with emotional lyrics and very mellow production, Atmosphere puts something out that can only go one of two ways: amazing or boring. and frankly, i find it boring. the lyrics are very well written and clever, but the gimmick wears off about halfway through the album. the themes of sadness, broken relationships, and anger are very apparent and are kept consistently present through the album. but that doesn't mean they stay interesting. after i got to Lovelife, i lost interest, and i ... read more

i go to this album whenever i need something in the background of whatever i am doing. but i cant listen as a whole, which i do for every album, because it's just so long. every piece of this album is put exactly where it needs to be, it's orchestration is almost flawless. i'm also not the biggest fan of jazz, so i'm not the most informed on the genre, but even i know that The Epic is just the biggest mainstream jazz record of this decade. there have been better put out that are just simply ... read more

Neu! is a record that is incredibly innovative in it's audacious juxtaposition of electronic and rock music. The synths and drums and guitars form something that was never heard of at the time of release, and that helped Neu! gain notoriety. But in my opinion, there is only so much i can listen to until the wow-factor wears off. Not enough changed across the length of the album for me to consider this a masterpiece, or even one of my favorite records, but i still think that this is a very ... read more

including big sean deducts 10 points from this album immediately. but when that is out of consideration, bangerz is a jubilant and carefree record, but it lacks substace (aside from wrecking ball). a few songs were very well crafted, mike will made it did some great work. but then there were the country mash-ups. #GETITRIGHT and 4x4 are insanely terrible songs that do not fit with the pop and hip hop production of the other songs.
as a whole, bangerz had potential, but was overrun by ... read more

in one of the messiest albums i have ever listened to, Big Black puts out some very, upbeat and rebellious tunes in a quick 30 minute work. only one of the songs surpasses the 4 minute mark, and nothing here is overdone. however, there were many instances on the album where i was left wanting more. the tracks cut off very quickly, they progress, but i think so much more could have been done had they been given more time to progress. but even with the minor shortcomings, this is a very ... read more

I was ‘bout to eat that pussy but that shit stank
Girl I want to eat your pussy but I just can’t
Smoking medicate help me meditate
You was so wack, I don’t wanna hear your mixtape
His diamonds so wet, he got it out the fish tank

this sums up the album.

One of the best beats of this year, and Danny's lyrics are damn great as well. Just a crazy song in general

i had to force myself through it. the whole album feels like it was a desperate attempt to be special and "different" all while sounding very messy and boring in the process. sweatpants is dope though.

my favorite song from PC music. its playful and childish, with flawless production.

a refreshing take on the common electronic and pop music of the 2010's. i find myself coming back to many of the songs on this compilation.

fav tracks: don't wanna / let's do it, every night, in my dreams, laplander

Andrew Jackson Jihad tones down their sound from an angsty, somewhat abrasive folk punk to a much more mellow yet still in-your-face folk rock sound. and personally, i think its a great switch. the lyrics become much more personal yet still clever and funny, and the instrumentation is very accessible to those who listen to basically any genre. there were filler tracks that i really didnt care for, and didnt do much for the record, but other than that, i think Christmas Island is a great ... read more

the most recent reincarnation of Swans finishes off their string of records with a dense and maximal beast. each song evolves from the second it starts, to the second it ends, and creates something very... weird. i really got what i expected from swans with The Glowing Man; elements from both of their last 2 albums combined to form a hybrid of all the good aspects of each. and that is why i dont think this is a super amazing piece of music. i appreciate the slaving that must have went down ... read more

there are a few bangers here and there but bones remains very monotone through this mixtape and leaves me wishing for more.

all of the tracks that would have been on smile (good vibrations, heroes and villains) are pretty fantastic, and some of the best work from the beach boys. however, most of the other tracks lack the same expression and character that is present on the smile outtakes, which gives me a very half-assed vibe. but i cant give smiley smile too much hate, it's still a lot better than the majority of what else was released during this time.

fav tracks: good vibrations (standout), heroes and ... read more

EDIT: holy shit, this clicked HARD

the only electro-shoegaze i have ever heard, and probably the best as well. the production was unnecessarily glitchy and reverbed at times, but the piece as a whole was pretty great. the vocals were very light and ethereal, which added to the atmostpheric style of this record. i was not expecting what i got, but what i got, i appreciated. velocity:design:comfort is miles ahead of its time, as this style of electronic music really wasnt as good as it is ... read more

before this record, there was very little like this out there. based off of samples and how they can be mixed together, Endtroducing is a revolutionary album musically. but in my opinion, it doesnt have enough risks taken. some 5 minute songs repeat the same beat thirty times without changing much, and that just bores me. many tracks could have been cut right in half and kept the flow of the record perfectly. Shadow made some very fresh and innovative rhythms, like on Mutual Slump, but ... read more

with a quick, 4 track ep, Massive Attack gives us one of the more promising trip hop projects of the past few years. the genre has been suffering because of bland and uninspired releases from an abundance of artists, but Ritual Spirit is not in the same group as them. throughout the EP, tempos and speeds change, but stay within the traditional styles of trip hop. some of the moments were pretty half-baked, like the track that features Young Fathers, Voodoo in My Blood. even with that said, ... read more

there are a few catchy rhythms and beats, but there is a huge amount of filler between the better tracks. the pet shop boys' songwriting doesn't really get much worse or much better than they ever have been, but there is a larger portion of the album that is instrumental than with lyrics. super is solid, but not enough to keep the pet shop boys relevant with a completely new generation of listeners.

fav track: the pop kids

a magnificent combination of many electronic subgenres come together to form the album that is Garden of Delete. there's some speedcore, edm, wonky, and plunderphonics, which all work into an ambitious and surprisingly upbeat LP. there were a few tracks where i just felt like the buildup was too long, and the drops became repetitive, but despite this i still really enjoyed this album. for the wide array of categories it encompasses, Oneohtrix Point Never put together an abstract yet ... read more

the beat was anything but complementary to the voices of danny brown and MF DOOM. it just sounded very jumbled and all over the place. i did enjoy it, however.