LANA DEL REY LUST FOR LIFE Interscope Records Dream Pop, Alternative R&B Listening Format: CD I'm not going to lie, when I first looked at the album sleeve (she's... Smiling!?) and the tracklist for this album, my first thought was "oh lord... This is gonna suck, this is gonna suck so hard!" The thought of Lana Del Rey pairing up with A$AP Rocky and The Weeknd felt so benign to me. And the reason I made this assumption is because I enjoyed her last album 'Honeymoon' so much. I always think of Lana Del Rey as being a forward thinking Pop singer and musician. Many of the artistic decisions she has made in the last few years have set such a high standard compared to most of her peers. Just about EVERY Pop artist, male or female, these days are cramming their albums with unnecessary guest rappers, and Trap influenced R&B beats, because it is trendy and it boosts sales. I've always thought of Lana Del Rey to be outside of doing what is considered "trendy". The more she sings over these earthy, string-laden, dreamy soundscapes the better she sounds. In return, by avoiding doing what all of her peers are doing, she ended up being a trend-setter in her own right. With this being the case it was very much wrong of me to make the assumption that 'Lust For Life' would suck, especially coming off of 'Honeymoon', which I feel was her best and most accomplished full length yet. I guess I looked at that tracklist, the featuring and producer list, and hit the panic button, assuming she was about to undo exactly what makes her stand out so well. So how DOES the album fare? Right off the bat, Lana Del Rey is sounding in fantastic form. 'Love' is a huge track to open with. Her voice is just sounding better and better with each release, and she absolutely soars across the chorus. Title track and single 'Lust For Life' is utterly sublime... The production on this track from Max Martin is outstanding. It captures that Twin Peaks Dream Pop style perfectly. There is a definite throwback to the '50s Spector girl group sound in the verses, and then the knockout "Take off all your clothes" chorus with The Weeknd is one of the most majestic things you'll hear all year. The way the two vocals combine is magical and the song is utterly catchy. It's goes from sounding nostalgic to cutting edge and modern all in just a verse to chorus transition. Without a doubt one of the best Lana Del Rey songs ever. Though 'Lust For Life' starts incredibly strongly, we are still talking about a 70 minute long opus here. In the middle stretch of the album we start to hear the Trap beats coming into the production, though thankfully they are mixed fairly low. That earthy Dream Pop sound still manages to be a dominant force, and the use of strings and moody suspended chord synths absolutely still shine through, along with Del Rey's powerful, diverse and haunting vocal delivery. The two songs that I feared featuring A$AP Rocky are lumped together. 'Summer Bummer' is actually a good song in it's own right, and just about manages to fit within the flow of the album, but 'Groupie Love' is a particular lowlight. It feels more like an A$AP Rocky song where Lana Del Rey is the guest on the track. Admittedly, I expected much worse from these two tracks, but they do sort of work in the context of this album. I do get that such a long album needs to throw in some curveballs to keep things interesting, so it just about gets a pass from me. Sadly though, the album is rather front loaded. The last twenty minutes in particular does start to run out of steam. Even though the Stevie Nicks and Sean Ono Lennon collaborations appear, I feel like most of the best ideas had already been spent by this point. Ultimately, when it comes to listening to Lana Del Rey, I like her to be selfish. I genuinely think she is at her best when she does her own thing, singing her heart out over nostalgic, dreamy ballads. I have to wonder whether it was her decision to bring in Trap beats, guest rappers and features, or is it a product of being on a major label? Regardless, she has still managed to turn out a mostly very strong album. I don't think A$AP Rocky gelled with her at all, but it was nowhere near a disaster like I had wrongly assumed. And the duet with The Weeknd is absolutely inspired. In fact in many spots on this album, Lana Del Rey sounds at the top of her game. I think this is her best vocal performance to date, and in terms of writing and production, she still stands miles ahead of other Pop vocalists. She can genuinely go toe to toe with the likes of Beyonce, Rihanna, Sia and Katy Perry, and often come out as the most forward thinking and interesting to listen to. Personally I think the 'Paradise' EP she released back in 2012 is her most groundbreaking release that just felt 100% Lana, but 'Lust For Life', whilst flawed, is still a very strong release that far exceeded my expectations. 7/10.
CHASTITY BELT I USED TO SPEND SO MUCH TIME ALONE Indie Rock, Jangle-Pop. Hardly Art. Listening Format: CD
Chastity Belt are a quartet from Seattle, Washington, the home of Grunge, which is ever so slightly channeled in the aesthetics of their sound. This is their third full length album and what I believe is the boldest and most distinct record from the all girl band yet.
