Tame Impala – The Slow Rush | Album Review

Whenever any artist plummets so violently into the mainstream there’s an anxiety regarding what they plan to do with their new-found audience. Luckily, Tame Impala’s transition from Lonerism to Currents in 2015 was far from rocky as they shifted away from some of the harsh, grungier sounds they displayed in 2012, over to some poppier, smoother and more lush arrangements to cater to a wider audience. With The Slow Rush, there’s a clear sense of safety across the tracklist, as we hear Kevin Parker move further and further from his fuzzy rock roots, and deeper into the psychedelic pop sound.

The highs on The Slow Rush are astronomical, and many of these come through the teaser tracks released in the months leading up to the album, all of which seemed to suggest a more existential, introspective and grand follow up to their much-adored 2015 album Currents. The tracks ‘Posthumous Forgiveness’ and ‘It Might Be Time’ are among some of the best tracks Kevin has ever put out, as the former is a slow and mournful look at regret while the latter is a psychedelic, grungy banger about the passage of time that boasts probably the densest and best instrumental on the album.

Unfortunately however, if the peaks on The Slow Rush are mountainous, the valleys are cavernous, as there are a handful of uninteresting or simply disappointing tracks spread across the short tracklist as the one-two punch of ‘Tomorrow’s Dust’ into ‘On Track’ present some of the worst songs in the Tame Impala discography. Thankfully outside of these two duds, the rest of the album retains the excitement of the singles, as the funky ‘Is It True’ and ‘Glimmer’ see Kevin doing his best Daft Punk impression, with shockingly fun results. In terms of production, The Slow Rush is, for the most part, fun, bubbly and dance-able, but there’s not denying it isn’t hardly as exciting as we know Kevin can be. Lyrically, Kevin explores the process of time and it’s effect on the artist, to a frequently powerful effect. The opener ‘One More Year’ is a retrospective look at a relationship and the ways in which it has developed, something that is poignantly contrasted by the closing track ‘One More Hour’, that instead looks forward at a pessimistic future and the apparent erosion of said relationship. Both songs feature some hard-hitting and fantastic lyrical content, of which we have only seen glimpses of in the past and unfortunately only see in short bursts here.

The Slow Rush is another exceptional pop record from Tame Impala, and yet it’s difficult not to feel a little underwhelmed. When Tame Impala transitioned from psychedelic rock into psychedelic pop, they did so with an experimental twinge as Currents managed to bring something fresh to the pop sound, as Kevin’s influence can be heard in everyone from Travis Scott to James Blake. With The Slow Rush however, it’s difficult to see it as anything more than a solid set of psychedelic pop tunes. For many this is ideal as his existential lyrics and buttery vocals compliment the smooth instrumentals perfectly, however, when compared to the rest of Kevin Parker’s genre-defining discography, it’s easy to see why Kevin yearns so much for the past on The Slow Rush as whenever I listen back to Lonerism, I can’t help but agree with him.

7/10

J Hus – Big Conspiracy | Album Review

One of the biggest shames and regrets in my entire life was not listening to J Hus’ Common Sense when it released in 2017. I remember the buzz but being the naive and irritatingly stubborn man I was, I dismissed it as another cash in on the UK Rap trend without even giving it a listen. Going back to it now is embarrassing for me as it contains so many modern UK classics like the G-funk and west-coast influenced title track to the garage heavy ‘Plottin’. With my recent newfound respect and love for J Hus, I had high expectations for ‘Big Conspiracy’ and while it doesn’t have as many instant classics as Common Sense, it boasts another landmark album in UK Rap, cementing J Hus as one of the most versatile artists in the genre.

Listening to Big Conspiracy ends up feeling like a game of guess who as J Hus switches up his voice and energy more frequently than a Wu-Tang track, effortlessly blurring the line between his smooth-sung hooks and his hard-hitting verses. Often times the two modes cross over like on the fantastically frantic ‘Love, Peace and Prosperity’ as maintains his smooth singing voice across the entire track. I think it’s this skill that makes every J Hus song so inexplicably smooth, supported of course from the best producer Britain has to offer right now, JAE5.

