never kill yourself

I think Gorillaz still lacks experimentation in the production and mixes that made their best works feel so unique; a lot of this album can feel quite clunky in a way that is *sometimes* charming, but generally just... *Clunky* clunky, I guess. That being said, I'm really quite fond of this one anyway because (unlike most of their stuff after the post-Plastic Beach hiatus) it feels very inspired, and the album's vision easily shines through its faults thanks to the ... read more

In 2022, I played UNBEATABLE's demo / prototype / proof of concept side-story "[white label]" for the first time, and, 20 minutes into playing, I had to alt+tab out of the game and run to bandcamp to see if I could buy the soundtrack (which, thankfully, I could!). I've been listening to some of these songs for years at this point, and, honestly, I was kind of more excited for this album than the actual game lol. I was very happy to have my somewhat-lukewarm expectations of ... read more

femtanyl has been very hit or (mostly) miss for me thus far, but this one is a lot of fun. really digging this new direction - the project's old sound got stale quickly for me, so it's nice to hear something fresh from it

i think this is sort of fun... in moderation. extreme moderation. this is an album i really wouldn't have listened to (or even known of for that matter) if it weren't for its repeated presence on my tl (despite having no involvement in or knowledge about what the sonic.exe community even entails / is in 2025, so thanks for that twitter). a sega genesis / micheal jackson / creepypasta fusion is the exact kind of very-specific combination that the fnf community has stopped surprising me ... read more

the issue with humanz is just in the subpar songwriting and production, it's that simple. there's no secret reason people don't really like it that much, no hypocritical gap in the logic of those who dislike it / just weren't really into it... "gorillaz have always had lots of features" and "gorillaz have always been political" are both undeniably true, yes, but the issue for me was never in the concept or vision, just the execution and quality. is that ... read more

albums like this are what keep me excited about music. i haven't heard something this atmospheric and immersive in a long time

I don't mind it! But it's a step-down from his debut for sure — the problem isn't inherently with the pop direction, it's just that the pop-leaning style isn't executed in a way that hits for me (getting real sick of being told "you just hate it because it's pop!" lol). There are glimpses of things I find interesting, but generally, I think this album sounds quite generic and a little *too* polished in a way that makes it sound quite empty. ... read more

i like to give my inner hater a little treat sometimes. i just think this album is very corny - super self-serious without any of the lyrical grace or delivery (seriously - sam heft's vocal style has not improved even remotely) to back it up. the lyrics are just substanceless, surface-level observations, go figure—this was very much an entire album about politics and social issues sung by a lyricist who almost certainly has no brave or nuanced takes on very complex issues ... read more

It's an alright time, but generally very forgettable (much like the game). There are brief glimpses of interesting ideas here and there, but Finishing Move fails to explore any of them beyond surface level. I still *like* this soundtrack, but it's a huge step-down from mick gordon's work on the last two games (which i had been anticipating, admittedly). I really wanted to like this, but no level of open-mindedness on my part was gonna help when the product is subpar unfortunately.

I'm not huge on the production but it's the lyricism that spoils it for me. Not the most offensive listen by any means, but the attitude Tyler "wasn't raised in the hood" Joseph has on this is pretty embarassing. I can see *why* it's popular - there are some catchy moments on here - but not my cup of tea.

fun!

i think they've missed the mark a bit with this one, which is sad to say because there are some really magical bits here and there; the intro / title track is genuinely beautiful (my favourite on the album besides "tuesday" maybe), but then it slides into "to stay" (a song that i had initially assumed to be a throwaway single when it first came out prior to the album's announcement), and i'm already starting to get a little bored. i think my primary gripe with ... read more

It's absolutely fascinating how terrible this album is. This was a car-crash project that I just couldn't look away from — terrible production, awful delivery / overly processed vocals, outrageously corny lyrics and a thoughtless, random assortment of elements stolen from different genres that don't speak of any cohesive vision or thought at all. No one involved is well-educated on or an avid listener of the genres they've taken bits of (I'd genuinely bet money on ... read more

labs piano

i couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the band going into this release; there's just no world in which this album was going to meet the heights of Ants From Up There both in praise and popularity, and while yes, it didn't, I think they've proven that Black Country, New Road is still a project that's absolutely worth sticking around for in spite of my doubts. i really hate to be a nerd, but when the singles were coming out, the mixes had me WORRIED, and, honestly, they ... read more

just ridiculously fun

The mix really lets this one down for me (not to be a nerd like that, sorry). The drums have very little impact (they sound quite bad generally tbh), and that really neuters the energy of the song imo. Not awful by any means but it's not grabbing me in any way. Kind of sounds like it could've been on bitter tongues, which is *not* a good thing, really — feels like this is walking back on a lot of the progress james made with his last album.

That chorus is vaguely pleasant, I guess, but the rest of it just doesn't fit together at ALL — sounds like they were just throwing whatever they came up with first into the final track otherwise...

The lyrics are just substanceless, surface-level observations, go figure — hope you guys are excited for an entire album about politics and social issues by a lyricist who almost certainly has no brave or nuanced takes on very complex issues they've chosen to "discuss" for the sake of surface-level aesthetics.