An Interview, Joey Testa of Yours For Mine

If you didn’t know already, the indie rock/metal-based band Yours For Mine has returned! I (William Wachter), caught up with my close friend, Joey Testa of the band to bring you all an inside look at what the band is up to these days.

Yours For Mine, originally from Woodstock, Va. you all started the band in 2005, correct? Or when did that begin and tell me how it formed?

Joey: Yes, early 2005. Most of us were living in the Edinburg/Woodstock area when things got started. Chad Altenberger, Stephen Minnick, and I all played in the high school band together (my tuba talents have yet to be incorporated into YFM).

I remember Chad saying that there was this guy from Winchester (Jon Woods) that he wanted to start playing music with. Originally, it was me, Chad, and our friend Tyler Dowdy that played with Jon, under the name Each New Day. We quickly changed the name to The Red Letter Days. Our friend Tyler exited the band and Stephen joined. That’s when we changed the name one last time to Yours For Mine. (Tyler still ended up designing most of our merch and is actually the one responsible for the art on this new project). Eventually, Benjamin Cooley joined on guitar, making YFM a five piece.

So nearly 13 years since the last original music for Yours For Mine has come out, take us through this journey a little bit.. What are some things that have changed and things have maybe stayed the same about the band and its direction?

Joey: A lot has changed! We all got married. Most of us have kids now. We honestly never intended to get back together after things fizzled out, all those years ago. The reunion show in 2017 was supposed to be the last hurrah, but that night reignited our love for the old “cabin songs” that we never got to finish. We agreed from the beginning that it would be fun to just record them well and give them away for free to the handful of folks that still care. That eventually developed into the idea that we could use this project to help raise funds for people with mental health issues who are struggling to afford therapy. Although the world around us has changed quite a bit, our calling to love our neighbors has not.

I know maybe what a lot of people don’t know about Yours For Mine is that, even as small as band as you were before reforming, that, you all would perform with bands like August Burns Red and Haste The Day, what was sharing the stage with some of your idols like so to speak?

Joey: We did get to play with some really fun artists over the years. The guys in ABR probably don’t remember us by now, but the impact they left on me was huge. We hit up the local IHOP after our show with them and just hung out. Just sharing a table with those guys was great. They were so nice and down to earth! I didn’t detect an ounce of that big headed rock n roll celebrity attitude that often takes over the bigger names out there…the shows with Haste the Day, Listener & Me Without You were also great. That said, as cool as it was to share the stage with some big hitters, most of my favorite memories are some of the smaller scale shows we did with local acts like us.

Cool, well I know that you all were originally on Blood & Ink records, which of course for those listening that might not know they were and are a fairly big independent label in the christian music scene… Now you all are coming out and doing a sophomore album self-released… Tell me what things were like being on Blood & Ink, and also tell me about the decision on putting this album out on the band’s own terms?

Joey: Blood & Ink was really kind to us. I honestly didn’t handle any of the interactions with them directly, so I can’t say much more than that, but they were super helpful in getting our name out there. I don’t think we would be against partnering with a label on this new project at all. We just understand that a label collaborating with a band that is pretty “inactive” is a stretch.

During the Yours For Mine reunion show, the band performed 3 new songs calling them “the cabin songs”, this has been a working title for you all dating back to when these songs were created… So I have to ask, will these songs be on the upcoming album, if so how much have they changed if anything from when they were originally created?

Joey: Yes! All three cabin songs from the show (“Not by Force, Not by Strength” & “Break the Teeth” & “Forgive, Act, Repay”) are part of the album. They are the only songs that were mostly completed before the band’s hiatus. Surprisingly, we barely altered any of the original lyrics, as they still fit directly into the larger story that this album will tell. There were some hefty changes made from a structural standpoint on the music, but the original message weaves perfectly into the bigger narrative that came much later.

And how many songs that were unreleased from the cabin songs days will be on the new record?

Joey: The album has 12 tracks! It is 10 “cabin songs” that are bookended by a prologue/epilogue.

So I’m curious about the album title “How Dark The Night”… it’s very interesting.. Not just the title, but, that this is also the first time fans of the band including myself are seeing this album name for the first time… So what does the title “How Dark Is The Night” mean to you all as a band, and why did you all pick the name?

Joey: Great question! So we decided to go with the name “Yours For Mine: How Dark the Night” for both the album and the book that accompanies the music. The songs and chapters are all connected and tell a story about a young boy named Habit who runs away from home. On top of already struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal thoughts, Habit eventually finds himself enslaved in a mysterious town called “Seduction”…

The overall story is an allegory. It wrestles with what it is like to grow up in a world where you are told that God exists…that God is good…that God is love…and then you look around at all of the terrible things going on around you and within you and wonder…has God forgotten us? The specific name of this project comes from a chapter/song towards the end of the story

I do want to say of course as I’ve expressed to you Joey, the new songs “Head In The Clouds” & “We All Hide” lyrically grabs the listener by the throat and takes us through this journey of what you have gone through and they are absolutely fantastic tracks and the transparency in the lyrics is so visible which is great… But I have to ask, what would you like for the listener to take away from these tracks and the upcoming album if anything else or just in general?

