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XX/\/\E - "Melt" Single Review

10/26/2014

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Just yesterday, XX/\/\E dropped one of his better singles on his Soundcloud. Overall, it signified his development as a storyteller and depicted his life. Even though his delivery was a bit awkward on this track, it kind of fit in with the subject matter.


Production-wise, goonf!sh delivered. The beat was trippy, yet minimalistic at the same time, similiar to the cover art of this single. The drum pattern was a bit quiet, but it didn't take away from the song all that much. XX's flow was pretty nice too.


Overall, I feel like XX is improving even more. I could see this on a dope storytelling mixtape.
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Aland$$/Unknown Productions - "Where Do I Go" feat. Dahwoo and Town

10/24/2014

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Out of the three singles released so far off of Alanda$$'s Shipwrecked EP, this is definitely my favorite. Its lush and dreamy production tantalizes the ears of the listener in a good way, and its watery theme fits in with its sexual theme.

No...these lyrics weren't great, but they served their purpose. Throughout the course of the song, Dahwoo empowers his girl while doubting himself at the same time, making it an interesting song conceptually. The one aspect of this song I wasn't so keen about was the Asian porn samples, which fit in a little, but didn't really feel necessary.


Overall, this is a cool theme-based song which gives a new perspective on sex songs. Yes...it could sound a bit more professional, but Alanda$$ seems to know what he is doing for now. I'm still anticipating his upcoming project.
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Song of the Week - Coldplay - "midnight"

10/11/2014

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Well...I finally got a chance to listen to this album (Ghost Stories). Even though I wasn't wild about it lyrically, I liked it from an artistic. "Midnight" specifically stood out to me due to its haunting vocal distortion filters. 

I also think this song is a bit overlooked lyrically. Martin is obviously telling a story as he sings "leave a light on", presumably after his divorce with Gwyneth Paltrow. I also like his use of imagery intricately weaved into lyrics such as:
But bleed from thorns
Another aspect of this track that lulled me was its beautiful instrumental and its melody. Overall, there's just a lot of substance in this track that keeps drawing me in. That is why it is my favorite track of the week.


That is all...stay tuned for more true music reviews!
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K-Mars - "Abstract" Mixtape Review

10/10/2014

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True Music Reviews does not claim ownership over the Abstract mixtape artwork. Full credits go to K-Mars and everybody else who was associated with the creation of this mixtape cover who is unknown to us.
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K-Mars is a rapper hailing from Rap Genius who recently released his debut mixtape, Abstract. Overall, I couldn't really get much from the mixtape and there are few tracks that I could say that I enjoyed listening to. Let's begin.

Track 1) Abstract

From this intro track, K-Mars gave off a few impressions. For a start, I immediately noticed that his mic quality was quite awful, and was kind of a red flag for the rest of the mixtape. Throughout the course of the intro, Mars explained that his art is “abstract” and “difficult to understand”. Perhaps an excuse for laziness? Let’s find out!

Track 2) 915

My predictions were fulfilled within this song.  The first thirty seconds of this song were nice, but then some country guitar chords came along with the beat, and the track just went downhill from there. K-Mars’s quality wasn’t completely unlistenable, but it is still pretty pitiful and the rock-guitar beat just doesn't seem to work with the track.


I’m not too impressed so far…I’m still ready to have my opinion of Mars changed though.

Track 3) May Day

One thing I have to say…these lyrics are actually pretty damn dope. Yes…they are braggadocious and Mars’s delivery is a bit too aggressive for my enjoyment, but he just went off and did his thing. Even though the production was a bit cringe-worthy, it’s an improvement. Still…you got to love the Talladega Nights sample.

Track 4) Algae

Damn…either this tracks is either a complex metaphor or complete bullshit…I’m not sure which one it is. The beat sounded a bit amateur, but you know…it fit in. I (think) enjoyed the subject matter of the song, as this is the most personal K-Mars has gotten so far. I’m interested in hearing more.

Track 5) Bam Bam

Over a heavily-based beat, K-Mars manages to catch my attention with semi-conscious lyrics, referencing materialism. This track also features an attempt at mixing and mastering…which certainly improves its quality over a lot of the others.

Compared to the first four tracks, “Bam Bam” is pretty damn amazing. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I am beginning to really enjoy this.

