Category: Quickspins

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Juice WRLD – Death Race for Love

Death Race for Love, the sophomore album from Juice WRLD, is a misfire. With 22 tracks and a 72-minute runtime, the project drowns itself in filler tracks and underdeveloped themes of heartbreak and depression. Stylistically, Juice stays in his emo-rap lane without pushing any boundaries. There are some great emotional moments, such as “Robbery” and “10 Feet,” but Juice meanders throughout Death Race so much that these brief looks into greatness are shadowed by generic and uninspiring songs like “HeMotions.” Undeniably influenced by Lil Peep, this project is suffocated by its attempt to recreate his sound. Death Race was promoted by Interscope as Juice Wrld’s Reasonable Doubt, but it feels more like his Blueprint 3.

Score: 4/10

Trial Track: “Robbery”

Star Bar: “I problem solve with Styrofoam / My world revolves around a black hole / The same black hole that’s in place of my soul, uh / Empty, I feel so goddamn empty”

  • Juice Wrld on “Empty”
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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Homeshake – Helium

A raw-built beat with chiming synths pulsates throughout the Montreal-based band’s new release Helium. After parting from Mac DeMarco’s live crew, Peter Sagar further established his solo project, Homeshake, in 2012. Since his previous albums, Midnight Snack (2015) and Fresh Air (2017), the musician has continued to develop his soft, electric-nocturne sound. The artist lyrically falters in this new release. Though, gems like “Like Mariah” and “Nothing Could Be Better” demonstrate the artist’s distinct DIY feel that taps into a hyper-real yet euphoric after-dark experience. Despite the overall chillness of this album, the atmosphere can seem lonesome and dark. Best to listen alone or in a relaxed setting.

Star Bar:

“Dressed up like I’m going out, I feel it and I turn

Empty out my pockets for a tab to soften up the burn

So I walk in little circles rung around just like a bell

Maybe I could feel better with some people that I know so well”

– Peter Sagar on “All Night Long”

Trial Track: Just Like My

7/10

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Kehlani – While We Wait

Kehlani stuns with her vocals and tuned harmonies in her new mixtape While We Wait. Cheers to this woman, who while pregnant with her first child, created a bubbly yet, musical R&B gem. With appearances from Musiq Soulchild, Dom Kennedy, 6LACK, and Ty Dolla $ign, the Oakland native continues to impress with her bouncy choreographic-worthy melodies. Tracks like “RPG,” “Nunya”, and “Too Deep” lyrically express the abruption of desire in a digital atmosphere. While the queer artist prolongs her soulful sound into 2019 with her fourth project, she hesitates lyrically on tracks like “Feels” and “Morning Glory.” Overall though, she does not lack in vocal and melodic range. Kehlani, despite her well-earned fame, still carries a humble approach to her music.

Star Bar:

“And when I walked away

I left footsteps in the mud so you could follow me

You’re so bad at holding water, slips right through your fingers

We’d both end up drowning, it would hit the ground

And then the path would wash away, wash away”

– Kehlani on “Footsteps” feat. Musiq Soulchild

Trial Track: Love Language

8/10

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Planet Giza – Added Sugar

The debut album from Montreal trio Planet Giza is a sunny 30-minute break on a dark winter day. Composed of three members, Tony Stone, DoomX, and Rami.B(izzle), the group has outstanding chemistry on Added Sugar. The buttery-smooth production lives up to the name of the album and complements Stone’s lush, melodic flows. The only outside help comes from Mick Jenkins on single “Brk Frm Nrml” and a co-production from Kaytranada on “Timeless//3 Stacks.” Added Sugar is not only a great time, but an excellent indication of the group’s potential.

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Music Quickspins Uncategorized

QUICKSPINS: SWMRS – Berkeley’s On Fire

Oakland pop-punk quartet SWMRS released an album that while sparsely intriguing, never lives up to its exemplary opening track. While the band ventures down interesting roads in terms of production, fusing elements of hip hop and electronic to a pop core, SWMRS fails to flesh out these experimental portions, leaving bland punk at its centre. Listeners will either latch on to these more unique production elements and appreciate the pop sensibilities, or be bored by the vague punk vocals that fall flat. This tape is for those that are willing to sacrifice vocal energy for glimpses of something new in the punk landscape. Either way, check out that title track.

