Marilyn Manson [2015] (album) The Pale Emperor

ah, some 'high profile' releases have hit the stage now in 2015 and this is probably the first real one i've hit so far. might spin a couple of the other ones tonight as well. Mr. Manson hasn't been relevant for a long while now. as far as i know. and to be honest i haven't heard much of his material since his prime time smells like antichrist animals era. this album seems to be much less abrasive than he used to be. but also much less catchy. it feels more.. dare i say.. soulful. if that makes any sense. only very few tracks stood out to me as attention grabbers and the rest sort of fades into marilyn-esque depression. i always felt like his albums were way too long. maybe its just me and it means i don't really care for his music.. or maybe it means his albums are TOO FUCKING LONG. its all homogeneous and more or less the same tempo and i have always felt like his releases could have benefited from being a little more picky. slimmed down.  i dunno what his 'band' is like these days, but this album comes off feeling kind of minimal.

voodoo says 6/10 on first impression

Itsue (イツエ) [2015] (album) Konya Zettai (今夜絶対)

Well I thought maybe we had hit a high water mark for the year so far here in january when i got this release started. there was a bit of a lull in the middle that has me second guessing it, but that lull is then squelched by probably the two most energetic tracks of the album. so i dunno. This is the first release by Itsue i've heard and it kind of took me for a rollercoaster ride. My gut reaction was to fucking love it. powerful female vocals totally own this release. the music is thick and serves as good background for her and comes to the forefront with more aggressive energy from time to time, though it does end up feeling sort of disjointed with the ups and downs and different approaches over the course of the album. a fistful of tracks end up feeling a little too... i dunno. poppy? sad? something. something i wasn't quite digging.  it reminded me of how i feel about the group fra-foa. beautiful vocalist. powerful music. but more often than not feeling too slow and sad to get me going.  i don't think this release suffers quite that same fate, but its close. i feel like if i cut this album in half and had a kick ass ep and a pouty sad ep, i would throw away the latter and rock the shit out the first. that's not to say the sad songs are bad. not at all. just not what i want usually.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Wednesday 13 [2015] (album) Monsters Of The Universe: Come Out And Plague

bleh. meh. i could get behind some of the riffs these guys are rocking, but the vocals fall way flat for me. it sounds like.. i dunno. like hick glam vocals if that makes any sense at all. like if jackyl tried to sing glam on top of stadium rockers trying to play metal. just can't get into it. i'm looking at photos of these guys, and it looks like some of them are right out of the band dope, and i can hear some resemblance, but i'm too fucking uninterested to see if they are indeed former dopers. if you want to make 'horror' anything.. metal, rock, industrial.. whateverthefuck.. you should have some fucking atmosphere to your music. these guys don't.

voodoo says 5/10 on first impression

Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46) [2015] (album) Toumei Na Iro (透明な色)

As a rule i have avoided idol pop groups, but in an effort for expansion and new exposures in the year 2015 i decided to spin this as sort of a joke, hoping for a 1 or 2 rating, which i have yet to find something so repulsive to qualify for... unfortunately.. and it scares me to say, i didn't dislike this at all. i refuse to 'like' it. though i can accept the fact that this is actually a pretty good album if you like idol pop. *cringe* i only made myself listen to the first disc though.

voodoo says 5/10 on first impression.

The Cheserasera (ザ・ケセラセラ) [2015] (album) Whatever Will Be, Will Be

i've got this playing while i'm digging through the trenches to build a new order of japanese discs. the cheserasera is a three piece male rock unit from japan, and they've got a pretty classic sound, but they've got no punch. no kick. no hook. the whole album is really pleasant. just nice sounding. but the kicker is that nothing in the entire album grabbed my attention. i want to give it a 6 because ultimately i felt quite comfortable while listening to it. it's got a nice vibe. but i gotta settle on 5 for its complete inability to grab my attention.

