After 22 years, it's hard to judge if playing it safe and sticking to their roots was appropriate. I mean, after so long, I suppose that's what the people *would* want from a new Slowdive album, right? I digress though. The self titled Slowdive album sort of earns its name, but that's not to say it's as grand a release as their debut and certainly not compared to Souvlaki. Sonically it's more in line with their sophomore project, but it does lack a bit of the lush, ... read more

For better and for worse, Pygmalion is a dramatic step in another direction for Slowdive. I totally respect the gang for switching up and not making another shoegaze album, but this switch doesn't come without its flaws. To make it clear, this is a good album, and an admirable one at that. It's soundscapes are far more minimalistic and carry instrumentation previously unexplored on the first two Slowdive projects and the best stuff is really really great, I just found it to be a ... read more

This song is genuinely so fun

I could've gone my whole life without listening to this. This is literally the worst thing I've ever heard in my entire fucking life I'm not even going to write a review because I don't want to think about it anymore.

It's sweet music but boy am I glad they stepped it up from here. It's barebones, charming folk music, with the occasional gem. "The Sound of Silence" helps a lot, but other highlights include "Bleecker Street", "He Was My Brother", "The Sun Is Burning", and the title track. Not really much to say about it. It'd be a nice album to play at a family get-together that includes your grandparents. It doesn't push any boundaries, but really ... read more

Man, the sheer talent that just seeps from this album is insane. From her first to second album, Clairo displays HUGE artistic growth, and while I loved that one maybe just as much, this one is musically on another level. I won't go track by track, but Clairo amplifies every track with gorgeous instrumental layering, background vocals, and narratives/song topics that touch the soul. This album represents just how touching a singer-songwriter, portrait album cover project can be. It makes ... read more

What a phenomenal album. When I first listened to Ten, I thought it was pretty great stuff, but not something I'd return to. I was hoping to find a new experience with Pearl Jam, an album I'd be urged to come back to, and Vs. is just that. This is easily one of my favourite Grunge albums after a few listens. While I sort of expected more of the same from the debut, this was not that. It amplified the heavy Grunge tones that worked well on the first album, and provided a lot more ... read more

My biggest issue with Bread previously, although not that big, was their lack of originality. However, A: I only listened to one of their albums, and B: said complaint dramatically demotivated me to check out another Bread album. Not because I thought it would be bad, but because it just didn't really feel worth it when other adjacent acts just did the same thing but better. I think I'm just gonna bite the bullet with this one though because at the end of the day, it sounds nice, and ... read more

This is not a bad album. I think what sets it back for people is that it's unlike other Radiohead releases in that it's primitive and non-adventurous. As a matter of fact, it almost sounds like a different band entirely, which I think is an unfair reason for it to get hate. I even wanna say that the shade this album gets feels like some weird obligatory undermining because it will get compared to the grandioso works such as The Bends, OKC, and beyond. I think this is unfair judgement. ... read more

Tranquil doesn't really live up to it's name. As a matter of fact, it's one of the most dynamic Lofty albums I've heard. Lofty sticks to his roots on "Sanskrit Sigil" and "Enter the Ballroom", the latter of which I didn't really care for and both are kinda dragged. We also get the side of Lofty I'm sorta more interested in nowadays being his instrumental endeavours. The techno influences are clear here and Lofty doubles down on that branch a few ... read more

An extremely endearing indie rock project from a band I discovered from Skate 3 with their relatively popular "For Energy Infinite". This album needs to get talked about more because it is such a fun time front to back and is pretty much seamless in quality. It's an album full of passion, emotion, despite it being adjacent to what some might consider to be the factory manufactured rock music of the 2000s. This album is sunny, content, but it also takes time to get a bit more ... read more

For a while, Blxst is an artist I've wanted to appreciate for more than just his features. His singing, while not boundary-pushing, just sounds great and he has such a presence on most tracks he's invited on. I'm happy to report that Blxst's sorta one dimensional musicality doesn't hold him back from making a solid album. This album isn't overthought at all and at the same time is far from being superficial and manufactured in feeling. Blxst just constantly sounds ... read more

I love everything about this album's image and presentation, and really I have no complaints, but it's just too musically linear and reaches a plateau to which I don't find myself wanting to rate it super high.

This just seeps with early 2010s and late 2000s charm from the super fun production to Wiz's awesome vocals and singing. It's mostly consistent, passionate, and has almost no filler. I'm really surprised more people aren't calling it a classic and even more so that the average is only a 63.

I've wanted to listen to this album for a looooong time. The raw, kickass cover, the singles, the debut hype, the band's overall image—it's something I knew I'd be rocking the fuck out to before I even listened. And well, I got what I expected. This album is fucking great. Zero complaints. For about 23 minutes, these guys deliver an unrelenting, hardcore, batshit experience that'l give you permanent stank face. One of the coolest things about this albums is its ... read more

Alessia Cara does what she does best on her newest album. It's pretty sweet, has a couple tracks here and there that are just too bland, but it's mostly got a nice charm, decent sound, and clean production. the first half is considerably stronger than the second with highlights like "Go Outside!", "Dead Man", "Subside", and "Get To You", while the only huge standout on the second was "Clearly" for me. While the quality does slightly ... read more

This EP carries a shocking amount of substance and weight compared to some of his other work, being just at 16 minutes. Every track here is a digestible, replayable banger, with great features and energetic performances from Bladee. There is nothing wrong with this EP. Love it.

Relisten: 50 --> 60

This was the very first Bladee album I successfully listened to front to back, having given up 2 tracks into Gluee the first time I checked it out. Keep in mind this was years ago and I've since come around to Bladee, loving a decent amount of his music. I really didn't like this when I first listened, even thinking it was a joke album, and I'm still struggling to fully settle on a decision. This is by far the least digestible Bladee album, and that's ... read more

Certainly not the strongest Bladee release but I think it gets a little too much discredit. The production can feel thin at times and even amateur, but it has some redemption in bangers like "Drama" and "Into You". "Sun" is a highlight as well, feeling more full and sound than the rest of the stuff. "You", and "Grace" are kinda stinkers, and hold little presence on this short lived album. Y'know if you're gonna make an album this short ... read more

This is so stupid I love it.