People keep comparing this to Weezer when honestly it feels a lot more like POST-era Jeff Rosenstock mixed with Pavement if Stephen Malkmus was really fucking sad all the time. I've only chanced upon some of Billy Cobb's EPs from last year but none of them had songwriting or riffs as hard-hitting and standout as on the Bear Album.

Favorite tracks: It Takes Two to Tango, so What's That Guy Doing Here? , You'll Find Her Eventually, Zuzu's Pedals
Least Favorite: Lost Boys, Don't Bivouac Here

I'm mad that I didn't get as much from this album that I would have liked to, the cover art for this is so lovely. Sonically Afrique Victime feels like an amorphous blob of blues riffs and oddly placed 80s drum machines that while not unpleasant to listen to wasn't really all that memorable or have many distinct moments across its runtime.

Sometimes the best Westside Gunn album ain't even a Westside Gunn album, it's Pray For Haiti by Mach-Hommy.

But seriously tho, this is great. Admittedly I haven't listened to any of his earlier work and only caught glimpses of Hommy on other underground hip hop albums, so I was honestly surprised with how solid Pray For Haiti is front to back. In his first project under the Griselda label, Mach proves he has as much lyrical prowess if not more so than any other members of the trio. Building ... read more

My first exposure to the B-52's was through a Veggietales movie at age 7, so obviously, this was bound to be great. Of all of the early post-punk bands, B-52's were most certainly the gaudiest, and I respect them for that. The band was very self-aware and knew how cheesy and ridiculous the music they were making was.

Favorite tracks: Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster (or Rock Monster for the educated), Lava
Least favorite: Planet Claire

There's maybe a little too much in the way from making this a truly great album from my point of view, as one too many spoken word passages and dragged out song lengths for example don't do much to enhance it. At its core, however, Mothership Connection is an interesting concept album from George Clinton and company that is one of the earliest examples of afro-futurist aesthetics that I appreciate more for its influence rather than the actual music itself.

Favorite tracks: Unfunky UFO, Give Up ... read more

Very haunting album for an artist that has a section of their Wikipedia page titled "Racism"

A bright light that preceded almost everything that we know of electronic and ambient music today, Phaedra is a cosmic experience that pushed the boundaries of what was possible with a mundane Moog synthesizer and still stands the test of time.

Such an enthralling piece of prog rock, I feel like my words can't do it justice. From the touching songwriting on "And You and I" to the dizzying yet gratifying title track, Close to the Edge takes all of the best elements of the genre and does not disappoint in the slightest.

One of the most iconic musical duos of all time's final album is very reflective of how unstable the pair's relationship was at the time in that it feels like a step down from Bookends, at least in my humble opinion. At the same time, however, Paul Simon managed to put forth some of his most forward-thinking compositions giving it the redeeming quality of being more like Paul Simon's later solo work rather than falling back on the group's style without changing anything. With a broader range of ... read more

Finally, some midwest emo I can feel good for enjoying. I Become Birds carries a folky twang to it and yelled lyrics that range in influence from Neutral Milk Hotel to Deafheaven without coming across as too derivative of either. Taking eveything into account, Home is Where delivers a very poignant statement on their debut LP that makes the most out of its nineteen-minute runtime.

Favorite tracks: The Scientific Classification of Stingrays, Long Distance Conjoined Twins
Least Favorite: ... read more

Admittedly I wasn't that big on the WYP hype train last year but this is still an amazing closer

As someone who is a pretty big fan of Turn Out the Lights and Sprained Ankle, it hurts me to say that the best song off of Julien Baker's last album is painfully average.

I surprisingly enjoyed this more than most of the songs off of her last album, but I still can't get over how she's using the same godawful photo for the cover art.

Easily the worst song off the album, idk why they made this a single

Manifesting a world where Gal Gadot & co didn't do a piss poor cover of the title track less than a month into the pandemic, maybe then we could have just laughed at Ben Shapiro trying to explain why it's the worst song ever as it blares over what he's trying to say. It's honestly still baffling how tone-deaf that was, but hey, if Gal Gadot wants to go ahead and simp for an apartheid state that loves to bomb children a year after preaching love and peace, she's within her right to be an ... read more

"Hmmm, what are your fingers sticky from, Mick Jagger? Come on, don't be shy, tell me. White syrup, you say? We'll see about that" *licks across Mick Jagger's leathery, sweaty face* "This taste.......Is the taste of a liar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

God why the fuck did I conceive of this, curse you Bruno Bucciarati for only using your lie detection on a minor and not when Narancia was under the influence of the gays, you inconsistent bitch.

This album was so ahead of its time it feels insane to consider this came out 50 years ago, not just as a seminal piece of proto-rap but the amount of influence seen within neo-soul today by Gil Scott-Heron's work is truly revolutionary. Should additionally be mentioned that Brian Jackson's work on the piano on this is absolutely incredible and makes it that much better of a listen.

Favorite tracks: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Lady Day and John Coltrane, I Think I'll Call It Morning, ... read more

This pretty much outdoes girl in red's album in almost every aspect as far as lesbian bedroom pop goes

I have no prior experience with Genghis Tron so I can't say whether this is a proper comeback or not. Based on solely what I listened to, I'm starting to think Dream Weapon is a tad bit underrated. The vocals do leave a bit to be desired and there's no proper climax, putting that aside though, there are some neat, spacey post-metal instrumentals on this album infused with some ethereal synths I honestly didn't expect to sound as good as I thought it would, especially considering the eclectic ... read more