Ultra Music Festival: Day 3

Day three was definitely a quality over quantity kind of day. As opposed to the the eleven DJs I saw on day two, I only saw four acts on day three. However, they were all amazing and each offered something different that made day three my favorite day of the whole weekend.

Major Lazer

If you know me at all, then you probably know how borderline-obsessive over Major Lazer, the DJ duo of Diplo and Jillionaire. I think that their reggae dancehall-infused brand of EDM is absolutely genius and that they have a sound that's completely their own. As per usual, their awesome, 90 minute set was not to be missed. Here's the duo opening up their show with their remix of Rihanna's "Stay"

From there, they moved right into playing some new tracks from their upcoming album Free The Universe as well as some old favorites like "Pon de Floor" and "Original Don." But they didn't stop at that. Major Lazer shows are extremely interactive and get the crowd to actively participate in the experience. Their first round of antics came along when Diplo went crowd surfing inside some sort of inflatable hamster ball.

Then as another surprise for the audience, Sean Paul made an appearance to provide vocals for Congorock's "Bless di Nation."

Shortly after Sean Paul's appearance, Diplo grapped the microphone and said that he needed "about a million girls" up on the stage. Shortly afterward, chaos ensued as just about every girl within 10 feet of the stage tried to climb over the barricades and join the party on stage.

For one final onstage feat, Diplo called for one guy from the audience to come up on stage. The Major Lazer dancers then proceeded to twerk on the volunteer to the tunes of "Hold The Line" and TNGHT's "Higher Ground." I think at this point, it's safe to say that it's nearly impossible to get bored at a Major Lazer show.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg was probably the most random act that was booked for this year's Ultra fest, however despite his lack of big connections with the EDM scene, he offered up a surprisingly energetic and eclectic set. Featuring some of his recent and buzzworthy reggae tracks as well as covers of popular rap songs like 50 Cent's "P.I.M.P" and DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win," Snoop's set really got the crowd going.

Knife Party

Knife Party is known for their brand of hard, grimey electro-house/dubstep. Their sound is more aggressive than most, and because of that mosh pits and fights have been a notorious element to many of their shows. This particular show wasn't as pleasantly out of control as I had hoped (the crowd grew smaller as their set went on. I suspect people were moving out to get a good spot for Swedish House Mafia), however it was still, as always, loaded with Knife Party's signature sound that is sure to make just about anyone want to go crazy (for better or worse).

Swedish House Mafia

As you probably know, Swedish House Mafia played their last show ever on the last day of Ultra's second weekend. And while Crystal Castles and Wolfgang Gartner were both playing during the Swedes' final set, I think that is was almost an obligation to watch them perform for One Last Show. This was, without a doubt, the headlining event of the whole festival. I'd say that the vast majority of Ultra-goers intended to at least get a glimpse of this farewell party.

I'm 90% sure that the Swedes played one of their notorious pre-recorded sets, but nevertheless it was a great time. All of their songs (including songs individually remixed or produced by Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso or Steve Angello) are huge and were meant to be played in front of audiences of this impressive size. In addition, the show's production (including lights, pyrotechnics, confetti, etc.) added an extra energy to the show that's hard to come by. The whole show was executed flawlessly, so while I've never been the biggest Swedish House Mafia fan, I can say that I genuinely enjoyed their final performance. I think this was the perfect way to say goodbye to all of their loyal fans.

My Most-Listened to CDs

Okay, so coming off that first post, I thought  I would share share with you my "most-listened to" CD's so you maybe can get a better sense of me through a range of albums that I, for some reason, love.

Disclaimer: This is not, at all, a list of my favorite albums, but rather the the CDs that always seem to end up in my stereo or my car, and I never get sick of listening to them. I'll share a few with you- In my opinion all of these are fantastic albums, though they vary in years and style. Since I can't post the full-album links (I gotta figure that out!), I'll just post the first track off each.

1. Shame, Shame by Dr. Dog

One of my hometown favorites (Philly!), Dr. Dog is musically compelling, catchy and fun. This is fun album that I know practically every word too, and this CD travels with me almost everywhere.

2. On How Life Is by Macy Gray

Ugg, Urban and Cool. Macy Gray has such a distinctive and powerful voice. Occasionally singles like "I Try" are still played off this album, but all the songs are worthy of listening. This makes me want to drive down through the city with my windows down on a hot day. One of my parents CDs from back in 1999 when it was released, I've probably listened to this CD more than any, ever.

