The Weeknd : "Hurry Up Tomorrow"

The Weeknd was once one of this blog's most beloved pop artists.  "My Dear Melancholy" was great but not as great as his work before it, with "After Hours" and "Dawn FM" showing a progressive decline into pre-manufactured mediocrity. He diluted his creative vision by dabbling in non-music-related projects along the way. The tale of the tape on this album does not have me going into it with confidence as was rolled off the assembly line by  45 songwriters on 22 songs and 21 producers on this album. The opening track is a multi-layered disco track that could just as easily be Bruno Mars or Justin Timberlake. 

There is a flicker of hope in "Cry For Me" as it's more sonically interesting than the first song, though lyrically his edge feels like it's dulled for mass consumption. "Sao Paulo" breaks from his post-"Star Boy" so it works for me. "Baptized in Fear" is marginally darker, but not as inspired. Lyrically it's a little better than the "Cry For Me. "Open Hearts" gets more of a groove going. It might be the best song so far.  'Reflections Laughing" and "Enjoy the Show" feel like they run together. The voicemail narrative bridges these two, not surprised Future shows up. It's not his most inspired moment either. Then we get into some overproduced ballads. "Given Up on Me" is a little better than some of these attempts. 11 tracks into a 22-track album I'm just hoping I don't have to sit through another song as boring as "Given Up On Me"  

This hope is not given any more strength in "I Can't Wait to Get There" though it is better than the previous song. Playboi Carti does a better job than Future when it comes to his contribution to "Timeless". "Niagra Falls" is lyrically better than the bulk of the album if we are weighing this against what is consistent with his overall body of work. Perhaps to the point of being creatively redundant. He rides the line between romantic and misogynistic with enough subtly to not get canceled. I guess while we are on redundancy, "Take Me Back to LA" feels pretty phoned in. Sure the synth wave sound captures the retro feel they are going for, but the song itself is somewhat empty. 

Giorgio Moroder pretty much invented what we think of as disco. At 84 his creative tank is running on empty when it comes to "Big Sleep".  "Give Me Mercy" finds the hi-hat helping pick the pace up from getting mired into another ballad. Though no one is going to call this the best song on this album much less his career. The more minimalist approach used to arrange "Drive" fails to provide the needed backbone this song needs.  I was looking forward to hearing him give things another shot with Lana Del Rey as their collaborations were always at least decent, but they are both losing relevancy here.

"Red Terror" does not really work, as if feels like he just got desperate and agreed to sing over anything they there at him. He feels like he is trying to remember how to get back to a place he once worked on "Without Warning' but can't find direction. The beat that kicks in at the two-minute mark would have sufficed at one point in his career but goes only into all too familiar places with none of the edge he once held. The title track that closes the album is boring, but at least it's over. I'll round this down to a 7.5, it's a bloated mess, that could have been a great EP as there are 6 cool songs buried in this ballad soaked debacle. This album dropped with little buzz considering he was once a huge pop star everyone was into a few years ago, so I think this is why he has become less than memorable.One Canadian import we can do without.  

pst52

The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2023

Pop does not have to be a bad word. Sadly the music industry takes it down a deeper hole of vapid capitalism, by pumping out products rather than music with anything to say.  Unlike their more mainstream counterparts, these albums were not rolled from the same assembly line and did not need the teams of songwriters and producers to create for them, they generally did this themselves.  Here are albums that stand shoulder to shoulder with other genres, proving pop does not have to be trash, despite being that more often than not these days.  After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2023. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Pop albums of 2023.

10-Hot Milk - "A Call to the Void" 

Closer to rock than Chvrches with the aggressive punchy nature of what they do, they are not better musicians than Chvrches as they tend to lean into pretty simple Tik Tok pop punk. Blending a few different styles the Paramore style of pop influenced by punk seems to be the core of who they are. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/hot-milk-call-to-void.html

 

9-KANGA- "Under Glass" 

She is back with another synth-driven stab at aggressive pop, sung from the shadows in a sultry alto. This time however the sound is underlit with neon. The melodies are more graceful this time around. She has some strong moments for this celebration of forward-thinking pop that still owes a debt to the industry that spawned it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/12/kanga-under-glass.html

8-Kylie Minogue - "Tension" 

