CHVRCHES "Love Is Dead" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

It's always refreshing for me to find a band I like that doesn't align with my typical music taste. I do like quite a variety of music, but synthpop/electronic music usually just comes across as unengaging to me. This definitely is not the case with CHVRCHES, who I feel are one of the most creative bands out there. They make their electronic sound dense and complex, with "Every Open Eye" being one of the most fun and interesting albums of the 2010s. I'm glad that I was able to discover this band almost randomly. Now they are back with "Love is Dead", which is definitely the group playing their hand at trying to go into the mainstream, while also attempting to keep their signature sound intact. The result is a bit of a mixed bag of an album. None of the material here really offends, but not much of it entirely impresses either.

The album has a good start with "Graffiti", which is certainly one of the more interesting tracks on the album. It has the sound that fans have come to expect from this band, except it sounds a bit more upbeat. There are a lot of tracks here that have a more upbeat and fun feel to them, which disguises the fact that there's quite some more darker content on this album. This trope of happy sounding music with dark lyrics has been done by many bands, but I think that CHVRCHES do a good enough job at making their turn at it work. Lauren Mayberry's vocals are as reliable as ever in this song, especially in the chorus that is sure to get stuck in your head. Repetitive choruses are something that's a big problem on the first half of this album, but it at least works on "Deliverance". This song definitely leans more into the band's signature synth/pop style, and has a drop that is irresistible. It is admittedly hard to not sing along to this track, as it does everything right in terms of creating a great hook. "My Enemy" features Matt Berninger of The National, and his chemistry with Lauren is really good. I like the darker atmosphere this song has, as well as the harmonies between Lauren and Matt. The brooding feel of this song makes it pretty unique in context of a more accessibly upbeat album, so this song is definitely one of my favorites. It's one that I could see myself coming back to.

The second half of this album is vastly better than the second half, starting off with another album highlight in "Miracle". I like Lauren's impassioned vocal delivery in the chorus. There are some bombastic drumbeats that dominate a good portion of this song, making it feel like it has some real weight to it as Lauren sings out "Ask for forever when the end is in sight/Showin' what you want to/We're lookin' for light inside an ocean of night/But will we ever see it through?". This is definitely one of the lyrical highlights of the album, as the band talks about how it shouldn't take a miracle for people to show love and care for one another. It's a relevant message for our time, and while it's not delivered in a super original way, I still like that the band clearly cares about it. The best track on the album comes in "Graves", mainly because of how redemptive and powerful it is, both musically and lyrically. Musically, there are some really bright, fun synths playing, and a solid beat that is near danceable in how catchy it is. Lyrically, this song has Lauren voicing support for the oppressed, saying how she won't look away from the injustices happening to them. I like how this song isn't overly preachy, but Lauren also isn't afraid to call out those who don't care for the disenfranchised: "And you can look away/While they're dancing on our graves". The album continues on a winning streak with "Heaven/Hell" (which has a killer instrumental ending) and the intriguing vocal performance by Martin Doherty on the almost ethereal "God's Plan". There is also the heart wrenching ballad "Really Gone", which showcases Lauren's most raw vocal performance, and reminds of something from the band's debut album (which is a good thing). The album ends with the cinematic interlude "ii" before going in to the unbelievably fun closing track "Wonderland", which has some of the best usage of electronics on the whole album.

As you can probably tell, I didn't have a whole lot to say about even the good songs on this album. There's not really a track on here that I would say wowed me or blew me away. That was a little disappointing to me, because this band has made several electronic jams that have surprised me. Just look to tracks like "The Mother We Share" and "Leave a Trace" on their past works and you'll see what I mean. Besides maybe "Graves" and "Wonderland", there's not that many songs that left a lasting impression on me. That means that the bad songs here aren't necessarily offensive. They more often than not came across as just forgettable. "Get Out" was not the best choice for a lead single in my opinion, as the chorus almost solely just repeats the title of the song over and over again. That repetition is something that occurs way too often on this album, especially in the first half. "Forever" and "Never Say Die" coming back to back is a bit annoying. Both of them also rely on the trope of saying the name of the song title repeatedly. The latter track verges on being insufferable, particularly with that distorted voice in the background going "Didn't you say that" ad nauseaum. There aren't any other specific tracks that bother me, but the first half of the album particularly gets bogged down with that reliance on repetition. There's no denying that CHVRCHES have done this type of thing in the past, but it was usually done with a purpose. With these songs, it feels like they're relying on that trope as a crutch.

As a whole, "Love Is Dead" is a decent album. It's not great, but it's not bad either. If there was more stuff like the second half of the album, I would've definitely been a bit more receptive to it. I do actually recommend the album just for that pretty solid second half. If you are a big CHVRCHES fan, I'm not sure how you will react to this release. I've been seeing some pretty mixed reactions, and I understand those who love the album and those who don't. I do advise you to check out this album, as it does feel like a pretty quick and easy listen. I am open to this band continuing to foray into the mainstream, as this release shows some real promise of them doing it well. I hope they really hit the nail on the head next time.

Favorite Songs: "Graves", "Wonderland", "Really Gone", "Miracle", "My Enemy"
Least Favorite Songs: "Never Say Die", "Forever", "Get Out"

"13 Reasons Why: Season 2" TV Show Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 1.5/5 Stars

The first season of "13 Reasons Why", an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jay Asher, is probably one of the most honest and powerful Netflix originals I have seen. It honed in a great focus on Clay Jensen and his relationship with Hannah Baker, who passed away by suicide. In that season, we saw him listening to tapes that she left behind, detailing 13 people who ultimately led her to her suicide. The show generated a lot of controversy, mainly for depicting a sexual assault scene as well as depicting a scene of suicide (the latter in particular drew a lot of anger). While I admittedly understand why both of those were controversial and even agree to an extent, I still thought the show did a good job of not dwelling on either of those violent moments for too long. It was always in constant conversation about suicide, not ever offering an easy answer. Instead, it explored how people reacted to it, and ultimately, how suicide should never be the answer. The first season did have a questionable ending with a cliffhanger, which meant it would be drifting away from the source material of the novel. I was very skeptical about it, and it looks like my skepticism was justified. Season 2 of this show has some good moments in it, as well as many great cast performances. However, this season is far more problematic than the first one with its attempt to discuss too many hot button issues, as well as having an ending that makes the whole season feel entirely worthless and infuriating.

Before we even get into the show itself, there is a segment with all the actors out of character, where they are telling the audience that they should view the material they're watching with caution. They suggest that younger viewers should watch with a trusted adult. I liked this idea, as it did give the audience preparation going in that there would be heavy topics. So, what exactly works about this show? There's unfortunately not a whole lot. This season takes place obviously after Hannah's suicide, and we are now into the Bakers in a court case against the school, where they are trying to make the school out to be guilty for not being responsive when Hannah came to them multiple times for help. They are also trying to convict rapist Bryce Walker. What primarily works about this film is most of the cast performances. Dylan Minnette is once again absolutely excellent as Clay Jensen. He owns his performance, and even when as he is written is making choices that seem out of character, he still makes his performance convincing. Clay's sense of trying to seek justice for Hannah is inspiring, and the anger he has about her unjust suicide is entirely sympathetic. He is a high point of the show. The same goes for Ross Butler as Zach Dempsey, who is one of the best cast members of this season. He gets a surprisingly complex arc in this season, going from someone who seems like one of the cliched jocks to someone who is far more than any identity that high school puts on him. Butler does a good job at making this transformation work, and where his character ends up is extremely satisfying. I have to give the best performance of this season to Alisha Boe as Jessica Davis, without a doubt. She has some of the toughest material in the show to deal with, as she portrays a victim of sexual assault. She portrays it with grace, though, and seeing Jessica go from a broken down individual to someone strong and confident is nothing short of inspiring. Justin Prentice does almost way too good of a job at making you entirely loathe Bryce Walker. He disappears into this role, and there was not a moment in this season where I wasn't hating this character with every bone in my body. He certainly excelled on that front; I have to give him commendation for that. Other highlights include once Christian Navarro as Tony, Devin Druid as Tyler (who has some poorly written material to deal with, but still somehow gives a convincing performance despite that), Kate Walsh as Olivia Baker, and Bradon Flynn as Justin Foley. The weak performances will be talked about later.

