Flaunt The Antics of More Youthful Times Review by Gary Hill
I like this set quite a bit. It has a modern soulful feeling to just about everything. However, it manages to stretch the sound from electronic to near prog rock and even nu-metal. If there's a mis-step, it's the final cut. Mind you, that's a bonus track, so you really can't complain too much. Besides, it's pretty good. It just not up the pop rock standards of the rest here.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Outbreak
Electronic music with a lot of techno in the mix, this is cool stuff. There is a bit of a soulful vibe here. This gets a parental advisory. There are some great melodic elements here. The vocals really bring a modern soulful pop sound.
Something Different The general territory isn't hugely removed. This has a soulful modern pop sound to it. This one rocks out a lot more. It has more energy and a bit of a crunch at times. As good as the opener was, this is stronger. It's a great tune that's meaty and catchy. I love the section at the end that's acoustic guitar driven.
Send My Love This is an amazing piece of music. It's a real prog rock number in some ways. That said, it's modern prog, not the old school stuff. It builds in a cool way and has some trippy sounds. Yet, it's still fully grounded in so many ways. It has some seriously crunchy stuff going on at times, too. This is modern and classy. It's one of the highlights of the set.
Into The Sky I dig this number quite a bit, too. It's more in line with the modern soulful pop end of the spectrum. That said, it's not fluff, but rather meaty.
Real Life Is Not So Cool
Here's another winner. It's a modern pop song with soulful elements and electronic ones.
Endless Vision More hard edged, this is solid modern pop rock. It's along the lines of alternative rock with some hints of nu-metal in the mix. This thing really rocks. It's another highlight.
Genghis Khan (Bonus Track) More of an acoustic take, this still has rhythmic and other elements here. The part that doesn't work for me is the vocal arrangement. It gets in territory a bit like scat singing at times. There are parts of it that really shine. The bulk, though, doesn't work that well for me. Still, if this is the worst thing here (and I consider it to be), that's pretty impressive because this really only fails when compared to the rest. Taken by itself, it's still pretty darned good.
