Album Review: Jessica Pratt, Quiet Signs (2019)

By Allesandro Rotondi

Jessica Pratt has one of the most unique singing voices I’ve ever heard. Quiet Signs is her third album effort, and running at 27 minutes, it is a brief but welcoming glimpse into the philosophical mind of an enigmatic soul. She comes off as delicate and raw, but well-informed about everything she sings about. Pratt’s music is like an all-seeing eye on the world, peeking around every corner and offering insight about what it has seen. Her sound embodies modern folk, even though she doesn’t like the idea of being pinned to any genre. There is no pinning here, however—Quiet Signs is a folk adventure with melded elements of psychedelia and electronic music. What’s brilliant about her, is the way she builds a track upon these styles, with the minimal amount of instruments. In “Fare Thee Well,” Pratt’s bedtrack is straight comping acoustic guitar, with lead vocal and light backing vocals on the upper harmony. But built upon that foundation, however, is a single-note organ, mellotron staccato (or, quickly struck) chords, and at the end, a crooning flute part. These elements are what sets the mood for Pratt’s thinly textured, but aesthetically rich sound throughout the whole album.

Pratt and her producer Al Carlson clearly know how to create an atmosphere that perfectly suits the desires of her music. Upon first listen, I thought her voice was tampered with in post production to give it that wistfully light tone, and the unique style in which she melds words together when she sings. I figured she had sped the tape down, recorded her vocals, and then sped it back to normal speed to pitch her voice up with it. This was especially true after hearing her speaking voice on a KEXP performance, which I thought was surprisingly different than her singing voice. But alas, that is her real voice, and a beautiful one at that. Her light vocals sway, climb, and fall, with the innocence of a young child, and the consoling wisdom of a grandmother. The album’s weightless feeling is largely attributed to there being no bass or bottom end instruments at any point, besides the piano on “Opening Night” and “Crossing.” Her guitar playing crackles like feet on top of autumn leaves, like her almost fizzling strumming on “Here My Love.”

Much more than on her previous two albums, Pratt employs artificial (or perhaps, authentic) tape hiss and reverb to her instruments and vocals, greatly influencing the breezy, and open-chambered feeling that this album possesses. It’s almost as though without your full attention, the music and contour could simply drift away with the wind. Her guitar has a chorus effect on it during many of the tracks, which slightly detunes the sound of the guitar with itself, giving it an electromagnetic wavy feel, reminiscent of a Mac DeMarco record. Pratt’s instrumental palette also consists of woodwinds like lilting flutes, synthesizers like mellotron and organ, synthesized orchestral strings, piano, tambourine, and reverb-drenched vocals and guitar to top it off. Pratt tastefully picks which instruments will best suit the song, and never has more than three or four accompanying her vocals at a time. Her chord choices favour major and minor sevenths, likely the most open sounding and dreamy chord choices any folk guitarist could desire. This is especially true on “Poly Blue,” one of the catchiest and most heartfelt tunes on the album, with melodies and hooks that are likely to follow you everywhere you go. The songs’ keys are more often major than minor, but her chord choices often allude to minor, and the musical expressions profess an often somber feeling. As a songwriter, it’s a difficult task to make a major keyed song sound minor, and vice versa, like Pratt does on “Silent Song.”

This is her first album recorded outside of her home and in an authentic studio, and it also sounds the least like it. More than previously, Pratt’s production style feels like lo-fi, analog, underground folk. However, it’s clearly intentional, and Pratt has learned a thing or two over the years about how to set her words, chords, and melodies, into an atmosphere that provides the most comfortable walls for them to live within. Though Pratt has a wide range of influences, like 1970’s Marianne Faithfull and John Martyn, her musical execution personally reminds me of Paul Simon’s Songbook album, or something K.K. Slider would sing in the coffeeshops of the Animal Crossing game series. Her music also wouldn’t be out of place in the season two soundtrack of The End of the F***ing World (your move, Netflix).

