Vice Anglais | Quinn Satterlund

Weiland - Vices

After what felt like ages, rapper Weiland’s sophomore album has dropped. Of course, as I am writing this in advance, it hasn’t technically been released (it’s only available in New Zealand and Australia), but I had to write this review, so I downloaded a VPN. I feel bad, but it had to be done — in the spirit of journalism, of course.

Before listening to the album in its entirety, I read a couple of reviews from fan pages, and found a mixed bag. Obviously, there is bias in their reviews (they are fan pages) but it seemed it was either completely “meh” or “Album of the Year.” With that in mind, I tried to lower my expectations, but it’s hard when you waited 2+ years and leaks previewed in the past were all 10/10 songs.

So, when the first song from Vices played, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I had expected a different sound from his past albums due to the singles released beforehand, I hadn’t expected it to be this far from his other work. Unlike Weiland, his self-titled debut, Vices is 100 percent 80s synth-pop, complete with a drum machine, mellotron, and funk bass. No songs on this album are even close to anything he has ever made before. Simply put, this album is incredible, and I find myself just going back to songs like Farewell and Dangerous Woman constantly. If it weren't for two songs – “Can’t Save Her” and “Blaming Myself,” I wholeheartedly believe this album would be a ten, as almost every other song on this album is phenomenal.

Although each song is rather similar, there are enough differences between each track that you don’t feel as if you are listening to one giant song. Despite this, the album flows incredibly well, and it's one of the few albums I feel has to be listened to completely in one sitting. In fact, I’ve spun this record a few times while studying for chem, as it’s “chill” enough to be background music; yet it’s exciting enough to keep your attention on its own, which not a lot of albums can do.

The three-track run of “Can’t Save Her,” “Broken Ego,” and then “Dangerous Woman” is second only to Grimey Youth’s three-track run of “Week,” “Into Me,” and “Alot.” I seriously love this album, and am so excited for Weiland’s future as an artist. No matter your favorite genre, there is something here for everyone and I highly recommend you check this album out.

Favorite Songs: Slipping into the Void, Broken Ego, All The Same, Dangerous Woman, Mellotron, Farewell

Least Favorite Songs: Can’t Save Her, Blaming Myself

Desire - Evolution

The younger brother of underground legend Summrs, Desire has quickly made a name for himself in the Soundcloud pluggnb Scene, with his album, Rookie of the Year, receiving positive attention from many media outlets. His follow-up EP, Evolution, was released last week, and I finally got around to listening to it.

Although nothing new, Desire easily floats over the pluggnb beats that his brother popularized, and this small EP was a nice “care package” of songs to tide us over until his next release. Kyle Kim, an underground aficionado, stated his thoughts on the album: “I really like ‘Definition of a RN’ and ‘Dirty Rifle’ – which features Summrs – because the beats are so good. His selection of beats is incredible.”

Favorite Songs: “Back Against the Wall”, “Definition of a RN”, “Dirty Rifle”

Least Favorite Songs: N/A