WOW. What in the world happened? Just last year I was lamenting how Halsey hadn't impressed me since their debut "Badlands," and now here I am a year later completely floored by them. What they failed to capture with 2020's "Manic" they have completely nailed here. This sounds fresh, forward-looking, and like a true artist striving to push themselves beyond the confines of their existing sound or genre.
Right from the start, with the opening track "The ... read more
I really wanted to like this project because of how undeniably unique it is, but I would be lying if I said I didn't personally find listening to it a total bore. There's potential here, but perhaps a bit more honing of the sound will result in a follow up that actually thrills me.
Boldy James does it again with an explosive rap opera that rivals his fantastic "Manger on McNichols" from last year in sheer creativity of concept and ambition. This could quite easily end up being my favorite hip-hop record of the year. And in a year stacked with brilliant releases like Moor Mother's "BRASS" and Slowthai's "Tyron," that's not an easy title to claim.
This record has solidly remained my top hardcore record of the year since it first hit the scene early on. Nothing has come close to to touching it in terms of "pure" punk releases this year. And it sounds absolutely amazing with the audiophile attention to detail. This is hi-fi rebellion. And it's fantastic.
Typical punk fare we've all been consuming for decades. It's largely predictable but inoffensive. Sure to please die-hard punk fans, but for those who are seeking for breakthrough stuff in the genre and its offshoots, this isn't that. But it clearly isn't trying to be.
After a very strong start, I found myself enjoying this record less and less as it went on. The music here is fine. Good, even. But I've heard stuff that sounds exactly like it my entire life. In the 1970s, this would have been an album of the year contender. In 2021, it's cute.
There is much to love on this boundary-pushing jazz collective's latest opus. Isolated monologs on state of the black experience in modern times, wild and inventive interplay between the masterful musicians, and memorable stretches of pure avant-garde exploration. One of the best jazz records of the year, and one of the year's best in general.
On her sophomore release, Billie Eilish matures and hones her sound to find herself dropping the more pretentious trappings of her overly ambitious debut--improving on it in virtually every respect.
I meant to review this months ago but forgot I listened to it before I had the chance to.
Let me just say this first: I'm seeing a lot of the positive reviews for this record (most of them, actually) citing a personal connection to the stories being told and the emotional response wrapped up in that. If that is what resonates about this album with you, then nobody and nothing can ever take that away from you, nor should anyone want to. I'm very happy that something has hit you that intimately, and it demonstrates just how worthwhile this album is on that merit alone.
That being ... read more
There are moments of genuine brilliance on Wolf Alice's third LP, but not much clear direction as the band finds itself on a tour through various genres and influences of old that never stops too long on any single moment. Everything from power pop to dream pop to punk to old school progressive rock comes into view at one point or another, but these styles never blend into anything that I could call a distinct synthesis of Wolf Alice's own design. Instead, the music here amounts to a series of ... read more
It's not bad. In fact, it's good. But I guess I'm still pretty fatigued by these so-called "progressive" bands who actually progress nothing and do little more than show off how technically they can play their instruments. Especially progressive metal, which by this point is a self-parody it's gotten so predictable, continues to fail every year to inject any freshness into heavy music in any capacity and would rather stay in its echo chamber. The music is well-played, there is no ... read more
I may be the only person I know who is actually a genuine fan of Willow Smith. One of my most unpopular music opinions is that "Ardipithecus" is actually a genius record that was massively misunderstood when it first released and will one day see a more positive reappraisal. How controversial an opinion is this? Well, I lost a friend over it. No kidding. But I stuck to my guns, and to this day I enjoy revisiting that record and being whisked away by its daring, darkly beautiful art ... read more
Equal parts noise, dark ambient, and melodic, "The Alias Sessions" carried my mind far, far away to a world strange yet familiar. Evoking shadows of beloved childhood video games while ushering them into anxiety-ridden adulthood, with its dark overtones forming an impenetrable haze over an otherwise beautiful and sometimes hopeful soundscape. Describing this record exclusively in the abstract is frankly all I can do, because it's in the corners of my mind where it does its work ... read more
Best R&B record I've heard since Lizzo's "Cuz I Love You." And that's saying quite a lot.
Samples played like classical instruments brings the traditional to meet the abstract in a way few other electronic albums have but many clearly strive for. The intent is almost more tactile than the reality of the music here, as we can "hear" the movements in our minds as if they are being played by oboes, violins, harps, trumpets, trombones, etc. Of course, the fact that we're actually hearing a collage of random noises, electronic instruments, and video game sounds matters little ... read more
How exactly does one go about delineating or critiquing something clearly as special and landmark as this release? Everything you've likely already heard and read is true. Yes, this really is that good. Yes, this really is already an all-time classic in the making. The folks in the black midi project have "done it," as one might say, and managed to make the old new again. Much like the Floating Points and Pharoah Sanders release "Promises" this year, "Cavalcade" ... read more
I admit I knew absolutely nothing about this artist prior to coming across this release, and did not know what to expect prior to giving it a spin. What I will say is that I was immediately drawn in by the album cover. We see the artist herself, strikingly beautiful in an almost supernatural way, leaning into her own reflection for a passionate kiss, titular tattoo present on her shoulder, disrupting her otherwise porcelain appearance. Before even hearing the first note of music, I was ... read more
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