No ID and Saba are an absolutely undeniable combo
Early candidate for my Single of the Year, absolutely fantastic piece of evolving Alt R&B
One of the most haunting rap albums I've ever listened to and a masterclass in how to do a posthumous release the right way.
Favorite Track: Funny Papers
Other Great Tracks: Do You Have a Destination?, 5 Dollar Pony Rides, Friendly Hallucinations, Mrs. Deborah Downer, Stoned, Excelsior, Manakins, Rick's Piano, Tomorrow Will Never Know
Least Favorite: Transformations
While sometimes having a hard time finding its footing, Hole Erth is an extremely fun listen and continues Chaz's streak of exploring different genre fields. It's an imperfect cloud rap album, but that's part of the fun to me and makes for a pretty compelling listen that's also excellent for just vibing out to.
Favorite Track: Hollywood
Other Great Tracks: Tuesday, Reseda, Babydaddy, Undercurrent, Smoke, Heaven, Starlink
Least Favorite Track: Off Road
An amazing listening experience that amplifies some of Chaz's best rock cuts to the stratosphere. Even better when paired with the film.
Favorite Track: Lilly
Other Great Tracks: Still Sound, Ratcliff, The Flight, JBS, Grown Up Calls, Say That, Yeah Right
Least Favorite Track: High Living
Tinashe continues her streak of ultra-sleek, DnB-fueled R&B on Quantum baby, which is more of a continuation of last year's BB/ANG3L and mostly suffers from the same issue, it's too damn short. There's lots of great tracks and ideas on Quantum Baby, but it feels like a lot is being left on the table with the album only being *22 minutes*. Regardless, this album makes the most of its short runtime with not a lot of downtime or bad tracks, I just wish there was more meat ... read more
I was really looking forward to this album when I heard the lead single Cheerleader, which I still think is one of the greatest songs of the year, but as the rollout continued on I felt this odd energy that it was all being a bit forced. My biggest issue with SMILE as an album is that it's both trying to be very personal, while also not taking itself seriously at all. It often sounds as if Porter is both trying too hard and also not caring at all at the same time at points, and that just ... read more
You ever listen to drum n bass? *Liquid* drum n bass? That's shaggin' music that
One of the soundtracks of the pandemic for me, Aminé's sophomore album shows a wide range of sounds that really show his growing depth as an artist, even if some of the stabs don't really land at times. This album is generally consistently good, with only a few true peaks, but only a few true stinkers too. Overall, it'a a great summery album.
Favorite Track(s): Pressure In My Palms, Riri, Fetus
Other Great Tracks: Burden, Woodlawn, Roots, Can't Decide, Compensating, ... read more