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justsomeuselessvoid · 5 years ago

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Breaking Benjamin- Aurora (album review)

So as a disclaimer, I will only be reviewing these songs as they are reimagined in comparison to the original with special commentary with featured singers. I may not cover every song on this album, however, I will pinpoint specific songs that are worth discussing.

So do you want the good news or the bad news first? Well, there are more negative standpoints for me, so I’ll start with that.

As promotion for the album, Breaking Benjamin released “Far Away” as a new single as an introduction to announcing their acoustic album, Aurora. I was blown away with the charming and blissful melodies throughout the song. I was hoping this would be the direction they would pursue for the rest of the album, but I had some second thoughts upon first listening.

My overall concerns are the copy and paste. It seems like they took the vocal tracks from the previous albums and used the same ones on this one. Now there’s nothing in the rule book that says you can’t do that. However, I would be more pleased if they re-recorded the vocal tracks to give the album more diversity. I just feel like Ben’s vocals are so unique and it was a missed opportunity to give the album more spark. Perhaps they did that to save themselves some time in the studio, however, it would have given people a different perspective had they recorded acoustically driven vocals.

Going off of the same concept, the other thing I noticed are the drum tracks. Copy and Paste. And it’s not just one song...It’s pretty much all of them. I would be less upset if they recorded some soft drums as opposed to using the exact same drum tracks. This is just my personal opinion but I’m not a huge fan of drums in acoustic songs. It really just depends on the song honestly. It would make a huge difference if they had used soft drums with a tempo change. But, of course, my version of acoustic is different from anyone else's.

On a more positive note, I will say that I enjoy the acoustic guitar parts in this album. I also really like the added cello and violins in these songs, which make them stand out more than the original. I was also really impressed with the song choices they nominated upon “reimagining.” I will also include the features they decided to collaborate with. I’m happy they stuck with singers within the same genre and era of music that they identify as. It brings a more nostalgic approach to the album collaborating with singers such as Adam Gontier, Scooter Ward, Michael Barns, Spencer Chamberlain, and Lacey Sturm. All of which are close friends to Breaking Benjamin.

The two songs that really stand out for me are “Dance With the Devil” and “Dear Agony.” I haven’t been in the loop of Gontier’s career in quite some time, so it is very nostalgic for me to listen to his voice that pairs well with Burnley’s. However, my favorite part of this entire album is Lacey Sturm’s Vocal feature in “Dear Agony,” which is my favorite Breaking Benjamin song. I think they made a very good choice to pair Lacey with that song, and this is also a collaboration I have wished for since I was first introduced to Flyleaf and Breaking Benjamin. This song is emotionally driven as it is, but she made it even more gut-wrenching. You can always count on Lacey to pull on the heart strings.

Going into the summary, I feel like if they started off promoting the album as “reimagined,” I would’ve possibly changed my standards from what I was expecting it to sound like. All of the promotion I saw floating around were the basis of an “acoustic” album. However, I don’t hate these songs by any means. I’ve been a huge fan of Breaking Benjamin my entire life, but I think they sound too close to the original, minus acoustic guitars, added instruments, and featured vocals.

Overall rating- 6/10

#breaking benjamin #ben burnley #breaking benjamin aurora #flyleaf #lacey sturm #album review

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justsomeuselessvoid · 5 years ago

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Halsey- Manic (review and analysis)

Ashley- I’m really loving the instrumentals on this song. It reminds me of an idea floating through space and time. Perhaps the idea is to let go of a relationship that isn’t there anymore but is still floating around for reminiscent purposes. I also think the movie quote is a great way to end such a beautiful, strongly vocalized piece and it goes without saying that it’s the perfect transition into the next song.

Clementine- so while I was going further research on this album, I came across the initial intent behind this song. There are two meanings being voiced in this song. When she sings “I don’t need anyone,” one voice is calm while the other voice is happy. The shouting suggests a state of mania while the normal singing voice is while she is experiencing a depressive state. I like how this is incorporated into the whole idea of the album. It also seems like one of those songs where the fans would appreciate shouting.

I’m also coming across some meanings of my own. The theory that artists are depressed is represented in this song strongly. So when she sings this live, I’d imagine she would maybe sing the chorus instead of shouting it (I’ve never seen her live but trust me it’s on my bucket list.) So artists are constantly involved in making their fans happy. The fans would be screaming this song at the top of their lungs while she sings it.

