REVIEW: A Very Special Episode Of - EP by Open Mike Eagle

     Open Mike Eagle likes to talk and more people should be listening. Whether it's on his raps or his podcast, he shows that he has important things to say. With last year's fantastic Dark Comedy, he proved that he is one of the voices that everyone should be listening too. Not that his previous work wasn't great, it's just that Dark Comedy was even better. Dark Comedy saw OME grow as lyricist, rapper, and persona. Only seven months after his best album, he manages to drop an EP that stands up to the massive hype created by Dark Comedy. At moments, the EP can feel slightly weak next to Dark Comedy, but at others, it transcends his previous work and shows where Open Mike Eagle might be planning to go with his "art rap".

    My favorite part of this EP is how Open Mike Eagle manages to both reflect on his previous work and look towards the future. The first track shows OME reflecting on Dark Comedy, as shown through the title and the instrumental. The track is a loose sequel to the fantastic "Dark Comedy Morning Show" and features a remix of that song's beat. While I prefer the original beat, the lyrics on "Dark Comedy Late Show" are much better. Hilarious lyrics such as "I still check Yahoo cause we both got attachment issues" made me laugh out loud. The lyrics also take a dark turn when OME starts to talk about the horrific events surrounding Ferguson, but he manages the transition gracefully. This song doesn't fit too well with the rest of the tracks of the EP, which makes sense because it was released as a part of a compilation. It's a great track, but it worked best as a single.

    The tracks in the middle of the EP are great (with a killer verse by Milo on "Trickeration"), but I feel the moment where Open Mike Eagle truely shines is in the last track "Ziggy Starfish (Anti-Anxiety Raps)". I feel this is the track that really shows the potential for Mike's next release. His flow on this track absolutely kills and actually reminds me of his co-Hellfyre Club member, Busdriver. This is some of the fastest I've heard OME rap and he does so with such a whimsical sense of jazz. Gold Panda's fanatic and chopped production provokes the same from OME's flow. This increased speed doesn't come at the expense of great lyricism either, OME manages to be witty and confessional at the same time on this track. If Mike continues to make songs as good as this one, he is going to become the next big thing.

    Open Mike Eagle manages to follow up his best album with a fantastic EP. Dark Comedy has been in constant rotation for me since it came out and this EP will be joining that rotation. Though it can feel disjointed at points, Mike's lyrics and flow make this EP worthy of eight stars.

BEST TRACKS: "Dark Comedy Late Snow", "Trickeration", "Ziggy Starfish (Anti-Anxiety Raps)

★★★★★★★★☆☆

NEWS: Speedy Ortiz Detail New Album

Speedy Ortiz recently announced a new album, Foil Deer, a couple of weeks ago, but details were scarce. Today they announced that the album will be released April 21st via Carpark. The comic below was shared with the album announcement. I've really enjoyed all the music they've put out and I'm sure that this release will continue their fantastic run.

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REVIEW: Computer Controller Acoustic Instruments pt2 EP by Aphex Twin

    

      Aphex Twin is a man of many sounds. It's hard to believe that same mind created both "Come To Daddy" and "Flim", let alone put them on the same EP. Richard D. James jumps from style to style between tracks, yet manages to make each song sound distinctly his own. Last year's Syro was a fantastic and relatively accessible collection of many different songs from the artist. It was a perfect album for both new fans and old fans alike. Following up one of his most accessible albums comes a very inaccessible, but equally great, EP. From what I can tell, James made this album after listening to Sun Ra while probably doing some sort of drug. While Syro got as upbeat and happy as IDM can get, this EP goes into the dark crevices of electronic music. Every synth sounds like the Korg from hell. Aphex Twin separates these tracks with piano and drum interludes. While these interludes don't work on their own, as a part of the EP, they work beautifully. "piano un10 it happened" stands out because it is neither an interlude or a hellish electronic song. "piano" is one of James's absolutely beautiful piano pieces, but it feels slightly out of place on this otherwise dark EP. This is EP is James at his most experimental (yet still beat-driven) and the experiment pays off. The EP can feel slightly disjointed at points, but it's mostly another great Aphex Twin release. I'm giving this EP 8/10 stars for succeeding in it's experiment.

BEST TRACKS: 'diskhat ALL prepared1mixed 13", "diskhat1", "hat5c 0001 rec-4"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 

REVIEW: No Cities To Love by Sleater-Kinney

      I'm having trouble figuring out how to start this review. First off, I haven't written a review in awhile. Second, Sleater-Kinney are one of the most formidable acts in all of indie rock. They are one of most famous bands of the riot grrrl movement because of seven albums that range from good to classic. All of the members of the band are extremely successful individually, Carrie Brownstein with the hilarious Portlandia, Corin Tucker with Heavens To Betsy, and Janet Weiss with the Jicks, Elliott Smith, The Shins, and Wild Flag. The indie community was ecstatic when they heard that these talented individuals were coming together once again to record as a full group. Based off the amount of amazing work behind them, I and many others were extremely excited for the group's new album and they do not disappoint. 

      Sleater-Kinney have the remarkable ability to have every part of a song stand out, but blend together well. Every amazing guitar riff couldn't stand on it's own without Janet's pounding drums. Corin's vocal power is astounding, lyrically and musically. The band transcends questions of punk grime versuses catchiness and just makes some really good songs. If this description above sounds like it could describe any Sleater-Kinney release, it's because it could. The band knows how to make a good record, so why change the formula?

      The band has described this release as Sleater-Kinney 2.0, which I find to be very accurate. Every song on here is immediately recognizable as a Sleater-Kinney song, but that doesn't mean the album sounds like a rehash of previous material. Sleater-Kinney's core sound stays the same, while the details change. This is why completely different albums like The Woods and Dig Me Out sound like their coming from the same group. Sleater-Kinney don't do anything to revolutionize their sound, they just change it enough to keep themselves sounding fresh. I'm going to give album 8/10 stars for sounding new and fresh, while keeping their core sound intact.

BEST TRACKS: "No Cities To Love", "A New Wave", "Bury Our Friends"

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 

NEWS: Lightning Bolt Announce New Album

Iconic noise rock band Lightning Bolt have announced a new album entitled Fantasy Empire. It will be released March 24th via Thrill Jockey, the band's first release for the label. The press release says that this is band's first release recorded on hi-fi equipment.You can preorder the album here on CD or limited edition vinyl. The band doesn't has a bad song in their discography, so I'm very excited to hear what they have in store for us.

NEWS: Death Cab For Cutie Announce New Album

Legendary indie rockers, Death Cab for Cutie, have announced that their new album will be released March 31. It's called Kintsugi after a form of Japanese art. This is the first album the band has released since drummer Chris Walla has left the group. I feel the like the band is primed to release another classic after the slightly disappointing Codes and Keys.

NEWS/MUSIC: The Go! Team Announce New Album

The Go! Team will be releasing a new album, The Scene Between, on March 24th. The title track was released today and I've embedded it below. While the single isn't the best work The Go! Team has ever put out, it's good enough that I'm excited for the rest of the album.