Those Australian musical chameleons King Gizz return with their hardest, wildest, most insane album yet. The band deep dives into thrash metal, and while the whole thing is very one-note, it's so much fun from start to finish that it's easily forgiven. The riffs are loud, the drums are booming, the grizzly vocal delivery is fantastic, and the rhythms and hooks are sticky. This album is everything I wanted to be and nothing more. In the simplest of terms, IT SHREDS.

If you heard any of the ... read more

The production on this album gonna be M I N D B L O W I N G. The hook is a little too repetitive but otherwise this along with the other singles has me super hyped for Charli.

Yes sir! This is his best single yet leading up to the new album. The production is more reminiscent of Forced Witness with the throwback vibe, and the lyrics are suitably funny. Love Roy's sax bits as always.

A foot-stomping rager to the highest degree. I love Papa Emeritus' snarly delivery, really sets it apart from other great Ghost songs. The drumming and guitar work is absolutely fantastic, and the lyrics are devilishly repeatable. This song is a prime example of what makes Ghost so very fun.

Imagine if Soundclown and YouTube Poop had a child, and it was raised in a domestic partnership of post-2016 Charli XCX and Sophie. That kid must've had a hell of a childhood! 100 gecs is that child, and their debut album is a frenetic mix of glitch, pop, noise, hardstyle, synth, and more. When the duo is singing along to their more polished tunes rather than throwing noise around like bombs, it's a pretty great experience. It's one of the most creative things you'll find to in 2019.

Right ... read more

After capturing the noises of cold countrysides, warm spring chrouses and glitched-out distress, where could Bon Iver go next? It turns out back to where they previously were. i,i is a mixture of everything you've heard from the band before, with no one element overwhelming the others. In turn it leaves me a little underwhelmed, as it lacks the immediately rewarding nature of the self-titled album or 22, A Million. That being said, new Bon Iver is still a good thing, and i,i is an enjoyable, ... read more

How many bands can trace their breakout moment back to an accident? By the mercy of getting his foot run over by a car, Samuel T. Herring was forced to develop his oddball dance moves he does on stage in order to help him move around better. As the band did the rounds on late night television, his dancing became a meme, and Future Islands started getting the recognition they very much deserved. But their success was built on so much more than gifs spread through tumblr. Singles is the ... read more

The latest from the ever prolific Ty Segall is a rollicking good time. Much of First Taste makes prominent use of buzzy, grimy synths amidst the onslaught of percussion, selling the overall garage feel. They adds nice sonic texture to the likes of "Taste" and "I Worship the Dog", two catchy tunes that are album highlights. "Ice Plant" is almost ballad-like, and it reminds me of a John Lennon/Beatles song, with some pianos coming in after a simply sung but ... read more

A lackadaisical collection of indie pop tunes that don't bring anything you haven't already heard before. Unlike the recent Two Door Cinema Club record, which committed to the synth-ier side and mixed the sounds and rhythms up enough to stay fun, Generationals feel too relaxed to pop. There's an aversion to going full-on synthpop, and the melodies and instrumentation aren't strong enough to carry Reader As Detective down the middle. The high-pitched vocals seem distant over the half indie, half ... read more

Clairo's debut is pillowy soft, very comforting, occasionally lackadaisical and generally fulfilling. This is music made for relaxing alone in your bed, and in some ways it reminds me of Crumb's debut record from earlier this year. At her best, Clairo's songs are a little more upbeat instrumentally, like on "Bags". That highlight has more prominent drums and guitars, and a smooth rhythm complimented by Clairo's soft but assured vocals. Her voice is naturally soft, and it mostly adds ... read more

Pretty slight and hard to truly understand without seeing the visual work it's attached to, but nevertheless this is an interesting set of ambience from the talented British teens.

Remember when Kanye was supposed to produce Chance's next project? With the success of those Wyoming Sesssion albums, I'd have every reason to be excited for it. Not only did that not happen, Kanye still hasn't delivered Yahndi, the project that occupied his time instead of Chance's. We're left with The Big Day, a bloated, foolish mess that tries more than it's comfortable with and flounders at just about every step. I've never been the biggest Chance fan and The Big Day does nothing to sway my ... read more

Vaporwave pop: a great idea that's rarely executed well. Luckily, George Clanton's Slide is an example of how to do it and do it well. This is the type of music I'd expect to play in whatever fucked up, warped vision of a mall vaporwave has created. "Livin' Loose" and "You Lost Me There" are long, exploratory tracks that go through the typical sounds of vaporwave. Drawn out, dreamy synths weave in and out of time, and George's washed out voice is more of a secondary aspect, ... read more

Edit: The more I hear this, the more I realize how much of a borderline masterpiece it is. Everything is so tight, the vocals, the lyrics, the instrumentals, the flow, everything is so fucking excellent. Love it love it love it!

Paying homage to the likes of The Wall and Quadrophrenia, My Chemical Romance add their own stylish flair to the rock opera idea on Welcome to the Black Parade. The story of the album isn't as linear to me through the lyrics as the classic rock operas are, but they do ... read more

Never before has absolute gibberish been this catchy.

Easily the best single she's released ahead of her new album. It reminds me of something that could've been on the Drive soundtrack. Wish it was a little bigger at the end, but still one of her best in years.

Spilt Milk, horrible album art and all, is a power pop gem that got buried underneath the mountains of grunge from the early 90's. The production is rich and grandiose, calling back to bands like XTC, the Beach Boys and Supertramp. In that respect, everything's a little goofy, and some of the music on "Sebrina, Paste and Plato" and "Bye, Bye, Bye" remind me of a carnival. It's ultimately beneficial to the album, and the joyous nature of many songs is infectious and very ... read more

Bandana is an overall solid rap record, fueled by consistently exciting production from Madlib. It's dreamy, full of samples, record scratches and fuzz, and the beats are great for rapping over. Freddie Gibbs' performances are pretty good, enough to mostly get the job done. Tracks like "Crime Pays" and "Flat Tummy Tea" are perfect examples of the two artists acting completely in sync. I also enjoyed the bits of levity in between songs, like the robotic Asian voice on a few ... read more

RIP DAVID BERMAN

I had never heard any of David Berman's musical projects before Purple Mountains but after hearing this I think I was missing out! All the instruments are played very well, and the rhythms and grooves are suitably catchy. There's enough little elements added at the right moments like strings, tamborines, guitar solos and more to spruce up the indie rock sound. The album is very sharply written, and there's plenty of lyrical bite. David Berman's lyrics and delivery are grizzled ... read more

Truly one of the most underrated bands of all time, Yellow Magic Orchestra blazed forward to the future of music when their contemporaries were busy following one another. Their extensive use of synthesizers made them pioneers in the field of synthpop and chiptune, and they paved the way for 80's bands like New Order and Devo to succeed. Harumi Housono, Ryuchi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi were years ahead of their time, and Solid State Survivor is the band's magnum opus. Every song is a ... read more