Future - Used To This (ft. Drake)

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I've had a decent break from Future lately, which I really needed. I was getting really sick of him - he was on everything. You listen to any hip-hop record, Future's there. You go for a trip to mall, Future's playing. You look right - you guessed it. Future's probably standing right there.

Desiigner has been building off the sound and he's someone I can finally get behind since he's added some melody to his music. Taking a break from Future has allowed me to take a refreshing new look into his new single, 'Used To This.'

Too my surprise, it's actually a good song. There's a sort of love-or-hate relationship I have with his music, but this track was a clear winner. The song's instrumental isn't empty and solely consisting of the same spidery and bass synths, but instead features a pretty catchy and pretty piano line that isn't too simple such that it keeps your attention. The beat is standard and the bass accompaniment is still there, but it's behind the piano and it's a really refreshing palette to come into. Perhaps producer Zaytoven is to thank, but regardless, it's a new sound.

The verses themselves are expected, but they're not annoyingly spit and have flow. The song's about Future and Drake being at the top of their genre, the hook of the track revolving around partying and the products of their successes: "Get the llama, I party with the real Madonna (yeah)... Drop-top Porsches, I'm so used to this... Mansion in the hills, I got used to this." Future's verses are expected of him, all about the party life and riches. Drake's verse is also expected, but that means it's pretty humbling. Putting aside the Drake has a lot more variation in his flow (and a lot less noticeable, presumably "aesthetic" autotune), he also covers his family and friends and how he keeps them in his mind and will always be able to thank them for where he is.

'Used To This' tackles two sides to fame: what's on the surface and what one should keep in mind. Future and Drake both take their respective sides, which isn't something special, but the song itself is a nice mix. It's a step in the right direction for Future - interesting and edging away from the sound he's had for his last three releases. EVOL didn't hit hard, but maybe this next record will. Future's been taking his time with this one, so that means something's coming. Beast Mode 16 is coming soon, and this track can only mean good things are to come.

Rating: 81 / 100

Run The Jewels - 'Talk To Me'

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The hip-hop world revving up, it seems. Yesterday offered up new Drake and new music from Run The Jewels, too!

The eclectic duo of El-P and Killer Mike are back with 'Talk To Me,' the first new song they've shared this year. It's part of Adult Swim's Singles Program running for the next month, and is to be featured on their upcoming effort Run The Jewels 3.

'Talk To Me' is everything you'd want and expect of Run The Jewels. It begins ominously with pounding, brassy synths and an urgent beat with a sort of cartoonish panic in them. The bassy synth carries the low end of the track as various synths and samples sound throughout the track to help carry its slamming nature. There's lots of interesting moments throughout it, including the awesome end where the instrumental distorts itself before it's taken over by powerful scratching.

Killer Mike has been heavily delving into politics this election cycle, and his frustrations of it become clear in 'Talk To Me.' Right from the get-go, he's slamming Donald Trump, the lines "Went to war with the devil and shaytan / He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan" featuring in the first verse. El-P's verses are just as politically charged, the second verse spitting "Brave men didn't die face down in the Vietnam mud so I could not style on you / I didn't walk uphill both ways to the booth and back to not wile on you / You think baby Jesus killed Hitler just so I'd whisper?" The song's badass nature sends one succinct message: don't mess with RTJ.

Run The Jewels have been hyping up their third album for awhile, and we've all been waiting at the edge of our seats. It's been a long wait, but's almost over. An interlude in the song says "I told y'all suckers, I told y'all suckers. I told y'all on RTJ1, then I told ya again on RTJ2, and you still ain't believe me. So here we go, RTJ3," foreshadowing that their third record isn't losing any momentum or character. If anything, it'll be bigger than the previous ones were. We're ready for it.

Rating: 87 / 100

Drake - 'Fake Love' / 'Sneakin'' (ft. 21 Savage)

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It's always surprises from the 6 God. Drake's just wrapped up his 2016 tour for his latest album Views, released earlier this year (read our review of it here), and he's already on the heels of another release.

