abdcorner

On their eighth record, The Decemberists continue to be lost in a field of experimentation, this time with synthesizers and brief excursions into sounds popularized by others. Similar to their previous record, "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World," "I'll Be Your Girl" fails to sustain a clear through line. Tracks like "Everything is Awful" and "We All Die Young" feel designed for any other band that is not the Decemberists. For me, the ... read more

"To find, to find the exact words, to find the perfect words, to say less but to say more." Emo-rapper XXXTENTACION seems to have entered my mind with his "Introduction" (or should I say "warning"?) on his newest project "?." But X failed to take into consideration that saying less does not equal releasing half-baked, not fully realized tracks, or a mishmash of different ideas that barely link together. I will applaud the opening section from "ALONE, ... read more

I tend to write a little piece about each record that I review. Not today. "Lil Boat 2" is so bland, boring, and lifeless. And I thought "Teenage Emotions" was bad.

On his new LP "No News is Good News," Phonte, member of the now defunct Little Brother and half of the duo The Foreign Exchange, gives us a serviceable record that wears thin. My initial enjoyment with tracks like the biting "So Help Me God" and the smooth, R&B beat of "Sweet You," gradually fades. Return listens failed to generate any excitement. There's no denying Phonte's talents and abilities for several tracks have some excellent verses, verses that I ... read more