“I need a little room to sway.”

Exquisite Corpse is a tremendously beautiful piece of work. Be it the dreamy, lullaby tones of ‘Billie Holiday’, or perhaps the gorgeously absorbing layers of reverb drenching the guitar licks of ‘Krimson’, Exquisite Corpse stands tall as one of the most enchanting debut EPs of any band, painting a perfect and crystal-clear representation of exactly what Warpaint had to offer.

From then on, it was only going to grow further: the likes of The Fool’s ‘Set Your Arms Down’ or Warpaint’s ‘Keep It Healthy’ stand as two easy examples from two albums that were absolutely determined to mesmerize and delight, continuing the band’s ever-persistent maturity in exploring new territory and expanding beyond the initial psychedelic/art rock roots to broader horizons. This eventually culminated in the more radical shift in the band’s style with third album Heads Up, seeing the incorporation of a more up-tempo, pop orientated focus throughout much of the record and lead single ‘New Song’ being a far more synthesizer-laden affair compared to previous works. With this all in mind, it came as absolutely no surprise that vocalist/guitarist Theresa Wayman’s debut solo track ‘Love Leaks’ is as wonderfully eclectic as it is.

Brooding and soulful, Wayman’s first offering of solo project TT spends much of its time gently navigating the desperation of steadily losing something and realizing it may be too late: “I knew when love leaked out of the bottom of my cup.” As a reintroduction to Wayman’s identity as a musician, the hauntingly poignant admission of “I feel like we’re failing, I feel like I’m waiting on you” and mournful ending chorus line “I feel like we fucked up, I feel like we lost our love” allows a brutally personal side of Wayman’s song writing to shine through. And this is exactly the course that much of LoveLaws takes: it’s honest and personal and wonderfully so.

Take introductory track ‘Mykki’, for example: the album opens with pulsing, popping electronics that subtly grow throughout the track, while the chorus explodes in a longing outburst of “tell me you’re alive, make it feel right. You’ve got tonight, make it feel right.” With the track ending in softly delivered, reverb-laden guitar licks that pierce through the mix and contrast the introductory electronics, ‘Mykki’ establishes the album’s intended direction perfectly, and ‘I’ve Been Fine’s dissonant introductory guitar work continues this immediately. Utilizing subtle atmospherics and minimalistic instrumentation, ‘I’ve Been Fine’ sways back and forth quietly throughout much of its duration, until finally breaching the surface and plunging the track in gorgeously absorbing synthesizers and Wayman crooning a desperate mantra of “why can’t you be next to me? Why can’t you be next to me?”

Elsewhere, LoveLaws continues with ‘Tutorial’ with an entrancing mellow bassline and fragmented percussion, while Wayman drifts back and forth between confident observations of “I’m feeling you, what’s my body saying and hesitant vulnerability of “you’re only my love and it’s like you know my secrets. Know me in the dark.” Lyrically, this introspective and agonizingly personal delivery is entirely captivating, even on slightly more upbeat tracks such as ‘Safe’ and ‘Take One’. Introduced with the brilliantly raw ‘Sassafras Interlude’, ‘Take One’ continues the spirit of Ludivine Anneliz’s striking observation of “happiness is only found when you stop comparing yourself” with popping, snappy electronics, alongside hazy synthesizers and Wayman opening the track in a confident gasp of “and so I feel open, let’s go. I can be myself, I can be myself.” Again, ‘Take One’ displays a delightfully eclectic approach instrumentally, breaking away from the moody introductory electronics to embrace a direction far more akin to a jazz track; implementing a slick bassline and some of the rawest percussion seen on the album, the last third of ‘Take One’ sees Wayman at some of her most experimental and it’s so charmingly wonderful because of it.

An album born out of raw, blinding emotion with strikingly haunting lyrical content and exquisitely atmospheric instrumentals, LoveLaws couldn’t have been a more appropriate introduction for Theresa Wayman’s TT. From the elegantly sombre guitar work of ‘Dram’, to the soothing vocal layering of finale ‘Too Sweet’, this staggeringly memorable body of work grips the listener and takes hold instantly. Make no mistake, like Exquisite Corpse, as much as it may delight in gentle, dreamy soundscapes, LoveLaws deserves your utmost attention.

It hasn’t been an easy 18 months for the world of music.