Though Pratt hails from Los Angeles, her music is less reflective of California’s sunny ideals, as so often portrayed by pop culture, and sounds more like Pratt singing around a campfire after sunset, as the wind lightly blows the pacific ocean waves onto the darkened sandy shores. A quiet reflection, almost. I feel comforted by her music, in a melancholic way that is difficult to pinpoint. Pratt addresses issues and hardships that one has to face in their lifetime, but in doing so, assures the listener that when it’s all said in done, everything will be okay. In “Poly Blue,” Pratt sings “Please understand the changes that a boy has had to climb / For what in time, leaves him always late to fly,” assuring the listener that though the subject’s metaphorical flight is delayed, he still flies nonetheless. She made me feel better about things I wasn’t actually concerned about before I heard the record, but left me with the sensation of new experiences and adventures. I feel a little bit more out of my shell after having listened to Quiet Signs. My introduction to Jessica Pratt’s music has been a pleasant one, and like a new friend that pulls your arm onward to new adventures and places, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Marianas Trench, “The Killing Kind” (Phantoms, 2019)

by Chelsea Ives

“We all float down here.” – a line which never fails to make my skin crawl. So imagine my surprise when I heard it while listening to Marianas Trench’ new song “The Killing Kind”. The Canadian pop-rock band released their newest album, Phantoms on March first. This is the band’s fifth studio album, and “The Killing Kind” is the final song on the album.

I was intrigued when the song first started – it finally sounds different than all their other music! The song starts with harpsichord, and slowly introduces a triangle – it almost sounds like a more up-beat but less-scary Jaws theme song. Josh Ramsay’s voice starts it off quiet and low, until the song picks up with the classic reference to IT.

But unfortunately the song is also a classic – classic because it sounds like every other song Mariana’s Trench has released. The song borrows the band’s theme from their past two albums, referencing lines from other songs or albums in each song. “The Killing Kind,” as the outro concludes with the line, “just hush, Eleonora,” to blend back into the intro track, “Eleonora”. While this album-as-one-extended-song move was exciting in their 2011 album, Ever After, it misses the mark in Phantoms because there’s no clear thematic train to link the songs together.

“The Killing Kind,” builds into the same “Astoria” sounding-scream by Ramsay, and then an alien-siren comes in, before becoming sweeping orchestral music, then the band harmonizes, and then one final smashing-together of all the sounds with Josh Ramsay’s voice before what you think is the end. But then, the song comes around full force again. They just don’t know when to quit.

Altogether, the song was an excellent choice for the close of the album, as it does seem like the band was trying to go in a different direction than in their other albums. The horror-esque theme with references to Poe’s poetry makes “The Killing Kind” intriguing, but ultimately, I think it ends as a six minute roller coaster of instrumental mash-ups which just leaves the listener nauseous.

Marianas Trench, “The Killing Kind,” off their 2019 album, Phantoms.

“Con Calma” Daddy Yankee & Snow (2019)

Daddy Yankee and Snow in “Con Calma”

Have you ever heard of a cover that includes the original artist? Hell no! —it is extremely rare! Daddy Yankee, the Puerto Rican reggaeton king, has released a remake of Snow’s 1992 hit song “Informer” with Snow himself called “Con Calma.”

 I’m going to be completely honest, when I first heard this track I thought it was going to be another cover that yet again butchers an original. However, Yankee did more than just recreate a blast from the past, he included Canadian rapper, Snow, (that’s right Snow is Canadian—representing!) into his music to create a rich blend of today’s modern music of dance hall and reggaeton with early 90’s beats.

In an interview with Apple Music Yankee said that the 1992 hit “was one of my favorite songs growing up, and to do this the right way I needed the guy to be on the record.”

Being a person that absolutely hates remakes I appreciated what Yankee has so kindly gestured towards. Not only has Yankee included Snow on his track, but also Snow hasn’t appeared in the music scene for over 25 years and to appear with Yankee (let me remind you the creator of reggaeton) will do nothing more than place Snow in the music scene in a new, modernized and innovative way.

“Con Calma” is a track that reminds you that warm weather is right around the corner. It freshly squeezes the mixture of Snow’s vocals, which can be considered the definition of dance hall, and Daddy Yankee’s dembow rhythm to create a tropical holiday in your speakers. You cannot listen to this song without looking down and seeing both of your hips swaying back and forth. The upbeat sound of this track works well with the lyrics too because it is about admiring a girl for her mesmerizing dance moves.

I could see this track being one to creeps its way to the top charts internationally because of its hot temperature. With the weather heating up, I can only image people driving around with the top down and blaring this re-imagined old school hit. Thank you Yankee for yet another surprise! 

