[Eeveelution]

Thanks Aatthew! I liked your review too.

Originally posted by Ewan Chaos

It'd be cool to review Kimbra's album since it just came out.

I want to review it too but I feel like it would be paid dust because of Taylor and Charli. And then there's Ari next week too.

[Matty]

~24 HOUR NOTICE

You have roughly 24 hours to get in any last minute reviews.
The final score for FKA twigs - "LP1" will be tabulated and posted tomorrow.

[Matty]

Shake It Off - Taylor Swift Taylor Swift | Big Machine | Release Date: August 18, 2014

dddddddddd 68 Member Score Generally Favorable Reviews based on 38 Ratings ddddd. dddddd "7 Modscore Generally Favorable Reviews based on 3 Mods

dddddddddddddd Summary: The lead single from Swift's upcoming fifth album 1989. Record Label: Big Machine Genre(s): Pop

Member Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████ 26 d ....iMixed: ███ 5 d Negative: ████ 7

Mod Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 d ....iMixed: 0 d Negative: ████████ 1

[Matty]

Break The Rules - Charli XCX Charli XCX | Atlantic | Release Date: August 18, 2014

dddddddddd 79 Member Score Generally Favorable Reviews based on 17 Ratings ddddd. ddddddd 6.8 Modscore Generally Favorable Reviews based on 2 Mods

dddddddddddddd Summary: The lead single from Charli's upcoming third album Sucker. Record Label: Atlantic Genre(s): Pop / Punk / Electro

Member Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████16 d ....iMixed: █1 d Negative: 0

Mod Reviews d .iPositive: ████████████████1 d ....iMixed: ████████████████1 d Negative: 0

[Matty]

Whoops, meant for ATRL Feedback to post Taylor and Charli. Oh well.

Get to reviewing!

[Achilles.]

"Shake It Off," performed by Taylor Swift

"I never miss a beat," Swift informs us on Her infectious new single "Shake It Off." The song proves the truth of these lyrics, as She takes the horns and pseudo-rap that have trended throughout pop 2014 and pairs them up with Her ever-catchy hooks. The result is so utterly on-point that it essentially renders all previous 2014 releases irrelevant.

Gone are the attempts to pander to the country audiences that made Swift the biggest star of Her generation. Instead, we have been blessed with a tailor-made pop anthem that serves a handful of purposes. "Shake It Off" finds Swift mocking the people who mock Her dating lifestyle, brushing off the criticism that comes at Her from all angles, and nailing a dig at a former flame. On top of all that, She also manages to turn the song into a single person's anthem thanks to the lyric "I'm dancing on my own," flirts with a guy who has "hella good hair," and shrugs off the need to plan every step She takes— choosing instead to "make the moves up as I go."

That Swift manages to accomplish saying all of this in a hook-laden song that will surely drag the world to the dance floor (no matter how poorly they dance!) all but proves that She is, in fact, one of the most gifted songwriters of Her generation. Consider this Her "Locomotion."

Taylor Swift is a 24 year old woman who has spent a third of Her life in the spotlight. She has spent that time shifting between genres as She gave detailed accounts of Her personal life through Her music. Now, She's shaking things up. 1989's lead single "Shake It Off" tells us that Taylor Swift is the happiest She's ever been, and that She's having the time of Her life. She doesn't give a **** if you hate Her for abandoning Her country roots, or if you're writing thought pieces about the song's accompanying music video. Taylor Swift is untouchable. Taylor Swift is fearless. Taylor Swift is at the top of Her game, and She's on top of the world.

Song's Standouts: The laugh after the line "I go on too many dates," the ad-libs during the final chorus, and the "Oh my God" during the song's bridge.

Score: 10/10

[Su-Barbie-A]

Originally posted by Matty

Whoops, meant for ATRL Feedback to post Taylor and Charli. Oh well.

Get to reviewing!

So you are ATRL Feedback?
#exposed

[alexanderao]

Reviews for both songs coming tonight.

1st listen impressions: BTR is no Boom Clap () but it's not bad. SIO is pretty decent.

