Month: February 2020

Week Eight: Justin Bieber- Changes

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I cannot stand this little prick, and I honestly do not get the hyperbole around this arrogant arsehole. Anyway, I’ll put that aside and try to write a review longer than a sentence. I must confess that even though I went through the painful process of listening to the record until its conclusion, I could not wait for it to end, and I could feel the blood running out of my ears as my eardrums were subjected to unnecessary abuse. The only high point of the album is that it features guitars. I hated his vocals, but the guitar on “That’s What Love is” was very pleasing. The album never got going for me, and his vocals seem vacant. I’m sure he couldn’t even be bothered to try every time he entered the vocal booth.

Maybe, he was missing his wife or just wanted to piss about in the studio rather than knuckle down and try his best once inside the booth? After all, this arrogant prick befriended one of the most extraordinary Boxers, Floyd Mayweather Junior, and now thinks that by association, he is as untouchable as Floyd was during his Boxing career. I feel sorry for his fans in all this, but they are all fucking brainwashed idiots who think this guy is the second coming of Christ. He comes across as bored throughout the record, showing contempt for all his fans, and he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of the record. Not only are his vocals painful to listen to, but the production is just diabolical; every song seems like a repeat of the track that went before, and the lyrical content isn’t much better. Overall, The album is boring, and you can’t

wait for it to end. It was a very long 51 minutes, and I was relieved when it was over. I will never listen to it again, and I hope I will not be doing any more Justin Bieber reviews throughout the year. They said the title was meant to represent Justin moving with the times, but instead, you have an absolute hornet’s nest of a record. I have elected to not even give a mark out of ten. Pure shite.

Week Seven: Green Day- Father of All Motherfuckers

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Yes, I don’t care that I am using the full title, and if that offends you, I couldn’t care less. Get used to it. I am fed up with all the fucking bullshit in society that offends people. So, I have been a regular listener (I even watch their shows via YouTube or television. Haven’t been to see them yet.) since 1995. They came up in a conversation while I was in America, and I remember hearing them and feeling blown away by their energy. Later, I would discover bands like the Sex Pistols and draw on the two comparisons. Indeed, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said they inspired the band. So, Green Day started as Sweet Children in 1987 when they all met at school. (I believe Bassist Mike Dirnt was living with Billie Joe’s family or vice versa. I recently saw a documentary on the band and forgot the order.) Why Sweet Children? Well, a band in the East Bay of California was already called Sweet Baby.

The band then changed their name to Green Day after their affection for cannabis. The band would start to gain traction after performing numerous gigs at the DIY 924 Gillman Street club, known as the Gillman. After being spotted by Larry Livermore of Lookout! Records, they would sign with the independent label until 1993. When they joined Reprise Records in 1994, they faced some backlash from the regulars at the Gillman for ‘selling out’, but “Dookie” would go on to be their major breakthrough after scoring number one in three countries. Even in America, it only just failed to reach the summit. The band would get even more popular from there with a slight dip in “Nimrod”.

In the early 2000s, they had to change direction, so they entered the political arena with catchy three-chord songs like “Basket Base”, “When I Come Around”, et cetera and their lyrics laced with sarcasm. Not literally, but their songs attacked the presidential reign of George Bush Jr and his government. Now, we were seeing Green Day going full-on Sex Pistols. Turning from just Punk musicians to activists and “American Idiot”, the album was very politically-charged. After Bush’s two terms had finished, the first black president Barack Obama was elected, and everyone felt hopeful about the future. Indeed even the band’s lyrics and songs were more about hope and losing anger. Was it because the band members were getting towards middle age? Who knows. After Obama served his two terms, Green Day was not happy about the appointment of Entrepreneur Donald Trump, and many fans expected an album more prominent than all had gone before after 2016. Still, despite their opposition to the current president, it didn’t come.

Unfortunately, the title suggests that this is the moment that this is the record that does it. On the contrary, I didn’t notice much politics in this at all. I found it more upbeat, Kind of like “Who Built the Moon?” by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. It’s nothing like it sonically, but the music is upbeat. I was expecting a political album from Green Day, but they may feel we need more uplifting things to listen to during the current climate. The biggest shock for me on their thirteenth studio record was the length of it. Even with the bonus track featured on the Japanese version, it barely touches thirty minutes. On the version everywhere else, it is only twenty-six minutes and sixteen seconds. Their shortest record since “39/Smooth”, their debut back in 1990. Billie Joe said during an interview that he didn’t feel creative enough when writing songs involving politics. Instead, we have more of a jam session album, and Billie Joe felt nostalgic by drawing inspiration from his record collection. It is an album that is more focused on instrumental than lyrical content.

More bad news for avid fans is that the band have got very experimental on these ten/eleven tracks. Of course, for someone like me who enjoys it when artists/bands dabble with different sounds and genres, this record is very intriguing, and I appreciate this concept adopted by the band. Indeed, Billie Joe has said this record is more Soul, Motown, Glam rock and traditional Pop punk. However, there is modern garage rock with tracks like “Meet Me on the Roof” and the Weezer-inspired “I Was a Teenage Teenager”. The delivery by Billie Joe is very different, too and goes in line with the record; instead of his usual aggressive vocals, he sings with a comedic falsetto.

