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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 27,856
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Can we review the Mockingjay Soundtrack, please? 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 27,856
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
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Tbh it deserves to not be counted because of that travesty 
Just kidding. But still 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 12,760
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Quote:
Originally posted by hello_world
Why didn't you include Royals as it is also consecutive with these and was in your best picks  |
I don't know, I guess I forgot.
Those two are better than Royals tho.
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Member Since: 10/3/2010
Posts: 50,276
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Quote:
Originally posted by Louie
If there has ever been an album that is more contrived than a Tori Amos cover, it’s this one. Lorde seems to have taken out her pen and paper and took terrible notes from the uniqueness of previous global enigma Lana Del Rey, and while she espoused pseudo—modern-electronic sounds to make up for the sheer mediocrity of its substance, the lyrics evoke ears-scratching irritations. It all comes crashing down with the cringe-worthy lyrics right after the average album opener, “We’re never done with killing time, can I kill it with you?” / “You got me orange shoes.” It’s almost as if she’s catering to the niche indie pop fans, and she might have commercially succeeded at it, but the beginning of her album promises for a dreary, sleepy and tired session. The third, arguably most played record of the past 3 years, is certainly the only song that could have launched a career as big as hers. Infectious, “relatable,” but the problem with Pure Heroine is that the entire album sounds like 10 Royals carbon copies, with more pretentious song writing that go nowhere. The album certainly picks it up from the low-points – basically the majority of it – halfway through with Team, but goes back to being endlessly long and same-sounding. For such a popular album, you would think there’d be little merit behind it, songs that make you want to dance or make you dive into it’s haunting ballads, but it ends up sounding like a semi-professional effort created by a talented 20-something year old who layered her vocals of dreary lyrics into a This Will Destroy You album without their permission and uploaded it on YouTube with high-quality audio, heck, even the album cover makes it look the effort was made by an amateur singer on a free online app.
There is nothing special or captivating about Pure Heroine that was promised by the lead single; in fact, it should have been called Pure Royals.
15/100
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Wonderland
Can we review the Mockingjay Soundtrack, please? |
That's three requests.
I'm not going to start it until after the throwback albums end, though.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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My PH review is already at 350 words and I haven't even gotten to Royals yet 
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 39,572
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
My PH review is already at 350 words and I haven't even gotten to Royals yet |
You'd better drag Still Filler though 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by hello_world
You'd better drag Still Filler though |
Oh, I will
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Member Since: 9/13/2012
Posts: 29,559
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Quote:
Originally posted by Louie
If there has ever been an album that is more contrived than a Tori Amos cover, it’s this one. Lorde seems to have taken out her pen and paper and took terrible notes from the uniqueness of previous global enigma Lana Del Rey, and while she espoused pseudo—modern-electronic sounds to make up for the sheer mediocrity of its substance, the lyrics evoke ears-scratching irritations. It all comes crashing down with the cringe-worthy lyrics right after the average album opener, “We’re never done with killing time, can I kill it with you?” / “You got me orange shoes.” It’s almost as if she’s catering to the niche indie pop fans, and she might have commercially succeeded at it, but the beginning of her album promises for a dreary, sleepy and tired session. The third, arguably most played record of the past 3 years, is certainly the only song that could have launched a career as big as hers. Infectious, “relatable,” but the problem with Pure Heroine is that the entire album sounds like 10 Royals carbon copies, with more pretentious song writing that go nowhere. The album certainly picks it up from the low-points – basically the majority of it – halfway through with Team, but goes back to being endlessly long and same-sounding. For such a popular album, you would think there’d be little merit behind it, songs that make you want to dance or make you dive into it’s haunting ballads, but it ends up sounding like a semi-professional effort created by a talented 20-something year old who layered her vocals of dreary lyrics into a This Will Destroy You album without their permission and uploaded it on YouTube with high-quality audio, heck, even the album cover makes it look the effort was made by an amateur singer on a free online app.