Kylie's 16th album. 15 songwriters and 9 Producers are more than legit rock bands, but these days pretty par for the course when it comes to pop music, and more respectable than artists like Doja Cat and Lizzo who have over 25 of each.  Minogue's brand of dance music is more complex than what either of those artists are doing. She also has more of a European fan base, with more progressive tastes. The most remarkable thing might also be due in part to her producers, but Minogue does not sound like she is 55. Her voice is light and high almost like her barely 20-something pop counterparts in the States.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/kylie-minogue-tension.html

7-the National -"The First Two Pages of Frankenstein" 

The vocals are more memorable and melodies weave complex webs of melancholy around everything. Granted this album has nothing really to do with Frankenstein as the title suggests. Instead, they have written some thoughtful, introspective songs, but still go somewhere. Matt's sullen baritone remains understated but with impeccable phrasing as the lyrics bounce off the music around him. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-national-first-two-pages-of.html

  6-Lana Del Rey -"Did you know that there is a tunnel..." 

Lana is ditching the spoken word of "Chemtrails" and her last album seemed to be more of the same ole same ole from her, as she languished on the seaside of California. To some extent that is who she is, but she needed to switch it up a bit. Slightly experimental, but well-produced rainy-day fun. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/lana-del-rey-did-you-know-that-there-is.html

 

5-Poppy -"Zig" 

Her fifth album finds her stepping more solidly into pop. Is it more quirky and darker than most mainstream pop? Yes. Though it conforms more to the mainstream pop formula than you might expect. but that is still more than enough to set her apart from the TikTok pandering artists your kids are listening to.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/10/poppy-zig.html

 

 4-Boygenius - "the record" 

Well, Taylor Swift said these girls are her favorite new band, and  It also helps that at the center of this trio is  Phoebe Bridgers, who I am already a fan of. At times their brand of dreamy pop flirts with folk along with indie rock. Sure there is a hazy ambiance to what they do, which is supplemented by smart lyrics and hooky melodies. .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/04/boygenius-record.html

3-Miley Cyrus _ "Endless Summer Vacation" 

Miley straddles the Nashville Songwriting machine she grew up with and the pop machine she went to after reinventing herself to shed Hannah Montana. Unlike most pop stars she still holds a very active hand in the songwriting process. This can most be felt in the lyrics and the melodies which retain similar themes as those we have heard in the past from her. Perhaps the pop hooks are not twerking in your face as they drip with sex sugar, but the more mature effort provides a more serious look into who Miley is at this stage in the game  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/03/miley-cyrus-endless-summer-vacation.html

2-the Beaches -" Blame My Ex" 

Yeah, I am just as surprised as you that they beat Miley as this band came out of nowhere and killed it with this album. Taking the number two spot here is a testament to the fact that I listened to this album more than the other eight albums, The vocals on this album are really well produced, and this is done so without an entire team of producers. They just have really fucking clever songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-beaches-blame-my-ex.html

 

1-Pierce the Veil - "The Jaws of Life" 

Here is an album that had no business being as good as it is. I only knew this band from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series, they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something catchier than other pop that dropped this year, while still carrying the torch for the Myspace era,. Singer Vic Fuentes'   tenor sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. In fact it is so good I listened to this album as much or more than any other album this year. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/02/pierce-veil-jaws-of-life.html

The 420 Play List

Rather than end your day with same boring old tunes all the bong worshippers today will be, ya know the ones, Bob Marley, Cypress Hill , Pepper  and the mix of jams bands the jeep driving masses will be playing today here is a mix of classics with a wider range of sonic colors, a sprinkle of indie rock, metal, and other sonic oddities colored with the haze of the mind altered weirdness  ,  here you go smoke'em if you got em.

Pierce the Veil - " Pass the Nirvana"

 

 healthyliving- " Dream Hive"

   

 Spotlights - "Sunset Burial"

   

 Death Valley Girls - "Watch the Sky"

 

 Mystic 100's - "Drug Man"

   

 Boygenius- "True Blue"

 

Lana Dey Rey- "A&W"

   

 Megafauna - "Dozer"

   

 Ugly- "In My Pocket"

   

 jpegmafia X Danny Brown - "Run the Jewels"

 

Lana Del Rey : Did you know that there is a tunnel..."

 At a casual glance this blog might exist for me to review metal and "goth" albums, with darker indie rock thrown in. But I am a fan of all music that is either dark or at the very least carries a thread of melancholy. Some pop music is included in that, and this is not the first album by Lana I have reviewed. I think she has more than enough melancholy to fall neatly within my tastes. This album finds her ditching the spoken word of "Chemtrails" and her last album seemed to be more of the same ole same ole from her, as she languished on the seaside of California. To some extent that is who she is, but she needed to switch it up a bit. This album does that with gospel undertones. 

