808s & Rodeo: How Kanye used 2015 to Foreshadow "Swish"

Yesterday is being touted by many including Kanye West protégé Travis Scott as the official beginning of Yeezy Season. West dropped two brand new tracks, “When I See It” and a remix of 808s  & Heartbreak track “Say You Will”. Of course when you have immense popularity along with the cult of personality that Kanye has, the rumor mill has immediately began to churn at full speed. I even heard a suggestion that Kanye is redoing the entirety of “808s & Heartbreak” with Travis Scott and others. While I do not think this to be the case I do believe that someone as cautious and attentive as Kanye West has had a plot for some time now regarding how and when he will drop his newest album which is currently titled “Swish” but lacks a release date. I have tried to examine some of the songs and projects Kanye West has been involved in along with 808s & Heartbreak, Rodeo, and the greater zeitgeist of hip-hop as a whole to try and predict what “Swish” could sound like. It’s all speculation, but Kanye has left some clues that could be foreshadowing an album with a familiar sound.

808s & Heartbreak is hardly coming up on a monumental anniversary. The album will only be seven in November, yet Kanye West has been turning his fourth record into an extravaganza this year. Doing two major shows at the Hollywood Bowl with a full orchestra as well as bringing in Kid Cudi and Young Jeezy made the event a once in a lifetime experience for Kanye fans. While undoubtedly a cool thing to do for fans, these shows should still have his fans asking why. Why did he do these shows? Nobody really celebrates seven year anniversaries, especially for albums that are hardly considered major highlights of an artist’s discography. However, 808s & Heartbreak has become one of those rare albums that over the years has only shone brighter even in the eyes of publications not known for being the most current on trends in hip-hop. The colder R&B production style, raw emotional lyrics dealing with relationships, and sung auto-tuned vocals has become a staple for artists like Drake, Future, and The Weeknd.

Nothing is more exemplary of this fact than Travis Scott’s major label debut, “Rodeo.” Yes, Kanye West has worked with Scott extensively as well as producing and featuring in tracks on this record so it is unsurprising the album would have a “Kanye-touch”. However, the significance of this record and how it relates to “Swish” does not necessarily only relate to how it sounds, but also the timeliness of it. Rodeo works well as a reflection of hip-hop as a whole today when it comes to its sound. The record’s production was the clear focal point of the album with Scott working with the biggest producers in hip-hop today practically guaranteeing a successful record even for a rapper who is not the most lyrically gifted. What is striking about this record is how many tracks sound like they actually could be on 808s & Heartbreak. Tracks like “90210”, “Apple Pie”, and “I Can Tell” may lack the strong emotional perspective that Kanye West or Drake can convey, but the production and use of auto-tune clearly pays homage to 808s in a very modern way. “Rodeo”, one of the biggest and most anticipated records in hip-hop this year, manages to make Kanye’s 2008 album sound fresher than it ever has before. This sound is undoubtedly in and popular right now and Kanye is smart enough to recognize this.

808s & Heartbreak has over the years turned from Kanye’s most disappointing work to arguably his most influential. The landscape of hip-hop today is so different than in 2008 when this record dropped, but the major tropes of hip-hop today can be seen in this record. The fact that Kanye is revisiting the album so directly with concerts for the record could mean he also is revisiting this sound as a whole for “Swish”. There would be no better time to drop an album with this sound now. The album could absolutely be a return attempt at grabbing airplay, especially with West coming off “Yeezus” which was an adamant statement of airplay avoidance.

Finally, we get to the most concrete evidence we have which is the songs West has released since Yeezus. In 2014, Kanye made it clear that he was revisiting the auto-tuned singing sound with “Only One”, a gorgeous tribute to his daughter and “FourFiveSeconds" which features more singing from West. Now in November we have another song in “When I See It” featuring an auto-tuned singing Kanye and a direct remix of one of his 808s & Heartbreak songs. This style has clearly become a focal point for Kanye over the last two years. It is hard to deny he is not revisiting this style of production and lyrical honesty that distinguishes 808s. All the signs point toward an album that can directly pair with 808s & Heartbreak even down to the release date. Although we don’t have a date just yet, if the album does drop relatively soon the winter months are beginning and West purposely released 808s around this time to reflect the mood of the record. “Swish” is likely going to be bringing content that is similarly heavy. Although it will not be nearly as ground breaking this time around instead the record will have the benefit of timeliness.

