Highly Suspect - The Boy Who Died Wolf

Progressive rock finds a new home in the hands of Highly Suspect. The band bring progressive rock together with alternative flair in their sophomore effort The Boy Who Died Wolf.

The Boy Who Died Wolf isn't just another progressive rock album. Highly Suspect already established their unique sound in their debut Mister Asylum, snatching them a Grammy nomination this year. The band isn't ready to let go of that momentum just yet. They sound bigger than ever on this record, bursting confidently forward besides taking seemingly no time to get this next record out.

Highly Suspect bring a catchier aspect to the table in their unique progressive rock fusion. Songs like 'Viper Strike' ring proudly with rock n' roll riffs carrying them high and energetically. 'Postres' is much the same, rock vibes carrying it through the core of the record. 'Chicago' also brings a poppier side to the table in a progressive fashion, the piano ballad sweetly moving along as a tragic ballad.

The band's catchier approach doesn't stop them from reaching epic heights of prog rock. 'My Name Is Human' opens the record, blistering, heavy guitar bringing the album to a straddling start. It's thick instrumentation compliments its almost haunting melodies. 'Wolf,' the album's closure, takes up the genre in a different way, featuring an epic build up from a barebones track to an electrifying, thrilling conclusion - this is also exhibited in 'Little Ones' earlier on in the record. They channel pure Pink Floyd in 'Serotonia,' the unique beginning and end sandwiching a very Floyd reminiscent bridge, complete with an electrifying guitar solo.

There really isn't anything wrong with this record. It's an honest rock n' roll record at its core. It may not be intense or demanding throughout, but it's certainly invigorating. The electrifying guitar solos and sweet timbre from Johnny Stevens or the thrilling rhythm brought about by brotherly duo drummer Ryan Meyer and bassist Rich Meyer really sell the band's chemistry. They know their mission statement, and they're convicted to go out and settle the score.

The Boy Who Died Wolf is an honest album, yet it's also a sign of hope. It feels like a flagbearer - a young band on the scene like Highly Suspect can create such a powerful storm of a record and jut them out in such quick succession... it breeds an exciting sense of possibility. Highly Suspect is definitely the new threat on the block in the world of progressive rock. Watch out, because they're gonna make it huge.

Favorite Tracks: My Name Is Human, Send Me An Angel, Chicago, Serotonia

Least Favorite Track: F.W.Y.T.

Rating: 81 / 100

Taylor Hawkins - Kota

Aside from Dave Grohl, the other true rockstar in the Foo Fighters has always been Taylor Hawkins. He brings his all to the Foo's live shows and can pull off the impressive feat of singing and playing drums at the same time. He's released his solo album Kota, and the mini-LP unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired.

The album begins promising, but slowly just loses sight in being a fun rock n' roll album. The Pink Floyd atmosphere from the intro of 'Range Rover Bitch' leads into groovy riffs, punctuated throughout by cool guitar lines and some powerful vocals - classic rock n' roll. That momentum attempts to carry on in 'Bob Quit His Job,' but if you couldn't tell from the title, this song really isn't great. It starts off okay, but the chorus is literally just "Bob quit his job, Bob quit his job / Did you know that Bob quit his job today," in a bombastic Queen feel, making it feel really tacky. The ending is just cluttered mess.

The truly sad part of this record is that it has such a misguided idea of what it is. It was supposed to be an epic, fun rock n' roll record that brought Queen and punk together. It certainly does, but in the tackiest and uninspired way possible. 'Rudy' is straight Queen vibes, bassline and piano included. It's down to the harmonies. But it's nothing more than that. It's a good track but doesn't quite feel like an original song. Like the songs that Foo often cover live, it feels like a Queen B-side, but a bad one. It also feels like he didn't really know how to do this project by himself. Closing track 'I've Got Some Not Being Around You Today' is as cluttered as the title is. Truly, this album is just a mess.

Taylor Hawkins is a rockstar, but his solo material does feel ready to show that yet. Kota is misguided and lost in an idea that it never executes quite well. It's truly unfortunate, given that you can understand the promise it has. It just doesn't make the cut, in the end.

