focused on capturing the most catchy and memorable moments of other records and distilling them into these insane jazz-like arrangements, da mind of traxman will definitely frustrate some in it's approach.
i am not amongst that crowd. this shit scratches a very specific itch in my cranium.

first listen was one of confused enamor. its sounded kind of ridiculous and the vocals were unconventionally raw in a way that all coalesced into this fever dream of an experience.
but then something else happened; i kept listening to it. i found myself humming the melodies to songs throughout the day, thinking about the lyrics and how they work paired with the vocal delivery. it just made sense.
the concept, the sound, the "persona". it was something i resonated with and eventually ... read more

consider me a fan.

the mixture of the dejected/harsh instrumentals paired with the swagger/melancholy of the vocalist's performance is something i have been unwittingly craving for a while now and to hear that sound so fully formed from a debut record is BEYOND impressive. seriously, props. this album is perfectly organized in terms of flow, even ending with it looping back into itself, all while maintaining a consistently unique song output from front to back. if you consider yourself a fan ... read more

so many low energy songs, so many piss poor production choices, so many songs

no memorable tunes whatsoever

thom yorke just like me fr fr

an artistic milestone that serves as the culmination of everything that brought Kanye to the point he was then while also perfectly reflecting the time period it was released in; with each guest appearance, the finest producers working in the industry, and a subtly interwoven meta narrative on fame and familial drama. one of the crowning jewels of modern hip-hop.

for being a self-titled record, it lacks the immediate sense of identity records like Around the Fur or White Pony carried before it. and while that kind detracts from the replay value for me somewhat, the listening experience itself is a damn good one. it can be easy to overlook how consistent it is throughout and i find myself growing to like it more and more each listen.
its a regression in terms of what they we're putting out prior but still worth listening to.

edit: (68-78)
something ... read more

euuuuugh. i can understand wanting to accompany a more experimental release (by ones own standards) with something with some more pop appeal; even going as far as to depict this relationship of EDM and pop on the cover with this...art. however this shit just falls flat on it's face. a lot of flaccid-ass, underdeveloped songs paired with some really RANCID guest appearances that don't mesh.

Aliantos is an elusive internet artist, well known for his subversive take on "Youtube Poops", creating lynchian-esque distortions of King of the Hill episodes that border between nostalgic serenity and an inescapable nightmare exploring the subtle horrors of human behavior; doing so through a utilization of ambience, eerie textured soundscapes and these bizarre, otherworldly instrumentals. little did i know that the same man responsible for these esoteric shitposts was the very same ... read more

i used to listen to a SHIT TON of skrillex when i was younger, it was the soundtrack to most anything for me. nowadays, i havent listened to a skrillex song unironically in years. which is why it surprises me to say; i really adore this album! its such a mature progression of his sound, being implemented into house music with complete respect for those in it's field. its something im excited to return to and get lost in.

this album starts off and you're READY. the first two songs get you amped and excited to hear what the rest of the record is like. then the rest of the album happens and you realize they just kinda did a bunch of okay-ish emo pop tunes.
like it is SUCH a drastic shift in energy that you're legitimately wondering if you got baited lol

its a solid release but i often find myself wishing certain songs had been more tightly constructed and had the same polish we came to expect from their prior work. its still a significant improvement over Gore. especially love the more experimental instrumental passages and chino's strained vocal approach on the song The Link is Dead.

iconic moment after iconic moment. not my personal favorite but god damn this shit jams eternally and forever.

it'd be wrong for me not to say however that there was a good period of time where i would EXCLUSIVELY listen to Five Years. one of the best of all tiiiiime.

bowie bedtime music.

just kinda boring to be honest. not a fan. no desire whatsoever to return to this ever.

meEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeh.
idk, this shit just didn't click with me. all the songs feel incredibly vapid compared to his former releases. only redeemable qualities are some of the vocals are real catchy and the instrumentals being so punchy.

sometimes while listening to this album, for just a split second, a startling thought crosses my mind:
is this the best bowie record?

no.
but its really good.

it kinda quirky tho.
not something i revisit too often but it's got a buncha neat ideas peppered throughout. i was especially enamored by the dancable african night flight. but after two of the greatest albums of all time, its easy to be disappointed and write this one off.

joe the lion.

thats it, thats the review. go listen to that song because its incredible and raw.

for the longest time, this WAS my favorite bowie release. i was enamored by the plain white duke and the unique artful direction it held amongst the songs I had formerly known bowie to release. (at the time, I listened to music more so for sonic value and immediate gratification, I wouldn't really agree with that perspective now lol) now, having gone through bowie's catalogue from his shitty debut to now; what do i think?
it's pretty damn good. however, it definitely feels like the in-between ... read more