Sky's Music Reviews

GEMINI is Macklemore's first solo studio album in a very long time, following the two joint albums with Ryan Lewis, The Heist and This Unruly Mess I've Made . The former was what made me a Macklemore fan in the first place; I always adored his unique, over-enunciated rap flow, and great blend of socially conscious and "fun" songs. Unlike Macklemore's first studio album from 2005, The Language of My World , GEMINI , released on September 22nd, 2017, does not contain powerful political undertones. Instead, this album is characterized by an overlying feel of joy and happiness. Now, I'm not sure exactly why Macklemore thought that this was the path to take. He's always been very socially conscious, and it seems like society would reflect with those issues now, in our period of social turmoil, more than ever. He tackled issues like his white privilege, his vision for his child, and more on This Unruly Mess I've Made.  I believe that it was a very bad d...

"dont smile at me" is the debut by the absolutely amazing singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, released on August 12th, 2017 (a date I had on my calendar for a long time). This is my favorite project from this year so far and I'm so happy to review it. A little bit about Billie Eilish; she was homeschooled for most of her life, just like me, and she's 15. She was only 13 when she sang "Ocean Eyes" from the EP. It just dazzles me that someone two years younger than me is more talented than not only me, but the vast majority of people. Her voice is soulful and versatile, and her songwriting is so very mature. Her brother, Finneas, was a minor Glee actor, but at 17, he found his true calling with producing and songwriting. He produced this entire EP all by himself and co-wrote every single song. The two together just can't be stopped. They remind me a lot of Karmin, but strangely, all representation is given to Billie; perhaps Finneas is just content with b...

It's been WAY too long! I gotta get back on schedule. Nervous System is the debut EP (or mini-album, as she called it for some reason) from songwriter/singer Julia Michaels. It was released on July 28th, 2017. Julia Michaels built her reputation by writing many, many pop tracks, for just about every artist that you can think of. She helped make so many songs Billboard hits, so she definitely has quite a bit of reputation to stand on. Every track except the first one is produced by Mattman & Robin, and curiously, Julia is not the sole writer; she has 3 other co-writers on every single track except the final one. Even though Julia has helped lots of other artists, the GP didn't really know her name until her lead single, "Issues". Her voice is rather strange; it's lilting and kind of squeaky, but at least she's different sounding. Other than that, this is a very stereotypical pop song; if you looked up "boring pop", this would be it. Do keep ...

From the Outside is the debut studio album by American pop-rock band Hey Violet (at least under this moniker), released on June 16, 2017. Hey Violet originally began as Cherri Bomb, a punk rock band, until they eventually morphed into their current situation, with a few members rotated out. Hey Violet originally was a 5 Seconds of Summer side act, but it'd be so wrong to write them off like that. Hey Violet has far exceeded 5SOS in my eyes, from their first EP, Brand New Moves, to their current state. Stylistically, it's hard to pin down exactly what genre this album is. Though classified as "pop rock", the album is rife with EDM and pop influences, as well as a few standout tracks with different styles; there's even one that almost seems to have a Victorian style. "Break My Heart" is a pretty good taste of the blend of styles that Hey Violet utilizes. This is the second single from the album. The verses are supported by electric guitar instrumenta...

I wrote this very large post for a different forum, and I wanted to share it with you guys. It took me over a week to write and research. I hope you enjoy, and I apologize about the bad formatting! Zella Day is a criminally underrated treasure, and I’m so excited to share her music with popheads. I’ve stanned her since Winter 2015 and I hope to introduce her to as many people as possible!** Zella Day Kerr (yes, that’s her real name, and it’s amazing) is currently 22 years old, hailing from the modest town of Pinetop Arizona. Music runs in her blood; her mother sung in a jazz trio band, and Zella always lists her as one of her influences, along with a vast variety of other musicians, including Bob Dylan, Frank Ocean, and Queen. Her family owned a coffee shop, and that is where her musical career began; she would play cute little songs on her guitar in the coffee shop to entertain guests. Some were classics, and some were her own songs.  Zella always knew that music was her...

hopeless fountain kingdom  is alternative (or at least, that's what she likes to be called) singer-songwriter Halsey's second studio album. Released June 2nd 2017, this album comes hot on the trail of Halsey's recent commercial success; the MASSIVE collaboration with The Chainsmokers, topping the chart for so many weeks. Though I'm certainly not a fan of that song by any stretch of the word, I do indeed respect the success of "Closer" and can see the appeal. For this album, Halsey told us that she wouldn't go full pop; that she would still be alternative, and she did stand by these words, for the most part. hopeless fountain kingdom , or HFK, for short, is a great alternative synth-pop album, albeit confusing at a lot of parts. She promoted this album by releasing videos and teasers comparing the album to Romeo and Juliet; at least, a more modernized version. Supposedly, the story depicted a relationship based on that Shakespearean tale, but the way that...

After Laughter is the fifth album by the infamous band Paramore, released on May 12, 2017. This album takes the delivery of the hits on their self-titled album, combines it with a mix of 80's and new wave vibes, and releases a very distinctive collection of works that is garnering a ton of critical acclaim. Full disclosure: even though the songs "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun" where at their peak during the time in which I was first starting to enjoy music, I'm not particularly fond of either. The delivery of the lyrics feels awkward, and after listening to the full Paramore  album, I'm still not a big fan of their 2013 work. Further down the line, I was never really hooked on Riot!  or their other albums, even though songs like "crushcrushcrush" (I do like it more now) should've been right up my alley. The opener and lead single, "Hard Times", sets a standard for lyrics that pretty much the entire album follows. Depre...