Brockhampton is making music that just feels increasingly more pointless. While the beat is pretty quirky, fun, and definitely another deviation from their previous work, it's just becoming more apparent that I have no idea what they're talking about and why. It feels like the idea train is running dry.

Underwhelming performances from the majority of the members, and JOBA's now trying to rap like Andre 3000 and coming across more like a angsty Blueface. In the depths of their catalog so far, ... read more

holy fishpaste.

Mark my words, this will go down as the quintessential Bon Iver album. Years from now when he's made several new projects, we'll be able to map their sound and utility to i,i, Justin Vernon's coming home swan song, a perfectly balanced album in accessibility and supernatural ability.

Most notable on the first listen is how pronounced his style of doing things. iHe's finally settled a style that feels honest and secure, less of an artistic jump than 22, A Million, but it ... read more

Had to make sure y'all were straight on this after bashing Hot Shower, or his XXL Freestyle, or Cash Sh*t, or Under The Sun!! He's one of the best new rappers out. Ergo, he's better than he should be. Not everyone can be Tierra Whack or Rico Nasty! But he's easily expanding on the style of Southern rappers with a flow all his own and funny references and charisma that his contemporaries lack. It's to the point where people doubting his intelligence has become a consistent theme in his music! ... read more

Had to take a break from not writing reviews to write this one after seeing how much y'all hate Hot Shower. But that's besides the point. It looks like none of you even remember That's LOVE from Acid Rap?!? Or Prom Night and Family from 10DAY?!? It's like who did you expect Chance The Rapper to become?!? JPEGMAFIA?!?

It's sad to see that many of y'all would automatically pigeonhole an album expressing sentiments of love, purity and positivity as corny and thusly bad. When it comes to that, it ... read more

Wow this is really something special. Existential and mindnumbing all in one, like a lazy ourbouros, poignant and mindful, yet taking confidence in the road to nowhere. This is the premeire fall album too, and my first instance of riding with a Vile album all the way through. Will return when I've listened to others for reference.

fave tracks: Bassackwards, Loading Zones, One Trick Pony, Hysteria, Bottle It In, Mutinies, Rollin With The Flow, Cold Was The Wind, Check Baby

Jeff Rosenstock is my guy!

Like pumping some maturity into Green Day, or taking the pretention out of Arcade Fire, Jeff has created a fun, emotional ride that's both easy going and a rollercoaster. It sounds like The Suburbs on steroids, taking themes of loneliness, insecurity, existential angst, and turning them into fun homecoming jams. This is garage rock that actually sounds like it's made in a garage, after scrambling home from school to do your chores in the Reagan era. It's toggles ... read more

Fun fact: This is the best album of the year according to the principal horn player for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

You Let My Tyres Down is one of the best songs of the year too. This album is freaking weird, but it's ear candy nonetheless.

fave tracks: You Let My Tyres Down, Two Afternoons, The Future of History, Shellfish Toxin, A Laughing Death In Meatspace

Rest in peace. Your album, sir, is beautiful, weird, and fun. Eccentric takes on traditional melodies, lovely instrumentation, and catchy, urgent lyrics. Thank you.

fave tracks: Broken Finger Blues, Selfishmath, Babylon, Wendy, Nancy, Sept 20

Where were you when the synth's for Argo destroyed your life? Gorgeous

*in competition with Paraphim for best underground rap record of 2018

fave tracks: Sirens, Argo, Golden Fleece, Atlas, Oedipus, Hades

HOLE IN HIS BRAIN HOLE IN HIS BRAIN

*in competition with Orpheus vs. The Sirens for best underground rap of 2018

fave tracks: Rehearse with Ornette, No Days Off, Fuhrman Tapes, Alternate Side Parking, Ecomog, Dettol

