Thanks for the kind words! In writing reviews, my goal is to offer some insight which will help people see the album in a slightly different light, while keeping it concise and not wasting anyone's time.
It feels generic in a 2007 Avril Lavigne sort of way, but I can’t deny that it’s certainly catchy, plus Heather is a very expressive vocalist. And you’re right, it does feel like they’re portraying their themes in an honest way that is also musically well done.
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I agree that the biggest drawback is probably a sense of 'genericism' running through the album. It's tough to pinpoint why some pop albums come off as generic, while others don't, because pretty much everything happening in this area of music is heavily derivative. I think some of these songs being fairly 'everything and the kitchen sink' breaks the immersion at times. For example, the track 'I Just Needed You' knicks the electric guitar tone from 1979, throws in a very Taylor Swift 'Love Story' vocal delivery over it, and then slowly brings in a bit of a reverb wall & subtle synths towards the end which evokes some of the first album's Dream Pop touch. Then in the track 'Change', the acoustic and downplayed opening then going straight into the power-pop chorus is rather heavy-handed. I feel like either part could be made to work, but they don't fit together as well as they could. The chorus strikes me a lot like 'Trouble' by TSwift, but the lead up into the chorus is pretty so-so and thus the transition is a jarring jump rather than a culmination in the song. All pop songs go verse-chorus-verse-chorus, but the important thing is that you blend it well. I think it's actually this sort of 'decoherence' which causes some songs to feel generic, at least in this case. Pale Waves definitely were more ambitious on this album than their first, and it comes off as less refined for it, but I'd still rather they do that than make "My Mind Makes Noises 2".
Good video for an overview of the album, talking about the theme or the genre comparisons were pretty interesting (The Cure and Avril Lavigne bit felt especially on-point) and I liked how you took time to discuss their presentation too though I wished you talked about the songs individually some, rather than just the album as a whole. Especially since your response to MediumWriter shows me you'd be great at that (though I also understand covering too many songs would detract from your point). As for the album, I think it's great. My favourite track being "Fall to Pieces", with "Run To" and "Easy" following after. I can't really detail why in an interesting manner but I'm curious what you favourite tracks are?
Thanks for taking the time to comment! I try to avoid doing track-by-track analysis in the video, as I find that quickly gets dry and technical and loses casual viewer's attention. I try to maintain a balance of being concise but talking about things which will genuinely get people who haven't listened to the album excited. There's also another portion of the audience (probably the majority) who have already listened to the album, and for them I more want to celebrate the album, and also place it in context so that they might better understand the role it plays in the larger scope of the music scene. As for my favorite tracks, I'm always big on music videos. I thought "Fall To Pieces" was great for all the chameleon outfit changes that Heather went through. I felt that was a cool little nod to her just kind of feeling like she was struggling to figure out what her identity is, and trying out a lot of different aesthetics and attitudes, while she sings about how her life and relationships are falling apart. That's probably my favorite track at the moment, in large part for the video. I also really liked She's My Religion. I feel it's perhaps the most tight and coherent pop track on the album, and I also appreciate the well portrayed relationship. For a non-single, I'd go with 'I Just Needed You'. I kinda like that they did an homage to Smashing Pumpkins, and I've never been the kind of person to get angry about a stolen guitar tone or whatever. That track felt the most representative of the sound they were shooting for on this album, putting a hefty callout to the 90s at the start, but still having their Pop core and 80s dreamy post-punk flourish.
@@feigner374 Yeah the makes sense, I do appreciate the concise nature of the review. One of the reasons I did click on the video was because it short. I do tend to love the more technical stuff but I can understand what you're going for, and as someone who has listened to the album, I can say you succeeded in better contextualizing it for me. Interesting about the music videos. I always just once them once then kind of forget about them, never picked up on how the outfit changes in the "Fall To Pieces" music video works so well with the songs narrative. I was just kind of like, "oh that's a nice outfit" lol, cool to read a stronger interpretation.
