The Spade by Butch Walker
- Bodegas and Blood
- Every Single Body Else
- Summer of '89
- Sweethearts
- Day Drunk
- Synthesizers
- Dublin Crow
- Closest Thing to You I'm Gonna Find
- Bullet Belt
- Suckerpunch
Amazon: $12.99 Amazon UK: £7.99
Butch Walker's musical style ranges from pop rock anthems to heart-breaking country ballads. With the help of his band, The Black Widows, Walker and co. recorded the tracks live in studio, leaving in imperfections and even banter at the end of songs. In an age where music is over-polished, over-produced, and bandaged till perfection, The Spade is a breath of fresh air. The album alludes to inspirations to Walker's career, with salutes to Ryan Adams in "Summer of '89" and even the sounds of Dexys Midnight Runners flows through the instrumentals of "Synthesizers." The Spade remains one of the most entertaining albums to listen through in its entirety.
Mean Everything to Nothing by Manchester Orchestra
- The Only One
- Shake It Out
- I've Got Friends
- Pride
- In My Teeth
- 100 Dollars
- I Can Feel A Hot One
- My Friend Marcus
- Tony The Tiger
- Everything To Nothing
- The River
- Jimmy, He Whispers
Amazon: $6.99 Amazon UK: £7.80
Mean Everything To Nothing is Manchester Orchestra's third album and the highlight of their discography. The album is littered with overdrive and grimey instrumentals; Andy Hull mimics and personifies the style through his vocal performance. Among the high drive of the electric guitar, the listener can find catchy clean riffs and hard punching bass lines. Following the introduction, 'Shake it Out' is a fantastic foreshadow of what to expect and invites the listener to forget their problems and embark on a musical rollercoaster of emotions for the next 50 minutes. The pacing of the song, high and hard hitting to vocals with a clean electric guitar to a gritty medium, is almost identical with the pacing of the tracks for the album. 'I Can Feel A Hot One' is one of my favorite songs from the album, it'll have you questioning whether or not your problems are truly insurmountable or just a mirage. 'Mean Everything to Nothing' is a great album to listen through in its entirety, by the end you feel like you've completed a journey and that's a rare feeling to find in an album.
Vessel by Twenty One Pilots
- Ode To Sleep
- Holding On To You
- Migraine
- House Of Gold
- Car Radio
- Semi-Automatic
- Screen
- The Run And Go
- Fake You Out
- Guns For Hands
- Trees
- Truce
Amazon: $9.99 Amazon UK: £5.99
You'll need to put aside Twenty One Pilots' annoying fanbase known as 'the clique' to fully enjoy this album. Mixing a variety of pop, rock, and white guy rap, Twenty One Pilots have created a very unique sound. The duo, consisting of Josh Dun on drums and Tyler Joseph on vocals, keys, and ukulele, are able to illuminate the tracks with catchy lyrics and fluffy pop riffs. The opening track, 'Ode to Sleep', will have you questioning what the hell you've gotten yourself into, but after the synth driven rap intro, the listener is transitioned into a more traditional pop rock pre-chorus and anthem driven chorus. This song is the theme of the album, almost a reassurance that even though you're thrown into the deep end, they'll always reel you back in. No matter what your musical preference is, 'Vessel' will feel like a palette cleanser, a breath of fresh air.
Hamilton: An American Musical
- Alexander Hamilton
- Aaron Burr, Sir
- My Shot
- The Story of Tonight
- The Schuyler Sisters
- Farmer Refuted
- You'll Be Back
- Right Hand Man
- A Winter's Ball
- Helpless
- Satisfied
- The Story of Tonight - Reprise
- Wait For It
- Stay Alive
- Ten Duel Commandments
- Meet Me Inside
- That Would Be Enough
- Guns and Ships
- History Has Its Eyes On You
- Yorktown(The World Turned Upside Down)
- What Comes Next?
- Dear Theodosia
- Non-Stop
Disk One
- What'd I Miss
- Cabinet Battle #1
- Take A Break
- Say No To This
- The Room Where It Happens
- Schuyler Defeated
- Cabinet Battle #2
- Washington On Your Side
- One Last Time
- I Know Him
- The Adams Administration
- We Know
- Hurricane
- The Reynolds Pamphlet
- Burn
- Blow Us All Away
- Stay Alive - Reprise
- It's Quiet Uptown
- The Election of 1800
- Your Obedient Servant
- Best of Wives and Best of Women
- The World Was Wide Enough
- Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story
Disk Two
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I could write a ten page essay on why I think Hamilton is one of the greatest things ever created, but to save you the read I'll condense it to a few major points. First of all, Lin Manuel Miranda, creator and original portrayer of Hamilton himself, is a genius and it's one of the few times I can say that without being hyperbolic. The lyrics are interwoven with internal, loose rhymes that will have you obsessing over your new found love for the english language. The music, polished by orchestra conductor, Alex Lacamoire, is so well constructed and layered in a way where you'll still find gems on the hunderdth listen. The musical itself is almost entirely sung through, so the listener is able to understand the story without having to sell a kidney to purchase tickets for broadway. The opening song, 'Alexander Hamilton', is a great introduction to the next two hours of your life. It tells the story of Hamilton's early life struggles through the narration of his future nemesis, Aaron Burr. Act one focuses on Hamilton's rise from a lowly immigrant from the island of Nevis to George Washington's right hand man in the revolutionary war. Act two revolves around the creation of the American government, the constant rivalry of Hamilton and Burr, and the eventual duel that ends his life. If you think musicals aren't your thing, I would argue that the hype around Hamilton is not exaggerated and it's worth a listen. Hamilton leaves you questioning what you could accomplish if you work like you are running out of time, who lives? who dies? who tells your story?