Alter Bridge - The Last Hero

Alternative metal's most mainstream heroes are back with another record. Alter Bridge's fifth record The Last Hero attempts to make their sound even bigger and evil while still delivering its relevant political agenda.

The first thing about this record is its message. With the 2016 election dividing Americans so vastly and many caught in between the two candidates, there's a lack of trust in both of the candidates. The album's title is derived from that similar concept: "the last hero" being a hero in society amongst feelings of disillusionment amongst the world's current powers. So, Bernie?

Jokes aside, the album does definitely make a strong stance on the matter. It's heavy riffs and soaring vocals really provide an urgent view on the scenario. The first song on the record 'Show Me A Leader' is a good example, a creepy, semi-clean guitar intro leading into big riffs from Mark Tremonti and giant vocals from Myles Kennedy. The album's strength lies in these two things. There's really nothing beyond the big riffs and big vocals - 'The Writings On The Wall' follows up with much the same vibe as the song that preceded it, while 'The Other Side' sounds distinctly more evil and brooding, complete with a weird siren-sounding guitar effect.

Things start getting old by the time 'Poison In Your Veins' comes around, but the big riffs keep them from being fully boring. The album isn't completely riddled with these thick riffs, luckily. Some distinctly non-evil sounding songs add to the album's palette, like the uplifting 'My Champion' and the interesting guitars of 'Cradle To The Grave'.

The album does, admittedly, get interesting in its second half. It begins with the ballad 'You Will Be Remembered', starting acoustic then building up into a sweet, uplifting rock track. 'Crows On A Wire' follows up with crazy, thick riffs that take the track to nearly off-kilter thrash levels. The band then sounds like a metal version of U2 in 'Twilight', bright guitars above heavier rhythm. Then comes the epic 'Island Of Fools', starting with a dramatic guitar intro that leads into an awesome and confident track with immense vocals. The title track is one of the only tracks where the drumming from Scott Phillips can be appreciated for being interesting. The big riffs and nice bridge allow for another big moment before 'Last Of Our Kind' ends the album on a similarly big note.

The biggest disconnect, for me, at least, is the vocals. Kennedy definitely has a lot of strength and power as a vocalist, but there's something in how operatic and dramatic his voice is that makes it sound like he's a hair metal wannabe. There are moments on the record where it works well, but it just doesn't work for me as a whole. More specifically on the music itself, it just downright sounds like the band tried way too hard to sound bombastic and relevant. The formula of "we'll grab your attention with these big riffs in between vocals" is prevalent throughout the album. They took relevance over quality.

Alter Bridge is the bridge between modern metal and 80's hair metal. Sometimes that doesn't always work in their favor, though. The Last Hero is plagued by the divide between grandiose and relevancy in a way that would make Muse's The Resistance jealous. There's too much punch, not enough value. They're doing what they do best, but perhaps not to the best of their ability.

Favorite Tracks: Island Of Fools, The Side Of Fate, The Last Hero

Least Favorite Tracks: Poison In Your Veins, Cradle To The Grave

Rating: 68 / 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

Top 10 Songs of 2015

Last day of 2015, so let’s wrap it up with another Top 10 of the year: My top 10 songs of 2015. Another set of tough choices, but here they are. This is solely based off of my opinions - not looking at charts or popularity. Just the songs I enjoyed the most from the year! Be sure to check out my Top 10 Albums of 2015, too. Click on the song titles for my review of their respective albums!

10. Father John Misty - “Bored In The USA”

No one does satire better than Father John Misty. “Bored In The USA” off of this year’s I Love You, Honeybear offers the perspective of an ordinary citizen being bored with life. Throughout the piano ballad, Mr. Tillman offers many questions that get your head thinking. The song is clever enough to grab the laughs of any middle-aged individual (looking at you, Dad). Hell, the crowd laughing of a soap opera is even featured in the track! That’s gotta be indicative of something. There’s too much fantastic lyricism too comment on. “Bored In The USA” is the best satire of 2015.