The first two songs might not be her catchiest work, but they are well done and sit nicely in her wheelhouse. "Sweet" meanders a little more in the stagnant introspection, she feels more inspired on "A&W". Lyrically more biting as it chronicles the experience of an American whore. She sings in the predictably breathy style but bobs and weaves with her phrasing. I like the more electronic shift in production that occurs midway into the song. It goes in an almost hip-hop direction. "Candy Necklace" defaults back into her more standard balladry, though a sultry loneliness is reflected in the distant reverb heavy mix. Stripped down to piano as the focal point creating the backdrop for her reflective alto to drift upon. This album is haunted by several interludes that are like surreal jams.

"Kintsugi' is more of the same put in the microwave for the fourth time. "Fingertips" works of a torch song jazz vocal wandering, with Phil Spector's second hand strings swelling up behind her. "Paris, Texas" has enough nuance to do what the otherwise recycled moments heard previously do but with more conviction. It is still pretty fragile in it's ambiance. "Grandfather, Please..." drifts idly around , not grasping my attention. It takes the more solid melodies of "Let the Light in" to re-engage me. The song features Father John Misty joining her. "Margret" keeps the moment of solid writing. It features Bleachers which grounds it a bit. It feels like her time with Taylor Swift influenced the melodies . This also carries over into 'Fishtail" with more of a modern hip hop nod in the production.

The hip-hop elements continue with "Peppers" .  The refrain of "Hands on your knees Angelina Jolie" is pretty ridiculous, but fun with the silly Tik Tok vibes it invokes. The last song "Taco Truck" calls back to "Venice Bitch". While it's a cool moment it is not the album's most focused song. Overall this album is rainy-day fun, I will give it a 9. 

the Top 40 Female Artists of All Time : 30 to 21

In 2020 we are making a bigger deal out of how wet the nether regions are rather than the quaity of music being made. Granted the people doing this must have never heard of Lil Kim. This also gives me the chance to take  break from the lists of androgynous guys and  makes this one.The top 40 hottest female artists, might come one day  I am bored at some point but right now we are just focusing on the music. After all if you are writing good songs that stick in my head I do not care what you look like. You are not going to see artists here that I feel are covered by those who do what they do better or are such originators in their genre why listen to imitators. Not only does this list give commonly under rated artists their proper place, but I dig into as expected from me both harder and darker artists not mentioned in the same breath as pop artists. Speaking of that is covered by a handful of ladies as more would be redundant. There is one big one here in particular that takes care of everything . Only one rapper, and they are unique , and this is about their impact on music as a whole so iconoclasts not strippers with prodiucers or entertainers alone. Since this the Abysmal Hymns list there will of course be a darker slant and singer's with any gospel leanings that are blasphemous are obviously disqualified. So here we go...





30- Beth Cameron - Forget Cassettes

A wonderful lyricist, great guitar player and possessing a very dynamically emotive voice that is as vulberable as it angry. While the band only has three albums. Two of those are phenominal .





29-Toni Halliday -Curve


Her purring alto is sex set to music. But she is not limited to that . She can go into a more sing song rap like voice when her band takes a turn toward the more industrial side of 90s alt rock.



 




28-Emile Wandelmer Gold



Not just a sweet voice. She is a capable guitar who channels powerful sonic layers. Vocally she has a melancholy sense to her melodies . Stotic rather than being overly emotive.







27- Lauren Mayberry - Chrvches



She is not only the singer but the drummer of her band. Her voice is sugary pop like while cating a gray shade of melancholy over her smart lyrics. She has a tremndous sense of melody. Much smarter pop than Billie Ellish.





 


26- Fever Ray

Like a darker version of Bjork she is not content with making pop music though very capable of it. Most noted for writing would would later be the "Vikings" theme song. She bends world music and electronica through her own filter of weird.


 




 25- Imogen Heap


She was way ahead of her time when it comes to quirky pop. The new Charli xcx album certainly draws heavy influence from her. Her sense of harmony is unrea and melodies are uncanny.


 




24 Laura Pleasants -Kylesa


She has a powerfu roar that mellowed into a more surreal post punk delivery, though her strength lies in her guitar playing . From a crushing chug to more intricate space rock , she has a range as a guitarist.

