Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

13 years and 4 months. That's how much time it's been since Tool released their last album. To give some perspective, I was in preschool when 10,000 Days (Their last album) came out. Now, I'm an 18 year old college student. That's absolutely insane, especially considering at the height of their popularity, Tool was one the most recognized bands in the metal scene, cementing their sound of records, in particular 1996's Aenima and 2001's Lateralus, and they didn't rush a project out in order to capitalize on that fame (That's very respectable in my eyes). In terms of my experience with Tool, I discovered them after listening to singer Maynard James Keenan's other big band, A Perfect Circle, nonstop when their last album came out, which was my favorite album of 2018. Since then, Tool has become one of my favorite bands of all time, and one of the bands I listen to most on my playlists or if I want to spend time listening in an album. Lateralus is my favorite record of theirs, but all of their albums have merit and are great, with few songs I don't care for. Now, after several years of lawsuits, side projects and the like, the long awaited Fear Inoculum has arrived. With the unreal hype and the acclaim its been getting from both fans and critics, it's hard not to get swept up in the hype machine for this one, and well, all 86 minutes of it is here, but how does it stack up (Note: I will not talk about the interludes on the digital edition in detail, but I will say they work well for what they are)?

Well, let's start at the beginning with the album's title track, the only officially released track from the album. At 10 minutes 20 seconds, this song is very long, but it's actually one of the shortest tracks on the record. However, it's absolutely worth the listen. The slow build towards where the vocals kick in is effective and got me curious to hear where this would go. The whole song has a great build that eventually climaxes in a great collision of drums and guitar. Lyrically, it's as solid as you'd expect from Maynard, with lyrics like Exhale/Expel/Recast my tail/Read my allegorical elegy really grabbing my attention as well written and effective. So yeah, great song, even if it is slow and may take a few listens to fully take it in.

So, we're off to a pretty great start here. While it's not as vicious a Tool opener like The Grudge from Lateralus or Vicarious from 10,000 Days, it's still a great song that stands as a worthy inclusion in their discography.

The next track, Pneuma, stands as one of the album's finest moments. The opening guitar is pretty, but where the song really shines is the bouncy bass line from Justin Chancellor that's infectious and makes the verses and chorus engaging. Maynard's lyrics are some of the strongest on the record here as well, with him discussing how we are one spark and how our bodies can't hold our spirit forever. It's very strong writing from a man who's written some amazing lyrics in the past, and it reminds me of Parabol and Parabola in that regard. I also love Adam Jones' riffs on this track, especially the riff that comes in around 3 minutes 15 seconds in, which feels epic, and the fact that its backed up by amazing drumming makes it even better (You're gonna hear me talk a lot about the drumming on this record, because it steals the show on almost every song). The jam session at the end is also fantastic, and it ends the song on a high note. Just fantastic on every level.

We continue with a song the band debuted live a few months ago, Invincible. This track has my favorite lyrics on the entire record, as it talks about "A warrior struggling to remain consequential". If that line doesn't get stuck in your head, I don't know what will. It's an absolute earworm. The rest of the lyrics discuss this warrior in detail that is both tragic and engaging. Maynard's vocals are great here as well, and while he holds back compared to previous records, he's still got one of the best voices in rock and metal, so I'm honestly fine with it. The instruments build with him as the song builds as the previous two did. This one has the best build so far, however. It's long, but it doesn't overstay its welcome. The bass and guitar really complement each other well here, and the drums continue to be fantastic. However, the lyrics are what really bring me back to this track. It's some of my favorite Maynard lyrics ever, and the song as a whole is wonderful.

Descending is next and while this one is very good, it's probably my least favorite full length track on the record. It's not because it's poorly composed and/or sloppily performed compared to the previous tracks, but it's because it's simply too long. It's almost 14 minutes long, and in the middle, it starts to drag a bit. That being said, I love Maynard's vocals at the beginning and the wave sound effects that start the track. However, what steals the show here is the guitar. The last three minutes contains one of my favorite Adam Jones solos ever. It sounds vaguely post-metal, as does much of the structuring of this album. What I also dig about this track is how it feels tied to Invincible. This and the previously mentioned track were both debuted live back in May, and I understand why they choose these two together. While Invincible is about someone struggling to be the same person they used to be, Descending in my opinion is about finding your footing again, even through the struggles and hard times, and once again, they're great. Overall, I think it could've been cut down by a couple minutes, but besides that, this song isn't a skippable one, not by a long shot.

Culling Voices continues the record, and is another favorite of mine for the first half alone. In that section, it's just Maynard and Adam Jones doing their thing and it's extremely effective. Maynard sounds some of the most passionate on the entire record, as he talks about mental illness leading him away from where he should be. It's tragic and beautifully written, and Adam Jones' guitar adds to the beauty of it. The second half, which is for the most part just a jam session between members with Maynard occasionally coming in, and while it's not as good as the first half, it still works well and the first half makes it worth coming back to.

So at this point, you may have noticed a pattern in the record; It starts out slow with Maynard coming in and doing some clean vocals, and the instrumentation slowly builds towards a climax of sorts at the end. Well, these last two songs break that mold and make the album more interesting, starting with Chocolate Chip Trip. This song is basically just a drum solo with a weird synth line that feels ripped out of a B rate sci-fi movie from the 80s, and it's great. I don't have much to say about the track besides for the fact that Danny Carey's drumming is incredible. In many ways, his drumming reminds me of Neil Peart, and if you know me, you know Rush are my favorite band of all time, so this is a good thing. It's also a nice change of pace after several 10 minutes plus tracks, and we get back into that, but this time, it's different.

So, let's talk about 7empest. There's one word to describe this song; INCREDIBLE! The only way this will not be my favorite song of the year is if Rush rises from the grave and creates a prog epic as good as 2112. It starts out with nice, pretty guitar line like many of the songs previous did, but then it explodes about a minute in, and Adam Jones delivers what might be the best performance of his entire career. He's coming up with brilliant riff after brilliant riff and solos for almost 16 minutes straight, and it's incredible. Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor are also delivering brilliant work here, but man, what Adam Jones does here not only steals the song, it may steal the entire album. Also, we get aggressive Maynard vocals! Sure, we don't get a massive scream like on The Grudge, but he still sounds as unhinged and aggressive as he did on Undertow. I got so giddy when I heard him first appear, and he sounds amazing. It's just so good to hear. The song, while the longest on the entire album, flows better than any other track here, and it makes for an amazing experience. I hope my fellow college students like this song, because I'll be blasting this one all semester. This is one of the best Tool songs ever, if not their best; Every member is at the top of their game, it's super long, and no matter how much I hear it, it never gets old. This album was worth it just for this song. It's heaven.

So yeah, this album rules. It's not my favorite Tool album to date, but it's easily one of their most interesting. All of the tracks have merit and can be listened to at any point as a singular song or as a part of the larger record, and it feels unique in their discography. It's easily their most progressive album to date and while it's nothing new for them, their music still remains as engaging and fresh as ever. In a world full of mediocre metal, this is a testament to how pure creative and passionate the genre can be and how it's not just screaming. It's musicians creating music that can be loud, but has meaning and purpose in the music world.

