Inside Noise Week of 10/20
The internet generated tons of hype for a few of the more popular records that came out this week. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we here at Outside Noise were fawning over them. Read our thoughts below!
Census Designated by Jane Remover
Jane Remover's Census Designated has set the internet on fire this weekend, drawing attention with its grieving, yearning lyrics and its posture as a shoegaze-inspired, post-everything storytelling epic. However, a lot of the concepts here fall flat due to the hyper-processed vocals that strip out a lot of the emotion as well as due to a general lack of climactic moments that make such dark concept records so fun to begin with. That's not to call Census Designated a failed project. Its storytelling still hits hard consistently, and at times the vocals play well with the dynamic contours of the songs, bringing life to the more quiet and minimal sections. For all the hype this one got, I just couldn't see it as any more than a decent swing at a sound that's looking less and less fresh with every year we put between us and the release of Deathconsciousness. 6/10. -Michael
Lahai by Sampha
South London's progressive r&b darling Sampha returns this week with his new record Lahai, a record that doesn't shy away from influences from London's experimental electronica sound. Occupying the sacred space at the crossroads of subtlety and musical mastery, Lahai's percussion weaves in and out of intricate patterns while simultaneously providing steady, groovy support to the rest of the composition. All the while, delicate piano, guitar, and synths further deepen the instrumentals, giving the songs a ballad-like feel that pairs well with the familiar soulful vocals that appear throughout the record. Overall, Lahai achieves the rare success of appealing to audiences who approach r&b with all sorts of wants and expectations, serving up a smooth groove with silky, agreeable vocals as well as an intricate web of instrumental performances that opens itself up to deep musical analysis. 8/10. -Michael
ONE MORE TIME… by Blink-182
Some old school pop punk fans will be excited to hear that Blink-182 is back to their original lineup, as Tom Delonge is apparently putting his UFOlogy side hustle on the back burner to go on tour and record their new record ONE MORE TIME.... I'll admit, I was naive to think that getting the old band back together would result in a return to the glory days of Dude Ranch or Enema of the State. Instead, ONE MORE TIME... is more of the clean-cut melodic pop punk that we have come to expect from Blink-182. But unlike their last ultra-over-produced record NINE, there’s a level of vulnerability and roughness around the edges that makes ONE MORE TIME… endearing. On tracks like “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT”, “MORE THAN YOU KNOW”, and the title track “ONE MORE TIME”, Blink addresses the heartache caused by their split, by Mark’s 2021 cancer diagnosis, and more. Even if this isn’t my personal favorite approach to the pop punk sound, I’m glad that this seems like a genuine mending of friendship and not just a cash-grab reunion. 6/10. -Kalen