3. Is this It? by The Strokes

I'm sure you are all super familiar with this album. One of the best of the 2000s no doubt. So retro grunge sounding, but also so new. This CD case is battered as hell.

4. Santigold by Santigold 

On this album, Santigold blends so many influences to create a genre-confused group of songs that get me, and any listener pumped up for whatever. I still am shocked this album, and she didn't become huge. This is one of the first four CDs I bought back in Middle School, and its still listened to more than almost any of the others I've bought since.

5. Midnite Vultures by Beck

Don't quote me on this, but Beck may be my favorite artist, ever. He blends so much cool shit into his music, weird noise samplings, rapping, brass choruses. This is my favorite Beck album and the CD that take of the shelf at least 2 times a month. Really odd songs on this album like "Hollywood Freaks". Beck is just so fun. His falsetto in the album-ending track "Debra" is awesome.

________
So, I'm not promising you that YOU will love all these albums, but if you haven't checked one of them out, definitely do! If you are ever in the car with me there's a high chance I'll pop one of them in-- sooo good

Hello, There!

My name is Andrew Pasquier. I'm 18, and like music. Warning: I tend more in the Indie direction. Here, I'll share some of the new music I am listening too, and my thoughts/opinions on it. Also, I'll share experiences I have in the Philly music scene, and maybe the occasional crazy theory about music or culture in general. In this post I'll share my thoughts on a couple new albums.


1. Afraid of Heights by Wavves 

Okay, so Wavves needed to mature, maybe clean up a little. Tracks off 2010's King of the Beach, like "Post Acid", ranged from catchy and compelling to downright annoying, all at the same time. When I saw Wavves at the Tower Theater (Philly) two years ago they could barely function on stage, drugged out to an embarrassing level where their already rough-produced songs became just noise. Speaking to their love of drugs, it was also the only concert I've been at where band representatives went around selling weed grinders, "Wavves"-labeled. I can't quite say they've "matured" on this album in all-senses, but the music and production is much-tighter, and has lost a lot of the whining qualities of King of the Beach. This album is grooving throughout, I think it's great chill-out music, even with some string-parts and whistling (on "Cop", video above). My Favorite track is probably "Dog".


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIL_967-Ows
Listen Full Here^

2. Muchacho by Phosphorenscent

This album is warmth. It is such beautiful expanse of slow folk-ballads that gets you swooning and dreaming of relaxing summer days. The group is really just the work of Matthew Houck, a signer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia (surprising music powerhouse, home of The B-52s, Danger Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel). I actually find it good studying music, though not because its boring, but because it's propulsive and oddly motivating. Single "Song For Zula" off the album is above.

Ultra Music Festival: Day 2

Day two of Ultra's second weekend consisted of 12 non-stop hours of music from all seven stages. And because of all of the 11 acts I saw on the second day of weekend two, I've decided to do n abbreviated recap and share only the highlights. Again, I took some videos to document the experience for all of you. So without further ado...

Here's day two!

Chuckie

Chuckie put on a set at the main stage that was loaded with his signature brand of "dirty dutch" house music. He relentlessly went from drop to drop without any signs of stopping and kept the crowd engaged and dancing.

Here's his take on Hardwell's "Spaceman" from the beginning of his set

Later on while he was premiering a brand new track, Chuckie surprised all of us in the audience, bringing out one of the most random guests I can ever think of: Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, Slash. The whole setup of this appearance was interesting to say the least and I'm still not sure what to make of it... but here it is:

Fatboy Slim

Despite being almost 50 years old now, Fatboy Slim still knows how to wow a crowd and stay relevant. Featuring some of the most consistently creative sampling I've ever heard a DJ use live, his set was the definitely most original and creative one I heard all day (maybe even all weekend).

Calvin Harris

By the time Calvin Harris came on stage, I was pretty worn out. My physiological needs took over my urges to stay in the front of the crowd, so I missed a good chunk of his set to get food, water, etc. However, I was really impressed by what I managed to catch. Clearly, his popularity has not impaired his ability to put on an interesting an unpredictable set.