voodoo says 5/10 on first impression

Karasu Wa Masshiro (カラスは真っ白) [2015] (ep) Himitsu

my first taste of karasu wa masshiro is pretty successful i'd say. it's a short and sweet ep, just the way the japanese do it best. the music is fast and energetic rock with poppy female melodies, though her approach at times is rather playful in a sly sort of way. the music reminds me of the more energetic bits of groups like radwimps or 9mm Parabellum Bullet. i had to give this ep a spin twice to know how i felt cuz it goes by so fast, but its damn good, with the weak spot being the finale, the poppiest song of the group. i like all the imagery the group has created too in their photos. they look like they are having fun, and you can hear it in the music.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Beardfish [2015] (album) +4626-Comfortzone

Blah blah blah. these guys are clearly talented, and i'm sure they have their audience... there's a lot of elements from song to song that i really like, but those elements are swallowed up by tedious neo prog that just doesn't do anything for me. it doesn't turn me on, it doesn't chill me out, it just makes me bored.  It's interesting because when the elements i do enjoy happen, they pop right out in contrast to the boredom and they seem real fucking cool, but ultimately i don't think it's enough to hold my attention. fuck it. i've got no time for these guys. flushing after 4 tracks. fuck ya later.

voodoosays 4/10 on first impression

Callejon [2015] (album) Wir Sind Angst

About 10 years ago i would have thought callejon were fucking BAD ASS. this kind of music used to get my juices flowing pretty good, listening to bands like raunchy, in flames, nothingface.. ya know.. tight heavy riffs, melodic vocals mixed with screams... nowadays it doesn't get me in the pits anymore, but i can still appreciate and get mildly turned on by something heavy and catchy. i have to say that i am pretty impressed with this release. Its my first taste of callejon, though i guess they've been around for a while now and i'm into it. i could listen to this more frequently than a lot of the heavy shit i've heard over the last few years. the thing that tends to get my attention with this sort of 'metalcore' music are really catchy hooks in the chorus to break up the constant thumpity thump of the verses and callejon seem to hit that hook pretty well on a lot of their songs. so i'm in. one thing that does kind of bother me a little bit is the production of the vocals. there are so many fucking layers in the screams that it sounds like a wall of sound and it pulls my ears away from the other cool shit going on.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Sleater-Kinney [2015] (album) No Cities To Love

Sleater-Kinney's sound remains remarkably in tact 20 years later, 10 years after their last album, though their production and sound is crisper than ever and it sounds damn good! there's plenty of energy and emotion here, which keeps the album moving forward with full attention instead of falling flat and turning into background, something that often plagues bands who try to make a comeback or who have had a consistent sound for so long. I found myself particularly fond of the title track, No Cities To Love and Bury Our Friends. between the seductive cynicism of the vocals and the remarkably interesting guitar licks and aggressive rhythms, Sleater-Kinney has delivered again.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Snakefeast [2015] (album) The Pythoness

The opening to this album immediately amused the shit out of me. I didn't know what i was getting with snakefeast and it opened with what sounded like i was going to get a sludge album with black vocals. Which i guess is kind of what this is. kind of. the growls amuse the shit out of me. i dunno why. i can't understand lyrics like this and to me it ends up just being an instrument instead of a voice. so at about 1 minute into the first song we get a break where its JUST these vocals... and i'm still amused. but then BANG fucking stoner desert grunge grooves come flying in on top of the vocals and i'm like WHAT THE FUCK.  and the songs don't mess around either. these guys cover some serious ground within the confines of each song.  so i haven't listened to as much doom or sludge over the last few years as i should, so i dunno.. maybe there is someone that you can compare these guys to, but i don't know who it is. i am also impressed with the sounds of the instruments. when someone mixes guitars, bass and drums in a way that DOESN'T sound like everyone fucking else, i am impressed. i don't see how you couldn't be entertained by this record though if you like sludge, doom, black, or stoner... so check it the fuck out, front to fucking back.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Hanni El Khatib [2015] (album) Moonlight