Any fans of the genre will go wild at JAE5’s admittedly jarring producer tag at the start of very song as the British sensation flexes his creative muscles from the Afroswing ‘Play Play’ brought to life by Burna Boy’s infectious hook to the smooth as butter, jazzy opener ‘Big Conspiracy’. JAE5’s has had his paws on the UK music scene for a while now, and this album cements his position at the top spot as beats like ‘Reckless’ and the phenomenal ‘Must Be’ blissfully encompass Hus’ voice.

J Hus’ voice manipulation and JAE5’s swooning production make up the majority of the greatness that can be found in Big Conspiracy, but unfortunately a few tracks stop the album from greatness. Songs like ‘Cucumber’ and ‘Helicopter’ seem a little by-the-numbers and should be below J Hus’ weight class at this point but he makes up for it with sensational bangers like ‘Triumph’ with J Hus seamlessly switching modes from the sweet and sweeping hook to the hard hitting verses alongside the bouncy, dense beat. Because of this, the impact of Big Conspiracy feels like a drop compared to the cultural splash of Common Sense, but that shouldn’t detract from it’s appeal, as thankfully, Big Conspiracy sees J Hus back where he should be, in car stereos and speakers across the nation.

8/10

 

 

JPEGMAFIA – All My Heroes Are Cornballs | Album Review

I think JPEGMAFIA (Peggy) has implanted himself inside my brain. While I didn’t love all of his last album Veteran, the tracks that stood out left an imprint on me that I can’t put my finger on. Tracks like ‘Thug Tears’ and ‘Baby I’m Bleeding’ made me rethink what I enjoyed at the time and broke down hip-hop into it’s bare essentials, a feeling that I haven’t been able to shake off and has impacted how I listen to music now. The way he constructed songs on Veteran felt so undoubtedly organic, like a living, breathing record, something that reminded me of the greats of hip-hop like Madlib or J Dilla and like him or not, the bubble in which Peggy exists is fascinating. Coming back a year and half later, All My Heroes Are Cornballs preserves his title as hip-hop’s single most interesting voice while venturing into avenues of pop and industrial rock to create a masterclass of an album that once again reaches into the uncanny valley of music and tickles a spot in my brain that no other artist does.

The first single and opening track to this album ‘Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot’ (Yes the titles are all this great trust me) is easily one of my favourite songs of the year and acts as a great in-point for anyone looking to get into JPEGMAFIA’s work. Opening with some frankly horrible sounds of screaming and smashing glass, the track quickly introduces some warm and almost orchestral, organ-sounding synth notes that give the track this bi-polar and frantic energy right off the bat, a phrase that can be used to sum up the whole album to be honest. The beauty of this song’s chords amongst the dissonant and ghostly samples, as well as Peggy’s angsty delivery and violent bars, present what makes this album so impressive. For every hectic moment on All My Heroes Are Cornballs there’s an equal calm as the album ends up feeling like walking through a lush forest as the sky collapses down, chicken little style.

There’s a less pretentious way of saying that but it’s difficult to pinpoint the feeling without a meaningless metaphor. The absolutely manic and oppressive instrumental, ‘JPEGMAFIA STYLE BEAT’, is then doused by the enchanting ‘Grimy Waifu’ which then goes into the creepy and dark opening of ‘PTSD’ before transitioning into this weird synth melody that sounds like a pitched up version of that video of that cat saying ‘no’ over and over. Basically this album is bonkers, which won’t be surprising to returning Peggy veterans (pun very much intended there) but honestly feels so much more cohesive to me than his last album. All My Heroes Are Cornballs doesn’t need to be dissected note for note as it speaks for itself in terms of the uncanny beauty it creates but if necessary it can stand up to scrutiny once you start dissecting every clever bar and production gem this album has to offer.

In keeping with this discordant vibe, JPEGMAFIA dips his toes into some of the avenues hinted at on his last two projects with some heavy, industrial guitars like on the slapping outro of ‘Konan Vs. Kel’ or the shoegazey ‘Rap Grow Old & Die x No Child Left Behind’ that sounds like it was lifted right off of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. While also trying his hand at some poppier tracks like the wonderful ‘Free The Frail’ that has Peggy sticking to a ‘verse, chorus, verse’ structure harder than he has before. While shoving his bare hands into the various musical pick n’ mix containers, the one constant across them is Peggy’s angsty and cocky rapping that covers everything from Twitter trolls to the way the media treats rap celebrities to Brexit, going between his classic punchy rapping and melodic singing. It would be an insult to say that his vocals take a back seat to the production when really they are integrated together seamlessly, as his vocals are often robotically pitched to match the melodies of the track, something that works amazingly on the title track.

