I was legitimately debating turning this album off after the first few songs because I thought the noise aspects were just so sloppy. But I pushed through, and from Penny Dreadfuls on, this album is absolutely astonishing. Avey Tare's vocals sound fragile and soft, yet confident. And Panda Bear blows the production out of the water. 16 years ago when this released, there was nothing else similar to it, and today, even with numerous other AnCo projects, Spirit They're Gone, Spirity The've ... read more

Some of the most finely crafted stoner metal of this decade. Everything from the sludgy, dreary guitars to the smashing drums is done in a way to set up an atmosphere on this album that makes it a necessity in any metal fan's collection. Satan Worshipping Doom was very consistent throughout, except for maybe the last track, which I felt like was a gradual finish to the 2nd to last track rather than its own independent song.

fav tracks: Hail, Satan, Worship

Three great acts come together to form one extremely awkward supergroup. A lot of the EP sounds like 90's karaoke rather than studio recorded music.

I CANNOT believe that even when Britney is SO OLD she still SLAYS!!! Proves that she is a timeless pop QWEEN that can DESTROY all of today's mainstream music. You're a sexist if this isn't your AOTY.

An interesting abstract pop (?) project, one of the spookiest I've heard this year. The skits and phone calls get to be a bit much after a couple, but this album is... interesting. In the best of ways. Enjoyable production paired with glaringly dark vocals. I liked the original take on a dark and frightening album, although it got to be a bit tedious.

But there's a bad man in everyone
No matter who we are
There's a rapist and a nazi living in our tiny hearts
Child pornographers and cannibals and politicians too
There's someone in your head
Waiting to fucking strangle you

fav tracks: Rejoice, Survival Song, People II: The Reckoning, People

EDIT: Has aged like fine wine.

So I decided to stop rating trap music as harshly as I have been in the past. I would go in looking for lyrical skill, without even realizing that the genre is not about lyrics at all. With that being said, I enjoyed this tape immensely. Young thug did some really different stuff on here compared to his past releases. The beats are much better and more experimental, and Thug even messes around with some different vocal inflections. His lyrics are also pretty ... read more

Just not for me

On his debut album, Taylor Bennett follows in the footsteps of his big brother by creating an upbeat and optimistic hip hop record which shows that he is more than just a relative of one of the most popular rappers.
A friend of mine told me this was essentially Surf 2 before we listened to it, and I agree with that entirely. While Broad Shoulders is not the star studded summer spectacular that Surf was, it's very similar in regards to production and flow, as well as it's lighthearted ... read more

A pleasant surprise. I came into this album expecting something similar to the newer Arctic Monkeys, but thankfully, my expectations were proven incorrect. The guitars have a more complex chord progression than their more modern counterparts, and those riffs work better with Alex Turner's croony voice. I wasn't a huge fan of the lyrics, but they're not too shabby.

fav tracks: The View from the Afternoon, Dancing Shoes

Yeah, I listen to weird little indie bands... you've probably never heard of any of them before.

YG delivered the best revival of 90's gangsta rap and G-funk that has hit my ears in the past few years. The production's execution of a heavy West Coast sound in addition to YG's smooth in tone, yet rough in manner, voice makes this a very enjoyable piece of hip hop, and one of my favorites from this year.
However, the inclusion of Drake's feature makes me deduct at least 10 points from what this rating could have been. He did not fit in with any of the themes discussed throughout Still ... read more

The high points are absolutely stunning, but there are still plenty of times where Cantu-Ledesma had something going, but failed to greatly build upon the idea.

fav tracks: Blue Nudes (I-IV), Love's Refrain

EDIT: After a few more listens, I cannot agree with my previous opinion of Blonde being as good as Channel Orange. There are some terrific tunes that expand the horizon which was set by Orange, but nothing is improved upon too much. I still love this project, it definitely is a situational album (great for driving, chill nightime music, making out, whatever).

This is going to take some time for me to process... but for now, I think that Blond is just about as good as Channel Orange. The ... read more

A 5 minute song with a 3 minute intro... however it's still decent. Beautifully shot video. Something about it tells me that the album is going to be next level, but don't take my word for it.

I never was a fan of this group, and probably never will be, but I have a lot of respect for Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy or whatever their names are. These dudes have made a place in hip hop for themselves, with fun and energetic trap songs made to be played in clubs and at parties. I doubt I'll ever listen to this album again, as I'm not super into this style of hip hop, but I can't bash these guys anymore. They proved that they have enough talent to stay a little longer than their 15 minutes.

Already one of the best hip hop tracks of the year, this adds to the enormous hype that Brown is building up towards his forthcoming 3rd LP. Also, the production is outstanding.

I'm like, "eh"

edit: thank you mods
hey mods i fucked up on entering the critic score, meant to hit allmusic not av club. it isn't that bad of an album, in fact, i fucking love it.

fav tracks: basic cable, i'm on your side, daily affirmation

The fatal goodbye kiss to the once enjoyable band that was Arctic Monkeys, as they embark on their quest to become the kings of tumblr.