Radical Face - Ghost

I highly frown upon buying downloadable music. The quality of each song is at most 1/4 of a CD track, there's no booklet, or box, or love. Vinyl is my preferred medium because it contains the entire waveform of the album. Nothing is clipped. CDs on the other hand are (at least modern CDs) very compressed and clipped to sound better with typical headphones and car speakers. It lacks the dynamic range. But hell, sometimes I need something portable without putting in the effort of ripping my own vinyl. I digress...

Radical Face

Ghost

2007

After hearing the song "Welcome Home, Son, " I knew I had to buy this album! Using hand pats and claps instead of a drumset is such a killer idea! While some rhythmic acoustic strums are heard throughout, the moment the chorus drops is goose-bump-inducing. Again and again. The general sound is like Death Cab For Cutie meets Mew, topped off with more ambience than Pink Floyd or Explosions In The Sky could shake a stick at. It's not just that song though, each song introduces an intriguing method of percussion. While some songs do in fact use a drum set, none are limited to just that. I would list them but they are so unique that they are often hard to identify. They just leave you guessing. Theres a general vibe of door creaks, scratchy vinyl sounds, echoing laughter, strings, piano, and believe it or not, accordion!...it just places you in an attic, so vividly! The subtitles of negative and positive space (silence and noise) makes me weak. The focus is drawn in on the lead singer's voice when all of the sudden, the bass drops, like a dubstep song, yet it retains it's completely zen momentum by never putting the bass in the spotlight. It's full of crescendos, decrescendos, staccatos and the like, which leads me to believe Ben Cooper is musically trained.

"If these walls could talk" is the premise of this album. According to Wikipedia each song is a different story. The ones about houses are told from the house's perspective. Each song sounds the same yet not the same. They blend well but it doesn't get boring and you'll hardly notice when the CD jumps back to the beginning to play through once more. This is more of a basking album than a participation album. So don't expect to be singing along much. Instead just take a deep breath and let this dew drop soundscape envelop your being. While this is a basking album, it is not a basking in the sun album. In fact it is not very enjoyable during the day, especially when it's hot out! Once the sun goes down though, it makes for epic night adventure driving music. It just makes you feel good! It pumps you up while calming your nerves. I highly recommend you stop whatever you are doing (after reading this) and buy this album. Posthaste!


Radical Face on Wikipedia
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Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream

Empire Of The Sun

Walking On A Dream

2008

Let me start off by saying that there are some beautiful sounds stretched across this CD. The beats start off very simple but they branch out when it works. The catchy songs have a simple beat, the cognitive songs have a slightly more complex beat.

The first thing I noticed about this album was the art, which is a really awesome blend of realism and fantasy. It really tells you everything about what you're about to hear yet you're still like WTF is even going on here?

You'll want to sing along but oddly enough, only for the high octave parts, which are ironically the hardest words to understand in any given song. After the sing-alongs pass, the song subliminally crosses over to a mesmerizing spectrum. Country is the best instrumental song I've heard in a while, and I listen to a lot of electronic music. I tend to listen to this song a couple times before moving to the next because it just gives me goosebumps. Swordfish Hotkiss Night is also a repeat worthy track. It's just so weird. Low grunts, high whispers, kinda has a Michael Jackson vibe.

The album ends with a metal-ballad like song that really sounds like an ending. It's the slowest and least complicated sounding song on the album which is exactly what the end should sound like. I had to skip a majority of the songs upon first listen. I would give it a day then try again and I would end up liking those skipped songs a little bit. I would get 30 seconds in this time before skipping. After a couple weeks I would play through the entire song.

The only thing about Walking on a Dream that makes me cringe is the mastering. Mainly the vocals but really the whole sound has been too compressed. It sounds as blown out as a Skrillex song. Don't get me wrong, I like Skrillex but the genre of music he produces is supposed to scare the listener. This album here is supposed to convey a dream-like world that can be absorbed quick because they use dance beats. I end up with a headache if I turn up the volume past a certain point. I hope this isn't an issue with the vinyl version.