 







23- Marissa Nadler


Her ethereal take on dark country inflected folk , doesn't just work off a sound she has created but her ability to write even more haunting, he also has a somewhat secret metal past.





 



22-Melora Creager -Rasptutina



She has the market cornered on victorian chamber music. Sure Black Tape For a Blue Girl uses cellos, Melora, just does it with more bals when needed and has a knack for writing more hooky songs with a touch of 90s angst.


 



21- Lana Del Rey


She took a retro pop sound and married to modern songs with more grace than Amy Winehouse. She has proved her self to be a more consisten song writer than Winehouse who devolved into a one hit wonder

.

Top 10 Folk Albums of 2019

It's that time of year again, to sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, then use them, to compile the top 10 albums of the year. Later in the month I am making the top 10 lists for the decade, though to be blunt this is the decade's weakest year for music; Especially when it comes to new artists. There are only 3 on this one. Yes, this is the first folk list. I have thrown country on here as the lines are often blurry these days.  I am; giving a brief explanation as to why these albums stand over their peers in lower positions on the list. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more.

After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No, I do not care what you think about it.;I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list. There are  links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 folk albums of 2019

10- Heilung- "Futha" 

This is folk at it's most primitive. With members spanning Northern Europe... Norway, Germany and Denmark, they pool elements from each country. They use a Iron Age Norse dialect and instruments. Yes this is Viking music. Which despite shitty Time magazine articles, proves that there is only Northern Euro influence here, thus making it viking music. It's a more atmospheric listen than as an album of songs so this is almost more of an honorable mention.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/07/heilung-futha.html

9-Benjamin Tod- "a Heart of Gold is Hard to Find"

The Lost Dog Street Band singer's solo album is a raw stripped down look at the worst of the world in his periphery. Less story telling more musing. If you like your folk heavy on the country side this is for you.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/12/benjamin-tod-heart-of-gold-is-hard-to.html

8- Hexvessel -" All Tree" 

I could have stood to have given this album a few more listens. I like it when I  spin it. It has a dark rock slant to their brand of neo-folk thanks to  Kvohst. His  voice sounds great as it always with a  melancholy tremble to it. His vocals alone secure it's spot here on this list.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/02/hexvessel-all-tree.html

7- Orville Peck-"Pony"


This album could double as the sound track to a David Lynch movie. Orville Peck is the masked pseudonym of this gay Canadian "Country" singer. I could care less if he is gay or not, the only way it factors in is lyrically. His music hearkens back to the classic western side of country music, but there is a post punk/ indie rock influence to the way it jangles along. The songs stick with you with more urgency than Hex Vessel.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/10/gothtober-orville-peck-pony.html

6-the Dead South - "Sugar & Joy" 

 This album is a lot of fun and takes blue grass and gives it enough folk rock sensibility to make it more easily ingested by someone like me, who has an appreciation for country music but never knows what side of the cow pasture to start from when looking for it. The vocals this time around feel greatly improved

. https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-dead-south-sugar-joy.html

5 Sundays -"Wiaca"

This Danish band goes for more of a pop  thing, There singer has a rock inflected tenor.   They sing in English with a little more of a joyful tone  than my average listening. These guys are more focused on the song than the sound. Though is well produced, it does not seem they have a specific sounds they were going for and just played this is what came out. Their songwriting is what earned them this spot as something can be said for a well used pop hook.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/08/sundays-wiaca.html

4- Lost Dog Street Band-"Weight of a Trigger" 

This band's 5th album is convincing with it's lurking melancholy in side the country twan, but it is on songs like "War Inside of Me " that the weight of it's emotional honesty wins out and gives this a self depreciating sense of doom that is real and not just emotional on the Dashboard Confessional way. It's this mood that beat out the happier Sundays album.


https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/03/lost-dog-street-band-weight-of-trigger.html

t

3-Lillie Mae- "Other Girls"


If I am half way into the first song and looking for a way to down load it then you know something is right. The opener "You've Got Other Girls For That" is powerful songwriting as evident in spurning this reaction. When her sound expands beyond the strum and she really lets her melodies open up she is pretty unstoppable as a song writer. She has a quality to her voice that is similar to Kacey Musgraves, if this was not written with any pretense of a pop market involved

 2- Chelsea Wolfe-"the Birth of Violence"



