ANIME REVIEW: MONTHLY GIRLS’ NOZAKI-KUN (Season 1)

My last two reviews were quite bloody, but here’s a cuter, happier one : )

Title card for “Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun”

Synopsis and spoiler-free section:

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, or better known by it’s Japanese name, Gekkan Shoujo Nazaki-kun (Japanese: 月刊少女野崎くん) was released in the summer of 2011, and it is an ongoing, episodic anime. The anime’s protagonist, a high school student named Sakura Chiyo, has a huge crush on Nozaki Umetarou, a boy in her class. Sakura decides to finally confess her feels for Nozaki – but unfortunately and confusingly, Nozaki confuses her confessing for a fan professing her love for him. Even more confusingly, when Sakura tries to clear the air about what she actually meant, Nozaki invites Sakura to his house – to assist him with doing the “beta” work (the black inking in mangas) ; it is there that she learns that Nozaki is actually a famous shoujo manga artist. This anime is based on the 4-koma manga of the same name.

Awesome characters and character chemistry:

The best part of Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun is the characters of this show – I love all of them, and I honestly “ship” all of the relationship pairings. (For those of you not familiar with the internet slang “ship”, that just means I support those characters together. Don’t judge me.) The supporting characters are some of the strongest side characters in any anime that I’ve seen. I also love all of their character designs as well, and they match their personalities perfectly (or in some cases, incongruously, which is why it’s so funny). And every character is GENUINELY hilarious. Everyone has really funny personalities, and everyone’s quirks are so perfect for the dynamics of this show. There’s not a single character that I dislike.

(Left to right) Hori, Sakura, and Mikorin bonding. SO CUTE.

Actually really funny:

Like I said above, this anime is ACTUALLY funny WITHOUT the over usage of awkward sexuality and, pardon my language, but the usage of “throwing boobs in your face” – or the male protagonist’s face. I think too much of the humour in romance animes (and this is not limited to anime – it is prevalent in all forms of the “rom-com”genre of media) revolve around sexual tension and such topics. That’s all fine – it’s just cliche and quite frankly, not that funny to me anymore because it’s predictable. But Gekkan Shoujo makes use of the other unique complexes and personality quirks of the characters so that most of the humour is not reliant on such lazy and over-played comedy tactics. It was refreshing to watch a varied style of humour for a romance.

And oh my gosh – the sound effects in this anime were SPOT ON. I loved the usage of sounds to add to the comedic atmosphere of this anime, and I believe it plays a big part in distinguishing watching a comedy and reading a comedy (ie: the manga; but we’re not here to compare them ;)).

Sakura’s face… HAHA.

An anime about drawing manga:

I think ultimately, this story works better as a manga – because it’s super meta for a manga (since it would be a manga about writing manga), but not as meta for an anime. But we’re not here to compare them. I like that it’s an anime about drawing manga, because you do get to learn the jobs of the other people who work on manga. It’s educational, but not boring.

Shots from one of the mangas in the show.

Recommended for:

Ahhhh I would recommend this to everyone! But seriously, if you’re looking for a really cute romance, that’s also really funny, and has really lovable characters, this one is awesome. The plot isn’t anything incredibly imaginative or unique, but the awesome comedy and the lovable characters of Gekkan Shoujo makes it worth the watch. The jokes actually had me laughing out loud.

But as usual, if you don’t like episodic animes, the you will probably find yourself somewhat frustrated with the plot development – but that’s kind of what you sign up for when you watch something that’s episodic. It’s really something where you have to buy into the characters and the comedy to enjoy.

So yeah – watch it to check out this stud ; )

 

In-depth analysis (spoilers ahead):

Yeah scroll down to the bottom for the final verdict! Yeah!!

All the pairings:

As stated above, I support all the pairings in here – even Mikorin’s forever alone pairing (paired with himself). Aside from Sakura and Nozaki, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Hori and Kashima’s pairing. I almost love it as much as I love Sakura and Nozaki’s pairing. Hori and Kashima’s love dynamics are so adorable!! It’s so cute how they’re so oblivious to each other’s feelings and their own feelings, which causes them to do super wacky, insane things. LOVE IT.

