‘House Of Balloons’ is the 2011 debut mixtape from global superstar Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd. Contrary to his current day mainstream pop appeal, ‘House Of Balloons’ is a dark, grimy depiction of a drug-filled and toxic lifestyle, filled with reckless abandonment, deception, and lots of partying. Abel sets the tone early as someone not to be trusted, and shows us throughout multiple nights of partying that his motivations hardly go beyond money and getting ... read more

AND WE BACK!!!
It’s been so long since my last review, and I’m so glad to be back now as we head towards the closing months of 2023! Since around the first week of June, I’ve been taking time off to focus on my summer job and refresh myself, and I’ve been so eager to get back to writing for weeks now. There were so many great albums I heard from this summer, and I have so many thoughts I’m excited to share.

Let’s start off with this new album from Irish ... read more

The Wu-Tang Clan is one of the earliest and most influential hip hop groups, composed of so many legends including GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killa, Method Man, and of course so many more. It's their 1993 debut record, 'Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)', that stand above all else, and has firmly planted itself as one of the pillars of East Coast hip hop. This record is certainly grimy and provocative, yet also carries an air of lightheartedness and camaraderie with its skits and lyrics that aren't ... read more

This review is for an album swap with @Stink, thanks for doing this with me! I’ve given them ‘undun’ by The Roots, one of the most underrated hip hop concept albums from the 2010’s. Go check out their review too!
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/stink/album/2932-undun/

~

Jason Molina is the face behind indie rock and alt-country outfit Songs: Ohia. Before the recording of the groups final record ‘The Magnolia Electric Co.’, Molina was certainly no ... read more

Dalton told me to listen to this

Edit: It’s really great. I subscribe to Daltoncore

Obviously ‘Minecraft - Volume Alpha’ carries an immense amount of nostalgia for anyone growing up in this generation. But beyond that, it’s a perfect work of ambient music with a consistent atmosphere of tranquility, peace, and exploration.

Incoming every top review being some sort of joke about the album name.

I think “Jonas Brothers in 2023” is enough of a joke already.

I distinctly remember hearing this for the first time when it released, and I couldn't make it past the first 5 or 6 tracks. "Wtf is this?"

Well, after a full listen tonight, it's begun to click. Just like how it seemed to take some time for so many other, this album has grown on me, to the point where I actually have a lot of positive takeaways. When WLR connects, it hits hard. There are some incredible and energetic performances on this that have, and will continue to shape trap ... read more

I’m more of an Ed Sheeran fan than 85% of the users here, I actually love ‘X’. I’m cautiously optimistic.

Edit: Yeah this really isn't all that bad! I think it will get a good amount of hate simply from the name brand association, but there's far less to overtly hate here than his previous three albums. Stepping away from his former overblown and grating production, I think this is a nice return to simplicity. Granted, there still is a serious lack of genuine emotional ... read more

Susanne Sundfor’s new album ‘blomi’ has spent the most time this year as my AOTY. And while it doesn’t seem that it will retain that spot through the end of the year, it assuredly deserves all the praise in the world.

Norwegian born Susanne Sundfor has been a beacon of consistency and excellence in her career dating back to 2007’s self-titled debut, diversifying between folk singer-songwriter, synthpop, and experimental music. Her sixth studio album, ... read more

A surprisingly personal and low-key album from Jack Harlow. This ain’t that bad 🤷‍♂️

One of the most masterful compositions I’ve ever heard

This new album from Ellie Goulding is just pure fun.

Nothing over the top or groundbreaking. Nothing incredibly bold or boundary pushing. Just a damn fun pop record. I can understand in some contexts why "formulaic" can be seen as a negative, but since when does everything good need to be a reinvention? Why can't we just appreciate some music for a great refinement of an already established and successful formula, instead of expecting everything that's great to be reinventing the ... read more

Edit: It's been 6 months since the release of 'The Worm' and I decided to revisit it to refresh myself on this crazy story, and I'm surprised how much its grown off me. I originally had this album at a 9 and expected it to finish in my top 10 of the year, but I find it far more underwhelming at this point in the year. I still think the story is fun and enjoyable to decipher, but I'm a lot lower on this now than before. Around a 7 now :/

This album is absolutely outrageous. What is even going ... read more

'Knocknarea' is my introduction to the visceral post-rock sounds of UK underground act Maruja, and boy is it something special. This is a gritty and atmospheric EP from the band that is incredibly cinematic. Each track has perfect pacing and is excellent at building suspense, anxiety, and tension, before releasing into a cathartic and beautiful climax. So much of that suspense has to do with some cutting and growling saxophone work, but I really can't commend the drums and bassline enough too; ... read more

'All My Heroes Are Cornballs' is the third studio LP from the unpredictable and one-of-a-kind rapper and producer JPEGMAFIA.

I popped this record on last night, and after one listen, I swear I was ready to give this album something in the 40's. Usually I'm someone that tends to go with the grain, and I don't feel I have too many blistering hot takes. Though just after a first listen, I was fully expecting to take a stand against this project.

With fresh ears in the morning, I've listened to ... read more

So like, what the hell?? I would have never expected myself to be enjoying a record from Lana Del Rey this much, but 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' is well beyond any of those expectations.

Lana Del Rey has always been a messanger for the American dream, a window into a culture of toxicity, riches, and lust. Never has that message come across so clear and potent than on 'NFR!', where Lana's catchy songwriting mixed with the sad girl vibes has reached an all-time high. What an incredible ... read more

I just clicked the random album button until I found something with track ratings, so here we are with Park Jiha’s 2022 LP ‘The Gleam’.

Post-Minimalism is a genre I don’t think I’m all that familiar with, though sounds like something that might really grow on me.

‘The Gleam’ can simultaneously be both very subtle and loud. Tracks like At Dawn and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans both have amazing direction and an amazing mix, shifting seamlessly between ... read more

'AM' is a quietly disturbing album about obsession. The themes of stalking and fantasy are so creepy the longer you think about them. Songs like One For The Road, Fireside, and I Wanna Be Yours explicity depict a person who dreams about this relationship that isn't real, and it all comes across as deeply stalker-ish. The darker perspective really adds an extra layer to the sticky melodies and basslines.

I used to think this album was universally praised before joining this site, but I can see ... read more

Denzel Curry's 'TA13OO' is still his best album to this point. Conceptually, this album breaks down taboo subjects like molestation, revenge, and jealousy (among many other things), and does so over the course of three acts, with each being darker than the last. I think this concept could have been hammered in a little more, but it's still something super interesting to think about. The dark subject matters work perfectly with Denzel's violent and wild delivery and production.

@nah_ pointed ... read more