going to use next. They even use lo-fi production on her voice on a few of the tracks to give them very raw, bold sound to them, such as on "Romeo" or "Unfinished Business". I highly recommend this to quirky pop music fans, it’s really quite a fun little album! | |text=Hell yea! Loving this funky synthpop that Chairlift have got going on with this record! Chairlift have created something genuinely curious and eccentric on this album, a beautiful call back to not only the synthpop sounds the 1980s but also the soul pop tones of the 1970s, framed around quirky indie pop production that just really does it for me. The songs do follow standard pop song structures, but they still keep an air of unpredictability since you never know what new type of beat or instrument they’re going to throw in, or what vocal tone the supremely talented [[wikipedia:Caroline Polachek|Caroline Polachek]] is going to use next. They even use lo-fi production on her voice on a few of the tracks to give them very raw, bold sound to them, such as on "Romeo" or "Unfinished Business". I highly recommend this to quirky pop music fans, it’s really quite a fun little album! | ||
|tracks="Polymorphing", "Romeo", "Show U Off" | |tracks="Polymorphing", "Romeo", "Show U Off" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=TheAstonishing | |coverart=TheAstonishing | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Dream Theater|Dream Theater]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Dream Theater|Dream Theater]] | ||
| Line 699: | Line 699: | ||
|text=''The Astonishing'' is a fairly bloated, self-indulgent album, with 34 tracks spread across two discs that follow an ongoing narrative... a narrative so cliche and ridiculous that it seems like something Todd from [[wikipedia:Bojack Horseman|''Bojack Horseman'']] would write. I'm not entirely convinced he didn't write this, in fact. The instrumentation and lyricism are so over-the-top and messy (in typical Dream Theater fashion) that they become impossible to take seriously, and I only really found any consistent enjoyment from this record when listening to it with friends and having a giggle. It's musically proficient, but not much else, being dumbed down and largely uninteresting for the bulk of the record. With oh-so-cleverly named characters like "Lord Nafaryus" for the villain, or "Faythe" for the hopeful love interest, and an entire plot built around a music-driven rebellion fighting against a music-suppressing dictatorship (hmm, [[wikipedia:Kilroy Was Here (album)|where have]] [[wikipedia:2112 (album)|I heard]] [[wikipedia:The ArchAndroid|that before...]]), what exactly is this record doing that other popular music operas haven't already accomplished? At least it's good for a laugh. | |text=''The Astonishing'' is a fairly bloated, self-indulgent album, with 34 tracks spread across two discs that follow an ongoing narrative... a narrative so cliche and ridiculous that it seems like something Todd from [[wikipedia:Bojack Horseman|''Bojack Horseman'']] would write. I'm not entirely convinced he didn't write this, in fact. The instrumentation and lyricism are so over-the-top and messy (in typical Dream Theater fashion) that they become impossible to take seriously, and I only really found any consistent enjoyment from this record when listening to it with friends and having a giggle. It's musically proficient, but not much else, being dumbed down and largely uninteresting for the bulk of the record. With oh-so-cleverly named characters like "Lord Nafaryus" for the villain, or "Faythe" for the hopeful love interest, and an entire plot built around a music-driven rebellion fighting against a music-suppressing dictatorship (hmm, [[wikipedia:Kilroy Was Here (album)|where have]] [[wikipedia:2112 (album)|I heard]] [[wikipedia:The ArchAndroid|that before...]]), what exactly is this record doing that other popular music operas haven't already accomplished? At least it's good for a laugh. | ||
|tracks="A New Beginning" | |tracks="A New Beginning" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=SongsForOurMothers | |coverart=SongsForOurMothers | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Fat White Family|Fat White Family]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Fat White Family|Fat White Family]] | ||
| Line 710: | Line 710: | ||
|text=I didn’t know what to expect from this since I’ve never heard of Fat White Family before, but I was so pleasantly surprised. A sort of 80s experimental punk rock sound with the same sort of self-aware "don’t give a shit" attitude that made that generation of rock so damn energetic and potent, a far cry from the melodramatic or tryhard nature of punk music today. While the core focus on the album is the twangy post-punk guitars, there’s also several elements of electronic, jazz, and country implemented into the songs, but in such a way that they don’t take precedent over the core punk focus of the album, allowing these quirky elements to blend together seamlessly without feeling tacked on or awkward. Definitely a good album for those looking for adventurous punk music with a genuine attitude, so this gets a recommendation from me. | |text=I didn’t know what to expect from this since I’ve never heard of Fat White Family before, but I was so pleasantly surprised. A sort of 80s experimental punk rock sound with the same sort of self-aware "don’t give a shit" attitude that made that generation of rock so damn energetic and potent, a far cry from the melodramatic or tryhard nature of punk music today. While the core focus on the album is the twangy post-punk guitars, there’s also several elements of electronic, jazz, and country implemented into the songs, but in such a way that they don’t take precedent over the core punk focus of the album, allowing these quirky elements to blend together seamlessly without feeling tacked on or awkward. Definitely a good album for those looking for adventurous punk music with a genuine attitude, so this gets a recommendation from me. | ||
|tracks="Satisfied", "Duce", "Tinfoil Disaster" | |tracks="Satisfied", "Duce", "Tinfoil Disaster" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=RitualSpirit | |coverart=RitualSpirit | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Massive Attack|Massive Attack]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Massive Attack|Massive Attack]] | ||
| Line 721: | Line 721: | ||
|text=It’s really good to see Massive Attack reunite with [[wikipedia:Tricky (musician)|Tricky]] after so long; I mean, they didn’t necessarily need him to make brilliant music, but having another talented hand on the project is definitely not a bad thing. There are four tracks on this album, a different singer/rapper for each, featuring Tricky, [[wikipedia:Roots Manuva|Roots Manuva]], [[wikipedia:Young Fathers|Young Fathers]], and [[wikipedia:Azekel|Azekel]], which is a great move by the band to give a little attention to newer artists given their massive reputation as is. Each song is beautifully composed with very thick, brooding textures overlaying calm yet sinister beats, and each track successfully maintains the same sort of haunting atmosphere that has been so prominent in the band’s work since day 1, especially the last track. A few of the songs are without choruses and have a very jazz-like progression, streaming with an ongoing, almost improvised melody in many cases. This is what I listen to Massive Attack for. | |text=It’s really good to see Massive Attack reunite with [[wikipedia:Tricky (musician)|Tricky]] after so long; I mean, they didn’t necessarily need him to make brilliant music, but having another talented hand on the project is definitely not a bad thing. There are four tracks on this album, a different singer/rapper for each, featuring Tricky, [[wikipedia:Roots Manuva|Roots Manuva]], [[wikipedia:Young Fathers|Young Fathers]], and [[wikipedia:Azekel|Azekel]], which is a great move by the band to give a little attention to newer artists given their massive reputation as is. Each song is beautifully composed with very thick, brooding textures overlaying calm yet sinister beats, and each track successfully maintains the same sort of haunting atmosphere that has been so prominent in the band’s work since day 1, especially the last track. A few of the songs are without choruses and have a very jazz-like progression, streaming with an ongoing, almost improvised melody in many cases. This is what I listen to Massive Attack for. | ||
|tracks="Ritual Spirit", "Voodoo In My Blood", "Take It There" | |tracks="Ritual Spirit", "Voodoo In My Blood", "Take It There" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Dystopia | |coverart=Dystopia | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Megadeth|Megadeth]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Megadeth|Megadeth]] | ||