Thanks Willie! I’m glad you liked the two singles. I think there are three main things I would love for people to take away from this project:

#1) You’re not alone. People with mental health issues often get pegged as the weirdos…the “crazy” people, right? But take suicide, for example. That’s just one of many things that somebody could be wrestling with. Every 2 seconds, somebody is trying to kill themselves. Every 40 seconds, somebody succeeds. It’s heartbreaking. It might even be unexpected in a lot of cases. But it isn’t crazy. Something that happens every 2 seconds on the earth is far from crazy. It’s common. If you aren’t struggling, you’re in the minority. I’d like to see a culture that is more open to conversations about mental health.

#2) It’s okay to have faith and still ask a lot of questions. Just like I would love to reverse the many stigmas that surround mental health issues, I would love to see more churches that encourage questions….churches that are intentionally trying to reverse the misconception that asking questions is indicative of an inferior faith or no faith.

Questions have the potential to create a more robust faith. I think God is big enough to handle your biggest questions towards Him.

#3) There is hope.

Very cool, so do you do vocals on the whole album or just part of it? Because you know, in the first album you were doing unclean vocals as well as drums and Jonathan would do lead vocals and drums as well.

Joey: Not one drum was harmed (by me) in the making of this album. We pulled the old switcheroo. Jon did all the drums, and I did most of the main vocals.

Stephen and our old friend Ace Cosner have some leading vocal parts throughout the album. For people invested in the story arc, you’ll notice that each of our voices are often associated with a particular “character”

I know that you had hinted at possibly doing a show after when the new album comes out in conversations we’ve had… Is that still a possibility that’s on the table? Maybe even some touring? Of course, when the pandemic is over!

Joey: We all agree that at least one more show makes sense! We are thrilled with the way this thing has turned out and would love to perform it in person. The logistics make it hard enough to say that it isn’t for sure, but I wouldn’t rule it out!

What art, people, bible verses or anything inspired you most in the writing of this album?

Joey: In a span of just 7 years…my dad died. My wife and I lost 3 kids to miscarriage. My childhood best friend died. My grandfather died. I almost saw my wife die in front of me. My grandmother died. I had a major mental breakdown and ended up in the hospital and therapy. And then my uncle died. And then my father in law died.

Without getting into all of the gruesome details, a lot of those events were pretty traumatic for me. The lyrics and the story come from a genuine place of struggle…a place of life and death…hope and despair…almost all of the words were written in between my first few therapy sessions, towards the very end of 2019.

The biggest inspiration from any biblical text was the story of the Prodigal Son that Jesus told in Luke 15.

I guess that could lead into my next question, Yours For Mine has always been a christian band and I know, you, Joey are very outspoken with your beliefs, how has your relationship with God changed since the last album? Could you maybe touch on that a little bit?

Joey: My relationship with Jesus, like most, has had its ups and downs. I think the last few years of my life have been the hardest, and with that comes change, for sure…but the most comforting thing is that it hasn’t been Jesus that has changed. He is changing me. God is the only thing that has been constant throughout the good and the bad times.

I think the biggest thing is that I’m truly learning to live through all of the things that I was taught as a kid…like, I was always taught that God is with us in the storm, but now I’m actually feeling it. It’s easy to ask where God is hiding when everything is crumbling. And it’s easy to give an answer when you’re not the one going through it…but now my knowledge of God’s love for us has moved more from cerebral to experiential.

I don’t fully understand a lot of things. My faith is still a work in progress. But I know enough to know that Jesus is the only one to fully satisfy my soul. All pain points to the cross and the cross to the empty tomb and the empty tomb to our soul’s deepest longings.

I always find this interesting with bands because what we listen to musically has a huge effect on when the music is being made and in the studio… so, what were you listening to on your own time when the album was being made?

Joey: For the first time in my life…almost nothing. I went through the longest period of time where I was solely fixed on this project. I didn’t want to listen to anything else but Yours For Mine for months on end haha It sounds weird to hear myself say that…like, I don’t wanna sound a certain kind of way, but it’s the truth.

I wanted to be fully immersed in this story, so I would listen to the music to write a chapter of the book or vice versa. I would read a rough draft of a chapter of the book to come up with lyrics.

This project has been super therapeutic for me, so on really rough days, the music/book was all that kept me going. So yeah, I would come back to YFM:HDTN on the daily.