Favorite Track: Range Rover Bitch

Least Favorite Track: Bob Quit His Job

Rating: 49 / 100

Childish Gambino - 'Me and Your Mama'

Donald Glover is a lowkey legend. His acting career is just starting taking off, and in the midst of it all, he's about to release his third record as Childish Gambino, entitled Awaken, My Love. Not only is the record a surprise, but it seems to be a departure from his original sounds, as well.

The first single he's shared from the record is called 'Me and Your Mama,' an expansive six-minute long track that blends blues and rock in a dark and aesthetic way. There's a lot of passion and sensuality packed into the one track, and that core message takes many paths.

The song is introduced with a sparkling pianos akin to Radiohead's 'Daydreaming' with various sounds pounding the bass and a higher one that swims through the falling stars the piano creates. The ethereal choir chants "I'm in love when we are smokin' that la-la-la-la-la" over the intro, referencing Gambino's addiction to marijuana and the implications it has on love.

The song proceeds into its hook and verses, thick guitar carrying them through with bluesy, southern genius. Gambino sings passionately, screaming with both sensuality and pain as the song slowly but thoughtfully progresses. The R&B flair combines beautifully with the old-fashioned blues rock vibe the song has, and Gambino electrifies the song even further with his delivery. The song's intensely emotional core gives way to a peaceful instrumental conclusion that revels in a blues improvisational piece that you hear in black & white, the synths adding a modern touch to it.

The song can be interpreted in two ways. One takes a look at a bigger picture that encompasses the album, while the other takes a personal delve into the track's lyrics. Taking a look at the tracklist for Awaken, My Love, it looks like Glover is writing to his son. Songs like 'Baby Boy' and the similarly titled 'The Night Me and Your Mama Met' are found in the tracklist, and the title itself seems to be a call to his newborn son. Perhaps this album will be a life lesson, of sorts; maybe 'Me and Your Mama' is a sort of warning. The song itself is about love, or rather, how difficult it can be. Glover tells his girl in the first verse: "They wanna see us fallin' apart! / You know that I love you! / So let me into your heart," begging her to let him in, regardless of what everyone else wants. He goes further in a reference to Smokey Robinson and Outkast in the bridge, chanting "Girl you really got a hold on me / So this isn't just puppy love," claiming he knows his love is real and more than just an idea. He wants her.

Childish Gambino is about to change the game. December 2nd is when Awaken, My Love drops, and 'Me and Your Mama' really shows it. It's a brilliant song, bringing Pink Floyd and James Brown together into a simplistic but powerful track. Donald Glover is a artistic genius, and it's about to show.

Rating: 89 / 100

Crippled Black Phoenix - Bronze

Keeping progressive rock relevant is seemingly only a goal being reached by the big names in the genre. Many people seem to forget about the smaller scene, but it's there and it's big. Crippled Black Phoenix is at the forefront of it all, their seventh album Bronze developing their force.

Bronze is a peculiar thing. It's nothing more than an alloy; a combination of non-metals and metals. But even so, since its discovery, it has been the pride of humanity as well as the cause of wars. Bronze has all of those principles channeled within it. It's an album that has pride and joy but also features violence and fear.

The Pink Floyd influence is strong on this record. 'Turn To Stone' has a psychedelic guitar running throughout it, ultimately turning into a spiraling ending you'd expect from the likes of Floyd. Intro track 'Dead Imperial Bastard' proceeds ominously, the dark synths providing atmosphere and space. It's enchanting and cinematic, though lacking a certain punch to it. 'Deviant Burials' follow through with lo-fi, busy recordings of a town square as the slow moving beast develops throughout its play time.

The signature track on the record is 'Scared and Alone,' creepy female vocals taking the lead backed by a sweet trumpet. This atmospheric intro eventually builds into a powerful rock n' roll track with a sweet guitar solo ringing with blues flair as the track evolves into its powerful but subtle ending. It leads into the haunting 'Winning A Losing Battle,' scratched with hints of violence and anger, the thick, expansive horns channeling abysmal vibes before growing back into a stronger track.

