“Maniac” is a ten episode mini-series out on Netflix. It comes with a pretty loaded team from Emma Stone and Jonah Hill to the director, Cary Joji Fukunaga who lead the first season of “True Detective”.

Despite this, I couldn’t say I left the series satisfied at all. Before going into those reasons I want to break the series down a bit.

“Maniac” takes place in a seemingly alternate present, based off stereotypical tropes of 80’s sci-fi movies. A world with AI’s that are are old bulky computers alongside cord telephones. The world is very capitalistic, it features a service

called, “Add Buddy” who comes to you and gives you a variety of jobs to choose from. They range from a fill in husband for widows to drug trials.

The story focuses in on Annie Landsberg (Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Hill), two people who have signed up and joined a drug trial for their own reasons. While Stone’s character fell flat, the same wasn’t true for Hill. Whenever I see Hill perform I can’t help but think funny man, after all I grew up laughing at his roles. Hearing he was playing a serious role I wasn’t quite sure if he’d be up for it.

I was wrong.                

Jonah Hill absolutely saved the show from falling completely on its back. He gave the show a great foundation to build off of. Both Owen and Annie were pretty basic characters and at times their motives were unclear and slightly unbelievable. Despite this, Hill displayed such an unconventional yet mesmerizing performance you couldn’t help but go along with whatever he did.

The show itself really tried to make you do that the whole time. On the surface the show seems to be completely serious, however it is not…at all. This is an issue though, you need to suspend your disbelief for a lot of events. Being a Sci-Fi show I already came in with little belief in the ‘norm’. That wasn’t necessarily the issue though.

Some moments were just badly written. For example, at a certain point a man goes blind for no reason. They say it is a psychotic break, but it just seemed like a cheap explanation.

I found similar moments throughout the whole series.

I don’t wait to paint such a bleak picture for Manic because at a lot of moments it really was enjoyable. It had a lot of really funny moments, I just couldn’t always get behind the serious ones.

Now a good point to say is that might be the exact point of the series. They might have tried to make a ridiculous show that is slightly making fun of old Sci-fi, 5th element-esque movies. If that was the point, they could have succeeded a lot more had the show focused in on that more.

However, considering the creator is Patrick Somerville I don’t think that’s the case.       

Overall, if it weren’t for Jonah Hill and his superb acting I don’t know if I would have even finished the series, let alone review it. This show is a must watch simply because of Hill. This breakout role for him is one of a long line, Jonah hill is not longer just the funny man. The amount of different roles he plays in this movie showcase his wide variety of skills as an actor.

“Maniac” a 7 out of 10 movie that relies on the acting of one man to keep it from falling into bad show territory.

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Beach House is a band that makes music for the bedroom.

Let me explain. When people hear the phrase “music for the bedroom”, most of the time their minds jump to a couple of places: Marvin Gaye’s plea for “Sexual Healing”, Prince’s wet dream album “Purple Rain”, Madonna commanding you to “Justify My Love”, to name a few. They are explicitly grounded in the physical, the primal need for intimacy through touch.

In contrast, Beach House makes “music for the bedroom” for the instances in between those physical moments, whether inside or outside the chambers of their namesake. Their songs and albums relate to stolen glances, the grazing of fingertips against skin, the exhalation between kisses, the rushed beating of a heart before a declaration of love. Part of this can be attributed to the genre they work in. Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that, while still incorporating hallmark guitar and percussion, focuses more on the use of synthesizers and “reverb,” to create deeply textured and hazy soundscapes. Vocals are often indecipherable. Beach House uses this style of music to create sonic locations to escape into, aural alcoves where the heart can question a lover and seek answers in their closeness.

“Don’t I know you better than the rest?” singer Victoria Legrand asks in “Zebra”, the first song on their breakthrough album Teen Dream. That album was exactly what its title suggested, a sentimental, retrospective vision of the beginning of sexual and emotional exploration in the formative years of our lives. If Teen Dream was the genesis of a relationship, then its sequel, Bloom, was the romance at its apex: using larger sounding drums, soaring melodies, and bigger guitar riffs from Alex Scally, Beach House’s heart was beating the hardest it ever had.

So where does that leave Depression Cherry in the progression?

A more subdued album and, according to the band, a return to simplicity, Depression Cherry creates a very particular atmosphere. One could compare it to the quiet conversations of a couple driving back to their home late at night, or the whispers that come after what the other type of “music for the bedroom” is produced for. It’s more sensual than sexual, and there’s real power behind that difference.

Victoria Legrand, with a voice like smoke coiling up into the rafters of an old building, is an incredibly emotive singer, able to pull off lines like, “The first thing that I do before I get into your house/ I’m gonna tear off all the petals from the rose that’s in your mouth” (from the swooning “Beyond Love”), or, “You should see, there’s a place I want to take you/ When the train comes I will hold you/ ‘Cause you blow my mind” (twinkling opener “Levitation”).