That said, some of my biggest personal inspirations, musically, would have to include He is Legend, the Chariot, and Imogen Heap.

So I have one last question, what can we expect with the new album if you’d like to talk about it? Any trumpet work, or similarities, or maybe even big differences? And is there anything you’d like to say to fans of the band or anyone that will read the interview?

Joey: Expect a lot of different sounds and a lot of different emotions!

We hope this project helps you heal…helps you hope…and even if you don’t agree with us from a religious standpoint, we love you.

William: Well, that’s it folks. I want to thank you all for reading and if you haven’t already, check out the newest single below “We All Hide” by Yours For Mine from their upcoming second album How Dark The Night. They have also released another single called “Head In The Clouds”, be sure to check that out (on Youtube) as well if you would like. Their first album “Dear Children” is also available to stream on Spotify or Bandcamp (and Myspace if you still use that, haha).

Review: Death of the Neon by String Machine

FFO Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, TWIABP

The future is not what it seems. Just down the road from where I am writing this is the Pittsburgh Waterfront, a booming shopping district built over the bones of Andrew Carnegie’s steel dynasty. It’s a scene familiar to those of us who grew up in Pittsburgh, the city that bounced back, one of the few rust-belt towns to find new life once the nation’s mills closed down: what is old is bought out by developers and turned into housing plans and sprawling strip malls, often separate from and inaccessible for those who lived through the changes. In the rural counties just outside the city limits this process is even more exaggerated. Not an hour north from downtown Pittsburgh sits Butler, once a district filled with family farms and the farthest corner of the city’s industrial hub. These days the old manufacturing districts have folded into a post-industrial wasteland and the few farmers remaining are increasingly forced to sell off parcels of their land to the same kinds of developers who gentrified much of the city to their south. For many this is the face of the future; an inescapable wave that leaves the old ways propped up in ruins and the new just out of reach. But some, like Butler’s own progressive folk outfit String Machine, are rejecting the life they’ve inherited; taking the lessons they learned from “the frozen ruins of Western Pennsylvania” and using them to press forward into a future all their own.

String Machine’s music is an ethereal and vulnerable blend of folk, punk, and indie that invites the listener into it’s own sonic world; a nostalgia-laced place that “provides joy while wondering if joy is even possible.” On their sophomore record, The Death of the Neon, the seven piece band have reached a near spiritual point in their creation, blending everyday experiences and esoteric imagery into something that feels potent and transcendent. Nowhere is this better exemplified than on early standout Old Mack, a song that takes the story of being bit by an old dog and spins it into a contemplation on life and death with lines like “not all hounds go to heaven/ but I don’t know where the bad ones go”, “I’ve got it tied tight around my face/ blanket soul keeps the sap in my head”, and “let’s put make-up on my scares today/ and go see Manson at Star Lake/ and hope we wake up the same.” Throughout the record, lead songwriter David Beck uses images like the above to give a sort of surreal feeling to the scene he’s describing. Perhaps the best of these surreal images comes on the second track and lead single Eight Legged Dog where Beck sings an uneasy and slightly disturbing chorus: “the eight legged dog/ is coming along/ to ruin your grain.”

Several of the more vivid images also recur throughout, making Death of the Neon strikingly cohesive. The dog image occurs first in Eight Legged Dog and then again in Old Mack, the first as a personification of some dreadful thing and the second as a literal old hound. Similarly the phrase “soft margins” and the sap image pop up any time vulnerability comes into frame, while the phrase “excite again” first appears in No Holiday/Excite Again to signify doubting the possibility of joy and then appears as an inversion in Comforts From the Cobweb to signify a joy so powerful nothing could excite you beyond it. In the middle of the album the breeze plays a spiritual role in multiple songs, first drawing a comparison to a god and then a sense of calm and belonging with “in the breeze it’s alright to be.”

It’s the attention to such small details that sets The Death of the Neon apart from similar albums, or from most albums in general. This trait carries over into the whole arrangement as well. Every song is painstakingly layered with beautiful harmonies from their second vocalist Laurel Wain, sublime synth and piano lines, acoustic and electric guitars, strings, and even the occasional trumpet. It’s maximalism without the attention-seeking, complexity for the sake of sheer beauty and nothing else, and it’s the prime reason that Death of the Neon remains just as rewarding with each repeat listen as it is on the first play-through.

As with most albums in this vein, the main downside, if you can call it that, is in accessibility. Beck sings his lyrics in a loose, impassioned way that is heavily inspired by midwest “twinkly” emo and other 90s-inspired indie rock. The strength of this approach is that it conveys strong emotions well and has a sort of everyman charm, while the downside is that to the uninitiated it sounds pitchy and unrefined. When juxtaposed with Laurel Wain’s more ethereal voice, however, it reinforces and mirrors the band’s dual imagery: one part earthy, jagged past and one part dreamy, transcendental hope in a possible future.

