Console Pre-Orders, New Reviews, and More: Fanboy Roundup #5
September 24th, 2020: Fanboy Roundup #5
9/24/20
DISCLAIMER: I'm not discussing Nintendo in this one because I'm saving that for a later blogpost.
Topic #1: The Series X/S Pre-Orders
If anyone read my essay discussing the announcement of the Xbox Series S, you now know that my predictions were entirely wrong. These predictions included the Series X not launching until Spring next year, but that system's pricing and release date were announced in a dumbass Tweet that I didn't see. That out of the way, let's discuss the pre-orders. The console wars have been pretty big this year because with the Xbox Series S, Xbox poses some competition. A $300 dollar price tag on a system with its hardware capabilities is shocking, but Xbox knows it's the only way they can compete with PlayStation in unit sales. Though, actually making money is a completely different story. Xbox losing money on the Series S is pretty much confirmed, (or was officially confirmed), but they know they'll make this money back in software sales. While their marketing strategy is understandable and pretty smart, launching hardware without games won't make much money. There is not a single exclusive launching directly alongside the Series X line of consoles, so how they will make said money is up to Game Pass. If Xbox's game streaming service gets enough support, I think Xbox might completely transition out of software and just have their exclusives be exclusive to the service.
Topic #2: New Gorillaz Song Review and New Album Discussion
There is a lot to unpack in Gorillaz's latest entry from their Song Machine series. The song is called "Strange Timez", and it is a strange and mysterious synth ballad. I admit that I wasn't too into the intro of the track with its strange arpeggios and broken loops. It all sounded cool, but it didn't really work too well. Though, around the two minute mark, the song picks up instantly when the broken piano loop is ditched and a wonderful electronic drum kit kicks in bouncing the song up and down every other beat. It is complimented by a wonderful bass line and strange laughing. It holds that mysterious element, especially with that synth arp by itself, but manages to be a crazy groove. The David Bowie-esque voice does wonders for the space-like intrigue of the song. This being said, the music video is probably my least favorite from the Song Machine series thus far, but it's certainly not bad. This came along with the announcement of a new album supposedly called "Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez" named after the most recent song. This album appears to be coming complete with the seven tracks we've seen thus far along with ten new ones featuring many artists and bands from all over the world. The album releases October 23rd, and I am very excited to review it.
Topic #3: Matt Watson's Debut EP
YouTuber and comedian Matt Watson recently announced and released his first full-length project: an 6-track EP entitled "OUCH!". From front to back this album delivers a plethora of lush sounds that all blend in with each other greatly. It borrows elements from modern rap, pop, and rock, but meshes together in a very chill and distinct style. Many might've known Matt Watson from his rap style infusing comedy along the lines of what his content on YouTube, but this EP strays as far away from that as possible. It's a strangely emotional and stylistically-driven project that focus on much deeper lyrical themes than sex with his father. I really enjoyed this EP, and I'd advise any fan of anything modern go listen to it; it's short, but it all works.
Topic #4: Black Pumas' Deluxe Album
In June of 2019, a band of relative newcomers to the music industry known as Black Pumas released their debut album. It had ten tracks and followed a very specific and wonderful genre blend of psychedelic soul and R&B executed using many folk elements. It's always nice to see someone bring something completely new and fresh to the table and then take off like Black Pumas did, seeing as they were nominated for a Grammy last year. Their band was nominated for "Best New Artist" and the odds of winning were against them, but their success was due entirely to the talent the displayed in this new album. Naturally, they had to milk it. The original album was taken down from streaming services and replaced with a deluxe version. This included three new seemingly original tracks, four covers, and four live in-studio versions of songs from the base album. Overall, the deluxe version was fine, but it's still nice to hear more Black Pumas music after hearing the amazing original album.
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