CHVRCHES basks in the spotlight

Music Review: Less abrasive, still unique: Earl Sweatshirt hones a new sound

A review of Earl Sweatshirt's "I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside"

Earl Sweatshirt established his interestingly abrasive sound with no apologies in his first mixtape "Earl." After five years of honing both his production and lyricism, he has managed to keep the core of his sound just as interesting while making it less abrasive to the listener in his latest album, "I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside." Earl’s advancements in production quality have improved tenfold over the course of his career.
This is apparent from the very first sample on the record—the sound of a tape deck being loaded. It's subtle samples and textures like these in tracks like "Mantra" and "Off Top" that show just how well this album was produced. A more obvious indication of the production quality, though, is the cohesive feel of the album as a whole. The retro, rough-around-the-edges style of instrumentation almost-made gives the listener the sense of being in an old, darkly-lit arcade.
His lyricism, like his instrumentation, also has the power to transport his listener. His words almost numb you into a hypnotic state that feels like reading poetry off a bathroom stall of an abandoned bar. That’s an ambitious metaphor, granted, but how else are we to feel when he drops first lines like “Intercepting a fifth of whiskey, and necking it ‘til I’m dizzy” in "DNA," the second to last track? It’s not just the lyrics themselves that provide this effect—it’s how Earl reads them.
In the fourth bar of the first verse off "DNA," Earl uses an impressive yet seemingly effortless amount restraint in dragging out the syllables of the word “difference.” This style of slowing his tempo way down when rhyming is far more impressive than rapping fast and it’s certainly more original. This, coupled with purposefully landing rhymes slightly off the beat, conveys an off-putting sense of indifference that is entirely unique to him.
When questioning whether or not to give this album your time, I would heed the advice of Earl himself: “Like it or not, when it drop, bet he gotta listen.”
Erik Liederbach is a member of the class of 2019.
Earl Sweatshirt I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside (2015)

Music Review: The past and future sounds of Luke Christopher

A review of the L.A. rapper's "YSTRDY" & "TMRW"

Los Angeles rapper Luke Christopher has been quickly assembling a body of work since his first release “Building Skies” in 2012. In the past three years, Christopher has ambitiously managed to release four mixtapes without ever producing a commercial track. With the recent release of his dual EPs “YSTRDY” and “TMRW” on iTunes and Spotify, he has finally brought a body of music into the commercial market.
In a video interview with the Hip Hop news site Hot New Hip Hop, Christopher explains that “YSTRDY” is a compilation of “Songs that people have loved… but have not yet been released in the commercial market.” “YSTRDY” is essentially a carefully crafted ‘best-of’ mix of his past works (hence the title).
The album’s six remastered tracks serve as an introduction to Christopher’s ability to effortlessly switch between rap and song to convey his message. The messages often, and arguably too often, involve the triumphs and pitfalls of romance. Although the lyrical content of “YSTRDY” can seem slightly repetitive, the instrumentation takes on a variety of intriguing dynamics; the synth pop vibes of “Roll With Me” and the anthem-like quality of “World Without Superman” are particularly unique from Christopher’s usual piano-melody-driven tracks.
This central theme of Christopher’s love life is also seen in the content of “TMRW,” but the lyricism displayed in the album’s fifth track, “Atlas,” shows listeners that Christopher has more to offer. With lines like, “People wanting diamonds and pearls in life / I guess he couldn't handle the weight / Who do you run to when the world beneath is gone?” Christopher questions the materialism of our society through the perspective of Atlas struggling under the weight of the sky. Considering that the earth’s atmosphere is often most harmed by society's materialistic tendencies, it seems a brilliant yet subtle metaphor. If TMRW is just as much a preview of the future of Christopher's music as YSTRDY is a window to its past, then we can expect some top notch lyricism in Christopher’s future verses.
Not only do YSTRDY and TMRW unveil Christopher’s talents as a rapper, they are also a testaments to his proficiency as a producer and a singer as well. This is evident as soon as the chorus’ lower harmonies come in over the jazzy keys in TMRW’s “Roses.” His capacity to control all elements of a song’s creation from beginning to end allows Christopher complete artistic expression. YSTRDY & TMRW illustrate just how much this freedom can accomplish.
Luke Christopher
YSTRDY (2015)
TMRW (2015)

