Author: monkeyhammer81

Quickies from April 2, 2021

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Justice | JB Hi-Fi

Justin Bieber – Justice (Def Jam)

It should be noted: I am NOT a Belieber. Never have been, and at this point it is unlikely to be the case in this reality. Or in the next. Last year’s unlistenable offerings, led by “Yummy”, had me prepared to light this album a verbal witch’s pyre, making it an effigy of the creator. 

I can’t really do that, and I’m disappointed. Justice is a lily-white attempt at what I will call “plebeian car jams”. Honestly, if he was still that prepubescent bowl cut, a few of the tracks might have been forgivably innocuous. “Off My Face” will wind up somebody’s First Dance at their wedding in 2021 or 2022, briefly supplanting Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” for that honor, but that doesn’t make it a good song. The other tunes that are decent all have featured artists, all of whom overshadow The Bieb. That list includes a number of high-rollers: Chance the Rapper, The Kid LAROI, Da Baby, Khalid, Lil Uzi Vert, Jaden, and several others. 

The most cringe-worthy thing on the album is the incredibly crass way in which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s words about justice and equality are shoe-horned in alongside songs about missing his girl or being loved despite his fragile mental state. It’s disgusting. The Reverend’s speech on the mid-album interlude is even cut short to bastardize the idea of standing up for something you would die for in order to allow JB and Dominic Fike to say, “If your kiss could kill me, you know I would die for you.” Without that lead-in, the song was actually kind of a bop, but I was too filled with righteous indignation to enjoy it. 

FFO: Kidz Bop covers of The Weeknd, unsalted popcorn

Start with: “Die For You”, “Holy”, “Know No Better”

-JR

Return of the Dragon by Sacred Oath (Album, Heavy Metal): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music

Sacred Oath – Return of the Dragon (Angel Thorne Music)

Sacred Oath is not going to start a revolution. They are not stretching the limits of genre. What they do is power-metal, with a few other elements thrown in. Wailing leads, crunchy rhythms, pounding drums, and soaring vocals that recount battles with mythological beings and earning the ire of supernatural entities, be they godlike or demonic. 

It is also perfectly done, expertly performed and produced. It is not often that a power metal act makes me smile as much as Sacred Oath, and that probably has something to do with the hints of stoner/doom that dot the songs. You can’t go wrong with anything on the record. 

FFO: Iron Maiden (but less irritating), Katatonia, Solace

Start with: “Hammer of an Angry God”, “At The Gates”, “Return of the Dragon”, “Cthulhu Wakes” 

-JR

Godspeed (Glasvegas album) - Wikipedia

Glasvegas – Godspeed (Go Wow)

Right after the odd “Parked Car” intro to the disc, we are treated with a pulsing synth bass and staccato vocals that simultaneously bring to mind the ‘80s brilliance of Thompson Twins and Tears For Fears alongside the dark-pop sensibilities of The Weeknd. 

Without question, Glasvegas has mastered the art of the slow build, adding intensity as the song progresses. The next tune maintains that pretense, but adds the leather jackets and swagger of Julian Casablancas and the angular tones of Biffy Clyro. 

The album proceeds thusly, changing attitude with nearly every song. But oozing Glaswegian piss and vinegar from every pore. 

I know this review makes no sense. Kindly just listen to the songs and ignore me in this moment. 

FFO: Biffy Clyro, Duran Duran, We Were Promised Jetpacks

Start With: “Dying to Live”, “Cupid’s Dark Disco”, “Dive”

-JR

Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over

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Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art of Starting Over (Island)

On the heels of some concern for her mental health, and much advocation for those whose plight is the same, Demi presents a collection of songs that detail the emotions and embattled musings that come with bouncing back. The last decade, she has dealt with issues regarding her bipolar disorder and anorexia, some incidents with cocaine, and a few relationship struggles. This record is her reaching a sort of catharsis, working as a companion to the YouTube documentary series of the same title. 

From the opening ballad, “Anyone”, her lyrics display the turmoil that plagued her internally while she struggled. With voice straining, almost unhinged, she wonders aloud what the point is of praying, or even talking to people, if no one is listening. “Dancing With The Devil”, the title track, follows that up with more controlled, more pop-accessible discourse on hiding in drugs and alcohol, covering up the torment underneath. The result is a powerful treatise. 

Demi has always been one of the most recognizable and strong voices in pop music, but she has never been as POTENT as she is on this record. She’s giving us a glimpse of her mindset as she fell apart, then rebuilt herself, all in the public eye. Particularly captivating is the way she starts the album at track 4. She allows the first 3 songs to be her past self, then reinvents herself to continue the album. It’s sort of like Taylor Swift killing off the old Taylor, but it comes across as endearing and powerful, instead of pompous and self-aggrandizing. 