Ready for a few more listens

[AndresVanDeKamp]

FKA Twigs - LP1 Review




I had heard a lot of hype on twitter surrounding the "Water Me" video when it came out, so I decided to give it a listen. On first play, I wasn't too impressed. Dare I say I was even bored by the song. However, later that week I found myself wanting to go back and hear it again. So I downloaded EP2 and wasn't impressed by anything I heard either. I decided FKA Twigs wasn't for me and never listened to EP2 again. It wasn't until the "Two Weeks" video was released that I found myself wanting to hear more from her. When LP1 leaked I immediately downloaded it and couldn't wait to listen to what she had put out and hoped for more tracks as good as "Two Weeks."

My overall impression of the album is that it is an extremely cohesive body of work, and that it is not for those who enjoy traditional pop music. It's very experimental, and takes several listens to not only start to enjoy it, but also the understand the complexity of what is happening on the album. Upon first listen of LP1 I was definitely underwhelmed. Figured the album was over-hyped by people trying to make their taste in music appear "better" by praising an album deemed "experimental" and by enjoying an indie artist. I found that this was not the case after listening to the album 4 or 5 times.

It's too difficult to review this album without talking about each song individually, so here it goes!
Preface: For sure the weakest track on the album for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. Like other reviewers have said it's much to short to be able to get into it properly. However it is a great way to start the album and sets the tone. "I love another and thus I hate myself" is a great lyric to summarize the content of the album. Plus, the production of this track is out of this world. 8

Lights On: I love the way this track starts. Many have complained of the obscurity of the instrumental, but I think it adds to the tone of the song. I love the way she delivers the vocals on the first verse and the lyrics and amazing in my opinion. Then the chorus kicks in and you immediately find yourself singing along. Lights On definitely has the catchiest chorus on the entire album. The final chorus is when I really start to get into it. The car alarms add to the song though some may find them annoying. The only bad thing to say about the song is the flute(?) solo after the second bridge. It's almost too odd for me. 8.5

Two Weeks: Right off the bat this song captivates the listener. I can see why it was chosen as the lead single. Even my damn mother is obsessed with this song. The verses and pre-chorus and extremely catchy and this is probably the only song on the album that could potentially have mainstream appeal. The chorus is obviously the best part of the song. "Give m two weeks you won't recognize her" is one of the lyrics I always find myself singing while at work or at the grocery store. The production on this track is top notch, every part of the instrumental is vital to the song. I constantly find myself hearing little bits I never noticed before. 10

Hours: Apparently there's some sort of universal hatred for "Hours" by those who have listened to LP1 but to me it's one of the strongest tracks. "I could kiss you for hours" is one of the catchiest parts on the album. Though it's probably one of the more "experimental" tracks on the album it still manages to captivate me. I love her falsetto throughout the song. And the second verse where her voice comes in un-distorted is one of the best moments on the album for me. I love the tribal like drums throughout the track and without fail always has me moving. The bridge is also a highlight of the album. I love the way she delivers the vocals on the bridge. 10

Pendulum: No joke, this is seriously the best song of the year and probably a contender for best song of the past decade. The harmonies throughout, the softness of the verses compared to the powerful nature of the chorus. She also delivers one of my favourite lyrics of the album: "so lonely trying to be yours, when you're looking for so much more." The bridge only adds to the song. It's weird, but I really love the way she uses the vocal distortion in the background and then again on the "how does it feel to have me thinking about you." The last minute of the song or so is vocal heaven. She SERVES on the last chorus. Those falsetto notes are the best part of the entire album. I still receive LIFE every time. 10

Video Girl: Probably the weakest track for me, besides "Preface." It seems everyone else finds it a highlight of the album though. Again, it's not bad but it doesn't captivate me the way the other tracks do. I don't have much to say other than that the final chorus is the best part of the track as it really picks up. 7

Numbers: Just like "Hours" I find a lot of people dislike "Numbers" but I find it a standout of LP1. I love the production, the lyrics, the melody, the vocal delivery. Everything about this song is perfect in my opinion. The way she goes off near the end, and the falsetto on "I got a question for you" throughout the song is a great moment on the album. I love the vocal distortion near the end on "was I just a number to you." Really solid track and again, I don't see why it seems to be disliked by the majority. 10

Closer: The #1 complaint about the album I've seen is the way the instrumental sometimes overpowers her vocals, but I like the way this is done on this track. Throughout the whole track her vocals are echoed and faded. It works in this track. I love the falsetto and almost gospel delivery of her vocals. Also love the instrumental of the track. This was one of the weaker tracks for me at first but it has slowly grown on me. 9

