*listens to "Where Do We Go" once*

But in all seriousness, this came on after listening to her new record and grabbed me more vigorously than nearly anything on it. Embarrassed to say my biggest exposure to this lady before today was her (uncredited) feature on a Nicki Minaj song, and that appearance really didn't betray what a vocal powerhouse she is. The STRUT that this thing climaxes into is undeniable, and Ware's vocals are the centerpiece. That's how you open a record - take ... read more

I hope the ARTV guy doesn't beat himself up too much for liking this album 10 years ago. Tastes change, baby! Especially in your youth!

But yeah, this thing takes all the worst elements of Want and blows them to movie size. Where their sophomore record was big and dumb in a kind of enjoyable way, this one amplifies the chauvinism and white-knighting while scaling back the parts that were actually interesting, like the surprise bridge of "IMNOTYOURBOYFRIENDBABY" or the ridiculously ... read more

Kinda surprised at the way this is teetering between green and yellow territory; I honestly love it nearly as much if not more than her beloved previous album. Meg Remy continues pointed critiques of capitalism and inequality over characteristically unique instrumentation. Sure, the discordant mallets on "Born to Lose" are unnecessary, but the song wins out with a stunning backing vocal melody and the kind of breakdown that the fake sunniness of "4 American Dollars" was ... read more

Shoutout to Joanna Newsom Shitposting (aka JNew ShiPo) for recommending this classic!

Ok, so if you know anything about this album, you probably know the mystery surrounding what exactly it is that Phillips is playing. The instrument, apparently called a manzarene, might be two zithers put together, or maybe a celestaphone. There are certain songs where it sounds plucked, and others where it sounds hammered. I'd been interested in this instrument after seeing PJ Harvey use a similar hammered ... read more

Amazing take on a classic. La Havas trolls us with a measure of the original song's drumbeat before bringing the song into her signature relaxed groove. In its second half, she augments the dynamics of the original in both directions, swapping the mellower bridge with warm a cappella and the somewhat subdued outro with heavy guitar, full choir, and up-the-octave singing.

She can do no wrong!

One of my favorites of the 2010s - Chris Thile and company use bluegrass as a reference point but really create something brand new out of it on nearly every song. The adventurism really is the selling point, as on "Magnet," which fuses Bluegrass with an uptempo rock arrangement that gives Thile plenty of space to weave his nimble mandolin arrangements through. There are of course many other moments of super showy instrumentation (the whole thing starts with a rapid arpeggio figure), ... read more

Don't know what kind of Bay Area conservative gay elite are still interested in this wannabe Scissor Sisters crap but good lord it's yucky. We run the gamut of bad Prince worship ("If You Were My Baby") to awkward Alex Jones dance-rock ("Sheep") to faux-exotica because, uh, fuck PC culture ("Magic Carpet")??? Rebel might think of himself as a provocateur, but this is little more than bad recreation of ""gay"" styles with some conservative ... read more

A genuine and sincere ballad from this clown? Definitely could have used a few more vocal takes in its first leg but the composition is beautiful, which actually didn't surprise me since her knack for theory and arrangement is not super subtle across the complexities of her mixtapes. The subtle swells of (synthesized( orchestra that ride out the bridge are an amazing touch that would make even a film composer blush. Don't think we'll ever get a full (serious) album from her, but this will ... read more

Exceeded my (pretty low) expectations - this is a fun and creative song that might be Rosalia's best collaboration with another artist! Like a good chunk of her post-El Mal Querer material it suffers from underdevelopment (please girl put out something longer than 3 minutes that isn't Yo x Ti) but the attitude, abrasive percussion, and uncharacteristically well-rehearsed spot from Scott come together for a winning 129 seconds.

Videos of Dorian debuting new material during The Flamboyant tour have been circulating on Youtube for a while now, and "Sorry Bro (I Love You)" was definitely one of the more captivating songs (heavy competition among material that also satirized Barbie Dolls and"m'lady" culture). There is one video where the (probably very queer) audience absolutely loses their minds on the line "but no homo" that really sells it in a way that gets somewhat lost on this studio ... read more

Shoutout to all the people boo'd up during quarantine thinking you're gonna gets married when this is all over. This song really captures the (pretty irrational) bliss!

Wish I had a uterus so I could have his babies FOR REAL.

This is The Chainsmokers's best song.

Let us all commend Nicki's bravery in her decision to come out as heterosexual. Love is love! 💖💖💖💖

*review I wrote for a newspaper in 2016*

“This record is me releasing whatever I have to,” alt-folk legend Thao Nguyen recently told NPR, “trying to move forward, to forgive. But then a few songs later I feel like I could leave him for dead.” The record in question is A Man Alive, Nguyen's fourth with her band The Get Down Stay Down, and the “him” in question is Nguyen’s father, who phased in and out of her life since her preteen years.

But ... read more

Public Service Announcement: we do not need anymore mood music. There is currently enough. I repeat, we are GOOD on MOOD MUSIC. Thank you!

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I don't feel super let down by this project, but I've also never really checked for Childish Gambino like that. "Awaken, My Love!" was definitely remarkable for being such a massive stylistic switchup as well as signaling the arrival of Donald Glover The Singer And Musician. It was a merciful ... read more

Ok not to be g*y but I'm currently hunkered down with this new guy at his house while the shelter in place has been ordered and I'm lowkey falling in love with him more each day (until we eventually drive each other crazy) and honestly that line "He holds me in his big arms/Drunk and I am seeing stars/This is all I think of" resonates so much more to me now than it did then.

(But really, stay safe everyone! I know I've been busy but I love this community and you're all very ... read more

The only good song to come from the Sheezus era - even the tired dubstep beats (and goat noises?) can't distract from how on-target her lyrics are. Kinda sounds like she's describing a few of y'all if I'm being honest.

boycotting AOTY until u acknowledge ajayii as a valid and reputable critic

*probably will delete later*

Rapper Darryl B is, if nothing else, fascinating to observe. He doesn't really understand meme formats that well. He's desperately trying to become a viral in whatever way he can across numerous social media platforms. He is a shirtless 30-year-old man on Tik Tok. He claims to rep Boston despite living significantly outside the city. As he's gearing up to release his album Critical Power Unleashed (of which all the songs have already made their way to the internet ... read more

Um is this what Christian youth music sounds like cause if so I've been seriously missing out.