The first month of a new year is always a funny period, a combination of bubbly interest to not miss every semi-hyped new release and disappointment at the general lack of noteworthy music. An overall attempt to expand my musical horizons by listening to various genres has led to the expansion of these monthly columns to included both prog and non-prog albums. Progressive rock and metal are still the main genre focuses of the blog, but during barren months for these genres, I will opt to include more albums from other genres, and January was one such month. I have only written short reviews for non-prog albums before, and writing longer ones were a challenging prospect, as you often don’t know either the genre traits or the influences as well. Some research and practice helped, however, like with most things in life. Let’s dive into four great albums to come out in the last month, as well as two that were very close to making it.
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070 Shake – Modus Vivendi
Genre – Alternative R&B, Pop Rap
Danielle Balbuena, best known as her stage name 070 Shake, brings both youthful exuberance and polished R&B and Pop influences in this cracker of a debut album. The sampling and instrumentation is lush and surprisingly varied for a first showing, with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music label bringing best-in-class producers, such as Mike Dean, on board. Highlights include inventive usage of both tropical and synth-pop beats, heavy synth melodies, and abundant sprinkles of catchy choruses and flourishes. The vocals are diverse, ranging from emo R&B to synth-pop to pop-rap, sometimes even during the same track.
After a couple of opening songs exposing blaring synths, and echoing, rich vocals, “Marrow” introduces a steady, quivering beat with buzzing bass as Balbuena’s modulated high notes deliver rhymes, closing with a sweet melody on the synth. The variety of instrumentation makes the minutes fly by during its first half. “Rocketship” has infectious verses over an atmospheric surround, with expert layering and a dynamic hi-hat and bass-thud combination. “Divorce” adds a tropical percussion sample and gorgeous, psychedelic synth licks floating along with the “Oh-oh”s. Higher notes lend an emo- effect to the song, collapsing into a stunning solo. “The Pines” shifts the mood towards more aggression, with the hard beats and thrusting backing vocals, with further violin and symphonic touches adding to a growing list of surprises.
The album often oscillates between aggressive notes and instrumentals, and emo and soul directions, with “Guilty Conscience” initially featuring the former before going straight dream / synth pop in its straightforward delivery and beat construction. The strong core of the album is further reflected by “Microdosing”, a thoroughly addictive track with a chorus “I was just micro-dosing you, Microdosing” that is irresistible not to sing along to, helped by another inspired tropical beat. The album also seems to feature different song orderings based on location (The opening tracks of US and EU/France versions seem to be in an entirely different order, though the latter flows very smoothly).
Considering the above strengths, it is only fair to disclose that the lyrics are not the most engrossing aspect of this album, though this will hopefully improve with age. The album, while indeed micro-experimenting within the genre, isn’t groundbreaking in the bigger picture, but again there’s plenty of time to try something new once you’re more established, which is often the aim early on in one’s pop career.
Notable Tracks – “Microdosing”, “Guilty Conscience”, “Divorce”
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube
Mac Miller – Circles
Genre – Neo-Soul, Pop Rap
‘Circles’ was always going to be an intimate album, exploring a man’s struggles with addiction that led to his very early demise, yet it’s even more beautifully constructed and depicted than one would have imagined, a large part thanks to Jon Brion, who co-wrote and co-produced the album posthumously. Themes include candid expression of addiction, dealing with spotlight while handling the same, and several other everyday internal struggles.
The short opener reveals a couple of strengths of the album almost instantly. The first is beautiful written and executed basslines, providing both rhythm and occasionally melody to Miller’s hospitable and emotion-soaked vocals, which is the second strength. The lyrics are often forthright, and considering what was to follow, quite heart-wrenching. The opener talks about the circle of addiction, and how specifically he’s prone to relapses: “I just end up right at the start of the line, Drawin’ circles”. “Complicated” continues to have a groovy bass, adding a few samples and synth harmonies, followed by further fun touches such as a robotic voice during a short bridge. It is such a simple composition, yet ironically talks about life’s complications. “Blue World” has a great, pitched sample providing the rhythm, a contribution by Guy Lawrence, an EDM artist who produced this track. It is also the first track to feature a rap chorus, and a few phrases that stick out, such as “I ain’t politickin’, I ain’t kissin’ no babies”.
On the second half, “Everybody” is a lovely piano-track, almost tempting a ballad with its intro before the rhythms kick in. As a cover of “Everybody’s Gotta Live” (Arthur Lee), its positive, hopeful feeling of ‘Living in the moment’ signals a faux change in lyrical direction mid-way through the album. “Woods” is sung from the heart, expressing remorse over broken relationships: “Do I, do I, do I love? Can I, can I, can I get enough?”, over stretching synths, in one of the most beautiful moments in the album. “Hand Me Downs” provides a guest vocal chorus by Baro Sura, with Miller backing in the surround, while the verses are again sung in rap, with a moving keys solo in its outro. It’s followed by the more upbeat “That’s On Me” whose string chord progression perfectly supports Miller’s self-plea to accept his current state.