I am also noticing some parallels which I am a huge fan of. She starts the song off by saying “I'd like to tell you that my sky's not blue, it's violent rain,” while in the song Hurricane off of Badlands, she says “I’m the violence in the pouring rain,” and I absolutely love that reference.

Graveyard- I enjoy this song A LOT. I feel like she went in the right direction choosing this song and the single “Without Me,” to promote her album. I have to say that it sums up the album perfectly. This song discusses the turmoil within a harmful relationship and how she would have stayed had she ignored red flags.

You should be sad- I might get some backlash for this but this song isn’t for me. I love how she is experimenting with different genres of music on this album but I have never been a fan of country style music. I would just find it more enjoyable if I liked country. However, it is not a bad song at all, it just isn’t for me. It lowkey gives me a Carrie Underwood ``Before He Cheats” vibe though, which I am totally on board with.

Forever...(is a long time)- THIS IS WHAT IM FUCKING TALKING ABOUT. This song is seriously a certified banger. It starts off with a somewhat happy melody and slowly transitions into a somber piano melody which is beautifully written. Then she belts it out with the lyrics “Build love, build God, build provinces. Build calluses, break promises ‘Cause I could never hold a perfect thing and not demolish it.” I also love how distortion is added on her voice mixed in with a haunting organ in the background. She ends the song with, “talk to your man, tell him he’s got bad news coming,” which I think is absolutely iconic, and yet another great transition into the next song.

Dominic’s Interlude- This song is definitely influenced by music in a different era. I like whatever effect they used on his voice in this song. This would advocate that another person sees the toxicity within her relationship within their perspective, as the lyrics suggest.

I HATE EVERYBODY- I feel like a lot of people can relate to this song and I think hearing it live would be such a cool thing to experience. This was definitely written for fans to scream at the top of their lungs.

3am- The rock influences are without a doubt prominent in this song, and it would be so cool to experience live. She often talks about her rock influences and I'm happy she decided to make it known within her music. I think it works really well for her various influences intervened throughout the album. The song talks about how different relationships affect her and the people she surrounds herself with. These relationships are, however, temporary to avoid loneliness and wishes they were more than just physical.

Without Me- At the end of the previous song, she incorporated a voicemail that praises the fact that this is her best song. I think she is absolutely proud of this song (trust me I listened to it a million fucking times when it came out) and that’s why she put it in the song. Anyway, I think this is a very delicate way of saying “fuck you, I don’t need you.” It’s a great single and I don’t have much to say other than it is absolutely perfect.

Finally // beautiful stranger - She talks about how she comes across a stranger who she is interested in pursuing a relationship with. However, she is afraid to continue in fear that this person is going to take advantage of her because of previous relationships. In light of this conflict, she is hoping that this person stays because she likes this person. I like the guitar progression in this song and the strongly vocalised pieces throughout.

Alanis’ Interlude - It wouldn't be a Halsey album without her pride in being bisexual, and this song does a perfect job in doing so. It starts off with Alanis’ famous strong vocals and delves into pumping drum beats. The lyrics suggest sexual innuendos referring to her physical relationship with the same sex. It established how she feels the same about women as she does men and it does not make a difference to her. She feels strongly about the idea that labels mean nothing and how she longs for acceptance. She also wanted Alanis to feature in the song because of how she impacted her musical endeavors. I love her feature in this song and the harmonies between Halsey and Alanis are ON POINT.

Killing boys- topping things off with another great revenge song. I noticed how she includes “you don’t need me anymore” in the beginning of a song and she ends the song with “I don't need you anymore,” which symbolizes the progress of getting over someone. I would have to say this is my favorite song off the album besides Alanis’ Interlude.

SUGA’s Interlude- I didn’t like this song at first, mainly because I never got into Kpop. But it’s not necessarily a kpop song, which is what kept me entertained. It’s starting to grow on me recently. This song indicates the struggle of wanting to keep going forward and giving up at the same time, which I had been struggling to find a song with this concept until this one came along. I think it is also just the struggle of being an artist and coming to a common ground of making people happy but also keeping yourself happy simultaneously.