Overall, Death of the Neon is easily one of the most complete and cohesive records of the year so far, and a shining example of our artistic mission statement at Not a Sound: build a world, not a sound. It’s an album you can dissolve into and explore over and over, unpacking new layers piece by piece with every fresh listen. Whether you’re a fan of psyche folk or if you didn’t know it was a genre until today, there’s a lot to experience, a lot to discover, and a lot to enjoy about String Machine‘s masterfully crafted new full-length, due out this Friday, August 2nd. The future is now, choose today what you will do with it.

8.2 (Best New Music)

Released: August 2nd, 2019
Label: Earthwalk Collective

Review: This is Not the End by Spielbergs

FFO Japandroids, Jeff Rosenstock, Titus Andronicus

One of the most curious bands in the 2019 indie punk landscape comes, somewhat surprisingly, from Oslo, Norway. No one is really clear how the three-piece anthem-rock outfit Spielbergs became an indie darling overnight, including the band themselves. All three members had been earnest and active members of the indie rock and punk community in Norway roughly a decade ago, but after years of failing to break through they had all more or less moved on with their lives and settled in to steady 9 to 5 jobs. It was frustration with this regular life and the mundane cycles it slips into that caused vocalist/guitarist Mads Baklien and drummer Christian Lovhaug, now in their 30s, to get together and start jamming as “an adult youth group, thing.” They had no real expectations at this stage, they just wanted to make music that was fun to play. Shortly afterward their first single, Daisy! It’s the New Me, hit number 27 on a yearly Best Song’s list on one of Norway’s national magazines. The EP it came from, Distant Star, brought in rave reviews from both Stereogum and Pitchfork in 2018.

A year later, Spielbergs are capitalizing on that sudden, unexpected momentum with their debut LP This is Not the End, and it’s already a forerunner for best punk/alternative record of 2019. Beginning with the opening power pop standard Five on It, Spielbergs craft a warm, fuzzy rock record packed with immediate lyrics, catchy hooks, and enough anthemic woah sections to draw in even the most casual listeners. It’s also a surprisingly diverse record. On Familiar and the nearly 8 minute odyssey McDonald’s (Please Don’t Fuck Up My Order) they dip into moody and cathartic post-rock. Sleeper tone’s down the fuzz for a moment to produce a quiet folk song, led by a solo acoustic and backed up by ambient tremolo soundscapes. Sandwiched between these is You All Look Like Giants, which sounds sort of like Dinosaur Jr. covering an Achtung Baby era U2 song. With a spread this wide it would be easy for an album to feeling jarring or disjointed, but Spielbergs place each foray into new territory perfectly in its proper context to create an impressively coherent piece start to finish.

Lyrically This is Not the End is a restless daydream, the musings of men longing for everyday fulfillment with none of the revolutionary aggression that is steadily becoming mainstream in punk music again. Baklien humorously quips that his lyrics essentially amount to “whining”, but that doesn’t stop them from being incredibly relatable. What’s more impressive is that their lyrics hit home so acutely, despite the band admitting that they aren’t very confident in their English and were worried the songs wouldn’t come out well. Even without taking into account the language barrier, lines like “we could be perfect!” in Distant Star, “what do you want/what do you hope for?” in We Are All Going to Die, or “I don’t want to be a part of your future” from Bad Friend make perfect hooks. The directness in these short lines make them easily to shout along with after one listen and the conviction with which Spielbergs deliver them make them cathartic as all hell.

The only major weakness of the record is the mix. While it’s not really much worse off than most punk records, the guitars have a tendency to dominate these recordings. Most of the time this is exactly the intention, but throughout the record the lyrics dip in and out of intelligibility under the sheer force of the fuzz. Even in the choruses, the biggest strength of the record as a whole, whole lines dissolve into just melodies, leaving you with the distinct impression of “that was catchy” without giving you the opportunity to really sing along. In the grand scheme of things this isn’t the worst issue to have however, as a lot of bands, including sludge metal darlings Baroness, manage to get by with much worse and even thrive in the critical arena. It certainly hasn’t held Spielbergs back either, their reception from both fans and critics has been nothing but positive. At long last these three punk scene vets have finally been given their due, and on this their dynamic debut and opus, they’ve earned it fair and square.

Score: 8.3 (Best New Music)

Released: February 1, 2019
Label: By the Time it Gets Dark

Review: “IGOR” by Tyler, The Creator

IGOR represents a new creative high for Tyler, The Creator.