@@KohmataReizno One of my strongest recommendations for enjoying music more would be to pay a lot of attention to music videos, because they're one of the best vehicles artists have for establishing the context & aesthetic surrounding their music. Musicians don't have a lot to work with when explaining the goals of their music. Usually they can only count on you seeing the cover art, and hearing the song. I feel like music videos are an awesome format for them to better express the sort of mood, context, and aesthetic of their music. Most serious labels recognize this and put quite a bit of effort into their music videos, though it's often in the fashion, color grading, sets, and all those other visual things, as they don't have much to work with in the audio. Just a little food for thought!
I like the band. Their songs are catchy and good fun. But that's about it. You said you get Belinda Butcher vibes from Heather's new promotional style. You may be right about that but the moment you said it I thought: "Yeah, she might look a little bit like it but she is no Belinda Butcher". They're a good band but it's not like they blow me away.
Very fair, and well articulated! I approach it more from this perspective: a lot of people just factually DO like this band. So, with my reviews I attempt to approach it more from the perspective of helping my viewers join that group of people, rather than telling them how they should think. You're correct that Pale Waves isn't really pushing the boundaries sonically, and I tried to highlight that as much as I could in this review. They music is relatively derivative, but everything is derivative in pop music. Fans of Pale Waves don't care so much about that, because they're fans just as much for the people and the culture as they are for the music. Hence why I hammered 'musical heritage' in this review. It's more about signaling "we're the torch bearers for goth pop" than anything else. Thanks for stopping by, I hope I've elucidated my feelings a little better. Ultimately you should enjoy what you enjoy, and perhaps if you don't care about the british teenage goth scene then this just entirely won't be for you.
@@feigner374 No no, I actually agree with you and I do like the band. I guess my phrasing was a little bit off and made my comment seem more negative than I meant it to be. I absolutely get why so many people like the Pale Waves and, actually, I even completely understand why some people are obsessed with them. They fill a niche that's been left vacant by modern pop, have lyrics that are easy to remember and speak to feelings everyone of us had at some point. Heather's voice is also unique which makes them sound different and fresh, despite all Avril Lavigne comparisons. Plus, the guitar tone on the first album was so close to The Cure that it even made me nostalgic. So yes, they are a really good band and they seem to do everything right. It's just, for me, there's something missing. When I heard them the first time (it was Television Romance) I thought that it's a good song and I like it. But the first time I heard My Bloody Valentine I was absolutely going nuts and listened to the Loveless album over and over again, trying to hear every single note. Maybe that's just me but I miss that spark that, I don't really know how to put it, "touches my heart"?. I know, that sounds incredibly cheesy but I don't know how else I could put it.
@@ratatatuff Haha, I absolutely know the feeling. I find those spark connections are more about YOU and where YOU are in life, than necessarily the album you're listening to. I've had those awesome clicks with albums that in retrospect are quite mediocre. But who cares if they're mediocre if they were what you needed at that time in your life? I think it's also the case that you can't really know where that spark is going to come from next. You just kind of need to keep listening to stuff until you find that thing you didn't even know you were looking for lol.
@@feigner374 I think you're right. Actually, I'm really NOT their target audience, that's why it's strange that I like them. I rarely had those spark moments and I think that most of the time when I had it stayed (I think I'm gonna have a look at my record collection now ^^). Okay, there are a few bands I've really obsessed over that I don't listen to anymore. I guess sometimes it is due to age and mindset. But I still have a soft spot for those bands, always will have. :) Good chat! :)
@@ratatatuff Right, I'm not so much in the target demographic either. But I once was, and I'm glad they're keeping that tradition alive. Thanks for stopping by! I hope I'll hear from you again in the future.
I've seen a lot of people saying that. For whatever reason, it struck me as being more 'Definitely Maybe' by Oasis, because of all the band members in the background looking away, and also the color pallette matches fairly well. But I bet it's really a bit of both and also them doing their own thing.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
genuis review, mate! well-spoken i love it :)
Thanks for the kind words! In writing reviews, my goal is to offer some insight which will help people see the album in a slightly different light, while keeping it concise and not wasting anyone's time.