Baauer

Having seen Baauer twice before, I was already pretty aware of what his set would be like. But due to the recent attention that he's been receiving over his song "Harlem Shake," I wondered whether he would change his set at all to appeal to a wider audience. Low and behold, Baauer has stayed true to his original style. He's still the same old trap producer/DJ that his fans know and love. It's good to know that the fame hasn't gotten to his head. He put on a really fun set at Ultra's new Trapped stage, featuring some of his own tracks like "Harlem Shake" and "Dum Dum."

Flosstradamus

Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus have been making and playing trap music for years, and they are definitely one of the reasons for its recent rise in popularity. With bangers like "Total Recall" their remix of Major Lazer's "Original Don," they put on an extremely bass-heavy, energetic set that the crowd loved.

Dillon Francis (w/ surprise guest Diplo!!!)

Dillon Francis is a real one-of-a-kind DJ. His library of original mixes translates to many different genres including house, moombahton and trap, so there's something for everyone in his set. He's also a genuinely hilarious person (check out his Facebook page). Anyway, he started out playing hits like "Bootleg Fireworks," "Masta Blasta" and "IDGAFOS."

Then, the unthinkable happened...

Dillon Francis picked up the microphone about 20 minutes into his set and announced that he had a special guest with him, and sure enough, famed producer/DJ Diplo made a completely unexpected cameo on the stage. After giving the crowd an enthused greeting, Diplo got right to business and started working with Dillon to put on an absolutely amazing set. They played favorites from both of their music collections including Diplo's "Set It Off" and "Express Yourself" and Dillon's remix of "Hulk" by Clockwork.

Monthly Music Dump: Month 1

Monthly Music Dump: March 2013

Music Dump Month One. This article is to highlight the best releases of the month and what was hot on blogs over the entire cyberspace. As for this month, March was big for music, despite having possibly the biggest EDM conference on the planet, releases were being dropped all over the music spectrum. With these releases, the return of some thought to be dying DJs are coming back.

EDM:

Of course this month was going to be heavy on EDM. With the music gods blessing us with Ultra, it was only fair to assume that we would be seeing huge sets being dropped, exclusive singles released, and lots of high energy music.

Dillon Francis, possibly the current biggest troll in the music industry finally released a new single. He's currently been doing "rebirths" of his songs including Bootleg Fireworks, and Masta Blasta. Even though we love these songs, it's nice to finally hear some new material. Check out Messages feat Simon  Lord.

Trap:

Bro Safari - The Drop [Free Download] by BRO SAFARI Bro Safari feat. DJ Craze - Spooked [Free Download] by BRO SAFARI Carnage & Borgore – Incredible (Original Mix) by Dj Carnage Boy Oh Boy (Original Mix) DIPLO x GTA by diplo Goin Down (Milo & Otis Unoriginal Mix) by Milo & Otis

Electronica:

Take Over Downfall (Michael Scott Bootleg) - Cazzette vs. Eva Simons by Michael Scott Official Blondfire - Walking With Giants (Shreddie Mercury Remix) [Warner Bros. Records] by Shreddie Mercury Meiko | Leave The Lights On (Morgan Page remix) by concordmusicgroup

Dance Floor Filth:

Perfect Storm (Clockwork Remix)- Benny Benassi & Pink is Punk *Preview* [Out Dec 11th] by Clockwork Miami Showdown by digitalism_official Emma Hewitt - Rewind (Mikkas Remix) [Armada] ASOT 590 Rip by MikkasMusic Spencer & Hill - LESS GO! (Porter Robinson Remix) by Porter Robinson

Hip-Hop/ Rap:

The possible biggest release this month, was Flatbush Zombies new single No Religion. Zombies took off when their recent EP D.R.U.G.S. dropped. Since then, they've been selling out shows all over the country and are currently on tour in Europe.

20. Action Bronson x Riff Raff - Bird on A Wire Official Video (Prod. by Harry Fraud) by SKIN_VS_BHRAMA_V2 Benzie Box (Opiuo Rework) - FREE DOWNLOAD!!! by Opiuo A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again (Bit Funk Remix) by Bit Funk The Black Keys ft. Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, Mos Def - Little Black Submarines (VOODOO FARM REMIX) by VOODOO FARM Joey Bada$$ - Catharsis by The Smokers Club Pretty Lights - Jay Z Empire State Of Mind Remix by Pretty Lights Kanye West featuring Nas - We Major (Bittersweet White Lotus Mashup) by DJ White Lotus

Indie:

Some really good Indie music came out of March. My personal favorite track of the month is La La La feat. Sam Smith by Naughty Boy. The song has a lot of contrast between very strong vocals and a powerful chorus, to a very childish hook. The way the song is set up, it takes the listener by surprise. You aren't expecting the light melody to transform rapidly into the fast paced verbally impressive song that it is.