If this doesn’t look like love to you, I don’t know what does.

The ending:

Although I feel a little trolled but the ending, I actually really loved it. It was genius to end it like that – because it maintains the status quo in a way that is so true to the character. The ending opens the viewers up to read the manga, and it doesn’t limit the anime from having a second season (which I am really hoping they do). It may have been a little painful to not have the pairs “end up” together, but they did in a way – they were all together in their respective pairs for the fireworks. That’s something right? Poor Mikorin though 😛

I know Sakura, I know.

Tldr; and ratings section:

Recommended for: people who are looking for genuinely funny romantic comedy – or a comedy in general, people looking for a good anime to relax with, people looking for some new characters to love
Not recommended for: people who don’t like episodic animes, people who want something more heavy romance, people who like more plot driven animes

Visuals: 7.5-8/10 – Although I didn’t talk about this a lot, I really liked the visuals in the anime – but it wasn’t extremely adventurous or ground breaking. I really like the character designs and the dynamic, fast pacing of the events in this anime though.
Sound/music: 7.5/10 – I definitely think that the sound effects played a big part for the comedic aspects of this anime – and it wouldn’t have been as funny without it. However, the rest of the music didn’t really stand out to me. The theme song was a fun opening song though (but not something I would listen to on my own time).
Overall enjoyment: 9/10 – I think you already know, but I freaking LOVE Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. It’s funny and cute, and it has a great cast of characters. Definitely recommend watching this as well as reading the manga for it after you’re done with it.

 

ANIME REVIEW: PSYCHO-PASS (Season 1)

After my last review of Baccano! (Season one), I thought I’d continue the theme of gory and grotesque anime reviews by reviewing Psycho-Pass. I’m excited, aren’t you?

Synopsis and spoiler-free section:

Yes, I finally get to talk about Psycho-Pass. Psycho-Pass (Japanese: サイコパス “Saiko pasu”) is an anime set in Japan, in the year 2113. Japan has entered an era where they have seemingly “perfected” the way public safety is handled, through the enforcement of the “Sibyl System”. The Sibyl System gives a way to objectively measure a person’s mental state and criminal intent – otherwise known as their “Psycho-Pass”. The story’s protagonist is Akane Tsunemori, a new “Inspector” for “Unit One” of the Public Safety Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, where she works alongside with the “Enforcers”, individuals who are labelled as criminals in terms of the Sibyl System. Through working as an Inspector alongside the Enforcers, Akane soon realizes that her views of “justice” and the Sibyl System may be horribly flawed.

The visuals:

Holy crap – if you claim that Psycho-Pass doesn’t have awesome visuals, I would be inclined to call you a dirty liar. Well, I wouldn’t – I mean, to each their own opinion. But I would be very confused as to why you would think that. It is animated by Production I.G, and the animation in Psycho-Pass is nothing but top-notch. I was hooked on the visuals alone the very moment that I saw the weapon that they used in this show – the “Dominator”. When Akane is first introduced to the Dominator, we immediately notice the fluidity of the animation with the way the Dominator assembles itself. Super cool. All the settings, from the city landscape to the interiors of their workplace and elsewhere (some really cool scenes which you will only see if you watch the anime ;)), are all consistently detailed and beautifully hi-tech looking.

Aside from animation, the way the “camera” is used during fight scenes is also quite brilliant – it truly feels like we’re a part of a chase or we’re in the action. The usage of an unsteady camera during these scenes imitate human vision quite well.

*-* was my face when I saw this.

Intriguing ideas:

Although I found that there were some cliche aspects of Psycho-Pass (in comparison to other shows/animes/books etc about dystopias), I really enjoyed the ideas that went into this show regarding the Sibyl System and the technology in this world. I love the concept of reading one’s “Psycho-Pass” – it’s a bizarre and ethically ambiguous concept about how you could put a label like that one someone, but an interesting one nonetheless. I think they handled the reasoning for this in the anime quite well. The technology, as I’ve also mentioned above where I talk about the visuals, is really cool. Aside form the Dominator, they have technologies in this anime like a compact that can dress you up automatically (pictured below), and other cool things that I won’t spoil for you. But the thing that bugs me about the investment they made into making up some really cool gadgets is that they didn’t go all the way with some other basic aspects of life that could be improved with advanced technology. Can’t think of them all though, right?

