Cordavision Music Reviews

They’re just farming for XP to level up by the end of the year, don’t worry about quality over quantity. Since I literally wrote about these guys a few weeks back, I have no idea how to properly introduce you other than to link you to my Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava review so you can get the full picture. However, there’s even more context behind this release. In 2017, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard put out five albums, just as they did this year with this album, Changes . This album, however, was meant to be the fifth album of 2017. With most King Gizz releases, there’s a core concept, with this one having every track in D major / F# major chord changes. I’m not even sure if I worded that correctly, but you get the idea. There’s also a pretty visual reference to the track titles, if you’ve got a keen eye. King Gizz have continued to raise the bar all this year and this shouldn’t be any different. Let’s get into Changes and see how I felt about it. As I looked ...

This is proof that AI art can sometimes be beautiful. I recently hit a milestone that I’ve been wanting to hit with my music-listening journey: I’ve gotten through every single studio album from King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, just in time for them to ANNOUNCE THREE MORE ALBUMS RELEASING THIS MONTH. Yeah, that’s how these little Aussies roll with their music. King Gizz’s previous release, this past April’s double album Omnium Gatherum , is one of the best rock albums of the decade so far, in my opinion, so they’re setting the bar pretty high. With their third album of 2022, Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava is tackling a pretty big concept: Seven tracks that are built around the main 7 Greek modes of music. It’s an interesting idea, so let’s see what tricks these little goblins have up their sleeves. As I mentioned earlier, each track on the album is built around and/or inspired by the seven major Greek modes of music. I’m not someone who knows about music theory or a...

That’s a small-ass island. I have to admit, I’ve been anticipating this album for a long time. Calvin Harris’s first Funk Wav Bounces album from 2017 is one of my favorite albums of all time, and if I’m being totally honest, I think a second release in this series wasn’t ever going to happen. Either way, here we are. We have a DJ Khaled-esque murderers’ row of features which are Snoop Dogg, Young Thug, Normani, Pharrell Williams, Dua Lipa, Busta Rhymes, Justin Timberlake, Chloe Bailey, 21 Savage, Latto, Charlie Puth, Tinashe, Swae Lee, Stefflon Don, Offset, 6lack, Pusha T, Donae'o, Halsey, Lil Durk, Shenseea, and Jorja Smith. How do I feel about this new entry? Let’s get into it. I went into this not thinking that this was going to top the first one, mainly because it doesn’t come close to hitting the peak that is “Slide” with Frank Ocean and Migos from the first album, but I do think that there are some redeeming qualities here. Of course, the production here is gorgeous. Mixing ...

Honestly, this cover’s just pretty. It’s no secret that I’ve been a Harry Styles fan for a while now. Well, at least since the hiatus that One Direction is currently on, which probably won’t stop anytime soon. Even since those times, I could tell that there was more to Harry Styles. While most of the other 1D members’ solo careers have floundered, Styles has been absolutely killing it, even outside of the music industry with being a full-time actor at this point now. Now, about three years after his last studio effort, the incredible Fine Line , we have Harry’s House , which I think is gonna be something more intimate than we’ve gotten in the past. Let’s get into how I feel about it. Let’s do a fun comparison. If Fine Line was Harry’s funk album, this is Harry’s synthpop album, and this is a sound that fits him pretty well. In a couple of places, especially in the first half of the album, there were many parts that reminded me of Prince in a couple of ways. The 80s-rock-inspired produ...

Cache Saturday is a new series of unranked reviews where I’m gonna catch up on albums I’ve listened to, whether it’s for the first time or not. I’ll also cover new albums I’ve missed from earlier or were cut from my schedule. Also, they’ll all be done in one paragraph. Here’s the first entry, Jon Batiste’s Grammy-nominated WE ARE . Woooow, how have I not heard his solo work yet? I know he’s also nominated and won for his work on the score for Pixar’s Soul, but this is just great. I’m pretty sure Batiste has a degree as a jazz pianist and it shows here. I love all the influences here like funk, soul, hip-hop, and gospel, yet it doesn’t feel like any of them. I could also tell Batiste is from New Orleans, mainly because the sound just feels born from it. Most of all, it just feels genuine. It feels like there’s a talented man at work here and it shows across the board. No wonder Batiste is the most nominated artist at this year’s Grammys. Listen here YouTube Music WE ARE is a Verve rele...

Holy shit, it’s finally here. You know, I could safely say that this is my most anticipated album of 2021. Who the hell would ever imagine Bruno Mars, an industry titan and hit-making machine, and Anderson .Paak, one of the most underrated yet most respected artists working now (who also happens to be one of my favorite musicians ever), to team up for an entire album under a new name, Silk Sonic? I know a couple of people that doubted this, but right when I heard the news of them working together, I knew this was gonna be an absolute treasure. The three singles released for this album, the chart-topping “Leave The Door Open,” the bubbly “Skate,” and my personal favorite “Smokin Out the Window,” were all damn near perfect. There was a level of chemistry between Mars and .Paak that’s rarely captured in music. I may not agree with this notion, but people I’ve asked have said that this is the closest we’ll ever get to having Michael Jackson and Prince working together. Either way, Silk Son...