More- I was reading up on this song, and she states how it is a song written about a person who does not exist yet. She is referring to her unborn child, which she has also stated having reproductive issues insinuating her struggle to have children. I was so unaware that this was the meaning behind the song and I am happy that she confirmed this because I’m certain that it would help a lot of people going through the same problem.

Still Learning- One of the main themes throughout this album are also condensed into this particular song. This one is heavy on the idea of learning to love yourself, which she is relying on other people in order to obtain that benefit as suggested by other songs off of this album. This song, however, is learning to love yourself without the help of others. It also suggests the downsides of being a well known artist and how it’s difficult to maintain good self-esteem in such a career.

929- This song is just absolutely beautiful. It seems as if she summarized her entire life and somehow condensed it down into 3 minutes. The instrumentals are so simple, yet her lyrics are just rambling one intense subject onto the next. Everything she talks about in this song is powerful. It talks about moving, love, acceptance, growth, and so on. However, I wanted to talk about something worth noting. Before this album came out, Halsey was doing a Q&A on Twitter and a fan pointed out how she stated this is going to be a very personal album. A fan has said, “I feel like you’ve said that about the last two albums,” and she responded with, “Nah. There’s two types of honesty. Answering a question with the truth and offering the truth without being asked. This is the latter.” This is a perfect ending to such a beautifully written album.

I'm giving this album a strong 9 out of 10. Let me just say that it is INSANELY hard for me to say anything bad about this album if i'm being completely honest. I’ve been listening to it constantly and keep discovering things that I would have never guessed. She hit the nail on the head with the themes and the overall state of mania in this album. An emotional roller coaster for sure.

#halsey #halsey manic #manic #album review #album analysis #ashley frangipane

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justsomeuselessvoid · 5 years ago

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I Disagree - Poppy review

So I was pretty unfamiliar with Poppy until I listened to Scary Mask feat. Fever 333 and I absolutely fell IN LOVE with that song. I found her music very odd at first and it took me a while to get used to her sound. I listen to a lot of heavy metal so I understand why I’ve grown to love this album as much as I do.

The first song I listened to was BLOODMONEY and that song really got me hyped for the album. I’m also really impressed with the music video as well. Even before I watched the video, the song gave me a sense of a cult-like vibe so I’m happy the video does it a justice when it comes to a dark religious atmosphere as the song suggests. Definite replay factor in my book.

Concrete- I got really hyped when the opening lyrics said “bury me six feet deep, cover me in concrete.” However I was very thrown off when the genre went from dark to happy (like I said, unfamiliar with her music until this album) and it took me a while to get used to it switching up but then I realized it’s what pulled me in to appreciating it.

I Disagree- I LOVE the energy in this song and how it gives a giant “fuck you” vibe to whoever she is referring to.

Anything Like Me- I love the instrumentals in this track and the distorted guitars. My favorite part is when the acoustic guitar comes in and it has that slow calming interlude and it just SLAMS with that chorus at the end.

Fill the Crown- this song caught me a bit off guard with the weird little retro part right before the chorus. But I enjoy the corresponding voices between Poppy and the Marilyn Manson inspired vocals

Nothing I Need- I like the chill instrumental vibe this song gives off but other than that, it doesn’t stand out as much as the other songs do. It’s not a terrible song but it doesn’t get my attention as much.

Sit/Stay- very much enjoying the retro vibe mixed in with the guitars. And that fucking sCREAM AT THE END THOUGH

Bite Your Teeth- this song is an absolute jam and its a bit repetitive but I love the absolute chaos and that slow part that leads to the best breakdown I’ve heard in a long time. Probably my favorite off the album.

Sick of the Sun- it took me a few listens to actually like this song but I like the transition between this and the previous song. It’s a nice opposition from what the rest of the album sounds like instrumentally but I’d say it’s very fitting.

Don’t Go Outside- this is a fantastic closer to the album and I like how she wraps it up with a recap from previous lyrics.

This album gives me very Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson-y type vibes that I think has been missing since that style of music came out. I’ve been waiting for someone to bring it back to life. I’m glad this was the direction she intended to go in musically because this album was a GREAT listen.

Overall rating: 8/10

#poppy #i disagree #album review #poppy youtube #metal

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