On Sunday night, Drake debuted three new tracks from an upcoming album (dubbed a "playlist") entitled More Life, due out on Apple Music in December. The artist debuted three new tracks on his appearance on Apple Music's Beats 1 Radio: 'Two Birds One Stone,' 'Fake Love,' and 'Sneakin'' featuring 21 Savage. Two of those were released as singles on the platform.

The three songs are all refreshingly different from each other. 'Sneakin'' is a darker hip-hop oriented track, complete with Drake's signature guitar synth intro thing. It continues through with an ominous synth and siren samples (as is characteristic of everyone these days) as 21 Savage and he trades off verses. The song's about being tired id beef in his industry - Drake's fame is the product of no one but God and himself, as 21 Savage discusses that its him and his crew who handle their beef on their own.

'Fake Love' is less threatening and is very similar to the sad boy Drake we've come to know and love. It's a poppier single with brighter, peppier synths, though it plays along with the theme of 'Sneakin'' and his fame. This track's about Drake being tired of his friends showing him fake love as a result of his success. The pre-hook croons "That's when they smile in my face / Whole time they wanna take my place / Yeah, I know they wanna take my place / I can tell that love is fake / I don't trust a word you say" as he blatantly calls the conspirators out, before the hook somberly addresses his own feelings toward the situation: "I've been down so long it look like up to me / They look up to me / I got fake people showin' fake love to me / Straight up to my face."

Views may have some competition ahead of it. The songs from More Life are already shaping up the playlist to be something special for Drake. What the rest will hold is yet to be seen, but surely it can't go much more wrong if the singles are to indicate.

Sneakin' Rating: 86 / 100

Fake Love Rating: 80 / 100

Francis and The Lights - Farewell, Starlite!

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A vulnerable pop album is a very revealing one. It takes a lot for someone to really let themselves go and express themselves, especially through the means of pop music. Francis and The Lights take that big step in their debut album, Farewell, Starlite!

This outfit isn't just entering the playing field; Francis and The Lights have been achieving slow success since 2007 with a handful of EPs and a collection of singles. They've landed big tours with the likes of Drake, La Roux, and Ke$ha and were even referenced in Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Stardom is no mystery to the group, and Francis Starlite knows it.

As mentioned before, there is a sense of vulnerability on the record. It's evident in tracks like opener 'See Her Out (That's Just Life)', its infectiously dinky synths that bounce throughout the song providing a light atmosphere for Starlite's hopeful vocals. The song's about heartbreak, but Starlite can't bring himself to stop caring about his partner, the chorus asking "If you see her out there / Behind the wheel / Driving getaway / Oh god, I hope she escapes / Whole damn world is a cage." The fact that the instrumental has little more beyond the quiet synths backs up the vocals adds to the very raw and pure disposition of the song. It's not trying to mask its meaning: it wants to be heard.

Other songs that invoke a similar sense include single 'Friends' and closure 'Thank You'. 'Friends' gained some momentum when Kanye West appeared in the music video, but the song's meaning also gives it what it needed to succeed. The song again discusses heartbreak, Francis wanting to rekindle a relationship. The chorus somberly cries, "We could be friends / Just put your head on my shoulders / I will straighten out, for you / Don't wanna know if you made mistakes / I'm still waiting on your sunshine" Kanye's only line in the song being one single iteration of "We could be friends," the distortion of his vocoder indicating him being in tears. Bon Iver - who's new album is also pretty good (see our review here) - contributes to the song, too, singing the first verse and arranging the beautiful schizophrenia of the song's conclusion. 'Thank You' follows it, the song's lo-fi phoIne recording making up most of the track, again pairing rawness with vulnerability.

The rest of the album isn't as vulnerable, but it's still quite catchy. The cheerful synths and nice melodies of songs like 'Comeback' (which come in later in the song) and 'Can't Stay Party' provide a ear-catching experience. Many of the songs revolve around the theme of heartbreak, including 'Comeback' and 'I Want You To Shake', toying with his feelings towards wanting to find love again. Some fun moments find their way onto the record too, including the reminiscent personality of 'May I Have This Dance' with its dinky synths and the fun fat bass pops in 'Running Man / Gospel OP1' after its dramatic intro. Bon Iver-esque vocoders also come into play on 'May I Have This Dance' and 'It's Alright To Cry'.