Akane’s super cool compact mirror that allows her to change clothes instantly!! So convenient D:

Recommended for:

So if you read the very top of this review, I mentioned that I’m continuing with the theme of gore – which kind of hints to you that there is a fair bit of blood in this anime. The title of this anime is Psycho-Pass – which may suggest that we could be dealing with some psychos. There are a few things in here that are a little bit more than “a little” grotesque. I’d advise you to STAY AWAY if you are sensitive to a medium amount of gore or lower, because some things in here are a little extreme (though I don’t know if I would say it’s more extreme than Baccano! – but it is more realistic).

Also, if you’re sick of the “fighting with your sense of justice” type of plot, you might be turned off by this. I don’t know if that’s a concern for anyone, but my brother said that factor seemed a little to0 obvious and “in your face”. It’s a common theme in stories about dystopias though, so you should be expecting that. However, I think Psycho-Pass does a pretty good job of steering it away from being too predictable in the end.

Finally, I will recommend this to anyone who is looking for an anime with a good mixture of the psychological, action, and drama genres. It executes dramatic scenes very well. Though there are some things that I didn’t love about Psycho-Pass, it is a well crafted anime. I will agree with my brother that it is a little bit preachy, but it is still thought provoking, and the details sets it apart from other stories about dystopias.

Watch it to see these lovely faces : )

In-depth analysis (spoilers ahead):

This is where I give my opinions about specific parts and aspects of the anime. Scroll all the way to the bottom for the final verdict if you haven’t already watched this anime : )

Continuing with the visuals:

The only complaint I have with the visuals is the character designs. They all look really good and they fit their characters really well – and that’s kind of my problem, especially for Kougami, Ginoza, and Makishima. I feel like if I got a non-visual character description of these three, the visual description I would give about these three wouldn’t be far off – ESPECIALLY in the case of Ginoza. I felt Makishima’s character design was a little cliche for the “super-smart” and “super cool” villain type. Kogami wasn’t as bad as the other two. I do like the character designs for the female characters though. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being picky. How many different anime character designs are there out there anyway?

Don’t tell me that you haven’t see this character design elsewhere before…

Revenge plots:

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little sick of watching it. So I’m not going to lie – I’m sick of watching these. Even though the climax was set for Kougami and Makishima to have their big showdown, I wasn’t that into it, because I have seen so many similar set-ups in the name of revenge. I don’t know how to describe it, but theirs felt a little artificial and way too forced. It felt a little “cringey” for me to watch some of the scenes where Kou is all angsty, plotting his revenge for Makishima.

That being said, I absolutely LOVED the way that they ended their feud – the way they hunted each other down in a field, away from all the modern technology and such. It felt kind of serene, and for a lack of a better word, “homey”, for Kou to “dispose of” Makishima with a hand gun (ugh, that sounds so bad. Maybe I should get my Psych-Pass checked too). And damn, it was such a visually beautiful scene as much as it was a symbolically meaningful scene (which I will discuss below). So maybe the revenge plot theme of this wasn’t all in vain.

Filler picture for mood.

Some really beautiful scenes (in other words, more about the visuals):

Two scenes stand out in my head that totally blew me away with its beauty are, one: when we are first shown the Sibyl System, and two: as mentioned before, the final part of Kou and Makishima’s showdown. When we are first shown the Sibyl System, I was shocked and amazed. Shocked at the concept, but amazed with how the animation looked. I felt that it was a very smart concept – I was trying so hard to figure how the Sibyl System worked, and that was not my guess. Seeing it though, was super eerie but also super fascinating. The detail in those shots are another great example of how visually awesome this anime is.

But the scene that I liked the most, not only visually, but the scene that I liked the most in the entire anime, was the scene where Makishima is running from Kou, with the sun setting behind him and  bloody streaming down his face. I was astonished by the elegance in this scene, how the frantic and dying Makishima offset so well with the calm and vivid setting sun. Great, and unforgettable scene.