. Mainly due to the fact she is singing out and not in the more breathy spectral tone she can employ. It is not as rock n roll or grungy as "Mistake in Parting" The album  is stripped down but at times still atmosphere. It is not a rehash of "Unknown Rooms" despite being acoustic at it's core. Perhaps I have not giving this one as much time as I could have, but it seems to already be getting a fair amount of lip service despite not being her best. Yet her second best is still better than most.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/chelsea-wolfe-birth-of-violence.html

1- Lana Del Rey- "Norman Fucking Rockwell" 

This might be a step away from retro pop and closer to folk owing more to Joni Mitchell than Amy Winehouse. For her to beat out Chelsea Wolfe for the top spot means two things. "the Birth of Violence" is not Wolfe's most finely tuned a-game and Lana is on her's . Her songwriting is absolutely dialed in for this. This deservedly elvated her into an even brighter spot light , while being true to who she is.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2019/09/lana-del-ray-norman-fucking-rockwell.html

Mix Tape Mania 2019

It's NANOWRIMO time which is extra crazy. Took a break to make this. I made sure all of the songs from this edition came out this year. No old stuff, only new. These were songs that were my fall soudtrack so kinda of music to the moods of the past 3 months. In nor particular order I am however OCD so the first song has to be the first song from it's respective album, the second song the second song from it's respective album you can see where this is going without me going through all ten songs. Listening back to some of these songs and then hunting down the lyrics to say the HEALTH song , it's like woah, that what he is saying, or the Bon Iver song which I took to mean something totally different than the odd political undertones, since I normally hate political music. I mean politics are fake and boring as it is let me hear about your mental break downs, if they are because of politics then you need to get a grip . I prefer to hear emotional expressions since it's easiest for me to process my emotions through music since it provides a very safe and controlled environment to do so. Anyways here you go some of the best songs from 2019.     




Benjamin Tod - "Sorry For the Things"




Bon Iver -"we"



 Lana Del Ray- "Fuck it I Love You"




 Taylor Swift - "the Archer"




Health- "Loss Deluxe"





Sturgill Simpson - Make Art Not Friends




Orville Peck -Kansas

 

GOLD - "Lack Of Skill"





Brutus - " Space"

Chelsea Wolfe _ " a Preface to Dream Play"

Lana Del Ray : " Norman Fucking Rockwell"

Was joking with a friend on Facebook saying this album by Lana Del Ray is heavier than the new Tool. In some ways such as lyrically this is not a joke. Once area where this is a success is in terms of how she retains her distinct trademark sound without recycling ideas or borrowing from old songs in hopes of recycling them. than  With the "Ultra Violence " she hit her stride and has continued down a road of very resolute song writing.  I think the biggest change is this moves away from the 60s soul sound popularized Amy Winehouse and goes in a more folk direction. Even on the singles like "Venice Bitch" the hooks are not overtly poppy, but these are song that stick with you. I think another win is the quality of production and how goods the sounds she has captured here sound. One of my complaints for artists this year is they have good sounds , but not good songs. This is not the case here. She proves that you can keep the focus on both.  One "Venice Bitch " it sounds like they are jamming mid way into the song.

The melancholy draped over the songs, is not as depressing as it is bleakly jaded. There is a hint of desperation to "Fuck It I Love You", Her approach to phrasing really shifts on this song as well and provides another dynamic color to the album.It is like she is the new Portishead, without copping their  sound. "Doin Time" is another single , though most of songs could be singles, in fact I could see her selling this album really well due to this fact.The kind of jazzy trip hop grooves continue on this song .Six song deep when we get to "Lover Song" which is not a Cure cover. We get to this first moment that is marginally less compelling than the first five songs. I think this is because it lacks the grooves the others had is more stripped down and minimal.  It does grow on me. Midway into the album we beginning to lose a little of the momentum as it slows into more ballad like tempos. There is a weird mix of where the more retro 60s feel meets trip hop on " How to Disappear".  The  more fragile sound of "California" relies on her vocal lines to carry the song rather than the timid piano parts.

"The Next Best American Record" is closer to what she did on her last album, until you get to the chorus and a more trip hop like element creeps back in. There is more of a subtle country twang going into "the Greatest".  We begin to hear similar sounds toward the end of the album. There is much more piano and less of a live band feel backing her. It closes with "Hope is a Dangerous Thing..." . The album goes out with a whimper, but the intensity of normal sounds is rather sedate. I will give this one a 9.5 ,as the first five songs are fucking incredible, then it drops down to being well written songs that are true to who she is.

the Weeknd : "Star Boy"

I have been waiting for this one ever since I heard the title track which I have been wearing out, though I have avoided other spoilers so "Party Monster " was a happy surprise. I had seen the video for "False Alarm" and was still as unsure about that song as I was the first time I heard it. In some ways it reminds me of Bloc Party. This is not the only hint of new wave as "Secrets" would not be out of place on a Pet Shop Boys album.   The tone of this album is much different and embracing more of a dance vibe with strong ties to house music. With the amount of drugs is supposedly does this is no surprise. The Micheal Jackson influence can be still felt on songs like "Rockin" though musically it is much more like Euro dance.