Chastity Belt on the surface have a lot of 90s throwback vibes that recall bands like Pavement, delivering slacker vibes with plenty of ragged, jangly guitars and a lo-fi, rough around the edges, scuzzy sound. There are many points where vocalist Julia Shapiro will drift out of key or go slightly flat, but in that magical naive way where it doesn't at all offend the ears, similar to bands like The Raincoats or The Vaselines. Whilst the album doesn't offer much in the way of variation, it does offer lots of heart, and the entire set of songs carries a lot of vibrance and momentum. Even though the production sound isn't particularly bright, the compositions and performances themselves are full of colour. The chiming guitars and hazy vocals in particular add such dreamy and pleasant feels.
From the rockin' opener 'Different Now', to the slowly strummed dirge on 'Used to Spend', the album thoroughly evokes an urgency, rawness and passion that shines the whole way through. Ultimate proof that great performances and heartfelt songs can make up for a lack of technical finesse. Recommended for fans of The Dum Dum Girls, Best Coast and Waxahatchee. 8/10.
CIGARETTES AFTER SEX CIGARETTES AFTER SEX Indie Rock, Slowcore, Dream Pop Partisan Records. Listening Format: CD
Cigarettes After Sex are a Texan formed Indie Rock band who are releasing their proper full length debut album. The band have actually been around for a while now, with their self released demo appearing in 2011 which didn't make such an impact. However their 2012 EP fared much better, with the track 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' becoming a slow-burning hit. The band kind of went dormant for quite a few years, but a reissue of said EP last year renewed interest in the band who had started touring once more. Cigarettes After Sex now seem to be picking up their momentum faster than ever before and are starting to see the attention they have been looking for. For those who have known of the band's work before this album, you'll hear that almost nothing has changed in their sound. Even in the years following that 2012 EP, Cigarettes After Sex haven't added or subtracted anything. Their sound has that 90s throwback that is especially popular this decade. In particular they seem to take influences from the lesser known "Slowcore" movement of the early 90s. Their stark, stripped down and bare-bones sound is especially reminiscent of early Red House Painters and Low records (particularly 'Down Colorful Hill' and 'I Could Live In Hope' respectively). However Cigarettes After Sex are nowhere near as harrowing, melancholic or doom-ridden sonically or lyrically. But the comparison comes from their slow jangly music that is so bare it has nothing to hide. There also seems to be a strong influence of early 90s 4AD acts such as This Mortal Coil and Cocteau Twins too (in fact 'Each Time You Fall In Love' has a very similar sound and melody to Cocteau Twins' 'Pitch the Baby'). Cigarettes After Sex admirably have nothing flashy about their sound. The drums are mostly hi-hat and snare, the guitars slightly reverberated, but their sound is just as raw in approach as it would be on stage or in the studio. Absolutely no studio trickery or effects sound like they have been added in post. In many ways this makes the band sound completely genuine and honest, but such starkness could be a turn off for some listeners.
The album has a few really strong songs, kicking off with 'K.' which is as strong an opener as their best known hit 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby'. As I said before, they sound EXACTLY as they did when they released that song 5 years prior. Greg Gonzalez's androgynous voice is just as bittersweet and inviting as always. Perhaps the true star of this record. His vocals are just so warm, emotive and passionate without really even trying. He rarely feels to the need to elevate his voice or push his vocal chords in anyway, always revelling in a laid back, chilled out hush, much like the band as a whole. Cigarettes After Sex are a band that never introduce a heavy riff or even a loud build up in their songs. Their music is almost calculatedly brittle and laid back, like the band sat down the entire time they wrote and recorded these songs. Single 'Apocalypse' is another huge hitting and emotive song that was effectively released as a promotional single. I particularly enjoy 'Flash'. A rare time where the band mix up the formula a bit. The song revolves around a beat similar to Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' and shows a dub influenced bassline.
The problem with Cigarettes After Sex being so strictly chained to a specific sound is that the album really lacks any variation. Even if I think back on Red House Painters' debut as a sonic comparison, they also had a fairly strict vision for their sound and approach, yet still managed to hit us with a curveball with the brilliant 'Lord Kill the Pain', a faster tempo song reminiscent of REM. All ten tracks on this album have almost the same approach, structure and aesthetic running through them. I feel like even just one or two curveballs or surprises would have benefited this record. After multiple listens, my excitement for this record started to wane. Their 2012 EP lasted 18 minutes long and was built on 4 incredibly strong tracks. But transitioning over to an entire full length record and keeping the same strict aesthetic has made for a much more difficult listening experience running at 45 minutes. Unless this is your absolute favourite band or sound in the world, enjoying the entire duration is going to be tough. In fact the longest and slowest song 'Opera House' is the lowest point on the album.
