ALBUM REVIEW: "Flower Boy" by Tyler, The Creator

I have always had a hard time getting into Tyler, The Creator's music, but I have noticed a trend of his newer albums appealing to me significantly more. Whether that is simply as I become more and more accustomed to his music or if it is a conscious direction shift on the part of Tyler is irrelevant, really, because Flower Boy seems to be at the peak of his career ark so far - miles ahead of his earlier works, and an inspired and sincere follow up to 2015's Cherry Bomb. The release of this album was inevitably under the shadow of the media storm around Tyler's coming out of the closet, but Flower Boy isn't the coming-out record everyone thought it might have been. Significantly shorter than his other records at only 45 minutes, Flower Boy is restrained and concise where before he may have ben indulgent and overblown. It is a dramatic course correction for Tyler, and it's surprisingly beautiful and meditative in places. Gone for the most part are the "shock raps" he was becoming increasingly synonymous with, replaced with genuinely lovestruck, youthful, sharp and refined lyricism. There are certainly Bastard-era punchy rap stingers (Who Dat Boy and Pothole in particular), but overall Flower Boy is all about this newer, more refined and introspective direction, and it amounts to Tyler's finest outing so far.

Favourite Songs: Who Dat Boy, Where This Flower Blooms, 911 / Mr. Lonely and Enjoy Right Now Today

Least Favourite Song: I Ain't Got Time!

Rating: B+

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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 ...

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...

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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