The word ‘ethereal’ used to be reserved for the Kate Bush’s and Bjork’s of the world but now there’s a new kid on the block and wouldn’t you know it’s a 29 year old ex-military rapper from Baltimore. JPEGMAFIA represents something very special in music right now as he creates a sound that just isn’t really like anybody else in his field and while I’m not sure if this album is pulled from the future or the past, I know it’s exactly what we needed right now.

9.5/10

Caroline Polachek – Pang | Album Review

We are living in a bit of a gold rush of pop music right now, and everybody is benefiting from it. We got the moody and folky pop music from Weyes Blood’s brilliant latest album, we got the bounce and catchiness of Charli XCX’s new album and we got some strong up and comers that are primed to blow up the charts like King Princess and Kilo Kish. There’s no better time to jump into this wagon than right now and Caroline Polachek seems to have perfected this jump, joining the pop landscape with an album that reflects just as much about herself as it does the sound of modern pop music.

Formerly of the synth-pop tour de force Chairlift, Caroline Polachek doesn’t need to earn her stripes in the pop field, as the group released a handful of eerie, forward-thinking records that cemented their spot on the front-lines of the synth-wave. And then they broke up.

Luckily for us, Polachek is back a few years later and on her own she’s refined and perfected the glistening pop production we are used to in 2019, while still maintaining some of the eerie-ness of Chairlift. Opening with the relatively low-key ‘The Gate’ the album kicks off with a ‘pang’ with the second track ‘Pang’ an explosive and bassy track, that does well to sum up the whole 14-track experience, existential lyrics, twinkling synth chords and a bassy underbelly. In terms of a pop-project, Pang covers all bases from the traditionally down-tempo catchy pop hook of ‘Hit Me Where It Hurts’ to the mostly-acoustic ballad of ‘Look At Me Now’ that shares the same fantastic lyrical space as some of my favourite pop tracks of this year from Weyes Blood and Lana Del Rey.

My un-wavering favourite off this album is probably the only time Polachek truly goes in and makes a banger on the track ‘Ocean of Tears’, an absolute belter of a track that combines pessimistic and destructive lyrics with a meaty bassline that results in a powerhouse that really stands out amongst the mostly soft-sound of the rest of the album. This ‘soft’ sound is curated by Polachek’s use of the glittery-alien aesthetic of recent pop breakthroughs of artists like SOPHIE and Slayyter which suit Caroline’s vocals wonderfully.

While it’s hard to say that what Polachek does on Pang isn’t a cut above from the rest, it’s hard to listen and not hear her influences voices coming through, at points, stronger than her own, like ‘Insomnia’ for example, a heart-wrenching banger of epic proportions that sounds ripped straight out of a SOPHIE project. There isn’t anything wrong with wearing your influences on your sleeve and by doing so, she finds a perfect slot within the current pop landscape, but much of this album isn’t revolutionary, just done very well.

By picking and choosing sounds from both her Chairlift days and the current pop sound, what Caroline Polachek’s Pang lacks in innovation, she makes up for in sheer scope and sound, making an intimate and thought provoking album that feels cosmic in size.

8/10

 

 

Kano – Hoodies All Summer | Album Review

Kano was my first experience with Grime and to be honest one of my first experiences with hip-hop in general, as his song ‘P’s & Q’s’ remained the one constant at pretty much every high school party and gathering, with the whole room erupting at the bar where he mentions Leeds (which still remains the only time I’ve heard it referenced in a song). Fast forward a few years and a BAFTA later and Kano has built himself up as of the UK’s most distinctive artists, easily reserving his spot at the table of greats with Made In The Manor being one of the most beloved albums to come out of UK hip-hop and honestly Britain as a whole. So coming back seemingly out of nowhere with the announcement of his new album, Hoodies All Summer, there were definite feelings of apprehension rather than excitement as almost anything after Made In The Manor was destined to be at least a minor disappointment. But clearly the year that UK hip-hop flourishes just won’t let that happen, as Kano proves on Hoodies All Summer that he is still one of the greatest to ever do it.

