I hate to be a downer, but I feel AOTY has gobbled this up as a marvel of socially conscious commentary when in reality, thematically at least, “Cry Baby” is some of the least inspiring or remarkable work to have come out of Vince in years. This album bears no restraint in revealing its theming; after the admittedly fun opening single, Vince defers to a ceaseless tracklisting predicated on one single ideal: “They said america good but its not so good.” Now, I could ... read more

There is such a playfulness to this, yet, albiet mostly due to the force with which this was ingrained into my skull, every turn the vocals take feels perfectly natural and composed. The prechorus is the real kicker in my mind, for house music the producer adopted a distinctive isolation that makes that sole instrument's groove "kick" in such an intoxicating way. The lively instrumentation of this song sort of complements the uncertainty the lyrics are trying to convey, the ... read more

Thoroughly impressive in its imagery, Tyler’s artistry blossoms in the abundant floral metaphors and gardening allusions of “Flower Boy.” He more or less spends the entire album in his car, with the fourteen track album mostly comprising the ruminations he entertains whilst driving, complete with radio bumpers intermittently dispersed into the song transitions. Once approached from that angle, it becomes clear how each track presents itself as an opportunity to be uniquely ... read more

The big band orchestration, the unmistakable optimism of the lyrics and those slick vocals evoke images of a city I have never been to, not because I am unfamiliar with New York, quite the opposite, but because it doesn’t seem to exist. The city that never sleeps in this theme is far closer to the fabled New York of my childhood, an ideal for a city of unrestrained aspiration and electricity tangible in the space between the highest penthouse and the subway floor. The opening swing of the ... read more

Ren demonstrates himself flawlessly on “Violet’s Tale,” delivering a story with significantly more substance than the previous bouts while iterating on the wandering busker presentation. I love what he’s done here; Violet's Tale feels just as much as a screenplay in the way the distinct choreography recited in the verse intertwines with the narrative. From “traveling back in time” with the guitar sting to the characterization choices paralleling the ... read more

My first Kanye album winds up being something of a headspin, for me as much as him. The idea of bipolarity lends itself shockingly well to a concept album, and at least on the sheer promise of presenting fluctuating emotions, Kanye delivers. There is a difference between a bipolar mood swing and a major release two years in the making however. He’s all over the place, not that I wouldn’t expect such a thing from later stage Kanye, but it isn't enough to base your album entirely ... read more

To say this is a difficult concept to explore properly is an understatement. If anything opens itself up to inspire accusations of tastelessness and insensitivity, it is a YouTube gimmick rapper breaking into the suicide genre for a contrived conscious trap affair.

Thankfully this isn’t that. Nothing about me expected this album to send me back to some of the worst times in my life, but within this tracklist every frustration and feeling of futility inundated beneath years of memory ... read more

It’s certainly about Monica. I have to give him credit for this reinvention, there is some true craftsmanship behind the production and direction Harlow takes in this record. And while most songs alternate between the banal “lets take things slow” and “I wish I had you back” songwriting themes, just about every track here is meant to serenade first and foremost with any experimentation coming in the form of the toned back, lounge-style jazz backing that represents ... read more

There is such gratification in these vocals, a true serenade to the self. “my future” is one of Billie Eilish’s best songs because it is firmly her own work, her departure from a livelihood contingent on someone else’s.

I mean it’s obviously nothing groundbreaking, nothing wrong with that, and I haven't had a good time in a while. There is a soothing quality to the stripped back production, evidently carried by the tone and demeanor of her voice. This is a pretty straightforward concept, Faye Webster coming to terms with the end of a relationship clearly deeply felt. And hey, I get it (I don’t) but the composition at least brings me slightly closer to a level of comprehension. And yes, ... read more

Such a quaint album cover. As for complete reinventions, this had clearly been a long time coming. This album has one of the most effective openers imaginable, the tone being set by his own delusional caricature, with screw vocals rambling over an atmospheric instrumental that borders on song. The sort of uneasiness uniquely characteristic of his independent sound is introduced within this opening verse of experimental drug trips and paranoid ruminations. Watching Movies with the Sound Off goes ... read more

An ode to life as a memorial to death is possibly the most resonant posthumous release one could conceive of. It is difficult to imagine the creative process behind this album, both before and after he passed. As a follow up to Swimming, Mac Miller sought to completely overhaul his soundscape with a new direction and angle for his music incorporating elements of the ethereal and the soul. This is not a triumphant Mac restored after having overcome his vices and cycles of abuse. He instead ... read more

It is hard to do justice to how much this takes my breath away. Nostalgia can be overpowering, and I won’t act like I am anything of an unbiased listener, but the masterful composition of these tracks, whether ambience or thematic, are the platform Minecraft Story Mode as a game stands on. Of course, the music is inseparable from the game it was composed from, but I believe this to be a rare case where the plot derives meaning from the music. Whether wonder, tension, creativity or ... read more

Even with the brevity of ten tracks, Lupe Fiasco makes the question of “What is this album about?” unreasonably difficult. Or perhaps I am underestimating the artist's ability to represent multiple themes under one album. I may have fallen in the trap lately of presuming that an album must have a thesis or narrative to be defined under.

Regardless of whether or not “Drill Music in Zion” fancies its enigmatic theming, it fills an excellent place in Lupe’s ... read more

Miguel’s debut single features big-time basketball rising star J. Cole in something of a mainstream breakout for the pair. This quaint little song is much more of a Miguel act, with a laughably short first verse followed by two solid minutes of R&B vocals. The two actually complement each other quite well, and once I put aside my dashed hopes for just one more Cole, I took to the sole Miguel performance quite well. And then my celebrations at the arrival of the long awaited redemption ... read more

I feel as though this is THE late 2010’s radio pop album. Everything from the vocals to the writing to these melodies are so smooth, so free of blemish. It also happens to be the final Post album that appeals to me in any way. At a distance, nothing about “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is remarkable, aside from possibly the numbers it did. However, the output on an individual level winds up being quite so. Even if the idea of sitting through a Post Malone album detests you, ... read more

Weirdly nostalgic, but clearly wants to be its own thing. Also proof I will listen to anything if presented with an alluring cover and evocative title.
I’m not sure what I was expecting but I got exactly what was promised. The first two tracks are ostensibly identical sound assortments, though I do believe my ears were starting to fatigue as track two “droned” on. That’s right.
“The Cold” bore a striking resemblance to DJ’s Chord Organ off of Mac ... read more

“There is a time and place for everything” is what an overly optimistic version of myself would say. It’s not meant to make you shudder, reinvent your worldview, or strike emotion in a way unheard through audio. Sometimes, you just have to run with it and take something for what it is.

That being said, “CLOUDS” is at the very least a good time. Nathan demonstrates a fluency in his signature cheesy songwriting and overblown production that it's hard not to ... read more

I’ve always had slightly mixed feelings about this release, especially with Cole outdoing himself in every way with this album’s successor two years later. The core message of love and self-acceptance through coming-of-age at the core of this album is rock solid; however, the scaffolding surrounding it cannot support the weight a concept like this demands.
2014 Forest Hills Drive marks J. Cole’s plunge into the conscious hip hop genre, something he considerably doubted the ... read more

Framing love through the apocalypse is a beautiful way to tell a story. Wasteland, Baby! is the rare story of an album so conceptually solid and so sonically colorful its contemporaries appear washed out by comparison. It would be reductive to simply call this pop when, as he so eloquently conveys in “Almost,” he has been inspired broadly by jazz, folk and soul music just as heavily.

Hozier spends thirteen tracks building this gradual intensity, his sensation of fear over the ... read more