REVIEW: The Chicks - Gaslighter

If there’s one thing to know about The Chicks, is that they don’t hold back. 

If you do recall, the country group, who up until recently were known as The Dixie Chicks, famously came under fire in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines spoke about her disdain for then-president George W. Bush. What followed were death threats, boycotts and ultimately being lambasted from the country music scene. After the incident, the group followed up with the release of 2006’s ‘Taking the Long Way’ which earned them several Grammy wins and a whole new fan following. Since then, the group has taken an extended hiatus, and aside from a few side projects, we haven’t had new music from The Chicks in fourteen years. Up until now with the release of the group’s eighth studio album, ‘Gaslighter. ‘

And if that time away made you think that the group distanced from being as political or personal, that’s the farthest from the truth. If anything ‘Gaslighter’ goes even further to make those statements.

On ‘Gaslighter,’ The Chicks worked primarily with producer Jack Antonoff (Lorde, Taylor Swift). While some fans may have been wary about his pop-influence being added to The Chicks’ sound, the music still feels authentically them, but from a slightly more pop-contemporary perspective. Their country roots are present with banjos and fiddles heard, but not nearly as such as in their past work. The production is sleek and programmed, but it’s smooth and with seamless transitions.

On ‘Gaslighter,’ The Chicks do what they do best, and make music that is telling of their stories and shape it to be confessional and yet relatable for its listeners. The album, believed to be inspired by Maines’ divorce, highlights a marriage falling apart and the different emotional phases that come with it. From the initial discovery of the other person, to having to tell her sons about their father’s actions, from the anger, to the tears, it’s all here.  

And while there are many songs that pack a punch (Gaslighter, Sleep at Night), the latter half of the album carries the vulnerable, personal and private moments that almost makes it feel like you’re right there watching them unravel (Everybody Loves You and My Best Friend’s Weddings).

But don’t think it’s all tears because by Tights on My Boat, Maines has run out of shits to give, especially with lyrics like “I hope you die peacefully in your sleep/Just kidding, I hope it hurts you like you hurt me” and “will your dad pay your taxes now that I am done.” 

The most obvious political track on the album, March, March, is a protest anthem that addresses the many issues in America with references to gun violence, reproductive rights and global warming. The music video, which was released last month, centers footage on the Black Lives Matter movement, ending with a list of Black people killed by police or within the criminal justice system.

The album closes with Hope It’s Something Good and Set Me Free, two beautiful ballads that tell of a lover leaving and reaching for that final feeling of relief that comes at the end of a relationship, especially one that’s gone sour.

The Chicks have worn their hearts on their sleeves many times before, but on this record, it feels like a new layer is being revealed. In their boldest work to date, ‘Gaslighter’ pulls years of pent up emotions that have been bottled up, shaken up, and released for the world to see. In the public eye, and especially as an artist, it’s a bold move to take your deepest stories and experiences and share them with critics alike, to air out the dirty laundry. But The Chicks are no stranger to that game.

REVIEW: Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor

Hayley Williams has spent the last 10+ years as the lead singer of the band Paramore. She’s no stranger to spilling her emotions in her work. On the band’s last album, 2017’s After Laughter, fans got a whole new side to the band both musically and lyrically. It truly felt as if the band was opening up more explicitly about mental health and battling one’s inner demons. And on Williams’ debut effort, Petals for Armor, the sentiments are similar. But don’t be fooled, this is not a Paramore record. This is a body of work that encapsulates the singer’s life from the past few years. The emotional layers have been peeled back and are open for the world to see, and there’s no beating around the bush about it.

Petals for Armor has been sprinkled about in the last few months, with an EP of five tracks that first arrived in February. It was then followed with Petals for Armor II in April and now the final part of the trilogy is released in the form of the full record. Conceptually, the record appears to be broken into three themes; feeling frustration and sadness, finding your self-worth in the chaos and healing your wounds and growing from the trauma.

The album kicks off with her song ‘Simmer,’ which was also the first track she released as a solo outfit. Williams has described the song as her personal experience of dealing with abuse and revenge. She’s also expressed how to channel that energy and learn from it. It’s a dark, moody track with a vocal curl that will rope listeners in.

The next track, ‘Leave It Alone,’ is a harrowing song of grief which, in a recent interview, she explained was developed from a time when her family was experiencing intense trauma. She sings ‘now that I want to live/everybody around me is dying'.’

