Quick Reviews - Spring 2017 Part 1

By: The Busted Amp Staff

Jamiroquai - Automaton

Derek: At this point Jamiroquai's funky beats are nothing new, and despite their greatest attempts, disco is still not coming back. Yes, these songs are all about dancing and grooving and partying, but the problem with the neo-disco movement in general is that all of these sounds were already beaten to death by the original disco movement. Nothing new added here, from glitchy computer sounds to autotuned spacey vocals, bring anything of value to the overall sound of the project. If you want a great, grooving bassline, isolate the bass in the mix. There's really nothing else that's worth listening to at length.

Top Tracks: Cloud 9

3/10

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Mastodon - Emperor of Sand

Derek: The progressive sludge metal icons are back with another attempt at making their unique brand of metal more approachable. After their first foray The Hunter was met unfavorably (although I enjoyed it for the most part), their return to roots Once More 'Round The Sun was met with better reviews. Emperor of Sand finds the band trying to find some middle ground between the two, with varying degrees of success. Cohesive, but also a bit monotonous. If Mastodon is going to continue to push the envelope, they need to figure out what exactly they want to do. The back and forth might start getting old.

Top Tracks: Word to the Wise, Show Yourself

6.5/10

Joseph: I am not as high on this album as Derek is. I simply could not get past the monotony of this album, and as the album progressed every song started sounding the exact same. You don't want that on any album, but on a metal album? That's about the worst criticism you can have in a genre that's all about complexity. Tear it down and start again. Please.

3/10

Top Track: Roots Remain

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Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

Derek: The ironic king of indie folk returns with his most bizarre, hilarious, and depressing album to date. There's no end to what Tillman has to say about life, society, and pop culture. The problem is, he sometimes has too much to say. I want to hear him channel his societal angst without rambling on for so long. When he does ("Leaving LA" in particular), it can get extremely boring and monotonous. When he keeps it shorter and sweet, the results are great. The instrumentation on this album explodes with rich sounds and Tillman's vocals are as great as ever, but it's pretty mellow overall, filled top to bottom with acoustic ballads. I'd love to hear more upbeat songs like "Total Entertainment Forever," but I'm satisfied with what we received here.

Top Tracks: Pure Comedy, Ballad of the Dying Man, Total Entertainment Forever

8/10

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San Fermin - Belong

Derek: I was about ready to give up hope on San Fermin. Their last album, Jackrabbit did nothing for me musically and Allan Tate's vocals were as dull as ever, a B movie version of The National's Matt Berninger. The real magic for me has always been when they featured their female vocalist, Charlene Kaye. She mixes so much better with the compositional work of band leader Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and I was so happy to hear that she is featured much more on Belong. Speaking of Ellis, his songwriting on this album is masterful, with swells of beautiful instrumentation and stylistic changes. Definitely his best work to date. Tate's vocals still lack the personality to match the musical complexities of the band, but at least on "Better Company" the juxtaposition makes it interesting.

Top Tracks: Open, Bride, Better Company

8/10

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Cold War Kids - LA DIVINE

Joseph: You know, I'm actually kind of torn on this album. On the one hand, there are a lot of good hooks scattered throughout. I think fans of Cold War Kids, the bros out there that think liking Cold War Kids makes their musical tastes "diverse" will find a lot to like here, but for the rest of us.....I just couldn't shake an overall feeling of pretentiousness on this album. As if the band was going "This is a good album, and we are gonna remind you every chance we get," throughout the entire experience. I think a lot of people will say this is their best album to date, but it's still not my cup of tea. Let's see some civility, ya?

5/10
 
Top Tracks: Ordinary Idols, No Reason to Run

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The Chainsmokers - Memories...Do Not Open

Joseph: Gotta love high profile releases. After months of hype, The Chainsmokers have officially dropped their first full-length LP. Which, like most of the rest of their music, is terrible. When a song featuring Coldplay is the highlight of your album, you know you have a flaming pile of poop. The album is full of generic hooks, lazy instrumentation, and anthem after freaking anthem. Jesus every song on this album sounds the same. This album will get millions of plays, but because of overdone lyrics, overproduced instrumentation, and overdone, well, everything, it'll just get one from me. Honestly, I never want to think about this album again. Please.

2/10

"Top" Track: Something Just Like This

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Future Islands - The Far Field

Joseph: So, I'm in the group that thinks Future Islands is one of the most overrated groups in the music industry right now. Though I think that's 100% because I haven't seen them live yet. Now that that's out of the way, I like this album. There's a great amount energy present as the album speeds through 12 songs at an absolutely blistering pace. There are some great hooks throughout the album and there's no doubt it will see a TON of arguably deserved airplay. And while I absolutely love the instrumentation and mix of 80's synth lines......man. I still just cannot get behind Samuel T. Herring's vocals. They just don't go with my ears. Hopefully seeing them live will change my perceptions of the band.

6/10

​Top Tracks: Shadows, Day Glow Fire

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Andrew Combs - Canyons of My Mind

Joseph: Ahhhh good music! Nice to see you again! Nashville singer-songwriter Andrew Combs drops his best album yet with Canyons of my Mind​. Featuring several of my favorite tracks of the year so far, this album flawlessly blends country and indie rock with wonderful instrumentation and great vocals from Combs. I got serious chills listening to his beautiful refrain in "Hazel," and you will too. It's haunting. Not to mention the absolutely awesome horn line in "Heart of Wonder." While the pacing does get a little weird towards the end of the album, this is a small complaint. This album is a wonderful listen and definitely my favorite of 2017 so far.

9/10

Top Tracks: Hazel, Heart of Wonder, Bourgeois King