A very consistent electropop album, Sway is short, sweet and to the point. Each song has a good hook, some catchy synths and solid singing from Styrke. Songs begin and end quickly but the hooks are catchy enough to stick. Her take on Lorde's "Liability" is an interesting one, turning a somber piano ballad into something danceable. It can't match the piercing heartbreak of Lorde's original but I like that Stykre is willing to morph a dissonant song style into her own. It's interesting ... read more

Every year there's some indie record people rave over that doesn't click for me, and UFOF seems to be the one for 2019. It's an amalgam of different facets of folk and in turn the songs are bland imitations of better efforts. Adrienne Lenker's vocals reminds me of Julia Jacklin with a whole lot less emotion in her voice. The instrumentals sounds like Sufjan Stevens but without the subtlety of his voice to guide them along. There are moments reminiscent of Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest or ... read more

"Siri, tell me the biggest heel turn of the 2010's." "The biggest heel turn of the 2010's is Tyler, the Creator."

Seriously, how has the homophobic, violent teenager who made his living on shock value transformed into one of the most forward-thinking artists of his time? IGOR completes the artistic turnaround that began with Cherry Bomb and was smoothed out on Flower Boy. Undeniably a breakup album, IGOR is beautiful, heartbreaking, thoughtful, volatile and a bevy of other ... read more

In a time where most popular artists involve hip hop or trap into their songs, Carly Rae Jepsen stands out for her glitzy, 80's inspired pop. On her third album, Dedicated, she dives even further into this influence and comes out triumphantly. With a few years of practice with this sound, Carly has a complete grasp on it, and her songs about love, both fun and longing, are pinpoint in their lyrics, pace and production. The end result isn't quite as good as the now legendary EMOTION, but what ... read more

Celebration Rock is a underappreciated rock gem. The album truly lives up to the name of celebration, beginning and ending with fireworks. It seems as though Japandroids are pushing forward through hardships with an unparalleled sense of hope. The music sounds upright and triumphant, and by the album closer "Continuous Thunder", they sound weary but proud. It's super straightforward, just guitars and drums that are completely in sync creating rock-solid rhythms. The vocals are ... read more

Pink sounds like CHAI is trying a million different things in their garage to see what works. It's not completely polished, but their knack for catchy, energetic garage rock rhythms is apparent. Crashing drums, layers of fuzzy vocals and jolting guitar play keep your attention throughout. Most of all, this album is fun! The band members are enjoying themselves and you will too. "Hi Hi Baby", "N.E.O." and "Fried" feature a zaniness not typically seen from girl rock ... read more

A small EP from on of k-pop's biggest groups, KILL THIS LOVE is just a taste of how enjoyable the genre can be to an American audience. The production draws from early 2010's chart-topping electropop, with loud sometimes tacky synths and gargantuan hooks. Additional bits of currently popular styles like trap are obviously present as well. "Kill This Love" features horns and drums that make it sound like a dominant march, most likely towards the top of the charts. The huge "LET'S ... read more

Four albums in, Mac's signature slacker rock has become flaccid. There are a few moments to break up the monotony (some good, some bad), but Mac ultimately seems bored with his style. It's funny that there's a song called "Preoccupied", because that's what Mac appearss to be. Oddly enough it's one of the more passable songs. Even with a general sparse sound (most songs are simply a guitar or two and a minimal drum beat), the playing sounds forced. "K", "Little Dog's ... read more

Foals deliver a constantly bubbling dance-punk record, full of excellent synth lines and groovy rhythms. Each song manages to keep the energy up, whether it's a constant barrage of glittery synths like "In Degrees", an aggressive rocker like "White Onions" or "On the Luna" or a slow building track like "Sunday". The latter track features an awesome pitch shift midway through, from a slower melody to an upbeat kick. The album does a good job of keeping a ... read more

The instrumental isn't as strong as the songs from Forced Witness but this proves Alex Cameron is a master at weaving disgusting imagery into something almost tender.