It’s hard finding a picture sometimes that doesn’t contain spoilers but still fits what you’re talking about…

Tldr; and ratings section:

Recommended for: People who like psychological/action/drama animes, people who like stories about dystopias, people who enjoy animes with cool concepts and cool technology
Not recommended for: People who can’t handle blood and gore, people who might find messages about justice to be too preachy

Visuals: 9.5/10 – Okay, you already know I love this. I almost feel bad for taking off 0.5 points… because I felt that this anime was very safe with some of the character designs. Believable character designs are important!
Sound/music: 7/10 – On the music front, I really don’t remember much, and I didn’t care for the opening theme song or the ending theme. However, sound effects were good, and the tension building music in the dramatic parts were good.
Overall enjoyment: 8/10 – Despite it’s flaws, I really enjoyed Psycho-Pass. It was just an all-round interesting anime to watch – both because of it’s visual aspects and it’s storytelling aspects. Plus, not to mention, it has some of my favourite visual scenes of all time.

ANIME REVIEW: BACCANO! (Season 1)

Ugh my brain is dying. I need to do something other than school work. But I have this inexplicable (minor) fear of being unproductive, so… I guess I’ll do this and ignore my other responsibilities for a little while…

From Baccano!’s opening theme.

Synopsis and spoiler free section:

Wow, what can I even say about this anime? Well, Baccano! (Japanese: バッカーノ! “Baccano!“) is an anime that was released in 2007, and spans for a total of one 16 episode season. The animation was done by the studio Brain’s Base, and it is based on the “light-novel” series of the same name, written by Ryouga Narita (who also authored the popular light-novel series Durarara!!) and illustrated by Katsumi Enami. The plot follows the events aboard a train called “The Flying Pussyfoot” (super tasteful name for a train, I must say :P), where it appears that multiple possibly dangerous groups – like the mafia, bandits, and such – and even supernatural beings, have congregate. The story starts off in 1932, but follows a non-linear timeline, flashing back and forth (time wise and space wise) mainly between the years 1930-1932.

Watching this dubbed:

So this is one of the few animes I’ve watched dubbed, as suggested by people on online forums and such. For most of the characters, I think the dubbed voices worked. I think it was great for a handful of other characters – as they all have an accent of some sort, since this is supposed to take place in 1930s Manhattan (though there are others with a non-New York accent). To get the full experience, I think it’s best to watch it dubbed. However, I did feel at times that some of the accents sounded a little forced, which is never a good thing and can be a little cringe-worthy. That being said, I still think it is worth it to watch this dubbed, as a New York or French or English-speaking language accent can’t really be imitated in Japanese… for obvious reasons.

Firo’s “name card” from the opening theme.

Awesome opening theme:

I love Baccano!‘s theme song, and I’m sure if anyone has ever told you about Baccano!, they probably would have mentioned it too. You just can’t talk about Baccano! without mentioning it’s opening theme. Baccano!‘s opening theme song, named “Guns & Roses”, is performed and written by the band Paradise Lunch. What’s so good about it that you just have to mention it? Well, the song itself is such a great mood setter, with it’s high energy brass instruments and quick beat – it pairs perfectly with the animation of the opening theme, which is also awesome. The animation that pairs with the theme song is a quick rundown of most of the important characters of the show, flashing quickly from character to character – because there are a LOT of them. This combo of elements just grabs your attention right away – which an opening theme should do, because it’s the first thing you see. It does it well. Not to mention, the opening theme is a perfect display of how this anime plays out – fun, energetic, creative, and just a little chaotic.