Give Up: One of the more accessible tracks on the album. I love the verses, the way she's singing in a higher voice, but not quite falsetto. I don't like the pre-chorus though. It descends too much for me, and kind of ruins the verses. The chorus however is another great part of the song. "Sometimes I know that you wish I'd go away." I love that part. The bridge is another great part of the song. The final chorus is my favourite part of the song probably. I love the instrumental that is brought to the forefront at that time. I love how this track strays from the "weirdness" of the rest of the album. 9

Kicks: A great closer to an amazing album. Love the tone of this song. The production is probably the best on the album. The lyrics are stunning, as are the vocals. Not a flaw in this song in my opinion. I always find myself singing "what do I do when you're not here" on the daily. A highlight of the album for me. 10

Overall: Very little is wrong with the debut album from FKA Twigs, the lyrics, vocals, melodies, and production are all near perfection, and there are no "bad" tracks on this album -only weaker ones. I'm extremely excited to see what Twigs puts out in the future and will definitely be looking out for her.

Score: A perfect 10

[Prometheus.]

B
8.5/10

I wanna love pop Taylor. I really do. But I don't love her yet with this song. I think it's probably the horns. I've hated that trend since before it started and not even Taylor could make me like it. I love this song lyrically and it's decent sonically. I love the fact she is making fun of the headlines about her. This video shows that she is really with the now and is a pop force to be reckoned with. I'm excited for the album and hope it's better than this single. I usually am not in love with Taylor's first singles, though.


Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal & Reflective - Jessie J (f. Ariana Grande + Nicki Minaj) - Bang Bang
Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - Anything Goes
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda + Beyonce (f. Nicki Minaj) - Flawless (Remix) - Hilary Duff - All About You

[Ewan Chaos]

FKA twigs - LP1

Release Date: August 6, 2014

"So lonely trying to be yours, what a forsaken cause, so lonely trying to be yours, when you’re looking for so much more."

FKA twigs has really gotten popular this year in the indie world. Water Me, a track from a previous EP, was the first track by twigs to get really popular. It wasn’t just the music that got people’s attention, but also the captivating visuals that introduced some of what twigs was all about: big eyes, baby hair, and prominent focus on the face. Now she’s here with her first album release, aptly named LP1.

FKA twigs decided to go for a rare move on her debut album and not include any old tracks from previous EPs and only have new material. There is a wide range of production on the album as well, from the likes of Lightspeed Champion/Blood Orange/Dev Hynes who produces for many indie musicians, Young Turks label-mate Sampha, and even borderline mainstream producers like Paul Epworth and Emile Hayine. Even with so many producers, the album remains a cohesive 10-track LP.

The shining moment of the album is lead single Two Weeks. It is the perfect combination of twigs’s soaring vocals, trip-hop production, and yearning vocals. Another high point of the album is Pendulum, which lyrically is the most fitting of the album with twigs baring her soul and bleeding her heart into the music.

Some other cool tracks are Video Girl, which is self-aware of FKA twigs’s prior involvement in being a back-up dancer, appearing in many videos, and is her response to people seeing her familiarity. Lights On hits hard with minimal lyrics. Numbers features the “clearest” vocals and great falsetto (can females have falsetto?). It’s also impressive that she solely wrote and produced the opening track, albeit only being 10 seconds shy of 2 minutes.

In some sense, FKA twigs seems a bit like R&B musicians The Weeknd, The xx, Frank Ocean, and James Blake but for people who prefer female vocalists, and twigs clearly takes influence from at least a few of those examples. And in that sense, it almost would be better to just listen to those musicians. Also I find some lyrical or production moments to be superfluous for the sake of being overly dramatic. However, none of this concerns make the album unlistenable.

7.0/10
★★★★★★★✩✩✩

Top Tracks: Lights On, Two Weeks, Pendulum, Video Girl

[theo.]

I'll post my review for LP1 tomorrow promise.

[WeFoundWill]

Taylor Swift -Shake It Off



When it comes to Taylor, sky is the limit. Literally. During the last week the team of the country-pop sensation promoted her upcoming yahoo event via skywriting.
In the live stream Swift presented her newest music video, the albumcover and of course her latest effort "Shake It Off".
The single sounds like a surefire hit and will take over radio for the next month.
Rightly, because "Shake It Off" for sure is the biggest and probably one of the best effort by recent pop queen.
The song convinces with a catchy hook which is simply-pop tastic.
With a Avril Lavigne type of bridge and a addictive saxophone beat caring through the song, "Shake It Off" might be the most well written pop songs in the past months.

