Best dance party of all time.

Each groovy dream of a song flows into the next, all supported by an amazing roster of supporting producers and musicians.

Peak Bronson. Amazing Alchemist production, inspired bar after inspired bar, and of course the cockamamie ‘chandeliers’ theme tying the whole thing together.

SZA really made a 23 song album and most of them were great. Impressive.

Metro Boomin knocks it out of the park with a cohesive and thrilling project with minimal filler, inventive beats, and stand-out guest performances from the old stand-byes.
RIP Takeoff
Free YSL

At this point, Action Bronson has perfected his format: concise quasi-concept album filled with bizarro imagery and grimy underground beats. This time, we go on a safari of sorts, our tour guide being a drugged-out Bronsonlino who keeps morphing into various terrifying animals only to deliver such gems as “Have her squirting in the car while we listen to a T-Pain G-mix.”

This is a forgotten mini-masterpiece of the mid ‘70s. Bill Withers creates a low-key album that peaks with the heavenly “Can We Pretend” (completely with Jose Feliciano’s angelic guitar noodling), with many subdued bangers throughout.

This one is so subtle. Each lovely song goes by quickly and worms its way into your brain before you even realize what happened. After the grandiose studio creations of the mid-1960s, the turn towards a bare-bones sound is welcome here. Favorite SMiLE leftover: the baffling and oddly charming “Mama Says”.

Smiley Smile is like a puzzle: Little bits of songs drift in and out, creating the perfect picture of a Sesame Street episode on LSD when assembled in the right way. While no one knows what would have happened if SMiLE was released as it was originally intended to be, what we actually got is weird, wonderful, and I love it just the way it is.

This is a very enjoyable, informal collection of light-hearted ditties, mainly covers. The weird banter and casual ambiance predict the drugged-out haze of Smiley Smile or Wild Honey in a way, but instead of revelatory mini-symphonies like “Good Vibrations” you have irresistible low-key bangers like “Barbara Ann”.

Plenty has been written about this amazing album, and I don’t have much to add to the conversation, but I’ll say it’s just about as close to sonic perfection as anything I’ve ever heard. This is commonly accepted to be the Beach Boys’ greatest musical achievement for good reason. No filler is present here, just incredible and complex harmony and melody set to beautiful, rich arrangements. The lyrics beautifully reflect Brian’s troubled psyche on tracks like ... read more

A step back from Today!, but still an enjoyable effort. The five-song stretch beginning with “Girl Don’t Tell Me” is solid, including the sonically-mind blowing (but lyrically dumb) “California Girls”, and plenty of straight-ahead pop songs that feel heavily inspired by the Beatles Help!-era sound. “Let Him Run Wild” is a satisfying slice of heavenly sadness.
Still, there are just too many stupid filler songs to put this one any higher on the list. ... read more

This album is a revelation. Side A shows a quantum leap in maturity from Brian as a songwriter (even if most of the subject matter still centers on teenage romances). But Side B, blissful balladry done to perfection, is what really makes this record shine; the final five-song suite is intricate and lovely, a mini masterstroke. In comparison to their pre-Today! output, every hook is catchier, every song draws from a wider palette of sounds, and thankfully all references to surfing have been ... read more

It’s…good? What a breath of fresh air. I kept waiting for this one to get bad and, while some of the filler is still present, All Summer Long is a very consistent early Beach Boys record with a nice summery (duh) vibe throughout. Although Surfer Girl is also a decent listen with many highlights, it feels like the Beach Boys finally came into their own and provided a cohesive listen with All Summer Long.

This has a few absolutely gorgeous ballads, one or two fun ones (namely “Fun, Fun, Fun”), and as always, some headscratchers. I went into this one after the mind-numbing traffic jam of Little Deuce Coupe expecting more of the same, but was happily surprised by the many gems on here.
Most bizarre moment: “Denny’s Drums” (I mean seriously, what the hell?)
Second most bizarre moment: “”Cassius” Love vs. “Sonny” Wilson” (even more ... read more

This album is twelve songs about cars, a third of which had already appeared on earlier albums, the remaining two-thirds of which, in typical early Beach Boys fashion, range from hints of genius (“Ballad Of Ole’ Betsy”, “Spirit of America”) to major filler (the rest).

This one is surprisingly full of life for the early period. It has beautiful ballads with “Surfer Girl” and “In My Room” (two of the best Beach Boys songs ever, period) and some of the stupid songs about surfing are catchier and more well-put-together than usual. A diamond in the rough.

Another album with one or two fun singles and a whole lot of meaningless fluff, but the inclusion of “The Lonely Sea” is a glimpse of Brian Wilson’s trademark melancholy balladry and edges this album out over the debut.

Delightful: title track & “409”
‘Why does this exist?’: basically every other song here
These albums aren’t (that) offensive to listen to or anything, and contain some nice ditties, but I doubt I’ll listen to them in full again anytime soon:

It sounds like that gorgeous moment when you're about to fall asleep but you're still vaguely awake.