Final track 'We Are The Darkeners' isn't a perfect ending, nor does it really feel very conclusive, but it does take the album with a bit of crunch. Thick chords challenge the track's ominous vocals as they defeatedly chant. It's a resignation and a sigh of relief at the same time. The battle of the album comes to a close here, but it leaves you feeling like the end hasn't truly come just yet.

Bronze isn't very punchy and usually doesn't have much of a climax amongst its tracks. What it does have is a tale - one of anger, victory, and strife that doesn't really end. Bronze is an average album, yes, but it proves that Crippled Black Phoenix isn't letting go of their strength as a band, and that's what gives the project hope for the future.

Favorite Track: Scared and Alone

Least Favorite Tracks: Champions Of Disturbance (Parts 1 & 2), No Fun, Rotten Memories

Rating: 70 / 100

The Pretty Reckless - Who You Selling For

People have accepted that Taylor Momsen is no longer the sweet little girl actress she once was. She's the confident, crazy frontwoman of The Pretty Reckless who have finally solidified their threat. Their third record Who You Selling For makes that threat even more real.

There's a clear progression throughout the band's three records. It started with Light Me Up in 2010, a relatively easily absorbable record with an alternative rock focus to it. Their sophomore record Going To Hell was punk from the start, Momsen baring her bare body right on the cover. The album went more rock n' roll than the previous record, rawer and with more crunch. That leads us to Who You Selling For, which delves even deeper into the rock n' roll sound.

This band seems to work in reverse - their sound becomes more and more archaic and barebones as they release new material, and that's by no means a bad thing. That gives them a raw punch. This record is almost pure rock n' roll, banger 'Oh My God' being the first clear example. Opened by thick, lo-fi guitar riffs, the song's heavy drumming and guitars are backed by Momsen's raspy vocals to make the song sound even more badass. 'Wild City' is similar, the badass, big riffs sounding high when they kick in. The song's pretty stripped down until it climaxes, which provides for some sweet tension. The catchy, gospel harmonies give the track some extra dirt.

The melodies on this album find themselves being pretty barebones, too. There's a lot of southern influence on the record - from the gospel harmonies of 'Wild City' to the cowboy ballad 'Already Dead,' a lot of this record really envelops a desert mood. The slow brush of the acoustic guitar in 'Dead' flows like a desert breeze, walking through a ghost town as Momsen belts raspy with raw passion. There's a folk influence in 'Living In The Storm' despite its upfront and heavy instrumentation. It's a cool, groovy track with an epic bassline, an electrifying guitar solo at its end bringing it even higher. There's something about its melodies that really help it tell a story in the way of a folk track. The seven minute epic 'The Devil's Back' is another southern slow burner, though it takes a more reflective disposition in its vocals, ultimately ending up sounding like if Pink Floyd came from Mississippi.

There's not complete success in the record, though. The rock n' roll vibes get a little much in a few parts of the record. 'Take Me Down' is one example - it's good, old fashioned rock, and I'll give it that, but there's really nothing beyond that. It was a single, so it was good for setting the tone for the record before its release, but in context of the record it's just another track. 'Prisoner' focusses too much on its gimmick, using the slowly march of what I can only assume are prisoners as percussion throughout, making it seem like the entire song was focusses around that and only that. 'Back To The River' has the same issue as 'Take Me Down,' yet it's still passable and enjoyable. It's the title track 'Who You Selling For' that follows that crosses the line that makes it start getting old. Luckily, that's where the album turns to its southern half and things become interesting again.

The Pretty Reckless are getting rawer every record. They have a very genuine sound, as if their souls themselves are messengers of a lost genre. It's not every day you can hear a refreshingly pure rock n' roll record like this one. It's perfect for a long country drive, or perhaps watching a sunset over the Louisiana bayous. Who You Selling For is a very grassroots record, and we'd have it no way less. If it capitalized on different sounds rather than the same one over and over, it'd have been a masterpiece, but it'll have to settle for a good record to just kick back and jam too at the end of a long country day.

