Tyranny

This is the side project of Julian Casablancas from The Strokes. It’s an attempt at being having a bit of a darker side. He plays with dissonance and distortion, sometimes well, sometimes not so much (but hey that’s just my opinion).
Picks: 7, 9, 11
FCCs: 4, 9 (maybe), 10, 11

1. (4:21) Muffled vocals over industrial percussions with ominous hum.
2. (4:51) More upbeat. Sounds like it could be a Strokes track but with added distortion.
3. (2:33) Galloping drums and loud guitars.
4. (10:57) Starts off with slow & sweet strings with soft vox, which get increasingly distorted over time. The second half of the song is in the same style as the rest of the album. FCC (“Fuck depression”)
5. (3:44) Their hit track. Alternates between a catchy bassline and an angry Julian Casablancas.
6. (7:24)* Builds up to what sounds like an island drum beat (if that makes sense) layered with distortion. Has nice calm interludes of guitar plucking.
7. (6:01) Once again sounds more like a Strokes track. Jumpy cymbals with catchy guitar riffs.
8. (2:35) Fast-paced and rough. Alternates between upbeat verses, and semi-screamer interludes. There’s an FCC (“fuck”), but it’s bleeped out.
9. (5:05)** Dissonant and ghostly with clunky percussions. FCC maybe? (“Bitch”) It’s kind of hard to hear what he’s saying.
10. (6:08) Kind of stressful, sounds like it could be in a chase scene for a movie at times. Intense crescendo of guitars for the second portion of the track. FCC (“Fuck” multiple times)
11. (5:55)* Alternates between relatively light-hearted, slow-dancing portions (with distorted jingles), and dark interludes with sharp guitars. Earns a star for the last minute and a half of layered and enveloping vocals. Pretty sweet. FCC (“Motherfucker”).
12. (3:18) Slow and melancholic ending to the album. Pained vocals over despondent guitar plucking and a sort of white noise hum in the background.