This is dramatically less of an r&b album, so when the ballads do come with songs like "True Colors' it has more of a pop feel.Lyrically there is also a little more hope and much less self deprecation as he beings to see how functional of a drug addict he may or may not be. I'm really sure about the interlude Lana Del Ray gets on this album, but it's pretty unoffensive and finds her in more of Siouxsie like place. I am not much of a Kendrick Lamar fan so I was braced when it came to " Sidewalks". It is not the album's strongest song , but the competition is pretty fierce. "Six Feet Under" which reminds me more of his "House of Balloons" period falls out of the previous song and is more than solid. It sound like like Future is on this song as well as "All I Know " which he is credited with. This songs feels more like something that Future would be on more so than the more foreign depths of " All I Know"

The lighter tones of this album are once again demonstrated on " Love to Lay", which could be a Phil Collins song. It's a lot happier than I think I am ready for considering where I am in life, but well written and I commend the use of colors that are very different than what we heard from the last album. "A Lonely Night" grooves in a much more light hearted funk infused way than the title might suggest. When it comes to break up, he is not taking them as hard here. "Attention" does sound like more familiar territory, though it is not ground that is being re-tread. Lyrically this song rings true for me in regard to relationships past and present. Production wise things are pristine and one of factors that prevents this album being as dark as some of his other work. "Ordinary Life' winks that " No Ordinary Love" in the way it kicks in. A little of the shadows creep in on "Nothing Without You". It's ballad but with enough electronic elements to keep it from wallowing in the emotions.  This is another song whose lyrics hit me as being  pretty timely." Die For You" is another powerful break up song that creates a weird blend of pop, electronic and soul.

When Daft Punk re-joins him it is for a very late 80's Michel Jackson styled piece "I Feel It Coming" which I do not hear fitting on the radio as well as "Starboy".  Well crafted and true to what Daft Punk would bring to the table I think there are much stronger songs on this album. Overall lighter in tone , but still a well crafted and written album I'll round it up to a 10.

 

 

the Top 10 Pop Albums of 2015

I think we know that pop music is my favorite palate cleanser to start the day off with before I spend the rest of the day listening to blacksludgepostdeathcrust metal. Granted my taste is pop is generally darker, and many of these albums would have been battling it out in the over crowded goth list, one of the artists even self identifies as goth.

 10- Camouflage : "Greyscale"
 In the same club as Twin Shadow , but coming from a much more Euro vibe. Think Depeche Mode. Well I don't have to tell you to think anything because if that doesn't come to mind when you hear this I'm not sure what blog you are normally reading. This is however better than anything Depeche Mode has done since "Ultra". They are not totally stuck in the 80s as a song like "Laughing Proves". No wonder the title is "Greyscale" as that is how dark this album is.  So not goth, but it will appeal to goth's who have "Violator" in heavy rotation, as this is which era of Depeche Mode this projects draws inspiration from. They do tend to ride some of the grooves into the ground, but it allows the songs more of a drone.It goes in a chill wave sort of direction, so you have to be in the right mood.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/report-to-dance-floor-camouflages.html

9-Lana Del Ray : "Honeymoon"

 When I'm not making a pop list she is obviously more mainstream the majority of the artists I cover, but has enough melancholy to her sound to have her place along side some of the other female artists covered here. She said this album was going to be filled with muddy trap energy and inspired by late night drives listening to Miles Davis. She employs elements of sound to make the album feel like a 60s western soundtrack. Her voice glides with her typical cool croon like it is business as usual. She closes the album with a cover of the Animals " Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that retain in the organ some of the trippy 60s feel. Overall this album might not be "the Ultra-Violence" as the lyrics are not as biting and the ballads are sleepier, but she excels when she does what she does best.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/11/lana-del-ray-honeymoon.html

8-Prince: "HITNRUN Phase Two"

