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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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Hilary Duff - Breathe In. Breathe Out.
Members (2 reviews): 60
Top Critics (1 review): 25
Overall (3 reviews): 48.3
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Hilary. 
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 43,104
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Hillary I thought she was gonna be praised like a mofo.
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Miguel - Wildheart
Miguel's third album Wildheart follows the release of sophomore effort Kaleidoscope Dream, which contained the extremely successful hit "Adorn." As a whole, Wildheart might come as a surprise to those who expected more of the same mushy production featured on "Adorn," because with this third entry, Miguel sets a wider, more ambitious vision for himself.
Over slightly dreamy guitar chords, "a beautiful exit" opens the album and prepares the listener for the road ahead, as a proper opening track should. Miguel's voice noticeably echoes throughout the song, as if he's singing to you through a large tunnel, waiting for you to be immersed on the other side.
The first truly crude track on here arrives early with "the valley." The bluntness with which the song is delivered (particularly the line, "I wanna f*ck like we're filming in the valley") should give the listener an idea of what's to come. It isn't for nothing, though; during the final chorus when Miguel moans, "A-all the way down," he has a specific sector of his audience in mind. This isn't for you, men. "waves" contains a transparent metaphor ("All night, I wanna ride that wave"), but nonetheless is a memorable, funky ditty. The more minimalist "FLESH" is as seductive as Wildheart gets, but even through his lust, Miguel keeps a lightweight sense of humor; lines like "Surrender to friction/This is body language and deep diction" should bring more smirks than winces.
Furthermore, Miguel frequently fetishizes religious notions when he's feeling nasty. Here in "the valley," for example: "Pour your sins on me baby, let us pray." He refers to his lover as "an angel" in "FLESH," and commands her, "Follow your faith like your faith for religion." In "...goingtohell," which is built around a distorted guitar and percussive, jangling keys, he repetitively pleads to his lover, "Only you can save me/I'm a sinner/Save me, I'm a sinner," even though he doesn't actually seem to care about mending his sinful ways. His thematic elements are ambiguous, but these lyrics are probably referring to fidelity in love and relationships.
Luckily, Miguel has enough smarts to switch things up. "Hollywood Dreams," which features a similarly distorted guitar, is his Taylor Swift-worthy dedication to the Tinseltown itself and all that comes with it. "leaves" rides out a surprisingly powerful guitar riff worthy of pop radio and a build-up worthy of the dramatic alt. rockers that comprise Muse. "what's normal anyway" is a sensitive, introspective centerpiece in which he questions his identity. When he sings, "I'm in a crowd and I feel alone...I never feel like I belong," his voice is at its tenderest. His order in the bridge ("Don't let them change you/Just be who you are, who you are/Don't let them change you/You can't please them all, them all") feels more sincere and moving than any radio hit a la Dr. Luke ever will.
The best moment on Wildheart is the lead single "coffee." It lands somewhere between total raunch and total romance with a touch of early morning intimacy, as Miguel mentions, "Bubble bath, Truth or Dare, and Would You Rather." As an ode to breakfast in bed (sure, Miguel, sure...), he manages to put the listener in the room by testing his/her senses: "It's the smell of your hair/And it's the way that we feel." Miguel's performance on the album is basically flawless. He lets his voice loose on the climaxes of erotic tracks such as "the valley" and "FLESH" and the endings of dramatic, guitar-driven tracks such as "leaves" and "face the sun," but never overdoes it. With his third album, Miguel proves that he is a wildcard in contemporary R&B, capable of focused songwriting and even more assured in crafting albums that are simultaneously varied sonically and cohesive thematically. Nobody can be sure of the next direction he'll take, but after a few listens to Wildheart, it's obvious that his future is bright.
Skip to: "the valley," "coffee," "waves," "what's normal anyway," "leaves"
Skip: "DEAL"
4/5
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Florence + The Machine – ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ — (8.9)
Genre: Art Pop, Indie Pop, Chamber Pop, Indie Rock, Pop Soul
Florence + The Machine are probably one of the biggest bands of the 10’s, and the inspiration behind their latest album, 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ was a big depression Florence Welch suffered after ending her 'Ceremonials’ tour. That album was the one that established their sound – huge, orchestral arrangements over Florence’s own powerful vocals, with lyrics that referenced death, water, and… uh, death by drowning.
In this album, she worked with producer Markus Dravs, who tried to make her stop writing about water… which, didn’t work out at all, since the opener, “Ship to Wreck”, contains many references to it. But it’s also… not as huge as their previous album was, it’s closer to the stripped down, almost “folk-y” sound of their debut album, 'Lungs’, but still, they have matured their sound a bit, and it’s probably their most varied work yet.
Tracks like “St. Jude”, “Long & Lost” and “Various Storms & Saints” are personal, yet cold and distant atmospheric pop songs that coul maybe even fit in a Julia Holter record. Meanwhile the lead single, “What Kind of Man” and the closer, “Mother”, couldn’t be more different from the previous two. They’re huge, anthemic, indie-rock tunes with a heavy The White Stripes influence. And, oh, there are gospel choirs and horns too.
“Caught” is a bit more close to conventional indie-pop, but its hook is incredible. But to me, one of the most obvious highlights is the title track. It starts moody and smooth, but after the first hook things get a bit more upbeat. But what really caught my ear was its ending. One word: horns. The most gorgeous horn section you will hear all year – guaranteed.
