What’s good Ass-Kickers! We’re here with a fun one today. Now, yes, it may not seem fun, based on title alone… but let me tell you all that this one was a blast. After a brief detour into Fortnite Festival, we launched into the episode, with each of us putting our own unique spin on our favorite songs for those good ol’ end times – hopefully a scenario that won’t come to pass for many generations to come. So grab a beverage, heat up your favorite flavor of Hot Pocket, and settle in for this fun episode.
The ride-along Spotify playlist is available at the top of this article, or directly on our Fairly KickAss Spotify account (https://open.spotify.com/user/w8i7um7s27sbuuav0ou8hrgwc). Here are a few other links for your perusal as well:
Make sure to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, to be notified of new episodes (which was hopefully something that worked for this episode). Also, we’ll be bringing our first Spotify-exclusive episode over next month, as well as a slew of great new content coming throughout the next several wee, so keep your ears peeled for all that.
And last (but certainly not least), I hope that you all Keep. Kicking. Ass.
Make new friends, but keep the old; those are silver, these are gold. New-made friendships, like new wine, age will mellow and refine. Friendships that have stood the test—time and change—are surely best; Brow may wrinkle, hair grow gray, friendship never knows decay.
– Joseph Parry
We gather here today for the beginning of the next chapter of the Fairly KickAss Podcast. From our beginnings in April of 2020, to being a Spotify-exclusive podcast in October of 2020 (where you can still find over 150 episodes), to now being back to publishing wherever you get your podcasts – we’ve had ourselves a journey.
First and foremost, to the new listeners, I’d like to offer each and every one of you a warm welcome. If you listened to our podcast trailer, then you got the gist of what we do already! If not, then just know that we are one of THE music podcasts there is. Not one of the best, mind you, but one of THE nonetheless.
We’ll bring you a ton of music-related content with an episode every week. From monthly reviews to top 5 lists, from finding the best song in an artist’s entire discography to deep dives throughout an artist’s life and music, and more. We like to make sure that everyone has something that they enjoy. No matter the episode type, you can always expect a few things:
shenanigans from our regular hosts, Dan, J, and Zack, along with surprise guest hosts every so often
music takes that range from “meh” to “delete the podcast immediately”
all of that made to sound sterling, thanks to our esteemed Producer Nikki
This week’s episode is our monthly review episode for April. J and Zack will cover the newly-released albums that they liked the most, and Dan will rank all the newly-charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, covering the top and bottom of that list.
An accompanying playlist will be available on our website, https://fairlykickass.com. (Editor’s Note: That’s here! You’re here! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE) Website overhaulin’ is a work in progress, so bear with us as we spruce that up! Also go check us out on many of the major social media platforms:
Make sure to follow us on your podcast platform of choice, to be notified of new episodes. Go check out our Spotify-exclusive back catalog, which we will be bringing over to all the platforms slowly but surely.
And above all else, whether you’re the new friends or the old, always make sure to Keep. Kicking. Ass.
Pop used to be so easy, y’know? It was so one-dimensional, so formulaic. Sure, the formula changed over the years, but most artists would stay in their lanes. Crossovers were rare, as were artists who spanned multiple genres throughout different albums.
Nowadays, I wonder if the term “Pop” is itself a step away from obsolescence. If indeed Pop has one foot in the grave, then that can be partially thanks to the artists who decided that they weren’t going to worry about the neat, tidy boxes that the industry prepared for them. The young artists today are making music, plain and simple. It’s taking a bit for this ol’ codger to get used to, but slow and steady is winning the race – and some new, rad music is awaiting just over the finish line.
For example: Mikael Temrowski, better known by his stage name of Quinn XCII (or Quinn 92, if you’re also allergic to Roman numerals like I apparently am), and his latest release, Change of Scenery II.
(Before I continue, I wanted to say that I have been viewing a TON of Twitch streams over the last year or so, put on by a TON of talented people. None are more talented than the amazing DJKaterTot, who mentioned this artist – and several others! – to me in the first place. Do yourselves a favor and go check out her Twitch streams at https://www.twitch.tv/djkatertot. You’ll get your fill of great conversation, rampant shenanigans, and super-positive vibes, both from her and her fantastic community.)
Quinn XCII is the perfect archetype of a young, successful artist in today’s musical landscape. Quinn started writing and recording in college, and cut his teeth uploading videos of him rapping on YouTube. The beats sampled from other artists eventually evolved into his own, and before long he was blowing up. His first release, the EP Old Fashioned, dropped in 2012; three more EPs followed, leading to inking a deal with Columbia and putting out four full-lengths, culminating with March 2021’s Change of Scenery II.
