DON'T TAP THE GLASS definitely fit a niche in Tyler's discography and career, relieving some of the pressure to create a mega-project every two years that changes the game. This album just has some solid raps over simple beats, high energy, fun stuff, released on a whim.

However, Tyler portrayed this album like the second coming of Christ. some revolutionary dance music. Hard hip hop raps are back. His message is completely incongruent with how the album actually sounds: goofy as ... read more

need more time to process this, but this is one of the most beautiful albums ever. playful and lush instrumentation. goofy yet introspective. experienced every human emotion in 39 minutes. great memories.

After years of anticipation, Carti feeds the street with a batch of undercooked tracks to the point where it is nearly unlistenable. Many features felt out of place (Kendrick, for example), and I am not excited about the strange and mysterious aura, deep voice, or mumble rap vibe anymore. Beats and flows sounded incredibly similar and uninspiring. RATHER LIE was my only good takeaway from this album.

Fighting Demons is an incredibly bloated posthumous album that ended up leaving a negative stain on his legacy. Fans of Juice WRLD can find a couple of meritable and serviceable tracks, but as a cohesive album, it is difficult to sit through the lazy mixing and low effort collaborations. This is definitely not Juice's best work, and most of these freestyles never made it onto an album for a reason.

Andre 3000 is on a different plane of existence. He has enough on his resume that it doesn't even matter what he drops. New Blue Sun is a fun, flute-based ambient album, but nothing groundbreaking or experimental. I do believe that an artist as talented as Andre probably could've pushed the boundaries of this genre a bit further, but he is in his chill unc era, stepping back from the scene and watching the hip-hop world he built.

To me, GNX is a bit of a "victory lap" album, similar to Kanye and Jay-Z's collaboration on Watch the Throne. Coming off of a wildly successful year - murdering Drake's reputation in the rap industry, performing at the Super Bowl, and winning five Grammys for Not Like Us - Kendrick reaffirms his GOAT status as one of the greatest lyricists with this surprise release. It quickly becomes apparent that GNX is not as introspective or methodically written as his other albums, nor ... read more

GODSTAINED is a fun track, but a bit overrated as a standalone single in my opinion. Quadeca unlocks new genres and blends them together effectively - the production is what really shines and makes me hopeful for what's to come on Vanisher. I love the aesthetic that Quadeca is going for, and his new artistic direction is very promising, showing off his versatility and truly making it out of the YouTube rapper trenches.

Beatopia is my guilty pleasure album...Beabadoobee crafts a beautiful utopian aesthetic, where time seems to move slower and life seems simpler. She strikes a great balance between her stunning vocals and indie rock instrumentals, complementing her voice perfectly. Overall, while the writing isn't the greatest, Beatopia is an incredibly consistent album, and it just works.

Tyler reinvents himself on CHROMAKOPIA and displays his versatility as a producer and vocalist, tapping into the brash sounds of experimental hip hop. He quickly makes it apparent that he has matured considerably as an artist while still keeping his creative artistic direction. Overall, an enjoyable listen all around with many fun beats and production choices, but not something I see myself coming back to very often.

A great soundtrack to a great film, Hurwitz masterfully navigates the confluence of classy jazz standards and heartbreaking piano ballads to create a beautiful representation of LA culture. Another Day of Sun is one of the most electric tracks and gets me going in the morning, while the Epilogue falls on the polar opposite end of the spectrum, expressing the jarring reality of love: right person, wrong time.

As expected, this was another absolutely insane listening experience. On Lonely People With Power, Deafheaven returns to the blackgaze genre and finds the magic that made Sunbather so special, only this time, the production is crisper/more polished, the tracks flow better (partly thanks to the three interludes), and the instrumentals are more melodic than ever. For me, this album was an improvement from Sunbather on all fronts. It hits soooo hard. Definitely a strong contender for album of the ... read more

I stumbled across this album a few months ago during my sports season. I did not particularly enjoy metal and found the genre relatively inaccessible to new listeners, but I decided to give the album a shot. Sunbather was the perfect bridge between two worlds, combining the beauty of shoegaze production with intense, hardcore instrumentals. Yet, Deafheaven effectively combines these two antithetical ideas, creating an immersive experience. It is loud. It is brash. It is beautiful.
This is ... read more

I understand it Now
Full review soon

With Charm, Clairo gets everything right with the soft rock/bedroom pop genre. The instrumentals are warm and nostalgic, and her vocals are airy and delicate. Although she sticks with the same low-energy and relaxed mood throughout the album, it never gets boring. The vibes are immaculate.

I decided to listen to Charm shortly after Quadeca's SCRAPYARD, and it reminded me what it felt like to be in love again. I struggled with emotional stability and ended up tying it to other people, and ... read more

The energy on Welcome to O'Block is unparalleled, with storytelling that only King Von can accomplish. When it hits, it hits.

Vultures 1 is far from Kanye's best work, but it might be the last glimpse of the passionate producer-rapper that once was. The energy is still there, but thematically, there are too many flaws and wack bars to overlook Kanye's sharp decline.

Abel closes off his trilogy with the grand finale of Hurry Up Tomorrow, moving on from his Weeknd persona and opening the door into a new artistic direction. Thematically, The Weeknd has escaped the lure of Vegas, rehabilitated from the lust/drug addiction, and is now turning to God. One last time, he relies on the synthpop/R&B that got him to where he is today.

The rollout of this album was quite questionable. The title and album cover were a bit goofy, and the singles didn't seem to ... read more

This was tough to get through as a Kanye fan. I remember using my free trial Tidal subscription to listen to this album a few hours earlier before it dropped on Spotify, and I was extremely disappointed. There is almost no resemblance to prime Kanye on this album: the production is gone, the bars are uninspired and cringe, and the overall sound quality is about as good as YouTube leaks. Ty Dolla $ign had some decent performances, but overall, I find it difficult to defend this album at all.

SCRAPYARD was my first time listening to Quadeca, and it came at a critical time in my life. To preface, I did not know about Quadeca's background as a YouTuber-turned-artist, nor did I enjoy experimental music or art pop very much. I held off for months, hoping to return to it someday with a better understanding and more open-minded perspective. I kept diversifying my music taste and listening to the "holy grail" albums across various genres. This time, everything clicked.

At ... read more

Pink Tape is by no means great, but it might be the best of Lil Uzi's discography in recent years. Uzi takes an unorthodox turn with this release and incorporates elements of metal and rage into their bread-and-butter trap sound. While it works on some tracks, others fall flat with low-energy performances and questionable production choices. I value this album more for the innovation that they take rather than the consistency. Suicide Doors and Fire Alarm were my standout tracks.