Track 6) Celebrate Life feat. Rashad Abstract

No…this track wasn’t terrible but it resembled the quality of the first few tracks a lot more than the previous too. The production was mediocre at best, K-Mars’s singing was pretty damn horrid, and I have no clue what filter was put on the guest feature

Lyrically, this shit wasn’t terrible. There was some cool ice wordplay within K-Mars’s verse, and his guest feature also spit a tight verse. However, some of the rhyme schemes sound like they were taken straight off of rhymezone.com. Hmm…

Track 7) Picasso

I’m sorry, but this may be one of the most cringe-worthy tracks I have ever heard. The singing and microphone quality by Mr. K-Mars himself made me want to crawl up into the corner of my bedroom and cry. The repeated lyrics were also pretty pitiful.

I feel like this track was trying to be conscious…but I just don’t think K-Mars got what he wanted. This track could have been a lot better if K-Mars paid a bit more attention to quality, but I was certainly not impressed.

Track 8) Changes

I do appreciate the change in subject matter, but the lyrics once again were pretty damn pitiful. The beat was pretty smooth and clean…I just thought the producer should have taken the filter s/he used off of the drum pattern. K-Mars needs to step up his flow game though.

Track 9) Pound

I’m sure most of you all have heard of Drake’s “Pound Cake”, which was one of the biggest rap songs of last year. These lyrics were among the better ones on this mixtape, and you can’t help but love the Ellie Goulding sampled beat. This also is one of K-Mar’s best tracks flow-wise.

Track 10) Rain feat. Alpha T REX

The first thing I have to point out is this lyric from the guest feature:
 In this world full of cooties

Not the H.I.V. or the STDs

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Overall, the track was actually pretty decent though. I enjoyed listening to the production, even though I didn’t love it. K-Mars also had a nice verse lyrically, wordplay-wise, and flow-wise. However, I felt like the guest feature really killed the vibe of the song. What would you expect with that name though…

Track 11) Double Cheeseburger (Remix)

Domo Genesis completely renegaded K-Mars (even though he was part of the original song). However, Mars delivered one of his better verses on this track. Both artists used nice wordplay and managed to remain on beat with a smooth flow.

The production and title of this track were pretty cringeworthy on the other hand. Both are very amateur and probably didn’t take much time to come up with. K-Mars just simply needs to be careful about what beats he chooses.

Track 12) No Einstein (On The Spot)

Once again, K-Mars proves that he is the epitome of mediocrity as he spits below-average verse over a low quality instrumental (the “Blood On The Leaves” sample is pretty nice though). K-Mars seriously does need to stop bragging about his raps though…

The hook on this track was surprisingly somewhat catchy. I also enjoyed a couple of his lyrics and Kanye West references.

Track 13) Celebration

The Thanksgiving intro kind of set the song up to be a cool concept track, and K-Mars kept up with the theme of the track throughout the length of the song. Even though some of the lyrics seemed a bit far-fetched (I’m close to being famous) while others are just downright bad (I’m thanking god that I’m not getting faded).

The production of this track was pretty nice, but this is probably the weakest track on the mixtape flow-wise. This is certainly one of the better tracks on the tape though.

Track 14) Abstract Outro

K-Mars’s speech at the beginning of this track was pretty damn inspirational, but a lot of the track was used for him to promote his other music. If I were him, I wouldn’t bother doing so…it makes you look self-centered.

MY FAVORITE TRACKS

3) Changes

Lyrically, this track wasn’t all that great but I suppose K-Mars got the job done. The true highlight of this track is K-Mars’s flow, which rolled over the beat quite nicely. I also found my enjoying the production and its sampled hook.

2) Pound

You can’t deny that Drake’s “Pound Cake” beat is fucking amazing…once again K-Mars stepped up his game with his flow on this track. This also contains one of K-Mars’s better verses lyrically on this mixtape.

1) Bam Bam

I will have to admit right now...this track certainly raised my expectations for this tape after listening to the other tracks prior to it. With the smoothest beat, best lyrics, mixing/mastering, and overall listenability, this easily took the cake.

SUGGESTIONS

  • You need to work on your lyrics and subject matter. Perhaps use better rhyme schemes and wordplay. On the other hand, talk about more personal subjects.
  • Your delivery was a bit extreme on this…you were yelling on pretty much all of these tracks even when it made no sense whatsoever. At least be conscious of that.
  • Be careful when selecting beats. A lot of the ones on this mixtape either were very amateur or just simply too unenjoyable to listen to.
  • Work on your flow so that it is more on-beat. Sometimes it felt choppy too.
  • No…this didn’t affect my thoughts of you that much. My microphone is really shitty too. However, a new microphone would make this a lot more enjoyable.
That is all. Stay tuned for more true music reviews!
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Song of the WEek - Lorde - "Yellow Flicker Beat"

10/4/2014

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This week has been a pretty good one for music...however, you had to expect this. I reviewed it the day it came out, and I loved it on first listen. Even though it is among one of Lorde's weakest songs lyrically, it still is spectacular.