The moments that feel the most vulnerable and pure are the aforementioned first track and “The Way You Don’t Look At Me”, wherein she talks about how the most difficult part of bouncing back is the judgment of those who were around during the fall. Mostly, the rest of the record is filled with beautifully choreographed pop songs, tinged with that hint of darkness or sadness. The collaborations with Sam Fischer and Ariana Grande are particularly accessible. The former, an on-the-nose account of how temptation and pressure are ever-present. The latter, a more allegorical and poetic account of meeting “the devil” at a club. 

While a couple songs fall short of wonderful (“The Kind of Lover I Am”, “My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriends”), there is nothing that I would consider drivel. None of this is pandering. None of this is watered down. Demi is strong. Demi is a diva. 

Demi deserves our respect. 

FFO: Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson

-JR

Note: The Deluxe Edition of the record has live acoustic versions of the first 3 tracks. It’s miraculous.

FKA Album Review: Weezer – OK Human

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EDITOR’S NOTE: What is Weezer’s best album? Is it their debut, with classics like “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly”, as well as their absolute best song, “My Name Is Jonas”? Is it their third album, nicknamed the Green Album, sporting a killer one-two punch of “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun”? Is it Raditude? (It is not.)

Perhaps OK Human will be less Raditude, and more Blue Album or Green Album? Jeremy’s awesome write-up below will provide you with the goods, homie. I realize that I could just tell you, but then I would have to kill you. And if I killed you, then how would you possibly be able to check out our podcast, available on Spotify right freakin’ here?

Also murder is bad and illegal. That bit is more important, but just slightly.

Enjoy, and keep Kicking Ass.

  • Z.
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September 4, 2020

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All Them Witches – Nothing As The Ideal (New West Records)

Wow. Musically this is a treat. 

This Nashville quartet is steeped in blues, psychedelia, prog, and stoner metal. While they are a hard rock outfit, they employ classical guitar, gothic tones, and their own blend of everything that came out of the Delta Swamp (Dr. John, Soylent Green, Junior Kimbrough, etc). 

This is their 6th album, if you don’t count live releases, which I don’t. That’s in just 8 years, making them almost as prolific as King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard or Steve Buscemi. Much like the aforementioned genre-bending geniuses, you never quite know what to expect from these cats. Even just on this record, there are significant differences among the tracks.

The album opens with a slow build into a Tool-esque jam in 6/8 (“Saturnine & Iron Jaw”), “Everest” is a Led Zeppelin-meets-Donovan guitar instrumental, which bleeds into a Soundgarden-style downbeat banger (“See You Next Fall”). That gets followed up by a folk/country/blues track (“The Children of Coyote Woman”). The latter of these brings me to my next point, because it is the first song on the album that truly works with this dude’s voice. Up to this point, his voice is sort of like a blemish on an otherwise pristine surface. It’s not bad enough to make you stop listening, may even make it interesting, but causes you to hold back. 

The next 2 songs show a different characteristic to his voice without actually changing what he’s doing. The music just finally suits the nearly monotonous style of the singing. “The Children of Coyote Woman”, “41”, and the album closer, “Rats in Ruin”, almost seem like they came from a different band. 

The album returns you to regularly scheduled programming: brilliant music and subpar-if-interesting vocals. I, personally, still found that the record was a great listen, but I would understand if you don’t agree.

FFO: Deaf Radio, Agents of Oblivion, King Gizzard

-JR

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August 28, 2020

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Katy Perry – Smile (Capitol Records)

Since joining the Fairly KickAss Familia (I’ll explain later), I’ve developed a greater appreciation for pop music, in all its glorious forms.  I’ve reviewed several great pop albums, including some that thoroughly surprised me in how good they were, most notably Carly Rae Jespen’s Dedicated Side B.  I’ve reviewed some pop albums that weren’t all that great.  But, Dear Readers, I must tell you that I have not reviewed a pop album with as much disdain as I will be reviewing Katy Perry’s latest release Smile with.

This isn’t one of those situations where feelings about an artist permeate to all of their works.  With Katy, I’ve enjoyed several tracks off of a wide range of her albums: from the early days of “Hot N Cold”, “The One That Got Away” and “E.T.”, to the later hits in “Roar” and “Dark Horse”.  But Smile is just… it’s just bad, y’all!

