The more I write, the more I realize how little you all know about me. Rather than doing an introduction article though, I feel that the best way is to tell you in-depth, rather than just cover a little bit in one big article. So, to kick this one off, I’ll say this. There’s three things I ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT, these things are: 1. My lovely girlfriend, Chandler, who I’m sure you’ll hear a lot about. 2. Mac & Cheese. Yeah, that’s right. I don’t care if it’s homemade, or if it’s Kraft Dinner, I fucking LOVE Macaroni & Cheese. 3rd, and finally on this little list, is music. Music has played a HUGE part in my life, and I don’t know where I’d be without it. Of the vast list of genres and artists I listen to though, there’s one band I always come back to. I can’t recall a single day that I haven’t listened to them since I discovered there music back in 2004. They’re by far my favorite band, and their music has helped me discover a lot about who I am and what I believe. This band is Enter Shikari.
Enter Shikari’s latest album The Mindsweep is by far one of their most powerful albums, both lyrically, and musically. It showcases each member’s talent and influence extremely well, and is full of powerful messages found within every song. I’ll assume that you, just like most people I know, have never heard of Enter Shikari. Their music is extremely unique. They have a perfect blend of metal and electronic music, and it flows together so nicely. So, I’ll be talking mostly about The Mindsweep in this article, but before I do, I’ll give you a quick rundown of their previous albums, relating them to genres, and then we can talk about The Mindsweep. So, do you like Trance music? Maybe Progressive Techno is your absolute favorite genre, but you still love the sound of shredding guitars, and the feel of a crazy fast drumbeat. If this describes you, I’d suggest you check out Take To The Skies, which is Enter Shikari’s first full-length album. Perhaps you’re more interested in Drum & Bass, and UK Garage. If so, then go give Common Dreads a listen, you won’t regret it. Maybe these genres aren’t your style, and you like Dubstep and Trap music. Well, if that’s the case, then both A Flash Flood of Colour and The Mindsweep will be your best friends. Now that we have the genre-typing out of the way, let’s dive into The Mindsweep.
The Mindsweep starts off with an appeal. It introduces the plot of the album, the point behind the music, and above all, a call to action. All Enter Shikari albums, with the exception of Take To The Skies, has started like this. Setting a premise for the album, and helping the listener become fully immersed in the music. From here, the albums carries you with a powerful and progressive sound, speaking about many issues in the world, such as their beliefs on healthcare, genocide, racism, surrounding it all with the idea that we need to come together. I don’t want to give too much away about the songs, but they all hold very deep and powerful messages. Even if you don’t like the music, giving the lyrics a read would be a very thought provoking experience. This album takes another step forward in saying what’s on the band’s mind, and not taking a second to care about censoring it. These songs obviously come from the heart, and are very personal to the members.
If you’re looking for some new music to listen to, and want something that is full of meaning and beauty, then I highly suggest listening to The Mindsweep. In fact, you don’t even have to buy the album. If you have Spotify, it’s all on there. If not, and you hate those pesky ads that play between songs, then head over to their YouTube channel, where they have the whole album posted for you to listen to for free. So thank you all again for reading my ramblings, I shall have another post for you soon, once I move back into my college dorm. Until then, I encourage you to listen to some Enter Shikari, and let me know what you think, I’m more than happy to discuss their music, or any music for that matter, with you. Thank you all, and have a great day!
