Hello! I make music, listen to music, play some instruments, know some theory, can produce some stuff, and I enjoy things. Those are my qualifications. I like having fun and that's what is important :) Anyway here are my music reviews. Have fun reading!
I came to know Blind Pilot from their very melancholic (to me) 2008 album “3 Rounds and a Sound.” I wanted to buy it but the only album they had available on Bandcamp was And Then Like Lions, which I listened to, liked, and bought! And Then Like Lions is definitely more up-tempo than “3 Rounds and a Sound”, but I don’t know if the subject matter is any less depressing. Here’s where the number 1 fact about me comes in (doesn’t understand lyrics): I have no idea what this guy is singing about. Ever. I don’t know if anyone does. When you type in any given song into the search engine of your choosing, it always auto-completes with “meaning.” And I never look at those sites! So I have no idea what the themes could be– my best guess is something new-beginnings adjacent, but that’s purely vibes, which should never be trusted. Overall, the songs are fresh-feeling. They aren’t warm like other songs I like, but they are like fresh warmth, the sun rather than a dusty heater. Words are hard. I like their guitars and hesitant but well placed pads and synths for accents. I’m a big fan of every mallet instrument, so the occasional celeste in their music brings me joy. I’d recommend it for a rainy day listening-reading session.
I’m a firm believer that songs can be friends. And if songs can be friends, so can albums. Wholeness and Separation by Halou is an album that has been a dear friend to me since I was 13. It is somewhat industrial, with harsh clanking and wailing carefully utilized in its lush, electronic compositions. Somehow it remains unobtrusive for most songs, and the in-betweeners, such as “Alaska,” are just as atmospheric and hazy as the songs with lyrics, but do a fantastic job of building tension and setting the “musical stage” for the next song. Otherwise, the smoother songs like “The Ratio of Freckles to Stars” and “Morsecode” do an amazing job of, in my opinion, bringing the listener into their own environment to just exist in for a bit. It’s restful and cathartic at the same time. I don’t tend to be a lyrics guy. In fact, I found out I had been singing “Honeytheif” to myself wrong for the past several years just a few months ago. However, I really like the lyrics to all the songs I can name, even if I can’t describe why very well. My best guess is that they are… precise. Well, please listen to Wholeness and Separation, it’s a wonderful experience.