It’s a much different vehicle than it used to be, in the sense that an artist putting out their “debut” album could have several releases already available on Spotify. There’s a lot to respect with the DIY-ness of today’s artists making their own luck, instead of hoping that a label exec happens to pick them out of the sea of artists to fast-track to the top. Whether you love or hate the music, the hustle is undeniable.
For Quinn XCII, that hustle has led to a refinement of his distinct sound. Change of Scenery II puts forth a mature, polished sound, more than his previous releases. It’s almost as if he took the best parts of 2019’s From Michigan With Love, married that up with the best parts of 2020’s A Letter to My Younger Self, and called it a day. Childhood friend and longtime producer Alex O’Neill, AKA Ayokay, is a large part of the success of the album; the production is crisp and tight, without crossing the line into sameness and boredom.
The lyrics center mainly around love and relationships. I feel that there’s typically such a skew toward the negative parts of relationships in music, but there is a definite highlight of both the sad (“Hey, Goodbye”) and the happy (“My Wife & 2 Dogs) on this album. There are also a few social and political references peppered in, adding an interesting accent to some of the tracks. For instance, in the closing track “Look How Far We Come”:
Watch the stars in Cambridge / ‘Cause you’re way too smart for Boston College
You’re alumni / And my dad wants to know about his gun rights
That’s a conversation never done right / That’s enough conversation for this one night”
Besides “My Wife & 2 Dogs”, which might have the catchiest beat on the whole album, another great track is “SOS”, which gives off vibes of The Chainsmokers and Halsey’s “Closer” – albeit an upgrade. There’s enough variety to keep these tracks fresh, and Quinn’s solid vocal delivery help to tie it all together on every track. There were a few featured artists, including the aforementioned producer, Ayokey, as well as Chelsea Cutler, but I personally didn’t think they added much. This is the Quinn XCII show, through and through.
I admit that I have usually given a pass to the newer crop of artists over the past couple of years, with few exceptions. But I’m definitely gonna try to broaden my musical horizons, with Quinn XCII’s Change of Scenery II being a perfect jumping-off point. Maybe I’ll be completely on-board by time Change of Scenery III drops, whenever that might be.
Let’s have a quick chat. This is gonna be one of those after-school special type chats, so pull up a small plastic chair with metal legs, and let’s go for it.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We got another fire review here, from one of the gross-ass mixed drink legends in the flesh, Jeremy. He makes a hop across the pond to Bradford, in West Yorkshire, to bring you the third album from the Lost Direction, Zayn Malik. Zayn notched a #1 release in the charts of a number of countries (including his native UK) with his first post-One Direction soiree, Mind of Mine, in 2016. The shine wore off pretty quickly though, as he couldn’t even crack the top-75 in his homeland with 2018’s sophomore effort, Icarus Falls.
Zayn’s third album claims that Nobody Is Listening, which is patently false: at the very least, ONE person was listening. Keep reading to find out whether Jeremy found One Thing wrong with the release, or a bunch of Little Things. Maybe it was actually Perfect? My puns are depleted now so just go read the thing already thx.
Z.
Zayn – Nobody is Listening (RCA Records)
Starting your career as a project of Simon Cowell has the potential to go in a few different directions, ranging from Instant Success to Crash-And-Burn. For Zayn Malik, the former is absolutely true. One Direction is known the world over as a part of this generation’s “boy band” phase, alongside The Jonas Brothers.
It’s our first post of 2021, and we’re gonna switch things up a bit for y’all. First off, we’re putting the longer album reviews in their own posts, so you won’t have to dig through several other reviews to get that nougaty center. (Fun fact: my autocorrect just informed me that “nougaty” is a word. Life is good, y’all.) We’ll be posting these as we write them, so you’ll get to enjoy more content more often from ya bois.
Second, we’ll still be placing the Quickie reviews in their own post; those will likely still come out every two weeks like before. That way, you’ll get a little taste of more albums – an appetizer to tide you over between the longer main courses. I’m quite hungry, if it wasn’t obvious.
Third… well, I can’t tell you what third is. Just now that we have a couple surprises planned, and we’ll be putting more information out into the ether for those as we solidify things. New content on Fairly KickAss podcast, plus new content on the Fairly KickAss blog?!? You could be so (un)lucky.
That’s all for me: now for the good stuff that you came here to read. Enjoy our first album review of the new year!
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Here at Fairly KickAss, we like to go out with a bang – and what better way to cap off 2020 than with one more fire review? It’s our Senior Weizen Correspondent, Jada, hitting you with that good-good just under the bell. Taylor Swift’s first 2020 release, folklore, was a winner… but will evermore leave the same impression? Keep reading to find out!
Also watch out for more bonus content from Jada in our final post of the year, coming next week.
Onward!)
Taylor Swift – evermore (Republic Records)
I think she did it but I just…can’t…prove it…By she I mean Taylor Swift, and by “it” I mean drop the two best albums of 2020 less than 5 months apart. Yes, this is a quote from “no body, no crime”; but evermore is just so damn quotable!
