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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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This afternoon, Motion will end and Broke With Expensive Taste will begin.
I decided to push back BLUE to this afternoon as well to give people some time to digest the album.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 39,572
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When I first saw the tracklisting for My Everything, Love Me Harder, was the song which stood out. The title suggested a maturation of her themes, and the choice of The Weekend as a collaboration partner seemed like an intriguing choice. But does the song live up to expectations?
Yes, completely, 100%, positively, definitively yes. The song takes all the best bits of the best songs of the last few years - Drake's Hold On, We're Going Home, Lady Gaga's Do What U Want and The Weeknd's own Wicked Games all contribute their greatest attributes - the slinky, sexy singing over a hypnotic beat. If only the rest of the album were like this.
10/10
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Member Since: 8/10/2012
Posts: 7,072
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Ready for my BWET and BLUE reviews.
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Ariana Grande - Love Me Harder(ft. The Weeknd)
Ariana Grande is scoring hit after hit this year and " Love Me Harder" is most likely not gonna be an exception.With a very electronic production and a guest verse by rapper The Weeknd accompanying her vocals the song is set to be another hit. Musically the song is fresh enough but doesn't allow Ariana's vocals to shine as much as they do on her other tracks.Lyrically the song is nothing special but the main focus is definitely the production which is very reminiscent of Lady Gaga's "Do what you want".
Final Say: " Love me harder" is a catchy midtempo song that's somewhere between ballad and dance track. It's instantely catchy but overall nothing special and it will blend in with the rest of radio just fine.
6/10
iamamiwhoami - BLUE
Opening up with the majestic " fountain" iamamiwhoami sets the tone for the whole album. A dense electronic atmosphere that seems cold and warm at the same time like a sun burning through an icy tundra . Jonna Lee's voice seems endless over the synthesizers with her swedish accent.
The song has a few uptempo songs like " hunting for pearls" or " tap your glass" but it's the slower songs that shine in my opinion like " fountain" or " blue blue". It's hard to really describe the atmosphere on the album because it is really complex. Lyrically the song sticks to metaphorical descriptions of the sea or ice matching the album title and visuals. There are amazing visuals for all the songs that capture the feeling of the album in a way words couldn't.
The only weakness of the album is that you definitely have to be in the mood for most of the songs.It's not the kind of album you can leave on in the background but an album that needs your full attention.
Final Say:The third album by iamamiwhoami is a very experimental electronic album that definitely needs multiple listens to truly click.But when it clicks you can get lost in it for hours.And on a side not even if one doesn't like alternative electronic music the visuals are breathtaking and are worth a watch for everyone.
Best songs: fountain,blue blue and vista
7/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Love Me Harder is the third single off of Ariana Grande's sophomore effort My Everything. It is a very well done fusion of pop, dance, and R&B sounds. The song begins innocently enough, with Grande's delicate vocals floating over some light synths. In this short first verse, Grande portrays herself as someone who really wants someone to love her. The pre-chorus kept me on the edge of my seat with its throbbing synth in the background. The song completely changes, though, when the first chorus is reached. A pulsating, fast-paced electronic synth beat resembling that of Lady Gaga's Do What U Want kicks in, and it's a good one. Although it isn't the catchiest chorus, it gets the job done in that it acts as a springboard for the rest of the song.
The second verse is performed by rising Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd. His verse adds a whole new dimension to the song. He reassuringly answers Grande's sexual pleas while throwing in a few semi-creepy lines of his own ( "Take this pleasure and/Take it with the pain"). His pre-chorus is clever, using a similar line to Grande's in the first verse and asserting his sexual prowess. The second chorus is excellent, with Grande and The Weeknd trading lines and really creating an exciting, pressure-filled atmosphere that just does not let up... until the bridge. I personally think it was an excellent decision to include a bridge after the second chorus. It is short but gorgeous, and allows the listener to take a step back and Grande and The Weeknd to briefly express their concerns before everything is launched back into full-on tension mode.
There are several minor downsides to Love Me Harder. I wish the chorus was catchier, because a huge chorus really could drive the song home here. For some reason I find that it is just missing a little "oomph." This brings me to my next point, which is that the last chorus tries way too hard to have that "oomph." Dragging on for just over one minute, it feels quite superfluous. The song also feels promotional. Grande did not write any of the song; it was instead written by Max Martin and Savan Kotecha (although The Weeknd wrote his verse). In that sense, it feels a bit artificial. Also, a Republic Records executive openly admitted that the placement of The Weeknd on the track was not natural; instead, it was a strategic move to promote him as an artist. Both of these revelations are disappointing to me. It's remarkable that the emotion in a song that was crafted like this sounds so real, but it does and I applaud Grande and The Weeknd for that.