OHHHHHHHHSH

It goes without saying this is the best CONCEPT album of the year. And it's not just cause Hannibal Buress has a guest verse.
So satirical its serious, it somewhat serves as its own remedy for the bizarre ailment that is 2018 that it's trying to warn you about. Where other album's laments at the times, this one exposes our own oblivious complicity. It makes you laugh, cry and ponder all our innate insanity. Ratings aside, this is easily one of my automatic faves of the year.

fave ... read more

BEST ORANGE

You know what's the greatest thing about this album? It's grandiose and epic, but it doesn't do that by making outreaching grand statements. The album is deeply political and powerful, but it's power comes in how personal it is. Typically albums with a deeper message about the state of affairs opt to make the music as blatant and empathetic as possible. This is not a bad tactic, and has resulted in great political opus' like TPAB, or even earlier Marvin Gaye's What's Goin On or ... read more

I HAD FUN!!! IS THAT SO WRONG?!?!?

Critics need to chill and just have fun once in a while. This pop is simplistic yes, but still one of the liveliest, out of the box, personal pop albums of the year. The french version is the supreme listening experience. And DOESNT MATTER GIVES ME THE EXISTENTIAL SLAPS.

fave tracks: Doesn't Matter, 5 Dollars, Girlfriend, What's-her-face, The Stranger

the movie's good too

fave tracks: Suspirium, Unmade, Has Ended, Olga's Destruction, The Universe Is Indifferent, The Jumps

I was hooked when he started rhythmically gasping for air on the first track

I've never listened to Daughters before. At first I was like "This is like", The Body's new album, Algiers' album from last year or Swans' The Seer. Been there, done that. However, I was oh so terribly wrong. This is like no other album I've ever heard before.

this is like dying

fave tracks: Long Road, No Turns, Satan In The Wait, The Lords Song, Less Sex, Ocean Song, Guest House, Daughter, The Flammable ... read more

its alot fam

fave tracks: I shall love 2, Voce Simul, Turn The Light On, Underneath The Moon, In Gardens, Les Jeux to You

(first listen so I'll probably be back, but sheesh this is an undertaking. I appreciate the lush orchestrations and the powerful etherial energy of the pieces (pieces, not songs), but it's so hard to fully latch onto something over a straight through listen, that it's alienating. And because the styles of the songs are so varied and jarring, it comes across as holier than ... read more

TL;DR: this album is the older college educated brother to A$AP Rocky's TESTING and JOBA's mean

SAT. II is my favorite album of theirs. It felt like they had really mastered the conventional rap song, bringing nuance, hilarity, and innovation to the craft in a way that made them stand out amongst their peers.

But Iridescence proves they've always been in a lane of their own, for better or worse. I say that because Iridescence can be a somewhat jarring listening experience. Usually you know ... read more

The last trilogy entry is both a victory lap and a departure.
Their first feature with Ryan Beatty.
The cohesion and creativity between members is at its peak. Matt is singing more, they tag team on LIQUID, and we hear Bearface more than once on an album! Wow!

but I don't really listen to STAINS or ALASKA. And the songs standout less outside of the production. Wheras you could immediately tell that JUNKY is conscious or FIGHT is about racism, it seems like all the songs here are thematically ... read more

BESTHAMPTON

The best production.
The best topics.
The best lyrics (RIP Ameer feels hardest here)
JOBA and Matt Champion increase their presence DRAMATICALLY.
And they still hadn't REALLY blown up yet. It's the best cause it's the standalone reminder that you can be killing the game at any age, cemented their status, surmounted the sophomore slump, and inspired and impressed even those who didn't wanna pay attention.

I wonder where they'll be in a year hehehehe

BEST TRACKS: SWAMP, JUNKY, ... read more

Fresh out the woodwork, BROCKHAMPTON is killing the game!

But new and inventive can only get you so far. After listening to all their albums in the SATURATION TRILOGY, you can't tell me this is the album you return to the most. Returning to listen, it feels wonky and underproduced, and occasionally without focus. The sheer star power of HEAT and STAR feel way heavier. It's thankful that they continue to grow and develop their craft though, cause it still was one of the best albums of the year ... read more