🎶Young and Dumb🎵

(side note: these ratings are partly opinions as are all of my reviews. I try to consider a lot of objective factors when making these ratings but in the end, sometimes I just don't like things)

0 stars = Not good, I would not recommend this to anyone, not even my worst enemy.

1 star = Not super good but there are some redeeming qualities

2 stars = It's decent. Not the greatest but not the worst, giving it a listen won't kill you

3 stars = This is pretty good. I'm really only recommending this to someone who likes this kind of music

4 stars = Great! I enjoy it, this will probably appeal to a lot of people and recommending it won't be that big of a deal because of how good it is

5 stars = This is some of the best music out there, I'm recommending this to all my friends and their moms

6 stars = I'm probably gatekeeping this and I had it on repeat for two weeks when I first heard it

Album: Mammalian Sighing Reflex (2023)

Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/31KiskR7q89oowARNCmSMG

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5)

Released on a random Thursday in November of 2023, this album was like a bomb on the Wilbur Soot/Lovejoy community. Filled with tragic lyrics describing depression as well as other mental health issues, and excellent guitar playing, as always. This album presents the listener with pure emotion; loss and distance are consistent motifs throughout.

Him addressing the audience at the beginning of the album is the perfect way to introduce the theme of distance. Time has passed since many fans have been able to interact with Will's content except for what he's been doing with his band.

He also doesn't only talk about certain kinds of distance, loss, and isolation. Will discusses these in the context of romantic and platonic relationships as well as one's relationship with society and themself. Each song has its own lamentable story that he's trying to tell, while also fitting the overarching theme of wanting to change and be better. He does this extremely well, the music and the lyrics fit perfectly together. He emphasizes things with the use of effects and tempo.

The effects he uses on his voice and the music make every song distinct but still fit together well. This is an album best listened to all the way through first. Every song pushes forward these feelings of ultimate isolation. This is the kind of music that seems to hit extremely hard for people who were teenagers during larger parts of 2020-2021.

Everything about this album is wonderful. it's consistent with Will's personal (solo) style, including the album art. In my opinion, unlike Your City Gave Me Asthma, this album can either be listened to all the way through or songs can be listened to separately without removing any impact. This is something I recommend to people, even if they aren't necessarily into Wilbur Soot. It's a tragic and sob-inducing album either way.

none of the Beatles could read or write sheet music

Eminem's "Rap God" holds the world record for highest number of words in one song, 1560 words in total (an average of 4.28 words per second)

Album: Politics Are Bullshit! (2024)

Link: https://soundcloud.com/minecraft-coop/sets/politics-are-bullshit

rating: ⭐⭐ (2)

MR. SHR00M is a more recent artist, taking inspiration from pop punk and emo bands like TX2, Green Day, and My Chemical Romance. His self-released album, Politics Are Bullshit!, is burning with political themes and interesting music.

The album starts with a rallying cry of "Politics are bullshit and politicians are bitches" which sets the tone for the rest of the tracks. The lyrics are easy to understand and the messages are clear but they are vulgar and ridden with cuss words; they are also overly simplistic. The message doesn't get much deeper than "politics are bullshit" or "I don't like Donald Trump and his supporters". MR. SHR00M also often takes time to attack the government and politicians in ways that simplify political issues beyond recognition. He also doesn't take that much time to make it clear what issues he is addressing and when he does, it seems he's spreading himself too thin, trying to talk about every issue in America. He often has bridges (?) in his songs that are mostly him talking to address different politicians and issues. In his song, "The Government (50 Stars)", he has two separate occasions where he does this, which feels unnecessary especially because he is trying to cover so many topics. It dilutes the song and any meaning or impact it might have had.

As a newer artist, he has potential. Most of his work has clear punk influences which means that if the instrumentation and vocals are used a little more specifically then these would be great punk "anthems". That being said, MR SHR00M is a rising star of sorts. I recommend taking a listen if you're interested in supporting a smaller pop punk/emo artist.

Brief history:

Indie rock is defined by the "eclectic mix of musical styles and non-commercial approach to recording and releasing music". It developed in the 1970s, as more popular bands began to branch off of popular music and start independent record labels. The 70s was also when the punk rock movement emerged and gained popularity, which helped influence and continue the indie rock genre. During the 80s, the genre grew exponentially, as artists were inspired and joined in. It made music more accessible.

Band recommendations:

The Smiths

Buzzcock

The Clash

Ramones

(note that all of this information is in no way the extent of the history, its just meant to give someone a general sense of it; any additions to this post are more than welcome as long as they are relevant)

Sources:

Indie Rock Music: History and Artists of Independent Rock

This genre has been treated in interesting ways as the term "aesthetic" seemed to replace "subculture" during 2020 (and surely before that as well). Indie, short for independent, refers to the size of labels releasing this type of music as well as the nature of the bands involved. These kinds of labels give bands and musicians more control over their music, allowing them to explore a multitude of sounds, subjects, etc.

