Raycevick Recommendations: February 2019

This month's list of recommendations is going to be, as with one occasion last year, all about Albums! Not because an iconic singer has died, but simply because none of the films I watched this month inspired me, and I'm still deeply immersed in the Metro tunnels. So to kick things off...

Slaves of Fear by HEALTH

Those following on Twitter probably saw this coming but so far, the honeymoon phase is still on. Like many I've been a fan of HEALTH since their remarkable Max Payne 3 soundtrack, and absolutely loved their third studio album, Death Magic. I believe it was even featured on a previous recommendations post.

Slaves of Fear is very similar to Death Magic in pacing and structure, but somehow manages to be both more experimental than Death Magic, and more accessible. Where the previous record undeniably fell into a pop-song structure with the bulk of its material (very effectively), Slaves of Fear features much more of the chaos and ambiance that earned their reputation, but not the point of alienating listeners unfamiliar with the Noise Rock subgenre.

I'll definitely be purchasing a physical copy of this record, as I did with Death Magic.

Size Matters by Helmet

Sometimes you want hard simplicity and that's a good way of describing Helmet. Another band I've recommend in the past with their popular 1992 record. Size Matters comes much further in their career when to critics, Helmet seemed to drop off the map. But having gone to this album through virtue of its second track being in NFS: Underground 2, I ended up blasting the entire thing.

It's more polished than Helmet's Meantime album, but still carries their heavy sound that is almost guaranteed to give people a case of the led foot when driving.

Palms by Thrice

Thrice is a band I've kept an eye on because of one particular album, The Alchemy Index Vol. 1 & 2: Fire & Water. Vol 1 was one of the harshest but profound rock records I've heard, and Vol 2 was the opposite in sound, as you'd expect, but no less impactful. However, each Thrice album I tuned into after just seemed to lack either sound that initially clicked with me.

Admittedly, I didn't exactly give them much of a chance and perhaps one day I'll revisit them with an open-mind. All I know though, is when checking Spotify and hearing their latest album's single "Hold Up A Light" my first thought was "oh hell yeah."

The band's singer Dustin Kensrue is one of the best out there with a versatility many would kill for. Being that I don't use this platform for singles, I'd also recommend his solo-track "It's Not Enough" to see what he can do. But for as good as Dustin is, the phenomenal guitar work and instrumentation just enhances everything he does.