I've been listening to this group even before I started listening to less mainstream music years ago. With a new record label, I was hoping for some actual consistently good production finally. And I did get that, somewhat. There are tracks that sound great, specifically the first two tracks, which are probably two of the best tracks they have ever made. Unfortunately, a lot of the album still sounds pretty cheap and phoned in. This album is also missing some of the really well written ballads ... read more

An absolutely stunning composition of music. I have never heard a pure soundscape so effectively convey a concept ever. This is an album about the death of music, but the inherent despair and sadness in its sound could be applied a whole host of dystopian themes. Tim Hecker's brand of tense and visceral ambient music is perfect for this concept, and its beautiful and haunting production makes this one of the most harrowing musical experiences I have ever had.

I can understand this album being hailed as an all time classic, but for me, I've always found Kanye's production and lyrical themes to be a little overrated. Regarding Kanye's lyrics, there are certainly instances of brilliance where his perspective on fame is very compelling. However, one of Kanye's biggest weaknesses throughout his career has been his focus, and that's definitely still prevalent here. There are also moments where the mix is a little blown out. I'm as much of a sucker for ... read more

Despite being her debut, Tidal remains Fiona Apple's most instrumentally and stylistically diverse album. It's pretty shocking to find this sort of lyricism coming from somebody so young, but Tidal just subverts expectations like that, even for someone like me who has listened to all of her other albums. Even though she eventually moved on to more complex and ambitious song structures, that doesn't take away from how fantastic this first album was.

Now having listened to the entire Fiona Apple discography, I'm pretty surprised to find that no project has managed to surpass this one for me. It was so incredible hearing Fiona transition from more generic singer-songwriter song structures earlier in her career to some more esoteric compositions on her latest two projects. Idler Wheel used that to form a more emotional and intimate experience, while Fetch the Bolt Cutters is fierce and utterly uncompromising. Percussion has always been a ... read more

During the first few listens, I did briefly put this among her best albums. Unfortunately, the more I listen, the less and less I find exciting and worthy of revisiting. With that being said though, this is still a technically brilliant record. Fiona has proven herself as a top tier songwriter and lyricist at this point and her commentary is just as clever and biting as usual. I think the main issue I found upon repeated listens was the lack in variety in the production. There just isn't the ... read more

A theatrical and emotional concept album is really the perfect format for the pop funk formula to flourish. Sonically, there isn't really anything new or exciting, but the arrangements really sell each individual song. Each track has something to say about existentialism and the journey throughout is riveting.

Although I think this album is a little overrated and the sound is a bit dated, I can't just ignore Bjork's consistently enthralling performances.

Why is Super Duper Party People so much worse than the rest of the album??? jeez

Pretty solid singer-songwriter material, but considering this is coming from Fiona Apple, I'm a little disappointed. Fiona's best written songs are always the ones that accentuate her incredibly emotive vocal performances. Here though, I just don't find most of the album all that impactful.

This album beautifully melds smooth ethereal disco soundscapes with propulsive dance beats to perfectly capture its era of inspiration. Nothing groundbreaking, just really solid and impeccably produced.

Will Toledo's charm as a lyricist is still here, but there are just too many ugly synths and half baked melodies to ignore.

Glad I've never the heard the seemingly repulsive entries in his recent catalog, or else I might not have enjoyed this as much as I did. There are few tracks that I wish were cut, but No ID's production is terrific and Logic's bars are solid albeit a little corny.

Even though i appreciate the more earnest and mature lyricism, Taylor's songwriting is just isn't quite evocative enough to match. The smooth production is nice, but a little too inorganic. Ultimately, close but not quite.

Lush is a seriously impressive feat of songwriting. Lindsay Jordan does occupy a crowded field of female indie singer songwriters, but her combination of sharp lyricism and stunning melodies help her stand out.

In a year defined by fatal apathy and chilling isolation, Phoebe Bridgers captures the numbness and the longing for connection we all feel through a record of enthralling anecdotes. On the surface, it's easy to admire Phoebe's angelic yet painfully vulnerable voice and the accompanying production. Everything sounds so incredibly vivid; everything from the plucked guitars to the impeccably arranged string motifs. Where the production really shines though is in its subtlety. There are so many ... read more

This is easily the most disappointing thing I have listened to all year. I've never been a massive fan of this group, I've always come away from their albums liking their sound and a fair amount of tracks. Here though, I'm struggling to find anything positive to say. Fundamentally, this group still sounds the same with their high gloss ethereal palette. But the constant barrage of subpar Burial ripoffs along with a reluctance to approach any of the bombast that define their best songs (with an ... read more

I had fun. Just don't see myself ever listening front to back again with some of the annoying duds in the tracklist. The remixes range from intricate and creative to sloppy and grating. The new tracks are decent, but they don't live up to the bombast of the original LP.

It's a really solid emo math rock record, but it definitely doesn't quite resonate with me as much as I expected it to. The lyrics are well written in a screenplay dialogue sort of way. It makes for some very raw and intimate moments, but some tracks end up passing over me leaving almost no discernible impression. I did really enjoy the songwriting and the guitar tones though. This is an album that captures the atmospheric yet melancholic passage of time really well. And for that, I will ... read more

This latest effort from Danny Brown is pretty ill-conceived considering how conceptual and boundary-pushing Atrocity Exhibition was. Danny's delivery works really well when it sounds like he's playing a really fucked up character on projects such as Atrocity Exhibition and XXX, but here it just sounds out of place a lot of the time. The production is quite uninspiring as well. With Danny Brown, you can always expect some really nice and cleverly written bars, but that's honestly the only thing ... read more