This is a parody right? Like a joke that I'm too European to understand?

uWu vewyyy scawyy

No but seriously this is one of those absolute mindfucks you stumble upon. I've listened to it a few times now, and whilst I'm not going to be regularly returning to the odd song off this track, the entire project is a beautiful demonstration of how powerful music can be, even when it isn't used in a traditional sense.

The singing and spoken parts of this is also jarring because they come out of nowhere - you're covered in a thick wall of sound and then out of nowhere ... read more

Overall, not awful. Overall, not brilliant. Gabbie CAN sing, she just doesn't know how to deploy her voice properly. I really enjoyed every aspect of Glass House sans her voice. It starts off as a straight Melanie Martinez rip-off and she uses it like five different ways throughout the song.

It still feels as if she is still working out how to use her voice properly. It can be effective, and whilst the songs are fairly safe, there are a few moments which are just unintentionally jarring.

I ... read more

Woah I'm getting a little bit of everything from this. Reminds me of SAT 1 and HEAT, the rollout of SAT 2, and the energy and sort of anger of iridescence, the vibe of the 199x singles from the infamously cut short PUPPY project. Interesting times ahead

I somehow completely missed the roll out of this album; I heard Cinnamon some time ago, and whilst waiting with interest to see Williams' first steps in her solo career, other things kinda got in the way.

In the end I'm glad I got to experience the album as a whole - and I think that impacts how I experienced its component parts. The three segments work very well, but also still feel very connected. They also work as standalone mini-albums, with central themes and styles, but I didn't feel at ... read more

I think this album was the natural progression of both band and genre's sound. Metalcore has been established for quite some time, but I can't remember the last time such a major sonic shift has happened. This album is consistent throughout, and whilst I felt the "glitch" noises were bordering on gimmicky, after a few listens I feel they got it about spot on. Industrial music isn't just throwing a few screeches into your tracks, and Code Orange don't do that. Interesting to see if ... read more

This is unrecognisable. Is it still pop-punk? There's nothing punk about it - BJA's vocals shy away from its one strength, the riffs are so commercial. I hadn't listened to this, but saw all the fuss. Dismissed it as an overreaction - boy I was wrong. Maybe I'm too generous with my scores, but this project broke me.

I'm grateful that this is only 26 minutes long. Normally I'd say that it is too short to leave an impression, but I doubt this album could leave any imprint on your mind beyond the ... read more

I think in terms of being an all round package, Thundercat is probably one of the most talented people in the music industry. Producer, singer, session musician and writer, it's no surprise he consistently comes out with good music, no matter if it his song or on another artists track.

It Is What It is showcases his unique sound and blend jazz and funk, and of course it works out very well. I consider a 5/10 to be average, but a 7/10 to me highlights an album worth listening to way beyond its ... read more

Feel like I'm slightly in the minority here, but I just didn't really connect to this project as much as I would have liked, because there's aspects I love and very little I dislike.

Probably one of those that will grow on me, but I'm still a fan of King Krule's sobering punk-esque vocals over jazz and rock. Sometimes it contrasts in a beautiful way, sometimes it combines seamlessly. Well worth a listen, and definitely a project I'll be returning to.

Is Robbie Williams my guilty pleasure? No, because I feel no guilt admitting that he has a special place in my heart.

Escapology is in similar territory - a proud fixture of my childhood. Am I biased? Yes. Don't think that I don't recognise this. Have I rated this too highly? I truly can't say. I'll bring it down a few ratings, and then change it back frequently after a re-listen, or sometimes minutes later after thinking about it again.

This was the fourth full-length studio album in a ... read more

ehhhhh. blehhhh. meh.

Just background music - I think you could stick this on in one room, do every single chore all over the house, come back to the room and still feel you're on the same track.

Chicago Freestyle has that decent re-working of the chorus from Eminem's "Superman", which ironically has a completely different tone to Drake's nice guys finish last motif from this album.

Chris Brown's feature was the most unnecessary thing I've heard in 2020 - added nothing to a bland ... read more

There's some interesting beats on this, but even they are quickly ruined by just average singing. I'm not sure what niche and audience Trainor is serving or even aims for - she is nowhere near as prominent as others in the pop realm, and she isn't doing anything new to warrant keeping an eye on her. This is bland, safe pop with a few half-hearted attempts at branching out into other genres.

Lyrically I find she contradicts herself a few times, so the pro-feminist/ body confidence message she ... read more

Despite Indie-Rock entering and leaving the mainstream about 10 years ago, all of Blossom's albums would have been held in the highest bracket even back then.

Yes, the sound isn't revolutionary. For me, if you're not going to reinvent the wheel, you should make it the best wheel you can. Blossoms have done that on each other albums - taken an over saturated genre and market, made the smallest of tweaks and made a name for themselves in a post-popular indie world.

Whilst the juggernauts of the ... read more

Just so bland and repetitive. Most indie bands try and hark back to a time they were on top of the world with their first albums, but apart from one song that wasn’t the Courteeners.

Some of the levels on this also seemed off.

Just wasn't a fan. Went on too long in places, and Wedding in Berlin is atrocious. However, about what I expected for a Pet Shop Boys album in 2020.

Bland and basic. A stripped back vibe without any real power to songs. Some nice features and beats, but becomes repetitive quickly. Also the songs seem to contradict each other lyrically?

It was a hip-hop album. It was an alright hip-hop album. I already forgot about this hip-hop album.

The producer behind UK mega-star Robbie William's biggest-selling and most memorable hits, Guy Chambers finally takes the limelight some 20 years after Robbie went solo.

Despite it being Guy's album, he decides to reimagine solely songs penned for Robbie - for the most part, reimagining them as slower piano numbers.

Whilst some really benefit from the covers, there is always the thought in the back of the head that the lyrics really do make the songs punch that bit more.

However, the pair's ... read more

A very colourful and surprising album. I do actually believe he is rapping in Nigerian Pidgin rather than in a Jamaican style like others suggest, but happy to agree that it is a similar style. The flows are neat and fairly good, whilst the production is also quite neat. A few interesting and colourful beats and samples give this album a decent flavour.

A more than average Grime album. There's some deep and dark themes that perhaps Grime artists don't normally discuss, but Syer B conveys his emotions with some decent bars and good delivery. Not too much behind it, and the two features probably produce the most memorable and stand out moments on the album. However, despite its brevity, well worth a listen as I have a feeling it will be one of the stand outs LPs from the genre this year.

Favourite Track:

Madman Skills Ft. Devlin