With the month of October already upon us with a bunch of records I'm super keen for and heaps more for me to discover, here are some albums I heard in September that I didn't get around to giving a review. Let me know in the comments if there are any other from September you liked.
You're Not You Anymore - Counterparts
Counterparts is a band that never quite did it for me, but I've always tried really hard to get into because of the esteem so many hold them in. It's like there's something I've obviously been missing about their music, and in short I still can't see what that is with this new album of theirs. It's certainly rousing - the lyrics are always worth digging into, if a little samey and predictable when going through the catalogue as a whole, and there is an undeniably anthemic feeling to these tunes. I feel the stronger moments are when the tunes open up fully with less chugs and more lead guitar, like on "Arms Like Teeth", and for me there wasn't enough of these cathartic moments, instead an over abundance of punk beats, hardcore riffs and build-up breakdowns. These breakdowns are definitely impactful - some are absolutely crushing, in fact - but there are just so many of them that they start to lose vitality pretty quickly. The vocal performance also left a lot to be desired for me. In terms of passion and energy, I have absolutely no complaints (that's here in buckets), but hearing the same scream for half and hour does become taxing and more than a little boring. I can definitely see why they are super popular, but I didn't particularly care for this album as whole despite there being a number of great tracks on there.
6/10
Dumb Days - Tired Lion
Nostalgic sounding grunge-rock similar to the like of Violent Soho et al (not particularly surprising, given Dumb Days has Soho's own Luke Boredam as its producing credit), fronted by an enigmatic and honest female brimming with wit, sarcasm, earnestness and songwriting competence. You probably were already thinking of Tired Lion, given the number of great little EPs the band have released at this stage, and their first full length Dumb Days is a continuation of everything they do best. Punchy, to the point and instantly enjoyable, you can put any of these tracks on your summer party playlist without a second thought. Loved it.
8/10
Sleep Well Beast - The National
A band I've wanted to get into more but for some reason never got around to, I really enjoyed the moodiness and slow burn of Sleep Well Beast. It's hard to put a finger on, but there's something simmering just below the surface of these tracks that occasionally rears it's head for the briefest of moments before getting stifled again. Being an exercise in restraint, there is much to be said for the second, third and fourth listens of this record; the layers and crevices in the compositions hold lots of surprises and discoveries to be found. Having said this I do feel that there is a slight lack in direction as a result of this restraint, verging on restraint for the sake of restraint. It had me there, strapped in and ready to go, but didn't quite deliver me to somewhere worthwhile coming along for.
7/10
Luciferian Towers - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Definitely the most uninspiring and disappointing of the records Godspeed have put out. There's a weird dichotomy between the vibe implied by the cover and the wonderfully insidious title, and the strangely hopeful, uplifting tone on much of this record that just didn't sit well with me. Gone are the moody slow burns of F# A# Infinity and Lift Your Skinny Fists..., and gone are the doom riffs of their previous two albums, Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! and Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress. Instead what we are left with a rarely minor-key offering of melody and euphoria, squeezed into their most concise run-time to date. It all feels very un-Godspeed, and not in a particularly favourable way. Disappointing.
4/10
Okovi - Zola Jesus
Goth-pop is a thing, I guess, and it works too. I knew nothing about this artist when I put Okovi on, and other than what I heard on these 40 minutes of searing emotion I still know nothing. This lends a certain ambiguity and mystery to this record which might not be apparent to other listeners, but for me it added an extra layer to an already extraordinary record which came out of absolutely nowhere for me. This isn't your classic "diva-crooning-over-swelling-synths" record; there is character and history in these tracks, heartbreak and hurting in the industrial beats and instrumentation, and a captivating vulnerability in the voice that sits firmly in the spotlight, demanding your full attention. Really, really good, and a nice deviation for me in my favourite albums of the year so far from generally guitar-driven music.
