#wtf HES SO FUCKING HOOOOT

[detentedead]

How can a man look fine as fuck holding a fucking ICE CREAM CONE 😭😭

[sailor-freak]

Black Stone Cherry: The Human Condition - Album Review

(image source)

Wow I went through a lot listening to this album it took about twice as long cos LIFE anyway let’s go!!

Ringin’ In My Head - Oops I forgot to post about this one when it came out but I LOVE IT gonna be honest there’s not a song on this album I dislike they were all amazing but this works so well as the start to this album! The way it fades in with distorted sounds at the start and then BOOM music love it 😂. The lyrics seem to have multiple meanings, to me anyway, the obvious one is the current pandemic which I sort of feel like can’t apply directly since this was written and recorded just before that all went down?? But I think it can also apply to the political world, with the lyrics “I’ve got something that needs to be said”, it’s very much reminiscent of recent songs regarding the public voice and speaking out against the bad things being done by people. Which I guess the album is called the Human Condition so that seems to fit 😂.

Again - Already posted about this song but yeah BOP probably my favourite BSC song so far haha.

Push Down & Turn - I love this one as well omg, the verses are quite slow and grounded but I love that 😂. Then the chorus obviously builds it up but it keeps that overall grounded earthy rock and roll sound with Jon’s heavy bass and Chris’ more gravely vocals being used. The riff section is such a change though, it kind of quietens down and focuses on the guitar, then it just builds and builds and gets almost manic, before going back to the slower, earthier chorus. It’s a fun ride 😂.

When Angels Learn To Fly - Lol I love the trick at the start with ballad sounding instrumental then NOPE 😂. Sorry I’m not really a ballad person I love that 😂. The instrumental itself is quite separated from the other songs so far though, the verses particularly are very drum heavy with a couple of bass and guitar additions, then in the chorus there’s some other instruments which just gives the whole song a very different vibe to the rest of the album. It’s a very sweet song lyrically though, but it doesn’t give in to becoming a pure ballad for nice lyrics, which we all know I like 😂.

Live This Way - This one is veeeeeery dirty rock and roll yes sir 😂. The drums give it a very nice bouncy boppy sound, but the guitar and bass are still very heavy and give it a sort of 80s sounding rock and roll sound, especially with Ben’s riff like duuuuude the effect on his guitar there is hoooot 😂. The lyrics are again similar to the idea of speaking against the negative politics of the world but aren’t as harsh as Ringin’ In My Head, it’s almost polite with the “sorry if this comes out wrong” 😂. Chris you should never apologise we love you 😂.

In Love With The Pain - ALSO forgot to post about this when it came out sorryyyy it’s not bad at all but it doesn’t stand out to me? Not as much as the other 2 singles at least 😂. Idk to me it doesn’t reach out to me musically as much as other songs, it does have quite a nostalgic sound with the lightness of the chorus and the acoustic layered over the electric guitar, but personally it just doesn’t stand out as much. It’s not bad AT ALL, it’s great, but there’s better songs IMO.

The Chain - That snare at the start omg gave me Black Parade vibes ANYWAY back on the bops 😂. It’s a very guitar heavy verse but it fades away for the pre-chorus before both the guitar and bass are just BOOSTED up for the chorus, it works well 😂. The pacing of the vocals as well switches around in different sections of the song and it works well, I guess with switching between more slower, then up-tempo, then slower again, it’s like the alternating links of a chain? SO WELL DONE BSC I APPLAUD APPLAUSE PLEASE EVERYONE 👏👏👏👏. That riff as well holy FUCK I’m worried about Ben’s fingers is he okay did that hurt 😂.

Ride - This one sounds like a J-rock song and idk why?? That’s just the vibe I got lol. The instrumental of this is AMAZING, but Chris’ vocals really stand out to me in this one. Especially in the chorus, something about his note progression and the long note of “ride” just HITS THAT MUSIC SPOT I love it so much 😂.

If My Heart Had Wings - Omg I didn’t think I was gonna like this song but it’s SO good wtf 😂. It is quite ballad-y as it uses a lot of acoustic and even a little harmonica lol, but the lyrics are quite sad 😭. The sadder the lyrics get the darker the music gets, the guitar riff seems very depressing as Chris sings about wishing things that could have been said and done in a relationship. It’s so sad but it’s so sweet 😭.

Don’t Bring Me Down - This is an ELO cover so idk how much I can say about it, but it’s nice 😂. Comparing it to the original it’s a little bit lower and naturally leans more towards the rock and roll round, but it still kept the 80s vibey sound of the original which was great 😂. Probably my favourite BSC cover haha.

Some Stories - Someone had fun with the effects menu on this song 😂. The lyrics really stand out, they seem to be very heavily about conspiracy theories and the people higher up in the world feeding us all lies 😂. It’s quite odd... but it bops so idc 😂.

The Devil In Your Eyes - Another old sounding rock and roll song love it 😂. It’s quite a dark sounding song, Jon’s bass being very prominent in the verses but mainly John Fred’s drums, it gives it a sort of intense creepy sound. Then when the chorus hits the guitar comes in and Chris’ vocals are boosted and WOW it gets intense, the whole song is just INTENSE 😂. Especially with the way it does some downwards scales rather than the usual upwards, and uses some minor notes which just give off intense, creepy, EPIC 😂.

Keep On Keepin’ On - One of those optimistic songs it’s such a sweet happy ending to this album 😂. It just has a very light, happy, almost feel-good sound, especially in the chorus it’s so sweet and happy 😂. I know I keep saying that but it is I love it 😂. It’s still rock and roll, and Chris sometimes utilises a heavier sound in his vocals, but the acoustic running throughout the song just really keeps up and almost pop-rock optimistic sound 😂.

Overall this album BOPPED, honestly all the songs had something unique to them which made them all stand out to me (some more than others), but they all fit together in one album really well. The consistent themes of humanity, both in the broad sense of the state of the world, and the personal level of human relationships and feelings, linked all the songs together well where their musical styles could be very diverse. Basically it bloody slapped 😂.