FFO: Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt

Tyler, The Creator made a name for himself in the 2000’s with his shock-rap verses, bars so intense that he became a household name while also getting himself banned in England. Odd Future (shortened from Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) was truly the Sex Pistols of rap music, an outsider crew of young, irreverent guys with a big, harsh sound, and even bigger goals. Their crew has yielded now legendary solo-careers with Frank Ocean and Earl Sweatshirt becoming some of the most critically acclaimed musical artists of the modern era, but Tyler, The Creator has always held a different pace. While his first three official solo albums yielded a similarly harsh, punky attitude to his work in Odd Future, his 2017 release Flower Boy showed a new, sensitive side to Tyler. No longer hiding behind his bad-boy image, he showcased the sensitive should he always has been, rather than hiding behind his persona. Flower Boy proved to be his most successful album to date, until the arrival of IGOR a few weeks ago.

In many ways, IGOR feels like a natural progression from Flower Boy. Many of the production elements remain the same: the melodic synths, the lush, gospel-inspired chords and emotionally raw lyrics. The difference here is that he no longer constrains himself to a rap-image. He proclaimed via social media that this would not be a “rap album.” It is, but only loosely. The first single, and early highlight of the album “EARFQUAKE” features pitched-up vocals, similar to Frank Ocean’s “Nikes,” in which Tyler sings for the entirety of the track. Later tracks also feature this vocal style; Tyler sings nearly as much as he raps on this record. The result is his most melodic-release to date.

That is not to say that he does not have good bars on IGOR. “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” has an incredibly catchy verse amidst the pitched-up vocals, with his classic punchy flow. The following track “NEW MAGIC WAND” will please many Odd Future fans with the distorted synth-bass and lo-fi beat, although even here, his rapping is more melodically driven than it was on previous releases. Over all, fans of his work on Goblin or Bastard might be underwhelmed, but that is not for lack of artistic prowess; it’s just a different style.

Although IGOR is most clearly linked with Flower Boy, it is important to note that it is a distinct album. Whereas the later adhered mainly to traditional song-structures, IGOR songs rarely follow a verse/chorus progression. The songs are often short, but at the same time sprawling. They are not traditional, and show-case Tyler’s visionary capabilities as an artist who can think out of the pop of the pop sphere, while still having mainstream appeal. The record will (and does; it’s his first number-one album) have pop-appeal, but the impressive thing is that he thinks outside of the box to do so.

Lyrically, IGOR is focused around the formation and destruction of a significant romantic relationship. It is a break-up album to the max, but rather than be soft and whiny, it is at times angry, harsh, and mournful, but above all, catchy. Tyler is not afraid to where his influences on his sleeve. “I THINK” sounds like it could’ve been on 808s & Heartbreak, and Kanye is even featured on “PUPPET.” The features on the album mostly take a supporting role, but are all positioned in a way that feels purposeful.

IGOR represents a new creative high for Tyler, The Creator. He continues to experiment to great success. It’s amazing to think how one group yielded some of the greatest popular artists of recent decades. IGOR firmly places Tyler in this tier, as he continues to grow and develop.

Score: 8.2 (Best New Music)

Release Date: May 17th, 2019

Label: Columbia Records

For info on our rating scale, see : https://notasound.org/2018/11/01/our-rating-scale/

Review: thank u, next by Ariana Grande

thank u, next definitively places Ariana in the cannon as an era-defining pop star in the vein of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

Ariana Grande’s rise from teeny-bopper Nickelodeon star to pop icon has felt fast and slow at the same time. Initially, her music career was aimed to market towards the tween audience that watched her on TV, but she rejected this after releasing only one single. Instead, we got her excellent 2013 debut, the Babyface-produced Yours Truly, which effortlessly blends the styles of the R&B/pop legends of the 80’s and 90’s with production updates and tweaks that kept it fresh but not trendy. The beats and R&B aesthetic meshed well with rappers, allowing her singles to cross over from pop to urban charts. The records that followed saw greater success, as producers used her natural talent and charisma (not to mention that voice) to mold the Ariana brand into a variety of different styles, ranging from EDM to pop-ballads to reggae.

Although this brought on great success in the charts, there was no clear picture of who Ariana actually was through her music. In interviews she would clap the label “honest” on all of her songs, but there was always a personal aspect that seemed to be lacking in her music. Although she had writing credits on many tracks, it was unclear whether or not she was an artist or a puppet, another pretty face and big voice that was in the right moment or the right time.

This all changed with 2018’s Sweetener, released last August. The album was a huge step forward from her previous work, lyrically and sonically. Many of the songs on the first half of the album were structurally progressive, as Pharrell helped her tap deeper into her hip-hop influences and broke her out of the usual pop tropes. Lyrically, the album delves into more personal territory; many of the songs openly discuss her engagement to comedian/actor Pete Davidson, and also healing from the bombing that famously took place at her concert in Manchester. It seemed that she had finally found her voice as an artist; her music sounded more her’s than her producer’s.

