@yourbaroness and @revolvermagazine are extremely excited to announce “FULL SPECTRUM - The Art of Gold & Grey,” an album-release-night exhibition of original Baroness artwork, created by John Dyer Baizley & Marald van Haasteren at Revolver Gallery, 67 West Street, Unit 107, Brooklyn, NY immediately following the bands performance at Rough Trade. All Baroness album covers will be on display, accompanied by over 30 original drawings from Marald van Haasteren, the band’s long-time friend and frequent collaborator, who has travelled from his home in the Netherlands to join the event. Both artists will have original artwork on display and for sale, as well as prints, LPs, and other special items. The event is open to the public, and there’s no admission fee. We hope to see you all there; this will be unique one-night-only event

Every pop-punk connoisseur has heard of this iconic band, I’m sure, and lo and behold, they released a sophomore album only a few days ago! Did it – in my opinion – match up to its predecessor, Double Dare? You’re about to find out.  

Track 1: 11:11

The 10-track album opens up with 11:11, a song that plays with mystical and mysterious sounds, beginning with distinctive synth-sounds and then it elaborates with the guitars and drums. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. I think it is sufficient; it definitely grows on you the more you listen. Also, it does the job of giving the listener a small taste of what’s to come later on the record, but it’s not particularly memorable. I did notice that the drums are remarkable so, kudos to Otto!

Song rating: 6.5/10

Track 2: Blonde

From there we move to Blonde, the first single and one of the best songs of the album. At a first listen it can be deceiving, the upbeat rhythm and lyrics like I think the blondes are done with funandI think the blondes are done we’re all too cool for fun may seem fun and shallow. Nonetheless, if you pay close attention to the words, they speak of sadness and depression, but at the same time they hint of recovery through love, so it’s both sad and happy. Musically it’s exactly what you’d expect of Waterparks, a tune! So yeah, 10/10 would recommend!

Song rating: 10/10

Track 3: Peach (Lobotomy)

I must admit, this track had me hook within the first 10 seconds, and for the most random of reasons. It reminded me of Dick & JanebySidney York, which is the theme song for the South Korean series Age of YouthorHello, My Twenties! on Netflix (if you haven’t seen it I would also recommend it ;-)).

Anyways,Peach (Lobotomy) is a very pop-inspired song about being so in love with somebody they take over all your thoughts. It does an exceptional job of conveying this feeling of obsession, and madness even. It seems to me that the guys dared to step outside the box on this one and do something a bit different to what they would usually do, which is so commendable and it definitely worked!

Song rating: 10/10

Track 4: We Need To Talk

We Need To Talk is a difficult tune to judge, in my opinion. It’s catchy, for sure, but what bug me are the lyrics. The song discusses Awsten’s doubts with a previous relationship and his revelations that had occurred whilst he was in the relationship. Loads of songs deal with this kind of issue but with this one it just sounds cliché and overused, unfortunately.

Song rating: 7.5/10

Track 5: Not Warriors

I don’t know if it’s just me who finds Not Warriors to be particularly obnoxious and annoying… it’s a more pop generated track compared to their other works. It’s sang on high-pitched voice for most of the song and, I don’t know, I don’t really like it, so let’s just move on, okay? 

Song rating: 4/10

Track 6: Lucky People

Halfway through the record we get to hear Lucky People, my absolute favourite, no doubt. Where do I even start! The best way I can think of explaining this song is what the band account tweeted once: THIS IS THE MOST HAPPY JASON MRAZ ASS SONG YOU EVER SAW. ALSO THE SADDEST. YOU DECIDE, I GUESS. Fairly accurate because the song is cheerful and upbeat, but the lyrics vaguely speak of being madly in love, only to end up “sitting, wishing, waiting for your call”. Also, I find it pretty refreshing for pop-punk bands to compose songs that are different than their usual stuff, that are acoustic and melodic, like 21 Questions on their debut album, that one it’s just  g e n i u s!

Song rating: 10/10

Track 7: Rare

I was about to rank it low, but I think you gotta give Rarea bit of a chance and listen to it a few times. By when it gets to the bridge and the beat drops right before the last chorus, I’m sure it will have you convinced. Still, it’s not a wow from me but also, not too shabby!

Song rating: 7.5/10

Track 8: TANTRUM

I must admit, this songhit me like a ton of bricks. I was not expecting something like it at all. TANTRUMis mainlyAwstenventing about injustices, double standards, and unoriginality in the music industry and how these have affected him. I admire the way all elements correlate together so perfectly, the title of the song, the fact it’s written on uppercase letters, the words of the song and of course, the music. Screamy and angry. Again, it’s venturing a bit away from what they usually do, much like Little Violence on their first record so, very much appreciated :-)

Song rating: 9/10

Track 9: Crybaby

Reaching the end of Entertainment, I feel like we hit a small bump on the road with the last two songs. It’s not like they’re awful but they’re definitely the ones I’m least bothered about. It seems to me that one particular defect of Crybabyis the chorus. It repeats itself for way too long, to the point it becomes monotone. I just think something more – and better – could have been with that time.

