Reviewed by Robyn: Karl Wolf Is Abysmal But BAHAMAS Is Artistic
Trying to Hard with Karl Wolf’s New Record “Stereotype”
Karl Wolf’s new album “Stereotype” is self-defining in an odd way. When listening to the tracks on this album there is nothing strikingly stereotypical about the songs. Alternatively, if you give the songs a second listen the album sounds like a compilation of different pop and R&B sounds that have been over played. Each song sounds like a collage of music with a variety of styles mixed together in a heterogeneous fashion.
Some of the songs have a very ’80s pop vibe to them – for example the track “Let The Music Play All Night” has a Michael Jacksonesque vibe to it. In fact most of the songs almost sound like he listened to Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, drank a considerable amount of alcohol and mixed all three sounds together. This could have been a fantastic sound, but there is something about the album has a “trying too hard to be good” vibe which ruins the sound. If I heard any of these songs on the radio I would probably not be able to identify this as Karl Wolf.
Unfortunately, he falls into the stereotypical male-pop artist sound and has no unique sound. If he does have a unique sound, it is pretty lame. The more time I spent listening to these tracks the more I started to hear songs that have already been popular. Some songs like “Summertime” were so similar to other songs that I’ve heard – anything by Sean Paul – that I think the album should have been called Copy Cat.
I really did not enjoy the album at all – maybe that’s just my taste – but I truly think this album is a pell-mell of other people’s sounds. He uses vulgar language uselessly, none of the songs are catchy, so I’ve got to give him a D.
Bahamas’ New Record: “Bahamas is Afie”
Bahamas have a new album, and it’s a dreamy coming of age piece that is truly fantastic. The album “Bahamas is Afie” is a fresh, calming and genuinely art. It is often forgotten that music is an art form, as it is now so commercial and Afie Jurvanen seems to have left this aside in creating his third album. The credit for the amazing and unique sound of Bahamas goes to Jurvanen as each of the 12 tracks were self-produced.
The layers to each song create delicate moods for each track, ranging from rejection and heart heartbreak to hopeful beginnings. Each song has something in the form of music that is fantastic, catchy and beautiful to listen to. It’s definitely the kind of record I would overplay on my iPod. Instrumentally speaking, there is a range of sounds – coming from shredding electric guitar to unbelievably catchy trumpet to emotionally triggering strings. Each of the instrument tracks were artfully composed, making each track beautiful to listen to even without the vocal track. This is not something that can be said about many pop-rock artists today.
This being said, the lyrics of the tracks are also fantastic. Most of the songs centre on love, life, and the problems that occur when the two collide. Listening to songs like “I Can’t Take You With Me” cause the listener to experience the soft rejection offered by the lyrics – a truly heart wrenching experience. Jurvanen’s voice is like an old wool blanket that you could wrap around yourself on chilly nights – it brings warmth and comfort and a slight sense of familiarity.
This new album “Bahamas is Alfie” is something that needs to be listened to by anyone with a heart and ears that crave artistic and emotional music. The album is so nice to listen to, and comforting in a very unique way. I give the album an A, because I really see no fault within these 12 tracks.