Favorite Tracks: Living In The Storm, Wild City, Oh My God, Already Dead

Least Favorite Track: Who You Selling For

Rating: 76 / 100

Wildlife - Age Of Everything

There's nothing like a good alternative rock record. Sometimes you don't need to look for something new, but you just need something with substance. That's exactly what Wildlife's third record Age Of Everything offers up.

The Canadian fivepiece have made a name for themselves in their strong indie sound. Their output has always had a pop rock vibe with lots of elements keeping the songs interesting, and that's no different on Age Of Everything. Opening aesthetically with 'A New Pain' segueing shortly into lead single 'Dead Century' gives the album a strong start, the anthemic instrumental keeping the song powerfully rolling under sweet melodies. The poppy vibes carry through to '2017', synths underplaying the anthemic vocals.

This album's quite pretty. There are plenty of beautiful melodic moments, the acoustic track 'Skulls' being a good example. The sweet and gentle acoustic guitar leads the vocals in a pure dance between the two, pretty symphonies slowly building behind it all. Other tracks like 'Modern Freedom' simply have an infectious vibe, the sweetness of its delivery giving it a gushy yet cohesive posture.

There's some rock moments in between the poppy covering. 'Minotaur' starts off with bright piano chords before the beautiful chord progression is encompassed by subtle guitars, the drums sounding confident and driven. The choruses are pure alternative rock, a backing guitar riff supporting fantastic melodies. The chorus is the best part of the track, confident and swaying in a powerful way. The acoustic bridge provides reprieve before the song builds back up once more for a big conclusion. Speaking of big conclusions, closing track 'Turning To Stone' is a strong ending to the record, combining all elements of their indie, pop, and rock sound into one summative ending. Don't forget 'Sleeper Hit', the epic electronic rocker that builds with layers of epic guitars and powerful percussion before ending on a ending comparable to Pink Floyd. 

Wildlife have a good grasp on what they set out to accomplish. Age Of Everything is enjoyable throughout - some tracks could've done with just a little extra punch, but all in all, it's a a solid record. They have a great sense of melody and cohesion, and the next album is bound to be a killer.

Favorite Tracks: Minotaur, Sleeper Hit, Dead Century

Least Favorite Track: Over Now

Rating: 78 / 100

Ryu - Tanks For The Memories

The wait is over. After years of work and hype, Ryu has finally released his debut record (excluding the "secret" 1999 record) Tanks For The Memories. Was it worth the wait, though?

The album opens up with a big sample - Pink Floyd's 'Hey You' being the basis of the instrumental. The sample fits pretty well in an odd way. The pleads of Roger Waters sound nice in between Ryu, Gravity Christ, and Divine Styler's verses. The track 'The One' follows up, full of questionable references, including calls to Street Fighter and CARS. It doesn't really give a great comparison to him being "the one," nor does the counting up from one to eight at the end... would it not have been better to count down?

The album lacks a lot of seriousness, and that's a problem considering how hard it tries to be serious. The goofy instrumental of 'Been Doin This' is funky, but the lyrics are just as silly and have no clear direction. Instrumental moments aren't all bad, though: 'Bottom Of The Bottle' features sweet, Japanese-film strings that add a lot of atmosphere to the track, the hip-hop beat creating a pretty sweet track. Jams is pretty solid on the track too.

This album is plagued by out of place, out of date styles. Revivalism or nostalgia is never discouraged, but it doesn't really work when the music reflects the mentality that it's still in the era in which this music is popular. The fans will enjoy, but there isn't much else to it. Evidence of this is seen in closing track 'I Did It Myself', which references Fort Minor: "For delf, for dolo, the wealth, the fame, the shows, the planes, the photos, the fans that still with me see me on DeSoto / Never heard of Fort Minor but they love Marco Polo." Ironically, in what is essentially a weak version of 'Remember The Name', he raps above a more modern instrumental with piano and poppier beats, but that line itself shows that he still thinks in that era. It is an older song, to be fair, but the point stands.