“Middle Child” – J. Cole (2019)

By Anthony Trocchi

Middle Child is the newest instalment in J. Cole’s discography and personally one of my favourites. Throughout the track, Cole can be seen rapping about his differences from other current rappers, as well as drug abuse in the rap game. In the lines “I do not snort powder, I might take a sip/I might hit the blunt, but I’m liable to trip/I ain’t poppin’ no pill, but you do as you wish.” Cole suggests that while he himself doesn’t participate in drugs commonly used by other rappers, he understands the addiction and doesn’t necessarily care or judge someone for what they do. In terms of the name of the track, Cole is referring to his place in the current state of hip hop. Cole doesn’t necessarily associate himself with the younger or older generation but rather sees himself in between. His production value and beats usually appeal more to younger hip hop fans, while his lyricism and message is often more appreciated by old hip hop heads. He suggests this in the lines “To the OGs, I’m thankin’ you now/Was watchin’ you when you was pavin’ the ground/I copied your cadence, I mirrored your style”

In terms of the actual sound of the album, the beat steals the show. Produced by T – Minus the sampled trumpet sounds repeated throughout the song create a glorious sound which blend well with T- Minus use of high hats. Cole also uses various flows to create an overall hard hitting track, which he has always done so masterfully.

“Dancing With A Stranger” – Sam Smith and Normani

By Michaela Maxey

I’ve loved Sam Smith since I heard him on Disclosure’s song “Latch”, so I was super excited to find out that he released a new track. When I found out it was a collab with Normani, the songstress alongside Khalid in “Love Lies”, I couldn’t wait to hear it and had high expectations for it.

And I can happily announce that all my expectations were met.

The track is nothing short of dance music. It opens with finger snaps over a fuzzy background until Smith sings, then the beat comes into focus and falls into quick and repetitive patterns. Even the lyrics are repetitive, ultimately matching the consistent beat. As Smith sings, “I don’t want to be alone tonight/ It’s pretty clear that I’m not over you”, Normani responds with, “I wasn’t even going out tonight/ But, boy, I need to get you off my mind.” Then they replicate, “I don’t wanna be alone tonight, alone tonight, alone tonight”, making it easy to find the similarities in the lyrics and join in with them. Despite having melancholy lyrics, the beat makes the song so easy to dance to, and there’s so much potential for remixes that the song will easily fit into any club scene. The two later come together in a harmony that is nothing short of masterful. While Smith expertly varies in pitch range, Normani offers smooth and velvety vocals that ultimately balance each other out into perfection.

Although this song is not necessarily revolutionizing in dance music, it’s catchy and solid in its delivery of vocals and beat. Ultimately, the two create an atmosphere that allows any listener to place themselves in the club that Smith and Normani offer – dancing with a stranger in an attempt to forget a certain person.


Jonas Brothers, “Sucker” (2019)

By: Julia Ristoska

“S.O.S!” The Jonas Brothers are “Burnin’ up” all the social media feeds as they announced they were reuniting after their six long year break up. They dropped the news unexpectedly, and surprised their fans with their new single “Sucker” at midnight on March 1st. I bet you all the college girls were popping champagne when the clock struck twelve. This was a celebration of a new and improved Jonas that we all been waiting for. The humorous brothers uploaded a nostalgic Instagram post where they recreated their famous “Oh how the tables have turned” meme. The party confetti burst and the banner that writes “Hello again” rolls down which officially confirms their reunion.

Warning! Don’t let your teenage dreams run too wild since it will just lead to disappointment. The title of Mrs. Jonas have been taken and seems like the boys are happy with their decision.  Along with the Jonas Brothers we have their wives, Danielle Jonas, Priyanka Chopra and Sophie Turner feature in the Alice in Wonderland inspired music video. The former Disney stars are now more mature and no longer singing about lost love and break-ups. They left behind their more edgier power pop sound and replaced it with an R&B/ pop vibe. Which gives me the Maroon 5 feels. Nick’s falsetto and pillowy soft voice took centre stage, while Joe took over the catchy chorus. This song was definitely meant to be placed on the top 40. I mean the pop hooks, hand claps and whistling are the perfect recipe for a catchy tune. Their cheeky lyrics would have been scandalous for such pure boys to sing 6 years ago. They are now given the freedom to express their emotions without being monitored by Disney. The fans who also grew up with them can also appreciate their more risque lyrics, and not be so concerned about their purity rings.

Nick confessed in James Corden Carpool karaoke that this comeback was kept a secret for 8 months. This bomb that they dropped on us definitely brought back some good old feels, and childhood memories. It’s good to finally have all the brothers playing music, and harmonizing back together again.

“Talk You Out of It” by Florida Georgia Line (Can’t Say I Aint Country, 2019)

Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley are back on their fourth studio album to kick the dust-up with their boots, and party recklessly with a couple of hotties down in Georgia. The bro-country is strong with this track, Y’all.