In the midst of all the poorly written and problematic material this show has to offer, there are some good moments. Episode 9 as a whole is definitely the best episode of the season, as it centers around developing the school counselor Kevin Porter. Derek Luke as Porter gives a heart wrenching turn in this episode, delivering something that is one of the most honest and truthful moments of the whole show. This season has a running theme of how to deal with guilt and accountability, and whenever the show is addressing that theme, it does pretty good. I also found the episode focusing on Zach Dempsey to be a highlight, because it featured some of unexpected character interactions. These unexpected interactions more often make the show far too confusing, but this is one of the moments where it actually works and feels convincing. A lot of the character arcs in this season end up having an unsatisfying or straight up offensive ending, but what the show did with Jessica Davis was the one part of this show where it was pretty much perfectly executed. The writers of the show transformed her from victim to victor, and her change was charged with legitimate emotion. This was one of the few parts of Season 2 that kept me watching. There are also a couple of new characters that are introduced into the show, and most of them work well. Probably the one that works the best is Chloe (Anne Winters), Bryce's girlfriend. I somewhat rolled my eyes when I saw her for the first time, as it seemed like she was going to be your very typical high school mean girl. But the show actually takes her in a surprising direction, making her have a sympathetic arc. The same goes for Jessica's friend Nina, who turns out to have also been sexually assaulted. I like the relationship her and Jessica formed, and maybe her character works because, like I said before, Jessica's whole arc is one of the only things about the show's plot that is executed well.

I wish there was more good to say about this show. However, as I watched more and more of "13 Reasons Why", I was left more and more cold and empty. After such a superb first season, which is actually better than its source material in my opinion, I held some cautious confidence that the show's creators could do right with a second season. They should've just left the show at the first season, and left it off with Clay in Tony's Mustang, driving off into the sunset. That was the ending this show deserved. Now we have to deal with teen conspiracies, courtroom drama, and this show's attempt at trying to be serious and starting conversations. One of the problems this show has almost right away is its flimsy attempt at using the Baker's court case as a framing device for each episode, in a similar way to how Hannah's tapes framed all the episodes of Season 1. Hannah's tapes worked well for a reason: they had a singular voice anchoring the show; you knew what each episode generally was going to be like. There was a singular theme of one girl's harrowing experience of her being broken down by bullying to the point that she felt the only way out was taking her own life. While the first season had a large cast, the focus was clearly on Hannah and Clay's relationship, and Clay wanting to hold others and himself accountable for what happened to Hannah. In this season, there's FAR too many voices trying to take control. Every episode tries to center around a different character, and it just doesn't work. Some characters like Alex Standall, Skye Miller, Sheri Holland, and many more just come across as forgettable. This is partly due to forgettable performances by the actors, but even more so due to the characters having terrible writing. But the biggest problem (character wise) this season is actually Hannah Baker. The show has her come back in the present as a ghost. Yes, I'm not kidding. A show that is trying to be gritty and realistic has a dead girl come back as a ghost. It's somewhat insulting, and just too bizarre and out of place. I don't think the fault entirely lies on actress Katherine Langford (who was superb in season 1), but the chemistry between her and Clay feels so awkward this time around. It's disappointing, because that was one of the highlights before. Anytime Hannah was in this season, I became annoyed. Maybe if the show used her a little more sparingly it would've worked. But her presence in this season felt very forced.

Where the bigger and more infuriating problems of this show lie are in its attempts to try to bolster conversation about many hot button issues. Season 1 benefited from an almost singular focus on the effects of bullying, as well as how suicide impacts a whole community. Season 2 tries to forward the conversation of addressing suicide, as well as talk about mental health, sexual assault, gun violence, drug addiction, white privilege, homophobia, the failure of the justice system, the effect of media on us, and more. Does that list sound bloated to you? Well, it should, because it is. Because of the show is wanting to address all these issues, it ironically leaves none of them with a good conclusion. The show has a cheesy "thesis statement" for suicide in the final episode (more on that episode in a whole separate paragraph) where Olivia Baker basically says how there are even more than thirteen reasons why not to commit suicide. Unlike the first season, this phrasing made the show feel like an after-school special. This statement comes across as unconvincing, especially when you see what comes after it. The show does pretty well on the front of sexual assault, like I've mentioned before. Out of all the issues here, I'd say this is the one where the show at least knows what it wants to say. But the stuff about drug addiction, mental health, while privilege, etc. all comes as an afterthought. Most of it is given one singular statement or just a couple of minutes dedicated to it. That makes me wonder why these things were included in the first place. If the show wasn't going to try to talk about them in a sensible way, then why include them? The show is much more interested in making these things ways for characters to go into melodramatic monologues. They would much rather their show be more of an excess of sadness porn than of actually talking about the issues.

Speaking of sadness porn, let's talk about how the final episode of this season takes away any potential message the show had been trying to build up. For the first half of the final episode, I was actually generally satisfied with what was going on. The show had a very powerful speech given by Clay in which he said that he would move on from Hannah's suicide; that they all needed to move on. We see the ghost of Hannah smiling at Clay and then going through the church door that her funeral was taking place in, out into a bright light. That is where you should stop watching this season. If you want a satisfying closure, that's the best you're going to get. Almost directly after Olivia gives that awful speech about how there's more than thirteen reasons why not to commit suicide, we see what is one of the most disturbing bits of television I've ever witnessed. Tyler, a photographer who went through a pretty complex arc in the show, has come back to Liberty better than he had been before. But, any of his transformation is entirely destroyed when the show decided to have him brutally raped. Three football players invade him in the bathroom. The main one smashes his head against a mirror, then against a toilet, then dunks him into the toilet water. While the other two players are holding him down, the player pulls down Tyler's pants and shoves the stick of a mop up his butt. Is that description vulgar to you? Well, the scene visually plays out even worse. I was sick to my stomach watching this, shaking with anger. Why did the show think that this was necessary to depict? It was disgusting, abhorrent, and wrong. It was shocking just for the sake of being shocking. What happens after that is even worse. Tyler ends up going home, getting a lot of guns, and going up to the school dance, preparing to kill everyone. It's only after Clay gives a tearful speech to Tyler that he rides away with Tony and no one is harmed. This is where Season 2 ends. On the pathetic romanticization of a school shooter, claiming that the only reason he went to shoot up a school was because of how he was treated. Having two shock moments- a sexual assault followed by a potential of a school shooting- was just too much for me. It left me feeling more disgusted at this show than I've felt at any TV series in a long, long time. What was the show trying to accomplish with this? All they're doing is undeservedly humanizing someone who was going to murder people. This show's creators aren't making a statement. They're being controversial just because they want to be.

The final episode of "13 Reasons Why" took away any good will I had for this season. Sure, there were some great performances. And sure there were some plot arcs that worked. But when you have a show that says suicide isn't the answer, and in the same breath tries to give a school shooter justification for murdering people- I just don't have any respect for something like that. Looking back on it now, maybe I was wrong when I defended season 1's commentary on suicide. While I will still say that I really liked season 1, I can now see more clearly the problems that people had with it. And if people had issues with the first season, then they will have even more with this one. This show tries to act like it's important. But it just wallows in misery. None of its characters truly reach a redemptive arc. At the end of this season, Clay asks "What do we do now?" It's clear that there's going to be another season of this show, and it's just going to be more of every character being miserable, as the show refuses for them to ever find any sort of actual solace or help for what they're going through. This show wants to have profound insights, but loses them with every wrong move it makes. This is a sick season of TV. It doesn't deserve recognition. It doesn't deserve praise. It doesn't deserve anything beyond all the critical lambasting coming its way. Thank goodness people are seeing this show for what it actually is: a piece of TV that enjoys being controversial just for the sole reason that it can.

Five Finger Death Punch "And Justice for None" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 2/5 Stars

I used to be a pretty avid fan and defender of Five Finger Death Punch, and I am somewhat embarrassed now to admit that. Now, the band does have some good songs, even up to their embarrassingly awful "Got Your Six". Still, overall their discography is weak. The only albums of theirs I can honestly say I like a good portion of are "American Capitalist" (a legitimately good release) and "Wrong Side of Heaven Vol. 1" (a passable album with some really good moments and some really bad ones). The band has been the exact same from their debut to now, not doing a whole lot to change up their "bro-metal" sound. They are the Nickelback of the hard rock/metal community, and it's stretching it to say that they are a metal band at all. While not nearly as bad as "Got Your Six", 5FDP's new album "And Justice for None" suffers from being incredibly boring and intermittently cringe-inducing.