There is nothing special or captivating about Pure Heroine that was promised by the lead single; in fact, it should have been called Pure Royals.
15/100
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Quote:
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pretentious song writing that go nowhere
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If take out the word "song," this describes your entire review. Weird!
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vespertine
If take out the word "song," this describes your entire review. Weird!
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 27,856
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Quote:
Originally posted by hello_world
You'd better drag Still Filler though |
Don't drag the #1 that got away like that
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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Quote:
Originally posted by hello_world
You'd better drag Still Filler though |
I skipped it when I was giving PE another listen this morning
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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Pure Heroine, Lorde's debut album rivals many veterans best albums. The album is well produced with great lyrics and interesting sounds. I remember exactly the first time I heard Royals on the radio and I remember quickly looking for the song to download. I thought that the song would flop because most good songs don't get the success they deserve and that America wouldn't appreciate her unique Pop sound. Fortunately I was proven wrong and Lorde has since become a household name and Royals one of the most overplayed songs of the last few years. Now I feel like I should hate on Lorde but every time I play Pure Heroine, I'm reminded why I love her music so much. So much maturity coming from a teenager is mind blowing. Even though the album is full of great songs, it doesn't have a lot of variety. I hope she experiments more in her future projects. She might become unstoppable.
Tennis Court, one of the album many highlights is probably her catchiest song and the autotune YEAH throughout the song is well done.
Team is a fantastic drum lead song with her best lyrics and her best hook. The song makes me feel very melancholic and gives me goosebumps at the same time. This doesn't even make sense but I'm too ****ing slain to care.
Ribs, ugh, I also love this song so much but every time I hear it I get mad because she didn't release it as a single and I wanted her to share this masterpiece with the world. The background oh oh chants are marvelous and the electronic drum slaps you so hard. This song is perfection, resistance is futile, just accept the slayage. The outro is also amazing.
Buzzcut Season starts with a very captivating e-drum sound then slowly add live drums. Lorde sings very softly, letting the instrumental get the shine it deserves. I love that her voice isn't competing with the music.
What I love about 400 Lux is the siren sound that leads this song. It almost act like a warning to the darkish lyrics.
White Teeth Teens, I've never been able to sink my teeth on this one (pun intended) but I've always appreciated the production value of this song, all the different instruments and sounds are mixed well together and it has always reminded me of Santigold.
Bravado is one of the first songs I've heard from Lorde and I still love it. It's so relaxed but trippy at the same time.
The Love Club has a Disney music tone to it but in a good way. I'm not too crazy by the lyrics but the harmonies are amazing.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 9/3/2012
Posts: 29,405
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Quote:
Originally posted by Louie
If there has ever been an album that is more contrived than a Tori Amos cover, it’s this one. Lorde seems to have taken out her pen and paper and took terrible notes from the uniqueness of previous global enigma Lana Del Rey, and while she espoused pseudo—modern-electronic sounds to make up for the sheer mediocrity of its substance, the lyrics evoke ears-scratching irritations. It all comes crashing down with the cringe-worthy lyrics right after the average album opener, “We’re never done with killing time, can I kill it with you?” / “You got me orange shoes.” It’s almost as if she’s catering to the niche indie pop fans, and she might have commercially succeeded at it, but the beginning of her album promises for a dreary, sleepy and tired session. The third, arguably most played record of the past 3 years, is certainly the only song that could have launched a career as big as hers. Infectious, “relatable,” but the problem with Pure Heroine is that the entire album sounds like 10 Royals carbon copies, with more pretentious song writing that go nowhere. The album certainly picks it up from the low-points – basically the majority of it – halfway through with Team, but goes back to being endlessly long and same-sounding. For such a popular album, you would think there’d be little merit behind it, songs that make you want to dance or make you dive into it’s haunting ballads, but it ends up sounding like a semi-professional effort created by a talented 20-something year old who layered her vocals of dreary lyrics into a This Will Destroy You album without their permission and uploaded it on YouTube with high-quality audio, heck, even the album cover makes it look the effort was made by an amateur singer on a free online app.
