Sean Sharp's Diary

The term concept album has become such a trivialized term. Without trying to sound like an old head, back when I was younger, a concept album used to mean something! I'm only half joking though. Now it's gotten muddled with "eras" when a new aesthetic drops for an artist. But just the aesthetic isn't what makes someone conceptually different. It's like a watered-down version of what used to be a concept album because half the time now, the music doesn't really have a main theme or storyline. Melanie has been the modern gold standard, at least in mainstream pop, for what a real concept album looks like. While she does embrace the whole "eras" thing, it goes hand in hand with what she is aiming to communicate on each album. "HADES", her fourth album, sticks with this but broadens the scope a bit. It may be a bit of a cop out to still call this a concept album, as it comes off like she wanted to rant and point out hypocrisy in media and society. Which is nothing new for her but again, this double album has a wide lens. People always seem to have an issue with her music and it seems like almost everyone has a different reason. Her childish vocal aesthetic is definitely off-putting at times, her lyrics can often be too on the nose, and her full-fledged pop-electronic production is not everyone's cup of tea. Luckily for me, the genre is right up my alley. The other point's do stick out me as flaws. Practically every album she has released, there is at least one song that I don't add purely due to the lyrics. Not like I disagree with what she is saying but it's sometimes blunt or unnerving, which I think is kind of the purpose sometimes. "HADES" has so many of these songs compared to her other albums. Like so many. "WHITE BOY WITH A GUN", "DISNEY PRINCESS", "THE VATICAN", "CHATROOM", just to name a few. Meanwhile, there are others that I put up with a bit more and sometimes grow to like. "POSSESSION" and "WEIGHT WATCHERS" for example. Then there are the times where it actually comes together nicely. Where off bat, the lyrics may still sound bold or intense but it doesn't pull me out of the music whatsoever. Those songs include "IS THIS A CULT?", "THE PLAGUE", and "UNCANNY VALLEY". While I can certainly nitpick on lyrical work, I adore the production and melodies. Whatever team she uses to both write these earworms and produce this super-polished electronic pop is doing wonders. In tandem with the production, it only makes sense that the vocal mixing and editing is dialed to the max. Besides her childish sound at times, they do a great job of mixing different styles of her vocal ability to create dense and rich choruses or verses that distinctly differ as the song goes on to keep it fresh. In popular EDM there is this stutter effect that a lot of producers use on synths or vocals and Melanie has adopted this pretty heavily over the course of this thing. It's almost overdone but it does give some extra flare. (For examples of this, see "SIRENS" by Flume, "The Fall" by The Chainsmokers, "2gether" by Mura Masa, or "The Last Goodbye" by ODESZA.) This overall is likely my least favorite project of hers since her debut. The first half of the album is pretty disappointing compared to the second half, and I think they easily could have cut 4-5 songs off of this.

Listen 1: I'm sorry Dave, but Biebs and Druski got you beat with the entertaining interludes this week. The music's whatever. Dave said this will explain the lifestyle. TBH I learned nothing I already knew except Glorilla wants to fuck Matthew McConaughey Listen 2: Found a bit more appreciation for some of the interesting production. A lot of this tho is a hot mess. Wish it was more compact and decisive like the first one. NO COMMENTS and DA WIZARD are pretty cool tho. I’m at a point where I could never listen to Sheck Wes again and be completely fine with life. 1 Week Later: A trap circus. That style that Playboi Carti has made so popular, is pretty prevalent on this album and I finally found the right words for it. A trap circus. It sounds loopy but hard. Like a killer clown. JACKBOYS on their John Wayne Gacy type shit.

Listen 1: My first Freddie Gibbs project. Only other time I've heard him was on that Injury Reserve track. I can see why The Alchemist's beats are considered so "rare". Can't really find anything like that in modern rap. Off first impressions, they may not just be for me but it might grow on me as well. 1 Week Later: Unfortunately this was just not for me. I get the appeal but Freddie on Alchemist's beats just reminds me of an older time of rap. I think that a lot of the classics that sound like this are a sign of the times and their projects together are just a refreshing wave for the people that love that sound. While I don't hate the style, I don't feel like this outdoes a lot of the older rap it mirrors.

A bumpy musical ride. Had a hard time finding anything that really stood out to me here. This is interesting to listen to because it's not something you hear when you turn on the radio or find even within it's genre but it serves just as that in my eyes. I feel like, okay cool I've heard this, now time to move on with life.

Back in 2019 I went and saw Childish Gambino at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The park was packing to the brim and all the way on the opposite side of the park was Tame Impala. In between some songs, you could briefly hear Kevin's hits as Gambino got ready for his next song. This summarizes my experience with Tame Impala. I have never been able to fully immerse myself in his style fully and this album is just further away from what I could fully enjoy. I hear his stuff around, and people seem to like it and sometimes I like a certain song or part but overall I find it almost disorienting to listen to. This album capitalizes on that. Lots of drawn out instrumentals, which is common for him, but I find a portion of them here rather annoying unfortunately. Hopefully this is just a stumble and not a sign of his future.

By far his weakest album. "Issa Album" had some lows, but this thing is pretty consistently subpar besides a few key moments and "GANG OVER EVERYTHING". Coincidentally, Metro Boomin features on this, and he does bring a lot to the table in terms of quality. A lot of the production on this tries to feel like "a lot" but doesn't deliver in the same way. Don't get me started on 21's lyrics on this. Practically every song, he is dropping some ridiculous line like asking a girl not to suck the tip of his dick because it tickles. He's known for some crazy bars, but some of his most head-scratching are scattered across this thing.