 Once upon a time the only artists I listened to who were not metal were the Violent Femmes , David Bowie and Prince. I got "Purple Rain" X-mas of 1984 and hung tough with him despite changing his name to a symbol and the Bat Dance not parting ways with him until fifteen years later with  s"Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic", though the last I saw him live was on the "3121" tour. The opener might have the social commentary similar to his "Sign O the Times' album,  so it no surprise the upbeat opening remind me of a slower paced "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man". His guitar  has a jazzy Frank Zappa like cadence  following the chant of "if there ain't no justice there ain't no peace" . His voice sounds like he hasn't aged a day. The only sign of age is in his mellowed approach to rock, which finds his guitar using a cleaner jazz tone and forsaking the wild man Hendrix wail of feedback.In some ways it is unfair to compare this album to "Around the World in Day" which is a place in time that he can never get back to but where he is finds the Purple One at a much better place than I expected and makes me want to back back and listen to the albums I missed out on , because if they are as good as this one it will be time well invested.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/12/report-to-dance-floor-princes-hitnrun.html
 
7-Puscifer : "Money Shot"

 Before you balk at this album being on the pop list, first ask yourself what are you doing reading this in the first place if you don't like pop music. Tool used to be one of my favorite bands. A Perfect Circle was up there as well. Puscifer seemed like Maynard's stab at doing his own Massive Attack , but heavy on the jokes. The first album he mainly used his lower range and further separated himself from being the voice of Tool.  First off the album sounds great but sounds best through head phones. More focused on songs and less focused on jokes , with more of an emphasis placed on songs. Closely harmonized with female voices it sounds like this could have been written for a Perfect Circle album that never happened.Even though Former Ministry bassist Paul Barker lays down the grooves this is not industrial, nor is it dark enough to be goth or organic enough to be rock, it is what is good catchy songs, do you not think that what defines pop, it's just low on the sugar.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/10/puscifer-money-shot.html

6-Madonna: "Rebel Heart"

 Me and the Fabulous Ms. M have been out of touch. After "Music" we parted ways, she went on to have a mid-life crisis and released four albums none of which had anything that entered into my consciousness, but then again when I quit doing drugs, I also quit frequenting gays bars. The first song on Madonna's new album "Rebel Heart" makes it apparent gays bars are where she has been hiding out making music. This is perfect for my climate so there is a bit of a nostalgic edge to this which gives me a appreciation for this album which in it's initial sales haven't impressed the rest of the world , but what do those sheep know about good music any way?Oh, well it is what is, don't believe the hype saying this is a bomb, because it's not creatively , try to get the expanded edition there some songs that are actually better than some of these , but this still is getting a 9.5 as Madonna is back in biznasty.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/report-to-dance-floor-madonnas-rebel.html

5- Dr. Dre : "Compton"

 Things have changed in the hood. While working on the film "Straight Outta Compton" Dre was inspired to make this album, only his third full length. This album does not feel like a  companion piece to the bi-opic about the rap crew that put Dre on the map, which he produced as well. This is not a retro homage to his days in NWA and perhaps to a fault finds it's place in the modern hip-hop market. While I wore out my copy of "the Chronic" in high school, when I quit smoking pot thirteen years ago rap listening took a decline. Post -Tupac rappers got krunk and began writing twerk anthems because truth be told they just didn't have anything to say as it became harder to distinguish hip-hop from pop-music. The lyric " we load up pro-tools" on Dre's first team up with Kendrick Lamar explains one of the things that has changed in how Dre assembles his beats.The last song finds Dre doing what he does best without having other mcs crowding him. At times This album feels like it is serving two masters he is trying to make sure at 50 he can still sell albums to kids of today while doing what he does best, however this is better than any other hip hop album that came out...the Dr is in.
 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/08/dr-dre-compton.html

Karin Park : Apocalypse Pop"

She already has two Grammy's in Norway and this is her fifth album, so if there is any doubt as if the six foot three fashion model knows what she is doing , this album is a resounding yes. The album opens with a driving pop song with rough and tumble beats pumping under the otherwise carefree vocal.My finance drew Lorde comparison in her fleeting listen to the first single off the album "Shine" which I can hear in her phrasing that sometimes rides the rhythmic line between singing and rapping on a you be be as broke as you want/ you can be as drunk as you like". The lyrics on this album are incredible and often explore her dysfunctional relationships.Needs to be played while driving fast on dark roads...high on coke optional.

abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/05/report-to-dance-floor-karin-parks.html

 3- Chvrches: "Open Every Eye"