While the album does tackle a relatable subject, it's not exactly free from cliché. Heartbreak is something many have experienced, or at least heard about. It seems for every song about something different, there's two Taylor Swift songs about a broken relationship. Lots of this album becomes forgettable after its initial charm. The sentimental and vulnerable nature of the three tracks mentioned before that contain those elements aren't exhibited throughout the record, sadly. Had he kept that demeanor going, Farewell, Starlite! could've been a much greater album.

That being said, it's not a bad album by any means. Francis and The Lights' long-awaited debut is a success, but it could've been taken a step further. The album's relatable nature and somber overtones provide for a heartwarming, if not nostalgic listen. Let's just hope the next album doesn't take a decade to come out, and for the sake of Starlite, that he finds what he's looking for throughout the album: love.

Favorite Tracks: See Her Out (That's Just Life), Friends, It's Alright To Cry

Least Favorite Track: My City's Gone

Rating: 76 / 100

DJ Khaled - Major Key

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Have you ever wanted to listen to a meme? DJ Khaled has you covered. His new album, coincidentally titled Major Key is exactly that: one giant meme. So unless you're going into this album wanting that, you won't be happy.

You can tell an album is destined for failure when Future is featured on three tracks. That's three tracks too many. Opinions aside, Future isn't the worst part about this record. He's pretty good on it, honestly - he's finally improving. His bars actually have some emotion in them. The intro is a banger - 'I Got The Keys' features him, and while his chorus is nothing more than saying the title of the song over and over again, his voice sounds more (unnecessarily?) urgent than usual, which is nice and refreshing. Jay-Z features on the track as well - as the instrumental suggests - and brings the song a step further.

Other features are hit or miss. Drake doesn't shine here; his usual subtlety is gone and instead, he delivers a very, very blatant verse about sex in 'For Free' that kills the entire track (though all of the Khaled interjections of "ANOTHER ONE" didn't leave for much to be appreciated). Nicki Minaj is as annoying as typical, but when she come in on 'Do You Mind', it gives the album a fresh voice. The song itself, however, outstays its welcome by being far too long than it needs to be. Meghan Trainor is the other prominent female voice on the album in 'Forgive Me Father', though this doesn't mean much since you can barely understand what she is saying half of the time as she slurs her way through the verse. This song ends DJ Khaled's portion of his own album (you read that right), since a track by Mavado (which is in Spanish?) concludes it. 'Nas Album Done' featuring - you guessed it - Nas continues a repetitive album with another repetitive instrumental (while the verses themselves aren't as dull).

While a lot of the features aren't top notch, there are some good ones. The aforementioned features on the first track with Jay-Z and Future are pretty good. Future shows up on two other tracks - 'Fuck Up The Club', where he's just plain annoying, and 'Ima Be Alright', which is sweet and melodic. 'Holy Key' is a big track, Big Sean going big on his verse, and Kendrick Lamar of course being nothing short of legendary. J. Cole also has a good verse on 'Jermaine's Interlude', but the song itself is fairly boring.

Instrumentally, there's nothing special to find either in many tracks. Some standouts include 'I Got The Keys', 'Holy Key', and 'Don't Ever Play Yourself' - the latter of which isn't as meme-worthy as you'd expect. It can't be praised lyrically (then again, neither can a lot of this record; "She so weird I made her pussy fart" in 'Pick These Hoes Apart' is by far the worst thing I've heard this entire year), but it has some good sounds in it, including the piano.

The self-proclaimed Snapchat king has taken his memes and put it to music. Major Key isn't much to tackle. It almost feels like one big joke. There's little interesting development within in and too few great moments for its execution. Perhaps DJ Khaled needs to have a reality check before his next release.

Favorite Tracks: Holy Key, I Got The Keys, Ima Be Alright

Least Favorite Tracks: Pick These Hoes Apart, Tourist, Fuck Up The Club

Rating: 58 / 100

2nd Quarter Of 2016 in Music - Wrap Up

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2016 is still rolling by, and the albums are getting more diverse. Here's what I've listened to over the last three months (April - June) and links to the albums I've reviewed.

