ALBUM REVIEW: "hopeless fountain kingdom" by Halsey

This is probably one of the most surprising releases I've heard so far this year; I wasn't really expecting much of Halsey's second album, but I ended up being fascinated by a surprisingly complex, mature album. Coming back around for second and third listens weren't as rewarding for me, but there was enough there for me to be engaged in - if not flat out enjoy - most of this album. For starters, it opens with an excerpt from Shakespeare, almost the last thing I was expecting. This immediately shifted my expectations and I was kind of taken off guard, now not at all sure what I was about to hear. this was as far as the depth of interest went, though, and once I had gone through the album once it was clear to me that the experimentation went no deeper than the first listen. This was a disappointment to me, but at least the first time through was pretty exciting. Once that layer of experimentation had been shed hopeless fountain kingdom was a fairly pedestrian exercise in pop music, with some really catchy songs and hooks, but nothing like what I had obviously wanted when I started hearing it. As far as pop records go it's definitely one of the better ones, and it does definitely attempt to change things up, but it just felt like Halsey and her producers never took that to its full potential.

Favourite Songs: Eyes Closed, Now Or Never and Walls Could Talk

Least Favourite Song: Sorry

Rating: C+

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1 YEAR LATER: "22, A Million" by Bon Iver

Bon Iver's third studio album turns 1 in about a week (where did that year go?), so I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about how my impressions of the album have changed - or how they haven't - over the last 12 months. When this album was released I was more excited than I think I ever have been to hear a new album. For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my all time favourites, and I love his self-titled second album too, so I had huge expectations for this album, but was also wary that expectations might ruin my experience of the music. This was particularly the case for 22, A Million , because it is unlike anything else Justin Vernon has released. There have been hints at this more processed, electronic direction previously, like the song "Woods" on the Blood Bank EP and occasional flourishes on Bon Iver , but 22, A Million is a drastic departure from the Bon Iver sound we had grown accustomed to at this point in time. Or at least, that's what I thought...

ALBUM REVIEW: "A Man Apart" by Ben Ottewell

Ben Ottewell's third LP A Man Apart goes boldly where he has been before, and while it certainly does that pretty well it doesn't manage to either strike new ground or any real emotional response. There is a distinctly "nice" feel to this record, which is, um, nice I guess if that's what you want. But it just doesn't feel like there's any immediacy or forward motion on any of these songs, like Ottewell is content with writing songs that could be on four wheel drive ads. Again, there isn't really anything particularly bad here, it's just a singer-songwriter album that isn't trying to break new ground. His typically growly voice is also beginning to give way to a more accessible, smooth tone, which could place you on either side of this record. For me it just cements it's place firmly in the middle ground somewhere. Favourite Songs: Own It, A Man Apart and Lead Me Least Favourite Songs: Watcher, Back To The World and Bones ...

EP REVIEW: "Same Kind Of Different" by Dean Lewis

Dean Lewis offers up six largely acoustic-driven tunes on his debut offering, all of which are clearly aimed at wider appeal. The acoustic-pop thing has never really done it for me (read my recent Ed Sheeran review here ), mainly because behind the slick production and singable hooks there's a general lack of songwriting to be had. This is where Same Kind Of Different sits a rung above most other similar albums; take the sugar and fairy dust away and there are still six complete songs that could be on a singer-songwriter album, rough and bare. I can appreciate the way these songs have been tailored to be played to a larger audience, but the substance behind the shine is more important to me. The six songs do sound very similar, however, and they do tend to blur together into a singular mass - which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on who you are. For me that was a bit of a concern on second and third listen, but I was generally pleased by Same Kind Of Diffe...

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