"Fear Inoculum" is one of the most boring albums I've ever heard, and it's especially painful because I grew up listening to Tool. Despite being so utterly disappointed with the record when it came out, I decided to check it out again to see if my opinion could change. It has not changed.

Simply put, there is zero reason to listen to a bunch of B-side, treble-heavy, digitized guitar riffs that you could have heard 20 years ago. Furthermore is the lack of Maynard James Keenan's ... read more

Frequently oscillating in between utterly deranged and eerily quiet, "Schlagenheim" is one of the most extraordinary rock debuts of the last decade. In my opinion, the element of this record that truly makes it click is the vocals. For most of this record, Geordie Greep sounds more like he belongs in a jazz club than he does as the lead singer of a hardcore band, and it creates this surreal experience where the tracks have this disarming way of hypnotizing you - right before black ... read more

I think many people consider "Lonerism" Tame Impala's best album, and after listening to it again, I'm not sure I agree. While I it features some of their strongest tracks ("Mind Mischief," "Elephant," "Apocalypse Dreams," and my personal favorite "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards"), the rest of it doesn't really work for me. The other songs aren't bad - they just all blend in together in a pleasant psychedelic, fuzzy haze, with the last two ... read more

In "Total Xanarchy," Lil Xan's insufferably creaky voice, dollar store trap beats, stupid hooks, and vapid lyrics work overtime to make it a strong contender for worst album ever. Every song is astonishingly bad, and worse yet, they all sound the same. It is truly a non-stop musical assault on the senses from every possible angle.

However, I do think that this album has provided value to the world, in a sense. It's offered a great example of what "not" to do as a musician; ... read more

It's genuinely impressive for an artist to release something as transparently unhinged as this record. "A Gradual Decline in Morale" revives every single edgelord music trend of the 2000s and puts them into one incoherent Hot-Topic nostalgia trip mess. This totally off-the-rails, mindlessly spontaneous album is truly unlike anything else I've ever heard.

Whether it's the sudden horns of "Land of the Sun," the strange Anthony Kiedis-esque rapping that launches "My ... read more

"INSANO" had me burst out laughing as many times as I buried my face in my hands. Kid Cudi's experimentation with trap involves him doing his best Drake and Travis Scott impression for about 64 minutes, and boy, does it not work. The vocals and instrumentals, which sound like discount beats, fit together about as well as mangoes and ketchup. Combined with sloppy mixing, awful hooks, and its torturous hour-long runtime, this record will leave even the most longtime Cudi fan baffled. ... read more

Having just come off two straight genre-defining releases in "To Pimp a Butterfly" and "Good Kid M.A.A.D City," Kendrick Lamar had the weight of the world on his shoulders. As a result, he took a bit of a left turn with 2017's "DAMN," a record that deliberately has nowhere near as cohesive of a vision as his previous albums, and takes a more track-by-track approach.

To its credit, the album features some great moments. Each of "DNA," "FEEL," ... read more

For many who grew up following the trashiest trends of the late 90s/early 00s, "Follow the Leader" will be a mostly fun trip down nostalgia lane. There are certainly moments throughout this record which will make you want to cringe to death at how badly they age. For example, "All in the Family" features Jonathan Davis and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst doing their best to battle rap each other in nu metal format, and it's just about as hideous as advertised. "Children of the ... read more

Pharrell Williams is arguably the greatest producer in the music industry, having made his imprint on practically every commercial genre this century. I'm particularly fond of his band N.E.R.D, whose first release "In Search of..." ages way better than you might expect for a rap rock meets R&B project from 2001.

The vast majority of this record is a joy to listen to, and especially great for a sunny day at the beach. My favorite tracks are "Tape You" and "Run To ... read more

"This lil' beggin' whore talkin' 'bout Megan's Law /
For a free beat, you could hit Megan raw."

Imagine responding to a rapper referencing your husband being a sex offender by going "OH YEAH? YOU'RE A BIG SLUT!" You could not make up something more juvenile and embarrassing than this diss track.

When it comes down to it, I'm fairly neutral on Taylor Swift. I enjoy many of her most popular songs, she's a great role model for her fans and it's undeniably impressive how she's developed her brand over the years. Given that "Midnights" recently won a Grammy, I thought it was worth checking out. However, its lack of memorable highlights and commitment toward returning to previous stylistic approaches make it one of her weaker and more forgettable releases.

Anyone can appreciate ... read more

It feels like yesterday when I downloaded System of a Down's self-titled from Limewire and spent evenings just listening to it in my bedroom. Decades later, I've revisited again, and I love it just as much as I did when I heard it for the first time.

Between the frantic riffs, pummeling drums, monstrous growls, and vocal melodies, it's tough to pick one element that makes "System of a Down" timeless and fantastic. However, what stood out to me on my most recent listen was the band's ... read more

Combining seemingly every intense and absurd musical trend of the 21st century, "10,000 gecs" is a deliberately overstimulating experience and a clear tribute to the duo's biggest inspirations. At the same time, they do enough to go beyond just mimicking sounds of the past - this album has quite a bit of heart and variety to make it worth checking out.

Most notably, I immediately fell in love with the Weezer-esque "Hollywood Baby" and I adored "Billy Knows Jamie," ... read more

When I was a dumb suburban kid who claimed to hate country music, I hadn’t actually listened to it. I had instead built a caricature in my head, envisioning some hammed up cowboy blubbering about drinking beer, loving Jesus, and singing about girl troubles while playing repetitive twangy guitar licks. Was this fair of me? No, but in “One Thing At A Time,” Morgan Wallen leans into every hater stereotype of his genre, with songs that are as joyless and unoriginal as they are ... read more

Years before Tyler, The Creator became known for releases like "Igor" and "Flower Boy," he was the entry point into hip hop for several edgelord suburban teens. That's not necessarily an insult - I was one of them. His music was as outrageous and raw as it was undeniably captivating, as he blended Eminem-like rap flows with instrumentals that sounded straight out of a N.E.R.D. cut. Throughout "Goblin," you can see how these qualities endeared himself to his ... read more

Despite featuring some of my favorite rock songs from its era, "Stadium Arcadium" is a bloated mess of mostly derivative tracks. It may be impossible for me to separate the objective quality of "Dani California" from fond high school memories of playing the Rock Band guitar controller with a microphone under my shirt, but this was not the case for the majority of this album's unbelievably long runtime.

Outside of moments when it all clicks, like "Wet Sand" and ... read more

Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut offers a litany of songs ranging from ho-hum ballads to banger teen pop tunes. I would not say this album is especially well-rounded, and there's a significant drop off in quality after the mid-point, but you can't get much better than "Genie in a Bottle" or "Come On Over (All I Want Is You)" for pop tunes of 1999.

On another note: it's amazing that even a young version of Aguilera was this incredible for a singing talent. "I ... read more

In my opinion, there's no bigger rock band of the 21st century than Linkin Park, an artist quite near and dear to my heart. With "A Thousand Suns," however, its members took a huge risk in taking their craft in a totally different direction. Upon its 2010 release, this album drew lofty comparisons to Radiohead's 'Kid A' from critics, while polarizing others with its experimental nature. But I personally err toward enjoying "A Thousand Suns." Although it has six tracks which ... read more

I heard "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" for the first time about a week ago, and not only did it floor me, start to finish - I've listened to it countless times. Although I could gush about Little Simz as an MC, the most unbelievable part of this album is the production. Whether it's the soulful Jackson-5-esque "Little Q, Pt. 2," the gospel singing of "I Love You, I Hate You," or even the dramatic strings of "Introvert," everything fits in its right ... read more