Cordavision Music Reviews

Just when I think I’m out, I’m pulled back in. Okay, hi again. I’m not saying I’m back for good, but I just hit a stride, and I’m not gonna lie, I miss writing for the fun of it. Anyway, I’ve talked about this band on the site before. I might just have to make a tag to link all their albums together. King Gizzard went on a damn-near-perfect streak of three separate projects last October, and knowing that whatever they did next was a spiritual successor to 2019 fan favorite Infest the Rats' Nest , it’d certainly be up my alley. Now, we have PetroDragonic Apocalypse , which I will just shorten it to that because of the long-ass album title you can see at the top. It’s a mouthful, I know. Either way, let’s get into it. PetroDragonic Apocalypse sees the group move into a genre they’ve dabbled in before: metal. Throwing in dashes of thrash, speed, and even stoner metal helps make the Aussie band’s most chaotic, in-your-face, and probably entertaining project as a whole yet. Environment...

American Idol -ass cover. I guess I’d say I’m a fan of Yung Lean. Ever since getting into that Drain Gang circle with Bladee and Ecco2k, I’ve always liked what I’ve heard from Yung Lean’s output, even if his last project Stardust didn’t really live up to the other things I’ve heard. However, I was completely out of the loop on this side project of his, jonatan leandoer96. Out of the other songs I’ve heard from this that I checked out after this project, it has more of an indie folk edge to it. On this album, Sugar World , Lean takes a turn into Bowie-esque glam rock. It’s certainly an interesting experiment that piqued my interest, so let’s ride off into Sugar World . I should start off by saying that I’m a fan of artistic risks, with Lil Yachty’s most recent project being the biggest example in recent memory, and while Sugar World is an overall enjoyable listen, there are just a couple of things holding it back from greatness to me. Lean’s vocals are pretty inconsistent in quality t...

Canada’s a real wild place, huh? Ah, the first review of the new year. It’s pretty exciting to see what the standard will be for the first big albums of the year, and the fact that there was a surprise album from The Weeknd that kicked off 2022 and that *wasn’t* the highlight really said something. 2022 was a banner year, and we’re already off to a good start this year. Canadian singer-songwriter Nicole Dollanganger is back, five years after her last album Heart Shaped Bed , with a new album, which came as a surprise to me. She dropped a great single in support of this album last year titled “Whispering Glades,” and mainly because I’m an idiot and didn’t keep track of any other singles, a new album flew off my radar. Basically, Married in Mount Airy came as a wonderful surprise when it came up last week on my calendar. Either way, a new album is here and, most importantly, I’ve heard it. Let’s get into it. I haven’t been riding or dying for Dollanganger’s music in recent months, but t...

Honestly, if you’re heart is quite literally glowing, you might have to see a doctor. Okay, hi. It’s been a hot minute. I’m gonna be more consistent with the reviews and do a little catch-up with some other albums I’ve heard, but this is one I’ve sat on for a while. Weyes Blood has been an artist that I’ve fallen in love with. I know I’m not the only one thinking that her last album, 2019’s Titanic Rising , is probably a contender for the best indie rock album of the 2010s. I think it’s a landmark album that set the bar for indie rock/singer-songwriter albums for this decade. Now, we have something that could match the quality of that: Weyes Blood’s next album. And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow dropped last month, and I’ve had a good amount of time to sit on it. Let’s get into how I felt about it. The reason why I’ve had to take some time with this project is because I’ve had a hard time putting to words just how nice this is to listen to. This has a nostalgic, old school feeling that...

Shoutout Hivemind. Right off the bat, I’ll say that I didn’t expect this from Quadeca. The section of YouTuber-turned-musicians that are on my radar are pretty big, especially since I upload on YouTube. Of course, there’s Joji who successfully made the jump, but there are other YouTubers that happen to make music like KSI that really just don’t hit hard to me. Quadeca’s last album, From Me To You , really set up some potential for Quadeca to be a pretty successful YouTuber-to-rapper jump and I still enjoy that project today. His latest release, I Didn’t Mean To Haunt You , leans into a much more experimental and ambitious project. I plan to watch the accompanying visual album too, but it’s just been busy. So, let’s just get into it. So, if I didn’t make it obvious, this project is a whole different beast compared to the other Quadeca projects I’ve heard. This is much more of an art pop album with some alternative R&B, experimental rap, and even a little tinge of industrial thrown i...

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 ...

I’d like to throw this cover into the fray of one of the most recognizable cover arts of the 2010s. Alright, this may be a surprising revelation to some, but I’ve never heard an Arctic Monkeys album in its entirety. Sure, I’ve heard a couple of songs and most of their last album, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino , but never a whole project. The only song I’ve heard from this project, AM , is “R U Mine?,” which I think is a pretty good song. To my knowledge, AM is considered to be the sellout album in Arctic Monkeys’ discography, and that’s mainly why I decided to pick this as my first dive into the group. On top of their first album in four years releasing this Friday, I figured now would be a better time than ever to finally see what this group’s about. Let’s get into AM . I’ll say this off the bat: you can tell that most of these were singles or really wanted to be. Six of these songs were singles, that’s half of the album. It’s not as bad as the last Joyner Lucas album where there w...