H o t . l i m i t by D✡m Autre Ne Veut - Counting by i-D online Maiyu by Fenech-Soler Dillon - Thirteen Thirtyfive (Christian Strobe Remix) by Christian Strobe Grammy (Soulja Boy and Ester Dean COVER) by PURITY RING Vance Joy - Riptide by Liberation Music Oz Comet (feat. BeuKes) by Hey Champ Xylos - Summerlong by xylos

Mashup of the Month:

Trinidad James. Otherwise known as the Rapper that said "Pop a molly I'm sweating, WOO!" Is getting a lot of attention. His recent Album Don't be S.A.F.E. (Sensitive as Fuck Everyday), is becoming everyone's anthem. Females Welcome and All Gold Everything are being played all over the radio and are getting mad attention on huge blogs. It was only a matter of time before someone would turn James into a dance champion as well as the rap superstar he has turned into. Check out DJ 21azy's Mashup of Trinidad James, Martin Solveig and Torro Torro.

Remix of the Month:

Brillz is a young artist who is in my vicinity as the DJ's to watch. He's been taking off with his work with ETC!ETC! and Diplo. He showed his talent in the trap game with his remix of Zedd's Clarity, and has since been more impressive work. A few days ago he dropped a remix of a song by a small band called Hundred Waters, who have been opening up for Alt-J on their current An Awesome Wave tour. An unexpected band to remix but he absolutely did the song justice.

Set of the Month:

Ultra is always a huge event. Notorious for having the best names in the EDM industry come out for two weekends to put on one of the greatest possible concerts. This year, the headliner was Swedish House Mafia. While I personally find their music over played, they have absolutely inspired a generation, bringing EDM to a whole new level. Both weekends, SHM played the closing sets, but unlike other headliners at Ultra, the second weekend they played was the last show they will ever play together. So please, if you haven't heard it already, listen to the live, last set of SHM, and appreciate that which will never be again.

Ultra Music Festival: Day 1

There's no denying that Ultra Music Festival is the Mecca of EDM. Every year, all of the world's greatest DJs all come to Miami to give those of us who make it down there one of the greatest weekends of our lives. This year, I'm lucky enough to be able to experience Ultra's sold out second weekend (it was expanded to two weekends this year due to an extremely high demand for tickets last year), so I thought I'd share my experiences with you all via a day-by-day breakdown.

Throughout the day, I took a bunch of DIY videos with my iPhone of all the DJs and live acts I saw. And while the videos are kind of shaky, the sound quality turned out to be really good so I thought I'd post them here to give you a better idea of what the performances were like.

R3hab

I didn't know all that much about R3hab before I saw him perform, and I wasn't really sure what to expect from him given that he's a younger and relatively new act. But in the end, I was pleasantly surprised by his high-energy, electro-house set. Here's a video of him playing what is, in my opinion, the anthem of the festival this year: "Cannonball" by Showtek & Justin Prime.

Martin Solveig

What I love most about Martin Solveig is that when he plays a DJ set is that he's not afraid to step outside his own pop-house genre. Today, he rocked the main stage playing crowd favorites like "The Night Out" and "Hello," but he also played an eclectic mix of dubstep, electro and an unexpected series of trap songs such as RL Grime's remix of "Satisfaction" and Gent and Jawns' remix of "Express Yourself."

Eric Prydz

Eric Prydz's sets are known to be amazing experiences that feature long build-ups with rewarding drops and climaxes. Also operating and making music under the aliases Pryda and Cirez D, Prydz had a sizable catalog of music to play for us. He really brought his A-game last night, mixing together his unique style of semi-minimalist house and completely exceeding my already high expectations.

I'll take this space as an interlude to share this gem from my Main Stage experience with you...

Sleigh Bells

I missed most of Sleigh Bells' set so that I could see the majority of Eric Prydz's performance on the main stage, but I got there just in time to see them play crowd favorites "Riot Rhythm" and "A/B Machines." And despite the somewhat smaller crowd they drew due to the fact that they're not DJs, Sleigh Bells managed to crank out mass amounts of energy in their guitar and bass fueled anthems that kept their audience engaged and dancing.