What's so interesting about this song, however, is that the content is par for the course for The Weeknd, but uncharted waters for Grande, who is publicly and aggressively attempting to rid herself of the childlike, innocent image that the public has associated with her. The emotion in this song is conveyed very well, and it feels real and not cheesy. There isn't a lot of fluff or dumb clichés, and it shows that Grande is willing to perform more mature material. After the snoozefest that was the first two singles of My Everything, Love Me Harder provides a jolt of energy and authenticity that is not to be missed.
Reviews:
Drake - 0 to 100 / The Catch Up (4.0)
La Roux - Trouble In Paradise (2.3)
Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective (2.0)
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, & Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang (5.8)
Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun (0.5)
Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes (4.9)
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda (2.0)
Beyoncé f/Nicki Minaj - ***Flawless Remix (3.7)
Pixie Lott - Pixie Lott (6.0)
FKA Twigs - LP1 (1.7)
Hilary Duff - All About You (4.1)
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (7.1)
Charli XCX - Break The Rules (4.6)
Ariana Grande - My Everything (5.2)
Maroon 5 - V (5.4)
Banks - Goddess (8.2)
Calvin Harris f/John Newman - Blame (8.6)
Lorde - Yellow Flicker Beat (8.8)
Fergie - L.A.LOVE (la la) (2.5)
LIGHTS - Little Machines (6.7)
One Direction - Steal My Girl (2.0)
Carrie Underwood - Something In The Water (5.3)
Gwen Stefani - Baby Don't Lie (5.4)
Iggy Azalea f/MØ - Beg For It (7.7)
Imagine Dragons - I Bet My Life (5.5)
Ariana Grande f/The Weeknd - Love Me Harder (8.3)
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Calvin Harris - 'Motion' --- (6.3)
Genre: Electro House, Electropop, Dance-Pop, Big Room, Progressive House
(Columbia; November 3rd, 2014) //
Like it or not, Adam Wiles, better known by his stage name Calvin Harris is one of the most popular Electronic/Dance musicians nowadays. He started basically being a Scottish version of James Murphy, to end up changing his music into a straight-up Electro House way. That is not bad by itself, but he's stopped using his own vocals in his tracks by when his third full-length album '18 Months' was released.
However, that album was a really nice collection of hits, just like 'Motion' is. But when '18 Months' was released, the Electro House sound wasn't that popular as it is now. So, the songs here aren't that unique, they even feel a bit... same-y. Also, let's not forget that he's jumping into the Big Room bandwagon that young Dutch producer Martin Garrix popularized a few months ago. Sometimes this can end in a good result, as in the Tinashe-featured "Dollar Signs", or in a terrible one, like in "Open Wide", a track which features Big Sean... and his usually bad lyrics.
The song "Outside" has an 80's vibe that recalls the music that he made on his second album 'Ready for the Weekend', and Ellie Goulding's vocals and lyrics remind me of her (amazing) debut album, 'Lights'. The instrumental "Slow Acid" is pretty good, as well, as it has a really nice Daft Punk-y vibe. His vocals make a little comeback too, as well, in the lead single "Summer" and in the album's opener "Faith", both being probably the songs with the biggest personality and uniqueness found here.
But there are songs who are not really needed. "Pray to God", a song which features the overly-hyped indie-pop band Haim, doesn't really need them, since it could have been sung by any pop-girl in the world. "Blame" as a song is pretty good, but John Newman's vocals kind of... ruin it. "Burnin'", a track made with producer R3HAB, has a laughable drop that doesn't really do anything, meanwhile "Under Control" sounds like a song that failed to make the final cut on Avicii's debut album 'True' (and, trust me, that's not good at all).
He can do great things, as his first two albums proved, but he has to learn that not everything that is big on the radios equals musical quality, and then he'll make an album that is not only a collection of great hits, but an actual great album.
You'll like it if you like: '18 Months', Martin Garrix
Highlights: "Outside" (feat. Ellie Goulding), "Summer", "Faith", "Dollar Signs" (feat. Tinashe), "Slow Acid"
Honestly, TRF.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Quote:
Originally posted by Lucas32
iamwhoiam - BLUE
Opening up with the majestic " fountain" iamamiwhoiam sets the tone for the whole album. A dense electronic atmosphere that seems cold and warm at the same time like a sun burning through an icy tundra . Jonna Lee's voice seems endless over the synthesizers with her swedish accent.
The song has a few uptempo songs like " hunting for pearls" or " tap your glass" but it's the slower songs that shine in my opinion like " fountain" or " blue blue". It's hard to really describe the atmosphere on the album because it is really complex. Lyrically the song sticks to metaphorical descriptions of the sea or ice matching the album title and visuals. There are amazing visuals for all the songs that capture the feeling of the album in a way words couldn't.