(Note: If you haven't listened to Tool before, I don't think this should be your first Tool record, not because of the quality, but because of how hard this album is to get into. I'd start with either Aenima or Lateralus, and if you like those (Particularly the longer tracks), then check out this)


Grade: A

Favorite Tracks: 7empest, Pneuma, Invincible, Culling Voices

Least Favorite Track: Descending (Still great though)

Skillet - Victorious Album Review

Christian rock band Skillet's back with their 10th full-length album, Victorious, an album meant to make you feel, well, victorious, in the words of lead vocalist/bassist John Cooper. 

So, I first want to talk about my relationship with Skillet, because it's somewhat complicated. I first discovered Skillet through the Awake album a little while after it came out. I grew up on that album, and eventually discovered Collide and Comatose, two albums I love and still spin occasionally to this day (And the even older stuff, which I enjoy well enough). Then Rise came out, and I also loved it. I spun the crap out of that CD, and I still really enjoy it, albeit maybe not as much now. Then Unleashed happened, and I slowly fell out of love with Skillet. It was so bland and messy at the same time, and featured very few standout tracks. It had its moments, but those moments were caught in what I felt was a band running low on fumes. I thought that was what this album was going to be more on the quality of Unleashed, but then something happened; The release of the single Save Me. It was darker and more passionate than anything on Unleashed, and gave me a sense of optimism for this album. And, well, let's take it track-by-track.

Track 1: Legendary

Here we are; If you've heard one song from this album, it's the lead single. Honestly, I guarantee you that the only reason this was the lead single is because the structure's similar to Feel Invincible, and that charted really high and was very successful. Besides that, I guess the opening guitar riff's cool? This is a very meh start to the album. It's very generic, but it's not offensive or anything like that. It's filler for radio, that's all I hear. Not bad, but not the best track to start the album with.

Track 2: You Ain't Ready

So, basically many of my complaints with Legendary carry over here, that being that this is standard radio rock and not very unique, but I like this track better. I like the verses a lot and while the chorus is repetitive, it's catchy enough to draw me in every time I listen to it. The guitars have a decent amount of bite and the electronic elements are kept more minimal than songs further into the record and they don't feel forced and work quite well. So yeah, this is nothing I wouldn't expect from Skillet, but it works well. It's decent enough. 

Track 3: Victorious

Okay, here we are; The album's title track. When I think of an album's title track, it should define the theme of an album and be a standout track, and I'm glad to say Victorious absolutely is. It feels grand and big, but not overwhelming with its stringed sections and vibrant guitars. Lyrically, it's inspired by people battling with depression, and it works pretty well. It reminds me of The Last Night from Comatose from that perspective, and I think it works even better here than it does here. Jen Ledger's backing vocals are wonderful and make the song more grand, especially in the chorus, which soars like a rocket. I think this is one of the best songs Skillet has ever done. It's familiar, yet different at the same time, and defines the album's themes of being victorious and positive beautifully. I honestly would have loved if this song was the closer, because it feels that big and grand. Still, this is fantastic. One of the album's best tracks, if not its best. 

Track 4: This Is The Kingdom

So, what do we get after the fantastic song that is Victorious? Well, we get one of the album's weakest moments. This Is The Kingdom has a good chorus that I could have seen working... if the verses weren't so bad. Many comparisons have been made to Imagine Dragons, and that's spot on. If you like Imagine Dragons, then you probably won't have a problem with this, but they're one of my least favorite bands working today, so I can't stand it. The lyrics in the song aren't bad, but it needed more crunch instrumentally to really drive it home, and much better verses. So yeah, this isn't very good, and is easily one of the album's worst. Very skippable track.

Track 5: Save Me

So, here's another highlight of the album, and the cut that gave me the most optimism for the record. Save Me feels like a Comatose song, and that's a very good thing. I love the vocals and atmosphere in the verses, and the chorus, which is infectious and catchy. The lyrics talk about being caught in a place that makes it hard to continue in your faith, which is always a topic that interests me and I can relate to, so I really dig this. The guitar riffs are very good and feel ripped straight out of the 2000s in a good way. My only real nitpick with this track is that I wish the guitar solo was a bit longer, but even then, that's a pretty small nitpick. This is another great track, and easily one of my favorites. Worth checking out if you haven't already. 

Track 6: Rise Up

So, part's of Rise Up work pretty well. The chorus is pretty catchy, and I like the way Jen Ledger's are included in this. That being said, why do the guitars and Ledger's vocals sound so compressed? A song like this needs a big guitar sound like Monster for example, but it feels so lackluster, which is weird considering no other song really has this problem. The lyrics are also done to death and boring (Seriously John, how many times can you use the word "rise" in your songs?), and incredibly lazy. So yeah, not a very good cut, and a standout in a bad way. Another one I generally skip. 

Track 7: Terrify the Dark

With a title like Terrify the Dark, you'd expect a hard rocker, but this is actually one of 2 ballads on the album aimed at Christian radio, and it sounds very generic. Those opening piano notes have to be stolen from somewhere. They sound that familiar, as do the vocal melodies. There's some decent lyrics when the chorus hit, but that's the only thing that's noteworthy here. Pretty average Christian music overall. Not awful, but very mediocre.  

Track 8: Never Going Back

You know, I could have seen this working as the album's lead single. It's got a nice guitar punch, a good chorus, and a great vocal performance from John Cooper. The electronics are used pretty well here, and don't feel too overused while still being prominent in the mix, particularly in the verses, the main guitar riff is solid, and while this isn't my favorite song from the record, it's still very solid. A bit generic, sure, but it still works pretty well. Very good song, just not quite great. 

Track 9: Reach

Here we have something that feels like John Cooper's side project Fight The Fury, and in a good way. It's one the heaviest songs on the record, with a fantastic chorus that is endlessly catchy. Lyrically, it's another song about struggling with faith, and while it doesn't work quite as well as Save Me did, it still works very well. I love this song. There's no other words for it. It's not quite the best song on the record, but it's still great. Definitely check this out. 

Track 10:  Anchor

So, here I don't have much to say. It's a pretty typical Christian radio single, but it's grown on me with time. It's lyrically pretty typical of one of these songs, and there's no lyrics worth pointing out. What draws me back to it is the simple but very pretty piano sound and the strings that come in the second verse. Besides that, there's not a whole lot of discussion to be had here, but I like this fine. It's far from great, but it's works okay, kind of like You Ain't Ready.

Track 11: Finish Line

So, this track is weird. It feels heavy, but there's barely any guitar in it. It instead takes from the Imagine Dragons influence of This Is The Kingdom, and it actually works here. The production and electronics make the track feel heavy, and I rather like it. It's catchy, the lyrics have a different feel than most Skillet songs, but they work great and fit the song's vibe. I still wish there are some more guitars, because they're almost non-existent and could've pushed this to another level, but I still like this a lot. 

Track 12: Back To Life

With Back To Life, we end with more Comatose-esque vibes. John Cooper sounds straight out of that era on this track. Seriously, I love this delivery here, especially on the chorus. The lyrics are typical Skillet, but they're good and I don't have a problem with them. The ending jam makes sure the album ends on a high note, which is very successful and very much an even better version of the jam at the end of The Resistance from Unleashed. What I love about this jam is that it actually builds off of the main riff from the song, and doesn't feel tacked on; It feels natural and like it's actually part of the song. Another one of my favorites from the record, and while I would've preferred Victorious as the album closer, this still works very well. 

