After a summer of anticipation, Atlanta rapper Jeffery Lamar Williams, better known by his stage name Young Thug, released his 13th project, which is his first studio album ­— his other releases are mixtapes. The project, titled “So Much Fun,” comes almost exactly a year after the release of the compilation album, “Slime Language” and almost a year after his most recent true solo project, “Beautiful Thugger Girls.”

While fans have been kept on the edge of their seats waiting for a new project, Thug has provided some meaningful reasons for the delay. The most notable of these is that the rapper has been spending time with his brother, who has a hearing impairment. With one of his most recent songs “Anybody,” from a smaller release before the new album, Thug highlights his connections to the deaf community by using sign language to communicate the song’s lyrics in its music video.

Right out of the gate, “Just How It Is” gives “So Much Fun” a classic Young Thug feel. The smooth lyrics and innovative ad libs are reminiscent of his earlier “Slime Season” series of mixtapes, which received critical acclaim. What really sets Young Thug apart from current rap artists is his skillful use of melodic undertones. Throughout “Just How It Is,” the acoustic beat flows in parallel with his lyrics.

Scattered across the album is a wide range of successful features from Atlanta rappers as well as popular mainstream artists. Both “Ecstacy” and “Cartier Gucci Scarf” utilize well known artists to create unique songs only achievable on a Young Thug project. “Bad Bad Bad” is another great example of an incredibly up-beat song able to move the crowd onto the dance floor. Lil Baby shines here, with his style fitting well with Thug’s. It will not be long before these tracks start topping the charts. Constant bangers like these across the track list shows just how much fun this album really is.

The most popular song from the album to date is the up-tempo, “Hot.” This instant classics showcases quintessential Thugger flow. Horns sounding off in the background along with a smart feature from Gunna produces an incredibly addictive listen. Gunna also makes another appearance further down the album on “Surf.” Although not as aggressively hype as “Hot,” the track plays more towards Young Thug’s creative side letting both Gunna and Thug experiment over the beat.

With 19 tracks, this robust composition provides a wide range of Young Thug-style songs while at the same time giving him room to grow. Songs like “I Bought Her” are a little stranger than the usual main-stream rap hits that top the charts such as “The London.”

As Thug’s first official album, “So Much Fun” provides a unique opportunity to reflect on his place in the rap game. Young Thug’s ability to generate something completely new and unheard of is unrivaled in today’s rap scene. There are scores of artists trying to mimic Young Thug’s unique style to get into his distinct genre of rap, but as this album reaffirms, there will only ever be one Thugger. Others can copy his work, but by the time they catch up, Thugger will be onto something even more exciting.

Arguably the most successful song ever released by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles is a song called “Love Song.” Bareilles released the song in 2007 for her debut label record “Little Voice” which was released the same year. Since then, Bareilles has stated that, despite the name, “Love Song” is not necessarily written for a person, but rather for her craft. She stated that at the time the hit song was written, she was having trouble finding her sound.

On her newest release and sixth studio album “Amidst the Chaos,” released on April 5, 2019, Bareilles confidently continues a musical exploration. 

From the humble beginnings of her musical career in California bars through 17 years and six different albums, Bareilles has had many opportunities to explore different sounds and styles, and on “Amidst the Chaos,” she has found a way to draw from many different genres and combine them in her own unique way.

The album opens on a vaguely country sound with “Fire” which explores a failed relationship. “Fire” sets up a certain expectation for the style and sound of the album — the listener begins to expect an album with a country-pop sound similar to that of
Taylor Swift.

By the third song, however, it is clear that “Amidst the Chaos” is so much more than just another country-pop album. Track three, “Armor” opens with a piano riff that could easily be from a classic rock and roll album. By the sixth song, “Miss Simone,” Bareilles has found a sound that could just as easily be from someone like
Sarah McLachlan.

After five more songs, each one exploring its own set of unique sounds, Bareilles brings in John Legend for the album’s closing ballad, “A Safe Place to Land.” The influence of John Legend on this track is apparent. From the orchestral strings to the strong piano that carries through the track, to the interplay between Legend and Bareilles’ voices, the arrangement is a near perfect way to close a great album.

Although some may desire a more consistent sound through the album, the variety provides an interesting and refreshing dynamic. One song can be a melancholy, piano driven piece and the next can be an up-tempo pop song. Such a dynamic results in an album that is entertaining throughout its track listing and one that stays fresh even after several listens through. 