The only weakness of the album is that you definitely have to be in the mood for most of the songs.It's not the kind of album you can leave on in the background but an album that needs your full attention.
Final Say:The third album by iamamiwhoiam is a very experimental electronic album that definitely needs multiple listens to truly click.But when it clicks you can get lost in it for hours.And on a side not even if one doesn't like alternative electronic music the visuals are breathtaking and are worth a watch for everyone.
Best songs: fountain,blue blue and vista
7/10 |
It's iamamiwhoami, not iamamiwhoiam nor iamwhoiam.
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Quote:
Originally posted by THERihFan
It's iamamiwhoami, not iamamiwhoiam nor iamwhoiam.
Honestly, TRF. |
I knew while writing I'd mess the name up let me edit this 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by THERihFan
It's iamamiwhoami, not iamamiwhoiam nor iamwhoiam.
Honestly, TRF. |
Also, the review period hasn't even officially started yet
(Of course, I'll count the review).
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Member Since: 1/1/2013
Posts: 17,232
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I'm ready to post some praise for BWET, I'll review Blue as well, after I listen to it
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Calvin Harris - Motion
Type the title of Calvin Harris's fourth album into google for a definition and the first result is "The action or process of moving or being moved." It's an appropriate title for Calvin's album and career. He is afterall a dance music producer that has come along way from his 80s inspired debut 'I Created Disco.' His first two albums were much smaller in scale, and do not sound like the work of someone who is the highest paid DJ in the world, they're albums with silly songs about putting on your shoes to get ready for the weekend and what was acceptable in the 80s. As far as I know his career changed when Kylie Minogue picked the producer for a couple tracks and introduced him to pop audiences. Since then, his music has grown from dance-club filling songs to Stadium-fillers and he has worked with many well-known names in music, many of which appear on the new album (Ellie Gouding, Gwen Stefani, Big Sean are the biggest draws here).
As the cover for 'Motion' suggests, a humanesque form draped in a metallic cloth suggesting movement, the album is centered around futuristic songs that inspire motion and the majority of the songs are heavy dance songs that Calvin Harris is known for. Actually, the one aspect in Calvin Harris's life that does not seem to be in constant motion is the development of his style and songs; his style has remained more or less the same since his breakthrough with Rihanna's "We Found Love," and since that song, a Calvin Harris song has become synonomous with huge build-ups, huge drops, huge vocals and this hasn't changed since third album '18 Months' except by adding wildier and more aggressive beats behind his formula.
Nothing wrong with a formula, it it's not broke don't fix it, and Calvin's formula works; the only problem is, is tha for the most part, you can look at the names of the songs and featured guests and predict exactly what the songs will sound like and be about. Because the albums tracks are all about motion and uptempo, at least they're engaging even if the album suffers from a lack of variation in style and this makes 'Motion's' sameness much more forgiveable than an album of midtempos or ballads that all follow a formula; however, it's clear most of the album is designed to provide some disposable singles, to get stuck in your head for a couple weeks, and not much else.
Still though, a lot of the tracks have something to offer: "Open Wide" (feat. Big Sean) is one of the stupidest songs of the decade, but is dumb fun and hard not to fall in love with, "Faith" is a follow-up to "Feel So Close" but it's worth a listen, and "Burnin'" (with R3Hab) is a great instrumental anthem; the two brightest moments (short of "Open Your Mouth) are "Slow Acid" and "Ecstacy" with the former being a well-paced instrumental and homage to acid house that proves that there is still some pre-'18 Months' Calvin left, and the latter track "Ecstacy" is the album's sole slow track which does an excellent job of taking advantage of restraint to show emotion and is almost reminiscent of one of Kaskade's slow burning dance ballads (it's also the one song showing movement into a different style and direction for Harris). Overall, the album is solid, but not spectacular; it will be fun for the time being, but the biggest motion here is treading water.
Grade: B-
I'm busy today so didn't make this review everything I wanted. I wanted to make sure I got my review in before time is up. I will definitely come back and add some edits after I finish my work...
Ariana Grande - My Everything Review
 My Reviews
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 37,384
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I still have to listen to BWET a few more times before reviewing it. I hope Nicki's single comes out soon so we can review that.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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| Motion - Calvin Harris
Calvin Harris | Columbia | Release Date: October 31, 2014 | Review Period: November 3, 2014 - November 9, 2014
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66 | Member Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 6 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
7.4 | Experimental Top Critic Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 2 Top Critics |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The fourth album from the British dance-pop artist features hit singles "Summer" and "Blame". | Record Label: Columbia
Genre(s): Pop, EDM, Dance-pop |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 4 | | d | ....iMixed: ████████ 2 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 | | d | ....iMixed: ? | | d | Negative: ? |
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Motion results.