“Swish” could be a record which Kanye aims to prove he is just as relevant as ever. To prove he can still undoubtedly top the charts with brilliant production and an army of the hottest features at anyone’s disposal. It is hard to predict anything Kanye West says or does these days, but it is likely we can rule out a return to the heavy soul sampling of his early career, the artistic maximalist production of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”, and the industrial grind of Yeezus. Kanye West is not looking to create a surprising record here and he has used everything he has done since Yeezus to foreshadow this.  From the new songs, to the production he has aided other artists with, to the 808s & Heartbreak concerts at the Hollywood Bowl it seems as though Kanye has been leaving us clues. What seems likely is a record that features auto-tune and R&B hooks, but rather than confusing fans when the record does drop like 808s did, “Swish” will be a series of hits similar to “Graduation” because hip-hop trends have finally embraced this sound. I don’t expect “Swish” to innovate or challenge but to be a reflection of current hip-hop culture in the same way “Rodeo” was. This time Kanye West’s aim will simply be modernity. 

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TJ Kliebhan

10/20/2015

Loma Prieta- Self Portrait #CantMissIt

Loma Prieta

Self Portrait 

Deathwish Inc. 

The San Francisco based Deathwish Inc. is famous for discovering and promoting some of the best hardcore acts coming out of the Bay Area. However, their acts are usually more than just your traditional punk or post-hardcore acts. Most of their acts challenge genre labels while retaining their abrasive aggression and unrelenting pace. No artist or album is a better representation of that idea than the most recent effort from Loma Prieta, “Self Portrait”. This record finds the noisy post-hardcore act take its first stab at elements of melody, post-rock, and oceanic layers of guitar work. 

“Self Portrait” is hardly a risky record for Loma Prieta, but the band undoubtedly has pushed their sound and stepped out of their comfort zone on their fifth record. Their fourth record “IV” was a spiraling record of noisy chaos and catharsis, but on the new record the band goes for more melody. The vocals are still mixed lowly, the noise is still pounding, and the vocals are still aggressive, however; the band gives the listener more to cling on to than on any of their previous work. Within most of these blistering two minute tracks Loma Prieta creates a maelstrom of distortion, heavy guitars, and pounding drums before adding a bit of harmony or a quality guitar riff with a tone opposing yet not entirely dissimilar to the prior pandemonium. The tracks will shift from total havoc to a punk rock rallying cry. “Roadside Cross” has its listener caught in a swirl of havoc before shouting along the lyrics akin as if it’s a song by Sham 69. “Self Portrait” is constantly towing the line of the dissonance the band is known for with post-hardcore that sounds more like Alexisonfire, but containing enough of both that should please fans of the poppier and more hardcore sides of the genre. “More Perfect” has a beautiful guitar piece in the middle along with a distorted vocal effect that could be off a Brand New record.

Loma Prieta also throws in tracks that reach the four and six minute marks such as “Nostaligia” and “Satellite”. Rather than trying to stretch their noisy punk sound for an extra two minutes the band uses building intros, breakdowns, screaming vocal repetition, screeching guitar tones, and noisy fade outs to effectively create a more varied song structure and thus a more varied record as a whole. Many punk bands can fall into the trap of refusing to lay off the breakneck speed or the blasting distortion. Loma Prieta uses its brief softer spots to build drama as well as give these wonderful interludes the attention they deserve. Some of these guitar riffs are truly pleasing on the ears and truly deserve center stage. When these slow but beautiful passages exist between all the mayhem Loma Prieta normally creates, their power is that much more effective. When the album’s last track “Satellite” closes it feels like the close of an exhausting experience, but there was enough beauty in the record that you want to revisit “Self Portrait” again. This track offers a massive buildup before vocal cord ripping screams of “I’m losing touch with how much it means to be alive.” The touching lyrics and beautifully supportive bass line fading into soothing static leaves you unsure if you just heard a punk band attempt to create a Godspeed You! Black Emperor song or even more astoundingly, they actually may have done just a good job of it.

