Review: Two Door Cinema Club - False Alarm

Northern Irish band Two Door Cinema Club has been active for over a decade and has become one of the biggest bands to come from their area. They've done multiple tours for their own music, played in multiple festivals and have been nominated for several NME awards as well. They've also evolved artistically during their tenure, with their latest album False Alarm expanding on the dancey vibes from their previous albums.

False Alarm clocks in at 10 tracks and a little over 40 minutes which is the typical length for a Two Door Cinema Club album. But while their previous projects would be dragged down by a couple of filler tracks, there is no filler on this album which makes it the easiest album from the band to play from front to back.

This is their third album produced by Jacknife Lee and this time around the band sounds the most comfortable over his production. The band's sense of melody on this album is reminiscent of their debut almost ten years ago in terms of the catchy choruses on tracks such as Once, Talk and Dirty Air. Slower songs like Think and Break are a nice switch up from the faster paced tracks and fit very well into the album due to its sequencing.

For only the second time ever, Two Door Cinema Club utilizes guest features on their work, with Zimbabwean Afrofusion artist Mokoomba and Chicago rapper Open Mike Eagle getting featured on So Many People and Nice to See You respectively. Neither appearances are forced and fit very naturally in their songs which is a pleasant surprise given that those artists make much different music than Two Door Cinema Club.

Being able to reach out to completely different artists and still make enjoyable music with them shows that the band has matured artistically. The band's chemistry with those artists as well as with their producer also shows that they've finally found the sound that they're the most comfortable in. As a result, Two Door Cinema Club have made their best album yet.

Final score: 8/10

Review: Gucci Mane - Delusions of Grandeur

Gucci Mane is three years removed from a prison sentence in which he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. This was the culmination of a long list of legal troubles for the rapper, but since then he hasn't gotten himself into any trouble. He cleaned himself up, both mentally and physically, so much in fact that a conspiracy theory started circulating that Gucci was cloned while in prison.

The cover of Delusions of Grandeur shows a very fit Gucci Mane flexing his muscles and standing on the top of two Rolls Royces, which matches the extravagant vibe of the music on the album. This is arguably the most boastful he's been since being released from prison in 2016, with songs like Human Chandelier proclaiming that he's the "coldest nigga that's ever lived," the outro to Bussdown listing off that he's "more handsome, more healthy, more cocky, wrist more rocky, money longer, bread stronger," and Proud of You and Look at Me Now coming off like open letters to his success and improvement due to his constant obsession with self care.

Gucci extends these themes on ICE, a collaboration with Gunna & Lil Baby. This collaboration is special due to the fact that this is the first time that they've all been on a track together. Gunna & Lil Baby prove themselves worthy on this track, following in Gucci's footsteps and putting their own spin on the flow and cadence that he started the song with.

Songs like Bussdown, Bottom and Making of a Murderer has Gucci returning to the colder and more slurred delivery he had over a decade ago. This showcases his diversity and shows that he's willing to go back to the vibe of his older music without having to get into unnecessary trouble in the process.

A couple of poppier sounding tracks such as Love Thru the Computer, a lifeless collaboration with a newly resurrected Justin Bieber, Hands Off, with a repetitive hook from singer Jeremih, and Upgrade, a typical ode to Gucci's wife Keyshia Ka'Oir, drag the album down. Gucci is at his best when he's bragging about his riches and accomplishments, not trying to make another hit to get on the pop charts. Its length at 18 tracks and almost an hour long, can make some tracks bleed together and make it hard to listen from front to back as well.

Overall, the album presents itself as the biggest victory lap yet for a rapper that struggled to fully celebrate his victories even after he was released from his prison sentence over three years ago.

Final score: 7/10

Review: Lil Keed - Long Live Mexico

When Lil Keed announced the title of his latest project, Long Live Mexico, he meant it as a tribute to one of his friends named Mexico who died earlier this year. Death has always been one of the driving forces of Keed's music, he probably wouldn't even be rapping today if another close friend to him named Lil Rudy hadn't died back in 2016. But since then, he's released three mixtapes, and Long Live Mexico which is his first studio album.

Clocking in at 20 tracks and over an hour long, this is Keed's longest project in terms of both the amount of tracks and overall length. But a diverse set of production and feature choices keep the album entertaining and avoid filler as a result.

The album's intro Ride The Wave, a track where Keed celebrates his accomplishments so far and proclaims his success by buying diamonds and flying across the globe, sets the tone for the rest of the album. Keed always sprinkled in braggadocio tracks and lines throughout his projects but this album is the most boastful he's ever been. His confidence shines through more than ever now, and as a result, gives himself a chance to experiment more with his delivery and production choices.

Keed is known for his high pitched delivery but he raps in a deeper register on tracks such as Oh My God, and on parts of Rockstar, HBS and Real Hood Baby. He sounds very comfortable switching between different deliveries and the newfound diversity in his delivery is refreshing to hear.

