The Ravenottes - Pe'ahi (ALBUM REVIEW)

6.5

     The Danish noise pop group The Raveonettes have returned with their seventh album out on Beat Dies Records. The Raveonettes juxtapose the digitized distortion of their noise pop with velvety arpeggiated dream pop guitar stylings as a common theme on this record. Other songs like 'Killer in the Streets' adhere to a more radio friendly pop aesthetic. This song sounds like a more predictable b-side from the psych-pop band MGMT. Whereas they still pay homage to shoegaze traditionalists like on the songs 'Summer Ends' and 'Z-Boys' whose opening guitar tone seems copied and pasted from a Beach House track.

     When The Raveonettes aren't emerged in a layer of thick digital distortion or caressing a dreamy melody they also bring an adventurous approach to alternative music like on the song 'When the Night is Almost Done'. A varying soundscape of noise and gentle make up of bells and soft sounds. 'Wake me Up' has an introduction which sounds like it could have possibly been a sample of an old X-files theme song that didn't make the cut. The rest of the song consists of dissonant sounds being accompanied by a steady paced drum beat and softly spoken vocals.

     It is not unheard of, or even remotely strange to have vocals play more of a texture roll than a lyrical aspect on shoegaze records, and with the heavy reliance of texture,  Pe'ahi is no different. That being said, on tracks like 'Z-Boys' and 'The Rains of May' the vocals are mixed so quietly that they become almost completely incoherent and ends up being more of a distraction to try and decipher them then it is to appreciate what it attempted to contribute to the track. The whole album features themes of dissonance and juxtaposition to create their most recent shoegaze mess.

Sadistik - Ultraviolet (ALBUM REVIEW)

       6.3

       Sadistik has often been described as an emotive rapper and that he creates a type of music most call emo rap. Agree with this term or hate it, but there is no shortage of self loathing emotion on Sadistik's third album Ultraviolet with songs like 'Orange' where he describes himself as someone who destroys peoples good moods or good things in general just by being in their presence. Sadistik goes on in the song 'Cubic Zirconian' with an extended metaphor through out the song about how he is a cubic zirconia (fake diamond). With the hook constantly repeating it in a deep and processed robotic voice. Vocal manipulation is a big theme on this album with a fairly diverse catalogue of records being slowed down and scratches, to being drenched in reverb and played backwards.

          On his past two releases Sadistik has often fell back on his production for some of his weaker vocal parts and it's there's difference on this album. There is no doubt in my mind that Sadistik is a talented rapper, he flaunts this on the song 'Chemical Burns' written in 3/4, yet Sadistik changes his vocal delivery multiple times and shows of an impressive capability. It's also interesting to hear a "new" (the track was recorded in 2009) Eyedea verse. Near the end of the verse Eyedea repeats "I'm not dead...Until I've died" which is enough to give someone goosebumps as being more than likely the last verse we ever hear from him. Songs like 'Into the Night' and 'The Rabbithole' owe a lot to their production. Frequent Sadistik producer Kid Called Computer producing the latter which sums the album up in a slow build and release. 'Into the Night' relies heavily on the atmosphere created by the spacey drums and the gentle crooning vocals. This atmosphere corresponds with the lyrical matter which is shortly delivered.