It feels generic in a 2007 Avril Lavigne sort of way, but I can’t deny that it’s certainly catchy, plus Heather is a very expressive vocalist. And you’re right, it does feel like they’re portraying their themes in an honest way that is also musically well done.
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I agree that the biggest drawback is probably a sense of 'genericism' running through the album. It's tough to pinpoint why some pop albums come off as generic, while others don't, because pretty much everything happening in this area of music is heavily derivative.
I think some of these songs being fairly 'everything and the kitchen sink' breaks the immersion at times. For example, the track 'I Just Needed You' knicks the electric guitar tone from 1979, throws in a very Taylor Swift 'Love Story' vocal delivery over it, and then slowly brings in a bit of a reverb wall & subtle synths towards the end which evokes some of the first album's Dream Pop touch.
Then in the track 'Change', the acoustic and downplayed opening then going straight into the power-pop chorus is rather heavy-handed. I feel like either part could be made to work, but they don't fit together as well as they could. The chorus strikes me a lot like 'Trouble' by TSwift, but the lead up into the chorus is pretty so-so and thus the transition is a jarring jump rather than a culmination in the song. All pop songs go verse-chorus-verse-chorus, but the important thing is that you blend it well.
I think it's actually this sort of 'decoherence' which causes some songs to feel generic, at least in this case. Pale Waves definitely were more ambitious on this album than their first, and it comes off as less refined for it, but I'd still rather they do that than make "My Mind Makes Noises 2".
Very informative - great review
Thanks for the kind words!
Great video man! Keep making them! New sub btw
Thanks for the kind words!
Good video for an overview of the album, talking about the theme or the genre comparisons were pretty interesting (The Cure and Avril Lavigne bit felt especially on-point) and I liked how you took time to discuss their presentation too though I wished you talked about the songs individually some, rather than just the album as a whole. Especially since your response to MediumWriter shows me you'd be great at that (though I also understand covering too many songs would detract from your point).
As for the album, I think it's great. My favourite track being "Fall to Pieces", with "Run To" and "Easy" following after. I can't really detail why in an interesting manner but I'm curious what you favourite tracks are?
Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I try to avoid doing track-by-track analysis in the video, as I find that quickly gets dry and technical and loses casual viewer's attention.
I try to maintain a balance of being concise but talking about things which will genuinely get people who haven't listened to the album excited. There's also another portion of the audience (probably the majority) who have already listened to the album, and for them I more want to celebrate the album, and also place it in context so that they might better understand the role it plays in the larger scope of the music scene.
As for my favorite tracks, I'm always big on music videos. I thought "Fall To Pieces" was great for all the chameleon outfit changes that Heather went through. I felt that was a cool little nod to her just kind of feeling like she was struggling to figure out what her identity is, and trying out a lot of different aesthetics and attitudes, while she sings about how her life and relationships are falling apart. That's probably my favorite track at the moment, in large part for the video.
I also really liked She's My Religion. I feel it's perhaps the most tight and coherent pop track on the album, and I also appreciate the well portrayed relationship.
For a non-single, I'd go with 'I Just Needed You'. I kinda like that they did an homage to Smashing Pumpkins, and I've never been the kind of person to get angry about a stolen guitar tone or whatever. That track felt the most representative of the sound they were shooting for on this album, putting a hefty callout to the 90s at the start, but still having their Pop core and 80s dreamy post-punk flourish.
@@feigner374 Yeah the makes sense, I do appreciate the concise nature of the review. One of the reasons I did click on the video was because it short. I do tend to love the more technical stuff but I can understand what you're going for, and as someone who has listened to the album, I can say you succeeded in better contextualizing it for me.
Interesting about the music videos. I always just once them once then kind of forget about them, never picked up on how the outfit changes in the "Fall To Pieces" music video works so well with the songs narrative. I was just kind of like, "oh that's a nice outfit" lol, cool to read a stronger interpretation.
