Newly Released Album Reviews: September
This month has been awesome for new releases because I guess artists think that students spend their back-to-school money on new albums, or they just want to make everyone feel good for the new school year. Maybe the release date has nothing to do with school and has something to do with, “its been a while… maybe we should release that album we have been working on for a year or two.” Whatever the reason may be, we got lots of new music for the month of September! Now, I am not going to be covering all of it, just the music that I have got a chance to listen to. So, let’s get started! This does not go by a ranking, but by dates; enjoy!
Beacon- Two Door Cinema Club (9.4.2012)
Finally! Two Door Cinema Club’s new album came out! About two years have past since their first studio album, and Beacon is FINALLY here! Two Door Cinema Club is an electronic- indie band, and not many electronic- indie bands can do something new because their listeners will be upset with them. And the last thing they want to do is upset their listeners, but their listeners are all mostly indie, so they are maliable (not to put indie- music listeners into a generalization, but it is true). It’s truly rad though because the band really does something new with every song that they have released on this album. I knew that something was going to be different about Beacon, due to the fact they released their first single off the album around two months earlier. They really glorified the instruments more on this album than the last one. I am not going to say which album I like more because there are only two. and the newest one hasn’t had much of a chance to grow on me yet. I recommend this band to workout to, and I enjoy the Indie- Pop/ Electro Genre for working out or just to feel better about things in general… I liked the different styles that the guitarist have implemented through this album. It is really fun, and I highly recommend taking some type of traveling trip to this album because in addition to being fun, it’s engaging… maybe a road trip? I like it, it’s bubbly and indie- minded… I highly encourage checking out this album. My favorite song on Beacon would have to be “Sun” because I enjoy the trumpet solos and the bass lines in the song.
Night Visions- Imagine Dragons (9.4.2012)
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Imagine Dragons released their first studio album on September 4th, 2012. For myself, I was extremely excited for their album to come out because I thoroughly enjoyed their EP released back in February of this year. I didn’t expect anything from the band because I wasn’t sure if they were serious about being awesome; so I didn’t have any expectations when l I saw them on the line up for the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware. Once I did some research, I saw that they had an album coming out in September. I was blown away by their work on this album; it truly is astounding. The band has such a variety of sounds and beats that they are playing out and really is driving the album to the top of the charts. The album has some diversity throughout all of its sounds. It starts off with a settle Dubstep/ kick-drum feel. They continue the album with engaging beats, and the drummer truly brings the album together because without some bass or drum it would not be as amazing as I am setting it out to be. I noticed how much advertising this album got on iTunes. I wonder how much all of the advertising cost them. Either way, I am sure it was worth it because they landed the number one seed on iTunes on the release date. The album is great. I am very glad that they finally released it and that they got awesome reviews from what I have read online. They deserve all of it. I truly encourage everyone to buy the album and not the EP because all of the songs that were on the EP have landed in the album as well. Hence, you don’t need to buy both. This album is really awesome to study to or just hang out with some friends to. My favorite song on this album would have to be “Nothing Left to Say/ Rocks” (It’s about 8 minutes long). It features two songs, but it really is exhilarating to hear. Check this album out!
Bad (25th Anniversary Special Edition)- Michael Jackson (9.14.2012)
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I will never gain the courage to speak of Michael Jackson in indecent ways, because everything he did (in his musical life) was epic. He was an iconic man for many years and “The King of Pop.” How can you dis the King? It is not because I don’t have courage to dis him; it is because I would have nothing to dis. He was such an epic man, and a role model in the music industry because of the major steps he took in the industry. Although Jackson has passed, his memory still lives on through anniversary albums and dance. I will not judge him for what he did in his personal life because I believe that was up to him and that was none of the world;s business, in fact I don’t believe the personal life of musicians lives should ever be exposed until death because it must already be hard enough to deal with the hardships of whatever he may have had to go through. Now this special edition of Michael’s work recently remastered makes him sounds even clearer and better than before. His sounds that he provided to the world personally can never bother me. This three-piece set gives a better sound and more stuff to listen to. Who can this bother? I encourage young listeners to listen to Michael Jackson because of his impact on the music industry. If you aren’t familiar with Jackson, you should definitely look into buying this album, and if you are familiar with his work, this album sounds even better because of the new way they have recorded his stuff. I highly recommend buying Bad because it is just something you should have on your iPod. They include some of his live performances on disc three, which is something that’s worth a listen. Go ahead, and enjoy this iconic man through your music provider. Have fun; regardless of your feelings about him, his music still remains legendary throughout the world – so you are missing out on good music… why would you want to do that?
Away from the World- Dave Matthews Band (9.11.2012)
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I must be honest; I was not a huge Dave Matthews Band fan until my friend introduced me into this band. He is the biggest Dave Matthews Band fan ever, I must say. He almost had tears in his eyes when they released this new album. I must say how many different sounds and instruments this band goes for, and how awesome it is to know that bands are still doing this type of stuff. I love “jam” type bands. It feels as if you are going into their musician’s mind of what they are feeling, due to the rift and lyrics that they are projecting out into the listener’s ears. Dave Matthews Band lyrics are always positive to an extent. He definitely promotes change in the world throughout his lyrics, which are mostly positive. All of their songs sound different and always embrace a new style throughout each song. This album also reunited with their producer of the first three albums, the man himself – Steve Lillywhite. This album takes a totally different route throughout the each song. I am not a massive Dave Matthews Band fan, but I do enjoy a lot of their work. Because they never seem to disappoint, I went to buy this album before I even had a listen because I knew that it was going to be good. And that is something I never do, because I never know what the album may be like. I usually preview it before buying, but Dave Matthews has proven a great track record. I highly recommend buying this album, if you have a few of his studio albums and are familiar with his work. However, I don’t recommend buying this album as your first, I would look into a greatest hits or one of the most popular album that have won Grammys- because then you’ll be able to appreciate this new album more. My favorite song on this album “Gaucho.” I really appreciate how they added a really deep electric guitar into the song; its intriguing. I also love how they incorporate audience speaking throughout the song; it is really different. It is like they add the people chanting as an instrument, which I find really cool.