Million Dollar Mansion has Keed rapping over a Pi'erre Bourne beat for the first time and he has strong chemistry with fellow YSL rapper and mentor Young Thug. Pass It Out, another first time collaboration, this time with producer Metro Boomin, has Keed fitting effortlessly with the beat alongside his brother and fellow rapper Lil Gotit. Songs like HBS and On Everything have more stripped down production and Keed's notable high pitched delivery are at the forefront.

Keed not only has fantastic chemistry with Thug and Gotit but other rappers too, such as Moneybagg Yo on Child, Roddy Ricch on Dragon, Lil Uzi Vert and YNW Melly on Pull Up and Lil Duke and Gunna on Anybody. A majority of those collaborations are first time collaborations too, which makes these songs even more special.

The album ends with the endearing track Proud of Me, another collaboration with Young Thug. Keed and Thug are so exceptionally in tune with each other on this track that it's hard to distinguish their voices from one another on first listen. The track shouts out an Atlanta legend in Gucci Mane, as well as one of the more recent stars from Atlanta in Gunna. But this track, just like the rest of the album, proves that both the present and the future is bright for YSL's newest star, Lil Keed.

Final score: 8/10

Review: GoldLink - Diaspora

2017 was the biggest year in GoldLink's career. At What Cost would become his highest selling album and its lead single Crew would attain 3x platinum status and even get nominated for a Grammy, a first for GoldLink. After a two year wait, GoldLink is back with the release of Disapora, his debut studio album after three previous mixtapes.

At What Cost was known for its summertime vibe but Disapora takes these vibes to the next level with its dancehall influence. These vibes are connected to the album's title, which is a term used to describe the dispersal of millions of people of African origin all over the world but especially in the United States and Europe. Features on the album use terms like "ting" and GoldLink taps into an African accent on tracks such as Yard and No Lie featuring WizKid, a dancehall artist who is notable for his work on Drake's Views. The production is more bouncy on this album as well and beat switches on Cokewhite and No Lie show that GoldLink is willing to experiment with his production choices. Songs like those are where GoldLink sounds at his most comfortable and shows a side to his artistry that he never fully explored before.

GoldLink compliments the bops with harder hitting tracks such as Maniac, Rumble, Tiff Freestyle, and Cokewhite, which is a collaboration with rapper Pusha T. All of these songs put GoldLink's rapping at the forefront and he doesn't disappoint but Cokewhite becomes the standout song on the album due to his chemistry with his guest. GoldLink actually manages to keep up with Pusha in his own way. While Pusha shines due to his colorful lyricism and clever use of wordplay, GoldLink shines due to his urgent flow and even delivery.

A couple of filler songs such as solo tracks More and Spanish Song and an uneventful collaboration with singer Khalid entitled Days Like This, stop this album from being even greater and becoming a high level project for GoldLink. Still, this album demonstrates GoldLink's growth as an artist and he now has a blueprint on what to expand on for his next project.

Final score: 8/10

Review: Future - Save Me

The last time Future didn't drop at least two projects in one year was 2013. Since then he's dropped a slew of albums and mixtapes, two collaborative projects, and even a movie soundtrack. To add to the ever-growing list of music is an EP, a first for a rapper that's been actively working since 2009.

Throughout his career, Future has explored the topics of pain and heartbreak using different approaches, such as singing or rapping or doing both over different types of production. The approach to Save Me can be compared to Future's 2017 album HNDRXX which became one of his most critically acclaimed projects due to his melodic crooning over more poppier sounding beats. His melodies on Shotgun are strikingly similar to Fresh Air on HNDRXX, with Future hitting falsettos and yearning for a companion on his daily endeavors. The intro to XanaX Damage has Future hitting lower notes and speaking on a woman he only seems to love when he’s at his lowest point. Future's various deliveries can be grating to some but due to the topics he uses, he makes these notes work.

While his singing on this EP is reminiscent of HNDRXX, the production is more similar to 2016's EVOL, which featured some of the darkest production he's ever been a part of. This type of production makes songs like Please Tell Me and Extra hit harder and gives Future an extra layer to work with alongside his singing.

Two issues hold this EP back from being a high level Future project, which are its length and a lack of diversity. Tracks like XanaX Damage and Love Thy Enemies are cut short and while they are still good in their current state, they could be even better if there was more time for those songs to develop. Government Official is also the only song to switch the EP up from its constant theme of pleading for love. Future excels the most when he diversifies himself and gives himself more time to present his thoughts.

It is rumored that there will be at least two more projects around the same length of Save Me coming in the near future. While Save Me was a solid effort from Future, he still leaves more to be desired, and there are growing expectations of a high quality project from Future as a result.

