To be completely transparent, I was asked by a PR representative to review this one. My earlier praises for Tape Five tipped them off, though Blood is not the same bombastic type of electro swing. In fact, the only song on Blood that has even a remotely similar energy is its third track, Poker Face. I normally hate swingified covers of pop songs, but this is a pretty decent version. The swinginess feels more natural and creates a fun, somewhat darker tone for the song.
However, it’s the preceding song, “Too Much Too Soon,” which is probably the album’s best. Its funky instrumentals are a delight to listen to. At five minutes long, I still always feel like it ends too soon. Unfortunately, after “Too Much Too Soon” and “Poker Face,” the album starts mellowing out a little too much. Some of these mellower songs are okay, like “What Happens Next” which totally reminds me of Pink Floyd’s “The Trial.” By Track 8, though, I’m ready for things to pick back up. Tracks 6-9 work as background music for a speakeasy but are a bit of a slog when the music is the focal point.
I power through, though, because the album is jolted back to life in the end by the last song, “Killers.” This is a beautiful, mostly instrumental track with some goosebumps-inducing vocals. It reminds me a lot of Boogie Belgique, which is pretty much my highest compliment in the world of swing. So Blood is kind of a mixed bag overall, which… might have been the point? There’s definitely something in here for everyone, but you’re probably not gonna like the whole thing.
Reviewer
- I love gaming so much, I wrote a book about it.
- 23 September, 2024moviesBeetlejuice Beetlejuice Review
- 9 September, 2024gamesPatch Quest Review
- 5 September, 2024gamesMoving Out 2 Review
- 19 July, 2024tvThe Boys – Season 4 Review