Miria (left) and Isaac (right), the power couple 😉

Maybe more than just “a little chaotic”:

Yeah, maybe. I mean, for an anime that only lasts 16 episodes, a LOT of things happen to a lot of different characters. Between getting the names of the characters right so you could know who the characters are referring to, and then knowing their nicknames, and then knowing which time period they’re in, and then knowing the story line in general… yeah. I won’t pretend it isn’t a lot. HOWEVER, I say it’s manageable – and chaotic in a good way. There’s bad chaotic, where we have a lot of characters who show up for one or two episodes (maybe even a story arch), do something for an episode that seems REALLY important, and then they never show up again or they never get mentioned again and they didn’t really add to the overall story line. I hate it when they do that in shows. But Baccano! wastes no time with that bullshit – if someone is there, he/she is there for a reason. This anime will start off seeming like it’s just throwing a bunch of characters at you, but the characters and their story line always serves a purpose and always comes full circle. That’s what I would consider “good” chaotic. Stick with it and it should make sense later!

Isaac, Miria, Jacuzzi (the one with the face tattoo) and Nice are having a nice chat together. So happy and cute 🙂

Recommended for:

Well, despite me hyping this anime up to be all fun and games, you have to understand one thing before watching this: this is not for the light hearted. Although this anime is amusing and cheery and it has it’s fair share of cutesy moments, it is GORY and GRUESOME. Although I can’t stand scary movies at all, I am 90% okay with gore/slasher films and whatnot – and even a couple of parts in Baccano! made me a little squeamish. A few especially grotesque images stand out in my head. If any amount of gore makes your stomach churn… this might be an anime to avoid.

I WILL recommend it for people who are looking for an interesting and unconventional anime, in terms of storytelling and style. It’s a very refreshing anime. If you like animes like Durarara!!, this should be right up your alley – and rightfully so, since the author of the light-novels for Baccano! also authored Durarara!!. I would like to mention that I watched Durarara!! first, and it was during one of Durarara!!‘s breaks that I picked up Baccano!, and since then… well, it’s been a little bit difficult to get back to Durarara!!. Although they play around with similar elements, and I LOVE the characters in Durarara!!, I liked how concise Baccano! was; Durarara!! is getting to be a little bit overwhelming for me… But I still enjoy it. But if you like animes that get to the point faster, you’ll probably enjoy Baccano! more.

Don’t these two (Lua, on the left, and Ladd, on the right) just look delightful??

In-depth analysis (spoilers ahead):

So that was the end of the spoiler-less section. Please scroll all the way down for the ratings : )

Favourite characters & characters I wish they included more:

There were definitely some good ones in this anime. I think like a lot of people I’ve seen talking about this anime online, my favourite is Claire, AKA Vino, AKA the “Rail Tracer”. I think he had the most interesting backstory, and he is definitely the most charismatic of the bunch. Who doesn’t like a super confident guy like that? Who else can rock a full face of blood? Also, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love his interactions with Chane. Aside from Claire though, I LOVED Isaac and Miria. They’re freaking adorable together, and I really enjoyed watching them pull their schemes together. I don’t think I would have loved Baccano! as much as I do without them. They really hold the show together with their comedic relief.

I really wish Baccano! talked about Luck and Maiza more. I don’t really know what we could’ve gotten out of knowing Luck more, besides seeing that he was a super calm and collected guy from the mafia. I don’t know, I just wanted to get more background about him because he seemed like he was going to be in it a lot at the beginning of the anime. On the other hand, I think an episode on Maiza could have been extremely interesting – just how did he get involved with being in the mafia? What was he doing all those years leading up to the current events? I would have loved to learn more about Maiza, even if that means sacrificing that air of mystery hiding behind his smile.

Maiza, always smiling.

Tldr; and ratings section:

Recommended for: People looking for an anime with an interesting style of storytelling, people who like animes that doesn’t waste time telling a story, people who like Durarara!!.
Not recommended for: People who can’t handle gore or blood, people who get frustrated following semi-confusing story lines

Visuals: 8/10 – Although I didn’t talk about it above, I really liked the art style of Baccano! – especially the character designs. Obviously this anime is a little old (2007), so the colours and the backgrounds and whatnot are a little lackluster compared to the super sexy animation of today, but I don’t think it looks completely dated. Also, the way they cut from scene to scene is executed very well.
Music: 8/10 – As stated above, I think the theme song matches the vibes that Baccano! gives off perfectly. Not stated above, I think the background music and reaction music (is that a thing?) works very well with the visual elements of Baccano!. I especially love the sharp and quick, haphazard music that accompanies frantic moments in the anime.
Overall enjoyment: 8.5/10 – Baccano! is a super solid anime, in terms of… well, frankly, it’s solid in everything. It is interesting and attention grabbing right off the bat, it has a compelling form of storytelling, and it has an unforgettable cast. If you’re able to handle some gore, you HAVE to check it out.