From the likes of Tom Petty to Chuck Berry, to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington, and the recent tragic news of Scott Hutchison, the last 18 months have been an example of loss and of losing those who have gone far too soon. The amazing display of tribute across the globe, from some of the most influential names in music throughout recent generations, has been something beautiful to witness despite the pain that walks hand in hand with it. If it wasn’t Bennington’s poignant, heartbroken delivery of Leonard Cohen’s iconic ‘Hallelujah’ in the face of the loss of Cornell, then it was the equally heart-breaking group tribute Celebrate Life show for Bennington himself. And amongst those tributes was, of course, Ryan Key.

With the tenth and final Yellowcard studio effort, an appropriately self-titled album, acting as the 2016 swan song for one of the most distinctive pop punk bands of the last two decades, it was easy as a listener to also take the chance to reflect on time passed throughout those years and ponder on past choices. After all, lead single ‘Rest in Peace’ does this accurately enough; “If you could go back now, would you say it differently?” As a follower of any group, you often don’t want to see the final chapter in the story, but it can also be exciting to see what comes next. Indeed, the closure of the band led comfortably into a continued period of production work and acoustic performances for frontman Ryan Key, largely spent building The Lone Tree Recordings studio and contributing to the latest Like Torches album, until eventually paying respect through the tribute performance of Linkin Park’s ‘Shadow of the Day’. This was later followed up with Key debuting the gentle, melancholic track ‘Live On’ during a live performance, a track written in reflection of Bennington’s legacy.

Ryan Key’s debut solo EP, THIRTEEN, sees the musician writing primarily in reflection (recently re-embracing his hereditary first name “William” (taken from his grandfather)) and explaining the EP’s title which refers to personal difficulties throughout 2013. Indeed, when opening track ‘Old Friends’ begins, with softly played acoustic guitar and soothing ambiance that lingers gently in the background, Key’s opening sentiment “in 1999 I was first learning to sin, cranked up and hit the road to grind some gears again” immediately shows exactly the kind of record this is going to be; it’s a far more mature statement that William Ryan Key is looking to make, with ‘Old Friends’ displaying a weary look back on the mistakes of youth and introspectively exploring a brand new identity musically. Sure, second track ‘Vultures’ may retain the slightest hint of what Yellowcard used to represent stylistically, but this is a song far more akin to the likes of Linkin Park’s ‘Sharp Edges’, as opposed to the energetic pop punk tones of Ocean Avenue, a lively acoustic riff driving the instrumental side of things while Key contemplates quietly, “is it better to have had or to have not?”

And, as the EP continues, William Ryan Key stays true to his chosen course; THIRTEEN remains for the entirety of its duration a quiet, brooding meditation on Key’s catharsis, with ‘Thirty Days’ softly navigating the pursuit and loss of a personal relationship, while ‘Form and Figure’ lightly echoes the gorgeous atmospherics of the likes of Ben Howard, with Key pondering “how do I get right, color my eyes white again?” While stylistically much of the EP remains in very similar territory, it’s the tender, open-hearted reflections of the lyrical content that ends up being so wonderfully captivating here, as Key draws the listener in perfectly, crooning with ease throughout THIRTEEN.

Ultimately, THIRTEEN is a body of work that benefits beautifully from the past, with Key bearing the weight of it all lyrically and yet still displaying a continual desire to pursue the better and beyond. The lingering influence of personal struggles throughout 2013, rediscovering his identity musically, and the recent loss of those, both influential to Key himself and the rest of the world, have all clearly played their part in the writing of this particular chapter in the journey. It hasn’t always been easy and it hasn’t always been fair, but THIRTEEN stares it all in the face admirably, and perhaps ‘Great Unknown’ says it best in a haunting sentiment of acceptance: “funny how time doesn’t care, who we love and who we wish we could repair.”

While the incoming dizzying and vibrant summer tones (and pulsing, infectious holiday beats that tend to accompany it) are always entertaining and fun to play with, spring tends to lean towards being far more withdrawn; there’s a lingering winter hesitancy there that hasn’t yet been shed, while the peeking indications of new life still take root and push forward to bloom, before summer finally takes hold and carries things forward.

Compare this frame of mind to a certain piece that feels appropriate, and you may find yourself landing on Becky and the Birds latest single, ‘Concept Store’.

Released in April following the critically acclaimed debut single, ‘Holding On’, ‘Concept Store’ treads far more carefully compared to the more energetic former; layering gorgeous hip hop beats and electronics with jazzy basslines and Becky and the Birds‘ soulful vocal delivery, the Swedish singer/producer spends much of the track crooning gently while lyrically reflecting on intimate paranoia, obsessing over what a partner may be thinking throughout the relationship. Despite the chirping birdsong and soothing rustle of nature that flutters throughout the track, it’s an incredibly mellow and borderline mournful few moments with Becky and the Birds, wonderfully introspective while the vocalist carefully unravels the still more hesitant aspects of her life.

It’s of course not the booming, over-happy summer beats that so enthusiastically flood these final transitioning weeks between spring to summer, but for a final lingering glimpse of spring, ‘Concept Store’ is just right.

It’s fair to say that Shinedown are the kind of band where you know exactly what you pay for. Mixing hard rock with flavours of heavier post-grunge, The Sound of Madness effectively stands as a near-perfect example of fun and catchy rock music; it wasn’t anything revolutionary, but that was hardly the point – you’re here to have a good time, and Shinedown were pretty damn good at that. Fast-forward a decade, and despite what some have considered a misstep with tamer 2015 effort, Threat to Survival, the Jacksonville hard rockers are still going strong if Attention Attention’s ‘Devil’ is anything to go by. Indeed, the slick Zach Myers guitar riff and explosive Barry Kerch percussion saw the band returning to exactly the kind of sound that made the likes of ‘Devour’ so much fun, and with vocalist Brent Smith roaring “cause it’s about to get heavy” it certainly appears that Shinedown’s sixth studio effort is going to be a hell of a ride.

Regarded as something of a concept record by the band, and focusing on the struggles of overcoming personal negativity, Attention Attention’s hefty collection of 14 tracks quickly sheds the far safer direction of Threat to Survival, and this is certainly rewarding; ‘Pyro’ and ‘Black Soul’ both benefit immensely from allowing guitarist Zach Myers a little more room to stretch out and put some really solid riffs on the table, while ‘The Human Radio’s huge, Royal Blood-esque bass guitar sees Eric Bass stepping into the limelight a little to an extremely satisfying result. At a glance, the band definitely feels reenergised, far more akin to The Sound of Madness’ heavier territory and seemingly delivering on their promise: “it’s about to get heavy.”

Continuing this frame of mind and true to the assured direction of the album, the thunderous and somewhat cinematic ‘Evolve’ roars triumphantly and embraces the signature Shinedown hard rock delivery, while ‘Monsters’ joins the ranks of Skillet’s ‘Monster’ and Three Days Grace’s ‘Animal I Have Become’ with Smith lyrically dehumanising the negative side to human personality. Taking a more mellow approach, ‘Kill Your Conscience’ flows back and forth between soft synthesisers and a more energetic, percussion-driven pre-chorus, and generally makes for a nice change of pace, while album closer ‘Brilliant’ dabbles ever so slightly in ‘Summer of 69’s classic guitar riff, before leaping into far more recognisable post-grunge Shinedown territory and ending the record on a noteworthy high.

Unfortunately, while Attention Attention shows once again that Shinedown definitely have a knack for getting your attention, where the album falters shows in what seems a classic case of quantity over quality; while the album’s 14 tracks (and 50 minute runtime) is certainly generous, it also feels somewhat oversaturated compared to the far brisker 40 minute runtime of Threat to Survival. This is first indicated ironically through title track ‘Attention Attention’, feeling much more like an underdeveloped addition to the album or even an unused Threat to Survival B-side, while ‘Get Up’ and ‘Special’ both try their hand at being a little softer compared to the album’s heavier style and end up not really achieving anything worthwhile as a result. That being said, ‘Special’ does actually utilise some particularly stunning acoustic and string elements, but the self-congratulatory applause at the end of the track feels just a little too much on the nose and comes across somewhat hubristic.

As a whole, Attention Attention is an easy step up from the band’s previous effort and offers something that is generally fun and rewarding; it’s nothing revolutionary or ground-breaking, but then it was never going to be. It may not be a perfect record, but there’s enough here to get into that will appease any Shinedown fan, and the band’s energy is infectious enough to hold your attention. In short, it’s everything it needed to be to be a Shinedown record, albeit a little overlong and perhaps a little too pleased with itself at times, but plenty enjoyable to warrant more than a few listens.