Boston Manor – GLUE
Here is a newer band that truly knows how to keep audiences on their toes. With their 2016 debut album, Be Nothing, Boston Manor made a strong case for pop punk’s relevance in the current rock scene. With their 2018 masterpiece, Welcome to the Neighborhood, they proved that they were capable of so much more than anyone expected, with a more diverse sound palette, and darker, more thought provoking lyrics. And in 2020, GLUE is an equally ambitious statement in the evolution of this band. With this one, the English emo outfit took an even darker turn, making a record whose personal and vulnerable lyricism is complimented by heavier, noisier instrumentals, even featuring aggressively industrial electronic elements (this is starting to seem like the flavor of the year, but hey, a lot of bands are doing it really well, so I won’t complain). These moments are complimented by softer, almost haunting moments, peppered with eerie clean guitar and keyboard work, often with hints of electronics still lingering in the background. In many ways, this conglomeration of sounds and ideas reminds me of what I loved so much about Badflower’s debut album, OK, I’m Sick in 2019. Once an intriguing and promising band of pop punk revivalists, Boston Manor have evolved into something almost entirely different. While hints of their emo roots still reside within certain melodic lines and guitar stylings, this is a band that now stands at the forefront of forward thinking in the alternative rock scene, and they’re definitely a group to keep a close eye on.
Score: 4/5
Hayley Williams – Petals for Armor
Paramore fans have eagerly awaited this release since its announcement in January of this year. Now, when you think of Petals for Armor, you may think of being bombarded with a ridiculous amount of music before the album was even released, strange and uncomfortable music videos, and Hayley Williams, in all her newfound wokeness, blaming all criticism of her new music on sexism. All this aside, Williams has actually given us some of her most vulnerable and intriguing music to date with Petals for Armor. Functioning almost as After Laughter’s evil twin, Hayley’s debut solo album continues in the very personal direction that we first got a taste of on Paramore’s previous album, but this time, trading in the ironically happy and upbeat melodies and instrumentals for a dark and unsettling atmosphere, throwing the listener straight into the darkest depths of the singer’s world. That’s not to say we don’t get any upbeat, catchy tunes, as on several of these cuts, Hayley draws from funk and pop-rock, accompanied by a grooving bass guitar that just doesn’t quit. This album is a rare instance of the bass standing front and center for almost the entire runtime, while the guitars, keys, and drums, sit in the back, complimenting the bass with a smooth, almost lounge-like atmosphere. In terms of album flow, this record almost seems to function more as a compilation of three Petals for Armor EPs than one cohesive album. On their own, the three brief discs which make up this album are sleek, brief, and leave the listener wanting more (good thing there are three of them). But as one united work, the album can drag in spots, and some of the musical ideas can become redundant. That being said, every song here feels lyrically purposeful, so the three-EP format is more than justified. Just perhaps not as one full album. That nitpick aside, Petals for Armor represents some of the most ambitious and accomplished songwriting we’ve heard from Hayley Williams to date.
Score: 4/5
Asking Alexandria – Like a House on Fire
Yeah, I know. Who cares, right? But hey, with all the album cancellations in relation to COVID-19, I had to scrape the bottom of the barrel a little bit this month. So what is Asking Alexandria up to in the brand new decade? Well, nothing good. But also, not necessarily what you would expect. Like a House on Fire is an almost whiplash-inducing mix of two distinct musical directions. On the one hand, we get some pretty riff-heavy old school hard rock. On the other, very bland, generic millennial pop-rock, ripped straight from the Imagine Dragons playbook. The lead single, “The Violence” is literally the most blatant ripoff of “Believer” that you can possibly imagine. What’s frustrating is that going in a more electronic pop direction is something that Asking Alexandria could have potentially pulled off pretty well. I mean, if you put a gun to my head and told me I had to say one nice thing about this awful, worthless band, I’d say that they’ve always known how to incorporate electronics into their sound rather tastefully. But unfortunately, what we get here is entirely void of any semblance of originality. On the harder rocking side, we get some cuts that are admittedly more enjoyable, but still rely on tired clichés, and don’t bring anything new to the table. Not only do we see these two vastly different styles in conflict on the album as a whole, but also within almost every individual song. Throughout the runtime, we see the band relying on a structure of pop-centric verses, with heavy, anthemic choruses. I’ll admit this came off as slightly intriguing at the beginning of the album, but it didn’t take long for it to get stale. This album really doesn’t have much going for it, until you compare it to the rest of Asking Alexandria’s abysmal discography. Compared to the nearly unlistenable sound they became famous for, the hard rock side of this album really isn’t a bad look on the band. Hey, I think I can now safely call “Lorazepam” my favorite Asking Alexandria song. And while the worst moments of this album are forgettable and unoriginal, it’s nice to hear the band tone it down with the obnoxious (and somewhat toxic) pseudo-edgy attitude that has always plagued their songwriting, as well as the headache-inducing screaming. Like a House on Fire is an album that doesn’t know what it wants to be, and doesn’t have any original ideas to offer, but hey, by virtue of being halfway listenable, this is definitely one of the better Asking Alexandria albums to date.
Score: 2/5
Alestorm – Curse of the Crystal Coconut
Who would’ve guessed a pirate-themed folk metal band could garner so much attention in the metal world? Alestorm have been one of the most beloved bands the gimmicky side of the genre has to offer for over a decade. If I had to pinpoint what exactly it is that makes this band’s shtick so effective, I’d say it’s their commitment to it. While on the Viking side of things, you have Amon Amarth, a band that sets Viking-themed lyrics to fairly by-the-numbers death metal, Alestorm complement their absurdist pirate lyrics with sea chanty melodies, manly sailor vocals, and even violins and a keytar. In this way, Alestorm have developed not only a gimmick all their own, but a sound all their own (the fact that that they’re all excellent musicians certainly doesn’t hurt either). And Curse of the Crystal Coconut is, for better or worse, more of what we’ve come to expect. If this album has a fatal flaw, it lies in the lyrical quality. While Alestorm have never taken themselves seriously, their earlier releases featured very smart, tongue-in-cheek lyrical absurdity, whereas their most recent releases have been much more outright goofy. At this album’s dumbest moments, it feels almost as though Alestorm are slowly becoming Pirate Steel Panther. While this approach can work, and the album does certainly have its share of hilarious moments, this change has annoyed some longtime Alestorm fans. But even if moments on Curse of the Crystal Coconut such as the rap (yes, that really happened) or the extremely vulgar song about another pirate’s ship being inferior seem like a bit much, I think if any band can make it work, it’s a band like Alestorm, who have reveled in absurdism since their 2008 debut. In pure Alestorm fashion, this album is filled to the brim with violin-laden folk metal (and occasionally even a horn section), lyrics about fighting pirates, raiding ports, and drinking (lots and lots of drinking), not to mention an eight-minute epic about life with wooden appendages. That’s about as Alestorm as it gets. So what this amounts to is an album that isn’t exactly a game changer. If Alestorm isn’t your thing, this one won’t change your mind. If you’ve enjoyed their music up to this point, it will surely satisfy. But hey, even if Alestorm don’t deviate from their formula or reinvent the wheel (or the rudder), Curse of the Crystal Coconut is still a shipload of fun.
Score: 3.5/5
Phil Klinker Music Reviews 