One thing I've learned from maintaining this blog for a little over a year is that finding your voice isn't an "A-to-B-to-C" sort of process. Things tend to ebb and flow, and sometimes you can go forward by going a bit back. Through all of this, I've found that my style and voice continually shifts to different areas. That sort of evolution is natural as an artist grows, or at least it should be. This seems to have been the case with One Direction's third poppidy-pop-pop outing, Midnight Memories. With this one, they seem to have done a bit of looking back, particularly into a number of hair metal/arena rock bands from the 80's. Though, don't think that this is an especially heavy album. If anything, it's Bon Jovi-light.
Part of me is tempted to say this is an improvement. The introduction of "live" instruments can elevate the sense of perceived legitimacy to what a "band" does. You'll notice those scare quotes. You see, that's because those "live" instruments on the album are, for the most part, digital. Also, One Direction still isn't a band, but a group that sings. So, that perceived legitimacy isn't as great as I thought it was.
I'm of the opinion that this marked a change in voice and sound for One Direction, something more "mature", though it just sounds remarkably similar to what came before but with the sounds live instrumentation. The title track, "Midnight Memories", stands out as a most egregious example, sounding akin to a One Direction song that was written by Nickleback. It all comes off as disingenuous.
"Don't Forget Where You Belong" is an actual high point, a song that nods to the melancholy that can come from being far away from home. The lyrics are thoughtful and the harmonies and melodies work and resolve well, leaning more towards the Bon Jovie side. That, again, brings me to the one constant: One Direction are lads with fantastic voices. If only they would write more thoughtful, meaningful music. Then, they would actually be contributing something great.
As it stands, what they've (and by that I mean One Direction AND the small army of writers and producers) gifted us with are strong melodies that are both catchy and well-resolved. The problem with that is that MANY others also do that. It's not enough to be catchy. Art should say something, or should be about pushing one's limits. Perhaps, that's my own musical experience talking (I've played different percussion instruments and sang for about twelve years), and through all of that, it's been instilled in me to push myself to new and better places. I will tend to expect the same from multi-million-dollar-valued artists, and to be fair, One Direction did shift sounds...but only just. No matter the gilding upon Midnight Memories, it's more of the same. It's a net gain of zero.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Monday, February 1, 2016
Album Review: TAKE ME HOME (One Direction)
Artist: One Direction
Typically, as a band (or in this case, "band") releases a second album, there is a sense of progression. Growth is the goal, usually. Though, in the case of One Direction, the growth seems less dependent on the singers, and more upon the producers, songwriters, and handlers. At this point, it was more than a little obvious that the boys weren't writing their own music or lyrics.Yet, they remain consistent in their vocal quality. Unfortunately, this is the ONLY high point on the album.
Somehow, a regression seems to have occurred in the production Take Me Home, One Direction's sophomore outing as this decade's main troubadours of bubblegum poppery. As far as lyrical high points go, there are only two that really register above the bare minimum. "Heart Attack" is a staccatoed chronicle of the trials and tribulations of the "friendzone", while "Little Things" rises JUST above that as an ode to all the little things (geddit?) that the hypothetical, collective man that the group represents loves in his hypothetical, collective woman that the audience represents. It's ultimately in the same vein as "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Everything About You" off of their debut, Up All Night.
Again, they are vocally on point, and the melodies and harmonies are infectious, but they are lyrically running in place. In fact, much of this album feels somewhere closer to a mild reinterpretation of their previous album, but in the exactly the same style. Perhaps, this is to ensure consistency of sound and to maintain fan affections as they stand with perfectly crafted imagery onstage? This is reinforced by the "sampler" qualities of the album, possibly going for some sense of "timelessness", but instead, sounding like lesser versions of better things. After listening to the final track, I could only feel a bit let down. Perhaps, in another album, they may actually break free from the shackles of bubblegum-coated pop-rock, and strut into much more interesting places.
Typically, as a band (or in this case, "band") releases a second album, there is a sense of progression. Growth is the goal, usually. Though, in the case of One Direction, the growth seems less dependent on the singers, and more upon the producers, songwriters, and handlers. At this point, it was more than a little obvious that the boys weren't writing their own music or lyrics.Yet, they remain consistent in their vocal quality. Unfortunately, this is the ONLY high point on the album.