Opening with the fittingly titled ‘Free Years Later’, Kano comes right back in with the same punchy flows and poignant lines we’ve come to expect, but with a slightly more sombre and dark tone than before. This continues throughout the whole album which pulls the desperate cries for help under the surface of Made In The Manor right to the forefront. This is continued on the second track ‘Good Youtes Walk Amongst Evil’, accompanied by easily one of the weirdest and wonkiest grime beats I’ve ever heard that almost always sounds like it doesn’t have any recognisable tempo or rhythm, but works because of this exact reason. Kano’s precise and calculated flow brings all the mismatching aspects of this beat into place making for a pretty grand set-piece to kick off the album.

Skipping over the track ‘Trouble’ for now, Kano moves into some lighter, poppier bangers that use some heavenly steel drum and piano melodies but still contain one of the best motifs of this album, unexpected and wonderful beat switches. This is encapsulated in the emotional middle-point of Hoodies All Summer, ‘Teardrops’, a lyrically dense and heartfelt track that demands the listeners attention by way of a jarring and experimental beat switch that sacrifices a ballad-y piano track for a bare-bones and eerie instrumental that represents one of many moments in which Kano separates himself from his peers bringing through his creative song structures that are frankly innovative to UK hip-hop.

But far and beyond the thing that ties Hoodies All Summer together to be more than just a tight selection of great tracks is Kano’s positioning as the mentor and wise sage that he is, using this album as both a war cry for London’s people and a cry for help. The 3rd track ‘Trouble’ is the emotional and thematic climax of this, presenting some of the most vulnerable and emotionally honest bars of Kano’s career, supplemented alongside the frankly amazing music video that also features a version of the grime banger ‘Class Of Deja’ that far surpasses the album version in terms of energy and excitement.

Both ‘Trouble’ and the closing track ‘SYM’ do away with the hallmarks of the grime banger and instead land closer instrumentally to a Kanye track and lyrically to a public speaker, as Kano violently rants and sings his way around the absolute crisis London is facing right now in a way that isn’t cute or ego-driven, but honest and matter of fact. Kano has been in the scene long enough by now not to care about egos or status, and as a result he uses Hoodies All Summer as a cry for action, reclaiming his spot as UK hip-hop’s top boy in the process.

8.5/10

Denzel Curry – ZUU | Album Review

Frequently hailed as the saviour of new-wave and Soundcloud rap, Florida’s prodigal son pretty much dominated my headphones last year with the mind-blowing TA13OO, an album that explored the darkest corners of Curry’s mind and sound in what was probably my favourite hip-hop project of the year. Going into 2019, Denzel Curry couldn’t be in a better position, getting all the critical praise he deserves off of TA13OO and getting his sound opened up to a wider audience as a result. On ZUU, Curry capitalises off of this, with a shorter and straight to the point project filled to the brim with bangers.

This move from Curry was predicted last year in the movements of rapper Vince Staples who moved on from his highly conceptual album, Big Fish Theory, into a more straight-forward hip-hop album dedicated to his home and his upbringing. ZUU does exactly this as every song seems crafted as a love letter to Miami and it’s people. From the 808 cowbells to the up-pitched vocals, everything about the sound of ZUU is dripping with Miami influence and for the most part, this works.

Opening with the volatile title track and the stellar lead single ‘Ricky’, Curry opens the album like a bull out of a cage hitting with hard bars and spicy hooks, a stark contrast to the softer opening of his last album. Going into ‘Wish’ and ‘Automatic’, Curry heads in a more straight forward trap direction as the synthwave-inspired beat on ‘Wish’ completely encompasses your headphones alongside a brilliant feature from Kiddo Marv after Curry lead the charge with yet another addictive hook.