There are only a couple of moments on this album that I enjoyed. I'll admit that I was surprised at the increase in content that was trying to have some emotional weight. "I Refuse" is the best example of that, as it's far and away the best track on the album, as well as one of the band's stronger songs in recent memory. Even though the lyrics are nothing that special, I still couldn't help but admire the song's theme of refusing to give in to depression, instead choosing to live life to the fullest. It doesn't come across as cheesy, lead vocalist Ivan Moody even tries to let his voice sound a bit raw rather than its usual polished sound. I also enjoy "When The Seasons Change", a legitimately beautiful ballad with some good guitar work. Once again, its writing is not legendary, but it at least works in delivering its message. "Stuck in My Ways" actually has Ivan being a bit self aware about his destructive behavior, which I haven't heard from him before. He has some internal realization that the anger he has seems to define him, so he doesn't want anyone else to be near him. Though I think the anger that Moody expresses is more often just this persona he's putting on, it's interesting to see him develop his persona into someone a bit more vulnerable. The final track to commend is "Fire in the Hole", which is a fun ride due to the legitimately great guitar and drum work.

I wish there was more good stuff to talk about on this album. It frustrates me that this band full of clearly talented people is just wasting their time by putting out the same trite formula that they've done for years. You can predict very easily what's going to be on every 5FDP record: a song or two that needlessly drops the f bomb repeatedly, a cover that is very uninspired, songs that try to sound tough but just come across like whining, and only a few songs that remind you that the band has talent. The bad stuff is in large quantity here, which made me mainly forget the good stuff. The album starts off on a very bad note with "Fake", which definitely fits the mold of repeating the f-bomb. This song actually made me mad, because it's just so freaking lazy. The band relies on cursing for almost the entire song to get across their anger. Why not express anger in a more creative way? There's nothing interesting about what this track does, from the guitar work with no real punch and the same type of drumming pattern we hear in so many other 5FDP songs. I don't get why rock fans would find charm in this, as it's just as bad as all the rappers who endlessly curse in tracks due to no originality. Speaking of no originality, we get the annoying track "Top of the World" immediately after this, which has Ivan whining in the verses, and then acting like he doesn't care because he's so famous. A track like this makes me mad, too, because the band so clearly cares about their haters; if they didn't, they wouldn't be writing songs about them. Songs with this subject matter are in pretty high quantity on this album. Somehow, things get even more painful with "Sham Pain", which might be even more cringe worthy than "Jekyll and Hyde" on the band's last album. It bleeds hypocrisy as Ivan complains about different little inconveniences he's had to deal with in his life, before going into a chorus where he says that he likes all that stuff. So which one is it? Because, once again, Moody makes it abundantly clear he does care about any criticism leveled against him. This song musically lacks creativity, with the chorus being unbearable.

After this we get our first of two covers on this album, "Blue and Black". It seems like 5FDP relies way too much on covers. Ever since the success of their cover of "Bad Company" (which is definitely their best cover to date), the band has found a very safe avenue of doing at least one cover for every album and making it one of their singles. While this one isn't a single right now, it bleeds radio friendly in every way, and I'm sure it'll be on the radio soon. It's just so boring, and doesn't do anything distinctive in comparison to any other of the band's covers. I don't know how they do it, but with every cover the band strips it of the interesting textures the originals have and instead make it sound like every other radio rock song out there. "It Doesn't Matter" benefits from being somewhat catchy, but still doesn't do anything to stand out. It leaves no impact on the album ultimately. But then we get a song that is so bad, and not in a so bad it's funny way. "Rock Bottom" embodies everything that is bad about 5FDP: repetitive guitar work, drumming that does nothing to be interesting, and a vocal performance from Moody that lacks passion. The way Moody tries to do this screaming vocal style that more comes across as shout singing has become annoying to me, because he does this style on every. Single. Song. He's done nothing to change his delivery up. The chorus of this song made me cringe repeatedly: "Rock bottom/I got nothing left to hide/Rock bottom/I got nothing left but pride". There's nothing new being said here. The album ends out on three tracks that are just forgettable; the cover of "Gone Away" which has been played to death on the radio, and "Will the Sun Ever Rise" and "Bloody" are both completely standard affair for the band.

I can't emphasize enough that there is so clearly talent in this band. It's apparent at moments in this album that it's still present. Why can't they make the effort to do more songs like "I Refuse"? The answer is because it's always been the band's most generic material that has made them succeed. Like other bands who are just giving in to mainstream tendencies this year (Three Days Grace, Fall Out Boy), 5FDP knows the formula that works for them. They manipulate it to a nauseating degree, and their rabid fanbase eats it up. "And Justice for None" is one of the weakest, most uninspired releases I've heard this year. The fact that it will do better than other extremely underrated bands' albums makes me sick to my stomach. Besides the songs that I mentioned, I would advise you avoid this album, and maybe reflect on the rare times when this band actually uses their talent.

Favorite Songs: "I Refuse", "Stuck In My Ways", "When The Seasons Change"
Least Favorite Songs: "Rock Bottom", "Sham Pain", "Fake", "Top of the World, "Gone Away"

Short Reviews #8

Lots of music has come out recently that I listened to but didn't have passionate enough opinions about to review. There is only one movie review here; I promise I will have more soon. However, there aren't that many movies that are interesting me right now. Also be on the lookout for an ambitious project from me: ranking all of the MCU's movies worst to best, including "Infinity War". Now, on to the reviews!

Movies
You Were Never Really Here
Rating: 4/5 Stars

It's always refreshing to see a movie from a female director getting recognition, as there are unfortunately not that many female directors who are getting the attention they need. This film is really quite excellent. Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a veteran, has a job as a hitman where he tracks down missing girls that have been enslaved to the sex industry. The significant part of his job is where he kills those who do the crimes. His killing style, though, is cruel, relentless, and savage. The girl he saves in this movie, named Nina, could be his way to redeeming himself from his trauma-filled past, and his grim present. The most obviously impressive thing about this film is Phoenix's consistently dedicated performance. This is a showcase for him, as he is very often on screen by himself. He disappears into Joe, making this veteran an entirely believable character. You almost immediately understand this character's personality and motivations based on Phoenix's facial expressions and mannerisms alone. Often he only emotes through his face and body movement, and he ends up speaking volumes in that way. I was absolutely floored by his performance in the movie, as he shifts from moments of barely contained fury to other moments of heart-wrenching sadness. Phoenix shows rather than tells you how this character has become such a savage killer, and makes you feel sympathy for him in the process. I also really liked Ekaterina Samsonov as Nina. Her performance is also largely silent, but you entirely understand how her character progresses from beginning to end. This is where director Lynne Ramsey succeeds- she knows how to develop characters in intimate and uncomfortable ways. She shows every side of a character to the audience, making them feel so fleshed out and real. The way she tells Joe's story is genius in my opinion. She mainly focuses on him in the present, and seamlessly incorporates intermittent flashbacks. They are so quick and only last a couple of seconds, but you understand as a viewer what is going on in them. The violence in this movie is pretty graphic, but it is not shown in any delightful way. Sometimes violence in film is romanticized, but that is definitely not the case here. This cleverly reflects on Joe's distaste for violence, despite the fact that he feels he can't escape it. The main issue I have with this movie is that it ends way too abruptly. The more I've thought about the ending, the more I understand why the film had to end in the way it did. But, it still could've been executed a little better, as you just sort of sit there confused as to what you just saw. Still, "You Were Never Really Here" is a compelling character study and has powerful themes of how you can overcome the darkest parts of yourself. I definitely recommend it!