This will undoubtedly be one of the best punk rock records to come out this year because it is so different from what comes out of this scene and even more so what was expected of Loma Prieta. The combination of genres and influences is seamless, the song structure is unpredictable and exciting, and the sound is energizing. Quite frankly, this record does everything a good punk record should do while doing things a conventional punk record does not do. Loma Prieta is a band at the height of its powers sounding as bold and powerful as possible. With “Self Portrait”, Loma Prieta have mastered the ability to derive wonderful harmony from utterly destructive clamor.

9/10 

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TJ Kliebhan

10/13/2015

Check out lead single "Love": 

Deafheaven-New Bermuda

Deafheaven
New Bermuda
Anti-Records 

Depending on what side of the fence you fall on, Deafheaven’s third record New Bermuda is either incredibly anticipated or the physical manifestation of hipster gentrification within the metal community. What’s undeniable is the immense success and attention their sophomore record Sunbather brought the San Francisco shoegaze act. Now with a full permanent band Deafheaven collaborating with long time producer Jack Shirley have reemerged with  5 songs and forty three minutes of interlude-less material. Returning are the epic reflective poetry and harsh screech of George Clarke along with the various experimental guitar tones of Kerry McCoy which range from soft melodic beauty to aggressive fast-paced guitar licks apparently inspired by "Kill ‘Em All" era Metallica. This record does not stray far from its predecessor, but shows growth and experimentation from a band knowing they are under a microscope. 

Deafheaven stated that they did not want to make a Sunbather sequel and when they revealed their debut single, “Brought to the Water,” things were looking great in that regard. George Clarke’s growl has never been deeper or more aggressive. Kerry McCoy creates actual discernible riffs rather than the washed reverb sound that was characteristic of “Sunbather”. The thrash metal influence is obvious and the track ends with epic repetitive screams from Clarke that recalls “Dream House” or “The Pecan Tree.” Rather than ending promptly the track wanders aimlessly into a piano piece that seems to function entirely on its own. The piano does not act as an interlude to the next song nor does it seem to connect with the beginning of the track all that well. It feels quite forced. One of the few criticisms “Sunbather” received was the mundane fade out ending indicative of uncertainty or a lack of ideas so it is a shame the first track off “New Bermuda” has to suffer the same fate. However this does not stop “Brought to the Water” from being a major stand out on this record.

The second track “Luna” starts with another big riff from McCoy and the trademark George Clarke howl. As Clarke discusses feeling trapped and depressed in his new L.A. surroundings, Daniel Tracy makes his case as one of the best drummers in metal today. Tracy is a whirlwind all over this album and makes the drumming one of the major overall highlights of the album. “Luna” sets an unrelenting pace, while implementing riffs at the forefront of the mix, and a shoegazey backdrop from guitarist Shiv Mehra. “Luna” best represents the sound Deafheaven were trying to create out of all the tracks on this record. Deafheaven slows this track down creating melody, dynamic range, and a powerful post-rock atmosphere when they crank the volume back up.

“Baby Blue” is the third track off “New Bermuda” and presents itself as the track that seems to be the most inspired by the 80s thrash sound. This track is another 10 minute odyssey that begins methodically before exploding into the trademark Deafheaven dissonance. What should surprise on this track is a rare guitar solo from Kerry McCoy featuring a wah pedal that sounds straight out of a record by Coheed and Cambria. Although it certainly sticks out on the album the guitar solo does not feel out of place. Unfortunately, the rest of “Baby Blue” is rather unremarkable featuring a riff that feels rather generic by Deafheaven’s standards despite Clarke’s best efforts to give a jarring vocal performance. Another inexplicable fadeout closes this track as a sample plays from an airport recording. The recording is an obvious Godspeed You! homage, but its use is just functions banally here.  