Score:
10/10

---------------------------------------

Reviews:
Sia - 1000 Forms Of Fear (7.0/10), Drake - 0 to 100 (6.0/10), La Roux - Trouble In Paradise (9.5/10)
Jessie J - Bang Bang (1.5/10), Azealia Banks - Heavy Matel & Reflection (10/10) , Hilary Duff - Chasing The Sun (4.7/10),
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda (7.5/10), Pixie Lott - Pixie Lott (3.0/10), Hilary Duff - All About You (8.0/10),
Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (10/10)

[tigerlily13]

Let me go back and change my FKA Twigs rating. She didn't deserve such a low score.

[jose168]

theres lots of praise for hours here, it was my least favorite track

[bluth]

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

Taylor Swift is no alien to tabloid drama, and since her ever increasing ascent of the pop culture ladder - aided even further by the dazzling success of her last LP - the stories of both broken and abundant relationships have been proliferating, much like the growing number of fans at Swift's musical hand.

It's seemingly natural for artists at the mercy of tabloid culture to retaliate with a reactionary song, the most recent of which being Lady Gaga's Do What U Want. However, unlike Gaga, Taylor's return to the scene, Shake It Off, pursues a much more positive and nonchalant approach. The percussion contains all the whimsy of a cheerleader parade, as elaborated even further by the Hey Mickey-drenched bridge, and, eschewing her guitar-twanged country roots, the horn instrumental allows Shake It Off to flourish in a way which doesn't feel too abrasive or annoying given the subject matter.

This overtly mainstream approach at songwriting, however, does come at a detriment to the banal lyrical content, which often finds itself fleeting a bit too closely with a Katy Perry 101 in generalised 'one-lyric-fits-all' songwriting. Nonetheless, the faults are hard to linger upon when Shake It Off, fundamentally, is highly effective in what it intends to convey. Taylor's ear for a great melody pervades this song, allowing anyone to appropriate it as their own anthem of self-confidence, and ultimately revel in the sheer simplicity and infectiousness of a solid pop song.

3.5 out of 5

Other defunct reviews:

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang

Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang

Not even a year after Jessie J's latest album effort, Bang Bang sweeps in with the resonance of a curtain descending on a catastrophic play. Combining Jessie J's uncanny ability to outright ignore writing a chorus with record label-reeking features, the song bangs in every way a listener doesn't want it to.

The art of subtlety, once again, is ignored when it comes to vocals here, with Jessie J's delivery holding the same weight as a freight train rushing into a family of cats. Perhaps such a vocal anvil could be justified by the song's explosive theme, but even a cover of Silent Night wouldn't have avoided such a vocal acrobat treatment. Instead, the song transpires as an aural equivalent of a Michael Bay film. Subtlety is brushed aside in favour of desperately trying to elicit an explosive sense of impact, instead of actually focusing on the nuances of the art which can make the explosions worth caring about.

Ariana Grande steps in on the second verse in order to allow Jessie J to recover from a burst lung presumably, however her contribution feels moot - mute, even - being wedged between a vocal assault and a rapid fire verse from Nicki Minaj, the latter of which being the song's one redeeming feature.

The overuse of features combined with vocals that bring to mind the clinging desperation of someone on the verge of being knocked out of a commercial talent show make the song explode in all the wrong ways. Instead of hearing a triumphant return for Jessie J, the song instead whimpers and pleas for appreciation, masqueraded by a loud, obnoxious and banging veneer.

1.5 out of 5

Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective

Azealia Banks - Heavy Metal and Reflective

In the past few years, the mainstream rap scene has been overhauled. Maybe Yeezy re-upholstered it, or maybe Kendrick Lamar killed the vibe, but for all we know the promising young talent of Azealia Banks back in 2011 has been trounced by the vanilla image and Australian twang of competition. Not least exacerbated by a sheer aversion to releasing, Banks' descent uncannily echoes that of the bridge to her breakout hit, 212: "Why you procrastinate girl? / They'll forget your name soon".

