Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell Review

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell [Folk / Pop]

This is very easily one of the best albums, if not the best album, of the year.

Sound: Very dynamic mastering, with each track averaging DR10. This is a given, though, as the album barely features drums and it's mostly ethereal vocals and banjo or fingerpicked guitar. Still, it's pure audio gold in its simplicity.

Songwriting: Every song is MELODIC AS FUCK. While it's hard to pick a single track, every song flows beautifully into the next, with just enough experimentation with electronic sounds, ambient notes and respective instruments like piano or bass guitars weaving in and out. Despite the relative accessibility of every song, the song structures aren't the same. Every song is distinct, but never takes away from the overall melancholy of the album, so the songs are beautiful on their own and as a part of the album. Very rare to see in music these days.

Instruments: Again, very varied and all very tastefully implemented. The vocals are double-tracked for the most part and really sound private and comfortable.


Overall: The greatest strength of the album is its earnestness. Everything sounds raw and intimate, and none of the songs overstay their welcome. The songs are very tight and fat-free and the album doesn't feel like its 44 minutes long. Album is perfect for introspection on those long bus rides. I award this album 5 stars, because it's really the one of the most outstanding record I have heard this year.

★★★★★

Blind Guardian - Beyond The Red Mirror Review

Blind Guardian - Beyond The Red Mirror [Power Metal]

This album's been sitting on my iTunes for a very long time, and I still do not know what to feel about it. Some immediate thoughts when I first listened:

1) Strange production. It's relatively dynamic at DR8, but the mix seems hollow and dull on my headphones, even with my speakers (which act as an amplifier for my headphones) set at the highest treble. Bass drums sound good, but the drumming itself isn't very inspired.

2) Melody has been on the forefront of songwriting. This album is relatively simple by Blind Guardian standards, closer to their earlier years. A lot of the choruses here are very catchy, but the same can't be said for the verses.

3) Hansi Kürsch sounds fantastic at 48 years old. He has been avoiding the high notes on live performances to protect his voice (although this must be disappointing to the fans), but he still uses them tastefully throughout the album. However, he opts for a more theatrical approach, and his visceral roars are sparse. Hell, I loved his backing vocals on Iced Earth's Plagues better.

4) The songs are far too slow. The drums plod tiredly and the guitars sounds like they are dying. This doesn't necessarily have to do with tempo, it could just be production, but the band seems to pack far too many unnecessary portions to each song, which could have benefited from tighter song structures.

5) Orchestra sounds too over the top. This is probably also why the album has been forced to be it bit more dynamically mastered, but at what cost? The guitars sound thin but the orchestra is in your face. As mentioned in first point, mix is very strange, but the orchestral music itself sounds out of place.



Unsurprisingly, the songs that minimize orchestral arrangements are the songs that I have enjoyed here (Ashes Of Eternity and The Holy Grail). This songs are uptempo and sound more focused, without compromising melody. However, every other song could do with major trimming, especially when most of the verses are blatant filler to bloat the record.

★★☆☆☆