NEW RELEASE: Clairo - Sling

 I am relatively new to Clairo. I just recently began hearing her songs on 96.5 which is our alternative station. She seems a little poppy to be deemed alternative, but I won't argue the small technicalities here. 

"Bambi" isn't bad. The music is a little dull and I don't like the vocal layering. You can hear it too much. Sometimes I really think I am a stickler about these very small things. If you weren't listening closely, you probably wouldn't even hear it. 

"Amoeba" is a decent song but I can still hear the vocal layering. It happens with a lot of these indie bedroom pop type artist and I just hate it. Don't mind me if every song is "it'd be better without that though" 

Now that I am at "Partridge", I'm seeing a greater issue with this album beyond the vocal mixing that I dislike appearing on every song... And that is the lack of variation in the songs. They have the same general melody and singing style. There's a such thing as too cohesive and this is striking that nerve hard. 

Okay at least Zinnias sounds different...but that's the only thing it had going for it. Wow that took me out of the lullabies and straight into "what the hell is this..." Not a good kind either...

Okay "Blouse" is the first song I even find compelling. But I hate the vocal layering still! It is ruining the potential of this album! Who's idea was this? Oh...I should have known Jack Antonoff produced this. I'm getting a bit tired of him. It is the new Max Martin takeover, except Max Martin could variate. Jack has two kinds of sound and everything else is bleh. To be fair, there are times the production is great. But he likes to create this retro layering vibe and it does not work for everything. This included. 

"Wade" is actually quite nice. I enjoy the melody choice for the lyrics. I won't insert another two paragraph rant on the glaring album issue still existing though.

"Harbor" is quite boring and doesn't grab me at all...

"Just for Today" is another good song minus *insert various anger at the vocal mixing here*. 

I'm gonna pretend "Joanie" isn't there. I am wondering if it is a tribute to Joni Mitchell. She said her and Carole King were her album inspirations for this. 

"Reaper" takes us out of the strange instrumental track and back to the thing that annoys me about the album. Dull lyricism that begins to be repetitive, too cohesive, and...do I need to say it again? 

And the last two tracks are just as dull, cohesive, and mixed messily as the rest. I don't even care enough anymore to label them. I need something different before I fall asleep.

Lyrics: 5/10 - some of the lyrics were not bad.

Music: 2/10 - because if you heard 2 melodies you heard them all! 

Overall: 1/10 - ruined by the crappy vocal mixing. It had...well actually no. It didn't have potential.