There is nothing special or captivating about Pure Heroine that was promised by the lead single; in fact, it should have been called Pure Royals.
15/100
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what is this ****ing travesty of a review
I live
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Member Since: 10/14/2008
Posts: 14,986
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vespertine
If take out the word "song," this describes your entire review. Weird!
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How long did it take you to come up with that?
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Member Since: 9/13/2012
Posts: 29,559
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Quote:
Originally posted by Louie
How long did it take you to come up with that? |
"Pretentious" was the first word that came to mind upon reading your introductory sentence, so not long at all  FYI you don't even have the lyrics right. Don't try to critique lyrics if you're not going to take the time to listen properly.
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Member Since: 10/14/2008
Posts: 14,986
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I don't see how "You buy me orange juice" is any better than "You got me orange shoes." 
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Lorde - Pure Heroine
Lorde's success story sounds similiar to the story of most teenage pop stars. Seemingly overnight one song becomes massive and the whole world watches them and wants a piece of them. But then again Lorde's story is oh so different. Without a huge budget video,without countless big producers and writers and without the need to follow the current trend Lorde's Royals became a hit for one sole reason: the fact that it resonates with the mood of so many young people who live in this millenium. Without pretense Lorde managed to perfectly capture her feelings and put them into music form. And it doesn't stop with her mega breakout hit. The whole album consists some of the most honest and relatable lyrics you can find in modern music. Lorde clearly centers her music around the troubles and joys of growing up today. Royals deals with being an "average person" in a world where the media constantly shows you images of seemingly perfect lifes and how to cope with living a ostensibly inferior life. Ribs reflects the thrills of growing up but couples with the anxiety and nostalgia that come along with it. However the most amazing thing about Lorde's songwriting is how easy it seems to come for her. It never seems anything less than completely geniune. Lorde sings about " streets where houses that don't change" and about " riding the bus with the knees pulled in" making her a clear contender for a voice of a generation. Musically a comparison to Kurt Cobain seems completely ridiculous and out of touch yet Lorde and Kurt both did something that hardly any other musician of their respective time could do as well as they do. Kurt managed to put all the anger and apathy from a generation in music form and Lorde does the same with the confusion and difficulty of living and growing up in a modern society where Lorde is aware that " the men upon the news, they try to tell us all that we will lose" to profit of the created feeling of emptiness and fear.
Vocally Lorde's voice is just as unique as her songwriting with a tone that feels warm and welcoming yet at the same time a little sinister and threatiening at points. Lorde's seemingly simple songwriting is perfectly complemented by the subtle production that generally consists of nothing but a drum machine.Still the album never gets boring and is incredibly cohesive and except for White Teeth Teens no song fails to hold up the high standarts set by the song that came before.
Final Say: Lorde's album wanders between an almost forced objective maturity when she claims that " maybe the Internet raised us" but at the same time she is still a young teenager in many ways when she " feels grown up in [a] car". It sounds contradictory but after listening to the album one can see it really isn't. When future generations will look for music music that shows them what growing up at the start of the third millenium was like there will be no album that makes it clearer and more beautiful than Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine.
Best songs: Buzzcut season,Team,Tennis Court,400 Lux,Ribs
9,8/10
Kanye West - Yeezus
No one in the industry has quite the same reputation as Kanye West. "Piece of ****" "idiot" "genius" and as of late "god" and "Yeezus" are all names Kanye has worked hard for and surely he deserves them all in some way. But if there is one thing everyone can agree on is that you never know what Kanye West is going to give you on his next album. In fact there is hardly another mainstream artist out there right now who dares to fundamentally change their sound with every album like Kanye does. After his extravagant masterpiece My beautiful dark twisted fantasy and the opulent collab album with Jay Z listening to Yeezus becomes almost ridiculous.
The opener On sight immediately reflect what Kanye has cooked up this time.