6/10

Trial Track: Berkeley’s On Fire

Star Bar:
“Put your pom-poms down you didn’t win shit,
go bail out your guilty ass it’s not your business,” – Cole Becker on “Berkeley’s On Fire”

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Nate Husser – 23+

Montreal rap ambassador and Posterz graduate Nate Husser released the third installment of his three-song EP series. The series speaks on his relationship to the city and his come-up in an isolated scene. This installment is more introspective than the previous two, with Husser reflecting on his background and his bright future. The tape is thematically narrow and never ventures into deep lyrical waters, but Husser’s voice is infectious in its tonal diversity—moving from high pitched triplets, to auto-tuned crooning, to slow, deep flows. The focus here is on the big, catchy hooks and the slick production from Montreal EDM artist Heartfelt. This is the best sounding EP of the three and, clocking in at nine minutes, is not worth skipping.

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Sharon Van Etten – Remind Me Tomorrow

Sharon Van Etten released a shrouded, messy and eclectic album with Remind Me Tomorrow; it is a chaotic and fuzzy party anthem for those who have grown in the city. Enduring the length of Etten’s album means tasting urban life the way this artist has appreciated it. For this record, she traded in her guitar for gritty, screeching, clashing synths. In “Jupiter 4,” the slow rhythm of the trap set looms as the singer reminisces of a past love. The pounding hooks in “Comeback Kid” and “You Shadow” create an aggressive, yet infectious melody. Etten creates an emotionally-frazzled ensemble as she looks back at the mess she has made. Her tracks are as jumbled and disarrayed as her cover art for this nostalgia-filled vessel. Overall, her style has changed drastically since her reissue (It Was) Because I Was in Love in 2017.

 

Star Bar: Downtown harks back

Halfway up the street

I used to be free

I used to be seventeen

-Sharon Van Etten on “Seventeen”

 

Trial Track: “No One’s Easy to Love”

7.5/10

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Bring Me The Horizon – amo

Opinions on British band Bring Me the Horizon vary along with their style, transforming drastically through each release since their debut, Count Your Blessings, in 2006. Some, attached to BMTH’s chaotic post-hardcore roots, will snob the softer, melodic, pop-influenced sound they’ve taken on ever since Sempiternal. They’ve even got a new song about this, “heavy metal”—but the truth is that this change in style testifies of the band’s surprising versatility. On their latest opus, amo, the band pushes their boundaries even further by entirely reimagining their sound through the 13 songs on the album.

This creativity is more than welcome, allowing for the birth of an impressively imaginative pop-rock sound. However, that creativity is both the album’s strength and demise, and ultimately amo fails to impress. Though some songs stand out nicely—namely, the powerful “MANTRA,” or the laid back, surprisingly sweet “mother tongue,”—others feel a little clumsy, especially lyrically, and might make one yearn for the refined product that was Bring Me the Horizon’s last album, That’s the Spirit. Despite it all, Bring Me the Horizon can only be applauded for taking that creative step forward, and amo remains worthy of a listen.

7/10

Trial track: “medicine”
Star Bar: “You need a taste of your own medicine
Cos I’m sick to death of swallowing”
Oli Sykes on “medicine”

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Mike Posner – A Real Good Kid

Mike Posner has grown since his Lil Wayne-assisted track “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” and his 2015 Canadian 7x-platinum hit “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.” His newest album, A Real Good Kid, shows a slower, more sombre Posner with a deeper focus on lyricism. His album begins with instructions, asking listeners to listen to the album in one sitting with no distractions. Categorized as Alternative on streaming platforms, Posner’s shift in sound may be attributed to the hardships he faced over the last few years, namely the death of his father, the death of his friend, Avicii, and a hard breakup. Posner addresses all of these instances specifically, demonstrating a very personal level of vulnerability that he felt comfortable sharing with his fans. For the best experience, listen to A Real Good Kid as Posner intended for it to be heard.

7.5/10

Trial Track: “Move On”

Star Bar “Call up girls that live in my hometown
To help fill up the minutes
Lit a match and saged my house down
It didn’t make a difference”
Posner on “Move On”

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Future – The WIZRD

Future has returned with his first solo studio album since releasing back-to-back number-one debuts in back-to-back weeks with 2017’s FUTURE and HNDRXX. With its marketing campaign and accompanying documentary, THE WIZRD sets out to be Future’s magnum opus. He has come close to achieving that with this being one of his best albums yet.