Well, if you were expecting a record that attacks the current world leaders, this album is not it. I’m sure Green Day will no doubt release one sometime in the future, but for now, they have decided to go with something more uplifting and make you forget entirely about all the bullshit going on for half an hour at least. This record is more like one big party and reminds us all to have fun now and again. As I said, they have gone with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds approach. Let’s face it; it isn’t wrong to throw up the middle finger to the world and feel at one through the power of music. Now, I was torn as to what mark to give this record. On the one hand, you have an enjoyable and uplifting record, but on the other, you have a very un-Green Day record.

7/10

Week Five: J Hus- Big Conspiracy

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It has been a very testing time for the vocalist from Stratford since the release of his debut album “Common Sense”, which charted at No.6 in the main chart and secured the top spot in the R&B chart. However, on this record, he doesn’t really talk about any of his personal problems during the past two years or so. If anything, this record is much wiser for a kid that is only twenty-three years old. Whatever it is that he was dealing with has seen him come out on the other side with a more mature point of view of the world. The debut was more spontaneous and had a sense of “I’ve made it, so I am going to have fun and live fast” attitude to it, whereas his follow-up shows more of his talents, and that he feels a lot more comfortable with the direction, he is heading in with his music.

You notice this from the title track alone and understand the hyperbole surrounding J Hus. Another thing I particularly like about the record is how the producer TSB has made it feel more like a live performance than a recorded record in a studio. I will need to check if the tracks were performed as a live show (albeit not to the public.) rather than the usual method of recording these days. Although this may be his record, the performance of icee tgm catches my ear on the opening two tracks. Especially on “Helicopter”. I recommend looking out for this talented female vocalist in the coming year.

She is not the only artist to be collaborating on the record. J Hus has opted to showcase himself more and use only three collaborations with icee tgm, Burna Boy and Koffee. Although some tracks have pop elements to them, their references to guns and sex, like “Play Play” and the very comedic “Cucumber”, might not be deemed radio-friendly enough for the mainstream singles chart.

As the album goes on, it gets darker and darker. I liked “Deeper Than Rap”, as you get a real insight into J’s life through the piano instrumental accompanying his autobiographical story. What is especially good about this record and why it deserved the top spot is that it blends all the sounds associated with the UK through the decades. It is ranging from Jungle, Drum & Bass, Garage, Grime and so forth. With Stormzy and now J Hus already scoring No.1 albums this year, it raises the stakes for other Grime artists to emulate.

9/10

Week Four: Eminem- Music to be Murdered By

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Here is the track-by-track review:

Premonition (Intro):

Hahahaha, from this track alone, we have an album centred around his alter ego Slim Shady. As the piano is playing, you can hear a woman screaming as he raps about how all the original gangsters of the game have been forgotten because they are no longer considered popular by the new generation. However, he picks up on the hypocrisy included as he mentions that 2Chainz appears to be popular with the new generation, but he is, in fact, not that much younger than Eminem. It reminds me of when BBC Radio 1 deemed the likes of Green Day too old for their station, yet will play Pharrell Williams on their station despite him being around the same age as Green Day and staying on topic with the record Eminem. Eminem is trying to say that if you don’t make chart-friendly music, you will not get any attention from the generic listener. Hardcore fans, however, will listen regardless.

Unaccommodating:

Eminem always likes to bring new talent, and he has done it again with Young M.A. featuring on this track. This alone will intrigue Eminem fans, and you would think, get them to take a listen to her material or maybe even watch her pornographic film that is available on Pornhub hahaha (It’s called research. I haven’t seen it and was very surprised to discover that, she directed a porno. Oh, and M.A stands for “Me Always”.) the flow on this track is fantastic by Slim Shady and so is the rhyming. Rather than trying to describe it, I recommend you listen and lose yourself (No pun intended.).

You Gon’Learn:

Two features on this, Royce Da 5’9″ being co-rapper and White Gold singing a chorus that will, from what I have heard listening to this song, stand the test of time and is catchy as fuck. Royce Da 5’9″ uses a wide range of vocabulary and even mentions a very personal thing about his father going for a health screening. Em aims shit rappers, saying that they can’t work out when their words should land on the beat.

Alfred (Interlude):

Fuck’s sake, one of these pointless tracks, and no, I don’t care if it is Alfred Hitchcock, even though the album is named after something to do with Alfred. I’m curious if it’s one of his films, a reference in a film or something else. Either way, it’s another pointless record filler.

Those Kinda Nights:

Ed Sheeran is back, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t record his part in Australia and wait months for Slim Shady to get in touch, like what happened with “Revival” in 2017. Em enjoys working with the lad from Halifax, and the wordplay is incredible. Em foretells a story from the early-2000s.

In Too Deep:

Funny that the word “deep” should be mentioned in the title because this track has a profound subject. It’s about two relationships, where a wife is cheating on her husband with Eminem, who is cheating on his girlfriend. Still, neither the wife nor Eminem is willing to take their affair any further despite being much happier.