Overall, I don't think this is a perfect album. I had some issues with pacing, particularly when the ballads seemingly show up out of nowhere and with some of the lyrics and style choices, but I still like this quite a bit more than Unleashed. I was expecting Unleashed 2.0, and I got that in parts, but it's not exactly that. While tracks like Legendary would be at home on that record, Some cuts that feel at home here like Finish Line and Reach would've been rather odd in the Unleashed track listing. It stands out well enough and the fans seem to like it, and I do too. Skillet's still not quite making great records again, but they're getting there, and I can tell they were trying. Kudos to them for trying, and I'm hoping the next record builds off of this one's best moments to create something special.

Grade: B (About a 7/10)

Favorite Tracks: Victorious, Save Me, Back To Life, Reach, Finish Line

Least Favorite Tracks: Rise Up, This Is The Kingdom, Legendary

Tyler, The Creator - Igor: Album Review

You ever had that one album that everyone keeps saying is good, but you just don't get around to listening to it? This album almost ended up in that category for me. I'm not the world's biggest hip-hop fan, even though a lot of my listens to different artists involved in the genre has lead me with some great music. For some reason, I felt no reason to listen to this album. Even though much of Tyler's stuff is apparently really good, it came out before I got over my my "Rock is the only good genre" phase, and it never grabbed my attention. However, this record grabbed my attention when I heard it was a concept album about going through a breakup, which could suit a hip-hop album well. If you get the right artist, they can go into detail and bring the emotions to life beautifully. So I decided to give it a listen and see if I liked it. Little did I know that I would be listening to it 4 times in 24 hours. I might listen to an album twice in that time frame, but I am addicted to this album.

What first really grabbed me about this album is how experimental it is. I haven't heard any of Tyler, The Creator's any projects before this, but this record combins samples of jazz and soul music and incorporates those with the rap and the usual hip-hop elements. This has been done before, and effectively at that, but here it's different. It's used is a bizarre mix that could be seen as messy or flat out poorly mixed, but it worked for me. I'm typically annoyed by this type of slightly muddled production, but it works extremely well here. It matches the muddled mind of someone going through a tragic breakup. While I've never been through one myself, I've seen people I know go through it, and it's not pretty. This production pairs with that beautifully. The samples incorporated are really good and add a bit of an expansive yet personal feel to the project, without feeling forced. 

The lyric writing is also stellar and does not disappoint. It delves into denial and initial heartbreak on Earfquake and I Think extremely well, its take on anger on A Boy Is A Gun and What's Good is genuinely threatening and intense, especially within the context of the album, and the eventual conclusion of the final two tracks is thematically as well as musically satisfying. It's not always the most complex of lyric writing, but I love how every track works its way in to the next. Sometimes there's a transition from one emotion to another on one song that doesn't seem to fit, but they subtly insert that emotion into the track with the vastly different emotion, and it feels completely natural.

It's also extremely unique in its presentation. This style of hip-hop sampling and general production is something I've heard before, but it's never been done like this. Tyler handled all of it on here, and it's impressive. Some of the production is more centered on typical hip-hop beats like What's Good, which adds to the general anger of the track and instantly helped make it one of my favorite cuts on the record. However, since this album is drenched in a soul/jazz atmosphere, that song is a bit of an outlier. Stuff like the vocal passages on A Boy Is A Gun and I Think are where this album shines and helps make it a beautifully made, passionate, and unique album.

However, this record feels chaotic and unstable, as it should feel. It's honest, real, and, most importantly, good music. Heck, I'd call this my favorite album of the year so far. I've just been obsessed with this album, and every time I listen to it, I find something new to love, whether that be in the lyric writing or in the magnificent production. I feel like this will be remembered as a rap classic 10 years from now. While this isn't for everyone (It has lots of language and the production may turn people off), this certainly connected with me as well as many others throughout the music community. Something truly extraordinary will have to come around to top this as 2019's best album, and many will try, but many will fail. 

Grade: A+

Mini-Album Reviews: January-May 2019

Welcome to the blog! In this new segment, I'll be reviewing a bunch of albums I've heard this year rapid-fire style. Since I've only gotten the chance to review one full length album on this blog this year, I've decided to review a bunch of random albums in a paragraph or less. I didn't really enjoy reviewing the Saor album, to be honest. Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved the record and I still consider it the best album of the year so far, but I feel much more comfortable reviewing movies in a longer format, and I feel awkward reviewing albums in a longer format. I enjoyed doing my best and worst albums of 2018 list however, so I wanted to do something similar for reviewing albums. Consider this an experiment. If it works out, I may release one of these every two months or so. If not, I may not do this very often or at all. That being said, let's get to reviewing these albums, starting with one that did nothing for me.

Papa Roach - Who Do You Trust?

This album is really a case of "What were they thinking?". Papa Roach have never been a band for me, but I loathe this album as much as I do because they're disservicing their fans as well. Some tracks feel like Papa Roach and could please fans, like the title track or Renegade Music. Even if these aren't for me, they do have a real energy to them that I can at least appreciate. However, they soon take the Imagine Dragons route of making lazy, stale pop songs like Elevate, Problems, and Come Around that are just so bland. Say what you want about Papa Roach, but I wouldn't necessarily call their music forgettable, but here, they turned that up to 11. I would have a hard time defining these as Papa Roach tracks, and that not in a good way. Bands like A Perfect Circle with Eat the Elephant and Paramore with their self-titled record and After Laughter changed up their sounds beautifully to further explore sonic territory with plenty of great ideas in their heads. However, this Papa Roach record does nothing except exist in a state of disappointment and embarrassment. Skip this with every will in your being. Next.

Grade: D-

Chasms - The Mirage

Ah, now here's something I can speak strongly of, and the best part? You've probably never heard of this album or band before. The only reason I know of this is because it showed up in my recommended on YouTube Music (I've since stopped using it; I'm not paying for "Listening off the app"), and yeah, this is legit. It's a gorgeous, atmospheric mix of dream pop and ethereal music that's so beautifully put together and wonderful to listen to. You're know what you're in for immediantly with the opening cut Shadows, which is easily one of the finest tracks of the year. The vocal melodies, samples, and dream pop guitar all work to create a lush, other worldly atmosphere that strongly carries throughout the rest of the record. The rest can be said for the rest of the album, especially Deep Love Deep Pain and Tears In The Morning Sun, which alone make the album worthwhile. My main problem with the record is the track run times. For the most part, these are songs that are 5 to 7 minutes long, and some of the tracks get super repetitive. It makes the album feel too long going back, but besides that, this album stands as perhaps the most underrated record of the year. It's a terrific example of atmospheric music that drags you in and keeps you in throughout. Absolutely worth the dive. Check it out.

Grade: A-

Since we've now gone super underground, let's go with something way more recognizable.

Billie Ellish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

If you want something different than what the Hot 100 is typically offering at the moment, you HAVE to hear this record. Eilish (And her brother Finneas on production) has delivered what will probably be the best pop album of the year here. This is an excellent mainstream record, and it surprisingly doesn't feel that way. It feels like something that would get attention, but it would just miss the Hot 100, but this record has blown up, and the single Bad Guy is one of the top 5 most popular songs in America at the time of this writing, and that's for good reason; It's catchy the production's great, and it's twisted in the best way possible (I also learned it on bass. Pretty fun to play). The same goes for the rest of the record on tracks like You Should See Me In A Crown and All The Good Girls Go To Hell, but it also gets  emotional on When The Party's Over, I Love You, and Listen Before I Go effectively as well, and those are track remain some of the strongest on the record and of the year so far for me. The song 8 is really the only weak track on the album, with Eilish's voice modified to sound like a child's being extremely weird and a bit irritating. The rest of the track is also pretty boring otherwise, but man, does the rest of this record deliver. Listen to this now. 