Future has always been an artist with two distinct musical identities: the bombastic, in-your-face, king of trap presented on FUTURE and the softer, more melodic, auto-tuned crooner at the center of HNDRXX. THE WIZRD creates a seamless fusion of the two, serving as a highlight reel of Future’s versatility and strengths while still bringing new material to the table. Songs like “Jumpin on a Jet” and “Faceshot” perfectly encapsulate that DS2-era Future sound. They’re absolute bangers: hard-hitting, bass-heavy and full of boastful content. These moments of braggadocio are contrasted with honest, melodic tracks like “Temptation” and “Tricks on Me” giving this project enough variety that its 20-track, hour-long runtime never gets repetitive.

THE WIZRD is Future at his most focused. He has achieved a perfect balance between his various musical identities, exploring a variety of sounds both new and familiar without missing a step. His performance grouped with the phenomenal features and production throughout make for one of the most enjoyable listens in Future’s extensive catalogue.

Trial Track: “Baptiize”

Star Bar: “Peep how we came up the interstate, peep how we never gon’ lose/Peep how they peepin’ and watchin’ me runnin’ off with everything that I do/We didn’t do this for the fun, I didn’t do this just to slack / I did it all for the love, I put the gang on the map” -Future on “Baptiize”

9/10

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Mac Miller – Swimming

Artist: Mac Miller

Album: Swimming

Label: Warner Bros. Records

 

In early August 2018, one month before his untimely passing, Mac Miller released his fifth studio album, Swimming. Almost two years since his previous release, Miller returned with his most complete body of work. His last major release, The Divine Feminine, painted a picture of Miller in love and happier than ever. In stark contrast, Swimming is Miller at his loneliest, most troubled, and introspective.

This album delves deeply into his mental state, substance abuse problems and heartbreak, while highlighting the anguish that follows. His reflection on these experiences comes across as wise and extremely self-aware, sounding like a man at peace with his reality. Even in its lighter moments, such as with the funk-infused, Thundercat-assisted jam “What’s the Use?,” Miller is still dealing with his demons. At its darkest, Swimming tells the tale of a man wounded, drowning in a sea of self-doubt, self-meditation and self-medication.

The album’s strongest moment, “2009,” is gorgeous, starting off with a swell of violins that lead into a beautiful piano loop. Lyrically, Miller reflects on his career and his journey, from his breakout mixtape, to 2018. Miller’s career was one to behold. From stoner-friendly frat rapper to one of the most diverse and talented people in hip hop, his growth was astounding. With every release, he got better and better. Swimming is Mac Miller’s best album and one of the best albums of 2018.

Rating: 9.5/10

Trial Track: “2009”

Star Bar: “You gotta jump in to swim

Well, the light was dim in this life of sin

Now every day I wake up and breathe

I don’t have it all but that’s alright with me”

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Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Meek Mill – Championships

Artist: Meek Mill

Album: Championships

Label: Atlantic Records

 

Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill, who recently made headlines for his issues with the law, uses his fourth studio album Championships as a public service announcement to the world. In the lengthy, 19-track project, Mill outlines the discrimination of the justice system against minorities in the United States, as well as the struggles and limitations faced by those in communities of lower socioeconomic status.

In “Intro,” the Philly artist sets the precedent, gradually gaining intensity over a nostalgic, creative sample of Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight”. He discusses the complex life of trials and tribulations he faced as a youth in the rough neighbourhood of North Philadelphia.

With a long list of notable features including Drake, Cardi B and Kodak Black, the project’s songs cover a wide array of themes. Mill discusses his relationships with different women on softer, more sensual tracks like “24/7,” featuring up-and-coming British R&B singer Ella Mai. He completely switches gears on tracks like “Uptown Vibes,” which features veteran rapper Fabolous and Reggaeton artist Anuel AA over a triumphant, horn-heavy trap instrumental. Mill clearly attempted to please all kinds of fans with versatile songs throughout the album.

It was Mill’s recent controversial convictions on an unrelated probation sentencing that occurred over 10 years ago that sparked his activism. He has vowed to bring injustice towards minorities in America to light, and Championships is the most recent proof of his work for the greater good.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Oodles O’ Noodles Babies”

Star Bar: “Victim to the system like a raindrop in the ocean

They closin’ all the schools and all the prisons gettin’ open” (from the track “Championships”)

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