SINGLE REVIEW: Flowers for Juno – Without Love

For this review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on “Without Love”, the new single from Newcastle upon Tyne gothic rock / metal band Flowers for Juno and their latest release since their debut EP “Be My Bloody Valentine”. With that project, vocalist Benjó James and musician Jack Wilson created a strange, Lynchian-like mood piece that seemed to embrace the lyrical stylings of ballroom-centric pop ballads of the 1960s to 1980s – whether it’s Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (which Benjó did a delightfully creepy version of on that record) or Tears for Fears’ timeless “Head Over Heels” – and yet forcibly REJECTED their promise of true, ‘endless’ love between romantic partners. In the loose narrative of the EP, Benjó loses a romantic interest, gains another, loses her and succumbs to the fates of loneliness and, assumedly, death.

This single consists of the title track on Side A, labelled the “7” Deadly Sins Mix”, and two remixes of the EP’s second single “It’s Not My Fault” on Side B. Along with being an addendum to “Be My Bloody Valentine”, “Without Love” bears a similar tonal structure to its predecessor. It starts off with a menacing bang, tapers off into a deceptively ethereal vibe and concludes on an incredibly bleak note. Another similarity between single and EP is the use of dead air, lessened in volume at the start and end (with the exception of the track “Without Love”) of each song compared to the EP’s opening track “Dead Air” but still present in the background. A reminder that what you’re about to hear is anything but ordinary.

With the Side A solo track “Without Love” being the only ‘new’ composition in this short collection of songs, Benjó James returns to his heartbroken viewpoint on love that made “Physical Culture” off the “Be My Bloody Valentine” EP such a highlight. He describes love as this missing puzzle piece of sorts that, once attained, SHOULD make him emotionally and mentally whole. There’s an air of melancholy present throughout this song, especially in the combined instrumentation of Jack Wilson’s energetic guitar riffs and drum solo and Benjó’s warped keyboard melody, the latter of which appears during the bridge.  

Side B opens with “It’s Not My Fault (In the Nightcore Eclipse Remix)” which …. you guessed it …. is a nightcore version of the original song. And while I’m not the biggest fan of nightcore (I’m more of a slowed / slowed-and-reverb type of guy), I must confess this version sounds GREAT! The simple tweaks to the instrumental’s pitch and Benjó’s vocals make this version sound livelier and – dare I say – more blissful! The original was already the most heartfelt track on “Be My Bloody Valentine” and here, this particular remix is the bright spot on this single.

And then we get to the final track “It’s Not My Fault (Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil Remix)” where, similar to the “Physical Culture” remix that closed off “Be My Bloody Valentine”, Flowers for Juno gives guest producer Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil free reign to turn their original song into a soundscape lifted straight out of a horror movie! Compared to the “Physical Culture” remix, this remix to “It’s Not My Fault” is surprisingly the more accessible of the two. The reverbed vocals, kept in the same pitch and speed they were on the original version, aren’t overpowered by the production’s less abrasive but still harsh combination of crushing bass and clanking industrial noises. Even Benjó’s pitch-shifted outro vocals remain intact which, to me, adds a bit of pitch-black humor to the entire track. I truly hope that this isn’t the last collaboration between Flowers for Juno and Palazzo’s Monstrosity Coil as I believe he can add more nightmarish detail to the band’s weird and ominous musical world. 

Overall, I really enjoyed “Without Love”! I can see fans of “Be My Bloody Valentine” thoroughly enjoying this single and newbies into the style and sound of Flowers for Juno entertained and intrigued enough to check out that EP. With their singles and debut record, this band seems to be making a name for themselves in the goth rock and metal scene. Here’s hoping they keep that momentum going with their next release!

Flowers For Juno’s “Without Love” is now available on all popular streaming platforms

BBB RADIO S04E06 – Bob Marley: One Love (Ricardo’s Review), In Defense of Stuckmann & Fantano, The Iron Claw, The Zone of Interest, True Detective: Night Country, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix)

In this week’s episode, Ricardo delivers a quick review of “Bob Marley: One Love”, Matthew discusses the Best Picture Oscar nominated film “The Zone of Interest” and the current controversy involving influential YouTube content creators/ critics Chris Stuckmann and Anthony Fantano, and they share their thoughts on the wrestling biopic “The Iron Claw”, the fourth season of HBO’s “True Detective” – “Night Country” and the long-awaited Netflix live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”.

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE

BBB RADIO / RETROSPECT REVIEWS: Trailer Talk, Lil Jon’s meditation album, Office Space (25th Anniversary), American Fiction, The Book of Clarence, Bob Marley: One Love

After our much-needed Carnival break, we return to the mic with our discussions on the movie and TV trailers that dropped during and after Super Bowl Sunday, producer/rapper Lil Jon’s first meditation album “Total Meditation”, the Oscar-nominated comedy-drama “American Fiction”, the subversive Biblical comedy-drama “The Book of Clarence” and the highly-anticipated musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love”, in addition to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the satirical comedy “Office Space”.