Grade: A

The Damned Things - High Crimes

While there's a good chance you don't know this band, you've definitely heard music from some of the members of this hard rock supergroup. In this group, you have members of Anthrax, Fall Out Boy, Alkaline Trio, and Every Time I Die. If you know anything about any of these bands, this seems like a project that would fall right on its face, but it works so well, and you know what? This is definitive proof Fall Out Boy should break up. The members that aren't Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump have a terrific outlet for hard rock with some awesome, catchy melodies that Fall Out Boy refuse to bring to the table (Lake Effect Kid was the exception, but that was a late 2000s demo). There's so much fun to be had with this record, like the opening cuts Cells and Something Good which are supremely catchy and have great instrumentals. It's not a particularly deep record, but it's not meant to be; This is the record you put on when you want to jam out to some rock songs, and it does a wonderful job at doing so. Easily one of the most fun records of the year.

Grade: A-

Astronoid - Astronoid

This is an album that's frustrating to me, not because it's bad, but because it's potential wasted. The thing is, this band has a really great sound that they've referred to as "dream thrash", which is a very good description of their sound. Their vocalist has a high pitched voice that blends with the soothing yet aggressive guitar work and the even more aggressive drumming. It's unlike anything else I've heard this year, and that's for the better. The tracks Lost and Ideal World highlight this sound extremely well and are terrific songs in general, but the rest of the album has a major issue; Every song sounds the same. They all have a similar structure, similar guitar playing and drumming, and similar vocal melodies to one another. On my first listen, I thought maybe it would take another listen or two to tell the tracks apart, but nope. They all sound the same to me. However, I do love this sound, and it's a great record to have on in the background, but that's about it. I do want to see where this band goes in the future, and I hope they develop their sound further to make every track unique and interesting. I like it fine, but that's about where it ends.

Grade: B

Weezer - Teal Album/Black Album 

So, Weezer released two albums this year, and since I like Weezer a lot, I decided to cover them both in this segment. Let's start with Teal.

The Teal Album was a surprise for many. It released without any prior announcement, and it was all cover songs from various different artists. Everyone from A-Ha to Toto to TLC to Michael Jackson was covered on this record, and to mixed results. Their cover of Take On Me captures the original's spirit well, Everybody Wants To Rule The World is also solid, and their take on Mr. Blue Sky is also enjoyable. However, there are also some stinkers here, like their cover of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (Which, after that documentary, was a bad move), Paranoid by Black Sabbath (Sung by guitarist Brian Bell), and their cover of No Scrubs by TLC, which I honestly love listening to because it's one of the most white things I've ever heard. It's so bizarre it's hilarious. It's mostly a pretty meh collection, and while not offensive for the most part, should probably be skipped.

Grade: C+

Now, let's talk about The Black Album. This record had a lot riding on it; It was coming after the disappointment that was Pacific Daydream and the band needed somewhat of a comeback, as well as the hype that this would be darker and much different than anything they've done before. The thing is, for the most part, this album really isn't. Does it experiment in spots? Yes. Too Many Thoughts In My Head and Byzantine experiment with tropical tinged beats and instrumentals that work well, they delve into pop much better than they did on Pacific Daydream with Zombie Bastards and I'm Just Being Honest, and High As A Kite is a Beatles-inspired ballad that's one of the best songs they've released in the 21st century (Seriously, if you're gonna listen to one track from the record, have it be this one). The issues with this record come with how inconsistent this album is sonically. With the amount of exploration this did here, the album becomes messy to listen to, and it gets annoying because of that. Another thing is the lyrics are really bad in quite a few tracks on here. While I may dig Too Many Thoughts In My Head's beat, it's lyrics are random and sporatic, and not in a good way, Living In L.A. suffers from generic "Afraid to talk to a girl" lyrics, Piece of Cake's lyrics are dreadfully repetitive to the point of annoyance, and California Snow feels like they're trying to be that one "Cool dad" at the neighborhood barbeque. The thing is that while the majority of these songs are decent, they suffer from not being developed enough and being placed in the album poorly. I don't hate this record; It's better than Pacific Daydream, it has some really solid tracks that I enjoy returning to, and it's full of good ideas, but it's just disappointing. This could've been so much more. I'd say listen listen to the first three tracks and I'm Just Being Honest if you want the best tracks, and please do listen to High As A Kite. The rest you can skip.

Grade: C+

So, that's about it in terms of albums I wanted to discuss at length. There are plenty of other albums I heard this year so far, but these are ones I wanted to discuss. It's been a pretty good year so far for albums, but I've yet to find my A+ of the year yet. Maybe in the future, but for now, I'm content with what we've gotten. Please do check out the albums that seem interesting to you. There's a lot of good stuff here, and there's nothing like listening to good music. Thank for reading. Bye.

Endgame Spoiler Review

This film needs no introduction. You all know what it is, and you've probably seen it already. It's Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie of the decade and a conclusion of over 20 films in the MCU. I have been a fan of this franchise since the first Avengers movie came out back in 2012, and before that I thought superheroes were lame, but I've loved the MCU ever since. It's been awesome to see it grow more and more expansive and impressive with time, and this film looked to take this franchise to an ending and also a new beginning with this film. For many of the original Avengers, their contracts were coming to an end, and the films have introduced plenty of new characters to create a new Avengers team for the future. This wasn't just another Marvel movie, this was an event waiting to happen, and it ended up being that. It's made well over 2 billion dollars worldwide, and may pass Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time. But does it deserve it? The answer is yes. Absolutely yes.

Well, let's talk spoilers since this is a spoiler review and if you haven't seen the movie yet go see it you do not want to be spoiled trust me you don't now leave. For those who have seen the film, stick around!

Let's start by talking about one of the film's biggest surprises; Thanos dying in the first 10 minutes. I was in a state of disbelief when they actually did it. I didn't know what they'd do for the rest of the film. Would there be a main antagonist at all? Would there by another, even more serious threat? It was perhaps the most surprising part of the film for me, because killing off the character who was the main character of the last movie is so bold, but it worked. It set up a feeling of hopelessness found throughout the first act that I loved. The characters go through some minor changes, such as Cap not feeling hopeful as always and Thor's new, um, look (We'll get to that in a bit), but the character that I really like what they did with here was surprisingly Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson did an excellent job portraying Natasha's need to help people, but knowing she can't, at least not fully. This is easily the best Black Widow has been in a movie, and that says a lot, considering how much I enjoyed her role in The Winter Soldier. Robert Downey, Jr. also pulled off arguably his best performance as Tony Stark, particular in the scene when he comes back to Earth and he faces off against Cap. Downey pulled off Stark's anger to absolute perfection, and it's one of the best acted MCU scenes I've seen to date, and possibly even the best. Basically everything from the first act was great and a solid set-up for what was to come.

My only real problem with it was the pacing, which made some things feel rushed, particularly Clint's turn from Hawkeye into Ronin, which wasn't really developed that much and I wished they delved into that further. Still, that scene where he takes down all those guys in Japan in one take was really well done, and reminded me of the Russo Brother's first Marvel movie, The Winter Solider. It felt more violent and realistic than many Marvel action set pieces, like that film, and if it had a sequel with Hawkeye in it similar to it, I could see this scene being in the film.