“Delilah” and “Third Eye” bring back the mythological and witch-like imagery from her earlier works, although this time it’s more subtle than ever before. Meanwhile, “Queen of Peace” is technically a “love song”, but its lyrics are more complex than that – there are references to kings, queens and wars, and also the hook is probably my favorite in the album.
'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ is probably Florence + The Machine’s most mature work to date. It’s diverse, but it’s still cohesive. And while their huge, stadium-sized sound is not fully gone, they proved that can do so much more than that, and also, that their position as one of the most important bands of the decade, still belongs to them.
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Highlights: “Ship to Wreck”, “What Kind of Man?”, “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful”, “Various Storms & Saints”, “Delilah”, “Queen of Peace”, “Mother”
You’ll like it if you like: 'Lungs’, Kate Bush, Arcade Fire, Julia Holter
Honestly, TRF.
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Bump... this whole thing is dying, right?
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Quote:
Originally posted by THERihFan
Bump... this whole thing is dying, right?
Honestly, TRF. |
Maybe I should write a few reviews. 
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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I'm planning on writing a Florence review, but the album is hard to get into. 
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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Quote:
Originally posted by THERihFan
Bump... this whole thing is dying, right?
Honestly, TRF. |
It's been dead for a long time imo.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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Maybe someone else needs to be in charge of this.
Don't ask me, I can't
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 4/24/2011
Posts: 8,547
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Weren't mods in charge of this before? I think they could help. I could do it too, but I wouldn't be able to do it alone.
Honestly, TRF.
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Member Since: 4/22/2012
Posts: 33,490
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I don't know if it's as much about the person who is responsible as it is about the people who participate. We started two new albums on the 28th July, today is the 9th August and we have had two reviews. None of the new ATRL members has contributed so they must not have any interest in it... maybe it's the idea itself that has died?
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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Quote:
Originally posted by borntodie
I don't know if it's as much about the person who is responsible as it is about the people who participate. We started two new albums on the 28th July, today is the 9th August and we have had two reviews. None of the new ATRL members has contributed so they must not have any interest in it... maybe it's the idea itself that has died?
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I think it's worth the shot!
The last few reviews we did were messy. I feel like people aren't motivated anymore since Alex doesn't seem to be. No disrespect to Alex.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 8,420
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Maybe simplify it a little and not have multiple reviews going on at once. Tbh I would just do a single one week, an album the next and stick to big artists. And if there is an album drought just do a single that week. Idk I would post some reviews (I think I've only ever done 1 and it was last year  ) but sometimes I find it confusing when I can review stuff and other times there are just these small releases up for review that I'm not interested in listening to.
Still, Alex has done well to keep this alive after the mods dropped it.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Alright we can review a single then starting now.
Ideas?
I think Omen might work.
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Quote:
Originally posted by MillionLights
Maybe simplify it a little and not have multiple reviews going on at once. Tbh I would just do a single one week, an album the next and stick to big artists.
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That would make the thread an even bigger ghost town.
The issue is with participation, which is partly due to no ATRL faves releasing. When we reviewed FourFiveSeconds, at least 20 members posted reviews. It's just that there is a lack of interest in current releases.
And for the single, I wanna do Cool for the Summer.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Well, I'm supposed to end the two albums tonight but alas we don't have enough reviews.
We might as well do Demi's single.
Now starting:
Demi Lovato - Cool For The Summer: August 15, 2015 - August 25, 2015
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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^ Read the OP, please 
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Member Since: 8/18/2013
Posts: 13,165
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Quote:
Originally posted by alexanderao
^ Read the OP, please |
Dddd gimme a sec
Edit: um 80 words is kinda a lot for some irrelevant review. I'll just delete my post.
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Demi Lovato - Cool For The Summer
Who'd have thought Demi had it in her? She's had some solid, if uninspired, pop singles in the past ("Give Your Heart A Break," "Neon Lights," "Heart Attack"), but she really delivered one of the best pop songs of the year with "Cool For The Summer." Yes, the song does come across as a slightly desperate attempt to be the coveted "song of the summer" with its title, references to the current season, and single cover, but it's more interesting than that; it's no tacky "This Summer's Gonna Hurt" that's for sure.
The song opens with a delicate piano line before vaguely ominous dramatic synths enter the mix, synths that say this isn't going to be the average dance-pop song. Granted, "Cool For The Summer" is fundamentally a dance-pop song, and has a fun chorus of "Take me down into your paradise / Don't be scared 'cause I'm your body type / Just something that we wanna try / 'Cause you and I / We're cool for the summer" which is pretty standard fare for a dance-pop song. What elevates this one though is the slight edge in the lyrics and the production. The production is pretty aggressive for a Top 40 designed song: turbo-charged cascading synths give the song a certain sense of momentum that feels like it could soundtrack a big-budget remake of an 80s classic movie. The lyrics also hint at more than they originally let on seemingly hinting at an urgent same-sex tryst: "Got my mind on your body and your body on my mind /Got a taste for the cherry, I just need to take a bite / Don't tell your mother / Kiss one another / Die for each other / We're cool for the summer."
It's definitely more than anyone would expect from Demi Lovato, and maybe that's why the song has performed sluggishly on the charts so far, it's jarring to hear something so urgent, so cool sounding, so uncomplicated (no overdone vocals!) coming from Demi Lovato, but it's definitely refreshing to hear a pop star work in some urgency and edge into their music.
__________________________
Grade: A-
I want to review Miguel and Florence also, I might be able to get them up as early as tomorrow. 
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