9/10
Always Foreign - The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
An unsurprisingly solid third album from folk/emo crossover group The World Is A Beautiful Place. Aside from the occasional misstep (like that unfortunate spoken word EP they put out a while ago now), this group have consistently put out material that I have engaged with, peaking with 2015's Harmlessness, which was one of my favourites of that year. Always Foreign continues that trend with a collection of songs equal parts uplifting, crushing and singable. If it aint broke, don't fix it, but don't expect to change the wheel at the same time.
8/10
Snow - Angus & Julia Stone
Yeah... sure.
Fight me.
5/10
In Contact - Caligula's Horse
With this and the new album from The Contortionist we have a pair of really excellent prog albums that have come out this month. Caligula's Horse's In Contact has a shade more of the edge that is lacking from The Contortionist's Clairvoyant (certainly not to it's detriment - read my review here), and really benefits from the dynamic between the chunky, sometimes sludgy guitar riffs and the smooth, serene lead vocals. Along with Ne Obliviscaris, Sleepmakeswaves and Voyager, Caligula's Horse are at the forefront of Australian progressive metal, and prove it with a fantastic 4th album.
8.5/10
Play Dead - Mutemath
I love Mutemath, and have for a long time. Unfortunately 2015's Vitals was a bit of a faceplant for me, but Play Dead is a serious return to form for album number five. The electronic elements that have always had a place in Mutemath's sound takes a larger focus on Play Dead, making the flourishes of organic instrumentation even more exciting and rousing. The care and attention to detail evident makes repeat listens very rewarding, and the fact that you can do so without losing the excitement and enjoyment of the first listen is a testament to the
great album they have produced.
9/10
The Vietnam War (Original Score) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
I wouldn't normally review soundtracks, but this offering from Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) and Atticus Ross, who are collectively responsible for other soundtracks including The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl, is so deliciously dark and moody it stands up as its own "album". Not having seen the TV series, my experience was solely of the music - a 90 minute collection of musical vignettes of the darkest, most sordid kind. I mean, what do we really expect from these two at this stage, given their now Academy-recognised reputation. Very similar to the Ghosts album, but so much tighter and more refined, I can't say how creepy, immersive and kaleidoscopic this "album" of sorts is.
9/10
You're Not You Anymore - Counterparts
Counterparts is a band that never quite did it for me, but I've always tried really hard to get into because of the esteem so many hold them in. It's like there's something I've obviously been missing about their music, and in short I still can't see what that is with this new album of theirs. It's certainly rousing - the lyrics are always worth digging into, if a little samey and predictable when going through the catalogue as a whole, and there is an undeniably anthemic feeling to these tunes. I feel the stronger moments are when the tunes open up fully with less chugs and more lead guitar, like on "Arms Like Teeth", and for me there wasn't enough of these cathartic moments, instead an over abundance of punk beats, hardcore riffs and build-up breakdowns. These breakdowns are definitely impactful - some are absolutely crushing, in fact - but there are just so many of them that they start to lose vitality pretty quickly. The vocal performance also left a lot to be desired for me. In terms of passion and energy, I have absolutely no complaints (that's here in buckets), but hearing the same scream for half and hour does become taxing and more than a little boring. I can definitely see why they are super popular, but I didn't particularly care for this album as whole despite there being a number of great tracks on there.6/10
Dumb Days - Tired Lion
Nostalgic sounding grunge-rock similar to the like of Violent Soho et al (not particularly surprising, given Dumb Days has Soho's own Luke Boredam as its producing credit), fronted by an enigmatic and honest female brimming with wit, sarcasm, earnestness and songwriting competence. You probably were already thinking of Tired Lion, given the number of great little EPs the band have released at this stage, and their first full length Dumb Days is a continuation of everything they do best. Punchy, to the point and instantly enjoyable, you can put any of these tracks on your summer party playlist without a second thought. Loved it.8/10
Sleep Well Beast - The National
A band I've wanted to get into more but for some reason never got around to, I really enjoyed the moodiness and slow burn of Sleep Well Beast. It's hard to put a finger on, but there's something simmering just below the surface of these tracks that occasionally rears it's head for the briefest of moments before getting stifled again. Being an exercise in restraint, there is much to be said for the second, third and fourth listens of this record; the layers and crevices in the compositions hold lots of surprises and discoveries to be found. Having said this I do feel that there is a slight lack in direction as a result of this restraint, verging on restraint for the sake of restraint. It had me there, strapped in and ready to go, but didn't quite deliver me to somewhere worthwhile coming along for.7/10
Luciferian Towers - Godspeed You! Black EmperorDefinitely the most uninspiring and disappointing of the records Godspeed have put out. There's a weird dichotomy between the vibe implied by the cover and the wonderfully insidious title, and the strangely hopeful, uplifting tone on much of this record that just didn't sit well with me. Gone are the moody slow burns of F# A# Infinity and Lift Your Skinny Fists..., and gone are the doom riffs of their previous two albums, Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! and Asunder, Sweet And Other Distress. Instead what we are left with a rarely minor-key offering of melody and euphoria, squeezed into their most concise run-time to date. It all feels very un-Godspeed, and not in a particularly favourable way. Disappointing.