Music
"Voicenotes" by Charlie Puth
Rating: 3/5 Stars

Like I have said in the past, I will give any artist credit if they do good work, even if it's an artist I have not liked. I absolutely detested Puth's debut album "Nine Track Mind". It sounded like every track was pandered to make it big on radio, especially the insufferable "We Don't Talk Anymore". I honestly think it was, because there were so many hits on it. The album was just dull. Thankfully, Puth has vastly improved with his sophomore release "Voicenotes", which even he has said he considers to be his debut. It's nice to think that maybe Puth also didn't like his own actual debut. This album is pretty solid for a mainstream pop release, even if there are several generic and cheesy moments in it. "The Way I Am", for example, has some super cheesy lyrics, but Puth is a charming vocalist and the song has enough of a sort of upbeat, rocking edge, that the lyrics come off as self-aware. This song is actually one of my favorites, and opens the album on a positive note. My favorite song comes in "Attention", which was also one of my favorite hit songs of 2017. It's a fairly interesting, relationship-centered song about a girl who Charlie slowly realizes is only using him because she wants attention on herself. I love the bass groove the song has, and the 80's influence is a huge plus. The same goes for "How Long", which fittingly sounds like a sequel to "Attention". Once again, the bass is the star of the show and makes your head bob along to the song. Puth's falsetto is a lot of fun and works well rather than being grating. "If You Leave Me Now" features Boyz II Men, and them and Charlie together is absolutely a match made in heaven. The song is just gorgeous. As far as negatives go, the second half of this release in particular has songs that just string together and sound way to samey. "Change" has a nice message, but it's delivered in a pretty bad way lyrically. "Empty Cups" has Puth embodying this playboy personality which doesn't sound believable to me. "Through It All" has some frustratingly generic lyric and musical tropes that make the song the worst on the album, and it ends the release out on a bit of a negative note. Still, this album is WAY better than I would've ever thought it could be. I would actually say to go ahead and check it out!

Favorite Songs: "Attention", "If You Leave Me Now", "The Way I Am", "How Long", "Boy"
Least Favorite Songs: "Through It All", "Change", "Empty Cups"

"Disobey" by Bad Wolves
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

This band has been getting quite a bit of hype with them being recruited onto a major rock label by Five Finger Death Punch, and also due to the massive success of their cover of "Zombie". I really liked the cover, like many others, so I was interested to see what this band could do. This release is such a fun listen, even if it doesn't have a whole lot of stuff to distinguish it from other bands. Still, for a debut release, this is pretty impressive. The standout songs are what really lift this album up and make it stand out a bit. The opening track "Officer Down" is very daring in a variety of ways. For one, it is actually full-throttle intense, with shredding guitar riffs, and some brutal screaming from lead vocalist Tommy Vext. Subject-wise, this song is compelling in giving an account of a shooting from the perspective of a police officer as well as a black man. It's not often that a politically charged track will try to go into the mind of perspectives on opposing sides, and this song does it well. It doesn't try to side with one perspective or the other. "Learn to Live" is a track that I could see having success on radio if it was given a chance. This song will get stuck in your head, there's no denying that. Like I already mentioned, I love the "Zombie" cover. The way the band updates the lyrics is quite interesting, and shows that the theme of war/government corruption in this song still has haunting relevance to this day. Even though I disagree with the message of "Jesus Slaves", I still find the track musically to be pretty awesome, with a breakdown that you aren't going to forget anytime soon. The best song comes in the closing moment "Toast to the Ghost". I adore this song, and how it interestingly changes pace in its 5-minute run time. The ending of the track particularly left me speechless. There are some generic moments in this release, though. "Hear Me Now" is a very boring radio ballad, doing nothing to be interesting. "Remember When" suffers from a weak story structure, "Truth or Dare" comes and goes leaving no impact, and "The Conversation" is a bit generic. The good moments of this album are really good, though, and make me interested to see what Bad Wolves does next!

Favorite Songs: "Toast to the Ghost", "Officer Down", "Zombie", "Learn to Live", "Jesus Slaves"
Least Favorite Songs: "Hear Me Now", "Truth or Dare", "The Conversation"

"Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino" by Arctic Monkeys
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

I'm going to keep this one brief, because there's not a whole lot of things I have to say passionately about this album. Arctic Monkeys have released a very weird album, mainly inspired by Alex Turner who has gotten a piano recently. That purchase results in an album that mainly consists of lounge music and some very bizarre lyrical choices. The title track compares a half moon to a side boob, which made me laugh. I've never quite heard something like that. There are some good moments here, such as the more upbeat "Four Out Of Five", which lyrically paints an intriguing dystopian landscape. I love the way the guitar and the piano interact in this track. The title track also does benefit from the bizarre lyric writing as well as an off-kilter vocal performance from Alex. There isn't a whole lot else that stands tall, unfortunately, because so many songs here blend into one another. That means that there aren't too many specific negatives I can point out to. The only song I didn't like, I guess, would be "Batphone", which comes across as the most boring song. Most other tracks here just sort of come and go without leaving impact, making for an album that is an unengaging listen. There were moments when I was intrigued because of the weird lyrical choices, but the dull lounge style made me tune out many times. I don't see myself coming back to this release ever again. It's not bad or good. It just sort of...exists.

Favorite Songs: "Four Out Of Five", "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino"
Least Favorite Songs: "Batphone"


"All I See Is War" by Sevendust
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Listening to this album made me realize that I need to go back and listen to the rest of Sevendust's discography. I've always heard about this band, but never got into them. The lead single from this album, "Dirty" appeared in my recommended feed, and it was probably one of the best things my recommended on YouTube has ever given me. Lajon Witherspoon has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard in the alternative metal scene, as he never once sounds bad or boring in any of the tracks on this album. "Dirty" has a wonderful chorus and establishes this idea of how we as a society are so divided now and are unwilling to have any type of conversation. I love this album's consistent thematic arc of how we are at war as a country, constantly looking for ways to tear one another down rather than actually talking. Sevendust addresses how disheartening this reality is repeatedly. "Medicated" states how we are so used to anger and hate now that we use it like a medication. I love how passionate and emotional Lajon's performance is in this track, and the guitar riffs cut through hard. "Risen" is one of the most hopeful and redemptive tracks around, as the band asks everyone to help each other rise from their darkness rather than kicking them back down into the abyss repeatedly. The ballad "Not Original" is absolutely chilling, as is the hard-hitting "Cheers", with some guitar riffs that will blow you away. The album ends on the most positive note it could with "The Truth", which is the most aggressive track on this release. This song asks more questions than it does giving answers, which might be the best way to talk about the divide we're seeing right now, and it promotes the idea that we should be asking each other things rather than looking for simple explanations. There aren't too many negatives on this release that prominently stand out to me. I suppose that "Descend" and "The Sickness" could be considered uninteresting. But, I honestly don't have any major issues with this release. Its powerful thematic arc stands tall, and the band's apparent chemistry kept me engaged throughout the entirely of this release. This may end up being one of my favorite releases of the year!

Favorite Tracks: "The Truth", "Medicated", "Dirty", "Risen", "Cheers"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Descend", "The Sickness"

Shinedown "Attention Attention" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

There are not many artists who can hold the prestige of being a consistently successful mainstream rock band like Shinedown. It's somewhat fitting that they, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace all released a new album in the same year, because I'd consider the three of them the biggest modern rock successes. I really respect Shinedown as a band; in fact, they've grown on me big time over the years. Brent Smith has a powerhouse of a vocal performance that can be hard to match up with, as his voice has a rock quality to it that sounds effortless. I've liked most of this band's efforts, although their undeniable standouts are their albums "Sound of Madness" and especially "Amaryllis". That album is probably one of the best mainstream rock efforts I've heard, as it is very creative and diverse. The band had a pretty major loss with the weak album "Threat to Survival" in 2015. The album had all these confusing attempts of them trying to go pop. Thankfully, the band has mostly departed from that road with their new concept record "Attention Attention". This release tells the story of a man who starts out in a very negative state of mind and ends up on a positive road of redemption and greater appreciation of humanity. While this album's concepts, music, and lyrics aren't the deepest, I appreciate how straight up fun it is. It is, mostly, a highly enjoyable rock album.

The album intriguingly starts with the intro track "The Entrance", where you hear a man (the protagonist of this concept record) sitting in a chair sighing. It's almost like he's getting ready to vent out his frustrations, so it's fitting that the payoff is the aggressive lead single "Devil". This song had me hyped for the album, and it stands tall in context of the release as a whole. This song has been compared to "Cut the Cord" on the last album. I agree with that comparison, except I think this song amps up what that track was doing to a higher degree. The guitar riffs in this song are massive and cut deep. There's also a choral effect that plays which gives this song a satisfying, epic feel to it. Brent unleashes vocal fury on this track, especially in the chorus as he sings out passionately "It's about to get heavy". This song is indeed pretty heavy for Shinedown. In fact, a lot of the material in the first half of this album is the heaviest that the band has ever done, which is something I've always wanted from them. "Black Soul" is easily Shinedown's most intense song to date, as Brent's vocals near on screaming in the chorus. I love the track's interesting beginning with a piano riff playing. It sets up a unique atmosphere which works for this song. The rage this track has throughout is great, and the drumming by Barry Kerch is a major standout. This song is an instant highlight because it sounds like nothing that the band has done before. I also can't deny that I find "Kill Your Conscience" to be a track that you can have easy fun with. The song is self aware, and doesn't take itself to seriously. It's meant to be a pump-up track, and because it has some legitimately intriguing lyrics ("So you kill your conscience, cry yourself to sleep/Kill your conscience, better you than me/You're all plugged in, ready and rehearsed") the fun aspects of it work immensely to the band's favor.