| Line 732: | Line 732: | ||
|text=What are these guys even doing anymore? While [[wikipedia:Dave Mustaine|Dave Mustaine]] is still a proficient soloist, this album has an overreliance on repetitive chugging guitar progressions, a lack of volume dynamics, and Dave Mustaine's trademark atrocious lyrics still significantly pull away from the aggression. In fact, the lyrics here are so hilariously [[wikipedia:Rush Limbaugh|Rush Limbaugh]] that it's impossible to take any of the songs seriously, what with Mustaine's baffling world views seeping into songs like "Post-American World" and "Foreign Policy". It’s like if [[wikipedia:4chan|/pol/]] became a human entity and decided to make a metal album... guess I shouldn't be too surprised, given the guy is mates with professional shouter [[wikipedia:Alex Jones (radio host)|Alex Jones]]. There's really nothing here that wasn't done so much better in one of their earlier releases, so just don’t even waste your time. | |text=What are these guys even doing anymore? While [[wikipedia:Dave Mustaine|Dave Mustaine]] is still a proficient soloist, this album has an overreliance on repetitive chugging guitar progressions, a lack of volume dynamics, and Dave Mustaine's trademark atrocious lyrics still significantly pull away from the aggression. In fact, the lyrics here are so hilariously [[wikipedia:Rush Limbaugh|Rush Limbaugh]] that it's impossible to take any of the songs seriously, what with Mustaine's baffling world views seeping into songs like "Post-American World" and "Foreign Policy". It’s like if [[wikipedia:4chan|/pol/]] became a human entity and decided to make a metal album... guess I shouldn't be too surprised, given the guy is mates with professional shouter [[wikipedia:Alex Jones (radio host)|Alex Jones]]. There's really nothing here that wasn't done so much better in one of their earlier releases, so just don’t even waste your time. | ||
|tracks="Dystopia" | |tracks="Dystopia" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=SuicideSongs | |coverart=SuicideSongs | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Money (band)|Money]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Money (band)|Money]] | ||
| Line 743: | Line 743: | ||
|text=You know, I think the thematic concept album is a sorely underrated idea in the music industry, since everyone always goes for the story concept album instead. After all, [[wikipedia:Jeff Buckley|Jeff Buckley]]'s [[wikipedia:Grace (Jeff Buckley album)|''Grace'']] is a full record of break-up songs, and it's one of the best pop rock albums ever recorded. The concept of this album should be very obvious just from the title, and the album does, for the most part, justify its intimate exploration of suicidal thoughts and depression without being emotionally manipulative... well, I did say for the most part. Some tracks are hopelessly melodramatic, and leave little to the imagination, particularly noticeable on the track "All My Life" which is an overlong torrent of emotion. But I really do like the acoustic melodies that dominate this record, and the string sections are nice when they're not completely in your face, and lead singer Jamie Lee's [[wikipedia:Damon Albarn|Albarn-esque]] voice does a lot to give power to even the clunky lyrics. I don't mind it, just... maybe tone it down a bit next time, guys. | |text=You know, I think the thematic concept album is a sorely underrated idea in the music industry, since everyone always goes for the story concept album instead. After all, [[wikipedia:Jeff Buckley|Jeff Buckley]]'s [[wikipedia:Grace (Jeff Buckley album)|''Grace'']] is a full record of break-up songs, and it's one of the best pop rock albums ever recorded. The concept of this album should be very obvious just from the title, and the album does, for the most part, justify its intimate exploration of suicidal thoughts and depression without being emotionally manipulative... well, I did say for the most part. Some tracks are hopelessly melodramatic, and leave little to the imagination, particularly noticeable on the track "All My Life" which is an overlong torrent of emotion. But I really do like the acoustic melodies that dominate this record, and the string sections are nice when they're not completely in your face, and lead singer Jamie Lee's [[wikipedia:Damon Albarn|Albarn-esque]] voice does a lot to give power to even the clunky lyrics. I don't mind it, just... maybe tone it down a bit next time, guys. | ||
|tracks="I Am the Lord", "Night Came", "Hopeless World" | |tracks="I Am the Lord", "Night Came", "Hopeless World" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=NineTrackMind | |coverart=NineTrackMind | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Charlie Puth|Charlie Puth]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Charlie Puth|Charlie Puth]] | ||
| Line 754: | Line 754: | ||
|text=There's something to be said about Youtube celebrities accomplishing chart-topping celebrity status. On the one hand, it gave us [[wikipedia:Gangnam Style|"Gangnam Style"]], but then on the other hand, we have this tryhard garbage. Despite being called "Nine Track Mind", this album does not, in fact, have nine tracks, but there's no singular moment on any of the 13 tracks that I find enjoyable or memorable in any significant way. [[wikipedia:Marvin Gaye (song)|"Marvin Gaye"]] featuring the equally deplorable [[wikipedia:Meghan Trainor|Meghan Trainor]] is certainly memorable, but not for the right reasons, being one of the most cynical attempts to piggyback over [[wikipedia:Marvin Gaye|a cultural icon]] I've ever heard, but everything else is just generic radio trash. Puth only seems to know how to alternate between hollow sentimental piano ballads and hollow sentimental R&B songs, offering nothing that other artists in the mainstream like [[wikipedia:Bruno Mars|Bruno Mars]] or [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]] are already doing far better, with the only real deviation being the track [[wikipedia:We Don't Talk Anymore (Charlie Puth song)|"We Don't Talk Anymore"]] with [[wikipedia:Selena Gomez|Selena Gomez]]... which is instead doing the [[wikipedia:Tropical house|tropical house]]/pop hybrid that [[wikipedia:Justin Bieber|Justin Bieber]] already did so much better on [[wikipedia:Purpose (Justin Bieber album)|''Purpose'']]. As it turns out, this is the only track I find interesting in any way. | |text=There's something to be said about Youtube celebrities accomplishing chart-topping celebrity status. On the one hand, it gave us [[wikipedia:Gangnam Style|"Gangnam Style"]], but then on the other hand, we have this tryhard garbage. Despite being called "Nine Track Mind", this album does not, in fact, have nine tracks, but there's no singular moment on any of the 13 tracks that I find enjoyable or memorable in any significant way. [[wikipedia:Marvin Gaye (song)|"Marvin Gaye"]] featuring the equally deplorable [[wikipedia:Meghan Trainor|Meghan Trainor]] is certainly memorable, but not for the right reasons, being one of the most cynical attempts to piggyback over [[wikipedia:Marvin Gaye|a cultural icon]] I've ever heard, but everything else is just generic radio trash. Puth only seems to know how to alternate between hollow sentimental piano ballads and hollow sentimental R&B songs, offering nothing that other artists in the mainstream like [[wikipedia:Bruno Mars|Bruno Mars]] or [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]] are already doing far better, with the only real deviation being the track [[wikipedia:We Don't Talk Anymore (Charlie Puth song)|"We Don't Talk Anymore"]] with [[wikipedia:Selena Gomez|Selena Gomez]]... which is instead doing the [[wikipedia:Tropical house|tropical house]]/pop hybrid that [[wikipedia:Justin Bieber|Justin Bieber]] already did so much better on [[wikipedia:Purpose (Justin Bieber album)|''Purpose'']]. As it turns out, this is the only track I find interesting in any way. | ||
|tracks="We Don't Talk Anymore" | |tracks="We Don't Talk Anymore" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Anti | |coverart=Anti | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Rihanna|Rihanna]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Rihanna|Rihanna]] | ||
| Line 765: | Line 765: | ||