First off, Tinker Bell isn’t overrated. Honestly, I’ve always liked the sound of beabadoobee. The first time I’d even heard of her, like most of us, was being sampled on that one Tik Tok song about a cup of coffee or something. I’m not even bothered to look up what that song is because I’m not even a fan of it. Either way, it helped me discover bea, and her debut album, 2020’s Fake It Flowers , is actually pretty good, so I’d be tuning in to whatever she did next. Lo and behold, we now have Beatopia in our grasp, so let’s just get into it. What I like the most about this is the production and overall vibe of the album. It reminds me a lot of the radio hits of the late 90s and early 2000s, and quite frankly, the rose-colored nostalgia glasses are on for that era. The use of genres like folk, indie pop, singer-songwriter, and dream pop keep the sound of this album evolving throughout to keep the listener on their toes. Combining that with the impressive vocals from Bea makes for a dream...

CAPRISONGS vs. Gemini Rights . Fight. I’ve always enjoyed Steve Lacy’s work with a catch. Oddly enough, his first solo album Apollo XXI really didn’t do anything for me at all, but his work with Odd Future-adjacent R&B group The Internet has always stood out to me more than his solo work. I am a sucker for some good neo-soul though, so why Apollo XXI didn’t click for me is beyond me. Either way, I’ve been pretty excited about his next release, Gemini Rights . How does it sound? Let’s get into it. In a weird way, there was an immediate comparison that I made a little bit after my first listen of this, and it was André 3000’s The Love Below , the second half of Outkast’s iconic double album. There’s no deep comparison on it like a similar theme or Lacy sounding like 3 Stacks at all, that’s just the vibe I felt while listening to this. Another thing about this is that this is beautifully produced across the board. Lacy’s voice, the beats, everything just comes together so smoothly. H...

Sometimes? Forever? What’s the difference? I’ve always liked Soccer Mommy’s brand of lo-fi, indie rock and what she’s gone for in terms of her content. I like all of her albums, but my personal favorite is 2020’s color theory, mainly because I think that it took her biggest strengths and concentrated it into a project. Now, we have Sometimes, Forever , a new album with a pretty big shake-up behind the scenes. Producing the album in its entirety is Daniel Lopatin, better known as Oneohtrix Point Never, who’s essentially a pioneer in electronic music and has currently found a second wind in his career with film scores and producing nearly the entirety of The Weeknd’s last project, Dawn FM . How does this clash sound? Let’s get into Sometimes, Forever . I still think Soccer Mommy’s writing and vocals are just as good here as in her past projects, and she has a way to capturing sadness into a song that’s unmatched by anyone else in the genre right now. I already think that this is her most...

Cuomoville? More like Cumville… I have the humor of a literal child. Earlier this year, prolific band Weezer announced the SZNZ series of EPs, one project released on the first day of the new season. Back in March, we got the spring installment, which was a set of acoustic tracks that, well, felt a lot like springtime. Now, we have the summer DLC of Weezer. How does SZNZ: Summer hold up? Let's get into it. It’s no secret among my group of friends that I think the worst Weezer project is Van Weezer, and in a weird way, I feel like the sound of this is a spiritual successor to that project. I may be a little hypocritical with this, but I actually think this is one of the most I’ve enjoyed a Weezer project so far. Before you go crazy, I’m not that familiar with Weezer’s discography just yet, so this is coming from very limited knowledge. The alternative/surf rock vibe of this album just defines summer perfectly, and the closing track is one of my favorite Weezer songs period now. Li...

The hoodie with this cover on it is incredible. Ada Rook has been on my radar for a while now. Even if I haven’t covered her solo work just yet, I’ve covered some of her work already. She was one half of the duo Black Dresses, which I’ve reviewed their last two albums, and she mastered Backxwash’s last album I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES . Ever since this project’s been announced, it’s been one of my most anticipated releases of this year. With a surprise drop that I learned about a day after it was released, UGLY DEATH NO REDEMPTION ANGEL CURSE I LOVE YOU is here. Let’s get into how I felt about it. If I had to describe this project in a word, it’d be crunchy because HOLY SHIT this is a loud project. I typically don’t mention mixing and mastering in my reviews, but it’s worth mentioning because I like the angle of just how grimy this is and it just feels dirty and buried into the Earth. When it comes to the writing, this was the album that made me realize how good of...

It’s probably just me, but why does this cover make this feel pretentious? It’s been a while since a new Lykke Li project, and I’ve honestly been pretty excited to see what could be coming next from her. I’ve liked her last album, so sad so sexy , although I still have to go through the rest of her albums. This new album’s called EYEYE , and it’s been an audio illusion to try and figure out how to pronounce it, so that would be really appreciated from someone. I really don’t know how else to make an intro to this outside of the joke about the title, so let’s get into EYEYE . You know something? This simply just didn’t do it for me. I’ve typically liked what I’ve heard of Li’s music, but I think it was just too monotonous for me. After looking at the lyrics, though, I think that’s the strongest aspect of this album. While the production was very pretty throughout, I think that her voice just felt… off here. Like, I can’t put my finger on it. I’m typically fine with the airy vocals, but ...

