Review of ‘Empathogen’ by Willow

 

Willow branches out further from her pop roots, trading pop punk for prog jazz.

INTRODUCING: Ensemble 1

Meet Ensemble 1.

Double Review: ‘Immutable’ by Meshuggah and ‘Parrhesia’ by Animals As Leaders

Immutable and Parrhesia both succeed in being face-meltingly heavy and impressively complex metal albums - even if they are both utterly exhausting to listen to.

Review of 'Ants From Up There' by Black Country, New Road

The loony art-rockers are back with their second (and possibly final?) album. The songs are less unhinged this time around, but equally creative.

Review of 'Fear Inoculum' by Tool

Tool’s first new album in 100 years is a disappointment.

Review of 'The Wake' by Voivod

14 albums in, Voivod still sound like no other metal band.

INTRODUCING: Star The Moonlight

Meet Star The Moonlight.

Review of 'GT Ultra' by Guerilla Toss

Guerilla Toss have always been nutty as fruitcakes. But they’ve been getting tamer as the years go by.

Review of 'Planetarium' by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner and James McAlister

Are you ready for an album themed around the solar system? Are you ready for allegories of some of life’s deepest topics including love, war and fatherhood? Are you ready for colossal orchestral strings and titanic cosmic synthesizers?

INTRODUCING: The Harry Macintosh Project

Meet The Harry Macintosh Project.

Review of 'Crux' by Jaggery

Jaggery are Boston’s latest off-the-wall offering, a self-proclaimed ‘avant rock’ group with a frontwoman named Singer Mali Sastri (that’s right – their singer is named Singer).

Review of 'Wake Up!' by Pope Francis

My curiosity got the better of me. A rock album? By The Pope?

Review of 'Drones' by Muse

Muse have never been masters at subtlety. Their combination of classical-inspired rock and Matt Bellamy’s operatic warbling at times couldn’t be more melodramatic if it tried. When singing about black holes and alien invasions a lot of this melodrama came across as charming. Like an explosion-packed action flick that doesn’t take itself too seriously, Muses theatrical sound represented nothing but indulgent fun. But then Muse started taking themselves seriously, discovering politics...

Review of 'Choose Your Weapon' by Hiatus Kaiyote

On the odd occasion when I’m feeling classy, I’ll kick back with some brie, crackers and red wine and listen to some soul music. Hiatus Kiayote are my latest and greatest find – a Melbourne neo-soul group with a frontwoman villainously named Nai Palm (pronounced ‘napalm’). From a glance you’d think they were some crazy white brutal hardcore band, but their sound couldn’t be more opposite.

I first stumbled upon them a couple weeks ago after hearing an old hit of theirs titled ‘Nakamarra’. The husky vocals and pillowy chord progressions transported me to a happy, summery place of peace and love and daisy chains.

I expected the same husky vocals and pillowy chord progressions from this album and without a shadow of a doubt I got this. Hiatus Kaiyote know all the sweet notes to hit to make you feel warm inside. However, it became immediately clear that the vibe wasn’t the same. The reason behind this became clear after repeat listens – Hiatus Kaiyote have lost their smoothness.

They’ve developed ants in their pants, losing their ability to sit still, crafting songs that refuse to settle into a groove. There are no straightforward, easy-flowing numbers like ‘Nakamarra’ on Choose Your Weapon. The record opens with ten minutes of jazzy noodling, disguised as three songs. After this, the music becomes a little more structured and digestable, but there’s still a lot of melodic fidgeting and no real hooks or solid riffs or rhythms to serve as a payoff.

Too much noodles

That said, buried beneath the progginess are some beautiful moments that are worthy of praise. ‘Swamp Thing’ has a muddy, driving bassline that aptly suits it’s title. ‘Prince Minikid’ has a dreamy instrumental that Flying Lotus would be jealous of. Then there’s my favourite track, ‘Atari’, one of the most energetic tracks here – sporting an upbeat chorus of sorts and some fun 8-bit synths.

All these moments feel like creative strokes of genius that could have paid off if Hiatus Kaiyote didn’t have such a short attention span. Meandering off every time a good idea pops up, the album feels like a constant tease. Those with more tolerance for a good noodle will enjoy it. 

★★★☆☆

TRACK TASTER:

Review of 'The Mindsweep' by Enter Shikari

St. Albans metalcore/electronica outfit Enter Shikari want to be fun party animals and political activists, but don’t how to be both at the same time. It’s a precarious balancing act that only the most skilled songwriters can pull off.

Review of 'The Endless River' by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd have had a long and eventful career, which this Wikipedia page can fill you in on. Those unfamiliar with the band’s sound can check out this classic hit below. Floyd at their finest…

Review of 'Shiny Eyed Babies' by Bent Knee

Massachusetts six-piece, Bent Knee, are the type of bananas band that likes to dabble in every genre going. These type of bands don’t come along very often, and for a weirdness-worshipper like myself who adores the Frank Zappas and Mr. Bungles of the world its always exciting when they do.

Review of 'Pale Communion' by Opeth

Swedish ex-Death Metal band, Opeth, continue their evolution as a prog rock band. 

Review of "Clear" by Periphery

Another Yeezus-inspired album cover (or rather "lack-of-album-cover").

Progressive metal band, Periphery, released their second album back in 2012, a record that I was enamoured with for its melodic take on “djent” (Read here). The band have since recorded a new EP, which dropped yesterday. Are the band still as kickass as they were two years ago?

Review of "Altered State" by Tesseract

Complex and yet beautiful, Tesseract's style of prog metal is really quite captivating.