9. Radiohead - “Spectre”

This song was only released a week ago, but it’s had enough of an impact to earn it a spot on my Top 10. Had it been given more time to grow on me, it would’ve definitely scored a higher spot. Before Sam Smith made it to the cinematic opening of Spectre this year with “Writings On The Wall”, Radiohead were approached to create the theme instead, offering “Spectre” on Christmas Day. Best Christmas gift, period. The song has the ominous vibe Radiohead so perfectly radiates in all of their music, and features their signature syncopation and a beautiful symphony backing Thom Yorke’s haunting voice. There’s so much in this song that it’s hard to single out any specific element. The symphony sends chills down my spine. The song is everything any fan would want of Radiohead. Hopefully the hype of their forthcoming album lives up to this huge track.

8. Kendrick Lamar - “The Blacker The Berry”

2015 was a big year for hip-hop. A lot of ground was broken. Perhaps the biggest contender in the rap race this year was Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. “The Blacker The Berry” is a demanding track, Kendrick going off with dirty verses and a giant beat accompanying the ominous instrumental. The subject of the song is politically charged all the while sliding in the message of internal struggle. “The Blacker The Berry” is the best hip-hop song of the year, and it deserves all the praise it should get.

7. Fall Out Boy - “Twin Skeleton’s (Twins In NYC)”

Fall Out Boy came triumphantly into the new year with American Beauty/American Psycho, edging deeper into pop rock than they had before. “Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel In NYC)” is the most cinematic song on the album, featuring Patrick Stump crying out his vocals. This is the best song on the “rock” half of the album, featuring some great (while still admittedly subtle) guitar work throughout. The harmonies towards the end of the song are what make this track so big, ending the album on such a haunting note. Andy Hurley’s drumming can’t be ignored - it’s fantastic on this song! “Twin Skeleton’s” is a giant song to end a great album.

6. CHVRCHES - “Afterglow”

“Afterglow” is the most subtle track on CHVRCHES’ new album, Every Open Eye. In the same way, it is the most beautiful. The song features Lauren Mayberry singing over an atmospheric array of synths. There’s not much to the song, it’s very stripped down. The song is the biggest highlight on the album for it’s simplistic beauty - everything in it is perfect, for what it does have going on. Definitely a song that’s hard to grasp at first, but is an amazing one to experience all the same.

5. Bring Me The Horizon - “Avalanche”

Bring Me The Horizon continued their evolution that began with 2013′s Sempiternal with this year’s That’s The Spirit. While the new effort doesn’t match what Sempiternal began, the album is still undeniably great. With lots of fantastic songwriting, and the band distancing itself form it’s metalcore roots, the band is continuing to focus more on the words than the aggression. “Avalanche” is the peak of this album, where Oli Sykes opens up his heart to needing a cure for his pain. Perhaps a cliché subject (though important all the same), but the song gets across the emotions and message very well, and is definitely one of the best songs of the year.

4. 10 Years - “From Birth To Burial”

10 Years returned this year with a follow-up to 2012′s Minus The Machine, with this year’s From Birth To Burial. The self-titled track of the album is one of the best songs of the year, 10 Years bringing everything they’ve got into one track. The ominous piano buildup explodes into a bustling track with a huge riff and loud playing. Perhaps what really sells this song to me is Jesse Hasek’s rapping before the first pre-chorus, which reminds me a lot of Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park. Regardless, this song is huge in its own way, and all the ways 10 Years have built themselves up to be.

3. Muse - “The Globalist”

Muse promised a sequel to the fan-beloved track, “Citizen Erased” would make it onto Drones. That song ended up being the progressive rock anthem, “The Globalist”, the story of the rise and fall of a dictator. Beginning with whistling akin to Ennio Morricone’s “L’Arena” and a huge symphony, the drama of the tracks begins early. Matt Bellamy continues with his reverb-filled slide guitar as the verse kicks in with the rest of the band. Perhaps one of the moments in music from this entire year is the heavy part of this song, the giant riff (taken from a previous jam known as the “Helsinki Jam”) in the bridge of the song is as metal as Muse have ever gotten, with a countdown to the firing of a nuclear missile and the marching of an army helping make this part so loud. The bridge concludes with a Spanish-influenced solo before concluding with one final piano ballad - a send-off of sorts. Sure, the track has it’s faults - perhaps it would’ve been better as three separate songs instead of one, as to better the flow, but it is undeniably a huge track that deserves a place on this list.