|text=Uuuuuggggghhhh... I actually expected something good from this based on the first few tracks. "Consideration" is a nicely flowing song with very raw, sparse production that allows Rihanna's voice to really shine through, followed by a short musical interlude that sounds almost like something [[wikipedia:Stevie Wonder|Stevie Wonder]] would've written... unfortunately, it's only just over a minute long, which is a complete waste. But the album really starts to fall apart as soon as the lead single, [[wikipedia:Work (Rihanna song)|"Work"]], comes on, which is one of the most obnoxious tracks on the album with its sole defining trait being the incessant repetition of the word "work". Why is [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]] even on this track, his verse is completely out of place. From there, it just keeps getting ever more boring and uninspired, feeling painfully underwritten and lacking any discernible hooks to grab the listener. It's all just so unmemorable, and "Woo" is, without a doubt, one of the worst pop songs I've heard in quite some time. That said, the penultimate track, "Higher", is genuinely fantastic, with a very jazzy rhythm and Rihanna's voice absolutely soaring. But that's not enough to rescue the album from being filled with so much blandness, which is an absolute disaster for a pop record. | |text=Uuuuuggggghhhh... I actually expected something good from this based on the first few tracks. "Consideration" is a nicely flowing song with very raw, sparse production that allows Rihanna's voice to really shine through, followed by a short musical interlude that sounds almost like something [[wikipedia:Stevie Wonder|Stevie Wonder]] would've written... unfortunately, it's only just over a minute long, which is a complete waste. But the album really starts to fall apart as soon as the lead single, [[wikipedia:Work (Rihanna song)|"Work"]], comes on, which is one of the most obnoxious tracks on the album with its sole defining trait being the incessant repetition of the word "work". Why is [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]] even on this track, his verse is completely out of place. From there, it just keeps getting ever more boring and uninspired, feeling painfully underwritten and lacking any discernible hooks to grab the listener. It's all just so unmemorable, and "Woo" is, without a doubt, one of the worst pop songs I've heard in quite some time. That said, the penultimate track, "Higher", is genuinely fantastic, with a very jazzy rhythm and Rihanna's voice absolutely soaring. But that's not enough to rescue the album from being filled with so much blandness, which is an absolute disaster for a pop record. | ||
|tracks="Higher" | |tracks="Higher" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Bloom | |coverart=Bloom | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:RÜFÜS|RÜFÜS]] | |band=[[wikipedia:RÜFÜS|RÜFÜS]] | ||
| Line 776: | Line 776: | ||
|text=Much like their previous record, ''Atlas'', this harkens back to the softer, more minimalist sound of 1980s era of club music, which is probably not a bad sound to be returning to in a day and age of far more lively, pounding rave music, but this record's attempt to be smooth just results in it being largely forgettable. The understated instrumentation and soft, breathy vocals on many of the tracks don’t do much to demand attention, and while there are some slow dancers on the album no doubt, the composition ends up feeling too simple and airy to be actively engaging on multiple listens. I guess this will serve its purpose as a club tape, but I can’t see it being used for much else. | |text=Much like their previous record, ''Atlas'', this harkens back to the softer, more minimalist sound of 1980s era of club music, which is probably not a bad sound to be returning to in a day and age of far more lively, pounding rave music, but this record's attempt to be smooth just results in it being largely forgettable. The understated instrumentation and soft, breathy vocals on many of the tracks don’t do much to demand attention, and while there are some slow dancers on the album no doubt, the composition ends up feeling too simple and airy to be actively engaging on multiple listens. I guess this will serve its purpose as a club tape, but I can’t see it being used for much else. | ||
|tracks="Say a Prayer For Me", "Be With You" | |tracks="Say a Prayer For Me", "Be With You" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=AdoreLife | |coverart=AdoreLife | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Savages (band)|Savages]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Savages (band)|Savages]] | ||
| Line 787: | Line 787: | ||
|text=Not as extravagant or hard-hitting as their previous album, [[wikipedia:Silenced Yourself|''Silence Yourself'']], but this is still a very eccentric, abrasive album. Jenny Beth's voice is still as demanding as ever, and the song composition is still spot-on with real bangers and softer, melancholic tracks interspersed throughout the album, but it doesn't have as much command over the listener's attention as their previous effort. I still like it, tho, and it’s exciting to see some of that old Nick Cave sound come through in today’s post-punk music. | |text=Not as extravagant or hard-hitting as their previous album, [[wikipedia:Silenced Yourself|''Silence Yourself'']], but this is still a very eccentric, abrasive album. Jenny Beth's voice is still as demanding as ever, and the song composition is still spot-on with real bangers and softer, melancholic tracks interspersed throughout the album, but it doesn't have as much command over the listener's attention as their previous effort. I still like it, tho, and it’s exciting to see some of that old Nick Cave sound come through in today’s post-punk music. | ||
|tracks="The Answer", "I Need Something New", "Surrender" | |tracks="The Answer", "I Need Something New", "Surrender" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=EmotionalMugger | |coverart=EmotionalMugger | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Ty Segall|Ty Segall]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Ty Segall|Ty Segall]] | ||
| Line 798: | Line 798: | ||
|text=Some of the most obtuse and abrasive heavy rock I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve never listened to any of Segall's work prior to this one, but I think I might start if this is any indication of his style; grimy guitar tones and eccentric song structures contrast with Segall's more relaxed, [[wikipedia:John Lennon|Lennon]]-esque voice, to create a very wonderfully wacky album that’s an absolute ride from start to finish. I’m actually quite impressed with how the songs flow in to each other given how out there and hectic the album is, but it all just somehow works so beautifully together. I'd almost compare this to the absurdist musical stylings of [[wikipedia:The Butthole Surfers|The Butthole Surfers]] way back in the 1980s, with the extremely psychedelic, gritty instrumentation and stoner lyrics. Good job, Segall, you’ve genuinely weirded me out! I commend you! | |text=Some of the most obtuse and abrasive heavy rock I’ve heard in a long time. I’ve never listened to any of Segall's work prior to this one, but I think I might start if this is any indication of his style; grimy guitar tones and eccentric song structures contrast with Segall's more relaxed, [[wikipedia:John Lennon|Lennon]]-esque voice, to create a very wonderfully wacky album that’s an absolute ride from start to finish. I’m actually quite impressed with how the songs flow in to each other given how out there and hectic the album is, but it all just somehow works so beautifully together. I'd almost compare this to the absurdist musical stylings of [[wikipedia:The Butthole Surfers|The Butthole Surfers]] way back in the 1980s, with the extremely psychedelic, gritty instrumentation and stoner lyrics. Good job, Segall, you’ve genuinely weirded me out! I commend you! | ||
|tracks="Breakfast Eggs", "Diversion", "Baby Big Man (I Want a Mommy)" | |tracks="Breakfast Eggs", "Diversion", "Baby Big Man (I Want a Mommy)" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=ThisIsActing | |coverart=ThisIsActing | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Sia Furler|Sia]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Sia Furler|Sia]] | ||
| Line 814: | Line 814: | ||
! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: February 1st – February 14th''' | ! colspan=4 style="background-color: rgba(218,165,32,0.6); border-radius: 25px" | '''THIS MONTH IN ALBUMS: February 1st – February 14th''' | ||
|- | |- | ||
|{{ | |{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=IstheIsAre | |coverart=IstheIsAre | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:DIIV|DIIV]] | |band=[[wikipedia:DIIV|DIIV]] | ||
| Line 825: | Line 825: | ||