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE

ALBUM REVIEW: Franki Love – The Sky

Previously, I covered “Look Up to the Sky”, the lead single from “The Sky”, the latest full-length album from singer/songwriter/producer Franki Love. With its spacey instrumentation, catchy songwriting and smoothly-delivered vocals, all provided by Franki, it was an effective indication of what to expect on this new project.

As I stated in that track review, I expected this album to play out like the third chapter of an unofficial series of albums – the last two being “The Sun” (2020) and “The Moon” (2022) – within the meditative and therapeutic categories of new age music. Maybe it’s the movie trilogy lover in me, but I admittedly went into “The Sky” expecting it to be this climactic culmination of the sounds and ideas presented in its two predecessors. And in a way it is, but instead, we get an album infused with the respective vocal and instrumental-centric DNA of “The Sun” and “The Moon”, but with its own identity and thematic throughline. It even hints at a possible follow-up involving another part of nature, but more on that in a bit!

Like “Look Up to the Sky” which concludes the first third of this nine-track album, the “sky” itself is represented as this celestial vessel filled with the light of love. This light envelops all of us, even in the darkest moments of our lives, and throughout the album, Franki encourages the listener through song to embrace this light, seek it for guidance in our lives and live said lives to the fullest (i.e. ‘spreading your wings and flying’). Like her previous work, Franki once again handles production duties; but this time, however, she sought out three musical icons for instrumental support: Grammy-nominated new age musicians Michael Hoppé and Steven Halpern and Grammy-winning house/trance remixer Hex Hector, the latter of whom was responsible for many memorable remixes of chart-topping songs back in the 90s (his collaboration with the production duo Soul Solution on the “Un-Break My Heart” remix from Toni Braxton instantly comes to mind).

The album opens with the chilled-out, synth-driven “Heaven Flows with You Forever”, an alternate version of the song “Heaven Flows in You” from “The Sun”, which sounds like the equivalent to waking up on a bright, sunny morning. The sunlight in this case is love, as it’s “on the rise” like a literal sunrise and “surrounding you” like sunlit air. And yet there’s this spacey, nocturnal aura hovering over the instrumentation, as if this light of love is being spotlighted onto us by a full moon. Franki’s breathy vocals sound rather heavenly across this track, to the point that even the occasional bits of percussion in the background don’t overpower her voice.  Franki sticks with the heaven theme a bit longer on the short but sweet piano ballad “Walk the Line with Angels” whose radio-friendly, adult contemporary sound alone makes it an aural attention-grabber. Here, she encourages the listener to keep walking in that heavenly light with the knowledge that there will be support, whether physical or spiritual, along the way.

After the serene “Look Up to the Sky”, we get “Fly like the Wonder You Are”, the second longest track on the album with its near 6-minute runtime. Like the preceding and following track, the title is simple and self-explanatory, as Franki beckons the listener to tap into the greatness inside you, “follow your heart” and….you guessed it….”fly”. This is one of a few tracks on the album where the song is mainly driven by its message and the mood of its instrumental as opposed to traditional songwriting structure (verse, hook etc.). And for a message as relevant as this, it actually works! Franki’s production is upbeat, sunny and vibrant, with a little bounce added to the melody to keep your head nodding as you listen to this track and go about your day. Lyrically, she appears at just the right time on this track to deliver some vocalizing, the hook itself or a few extra lyrics here or there.

Up next is a quartet of instrumental-based tracks, beginning with “Just Relax and Flow”. If “Heaven Flows with You Forever” is the sunny start of a new day, “Just Relax and Flow” is the brief spell of rain (the sound of rainfall is actually incorporated into the production) in-between that sunny weather. That rainy sound effect effectively brings a sense of calm to the track, with Franki’s soothing vocalizing hovering over the shimmering instrumentation like a drifting cloud. We then get the first track featuring one of the album’s three guest performers. On “Moon Maiden Tears II”, a sequel and remix to “Moon Maiden Tears” from….you guessed it….”The Moon”, Hex Hector delivers a fresh and distinct take on the original song by replacing Franki’s ethereal production with a low-key, contemporary beat, whilst maintaining her main vocal melody.

The second collaboration comes in the form of “Heidi’s Waltz Beyond”, where Michael Hoppé’s excellent piano solo and Franki’s angelic vocalizing mesh into a genuinely beautiful track that’s easily one of the best songs on this record! It’s so great, I wish it ran for at least a minute more just so I can bask in the warmth of this track even longer! But before the third and final collab, we’re treated to arguably the most downtempo song on the album “It’s Written in the Stars”. With its placement near the end of the record, it’s clear that this track is all about that titular “sky”. Franki takes the listener on what is essentially a journey through space and (most likely) time, both of which are embodied in this expansive, hypnotic instrumental laced with occasional bursts of ghostly vocalizing.