LIST: Five Replayable Albums pt. 1 – post 2000s

If people actually read my posts, I imagine this one will be the one to spark the most controversy… Partly because people never seem to read the blurbs that go before the actual list (for example, the one you are currently reading) and just go straight for the good stuff. And that’s fine – but as always, keep in mind that this is the music taste of someone who has grown up in the 2000s, in a very specific setting, with very specific interests that are specifically different than your own.

That being said, this is my first “list” type post, and it will not be a “top ____” type of list. It will be a list that will simply list out things (five albums in this case) that are not in order. This specific list will be about five albums from the 2000s that I find very replayable. It is definitely not a definitive list, but I have given thought to how replayable these albums on this list are; there will probably be at least one more list about the same thing. Oh, and did I mention that this is a list?

Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

I honestly don’t think I can ever get tired of this album. Channel Orange, Frank Ocean’s debut studio album released on July 10, 2012, is amazingly replayable. His first single off of this album was “Thinkin Bout You”; at first, I kind of wrote him off as another kind of generic R&B artist. He was talented at singing, no doubt (check out those high notes in this song!) but “Thinkin Bout You” had pretty generic content in the lyrics. It was a good song, but I didn’t really give him a second thought. I didn’t fall in love with him until I listened to “Forrest Gump”, which is a sang from the point of view of the character Jenny (from Forrest Gump obviously). I thought it was brilliant. Although he was singing as a female character, Ocean’s amazing voice gave it the same quality of loneliness and yearning for a loved one as any woman’s voice (as the stereotype goes). I believe Ocean’s voice is one of the best things about his music – it has a boyish sort of quality to it that makes it sound so unique, and it makes his singing sound so heart-wrenching.

But to only comment on Ocean’s voice and not his music composition or his lyrics writing would be a disservice to this great singer-songwriter. The main theme of the album seems to be “heartbreak”; many of the songs tell stories about this topic, however. He covers topics like being young and falling in love with a girl who does porn to pay for college, he talks about being in love with a drug dealer, and he even talks about struggling with bisexuality. Although he does talk about sex, drugs, and paid sex (like so many of the modern songs that gets so much hate), he doesn’t do it in a way that comes off as shallow or degrading to the person he is singing about, and has extremely varied topics. All of this amazingness and I haven’t even mention the awesome radio theme he has going on in the album during the song interludes, and the refreshing music production. You have to listen to this album if you haven’t already started.

Favourite tracks: “Forrest Gump”, “Pyramids”, “Bad Religion”, and “Super Rich Kids”

The 1975 – The 1975

Here comes probably the most fun album on the list – The 1975’s self titled, debut studio album, The 1975, released on August 30, 2013. It’s the most fun album because almost all the songs are very fun to do impromptu karaoke on. They’re songs that you want to shout obnoxiously with your friends at a party or in the car. I’ll admit that it’s initially kind of difficult to understand what Matt Healy is even saying on the tracks (especially when the first song I ever heard was “Chocolate”), nothing stops you from jamming to the energizing music. I love the electronic quality to their music, and how they experiment with different sounds, away from just the regular rock band instruments. However, their music using the usual band instruments are not lacking in any way – especially with the drums.

Although I am hesitating to say this, I feel that the content is probably suited for someone who is in their early twenties or younger. This isn’t to say that you can’t listen to this when you’re older, but a lot of the songs on the main album (as well as the deluxe album) deal with what I would categorize as teenage sexual angst and general adolescent frustration. But you know, I’m around that age so that’s right in my ballpark. I don’t know if this album will past the test of time for me, but it is damn fun to listen to and shout aggressive lyrics about things that I have no experience with.

