Blood Orange- Coastal Grooves

A little back story to this album from Blood Orange is that Devonte Hynes was inspired by the transvestites of New York and also wanted to make songs that could be sung at drag shows. I think the concept is pretty neat and I am always about people showing their openness and support to the LGBT community. Coastal Groove is a fun listen and the songs are reminiscent of the 80s with Prince-sounding vocals and the rushed guitar work reminiscent of “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. On the track “Can We Go Inside Now?” all I can think of is the scene in From Dusk Till Dawn where Salma Hayek is stripping and Tito & Tarantula is playing that Latin slow sounding guitar song “After Dark.” Even when Hynes is in his higher vocal range there is still so much soul to his music. If there was one downfall to Coastal Groove it would be that it can be a little one-dimensional at times and lacks the depth that Blood Orange is more than capable of giving. I would also like to hear more vocals and choruses in place of some of the guitar grooves that replace them. All in all, this album is right on the edge of greatness and I think that with another album or two Blood Orange could really achieve it. 

Final Review- 75


Best Songs- Forget It, Can We Go Inside Now?

The Antlers- Burst Apart

I have never been a big fan of falsetto, but The Antlers front man and founder Peter Silberman is one of the few singers who can really pull it off. I would put Silbermanis’s quality of singing and range right up there with some of the greats like Thom Yorke and Prince. Burst Apart starts a little slow, but when it picks up, it doesn’t stop till the end. I knew almost immediately when Burst Apart started that it wasn’t just going to be another indie rock album from Brooklyn but its own entity entirely. In the oversaturated dream pop and indie scene that’s going on right now I think it’s a big feat to be original the way The Antlers are. There are a few tracks on Burst Apart that will straight up blow your mind, one of them being “Rolled Together.” The track has little to no vocals and is mainly just slow guitar strums, but the drum build is almost overwhelmingly good. I think if you have been waiting for a new and original sound/album then Burst Apart is here for you. This was one of the harder albums to not give a perfect score to. The slower start just makes it a listen that will not stay with you right away, but as it goes on Burst Apart will end up being an album that touches the deepest part of you.

Final Review- 95