For a duo that emerged from the music industry by church worship groups, they have veered farther from that message of religion, love, and women, as their album, Dig Your Roots featured. Instead, they are driving that honky-tonk back road straight towards what the producers think the radio needs- bro country that sings about pretty girls, plenty of booze, and pickup trucks.

 “…a tight, mid-tempo backbeat; a quick, two-verse set-up, often laced with clever wordplay and bouncy, lyrical melody; and — bam — the power chorus to bring it all home and keep them coming back.”

Songwriter, Greg Todd on the genre of “bro-country”

The song starts with a slow and sensual banjo, which is surprisingly just the right balance between hip-hop R&B and country sound. You can listen to the song and find the similarities to their old work underlying in the track but also bringing to the forefront what people love, and in turn, hate about the Bro-country era. The song starts off great, soft instruments playing warmly to give the song an understated sexiness, that is until Hubbard opens his mouth and sings out the egotistical lyrics.

Because the music is so muted in the background, you can’t help but listen to every word they sing about wanting to take their girl out on the town but then changing his mind and wanting to “talk you out” of that “little dress” and spend the night away with a Vandross song playing. This would all be “hunky-dory” if the lyrics didn’t sound so objectifying.

Regardless of the lovestruck and charismatic charm the guitars and keys bring to the song, its overpowered by the crappy underlying message.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved it…but I wish someone would talk these boys out of constantly singing about what would sell on the radio. Whatever happened to “God, Your Mama, and Me”?

-Genna Dara

Album Review: Avril Lavigne, Head Above Water (2019)

Avril Lavigne’s lead single, “Head Above Water,” was released September 19, 2018.

by Chelsea Ives

Queen Lavigne is here. No longer the pop-punk princess we once knew, Avril Lavigne reveals just how much she’s matured with her newest album, Head Above Water released this past February. In her sixth studio album, Lavigne shows a depth that contrasts strikingly with her old music. When I say “depth” I mean she has literally been stranded at the bottom of the ocean – but she’s back – with her head above water and her heart feverishly in her music.

Lavigne has been startlingly absent from the music scene since 2014. After contracting Lyme disease from a tick bite, Lavigne was on bedrest for almost two years – but now she’s finally back. After years of antibiotics and physical therapy for her dystrophic muscles, Lavigne traded in her bed sheets for music sheets. Now, propelled by her experiences, she’s making up for lost time. Lavigne has made a Ke$ha – come back: using her past experiences not only with her illness but also with toxic masculinity to bolster her voice, trading in her usual flippant attitude (“see ya later boi”) for a more serious, adult perspective. The album consists of a series of ballads, with a break in the middle with the more upbeat song, “Dumb Blonde” featuring Nicki Minaj.

“Head Above Water” the title track opens the album, starting with elegant piano and Lavigne’s strong vocals. The spiritual gospel works like a prayer, when she sings, “God keep my head above water …” Lavigne revealed on her website that the song came from what she thought was going to be her deathbed – truly the bottom of the ocean. The album’s set-up effectively moves from where Lavigne’s been, to where she’s going. From the bottom of the ocean, to the highest clouds in “Goddess,” Lavigne’s album is the story of her past, present, and future.

Her songs, which resonate spiritually, touch places deeper than her old music, even her 2007 “When You’re Gone,” which used to be my go-to sad song when I was an angsty teenager. Come to think of it, so was her 2004 song “Happy Ending”. Oh, and then there was her 2002 song, “Complicated” … Lavigne clearly hadn’t stretched her musical abilities as far as they could go. Her 2013 single “Here’s to Never Growing Up,” easily represented how Lavigne went about her music career until now. All her pop-punk songs were catchy, but they were all the same. Now, Lavigne shows us exactly how much she’s grown up in Head Above Water, which has a different perspective, tone, and intention. No longer pumping out tunes for the masses of angsty teenagers – Lavigne gets real by describing her struggles and how she’s overcome them.

 “Tell Me It’s Over,” the fourth song on the album, opens with a gospel/jazzy/soul sound and Lavigne’s amazing vocals, which only strengthened during her years off. The classic piano, and the introduction of trombone and horns gives this song a smooth, strong feeling. The sound of the song reminds me of the new song from Fall Out Boy, “Heaven’s Gate”. It is clear Lavigne is done taking shit from any men. The lyrics, “I’m so tired of certain emotions / That leave me dizzy and confused” are relatable to anyone who has ever been in a relationship.