4/10
Okovi - Zola Jesus
Goth-pop is a thing, I guess, and it works too. I knew nothing about this artist when I put Okovi on, and other than what I heard on these 40 minutes of searing emotion I still know nothing. This lends a certain ambiguity and mystery to this record which might not be apparent to other listeners, but for me it added an extra layer to an already extraordinary record which came out of absolutely nowhere for me. This isn't your classic "diva-crooning-over-swelling-synths" record; there is character and history in these tracks, heartbreak and hurting in the industrial beats and instrumentation, and a captivating vulnerability in the voice that sits firmly in the spotlight, demanding your full attention. Really, really good, and a nice deviation for me in my favourite albums of the year so far from generally guitar-driven music.
9/10
Always Foreign - The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To DieAn unsurprisingly solid third album from folk/emo crossover group The World Is A Beautiful Place. Aside from the occasional misstep (like that unfortunate spoken word EP they put out a while ago now), this group have consistently put out material that I have engaged with, peaking with 2015's Harmlessness, which was one of my favourites of that year. Always Foreign continues that trend with a collection of songs equal parts uplifting, crushing and singable. If it aint broke, don't fix it, but don't expect to change the wheel at the same time.
8/10
Snow - Angus & Julia Stone
Yeah... sure.
Fight me.
5/10
In Contact - Caligula's HorseWith this and the new album from The Contortionist we have a pair of really excellent prog albums that have come out this month. Caligula's Horse's In Contact has a shade more of the edge that is lacking from The Contortionist's Clairvoyant (certainly not to it's detriment - read my review here), and really benefits from the dynamic between the chunky, sometimes sludgy guitar riffs and the smooth, serene lead vocals. Along with Ne Obliviscaris, Sleepmakeswaves and Voyager, Caligula's Horse are at the forefront of Australian progressive metal, and prove it with a fantastic 4th album.
8.5/10
Play Dead - Mutemath
I love Mutemath, and have for a long time. Unfortunately 2015's Vitals was a bit of a faceplant for me, but Play Dead is a serious return to form for album number five. The electronic elements that have always had a place in Mutemath's sound takes a larger focus on Play Dead, making the flourishes of organic instrumentation even more exciting and rousing. The care and attention to detail evident makes repeat listens very rewarding, and the fact that you can do so without losing the excitement and enjoyment of the first listen is a testament to the
great album they have produced.
9/10
The Vietnam War (Original Score) - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross I wouldn't normally review soundtracks, but this offering from Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) and Atticus Ross, who are collectively responsible for other soundtracks including The Social Network, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl, is so deliciously dark and moody it stands up as its own "album". Not having seen the TV series, my experience was solely of the music - a 90 minute collection of musical vignettes of the darkest, most sordid kind. I mean, what do we really expect from these two at this stage, given their now Academy-recognised reputation. Very similar to the Ghosts album, but so much tighter and more refined, I can't say how creepy, immersive and kaleidoscopic this "album" of sorts is.
9/10
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