Nothing on ZUU is nearly as conceptual as TA13OO as Curry’s lyricism mostly focuses on Miami culture and the trap lifestyle while throwing in a couple emotional touches regarding his life behind closed doors to keep things interesting. The main draw from Curry across ZUU comes from his amazing ability to consistently put out catchy, earworm hooks that stay with you long after track finishes, something he’s demonstrated on tracks like ‘Clout Cobain’ and ‘ULT’ in the past. Not every hook lands however, as towards the end of the album, the tracks ‘Carolmart’ and ’88 Shake’, don’t hit the same mark as the first few, with the latter track ’88 Shake’ feeling a little outdated and cliche.

Outside of these two tracks, ZUU has all the hallmarks of another great Denzel Curry project, with disgustingly good production on tracks like ‘Birdz’ and ‘P.A.T.’ and sticky hooks on ‘Speedboat’ and ‘Ricky’, ZUU shows that Denzel’s nostalgia trip is just as fun to listen to as I’m sure it was to make.

7/10

Skepta – Ignorance Is Bliss | Album Review

No other artist is as universally praised and worshiped in the UK as Skepta. Being one of the few names to make it to other continents, Skepta has functioned as the UK’s hip-hop voice for the last few years and while his style has changed in his trips abroad, his commanding bars and cold delivery never left, as Ignorance Is Bliss sees Skepta dipping in and out of his comfort zone on an album that leaves a little to be desired but still provides listeners with a collection of undeniably catchy bangers.

The first single for Ignorance Is Bliss, ‘Bullet From A Gun’, was pretty much stunning and couldn’t have left me more excited, as Skepta spit heartfelt bars about his upbringing, his daughter and his father over a swirling and hypnotic beat. In the context of the album, ‘Bullet From A Gun’ sets up two themes that Skepta tries to maintain throughout Ignorance Is Bliss, impeccable production introspective lyricism. There’s no denying that pretty much every track on here sounds fantastic, as Skepta’s wonderful use of simple melodies and obnoxious synths give every track some life, making the album exciting and phenomenally catchy front to back.

But on the majority of the tracklist, Skepta finds himself repeating himself and saying the same things he’s been saying for the past 10 years. Now there’s an argument to be made that this is who Skepta is and this has always been his persona and honestly I can get behind that philosophy and anyone going into this album expecting an especially conscious or lyrically dense experience will be disappointed. In the short term this style pays off for Skepta on Ignorance Is Bliss as it’s near impossible to listen to this album without feeling some sense of awe at Skepta’s presence on each track. His braggadocious bars just never stop, injecting life into lyrics that would otherwise get boring but going into each track and dissecting the lyrics on a page doesn’t have really have the same effect as many of the lyrics on here are pretty standard and unimpressive. This isn’t the case for every track however, as ‘Going Through It’ portrays a different angle to his braggadocious lifestyle, painting a more somber angle in which Skepta covers up his anxieties with parties and drink emphasising that he “doesn’t want to talk about it”. 

While the lyrics are pretty by-the-books for Skepta, his production across this album is anything but, as he dabbles in different corners of UK hip-hop, from classic garage on ‘Love Me Not’ (featuring a fantastic sample of ‘Murder on the Dancefloor) to hard grime on ‘Gangsta’ to american trap on ‘Animal Instinct’. In all of these cases the production is stellar and (as is one of the perks of producing your own beats) Skepta flows near-flawlessly over every track. ‘No Sleep’ features these industrial and un-coordinated percussion notes throughout that don’t really make much sense until Skepta’s voice ties them all together in what is probably my favourite track on here. ‘Same Old Story’ is a classic grime track with an instrumental that throws it back to old school Ruff Sqwad beats with it’s infectious pan flute melody.

I think there are definitely criticisms to be made about Skepta on Ignorance Is Bliss as, lyrically, he relies way too heavily on his track record of hard-hitting flexes in his bars and doesn’t expand on the introspection shown on ‘Bullet From a Gun’ that I was expecting from this album. However, from a purely audio standpoint, Ignorance Is Bliss is an eclectic museum of UK hip-hop as Skepta continues to push his identity as an international artist who hasn’t forgot where he came from.