Then just when things were going well, her ex-boyfriend, Pittsburgh’s own Mac Miller, died suddenly from a drug overdose. Her relationship with Davidson fell apart in the wake of this tragedy, and her relationships and life were so analyzed by the media that people started to get sick of her, when in the previous months she had been untouchable. It is with this context that she released thank u, next a mere six months after her last record.

The quick turn-around does not disappoint. The songs sound raw and blunt. Whereas listening to Sweetener felt like sitting on a cloud, thank u, next feels firmly grounded in reality. Opening track “imagine” is a classic Ariana ballad that paints a picture of a simple vision of love, the subtext of course being that she knows this vision is impossible. The sadness in her voice is palpable. Although lyrically it is similar to past releases, she sings it differently than she would have if the song had been released six years ago.

The second track, “needy,” whips her back into reality. Over a melancholy chord progression she sings, “And I’ma scream and shout for what I love / passionate but I don’t give no fucks / I admit that I’m a lil’ messed up / But I can hide it when I’m all dressed up / I’m obsessive and I love too hard / Good at overthinking with my heart / how you think it even got this far, this far?” It’s easily the most vulnerable and authentic she’s ever been on a track. These lyrics feel real and the simplicity of the instrumentation emphasizes the raw place that these songs came from.

Ariana does not stay on the sad-girl train the whole album though. Immediately following “needy” is the bouncy “NASA,” which might be her catchiest song ever. It’s an ode to being alone, to wanting space rather than being forced into it. The hook is so addictive that I’ve actively listened to it ten-plus times in a row; it’s the perfect example of what a pop song should be.

If the entire album was as good as the first three tracks, we would probably have a modern classic on our hands, but unfortunately that’s not the case. She dips into the faux-Latin trend on “bloodline” which lacks the authenticity of the previous songs, and seems clearly geared for air play and streams. “bad idea” takes a darker turn, with heavy bass blasts and an ominous guitar hook. This track features one of the more experimental productions choices, with a brief instrumental orchestra break just when you think the track is ending. It sounds cinematic and dark, and as it swells, an altered beat kicks on with Ariana’s vocals pitched several octaves down, making it sound almost like a Future track for a few seconds.

The record has quite a bit of variety stylistically, but sonically all the songs fit in the same world. It rarely slows down except on the airy ballad “ghostin” which speaks vulnerably about her own faults in her high-profile relationships. “I know that it breaks your heart when I cry again,” she sings over whooshing synths and sparse strings. It reinforces that this is a truly personal record, even more so than Sweetener. Whereas Sweetener felt like a calculated reaction and intentionally big statement, thank u, next has a flash-in-a-pan quality that brings the messages home much more strongly; it showcases Ariana as a songwriter and as a somewhat hardened celebrity. She sings (and at points, actually raps) with more conviction, more force, more confidence.

thank u, next definitively places Ariana in the cannon as an era-defining pop star in the vein of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Her record is not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. It is not this record alone that accomplishes this, but the thrill of her artistic progression over the last six or so years. For the first time, she has truly shown us her flaws, and the result is her biggest statement as an artist yet.

Rating: 8.0 (Best New Music)

For info on how we rate albums see our rating scale.

Label: Republic Records

Release Date: Feb. 8, 2019

Review: “Future Ruins” by Swervedriver

The sixth studio album by U.K. shoegaze outfit Swervedriver is a dynamic musical exploration of modernist dystopia.

FFO: Dinosaur Jr., Cloakroom, My Bloody Valentine

The sixth studio album by U.K. shoegaze outfit Swervedriver is a dynamic musical exploration of modernist dystopia. It is the second new record from the band since reuniting in 2013, building on their 2015 comeback I Wasn’t Born to Lose You with a more experimental spirit while still delivering all of the touchstones fans from their 90s heyday have come to expect. Though the end product isn’t overwhelmingly groundbreaking for the band, it is a thoroughly impressive album on its own merits, swinging easily between massive arena fuzz rock, expansive shoegaze, and 70s-inspired progressive rock tendencies.

At its core Future Ruins is an album envisioning the present day through the lens of 60s modernism. It juxtaposes the optimism of that time surrounding the future with the chaotic future that the Western world actually inherited. Much of this is done using iconic imagery from the golden era, referencing the Berlin Wall, advances in war technology, and a world made more accessible by feats of mechanical engineering yet a world growing increasingly divided. One of the most prominent and most repeated images is spacial exploration. This is incredibly fitting not only because the space race was perhaps the greatest beacon of hope for a generation hedging their future on technological progress, but also because it dually serves as a monument to human isolation in what is ironically the most connected era of our existence.