My favorite song comes in the lyrically and musically heavy track "Pyro". In context of this album's story, this seems to be where the character's anger at all the darkness inside him takes a turn for the worse. I find it very interesting that the character is questioning whether he inherited all this anger from his family, or if he's the one that's the problem and doesn't even realize it: "Am I a headcase? Did I inherit this?/Am I a hypocrite to say that I ain't feelin' this?". I adore the guitar work in this track, as Zach Meyers really shows off in an amazing guitar solo, and the bass work by Eric Bass is awesome as well. The band as a whole have great chemistry on this track, as Brent also puts plenty of weight and passion into his singing. This track has an endless catchiness to it, but also a lot of lyrical weight. This is not only the best track on the album, but one of my favorite Shinedown songs to date. This song is followed up well by the powerful ballad "Monsters". Brent is the star of the show here, taking his vocals to unexpected heights. I could feel the character's struggle to overcome his internal demons. I've mentioned that the idea of demons/monsters as metaphors for struggles has become tiresome to me in the rock genre, but Shinedown put a new enough spin on it to make it work. "Creatures" has some nice orchestration to it that make this song sound legitimately beautiful. I also find "special" to be an, ironically, special ballad. This song has an interesting idea of saying how as an individual you are not necessarily better than another person because of your qualities, but rather that humanity as a whole is special because of how we relate to one another. The album ends off on a high note with the anthemic "The Human Radio", which has a chorus that will almost certainly hook you in and make you want to chant along. It may be a little cliched, but I think this track will be one I come back to repeatedly. I also love the bright, pop/punk feel of "Brilliant", another unique track in Shinedown's discography as a whole. It ends the album with the main character finally being redeemed, and gives the album a sense of satisfying closure.

There are definitely some points of this album that undeniably bog it down. Like I mentioned before, this album's concept is not all that interestingly executed. I wish there had a few other tracks that had really tackled this main character's struggles in a less generic way. I liked when the band were fleshing the character out on tracks like "Pyro", "Black Soul", and "Monsters". But, there are definitely points in even the better songs (like "Creatures" or "Kill Your Conscience") that suffered from being too generalized. As far as specific songs go, it was definitely not a good thing that the title track is one of the worst songs here. This song is just insufferable to me. Brent tries this sort of rapping/spoken word style in the verses, and it doesn't work at all. The song tries to throw in all this symbolism, but it comes across as pretentious and pointless. The worst track here, though, is easily "Get Up". This song is absolutely insufferable, reminding me of something off Imagine Dragon's new album. I can't stand how repetitive the chorus is. This song doesn't fit at all into the overall harder rock style of this album. This song is sort of like "How Did You Love" off the band's last album, clearly just made to get radio appeal. I do unfortunately think this one could get radio play, and it sickens me. "Darkside" is a very weirdly structured song with a stuttered chorus that doesn't work for me. Also, the line "I might be mental but I've still got my cred" made me cringe very hard. "Evolve" isn't necessarily a bad song, but there's something about it that just turns me off. Maybe it is the fact that it once again is a bit repetitive and doesn't do much to stand out.

I was very disappointed with "Threat to Survival", as it marked a change for Shinedown that was often confusing and certainly generic (I mean, what the heck were they thinking with the country/pop song "State of My Head"? That song still gets me mad every time I think about it). "Attention Attention", thankfully, sees the band back on track. Even though this album has some generic moments and its concept isn't very original, the good tracks here are good enough for me to come back to the album repeatedly. It's definitely a plus that there's a few songs here I'd consider among Shinedown's best work, and I love the harder edge of the first half of this release. I'd say that you should check out this release, as it may surprise you. I'm excited to see the direction this band takes next!

Favorite Songs: "Pyro", "Black Soul", "Devil", "Monsters", "The Human Radio"
Least Favorite Songs: "Get Up", "Attention Attention", "Darkside"

The Word Alive "Violent Noise" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars

If there's one band where you should go into every one of their releases expecting the unexpected, it would be The Word Alive. This band burst on to the scene with their incredible debut "Deceiver", which was intense enough to please the strictest of metalcore fans while being accessible enough to draw in a wide audience. Even though this is one of the few bands where their debut album still remains to be my favorite by them, I really like most of this band's later discography as well. They've never been the type of band to stay in one genre, and I think that's because of lead singer Telle Smith's respect for a wide variety of music types. They have kept their sound consistently interesting. I think they did particularly excellent with their emotionally charged electronic/rock effort, "Dark Matter", two years ago. That album is certainly one of their best, and it would be hard for them to follow up on. Even the band considers it some of the best material they've done. Thankfully, "Violent Noise" is a worthy follow-up, pushing the band in a more hard rock driven direction, while not losing the raw/emotional core that made their last album work so well. This album has a fitting title, as it feels like a combination of sounds from all their previous albums, and the intensity is amped up across the board.

This album gets off to a near-perfect start with its beginning five tracks. Lead single "Red Clouds" is still one of my favorites on the album, as it reminds me so much of something that would come off of "Deceiver". I love the menacing electronic/piano atmosphere the song starts off with before exploding with a killer guitar riff. Telle's vocals sound somehow even better here (and on this album as a whole) than on "Dark Matter". There are not many vocalists within the metalcore scene that are consistently improving, but he is one of them. I love his clean vocals in this track, but what really blew me aware here where his screams. He goes to some incredible heights with his screams on this track, really proving the fans who say he's gone too soft wrong. This song proves that The Word Alive can still nail the metalcore genre whenever they want to. But, this song does not exactly represent the album as a whole, which is good. If it did, then the band would be playing it too safe. "Why Am I Like This?" is a powerful rock track where Telle is being brutally honest about how there are things he pursues that he shouldn't, and he doesn't know why. This song feels like it embodies the main theme of the album: because we are human, we often give in to our darker tendencies without really being able to explain why. The usage of electronics in this song are effective, and the chorus of the song will no doubt get ingrained in your head. "Stare at the Sun" was one of my most anticipated songs off the album when I saw that it would feature Danny Worsnop of Asking Alexandria. This song does not disappoint, and even surpassed my expectations. This song kicks down the doors with some brutal guitar riffs that will have your head banging, and Telle sounds so good against those riffs. Danny's feature made me smile, as he's actually showing off his unclean vocals. His screams here are probably the most intense he's done since "Reckless and Relentless", so this will undoubtedly make fans of AA's first two albums very happy. The ending of the song has a wonderful payoff with Telle and Danny combining their vocal talents together, proving that they are most certainly a match made in heaven. Hearing them sing together is a pure delight, making this song one of the most prominent highlights of the whole album.

"I F****d Up" may not have the most original of lyrical concepts, as it somewhat repeats a lot of the same themes that "Why Am I Like This?" had. But, this song more than makes up for it with its atmosphere, as it interestingly alternates between some of the most intense and softest moments that appear on this album as a whole. Telle's ability to quickly shift between singing and screaming here is awesome to hear. The breakdown of this track is sure to bring about the largest of mosh pits in a live setting, as once again Telle shows listeners just how capable he still is as an unclean vocalist. My favorite track off this release comes in "War Evermore". It was only after I listened to it that I discovered it was dedicated to the recently passed Chester Bennington, which makes this song even more powerful, as it is clearly written for those who are going through depression or having suicidal thoughts. Musically and lyrically, this track is very raw in emotion. Its usage of electronics actually adds to the emotion in my opinion, as the band uses them tastefully. Telle's voice sounds unfiltered in the chorus, as he hits these chilling high notes. I love the encouraging lyrics of this song, begging those who are suffering with suicidal thoughts to just hold on: "Sometimes the world feels like an empty place/Sometimes it’s hard to face your demons day to day/Staring face to face in a mirror of shame/I know because we’re all the same". It can be tough to talk about suicide. But TWA do a great job at tearing down the stigmas surrounding suicide (that it's the cowards way out, the misconception that there's no mental illness involved) while still saying that the people with these thoughts need to not take this drastic step. Calling suicide a war the band gives it the full weight it needs, and makes for a song that is powerful by saying that suicide is a war that can be won. This song is important, and will most likely be my favorite song of the year.