These kinds of bands tend to be gritty and very diy, as well as being very diverse and inclusive. Due to the freedom given, feminism thrives here.

Indie rock is a bit of an umbrella term, due to its vague nature of definition, some subgenres that can be considered "indie rock" include:

riot grrrl

Midwest Emo

and slacker rock

Some quick song recommendations to dive into indie rock are:

The Adults Are Talking by the Strokes

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked by Cage The Elephant

Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes

Champagne Shit by Janelle Monae

Answer by Tyler, the Creator

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

Colors by Black Pumas

Feels So Right by Janet Jackson

Album: Call Me If You Get Lost (2021)

Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/45ba6QAtNrdv6Ke4MFOKk9

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3)

Before I get into this, I'd like to preface that I haven't listened to very much Tyler, the Creator or rap in general. My opinions are "young" and will hopefully grow as I continue this.

Tyler's style feels more chill than other types of rap that I've listened to. There's something nostalgic and "comforting" about it. Because of its quieter nature, this is an album I could (and would) fall asleep to. This is clearly due to many choices being made, the beats feel crisp and smooth but with a touch of softness that give them that lofi feel.

From what I can tell, Tyler is a talented writer. His lyrics are interesting. He ties together each song, not only with the vibe, but also with similar lyrics and general style continuity.

I'd like to end this with praise for the album cover. It's simplistic, yet gives the exact energy of the album. The limited color palette and extreme use of negative space create a liminal and "lost" type of vibe that match well with the title.

This album might not appeal to a lot of people. I'm not sure if this was exactly the best way to be introduced to Tyler's work but it certainly has many great tracks. I'm not qualified to recommend this to anyone but it was an enjoyable experience and I will be adding Tyler, the Creator to my personal playlist.

This months' vibe-

All I Need by Radiohead (2007)

An album released this month-

Saviors by Green Day (2024)

An older song associated with this month-

Will You Love Me Tomorrow? by The Shirelles (1960)

A peek into the future-

Album: Saviors (2024)

Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/4AIeqAMDyIT884A9uA2A0i

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3.5)

There's no denying it, Green Day is not leaving any time soon. They continue their signature style even now, with political/societal commentary, great vocals, and a distinct musical sound.

The music feels very nostalgic for this reason. Maybe it's my personal experiences that make it such, but there is something comforting and "old" about the instrumentals. Similarly, the lyrical content continues to voice certain things about the political and societal climate at the moment. Some fairly obvious examples of this is in "The American Dream is Killing Me" and "Strange Days Are Here To Stay" which both have things to say about political corruption as well as other issues.

The title song "Saviors" sounds like a plea to people to make some kind of change, almost like an ode to old rockstars. To me, it seems like a plea to bring a new era of punk rock (possibly?).

Overall, this album is very good. It maintains their style while still providing a fresh sound and vibe. It does not feel as though they are burning out or "too old" for this. Green Day is band for all ages, their music appeals to a wide audience which likely helps the feeling that they don't need to retire at the moment.

EP: Ghost Of LA

Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7so0Nj5THAkyZ7wGmigU0E

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

TX2 is "bringing back emo/rock music" as he likes to boast in his TikToks. He is clearly influenced by the Golden Age of the emo era for this EP, his songs are edgy yet heartfelt and filled with his own trauma.

His lyrics often discuss political topics but it seems that this EP follows more into his emotions and relationships. His lyrics can be gross at times but generally there is purpose and thoughtfulness behind these choices. For example in his song Degrade Me, he's using the image of a femdom as a way to describe an ex-girlfriend who was controlling and taking advantage of his self-destructive tendencies. He talks about not leaving the relationship no matter how bad it is because of how much he "likes" it.

Musically, this EP is interesting and is pretty clearly fits into multiple genres including rock, pop punk, and emo. The drums accent the lyrical content really well and make the songs feel more "hardcore".

TX2 is emotionally vulnerable in many of these songs, discussing difficult topics including losing a friend to addiction. This makes the EP much more touching and impactful. The more hardcore sounding songs are in between the slower and more emotion focused songs. This makes the EP come across as a coherent and well put-together set of songs. The final song on the EP has an epic build up into this extremely significant moment close to the end which adds a sort of finished yet only beginning kind of vibe to the final song. It finishes the EP but makes it feel open as we expect to see more from TX2.

It's clear that TX2 is not going away any time soon. This could be the beginning of an emo renaissance, and most of us would welcome that gladly. He is a great artist with some interesting songs, his influences are clear.

I recommend TX2 if you're interested in more recent emo and pop punk sounding music. If you're looking for political messages or just some guy singing about his feelings, TX2 is a great choice.