Most of the people I know in my life weren’t even close to alive in between breaks of new ABBA material. It’s no question that ABBA is one of the most iconic and legendary musical acts of all time. I’d say that they’re also well known for their vocal harmonies. I mean, have you heard “Dancing Queen?” Have you heard “Waterloo?” Granted, even with the hype (or lack of hype) for this comeback album, Voyage , I was cautiously excited about this project. Hell, I never doubt ABBA for their artistic quality, but it’s literally 40 in between this album and their last, 1981’s The Visitors . So, does this new album live up to the massive expectations? Let’s see if it does. Honestly, they still have the vocals down pat, but the biggest standout to me is the production. It sounds damn fantastic, and quite frankly, I always thought that this was gonna be the case, but this was pretty surprising. I’d say that the biggest issue here is the biggest issue in nearly all of ABBA’s albums: too many ballad...

I literally went four months thinking that this album was called Sometimes I Might Be An Introvert only to find out there’s no ‘an.’ Little Simz is an artist that has been praised quite a bit over in the U.K., and I know quite a few American fans too. Her last full-length album, GREY Area , is one of the most praised albums of 2019 and ever since I’ve heard it, I totally understand why. Announced back in the spring, her newest album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is highly anticipated by her fans and it’s been highly anticipated by me as well. Unlike most albums that are anticipated by me, I went into this without hearing any singles. It was pretty painful to go four months without listening to it, but I feel like it’s gonna be worth it. So, let’s not waste any more time and get into Sometimes I Might Be Introvert . Um, how do I start this? To my knowledge, I have never started a review like that before. Okay, I’m just gonna go through the basics. The production here is absolutely g...

This is definitely gonna be a review where the members of this group are definitely gonna see it somehow, but I’m never gonna know. I wish I had a bio on SAULT. I really wanna know who these people are, but I guess they don’t want us to know. The most we know is that they’re a London neo-soul/R&B group and that this is their fifth album in two years. The two albums they put out in 2020, Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise) , are some of the most celebrated albums of that year. Outside of that, that’s all I really got on them. This new album, Nine , is weirdly available for only 99 days, which is October 2 if y’all don’t wanna do the math. It’s also available for a free download on their website, which will be available past that date. So, what the hell’s going on with this album? Let’s get into it and see. This album is just as thought-provoking as their Untitled duology, but think of this as an abridged version of it. Those albums are nearly an hour long each, but this is onl...

I wrote a college paper on the concept of IGOR , and I got an A-. I think I’m pretty qualified for this. If you know me, you probably know that Tyler, the Creator is one of my favorite artists of all time. Even if his earlier work doesn’t resonate with me as much as I’d like it to, his talents go beyond what I think anyone expected from Goblin or even Wolf to an extent. Flower Boy and IGOR are some of my favorite albums of all time, and no matter what he was going to do next, I’m pretty sure that I was at least going to like it. Once the promotion started with these billboards and a phone number to call to hear an interlude from this album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST , I was immediately hooked. The first single that dropped, “LUMBERJACK,” was a very interesting lead-up for the album. It told me that this was gonna be a full-on rap album from him, which was something I’ve been waiting on, as much as I love IGOR . Also, I loved the DJ Drama inclusion on it, he gave the song so much ener...

Wow, I didn’t know that Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg could reinvent themselves so drastically. I gotta be honest with you, this isn’t my type of music. I’ve always had an appreciation for rock music like this, but it’s never been my personal favorite. Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, has always been an artist that has consistently brought her a-game to every release she’s done. Now, her latest project, Daddy’s Home , is one of the most anticipated rock records of the year. Straight to the point intro here, so let’s get right into the album. Right off the bat, this album isn’t what I expected. The cover gives off some vintage, 70s soul vibe and it’s actually a really great look for Clark. As I said earlier, this is a rock album through and through. The production on this is clean and smooth as fuck, it almost feels magical. Super-producer Jack Antonoff gave his golden touch to this, and as always, it’s fantastic across the board. It’s really going for that 70s style and nosta...

Oddly enough, I ate some broccoli when I listened to this album. Dude, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this album. It hasn’t been high up on my list of anticipated projects, but god dammit, I’m so excited about this. Shelley is one of those artists that I’ve been dying to drop at some point. If you don’t know the name Shelley, you’d know the name DRAM. You remember “Broccoli” with Lil Yachty? Yes, that guy. Shelley FKA DRAM is his first studio effort in five years, and he’s quite different since we last heard him. Coming with the name change, Shelley has introduced a more sophisticated and even seductive sound that could work very well with his new image. Let’s get right into it, shall we? If you were (or still are) a fan of his breakout tracks like “Cute” or the aforementioned “Broccoli,” you’re not gonna find anything like that here. Changing to his stage name comes a new sound: classic 90s R&B. He isn’t really reinventing the wheel here, but it’s still a smooth ...