Since I defined the term folklore in my review for Taylor Swift’s last surprise album just 5 months ago, it’s only fair that I define evermore now. It means always, forever, or for a very long time. Well, that is exactly how long I will be listening to this album.
Jack Antonoff (Bleachers) and Aaron Dessner (The National) both return to write the songs on evermore (along with Swift), and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) co-wrote and duets w T. on the title track, which also happens to be my favorite song on the album. Back in July you couldn’t have told me that another album would give folklore a run for its money for my album of the year, let alone that it would be from the same artist. This album is haunting, painful, personal, yet somehow feels like it was written for me and about me. Take “‘tis the damn season” for example. Who doesn’t have that first love from their hometown? It doesn’t matter how far away you get or how long you’ve been gone. That person always seems to be right there waiting when you get back.
“marjorie” is an absolutely beautiful ode to Swift’s grandmother (who was aptly named Marjorie), opera singer and inspiration for Taylor’s pursuit of a music career. evermore (f. Bon Iver) feels like a sequel to folklore’s exile. In exile, Swift and Vernon are just figuring out how to coexist, while in evermore they are trying to figure out how to live with the loss…forever. “willow” is another one of the notorious who is this about? songs. “The more that you say, the less I know. Wherever you stray, I follow. Begging for you to take my hand, wreck my plans, that’s my man”. You know who you are, Sir. The last song I will mention (since by now you should all know that every song on this album is my favorite song on the album) is “coney island” (f. The National). I would never have thought to pair these two up, but now I want every song forever to have the two of them singing them!
Other songs to note: “tolerate it”, “long story short”, “dorothea”
A bit of a rewind here, but we stay true-to-form. Get you some!
Zack’s Top 3 Albums of the Month:
3. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over 2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – K.G. 1. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide
Jeremy’s Top 3 Albums of the Month:
3. Yukon Blonde – Vindicator 2. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide (not a typo) 1. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – K.G. (also not a typo, Jeremy and Zack are the Borg)
Dan’s Top 3 Hit Songs of the Month:
3. Billie Eilish – Therefore I Am 2. Harry Styles – Golden 1. Chris Stapleton – Starting Over
Soilwork – A Whisp of the Atlantic (Nuclear Blast)
While Sweden has an incredibly active metal scene, Soilwork stands out (at least to me) because of their unique take on melody. They typically have just as much in common with American groove metal, like Pantera, as they do with Scandinavian death metal.
Metalcore synth elements are more prevalent on this EP, as well as deep thought and reflective moments, brought out by piano interludes. There is even a trumpet solo at the 8 minute(ish) mark of the title track, as well as the outro starting at the 15 minute mark.
Oh, right! I forgot to mention that the opening song and album namesake, “A Whisp of the Atlantic”, is a 16 minute opus that fully encapsulates what this band is capable of. Almost an homage to Dream Theater, it moves through a range of emotions and styles. It tells a story of ending the “lies of sanity” to “feel eternity’s breath” and leave the world behind. Soaring, operatic vocals punctuated with guttural growls dominate the track and usher in musical shifts from death metal to metalcore, but all with a progressive metal flare.
The rest of the EP follows closely the example set at the start, but dotted with the elements that were used to seeing from Soilwork. “Feverish” in particular represents the best of what they offer here, packaged in a bite-sized 6 minutes and filled with blast beats, catchy chorus melodies, and progressive guitar work. “Desperado” is equally satisfying, and is the only track that doesn’t end with a pensive instrumental outro. The closing track, “Death Diviner”, has my favorite guitar riff on the release, repeated throughout its verses.
I found this album to be their most impressive and listenable recording since Figure Number Five in 2002.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: We only got quickies for you this week, due to dat bird with the fixins… you know the one. Regular biweekly reviews pick up again on December 4!)
Dark Psychosis – The Edge of Nowhere (Moribund)
Psychedelic black metal from Lansing, Michigan. This is a one man operation, and sounds like it.
Honestly, aside from some creepy-cool ambient effects, there’s not a lot to grab hold of. I am in favor of lo-fi recordings and underproduction in general, but this album treads that murky area in between. He tried really hard to have quality sound production, but has no idea how to put it all together. The result is sterile feeling and awkward, which might work for garage-indie, but black metal needs to feel visceral or it doesn’t work.
Sean. Buddy. Stop going by Xaphan because no one is actually going to call you that and stick to working with Cavalcade. Their input would most likely have helped this record quite a bit.
The best track on the album is the Digital Only cut, “Drink Fight and Fuck”. What makes it good is the raw, live feel to it. No production whatsoever. Sounds like shit and is better for it.
Start with: “Born to Lose”, “Dark Call…”, “Drink Fight and Fuck”
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