The New York based rock band We Are Scientists first hit the mainstream with their 2005 breakthrough album “With Love and Squalor,” which they followed up with 2008’s even more successful “Brain Thrust Mastery.” 

The duo consists of vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain. The two have also become known for their off-the-cuff banter both on stage and in interviews. Murray spoke with the Technique recently about the group’s music, their upcoming album deluxe release, as well as their April 24 show at the Tabernacle.

Technique: First of all, thank you so much for doing this and congrats on the new album coming out. I just want to jump right in. You guys are releasing a new album this month, so could you talk about the story behind it.

Keith Murray: Since our fourth album, “TV en Français,” weve been doing a lot more self producing in preparation for every album, and it’s increased and increased and increased, and with that album we started this tradition of reworking all of the songs on it. That album we put out — you can’t really call it an acoustic album because it’s weird versions of all the songs, but since we have been increasingly producing these songs at home on our own and then bringing them into a studio with our producer partially recorded. We always have these other existing versions that have been worked on before anyone else has told us that those are the incorrect versions of those songs. We now get attatched to the many varietals of a certain song and hate to see them disappear. 

Technique: Does this album contain more of those first takes?

Murray: Yeah. I know we’ve got a few of our individual versions. There are a bunch of my songs that are the versions I recorded entirely by myself and then sent to our producer. I know Chris has one of his songs. Then there are a few others that Chris and I got together after the album was done. Trying to give radio shows and media outlets exclusive content we will do third and fourth and fifth versions of songs. I know Chris has a remix. Now most of the time, the essence of the song is in our hands — in our hardrives to be more practical about it. We just like never really feel there’s a definitive finished version of not even just the song, but of that actual recording. 

Technique: Would you say there is that kind of overarching theme that is the connection for all the songs on the new album?

Murray: Yeah I think so. Theres a lot of thought about communication and the way communication very easily breaks down. Also, theres an ear to all of the songs that coheres them which is funny because I think all of our albums have gotten more and more disparate in their sounds the more we do this. 

I think this album is the most varied sonically. I think part of it is just a feeling in our gut of which ten songs — even if those aren’t our ten favorite. There tend to be ten songs that feel like they sit together really well. 

Technique: I was reading about the influences you have talked about like David Bowie and Fleetwood Mac. Would you say that this album is drawn from the same place or over time have you developed new influences? For example have you heard music recently and thought “that’s a really cool sound that I want to channel into my own personal sound?” 

Murray: I think Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie and Velvet Underground are our fundamental influences — they’ve been bands that we were into since we were 18, 19 that are just like the essence of what we were thinking about when we were excited about writing songs. These days im actually pretty super into really straight forward top 40 pop, much to the chagrin of everybody I hang out with. I have just really developed a taste for American top 40 aimed at 16 year olds. I’m really excited by the production of it. Even though lyrically, stuff is still pretty fatuous, there’s a lot of weird song writing and crazy production going on. Pretty much anything that on top 40  radio I’m like “yeah, that’s sick.”

Technique: The name — We Are Scientists ­— I read that it was a tribute to a song and also someone asked if you guys were scientists. Do you have any more to add to where that name came from and why it stuck with you guys?

Murray: The second one is the actual story. It was just a random stranger who saw us all together and asked if we were scientists. We kind of took it as a badge of — not necessarily honor. He definitely didn’t mean it as a compliment, what he meant was we all looked like we were weak nerds, but I think we liked that a totally random stranger at least recognized that there was something that suggested a team in the three of us. He knew that we all did something together. If he had to guess what it was that we did based on our appearance alone, I guess he would assume that we were scientists. 

Technique: Thank you so much for your time and good luck on the new album.

We Are Scientists releases “Megaplex: Rise of the Lycans” later this year. The duo will be playing a show in Atlanta on April 24 at the Tabernacle.

Earlier this week, the legislative body of West Virginia voted to approve a bill that would allow for diversion of public-school funds to charter schools, home schooling and online programs as well as make it easier to lay teachers off. While the issue of charter schools is a complicated with points to be made on both sides of the argument, this bill is just the most recent in a national trend of proposals heavily opposed by public school teachers.  

These teachers are some of the hardest working, most underpaid, and sometimes under appreciated  and most professionals in America. They are also generally some of the most committed. 

The role that public school teachers fulfill is incredibly important, but many come into work every day not knowing if they will have the books or materials they need to effectively do their job.  