The second half of this album is a bit weaker in comparison to the first half, but it has several songs that really stand out which keep it from being too weak. "Real Life" is an unbelievably catchy song in which Telle expresses the human desire to search for something real in life rather than just a temporary high. I like how you can feel his desperation to find this in the chorus, while also making the chorus sound irresistibly catchy. This track has some obvious pop influences in it with its emphasized usage of electronics as well as Telle stuttering his vocals, but I think both of those elements actually work to the band's advantage. "Lost in the Dark" has understated but very talented vocal turn from Telle, as well as some guitar and drum work that is so good. The band's chemistry is tight in this song in almost every aspect. They create a truly great rock song here. I also think this track may be the most well-written on the album: "We live in a world that longs for peace/Desperate to set our passion free/But we're falling apart, we're lost in the dark". The emotional core of this track is something that I think will at first go underappreciated, but I can see this song eventually being a fan favorite because of how well it works on every front. But the real fan favorite right now seems to be "My Enemy", and I can totally see why. This track is the most intense song TWA have done in a long time. It has Telle absolutely going off in the vocal department, letting loose some excellent screams. The breakdown in this song is a treat, and the chorus, which does have clean vocals, doesn't let up on this song's intensity. The album ends off with one of my absolute favorite songs, "Lonely". We really get to see the extent of Telle's range here, as his voice sounds raw and passionate. This song is not necessarily the most conventional of closers, but it will leave you speechless, as Telle gives off some haunting metaphors for crippling loneliness: "You’ll never be whole, buried your soul...". I can't think of a better way to end off this release.

There are just a couple of negatives about this album. The most prominent negative, for me, is "I Don't Mind". This is a track that a lot of fans seem to be gravitating towards, and I don't really understand why. I can appreciate it for taking risks in it trying to have a pop/punk flair to it. But it ultimately just sounds awkward. Telle also purposefully tries to make his voice sound nasally, and it comes across as really annoying. The verses are what ruin the song. The chorus is decent, but nothing about it truly stands out. "Human" also doesn't work for me, although I think this track could've been better if it had been done a little differently. This track uses heavy electronics, which makes it sound a little overproduced in comparison to some of the more raw production used on the rest of this album. It also features a rapper, Sincerely Collins. Now, in his verse I could tell this guy is talented and has a good flow. Unfortunately, his verse was a lyrical cringe fest and really took me out of this song's theme of flawed humanity. Lyrics like "My crew the highest/Why you got your head low?/You should keep it higher/I am true unbiased" made it hard for me to take this song all that seriously. "Run Away" is not necessarily a bad track, but it didn't stand out as much in comparison to the songs surrounding it. Also, its production was weak, and it felt like the instrumentation drowned out Telle's vocals too much.

Overall, "Violent Noise" impressed me. It can be hard to follow up an album as great as "Dark Matter", but The Word Alive succeeded for the most part. This album boasts some of their best and most interesting work to date. It's a major plus that Telle sounds vocally like he's at an all time best, and he's made an album that has some of his best writing to date as well. Even with some of the bigger weaknesses on the album ("I Don't Mind" might be my least favorite TWA song ever), I still find this album to be an excellent listen. Definitely check it out, as I think it offers so much interesting variety!

Favorite Songs: "War Evermore", "Lonely", "Stare at the Sun", "Red Clouds", "Lost in the Dark"
Least Favorite Songs: "I Don't Mind", "Human"

"Avengers: Infinity War" Movie Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

A decade ago, a new Marvel movie called "Iron Man" came out, and there was born an idea to create a Marvel universe. At the time, it was an ambitious move that no person involved in was sure would pan out. It could've very well been a disaster. But, because of all the talent in front and behind the screen, the first "Avengers" movie came out to immense box office success. From there, the MCU has only continued to grow in its success. The total box office of all its nineteen movies has to be an absolutely staggering in amount, as not a one of them has been unsuccessful. But, "Avengers: Infinity War" is ambitious on a totally new level. This movie brings in nearly all its Marvel heroes from all its past 18 movies. That includes all the main heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Spider-Man, etc.) and all the more minor ones (Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Rocket, etc.). To list all the characters in this film would be time-consuming. In "Infinity War" our heroes are on a race against Thanos to stop him from collecting all the infinity stones... because collecting all of them could be the end of the world as we know it. While that premise might sound cliched, trust me, this movie is far from that. "Avengers: Infinity War" is an incredible experience where you get to see all sorts of characters you love, perhaps the best Marvel villain to date, and a surprisingly dark and weight-filled tone throughout.

Before you start reading, be warned, there will be SPOILERS. It's near impossible to talk about this film without delving into spoiler territory. There's so much in this movie that I just have to talk about in order for my review to work. So, if you haven't seen the movie, then please, don't read any further. I'd hate for it to be spoiled for you. Now, on to the review. It's almost impossible to call "Avengers: Infinity War" a movie. It feels more like an experience. There's not generally a coherent three act structure, and there's also not that much character development. The premise of the movie is for the heroes to stop Thanos from getting all the infinity stones. What this movie, partly, is for is to see so many of your favorite characters coming together, interacting, and fighting evil. This movie excels on that front. The Russo Brothers, the directors of this movie, knew exactly how to perfectly pair all their respective heroes. Having Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Peter Quill (the three most sarcastic characters with hearts of gold) interacting together was an absolutely ingenious idea. I loved the moments with them together. Having Thor with the Guardians was also a match made in heaven. The moments with them together creates some of the best comedy I've ever seen from any Marvel movie. There's moment after moment here where you will have a smile on your face just because of what the characters get to do. Something amazing about this movie is that there is no character that gets thrown out in regards to them getting significant screen time. Even the more minor characters, like Scarlet Witch and Vision, have some amazing moments dedicated to them. If you're a fan of the MCU, there should be several times when a smile will cross your face because you're seeing characters together or doing something that is such a pay-off of where their characters have been in other movies.

In general, another impressive thing about this movie is the sheer scope of it. It must have been a real challenge for the Russo brothers and the screenwriters to come up with ways to try and balance all these characters and plot points all happening at the same time. And yet, somehow, they mostly managed to do it. Like I mentioned before, it doesn't feel like any character is ignored or disregarded. The Russos know how much each of these characters mean to the fans, and they wanted to make sure proper respect was paid to all of them. Even though there are certain characters that definitely have more time paid to them (Thor, Gamora, Dr. Strange, Vision/Scarlet Witch, Iron Man), you still don't feel that any character is pushed to the side. This film also has to deal with vast changes in tone style. The Guardians of the Galaxy movie style is very different from an Iron Man movie style. Even though the tone changes can be a little hard to swallow at times (more on that later), I still think the Russo Brothers did better with it than I could've ever possibly expected. But what makes the scope of this movie ultimately work, is that it is not focused on the Avengers. The focus is actually on the villain, Thanos. This is a first for Marvel. They have always done a good job of focusing on the heroes, and that has left the villains lacking. Sure, there are some memorable "villains" like Loki, Killmonger, and Vulture, but I would consider those characters to be more like anti-heroes. Thanos is pure evil and menace, but he still gets a lot of depth and sympathy given to him. The audience is able to understand him beyond just being this guy who wants to take over the world. It floored me what they did with his character, especially in his surprisingly touching and heartbreaking relationship with Gamora. Thanos is a villain through and through, but a tragic villain in many ways. He gains what he wanted, but he still seems by the end of the movie to be fully aware of what it cost. I applaud the Russo Brothers for that alone. It was a risky move to make your villain the protagonist, and it paid off immensely. I was worried about Thanos being generic, but now his appearance in many of the other Marvel movies has worked. He's probably their best villain to date, only being maybe competed by Loki (who, like I said, is more of an anti-hero anyway).