I may add two more people to the Top Critics panel for Love Me Harder.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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| BLUE - iamamiwhoami
iamamiwhoami | To whom it may concern. | Release Date: November 7, 2014 | Review Period: November 9, 2014 - November 15, 2014
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84 | Member Score
Universal acclaim
based on 7 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
7.5 | Experimental Top Critic Score
Generally Favorable Reviews
based on 1 Top Critic |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The third album from the Swedish electronic pop project. | Record Label: To whom it may concern.
Genre(s): Electronic pop |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 6 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: ███ 1 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 1 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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66? 
Motion is amazing
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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| Broke With Expensive Taste - Azealia Banks
Azealia Banks | Independent | Release Date: November 6, 2014 | Review Period: November 9, 2014 - November 15, 2014
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83 | Member Score
Universal acclaim
based on 9 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
8.7 | Experimental Top Critic Score
Universal acclaim
based on 5 Top Critics |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The long-awaited debut album from the American rapper. | Record Label: Independent
Genre(s): Rap |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 8 | | d | ....iMixed: ██ 1 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 5 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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Member Since: 1/1/2013
Posts: 17,232
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BROKE WITH EXPENSIVE TASTE
AZEALIA BANKS
______________________________
Released November 7th 2014
Azealia Banks/Prospect Park
Ever since the release of '212' back in 2011, I've been waiting for Azealia Banks' debut album. Since then she released the great '1991 - EP' and her Fantasea mixtape, which is also better then many actual albums released recently.
I was starting to lose my patience and even gave up on having Broke With Expensive Taste anytime soon when the album's tracklist was suddenly revealed along with the cover. Then the album slowly started leaking before it was released. After listening to it multiple times since the release, I can honestly say I'm AMAZED by this album. I have no actual negative comment towards it.
The album opener 'Idle Delilah' fits the album and it's position perfectly. It's followed by one of the first highlights on the album, 'Gimme A Chance' which is an absolute BOP. The song mixes so many different styles together yet still sounds amazing and fits the album. 'Desperado' might be one of my least favorite songs on the album, it remains a great track. 'JFK' features Theophilus London, besides Azealia's great rapping, he's verse is good too.
After 4 new tracks, we get the first re-used track, '212' which still sounds as fresh as it was back at it's first release. It still fuels me with energy and just makes me want to rap the lyrics as fast as Azealia does. Another flawless track follows 'Wallace'. 'Wallace' is slightly softer then all the previous tracks except for Idle Delilah. 'Heavy Metal & Reflective', the second single off the album, follows and brings back the energy 212 had. BBD is probably my Least favorite song on the album, it's good too, but it doesn't match the few past tracks. Ice Princess comes, which follows BBD my least favorite track, and is my favorite track on the album. BBD could literally be the introlude of 'Ice Princess'. Everything about it just sounds great. It's so diverse. And Azealia sings on it. The albums' lead single 'Yung Rapunxel' follows up, it's still as strong and vibrant as it was when it was first released.
From here on, all of the songs are perfectly amazing. 'Chasing Time' sound slike a smash, 'Soda' is Azealia's own 'Habits' but in a more bittersweat manner, 'Nude Beach a-Go-Go' is one of the fan favorites and is quite strong, the song is one of the most out of place songs yet remains similar to what I'd imagine Azealia doing, even if I never thought she'd do that. 'Miss Amor' and 'Miss Camaraderie' fit next together perfectly, both are upbeat impressive songs. 'Miss Camaraderie's intro reminds me f 'Jumanji' on Azealia's 'Fantasea'.
Overall the album has no flaws, whatsoever, no matter how I try to find some. It's VERY diverse and basically combines every style and genre possible, to the point this diversity is what makes Broke With Expensive Taste seem so consistent. The fact that the whole album was made by Azealia and her producers without any help from Interscope and Polydore just amazes me. Yes, the hype surrounding it and the wait for it might have pushed me to give it such a high scores, but all the albums I gave a 10/10 seriously speaking at their release, those are In The Zone (This one was after my first listen to it not at the release), The Fame Monster, Born To Die, Paradise, True Romance and finally Ultraviolence, I still think they do deserve them, so I definitely consider BWET, as being one of the best albums ever.
100
10/10 List of reviews
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Member Since: 1/1/2013
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Member Since: 8/15/2012
Posts: 6,964
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Wait for me! I'm finishing the 'Love Me Harder' review!
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