|text=Look, you can do dream pop without being boring as all hell. I understand the idea of being really downtempo and lax, I really do, it's a great aesthetic to do if you can get it right. Just look at [[wikipedia:Cocteau Twins|Cocteau Twins]] or [[wikipedia:Mazzy Star|Mazzy Star]]. But while those two had faux-operatic vocals and blues instrumentation, respectively, to keep things dynamic and interesting, this new stream of dream pop artists are content to just pluck their guitars softly and sing like they just downed an entire bottle of Valium. I blame [[wikipedia:The xx|The xx]] for this horseshit. What can be said about ''Is the Is Are'' is that it's a strong improvement over their debut record, [[wikipedia:Oshin|''Oshin'']], and some of the tracks actually do have interesting progressions and I do like how a lot of the lyrics are about lead singer [[wikipedia:Zachary Cole Smith|Zachary Cole Smith's]] struggle with drugs, but for an album that lasts 60 minutes with 17 tracks in total, the lack of emotional investment in both the music and the vocals for the majority of the album turns it into a complete slog to push through. | |text=Look, you can do dream pop without being boring as all hell. I understand the idea of being really downtempo and lax, I really do, it's a great aesthetic to do if you can get it right. Just look at [[wikipedia:Cocteau Twins|Cocteau Twins]] or [[wikipedia:Mazzy Star|Mazzy Star]]. But while those two had faux-operatic vocals and blues instrumentation, respectively, to keep things dynamic and interesting, this new stream of dream pop artists are content to just pluck their guitars softly and sing like they just downed an entire bottle of Valium. I blame [[wikipedia:The xx|The xx]] for this horseshit. What can be said about ''Is the Is Are'' is that it's a strong improvement over their debut record, [[wikipedia:Oshin|''Oshin'']], and some of the tracks actually do have interesting progressions and I do like how a lot of the lyrics are about lead singer [[wikipedia:Zachary Cole Smith|Zachary Cole Smith's]] struggle with drugs, but for an album that lasts 60 minutes with 17 tracks in total, the lack of emotional investment in both the music and the vocals for the majority of the album turns it into a complete slog to push through. | ||
|tracks="Dust" | |tracks="Dust" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Hellulujah | |coverart=Hellulujah | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Drowning Pool|Drowning Pool]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Drowning Pool|Drowning Pool]] | ||
| Line 836: | Line 836: | ||
|text=The only song from these lot that anyone really knows about is "Bodies" by virtue of it being in every bloody edgy AMV on Youtube, and fans of that song will be happy to know the band hasn't budged an inch since that song came out. What is even the point of continuing to do this godawful style of dumbed down drop-A chugging bullshit, with lyrics so melodramatic and tweenage diary-esque that it'd make [[wikipedia:Robert Smith|Robert Smith]] shake his head in embarrassment? "We are the devil, and life is hell"? "I want to die / I want to die with some peace of mind / Live, let me live / Let me live with a fuck to give"? The worst song on the album, "Meet the Bullet", opens with this godawful children's chorus of "If you're crazy and you know it, shoot yourself," which is absolutely atrocious in its own right, but the song repeats "meet the bullet" exactly the way the hook in "Bodies" is repeated. Trying to relive the same success, boys? "Another Name" is an honest-to-God power ballad, just to tick off all the nu-metal cliches. This is a throwback to an age in music we had proudly left behind, and it'd almost be hilarious that Drowning Pool are continuing to cling to that time if it weren't just so sad. | |text=The only song from these lot that anyone really knows about is "Bodies" by virtue of it being in every bloody edgy AMV on Youtube, and fans of that song will be happy to know the band hasn't budged an inch since that song came out. What is even the point of continuing to do this godawful style of dumbed down drop-A chugging bullshit, with lyrics so melodramatic and tweenage diary-esque that it'd make [[wikipedia:Robert Smith|Robert Smith]] shake his head in embarrassment? "We are the devil, and life is hell"? "I want to die / I want to die with some peace of mind / Live, let me live / Let me live with a fuck to give"? The worst song on the album, "Meet the Bullet", opens with this godawful children's chorus of "If you're crazy and you know it, shoot yourself," which is absolutely atrocious in its own right, but the song repeats "meet the bullet" exactly the way the hook in "Bodies" is repeated. Trying to relive the same success, boys? "Another Name" is an honest-to-God power ballad, just to tick off all the nu-metal cliches. This is a throwback to an age in music we had proudly left behind, and it'd almost be hilarious that Drowning Pool are continuing to cling to that time if it weren't just so sad. | ||
|tracks=N/A | |tracks=N/A | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=AllINeed | |coverart=AllINeed | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Foxes (singer)|Foxes]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Foxes (singer)|Foxes]] | ||
| Line 847: | Line 847: | ||
|text=Foxes is an honest musician, which makes it hard for me to outright dislike her the way I dislike, say... [[wikipedia:Miley Cyrus|Miley Cyrus]]. She hasn't exactly had as huge a presence in the mainstream as other English soul-pop singers like [[wikipedia:Adele|Adele]] or [[wikipedia:Florence Welch|Florence Welch]], but regrettably, that's kind of because she hasn't really done much to stand out compared to her contemporaries. This record is slightly less polished than her last record, which I feel actually does a lot to boost the passion and rawness her voice and lyrics generally invoke, but there's still a lot here that's holding the album back. The songs on ''All I Need'' generally carry an overblown, melodramatic sound to them that tends to push the emotions a bit too hard on the listener, when contrasted with the subtlety present on a lot of Adele's music. I understand that Florence also does this in her music, but she usually backs it with unusual, quirky instrumentals, which Foxes simply does not have. Still, it is better than the emotional manipulation of her last record, and I think she's getting closer to finding her sound. I hope she gets there. | |text=Foxes is an honest musician, which makes it hard for me to outright dislike her the way I dislike, say... [[wikipedia:Miley Cyrus|Miley Cyrus]]. She hasn't exactly had as huge a presence in the mainstream as other English soul-pop singers like [[wikipedia:Adele|Adele]] or [[wikipedia:Florence Welch|Florence Welch]], but regrettably, that's kind of because she hasn't really done much to stand out compared to her contemporaries. This record is slightly less polished than her last record, which I feel actually does a lot to boost the passion and rawness her voice and lyrics generally invoke, but there's still a lot here that's holding the album back. The songs on ''All I Need'' generally carry an overblown, melodramatic sound to them that tends to push the emotions a bit too hard on the listener, when contrasted with the subtlety present on a lot of Adele's music. I understand that Florence also does this in her music, but she usually backs it with unusual, quirky instrumentals, which Foxes simply does not have. Still, it is better than the emotional manipulation of her last record, and I think she's getting closer to finding her sound. I hope she gets there. | ||
|tracks="Better Love", "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" | |tracks="Better Love", "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Synthia | |coverart=Synthia | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:The Jezabels|The Jezabels]] | |band=[[wikipedia:The Jezabels|The Jezabels]] | ||
| Line 858: | Line 858: | ||