Throughout, Alex Scally’s guitar work shifts between gentle and pleading (“Space Song”) to piercing (the aforementioned “Beyond Love”) to create a back and forth between calm and intensity, rises and falls in the conversation between lovers that this album will no doubt soundtrack at some point.

The real treats of Depression Cherry come in the form of a duo of songs. “Sparks”, the first promotional single from the album, is some of Beach House’s most aggressive and colorful work: dubbed-over vocal chants give way to light percussion, eventually punctuated by a screeching shoegaze guitar, an organ entering as the final piece of this epic whose lyrics recall the late nights shared between teenagers simply trying to make it in their small worlds that are on the verge of expanding. The centerpiece of the album, “PPP”, contains the most beautiful guitar line of the album, Legrand asking her lover if they’re “ready for this life,” and waxing that “it won’t lost forever/ or maybe it will”. And then she matches her breathless cooing to the tone of the guitar, and it’s simply magic.

In the end, Depression Cherry isn’t quite as compelling as its two siblings. Even with its strengths, it often falls into the feared territory of its songs sounding the same, especially near the end of its track list. It’s not as dynamic of a record as Teen Dream or Bloom. But it doesn’t need to be. Beach House have delivered an album meant for the moments between waking and sleeping, the times when a silent look of longing speaks louder than a night of passion.

I wonder if their beach house is open to rent?

Grade: B

Key Tracks: “Sparks”, “PPP”, “Days of Candy” 

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The highly anticipated collaborative project between Alternative-Rap Enigma MF DOOM and underground talk-about Bishop Nehru, NehruvianDOOM, is now being previewed on Pitchfork’s website until it’s release on October 6th.

Nehru, now 18, has been buzzed about in the Hip-Hop community since the release of his two mixtapes, Nehruvia and StrictlyFlowz, when he was only 15. The Rockland County resident gained even more acclaim when he was booked as an opening act for The Wu-Tang Klan on their 2013 European tour.

Nehru got on everyone’s radar when he announced in August 2013 that he would be collaborating with the infamous MF DOOM for his next project. From the get-go, fans doubted that this project would ever actually materialize, considering the spotty history of DOOM, and the fact that Nehru was so young. Lucky for us, it did.

With his first two mixtapes, fans were quick to compare young Nehru to the XXL freshman Joey Bada$$. Specifically the flow and production styles included on his debut mixtape: 1999. If you listen to the tapes back to back, you can clearly hear the similarities: the rappers have near-identical sounding vocals as well as a shared fondness for jazz instrumentals and popular tracks produced by MF DOOM and J Dilla. These similarities left some doubting Nehru’s skills as an MC.

Whether intentional or coincidental, the similarities between the two young rappers have dwindled since the release of their new material. Bada$$, having seven mixtapes and plenty of features under his belt, Joey has evolved his smoother delivery into a gruffer boom-bap grunt reminiscent of groups like Heltah Skelta and Black Moon for his upcoming debut album: B4.DA.$$. While Nehru has kept to his initial stylistic approach for NehruvainDOOM.

Eastern philosophies and the concept of meditation are the backdrop for this album. Kicking off with different people discussing the Om chant behind a colorful instrumental, the album retreats back to these ideas throughout. Making the album a focused cohesive piece.

For such a young voice, Nehru is incredibly grounded. His perspective often sounds like a seasoned veteran rather than a hungry come-up. Covering topics about his work ethic, the loneliness that comes with it, the dissatisfaction with his peers, and his hunger for greatness, Nehru uses the album to prove that he is an artist that should be taken seriously. His voice does sound flat in some places, but for the most part, DOOM’s production fills in the space where Nehru otherwise might sound dull.

DOOM’s production, sounding fuller and more polished compared to his earlier Metal Finger beats, work well with Bishop’s delivery. Unlike his last project collaborative project Keys to the Kuffs, Metal face makes himself scarce on the album. Only appearing on the hook for “Om” and throwing in great verses for the tracks “Caskets”, “Great Things”, and “Disastrous”. 

While not the all-time top rap album of the year, this release should reassure fans that Nehru is pure potential. His voice and delivery may fall flat at times, but the lyricism is sharp and focused. Considering that the young MC is only 18 and he’s already garnished the respect from the likes of DOOM, Kendrick Lamar, and The Wu Tang Klan, it’s hard not to get excited about what the future holds for this kid.

RATING = (7/10)

TOP TRACKS:

“CASKETS”

“DARKNESS (HBU)”

Watch the music video, directed by Nehru, here:

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A Walk Through Wondrous Bughouse

This lo-fi, noise-pop album created by Idaho native Trevor Powers is a note-packed compilation of eerie ambiguity and luminous nostalgia. Within its oscillating intonations, it creates a confusingly pleasant atmosphere of sound. Its atonal note pattern is matched with seemingly perfect psychedelic reverbs, which elevate its songs to a powerful euphoric experience.