It goes without saying that the state of public education — a guaranteed right in this country — is in a dubious state in many parts of the United States. Around the country, states continue to cut funding for public education. In many situations, teachers end up on furlough because school districts can’t afford to pay their salaries. While students may relish these extra days without class, these types of measures should not be necessary. 

 It is not unusual for states to look to public school funding when they are looking to make budget cuts. This effect was very prominent during the recession of 2007 when many states ended up  cutting their budgets by up to double digit percentages. Many of these states have yet to return their public education funding to pre-recession levels.  

While states generally do have to make tough decisions on what to spend money on, it goes without saying that pulling funds from public education is nearsighted to put it generously. The education of children at the earliest level is incredibly important. Quality early public education has the potential to decrease, if not eliminate, socioeconomic disparities in this country.  

Most public schools are funded by local taxes from the areas they serve. This means that lower income areas tend to have less funding for their schools. This results in lower quality facilities and materials and less technology to facilitate learning. While the teachers in these schools are by no means lower quality teachers, it is more difficult for them to effectively do their jobs. Less funding can also result in a higher student to teacher ratio and larger class sizes. This forces teachers to give individual students less attention, which, of course, has many negative implications.

This is where funding, both state and local comes in. These auxiliary funds serve to equalize the disparity for schools in lower income areas. Public schools are the front lines in the fight against cyclical poverty, and  extra funding is essential to their effectiveness.

An investment in education is an investment in the future. A multitude of studies have shown that effective early education has a strong correlation to later success. Many politicians bemoan the outsourcing of technical jobs overseas while simultaneously cutting the funds for the education that has the potential to instill a love of learning in kids from an early age.  

Not only do public school teachers generally have to accept a low salary, but often their classrooms do not receive the necessary funding for crucial materials. It is not uncommon that public school teachers are forced to either spend personal funds or crowd-source funding for equipment that is necessary for their lessons. Whether it is computers for a coding class or textbooks for a math class, there is no reason that teachers should have to pay for these essential materials out of pocket.

While it is not generally their strength, elected officials need to focus on the future. They need to stop being so nearsighted and do what they are elected to do — make policies that are in the best interest of their constituents. They need to make policies that keep in mind the importance of the younger generation. They need to recognize the value of planning for the future. They need to recognize the commitment and enthusiasm that public school teachers bring to a sometimes thankless and almost always difficult job. Most of all, they need to recognize the importance of public education and budget accordingly. 

Every so often it is possible to go about one’s daily life and stumble across a gem. That is what listening to The Deline’s new album “The Imperial” is like. 

Formed in Portland, Oregan in 2012, by Amy Boone, Jenny Conlee of The Decemberists, Sean Oldham and Willy Vlautin of Richmond Fontaine, and Tucker Jackson, The Delines have yet to achieve a level of popularity that they certainly deserve.

They released their first album, “Colfax”, to generally positive reviews. Following several tours that brought them through Europe, North America, Australia and Asia, and saw the release of an accompanying album, lead singer, Amy Boone, was involved in a car accident.

Following Boone’s recovery, the band announced the release of their second studio album, “The Imperial.” The album was released January 11, 2019, and it is truly worth a listen.

In the first song on the album, “Cheer up Charlie”, the general tone of the album and sound of the band for new listeners immediately becomes evident. There is a certain vocal style that Boone sings with that is both very level and also extremely emotional. It is evocative of the feeling of struggling and striving for an American dream while constantly wondering if it may be out of reach.

The bluesy melody of the guitars and keyboard is perfectly complimented by well-timed horns interjecting — a theme that holds throughout the album.

While the first songs of the album have more lively beats, the first song that begins to audibly reveal the slower, much more blues heavy direction that the album travels as it progresses is the third track, “Where Are You Sonny?” The song begins with Boone singing almost completely unaccompanied before the drums pick up.

Because Boone’s voice is almost all there is to hear at the beginning of the song, it is a great opportunity to really listen to and appreciate the sound she is able to produce and the feelings she is able to evoke with little beyond her voice.

The only single off of the album, “Eddie and Polly” follows a string of slower songs with a slightly sped up tempo and more instrumentally heavy backing. Although the song seems to be a little faster and more upbeat than those preceding it, the song continues to address similar issues with the same gloomy outlook.