|text=A vast, vast improvement over the sophomore slump that was their last record, ''[[wikipedia:The Brink (The Jezabels album)|The Brink]]'', the appropriately named ''Synthia'' displays a more mature development in their gothic synthrock style with a good mix of some genuinely rocking, sexy tunes on this album. The band has found a much more fluid balance between the guitars and the synths to actually feel almost like something [[wikipedia:The Cure|The Cure]] would've made back in the late 1980s, and lead singer Hayley Mary's soaring vocals reaching almost [[wikipedia:St Vincent (musician)|Saint Vincent]] levels of operatic emotion. However, not all is good in the land of ''Synthia'', since even though it's an improvement over their previous works, there's still something... missing from a fair few of these songs. Mary may be a good singer, but her lyrics still need improvement, with many songs failing to make a real lyrical dent in my mind and some even coming across as outright corny. "Pleasure Drive" and "If Ya Want Me" spring to mind. The opening track, "Stand and Deliver", sets the album up on a very slow start with a rather lacklustre song progression for the 7 minute runtime, and "Flowers In the Attic" sounds like an odd [[wikipedia:Lana del Rey|Lana del Rey]] impression, which is always a bad thing to strive for. Still, progress is progress, so I'm interested to hear the band continue down this path. | |text=A vast, vast improvement over the sophomore slump that was their last record, ''[[wikipedia:The Brink (The Jezabels album)|The Brink]]'', the appropriately named ''Synthia'' displays a more mature development in their gothic synthrock style with a good mix of some genuinely rocking, sexy tunes on this album. The band has found a much more fluid balance between the guitars and the synths to actually feel almost like something [[wikipedia:The Cure|The Cure]] would've made back in the late 1980s, and lead singer Hayley Mary's soaring vocals reaching almost [[wikipedia:St Vincent (musician)|Saint Vincent]] levels of operatic emotion. However, not all is good in the land of ''Synthia'', since even though it's an improvement over their previous works, there's still something... missing from a fair few of these songs. Mary may be a good singer, but her lyrics still need improvement, with many songs failing to make a real lyrical dent in my mind and some even coming across as outright corny. "Pleasure Drive" and "If Ya Want Me" spring to mind. The opening track, "Stand and Deliver", sets the album up on a very slow start with a rather lacklustre song progression for the 7 minute runtime, and "Flowers In the Attic" sounds like an odd [[wikipedia:Lana del Rey|Lana del Rey]] impression, which is always a bad thing to strive for. Still, progress is progress, so I'm interested to hear the band continue down this path. | ||
|tracks="My Love Is My Disease", "Unnatural" | |tracks="My Love Is My Disease", "Unnatural" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=WonderfulCrazyNight | |coverart=WonderfulCrazyNight | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Elton John|Elton John]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Elton John|Elton John]] | ||
| Line 869: | Line 869: | ||
|text=With David Bowie having released one of his best records so deep into his career, I was thinking that maybe Elton John would come through as well. But of course, Bowie had his ambitious experimentation to keep him interesting, so it doesn't take a genius to know that John is just retreading the same piano rock style as usual on this new record. But that's OK, it's what he's best at, so let's talk about how well he pulls it off... well, it's no [[wikipedia:Goodbye Yellow Brick Road|''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'']], but it's passable. There's some very good instrumentals on this album, particularly the more layered, rock and roll-tinged tracks, which reminds me of a slightly less dynamic "Crocodile Rock", and while John can't get even close to his high vocal register from yesteryear, his much deeper, raspier voice has a great flow to it, especially over the softer tracks. However, there's not a single element on this album I feel has any staying power, playing nicely in the moment but having no particularly interesting hooks or explosive song structures like many of his earlier pieces had, and all the songs being about romance in no real specific terms does start to grow stale fairly quickly. I can imagine this maybe playing in some low-energy cafe somewhere, but not really anywhere else. | |text=With David Bowie having released one of his best records so deep into his career, I was thinking that maybe Elton John would come through as well. But of course, Bowie had his ambitious experimentation to keep him interesting, so it doesn't take a genius to know that John is just retreading the same piano rock style as usual on this new record. But that's OK, it's what he's best at, so let's talk about how well he pulls it off... well, it's no [[wikipedia:Goodbye Yellow Brick Road|''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'']], but it's passable. There's some very good instrumentals on this album, particularly the more layered, rock and roll-tinged tracks, which reminds me of a slightly less dynamic "Crocodile Rock", and while John can't get even close to his high vocal register from yesteryear, his much deeper, raspier voice has a great flow to it, especially over the softer tracks. However, there's not a single element on this album I feel has any staying power, playing nicely in the moment but having no particularly interesting hooks or explosive song structures like many of his earlier pieces had, and all the songs being about romance in no real specific terms does start to grow stale fairly quickly. I can imagine this maybe playing in some low-energy cafe somewhere, but not really anywhere else. | ||
|tracks="Claw Hammer", "Looking Up" | |tracks="Claw Hammer", "Looking Up" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=MajidJordan | |coverart=MajidJordan | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Majid Jordan|Majid Jordan]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Majid Jordan|Majid Jordan]] | ||
| Line 880: | Line 880: | ||
|text=R&B duo Majid Jordan release their full-length debut album on [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]]'s own label as yet another step in Drake's ambition to sign on the most boring acts in the R&B space, after he supported [[wikipedia:PartyNextDoor|PartyNextDoor]] and [[wikipedia:iLoveMakonnen|iLoveMakonnen]], although to his credit at least Majid Jordan isn't a terrible goddamn name. I'm probably being a bit too harsh, but there's absolutely nothing on this record that I haven't already heard a million times from other artists in and out of Drake's label, pulling from that same dark, cavernous [[wikipedia:Trap music|trap]]-influenced instrumental style that I know Drake loves to pieces, with auto-tuned falsettos and an endless stream of love and break-up songs. Whoopy-dee-freakin-doo, I'd be happier to just flip one of Drake's mixtapes on and enjoy the same experience with far more substance... or better yet, just put [[wikipedia:Bonobo (musician)|Bonobo]] or [[wikipedia:Frank Ocean|Frank Ocean]] (where the '''fuck''' are you, Frank??) for an overall better, more pleasant dark R&B experience. I just can't find anything on this album that I feel really bursts out in my face or stands out among the myriad of other acts within the genre at the moment, so just throw this in the very large pile of disposable trap music. | |text=R&B duo Majid Jordan release their full-length debut album on [[wikipedia:Drake (rapper)|Drake]]'s own label as yet another step in Drake's ambition to sign on the most boring acts in the R&B space, after he supported [[wikipedia:PartyNextDoor|PartyNextDoor]] and [[wikipedia:iLoveMakonnen|iLoveMakonnen]], although to his credit at least Majid Jordan isn't a terrible goddamn name. I'm probably being a bit too harsh, but there's absolutely nothing on this record that I haven't already heard a million times from other artists in and out of Drake's label, pulling from that same dark, cavernous [[wikipedia:Trap music|trap]]-influenced instrumental style that I know Drake loves to pieces, with auto-tuned falsettos and an endless stream of love and break-up songs. Whoopy-dee-freakin-doo, I'd be happier to just flip one of Drake's mixtapes on and enjoy the same experience with far more substance... or better yet, just put [[wikipedia:Bonobo (musician)|Bonobo]] or [[wikipedia:Frank Ocean|Frank Ocean]] (where the '''fuck''' are you, Frank??) for an overall better, more pleasant dark R&B experience. I just can't find anything on this album that I feel really bursts out in my face or stands out among the myriad of other acts within the genre at the moment, so just throw this in the very large pile of disposable trap music. | ||
|tracks="Day and Night" | |tracks="Day and Night" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Allirvegirtilglotunar | |coverart=Allirvegirtilglotunar | ||
|band=Naðra | |band=Naðra | ||
| Line 891: | Line 891: | ||