Anyway, let's get to the second act, the part that worried me the instant I heard they were doing it; Time travel. This is something I did not want to see incorporated into the film ever since it was rumored back even before Infinity War came out. The thing is I love the way they do it in this movie. I like the idea that time travel can't change the past, but rather it only creates a new future for the people who visit it. Apparently, this is how it was done in the comics at some point (I don't read comics, so I can't say), and it's a unique way to do time travel. It also doesn't erase the previous movies, which would make the build-up to this movie feel irrelevant and kind of pointless, and several of the great movies that took place before Endgame would either be erased or altered drastically. This also leads to some of the best scenes in the movie, like Cap vs. Cap, which, while brief, was super fun and well-choreographed. In this brief scene, it was interesting to see the older, more jaded Captain America face off against his pre-Winter Soldier self (I know I've referenced that movie multiple times now, but it's one of my favorite MCU movies), and see the differences between them, which was apparent in pretty obvious ways.

My favorite scene in the second act however was the interaction between Thor and his mother. His was something I was not expecting, and it made the whole "Fat Thor" idea worth it. I liked his arc of falling from grace and learning he still be worthy because 1. It makes sense for his character, because he went through hell throughout Ragnarok and Infinity War and 2. It was different for his character in the best way possible. His character in this film has been extremely divisive, with praise and hate going in both directions, and I understood the hate on my first watch, However, on my second watch, I realized that this was the best way to take his character because he would've gone through a PTSD-type scenario and not want to do much in the way of hero work. It really was a wonderful arc and it lead to this great moment on old Asgard. This felt like he was saying goodbye to his old life and realizing he was meant to do something other than rule Asgard.

One other scene that stuck with me was the scene where Cap and Tony go to the 1970s and Tony sees his father. That scene felt like his character's arc was finally concluding, and in a smooth and brilliant way. I didn't expect them to pull Howard Stark into the film, but I liked how they did it and the scene itself had great dialogue and acting. I'm glad they put that in the movie.

Now, let's talk about the major death in this second act, that being that of Black Widow. When I first saw the movie, I was mixed on her dying because, while I thought the scene was very effective, I would've preferred if Hawkeye had died. After my last viewing, I understood it better, because it was important for Hawkeye's character to understand he can bring back his family, but that's a cause for sacrifice. I could see this playing a big role for his character in the rumored Hawkeye Disney+ show, where he trains the next Hawkeye. Just a thought.

Okay, now let's talk about that final battle and just the last hour in general. No matter what you thought about the rest of the film, you have to admit this last hour was glorious. The start of it was already great, with the "Big three" taking on Thanos, and especially when Cap gets to wield Mjolnir, which made me want to stand up and clap and I yelled an audible "Oh!" when that happened and other people did the same when I saw it opening weekend. It reminded me of the scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens when Rey grabs the Skywalker lightsaber, and that's a good thing, because I had a similar reaction to that scene.

And then, all the heroes come back. This scene gave me all the chills. The imagery of these two massive armies coming together and colliding is amazing, and the way everyone comes in is great, and I'll admit a got real close to tearing up when that happened. The music, all the great characters, and just the pure scope was all to much to take in at once. And then Cap yells the line (You know, THE LINE) and the movie becomes absolutely insane in the best way possible. The action and FX in this scene are off the charts insane. I don't even know how to describe it. I guess it's like comic book nerd heaven, and I'm 100% for it. It was just insane and wonderful and emotional all at the same time.

It all ends perfectly with Tony Stark's sacrifice. The scene where you realize just how much Thanos would effect the Avengers, and that this movie was willing to kill the character that started it all. That scene where he sees Peter, Rhodey, and Pepper for the last time was so beautiful and well done. That scene was great, but the scene that got me going was between Happy Hogen and Tony's daughter where Happy sees he'll get her all the cheeseburgers she wants was the part that got me most. Maybe it was the fact that Tony actually died had sunk in at that point or the call back to the first Iron Man movie delivered by that film's director, I don't quite know, but either way, it was beautiful.

The ending that's left many people polarized was the very last scene in the movie where Steve comes back as an old man and gives his shield to Sam. This was polarizing not for the end of Cap's arc, which I believe we can all agree that it was the perfect way to end his story, but rather by how did he get there and back and he gave the shield to Sam rather than Bucky. With the first point, in the scene in the 1970s, he gets four Pym Particles rather than the two needed to get back to 2023. Seems pretty self-explanatory, especially considering the fact he's wanted to live a life with Peggy. The other point I entirely understand, however. Sam getting the shield was something unexpected, but there seems to be reason for it. Bucky has been seen as a terrorist and a murderer before, so that probably wouldn't be the best image for the Captain America title. Sam has shown to be loyal and good to the general people, so it makes sense on the level. However, it would make more emotional sense for Cap to give it to Bucky, since he's his best friend, but maybe it will make more sense once I see it in the films.

Alright, now that I've covered the main points I wanted to discuss above, here are some other points I wanted to talk about, but didn't know where to fit above.

- Nebula had a lot of screen time in this movie. I believe this is the most screen time she's ever had in an MCU movie to date, and her arc was one of the most compelling to me. This was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one that made me really like this character. I'm excited to see what they're going to do with this character in the future.

- Really enjoyed Hulk here. The effects on him were excellent, and you could tell Mark Ruffalo was having the time of his life playing this new Professor Hulk. I liked the awkward humor he brought to the role, and his scene with the Ancient One was really cool. Not much else to say, just really like what they did with him.

- Don't understand why Captain Marvel was in this movie. Remove her from the film and literally nothing changes expect for Tony escaping, which could've easily been switched to him and Nebula repairing the Benatar and escaping. She didn't add much, and Brie Larson seemed plenty bland acting wise.

- I wonder if Loki was actually the rat that let Ant-Man escape the Quantum Realm. Perhaps we'll see that in the Loki series? I don't know, I just wanna know what happened to that Loki after he escaped with the Tesseract.

- Ant-Man really was a fun addition to the film. The scene where he sees his daughter older was emotional, and he added a nice amount of levity to the film that made me laugh pretty hard at points (That's America's ass!).

- The scene in the elevator with Cap and all the people from Winter Soldier was a fun throwback. It was worth just to hear Cap say, "Hail Hydra". Man, Cap did get a lot of the best fan service moments, didn't he?

I believe that's it for my thoughts. This is a 3 hour long film, and there's a lot to say about it, even for a movie its length. I'm sure I missed something, but those are all the points I felt a need to discuss, and that's all I have to say about that. Bye.

Rush Discography and History Part 2: The Prog/Golden Era

Welcome back to the Rush series! Here we will discuss what is generally considered Rush's golden years: The prog era.

So, let's recap where the story ended in part 1; Rush had just released Caress of Steel, which bombed critically and financially. This led to their record company wanting them to make a record similar to Fly By Night, which was received and sold much better by comparison.

However, Rush didn't do that; They did write a couple of more radio-friendly tracks on the album's B-Side, but they continued off of Caress of Steel in the riskiest move of their entire career by having a A-side entirely consist of a 20 minute song, even longer than the 19 minute Fountain of Lamneth. And well, it shouldn't have worked, but this album ended up being their magnum opus.

