Review: Springtime is perfect and so is Kendrick Lamar

Isn’t the weather gorgeous these days? Jiminy Christmas, I am loving this weather. You can feel the sunshine hit the skin of your arms, blossoms are blooming everywhere and the very vernal air outside is filled with the hormones of crazy college students. It’s pure joy. 10/10

But I digress. I’m a music reviewer. I don’t write weather reports. I critique music. March 2015 presented a slew of albums from great artists. I’ll provide everything you need to know.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress” — Some fans won’t like this album because it shies in comparison from their recent work. Sure, it’s shorter and slower than other Godspeed projects, but the volume is still there. Instead of focusing on grandiosity, this album is centered on some legitimately weird sounds. 8/10

Death Grips, “Jenny Death” — Experimental rap project Death Grips have recorded some of the most abrasive, low-budget, futuristic music of the last five years. “Jenny Death” is disc two of their now-released double album “The Powers That B.” Disc one was released in June 2014, and I didn’t enjoy it. “Jenny Death” comes through powerfully, sounding more like a Nine Inch Nails and John Bonham collaboration than a rap album. I’d give the entire double album 7.5, but for “Jenny Death” itself: 8.5/10

Sufjan Stevens, “Carrie & Lowell” — Sufjan Stevens changed both the indie folk world and my life with his 2005 album “Illinois.” Some folks are saying his new album is his best. No, it isn’t, but I do love it. All the songs are solely acoustic. The lyrics are heartbreakingly personal. The whole album tells the story of his childhood relationship with his step-parents. It’s depressing as hell yet musically quaint. Try its opener, “Death with Dignity.” 8.5/10

Bjork, “Vulnerica” — Iceland’s most beloved female artist electronically released this album in January, but the physical CD was only released a couple weeks ago, so this is a “March” album if you live in the 20th century. Alongside “Vulnerica”‘s complex string arrangements and choppy beats, Bjork’s voice sounds delicately human. Her best work in over 10 years. 8.5/10

Father John Misty, “I Love You, Honeybear” — OK, so this album was actually released in February. But you should try it. The instrumentation is tender and its lyrical personality is impressively witty. 9/10

Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp a Butterfly”— West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar’s 2012 LP “good kid, m.A.A.d city” is one of my all-time favorites. In addition to its critical reception, it produced three U.S. top 40 hits. Having made a loveable 70-minute concept album about hood-life adolescence, what could he possibly deliver three years later? An uninviting 80-minute concept album on “negus.”

On this album, Kendrick explains that “negus” is an Ethiopian term for “king” or “ruler.” Yet when its vowel sounds are switched around, it becomes (ahem) a skin-color-inflictive derogatory term as old as the birth of our nation. All the music for this album is influenced by funk, jazz, R&B — most any genre purely based from African-American roots. The album cover depicts a crew of shirtless, all-black males of all ages celebrating in front of the White House with handfuls of cash. On “The Blacker the Berry,” Kendrick claims “Marcus Garvey got all the answers.” This isn’t some rapper nagging about America’s undying issues with racism. It’s about authority and it’s personal. From Kendrick’s experiences as a shy boy in poverty and as an internationally renowned star, “To Pimp a Butterfly” expresses his intense, remarkable take on the past, present and future of African-American culture. 10/10

— Scott studies stage management at USU. He likes running, hiking and walking. He’d also like to have BBQ with you. Email: scottehall3@gmail.com.