|text=Iceland is, honestly, the last place I'd expect to see black metal come from, which is weird given how Norse the country's language and culture is. But here we have Naðra (pronounced as ''Nathra'') with their debut release that possesses a sound that's almost akin to the atmospheric stylings of French black metal in many ways, and to Naðra's credit, the instrumentation is virtuousic as hell. I don't want to bash the production too much since lo-fi production is a trademark of black metal music, but it gets particularly jarring when the interludes come in and it sounds like it was filtered through an old speaker that's been buried in clay for 20 years. I guess that's not a huge problem, but the vocals are, at least for me. These hardcore punk-style grunts and shouts do nothing for the black metal instrumentation at all, and end up coming across as silly when surrounded by the grandiose, large-scale nature of the music. I guess my biggest problem is that it just doesn't sound like there's much going on here that other black metal artists like [[wikipedia:Krallice (band)|Krallice]] or Panopticon aren't already doing far better. | |text=Iceland is, honestly, the last place I'd expect to see black metal come from, which is weird given how Norse the country's language and culture is. But here we have Naðra (pronounced as ''Nathra'') with their debut release that possesses a sound that's almost akin to the atmospheric stylings of French black metal in many ways, and to Naðra's credit, the instrumentation is virtuousic as hell. I don't want to bash the production too much since lo-fi production is a trademark of black metal music, but it gets particularly jarring when the interludes come in and it sounds like it was filtered through an old speaker that's been buried in clay for 20 years. I guess that's not a huge problem, but the vocals are, at least for me. These hardcore punk-style grunts and shouts do nothing for the black metal instrumentation at all, and end up coming across as silly when surrounded by the grandiose, large-scale nature of the music. I guess my biggest problem is that it just doesn't sound like there's much going on here that other black metal artists like [[wikipedia:Krallice (band)|Krallice]] or Panopticon aren't already doing far better. | ||
|tracks="Sár", "Fallið" | |tracks="Sár", "Fallið" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Phenotype | |coverart=Phenotype | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Textures (band)|Textures]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Textures (band)|Textures]] | ||
| Line 902: | Line 902: | ||
|text=I feel like Textures are a band I more admire than I actively enjoy. I mean yea, they fall into a lot of the cliches of metalcore music that I've grown to resent over the years, such as breakdown overuse and half-hearted faux-punk growling, but Textures have made a concerted effort to make their music more, well... textured than the average metalcore band. They have a fascination with ambient soundscapes and technical, melodic progressive rock-influenced guitar passages that do a lot more to grab my interest than the likes of [[wikipedia:Killswitch Engage|Killswitch Engage]] or... *shudder* [[wikipedia:Bring Me the Horizon|Bring Me the Horizon]]... that having been said, this album still isn't that brilliant. I like that the lyrics are more geared towards spirituality and nature rather than the usual nihilistic breakup drivel the genre is built around, but the album has this weird division where the metalcore and the prog-metal feels completely separate from each other, and my enjoyment is intrinsically connected to which side each track sits on. I just can't get over the overdose of breakdowns and pitiful attempts at shouting on this bloody thing, yet whenever the band goes melodic with their prog side, I feel like I'm actually listening to something that I would really enjoy. As it stands, it's just too much of a hit or miss record for me to recommend. | |text=I feel like Textures are a band I more admire than I actively enjoy. I mean yea, they fall into a lot of the cliches of metalcore music that I've grown to resent over the years, such as breakdown overuse and half-hearted faux-punk growling, but Textures have made a concerted effort to make their music more, well... textured than the average metalcore band. They have a fascination with ambient soundscapes and technical, melodic progressive rock-influenced guitar passages that do a lot more to grab my interest than the likes of [[wikipedia:Killswitch Engage|Killswitch Engage]] or... *shudder* [[wikipedia:Bring Me the Horizon|Bring Me the Horizon]]... that having been said, this album still isn't that brilliant. I like that the lyrics are more geared towards spirituality and nature rather than the usual nihilistic breakup drivel the genre is built around, but the album has this weird division where the metalcore and the prog-metal feels completely separate from each other, and my enjoyment is intrinsically connected to which side each track sits on. I just can't get over the overdose of breakdowns and pitiful attempts at shouting on this bloody thing, yet whenever the band goes melodic with their prog side, I feel like I'm actually listening to something that I would really enjoy. As it stands, it's just too much of a hit or miss record for me to recommend. | ||
|tracks="New Horizons", Illuminate the Trail" | |tracks="New Horizons", Illuminate the Trail" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=TheLifeofPablo | |coverart=TheLifeofPablo | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Kanye West|Kanye West]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Kanye West|Kanye West]] | ||
| Line 913: | Line 913: | ||
|text=I was not impressed with West's previous album, [[wikipedia:Yeezus|''Yeezus'']], so I was hoping ''The Life of Pablo'' would bring me back on the Kanye love cult again... no such work. I mean godDAMN, Kanye, I know you're having a bit of a personal crisis at the moment, but don't sacrifice structure and coherency just because you're pissed off. This album has all the finesse and consistency of a Tazzy Devil's dinner, with song structures that go absolutely nowhere, horribly underwritten instrumentals that offer no emotional payoff, some of the worst lyrics in Kanye's discography to date (especially "Famous" and "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1"), and of course, the abundant use of autotune to cover up Kanye's unwillingness to learn to sing. There are a few cuts I actually enjoy, like "Real Friends" and "No More Parties in L.A.", probably because they sound more like classic Kanye when he had some artistic cohesiveness, and "Feedback" is one of the few experimental tracks that I find appealing, but goddamn, that's not enough to salvage this mess. West's decision to make the album a [[wikipedia:Tidal (service)|Tidal]] exclusive is probably the second dumbest business decision I've seen in hip hop, behind [[wikipedia:Wu-Tang Clan|Wu-Tang Clan]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Once Upon a Time in Shaolin|Once Upon a Time in Shaolin]]'', and is certainly not going to do his financial situation any favours. | |text=I was not impressed with West's previous album, [[wikipedia:Yeezus|''Yeezus'']], so I was hoping ''The Life of Pablo'' would bring me back on the Kanye love cult again... no such work. I mean godDAMN, Kanye, I know you're having a bit of a personal crisis at the moment, but don't sacrifice structure and coherency just because you're pissed off. This album has all the finesse and consistency of a Tazzy Devil's dinner, with song structures that go absolutely nowhere, horribly underwritten instrumentals that offer no emotional payoff, some of the worst lyrics in Kanye's discography to date (especially "Famous" and "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1"), and of course, the abundant use of autotune to cover up Kanye's unwillingness to learn to sing. There are a few cuts I actually enjoy, like "Real Friends" and "No More Parties in L.A.", probably because they sound more like classic Kanye when he had some artistic cohesiveness, and "Feedback" is one of the few experimental tracks that I find appealing, but goddamn, that's not enough to salvage this mess. West's decision to make the album a [[wikipedia:Tidal (service)|Tidal]] exclusive is probably the second dumbest business decision I've seen in hip hop, behind [[wikipedia:Wu-Tang Clan|Wu-Tang Clan]]'s ''[[wikipedia:Once Upon a Time in Shaolin|Once Upon a Time in Shaolin]]'', and is certainly not going to do his financial situation any favours. | ||
|tracks="No More Parties in L.A." | |tracks="No More Parties in L.A." | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=TheGhostsofHighway20 | |coverart=TheGhostsofHighway20 | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Lucinda Williams|Lucinda Williams]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Lucinda Williams|Lucinda Williams]] | ||