Song rating: 6/10

Track 10: Sleep Alone

I believe that Sleep Alone sounds just like every other Waterparks song which is a bit disappointing; given it doesn’t show any effort towards evolvement and growth.

Song rating: 6/10

Overall, it’s sad to admit this album was nowhere near as exceptional as Double Dare. Maybe the expectations were too big, maybe the bar was set too high, whatever the reason, the guys have failed to deliver this time, but it’s okay, they’re still baes! ♥

Album rating: 7,65/10

If you want to get into them or are interested to hear what they’re like, be sure to check out Double Dare first, and then perhaps give Entertainmenta chance, who knows, you might love it.

Let’s not get our hopes up, but…

There is a video on Instagram of a radio broadcast saying rumor has it that the album will be released Friday, July 13th, 2018. AaHhhhhhhhh

Yesterday (1/26/18) rap trio, The Migos, dropped their 3rd studio Album, Culture II. The project had some impressive moments, but was somewhat underwhelming & felt more like a long playlist than an album. It’s biggest pitfall is its lack of compelling subject matter. When you continue to make songs about the same 3-4 subjects, they tend to get stale & overly repetitive. Conversely, a few nice elements like switching up the flows/cadences, production, features, and jazz instrumentation all managed to spice the album up in a great way at certain points. Despite this, the overall consensus seems to be that ultimately, more was expected of the super-group.

That being said, here’s a list of words and phrases we need a break from when it comes to The Migos :

• Anything involving Patek Phillippes, water, or a wrist.
  
• Any variation of the hoes and/or thots they’re fucking on or that they took from other men.
  
• Yes we know y'all are whipping water, but we’ve also heard more than enough about the bricks, birds, and pies. Thanks.
  
• Coupe, roof, mama, and basic bitch are some key terms that could use a break as well. Not to say these terms should be eliminated, but it wouldn’t hurt to add some other subjects in the mix.
  

Due to the extensive number of songs on Culture II , this won’t be a finely detailed track by track review, but rather a brief summary of highlights & lowlights, and a rating to go along with each mention (not all songs are mentioned). *Breathes in deeply* Let’s begin….

“Higher We Go” - A pretty solid effort to start the album. Though the hook sounds like a chant you would be forced to recite inside of an illuminati cult meeting, this song was very fitting for the album intro. 3/5

“Supastars”&“Narcos”-Typical migos songs (see aforementioned key terms for a summary of the subject matter) 2/5

“BBO” ft 21 Savage-21 was the highlight of this song, it’s saving grace. His effortless flow adds a certain je ne sais quoi to any song he’s on. 2.5/5

“Auto Pilot”- Quavo’s production was enjoyable, but the flow was TIRED. Everything doesn’t need a chant. 1/5

“Walk It Talk It” ft. Drake-The hook was admittedly simple, but  this song will undoubtedly be stuck in your head. Beyond that, Drake laced the track with his slick, bragadocious talk that everyone loves. This was more of the tone that was expected for the album. 4/5

“Emoji a Chain” & “CC”ft. Gucci Mane- More predictable  Migos stuff. Good enough that it can be easily thrown in the mix at a kickback, but not the level of greatness they are capable of. 2/5

“Too Much Jewelry”- Love Quavo’s flow on this. Great break from the chanting on the beginning of the album. Zaytoven those keys…mannn, he does it every time! 3.5/5

“Gang Gang”- Very refreshing. A jubilant ode to “the gang”. 3/5

“White Sand”ft. Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, & Big Sean- Solid track. Although quite a few elements sound like a song we’ve already heard many times before, Big Sean saves the day on this one! His verse revitalizes this track. Definitely a song you play while out on vacay at the beach. 3.5/5

“Notice Me” ft. Post Malone- Sonically , an all around great track. Only drawback is the repetitive subject matter. 4/5

“Too Playa”ft. 2 Chainz -*Insert 5 fire emojis!!!* Best track on the album! Quavo’s production, the saxophone riffs. Goodness. As far as verses, everyone came to play on this one. The wordplay was on par, and 2 Chainz brought his A game and took the song to an even saucier level! Sonically, this definitely should have been the main direction of the album. 5/5

“Top Down on da NAWF”- Another one of the better songs on the project, and way more fitting of being on an album titled Culture II. The Migos talk a bit about their upbringing and how comfortable they feel when they’re back home. One of the few tracks that were able to convey a certain feeling or vibe outside of the usual. 4/5

“Cultural National Anthem”-“You was searching for the wave, it was Culture what we found”. A lovely track to wrap up the album with and [semi] bring it all together. The Migos summarize what the culture is, their copious contributions to it, and how to do right by it on this final track. This is the type subject matter that reflects an album called “Cultute II”. Had the album consisted of this in equal doses as the traditional trap tunes, there would be nothing bad to say about it. Overall a great musical effort. Hopefully the next one will have a more dynamic feel. 5/5 track.

Total Album Rating: 3 out of 5 fire emojis. 3/5. What do you think of Culture II?

Credits: @theeilishteins on instagram