Music Review

A review of "Every Open Eye"

October 5, 2015

The mission statement of the Glasgow trio CHVRCHES’ sophomore album can be encapsulated in its fourth track “Make them Gold.” Lead singer Lauren Mayberry glides across a shimmering landscape of synthesizers like a teenager roller-skating in an 80’s-themed roller rink as she sings “We will take the best parts of ourselves/and make them gold.”

CHVRCHES (pronounced like “churches”) carries on a tradition of synthesizer-driven indie pop that includes Passion Pit, M83 and “Oracular Spectacular”-era MGMT. Following their breakout debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, CHVRCHES appears to have embraced their role as stars in this sub-genre. The band has a knack for writing catchy but nuanced songs that do not sacrifice emotional punch or dynamics to craft the most infectious of earworms.

"Every Open Eye" does not exist to revolutionize the indie pop landscape nor does it eschew the pop of its predecessor album. Instead, it displays the band’s sharpened songwriting abilities and as a result, delivers an incredibly enjoyable listening experience. Lyrically, Mayberry spends most of her time floating in somewhat predictable melodic lines that liken her to top-40 vocalists like Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga rather than seemingly alike indie darlings like Bjork, FKA Twigs or Arcade Fire’s Regine Chassagne.

Despite their lyrical deficiencies, CHVRCHES’ tracks stand out because of the work of producers/multi-instrumentalists Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. Their synths on tracks like “Keep you on my Side” give Mayberry enough space to develop her melodic ideas afloat an ever-shifting electronic soundscape.

The opening track, “Never Ending Circles” is a perfect case study. The song comes out swinging with a crushing quarter-note bass pattern and blindingly fast synth arpeggio that drops out every fourth repeat to let Mayberry’s ethereal “oh”s slip through the sonic wall. The lyrics of the song’s introduction are reflected in its instrumentals. Mayberry makes a toast to “taking what you came for” in a relationship and “running off the pain” as a means of persevering when relationships fall apart. The instrumental repetition emphasizes the persistence with which Mayberry resolves to return to relationships even though the same patterns of mutual destruction and mistrust return, as they always appear to do. Hence, Mayberry’s vocal delivery belies the exasperation and frustrated persistence in relationships, which the instrumental forcefully makes clear.

Of course, Cook’s and Doherty’s command over the shiny Millennium Falcon that is “Every Open Eye” is audible throughout. Subtle adjustments to the drum patterns and presence of the synthesizer on the album’s catchiest song “Leave a Trace” let the track reach its emotional triumphs and moments of relaxation without barraging the listener with noise at the chorus or losing any steam in the subsequent verses. The power of the disco-stomping climax of “Clearest Blue” is owed to the calculated instrumental crescendo engineered by Doherty and Cook and not Mayberry’s vocal delivery. Although, her shout of “Will you meet me more than halfway there?” could be her most exciting moment on the album. Nevertheless, it’s the meticulous and varied arrangements of Cook and Doherty that keep the songs fluid.

As a result of such expert arrangements, the album flows better than any other recent indie release. The band is quick to shift up or down gears with subsequent tracks and does so in a way that does not come off as formulaic. One caveat to such careful arrangement may be that the album feels exactly that: too carefully arranged. When everything fall into place so easily, the album the loses tension and energy that it, at times, needs. The builds work too well, the shifts in mood are a bit predictable and the melodic lines are easy to see coming, especially in the vocals.

While there is not much in the way of surprises on the album, every song is highly enjoyable. "Every Open Eye" reinforces the catchy but forceful energy, characteristic of the band’s debut and summer festival presence, even it if does not force anybody’s eyes wide open in musical revelation.

Matthew Leventhal is a member of the class of 2017.

CHVRCHES

Every Open Eye (2015)

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