Just lyrically, this track is genius. It is written from a double perspective, has a lot of themes and wordplay, and demonstrates Lorde's natural gift of imagery. The production was dark yet upbeat at the same time...fitting along with the subject matter of the song. More importantly, I feel like this track fits perfectly with the theme of the Hunger Games.


In conclusion, this song is spectacular and definitely got me a lot more hyped for Lorde's upcoming album. She has been confirmed to be working with Kanye West, another one of my favorite artists. If you have not already, I would go ahead and give the track a listen!

Lyrics

Read “Yellow Flicker Beat” by Lorde on Rock Genius
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Alanda$$ - "Lemme $no (Dah Dah Doe) (Feat. Dahwoo & Town)" Single Review

10/2/2014

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Aland$$ is a producer whose Shipwrecked EP is set to be released in the near future. Overall, I didn't really dig the singing/rapping on the track, but I enjoyed the instrumental far more than his previous single, due to its more professional quality.


No...the lyrics weren't terrible, but their subject matter is a bit vague, and they just lacked depth. The autotune fit in with the song though...I quite liked that part of the song. I'm not sure if Alanda$$ wrote this or not, but if he did, he needs to improve this writing skills.


In conclusion, this single was pretty dope, and got me a bit more hyped for the upcoming Shipwrecked EP.
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Cruz - "Cruz Control" Mixtape Review

10/2/2014

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True Music Review does not claim ownership over the Cruz Control mixtape cover. Full credits go to Cruz and anybody else who was associated with the creation of this mixtape cover.
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Cruz is a semi-famous rapper who is probably best known for his contributions to the official Rap Genius mixtape. This up and coming rapper has a handful of mixtapes in his growing discography. Overall, I really liked the vibes of this mixtape, even though it has its flaws. Let's begin.

Track 1) Feel Good

Overall, the positivity of the track caught my attention in a good way. I felt like this was a nice way to start this mixtape. I liked Cruz’s use of storytelling throughout the track, and I even enjoyed the jazzy instrumental after a few listens.

If I had to make one complaint, it will have to be on the rhyme schemes. This has always been an issue with Cruz…a lot of them just feel a bit lackluster and easy to come up with. Another minor problem I discovered is that the hook feels filler to me. It’s still a good track though.

Track 2) It’s True

I felt like I got more out of “It’s True” than the previous track for a variety of a reasons. Even though its subject matter was braggadocious, the rhyme schemes were actually pretty superb on this track (he just kept dropping them internals!) I also enjoyed the production more.

However, even though this track seems a bit haughty, Cruz did come down to Earth by questioning himself and showing his fans that he isn’t perfect. No…I don’t think he came off as arrogant, but braggadocious subject matters should only be used if one is actually professional and has the right to make bold claims.

True 3) Soliloquy

Overall, this is probably the most wordplay-heavy track on the mixtape and didn’t really feature as much storytelling. I kind of like this direction, but I think I prefer his storytelling tracks more. The beat of this track wasn’t terrible, but is just too forgettable for me to claim that I enjoyed.

Once again the rhyme schemes were dope, but I did have an issue with the track…a lot of the vocals sounded too quiet compared to the instrumental. This is a simple mixing issue that could have easily be fixed. 

Track 4) Peace of Mind

This track was nice…it actually balanced the storytelling and wordplay aspects of Cruz’s lyricism quite nicely. I also enjoyed this production…it’s probably my favorite on the mixtape so far. I also liked Cruz’s flow on this.

On the other hand, this once again is a braggadocious track. Even though Cruz is dope, I just feel like he should use different subject matters instead of repeating the same ones over and over again…

Track 5) Time Goes Fast

This is probably the best storytelling track so far, even better than the first and second tracks on the mixtape. I also enjoy the instrumental…it uses the same sample as the beat of XX/\/\E’s “Hey”. The rhyme schemes on this joint were also nice. The hook could have been more catchy though.


Here is the beat that XX used.

