“Nevermind” is one of the greatest albums of all time, popularizing the Seattle grunge movement and setting the tone of rock for generations to come. In this album, Nirvana changed their style because front man Kurt Cobain wanted to write pop songs and drew on the influence of bands like the Pixies, The Smithereens, R.E.M. and the Melvins. Cobain also decided to use hard-rock power chords and extreme dynamic changes. Using this new style, they went on to influence other popular bands during their time, their future albums becoming the guide to this new genre of alternative rock. “In Utero,”…
Author: Jackson Ragland
Drake’s newest album “Certified Lover Boy” was released to commercial success, but the way he conveys his message is a downright overwhelming. This album has some high points, but the lows are just too much to bear. The album features 21 songs, which is somewhat of a reach for Drake. This is too many songs for an album, the entire time of the album is over 85 minutes. The album and the way Drake marketed himself before the release heavily contrast the theme of the album. During the promotional period, Drake was very cartoonish on social media before the album was released. The theme of the album is love, or the feeling of wanting to be…
Tyler, the Creator’s newest album is a breath of fresh air for rap fans. “Call Me If You Get Lost” is an excellent showcase of Tyler’s ability to create worlds around his album, using his lyrical ability at its peak. Tyler, the Creator is top five in modern personal rankings; his flows and wordplay and the delivery of each line are just impeccable. The backing music of this album is also notable and aligns with the story being told. The production on this album is amazing, the music and lyrics are top-notch, but there’s one downside. The downside of this album is the feature of DJ Drama since this album doesn’t gain anything from him being on it. When he calls out in a song, silence would be better. The only upside to his…
The first album for Canadian rock band Cleopatrick, “BUMMER,” is an excellent debut for the duo. This album is loaded with ten songs ranging from hard and fast to slow and controlled and is the kind of debut a band needs to make a splash. Every song on this album hits the target that all bands should aim for, listenability. From the first song, “VICTORIA PARK” to “GREAT LAKES” the last song on the album, each song flows to the next almost seamlessly. The lead singer, Luke Gruntz, brings high energy with his charismatic vocals and his strong guitar skills. Ian Fraser, the drummer, brings heavy drums to the table to add to Gruntz vocals and guitar. A great example of their sound is in the song “GOOD GRIEF,” which is an attention-grabber before hitting the zenith of the album with “NO SWEAT.” “GOOD…
J. Coles’ latest album is not a hit, but it does introduce a new relaxed style that Cole should keep working on. His album has hints of early 2000s rap and includes samples from some songs released in that period. The album consists of 12 songs that range from semi-narrative style rap to rap focusing on wordplay and lyricism. Overall, this album holds its own, but it misses that special something – structure – which albums need to reach their full potential. Some songs pull the album up, while some don’t help at all. The two singles released before the album, “the climb back” and “interlude,” are okay on their own but are elevated by the surrounding songs. The songs that carry this album are “applying pressure,” “let go my hand” and “the…
“Chemtrails Over the Country Club” fails to utilize the vocal range of Lana Del Rey. The album, which is Del Rey’s seventh, has a bunch of good songs on it, but there are some that just don’t deliver. Lana Del Rey is known for her amazing singing voice, and she makes sure people know she’s still got it — mostly. Most of the songs are great spectacles of Del Rey’s voice and her lyrical style. The theme of the album could be about the double standards women face in society. Each of these pieces can create a perfect album, but they don’t fit quite well. This album is good lyrically, but without good music, lyrics falter. From the very beginning, it starts with quiet music and loud vocals, which…
The 2021 Grammys have gone by, but someone was seemingly missing from the nominees list: The Weeknd. His album “After Hours” is an overall great album and screams Grammy nomination. Multiple genres collide in the album, including R&B, new wave and dream pop. “After Hours” continues the nihilistic story that The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has been creating since 2011. Tesfaye finally united the worlds of mainstream pop and the tones of his 2011 mixtape trilogy. Lyrically and musically, Tesfaye hit points that some artists will never begin to reach. The Grammys have always supposed to have been one for making waves in the music industry as being the place to show off your music and accomplishments. It seems as though the Grammys just wants to make people angry every year. The interim president of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., came…
“The Dark Side of The Moon,” is one of the best albums of all time. This album was the Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album, it was released on March 1973. This album is an amazing spectacle of the bands ability. This album explores themes of greed, mental illness, conflict, death and time. The band used snippets of interviews of their road crew and philosophical quotes in the album. The theme of mental illness was explored because of former member Syd Barrett whose mental state was deteriorating according to the other members. This album is glorious, showing a change in the…
“OK Human” includes twelve dazzling displays of lead singer Rivers Cuomo’s vocal talents and the imagination of the band.
“Evermore,” a pleasant surprise to Swifties and casual fans alike, was a second surprise in 2020. This album is Taylor’s ninth studio album, being a sister album to her first surprise release “Folklore,” and hits almost every target. This album has a little bit of everything, considering each song and the feeling it brings. Each song on this album has its own overall feel, but a select few have a lot more feeling to them. The best songs in this album are “willow,” “coney island” and “evermore.” Taylor Swift is an amazing artist and has shown she can do whatever she wants and make it work. “willow,” has powerful lyrics and music and is a great song to add…