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| Fat Possum Records |
The Districts - Popular Manipulations (Fat Possum Records)
Released: August 11th, 2017
Pennsylvania based garage/indie-rock band The Districts are back with their third full-length album, Popular Manipulations. There last album, A Flourish and a Spoil (2015), was when I was first introduced to this group. I was instantly hooked. I loved the driving guitar chords along with the catchy melodies and unique vocal from lead singer Rob Grote. Some of my favorites of that album include "Hounds" and "Heavy Begs".
Prior to the full release, they posted three singles from the album, which included "If Before I Wake", "Violet" and "Ordinary Day". And I truly enjoyed every single one of these songs. So before going into the record I was very excited.
The vocals on "If Before I Wake" are so full of passion, especially on the lengthy chorus. Passionate vocals are nothing new for this band. Their sound and vocal cadences make the listener feel their emotions, which are both negative and positive. I also enjoy the somewhat shrieking guitar section that follows the chorus, it definitely provides a nice sense of push or power the song was in search of.
"Violet" is one of my favorite tracks on the album for so many reasons. The continuous and thumping drums are so simple and catchy, nothing like I've heard form this group before. Again, from the chorus to the verses, passionate vocals are all over this song. Specifically on the section after the chorus...
"What doesn't last will get remembered, What doesn't last is good to miss, What doesn't last is stuck in your throat, What doesn't last gets swallowed whole"
Grote's vocal is honestly so addicting to listen to and he truly makes the listener endure his affections and feelings. This is a great emotion-fueled indie-rock track.
The third single "Ordinary Day" was the first song they released from Popular Manipulations way back in March of 2017. A gentle beginning with acoustic guitar turns into another passion filled track. I love the chorus melody that fits with the straightforward but hard hitting drum pattern. The instrumental breaks are driving, powerful, somewhat rough, and very spirited.
Outside of the singles, "Salt" is my favorite song on the album. The intro is eerie and simplistic, but when the vocals appear and the rest of the instruments show up, it turns into a gorgeous rock track. The guitar melody and vocal melody that mirror each other in some sections of the song is an awesome touch. The instrumental rise that begins around 2:40 really builds up the listeners emotions and then expands into an explosive and wide instrumental section.
"Why Would I Wanna Be" is a slower paced ballad that contains one vocal section, multiple times...
"Why would I wanna be What you ask for? Why would I wanna be What lets you down baby Why would I wanna be What makes you fall/mean?"
The track contains a very smooth and cycling guitar melody along with a fluttering synth-bass melody that surrounds the song.
Another track I loved was "Fat Kiddo". This is a simple ballad that expands when the simple percussion pattern enters. And the song feels stronger when the percussion enters for a second time, right around the mid-way point. This is a very laid-back track but it is definitely a highlight from this album.
I didn't love the rest of the record as much as I loved these specific tracks, but overall this was an awesome album from The Districts. After hearing the singles early on, I was extremely excited and amped up for Popular Manipulations. And that excitement continued all the way through this full-length album.
As for the tracks I didn't discuss, I still like them but they seemed like pretty typical Districts songs and nothing more than that, specifically "Point" and "Airplane". But more importantly, I didn't dislike any of the tracks I didn't discuss. I just didn't find them as appealing or catchy as the others.
This was an extremely enjoyable album to listen to, start to finish. Popular Manipulations is filled and fueled with so much passion and emotion, which shines through the vocals and instrumentation. The drum patterns throughout make you bob your head while the explosive instrumental breaks just make you wanna jump/dance/rock out. The slower ballads along with Grote's vocals throughout could make one cry and/or smile like no tomorrow. Listen below...
Listen: The Districts - Ordinary Day & The Districts - If Before I Wake
Genre: Rock/Alt-Rock/Indie-Rock/Garage-Rock/Alternative
Rating: 8/10
Fav Tracks: If Before I Wake, Violet, Ordinary Day, Salt, Why Would I Wanna Be, Point, Fat Kiddo
Prior to the full release, they posted three singles from the album, which included "If Before I Wake", "Violet" and "Ordinary Day". And I truly enjoyed every single one of these songs. So before going into the record I was very excited.
The vocals on "If Before I Wake" are so full of passion, especially on the lengthy chorus. Passionate vocals are nothing new for this band. Their sound and vocal cadences make the listener feel their emotions, which are both negative and positive. I also enjoy the somewhat shrieking guitar section that follows the chorus, it definitely provides a nice sense of push or power the song was in search of.
"Violet" is one of my favorite tracks on the album for so many reasons. The continuous and thumping drums are so simple and catchy, nothing like I've heard form this group before. Again, from the chorus to the verses, passionate vocals are all over this song. Specifically on the section after the chorus...
"What doesn't last will get remembered, What doesn't last is good to miss, What doesn't last is stuck in your throat, What doesn't last gets swallowed whole"
Grote's vocal is honestly so addicting to listen to and he truly makes the listener endure his affections and feelings. This is a great emotion-fueled indie-rock track.
The third single "Ordinary Day" was the first song they released from Popular Manipulations way back in March of 2017. A gentle beginning with acoustic guitar turns into another passion filled track. I love the chorus melody that fits with the straightforward but hard hitting drum pattern. The instrumental breaks are driving, powerful, somewhat rough, and very spirited.
Outside of the singles, "Salt" is my favorite song on the album. The intro is eerie and simplistic, but when the vocals appear and the rest of the instruments show up, it turns into a gorgeous rock track. The guitar melody and vocal melody that mirror each other in some sections of the song is an awesome touch. The instrumental rise that begins around 2:40 really builds up the listeners emotions and then expands into an explosive and wide instrumental section.
"Why Would I Wanna Be" is a slower paced ballad that contains one vocal section, multiple times...
"Why would I wanna be What you ask for? Why would I wanna be What lets you down baby Why would I wanna be What makes you fall/mean?"
The track contains a very smooth and cycling guitar melody along with a fluttering synth-bass melody that surrounds the song.
Another track I loved was "Fat Kiddo". This is a simple ballad that expands when the simple percussion pattern enters. And the song feels stronger when the percussion enters for a second time, right around the mid-way point. This is a very laid-back track but it is definitely a highlight from this album.
I didn't love the rest of the record as much as I loved these specific tracks, but overall this was an awesome album from The Districts. After hearing the singles early on, I was extremely excited and amped up for Popular Manipulations. And that excitement continued all the way through this full-length album.
As for the tracks I didn't discuss, I still like them but they seemed like pretty typical Districts songs and nothing more than that, specifically "Point" and "Airplane". But more importantly, I didn't dislike any of the tracks I didn't discuss. I just didn't find them as appealing or catchy as the others.
This was an extremely enjoyable album to listen to, start to finish. Popular Manipulations is filled and fueled with so much passion and emotion, which shines through the vocals and instrumentation. The drum patterns throughout make you bob your head while the explosive instrumental breaks just make you wanna jump/dance/rock out. The slower ballads along with Grote's vocals throughout could make one cry and/or smile like no tomorrow. Listen below...
Listen: The Districts - Ordinary Day & The Districts - If Before I Wake
Genre: Rock/Alt-Rock/Indie-Rock/Garage-Rock/Alternative
Rating: 8/10
Fav Tracks: If Before I Wake, Violet, Ordinary Day, Salt, Why Would I Wanna Be, Point, Fat Kiddo
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