@@KohmataReizno One of my strongest recommendations for enjoying music more would be to pay a lot of attention to music videos, because they're one of the best vehicles artists have for establishing the context & aesthetic surrounding their music.
Musicians don't have a lot to work with when explaining the goals of their music. Usually they can only count on you seeing the cover art, and hearing the song. I feel like music videos are an awesome format for them to better express the sort of mood, context, and aesthetic of their music. Most serious labels recognize this and put quite a bit of effort into their music videos, though it's often in the fashion, color grading, sets, and all those other visual things, as they don't have much to work with in the audio.
Just a little food for thought!
Definitely Avril Lavigne. But man, great video. Well spoken.
Thanks, I do my best to be concise!
I like the band. Their songs are catchy and good fun. But that's about it. You said you get Belinda Butcher vibes from Heather's new promotional style. You may be right about that but the moment you said it I thought: "Yeah, she might look a little bit like it but she is no Belinda Butcher". They're a good band but it's not like they blow me away.
Very fair, and well articulated!
I approach it more from this perspective: a lot of people just factually DO like this band. So, with my reviews I attempt to approach it more from the perspective of helping my viewers join that group of people, rather than telling them how they should think.
You're correct that Pale Waves isn't really pushing the boundaries sonically, and I tried to highlight that as much as I could in this review. They music is relatively derivative, but everything is derivative in pop music. Fans of Pale Waves don't care so much about that, because they're fans just as much for the people and the culture as they are for the music. Hence why I hammered 'musical heritage' in this review. It's more about signaling "we're the torch bearers for goth pop" than anything else.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope I've elucidated my feelings a little better. Ultimately you should enjoy what you enjoy, and perhaps if you don't care about the british teenage goth scene then this just entirely won't be for you.
@@feigner374 No no, I actually agree with you and I do like the band. I guess my phrasing was a little bit off and made my comment seem more negative than I meant it to be.
I absolutely get why so many people like the Pale Waves and, actually, I even completely understand why some people are obsessed with them. They fill a niche that's been left vacant by modern pop, have lyrics that are easy to remember and speak to feelings everyone of us had at some point. Heather's voice is also unique which makes them sound different and fresh, despite all Avril Lavigne comparisons. Plus, the guitar tone on the first album was so close to The Cure that it even made me nostalgic. So yes, they are a really good band and they seem to do everything right.
It's just, for me, there's something missing. When I heard them the first time (it was Television Romance) I thought that it's a good song and I like it. But the first time I heard My Bloody Valentine I was absolutely going nuts and listened to the Loveless album over and over again, trying to hear every single note. Maybe that's just me but I miss that spark that, I don't really know how to put it, "touches my heart"?. I know, that sounds incredibly cheesy but I don't know how else I could put it.
@@ratatatuff Haha, I absolutely know the feeling. I find those spark connections are more about YOU and where YOU are in life, than necessarily the album you're listening to. I've had those awesome clicks with albums that in retrospect are quite mediocre. But who cares if they're mediocre if they were what you needed at that time in your life?
I think it's also the case that you can't really know where that spark is going to come from next. You just kind of need to keep listening to stuff until you find that thing you didn't even know you were looking for lol.
@@feigner374 I think you're right. Actually, I'm really NOT their target audience, that's why it's strange that I like them.
I rarely had those spark moments and I think that most of the time when I had it stayed (I think I'm gonna have a look at my record collection now ^^). Okay, there are a few bands I've really obsessed over that I don't listen to anymore. I guess sometimes it is due to age and mindset. But I still have a soft spot for those bands, always will have. :)
Good chat! :)
@@ratatatuff Right, I'm not so much in the target demographic either. But I once was, and I'm glad they're keeping that tradition alive. Thanks for stopping by! I hope I'll hear from you again in the future.
even the Album cover is reminiscent of Avril's debut album.
I've seen a lot of people saying that. For whatever reason, it struck me as being more 'Definitely Maybe' by Oasis, because of all the band members in the background looking away, and also the color pallette matches fairly well. But I bet it's really a bit of both and also them doing their own thing.