Weekly Roundup - Unreviewed Releases: May 26-June 9, 2023

 

Calliope Music Weekly Roundup

Unreviewed Releases

May 26-June 9, 2023

Rated Albums

Portraits of Tracy - Drive Home 

5.5/10

Best Tracks: Lost! -- The Party -- Drunk* -- Home -- W. McKinley -- Found! -- Graceland

18 year old rapper-producer, Portraits of Tracy unveils high-voltage Pop Rap and textured Alternative RnB in their third studio album. Portraits of Tracy, a.k.a. Couren Bowman builds sweltering atmospheres through saturated synth leads, piercing bass lines and spacious melodies. Smooth RnB progressions are juxtaposed with lively Art Pop dynamics, cultivating warm environments of suburban summer and youthful anxiety. Such production highlights reverberated melodies, allowing a melodramatic breeze to flow through the air and one's attentive ears. Bowman also proves to have an effective voice, crafting balmy harmonies and flavorsome countertenor crescendos. Stirring production and vocals aside, the 66 minute project does find itself quite bloated through extended skits and a tiresome narrative. Bowman's rap verses also come off rather juvenile, using minimal wordplay and circular reasoning for boasts and moments of scurrility. Even with a plethora of disengaging interludes and some poor lyricism, Drive Home remains a feat through its distinguished blend of glossy Pop instrumentals, evocative RnB refrains and crystalline Estival manufacturing.

Foo Fighters - But Here We Are

7/10

Best Tracks: Under You -- But Here We Are -- The Glass -- Show Me How -- The Teacher -- Rest

Alternative Rock giants, Foo Fighters return for a heavy tribute to late drummer, Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl's mother, Virginia. High-voltage guitar surges through Pop progressions as Grohl's signature blunt force drumming makes a rare appearance. Vintage Alt-Rock tempos and buzzy guitar effects provide optimistic foundations for Grohl's elevated vocal performance. During slower temperaments, clean guitar rises to the occasion, setting a glassy feel to somber tracks. Even during gentle moments, Grohl's insatiable drumming steals the spotlight, relentless in its bumps and fills. Where guitars, vocals and bass ride along rising rhythms, it is the drums that release the simmering anger, sorrow and confusion that comes from the loss of loved ones. While the Foo Fighters aren't bustling in terms of innovation, the near three decade old band excels in being in the present, letting the project's intensity speak for itself. Spirited vocals, scintillating drums and unsullied sensibility allow But Here We Are to transform the darkness of mourning into a glowing Post-Grunge affair.  

The Murlocs - Calm Ya Farm

6/10

Best Tracks: Russian Roulette -- Queen Pinky -- Captain Cotton Mouth -- Smithereens -- Forbidden Toad

Australian Rock band, The Murlocs make a splash with up-tempo Blues Rock and superstitious Alt-Country waltzes. Swampy electric guitar buzzes along vibrant bass lines and frisky drumming, evincing optimistic instrumentals of Folk and Psychedelic influence. Country cadences and saturated filters bolster a perky vocal performance by lead singer, Ambrose Kenny-Smith. Lyrics concerning local folklore, taking risks and the every-day mysticality of farm life add to a quirky soundscape of soaking guitar and brazen refrains. Such choruses give the album its memorable nature, where the natural energy of the break-neck production leads seamlessly into blaring hooks and distorted treble. That being said, not every hook lands with longevity, as brief progressions and shouted melodies leave little room for repeated discovery. Regardless, Calm Ya Farm excels in supporting strong chorus lines with bubbly distortion and a rather restorative Blues enthusiasm, making for a lively Rock escapade. 

bar italia - Tracey Denim

7/10

Best Tracks: punkt -- my kiss era -- yes i have eaten so many lemons i am so bitte -- changer -- Horsey Girl Rider -- best in show -- Clark -- maddington

United Kingdom Indie Rock band, bar italia goes full throttle in the dark depths of grimy Slacker Rock and grief-stricken Post-Punk. Light hats and calm cymbals hit at high frequencies while grubby bass rattles guitar based tracks. Gradual tempos extend the tension of ripe electric guitar progressions, forming a low-key suspense in otherwise relaxed developments. All three band members share lead vocals, adding a diverse vocal texture, despite tempered performances. The moderacy of the vocals combined with the sooty instrumentals work in harmony to ease the mind into the echoes of an ill-lit, yet quite clearly produced tunnel. Although such slack occasionally leads to sleepy levels of rhythm, lyrics of abandoned relationships, loneliness and miscommunicated love revitalize the overall dampened sound with an acute sense of verklempt anxiety. All factors considered, Tracey Denim brings the comfort out of uncomfortable emotions, establishing itself as a thoroughly becoming Slacker project. 