An abrasive and agressive album whose primary goal seems to be to make the listener turn away and it's almost like Kanye mocks you for feeling that way by adding a children choir singing He'll give us what we need, it may not be what we want. On sight is just the start of a mind spinning and overloaded adventure which seems to lead from one corner of Kanye's brain to the next. Kanye contradicts himself from song to song , from line to line even. One second Kanye complains about racism and the exploit of black people in the USA and how the media portrays them as simple minded "n-word" who only strive for money yet the next second Kanye brags on about his wealth and how it defines him and makes him feel powerful. On the short 40 minutes Kanye seems to rush through all the feeling and thoughts he has in his brain without paying much attention to the fact that all the statements as a whole are completely paradox and illogical. It sounds like what he really wanted to do is show the world how chaotic and lunatic his mind can be. As a whole the album works as a strike of genius that only an artist like Kanye could achieve. From the ear ringing screams on I Am A God to the superbly sampled Strange Fruits to the "too cool for you" attitude on the closer Bound 2 - everything works.
Every second,every line and every sound of the album has purpose and must've been crafted with such precision that it's almost scary to think about what Kanye will come up with next.
Final Say: Yeezus shows Kanye at his most arrogant and delusional.And this arrogance and delusion, that make Kanye feel more godlike than human, allow him to create the most challenging and brilliant record of his career so far. The catchiness of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or the carefree attitude of Graduation might not be prominent on this album and maybe it isn't the world's favorite Kanye album but if Kanye has ever made on album that clearly shows why he is countless steps ahead of most artists these days it's Yeezus
Best tracks: Hold my liquor,On sight,Black Skinhead,New Slaves,Blood on the leaves
9,6/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 27,856
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Quote:
Originally posted by Lucas32
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Lorde's success story sounds similiar to the story of most teenage pop stars. Seemingly overnight one song becomes massive and the whole world watches them and wants a piece of them. But then again Lorde's story is oh so different. Without a huge budget video,without countless big producers and writers and without the need to follow the current trend Lorde's Royals became a hit for one sole reason: the fact that it resonates with the mood of so many young people who live in this millenium. Without pretense Lorde managed to perfectly capture her feelings and put them into music form. And it doesn't stop with her mega breakout hit. The whole album consists some of the most honest and relatable lyrics you can find in modern music. Lorde clearly centers her music around the troubles and joys of growing up today. Royals deals with being an "average person" in a world where the media constantly shows you images of seemingly perfect lifes and how to cope with living a ostensibly inferior life. Ribs reflects the thrills of growing up but couples with the anxiety and nostalgia that come along with it. However the most amazing thing about Lorde's songwriting is how easy it seems to come for her. It never seems anything less than completely geniune. Lorde sings about " houses that don't change" and about " riding the bus with the knees pulled in" making her a clear contender for a voice of a generation. Musically a comparison to Kurt Cobain seems completely ridiculous and out of touch yet Lorde and Kurt both did something that hardly any other musician of their respective time could do as well as they do. Kurt managed to put all the anger and apathy from a generation in music form and Lorde does the same with the confusion and difficulty of living and growing up in a modern society and Lorde knows that " the men upon the news, they try to tell us all that we will lose" to profit of the created feeling of emptiness and fear.
Vocally Lorde's voice is just as unique as her songwriting with a tone that feels warm and welcoming yet at the same time a little sinister and threatiening at points. Lorde's seemingly simple songwriting is perfectly complemented by the subtle production that generally consists of nothing but a drum machine.Still the album never gets boring and is incredibly cohesive and except for White Teeth Teens no song fails to hold up the high standarts set by the song that came before.
Final Say: Lorde's album wanders between an almost forced objective maturity when she claims that " maybe the Internet raised us" but at the same time she is still a kid in many ways when she " feels grown up in (a) car". It sounds contradictory but after listening to the album one can see it really isn't. When future generations will look for music music that shows them what growing up at the start of the third millenium will be like there will be no album that makes it clearer and more beautiful than Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine.