Favourite tracks: “Girls”, “Sex”, “Robbers”, and “Settle Down”

Big Echo – The Morning Benders

Now here comes an album that no one I know has heard about – Big Echo, The Morning Benders’ second studio album, and their last studio album under the name “The Morning Benders” (now Pop Etc.) because of their realization that a “bender” was a derogatory term referring to homosexuals. And sadly (well, sadly for me, maybe not sadly for you or for them), with their name change, their  sound has also changed to a more electronic pop sound. BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT.

The reason I love Big Echo and The Morning Benders is that the sounds in this album sounds like it has been washed in nostalgia, if that makes sense. I think the best example of that, and what I consider to be the best song in the album, is about the pressures of “performing” during sex, and how to move on from not fulfilling those pressures. I see this as being filled with nostalgia because in the song, it is sung in hindsight; this event is something that the “narrator” of the song is laughing off. The ethereal humming and ahhing of the vocals, mixed with the soft music, gives this song the feeling of a glorified memory – and that “echoes” throughout the entire album.

Favourite tracks: “Excuses”, “Wet Cement”, and “Cold War”

Back to Black – Amy Winehouse

The first time I heard a track from this Grammy award winning album that was released in 2006, I think I was still in elementary school. I really didn’t like it (it was “Rehab”, for the record) because… well, I was a kid. Years later (two years ago), after replaying her cover of “Valerie” over and over again, I decided I’d give this album another go. I am so glad I did – Back to Black is one of my favourite albums of all time. The late Amy Winehouse has such a way with manipulating her voice and tone to give her lyrics attitude and personality. She’s a phenomenal singer with a distinctive voice, and a life that she doesn’t apologize for. I love that she doesn’t sing about sugar coated things – and the lyrics that she uses to express these topics are creative and fun.

The song that got me hooked to this album was actually “Back to Black”. There’s a lyric in there that goes “He had no time to regret / Kept his dick wet / With his same old safe bet.” I nearly laughed out loud when  I heard the lyric. Her voice sounded so moody and brooding and smooth, yet she sings a lyric like that. The cacophony of the word “dick” just stuck out like is… well, *ahem*. It’s awesome. My brother and I were discussing about how Adele and Winehouse have a similar singing style – but I argue that only Winehouse could pull off this image this well, and only Winehouse could sing her songs.

Favourite tracks: “Back to Black”, “You Know I’m No Good”, and “Tears Dry on Their Own”

Hozier – Hozier

To be honest, I was kind of surprised that Hozier got as popular as he did. Not that he isn’t amazingly talented, but because his types of songs aren’t really the type to get a lot of radio plays. I first found out about him after seeing a cover he did for BBC Radio 1’s “Live Lounge”, pre Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. After mentioning him to a friend, she said, “Oh yeah, he’s gonna be huge.” And well, after Hozier sang “Take Me to Church” off of Hozier at the VS Fashion Show, he blew up. It’s awesome that he got famous. But I feel like “Take Me to Church”, as good of a song as it is, doesn’t represent the range of his music. It is a good representation of his song writing skills though. But aside from sounding kind of ominous, Hozier’s music has a softer side, and a vulnerable sounding side that I personally love way more, and is actually what got me addicted to his songs.

The song that got me hooked on Hozier was “From Eden”. The song opens up with such a fun and kind of “carefree” guitar riff. Combined with the clever composition of words and imagery from the lyrics, I always feel like I’m being taken into the world of “From Eden” in my imagination. I can’t imagine anyone else’s voice singing “From Eden” as well as he does. It just feels really good listening to that song. But aside from Bible references, another song with amazing lyrics is “Cherry Wine”, which is a song about domestic violence. It’s a really interesting song – the guitar strumming is beautiful, his voice is beautiful, the lyrics are beautiful, but the topic is… less than beautiful. I think it’s an interesting take on how someone can view their relationship in such a way. If “Take Me to Church” is the only Hozier song you’ve ever heard, then you’re missing out – check out this album NOW! (And all the other ones in this list!)

Favourite tracks: “From Eden”, “Jackie and Wilson”, and “Cherry Wine”

That’s all, folks!

So that’s the end of my first “list” format piece. I will be writing more of these, so stay tuned!