Music Review : Blur – The Magic Whip (2015)

Music Review : Blur – The Magic Whip (2015, Parlophone)

Forever for mainstream music listeners Blur will be linked with their hit Song 2 and for a few more their singer will be remembered as the mysterious voice behind Gorillaz. Blur’s new album, The Magic Whip, features twelve new songs of alternative rock that would not stay in the 1990’s just as their aforementioned hit.

After many listens, The Magic Whip plays as an average album with certain highs and some lows. However, as the album goes the song Ong Ong will be my soundtrack for the summer and it is probably the most radio phonic song of the whole record. Not many hooks and a lot of filling titles in an album lacking real depth or, let’s say it like that, it needed more meat around the bone.

6.1

Music Review : St. Vincent – St. Vincent (2014)

 

Music Review : St. Vincent – St. Vincent (2014)

I only knew this artist by name and it was one of the many Indie titles I’d have to get to sometime. However, since her passage on SNL in season finale of 2013-2014, I was intrigued by her new album and its cover art directly inspired by one of her favorite film; Alejandro Jodorowski’s The Holy Mountain.
This self titled release of Indie, Art Rock, Pop and baroque music from Annie Clark alias St. Vincent will leave a mark for sure. Her guitar skills and atmosphere are well used and she have a nice voice that can create nice textures for the kind of pop and chamber rock she offers. Even if the artwork is more mysterious than the music itself, St. Vincent feels like an album that is complete and deeply thought. It is the kind of album that can reach a broad audience while being very visceral and attractive.

Definitely, since I haven’t listened to her other albums, I can’t make no comparisons and rank it. But as the album is what it is I think that she will be an artist worth following for everything she does. Her contribution to the music of today, which is now just a business of selling, will help younger inspired artists to find their voice and get out of the sellout paths. Probably one of the best pop albums for 2014.

8.5

Music Review : Mastodon – Once More ‘Round the Sun (2014)

Since their sophomore release Remission, I’ve been following the evolution of Mastodon and I actually enjoyed The Hunter more than I would have thought after the first few listens.
With Once More ‘Round  the Sun, they continue with the same hard Rock approach leaving behind their more experimental elements and the stoner sound. It doesn’t mean that it is a bad album. It is far from being bad, but it feels even more commercial and radiophonic than any release they did before. Their sound is still there with the guitars and Brann Dailor’s iconic drumming.
However, there are less showing of solos and technical demonstrations than their previous efforts. This is a matured album that might take many listens to get into completely and actually catch all the glimpse of genius it features.
As a fan, I’m always torn between the progression of a band to a cleaner sound with more melodies and clearer sound structures when one of the aspects I like the most was the excesses of experimentations and many transitions. We are not in Blood Mountain and certainly not in Crack the Skye.
Still, it took me more time to get into it and actually like it. This might be their lesser album but a lesser album by Mastodon is better than many of the better albums by other bands today. Especially this year that was not that generous with music lovers.

7.4

Alternate Vinyl Cover