It isn’t often for me that I can pick out a specific album that got me into a genre, but there is one exception. Vaporwave has always been a genre I’ve been hot and cold on. The best of the genre is absolutely mesmerizing, and the worst is just… boring. Two artists have luckily been in the former for their entire careers. Saint Pepsi, who now produces under the Skylar Spence name, and luxury elite, one of the most popular names in the genre, and personally one of my favorite producers ever, teamed up for a project for the ages, Late Night Delight . Now, over 8 years after its release, I’m finally giving it a formal review. Let’s just get right into it. The two halves of this project are handled by the two artists. luxury elite takes the first half, which has more of a laid-back, calmer vibe, and Saint Pepsi’s half is more sample-heavy, bouncy tracks. Each side has their highlights, but I personally prefer lux’s take on a late night drive through the city to Pepsi’s. The album is booken...

R.I.P. Daft Punk. You will live on forever. No, they didn’t die. It just feels like they did. The duo known as Daft Punk, consisting of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, officially retired their robot personas earlier this week, and this one hit a lot harder than I thought it would. I figured it would be fitting to talk about one of their albums this week because of this, but there was so much to choose from. Discovery , Homework , Human After All , the Tron: Legacy score… There was so much that’s iconic in their discography, but I feel like there’s one project that I feel like I can talk about in full, mainly because I lived through it. This is Daft Punk’s final outing, Random Access Memories . This feels like Daft Punk’s most human record. Ironically, this should’ve been called Human After All . The disco-influenced tones of their past projects are gone, and they’re replaced by mainly a rock-and-roll vibe. It was strange at the time, but it’s all I can remember about...

 

Summer is one of the best times of the year in general, but it’s also one of the best times for music. There are some summers where an artist or album dominates playlists throughout the season, like in 2018 when Travis Scott dropped ASTROWORLD . That record was all over the place, but along with that, it’s also one of the most iconic albums of the 2010s. When producer Calvin Harris decided to ditch the EDM music that made him a household name, the type of music he gravitated towards was practically made for summer: funk. This one-off project called Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 united an eclectic group of performers on a playlist curated for the hottest season of the year. Let’s get into it and see what makes this project so different from the rest of the pop world. Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is a funk album with pop, disco, and R&B. Now, call me crazy, but I think this is one of the most enjoyable albums of this decade. Before Funk Wav , I always thought that Calvin Harris was a one-tric...

D’Angelo is one of the most revered musicians of the 90s and early 2000s. After his classic album Voodoo , his career began to tumble down after entering rehab. Throughout that time, he was dropped from his label and his career eventually came to an end. Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, he slowly collaborated with other artists while rumblings of a new album were popping up left and right. Then, nearly fifteen years after Voodoo , D’Angelo is back with Black Messiah , one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory. Let’s get into Black Messiah . Black Messiah is a neo-soul album with jazz, funk, R&B, and rock influences. This album is pure atmosphere. While funk and R&B are well-played genres, Black Messiah leans into this sound to a large degree to much success. This feels like an experience that is meant to listen through, and that’s the least positive thing I could say about Black Messiah . I have to compare this to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly beca...

I’ve covered Childish Gambino, a.k.a. Donald Glover, before, and I’ve been a fan of his. His albums have always had some type of value to me. Camp has the classic track “Bonfire” and I have the monologue at the end of “That Power” near-memorized, Because the Internet is an album that ran rampant during my middle school years, and his most recent release 3.15.20 has actually grown on me quite a bit since writing my review. I forgot to mention one release, though. That is “Awaken, My Love!” , Gambino’s 2016 R&B and funk detour. Yes, you know “Redbone” already, but what about the rest of the album? Let’s get into it and see how “Awaken, My Love!” is. “Awaken, My Love!” is an R&B album with funk, psychedelic, and soul undertones. This album is a sharp left turn from Gambino’s usual rap tracks, and this was a much-needed change. As much as I love Camp and Because the Internet , I was worried that this sound was going to become stale for him. Oh, boy, this sound didn’t get stal...

I’ve been a Thundercat fan for a while now. I first found him through Flying Lotus’s music and albums and as a part of Kendrick Lamar’s band for To Pimp a Butterfly , and I’ve been in love ever since. His solo projects have always been a little lacking to me, though. It’s been style over substance, in my personal opinion. When It Is What It Is was announced, I was feeling excited about it. I have always enjoyed Thundercat’s solo projects, but they’ve never had any replay value to me. I’m hoping that It Is What It Is isn’t that, so let’s get into it and find out. It Is What It Is is a jazz album with soul, R&B, and hip-hop influences throughout. Like his past albums, Thundercat knows how to set a good atmosphere. He knows how to make a soundscape, and this is shown off in all of its glory in It Is What It Is . One thing that popped out in this that I never really noticed in his other releases is his personality. He’s very funny, and his writing is proof of that! The singles are t...