Sunday In Heaven is a sweet album, but a serious gut punch of emotion.

Zella Day has created a very pleasant listening experience on this record, brimming with impressive performances and raw emotion. I love the way her voices cracks during some songs; it sounds as if she screaming out, giving the vocal booth absolutely everything she has. Very enjoyable.

Favorite track: Golden
Final verdict: Emotions running high all the way through a solid project/10

Waxahatchee and Jess Williamson join forces here under the name Plains to release I Walked With You A Ways, and it is unapologetically country. While that is rarely my cup of tea, this record is more complicated than the typical radio country, missing the common cliches of drinking, trucks, and loving and/or hating your partner. Well, there are lyrics relating to relationships on this record, but not in the cringey way. There is a nice focus on songwriting, and the album feels personal as a ... read more

For something that feels like it should have had a very strong and heavy sound, I feel left grasping at straws. If that was the expectation, I feel like Poppy has shot just wide of the mark on this EP. While certainly not devoid of interesting sounds, considering this is so filled with explitives and F bombs, I think there could have been more abrasiveness sonically. And please, don't get me going on the lyrics, which still feel very undercooked.

Favorite track: Pocket
Final verdict: Could ... read more

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are red hot in the year of 2022, releasing their second album in just 6 months' time. I haven't gotten the chance to hear their first release of the year just yet, but based off some user scores, I don't imagine it's an essential album, much like this newest release Return of the Dream Canteen. While I will say this was a bit better than I anticipated, there isn't a whole heck of a lot to take away. The snappy tunes in the first third of the album were balanced out by ... read more

Am I out of touch for saying this is bland and borderline annoying? This one didn’t click with me, I find M.I.A.’s delivery to be rough, and the lyrics are questionable.

Favorite track: Zoo Girl
Final verdict: The bland side of U.K. hip-hop/10

Not the biggest fan here of the monotone spoken-word-esque vocals. Few and far between were the moments where I thought, “Hey that’s pretty cool”.

Favorite track: The Individual
Final verdict: Nothing that stands out on this dance punk album/10

MAVI is a smooth and soulful hip-hop artist, and Laughing so Hard, it Hurts is a great addition to the impressive catalog of 2022 rap releases. MAVI raps over jazzy piano beats that sound like something you could find in a niche jazz club in New York City. It's cozy and comforting in a strange way. He also demonstrates a constant flow of consciousness, going for extended periods of time driving home a single rhyme scheme. This is a really solid release, and to think I was prioritzing listening ... read more

Tove Lo surprised me with maybe the most consistent track list I've heard all year.

Every single song here has energy, passion, and high dancibility. I'm so impressed with her ability to include so many bangers without every reaching a stale or dull moment, as I continued to stay engaged throughout. The power and emotion in her voice during certain moments, especially during my favorite track True Romance, is really incredible. This will be placing really high on my year end list, and it ... read more

The new album from The 1975, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, feels very, very safe. Nothing here feels like it really pushes the boundaries of what the group can do, and to a certain extent, I think that’s alright. This is very easily digestible music that may not draw strong opinions from listeners one way or another.

Favorite track: Happiness
Final verdict: Formulaic feel good tunes/10

Serious question: can Lil Baby rhyme anything with more than one, MAYBE two syllables?

I'm not a big Lil Baby enthusiast, so I can't say I'm very familiar with his catalog and style. I noticed his incredibly basic rhyme schemes early in the album, and it ended up being something that I couldn't overlook. Every. Single. Rhyme. Feels like the most basic "Words that rhyme with -----" google search.

In general, the production on this was decent to good, and was certainly the overall ... read more

Original rating: 93 --> 84

This is a very pleasant surprise of an album that I first listened to on it release while I was on a walk. The tunes on this album are some of the catchiest pop songs of the year for me. Much of this album consists of songs I will certainly be listening to for a while, big props to Joe Keery.

Favorite track: End of Beginning
Final verdict: Joe Keery, man of many talents/10

And now to talk about myself a little and why this album fell in rating, just to get it ... read more

Really loving the Bjork feature on Mycelium

It feels quite fitting that a band with an unnecessarily long name like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, come out with an even longer album name titled "Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava". Very fitting, yup.

King Gizz is back with their third of at least five albums of 2022, and it's quite the jam sesh. Earlier this year, I discovered King Gizz and did a deep dive on their discography, one after the next (before I used this ... read more

Avi Kaplan, formerly of a cappella group Pentatonix fame, released his debut studio album this May, Floating On A Dream. I was a big Pentatonix fan when I was younger, and being a bass singer myself, Kaplan was easily my favorite member. He has a silky-smooth lower register, and right now I'm of the opinion that he is one of the best, most effortless bass singers ever. On this debut album, he continues off the sound of his 2020 EP I'll Get By by showing us he's more than just a simple bass ... read more

This was released in June, not October, but let's give it a listen anyway shall we?

This is an interesting mix between traditional Scottish music and EDM, something I've never really heard before. I'm not sure if that's something unique that this band is trying, but it was fun nonetheless. Very basic melodies, but overall, not a bad LP from the group Valtos. I would be interested if they could expand this sound even more.

Favorite track: Charlie's on the Run
Final verdict: Nice little ... read more

Without knowing too much of Conway the Machines story, this is an extremely personal album, mostly from the second half. Conway raps about losing a child, near-death experiences, and moving on from the death and incarceration of his friends, just to name a few of the heavy subjects dealt with on this record. The production is very very strong, as it tends to be with Griselda records. However, something that I can't quite put my finger on is still holding me back from thinking this is an amazing ... read more

89 --> 88
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This record is face melting and incredibly tight.

Expect a guitar hero level solo approximately every 4 minutes on this record. Like, these guys can't help but absolutely shred every song. And the drums, oh my lord. The drums are extremely tight and continue to push this record forward the entire album. This deserves way more attention, and should be talked about heavily during end-of-year lists.

Favorite track: Kuroi Kage
Final verdict: Back to back ... read more

For me, Ugly Season revolves around one central theme: can something beautiful also be ugly? Can the uncomfortable bring us comfort?

In Ugly Season, Mike Hadreas, the voice behind Perfume Genius, takes multiple large steps forward into the realm of avant-garde experimentalism. Through unconventional methods, Hadreas takes sounds and concepts that traditionally would be "ugly" and turns them into something grand. Unsettling chords, sporadic and nonsensical rhythm, and an oft-lacking ... read more

First things first, I did not follow along with the lyrics and it's been years since I've taken a Spanish class, so I have no doubt that I missed out on significant themes and aspects of this album. With that being said though, I still really enjoyed this record though. Rosalía has a breathtaking voice; delicate and breathy, yet can pack a punch when needed. The fact that she goes through a majority of this record with that airy tone makes the powerful moments even stronger. There were ... read more

76 -> 67

The long, four part album Once Twice Melody from dream pop group Beach House is incedibly atmospheric. From the jump, the slightly fuzzy and airy vocals matched with starry instrumentals help to transport you to a different place. I didn't get the impression that each song sounded too much like the next, but I will say that this album is pretty long, and the second half is not nearly as strong as the first.

Favorite track: Runaway
Final verdict: Spacious and dreamy album that ... read more

Big props to Billy Woods for releasing two really positive hip hop albums this year, but I'm going to have to say his September release Church is better than this April release Aethiopes, despite what seems to be more praise for this. Production all around on this album is very very solid, Wood's voice fit perfectly with these east coast soulful beats. But am I out of pocket for saying it was just a little bit... boring at times? Maybe I need another listen, but I wasn't blown away. Regardless, ... read more