"Youthanasia": As Told By Jez Dior

"Youthanasia": As Told By Jez Dior

If there is one artist that I will list without fail when asked for music suggestions it is Jez Dior.  As of today, I haven’t met one person who has hasn’t fallen in love after the first listen.  Son of 1970’s punk rocker Steve Dior, Jez’s influences range from Kurt to Kanye and has resulted in what he has coined as “grunge rap”.  After a collaboration mixtape with The Neighbourhood’s Jesse Rutherford and his solo mixtape “Scarlett Sage”, Jez really seemed to find his sound with 2014’s “The Funeral”. 

The distorted guitar riffs and a Smashing Pumpkins lyric placed in-between Eminem and 50 cent references found on the opening track “Heroin” set the tone for the rest of the release.  The EP was dark and revolutionary, yet Jez never seemed to gain the attention he deserved. 

I fell in love with Jez Dior's music because of his unapologetic love for creating a sound that others had never seemed to consider.  The cornrows and painted nails that he so often flaunts mix magically with lyrics involving death and addiction to create a persona that pays homage to both the darkest streets and brightest lights of Dior's hometown of Hollywood.  The artist has created an image that is both iconic and relatable and combines it with a sound that matches.  

Considering that it's been two years since his release of "The Funeral" I was beyond impatient for the release of "Youthanaisa" on September 16th.  The first track “Separated” opens with a reverberating guitar and melodious vocals before the beat drops and Dior’s raspy rhyming takes over with full force. Jez continues this blending of sounds over the rest of the five song EP to create a sound that transformed his “grunge rap” style into something new entirely.

Jez told Complex Magazine that “this project embodies everything I've been feeling this past year. The reason I called it Youthanasia is because I was in a place in my life where I really felt like if I didn't start changing my ways and growing up, my youthfulness was going to overcome me. So it was either grow up and kill off my youth or be killed by it.” 

A song by song description of this EP is absurd because it could never do the music justice.  Just listen.  Please.  You will thank me later.  I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Dior’s release of “Youthanaisa” finally lands him in the limelight.  One day I'm sure I'll see "the star on the boulevard" he swears will one day be his on the last track of the EP

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Amber Run Album Review

Amber Run Album Review

Photo courtesy of Raquel Candeias

Amber Run’s debut album 5AM strikes up a memory of old love, hardship, and loss. When I listen to the group's melancholy, yet euphoric anthems, I feel like I am listening to pieces of myself. As if their words are digging up long forgotten thoughts and feelings that I did not have the nerve to face until now. Their lyrics are honest and relatable. Joe Keogh the lead singer, pulls you in with his hypnotic, ghostly vocals while the rest of the band mashes traditional instruments to create a haunting, yet soothing melody. 

Photo courtesy of DaysTune

The five piece British band hailing from Nottingham, England, broke their first deluxe album last year following the release of three EPs in 2014: Noah, Spark, and Pilot. Needless to say, 2014 was a busy year for these guys in terms of prepping and learning the ins and outs of the music world. Their latest release, however, was earlier this year with a brand new single Haze. 

Photo courtesy of Kluens

Laced in the midst of all their songs are hypnotic harmonies and captivating buildups. A gripping string of tell-all words form a story that listeners can relate to, drawing on the nostalgia hidden in all of us. Although lyrics about lost love and misfortune are not part of a groundbreaking musical revolution, they are, however, presented through harmonies that control the movement of the song, and set Amber Run apart from many of the desperate and determined artists striving to take a piece of the music industry. 

Their lyrics may not always be clever, but they are truthful narratives of experiences that we can all find relevance in. With phrases like, "We got work in the morning, but it's nearly 5 AM. Is this really what we envisioned? We won't be twenty-one again," I think of my current state of life and wonder if I'm really where I want to be, or if I'm idling for the time being. It reminds me that life is short and that time will go on, whether we are happy or not. 

We can find something familiar in Amber Run, and I think that something is the remainder of passion after defeat and the will to go on.