Franki saves her longest and most symbolic song for last with the album closer “Ocean of Bliss and Inner Peace”. Not only is this the climactic culmination I was looking forward to from the beginning, but it takes its thematic throughline of the light of love and applies it to the absolute perfect setting: the ocean. Visually, it’s the middle ground between the earth and sky but, as stated by Franki and her daughter (the album’s sole guest vocalist) through brief positive affirmations, it’s the place where you can finally let go of the things holding you back from living a truly fulfilling life, whether it’s fear, anger, regret or grief. Adding Steven Halpern, one of the proclaimed founding fathers of new age music, to this track is a stroke of pure genius as we’re treated to this grand, near-cinematic masterwork of an instrumental from start to finish. Combined with Franki’s singing, vocalizing and whispered messages of hope, the end result is my top favorite song on this album! And as for the follow-up I mentioned earlier in this review, I suspect this “ocean” will be the central focus of Franki’s next album. Or maybe not, but I guess I’ll see what happens in the near-future.

As a whole, I really appreciated and enjoyed “The Sky”. From a sequencing standpoint, it flows well from track to track. The production is consistent throughout, even with the contributions from Hex Hector, Michael Hoppé and Steven Halpern. And though it’s not a lyric-heavy album, it still benefits from its simple, sincere messages and superb vocals from Franki Love. In short, if you’re looking for an album designed for healing, stress relief, meditation or simple relaxation, look no further than “The Sky”.

OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10

Now available on Spotify, Bandcamp and iTunes

TRACK REVIEW: Franki Love – Look Up to the Sky

For my latest track review, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on “Look Up to the Sky”, the first single off the upcoming fifth full-length album from Los Angeles-residing singer/songwriter/producer Franki Love entitled “The Sky”. The album itself is a follow-up to both her Kickstarter-funded album “The Sun”, self-produced and released during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, and her 2022 new age, piano-based instrumental album “The Moon”.

Both records, and Franki’s music in general, center on relaxed, atmospheric soundscapes mostly tuned to 432hz (a calm-inducing frequency) built around moody piano and keyboard chords and soothing lead vocals. On the subject of vocals, even on a majority of the instrumental tracks on “The Moon”, Franki adds a layer of emotional depth to them with some gorgeous vocalizing. A true highlight on that album, for me, was its penultimate track “Mother Love” where Franki’s daughter collaborated alongside her on the vocalizing aspect of that song.

With “The Sun” and “The Moon” serving as my official, two-album introduction to Franki’s work, I get the sense that “The Sky” will play out sonically and emotionally as this overarching third chapter in this series of therapeutic, meditative, life-affirming records. And with a few Grammy-nominated and winning musical artists already added to the guest list (Steven Halpern, Hex Hector and Michael Hoppe), it’s already shaping up to be something truly special. As for this single, “Look Up to the Sky” gives us a solid idea of the themes and sounds Franki will explore on her new album.

Throughout the track’s near 3-minute runtime, Franki constantly switches between micro and macro focus on the world she lives in, the people who inhabit it and the universe in which our world is a part of. The theme of this song is love, symbolized as the air around us and to a larger extent, the sky that illuminates us during the day (“The Sun”) and night (“The Moon”). Of course, we need air to breathe, and that’s where we get a line each in both of the song’s verses where Franki briefly examines the inner psychological workings of the human inhabitants of this world (“Souls inside a costume where we choose our fate” / “Hearts inside bodies of a thousand traits”).

On the chorus, she encourages us to look externally towards this bright light called love for guidance in our lives instead of blinding ourselves by our own misguided selfishness. And in the process of expanding our focus, we’ll find that strength to become better people and help change the world for the better.

For such a poetic and admittedly existential view on love, Franki wisely keeps her lyrics simple and straightforward and her vocals gentle and heartfelt. The song’s instrumentation creates this fitting backdrop for Franki’s lyrics, delivery and overall message, with its pleasant keyboard chord progressions, supplementary drum pattern and ethereal, spacey ambience. I will confess that upon first listen, I did find fault with the use of vocalizing in the fourth bar of each quatrain of the song’s two verses. But with the more listens I gave the track, the more I appreciated those moments of vocalizing for three simple reasons: they’re expanded upon on the tail end of the chorus, they add a great deal to the track’s accessibility and, obviously, they’re catchy!

As a whole, I really appreciated and enjoyed “Look Up to the Sky”! Not only does it work as a perfect introductory track to those unfamiliar with Franki Love’s music, but it also gives fans and non-fans alike a taste of what to expect with “The Sky”. Whether it exceeds the limits (better now than never to drop a sky pun in this review) of her last two previous records or not remains to be seen, but for now, “Look Up to the Sky” is as effective of a lead single as any!

“The Sky” will be released on September 15th.

Listen to “Look Up to the Sky” here: