Noise 101: CD Reviews for Jan 15
Terror Pigeon!
Yucksongs! 2014:(
Self-released
Score: A
Terror Pigeon is back! Just four months after the release of their second album, LIVE IT UP BEFORE YOU DIE IT UP!, Terror Pigeon returns with their signature too-cool-to-take-ourselves-seriously brand of heartfelt music that cuts straight to the heart.
Yucksongs! 2014:( opens with “Ghost Stories Over Girl’s High School 1,” a rich track about lost love. The breakout track, “The Internet,” is an emotional track about long-distance relationships. Finally, the album ends with “Willenium II (Do It!),” an upbeat-sounding track about live-or-die love.
Ultimately, Terror Pigeon’s sound might be too unorthodox for many, but for those who can appreciate the intense emotion hidden within the hyperbolic “homemade” sound, Yucksongs! 2014:( is a real hidden gem.
— Beck Paterson
Nicki Minaj
The Pinkprint
Cash Money Records
Score: A-
If lead track “Anaconda” didn’t come across your news feed this past fall, then you clearly weren’t paying attention to anything at all. Nikki Minaj, who is known for her possibly fake, possibly perfectly squatted ass, is back with another record.
Some of the big artists making appearances on the album, a follow-up to 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, include Ariana Grande, Drake and Queen Bey.
Tracks like “I Lied” show off Minaj’s softer side, while “Only” featuring Drake and Lil Wayne gives you more of what you would expect from this bootylicious beauty, lyrics with a sharp tongue, and beats that will make you dance.
Basically, if you are looking for something to throw on to get you in the mood for a night out, try The Pinkprint. It might be just what you were hoping for.
— Kari Pedersen
Mary Lambert
Heart on My Sleeve
Capitol Records
Score: A+
You might know Mary Lambert as the chick who sang the girl part on Macklemore’s “Same Love,” but her vocal calibre shows she’s capable of much more. The singer-songwriter and spoken word poet’s first full-length album, Heart on My Sleeve, tells stories of body positivity and refreshingly unapologetic self-love.
Lead single “Secrets” delves into some deeply-personal-but-still-relatable life stuff.
As an added bonus, Heart on My Sleeve boasts a completely unironic cover of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” that doesn’t fuck around with gender pronouns.
If you need an album of powerful new lady jams, keep Heart on My Sleeve in mind.
— Michelle Vaniersel