As is the case with these big releases, the production is extra-ordinary, the most subtle of sounds, be it samples or smooth synth harmonies, are adeptly mixed alongside the groovy beat and bass low-range. While the album does have its share of slow parts on each half, the different moods and enveloping sound palettes, as well as sympathetic lyrics make this a pleasant and engrossing listen, with re-runs providing similar satisfaction.
Notable Tracks – “Complicated”, “Everybody”, “Blue World”
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube
Thy Catafalque – Naiv
Genre – Progressive Metal, Avant-Garde Metal
Label – Season of Mist
Thy Catafalque is an incredible one-man band featuring virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Tamás Kátai. He writes avant-garde and progressive music that frankly sounds like no other band I’ve ever heard, mixing genres as varied as Hungarian folk, electronic and black metal in the ingenious manner that has to be heard to be believed. After a lengthy discography discovery in early January, I was knowingly cautious with my expectations, but ‘Naiv’ again proves that the man can do no wrong, his newest effort ambitiously matching the band’s incredibly consistent discography. More interestingly, it both shares a few strengths with previous efforts and brings new ones to the fore, a trait that should mark most progressive band’s efforts.
For starters, ‘Naiv’ is delightfully experimental yet surprisingly accessible, something that previous albums may not achieve as well. It is even more accessible than ‘Geometria’ that had a softer sound but slightly hard-to-navigate genre transitions. The first few tracks are prime examples of this. “A bolyongás ideje” is a stunning opener, with threatening riff and beats that get progressively twisty and varied, the layered vocals lending a faux impending doom that collapses in a simple chorus with syllables and a couple of words from recurring guest Martina Horváth, doubling soon into a folk-influenced synth. The song eventually goes into straight black metal territory with screeching tremolos, blast beats and a few repeated jarring phrases, before reprising the chorus.
“Tsitsushka” is the surprise package of the album, introducing something Kátai has never experimented before: funk. After a fun build-up with a metal-meets-disco groove, it transforms into a Claypool inspired, bass slap-riff, one which is further layered by great jazz saxophone melodies and an even better dual fretless bass and saxophone solo, the latter taking a tone cue from Dream Theater‘s “Another Day”. Songs like this reflect how naturally experimentation comes to him, and why both the avant-garde and progressive titles equally reflect well on his band. The following track “Embersólyom” is essentially a cover of a Hungarian folk song, and is done incredibly tastefully. The opening piano and flute transport you to the forest, and the melodies on the keys along with Hoth’s vocals reflect alternating intimidating and peaceful emotions that is often the case when you’re in the wild. It closes with an incredible tremolo sequence that should have been stretched far longer than it was, even ending abruptly.
All tracks bring something new to the fore, with the short “Számtalan színek” featuring a pleasant cello and symphonic sequence, “A valóság kazamatái” featuring an incredible string and folk drum sequence that plays out as an elaborate jam session, which is also true for “Kék madár”, whose intensity and superb flute touches add to an already massive purview of sounds, with the electronic sequence on it sounding like the Stranger Things theme. The album ends with a trio of great tracks, starting with “Napút”, the classic Hungarian folk song disguised as metal that the band does so well. “Vető” is the album’s most metal track, along with the opener: a glorious melange of doom and black metal, filled with pinchy riffs alternated by nervous, slightly dissonant ones. “Szélvész” is another staple Thy Catafalque track featuring incredible clean vocals by a recurring guest, Gyula Vasvári from Perihelion. It’s outro excellently transitions into a cacophony of black metal goodness that closes the album on an ideal note.
The production is solid and is one aspect that the band is improving in leaps and bounds, with the mix incorporating the bass particularly well. Additionally, the programmed drums sound quite adequate, though you have to wonder when Kátai will employ a guest drummer as it could add another dimension to the music. While I’ve had my minor issues with pacing in previous Thy Catafalque efforts, I appreciate how concise this one is, and its run-time breezes past due to the fact that no one track sounds the same. Furthermore, I believe it’s best tracks lie on each end of the disc, a welcome change from its top-heavy predecessors. There are a few things that could be improved, starting with better use of electronics, which is accessory at best and often an after-thought on this album, which comes as a shame as ‘Geometria’ experimented with them so well. Another slight disappointment is the lack of a progressive rock track after the top-notch “Hajnali Csillag” from last time around. All said, these are artistic choices and it’s not always fair to critique what isn’t in front of you, though they could be seen as lost opportunities.
