THE LIMP BIZKIT GAUNTLET: DAY 4

We have reached the bottom. With Wes Borland not being a part of this project, all of the soul left with him. This is the least interesting slop I think I have ever listened to. It is very indicative of a project's quality when I am constantly checking to see how much time is left in every single song. It doesn't even have any funny bad songs like Hot Dog, it is just all bad and boring. Don't listen.

It is hard to see how it can get worse from ... read more

THE LIMP BIZKIT GAUNTLET: DAY 3

We have reached the Fred Durst singularity. He has now become the reason whether or not songs are bad (for the most part) and this record is a good example of that phenomenon. So far Hot Dog is easily the worst song I have ever heard and it is all the fault of Fred. I understand their beef with Nine Inch Nails so the interpretation makes sense, but it is still terrible. And the stretch of songs after Rollin' (a classic) is so forgettable. The band saves ... read more

THE LIMP BIZKIT GAUNTLET: DAY 2

Here we go, this is the shit and I won't even be ashamed about it. They fixed the sound of the last record and Fred Durst isn't unbearable yet so I consider this a good album. Nookie is so fun and Break Stuff is legitimately amazing. I also found a deep cut that I like (which will most likely be the only time that happens in this gauntlet) with 9 Teen 90 Nine. The rest of the album is solid sonically with the worst part being Fred but once again he ... read more

Full disclosure, I grew listening to Bright Eyes, specifically Shell Games off of The People's Key. But I listened to I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning only a few months ago and loved that album. So this being the second Bright Eyes album I have heard is probebly skewing my judgement but I think this is really good. The single Bells and Whistles contains everything that I love about Bright Eyes. I think the duets of Cat Power and Matt Berninger work really well. I also thought Hate ... read more

This is a really solid tape. As always The Alchemist comes with some of the cleanest production in rap with a list of some really solid features. Ferraris in The Rain is a standout for both of the reasons mentioned. I think The Alchemist as a rapper is fine, not great but not bad either. Very solid.

Holy shit I was not going to listen to any new album that came out this week but the return of the "hey thats a cool album cover" returns and I just expereinced what is easily one of my favorite albums of the year. This is such a perfect combination of harsh noise rock and beautiful indie rock. My god Seceret History as an intro is the kind of intro that lets you know from the get go that you are in for a treat. The 8 minute suite of Greyhound and the beautiful chorus of Gratitude are ... read more

THE LIMP BIZKIT GAUNTLET: DAY 1

Ok so right off the bat there is a lot wrong with this, but I think it is equal parts Fred Durst as well as a lot of poor production choices in comparison to when on later albums it will be mostly Fred Durst that is wrong with this. I think Counterfeit is a pretty solid BIzkit song and while I am frustrated that Fath exists, it is pretty fun. I hate Stuck I think it is grossly sexist in a way I have not heard in a while. And before any Durst heads come at me, I ... read more

This is just pleasant. Clairo comes back again with another incredibly solid release that is paced perfectly. I love the tenderness of this record and the texture is excellent. It feels like these songs should be played in a theater of less then 40 people. Subtle and sweet.

It's fun. I think the biggest problem is that it is kind of all over the place. I am a very surface level grindcore enjoyer (I like Nails and nothing else) and those records have some consistancy that this lacks. Other than that though its heavy fun goodness that you will like if you like other grindcore bands like Nails.

Everyone saying this guy is a James Murphy ripoff is so right you wouldn't believe. If LCD Soundsystem is for people who don't have sex, The Dare is for people who don't have sex but are also creepy around women. Beyond the comparisons these songs feel like a parody of themselves. These songs have 0 charisma and songs like Open Up and Girls makes me so angry to listen to. Even the introspective Elevation does nothing to sell me on this side of The Dare due to really bad lyrics ... read more

It is really funny that the last album I heard from The Flenser was Impossible Light becuase that is abrasive compared to the tenderness that is No Depression in Heaven. Once again I was attracted to this and been waiting for the release ever since I saw it announced on The Flenser's social media, but I am glad I did because this is really solid. Midwife is the perfect example of less is more and the space these songs fill is something most shoegaze bands with they can, with significantly ... read more

I think I can boil this down to me appreciating what I heard, but wishing that this was something it isn't. I still think this is an incredibly tight, solid and put together record, but I was waiting for that one moment where I would be hooked and that didn't come. Starburster is really good and overall I would say I enjoyed this project.

Excusing a few good songs, this is the most confused album I have ever listened too. The whiplash I feel between songs is something I haven't experienced in a while. Steps Beach to Talk My Shit is one of the worst tracklisting decisions I have seen in a while. An equally confused opener with H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT TO F7¥ and a very weak closer with A Place Where Love Goes leaves me not understanding what the point of the album I just listened to was. And before anyone says that this is a ... read more

During the rollout of their debut record PUNK TACTICS, I was incredibly skeptical of these guys. I thought they were derivative and unfunny. I'm not sure what I was thinking then because this is the most fun I've had listening to an album all year. It is clear they had a blast recording this and I had a blast listening. Combine that with some genuinly fantastic production and DJ chops, and you have a great time on your hands.

It's so bad it's so bad it's so bad it's so bad it's so fucking bad. I don't think I have ever heard such over-produced shlcok in my life before. Even beyond Ronnie Radke doing his usual dumb shit, this album sounds sooooo bad. It doesn't know what it wants to be and never figures it out. And no song here redeems the absolutly horrific lyrics and deliever courtesy of the most hated man in rock, Ronnie Radke, and he lets you know he is the most hated person in ... read more

I think this doesn't quite reach the hights of You Will Never Be One Of Us but this still rips. Highlights for me inlcude Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy and No More Rivers to Cross and the album goes by so god damn quickly that it is over before you even think. If you like grindcore, Nails is the most consistent outfit currently working and I would recomend this release.

I am the first to admit that I am not used to this kind of music. The main reason I checked this out was because I am a fan of The Flenser and I knew of Uboa as a very acclaimed artist. The being said I enjoyed what I heard. Endocrine Disruptor is a very strong showing that despite the pure experimentation at play, there are still fundamentals that prove that this type of music works. The closer Impossible Light / Golden Flower is also tremendously strong. I read that this is supposed to be the ... read more

The thing that makes these producer tapes work is a demonstration in the variety and range that the producer can reach. The big thing that this lacks is that range. Songs tend to blend together and there is no single feature that elevates this to the level of other big hits he has had in the past (Other then Vince Staples on Pressured Up). Pray For Me is definetly a highlight and does the Note To Self thing so much better then J Cole did.

This is a lot of fun. I was not expecting the songwriting and grooves to hit as hard as they did but color me impressed. 2122 is so infectious and impossible not to sing along to. I saw them open for King Gizzard and they did a phenominal job. Highly recomend.

For being arguably the most high profile drill artist working, Ice Spice fails to capitalize on that success and has provided us with a half-baked mess that has very little personality to speak on. The features don't provide anything that gives this project life and the production is cliche and derivative. For a debut with this many eyes on it, Y2K! fails to justify to us why Ice Spice is as big as she is.