Let's talk about something else that I appreciate so much about this film: the risks it decides to take. The idea of having all sorts of heroes together in one long movie was already a risky premise in itself. But this movie takes that risk even further than I expected. For one, this film is dark, easily the darkest Marvel movie to date. There's a feeling throughout that every moment could be a character's last. Right in the beginning of the movie, the dark tone is established with Thanos brutally killing Loki. As Loki is probably my favorite Marvel character, this was already dark and heartbreaking to me. If you don't like movies where you see some of your favorite characters die, then this movie isn't for you. Character's choices have consequences in this film. Even Thanos, who comes out victorious in this movie, still has to kill Gamora in order for him to achieve that victory. That was yet another death that blew me away, as I wasn't considering her as being one of the characters who would die. Even though there is comedic banter in this movie for a pretty good amount of time, you can still tell that all the characters know how important beating Thanos is. There isn't a moment where you aren't feeling the weight of them feeling that. This movie does feel like a war movie at times, especially in its surprisingly risk-taking ending. That ending was probably the last thing I would expect any Marvel movie to do. Even though I'm positive many of these characters will probably come back in part 2 (with Spider-Man and Black Panther being the most obvious to return), I still once again applaud the Russo Brothers for going fully dark and honing in on the very real theme of failure. The heroes don't always win. Sometimes we need to realize that, and this movie bring that reality into focus with perfection. Even though there are some deaths that feel more like they're not actual deaths in this movie, the weight of the passing of Loki, Vision, and especially Gamora are felt immensely.

Of course, I can't go without talking about this movie without discussing all the memorable performances here. There's hardly a single weak link in this cast, with some of the actors being at their absolute best. Of course the highlight of the movie is Josh Brolin as Thanos. He embodies this character perfectly. He gives Thanos so much menace, but he also provides him with an incredible amount of sympathy. This character shocked me in the best way possible; I'm so glad the movie revolved around him. Watching his character develop is fascinating, and was done so well that I was able to understand his motives, even if I didn't agree with them. I was also pleasantly surprised by Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Thor is a good enough character, but ultimately was never that interesting to me in comparison to Loki. Here though, Hemsworth nails his performance. Though Thor still jokes around quite a bit, there's a tragic element to his character that he's never had before. He's lost his brother, his father, and his home, so he really has nothing to lose now. Hemsworth brings forth this tragic element in an excellent way. Perhaps my favorite performance out of all the hero performances was actually Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange. If there was a hero here who had some sort of character arc, it would be him. Cumberbatch brings out the arrogant side of Strange, but he also brings out a touchingly compassionate side to him. I loved seeing where this character ended up; Cumberbatch absolutely shines bright in this movie every time he's on screen. Zoe Saldana brings such a fitting end to Gamora. I wasn't that fond of her in GOTG 2, which was unfortunate because she was my favorite part of the first one. In this movie she's much more like she was in that movie, and that made her death feel all the more powerful. Robert Downey Jr. gives it his all as Tony Stark, really making this character feel all the weight of the world as he tries to stop Thanos. Chris Evans gives Steve Rogers a chilling moment where he almost nearly fights off Thanos's hand with the gauntlet just by himself. That moment was powerful, as that is so fitting of the heroism and grit of Captain America. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen bring a lot of weight to Vision and Scarlet Witch's relationship so that you feel Vision's passing at the end. The only weak performance in the movie is Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, who just doesn't really do it for me in any of the Marvel movies he's been in.

There are just a few weak points to discuss about this movie. One is that the movie sometimes lacks a coherent tone. It was at its best when it was focusing on its dark tone or following Thanos. But, there were times when there were very abrupt changes. The changes could be confusing and can leave you in a constant state of whiplash. At the end of the day, it's not the biggest detractor, though. I think the Russo Brothers did the absolute best they could with the balancing act they had to accomplish in this film. I also almost wish this movie was a little longer. Even though I know that there's a part two, I honestly think this movie could been fleshed out to three hours and been better for it. Two and a half hours is still long enough, but just some more run-time could've decreased the constant feeling of breathlessness. My final issue with the movie is that there is (debatably) a lack of weight to some of the character's deaths in the movie's conclusion, which can slightly decrease the tension of the ending. There's no doubt in my mind that characters like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Dr. Strange will come back. I can still appreciate this ending on its own, though. There was finally a dark ending to a Marvel movie. The heroes lost; the heroes failed. That on its own is something that I never thought I'd see Marvel do, and the fact that they did upended any expectations I had. So, I almost have to forgive the flaw that we will almost certainly see the return of many of the characters who faded away here.

It's not often that I sit in a movie theater completely speechless and dumbfounded after a film is over. "Infinity War" did that for me. I had to sit there silent for a big portion of the credits, trying my hardest to take in all that I had seen. Often, when coming out of a Marvel movie, I will realize the flaws. For this one, I was more thinking about all the impressive strengths of the film, and just how boldly risky this movie was. I don't think many audience members were expecting it to take this route. I certainly wasn't, and I think this shows the potential of Marvel being able to create movies that are darker in tone. I'd love to see that in the future. Congrats to the MCU on this amazing feat. What an experience!

Top 10 Favorite YouTubers

By: James Southworth

A little while back I made a post on this site calling out Logan and Jake Paul as the scumbags of YouTube. I still stand by that, perhaps even more firmly than ever before. But, I also don't like all the articles that are so negative about YouTube in general. There are so many YouTubers that are absolutely amazing. So, I figured that I'd talk about YouTube in a positive light, because some of the great people on this platform deserve praise. So, here are my top 10 favorite YouTube creators!

10. Rocking With Robby

Out of all the creators here, Robby is the newest, but I think he shows promise of becoming a very popular music critic. He's been on YouTube for only over a year, and he already has over 3,000 subscribers; he's getting ready to hit the 4,000 subscriber mark very soon. I think Robby is a breath of fresh air in the music critic scene, as he talks about primarily rock music in a very fun and interesting way. I like the way his reviews are framed, as he talks about each track of a particular album in great detail, and does a good job justifying and discussing his opinions on every album. Even though Breaking Benjamin isn't close to being one of my favorite bands, his passion for them is certainly infectious; you can just tell the love he has for their music. I like hearing him talk about the band because of how much he has latched on to them. Robby also has created a Facebook community which is refreshingly lacking in toxicity. He's made the community a place where everyone can openly talk about rock music with one  another without fear that people will unjustly tear their opinions down. I'm always hesitant about joining Facebook groups, but this one has proven to be a very rewarding experience for me. Robby only continues to improve as a creator, and the fact that he is new makes me excited to see where he goes next.

9. Leon Lush

I've only been watching this guy for a couple of months, but he's quickly made his way up into my top 10. I've gotta say I'm very impressed with the way he edits videos, as his stylistic choices in editing often lead to some of the best comedy I've seen on YouTube. He has a lot of long takes on his facial expression, and some visual edits as well that are absolutely hilarious. This guy is just a natural comedian in general, making him one of the funniest people that I watch in general. He doesn't use outdated jokes, and does a good job at making his own series that are creative. A lot of commentators like him focus on commenting on how cringy the video is. Leon does that, but what he's most known for is reading the comments below the video and commenting on what people say, while sad piano music plays in the background. It makes for an effective formula that hasn't gotten old yet. He also has a series called Insufferable Instagram where he points out Instagram celebrities that are not that good. At just under 200,000 subscribers, this guy is incredibly underrated in my opinion. Go check him out; I think you'll be pleased with what you find!

8. Chris Stuckmann

Even though Chris may not be the best movie reviewer out there (you'll be seeing more movie reviewers as we go up in my list), I still find his style of reviewing really interesting. He is clearly not interested in being looked at as a deep analytical critic, but rather one that is your average person who so happens to have a real passion for talking about movies. I think that's a nice change of pace, as there are so many reviewers out there who want you to have their "correct" opinion. I've tried my best to model my own reviews in the style of Chris's, so you could say he's an inspiration of mine. The reason he's low on the list is that I do think recently he's not been as strong in his reviews as he has been in the past. I could see his enthusiasm for reviewing in the past, but now he's a bit monotoned; perhaps he just needs to take a break because he's been doing YouTube for such a long time. Still, I enjoy most of his reviews, especially his Hilariocity series where he talks about movies that are so bad they're good/really funny (examples: "The Room", "Alien: Resurrection", and more recently "Truth or Dare"). Last year, Chris hit the mark of one million subscribers, which I think he deserves. I like that he's being more recognized as a critic by the movie industry as well, as he was recently invited to the Critic's Choice awards. There will always be a place in this list for Chris.