King Gizzard dives full into blues rock, and thought it's very indulgent in the sound, the band's signature wildness mixes well with the throwback sound. The fuzzy guitars and loud drums you've come to expect from King Gizzard keep the energy consistent, even with the stylistic change. "Boogieman Sam", "The Bird Song" and "Real's Not Real" could've dropped right out of 1971 and no one would've batted an eye. Love the jaunty pianos on "The Bird Song". ... read more

How does one follow up one of the most celebrated records of the decade? By diversifying your sound so much that it's hard to start on where to talk about it. Father of the Bride is a double album that pulls from so many different corners of the music world, it could've come off as intimidating and shallow. But thanks to a ridiculous attention to detail that unifies the disparate styles, an infectious sense of rhythm and melody, and consistently excellent performances by Ezra Koenig and ... read more

Saw them live recently, and there's a definite chaos they bring to their live shows that can't be captured on studio recordings. That being said, almost every song on The Book of Thump is filled with joy and groovy rhythms that'll have you bouncing along. "Dance Like It's Your Life" reminds me a lot of the best bits of early LCD Soundsystem recordings. The lyrics may be a bit repetitive but not detrimental to the overall album. It's cheeky and a whole lot of fun, perfect for letting ... read more

Has anyone ever categorized this as saloon pop? Because that's honestly the first term that comes to mind when I listen to Hang. This should be played in some small town saloon in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1870's. And it's good saloon pop at that. If no one else has ever used saloon pop the term is now mine, trademarked, pay me royalties immediately. Also "Avalon" reminds me so much of "Waterloo" by ABBA but that's not a bad thing.

Standouts: Follow the Leader, Avalon, On ... read more

Straying even further from their glitchy roots, Woman sees Justice making massive music that demands an arena-sized venue. While occasionally hollow and lyrically vapid, the grandiose tunes are exciting even when heard at home.

These songs are massive in both length and sound. Gone are the quick, jagged bangers of Cross or even the organic misfires of Audio, Video, Disco. The production is clean and processed, delivering gigantic synth lines, drum beats and guitar chords. The crispness isn't ... read more

Lizzo is proud of her self image and you're gonna fucking know it. Her gigantic, soulful voice mixes with slick pop rap beats to create a memorable major label debut in Cuz I Love You.

Opener "Cuz I Love You" is a doo-wop inspired number that immediately hits you with bombastic horns and high notes that you only wish you could hit. It's one of many songs where Lizzo's huge vocal range is on full display. "Like a Girl" and "Jerome" are further proof that Lizzo has ... read more

I hope that, one day, I can be as happy as Iggy looks on the cover of Lust for Life. He has good reason to look so happy, as Lust for Life is a classic, thanks to his impassioned performances and David Bowie's help on the production side. Every track sounds slick and air tight, and the backing vocals from Bowie are also great. Iggy is at the top of his game here, and he sounds fantastic on every track. Highlights like "The Passenger" and the title track remain seminal 70's rock ... read more

Kesha's magnificent voice lifts Warrior above most of the electropop dredge of the early aughts. Warrior drops a lot of the autotune from Animal and Cannibal while keeping the exuberant synth beats. When they hit, the songs are fun pop anthems. The hooks on "C'Mon" and "Only Wanna Dance With You" are as good as you'll get from major pop production. The synthetic beats are loud but usually catchy, and they match Kesha's big voice well on "Die Young" or the ... read more

From the moment it starts, PUNK is nonstop energetic fun. You can tell the band members are having so much fun playing these tracks even if you can't understand 90% of what they're saying. Every song is bright and bubbling punk/indie rock, filled with great drumming, slick fuzzy guitars and short but excellent melodies. The album is a breezy 30 minutes and flows along super smooth. I can't stress enough how catchy these tracks are. It maybe doesn't do anything terribly new, but earworms like ... read more

It's been two years since the hype, controversy and collective disappointment of Humanz. Upon returning to it, I feel that time has been kind to it. It's imperfect but still contains highlights that measure up to the Gorillaz standard.

Many of the problems lie within the massive guest list and the surprising lack of Damon Albarn on many songs, but those two elements can work in the album's favor. Damon's minimal vocal contributions on "Saturnz Barz" and "Momentz" allow the ... read more