Final score: 7/10

Review: Skepta - Ignorance is Bliss

Skepta can be considered one of the elder statesmen of the grime genre. He turns 37 this September and has a history of rapping that goes back to 2005. Almost fifteen years and five mixtapes and albums later, he’s become one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful rappers in the grime genre.

Ignorance is Bliss is Skepta’s fifth album and his first since 2016’s critically acclaimed Konnichiwa. In between that time, he went on tour across the United States and Europe, dropped an EP and appeared on A$AP Rocky's hit single Praise the Lord (Da Shine). He even changed the album title from what it was previously known as SkLevel due to it being a "2018 pattern" according to Skepta himself.

It is not known what else was changed besides the album title but the album in its current state has some contrasting differences to its predecessor. The production on Ignorance is Bliss is more colorful and has even more bounce to it than on his last album and Skepta is able to compliment this production with his straightforward raps. Songs like No Sleep with a beat structured around a Tokyo inspired melody and Gangsta a Boy Better Know posse cut that has an abrasive bounce to it similar to tracks off Vince Staples' Big Fish Theory. Skepta has more production credits on Ignorance is Bliss than on his previous album which can explain the difference in this album's sound.

One factor that Konnichiwa has over this album though is its features. Outside of a soothing hook on Glow in the Dark performed by both British artist Lay-Z and WizKid, as well as a catchy and enjoyable hook delivered by fellow grime rapper J Hus on What Do You Mean? and an entertaining verse from rapper Key! on Redrum, the rest of the features either don't add to the song or are just simply forgettable. While Gangsta has one of the best beats on the album, it's ultimately a worse Boy Better Know posse cut than Detox, which appeared on Konnichiwa. Ultimately, it's predecessor had more standout features, with none of the guests going to waste on the tracks that they appeared on.

Skepta also decides to add more introspection to his raps, with Glow in the Dark being one of the key examples of this. He starts the song with these lines, "I knew what it was to be black way before I was on the GQ cover/How you gonna question me about colour?/What you know about Nelson Mandela?" and from there raps about his views on the British government, his struggles with his insecurities and how his parents raised him to become the man he is currently.

But Going Through It is the peak of him examining himself and the struggles that he goes through on a day to day basis. Backed by its dark, almost sinister beat, Skepta raps "Said they wanna be like me, you don't know what you're sayin'/Always been a daredevil, man, I was born from pain/They say ignorance is bliss, but I think that's a shame" on the last verse. Despite Konnichiwa being a great album in its own right, it lacked introspective moments like these. The birth of his first child late last year could be one of the factors in Skepta showing more of this side of him.

A lot has changed in these last few years for Skepta. These years have been busy and almost chaotic. Still, he's managed to put together another great effort and solidify his place as one of grime's greats.

Final score: 8/10

Review: NoCap - The Backend Child

NoCap is from Alabama, a state that doesn’t exactly have a rich history of rap music. Even the most notable rapper that was born in that state, Gucci Mane, bases his music in Atlanta and their ever-evolving trap scene. And with the ever-growing presence of street rappers from various areas around the States during the last couple of years, it's hard to not only keep up with all the names but for the rappers themselves to separate their music from their peers.

NoCap attempts to separate himself from the rest of the pack with the release of his latest project, The Backend Child. This is his first batch of new material after his quality features on Lil Baby’s Street Gossip and Quando Rondo’s From the Neighborhood to the Stage.

Clocking in at less than 40 minutes across fourteen tracks, the project only has three features. This gives NoCap more time to be the focal point of the music which is beneficial for him at times, such as on tracks like No Jewelry, Ghetto Angels, and Blind Nights. Solar Sisters is one of NoCap’s most impressive attempts at wordplay and imagery, with lines like “In the jail, I wish I was Barry, I couldn't get no bonds” and a hook that describes him counting hundreds on Neptune and wanting to get away from other people like Pluto was separated from the other planets.

These ideas continue from his recent string of guest features which also included strong wordplay and vivid imagery about life in his area. Tracks like Set It Off and My Time show a braggadocious side to NoCap’s raps, which is a key switch up from his more darker tracks. Features by fellow Alabama rappers OMB Peezy and Rylo Rodriguez on the tracks, Demons and Dead Faces respectively, help give NoCap another voice to complement his raps.

But while NoCap is obviously comfortable in his pocket, he can sometimes get too comfortable. Almost all of the tracks on the project only have one verse and are typically structured in a chorus-verse-chorus format, which can get tiring to listen to over fourteen tracks. Some of the production isn’t exactly memorable either, with a majority of the beats coming from little known producers who have just a recent history of work like NoCap. As a result, there are hits but also glaring misses and NoCap is left to try and carry tracks like Vacant Inside and Around Me from uninteresting production. NoCap also doesn’t give himself more time to celebrate which hinders his versatility.

The Backend Child overall shows some growth but NoCap still has some things to fix before he’s ready to drop a high quality project and become the neighborhood hero for his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.

Final score: 7/10