'Cigarettes After Sex' is ultimately a solid, passionate and very focused debut. The band have clearly made no compromises in their sound and their vision and delivered more of exactly what made their 2012 EP so popular. There are a few genuinely stunning tracks, and they certainly have a down to earth sound and delivery that will hopefully tug at your heartstrings. But I can't deny that I really wanted to like this album more than I did. It really is a one-dimensional affair that just about pulls through into moments of greatness, although the overall consistency of their EP was better. If you are new to this band though, it's definitely one I would recommend. They are certainly one of the more interesting Indie Rock bands I have heard this decade. For a debut full length, it just about works, but I'd like to see this band think more outside of the box in the future and take me to different places with their sound. 7/10.
DYSTOPIAN FUTURE MOVIES TIME Post Rock, Atmospheric Sludge Metal, Dream Pop. Oak Island Records Listening Format: CD
Dystopian Future Movies are an Atmospheric Rock trio from Nottingham, England and this is their debut album 'Time'. Their music is written by vocalist and guitarist Caroline Cawley with apt lyrics that seem to evoke a fear of things to come. DFM have built up their own signature style of writing that combines elements of Post Rock combined with the classic loudQUIETloud formula. Though their songs tend to average the 5-6 minute mark (as opposed to Post Rock's often lengthier dirges), they often build up slowly and gradually, ebbing and flowing between soft, Ambient textured and atmospheric clean guitar passages, and loud and explosive distorted guitar sections. Whilst this is far from a new or unique approach, it is the genuine delivery and craft of this band that helps them to stand out.
'Time' has been produced by drummer Bill Fisher (who also plays in Church of the Cosmic Skull alongside Caroline), and excellently so as one of the biggest selling points of this debut full length is how lush and realised everything sounds. For just a guitar, bass, drums and vocal trio their music genuinely sounds bigger than the sum of its parts. There are many subtle textures to be heard, whether it is a guitar effect here, or a buried vocal line there, revealing themselves further with each listen. Even when the drums are playing at a steady, slow pace, they are always interesting, adding a hypnotic quality, and then booming into life with choppy fills and aggressive playing when necessary (check out the intro to 'Dulled Gilt'). Caroline Cawley's voice and guitar sound are completely inseparable. The two always play in complete harmony with each other as the songs build. Every clean guitar passage will be complimented with a hushed and fragile vocal that verges on a whisper, whilst every distorted riff that soars into Sludge Metal will be accompanied with Caroline's gnarlier screams and howls. She is clearly the real star of the band and her voice and use of melancholic chord progressions often grab the listener and are full of genuine moments of darkness as well as beauty. In particular lead single 'Pieces' sums up exactly what DFM do best all in one track. The dynamics of the song are teasing and alluring. Just as the song feels like it is going to explode into thundering riffs, the trio will suddenly pull back into soft and slow dreamy rock again. It takes a couple of builds up and crescendos before that momentum they allude to fires into life, taking the listener on that journey. 'Fortunate Ones' is another huge highlight on the album and certainly the most "Metal" song here. The track bursts into life much sooner with pounding drums and chugging riffs, whilst still holding on to that fragility that haunts their sound and writing style. But perhaps my favourite track of all is the beautiful 'Inertia'. This song has the brightest production and the most colourful sound, lead by mostly clean guitar that recalls Smashing Pumpkins 'Mayonaise'. 'Inertia' is a perfectly placed centrepiece on the album and the liveliest and prettiest track. Whilst I genuinely enjoy all seven tracks on this album, the way the album ends is a little underwhelming. 'Fugitive Minds' is a good track but just as it feels like the song is building to its climax, a misplaced fade out interrupts the song all too early. It feels like the studio engineer yelled "Time's up!" and cut them off mid song. 'Fugitive Minds' not only feels unfinished, but it leaves the album without a powerful finale that it so deserved. I feel like 'Forgotten Ones' would have served as a much better climax to the album, or at just 37 minutes, something else could have come in to close off the album. At least DFM have sent me off wanting more, in what is genuinely the only detracting moment on the record. Dystopian Future Movies have successfully built on the promise of their fantastic EPs and delivered one of the most emotive and haunting Rock/Metal album's I have heard this year. For a debut album, 'Time' is a more than solid surface to leap off and I expect DFM will go on to even greater things in the future! Recommended for fans of Chelsea Wolfe, Slint, True Widow and Esben & the Witch. 8/10.