Boys Noize

Soon after Sleigh Bells ended their set on the Live Stage, the Ultra stage crew wheeled out a massive skull that was soon to become the DJ booth for German producer Boys Noize. He played an incredible set that lasted for nearly two hours and managed to make every second of it interesting and filled with his signature brand of hard electro. This was easily one of the best performances of the whole day.

The Bloody Beetroots (Live)

Closing out the night on the Live Stage, The Bloody Beetroots played a completely live set instead of their recently more customary DJ set. Words cannot describe how hard the Beetroots went last night. They give it absolutely everything they had, and the crowd got really into it. And with bangers like "Warp" and "Rocksteady" to deliver to an audience of devoted fans, The Beetroots definitely gave the most hyper-energetic performance of the night.

(Sorry that this video's especially shaky. The crowd was going nuts.)

So that's about it for day one! Until next time...

Spring Break Mix

For some of us, spring break starts today, which means there's a lot of fun times to catch up on. Whether you're going somewhere exotic or staying home, it's important to have the right soundtrack to go with your responsibility-free days away from your regular workload. I recently mixed together some songs that I've been listening to lately to get me in the mood for my long-awaited vacation, and I thought I'd share it with all of you. Hopefully, there's some good tunes in here to go along with whatever you're up to over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!

March Mix by Davidmould on Mixcloud

You can download the mix HERE via Mediafire

Diplo's Express Yourself Remixes EP Out Today

  

Today Diplo released his remix EP for Express Yourself via his own Mad Decent record label. The original EP, which came out just last year, was his first purely original EP release since Florida, in 2004. Diplo is one of the most notorious DJs in the trap/moombathon/dancehall scene, and this release was one of his most successful to date. The push for a remix album came almost immediately as a craving for it was recently stressed all over twitter. 2012's Express Yourself, despite having some of the most colorful tracks Diplo has ever produced, had an incredible flow between tracks that kept the listener hooked. It sounded more like a long song or set than an album, and if you were to zone out it would be nearly impossible to detect that one song had ended and a new one was beginning. I think that the ability to craft music like that has been taken for granted by many music fans all over the world, and it's a rarity in new music today. However, this newly released Express Yourself Remix EP has this same sense of flow as the original even though the genres included on it range from electro house to hip-hop and dubstep. Featuring input from artists including DJ Mustard, Sleepy Tom, The FatRat, CRNKN, Expendable Youth, Krusha and Bot, this EP offers a variety of takes on "Express Yourself," all offering something different. It's available today on iTunes, Beatport, and Amazon.

New Music Monday

So much good, new music has surfaced on the web today that it was impossible for me to resist the urge to share.

The Strokes

First and foremost, The Strokes' highly-anticipated, fifth studio album Comedown Machine (out March 26) is now available for streaming online at Pitchfork Advance from now until March 25. Listen HERE

Vampire Weekend

It's been more than three years since Contra was released in 2010, so it's about time Vampire Weekend shared some new tunes with us. Two new tracks from their upcoming album Modern Vampires of the City (out May 7) have been floating around on the internet today, titled "Diane Young" and "Step." Check 'em out below!

Kendrick Lamer + Jay-Z

Kendrick Lamar released a brand new remix of Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City's "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring a solid, fast-paced verse from none other than young H.O./rap's Grateful Dead.

Daft Punk

And last, but certainly not least,  it was announced today that Daft Punk is set to release 13 new songs later on this year via Sony Records. And while no new music from them was released today, just the sheer thought of new album and another world tour (hopefully featuring their infamous light pyramid) within the next year gives me goosebumps. For the time being, check out their mysterious, 15 second TV spot on SNL from earlier this month:

The Strokes: Comedown Machine

(Pictured, from left to right: Albert Hammond Jr., Nick Valensi, Julian Casablancas, Nikolai Fraiture, and Fabrizo Moretti)

Although "One Way Trigger" and "All the Time" had already been leaked, unofficially and officially, respectfully, and indicated an apparent evolution in The Strokes pop-and-yet-not-pop rock style, this unexpected (at least for me) pre-drop streaming of the Comedown Machine in its glorious, complete entirety sets the bar even higher. The album opens up with "Tap Out," a Jack White-esque blues-rock riff, which then quickly delves into a lovable, catchy chord progression, reminiscent of Angles. This song captures why everyone loves The Strokes so much - they somehow, time and time again, create a conglomeration of pop-rock, alternative-rock, and psychedelic-rock, and make it sound damn good. "All the time" is the next track on the record and, as many have said, is the anthem of the album - short and sweet. Nothing more to say about it, since everything's already been said. "One Way Trigger" rears its terrifying head next. I say, "rears its terrifying head" because that's what it is, to other artists at least. The song is just so..... Complete? Is that the right word? I don't know, but this feel good song has everything, and not in a Stefan-everything way - falsetto, guitar solos, an effective chorus, and, to top it off, a great beat in the background that titillates the ears.

