Morgan Greenfield

Title Fight: ‘Hyperview’

Posted on by Morgan Greenfield

Title Fight took their music to a new level this Tuesday after the release of their new album Hyperview. Since releasing their first album with SideOne Dummy Records in 2011, this band has always helped fans relinquish their inner angst with those up-in-your-face metal vocals, fast drums, and goosebump-forming guitar and bass solos similar to bands like Touche Amore, Pianos Become Teeth, and Tigers Jaw (but just a wee bit more hardcore).

However with this new album, Title Fight dropped their emo-punk-metal act to give their fans a mix of the past and present. Within 10 songs, TF brings forth 90’s grunge-inspired music with an insanely large helping of vocal reverb to stir an indie-influenced texture into their new and improved sound.

The album starts off with the song “Chlorine,” a more modern rock ballad. Immediately within the first few seconds, Modest Mouse came to mind, as the guitar sent the song off into happening.  As a whole, there was not one instrument that truly stood out. Except of course for Jamie Rhoden’s super reverb-y vocals.

After listening to a few more songs, “Mrahc” really caught my attention. An upbeat tempo with a few major key changes shows Title Fights new style starting to seep into play. Ben Russin’s drum skills, accompanied by Shane Moran’s guitar ingenuity, helped me realize just how grungy the music had become. With this song, you truly get to hear an artist’s maturation.

Immediately after “Mhrac” plays “Your Pain is Mine Now.” Here Title Fight really encompasses their emo side, but with a more universal touch. With consistent flange-sounding material, the acoustic guitar is played so eloquently that it could almost be mistaken for a piano.

However, it isn’t until I heard “Trace Me onto you” that I became impressed. As the two-step drum tempo sets off, the music becomes progressively faster as the lyrics become more clear through the music. Title Fight has never lacked poetic value, but they have truly done a number on this one.

Regardless of such change, Title Fight unfortunately could lose some fans with this album. Every song was conceptually the same, with minor tempo changes as well as melodies. The drums and guitar were grungy while the vocals were indie… in every song. However, Ned Russian should win some sort of bass award. Whenever his bass parts were highlighted, the song was immediately redeemed from any lackluster.

Title Fight is still Title Fight, but I think they should stick to the previous metal rage they were known for.

3/5

Amason: ‘Sky City’

Posted on by Morgan Greenfield

Amason’s new album, Sky City, takes listeners on a journey through cosmic chaos, only to bring you back to earth a little bit changed.

To start off, this Swedish band is absolutely filled the some of Stockholm’s finest. Amanda Bergman from Idiot Wind seduces listeners with her oh-so-raspy voice, leaving you with nothing but goose bumps. The rest of the band consists of Gustav Ejstes from Dungen, Nils Tornqvist and Peter Winnberg from Little Majorette, and Pontus Winnberg from Miiike Snow; all great bands that may soon follow this wave of Swedish wonder.

Together under Amason, these musicians use strictly fast drum beats, ambient guitars, and melodic synth as their main ingredients to concoct this truly unique album. The album begins with strong tracks like “Duvan,” “Kelly,” and “Elefanten.” “Duvan” is the perfect track to get ready to in the morning. With an 80s vibe, you can’t help but smile and feel as though you can take on the day listening to that jazzy piano and synth beats.

“Kelly” is for any of those Abba lovers out there. The Strokes-like drums and wet vocals bring back the class to disco. As for “Elefanten,” psychedelic spacey sounds consume this track, linking those who love Avey Tare and My Morning Jacket under one song.

The album takes an entirely unexpected turn with the song “Velodrome.” At first, the sound is similar to tracks prior, but after some intense piano riffs, Amason inserts recordings of nature accompanied by Spanish-inspired acoustic guitar. Such spacey sounds are then left behind as these musicians take on psychedelic tones like that of Tame Impala, all while Amanda croons about the earth with her magical voice.

After being hit with a twist, tracks like “Yellow Moon,” “Black Fish,” and “The Moon as A Kite” bring about an entirely different vibe (yet again). Amason channels that old school European rock while speakikng to listeners in Swedish and taking you on a roller coaster of tempo in “Black Fish.”

As for “Yellow Moon,” the upbeat synth brings listeners back to Amason’s natural style with an earthy twist. This song could set up a perfect relaxed hang out with a significant other.

A waltz ensues as “The Moon as A Kite” plays through your speakers. Although the music seems cheery, Amanda sings lyrics such as, “ Love is the frozenist part of a lake… Time is a cruelty” to bring an edge of melancholy.

Overall, this album is a perfect gift for valentines. Such songs are perfect background music for any mellow gathering, regardless of the somber lyrics. If you are looking to chill, study, or be at peace with some unique sounds, Sky City is the answer.

On the other hand, if you are looking for a party song to get you hyped up, then steer clear. This is definitely an album for introverted moments.

4/5

REVIEW: ‘Project Almanac’

Posted on by Morgan Greenfield

Since the early 2000s, filmmakers everywhere have become overly obsessed with documentary-style filming, where the movie seems to be more of a home video rather than a full-blown Hollywood film. This is called retroscripting, a technique in which has been used professionally in movies like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

After many years and many movies, such filming initially charmed audiences but now has become a nuance to the general public and has potentially turned off future customers from spending their money at the box office. One filmmaker, Steven Spielberg, was at one time the antithesis of such sort of filming. Known for his overuse of CGI and special effects, Spielberg has always kept true to his action-packed overzealous style in order to wow his fans.

However, a few years back, Spielberg shocked crowds when he decided to take on this retroscripting style in his film, Super 8. The film was okay in general but still had that action-packed feel customers yearn for when King Spielberg’s name is plastered on a film.

Stranger things came this weekend when Spielberg took another turn in his style completely. He produced the film Project Almanac, a movie which was released this past Friday.

The story encompasses a group of highschoolers who come across blueprints created by the main character’s father for a time machine and build it together. Along the way, the main character, David Raskin, finds himself falling for the very beautiful and popular Jessie Pierce and thus uses this time machine to win her heart.

Obviously, things go awry, and David Raskin must go back in time in order to fix everything – basically, the same “you don’t get a second chance” moral any time machine movie involves (Ed. note: did we learn nothing from The Butterfly Effect?!) .

There weren’t any massive explosions, alien encounters, and it was filmed using retroscipting…which has left Spielberg fans wondering what the hell happened? Although this famous filmmaker only produced Project Almanac, the Spielberg standards are slowly diminishing.

The movie itself was sub par. The acting was not spectacular, and there were quite a few plot holes. My favorite was when their test of the time machine resulted in disaster – scientific tools fusing together, and miniature cars were slammed through the wall – but regardless of such mishap, Jessie decides it is time to use human subjects next.  Not the brightest idea in my book.

In the end, I think maybe the whole time travel scheme has just been over done, similar to the use of the retroscripting technique.  Time for a new idea.

2/5