R O N I: Stop Motion

🤨

R O N I delivers a well textured track in “Stop Motion”. I am a big old fan of the production behind the song. At a four minute length the variations throughout provide ample intrigue to keep the listener engaged. My only gripe would be with the lyrics. While there is no doubt R O N I is a terrific vocalist, the song gets bogged down with a lot of cliches.

The Break Plans: City Lights

🤮

Oh wow I really do not like this. “The Break Plans” falls hard into the realm of pop that I can not abide. I thought the end of the 2010’s would mean we didn’t get anymore EDM inspired Folk/Rock but here we are. Besides my clear bias I have another problem. The appeal to these songs is usually atmospheric buildup and release similar to an progressive house tune, in this track both feel lackluster.

Technicolor Hideaway: Cassidy Louis

😀

Greg: Really like this one, Super strong vocals, Kelly Clarkson-esque range and presence throughout the song.

😑 

Sean: I have a hard time deriving any kind of personality from this release. The production behind it seems solid, but it is all in service of a particularly bland couple of tracks. Not for me. They would work really well as the background music to a wedding slideshow.

Habit Creature: Tōth

🙂

Tōth’s “Habit Creature” kicks off strong with a dazzling vocal intro. Something about that Beach Boys style vocal chorus really charges my crystals. The rest of the track is a subdued but uptempo synth-popp-y tale of self care. I can get behind the message and I can for sure get behind the instrumentals ghostly robotic sounds. There were a few odd vocal quirks that I could have done without, but on the whole I did enjoy this tune.    

Marching Squares: Supreme Allied Commander

🙁

Marching Square’s “Supreme Allied Commander” was a struggle to get through. While I did get glimpses of a sound that I would have enjoyed the majority of the album falls flat for me. poor album cohesion, and predictable song structures out weighed the moments that shined. That being said the moments I had liked did shine bright. The track “Extinction” has a little more edge and stands out as particularly darker from the majority of the album. I would have much rather had the band commit to this heavier darker sound. Instead we are left with a pretty average folk album with a few interesting moments.