With all the shock and awe of a Beyoncé album release, Heavy Metal and Reflective is not least a surprise for inherently being a, well, release. Criticism aside, upon hearing the disorienting instrumental of the brand new song, it's not difficult to remember why everyone fell for Banks' wit back in 2011. As mentioned previously, the hypnotic instrumental of this song lends itself well to the idea of chaos - an upheaval - as Banks, in her signature, moody drawl, delivers an onslaught of self-aggrandising assertions. Yes, there may be nothing too fancy here, but when Banks spits "I be PYT you Billie Jean you / Been that ex bitch!", there's an element of authenticity in what she says. We believe Azealia.

It may be true that Banks made mistakes by burning through bridges rather than singles, however if Heavy Metal and Reflective is not an assertion of Banks' disregard for success then she may as well stop now. The aversion to commercial song structure, to clean vocals and to an ostensible lack of pop hooks is as brash as the song itself; Azealia Banks is 'Heavy Metal and Reflective'. As such, Banks may, artistically, continue to chug along through the rap scene as a juggernaut, with all the adrenaline of a motorbike streaming through a desert, leaving convention and fancy pop affairs in the dust.

4 out of 5

[Temporal]

Someone as skilled and respected as Taylor shouldn't have an excuse for making a single this bland.

Nothing about Shake It Off is that interesting. The horn line sounds too close to All of the Lights, a comparison and battle that Swift was bound to lose. The inspirational message that directly pertains to Taylor is cute, but pales to other inspirational anthems Firework or Born This Way. Even the spoken bridge comes far too short of matching Swift's last (phenomenal) lead single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. Shake It Off explores a different sound for Taylor with its use of wind instruments, but it comes off as following the trend set forth by Jason DeRulo and Ariana Grande earlier this year. In short, Shake It Off just doesn't bring anything new to the table.

Now, don't despair Swifties. Swift loves having diverse albums that push genre boundaries extensively - maybe this is just one of the outliers. Maybe there's an I Knew You Were Trouble or You Belong With Me lurking on 1989. If there isn't, we might have some problems, because this sure better not be it.

3.3/10

[Vine101]

Shake It Up - Taylor Swift

After crossing the pop realm and delving into even dub-step with her 2012 record, RED, Taylor Swift is back to complete her official transition to pop music with Shake It Up.

Though some have complained that the song sounds too similar to Taylor's pop peers, the song proves to be very Swift-ian in it's own right. Swift's previous singles (Mine, Love Story, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, etc.) had a way of unraveling a story, usually involving a relationship, to the listener. Instead Shake It Up is her way of breaking down the 4th wall and educating the listener on her side of the tabloids that wear out her name.

The song features horns and a catchy chorus along with an empowering message to ignore the "haters" and to figuratively/literally shake it off. The chorus itself is simple and repetitive but that isn't a bad thing. Swift's goal here was to make a feel-good song which is exactly what this is. Consider it a late summer pop anthem.

10/10

[Latch]

FKA twigs - LP1

I was turned off to Ms. Twigs for a while because the few tracks I had heard from her consisted of whispery, unintelligible vocals coupled with ticking sounds with no rhythm in the beats. I heard Two Weeks earlier this year and got kinda excited. Unfortunately, the whole record doesn't sound like Two Weeks.

Most of the album is just as out-of-tune and hard to understand as some of the pre-LP tracks I'd heard (Hours, Video GIrl, Numbers) which made it really annoying to get through the whole thing.

I don't hate it tho. Closer is my favorite track on the record and is its saving grace for me.
I also really like Give Up and Pendulum.

--

I wouldn't say it's terrible. The production, though tuneless, is pretty crisp.
I'll give it a 6/10.

[alexanderao]

Originally posted by Latch

FKA twigs - LP1

I was turned off to Ms. Twigs for a while because the few tracks I had heard from her consisted of whispery, unintelligible vocals coupled with ticking sounds with no rhythm in the beats. I heard Two Weeks earlier this year and got kinda excited. Unfortunately, the whole record doesn't sound like Two Weeks.

Most of the album is just as out-of-tune and hard to understand as some of the pre-LP tracks I'd heard (Hours, Video GIrl, Numbers) which made it really annoying to get through the whole thing.

I don't hate it tho. Closer is my favorite track on the record and is its saving grace for me.
I also really like Give Up and Pendulum.

--

I wouldn't say it's terrible. The production, though tuneless, is pretty crisp.
I'll give it a 6/10.

Your review is not going to count-- it needs to be at least ten sentences long.