Album 4: 2112

This is the album that made Rush a household name and one of the biggest prog rock bands of all time. Released on April 1, 1976, this album made waves in not just the prog scene, but the rock scene in general (The April Fool's joke that year must've been that this album was good) and put Rush on the map. It's for good reason to because not only is this my favorite Rush album, but it's my favorite album of all time. Yeah, let that sink in. After a mixed bag like Caress of Steel, Rush improved upon that record in every way and blew us away with a full album for the first time ever. It's truly impressive.

So, let's talk about the most talked about song on the record first, the title track. A 20 minute album opener that blows anything they did previous out of the water, 2112 is one of the essential rock songs, and especially prog rock songs. Immediately, this is an improvement over The Fountain of Lamneth and The Necromancer; The transitions from section to section are much smoother and the individual instruments and band members shine in many different parts. Lyrically, this track takes place far into the future, that being 2112, and a man finds an old guitar of ancient days, who shows it to the Priests of Syrnix, the leaders of this society. They deny its creative potential, and the man goes into exile after the embarrassment. Then an unknown group of people say "They have assumed control", and the people who say this are left up for interpretation. Unlike the previous tracks, this one quite a lot of story material to get through, and not a single minute of this track is wasted on filler segments. The music flows beautifully from segment to segment and the lyrics are easy to follow and compelling. This is far from pretentious, as prog can often become, and it's definitely one of the most accessible 20 minute prog tracks out there. I can't properly describe the feelings I have for this track. Just listen to this and soak in the prog/hard rock goodness that Rush gave us.

What people often forget about this album is how good the b-side is too. Yeah, 2112 gets all the praise, but the B-Side sounds like Fly By Night-era rockers, but they're all consistently great. A Passage To Bangkok is one of the quintessential Rush hard rock songs. Lyrically, it's just about smoking other locations weed, but it works so well and is not their deepest work, but it's some of their most fun. The guitar work is great here as is every instrument. Fun 70s rock at its best.

The Twilight Zone is one of my favorite Rush songs ever. It's based on a select couple episodes from the show of the same name, and acts as a loving tribute to the show. While I have never watched it, the creativity found in these lyrics brings a smile in my face, and it creates a mysterious atmosphere that's satisfying in all the right ways. It's simpler than a typical Rush track instrumentally, but it works very well and is the main reason for that atmosphere I love.

Lessons is different than the previous two tracks lyrically because it was written by Alex Lifeson rather than Neil Peart, but it's very effective in conveying a message about teaching what your parents taught you. It's similar to the Presentation section of 2112, at least in the verses anyway, but it's a solid showcase for Alex Lifeson's guitar playing and the message is really compelling to me.

The next track Tears is a love ballad, a rare entry by Rush standards, and it's really effective. It gives the album a needed variety, as it stands as one of the most unique tracks of Rush's entire career. It's another one of my favorites because of how genuine it is. I'm not sure if this was written from a real experience or if it was a story made for the song, but either way, it's startlingly effective and well-written.

The final track on 2112 is Something For Nothing, which is a killer way to end this disc. It's basically an atnthm about getting up and doing something, which is really what I need at the moment, and this track's been speaking to myself recently. It also helps that it has a great instrumental that's one of the most energized on the entire record and it makes me wanna punch through a million brick walls. Just a perfect closer.

So yeah, I've talked about this album enough. I can't say enough about how great this record is and how it effected me. Just listen to it. Yeah, you, if you haven't, LISTEN. TO. IT.

GRADE: A+

So, after the rogue success of 2112, Rush had the creative freedom to do whatever they wanted. So, they went with a more mystical sound on their follow-up record, A Farewell To Kings.

Album 5: A Farewell To Kings

Since 2112 worked so well, the band went on with the prog sound and delivered yet another classic release in A Farewell To Kings. While 2112 and Hemispheres, the latter of which I'll talk about next, tend to get the most credit out of the pre-1980s Rush material, I feel that this should get just as much praise as those ones because this album is something special.

While 2112 had one prog epic on one side and the rest was the last of their more classic rock oriented sound, this album is flat out progressive rock and it kills absolutely. While 2112 was very sci-fi heavy, this one overall feels more mystical and fantasy-driven. The title track start out with a very mellow and atmospheric acoustic guitar mixed with some fantasy-inspired keyboards that then takes off into a great prog rocker that feels like what Lord of the Rings characters would listen to if they were progheads. It sets the tone for the album well and the instrumentation and lyrics are all very well done. This isn't the best song on the album, but it's probably the best one they could have picked as an opener. 

The album continues with the terrific Xanadu, which is arguably the best song on the album and one of the best Rush ever recorded. It builds similar to how the previous track built, but this time it relies on synths before becoming a song covered in excellent performances and composition, all smoothly put together. Lyrically, it talks about a man who searches and finds immortality and sooner regrets it. What I find so amazing about this track is how well everything fits together. There are so many little sections that range from soft to fast and intense that any other band would have a difficult time tying together, but Rush makes it look easy. It all blends with the lyrics, which start out optimistic and end regretful and remorseful. It truly is peak prog Rush and one of their essential tracks.

Another essential track is the one that comes right afterwards; Closer To The Heart. Easily the most famous song from this record in terms of radio play, this track is just shy of three minutes, but is able to leave a massive impact because of its lyrics. It's basically an ode to all who put their heart into their craft and things they've done. It's very sincere writing from Neil Peart, who shows off how good of a lyricist he is, and the rest of the band put in good performances as well. It's as simple as a Rush song can be, but it works so well.

Cinderella Man and Madrigal are very good entries onto the tracklist, even if they aren't the best on the album. They're very much "calm before the storm" kind of songs, and they work both individually and as part of the album. They continue on the fantasy vibes found throughout the record and work, even if they can get cheesy, but Rush as always been that way, so I don't mind.

The album then closes with Cygnus X-1 Book 1: The Voyage, which details an explorer getting trapped into a black hole, and it leaves on a cliffhanger, to be picked up on the next album. This goes into more sci-fi vibes like on 2112 rather than talk about dining on honeydew and turning the pages of history. This track has a lot of tension and unease to it, in both the lyrics and the music. Geddy Lee's first bass line on the track is one of my all-time favorite bass lines ever played by him, and everyone else gives their all as always. If I had bought this album and 1977 and had this cliffhanger after such an eerie and complex track, I would be so excited for the next installment. It honestly makes perfect sense marketing wise; It's like leaving a sequel to a film on a cliffhanger and people will probably buy to see or hear the next part, and it works so well here.

So yeah, this album does not seem to get enough love, even if it does under the hardcore Rush fans. It's one of their most consistent releases front-to-back, and every song has all kinds of merit. It's a worthy follow-up to 2112 and probably my second favorite Rush album only behind that record.

GRADE: A+

Picking up after the tour for A Farewell To Kings, the band simply didn't know where they wanted to go next. They had many sessions, and finally came up with extremely complex compositions that were arguably their most ambitious they did at that time and that they ever did. As frustrating as many of the writing and practicing sessions were, the recording was even worse. While they record 2112 in five weeks and A Farewell To Kings, this next album took about two months to record, and what made that worse is that Geddy Lee could barely hit his signature screeching high notes. This proved to be painful for Lee and called the weeks he recorded vocals "The worst two weeks of his professional career". The band only got one day off after three months of recording and mixing, and took an extremely long vacation to recover. However, the result was their most complex album they ever produced; Hemispheres.

