How does it always happen where a scatterbrained attempt at an album is accompanied by an album cover that looks like vomit? The Golden Casket tries to be everything and ends up being nothing. There's a healthy amount of synthesizer on TGC but for what purpose? Most songs it's lazily added over Modest Mouse's typical indie rock sound, a sound that's become increasingly generic as the years have gone on. Certain tracks like "The Sun Hasn't Left" and "Transmitting Receiving" ... read more

There's so many pleasant moments strewn about Faye Webster's latest. The lounge-y pianos in the outro of "Sometimes". String arrangements in the midst of "In A Good Way". Mei Ehara's calming vocal contributions to "Overslept". These are the peaks of an album that's consistently excellent in sound. Faye is like a lazier Mac DeMarco, a lovable slacker whose musings on her life make for entertaining songs. Her slacker attitude sometimes leaves a bit to be desired on ... read more

Lucy Dacus' third record is impeccably crafted and highly personal. It's an honest look into her upbringing, a life in Christian camps over various summers in the early 2000's. Though I'm only able to partially relate, Lucy's songwriting invites you into these strange formative years as if you were there alongside her. The instrumentals can be as tight as Lucy's music has ever been, resulting in brisk highlights like "Hot & Heavy" or "Brando". The higher pace of these ... read more

Gleefully indulgent in its own sense of 70's futurism, Escapades will make you smile as you envision yourself riding a horse across a vast canyon playing a violin as "Hey!" blasts in the background.

Standouts: Force Majeure, Rocambole, Pentacle, Hey!, Captain, Lacrimosa, Belladone, Vox, Rêverie

An evocative journey from start to finish, Afrique Victime feels like both a mystical incantation from something a la Lord of the Rings (Layla, Tala Tannam) and a raucous Led Zeppelin concert from their 70's heyday (Chismiten, Afrique Victime). Mdou Moctar's talent with the guitar is apparent from the very beginning of "Chismeten". It's like he walks onto the stage in the desert and fires off one of the grandest guitar solos to start a record in recent memory. His magnetic presence is ... read more

Yet another solid EP from one of my favorite k-pop groups. At this point, they tend to run together, but in a good, very listenable way. The sappy closer is a dud though.

Standouts: UNNATURAL, Last Dance, Super Moon, YALLA

What more can be said about Maroon 5 that hasn't already be said? I don't know but I'm here to repeat the criticisms because they're worth repeating. There's nothing to distinguish any song on JORDI from another, save for the particularly awful "Seasons". Adam Levine's vocals have no personality, and not that they ever have, but the complete absence of a soul on both vocals and instrumentals is insulting. It's just the kind of lousy, disingenuous music you'd expect Maroon 5 to make at ... read more

Islands take the best bits of New Order, Future Islands and other synthpop greats and simplifies the formula. You won't find a dull moment across Islomania, as every track is catchy in its own way. There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, but there's also no reason you can't find something enjoyable to the record as a whole.

Standouts: Islomania, (We Like To) Do It With The Lights On, Carpenter, Closed Captioning, Set the Fairlight, A Passionate Age, Never Let You Down

"Can we get a synthpop album fellas?" - Me, in my 2019 review of Infest the Rats' Nest. And Butterfly 3000 comes damn close to fulfilling that request. Dreamier and more psychedelic than any of their most recent output, it's immediately one of their most unique and memorable methods. The heavier use of modular synths helps amplify the dreamlike vibes the record clearlry goes for, especially on highlights like "Yours" and "2.02 Killer Year". The record is also their ... read more

Never before has penis music been this acclaimed.

Standouts: John L, Marlene Dietrich, Chondromalcia Patella, Slow, Diamond Stuff, Ascending Forth

"Solar Power" signifies that Lorde took it pretty easy following her devastating breakup album Melodrama. Kickin' it on the beach with a light guitar melody, this comeback single is a highly pleasant listen, if one that leaves me wanting more. It's a good first taste of her forthcoming record, a record that could be her brightest yet.

As playful as the title's action would imply, WINK expands CHAI's horizons while remaining strikingly them. The vibe this time is much more subdued, with a heavier emphasis on electronics and city pop. It's a dramatic shift from the electric guitar punk of PUNK, but CHAI prove more than capable of translating their style into multiple genres. Just like PUNK, WINK is all about empowerment and self love. "IN PINK" finds the group loving the color pink just because. They don't need a ... read more

A seismic shift in style, Face of God sees Holiday ditching Madonna and embracing the void. There's a much bigger focus on texture and atmosphere here, and everything from the pillowy synths to the lax drums to the strewn-out guitars to Holiday's azure voice is covered in a sonic mist. It's as if you're traversing an island in a dream, a fantastical vision from Holiday's mind. Admittedly the final few instrumental tracks don't leave much of an impact, but the mythical proceedings of the first ... read more

Pleasantly passable, Scaled and Icy is a very agreeable record. There's enough mass appeal moments to please studio execs and enough moments of genre mixing to prove this is a Twenty One Pilots record. It's a record that's usually well put together instrumentally, with that classic combination of pop, electronic, rock, rap and more these two are known for. It's all catchy and well tuned, and this time around the mood is much more upbeat. Tyler Joseph's childish voice is uplifting enough on ... read more

Completely delivering on the promise of the singles, Daddy's Home is a fully realized vision of a specific point in time. Annie Clark takes us to the Bronx in the 70's, and every sticky melody, funky groove and wild yelp from Annie are masterfully placed. Ever the chameleon, Clark fits right in with this new direction, and uses the guise of the 70's to deliver some of her most expository lyrics ever. She's open about abuse, her dad, parenthood and more in a way that's new to her music, yet ... read more

Perfectly listenable yet perfectly forgettable. This is certainly chillwave, and that's all I can really say about it.

Standouts: Tampa, Duplex, Driftwood Fire, Cheap Dreams, Nobody Loves You

If you go into Van Weezer expecting to hate it, you're going to hate it. If you go into Van Weezer expecting some of Weezer's best and most consistent instrumentals in a while, some silly riffs, some typically banal Rivers Cuomo lyricism, and a huge sense of fun, you're going to enjoy it. Personally I'm in the latter category.

Standouts: Hero, All the Good Ones, The End of the Game, I Need Some of That, Beginning of the End, Sheila Can Do It, She Needs Me

It's really been five whole ass years since A Moon Shaped Pool came out? Fuck me I'm old. This album has aged magically, spelling out the emotional potency Thom Yorke and friends are so good at in a fresh, spellbinding way. The heavier emphasis on string arrangements clears away the computerized nightmares the band so often sings about, leaving room for Yorke's voice and lyrics to shine. It's as open as we'll ever hear him, reeling from the loss of his ex-wife to cancer. The music acts as a ... read more

Sounds like Chris Martin listened to nothing but After Hours by The Weeknd during quarantine. But honestly? I kinda like it. Nothing special but a solid tune and Martin's usual charismatic delivery help the song succeed. The boyhood Coldplay fan in me comes out once again...

If you liked Fearless before, you'll enjoy this updated version with crisper instruments and Taylor's more mature take on her teenage writings. If you've never heard Fearless, this is a great introduction to her first great album. If you hated Fearless, well... it's Fearless. Your enjoyment of this version of the record depends on how you felt before, but the talent and musicianship of a young Taylor Swift is apparent no matter your thoughts on T Swizzle.