7/10

Flying Lotus – Flamagra | Album Review

Electronic music pinoeer and full-time alien, Flying Lotus has always been at the cutting edge of of the psychedelic and weird when it comes to electronica and hip-hop and to be honest doesn’t get enough credit for his work on some of the most important albums of the decade. From his heavy influence on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, to his own spacey interpretations of jazz on Cosmogramma in 2010, Flying Lotus has quietly been influencing most of the hip-hop we listen to today, a title he manages to maintain on his new 27-track epic, Flamagra.

I think the best way to dive into a Flying Lotus project is to go in blind so I made sure to avoid any ‘spoilers’ by blocking all of the singles out of my ears, and spoilers is the right word as Flamagra feels like more of an epic space opera than your standard jazz effort. Opening with the sinister ‘Heroes’, the opening few tracks of Flamagra might be one of the strongest introductions to any album this year, with the first 13 tracks all being pretty much amazing. Spanning from the smooth-as-silk ‘More’ featuring soul icon Anderson .Paak, to the incredibly bouncy ‘Takashi’ to the head-banging ‘Black Balloons Reprise’ to the terrifying ‘Fire Is Coming’ the opening to Flamagra honestly had me pretty set that this was going to be the album of the decade.

And this isn’t to say that the second half is a let down by any means but a 27 track album is destined to have a dud here and there and unfortunately most of these lie in the second half of the 66 minute tracklist. Luckily tracks like ‘The Climb’ (that sadly does NOT feature Miley Cyrus) and ‘Land of Honey’ maintain the excitement all the way to the end but there is still room for a little trimming, as some of the more droney tracks like ‘Find Your Own Way Home’ and ‘Pygmy’ leave little to get excited about.

In all honestly it would be difficult for me to call any one track on Flamagra ‘bad’ as even when very little happens, Flying Lotus constructs such a robust ‘vibe’ across this project that is near-impossible to break away from, as his spacey synths seem to soundtrack my life even after the final song. While it could do with a little trimming of the fat towards the end of the tracklist, what Flying Lotus has achieved with Flamagra (and specifically it’s first half) is nothing short of enchanting, as Flying Lotus once again solidifies his role as the great influencer of new wave hip-hop, crafting a sound that is sure to be echoed for years to come.

Tyler, the Creator – IGOR | Album Review

Never has an artist made more of a 180 in their career than California’s Tyler, the Creator who made one of the most successful re-brands in Hip-Hop with his fantastic 2017 album Flower Boy that transformed Tyler from angsty, troublesome teen into a more mature and flawed musician. With Flower Boy placing all eyes on Tyler, he quickly moved to the top of my list and with the release of IGOR it’s clear he has no intention of slowing down. Flower Boy saw Tyler moving from dirty beats into classical chords and IGOR seems to be the natural progression of this as he combines beautiful chords and melodies with the occasional grimy twang in what is essentially 40 minutes of Tyler seeing how much he can push his synths, to surprisingly cohesive results.

It’s difficult to throw the U word around considering how much music there is in the world and how little of it I’ve heard but it’s clear after the first few tracks that IGOR is something unique. Relying on addicting chord professions and distorted vocals, IGOR is basically what Tyler’s 4th album, Cherry Bomb, should’ve been. With a heavy influence on production over rapping it’s clear he is trying to distance himself from his ‘rapper’ image, moving into melodic singing and overwhelming chords, IGOR plays out like an experimental pop album, as Tyler spends most of his time singing his heart out, to mostly great results as track like ‘Gone Gone/ Thank You’ and ‘Are We Still Friends’ leave chills on my arm from Tyler’s passionate delivery.

Much like Flower Boy, IGOR tells a story of love and loss but in a much more direct way as the tracklist carefully follows Tyler and another alter ego of his, ‘IGOR’, through a rocky relationship ending in a breakup. On IGOR, Tyler adds very little innovation to the well documented history of writing a breakup song, but this album isn’t really about the lyrics, as Tyler puts his stellar production at the forefront making every track feel like an emotional blow to the chest despite it’s on-the-nose lyrics. Cliche lines like “Don’t leave, it’s my fault” from ‘Earfquake’ just pack so much punch when paired with Tyler’s glistening instrumentals, making for one of many heavy moments scattered across IGOR, another one coming from the beautiful closing track ‘Are We Still Friends’, an absolute behemoth of a track that feels like the perfect closing ceremony to a relationship.