ALBUM 6: Hemispheres 

As not particularly mainstream and accessible A Farewell To Kings got in places, Hemispheres was like that on steroids. When Rush says this was a hard album to perform, you know what you're getting into. This is some of the most complicated rock music ever recorded. At a mere 4 tracks, it seems like an EP until you realize its 36 minutes long. Yeah, this deserves to be called an album.

It starts out with Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres, which takes the story in an unexpected direction. After our protagonist gets sucked into a black hole, he encounters a conflict between the gods that pulls man into chaos, and the mans cries is heard about this conflict and because of this, the gods stop fighting and he becomes a god himself, the god of balance. Yeah, bet you didn't see that coming. I didn't either when I first learned what it was about. Anyway, I overall prefer the first part because of its eerie atmosphere and tension, but this is easily a worthy follow-up. The lyrics are once again silly, but they work extremely well and you can tell that this took a while to make this flow perfectly as well as have so many great moments in it. If I were to compare this track to 2112, I would say it's faster-paced and larger in scale, but not as easy to follow narratively, since it often jumps from perspective of the two gods fighting and the main character. 2112 is much simpler to follow in my opinion, and I do prefer it over this, but this is still a more than worthy entry in Rush's catalog because it's engaging and, while not the most accessible Rush track, is still worthy of praise even if this isn't your thing.

Circumstances follows Cygnus and is a terrific rocker that is one of my favorite Rush songs ever. I don't know what it is about this track, but every time I hear it, I can't help but love it. I think it probably has to do with the lyrics about how circumstances are all a part of life and we can't avoid them. It's a simpler Rush track; It's what I imagine a heavier Closer To The Heart sounding like, and I'm surprised it's not more popular for that reason. This is extremely radio friendly with relatable lyrics and I think could've been a hit, but as far as I know, it didn't chart, possibly because this record has a reputation of not being very accessible. Oh well. I love it still.

The Trees is one of the few prog era Rush songs that does nothing for me. Lyrically, it's about the trees fighting over ground. No deeper meaning, just trees fighting. I know I've defended lyrics that talk about entering a black hole and becoming a god and unknown forces taking over a solar federation after a man discovers a banned guitar, but this is just too silly for me. It's not awful, but it just leaves me with an "eh" feeling.

Now, let's talk about the real kicker, perhaps the main reasons why the recording sessions lasted so long; La Villa Strangiato. Holy crap, what an instrumental cut! This is my favorite rock instrumental of all time, hands down. It's incredibly captivating throughout, from Geddy Lee's killer bass lines, Alex Lifeson's amazing solo and great riffs, and the best drum performance of Neil Peart's entire career. 9 minutes of pure instrumental bliss that blows me away every time and a perfect final track for an album. Every part is well-played and smoothly transitions from all these other complicated parts that are just as good as the last. It really shows the care and effort Rush can put into their song and it also shows how far they've come from messier long compositions like The Fountain of Lamneth. A whole 9 minutes of musical brilliance is better than a 19 minute slog fest that only occasionally shines. I was wowed the first time I heard it and I still am.

So yeah, Hemispheres is amazing and I love it. This is definitely one of the most interesting Rush albums from its recording and writing to the actual album itself. There are other albums I prefer over this, but this is so good and I can see why this is so many people's favorite Rush record. I just have some hot takes that we'll get to later in the series.

GRADE: A

So, after the hell the band went through to record Hemispheres, they decided to change up their sound in order to be a lot simpler for them to play (At least by their standards) and to fit Geddy's now more limited vocal range better. What was the result when you get a more "mainstream" Rush? Well, you get the album known as Permanent Waves.

Album 7: Permanent Waves

While Hemispheres was arguably their least accessible album, Permanent Waves was arguably their most accessible at the time. While Rush was popular at the time, this album and particularly its first couple singles lead to Rush becoming more popular with the mainstream music listeners, and dear God, did this album crush in every way.

It starts out with a serious contender for my favorite song not just by Rush, but of all time with The Spirit of Radio. Yeah, this song's really that good. The opening guitar riff is one of the best ever played and the way the bass and drums kick in immediately after you hear the riff is so engaging and unique without feeling forced. It even features a reggae section in the bridge that is so smoothly placed after the prog rock parts that it's frankly remarkable, even from what we've seen so far from this band. So yeah, musically, it's absolute bliss. You just have to listen to it for yourself. Lyrically, it talks about how rock radio became filled with commercials and how these radio stations will "Echo with the sounds of salesmen". It is such a perfect fit with the music and it makes for a very relatable concept for many rock fans. It's no wonder why this is still a staple on classic rock radio. It's infectious and amazing in every way.

Freewill is the next song, and acts a worthy follow-up to an act hard to follow. It continues to have a more mainstream sound than Rush had for years at that point, and it works well. It contains one of Alex Lifeson's best guitar solos and some great riffs from him as well. Geddy Lee's bass groove on the track is also infectious and Peart's drumming is always great (I feel like I'm repeating myself here, but I kind of got too). The song lyrically is just about how you have to make a choice no matter what. As the song says, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice". This is also another one of my favorite Rush songs because of its thoroughly engaging instrumental and lyrical content that's some of Neil Peart's best work. Great stuff.

Entre Nous and Different Strings are arguably even more mainstream than Freewill and The Spirit of Radio, because they're shorter and less complex. They're also love songs, which are rare for this band, like I said when I talked about Tears, but this album has two back-to-back! I think the reasoning for this is purposeful, because they're mirror opposites. Entre Nous is about embracing the differences between you and partner, spouse, or whoever you're in a relationship with. It's sweet and ultimately rather heartwarming. Meanwhile, Different Strings is about not being able to embrace the differences that the person you're in love with has, and it's sad, especially after the optimism that came before with Entre Nous. I don't have much else to say about these tracks other than that they're different for Rush, but they're very effective and they give the album an emotional core.

Now, don't go thinking that this album is just filled with radio singles, because it's not. Jacob's Ladder and the fantastic closer Natural Science are both tracks for the fans of their "proggier" material. Jacob's Ladder features some of Rush's best use of synthesizers combined with amazing guitar work and drum work that slowly builds throughout the track creating one of Rush's most epic tracks they ever made. I really can't say much about it other than it's an amazing experience in atmosphere and buildup.

Natural Science is similar to Jacob's Ladder, but it's even better. It's more complex than that track was, and it's so great because of it. It starts out with a beautiful acoustic guitar and Geddy singing about how life began. It eventually goes into so many great sections of musicianship and playing that it can get overwhelming. What holds it together so well are the lyrics, which deal with how life began, where it is now, and where it will go. It's rather thought-provoking, and the music reflects this by being complex as added, making it also somewhat thought-provoking. 

So yeah, this is not just one of my favorite Rush albums, but one of my favorite albums of all time. In many ways, similar to A Farewell To Kings, this album is embraced, but often doesn't get enough credit for how it impacted the band. It gave them the strength to expand to a more mainstream sound, but also to keep their prog rock core. If you're unfamiliar with Rush, this is one of the best starting points easy.

Grade: A+

So, after the hit record that was Permanent Waves, Rush continued on this trend and released their most mainstream record yet. While the previous record was the transition into this new sound, Moving Pictures flat-out embraced it.