Best songs: Buzzcut season,Team,Tennis Court,400 Lux,Ribs
9,8/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 13,761
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YEEZUS
Kanye West
Review archive
Azealia Banks - Broke With Expensive Taste
Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd - Love Me Harder
Taylor Swift - 1989
Tinashe - Aquarius
Calvin Harris ft. John Newman - Blame
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off
Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang
Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective |
'As soon as they like you, you make 'em unlike you' is but one of the paranoid confessions Kanye West makes in his sixth solo studio album, Yeezus. Amidst all it's twisted self-loathing, Yeezus' predecessor - 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - felt like a chance of redemption for Kanye. GOOD Fridays were a mere cog in this machine, and posed as a hand reaching out against the swarms of pitchforks and jeering looks which wouldn't let Kanye finish. Despite Fantasy's sheer success as a body of work, the redemption of Kanye West lacked a wholly sincere image. A man who had so often battled with the media over misinterpretation now willing to submit seemed too ostensible to be true. This is wholly underscored by the connotations of persecution on a religious level by 'Good Friday'. Now, if there ever were a demon lurking beneath Kanye's pleas, this is where we'd hear it. This is where the audience is finally invited into the inner cognitive workings - the hellish bedrock - that remained dormant underneath Kanye in 2010.
The immaculate polish of Fantasy is now replaced with stuttering drill house and jarring synths which aim to evoke a scratched record stalling as it plays. At once it injects Yeezus with a distinct air of realism, one which pulls back the curtains and shows the true demons that lie within West's fantasy. It's a record which is not afraid to directly address West's agenda and the plight against racial injustice, something which West presents as being equally as insidious as it was during lynchings in the 30's. This is a reference to album centrepiece, Blood on the Leaves, which samples Nina Simone's rendition of Strange Fruit. To some, West's interpolation of a political narrative about racially-fuelled lynchings may be abstract, but it's this exact emphasis that heightens his struggle. It's a dark world wherein the media and corporations dictate the modus operandi, amidst all of which the victim - Kanye - falls prey to fame and external perception, his body hung out for all to see and be critiqued by those who don't understand his plight.
While racial injustice is a prominent theme throughout, the black boot drums and the images of slavery underscore a deeper allegory for West's battle with fame and the media, where he struggles to regain control. It thus springs a subversive light on the rap braggadocio of I Am A God, where it not so much voices West's own greatness, but his constant battle for omnipotence. Yet, this idea is not completely humourless, with West satirising his own image which the media of built up for him. This ranges between brilliant self-irony, 'In a French ass restaurant / Hurry up with my damn croissants', and the genuinely inane 'eating Asian ***** all I need is sweet and sour sauce'. Sometimes it feels like we fall down too far within West's self-ironic rabbit hole wherein it's difficult to discern the art from the farce. As such it presents the record's one flaw, wherein it can sometimes be difficult to keep up in a world so arbitrarily defined by what is deemed right, wrong, truth or lie by West, the omnipotent and contradictory architect.
Fundamentally, Yeezus is an aural contradiction, wherein West will condemn the very industries to which he is complicit. However, to interpret these as flaws or pot holes would be misinformed. The paradoxes which pervade Yeezus forge a great sense of uneasiness throughout the record. They sew a fine thread which amplify West's paranoia and make his demons all the more believable, authentic even. Ultimately, the audience is drawn into this twisted world where West is constantly haunted. That is: a world of contradiction, where the money is both desirable and despicable, where the art is both profound and meaningless, where sex, romance and relationships lack any innate pleasure.
While Fantasy was intricately faultless by the way in which West painted the landscapes which perennially haunted his nightmares, Yeezus serves as a fragment from this dreams - a shard of glass from the television screen. Although it may falter in its own self-delusion, it also vividly succeeds in becoming a living, breathing organism of West's psyche. On the record where West announces 'I am a God', he is the most human.
8.5 out of 10 |
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