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|text=One of mainstream country music's most fascinating voices is back again, although I would have to say this record doesn't do nearly as much for me as some of her earlier works. She appears to be taking influence from [[wikipedia:Sun Kil Moon|Sun Kil Moon]]'s long-winded song structures, and moody vocal mumbles, which is great, I love that she's trying to do something new with her music... but I don't think Williams is able to maintain consistent intrigue for such long periods of time. I appreciate the attempt to be emotional on a lot of these tracks, but it just ends up feeling really bland and uninvolved, Williams' vocal delivery not being quite as impassioned as it probably could be to really sell that depressing edge. The record is musically diverse as I've come to expect from Williams, but it doesn't have the same cohesiveness that previous records have had, leading to a lot of tracks bleeding into each other and lacking anything of distinction. Although the album ends on a high note with its longest track, "Faith and Grace", which follows a very jazz-y progression and is one of the best flowing tracks on the album. Overall, the album may not be sonically engaging, but I can at least commend Lucinda Williams for trying to get further away from her comfort zone. | |text=One of mainstream country music's most fascinating voices is back again, although I would have to say this record doesn't do nearly as much for me as some of her earlier works. She appears to be taking influence from [[wikipedia:Sun Kil Moon|Sun Kil Moon]]'s long-winded song structures, and moody vocal mumbles, which is great, I love that she's trying to do something new with her music... but I don't think Williams is able to maintain consistent intrigue for such long periods of time. I appreciate the attempt to be emotional on a lot of these tracks, but it just ends up feeling really bland and uninvolved, Williams' vocal delivery not being quite as impassioned as it probably could be to really sell that depressing edge. The record is musically diverse as I've come to expect from Williams, but it doesn't have the same cohesiveness that previous records have had, leading to a lot of tracks bleeding into each other and lacking anything of distinction. Although the album ends on a high note with its longest track, "Faith and Grace", which follows a very jazz-y progression and is one of the best flowing tracks on the album. Overall, the album may not be sonically engaging, but I can at least commend Lucinda Williams for trying to get further away from her comfort zone. | ||
|tracks="Death Came", "Faith and Grace" | |tracks="Death Came", "Faith and Grace" | ||
}}{{ | }}{{ShroomAlbums | ||
|coverart=Khalifa | |coverart=Khalifa | ||
|band=[[wikipedia:Wiz Khalifa|Wiz Khalifa]] | |band=[[wikipedia:Wiz Khalifa|Wiz Khalifa]] | ||
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After this, Toru Minegishi would continue to work on sound design for games such as ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/gamecube/557720-mario-golf-toadstool-tour/credit</ref> and ''[[Mario Pinball Land]]''<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/920192-mario-pinball-land/credit</ref>, as well as assisting {{ShroomYoutube|rPIv3I-3-j4|in the score for}} ''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]'' alongside Kazumi Totaka and Asuka Ohta<ref>http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=881&view=credits</ref>. His next massive project wouldn't spin around until 2006, where he would be tasked as the lead composer for ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' with assistance from Asuka Ohta, with Koji Kondo once again operating as his supervisor on the project. This was Minegishi-san's first foray into the realm of audio direction in the company, and proved a whole new experience for him as he now had to communicate and get involved with all the other aspects of the development team to get a better idea of which direction to take the music, and then he would need to relay that information to his superior, Kondo-san. With the darker, more melancholy atmosphere being explored in ''Twilight Princess'', Minegishi-san and Kondo-san wanted to be careful to balance mood and atmosphere with catchiness and noticeability, knowing well that the sound direction of ''Zelda'' games has always been a major selling point for the emotional impact of the franchise; Koji Kondo initially envisioned a massive orchestral score with lyrical performances, but dropped the idea {{ShroomYoutube|iryO0ksUeSc|in favour of}} {{ShroomYoutube|tXEnAuzjgKU|sequenced music}} {{ShroomYoutube|RYl2xkIyU9w|due to his}} {{ShroomYoutube|pRHoPxAfy_Q&|view that}} {{ShroomYoutube|aTQBoxy5Eec|orchestral music}} {{ShroomYoutube|WsVT_-RsONg|"wasn't interactive enough"}}.<ref>http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/twilightprincess/inside04.jsp</ref> Still doesn't explain with {{ShroomYoutube|7PHwym5QKMc|'''''this'''''}} is allowed to exist, tho. | After this, Toru Minegishi would continue to work on sound design for games such as ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]''<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/gamecube/557720-mario-golf-toadstool-tour/credit</ref> and ''[[Mario Pinball Land]]''<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/920192-mario-pinball-land/credit</ref>, as well as assisting {{ShroomYoutube|rPIv3I-3-j4|in the score for}} ''[[Yoshi Touch & Go]]'' alongside Kazumi Totaka and Asuka Ohta<ref>http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=881&view=credits</ref>. His next massive project wouldn't spin around until 2006, where he would be tasked as the lead composer for ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess|The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess]]'' with assistance from Asuka Ohta, with Koji Kondo once again operating as his supervisor on the project. This was Minegishi-san's first foray into the realm of audio direction in the company, and proved a whole new experience for him as he now had to communicate and get involved with all the other aspects of the development team to get a better idea of which direction to take the music, and then he would need to relay that information to his superior, Kondo-san. With the darker, more melancholy atmosphere being explored in ''Twilight Princess'', Minegishi-san and Kondo-san wanted to be careful to balance mood and atmosphere with catchiness and noticeability, knowing well that the sound direction of ''Zelda'' games has always been a major selling point for the emotional impact of the franchise; Koji Kondo initially envisioned a massive orchestral score with lyrical performances, but dropped the idea {{ShroomYoutube|iryO0ksUeSc|in favour of}} {{ShroomYoutube|tXEnAuzjgKU|sequenced music}} {{ShroomYoutube|RYl2xkIyU9w|due to his}} {{ShroomYoutube|pRHoPxAfy_Q&|view that}} {{ShroomYoutube|aTQBoxy5Eec|orchestral music}} {{ShroomYoutube|WsVT_-RsONg|"wasn't interactive enough"}}.<ref>http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/twilightprincess/inside04.jsp</ref> Still doesn't explain with {{ShroomYoutube|7PHwym5QKMc|'''''this'''''}} is allowed to exist, tho. | ||
[[File:ToruMinegishiConductor.jpg|thumb|right|Toru Minegishi conducting a live orchestra.]] | [[File:ToruMinegishiConductor.jpg|thumb|right|Toru Minegishi conducting a live orchestra.]] | ||