Yeah! Hanni is new to me and what a better introduction than the first song! about 4 seconds in and i was ready to call this baby a winner. In my mind, this shit just wreaks of nick cave influence. simple instrumentation that can be layered minimal sounds or fuzzy riffs with a fat fucking groove that just lets the vocals melt all over the top. the production here is just delicious. the sounds of all the instruments are just perfect for the music. If you like anything from real deals like nick cave to modern retro rockers like the black keys or jack white, hanni is worth your time. he kind of makes me want to punch you in the face. i don't know why. But I will obey him.

voodoo says 8/10 on first impression

From The Airport [2015] (album) You Could Imagine

Well, what do you call this? club music? dance? something like that. some kind of electro pop. i struggle with my asian bias on this one. is this ok because they aren't singing about stupid fucking shit that american pop sings about? is this ok because its korean?  do i actually like pop music? to be honest i don't care for it THAT much. why do all of your vocals have to be smothered in auto-tune vocoder nonsense?  but admittedly it is catchy enough for me to not hate it at the same time. the beats are heavy, the synths are groovy. the verses i tend to like more than the choruses, which can be a little too much pop.. but their guitar licks are usually nicely done at least. they remind me of a crossbreed between Boom Boom Satellites and pop music. in full disclosure, there is a lot of pop music that has good qualities to it that i enjoy. i'd shudder to think of which names would come up in comparing this to a western artist though, so i'm not going to try. on its own, i think its a successful electro pop album, and the bonus is its not about going out and getting drunk on friday night. i'm not going to announce myself as a From The Airport fan by any means. but there are some things here i like, and i don't hear anything that offends me the way the vast majority of pop does. the energy fades a lot in the second half of the album, but even these songs aren't painful to listen to. i guess what it comes down to is celebrating a well done pop album instead of being ashamed to admit that pop can rock too.

voodoo says 6/10 on first impression

Noveller [2015] (album) Fantastic Planet

i don't listen to much ambient stuff. its gotta have a really good vibe or something interesting going on thematically that i can begin to imagine things with to make me want that over something more upbeat. noveller doesn't really pull that off for me. i like the way the first few tracks move, and track 4 'sisters' is probably my favorite when the washy synths come in. this is the most animated the album gets, and i can feel it workings its magic.. but beyond this point the album wanes into darkness and i get nothing from it. this album is like a lollipop that loses its sweetness halfway through. what do you do with a flavorless lollipop?

voodoo says 5/10 on first impression

Asaf Avidan [2015] (album) Gold Shadow

I was going into this hoping for an album to fall in love with. i had never heard of asaf avidan or asaf avidan & the mojos. i watched a youtube clip and got real excited. ultimately i think this album suffers from my own musical ADD. sometimes.. well.. frequently, i have a hard time staying in the same sound for a long time. i like to bounce around genres and hear different sounds. so i got bored while i was listening to this. it starts out strong. there are some great songs. i can see myself being very satisfied with at least half of this album as songs that pop up in playlists. some of it does, ADD or not, feel like snoozer material though. there's no doubt that asaf is a crazy talented vocalist. songs like 'the jail that sets you free' rock without doubt and beg to be in sets alongside jack white projects or even edward sharpe playlists and i'll be looking forward to further spins to feel out the better songs. but for now, on the initial spin, i'm feeling too mellow.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression

Aoi Yamazaki (山崎あおい) [2015] (album) 12cm

Aoi Yamazaki follows in the footsteps of Yui (though Yui was actually fucking good!), becoming an overproduced singer songwriter turned into pop. you know, its not terrible. she has a really nice voice. she's pretty adorable. i'd just rather listen to her making acoustic rock than sugary pop, but such is the music industry. all the strings and melodic guitar lines and piano drag me right out of whatever good qualities might be happening. i'm not much for ballad type songs either, which appear more frequently than i'd like. i guess ultimately i want this to be what its not, but you know what, i have other artists who will give it to me. sorry, aoi!

