Oops! Forgot to rate this. Easily song of the year.

This is undoubtedly the best purely “rap” album ever made. Completely flawless in every aspect, from Kendrick’s absolutely generational rapping performances on EVERY song to the immaculately crafted beats to multiple of the best rap songs of the 2010’s (if not of all time) on one single album. Crazy.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Backseat Freestyle”; “Money Trees”; “m.A.A.d city”; “Swimming Pools (Drank)”; “Sing About Me, ... read more

Yeah, this is Four Tet’s best and one of the greatest electronic songs ever made. Unbelievable.

The only word I can think of to describe this album is “skillful.” Every single element, whether it be billy woods’ amazing rapping and lyricism, or the meticulously crafted beats and samples, or the fantastic feature verses, seems hand-picked and curated to give the listener as great of a listening experience as possible.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Misery”; “Corinthians”; “A Doll Fulla Pins”; “BLK ZMBY”; “Lead Paint Test”

This record is just absolutely unrelenting. Really, it’s unbelievable. The guitar tones are so thick, so sludgy, so disgusting, that it’s literally almost physically sickening to listen to them. The riffs are chugging and hypnotic, and the writing is incredible. This is an absolutely crushing experience of an album, and absolutely deserving of a place in the top 5 metal albums of all time.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Funeralopolis”; “Weird Tales”; “I, The ... read more

God, this record is just unbelievable. Definitely my favorite folk album, Fleet Foxes' best, and one of the best albums of the 2010s, period. The title track is in my top 5 favorite songs of all time, but there are so many perfect 10s on here. I've got a LOT of favorite songs from this album. The vocal harmonies are heavenly and the songwriting overall is just a masterclass. Absolutely incredible.

FAVORITE TRACKS: "Montezuma"; "Sim Sala Bim"; "Helplessness ... read more

The lyricism is hauntingly blunt and visceral, which makes this record emotionally affecting on a fundamental level. Its greatest strength, though, might be the songwriting, which so perfectly encapsulates the hopelessness of grief in musical form. This album’s only problem is the homogenous nature of its songs.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Real Death”; “Ravens”; “Soria Moria”

Dare I say the Nick Drake of the 90s, and that is a high, high bar.

Elliott Smith is an exceptional songwriter with clear influence both timbral and topical from one of the greatest singer/songwriters of the 20th century, Nick Drake, and this album is a fantastic showcase of his skill in melancholic beauty.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Speed Trials”; “Ballad of Big Nothing”; “Between the Bars”; “Pictures of Me”; “Angeles”; “Cupid’s ... read more

Not good. Almost bad. Still way, way better than anything Kanye's released in the last year or two.

FAVORITE TRACKS: "TRUE LOVE"; "PABLO"; "CITY OF GOD"; "WE DID IT"

Absolutely unbelievable ambient album. Sublime and enveloping (and great for studying). Definitely Eno’s best work, and up there with SAW II. The only points at which it’s a weaker listen is during the dark ambient/soundscape portions, which are still great but venture from the transcendent nature of the rest of the record.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Under Stars”; “An Ending (Ascent)”; “Drift”; the last four tracks

This album is nearly the best thing to happen in the 80s (second only to “Stop Making Sense”), and its overall aesthetic is just so incredibly pleasing. The simply array of instrumentation is very succinct and tight, and all the little “ear candy” just makes it a super enjoyable listening experience. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” is my favorite song of the 80s, and one of my favorite of all time.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “I Know It’s ... read more

This album is simply magnificent. It’s an incredible, exquisitely-produced culmination of everything the 60s had to offer and everything that made The Beatles great. It’s easily their best album, and the legendary “Abbey Road medley” is, in my opinion, the best thing The Beatles ever made.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Come Together”; “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”; “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”; “You Never Give Me Your Money”; ... read more

This album is really damn near perfect. As someone who’s been involved in the SoundCloud underground rap scene (🤓) it’s really cool to hear this style of music in a cohesive album. The production is absolutely insane, and the only reason it’s not a 100 is because some songs aren’t very memorable. This is easily my favorite album of the year so far.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Psychoboost”; “Dreamflasher”; “TURN UP OR DIE”; “Dark night ... read more

This album is surprisingly really, really great. This style of dance-pop is right up my alley, and this record is surprisingly cohesive and complete-feeling given its 21-minutes runtime.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Salvation”; “Tears In My Pocket”; “Twist The Knife”

God damn, this album is incredible. The production is just absolutely immaculate and everything fits perfectly into the mix (this entire record sounds amazingly polished). The chord progressions are super inventive and they always manage to catch your ear off guard, and Fiona Apple is a fantastic lyricist. This album has one of the most flawless tracklists I’ve ever heard, so it’s really hard to choose my favorites.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “On the Bound”; “Paper ... read more

This is a fantastic record, and while not as emotionally affecting as their previous work, Black Country, New Road are more adventurous and fun in their third outing.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Besties”; “Two Horses”; “Happy Birthday”; “For the Cold Country”

This is a super great mix/album, very fun to listen all the way through. It’s hard to choose favorite tracks given how it all flows as a performance.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “RECOVERY”; “ZEET NOISE”; “VOLTAGE”

There’s no doubt that this is great, but it kind of sounds like an amalgamation of all the post-rock that has ever been made into something with no unique identity.

FAVORITE TRACKS: “Aon”; “Ceathair”

Picked this up after I ran sound for them at a show. Really enjoyable blues record.

FAVORITE TRACKS: "The Last Time"; "Sexy Ways"; "I'll Be Glad"

I heard this for the first time yesterday and this is easily one of the best things I've ever heard. Absolutely beautiful.