Battle Born- The Killers (9.17.2012)
The Killers released their new album Battle Born on September 17th, 2012. I was excited because their albums, Hot Fuss and Sawdust, were really awesome. Now, we all know how iconic The Killers are. So call me crazy, but I expected something great for this album, because when you have such great albums like Hot Fuss and Sawdust, an avid music listener expects something topping both those albums. This album, Battle Born, was not what I wanted or what I expected. What I got was the complete opposite. To make sure that I wasn’t crazy, I asked around, and I wasn’t the only one. Not a lot of people enjoyed the album. The band tried to replicate some weird 80’s workout music with a touch of Rock and Roll, and I just don’t get it. I was extremely confused throughout the album. I feel as if they weren’t being The Killers. I felt as if I was listening to a bad version of MGMT (not that I like MGMT that much). I do still love The Killer,s but this album really did not do the band any justice. I think the band is a great; their first albums were awesome, but this one was a total miss. I hope this is not the last of the band because it would 1. be a waste of talent and 2. be a very sad ending for such an iconic band. Although I don’t encourage buying this album, I do encourage taking a listen through Spotify or an album preview on iTunes, so you can see what I mean before you make a purchase. The song I do enjoy the most on the album would have to be “Prize Fighter.” So check this album out and comment with you opinions.
!Uno!- Green Day (9.25.2012)
Green Day released their first album of the trilogy, from my understanding about this trilogy, it is that the album names are all named in Spanish.. Creatively, !Uno!, !Dos!, !Tres! Ir is really cool in my opinion, and now the listeners can be engaged, waiting for a new album. I am not a huge Green Day listener, but I was somewhat excited to hear their new album once the word about the lead singer’s outburst at the iHeart Radio Music Festival came out. I thought that it was really nervy of any lead singer to do that because – yes, they have freedom to judge other music – I just didn’t think it was professional of any band to do that since no one has the right to start bashing others’ music because your time got cut down… Or bash your guitar, but that is a different story. Either way, I do appreciate Green Day, and I still do think that Usher is talented because he has made it far in the industry. Making it far in the music industry is a talent, in my opinion. Anyway, Green Day is an awesome band. I love taking a run to them, when I am not feeling so happy. They are just a cool band to listen to. I like the album because all of the songs sound different, and the album seems like a lot of fun because they give many different instruments some time to solo throughout the songs. I highly recommend taking a listen to this album because it is worth listening to. I must say that the drummer is really awesome. If you pay attention to the drum lines throughout the album, the drummer is very talented. Take a listen to this album because it is interesting and a good choice to take an angry run too. Ironically enough, after the iHeart Radio Music Festival shenanigans, my favorite song on the album has to be “Loss of Control.” The lyrics describe what people’s feelings must be like after high school and what not. I like it; it’s really a cool album to have on your music player. I know I definitely am buying it. I am not sure when the next album of the trilogy is coming out, but I commend the guys on having that many songs to release… Go and check it out!
Babel- Mumford and Sons (9.25.2012)
The album most fans have awaited for two years has finally arrived. (Please understand before reading how much I really love Mumford and Sons.) I really do enjoy them. I like the truth which builds throughout their songs, and they are great for the break-up stages in my life (not with actual boyfriends… its more like, Ryan Gosling gets a girlfriend? I guess I should turn up my Mumford music). I do enjoy all of Mumford and Sons songs; I like them because they are depressing with a banjo, and that’s not a bad thing because I like some depressing folk music… There is a lot of folk music out there, but there is not a lot of folk music that is interesting to listeners throughout the world to land themselves high on the billboard charts. So hopefully you understand how much I love Mumford and Sons, because I do. The thing about their new album compared to their old album, if you aren’t an avid Mumford listener… I don’t recommend buying it. Before I get my own sad song written about me by Mumford and his sons… there is a reason… that reason being that the songs all sound the same. Honestly, I love Mumford, but their songs all sound the same, I have never seen anything like it. The lyrics are different, they do the same harmonies with the album that they released in 2010, “Sigh No More,” but the sad part is that I have sighed… a lot. All of the songs sound extremely similar. I hope it is not just me because I don’t know if it is. The best part about this album is that they incorporated more piano playing, and that is good news because I am a piano player (and, of course, I wanted them to incorporate more piano throughout their music!) Either way, for a basic criticism, the songs all sound the same with the same harmonies and the same build up with different chords and lyrics. I do recommend checking out the album and definitely buying this album for avid Mumford and Sons listener,s but if I had to choose an album for a beginner fan… stick to the first album. My favorite track on the album would have to be “Below My Feet.”
Now, these are not all of the albums that have been released throughout the month of September! These are just the albums that I have been able to listen fully-through, and I encourage you to state your opinions below with comments or email me at caroline@theyoungfolks.com for your constructive feedback about the albums. so I can see your points of views. I am always up for a debate, or to see the another person;s side. You can check out a full list of album reviews and releases at one of my favorite music sites and magazines… Billboard! Enjoy!
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