Music for listening: Album Reviews

With my third album review, I wanted to keep choosing new genres. This one will be a rock album by Greta Van Fleet. I first heard about this band last year from a friend. Once I heard a couple songs, I began to love them. They have an incredibly unique style, a lot like Mt. Joy.  Their sophomore album, "Battle at the Garden's Gate," is a bold and ambitious release that is said to showcase the band's growth as musicians. The album features a wide range of musical styles and themes, from haunting anthems to rock anthems. Some key aspects musically of this album include: soaring vocals, impressive guitar solos, sweeping orchestral arrangements. This album really demonstrates their willingness to push boundaries in music. I will go through and listen to each song, giving them shorts descriptions and a rating out of ten. 1: "Heat Above" A spooky, atmospheric opener with sweeping orchestra arrangements. Rating: 9/10 2: "My Way, Soon" A psychedelic rock s

Hello again! I'm back with another album review. This time, rather than country; I will review an alternative album titled "Mt. Joy."  I was first introduced to Mt. Joy through a friend on a long road trip. Later on after that, we saw them play at a music festival in Tennessee called Bonnaroo. I saw them again in Austin not too long ago. It wasn't until the second time I saw them, I became a real fan. They take some serious warming up to because both their lyrics and instrumentation are so very unique. Even within the off-center world of alternative music, Mt. Joy has found such a niche sound and brand.  This 13 song album was released in 2018, and is their first full-length record. Obviously, this album was very important in building that brand I mentioned above. If I had to describe this band, I couldn't compare them to anyone else, I would have to try to put words to the poetic lines and beautiful instrumentation that just makes you feel something. My favorite

I decided to do my first album review over an EP by one of my favorite artists, Zach Bryan.  Released in 2020, these songs were extremely pivotal in his rise to stardom. Prior to this album, he has two full length albums: DeAnn and Elisabeth. These albums were early on in his career, with rough production and songwriting. Still though, his talent shines through. This album is the one that really got him noticed nationwide, later he exploded with his most recent album "American Heartbreak." I absolutely love that album, but haven't listened to this one as much. While reading other reviews about it, these songs are described to show how his songwriting really came together after the prior albums. So, I want to listen-song by song-and give them a rating, and at the end do an overall rating (scale of 1-10.) 1: "Let You Down" A song about a relationship, tainted by substance abuse and a loop he finds himself in. Faster paced, fiddle and guitar used. Rating: 6/10 2: &