Cordavision Music Reviews

It’s crazy that literally everyone I know was talking about Silk Sonic and I forgot this dropped the same day. When the first album in this new era of Taylor Swift’s career, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) , I ended up giving it a perfect score. It’s not a giant deal or anything like that, but by that logic, would I have to give the other ones the same score? So, we’re gonna change something up. I’ve heard the original Red album from 2012, and it’s safe to assume that the re-recorded songs are going to be relatively the same. So, here’s what’s gonna happen for this review. I’m gonna focus on the From the Vault songs, the cut songs from the original album that were recorded for the first time. So, let’s not waste any more time and get into Red (Taylor’s Version) . Let’s just get through the most anticipated aspect of this album, and that’s the new version of “All Too Well.” Widely considered to be one of her best songs, there was much to this song that was left on the cutting room floor, a...

I really do love the retro aesthetic of the cover art, though. I don’t cover country music that much here, but I honestly think I should try and give modern country a shot. Why not let it be Kacey Musgraves? Her last album, 2018’s Golden Hour , ended up taking the coveted Album of the Year trophy at the 2019 Grammy Awards and she essentially became a critical darling. In between albums, she ended up going through a divorce, and most of the content on this album is based on Musgraves’ emotional reactions to past events. It could be good, and with the appealing title of star-crossed and a nice album cover, I feel like this could at least be good. So, is star-crossed any good? Let’s see. Look, I don’t wanna start off being negative at all, but what the hell happened with the writing? Even if I’m not the biggest country fan, I do think Musgraves has been a good writer. If this was the first record I’ve heard from her, I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me her writing was good. It’s...

I find it great that in literally every picture I’ve seen Faye Webster in, she just looks different but the same…? It’s tough to explain. Let me just use this post to say that June 25th, 2021 has been one of the biggest New Music Fridays in a long time. It’s pretty nice that throughout all of this Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat and Lucy Dacus and Hiatus Kaiyote that Faye Webster is getting a bunch of press as well. The first time I heard of Webster was her song “Kingston” from her last album, Atlanta Millionaires Club . I didn’t listen to the singles going into this album, I Know I’m Funny haha , mainly because I didn’t get to, but I’m pretty glad that I didn’t. I personally enjoy listening to these types of albums without knowing the singles from it, so let’s just get right into I Know I’m Funny haha to see what all the fuss is about. The folk/country/alternative style is a pretty niche combination, yet it tends to work on paper. Webster has rocked this sound for her past albums and...

How does Gene Simmons say that rock music is dead but we have bands like this working? I’ve been telling you that I’ve been moving into post-punk music, right? If you haven’t seen my high praises for the new Squid and Black Country, New Road albums, I’m a new fan to the genre. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Iceage, a band that most fans of the genre consider to be one of the more consistent groups of the bunch. Their latest project, Seek Shelter , is set to be another entry into their discography that will please longtime fans, along with bringing in some new ones. I’m in the latter of this crowd, although I’ve heard most of their albums beforehand. How is Seek Shelter ? Let’s find out. To new fans, this is just a new album to check out, but for someone who’s listened and relatively enjoyed a bulk of Iceage’s music, this is a pretty big switch in sound for them. Yes, it still has a dark and gothic vibe, but now there are elements of country, Americana, and even some mainstream al...

Once more with feeling. We have a very special case here. Back in 2019, music businessman and manager Scooter Braun bought Taylor Swift’s rights to her masters from her old label, Big Machine Records. They were a pretty shitty label, everybody knows this. So, instead of trying to buy back those masters, Swift had decided to start re-recording her first SIX studio albums to regain the masters back while giving something to her rabid fans. This is a pretty ambitious undertaking, and honestly, I had no idea how this was gonna go. Right here, we have the first album in this (Taylor’s Version) series, her second studio album, the most awarded country album of all time, 2008’s Fearless . You’d think that ‘Oh, it’s just her old album with some bonus tracks.’ Well, there’s actually quite a bit I have to say, but first, let’s get a little personal. I’ve been a pretty big fan of Taylor Swift since 2012’s Red , which shaped my taste in pop music for at least 5-6 years, along with her pop music m...

 

Hear me out on this: I’m not a modern country fan. I just don’t really see the appeal in it, and I like some of the older songs better. These days, country music has become very masculine. Grilling, drinking beer with the boys, and taking rides in big green tractors have been running rampant, but artists like Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood have been redefining the genre for the past couple years. Now, after being blacklisted by the music industry fourteen years ago for simply stating their political beliefs, country music royalty the Dixie Chicks are back with Gaslighter , a very revealing, raw, and undeniably human album. Let’s get into it. Gaslighter is a country album with folk and pop influences. Jack Antonoff, a production titan, produced nearly all of Gaslighter , and having a name like that on a song is a huge deal, let alone a whole album. This whole album has a vibe of Lana del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers combined and with a country twang. The themes of divo...