Album Review: Da$h - V.IC.E.S.

Of all of the underground mixtapes to be released in the past couple years, Da$h's "V.I.C.E.S." is one of the few that really flows, structurally, as if it is a proper studio release. At first this tape seems a bit disjointed and scattered style-wise. But after listening more than once, patterns are revealed. The majority of Da$h's slow motion drugged out verses melt through the speakers with a perfect touch of reverb that make each word shine like street lights. Evert producer deploys the most obscure of samples with no regard for whether or not the listener will catch on. as if the tape was not already interesting enough, the features really set things off. Appearances from Action Bronson, Ab-soul, Asap Mob,  and Vince Staples show that Da$h really knows his way around the game. Also we can't forget to mention Mac Miller and Earl Sweatshirt appear on the tape for production. Mac, with the pseudonym Larry Fisherman, produced "aristocratic anarchy" and Earl, under the pseudonym Randomblackguy, produced "whal". surprisingly these two tracks don't even come close to touching the beats produced by the other underground producers Da$h worked with. In fact, the most interesting tracks on this tape are the ones in which Da$h is spitting solo on some beats by producers I've never heard of before. Vices is most definitely my favorite mixtape of 2013 so far. I am beyond excited to hear future releases from this new artist.

9/10

Favorite Tracks: Swordfish, Sexxual Interlude, Brighton Beach, Scandinavian Detours (feat. Action Bronson), Natural Tobacco

Album Review: Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze

Kurt Vile - Wakin On A Pretty Daze: I really liked Vile's 2008 album Constant Hitmaker as well as his 2011 Smoke Ring For My Halo, and his most recent release did not let me down. In this album, Kurt Vile tends to depart from his hazy and almost sort of quieter style that really characterized his previous albums and really guides the album towards a more catchy, lighter, happier sound while continually holding onto his lo-fi aspect. During it's 70 minute duration, the whole album maintains it's momentum and really doesn't bore. One of my favorite albums of the year. 9/10

Album Review: La Femme - Psycho Tropical Berlin

La Femme - Psycho Tropical Berlin: La Femme is a self-proclaimed "smooth/lead/tropical/surf/coldwave band" with influences of punk from Paris, France. After them receiving a bit of buzz in the francophone world, I decided to check them out for myself. The album features a strong, up-beat, new wave sound with some nice psychedelic textures woven into the mix. The French-language female and male vocals give the album a more unusual twist as a lot of modern French musicians have switched to English. Later into the album, the prominent sound of the album started boring me as it seemed the band used the same structure for every song. During my listen I actually checked to see if one of the songs wasn't double because of how similar they sounded (songs sounding similar isn't necessarily a negative, unless they sound like exact clones) . I didn't hate the album, I just found that it's content wasn't entertaining enough to justify it's length.  5/10

Album Review: This Routine Is Hell - Howl

Hardcore punk has definitely made a recent comeback and I love it. This new record does a fantastic job of combining old school aggression and new school production. Every instrument comes through clear and crisp. TRIH's first record had the energy and emotion, but was lacking in technicality. The band's second album, Howl, covers all the bases quite nicely. The guitars are thick and rich, the bass is blended just right, and the drums are loud and clear. Not to mention the blistering clarity of the singer's screams. Although it is unusual for a hardcore punk record to be produced so well, this album's sharpest point is its structure. Even more unorthodox for the genre, this album flows as if it is one long track. The songs blend together making it difficult to distinguish when a track is starting or ending. The tempos speed up and slow down over and over again. What may sound like a bridge section in a song, may instead be the beginning of the next track. This keeps the listener interested in what is going to happen next. This is a huge improvement on TRIH's first album. Howl is a solid 8/10.