2. Arcane Roots - “Slow Dance”

Arcane Roots returned to the scene this year in a big way. Coming off of their first full debut album, Blood & Chemistry, the trio had a big weight on their back to follow it up. With this year’s Heaven & Earth EP, the band smashed all expectations. Introducing it in July with “If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves”, fans knew to expect something absolutely huge. “Slow Dance” comes from this very EP, and is everything you’d want from the trio and more. From a buildup opening that blows into a massive breakdown and chorus, this song will have you on your feet in no time. Excellent guitar work and vocals by Andrew Groves add to the sheer massiveness of this track. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out. 

1. Muse - “The Handler”

It’s probably unfair of me to include Muse on this list twice, but it’s warranted for me. But this year, Drones was huge. Muse at the top of their game (perhaps not lyrically, but definitely from a jam standpoint) with their back-to-basics approach. “The Handler” is a combination of everything Muse is made of. With the huge arena-filling opening riff to the wah-filled bridge harkening back to the band’s old b-side, “In Your World”. Bellamy’s fantastic vocals and lyrical play (”trance formation”? Hmm) contribute to making this song the most massive song of the year, if the demanding riff and incredible bass work didn’t already win you over. The song is an absolute beast live, too.

Honorable Mentions

• Justin Bieber - “Love Yourself”: a track that you couldn’t have expected from Bieber before this year, but is definitely a standout from 2015. 
• Halsey - “Castle”: the song that kicked off the rebellion that is BADLANDS, and the most demanding track on the album.
• Years & Years - “Foundation”: the darkest track the trio has to offer, and the one that’ll be trapped in your head for weeks.

Thanks everyone for a great year. It’s been an adventure for me, and I’m sure it has been for many others. If it wasn’t the greatest year, hold on. Everything will find it’s right place. Here’s to 2016, it’s gonna be a big one.

Top 10 Albums of 2015

2015 is coming to a close, and it’s time to whip out the top ranking albums (in my opinion) from the year. It’s been a long one... but there have been some absolute gems of albums released this year. Without further adieu, here’s my top 10 albums of 2015.

Click the links for my in-depth review of the album!

10. Aurora - Running With The Wolves

Kicking off the Top 10 of 2015 is an artist who is set of dominating the pop of 2015. Aurora hails from Norway, and has already been dominating B-lists for radio stations upon the release of her debut EP, Running With The Wolves. The short EP features four beautiful pop songs, which all will leave a lasting mark on the listener. Aurora can be noted for her enchanting instrumentals (see: “Runaway”) and pure voice. Every song is beautifully written, especially “Running With The Wolves” and “Little Boy In The Grass”. Aurora will march into 2016 and absolutely dominate it, if the quality of her music is any indication of her future success. Fingers crossed - who knows what the radio will be attracted to...

9. Loma Prieta - Self Portrait

This hardcore punk outfit from California made a huge mark on 2015. Loma Prieta took a “happier” approach on their relentless punk this year with Self Portrait, the powerful successor to 2012′s I.V. The album is punk at its core, but is different from the zeitgeist of punk in many ways. “Satellite”, the closing track, for example, is everything a punk rock song should be, but it is undeniably happy in tone. The band with this album almost becomes a heavy The World Is A Beautiful Place, most evidently with the song “Never Remember”, though “Merciless” can be passed as a punk version of Deftones’ “Change (In The House Of Flies)”. The album shows a clear progression of the band’s sound, but still stays true to who they are. It delivers some of the heaviest jams of the year, too. That’s always a plus!

8. Halsey - BADLANDS

Halsey had the most triumphant debut of the year. BADLANDS captures the rebellious of Nirvana, the pop appeal of Fall Out Boy and Justin Bieber, and the brooding instrumentals of Sia and Imagine Dragons. With all of these coming together, it’s hard to go wrong. Admittedly, since it’s initial release the album has lost some of its initial hype, but I’ll be damned if “Castle”  doesn’t give me chills. Halsey, rather than a follower of the past, seems to be a leader. A leader of the same rebellion Nirvana led back in the day - she’s the voice for the lost ones of this generation. “New Americana” is the modern day equivalent of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (though the latter will always be the most relevant). Lyrically, there are much stronger songs than “New Americana” - “Castle”, “Colors”, and “Gasoline” are all fantastically written. “Castle” and “Control” have the biggest and best instrumentals on the entire album. Halsey’s crafted a new rebellious wave of pop that has set a precedent that is sure to set off a huge new generation of artists looking for a voice.

