Kingbastard has a new album out called "Pop Goes The People". I figured I would go ahead and leave my full review of the album up here. His music really amazes me...
Pop Goes The People Review
Everytime you release a new album I truly am moved more than I am by any other album I own. I constantly listen to music, since I practically need it while driving. Your style is constantly changing. It is almost as if this is composed completely by different people. I truly am shocked you are able to put everything together so nicely and quickly. Your produce so elegantly with so much emotion. Every pluck of your guitar strings, every melodic synth, and the entire symbolic representation of life in each of our perspectives in the frequent use of pads all come together to truly make a musical experience. I smile when listening to your music, as I do with this album. Your simple lyric style is very addictive, offering a definite replay value, again and again. I find myself replaying your songs, singing along while closing my eyes and shaking my head back and forth to the nice beat. Let's take a moment to break down each song.
Start to Begin
What an intro! I immediately understand the theme of this album when I hear that guitar come in. The less observed perceptions of life are offered in a bright universe portrayed with singing, guitar playing, and light, easy lyrics to tie everything together. You have a great voice, isolating me into my own little world against the chaos of everyday life. I can truly observe a vision of sorts, as if you are taking me out of my seat and showing me the world on a different level. I enjoy the interesting and original electronic additions to this song, along with every other song. I never know what to expect. Excellent mixing, sounds, and composition. I can't wait to see what is next in this little world of yours.
Treefella
Ahh yes, the Treefella EP, a song about wondering and waiting for someone to come join you in your tree. I remember hearing this in your album "Treefella". The entire song is recorded with a lot of headroom, making the lyrics a little hard to understand. I have grown quite fond of that, however, and find myself playing it on long trips across the State. It always offers a happier look on isolation for me. If I'm alone, I feel like I am simply waiting in my tree for someone else to come along and join me in my world. The thing is, being alone in a tree isn't all that bad. You get to overlook the entire world while keeping your head up. I enjoy this song, and it is my favorite on your treefella album.
Birdspotter
I see you have gotten much better in live recordings, improving from the slightly hard to understand Treefella. This song REALLY made me smile. You sure know how to play different styles of guitars! I am very impressed by just how many riffs, acoustic melodies, and electric slides you put in here. You have quite a lot of talent to play all of that and layer it accordingly. If this is ever played live by a few capable guitar players, I would love to hear it! It is the kind of song that makes you want to get up, talk to people, have a bit of fun, and dance till the sun goes down.
C.O.W.A.R.D
This is a touching song full of regret for your own self awareness of flaws, seemingly impossible to change. The pad that comes in after 1:30 is incredible. This kind of electronic buildup and transition is the kind of unexpected, simply wonderful and amazing ingenuity that really makes me open my mouth wide and say "wow". After this, it is almost as if the feeling of acceptance overtakes my body. Its ok to have flaws. Its ok to be you. Ironically enough, this track ends without any show to change the problem. This is what traps the track in time in a artistic and beautiful way.
Dust Yourself Down
After hearing this song I realize this album is telling a story of love. Pick yourself up again, dust yourself off, and move on from your mistakes. Don't be a coward any longer, don't fool around and get depressed, just start over and be happy again. I am really starting to get the idea now. Everyone feels this way at one point or another. It is a almost hopeless feeling that corrodes the mind and makes us drive endlessly through the world, confused and bewildered. This is a nice recollection of those thoughts, driving us more towards the right direction in a relaxing, friendly world where we can laugh and start our lives again until the day comes when we find that certain, special feeling we have been searching for.
Just Let Go
"Just breathe go and just let it go," is exactly what I take away from this sunny track. I felt the track was overpowering towards the end, but I loved it that way. It really brought tears to my eyes. A powerful track with a powerful and easy to understand statement. The ending isâEU¦ just great. Really, it is just great. Man, really great.
Honey
I have been waiting to listen to this track for a while. I heard about it in your news post and I must say, I am already impressed 30 seconds in. It is slower and smoother that any other track in this album, focusing on the details of the acoustical harmony mixed with the isolated lyrics with a hint of insanity. Honey is a metaphor with an interesting idea. It is the name we call the one we love, yet it is also, in this case, a sticky, hard to get off substance that sticks to our mind. I feel like I'm traveling through space in this one, overlooking my problems in a sea of honey. I completely know what it feels like to grow so attached to someone, that you feel like your going insane. This is almost a contradiction to the other tracks, a degrade in progress from the attitude the others give, yet It is also accurate to many of our experiences.
Waiting for Weightlessness
Rich and warm tunes collide together in a magical way, making me feel like I'm floating in this tune. It is very true, we all are waiting, pondering, and hoping for weightlessness from our emotions. We don't want to be hold down by an overwhelming feeling anymore. Sometimes we just want to let go and float gracefully towards the sky, leaving everything behind as if it never existed. I can easily let go of the entire world by this point in the album. The lyrics are a little hard to understand here, but I completely understand what you are going for. The style is very inspiring to not only my musical ideas, but to my long term life feelings as well. I will let go of all the weight.
Hello Alien Sun
This is the only song I don't like in the album because of all the dissonance. It is constantly ringing and sounds combine together in a very chaotic way. It really needs a big clean up, a lowering of the volumes, and a massive subtraction of all the noise. I can barely understand anything that is going on here. Then again, you may have done this on purpose. As a song, I don't very much enjoy it, but I like the possible message of frustration and anger you leave behind. You should re-record this track in my opinion, because there are other ways to represent these darker, alien feelings.
All in all, this entire album is a representation of love, life, and getting over your feelings to better improve yourself as a human being. Ironically enough, the narrator in the album never does get over his feelings. In fact, he progresses down the road of insanity and slowly watches his world tear apart around him. This radiates pure feelings of isolation, sadness, and regret, while at the same time bringing pure happiness, peace, and understatement into my heart. I feel the best of both worlds. It is dark, full of floaty guitar riffs and impactful lyrics that take you into another dimension, yet light, with head bobbing acoustical melodies and wonderful electronic progressions. Everyone should give this album a listen. It is extremely well made, original and conceptual to the artists interpretations and raw emotions drawn out in waveform. Kingbastard, you always touch my heart and shake my brain with amazing, different music specific to your own, slight pushes towards your thoughts on the world. Please, never stop making music.