(Comedown Machine)

Next, I'd say we get into the nitty-gritty of the album. Too often nowadays people totally ignore the middle of a record, save one or two songs, and entirely miss the emotion and story the artist is trying to convey. "Welcome To Japan" is where I start to see the band's real evolution from their previous works, especially at around the 3:40 mark. I would say this song builds up to that point, and then (I'm sorry music aficionados) "drops." The rise and fall that defines this song is pretty awesome, sorry for the lack of polysyllabic analysis, but that’s the best way I can put it without drawing it out too much. “80’s Comedown Machine” comes-wait for it-down next (puns, amiright?). The song opens and you’re like “is this Kanye West or something wtf,” but then gets going soon after and you’re left with a smile on your face. The song is rather slow, but that’s good. It kind of reminds me of a happier, less angsty Real Estate or Beach House, but not that much. It drones along in a really comforting way, but I have no idea what he’s saying. Sounds like “please . . . come away,” but your guess is as good as mine.

(The recently released music video for "All the Time")

Next is 50 50, which sounds a lot like their 2001 album “Is This It,” or the Arctic Monkey’s “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” Great drumming, guitar, and classic Strokes microphone modulation, I really like this track. Scientifically, this song is catalytically and kinetically perfect - it helps us break through the albums sound wall to the other side quite quickly. Slow Animals is kind of personality-less in my opinion, to be honest. It sounds like every other damn strokes song pre-2013, a mold they were so desperately trying to break with “Comedown Machine.” Sure, it has its quirks and differences, but all in all, it’s a good song, and nothing more. Not enough individuality. “Partners in Crime” comes next, and throws out some dope and funky whammy-bar shit for our enjoyment, and promptly develops into an eccentric pop song with tidbits of alt-rock. I like it a lot, the only thing wrong with it, in my opinion, is the same thing that’s wrong with a lot of The Strokes stuff – it favors the same chords as its forefathers do. After this, “Chances” comes next, and I feel like I’m the only one who’s going to think it feels like U2. I know everyone hates Bono nowadays, but seriously the guitar part on this song sounds like the Edge wrote it, and that’s a compliment. All in all, I’d say this track is one of the ones that most effectively achieves The Strokes goal with this album, deviating from their beloved established style while still retaining their old fans.

("One Way Trigger")

“Happy Ending,” incidentally, is at the end of the album- well, second to last at least. This is kind of a love song, in The Strokes own way - keeping it light and approachable. The chorus echoes with several loud “Baby’s!” that are certain to wake you up, full of the good old Strokes soul’ that we had become accustomed to through songs like "Under Cover of Darkness" and "Barely Legal". The album’s conclusion, “Call it Fate Call it Karma,” opens with some piano part that reminds me of classic, roots blues, but the singing is more Gorillaz-esque than anything - at first. After about a minute of this it gets into some psychedelic trance-rock that warms the mind. These two complementary parts alternate until the song, and the record, concludes, fading off into Le Vide.

I hate to grade albums because I feel like grades polarize the clearly artistic and non-polarized entity; however, if I were I’d give to do so I’d give this album an A-. Overall, I think the record is really well constructed and is listenable in its entirety, but I do have some slight qualms. The Strokes did a great job in creating what I’d like to think of as a transition album. I call it thus because I think that it has too much of their previous albums’ flavors present to call it a full evolution, but not enough to write it off as the quintessential Strokes sound. For this reason, Comedown Machine is aptly named – a metaphorical comedown from an easily recognizable brand of alternative rock that has come to define The Strokes to more humble, and progressive valleys. No one knows where The Strokes are going next, but I’d guess that their next album, probably due in two or three years, is going sound more like the quirky and individual side of “Comedown Machine” than the alt-pop side.

Listen to it HERE

Release Date: March 26th, 2013