7. Daz Games

Out of all the types of YouTube channels out there, one of the most saturated markets is let's play channels and reaction channels. Daz Black categorizes into both of these types of channels (he's more primarily a reaction channel), but I think that he knows how to make his content much more engaging than his peers. It certainly helps that he's funny, and has some very killer punchlines that he seems to be able to naturally come up with on the spot. Daz was a Vine celebrity as well. I can't stand Vine comedy for the most part, so almost everything about this guy would've made me originally think that I wouldn't be able to stand him. But he is a vast exception to the typical rule, as even his vines are pretty funny and unique. Perhaps this is due to him being one of the pioneers of Vine, and he even won an award last year for being the Best Viner (very deserved, in my opinion). Daz does a variety of reactions, with his best ones being to young child singers. My absolute favorites of his though, are his reactions to the Worst Porn Storylines. The key to his reactions is that he doesn't just reiterate the same jokes of the video, but rather he makes his own jokes. There's more of him in the video than there is of the video he's reacting to, which is what reaction channels these days need. His game play is also very engaging, much better than the likes of Markiplier or Jacksepticeye (two Youtubers who are great people, but I don't generally like their content). He also makes some original short films which are really good. He's almost at the two million subscriber count, and he's quickly growing in popularity. I can't wait to see what he does next.

6. I Hate Everything

Out of all the YouTubers here, this is the only one where I'm not sure what he looks like in real life, because he doesn't film his face. His videos are entirely based on whatever movie he's presenting and other visual content. But, it works to his advantage. IHE's (also known as Alex) videos are on average upwards of 30 minutes long. For a typical popular YouTube creator, that is a pretty long amount of time to try to keep your audience engaged. But Alex does it, mainly by way of his expert editing skills. Every video he creates is visually engaging and interesting. There's hardly a moment where I'm not interested in watching it. Alex's dry sarcastic sense of humor only serves to make the humor better. He's overall a pretty relaxed guy, but in his discussions of bad movies, there are some where he gets angry to a very funny degree. It works so well, and I think Alex knows this, because the raw anger is not typically a part of his personality. Even though he hasn't done videos of this style very recently, he also does a "I Hate" series where he discusses trends that he can't stand. I love his video where he deconstructs the "D**n Daniel" meme in particular. His name is a creative hyperbole, because he really does generally review things that he doesn't like, but he is not an unreasonable person. He lays out his points in a concise way, and doesn't make ridiculous claims. I think if you like a more analytical style of movie reviews, then this guy is for you.

5. Ralphthemoviemaker

Ralph and IHE are in every close competition with one another, which is fitting because they frequently collaborate with one another and are very close friends. Ralph has a somewhat similar comedic style to IHE, though he is usually the type to let a joke go on for quite a few minutes. This comedic form works so well for him, because he lets a fairly simple outline of a joke become something so distorted and ridiculous that you can't help but laugh at it. Ralph discusses a variety of films, talking about some that he likes, and others that he can't stand. Of course, his most well-known videos are the ones where he talks about horrible things. Often those bad films he talks about were not well-known previously, and he makes them well-known. For example, he talked about this awful show on Food Network called "Mystery Diners" (his best video in my opinion), and this video spurred on so many memes, and in general the show actually gained some popularity in streaming. I love how he makes his reviews very cinematic in visual style. This is probably due to the fact that he actually makes films himself, and a movie he made actually got accepted to a prestigious film festival recently. He knows the art of film, and so is able to critique it in some ways that other movie critics can't. He is pretty brutal in his opinions, but his honesty is refreshing to me, and his usage of very effective comedy makes it easier to understand his opinions.

4. H3H3 Productions

About a year ago, Ethan and Hila Klein of H3H3 Productions would've probably made the top of my favorite YouTubers list. However, recently their videos have not been as strong as their past ones. They're still decent, but the comedy in them feels a bit weak and obvious. I do like the podcasts that they do, although I haven't watched that many of them. I still think that endeavor has worked well for them, as both of them are great interviewers. What really keeps these two in my list is their previous videos, and the fact that they are still very likeable personalities. There are so many of their videos that are known throughout YouTube ("Vape Nation", "Papa Bless", "Gamer Gear", etc.). So many of their videos have resulted in some of the best memes I've ever seen on Twitter and Facebook. What works best about their comedy though, is that they're usually not seeking to tear down whatever cringy YouTube video they're talking about. In fact, often they're trying to bring appreciation to the creator. They've even gone to meet and form relationships with many of the YouTube creators they've criticized. It impresses me that they try to reach out beyond their videos to these people and let them know that it's all in good fun. Because of that, Ethan and Hila are two of the most liked people on YouTube, and one can understand why. They've been on this site for a long time, and are friends with some of the biggest creators, such as Pewdiepie. Even though their videos now are weaker, I still love these two. The fact that they stand for all creators and have been defenders of Fair Use only adds to them being two of the most genuine personas on the platform.

 3. Philip Defranco

In this intense and divided political climate, it can be so hard to find a news source that doesn't hold an obvious liberal or conservative bias. Thankfully, I was able to find Philip Defranco, who is still my most primary source of news to this day. I like how he makes his news show like a conversation, laying out the facts of whatever stories he's talking about, and then asking the reviewers what their opinions are on the stories he's presenting. He'll let his honest opinion come through the stories, but only after he has laid out all the essentials of the story. He doesn't let his bias infect the story, but rather offers it later. I think this format works, as it makes the viewers more trusting of Philip in the way that he presents news. His quick editing style and well-presented evidence makes his videos feel like they go by quickly, even though most of them have quite a bit of content to digest (around 15-20 minutes of it on average). I also like the section in Philip's news where he talks about things that he loves, as he has introduced me to a lot of cool YouTube content. Because Philip is such a prominent presence on YouTube, he's become very vital in the fight for monetization on YouTube. This has been a very relevant issue today, and Philip is always one of the first to start a conversation with YouTube about trying to change it. He makes his frustrations about the platform known, while also keeping a friendly rapport with them. I invite you to check out what is one of the most balanced sources of news out there!

2. Pyrocynical

I don't know if there's a YouTuber I've ever laughed at hysterically more than Pyrocynical, aka Niall. His brand of comedy is often so ridiculous, and can verge the realm of surreal and obscure memes. He is always creative in presenting his brand of comedy, I'll certainly give him that. Niall is also extremely fond of using self-deprecation, which works to his favor over and over again. He used to make montage parodies, something that is now considered cringe worthy by a majority of people. He makes jokes about those videos to this day, which makes the relationship between him and his fanbase one where the fans know that they are ok to joke around about his content as long as they don't go too far. The thing  I appreciate most about Pyro is how he has created a wide variation of videos. He used to have no face cam and created commentary videos with gameplay, where he talked about bad YouTube videos. This formula was very popular a couple of years back, but it died out pretty quickly. Unlike some commentary channels, Pyro evolved and decided to do more facecam. This made his comedy work much more effectively, as we got to see his facial expressions and he got to do more visual comedy. I also enjoy some of his game play content, and his videos where he analyzes a particular game for about an hour or so. The key to his channel is variety. He doesn't upload that much anymore, but whenever he does upload, his content is always quality and very funny.

1. ARTV/Beyond ARTV

Out of all the channels I've talked about here, this is the one I've followed the longest. I've gotten to see Jon of Album Review TV (aka ARTV) evolve over the years into quite the impressive music critic. Jon has a personality that's really easy to attach onto and like. He does a good job of balancing comedic and serious moments in all of his reviews. He started out as an admittedly awkward guy who wasn't sure what he was doing (he started out YouTube at a very young age), but he's grown so much, and is now clearly very confident in his reviewing style. I like his stream of consciousness, mostly non-scripted review format. He says things as they come to him. But, he doesn't ever come across as confusing, always doing a good job of transitioning into the next song he wants to talk about in a clear way. He clearly has a lot of creative ideas for series, as he also has a second channel called Beyond ARTV, which is just as good as his home channel. He has a top 10 series, Ranked series where he ranks a particular band's albums from worst to best, Seven on Sunday where he counts down seven things having to do with a particular music topic, and many other series. It's impressive the amount of things Jon comes up with, and that makes both of his channels very interesting. He frequently collaborates with his girlfriend Infinity on Hannah, who is also a really good YouTuber and a superb video editor. She edits many of Jon's videos, and the way her and Jon work together makes for content that is nothing short of high quality. There have, of course, been reviews I've disagreed with Jon on, but he does such a good job of presenting his opinion in a balanced way so I just can't complain. This guy is on his way to 100,000 subscribers in both of his channels; he's incredibly underrated him. Please watch his content, as well as all the other great YouTubers I mentioned in this list! What are some of your favorite creators on YouTube?