Following “Eddie and Polly” the songs again start to slow down and generally sound more depressing. “That Old Haunted Place” is a dynamic song that almost serves as a microcosm for the rest of the album. In the same way that the album, in its entirety has a sort of rise and fall impressed by the varying tempos of the songs, “That Old Haunted Place” starts slowly and builds to an urgent crescendo peaking in the middle of the song.

However, before reaching what feels like should be the height, the tune and Boone’s vocals drop off again. The whole experience almost screams the disappointment and hardship that the entire album is written about.

The penultimate track, “He Don’t Burn for Me” serves as a final hurrah of the album with the chorus including backing vocals from several other band members. The song also alludes to some of the sounds of the early tracks such as the horns.

Ultimately, “The Imperial” is a beautiful, haunting album that dives into the deep end of difficult problems including drug addiction — and having loved ones suffering from drug addiction — crippling, seemingly unending debt, and relationship struggles, among others. Boone’s voice almost seems tailor made for such a project, and the accompanying music is simple yet so compelling.

Although the year has just begun, “The Imperial” is one of the best albums to come out of 2019.

Convincing someone to listen to your life story using just a guitar, harmonica and piano is not an easy task, but it is one that Bruce Springsteen has been doing five days a week for more than a year. Springsteen began his residency at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York city on the evening of October 3, 2017. From then, he played 236 shows to more than 220,000 people in what ultimately became the most successful one-man show on Broadway.

Hours after the final performance and after shelling out $20 million for the rights, Netflix premiered the experience for all of those who were not fortunate enough to get a much-coveted ticket to see.

“Springsteen on Broadway” fits right in with Springsteen’s most recent activities including his biography “Born to Run” and the accompanying album “Chapter and Verse” in that all three have been glimpses into the life of Bruce Springsteen in a way that is clearly very meaningful to him. The show is nothing like the typical high-octane Springsteen concert. This is to be expected, though, given the acoustic nature of the shows and because throughout the entire run, the only other E-Street band member to join Springsteen on stage was his wife, Patti Scialfa.

The show begins with Springsteen describing his art before transitioning into the first story ­— his first experience playing guitar. Appropriately, he then launches into the song “Growin Up.” This intro is representative of the rest of the show. There are talking pieces — anecdotes from Springsteen’s life or observations — lasting about 10 minutes each, followed by a relevant song.

The songs more or less are played in chronological order and truly provide a great snapshot of the range of style that Springsteen has explored over his prolific career. The context of the songs is revealed through the stories that they accompany.

As the show progresses, it becomes evident how willing Springsteen is to open up to the audience and share some deeply personal stories. This level of personalization really makes the show feel like an individual experience, even through a TV screen.

While the show does not provide an opportunity to see new songs performed live for the first time by one of the best in the business, it is anything but stale. Springsteen keeps the show interesting by playing songs rarely seen in other live performances of his.

Also, the acoustic nature allows Springsteen to play some songs closer to how he originally imagined them. This is fully displayed with a haunting rendition of “Born in the USA” that better captures the tone that Springsteen intended better than the upbeat style of the album version.

Although some of the stories Springsteen tells were pulled from his recent biography, the performance still has merits for those who read the book. Something about having Springsteen himself tell the stories in the way he does and pair them with the songs he does adds a gravity that is lost by simply reading a book, and that extra element truly makes this two and a half hours well spent.

On the heels of a successful tour with the Foo Fighters and a performance in front of 80,000 people while opening for the Rolling Stones, the Struts released their second full length album “Young & Dangerous,” a record full of stadium-ready rock anthems anchored by heavy guitar.

The album is essentially two projects in one. The halves are capped by the songs “Fire (Part 1)” and “Ashes (Part 2).” The first half comes out swinging with two singles, “Body Talks” and “Primadonna Like Me.” These singles are full of influence from other bands.

“Body Talks” could easily be something off of a Strokes album stitched together with the opening riff of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” That being said, the song is full of energy, making it a great choice to open the album. It is fast, fun and sets a great tone for the rest of the first half.

Much of the first half of the album toes a line between alternative rock and hard electric guitar-driven rock reminiscent of the 70s and 80s. Beyond the Rolling Stones, the influence of Queen, Led Zepplin, Journey and other 70s rock bands is prominent.

“Fire (Part 1)” provides a tonal shift in the album. The song itself takes the heavy baseline and some loud guitar riffs characteristic of the first half of the album and tones them down just a little. This softer rock carries into and is characteristic of the second half of the album.