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...

Hahaha, we? I’ve always respected Arcade Fire more than I’ve actually liked them. Honestly, the first time I’ve even heard of the band was when I was watching Saturday Night Live a few years back, and my dad came in and asked why there were so many people on stage. After doing research, some of them perform all the instruments on tour with the group while it’s actually only six members on the studio albums. One of the members actually announced his departure a few days before this new album, WE , released. I’ve only heard a couple of their albums, and I thought they were okay, so I guess I’m expecting the same from WE . Let’s get into it. You want me to be honest with you? I just don’t have a lot to say about this. Just like the rest I’ve heard from the group, they just sound so so pretentious here. One of the other albums from them I’ve heard in full, Reflektor , is a good example of not overstaying your welcome when it comes to music. Yes, fans will know that Reflektor is nearly hal...

There’s a lot of output for a band that’s broken up, you know. Look, I don’t need to get into Black Dresses too much. Technically, they aren’t even a band anymore. Ada Rook and Devi McCallion broke up Black Dresses in 2020 after fan harassment, and after that, they decided to not be a band but drop music together anyway under the Black Dresses name. I still really don’t know what that means, but hey, we’re getting music out of it. Last year’s Forever In Your Heart is one of my favorite experimental releases of 2021, and honestly, I expect nothing different from this one. Let’s not waste any more time and get into Forget Your Own Face . To compare it to another one of their releases, I’d say it’s most similar to one of their first projects as a group, HELL IS REAL . That’s a more abrasive project, and I’ve called each Black Dresses project I’ve reviewed loud, but I mean it when I say that this album is *loud.* There are points where it could even be categorized as a noise album. The vo...

I’m all for artistic choice, but the gold frame missing on the left side is pissing me off personally. I have a weirdly specific story of how I came to find out about Beach House. When I was a kid, I went to the library a lot to look through the CDs to see what they had. Most of the time, they had the duo’s 2013 album  depression cherry on the shelf. I’d take it around and hold it often because it had a felt packaging. To this day, it’s something about that physical release, and the album itself, that I feel is weirdly nostalgic for me. Why do I say ‘weirdly?’ Mainly because it’s the only Beach House album I’ve heard up to this point. I don’t know why I never went back and listened to their other albums, I just haven’t yet. Maybe the weird sectioned release strategy of their newest album, Once Twice Melody , should’ve done it, but that’s just me. Either way, I waited until the whole album was out to review this one, and it’s finally here. Let’s get into Once Twice Melody . I state...

Getting some Fantastic Mr. Fox vibes on this one. Big Thief has always interested me, but what really caught my attention was lead singer Adrianne Lenker’s solo album from last year, songs . I just loved her voice and writing style, and after listening to some of Big Thief’s work, it translated very well to the band. Ever since then, I’ve been anticipating whatever Lenker or Big Thief would do next, and we have that in the form of a new double album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You . It’s a mouthful, I know, but if it’s anything like the group’s other albums, we’re in for a good time. Let’s get into it. Right off the bat, I’ll say that this is a massive album. It’s 20 tracks and a little over 80 minutes long, but miraculously, I wouldn’t cut a single song from this. It’s almost like a jam session happening while you’re sitting around a warm campfire with the group, pretty much like the cover art. Like I said earlier, Lenker’s songwriting and vocals carry over from other proj...

Why is everyone saying this is called Laurel Hell ? I’m definitely seeing Yanny Hell over here. Mitski has been an artist that has just been a little cool for me for a while. Yes, I adore Bury Me at Makeout Creek , Puberty 2 , and Be the Cowboy , but I’ve never really thought of Mitski as an artist I tend to go back to as often as some other artists I like. However, there seems to be a divide with this new project of hers, Laurel Hell . This is mainly coming from the sonic direction of the album, which includes more electronics and a whole lot of synthesizers. Either way, the singles from this intrigued me, so let’s not waste any more time and get into Laurel Hell . Look, let’s just get started with the positives. I think, as always, her vocals shine through quite a bit through the new sound and this new combo works surprisingly well. Even with the more synthesized production choices, it feels just a tiny bit forced. I'm sure that Mitski wanted this albums’s sound to go in this di...

No, let the plane out of the bag, they’re gonna suffocate in there!! At the time of writing this, today is the first anniversary of British post-punk outfit Black Country, New Road’s magnificent debut album, For the first time . For context, that was one of the first albums I officially gave a perfect score, and honestly, it’s stayed that way ever since. I’ve avoided the singles for this album successfully and I haven’t even heard the leaked live performances because I’m simply that excited for this. I did get a little scared about this just before its release. The frontman of the group, Isaac Wood, left the group due to mental health reasons and cancelled the international tour they were set to embark on. Obviously, mental health is a huge issue and I respect the choice Wood made with his group. However, Wood is the vocalist of the group and a very dynamic performer. It wouldn’t affect this album, but what about their future? Either way, Ants From Up There is finally here. Let’s get ...