The first track, “Through Mind and Back,” settles you deep into a world of unknowns. Powers alludes to a foreign, parallel realm where all previously held notions of modern sonic revelations are completely obsolete. He has created his own universe within this album, and this piece slowly gestures you into its grandiose landscape.

After being thrown into “Mute,” the listener begins to understand the vast phenomenal field Powers has built from the ground up. His echoic voice, nasally and child-like in nature, battles an evil construct, and his dualist mindset has nowhere to go but deeper into its own self-referential conscience. The album seems to open hidden doors and bring the listener somewhere completely new. “Attic Door” coincides with this idea as its waltz beat lulls the listener farther into Wondrous Bughouse. “You can trust me like you would trust your own brother. Maybe even better,” claims Powers.

“The Bath” opens with the sound of a microphone going underwater, continuing on with various sonar sounds. His words are lost in a sea of sound and you gently float to the unheard maniacal lyrics until smooth guitar riffs wash over the naturalistic soundscape and resolve into a dizzying tone, where the more audible, “Pelican Man” comes to light. This song, the most uplifting and progressive on the album, builds on itself until it erupts into an audacious statement of existence. It continues on in a downward spiral of repeating tones prior to the solidified structure of “Dropla.”

“You’ll never die,” repeats Powers, ingraining the nonsensical mantra until you believe him. His surrealist parables seem like fairy-tales, but they emit a sense of nostalgia and simultaneously break new ground. The dreamland continues through the scary mansion-horror sound of “Sleep Paralysis.” It eventually blends into a semi-sadistic lullaby- something of nightmares or drug-induced psychosis.

“Third Dystopia” sheds some light and allows you to climb back into the comfortable cradle of his harmonic melodies- something more reminiscent of his debut album Year of Hibernation. It aesthetically decays into the track “Raspberry Cake,” a sullen realization of the frailty within us all, but instead of whining, it celebrates the conceptual oneness and breaks down into an emotional triage of piano and live drums. The awesome melodies fade into the final track, “Daisyphobia,” an auditory experimental of grand illusion. The illusion seems endless until the recognition of Powers’s final melody rests with us in his infallible piano waltz.

Wondrous Bughouse holds your brain captive as it transforms highs into lows and recognizable sounds into sonic dissonance, while tackling stories of mortality and happiness. It takes the mind on a journey through the introspective experience of our own consciousness. The music is said to stem from the drawing on the cover and inside the album (they were taken from a psychiatric hospital), and translated into the beautifully convoluted sound heard on this dense, yet tranquilly congruent album.

Buy the full album here.

Check out Dropla here.

The post Album Review: Wondrous Bughouse by Youth Lagoon appeared first on KRUI Radio.

It’s been four years since the Scottish quartet put out an album and lead man Kapranos has the “right thought” producing this LP with the same playful drive that won listeners over back in 2004.

Franz Ferdinand continues to be a staple in the indie dance rock circuit, debuting their album on Conan, and Letterman, but to those who only recognize “Take Me Out”, you’re not out of luck. Their fourth album takes them back to basics and after a few listens you’ll catch yourself singing along.

“Right Thoughts Right Words Right Action” opens with playful guitar chucks, a funky bass line, and a drum beat that’s easy to clap along to. Besides being a bit too repetitive, it does a decent job at setting up the rest of the album.

The LP is full of sultry vocal slides and simple yet catchy lyrics with latent meanings. A chorus rings behind his sharp hooks and grungy  guitar. You’re taken on a ride that explores cheeky tunes masked in dynamic layers of electro trills (Treason! Animals.) and Beatles inspired licks (Fresh Strawberries).

“Love Illumination” is the first track that stands out on this LP with it’s cutting lyrics and guitars that slash through clicking cymbals and sliding harmonics. By the end of the track you’ll be singing along at the top of your lungs, well at least I sure was.

It’s followed up by “Stand On The Horizon”, which starts off with a soft hypnotic acoustic and vocals but doesn’t waste any time jumping into what might be the most musically impressive track on their new album. It covers all of the elements that give Franz Ferdinand that progressive flair that captivates listeners.

Last but not least is “The Universe Expanded”, a quiet proclamation of nostalgic innocence with a bouncing bass and electro trills that spring off of whispered vocals. My only criticism is that it could have had a stronger chorus but everything leading up to it and after it is pure genius.

The second half of the LP repeats the majority of the tracks live featuring a few off of their second and third albums. They’re just as good live as they are recorded, something I can’t say about many artists I listen to on the radio anymore.

Check out their Soundcloud and Facebook for updates and concert times.

Check out a live studio performance of their song “Stand On The Horizon (Right Notes, Right Words, Wrong Order) Below:

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