This softer tone is more reminiscent of a band like Train, but for the aggressive vocals of singer Luke Spiller. This new style is no better exemplified than by the first song after “Fire (Part 1)” called “Somebody New.”

The song “Tatler Magazine” is one of the most interesting on the album. On the track, Spiller does one of his best impressions of childhood idol, Freddie Mercury. Beyond that though, the song is truly an epic piece that Mercury and the rest of Queen would be proud of.

Generally, “Young & Dangerous,” represents the Struts taking steps beyond their freshman effort and truly shows off the time that they have spent touring with big names, learning and improving on their craft.

That being said, the album leaves something to be desired. Most, if not all of the songs can easily be imagined to have been released by a different popular band. In fact, some of the melodies seem to be heavily inspired by, if not almost lifted from earlier hits.

That is not to say that the album is bad. On the contrary, the songs are complex and get better with each successive listen. Also, there are many instances where the voice that the Struts continue to develop shines through, and those are some of the most compelling and promising parts of the new album.

Overall, “Young & Dangerous” is a great second effort from a band with lots of talent and promise. It is stuffed with great, entertaining songs that have the capacity to provide for fantastic live shows. Still, one hopes that this is not the end of the developmental road for the struts.

The formula for “Young & Dangerous” is a winning one already, but throw in some more originality and a real compelling reason to listen to this over its influences, and the Struts will truly have an amazing act.

On August 17, with little fanfare, reknowned Atlanta trap artist Young Thug released his newest album “Slime Language”. In the past couple of years, Young Thug has been seemingly unstoppable with the solo releases of “Slime Season 3”, “Beautiful Thugger Girls” and “Jeffery”.

This release of “Slime Language”, however sees Young Thug go in a different direction. When his brother went deaf, Young Thug stated that he would not release any original music in 2018.

As a result, this new project along with his early 2018 mixtape “Hear no Evil” have not been solo projects, but have heavily featured other artists. While “Hear no Evil” included big names such as Nicki Minaj, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage, his most recent album is a compilation of up and coming artists affiliated with Young Thug’s own YSL Records, including artists previously featured on Young Thug tracks, such as Gunna, Duke, and Jacquees and lesser known artists including Young Thug’s sisters HiDoraah and Dolly.

At first glance, the feature-heavy nature of the album is concerning given what Young Thug is capable of on his own. Young Thug takes writing credits for and does appear on almost every song. His intent to maintain artistic control of the album truly becomes evident on the first track. The Young Thug solo “Tsunami,” with a familiar sounding chorus from Young Thug,  quickly sets high expectations for the remainder of the 15 song album.

The second song, “U Ain’t Slime Enough” again starts off with a couple lines from Young Thug, but heads in the wrong direction when on-again-off-again Young Thug partner Karlae begins her verse.

This verse signals the beginning of a familiar pattern of Young Thug’s proteges attempting to mimick his sound and leaving the listener feeling as though he has heard a budget version of Young Thug’s music.

That being said, the numerous artists featured on the album are by no means bad; on the contrary, they sometimes provide a nice compliment to Young Thug’s sound and serve to deliver an album that is different than anything Young Thug has released in the past.

On the third track, “Gain Clout” some of the classic complexity that Young Thug beats have delivered on the past couple albums is evident. Much like on his last couple of albums, Young Thug works closely with producer London on da Track for this song. The track displays the beats supplemented by acoustic instrumentation which have become a cornerstone of London’s style and which are prevalent on Young Thug’s past albums “Jeffery” and “Beautiful Thugger Girls.”

As the album progresses, the features become more frequent and it becomes more and more evident that this is not the crown jewel of Young Thug’s discography. That being said, it is no doubt a release that other artists would envy and definitely deserves multiple listens.

It is difficult not to see the album as a feature-heavy label promo that includes a lot of small name rappers simply as an excuse to get them exposure. Young Thug  is on nearly every song, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that this is a Young Thug album. It lacks the musical complexity of his previous albums. As a result, it fails to live up to those albums’ artistic value.

All that being said, the verses that Young Thug contributes himself and especially the solo track “Gain Clout” are excellent, obviously the work of a star at the top of his game.

Additionally, some of the features do add value to the album. The best feature is frequent Young Thug collaborator Gunna, who has appeared on tracks from Young Thug’s last two albums.

“Slime Language” will certainly not compete with the finest of Young Thug’s albums, but it does offer a few quality tracks, even if most of the material from featured artists is a disappointment.