As this is a Tyler, the Creator project, along side these prettier, bittersweet tracks, there are still a couple of grimy and sinister moments. The phenomenal opener, ‘Igor’s Theme’, blew me away on first listen so much that I didn’t even recognise Lil Uzi Vert’s vocals all over the disgustingly heavy bass, as he repeats the mantra “Ridin’ ’round town they gone feel this one” and “He’s comin'”. ‘New Magic Wand’ has a similarly insidious feel to it as well as ‘What’s Good’ whose first half sounds like you’re playing Mortal Kombat while your friend is in the room next door rapping along to the soundtrack before the beat switches into a messy, pounding synth letting Tyler spit some of his first bars of the album.

This combination of beautiful chords with deep, bassy synths is not new to Tyler’s music, but I’ve never quite seen it take centre stage the way it does on IGOR as it is easily his best produced album to date. This is not to say that Tyler does not have a voice on IGOR as his storytelling is clear, if a bit cliche, across this project and there are some fantastic vocal performances scattered about from Solange to Kanye West, making this much more than just an instrumental album, even if it might seem like it at times. After the commercial and critical success of Flower Boy nobody would’ve blamed Tyler for reaching that approachable, likeable sound again but instead he pushed his own sound even further, flexing his production muscles for about 40 cohesive minutes spread across 12 tracks that can get a little self-indulgent at times but ultimately stays exciting throughout.

8.5/10

The Chemical Brothers – No Geography | Album Review

Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, better known by their mysterious moniker ‘The Chemical Brothers’, are responsible for one of my earliest memories of music in their electric 2006 hit ‘Galvanise’, which I distinctively remember being played to me on repeat on the drives to and from school back when I was just a wee lad. And while that track certainly left an imprint on me I didn’t find myself returning to them until their 2015 album Born In The Echoes a project that combined some of the fuzziness and rawness of their earlier work with a newer electronic direction. On their new album No Geography, The Chemical Brothers make little to no effort to innovate, sticking with the harsh and unfiltered sounds that I loved about their first few albums and as a result, it is some of the most fun I’ve had this year listening to music.

Going into this album I was already expecting to love it based off of the strong run of singles running up to the project, but it really comes together cleaner than I could’ve imagined in the tracklist of No Geography as each track flows wonderfully into the next, creating a hypnotic river of alien sounds. A lot of the sounds used across this album are ripped right from the early 90’s as the opener ‘Eve Of Destruction’ demonstrates with Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora setting a somewhat pre-apocalyptic tone over these pelting synth notes that really take over your headphones before breaking down into a funky disco-y baseline. From here The Chemical Brothers pretty much do what they do best, mix funky rhythms with a hard hitting electronic edge and there is never a dull moment as a result. From the wacky and glitchy ‘Bango’ to the effortlessly groovy and catchy ‘Got To Keep On’, the duo manages to blend eerie and experimental electronic synths with conventionally banging basslines.

With this odd pairing comes a juxtaposition in tone along side it, as most track have some sort of positive and inspiring lyrical content but break down into these dramatic and dark electronic beat drops that really but a damper on the inspiring vibe. While this is clearly intentional, at points it stops tracks like ‘Got To Keep On’ from being fun summer hits when there is a mental overload of reverb in the middle of the track. However on most of the tracklist this works out in their favour, like on the fantastic ‘MAH’ or ‘Free Yourself’ that is just the most classically Chemical Brothers track on here, overloading the ears with these jarring and obnoxious sirens that I initially hated but grew to love the more they interpolated them within the beat as the track goes on.

The standout song of the album however has to be the incredible ‘We’ve Got To Try’ which combines some of the best sample work they’ve ever done with an absolutely mind melting and off-kilter electronic breakdown that sounds like it was stolen directly from the year 3000. While some of the tracks suffer from repetition at 4 and 6 minutes a piece the absolutely monstrous breakdowns some of these tracks devolve into are so worth the build up. There’s a really a lot to love here and not all that much to hate as The Chemical Brothers put the phrase ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ into action on No Geography, proving that you don’t have to innovate to sound as fresh as ever.

8/10