Look how they massacred my boy..

Narcolepsy perfectly sets the tone and sets in stone that this isn’t the Ben Folds you’re used to. A patient piano intro makes way for Sledge’s erupting bass tone, crashing into the mix like a lightning strike, as Darren pummels his kit - militaristically accenting and pummeling the track. It’s heavy, but it’s theatric. An aggressive and lush string section gives the song urgency, the dynamic push/pull/loud/quiet of the intro and first verse grabbing you and ... read more

TWENTY ONE PILOTS | CHAPTER EIGHT

I was pretty disappointed when this came out.

The rollout was confusing and sparse, but there was a thrill in the unknown. The singles were both perfect and showcased exactly what I wanted out of the album: grit and new territory explored. It’s the final chapter of a series, and one that I’d been heavily invested in the last year or so. It was all shaping up to be perfect. I prepared for Breach by listening to Trench hours in advance. Breach was ... read more

Although a bit more cerebral than its predecessor, Ben and the boys rock just as hard as they ever had. Walloping intro track One Angry Dwarf is about as good an intro track as any, as it pummels you with keys and Ben singing quick-paced caricature laden verses about grade school revenge. Maybe it sounds silly, and to an extent it is, but it feels like a grand statement - a kick in the door: “Kiss my ass!” As hard as some tracks rock, you can hear development almost instantaneously. ... read more

The trio (yes, not actually five), consisting of piano, bass and drums, create a lot of bombast purely led by the energy of trying to make up for the dynamics they don’t have. Without a guitar player, could you really rock in the 90’s? With fast-paced, punky cuts like Julianne and Uncle Walter, you can practically hear Ben slamming the keys, maintaining the melodic complexity that gives these songs the depth they need to stick out from the likes of other ivory-tickling rockers like ... read more

Yeah, this is rough. Somehow feels more robotic than the album version. This was absolutely only released because it’s been picking up traction on TikTok (for what reason, I have no idea). This doesn’t do anything the finished version doesn’t already do much better.

While I originally was going to write “go back to playing fifa” as my review, I really want to say this is amazing in every facet and Quadeca continues to not let down.

The soundscape is rich and subtle, feeling like Quad is singing from a rickety little boat in an enveloping, expanding sea - I get major Tintin vibes for whatever reason. I know most people aren’t major fans of how the track chooses to crescendo with the little rap bit, but personally I feel like it ... read more

For having over twenty tracks and being an hour long, it's impressive how little a project of this style drags. Welles' often sarcastic and humile lyrics make the record very gripping, leading me to wonder what direction he would take each song. Trump Trailers is a great example, as it does the unpredictable and compares the president to a southern, trailer park dwelling white trash caricature, producing some funny and interesting parallels.

His brand of internet age political ... read more

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE | CHAPTER FOUR

You remember how the previous record translated its influences into something subtle, refined, fresh and creative? Yeah, well, strip all that away and party, motherfucker.

Created as a sort of victory lap after two incredibly acclaimed and successful records, MCR’s fourth record sees them going in a more Synth-oriented garage rock direction, clearly influenced by the glam and the cock-rock of the 70’s and 80’s like Kiss and Guns N Roses, ... read more

Sounding as if Robert Smith just stepped out of a portal from 1989, Alone is a gorgeously solemn and bleak declaration of The Cure’s return. The atmosphere is unmatched, seriously.

Brad Taste In Music is a spineless, grotesque manchild who hides from all accountability. A lazy, sluggish caricature of once was a lively and interesting young content creator. A fake, money hungry, irrational crybaby. Brad Taste is someone who was never equipped to handle his fame. I’ve always stuck by his content, even when I felt he was being overly dramatic or one dimensional in his opinions, or whether he got himself into hot water. I was looking forward to a new era of his content ... read more

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE | CHAPTER THREE

Despite the success and acclaim of the previous record, it was clear from the start that there was more of an ambition and a fire to the band than what we saw. Three Cheers is no doubt a stone cold classic, and a great showcase of Gerard and Co.’s emotional songwriting and dark punk attitude, but from the concept to the detailed lyricism (and occasional classic rock influence) you can hear something much greater. Much more tasteful. Much more ... read more

Ridiculously fun. Has the charm of LP2 and the nonsensical irreverent nature of Without Me. A catchy chorus and funky beat also help greatly. Some lines that miss somewhat, but I cannot complain at all. Way better than I thought.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS | CHAPTER SEVEN

The boys cap off their decade-long journey with a 47 minute party mix of previous favorite flavors, as well as new ideas and palettes.

Before we get into this record at all, I must say I was anticipating this one heavy and knew it could really go either way. Either I find it to be a catchy, replayable, forward-thinking and ambitious continuation of my favorite branches of their sound, or well…I really don’t know how the latter would’ve ... read more

Birthday time
It’s my birthday
Birthday boy
Happy birthday me

Very Tori Amos/Bjork inspired (Bjorki Amos?) and it just kinda falls flat for me. Very (very) grating vocals, almost like nails on a chalkboard, bad production (this type of music, to me, just should not be raw like this), and a very forced, for lack of a better word, quirkiness. I’m often unimpressed or frustrated by this because I really thought I’d enjoy it more. There’s some beautiful moments but there’s just something wrong with it from the get. Listen to Little ... read more

What starts out as promising and bitey alternative rock with Debaser and Tame, quickly devolves into a boring mush of halfbaked ideas, awkward moments, grating singing and filler. There’s some good songs here and there, but never do they top the first two. It just sounds really unfocused and like they were dicking around in the studio rather than honing in on making a good, tight record. Not horrible, but rarely do I ever hear the spark of genius that others do from this sloppy hodgepodge ... read more

NIN-esque piano loop, crispy boom bap drums, yet another amazing chorus, subdued Morph-y meta rap verses, and even a diss on one of their worst songs, Saturday???! This may be the “weakest” single yet, but it is not by much. This is another banger to add to the collection and only furthers my enthusiasm for what’s to come.

Well done once again, Jyler Toseph and Dosh Jun.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE | CHAPTER TWO

Most people take years to perfect their craft; 10,000 hours, minutes, days; this adjustment period can often take an album or two (or three), but a snappy young group of Jersey boys hit the ground running with their debut I Brought You My Bullets…, and while not a commercial success by any means, it was the catalyst to them getting seen by major labels and eventually being signed by the prestigious Reprise records. Using this momentum and building off ... read more

While the verses are easily the weakest part of the song, and it doesn’t come close to the previous single, I still enjoy it in totality and find it to be a nice ode to emotional 2000’s pop rock.

( 82 - 87

Had to sleep on it, but after learning what the song is about and warming up to the new vibe this is another excellent song. Not as good as Overcompensate still, but nonetheless a hit.

87 - 90

Shit hits, man.)