voodoo says 4/10 on first impression

16Flip [2015] (album) 10Dubb

16FLIP's (16フリップ) 10DUBB album is... well.. dub music. that means reggae music fused with samples and hip hop (though here it is primarily instrumental). i guess. i'm no dub expert, but whatever. all the tracks are simply called 'something' dub. an interesting approach. so there's like bird dub and wood dub and squad dub, etc. and you know what, i've been attracted to dub music in the past, but not frequently, and yes, i am biased toward japanese groups, cuz, fuck it, i am, but this album completely won my ear gaze (that's right) from the first moment. its got a strange hypnotic production to it. kinda muddy. dusty. murky. but steeped in groove and soul. unfortunately for 16flip, i'm not a dub junkie, and i won't frequently be spinning this, but should it happen to find itself pop up on my shuffled ipod at work, it certainly wont get skipped. well done. i like being surprised by something fresh. i guess if i was well versed in dub, i might not find this album particularly juicy, but ya know what? to me it is.

voodoo says 7/10 on first impression.

Elephant Micah [2015] (album) Where In Our Woods

Oh my god Elephant Micah. I just don't care. if i wanted to listen to this shit i'd go to a university coffee shop and sit on the dirty shit stained couch with your little shag haired losers and watch you play it there amid the BO and virgins.

voodoo says 3/10 on first impression

Panda Bear [2015] (album) Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper

its not a great sign when the first song is good enough to get you excited, but during the second and third songs you just want to go back and listen to the first one to make sure you heard what you thought you heard. i decided to ignore this impulse and let the boredom ensue. i didn't have much interest at all in what panda bear had to say musically. his digital soundscape is a boring and uninteresting electronic puffy white cloud. what he was doing with his voice, i found myself regretting to admit, reminded me of some of my favorite japanese new wave artists from the 80's. REMINDED me. nothing more, mind you. but even his voice he could only make interesting on a few tracks, and eventually ended up just being a washed out blur of white noise to my brain.  i don't frequently want to pull the plug on something, but come track 8's 'tropic of cancer' lullaby i was ready to move on. at this point i did go back and revisit the mr. noah track that had initially gotten me excited. this song is going in a playlist to not be forgotten. the rest of the album can eat shit.

voodoo says 4/10 on first impression

River Whyless [2015] (ep) River Whyless

My gut reaction to river whyless is 'warm'. the production is full, the voices are like heavy cream, and they kinda just want to make me lie on a river bank on a warm summer day. there is a great melancholy to the vibe though, which, since it is currently winter and about 8 degrees out, makes it feel very sad and cold. and of course as i write this i hit a song about winter and firewood and cold weather in 'maple sap'.  *sigh* i guess sometimes you can't shake winter. i'm still going to think about that river bank on a summer day though, thank you. i enjoy their incorporation of the violin here, coming in as an accent rather than a constant, but takes its own stage when needed. i prefer the female voice over the male.. always have, but both are relaxing. the biggest downer for me on this one is that the vibe never really gets shaken up. this one wants to lull you into a nap. that's fine and good, but i like a little energy to feel good about life too.

voodoo says 6/10 on first impression

Viet Cong - [2015] (album) Viet Cong

I didn't want to like this album at all for some reason. the first two tracks struck me as really pretentious and annoyingly abstract. i was intrigued by the uniqueness of it, in a way. the sort of nonsense of it. but beginning with the third track, march of progress, i found myself being pulled into the vortex. like it took the album it's first 6 minutes for the tornado to take it's shape, and without much delay beyond that, suck you up.  The album gets tags like industrial, goth, post punk, and so on. i don't think its any of those things really. if your musical world was very tiny, then maybe. but i think their sound is too far removed from those genres to comfortable settle in with proper company that truly holds those titles. i think viet cong is simply a dark indie rock album, awash in a sort of noisy background of effects. all in all, i can imagine myself repeating this album, which is a victory for them.

voodoo says 6/10 on first impression