Production Quality (5) – As I said in the criteria explanation, I wanted to start off my album ratings by going through albums that represent each individual criterion’s example, or albums that best represent that criterion. For production quality, there is one band that stands out in terms of production quality-Men I Trust. Men I Trust’s production quality is what defines them and their sound. They don’t have too much instrumentation and vocals going on in their music, so they take their focus on making the consistent and few instrumental sounds and vocals perfect, which they do. They do it best in “Oncle Jazz” which is home to their breakthrough song “Show Me How”-I’m unsure if I would know the band if it wasn’t for this song. Regardless, their production quality on all components is so clear and distinct. It is so easy to hear each individual aspect, especially the bass and drums compared to other bands. And the production on the vocals also exhibits her abilities really well along with mixing it with the instrumentation. Overall one of the best examples of perfect production quality as it serves as their biggest strong suit.
Lyrics and Vocals (7) – The vocals on the album are very soothing and relaxing which combines well with the instrumentation to define their sound. They use a good amount of double tracks and a few harmonies which add to the album, but nothing too crazy. I think that the way the vocals are presented fit the vibe and mood that people want to hear and get out of their music. If I were to give vocals on a 5 point scale I would probably give it a 4 or 5. They sort of lack on the lyrics as they are very simple, vague, and at some points unclear. This also makes it harder to understand the themes and ideas that they are trying to convey from song to song. But again, I think this simplicity and vagueness adds to the lowkey vibe they give off, meaning they are less focused on trying to convey deep messages through complex lyrics. This trade-off isn’t a bad thing, but I also think they could expand on their lyrics and maybe add a little more flair to their vocals without losing their distinct sound and vibe.
Songwriting (6) – As with the lyrics, the songwriting in terms of structure is very basic. They don’t have any complex changes in structure or progressions within the song, which is a little disappointing because I think it is something that they can do without losing the integrity of their vibe and sound. They have a few cool chord progression changes from verse to chorus but nothing more than that. Their songwriting comes out in the multiple different fills and licks that develop and increase as the songs progress. Their focus is clearly more on their instrumentation and developing unique and dynamic aspects in the instrumentation to fill up their songs. This focus is better represented in other categories more than songwriting. Overall, their songwriting fits this focus which defines their best qualities, however I think there is an untapped potential in creating more unique and diverse song structures and progressions within each song.
Instrumentation (5) – As mentioned in the previous categories, their instrumentation is their best quality along with the production of these instruments and vocals. They use the same instruments throughout the album but diversify how these instruments are presented. They use a synth in pretty much every song which takes up different sounds contributing to the feel and vibe of each song. And the synth lines are very solid. The bass licks are so good and the album would not be the same without them, and they use different bass sounds throughout the album, most notably in Slap Pie and Air. In general, I like the songs where they utilize guitar as the main instrument more than the other ones. Something in Water and Show Me How are the best examples. But they also have good songs where it is not the main focus like Numb and You Deserve This. They also utilize a flute in Pierre which is really cool. Overall their instrumentation is absolute class defined by the production of the instruments combined with the consistent main focuses of each song along with the additional fills that complete the overall sound and vibe of the album.
Cohesiveness (6) – As stated in the criteria explanation, this is usually the hardest category for me to rate, and this album is no exception. First off, there are a lot of songs with no lyrics, which reveals how their focus is more on their sounds and less on presenting opinions, ideas, stories, and themes through the lyrics. Throughout the album, it seems like the lead singer talks a lot about her personal experiences with different guys. She talks about her actions and other people’s interactions and how it makes her feel. But it was hard for me to understand anymore than that. The lyrics are very vague which makes it harder to understand the purpose or message of the songs. But this vagueness also makes it very easy for people to relate to the lyrics, which again is contributing to the vibe they are trying to create. I struggle to understand what artists are trying to say through their lyrics, so maybe I am missing key messages in the lyrics, but also a component of cohesiveness is making it easy for the listener to understand the lyrics. I might be harsh with this score, so I would say that this category is definitely one that is subject to change if I were to change the overall score of this album.
Creativity/Uniqueness (8) – I think that I already have represented their simplicity of the album in the other categories so I’m going to focus more on the uniqueness of the album. Obviously, the uniqueness comes from their original sound and not the structural components of the album. But their sound and vibe is unique and something that should not go unnoticed in my criteria. Their vibe is unique in that it is something that I can play in the background for the mellow vibe, but it is also something that I can pay close attention to in listening to all of the distinct instruments as it is easy to hear each aspect of the song come together into one. This is why I think seeing Men I Trust live would be so cool-because I could watch each person play and also here the part they are playing very clearly by itself but also how it fits in with the rest of the song.
Dynamic (7) – They are dynamic from song to song through changing up the instruments sounds, and also using different drum beats to create different feels. I would definitely say there are “happy” songs as well as “sad” songs on this album which tells a little bit about the dynamic of the album. And it is easy to see the dynamic clearly through the songs that don’t have lyrics. All of them have a little bit of a different vibe but it does not veer away from their original sound. This is a good thing since they don’t want to go so far off the sound they are trying to create contributing to the overall mood and feel of the album, even if doing so would be more “dynamic.” They are not that dynamic within the songs itself though, which is something that I think could really improve their songwriting and albums in general.
Consistency (12) – There are no bad songs on this album even though Fiero GT tested my waters with it being the second song in a row with no lyrics-it just doesn’t make sense in its place. But besides that there are 18 good songs and 6 mid songs to make up the monster 24 songs, and with some of the mid songs being an interlude or a short song I gave this album a 12 in consistency. I think that’s a pretty valid score for this album-I can see it getting an 11 but not a 13. I want to favor the good side.
1. Oncle Jazz (Interlude) – Good 2. Norton Commander (Album V) – Good 3. Days go by – Mid 4. Tailwhip – Good 5. Found me – Good 6. Numb – Good 7. Say You Can Hear (Album V) – Good 8. All night – Good 9. I Hope to Be Around – Good 10. Dorian – Mid 11. Pines – Good 12. Slap pie – Good 13. Fiero GT (Interlude) – Mid 14. Seven (Album V) – Good 15. Show me How (Album V) – Good 16. Alright – Good 17. You Deserve This – Good 18. Pierre – Good 19. Air – Good 20. Porcelain – Mid 21. Poodle of Mud (Interlude) – Mid 22. Something in Water – Good 23. Tailwhip Revisited – Good 24. Poplar Tree (Interlude) – Mid
Replay Value (16) – I think this album has great replay value, but more as an album in the background. If I was solely going to put all my attention into listening to an album, I think there are better albums. However, I think because of its length, consistent vibe, and vagueness that this album serves the purpose it is trying to serve great. I just cannot give it a higher score because albums that I give in the 17-20 range are albums that I could focus my attention on and enjoy the listen from start to finish. Even though I do not have this album on vinyl yet, it is on my list as this album is great for late night and low key vibes for doing busy work.
Musical/Cultural Impact (4) – One of the albums that doesn’t really relate to this category that well since it doesn’t convey a strong message or strong opinions. And it doesn’t really do a whole lot with transforming how people create music and find their own sound. But I would say that their distinctive sound is influential, and this album is the best representation of that distinctive sound. And for that I am going to give it a 4.
Overall score: 7.6