5-Star Albums (8.5 - 10)

4-Star Albums (6.5 - 8)

3-Star Albums (4.5 - 6)

2-Star Albums (2.5 - 4)

  • None!

1-Star Albums (0 - 2)

 

Top Albums Of 2016 (so far)

  1. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
  2. AURORA - All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend
  3. Panic! At The Disco - Death Of A Bachelor
  4. Deftones - Gore
  5. Dream Theater - The Astonishing
  6. Foxes - All I Need
  7. Daughter - Not To Disappear
  8. Gojira - Magma
  9. Thrice - To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere
  10. Architects - All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us

Top Songs Of 2016 (so far)

  1. AURORA - 'Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) (Acoustic)'
  2. Radiohead - 'True Love Waits'
  3. Deftones - 'Hearts/Wires'
  4. Radiohead - 'Daydreaming' *
  5. Panic! At The Disco - 'Emperor's New Clothes'
  6. Foxes - 'Better Love'
  7. Lacey Sturm - 'Rot'
  8. AURORA - 'Through The Eyes Of A Child'
  9. Deftones - 'Phantom Bride'
  10. Thrice - 'Black Honey'

Once again, thanks for reading our reviews and following us! :) There's a lot more to come. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like our Facebook page so you don't miss anything!

Drake - Views

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Somber summer vibes is what Drake’s Views is filled to the brim with. His signature good-boy flow couples nicely with over an hour of material found on the new album, but it does become a bit stale after awhile. Views was promoted as if it were his magnum opus, but it is far from it.

The album’s beginning is promising, ‘Keep The Family Close’ setting the late night, dreary scene of a lonely summer. The track may be a tad overdramatic, but it’s orchestration guides the verses into big brass punches near the middle that bring it to a new level of groove. ‘9’ follows up, falling short in that while the flow is good, it seems to lack any purpose. ‘U With Me?’ has a similar issue. Drake’s dreary images with this album are accentuated with songs like ‘Weston Road Flows’, a track with a great instrumental and good flow, while maintaining that somber feeling of walking through rainy streets alone. The song is another to feature the random, anticlimax of a jet engine sample. Several tracks have it tacked on to the end, building into nothing. Lots of tracks have a darker side to them, especially in the beat. ‘Hype’ and ‘Pop Style’ in particular having some dark vibes. There are, sadly, some complete failures of songs on the record, too. ‘Childs Play’ is almost facepalm worthy. ‘Fire & Desire’ feels boring and uninspired, especially being tacked onto the album that has repeated the same theme and flow through and throughout over the course of it’s 81-minute runtime. A lot of the tracks on the album fall into the average spectrum, such as bonus track and viral sensation ‘Hotline Bling’, that at the end of the record is a slight splash of new color but still doesn’t give the album what it needs: substance.

Half of the guest spots on this album feel wasted. Some, characteristically so, though. The PARTYNEXTDOOR collab ‘With You’ is a throwaway track, and the follow up ‘Faithful’ featuring Pimp C and dvsn is no better. Two of the stand out tracks, on the record, however, are highlights on the record. ‘One Dance’ with Wizkid and Kyla has a Spanish flair and generally good vibes, and ‘Too Good’ featuring Rihanna is one of the most down-to-earth and emotional tracks on the album. That’s the sound of hip-hop love. Surprisingly, the Future guest spot on ‘Grammys’ isn’t completely trash. It’s actually pretty good, which was a treat for someone who’s sick of him. 

Drake built Views up to be a massive summer banger, but instead made a chill, late-night drive through the city kind of album. The album isn’t inherently bad, it just lacks any meat. It’s full of fillers and light tracks, all similar in theme and flow that eventually becomes bland, with flashes of brilliance in between. There’s no meat in this album, just a single monotone feel. Drake lived up to the sound his cliché is, but failed to prove it wrong. It’s not a bad album, it just needed a proper direction that Drake just couldn’t latch onto.

Favorite Tracks: Too Good, Hype, One Dance

Least Favorite Tracks: With You, Childs Play, Faithful, Fire & Desire

Rating: 7.5/10