The opener, Mary Winter, sees an astronaut drifting out in space longing for a home he cannot yet return to, isolated in the great black void. On the very next track, The Lonely Crowd Fades in the Air, we flash back to earth where the same loneliness pervades mankind as they uneasily march towards the end days. We are simultaneously in the future, as seen by the 60s, but entirely uncertain if we have a future to look forward to in the present. As vocalist Adam Franklin croons into the title track with the quite direct line “we are ruled by fools”, it becomes clear that the future ruins in question are both the present, built on the failed future promise of the 60s, and the immanent future we walk into uncomfortably every day.

Musically Future Ruins leans on a palette as large scale as its message. Though the album switches between several tempos and feels, every single one of them is united by a focus on being as enormous as physically possible. At times it is reminiscent of American shoegaze-cousin Dinosaur Jr., at other times Built to Spill hopped up on human growth hormones, and at still others the spacey, otherworldly sounds of My Bloody Valentine, each presented in monolithic packaging. It’s wonderful, fully immersive noise. Swervedriver are at their best when they embrace this noise, like in the guitar freak-out at the end of Theeascending or the slow build of closer Radio Silent, which gradually adds layers until it roars into a beautiful cacophony. None of this is inherently new to shoegaze as a genre, but Swervedriver execute each maneuver with the precision expected from a band in their prestigious position, resulting in a truly masterful album.

The downside, as many critics before me have pointed out, is that despite its successful experiments, Future Ruins is still a very safe album for a band that continually hints at the ability to truly transcend their genre. It needs stated, however, that a safe album from Swervedriver would be an artistic odyssey for many other bands, so I don’t count it nearly the strike that many would. What could stand improvement on the other hand are the lyrics, which at points feel distant and disconnected. Despite a few clever lines, some clear standout images, and some very heady subject matter, the general lyrical collection is fairly ho-hum, fitting easily into the atmosphere and tone of the songs, but only seldomly jumping off the page.

All in all Future Ruins is a marvelous album, a great new edition to the band’s already cult-revered canon. Even if you aren’t familiar with the band’s back-catalogue it easily stands out on its own: this was the first Swervedriver album I’ve ever heard and I can honestly say I was immediately impressed by it’s artistic scope and musicianship. It’s certainly one of the best releases of a relatively quiet January 2019 and a dark-horse end of the year list contestant.

8.0/10 (Best New Music)

For more information on how we score our albums see Our Rating Scale.

Label: Dangerbird Records
Release Date: January 25, 2019

Review: Better Oblivion Community Center (Self-Titled)

“Better Oblivion Community Center is easily one of the best albums we have heard this year. Not only is it an example of phenomenal folk-rock songwriting, but also a truly fun project for as serious as the subject matter is.”

FFO: Phoebe Bridgers, Bright Eyes, Folk-Rock

Apparently, Phoebe Bridgers really likes working with other people. After releasing last year’s excellent boygenius EP in October with fellow indie stars Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, she has returned with another collaborative album, with virtually no prior warning. This past Thursday, our ears were blessed by the self-titled debut from Better Oblivion Community Center, a collaboration between Bridgers and emo-folk veteran Conor Oberst (most famous for his work with Bright Eyes).

Although the album was a surprise to everyone, it is not the first time that the two have collaborated. Bridgers’ excellent debut Stranger In The Alps (2017) features a duet with Oberst on the back half of the record called “Would You Rather.” The collaboration made sense on the album; Bridgers’ blend of haunting lyrics and folk-rock melodies bears obvious influence from Oberst’s work, which she likely would’ve listened to while growing up. It was a point of connection on the record to a previous generation of songwriters, showing the progression of the genre over time.

While “Would You Rather” is a duet and sounds like one, none of the songs on Better Oblivion Community Center play off as duets. It definitively sounds like a band effort. Although some songs have a more hushed, acoustic environment, most have some sort of full-band arrangement. And, while Bridgers and Oberst do take turns on lead-vocal duties, they are more often singing at the same time. Although side-by-side their voices can sound like an odd pairing (to me, Oberst’s nasally, cracked voice always sounded kind of funny next to Bridgers on “Would You Rather”), when they sing together the contrast works quite well. Sometimes Bridgers is mixed louder and sometimes Oberst is, but it is done in a way that spreads the tonal emphasis perfectly, helping their two distinct voices to blend and compliment one another.

The album also showcases both singers’ abilities as lyricists. The haunting opener “Didn’t Know What I Was In For,” is a Phoebe lead track where she, in her detailed style, takes the listener down the road of an existential crisis in the form of cosmic helplessness, “I didn’t know what I was in for / when I signed up for that run / there’s no way I’m curing cancer, but I’ll sweat it out / I feel so proud for all the good I’ve done.” Conor joins her on the chorus, and although you can surmise that this is a Phoebe song, he sounds perfectly natural singing along with her.