The last couple tracks on here expose the band’s love affair with Oasis and “Gifts for the Earth” is Deafheaven’s attempt at a “Champagne Supernova.” This is the fourth track in a row where the intensity of George Clarke is on display and the band matches that intensity well; however, the post-rock/shoegaze portions at this point  just feel so forced in order to create dissonance. The slower portions throughout this record can feel unnecessary. When considering the record Deafheaven were looking to create, “New Bermuda” feels like the band just dipped their toes rather than jumping in. The intense portions of this record are phenomenal. With this record Deafheaven proved they can be an aggressive metal band. They’re much more than just a shoegaze act. They can write aggressive and effective riffs. The slower post-rock and shoegaze was blended well on Sunbather because the guitar tones remained relatively unchanged throughout the record giving the project cohesion. “New Bermuda”’s more aggressive tone makes these pieces of the same cloth feel like a grasp for the older Deafheaven sound. Ideally the band can use this record as a stepping stone to fully emerge themselves within this new sound whether that leads to fan alienation or not. This record shows growth and a band that refuses to be content. That alone should make Deafheaven fans excited. “New Bermuda” just seems to have caught the band between two sounds at the moment which hampers what could have been an excellent record. 

7/10

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TJ Kliebhan

10/6/2015 

Listen to "Brought to the Water": 

CHVRCHES-Every Open Eye

CHVRCHES
Every Open Eye
Virgin/Glassnote

CHVRCHES and lead singer Lauren Mayberry have been squished between two pressures since their massive hit debut record, “The Bones of What You Believe”. First there is the enormous pressure that follows a strong debut. Lauren Mayberry even expressed in her most recent interview with Corin Tucker that she would be sick if one more interviewer asked her about the pressure of the sophomore record.  The second is the unbearable misogyny that Mayberry has been forced to endure and bravely fight from “fans”, critics, and the music industry as a whole. The Glasgow trio’s first record was a synth-pop masterpiece that also had tracks with a striking new-wave influence. In terms of the recording process the band didn’t do much differently. They stayed in Glasgow, rather than opting for London. They recorded the new album “Every Open Eye” in the same basement studio that the first record was crafted in. All the band asked the record label for was, “just about every synth we’ve ever wanted.” The result is a record that sounds a bit more poppy than the debut, but is almost as great.

All the tracks on “Every Open Eye” are filled with big synth pop melodies and most feature Lauren Mayberry’s irresistible vocal charm. Most of these tracks are catchy, empowering, and even anthemic at times. One of the original singles ahead of the record, “Clearest Blue” perfectly encompasses this. Mayberry’s vocals fit the backdrop created by Ian Cook and Martin Doherty so well that any other singer on this track is simply unimaginable. Mayberry delivers the lines from which the album gets its name with such conviction that the listener should be hanging on every word. The synths just boom on this track so well that it simply feels wrong not to move your body to it. Mayberry sounds more empassioned by her words than ever before which creates an infectious feeling. The other major highlight of this record is “Playing Dead”. This is without a doubt one of the best tracks CHVRCHES has recorded and already feels like a timeless pop song featuring vocals that see Lauren Mayberry soaring higher than ever with lyrics of doubt in her lover’s responsibility over her. “If I give more than enough ground will you claim it?..” is a brutally relatable and honest feeling. This is an album of peaks and when the band is on they sound like the best synth-pop act out today.

Where the record becomes less enjoyable is in its overall tone. It seems like all the tracks are trying to do the same thing. There is not much variety. Ian Cook claims they wanted the record to sound spacious, but there isn’t really enough space to fit all the synth heavy production. It sounds as though CHVRCHES is trying to cram one sound down our throats although that one sound is something they are very good at. What makes “The Bones of What You Believe” a better record than this one is its variety. The slower new-wave tracks gave the more maximal pop heavy tracks room to be effective. Another thing that seems missing is the tracks sung by Martin Doherty. He only gets one track on this record as opposed to the two he had on the debut a long with more appearances as a backup vocalist. I enjoy Doherty’s rather conventional but passionate vocal style over the darker production. It acts as a nice catalyst to Mayberry’s high-pitched almost overly sweet and sugary vocals. The Doherty tracks just make that record feel a bit more robust and different than a conventional pop record.

Thankfully for CHVRCHES there is no sophomore slump here. There are plenty of great pop tunes that are engaging. Lauren Mayberry sounds as scintillating as ever in front of production that suits her even if the formula begins to feel a bit too similar by the end. With “Every Open Eye” CHVRCHES turn in a very satisfying product from a musical standpoint while Lauren Mayberry continues to prove herself as an emerging songwriter. 

7/10 

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TJ Kliebhan

 Listen to the single "Clearest Blue" below.