CurtisLovesCats

A lovely, tight amble that smartly uses minimalism to build tension and provide release. It's not incredibly exciting, but it has a surprising number of charms for its concise length.

It's shockingly disjointed and basic. The lack of cohesiveness is jarring and highlights the juvenile quality of the whole project. Put this down as another unsurprising disappointment from Melanie Martinez.

It really is so good. Some of the longer house interludes may prove difficult for those (read: me) who aren't EDM-inclined, but the sheer scope of the project and the vividness with which Owens layers her music and her message is mesmerizingly ambitious.

Admittedly, this breed of past-their-prime soft rock is, let's just say, not my bag. Still, the tight instrumentation on this album reflects the band's multi-decade career. It hardly treads any new ground, but some compelling lyrics and dynamic sounds elevate Jimi Goodwin's bored crooning so that a handful of tracks, particularly on the back half, float above the rest.