Although Oberst does not disappoint at all as a lyricist, his writing voice is so unique that Bridgers occasionally has a hard time keeping up in the same way that he does on her songs. The Oberst songs are the ones that, while strong, sound less like a band, and more like a Conor Oberst project. Again, this is not necessarily bad, but it makes the record slightly uneven at points. This is perhaps the strength and weakness of the album. Having more than one fantastic songwriter on the project is a dream, but as a result, it lacks the cohesion and emotional tension of both artists’ previous work at some points.

Better Oblivion Community Center is easily one of the best albums we have heard this year. Not only is it an example of phenomenal folk-rock songwriting, but also a truly fun project for as serious as the subject matter is. This record sounds like it was a joy to make and collaborate on; it comes through in every performance. While it may not be as emotionally gripping as their solo work, it doesn’t have to be in order to be a great record. Also, I’ve got to say, I really, really hope they tour together.

Rating: 8.0 (Best New Music)

For info on how we score albums see our rating scale.

Label: Dead Oceans

Release Date: Jan 24, 2019

Review: “Tomb” by Angelo De Augustine

Tomb leaves the listener feeling refreshed in the way one feels after a good, healthy cry.

When someone experiences a significant breakup or loss of a romantic partner, there is usually a rush of conflicting feelings. Sometimes they manifest in betrayal and anger. Sometimes there is only shock and an inability to process the event. But more often than not, the most overwhelming feeling is one of deep mourning over the fact that something that was once good and beautiful is now gone. The mind spins trying to make sense of everything; relishing memories, attempting to sort out how we got from there to here. On the title track and album opener of Angelo De Augustine’s excellent Tomb, he captures this initial feeling perfectly, at once evoking remembrances of a beautiful relationship, wondering how it is now gone, “I walked into your life at the wrong time / never quite been perceptive of real life / it was not your fault or a fault of mine / but it’s hard to let you go this time.” It is more than mourning; it is a search for justification, a deep and resounding “why?”

Part of what makes these lyrics so powerful is the instrumentation. In a soft falsetto comparable to Sufjan Stevens (his label-mate and owner), Augustine’s double-tracked vocals hover over soft guitar plucking, with subtle piano underlying the second half of the track. The result is melancholy, melodic, and incredibly captivating. However, this is not your run-of-the-mill indie-folk record. The following track “All to the Wind” calls to mind a McCartney-penned Beatles track, with snappy piano-pop chords and subtle guitar parts providing more layers. “I Could Be Wrong,” sounds like something from the Postal Service or Sufjan’s Age of Adz, with a simplistic electronic beat and minimalistic synth textures. This album is no sleeper; at no point does the instrumentation feel mundane.

What makes this album stand out is the way it intersects beauty and pain. The record was written in 2017 in five days – December 20^th-25^th. The feeling that it evokes is similar to what many feel around the holidays. For a lot of folks it is a time of reflection and reckoning with one’s place in life within the context of somber beauty. The chorus of a stand-out track, “You Needed Love, I Needed You,” captures this reflective mood, “Life’s been hard and you’ve lived a few / did I give too much love to you? / I’m sorry but it’s what I had to do / you needed love and I needed you.” It’s heartbreaking in that it recognizes the situation, but does not desecrate the beauty that once existed in the relationship.

This song also exemplifies effective songwriting in its use of images that are specific enough to give the listener a clear picture, but also general enough that most people can relate to them without being generic. “Back in my hometown looking for a silver Honda / but there’s too many all around / and I fear I’ll never find you / so I walk around.” Everyone in the civilized world knows what a silver Honda looks like, yet it’s a specific enough image that it feels real, allowing the listener to attach their own associations to it and cry right along with Angelo.

While much of this album deals with heartbreak, it also goes beyond it. That is to say, the breakup is not isolated; it is contextualized in the songwriter’s world. Hushed acoustic track “Kaitlin” invokes memories of family, “Mother left you in the night / my father faded into the same light / now we’re both hoping to find someone.” The record has wide vision and it immerses the listener deeply into its world.

Tomb leaves you feeling refreshed in the way one feels after a good, healthy cry. It’s not panicky or hopeless, but an honest attempt to reckon with loss that is just as normal and human as it is to weep for things worth weeping over. It is appropriately named, as it is a monument to something that was at one time good and beautiful that deserves to be remembered in the minds of the artist and listener alike.

Score: 8.8 (Best New Music)

For info on how we score album see https://notasound.org/2018/11/01/our-rating-scale/

https://open.spotify.com/album/0H3WQSbJ7SgZtB35BEOP9P?si=auKmFP7DR1yNcQzOAZMP5w