dark, dreary, and emotional, swans gives a record that sets an atmosphere that is unmatched. the instrumental work on this LP is insane. from guitars, to drums, and even some synths are in there as well, the mix of materials used to create this project is awesome. this is swans' best record from this period in their history, except for soundtracks for the blind. what i really got from this was a depressing yet optimistic viewpoint on the world and what goes on in it.
fav tracks: will we ... read more

mellow gold is a beautiful jumble of genres that dont seem to fit together. but somehow they do. the majority of the album is rock, but there are blues, rap, funk, and metal moments as well, which really intrigued me because of the huge variation. beck's vocals have an incredible range, he goes from a whisper-like singing to a monotone rapping, to hardcore screaming. to complement that, the instrumentals are so nicely composed and mixed to give the album a very clean cut yet raw feel. im ... read more

nothing new or interesting is presented here. nobody can deny beyonce's amazing ability to sing, but she releases very repetitive music. it really isnt original, as much as her minions believe it is. anyone else could release this album, and nobody would really care. but beyonce drops it? and calls it fucking LEMONADE? hold the phones guys, its a masterpiece. nothing stands out compared to the rest of todays pop and r and b scene, so i dont see why beyonce is so praised. a few moments ... read more

i gave this album a first listen almost a year ago now, and i decided to go back into this review. danny brown dropped one of the most cohesive and charismatic albums of the 2010's with XXX. all of the songs work together so perfectly, as do all of the beats and lyrics that are present on each. danny brings up topics from partying and doing drugs to his past as a crack dealer. XXX showcases danny browns personality and talent as a rapper so perfectly that i really doubt he can top this. ... read more

asap ferg takes a more commercial route, as many rappers do, on his second album. i really enjoyed his first album, and i thought that asap ferg had a lot of potential to put out a really great LP, but this wasnt it. some tracks were very good (new level) and some were pretty hard to get all the way through (world is mine). i also feel like this album was overrun by features, many of them didnt fit the tone of the album, or were just unnecessary. overall, asap ferg doesnt hit a home run, ... read more

"The Clash are a rock band"
ah yes. thank you pitchfork. i went this entire album not knowing what genre i could put this in. no idea at all.

great album though. the punk album that shaped the mold made to be broken in the music form.

fav tracks: rudie cant fail, lost in the supermarket, the card cheat, train in vain, london calling

noise is probably the most varied genre that there is. it could be anything from light buzzes and bleeps to hardcore static and high pitched shrieks. modern jester is the perfect balance between those variations. i honestly hadnt listened to all that much noise music before this album, but this one really made me want to check out more of the genre. man of the songs began with a slow and calm buzz and eventually climaxed to the rattling hi hats that made this record so enjoyable. nothing ... read more

behind what i think is one of the best album covers of this year (this is seriously cool in my opinion), parquet courts releases some of the better rock music of this year. there is a very laid back vibe to this record, tons of the lyrics have themes of carelessness and sense of place, which is something that has been present in many albums throughout this year. many of the lyrics and vocals impressed me, but i was underwhelmed by the instrumentation. the speed of the instruments didnt seem ... read more

extremely shitty song. i hope views isnt this awful...

i wish jay z had more of an appearance, drake did pretty shitty, and kanye was mediocre. a couple clever lines from both drake and kanye, but this is very low quality for all of these artist's standards

the first few tracks were pretty impressive in terms of the in-your-face style of music, but the rest of the album seems to just drag on without much else to say or contribute to what was started. the guitars on this records were performed pretty spectacularly, however the vocals and lyrics fell short, and the apathetic nature that swans creates so perfectly is very monotone compared to some of their better work.
fav tracks: a screw, money is flesh

i went into this LP knowing how shabazz palaces makes their music: minimal production, and pretty light vocals. honestly, it usually isnt my style of hip hop, but it is done so well on this project. to be frank, the lyrics bored me and were nothing particularly unique, but the production is what kept me listening. there are some moments when i had to keep repeating a section of a track because the beat was just so obscure. the minimalism is really what saved this project i my eyes, because ... read more

i felt like getting up and dancing while listening to this album. the music is so happy and upbeat that its hard to not like. i felt like there were a few tracks that seemed to be some pretty boring filler, but aside from that this album was very good. definitely a good starting project for someone looking to start listening to future funk and vaporwave, although i found this to be a lot more energetic and poppy than your average vaporwave LP.
fav tracks: have faith, strawberry lemonade

this was more of an experience than an album. when i listened to currents some months back, i was not impressed, and stayed away from tame impala because i thought it would be more of the same. but i was so wrong, the group gave an amazing predecessor to their newest album. the blending of traditional rock elements (guitars, drums, bass) with modern synth beats was almost perfected on this LP. the synths in particular are what impressed me the most, because they can be a hit or miss, and ... read more

EDIT: god damn this is clicking with me. such an important album to the direction of indie rock/pop in the 2010's

a great mix of energy and emotion into one indie rock record. i didnt find anything to be too amazing (except for a song or two), as many friends have told me, but this was miles ahead of the majority of the very congested indie rock world. the lyrics were thoughtful and introspective, and retained their variety even on the >10 minute long tracks. the length of each song ... read more

pallbearer's debut showcases the beginning of a style of doom metal that they will soon perfect on their sophomore effort. this project has the same atmosphere and musical style as it's successor, however there is an element to this project that makes it much more raw and natural than foundations of burden. the raw element is something that holds back this album though; some areas of some tracks sound like they were mastered incorrectly or toned down in the mixing process. the vocals were ... read more

pop that was innovative and different for its time but doesnt hold up against the more modern pop acts of the 2010's. some of these tracks have absolutely amazing production, much of it from timbaland and rick rubin, but the majority of them are longer than they need to be, and just drone along. justin timberlake gives some solid but not incredible vocals and lyrics. this album as a whole is a more tolerable version of the common radio hits of the mid 2000's, nothing bad, and nothing that ... read more

some of the most original electronic music of the past few years.

wonderfully distorted and jumbled, but the style becomes stale after the first five tracks. really creative production style but i couldnt keep my focus on it for all that long.
fav track: crystal body

easily one of the most experimental and abstract records that i have listened to in my lifetime. this record give me chills while going through the whole project, and that made me really go back and reflect on what i had just heard. there is nothing that sounds like this album, nothing with the same mix of sounds and instruments like this.
fav tracks: storm, sleep