Avenade's characteristic blending of post-hardcore and noise rock aggression with 90's alt rock songwriting sensibilities comes back for a slightly more refined and accessible version of last year's It's a Whimsical Afterlife. The production, songwriting, and performances are all improved in my opinion, and the songs are still gargantuan without being self-indulgent. He even surprises you with some really catchy and pop-ish moments every now and then without sacrificing quality.

Overall, ... read more

Finishing up all the 2020 albums I still wanna review, so I figured I should give this album a shoutout. Super intricate storytelling, hilarious bars, and ridiculously creative and versatile production makes this an enjoyable listen for any hip hop fan, apart from the occasional questionable line here and there.

I honestly didn't believe the hype all that much after the first few listens. I knew I liked it on some level, but I was always occupied with something else on my first few listens. But when I finally sat down to actually take notes and review this thing, it hit me. Every good thing I've heard about this album was true.

Fuck you Ichiko Aoba for derailing my best albums of 2020 list at the last second

I've listened to a lot more jazz over the past few months than I ever really have in my life. Jazz has always been one of my blindspots, but so far my History of AOTY-core listening queue has been almost entirely jazz. The bright side is I'm quickly getting a history of the genre and figuring out which kinds of jazz line up the most with my personal taste, along with listening to the classics that I appreciate but that take me a little longer to get into.

I think with this album though, I've ... read more