Martintox Presents: Disorder Reviews
Rating Systems (+ Track Colors)
I have a new album and a new Disorder Reviews blog.
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F TO T [THIS ALBUM I HEARD IN A DREAM]
Artist: a bunch of YouTubers
Released: night of 13th March 2020
Genre: Indie Rock, Lo-Fi Indie
Label: n/a [independently released]
Producer: a bunch of YouTubers
Best Track: the last one
Original Review Publication Date: 18th March 2020
TRACKS (induced by remote viewing): 1) Mad Dog; 2) Wheels Without a Wagon; 3) Easter; 4) Last Train Out of Beaumont; 5) Interlude; 6) Interlude (Part II); 7) Out of the Stratosphere; 8) It's Just Not Gonna Work; 9) What Did He Mean?; 10) F to T
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I've had a rather bizarre dream a couple nights ago -- not as weird as the one I had the night before, where I woke up to see a full red moon out the window that turned into an anime trailer, nor the one I had four years ago where Bjork and Jay-Z held about a dozen people hostage at gunpoint, but still moderately strange. I was visibly playing Minecraft with a group of YouTube personalities; it was some sort of deathmatch/Battle Royale-type game taking place in a structure that resembled some sort of abandoned South American temple. For a good chunk of the game, I thought it would be a funny idea to camp one corner constantly, but no one actually fell for my completely transparent ploy.
Some time later, the game ended and most of us went our separate ways; I had the opportunity to chat with a group of about four YouTubers who knew each other well, and with enough time, I discovered that they actually had formed some kind of indie band. I even got the chance to listen to one of their albums. I don't actually remember the title, the cover, or the track listing, but I've come up with sufficiently accurate approximations through remote viewing. To my surprise, it was actually surprisingly damn good! An appropriate comparison point would be the part emo, part art rock stylings of early Modest Mouse, but on the whole it was fairly stripped down musically. What was interesting was the contrast between energetic performances and downbeat melodies, as well as the existential tone of much of the lyricism.
When it comes to specific tracks, there's a good amount of variety. The main songs of interest are the long, pensive cuts, such as the 8-minute epic "Last Train Out of Beaumont", where the rest of the group develops around a mostly static combination of vocals and guitar. That being said, what helps the experience in the long run are the shorter tunes: "Easter" and "It's Just Not Gonna Work" are punk-like bursts of energy that help bring some life into the record just as it's about to get a little too calm. Sometimes, this is precisely what's needed: it doesn't make much sense to follow the two-part interlude with the equally slow "Out of the Stratosphere", as this makes the middle of the record rather catatonic in comparison to the beginning and end. My favorite cut would have to be the last one, a 5-minute rock ditty with a brilliant set of ethereal guitar chords, backed with one of the few piano parts of the album. I don't know if I'll get the chance to hear more from this band in another dream, but I definitely recommend this release to anyone who likes emo dreamcore rock.
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PERSONAL RATING: ***?
RECOMMENDATION RATING: ***
LETTERED RATING: A
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PERSONAL RATING: ***?
RECOMMENDATION RATING: ***
LETTERED RATING: A
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