Album 8: Moving Pictures

Easily Rush's most popular album to date, Moving Pictures was a smash both critically and financially. To date, it has sold over 4 million copes in the U.S alone and brought with it singles that still get constant radio airplay to this day. Does it deserve all the acclaim as it's gotten? Absolutely.

While Moving Pictures isn't my personal favorite Rush album, I do believe it's their most "perfect". By that, I mean this is the one that works best as an album, as it blends the prog rock of 2112 through Hemispheres, the hard rock of the first few albums, the accessibility of Permanent Waves, and the reggae and synths of later releases (We'll get to that in the next installment). None of it feels out of the ordinary and it's a wonderful, cohesive experience.

As for the tracks themselves, I want to start off with the singles you've probably heard a million times before; Tom Sawyer and Limelight. Tom Sawyer is one of Rush's delves into synth-driven music, and it's effective because it allows for all the instruments to be heard in all their glory. The bass, drums, and guitar all get time to shine individually and engage the listener. The lyrics are also great, talking about being a rebel without coming off as angsty. I can't really say much else about it other than this song is great radio rock that you've probably heard.

However, as great as Tom Sawyer is, it oddly enough isn't the single that gets the most replay from me, probably because I hear it often. Limelight is the single that I play more often because it appeals to me more. The lyrics always did feel like an honest of the life of a rock star who plays shows, records music and leaves in "The universal dream" for a living. Alex Lifeson's guitar solo is also one of his best and the riffs are pure Rush joy. 

For the "progheads" who dug the longer songs on previous records, there's the almost 11 minute cut The Camera Eye, which isn't their most complicated piece yet, but it's very effective in execution. I love how everything is tied together by synth without getting too heavily embedded in synth, and therefore giving the guitar, bass, and drums all time to shine. While this sounds like a subtle diss towards Rush's synth era, it's not. I just don't think this track would've worked as well within an album like Signals or Power Windows. It really relies on every instrument equally stealing at multiple points, and not being overlaid in synth and electronic effects. 

Red Barchetta is another Rush track for those who like the slightly less conventional song structures that Rush is known for. This one is not synth-driven at all and is driven by all the instruments working together so fluidly. The song gives me feelings of nostalgia and excitement, as it talks about riding in a car the protagonist's uncle gave him and he gets in a car chase. It's not as crazy as something like Cygnus, but nothing on this album is and it doesn't have to be; It continues the mainstream route this album gave as well as acknowledging their prog phase in the mid to late 70s.

Another great thing about this album is that it has an instrumental in YYZ. It isn't as nuts as something like Va Villa Strangiato, but it's so addictive. Geddy Lee's bass riff on the track is iconic and drives the song forward. It's less than 4 and-a-half minutes, but it leaves as much impact on you as a crazy prog piece does. It goes to show how iconic and beloved this record is; An instrumental is as iconic as any other song on the album. Rarely ever does that happen, but Rush accomplished this.

However, I don't think the final two tracks get enough credit. Witch Hunt might actually be my favorite track on the entire record because of its dark atmosphere and haunting synth line. It definitely stands as a unique piece in Rush's discography because Rush rarely ever did anything this spooky before. 

Meanwhile, the closing cut Vital Signs is a look towards Rush's future. It's the most "Reggae" thing they did to date at this point, and the experimentation worked really well here. The groove is infectious and even somewhat bouncy. It's not a complicated song, but it showed signs Rush could go somewhere doing this, which they may or may not have done. 

Overall though, Moving Pictures is perhaps Rush's best album from a consistency. Everyone's performing strong, all the songs are great, and it flows perfectly from track to track. It's not my personal favorite Rush album (I prefer Permanent Waves, A Farewell to Kings, and 2112), but it's still one of my favorite albums of all time and it's a must-hear from Rush.

GRADE: A+

So, unlike the last cliffhanger, Rush decided not to continue on with Moving Pictures' sound and instead became even more mainstream. Where will that lead. Well, you probably already know, but it's worth looking into if you haven't. We'll look at Signals, Grace Under Pressure, Power Windows, and Hold Your Fire next time.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part - Film Review

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is the latest entry in Warner Bros' Lego movie franchise, this being the first direct sequel the the original Lego Movie. This film takes place 5 years after the events of the first one, and it features the characters from the first one living in an apocalyptic society, and Emmet's the only one that seems happy. However, he must toughen up in order to save his friends after they're kidnapped. Now, before I start the actual review, I must say The Lego Movie is my favorite animated movie of the decade. It's creative, funny, clever, and it has heart to spare. So when I heard Phil Lord and Christopher Miller weren't returning to direct and were only writing the script and Mike Mitchell, who directed Shrek Forever After and Trolls, was their replacement, I got nervous. I am not a fan of either of Mitchell's films as an animation director, and following up a comedic masterpiece is hard to do. Well, did Mitchell break through and deliver a worthy sequel, or did he mess up?

Unfortunately, he did neither.

Let's start with the things I liked. First of all, the animation looks absolutely stunning as all these movies do. There's so much detail and care put in that it has to be complemented. It looks like fantastic stop-motion at points and even at points where it looks glossier, it still works visually and it helps create a unique, creative world that I just can't get enough of.

This film also has a solid amount of heart. If one thing did not disappoint, it was the message and its execution. It feels very genuine in that retrospect and it ties in well to the story. It's basically about being yourself and you shouldn't change because someone wants you to, and that's something we can all get behind. I've heard people say the message was forced, but I thought it tied in well to the film's plot and I got a decent amount out of it.

The script is also good. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller put a good amount of thought into it and it had several moments that worked well. The main characters also have decent arcs here, particularly Emmet, and they feel like natural continuations from the first movie. They make these characters feel human, even though they are Lego characters. These men are two of my favorite screenwriters and directors in all of Hollywood at the moment because of their love for their craft. Films like the first Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse have shown this, and their script here is more proof that they know how to write good material.

However, that leads me into the negatives, and there's really one big negative I have with this movie; The directing. Mike Mitchell had so many resources; A good script, great animation, a good premise, and he just pulls this movie down. His directing lacks punch and he makes so many moments fall flat. Remember how I said in Lord and Miller's script there are many gags that were funny? Well, in the movie, they're not, because they lack proper comedic timing and style. It feels like he tried to copy the directing from the first one, but Mitchell is not a great director and just can't pull it off. It makes the film feel more manufactured than it should be, because that's what he is; A studio hire. A couple other directors went in and out of this film because of creative differences, and he was the safe choice because he would do what they wanted. It's really him and the studio that let this film down. It's not Lord and Miller, it's not the voice actors, it's not anything else; It's the director and the studio. There is still plenty to love in the film and there are moments of humor that do work on-screen, but many of the jokes and even a couple emotional moments fall flat.

So, I wish there was more to talk about other than some vague thoughts, but there's not much to discuss here. I wished I loved this movie more, I really do; It has so much going for it, like good voice actors, stunning animation, and a good script, but it's the studio-manufactured directing that makes so many moments fall flat. Kids will surely love this movie, but everyone else will more likely be more lukewarm on it. If you have kids that want to see it, go ahead and take them. It's decent and it has enough for older viewers to like, but don't expect something as good as the first one. I don't want to sound overly negative here, because I like the film fine, and it's a good movie for children. As a sequel to one of the greatest animated movies of all time though, it lacks the touch to be considered a worthy sequel in my eyes.

GRADE: B-