Notable Tracks – “A bolyongás ideje”, “Embersólyom”, “Tsitsushka”
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp
Caspian – On Circles
Genre – Post-Rock
Label – Triple Crown Records
I started 2020 exploring a few post-rock classics, but little did I know that a new album from a band I hadn’t yet checked out would turn out to be so cripplingly addictive. ‘On Circles’ is meticulously crafted, post-rock goodness that is an early contender for the best sounding records of the year, in any genre. The sonic timbre of the album is the ear’s equivalent of feasting upon the heavenliest of chocolates for three-fourths of an hour.
“Wildblood” builds-up in somewhat predictable fashion, initial harmonies floating around before the primary guitar melody kicks in. Each song has a clear theme around it, the titles making most of these fairly evident. The opener reminds you of the sound of children playing in the yard in an approaching spring-season, radiating feelings of hope and confidence. After a softer break, the song builds back with drums and soft screeches in the surround, with the closing few riffs adding a few soft horns. It flows perfectly into “Flowers of Light”, the hope from the previous track turning into pure bursts of happiness. The symphonic rhythm is layered over by immersive riffs, each repetition hitting you hard, climaxing into just the right melody that makes your day a little bit better.
The album is also fairly varied in its instruments with the help of cello, saxophone and violin guest spots (some of them quite prominent musicians, such as Jo Quail), the drums are mixed in at the perfect moments and the guest vocals are used expertly, best seen on the staggering “Nostalgist”, whose theme doesn’t need further explanation. Kyle Durfey (Pianos Become the Teeth) lends his warm vocals to an inherently moving track, filled with beautiful, perfectly-placed guitar licks. The elaborate build-up culminates in a compelling triple repetition of “Forever our perfect length figure 8’s every night”, the instruments building up in intensity, followed by a couple of short, contemplative solos and vocals gradually drifting away. “Division Blues” is a well stitched-together bunch of crescendos with warm guitar licks; its theme taking you to a weird mix of the previous tracks: pensive yet positive. The drummer uses the rims to a great effect during the mid-section, following it with cymbal action to drive forward this slow burner.
After a couple of contemplative tracks, “Onsra” serves as a rising trepidation for the incoming storm; a mix of a brisk rhythm, atmospheric symphonies and piano harmonies. These, along with the echoing drums, yield perfect evidence of the high quality of sound in display, a simple mix of sounds delivered in the most perfect manner imaginable, transitioning with a finale faux- crescendo into the ultra-heavy “Collapser”. ‘Stormy’ is a word that perfectly summarizes this track, delivering crushing riff after riff and screeching soundscapes delivered in a way that very few bands that aren’t called Godspeed You! Black Emperor can do. Outside of the heavy percussion, the key melodies are simple yet so effective in delivering the theme, and the blaring horns compound the crushing experience. The final two tracks fall back to a bittersweet emotion, especially “Ishmael”, which feels like a festival folk tune rendered in a post surround: the most simple couple of guitar melodies surrounded by ushering drums and fluttering sound effects. “Circles on Circles” is another uncomplicated yet fulfilling closer, featuring soft vocals sung over a elementary riff, with gorgeous execution. The twin chorus lines of “Circles on circles when gray’s run the game” and “Circles on circles when shadows remain” echo in your ears as the surround builds-up gradually.
As beautifully executed and brilliantly sounding ‘On Circles’ is, it isn’t unfortunately original or ground-breaking. Most of the melodies and rhythms sound familiar either from other post-rock artists or from the indie scene. Every album doesn’t necessarily to bring something new to the fore, but staying true to this blog’s purpose of exploring ‘progressive’ music, I appreciate when a band steps out of its comfort zone or experiments with sound, even through small treads.
Notable Tracks – “Nostalgist”, “Collapser”, “Ishmael”
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp
Special Mentions:
Vvilderness – Dark Waters
Hungarian band Vvilderness’ ‘Dark Waters’ is a superbly-constructed blackgaze album, combining folk melodies, soft cleans and well-integrated black metal riffs and screams. Watch out for the gorgeous “Mist Pillars ’19”, whose tremolos hit the perfect atmospheric spots and whose low harshes deliver immaculate intonation.
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp
Dan Deacon – Mystic Familiar
Dean Deacon’s ‘Mystic Familiar’ is equal parts playful, piano-driven indie rock and equal parts MGMT-inspired, immersive psychedelia. “Sat By A Tree” is an unmissable track of the latter category, it’s buzzing bass and synth driven atmospherics contributing to a riveting listen.
Links (Album): Spotify // Apple Music // YouTube // Bandcamp
Spotify Playlist:
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