But it’s not all doom and gloom. The record picks up with the motivational ‘Over Yet’ and even ‘Dead Horse,’ a song that describes her divorce from New Found Glory frontman Chad Gilbert, seems to have this sweet and sour, tongue in cheek to its lyrics, not to mention the chorus is an absolute earworm.

Williams explores a lot musically on this record too. There are elements of Madonna’s Vogue-era with ‘Sugar on the Rim,’ and some disco-funk on ‘Pure Love.’ As well as some airy-like R&B on ‘Why We Ever.’

The record closes with two significant tracks: ‘Watch Me Bloom’ and ‘Crystal Clear.’ The contrast of going from ‘rage is a quiet thing’ at the start of the record on ‘Simmer,’ to ending the record with ‘I wanna make it crystal clear that i won’t give in to fear,’ shows character development. It’s something that Williams has grown into or at the very least is working towards.

Petals for Armor manages to be raw and honest. There are no edits or filters, there’s no sugar coating. What you see is what you get, and what you get is all authentic. It’s a very human moment for Williams, bringing everything down to a personal level and showing the listener a very vulnerable side to her. It’s refreshing to see an artist use her talents in a way that can help the listener. While we don’t know for sure if we’ll see more solo material from Hayley Williams in the future, it is certain that Petals for Armor can stand alone as one of Williams’ best musical accomplishments to date.

Panic! at the Disco: Death of a Bachelor

Rating: 3.5/5

"Tonight we are victorious" sings lead singer Brendon Urie on the song Victorious. This is the first song off the fifth studio album from Panic! at the Disco titled Death of a Bachelor. The chanting/clapping in-your-face crowd pleaser is the perfect song to start a new album full of dramatics and a new change to what fans know as Panic! at the Disco. 

This album marks the first for Urie, the last original member of the Panic! line up, who wrote and crafted the album on his own. Original members guitarist Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker departed in 2009, and drummer Spencer Smith left last year due to focusing on health and rehabilitation after a recent drug dabble. 

The album had been teased over an extended period of time with one of the tracks, Hallelujah, released last April, so for Panic fans, it's a long time coming. The follow up single, Victorious was later released in September, and shortly after, the latest single, Emperor's New Clothes.

Anyone who has been an avid Panic! at the Disco fan, or who has been following their releases know that each record is a different concept entirely. Prior to its release, Urie made it clear that the record was going to have a Frank Sinatra influence and that a lot of the record was inspired by Los Angeles, and he delivered on that promise. 

On immediate listen, the record is very dance heavy. With driving synths or upbeat tempos, it's slightly reminiscent of their last release, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die. Tracks like Victorious, Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time, and The Good the Bad and the Dirty are real examples of such. That being said, the album lightens up a bit with songs like Death of a Bachelor and Impossible Year which feature that Sinatra element of more jazzy and relaxed undertones. There have been an increase in horns and different instruments that make for an interesting musical choice for Panic!, but somehow Urie makes it work. Die hard fans will appreciate tracks like Crazy=Genius as it has the vaudeville familiarity that some of the tracks from their first album shares.

As fun as this record is, it goes without saying it has some weak elements. The lyrics don't seem as emotionally driven in comparison to their previous records, as there's a lot of focus on the partying lifestyle. This record combining both older influences and more current sound keeps diversity but it does struggle for some cohesiveness. The transition from a song with a more aggressive and angrier sound like Emperor's New Clothes to the more jazz based Death of a Bachelor, is quite abrupt for a listener, but then again, Panic! at the Disco is never one to keep consistency. Anyone who has head the transition from their first album (A Fever You Can't Sweat Out) to their follow up (Pretty. Odd.) will understand that. 

Undoubtedly this is a completely different Panic! in comparison to the early days of songs I Write Sins not Tragedies and Nine in the Afternoon. Through departures and disputes, fans still diligently follow Panic! no matter the radical changes they may go through. As this record is a growth for Urie, listeners who hear new to Panic! are certainly in for a treat, whereas avid fans are experiencing something brand new, fresh, and more exposed in a musical sense.

Overall, Death of a Bachelor is a challenging record both musically and personally. It's an interesting turn for Urie as he's the now ringleader of this project. As things are about to take off in this era, Panic! at the Disco is starting off with being nothing but victorious.