Not long after ''Twilight Princess'', Toru Minegishi would be brought on to the development team of ''[[wikipedia:Wii Fit|Wii Fit]]'' as part of the music design team alongside Manaka Tominaga and [[wikipedia:Shiho Fujii|Shiho Fujii]]<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/942009-wii-fit/credit</ref>. This would be an amusing coincidence for Minegishi since he was interested in working on a project involving body balance, due in large part to his background as a drummer, which requires a lot of body balance and coordination in order to play; no one actually knew about his deep fascination with this side of music theory, however, so his involvement with ''Wii Fit'' was described by [[Satoru Iwata]] as destiny.<ref>https://www.nintendo.co.za/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Wii-Fit/Iwata-Asks-Wii-Fit-Vol-4/1-From-Zelda-to-Wii-Fit/1-From-Zelda-to-Wii-Fit-204069.html</ref> As opposed to ''Twilight Princess'', which required a more direct, noticeable approach to the music design, ''Wii Fit'' was {{ShroomYoutube|Qv_lnzmzGYg|designed to be}} {{ShroomYoutube|ZLagE49LNlA|as behind-the-scenes}} {{ShroomYoutube|xC08k6pW49U|and ambient}} {{ShroomYoutube|FLCwJYc4QkU|as possible}}, due in large part to the repetitive nature of the game, which could potentially lead to more complex song structures growing old and frustrating very quickly. Toru Minegishi would also work on the scores for both ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass]]'' and ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks]]'' as among the primary composers, as well as contributing a live guitar melody to the track {{ShroomYoutube|Q47iqNfsA80|"Ballad of the Goddess"}} in ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]''.<ref>http://zeldauniverse.net/2014/03/15/official-nintendo-magazine-uk-interviews-eiji-aonuma-and-ryu-nagamatsu-discuss-the-development-of-a-link-between-worlds/</ref> Minegishi-san would also be involved in the composition for ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' released in 2013, alongside his colleagues Yasuaki Iwata and Koji Kondo, headed by [[wikipedia:Mahito Yokota|Mahito Yokota]], a soundtrack which employed a full live orchestration mixed in with electronics, following up their move into live, organic music with ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' back in 2007. However, unlike ''Galaxy'', ''3D World'' {{ShroomYoutube|cvPoDBRpo1s|was geared}} {{ShroomYoutube|8wR6cHwoZtM|towards jazz-y}} {{ShroomYoutube|J-0hzvMPdnM|big band}} {{ShroomYoutube|l6MfnbeilTY|music as}} {{ShroomYoutube|wFxzHKx1BYQ|opposed to}} {{ShroomYoutube|UR2pkhRW4CQ|bombastic symphonies}}, giving the score a far more doofy sound to it.<ref>http://www.destructoid.com/super-mario-3d-world-features-a-lot-of-live-music-264472.phtml</ref> | Not long after ''Twilight Princess'', Toru Minegishi would be brought on to the development team of ''[[wikipedia:Wii Fit|Wii Fit]]'' as part of the music design team alongside Manaka Tominaga and [[wikipedia:Shiho Fujii|Shiho Fujii]]<ref>http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/942009-wii-fit/credit</ref>. This would be an amusing coincidence for Minegishi since he was interested in working on a project involving body balance, due in large part to his background as a drummer, which requires a lot of body balance and coordination in order to play; no one actually knew about his deep fascination with this side of music theory, however, so his involvement with ''Wii Fit'' was described by [[Satoru Iwata]] as destiny.<ref>https://www.nintendo.co.za/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-Wii-Fit/Iwata-Asks-Wii-Fit-Vol-4/1-From-Zelda-to-Wii-Fit/1-From-Zelda-to-Wii-Fit-204069.html</ref> As opposed to ''Twilight Princess'', which required a more direct, noticeable approach to the music design, ''Wii Fit'' was {{ShroomYoutube|Qv_lnzmzGYg|designed to be}} {{ShroomYoutube|ZLagE49LNlA|as behind-the-scenes}} {{ShroomYoutube|xC08k6pW49U|and ambient}} {{ShroomYoutube|FLCwJYc4QkU|as possible}}, due in large part to the repetitive nature of the game, which could potentially lead to more complex song structures growing old and frustrating very quickly. Toru Minegishi would also work on the scores for both ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass]]'' and ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks|The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks]]'' as among the primary composers, as well as contributing a live guitar melody to the track {{ShroomYoutube|Q47iqNfsA80|"Ballad of the Goddess"}} in ''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds|The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds]]''.<ref>http://zeldauniverse.net/2014/03/15/official-nintendo-magazine-uk-interviews-eiji-aonuma-and-ryu-nagamatsu-discuss-the-development-of-a-link-between-worlds/</ref> Minegishi-san would also be involved in the composition for ''[[Super Mario 3D World]]'' released in 2013, alongside his colleagues Yasuaki Iwata and Koji Kondo, headed by [[wikipedia:Mahito Yokota|Mahito Yokota]], a soundtrack which employed a full live orchestration mixed in with electronics, following up their move into live, organic music with ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' back in 2007. However, unlike ''Galaxy'', ''3D World'' {{ShroomYoutube|cvPoDBRpo1s|was geared}} {{ShroomYoutube|8wR6cHwoZtM|towards jazz-y}} {{ShroomYoutube|J-0hzvMPdnM|big band}} {{ShroomYoutube|l6MfnbeilTY|music as}} {{ShroomYoutube|wFxzHKx1BYQ|opposed to}} {{ShroomYoutube|UR2pkhRW4CQ|bombastic symphonies}}, giving the score a far more doofy sound to it.<ref>http://www.destructoid.com/super-mario-3d-world-features-a-lot-of-live-music-264472.phtml</ref> | ||
The most recent of Minegishi-san's contributions has been ''[[inkipedia:Splatoon|Splatoon]]'', the only game in the world where you can be a kid now, and a squid now, which saw him take the reins as the lead sound director once again, working with Shiho Fujii as his subordinate. With the very 90s "cool kid" aesthetic of the game, Minegishi-san {{ShroomYoutube|CThSUoNOQAA|thought to}} {{ShroomYoutube|fNWcciC-8bA|structure the}} {{ShroomYoutube|_otG6bjKy9w|soundtrack primarily}} {{ShroomYoutube|wRytjitcSbw|around various}} {{ShroomYoutube|e1gIL6ib-Bo|forms of}} {{ShroomYoutube|B5eTKxwaEY8|techno, hip hop}} {{ShroomYoutube|gUDFhQCfJps|and punk music}} that were widely popular at that time, with Minegishi-san dividing the music between the two races present in the game - punk for the playable squids, techno for the enemy Octarians... for the most part, anyway<ref>http://nintendokusou.com/new-splatoon-trailer-global-testfire-schedules-and-famitsu-interview-details</ref> Toru Minegishi wanted to reflect the attitude of the world shown in ''Splatoon'', seeking to replicate the sense of carefree spirit present in the character designs and environments by adding that extra bit of power and edge to the music; this can definitely be seen in the {{ShroomYoutube|kPZz6oJi8yE|Squid Sisters' theme}} {{ShroomYoutube|7y51Lzom8zk|and the}} {{ShroomYoutube|K7ylxg1fYZM|Splatfest music}}, which is styled after glamourous, energetic late-90s bubblegum pop, and {{ShroomYoutube|pM1Q2FttI1M|the three-part}} {{ShroomYoutube|uNgpmzi52tc|final boss}} {{ShroomYoutube|IpM2jCR3X4o|music}}, which employs a heavy use of record scratches and acoustic sections not unlike hip hop and drum and bass music that were so prominent in the 1990s, which were written to be in rhythm with the motions performed to make wasabi, as a reference to the boss's original design as a wasabi chef. Don't... ask, the original draft for this game was bloody weird.<ref>http://nintendoeverything.com/splatoon-devs-on-inkling-girl-design-focus-squid-sisters-and-more/</ref> | The most recent of Minegishi-san's contributions has been ''[[inkipedia:Splatoon|Splatoon]]'', the only game in the world where you can be a kid now, and a squid now, which saw him take the reins as the lead sound director once again, working with Shiho Fujii as his subordinate. With the very 90s "cool kid" aesthetic of the game, Minegishi-san {{ShroomYoutube|CThSUoNOQAA|thought to}} {{ShroomYoutube|fNWcciC-8bA|structure the}} {{ShroomYoutube|_otG6bjKy9w|soundtrack primarily}} {{ShroomYoutube|wRytjitcSbw|around various}} {{ShroomYoutube|e1gIL6ib-Bo|forms of}} {{ShroomYoutube|B5eTKxwaEY8|techno, hip hop}} {{ShroomYoutube|gUDFhQCfJps|and punk music}} that were widely popular at that time, with Minegishi-san dividing the music between the two races present in the game - punk for the playable squids, techno for the enemy Octarians... for the most part, anyway<ref>http://nintendokusou.com/new-splatoon-trailer-global-testfire-schedules-and-famitsu-interview-details</ref> Toru Minegishi wanted to reflect the attitude of the world shown in ''Splatoon'', seeking to replicate the sense of carefree spirit present in the character designs and environments by adding that extra bit of power and edge to the music; this can definitely be seen in the {{ShroomYoutube|kPZz6oJi8yE|Squid Sisters' theme}} {{ShroomYoutube|7y51Lzom8zk|and the}} {{ShroomYoutube|K7ylxg1fYZM|Splatfest music}}, which is styled after glamourous, energetic late-90s bubblegum pop, and {{ShroomYoutube|pM1Q2FttI1M|the three-part}} {{ShroomYoutube|uNgpmzi52tc|final boss}} {{ShroomYoutube|IpM2jCR3X4o|music}}, which employs a heavy use of record scratches and acoustic sections not unlike hip hop and drum and bass music that were so prominent in the 1990s, which were written to be in rhythm with the motions performed to make wasabi, as a reference to the boss's original design as a wasabi chef. Don't... ask, the original draft for this game was bloody weird.<ref>http://nintendoeverything.com/splatoon-devs-on-inkling-girl-design-focus-squid-sisters-and-more/</ref> | ||
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