Aw yes, the album review: A 300-500 word write-up explaining all the eccentricities pretentious wordsmiths love and hate about a band’s new album. While most reviews tend to hover the line between a positive and negative analysis, we’ve found that some seem to deviate from the pack choosing to spend their time putting an artist down for months of hard work.
We, on the other hand, would rather give the power back to the artist by letting them take a stab at reviewing (or simply explaining) their new music. And in order to make that process as easy (and fun) as possible, we’ve decided to give the artists one word and one word only to describe each song off their new release – thus creating the One Word Album Review.
Featured on today’s OWAR is Dance Gavin Dance’s dazzling LP, Artificial Selection. Easily their most daring release yet weighing in at a total of 14 mind-melting tracks, Dance Gavin Dance’s eighth full-length album sees the veteran post-hardcore experimentalists at their absolute best. Whether it’s co-vocalist Tilian Pearson belting out an infectious chorus, un-clean vocalist Jon Mess screaming his usual oddball lyrics, Matt Mingus beating the living hell out of his drumkit or Will Swan shredding the filthiest of riffs, Artifical Selection has more than enough to certify this record as one of the band’s best.
Now, before we turn this too much into our own review, we’re going to pass things over to Swan as he carefully (and possibly randomly) chose fourteen-ish words to describe each of his band’s new tracks. Along with the one-word descriptions, the six-string assassin also shared a little insight on how a few of the band’s somewhat silly song titles came to be.
To check out what Swan had to say, be sure look below. Afterwards, make sure to not only pick up a copy of the band’s new record but also grab tickets to see Dance Gavin Dance out on tour with I See Stars, Erra, and Sianvar here.
01) Son of Robot
One Word Song Description: Blamskapow!
02) Midnight Crusade
One Word Song Description: Iwannagofast
03) Suspended in This Disaster
One Word Song Description: Thetoweringinferno
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: This title was pulled right from the chorus just like that little girl got pulled out of the spirit world in Poltergeist, by rope.
04) Care
One Word Song Description: Feels
05) Count Bassy
One Word Song Description: Groovy
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: I named this song after the amazing artist Count Basie. But I changed the spelling because this is a chill song with bass-driven parts. So it’s bassy.
06) Flash
One Word Song Description: Stingandthepolice
07) The Rattler
One Word Song Description: Rawwwwwr
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: This song is for moving your head like a dumb ass rattle. ‘Nuff said.
08) Shelf Life (featuring Kurt Travis)
One Word Song Description: Throwback
09) Slouch
One Word Song Description: Faceslap
10) Story Of My Bros
One Word Song Description: Funnyhaha
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: We came up [with] the idea of a joke pop-punk song named “Story Of My Bros” while we were on the beach in Australia with sand between our toes. It reminded us of our bros.
11) Hair Song
One Word Song Description: Permed
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: Doing your hair can be hard or fun. This song takes an in-depth look at hair.
12) Gospel Burnout
One Word Song Description: SteveChillerBand
13) Bloodsucker
One Word Song Description: Loudnoises!
Bonus Will Swan Song Title Explanation: That’s your own mother!!!!!
14) Evaporate (featuring Andrew Wells)
One Word Song Description: The endY