Track 6) Some Day

I have a bit mixed feelings on the subject matter of the track. It is braggadocious yet it isn’t at the same time…it is kind of an interesting concept. At various parts of the song, Cruz’s rhyme schemes were hotter than the sun…they were that good.

I also think this is his best track so far flow-wise. If I had to make a complaint though, it would certainly be of Cruz’s singing on the hook of this track. It sounded off-key. If I were him, I would stick to what he is good at, which is rapping.

Track 7) Talk

I really dug this track…it was an inspirational masterpiece with cleverly constructed lyrics. I liked the more unique-sounding instrumental, on which Cruz’s voice sounded suitable on.  Cruz used nice wordplay (such as his Egypt references scattered throughout the first verse). On the flip side, the hook was a bit average and almost felt filler.

Track 8) ‘Till We’re Gone

This track had a bold production, but just didn’t stand out on the mixtape as much as some of the other tracks, to be honest. I did like some of the storytelling, but the braggadocious subject matter is a bit played out at this point of the mixtape.

On the plus side, Cruz’s flow was pretty nice, and this is certainly one of the best hooks on the entire mixtape. This is still is a good song…don’t get me wrong. It’s just not very memorable for me.

Track 9) Light

October Samuel is actually a producer that I have listened to before, so I was pretty hyped when I saw his name on the tracklist for this mixtape. My hype was lived up to…I really loved the bass in this violin-themed instrumental that Cruz flowed smoothly over.

The lyrics on this are nice, even though I felt like these were some of the corniest on the entire mixtape (there were some references to cancer that made me mentally cringe). Cruz went hard with his delivery on this track though.

Track 10) Royalty

Overall, this was a pretty nice way to end the mixtape. The style of the instrumental on this is completely unlike the rest of the mixtape though, even though I like it quite a bit. Lyrically, this was pretty nice, but once again, the rhyme schemes were a bit average.

Here are my three favorite tracks on the mixtape.

3) It’s True

From its cleverly-sampled production, superb use of rhyme schemes, on-point flow, and just overall vibe, I feel like there is a lot to get out of this track. This track certainly showed off Cruz’s talent as a semi-professional rapper.

2) Peace of Mind

As I stated above, I really enjoyed how this track balanced both storytelling and wordplay, two different aspects of lyricism. This also has one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite beat on the mixtape. I just liked the overall vibe of the track itself…if you know what I mean.

1) Talk

This is easily the most inspirational and conscious track on the mixtape, starting off with the same “Who at ya?” sample used in Kanye West’s “Runaway”. There is just something that draws me towards the track, and really puts it over the top for me. I’ll be replaying this for a while.


My Suggestions For Cruz

  •  The biggest concern I have with this is the hooks…pretty much all of them are either lackluster of filler. I would either work on hook-writing/singing, get features to them for you, or simply cut hooks completely from your songs.
  •  In addition, try to stray away from braggadocious rap. They make you look conceited (not saying you are), and they can turn off fans.
  • Even though I was more impressed by this than I expected, you used a handful of one-syllabic rhyme schemes. Add an extra syllable to those, and it will elevate your music more.
  • Get some features up on your tape! I would love to see you collaborate with other artists…it always helps to get your tape more attention and makes it more interesting.
  • I would also be careful about selecting beats…a few were only average.


That is all...stay tuned for more true music reviews!
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Zac Oracle - "Calm Insanity" Mixtape Review

10/2/2014

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True Music Reviews does not claim any ownership over the Calm Insanity mixtape cover. Full credits go to Zac Oracle and anybody who had any association with the creation of the cover who is unknown to us.
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Zac Oracle is an up and coming rapper who recently released Calm Insanity, his 1st mixtape. Overall, I felt like this project was pretty much hit-or-miss. His storytelling was nice when he used it, but there were a few mistakes he made that majorly affected the outcome of the album. Let’s begin.

Track 1) Calm Insanity

The instrumental got me hyped for the track…I really liked the intro. Despite the first lyrics of the song (one of them being “I’m adorable”), I felt like the lyrics in this song fit in with the title of the track, even though a lot of them weren’t particularly great (was the third eye reference really necessary?).

Moreover, a lot of the rhyme schemes were mediocre. In addition, I’m not quite sure what the point of the trap-like outro was for. However, I enjoyed listening to some of the panning effects used in the mixing and mastering of the track, Oracle’s aggressive delivery, and the semi-professional sound of the track as a whole.