Somehow, a regression seems to have occurred in the production Take Me Home, One Direction's sophomore outing as this decade's main troubadours of bubblegum poppery. As far as lyrical high points go, there are only two that really register above the bare minimum. "Heart Attack" is a staccatoed chronicle of the trials and tribulations of the "friendzone", while "Little Things" rises JUST above that as an ode to all the little things (geddit?) that the hypothetical, collective man that the group represents loves in his hypothetical, collective woman that the audience represents. It's ultimately in the same vein as "What Makes You Beautiful" and "Everything About You" off of their debut, Up All Night.
Again, they are vocally on point, and the melodies and harmonies are infectious, but they are lyrically running in place. In fact, much of this album feels somewhere closer to a mild reinterpretation of their previous album, but in the exactly the same style. Perhaps, this is to ensure consistency of sound and to maintain fan affections as they stand with perfectly crafted imagery onstage? This is reinforced by the "sampler" qualities of the album, possibly going for some sense of "timelessness", but instead, sounding like lesser versions of better things. After listening to the final track, I could only feel a bit let down. Perhaps, in another album, they may actually break free from the shackles of bubblegum-coated pop-rock, and strut into much more interesting places.
Album Review: BUT YOU CAINT USE MY PHONE (Erykah Badu)
Artist: Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu and I clearly have similar taste in music, as the song she seems most inspired by for her latest mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, seems to be Drake's 2015 hit, "Hotline Bling." Yet, she moves beyond mere tribute and into a far more sophisticated realm of reinterpretation. Phones and communication is the name of the game for her latest, with every song revolving around the topic in some capacity. In fact, the first track, "Caint Use My Phone (Suite)" is made entirely of dial tones and rings, all crafted into an idea that's revisited various times throughout the album. Even more, "Hotline Bling" functions as a bit of an overture, with the song revisited over the span of the run time, and even covered in the track, "Cel U Lar Device."
Erykah's sultry voice adorns every syllable of every song with charm, and her lyrics impart leagues of wit ( "Dial'Afreaq" is composed of a fictional answering machine message made of jokes and references to the whole of the album). Not only a product of R&B and Hip Hop, But You Caint Use My Phone is a meta-textual dive into musical textures of a wide array of sounds. It's brilliant.
Erykah Badu and I clearly have similar taste in music, as the song she seems most inspired by for her latest mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, seems to be Drake's 2015 hit, "Hotline Bling." Yet, she moves beyond mere tribute and into a far more sophisticated realm of reinterpretation. Phones and communication is the name of the game for her latest, with every song revolving around the topic in some capacity. In fact, the first track, "Caint Use My Phone (Suite)" is made entirely of dial tones and rings, all crafted into an idea that's revisited various times throughout the album. Even more, "Hotline Bling" functions as a bit of an overture, with the song revisited over the span of the run time, and even covered in the track, "Cel U Lar Device."
Erykah's sultry voice adorns every syllable of every song with charm, and her lyrics impart leagues of wit ( "Dial'Afreaq" is composed of a fictional answering machine message made of jokes and references to the whole of the album). Not only a product of R&B and Hip Hop, But You Caint Use My Phone is a meta-textual dive into musical textures of a wide array of sounds. It's brilliant.
Album Review: BANNERS (Banners)
Artist: BANNERS
With a sound somewhere between early Coldplay and post-rock, BANNERS, AKA Micheal Joseph Nelson, has crafted a sound at once both pleasant and pedestrian. That's not to say it sounds bad, at all. Rather, its proximity to the sound of a Coldplay, or a Phillip Phillips, takes the wind out of his sails. A stand out track is his single, "Shine a Light." Building from smooth falsettos, a pounding, war-like, drum pattern leads into a solid folk-rock groove that may have inspired a rug or two to be cut whilst listening. All that being said, "Shine a Light" is THE high point. It's a good sound, but one that ultimately feels a dime-a-dozen with regards to the current music environment.
With a sound somewhere between early Coldplay and post-rock, BANNERS, AKA Micheal Joseph Nelson, has crafted a sound at once both pleasant and pedestrian. That's not to say it sounds bad, at all. Rather, its proximity to the sound of a Coldplay, or a Phillip Phillips, takes the wind out of his sails. A stand out track is his single, "Shine a Light." Building from smooth falsettos, a pounding, war-like, drum pattern leads into a solid folk-rock groove that may have inspired a rug or two to be cut whilst listening. All that being said, "Shine a Light" is THE high point. It's a good sound, but one that ultimately feels a dime-a-dozen with regards to the current music environment.
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