There are attempts to change that - 'Lap Of The Gods' with Tak and Celph Titled seems to try and channel Kanye West to mixed effects; the beat is good, so it can be excused to some degree. Other tracks try too hard to sound relevant, especially 'The Bumrush' wish is just plain silly. 'Who's Next (Move)' is somehow goofy and oddly aggressive all at the same time, and it doesn't fit well. There's just a lot of attempts at something that even Ryu doesn't seem to quite understand, and it resulted in a very confused album.

Tanks For The Memories is that awkward debut where an artist wants to look past it and move forward to the future. Hopefully, this means Ryu will head in a smarter, more refined direction. This album was years in the making, so let's see what comes from the next one. Maybe we'll see the real Ryu shine through, instead of this confused double and his friends.

Favorite Tracks: Radio Pollution, Bottom Of The Bottle

Least Favorite Tracks: The Bumrush, Who's Next (Move), Mantis For Lotus

Rating: 52 / 100

clipping. - Splendor & Misery

Concept albums are great in theory, and often times prove to be phenomenal in execution. When an album has a narrative or an overarching story or meaning, it's so easy to get invested in them and engrossed in its message as if you were reading a novel. The best examples in recent times are Dream Theater's The Astonishing, a dystopian tale of love and war, and Muse's Drones, a commentary on the increasingly heartless ways of drone warfare. Sure, we don't have any legendary concept albums like Pink Floyd's The Wall knocking at our doorbells every year, but there are still definitely standouts that show up.

Of course, on the other side of things, there will be flops; and trust me, there are few things worse than a failed concept album. Unfortunately, that's what experimental hip-hop clipping. has achieved with their newest record, Splendor & Misery. 

It went for something interesting, and it deserves at least that much credit. It's story follows the sole survivor of a slave rebellion that's traveling through space on his Interstellar cargo ship. In his thoughts of loneliness (besides the ship's computer that has fallen in love with him), he discovers music in the ambience of the ship's creaks and shudders. Unlike the classic representations of anthropocentric insignificance in the face of an endless space, the main character finds comfort in knowing there's an infinite realm of possibility ahead of him, without the pressures of mankind bearing down on him.

While the story may seem fresh, the music that tells it really isn't. In an album of fifteen tracks, it's split almost half and half - eight "proper" tracks and seven interludes. The interludes add up to pretty much nothing more than unneeded ambience. The intro track 'Long Way Around (Intro)' hypes up the record nicely, segues into a confusingly fast verse (not in the line of Eminem, but more in the line of someone reading an instructions manual really fast) that is all of 'The Breach' before the first real track begins, and it's really underwhelming. 'All Black' sounds like somewhat of a mission objective being explained, and at six-minutes long, it just drones on and on. 

There are some good moments on the record, but most are ultimately ruined by something in the end. Take 'Break The Glass' for example, it's a pretty solid track with a haunting instrumental (sounds like that's the engine room of the ship) and distorted verses that build up into an almost industrial rap track. Of course, they had to end it with an ear piercing screeching that is pretty painful to listen to, but at least the meat of the song is good. There are some great gospel moments on the record too, but they're used as individual tracks, and I have absolutely no idea how they fit into the album. 'Long Way Away' and 'Story' are the tracks that consist of these. 'Long Way Away' eventually distorts into white noise while 'Story' follows the piercing noise at the end of 'Break The Glass'.

The only track on the album that really doesn't have a problem surrounding it is 'A Better Place'. It's the album's closure and it feels like an appropriate ending to the narrative and the record. It's upbeat with its proud organs and vocals, resonating hope and an challenging disposition to the frontier ahead of the escaped slave. It's a shortlived victory, though, since the album ends right as it gets off onto a good footing.

Perhaps a concept album just wasn't the right move for clipping. It's interesting to see that the group that usually raps about monotonous stories of living in the hood can branch out into this weird, afrofuturistic story about escaping the world. Granted, the music doesn't really support the effort put that narrative. No tracks really do well as a standalone item, and few of them actually do well in the context of things. But hey, they tried, right? Can't fault them there.

Favorite Tracks: A Better Place, Break The Glass, Long Way Home

Least Favorite Tracks: EVERY Interlude.

Rating: 30 / 100