“Dumb Blonde” is the fifth song on the album, and musically the weakest in my opinion. Lyrically, and thematically I can see the feminist agenda that Lavigne is trying to push, but the “Hey Mickey” sounds pairs awkwardly with the introduction of Nicki Minaj rapping three quarters of the way through the song. The transition is chunky and jarring, which takes away from the “all-hail strong women” vibe Lavigne sets up in the rest of the song. The song was originally supposed to be a solo piece (you can see Lavigne perform the original here) but two weeks before the album’s release, Minaj’s verse was added to the song. However, the original version is stronger and more effective in getting Lavigne’s point across. In the original she sings, “(…) don’t take no shit / … don’t ever shut up / You gotta stand up and fight for it.”, which I think is closer to the old pop-punk Lavigne that we know, and lyrically does a better job of keeping the theme of the song. The saving grace for this song is that it reminds me of her 2007 song, “Girlfriend” in the beat of the song – to the point where “Dumb Blonde” could be a re-make, showing how Lavigne has grown from the “I want to be your girlfriend” to the “get outta my way” of 2019 Lavigne who isn’t taking shit from men anymore.

 “Souvenir”, “Crush”, “Goddess”, and “Bigger Wow” Tell us there is still hope for Lavigne’s love life! Even referencing a possible new beau? The songs which come just before the close of the album bring a positive spin back to love and relationships. After the disheartening image you experience from “Birdie”, “I Fell in Love with the Devil”, and “Tell Me It’s Over” which all reference un-reciprocated love, compassion, and understanding in relationships, Lavigne switches from her toxic relationships of the past to her new, reinvented self. Nothing says “moving on” like picking yourself up and shocking the world with new music which is so drastically different from her old sound.

The song “Warrior” concludes the album perfectly. After she’s revealed her darkest days to us, Lavigne tells us she’s not here for our pity – she’s doing it to show her strength, and to encourage others to have faith in themselves as well. The song features dramatic piano, and Lavigne asserting herself, “I will not break / I will survive / I’m a warrior”.

How many of us would read a book where the protagonist doesn’t develop at all through the plot? So why should we expect Avril Lavigne to produce another cookie-cutter pop-punk album after all she’s gone through? For me, this album represents real struggle, growth, strength, and most of all hope in a future that will be better. Truer to reality than most of what comes on the radio today, I think Head Above Water is the most authentic Lavigne we’ve had yet. To those who think that the album is “boring”, I say: you’ll understand when you’re older.

Avril Lavigne’s Head Above Water album cover.

Billie Eilish’s 2019 “Bury a Friend” – An Homage to Horror

By Mina Wiebe

In an eerie blend of pop and horror, Billie Eilish’s new track “Bury a Friend”—for the lack of a better term— gave me the heebie-jeebies. Usually I’d refrain from describing a song as “creepy” because it’s such a vague and indeterminate descriptor, but this song is creepy. It starts out with this low, jittery beat with an almost immediate lead-in to Eilish’s airy falsetto. Her vocals are layered over the faint sound of an incredibly deep voice singing the same lyrics, which creates this unsettling rumble.

At this point, you’re intrigued by the appeal of Eilish’s sweet and airy tone, but don’t be fooled by her angelic pitch—this is by no means your average radio-bop. There’s a brief break of total silence after Eilish sings “[w]hen we all fall asleep, where do we go?” and a man’s voice eerily whispers “come ‘ere” followed by a sharp, piercing screech.

Half of what makes this song so creepy is the deep, rattling beat that plays throughout, accompanied by an array of familiar horror movie sound effects. A third of the way in there’s this low, showstopping rumble that sounds like something you’d hear in a slasher movie as the killer approaches his attractive yet oblivious female victim.

To me, this song is one big, gorgeous homage to the horror genre. It’s clear that the song is heavily influenced by it, and my hunch was confirmed when I watched Eilish’s music video for the track. A demon-eyed Eilish is seen hiding under an unsuspecting victim’s bed, as well as floating dramatically midair in a poorly lit, dingy hallway. It doesn’t get any more horror than that.

The other large component of creepiness for this track, is Eilish herself. Her soft and delicate vocals juxtapose the harsh horror sounds, conforming to one of the genre’s most utilized strategies of pairing creepy music with an innocent, child-like voice. As an avid scary-movie watcher, I can appreciate a song that is simultaneously catchy and bone-chilling, so for me this is a win. I’m incredibly excited to see what the rest of her album is like when it comes out in March.