Most of Katy’s work on Smile is lifeless, listless, and phoned in, like a generic “My First Pop Album” kit that I’m surprised Walmart doesn’t already sell.  This album has everything: shoehorned electronic bits and Auto-Tuning (“Teary Eyes”), awful lyrics (“Never Really Over”: “Just because it’s over doesn’t mean it’s really over/And if I think it over, maybe you’ll be coming over again/And I’ll have to get over you all over again”), shitty hooks (“Smile”), and whatever the golden fuck “Champagne Problems” is.

Now, Momma taught me to say something nice if I’m saying anything, so here’s my nice thing: island-y romance bop “Harleys In Hawaii” is a very solid, catchy track, and love letter to love “Only Love” is decent.  Listen to those tracks, and spin some of Katy’s earlier albums if you gotta get your fix… but you can leave the rest of Smile on the shelf.

FFO: Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato

-Z.

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August 21, 2020

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The Killers – Imploding The Mirage (Island)

Spotify currently has them listed as the 214th most popular act in the world. So, if you’ve never heard them, I doubt that anything you’ve read on this website is of any use to you. Even the rock you’ve been living under has “Mr. Brightside” on its iPod Nano.

Full disclosure: I’ve never really been a fan of The Killers. Sure, the hits have merit. The songs are fun, full of emotion, technically and artistically beautiful, and the lyrics are wonderfully poetic…but that voice. There’s just something about it that is a complete turnoff for me. It’s like he’s trying really hard to sound like he’s not trying hard. 

Until Imploding The Mirage. 

This feels like an extreme melodic shift for the band. Instead of bellowing borderline-atonal anthems in Springsteen fashion, the new method is to keep the vocals chill and let the music set the tone and energy in the style of The Pretenders, Tom Petty, or…well, Bruce Springsteen. That is most notable on the perfectly crafted, “Dying Breed”, and the surprising range shown off in “Caution”. Their Talking Heads influence comes out strong in “Fire and Bone”, making it one of the most instantly likeable tracks on the record. The two guest spots on the album, Weyes Blood and k.d. Lang (really?), are highlighted with the most dramatic moments, “My God” and “Lightning Fields”. 

Musically, there’s little more to say about the band. They add New Wave keyboards and heavily-triggered drums to classic rock-and-roll sensibilities. It’s what they have been doing since Hot Fuss came out in 2004 and it’s what they will continue to do until somebody stops them. For the first time, I am willing to say that I want them to continue. They’re maturing, and the songs are maturing with them. So, while I’m not ready to say that I like them (I mean, it took them 6 albums for me to say positive things instead of a noncommittal shrug), I am willing to look forward to the next thing.

“My Own Soul’s Warning”, “When The Dreams Run Dry”, and “Imploding The Mirage” are the tracks that sound the most like something that would fall on previous Killers releases, making them my least favorite tracks on the record. Do what you will with that information.

FFO: Franz Ferdinand, Snow Patrol, Talking Heads

-JR

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August 14, 2020

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Kiesza – Crave (Zebra Spirit Tribe)

Some folks were just destined to be interesting, to be unique, to be awesome.  From what I can tell, Kiesza is one of those people.

She was born Kiesa Rae Ellestad in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with a Norwegian grandfather.  She has been a sailing instructor, as well as a member of the reserves of the Royal Canadian Navy.  She suffered from a traumatic brain injury in 2017, from a car accident, and her recovery had her stay in a dark room for six months.  Seriously, go check out her Wikipedia page, as there were several other details that I did not add here.

As a musician, Crave represents her second studio album, with the first one (Sound of a Woman) coming in 2014 – a pretty healthy gap.  It doesn’t seem like she’s missed a beat, however.  This is reminiscent to what “dance music” would have consisted of in the 80s or early 90s.  The title track, as well as “Love Me With Your Life” illustrate the sound the best, but damn near every track has the signature synth and electronic drum beats to some extent.  “Love Never Dies” is another solid track, using a sample that could be “When the Levee Breaks” or something close to it – but it works well regardless.

Kiesza’s smooth vocals help to make this a more enjoyable experience.  There is a heavy level of production and auto-tune at play, but it sounds good – both as a corrective measure and an artistic one.  Lyrically, it’s pretty simplistic, but as I’ve mentioned before, some albums truly need that.  Crave with more complex lyrics would cause there to be a bit too much going on, and the lyrics would get lost in the shuffle.

Overall, Crave was a very good, very unique listen.  Toes were tapped, and fingers were rapped, all throughout the album, thanks to Kiesza’s interesting style.  Hopefully it won’t be another six years for album #3 to drop.

FFO: Robyn, La Roux

-Z.

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*Special Edition*

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August 14, 2020

We don’t often do this. This is an album review, but unlike our normal review posts, this one took on a life of its own. For that reason, we felt it needed to be removed from the herd. It’s for safety reasons. You understand.