 Funny enough I decided to break down and give Chvrches a shot a few weeks ago after hearing them brought up on the State Of the Goth Scene panel at this year's Dragon-con. While not what I consider goth they do have a more serious lyrical tone than most of today's pop music and much like Twin Shadow are an act that proves pop doesn't have to be a bad word. their last album some reviews compared it Taylor Swift's "1989". They took that as a compliment. And this might come as a surprise to readers here who normally click on for the goth/metal/ punk reviews, but I have gained an appreciation for Swifts last two albums. The hooks are addictive and the same can be said for Chvrches. Lauren Mayberry continues to ooze with the same youthful glee that Swift also possesses, the difference being more lyrical as Mayberry doesn't always have to be the protagonist in her songs. She has little regret for not always being nice claiming on "Leave a Trace" that she is as sane as she ever was. Mayberry might make you dance , but she didn't show up to the studio trying to start a party. Fans will not be disappointed if they liked the last album.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/09/report-to-dance-floor-chvrches-open.html

2-the Weeknd : "Beauty Behind the Madness"

 Abel Makkonen Tesfaye goes about things in a manner darker than your average r&b singer  and has been known to sample both Siouxsie and the Cocteau Twins, his drug use might explain for this taste in music .He gives many winks to another addict...Michael Jackson. Lyrically the album has bi-polar moments, either he's a pimped out playa or hopeless romantic in the tug of war his pimp side is lyrically more interesting. He is a master of hook and they keep me returning to this album.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/12/report-to-dance-floor-weeknds-beauty.html

 1- Twin Shadow: "Eclipse"


 This album caught me by surprise I'll tell you right off the bat it's a strong contender for album of the year. From the first song he shows you how to make a chorus carry the most emotional impact possible.Who said pop music has to be a bad thing? More common with the 80s he sings in an urgent baritone, think Corey Hart but with a larger dose of soul injected in the phrasing. It's a crime not to check out this piece of greatness. Every vocal oozes like a hook in it's own right, one of the most perfect vocal performances.

 http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2015/03/report-to-dance-floor-twin-shadows.html

Lana Del Ray : " Honeymoon"

She is obviously more mainstream the majority of the artists I cover, but has enough melancholy to her sound to have her place along side some of the other female artists covered here. She said this album was going to be filled with muddy trap energy and inspired by late night drives listening to Miles Davis. The title track that opens the album is well...boring. Sure ballads are her thing, but she has written them in a much more compelling manner. The second song is more redemptive of the flat opener, and has more of a west coast slink to the lazy dream pop. Her vocal phrasing is more emotive here and doesn't sound like she is trying to kill her self with sleeping pills while in the vocal booth.

"Terrence Loves You" is another song that is barely there, though the vocal lines in places prove to be engrossing. The vocals are really well recorded, since she is far from belting. The instrumental is as minimal as her diaphragm support until she goes up in her head voice to sing about Major Tom. So a Bowie reference is going to be worth something in my book. "God Knows I Tried" does have the 60s Nancy Sinatra feel and is darker than the first three songs. Her voice sounds fuller here. The first single from the album 'High By the Beach" comes closer to her more superlative work. There is more hip-hop beat, trap or not could be debated. She kicks out more rhythmic melodies to compliment it.The album begins to find it's groove on " Freak" . While she has a great voice, it's how she works interesting lyrics within the context of steamy beats that makes the magic here.  "Art Deco' keeps this vibe going in the right direction.

"Religion" has her trade mark croon over a more minimal accompaniment. The lyrics are smarter and when the drums come in they create more of a Portishead vibe. "Salvatore" is more ballad like  and the beat takes the back seat, with strings backing her more dramatic almost operatic vocalization. "the Blackest Day" finds her vocals taking on more soul and a touch of Stevie Nicks on the verses. The chorus isn't the album's strongest , but it works with the swell of organ behind it. The beat builds and the vocal layer multiple to display some of the years best production. "24" finds her voice naked against the minimal pulse that is dialed back behind. This 60s western soundtrack creeps in like the sunset. Her voice glides upwards flirting with her head voice. There is nothing really wrong with "Swan Song" I just don't feel like it is as strong as some of the other cuts, the music site behind her cool croon like it is business as usual. She closes the album with a cover of the Animals " Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that retain in the organ some of the trippy 60s feel. Overall this album might not be " the Ultra-Violence" as the lyrics are not as biting and the ballads are sleepier, but she excels when she does what she does best so I'll give this one a 9.