7. Years & Years - Communion

Debut albums were huge this year. Years & Years burst seemingly out of nowhere in 2014 with their huge dance tracks “Kings” and “Take Shelter”, both of which can be found on Communion. The album showcases more than just the dance jingles the band executes so well - a darker and more intimate sound to the band can be found in the breathtaking opening track “Foundation” (which sounds like Radiohead meets Diplo) and the acoustic version of “Ready For You”. The band’s trademark electronic dance bangers are still the vocal point of the album, with new tracks “Worship” and “Border” giving the perfect vibes for the club and for love. Olly Alexander’s vocals shine throughout the entire album, his melodies full of emotion, brought higher by the soaring electronics. Years & Years have one of the most memorable debuts of the year under the belts - may this carry them further in the future. It can only go up from here.

6. 10 Years - From Birth To Burial

If you wanted big rock jams this year, you needed to listen to 10 Years’ newest release. The album is the band taking the atmosphere of Minus The Machine and adding a heavier touch to it. The album opens up with the title track, which is one of the biggest songs of the year, where Jesse Hasek draws from Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda for a quick rap verse. “Triggers & Tripwires” and “Crimson Kiss” showcase the band’s heavier side, while “Luna” and “The River” shine the spotlight on the band’s songwriting ability. The closing duo, “Miscellanea” and “Moisture Residue” are a fantastic way to end this massive album. The lead single of the album “Miscellanea” sees Hasek reaching really high for some notes and a piano bridge that is the vocal point of the heart-wrenching “Moisture Residue”. The song brought some of the band’s biggest jams, and definitely some of the biggest headbangers of 2015.

5. Bring Me The Horizon - That’s The Spirit

Being that Thirty Seconds To Mars is my all-time favorite band, I truly enjoyed a lot of this album. Bring Me The Horizon has continued their evolution of sound that began with Sempiternal with this year’s That’s The Spirit, which took the band even further from their post-hardcore roots. This album is more alternative rock than it is hardcore, though Oli Sykes’ vocals are just as powerful as ever. His screaming and singing are the best part of the album, and what carries it so far. “Doomed” and “Follow You” show his ability to write fantastic songs, while “Avalanche” and “Throne” (the latter of which truly play to the influence Linkin Park has had on them) are the big jams. “Drown” is as close to Thirty Seconds To Mars as the band has gotten, though “Happy Song” and “Oh No” use the crowd vocal elements as critically as Thirty Seconds uses them. This is a band who has evolved into something different and more powerful than ever before. This is the powerful evolution of Bring Me The Horizon, that will only continue to spiral upwards into something more incredible.

4. Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho

2015 was a big year for Fall Out Boy. An album full of huge anthems that would stay popular throughout the entire year, very big performances at some of the biggest events in music, collaborations with Demi Lovato (for a version of “Irresistible”) and a variety of hip-hop artists (for the remix album, Make America Psycho Again)... you name it, Fall Out Boy probably did it. This album brought back some of the punk/alternative rock anthems Fall Out Boy are known for, while being tossed up with many pop and electronic elements. The band even brought out some tributes throughout the album, sampling Mötley Crüe in the title track, Suzanne Vega (who even sang her own melody for her song, “Tom’s Diner”, for their use!) in “Centuries”, and even The Munsters theme song in “Uma Thurman”. The singles of the album, while all memorable in their own right, the tracks on the second half of the album are were the band truly shines. “Novocaine” brings out some impressive vocals by Patrick Stump, and the driving beat of the song paired with the distorted vocal line and rolling guitars pair for an immense song. “Twin Skeleton’s (Hotel In NYC)” takes a cinematic approach, one of the only songs that shined both on the album and the remix album (that Joey Bada$$ verse!). The harmonies at the end of the song end the album on such a high note, leaving the fans wanting more. Fall Out Boy brought out all of the biggest anthems of the year in 2015.

3. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye

CHVRCHES burst onto the synthpop scene back in 2013 with their groundbreaking The Bones Of What You Believe and have finally followed up this year with the anthemic Every Open Eye. The trio took everything that shined with their previous effort and combined it with a brighter sound to craft the best electronic and pop album of the year. Singles like “Never Ending Circles” and “Clearest Blue” established CHVRCHES ability to dominate the charts and brought the album the attention it deserves. The band, while admittedly not doing much to separate this album from their debut, did experiment a bit with some songs. “High Enough To Carry You Over” (and bonus track “Follow You”) features Martin Doherty on lead vocals for the first time, while “Bury It” shows a thicker side to CHVRCHES’ electronic ventures, with a thick bass guitar track in the background. Lauren Mayberry’s fantastic vocals and harmonies throughout the album are another shining example of what makes the album so beautiful; the incredible “Afterglow” that concluded the album might just be the most beautiful songs of the year. CHVRCHES took electronic and pop music to a whole new expectation, earning them the third spot in the Top 10 of the year.

2. Arcane Roots - Heaven & Earth EP

From the English underground rock scene burst Arcane Roots, who in 2013 released their massive debut album, Blood & Chemistry. After fairly extensive touring around their mother country, as well as some other European stints supporting the likes of Muse and Biffy Clyro, the band finally returned to the studio this year to record the follow up. Instead of offering a full record this time, new music came in the form of a new, intense EP that stands as a pristine example for future brit-rockers to follow. The album kicks off with the huge banger, “If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves” that features vocalist Andrew Grover singing, tortured on top of atmospheric piano chords. The song sums up the album fairly well - strong soft moments, an anthemic chorus, huge breakdowns, and a massive explosion of an ending with all of the songs elements conjoining into one cohesive wall of noise. Another single from the album, “Slow Dance” brings back some of the urgency of their previous efforts and the beginning track, where tracks like “When Did The Taste Leave Your Mouth” and “Leaving” bring that intense radio-rock that could dominate any airwaves and will get the crowds jumping to the beat. The closing track, “Vows & Ceremonies” is a call to love, running away to live your life. It brings back some of the lighter rock from tracks like “Hell & High Water” from their previous album. Arcane Roots have truly crafted a masterpiece of an EP with their signature sound that will continue to dominate Brit Rock for ages to come.

1. Muse - Drones

Muse have always found ways to keep their sound fresh and exciting, whether it be the indie/alternative sounds from their debut Showbiz to the heavy, fast-paced apocalypse rock of Absolution, to the electronic anthems found in The 2nd Law. Drones saw Muse exploring the concept of drone warfare, following a protagonist becoming a mindless killer and then escaping the clutches of their oppressors, all the while taking their sound back to the basics. The track is filled with huge rock tracks like “Reapers” and “The Handler”, big jams like “Psycho” and “Defector”, and even the good pop jingles Muse are well known for hitting out: “Dead Inside” and “Revolt”. “The Globalist” is a ten-minute, progressive epic about the fall of a dictator, the successor to an older Muse gem, “Citizen Erased”. The song modulates out of the beautiful end of the main narrative, “Aftermath”, and segues into the final a cappella track that the album draws its name from, a prayer to all of the nameless souls lost in war.

Drones is a challenge to modern warfare, and it should be approached. Can we really stand back and let attacks happen from behind a computer screen? Can we continue to mindlessly destroy entire cities with the click of a button? Muse brought upon this message with powerful music backing it, earning them, in my opinion, the best album of 2015. 

Honorable Mentions

• Adele - 25
• Bea Miller - Not An Apology
• Björk - Vulnicura
• Coldplay - A Head Full Of Dreams
• Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear
• Grimes - Art Angels
• Halestorm - Into The Wild Life
• Joey Bada$$ - B4.DA.$$
• milo - so the flies don’t come
• MUTEMATH - Vitals
• Purity Ring - Another Eternity

That’s a wrap for this year... another Top 10 list and a wrapup of the fourth quarter is still to come. Thanks for sticking with me throughout the year, and may 2016 be a great year for music.

CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye

Music has always been and always will be progressive. Through every big movement there is some form of growth, and that growth sprouts from pushing boundaries beyond what one would think is possible. Yet growth and progression is not limited to change. It can be internal. Humans have a distinct desire to change the game and to create something new, if only to make our world greater. A message is all that it needs.

CHVRCHES' sophomore album is a good example of this internal change. Even before it was released, the album has sparked controversy already (see: Lauren Mayberry’s speaking out again misogyny). The trio of electronica masters have burst forward with a brand new album, showing their growth since their debut while still maintaining their core principles as artists.

Admittedly, after initially listening to the three singles the band released (’Never Ending Circles’, ‘Leaving A Trace’, and ‘Clearest Blue’), I was somewhat put off by what I was to expect from this album. They were undoubtedly CHVRCHES songs, but they seemed to missing something that was present in The Bones Of What You Believe. It did not become apparent just what was missing until the songs were put into the context of the album. They lacked a story telling element. While there was never a clear narrative in Bones, everything added up. It made a statement that, when isolated to a single piece of music, may be unclear, but there still exists a sense of what the end result may be. While that is somewhat absent from Every Open Eye, it does not necessarily detract from it. Rather, it gives CHVRCHES a chance to work on specific meanings rather than summing up ideas as a whole. Even then, that statement is not entirely true - Every Open Eye does have some core concepts.

One of the more cleverly disguised secrets mixed into this album is the change of sound. It is a secret in that the album is definitively a CHVRCHES album, yet it starkly contrasts its predecessor. Bones had a dark vibe to it, almost to an otherwordly level. Even the cheeriest songs on Bones had something dark hidden within it (’Gun’ and ‘The Mother We Share’ come to mind). Every Eye Open is somewhat more straightforward, in that sense. Not every track has something dark behind it.

Differences do not end at the feeling of the album. There is an austere progression in their sonic landscapes as well. While Bones felt reminiscent and new all at the same time, Every Open Eye feels very familiar... yet still new. Perhaps the most similar song to their debut record is ‘Keep You On My Side’ - it could have come straight from the demo sessions of the album, if not for its slightly stronger EDM influence! The influences are definitely stronger on this one, though. ‘Down Side Of Me’ is almost CHVRCHES’s take on a Naked & Famous song. ‘High Enough To Carry You’ sounds like it came straight out of the 80′s (or straight out of a YouTube troll video, à la Rick Astley). On the subject of this song, this is one of the most interesting tracks on the album. Martin Doherty takes the reigns for lead vocals on this track, and absolutely takes it over! Hopefully they emphasize his voice more on future records, as well. ‘Bury It’ is the poppiest song on the record, with a huge metallic background and an absolutely massive chorus. ‘Afterglow’, the final track on the album, is perhaps one of the band’s most beautiful tracks. It finds power in minimalism and simplicity, featuring nothing but a building, huge atmosphere and Lauren Mayberry’s enchanting vocals. It almost feels like it took inspiration from Muse, who’s latest album Drones ended with the track of the same name, which was nothing more than a layered a cappella (and a single synth note to conclude it), in a similar fashion to how Mayberry takes this track mostly solo. It was without a doubt the best way - and possibly the only way - to end this album with a substantial conclusion.

Every Open Eye is a testament to progression. It represents how CHVRCHES have mastered their craft and can still find ways to expand upon it. It also is a statement on how humans desire change, too. One individual can make a huge difference in the world, but not unless the world can watch. Change occurs when every eye is open, and appeals to every open eye. Progress makes us human. Evolution makes us living. And CHVRCHES make us feel alive.

Favorite Tracks: Afterglow, High Enough To Carry You, Bury It

Least Favorite Tracks: Leave A Trace, Clearest Blue

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

My Top 10 of 2015:

1. Muse - Drones
2. Halsey - BADLANDS
3. 10 Years - From Birth To Burial
4. Fall Out Boy - American Beauty / American Psycho
5. Halestorm - Into The Wild Life
6. Purity Ring - Another Eternity
7. CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye
8. Zedd - True Colors
9. Years & Years - Communion
10. Bring Me The Horizon - That’s The Spirit