Sexbat – Diurnal Curse (Sid Records)

Sexbat proved a difficult artist to track down on streaming services.  I found Sexton, Sexweather, G. Sexate, and The Sexbots, but I could only track this release down by searching for the album title, Diurnal Curse.  Just a word to the wise when you look this one up.  And you’ll want to look it up, because it is outstanding – which you will see below.

Every track on this album refers to a week, one through seven.  I originally wanted to review each song for a week, making this a seven week long review, but that seemed ill-advised.  So instead, every week will be condensed into a few paragraphs, based on what a week as each track would consist of.  That may not make sense right now, but never fret: it will become clearer as we go.

Or it won’t.

Onward!

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August 7, 2020

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This week, we decided to try something a little different. We added a “Quickies” section of this review blog for quick, bullet point reviews. We had been discussing how we could cover more ground and talk about more music. This section will allow us, and you, to be exposed to more releases. Check it out and let us know if it’s something you would like us to continue or if it feels like clutter. Cheers!

-JR

Deep Purple – Whoosh! (Edel Germany GmbH / earMusic)

3 members of the current lineup of the band have been there since 1968. Ok, that’s a lie. Deep Purple are sort of an industry joke, with an ever-rotating cast of dozens of Class A musicians, earning its own special band members Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Deep_Purple_members). Only drummer, Ian Paice, has been on every studio release. But Roger Glover and Jesus Chri…I mean, Ian Gillan, have been on nearly all of them. 

Honestly, this album does not sound like it was released in 2020. I suppose it’s a breath of fresh air in that regard. Chock full of the goofy, intense theatricality that we would have expected of these cats back in the mid-’70s, Whoosh! is just plain fun. Who doesn’t like organ solos, choral harmonies, classic guitar tone, and sing-along grooves? Vocally, Gillan is starting to sound his age, with just a hint of Joe Walsh creeping into his voice. But what he’s singing doesn’t really need the high-pitched wails that he has been doing for 50+ years. 

This is your dad’s music, in the best possible way. It really might be the perfect feel-good soundtrack in the time of pandemic. Put the windows down in your car, stay on the highway, and take “The Long Way Round”. 

FFO: Kansas, BTO, Styx

-JR

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July 31, 2020

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Beyonce – Black Is King (Disney +, Parkwood Entertainment) 

Black Is King is a reimagining of Disney’s The Lion King, in what is indisputably the most elaborate music video ever made. The first time she explored this concept was back in 2013, with her fifth studio album, Beyonce, which was released in a series of short films. Those films had almost no discernible order or connection. It was beautiful and strange. 

That gives it some commonality with her most recent effort. This time, there is a clear and obvious theme. The presentation is visually stunning as it follows the story. The scenes are chopped up, with rapid jump-cuts, bright colors, and elaborate costuming. The art director is clearly trying to prove something. Like a great many art films, Black Is King is hard to follow from the pictorial. Beyonce and company have remedied that with dropped-in lines from the script(s), poetry, and the lyrical content of the songs. Some of the scenes are a little head-scratchy: bizarro outdoor human chess, the word “MOOD” displayed prominently on various eye-wear, and a few side-sequences. 

Many of the main characters are easily spotted in the film, including Simba, Rafiki, and Scar with his hyenas. Unfortunately, the conceptual audio is vague and obscure enough to be disorienting without the visual component. 

The music itself is excellent, but does provide its own difficulties. “OTHERSIDE”, which is an amazing song, doesn’t quite fit into the narrative. “MY POWER” is the most potent, powerful song on the album, lyrically, but is super-disjointed and hard to listen to. That song is also outside the story arc. 

I think Queen Bey did herself a little bit of long-term disservice with this film, despite the innovation and beauty. Let’s weigh the Pros and Cons:

Pros:

  • The message is clear and identifiable early in the film — We are all a part of something “BIGGER”, remember who you are.
  • The art is beautiful and the poetry is poignant.
  • It is memorable, for a number of reasons.
  • The film is likely to win awards. 

Cons:

  • The rewatchability of the film is limited.
  • Most of the music loses clarity without the visual accompaniment.
  • It suffers from too large a cast. There’s as much a presence of other performers as from Beyonce herself.

The bottom line is this: watching the film is a powerful and rewarding experience. The music is solid with wonderful content, but suffers from a lack of Ms. Knowles-Carter. If you have Disney+, watch it. If not, start with “BIGGER”, “FIND YOUR WAY BACK”, “WATER”, and “BROWN SKIN GIRL”, which features young Blue Ivy Carter. 

FFO: Pharrell Williams, Jessie Reyez, Mr. Eazi, and of course, Beyonce

-J.R.

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