There's nothing terribly original about Ava Max other than her haircut, but she seems okay with that. She's fine making average synthpop for the masses, music for shopping malls and low placement in the Billboard Hot 100. Though Heaven & Hell doesn't compare to Max's compatriots like Lady Gaga, Kim Petras or Carly Rae Jepsen, it's inherently listenable and occasionally enjoyable.

Standouts: Tattoo, OMG What's Happening, Torn, Who's Laughing Now

Since I went to college in Oklahoma, I'll always have a deep-rooted love for The Flaming Lips. American Head transcends even that fanboyish love. It's their strongest record since Yoshimi, a dazzling journey through space, drugs and the American Dream through one of the nation's most underrated poets, Wayne Coyne. He found a cohesiveness through a mixture of psychedelia and orchestra, and though it's not a mixture new to TFL albums, I find it to hold together as an entire project as well as The ... read more

The appreciation for disco throwback is genuine, but bland vocals, lackluster guests throughout and an abundance of slow tracks that go nowhere leaves Fun City lacking fun.

Standouts: I Used To Be Cool, It's Alright, It's Ok, This Was My House

A few songs here will make you smile, but not nearly enough.

Standouts: Never Really Over, Smile, Tucked

The emotion of Angel's beautiful voice stays intact on these sparser version of All Mirrors songs. Yet hearing these after the titanic versions of the parent album leaves me wanting to hear those again instead. The purposeful emptiness of these renditions doesn't hit as hard as the IMAX-sized emotions of "Lark", "All Mirrors" or "Impasse". That being said, the new songs included are both excellent, and the stripped-down versions are listenable. I'd just recommend ... read more

Kelly Lee Owens nails all styles of electronic music she tries on her sophomore LP. Be it club bangers like "Melt!", suave synthpop like "L.I.N.E.", or instrumental excellence like "Jeanette", Inner Song is one of the best in bleeps and bloops you'll hear in 2020.

Standouts: Arpeggi, On, Melt!, Jeanette, L.I.N.E., Flow, Wake-Up

ENERGY lives up to its title, delivering a series of bumping electronic tunes that mostly hit. It doesn't have the same magic that their debut record had, but it's fun enough to make it through the tracklist a few times.

Standouts: Watch Your Step, My High, Douha (Mali Mali), ENERGY, Birthday

They've finally become The Killers, not The Fillers. Imploding The Mirage is a non-stop joyride, the best and most consistent album from a group that's been at it for almost 20 years. Shamelessly borrowing ideas from Americana legends like Springsteen and Petty, Brandon Flower and company take their influences and coat it in the technicolor sheen their music is known for. But this time, there's no fluff, not lifeless experimentation, and less inane lyricism than you'd usually expect. Flowers ... read more

He might be an alien boy, but Oliver Tree feels the same emotions as us earthlings. He whines and boasts with a nasally voice, one that definitely grinds you down over 14 tracks. Yet with indie pop/rap beats as catchy and fun as these, it makes Ugly Is Beautiful a debut worth exploring. Absolutely overstuffed, but would it be Oliver Tree if it wasn't?

Standouts: Me, Myself & I, 1993, Cash Machine, Miracle Man, Bury Me Alive, Alien Boy, Waste My Time, Hurt

This makes me mildly move my head back and forth. But only mildly.

Standouts: Double Negative (Skeleton Milkshake), Vampire, Superstar Sh*t

Whereas Lover's highest highs overcame its lowest lows, folklore takes a much more balanced approach. The indie-rock approach is successful, as Taylor shows a genuine appreciation and commitment to a folk-y sound. The lyrical content is much more reserved and contemplative, eschewing the drama of reputation and the lovey dovey feelings of Lover. It leaves the whole album sounding consistently good, but never great. But this level of consistent quality is a good thing across 16 tracks, and it ... read more

The act that gave us one of the most wonderfully weird pop albums of 2019 has now given us what's sure to be the most wonderfully weird remix album of 2020. With one of the most star-studded guest lists you'll ever see, 1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues is unlike any remix album you've ever heard. There are traditional remixes, there are songs that are more like covers than remixes, and there's songs that deconstruct the base song to a point where the original is almost unrecognizable. But still, ... read more

5 years ago, this was all I listened to all summer. Today, little has changed. Currents remains a perfect album, the finest mix of pop, rock and psychedelia ever put to recording.

Standouts: Let It Happen, Nangs, The Moment, Yes I'm Changing, Eventually, The Less I Know The Better, Past Life, Disciples, 'Cause I'm A Man, Reality In Motion, New Person, Same Old Mistakes

Serene. Ethereal. Mysterious. Fantastical. Alluring. Beautiful. All words fitting of Julianna Barwick's music, and Healing Is A Miracle is no different. Julianna needs little more than her voice to create enthralling worlds worthy of getting lost in.

Standouts: Inspirit, Oh, Memory, Healing Is a Miracle, Safe, Nod

And the award for worst album cover of 2020 goes to... thankfully the song is fun enough to make up for it

The kings are back and the world is better for it

Check out my video on my favorite 30 albums from the first half of 2020. This goofy album is on the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFBJKABigEo

The singles hinted at a disco paradise: the album delivers. This is pure joy in disco-pop form, a splendid mixture of old and new where there's not a bad groove to be found. Supreme fun and perfect escapism.

Standouts: Spotlight, What's Your Pleasure?, Ooh La La, Soul Control, Save A Kiss, Step Into My Life, Read My Lips, Mirage (Don't Stop), Remember Where You Are

When songs by The Killers work, their brand of synth-rock is high-spirited and soaring. "My Own Soul's Warning" is one of those songs. This, along with the similarly grand "Caution", gives me hope Imploding The Mirage will be their first great album.

I'm still waiting for an RTJ record to have the viciously volatile beats and airtight flow that RTJ2 did, and at this point I think I'm going to keep waiting. For me everything is going to be unfairly compared to that masterpiece. But RTJ4 is an improvement over the bloated RTJ3, trimming the fat and resultingg some of their best songs to date. Between the slicker, more expensive beats, the typically fire rapping from Mike and El, and the unfortunate timeliness of the themes, RTJ4 is a ... read more