Track 2) Patty Flipper

I really liked the production of this track, especially the bass and drum pattern of it. On the contrary, I thought the sample intro lasted way too long, and after a few listens, I started questioning why it was even added to the song in the first place.

On the plus side, Zac Oracle’s verses were certainly a lot better than the previous track. I really enjoyed his storytelling, rhyme scheme structure, and flow. However, I felt like the hook on the track felt very filler, and just like the sample, I didn’t see what the point of it was.

I feel like the outro has some meaning, but I can’t understand the language the singers are singing in…

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Track 3) My Song 75

At first I had a bit of trouble listening to this track, but after a few listens I think I got the jist of this track. Oracle certainly should try and improve on pronouncing his words a bit more clearly any future mixtapes he decides to release. 


I really did like the subject matter and storytelling of this track once more. Once again, I liked the melody and drum pattern of the instrumental of this track, but there was an aspect of it that messed the quality up a little bit.

Once again, I felt like the intro and outro of the track were both really unnecessary, and this time they lasted longer. If they are supposed to have a special meaning, it really is subtle, because I don’t see how they have any purpose within the song.

Track 4) Daayuuum ft. Crispy Juicebox x Hood Nasty

Production-wise, this is probably the weakest track on the mixtape thus far. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t vibe to it nearly as much as the others. Once again, (surprise surprise), the beat switched up, and the transition was sloppy. It just honestly didn’t have any purpose, to be honest.

Moreover, Zac certainly had the best verse on the track. I really enjoyed his use of rhyme schemes and the way he flowed over the piano-influenced beat, despite his braggadocious subject matter. Crispy Juicebox had a nice flow, but he did drop a few cringeworthy bars (and what’s up with his rapper name)? I hate to break it to you, but Hood Nasty’s verse was just plain corny and hard to bear through.

Track 5) Enterlube

Just like its predecessor, “Enterlube” is braggadocious, but the verse that consisted of the song was nowhere near as clever. The production didn’t really excite me much either, even though I thought that the transition of the beat was actually good this time. I just wasn’t overall impressed much by this.

Track 6) Hands on the Wheel (Remix)

To be honest, I didn’t really enjoy Oracle’s take of “Hands On The Wheel”. For a start, I didn’t like how he rap (or possibly sing; it was hard to tell) over the excellently sampled hook. Moreover, I felt like his verses didn’t give off an energetic vibe like the originals do.

This is also the worst track so far flow-wise on the mixtape. Even though the lyrics were pretty good (especially the storytelling), I just didn’t really connect to it. Oracle simply just sounded too bored on this exuberant track.

Track 7) Honeysuckle

Yesss…finally a beat that I could really vibe to once more! I liked the darker aspect of it. Even though the lyrics weren’t too great on this track, I really liked the mixing and mastering that was utilized throughout the course of it. There were a few places in which Oracle could have used more multi-syllabic rhymes though.

What’s up with that outro though?

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Track 8) Armageddon

I think it is pretty safe to claim that this track represents the “insane” aspect of the mixtape. Within it, Oracle lists his influences including Hopsin, Eminem, and Tyler the Creator. This made me a bit more skeptical of the tape though, because most Eminem and Hopsin stans don’t really know what they are talking about.

The production was pretty nice…I didn’t like all of the namedrops though. Oracle literally called out people who probably are making more money right now than he will for the rest of his life as a rapper. His flow was respectable though.

Track 9) Orange Soda

“Orange Soda” is easily the most depressing track on the mixtape, describing his hopelessness as a rapper and his mother’s cancer. The song touched me, which is a good thing when it comes in terms of making music. I loved the storytelling in this, and I thought this was a nice way to end the mixtape.

Here are my three favorite tracks on the mixtape.

3) My Song 75

The actual track of this was smooth as fuck…I loved the beat and Zac Oracle’s flow that he utilized throughout the track. This was also one of the best tracks on the mixtape due to its use of storytelling and rhyme schemes. It’s just an enjoyable track overall.

2) Orange Soda

This song was pretty darn dismal track, it was relatable and showcased the storytelling aspect of Oracle's raps quite perfectly. It helped to conclude the mixtape quite nicely and left the listener with a satisfying last impression.

1) Patty Flipper

Of all the tracks, this is probably the one in which Zac Oracle stepped up his game the most. Over a semi-professional sounding beat, Zac delivered excellent verses in the areas of storytelling, rhyme schemes, and just overall relatability. Good work.


That is all. Stay tuned for more true music reviews!
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