ALBUM REVIEW: "Only Death Is Real" by Stray From The Path

Stray From The Path have never been the embodiment of mature and measured political commentary, but even by the band's well established standards Only Death Is Real is particularly hard to take seriously - lyrically, that is. Granted, they are one of the most assured and confident voices in hardcore today, but with lines like "everything has a price, but the price is wrong, bitch" getting repeated nine times in a song and a sample of Trump's "they're not sending their best" speech it is sometimes hard not to roll your eyes at some of the messages. There's a pretty funny critique of lead single "Goodnight Alt Right" on YouTube (which is kind of just as cringy as the song itself) which you can see here, and that kind of says all there is to say about the lyrical content of this album. Having said this, one classic band I can draw similarities to, Rage Against the Machine, were sometimes criticised for the same thing (go and read about BBC's accidental broadcast of the uncensored version of "Killing In The Name"). Musically, though, Only Death Is Real is a hell of a lot of fun, if not entirely a game changer for the genre. There are hardcore riffs and breakdowns aplenty, and at 29 minutes it never outstays its welcome. As we have come to expect from the band, there is a strong emphasis on groove, and this was and still is the strongest element of the Stray's music. Drew York's vocals are still incredibly powerful and pissed-sounding, but some vocal features provide some welcome variety from his sometimes one-note delivery. In fact, one-note describes this album pretty concisely - which isn't necessarily a problem, depending on what that one note is. I had fun the first time through, but some might not enjoy Stray's music enough for that to distract from the lyrics, which could be enough to turn you off from their music completely. Basically, it's another Stray From The Path record.

Favourite Songs: Loudest In The Room, Strange Fiction and The House Always Wins

Least Favourite Songs: Goodnight Alt-Right and Let's Make A Deal

Rating: C

Comments

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...

Read Poets Society

Search This Blog