Godzilla:

This is an exciting track; it gets faster as it goes on. Juice WLRD provides a catchy hook, and Eminem increases his rhyming speed verse by verse. Is he going for a Guinness world record on this? I never even knew he could rap this fast.

Darkness:

Wow. Controversial, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from Slim Shady. He’s talking about committing a massacre while in a hotel room in Las Vegas. He’s speaking from the perspective of the terrorist from the Route 91 country music festival. The aim is to highlight what can happen when people are tipped over the edge and become mentally ill. You may call that guy a mentally ill lone wolf. Not for me. He planned to cause mass terror to a community, and he did so. That’s terrorism.

Leaving Heaven:

A song about optimism. Skylar Grey features.

Yah Yah:

Q-Tip is on the chorus, Royce Da 5’9″ is coming with straight-up honest lyrics, and I was delighted to see the most underrated rapper from the Roots, Black Thought. This guy is simply brilliant but always gets overlooked in the discussions of who is the best rapper or one of the best rappers. He is up there with Pac, Nas, Ice Cube and Eminem himself. He also doesn’t disappoint with his feature, either. I hope this will get Black Thought the recognition he deserves. Only the connoisseurs will know who he is. Denaun also features.

Stepdad (Intro):

Album filler where Em goes on a rant at his stepdad.

Stepdad:

Now to the track itself. I love how the hard drum kick compliments the subject and Em’s delivery. It fits in with the whole scarface rage thing. As the rage grows in the verses, in the final verse, Em talks about how he killed his stepdad with a baseball bat before beating the shit out of him and burying him next to his dog. The final bar says that if he goes to juvenile prison, he will tell them about why he did it.

Marsh:

Eminem is at his lyrical best. His flow as well is top-drawer.

Never Love Again:

I couldn’t tell if he was talking about his volatile relationship with his ex-wife Kim or his time on drugs. Either way, it’s a typical heartbreak song with a Slim Shady slant.

Little Engine:

The beginning sounds like Alfred Hitchcock talking before Em comes in. The beat is very creepy and something you would hear in a Dracula film or something.

Lock It up:

An Artist I was delighted to see on the record and, in all honesty, never expected to be Anderson.Paak mainly performs with the Free Nationals. Yes, Anderson can sing, but have you heard him rap? I can’t remember the name of the track I have listened to him rap on, but it was pure fire (Something about a woman, from what I remember.), and he compliments Slim Shady as they destroy the beat.

Farewell:

Slim Shady showcases more of his rhyming ability in this song about breaking up. If it isn’t about Kim, then I have no clue.

No Regrets:

Em has shown he can work with new school rap on this, and someone called Don Toliver features. I’ve heard this artist will be the one to watch this year, but this is my first discovery of him. I’m unsure if he can sing because he uses that fucking autotune. I can’t stand it, and it’s usually for those who can’t sing. Drake is a heavy user of it. He’s American, but I can hear the Caribbean in his vocals.

I Will:

What the fuck is this? As I said, I missed a fair chunk of Em’s career from 2003-2009 because I didn’t like the cheesy shite he was coming out with (Eight Mile an exception.), and I have no idea if this type of song was on those albums. KXNG Crooked, Royce Da 5’9, joins Slim Shady” and Joell Ortiz, where they reminisce and go fucking bar crazy. I loved Slim Shady’s controversial bars on this, and yeah, he’s up to his usual threatening some lady who hears Wu-Tang Clan and wanders out onto the patio to inspect, where he greets her by jumping out with a sword.

Alfred (Outro):

Just Alfred talking at the end.

Overall Review:

I planned on doing something other than these, but here we are. What I loved about “Music to be Murdered By” is he hasn’t lost his touch after “Revival” and “Kamikaze”. Yes, he might have taken his foot off Donald Trump’s throat, but this is still Slim Shady, who is pissed off and ready for war with the current rappers. This record is more aimed at his struggles in relationships and his battle with drug abuse. Not to mention the odd murder or controversial topics ( Being in the mind of a mentally ill terrorist, for example.). Since “Recovery” in 2010, I said Em was back, and he has further reiterated that on this album. His lyrical content is excellent and destroys rappers who weren’t even born when he was causing fuckery and pissing off the media in late-90’s/early 2000s. Loved his flow, delivery, wordplay and all-round lyrical content. Not to mention his speed, I have never heard him rap that fast with anger. If anything, this is an Alfred Hitchcock film, but in music form. I’ve listened to fucking snowflakes moan about the non-PC nature of this record, and they feel he should be banned or boycotted. Do fuck off, this is real rap, and there’s no political correctness in the game; it wasn’t designed for that. In rap, you shoot from the hip and fuck the consequences and people you piss off. Do you think Eminem is evil now? Wait until you fucking dickheads hear his material in the early years; you will fucking melt. Don’t like Eminem? Then don’t listen to him, and don’t listen to real rap.

Songs I recommend: “Godzilla”, “In too Deep” and “Yah Yah”.

8/10