Forest Spirit, Sun On Your Back - Forest spirit, sun on your back

7.5/10

Best Tracks: Crash!!!!!!!!! Burn!!!!!!!! -- Azaleas -- Yerach ben yomo -- Index of first lines -- Out of Season -- Before the water rises!! Back but different, moving on and -

Emo artist, Forest Spirit, Sun On Your Back, obliterates convention through jarring Slacker Rock, unbridled Emo and shrieking Power Pop. The artist also known as Noah composes unalloyed attacks on noise, tearing down traditional mixing with immense distortion and violently fast Pop progressions. Lo-fi production pushes all sounds to the harshest levels of high-pitched contortion, highlighting brazen Punk drumming, ear-splitting guitar and clamoring chamber piano. Such raucous production emphasizes severe emotional turmoil, tremoring loudly to the sight of a bloodied mind. The vocals stab alongside the frenzied instrumentals, sodden with gain and disfigurement. Despite this, Noah is able to navigate intimate messages of isolation, regret and violent desire using Wonderland imagery and obscure Greek mythological metaphors. The pummeling of brash cymbals and electric guitar mixed with the saturated delicacy of reverberating piano and acoustic guitar give a sense of adventure, a flustered but meaningful wandering into a pixie ridden woodland with some dark secrets laying about. That being said, low fidelity does not always work in favor of the project, where acerbity becomes unrecognizability. This is especially damaging to the bass and kicks, as they are often swallowed by bleating hats and squealing strings. However, such ambiguity in clatter exposes fastidious sentiment, making Forest Spirt a genuine star among noise-ridden Emo. 

McKinley Dixon - Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

6.5/10

Best Tracks: Sun, I Rise -- Live! From the Kitchen Table -- Dedicated to Tar Feather -- Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

Virginia rapper, McKinley Dixon orchestrates savory Jazz Rap in this 28 minute Conscious Hip-Hop excursion. Warm basslines, spirited organ, pecking drums and lustrous saxophone breathe fresh air unto sociopolitical raps of an urban experience. Weaving violin and viola bridge together brief sections of tapping Hip-Hop and sweeping Jazz, connecting a cultured cityscape of sounds. Meanwhile, Dixon and others put together textured verses about the inner details of a marginalized community. Embracing homey imagery, Dixon interconnects religion and family relationships to explain the ups and downs of the deep culture he grew up in. Dixon, along with the guest features are quite heartfelt in their messages, but the lyrics sometimes fall into slumps of banality and vapidness. A similar effect occurs with the instrumentals, where commonplace Jazz and Rap developments regress authentic progressions. In any case, the core vivacity of Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? is its invigorated chronicle of customs, shaping an affectionate modern Jazz Rap project.

Other Notable Releases

Dev Lemons - Delusional

Bedroom Pop artist, Dev Lemons bubbles with dense Indietronica and twee Alt-Pop in this 15 minute Extended Play. Lush electronic environments complement clear acoustic guitar, deep synth jabs and Indie Rock drumming to usher in catchy phrasings. By far her most in-depth attempt at Pop music, Dev Lemons continues to struggle with developing rewarding progressions outside of textured refrains and hooks. Regardless, Delusional gives a great sense of empathy and its rich production spotlight an improving songwriter.

Goyard Ibn Said - Goyard Comin': Exordium

Philadelphia rapper and producer, Ghais Guevara switches lanes under the pseudonym, Goyard Ibn Said in this radical Hardcore Hip-Hop mixtape. Where Guevara is known for his slick political conscience, the Goyard persona is one of hysterical proportions, point-blank in luxury and clout-driven lyrics. High pitched samples loop brazenly over booming 808s, stabbing piano and fluttering hats. While Exordium replaces topical lyricism for flagrant humor, the sprightly production exudes an undeniable vitality. It is such enthused sampling and jaunty manufacturing that make this 23 minute mixtape worthwhile.