I recommend listening to this one while it is either raining, or night; or both. During the day, there is too much to focus on. At night, contrast starts to fade, shapes blur, imagination has room to grow. Rain tends to make me zone out. Again, a great mental gap to prepare yourself for this journey.

I feel like an Empire of the Sun show would be epic. I mean even the band members are colorful. I can't say I know many Australian bands, but if this is what music is like down under, I know where I'm planning my next vacation ;)

Empire of the Sun on Wikipedia

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Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon

Kid Cudi
Man On The Moon: The End Of The Day
2009


While "Kid Cudi" is considered a rapper. I would place him in his own category, at least for this album. "Man On The Moon" is a finely polished concept album. It is an album about surreal dreams, vivid imagery, thinking for yourself and not following the crowd. He claims to have "issues" early on, as a precursor to what is about to unfold. A few songs into the album Cudi introduces a second personality named "Mr. Solo Dolo, " who represents the yang to his yin. His dreams turn into night terrors. I don't know about you but I get goosebumps when someone designs with such a contrasting perspective. Every so often, the rapper "Common" narrates Cudi/Solo Dolo's state of mind. It really keeps you hooked into the story and is a very nice touch.

This is a dark and light CD. It speaks of haunting visions, of great aspirations, mental anguish, and loving life. It encompasses all opposites. It took a good 40 listens to fully comprehend the soul and depth behind this CD. I'm sure there's still something I haven't picked up on yet. In every song there are multiple backup signing tracks with varying pitch and reverb. An orchestral melody blends beautifully and boldly with piano, samples, and gritty synths. Yet at its core, it's rap. Not forceful rap. It has words which rhyme, backtrack, and repeat. I guarantee you will memorize the choruses of at least a few songs after just a listen or two. They're wonderfully catchy. But not in a way that gets old. I generally pass on rap, due to it's awful mastering, boring pacing, and pull you in then bore you beats. But this is a shining exception, and a guideline I recommend ALL artists follow; not just rappers.

Sounds great in the car, although if you want to hear the extra highlight tracks (too many to count), put on a good pair of headphones. I recommend some Pioneer ones. They're pricey (~$300) but definitely definately worth it. Where cheaper headphones focus on mids, these focus on highs and lows.

I highly recommend eating some mushrooms an hour or so before pressing play on this album. Cudi mentions them multiple times and if you are in that state of mind while listening, you will hear even more. You will feel what he feels. You become him for an hour and everything makes sense. Seriously, goosebumps and warmth to the nth degree. For example in "CuDi Zone, " he says "In my mind, sounds like wooo oooo oooo." To a sober person it's just a happy filler word. But under the influence, it describes how your mind feels lighter than a feather, yet your body feels heavier than a rock. Just floating on happiness, with a persistent grin. This is definitely a car song, it feels amazing with the windows down.

To sum it up, I love this CD. Every song is gold.



Kid Cudi on Wikipedia
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Foster The People - Torches

Foster The People
Torches
2011

Foster The People is a trio from LA. Started in 2009, after its founder Mark Foster, spent years as a struggling artist while shuffling through many minimum wage level jobs. Everything turned better once he got a job writing commercial jingles. He regained confidence and later wrote "Pumped Up Kicks," the breakthrough hit off "Torches," their debut album.

Torches is a very balanced album. The same vibe flows throughout yet it never gets stale; each song is unique. It's a very bright sounding album which I can actually play full blast in my car. Newer hip hop and electronic tend to wreck it since I am without sub :(  I'm naturally laughing or smiling. That's my default face. But at work today, multiple people said I looked even more cheerful than usual. I blame this album. Each song quickly becomes a memorable sing-a-long. There are some dark images but they're completely disguised by catchy, quirky melodies. For example, "Pumped Up Kicks" is about a kid going postal in his daydream. But anyway, I bought 3 other CDs with this one today, and have yet to open them, I just play through this album on repeat, all day. And I mean the entire album, every song is equally as good as the last. Therefore I feel it would be redundant to review each song in detail.

But seriously, buy this CD for your car, or if you listen at home, get the vinyl. It will magically brighten your day like an everlasting supply of lucky charms (only the marshmallows).



Foster The People on Wikipedia
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