Not bad!

I liked some of Vampire Weekend's earlier work, and while this album doesn't really feel like their first couple albums, it's definitely very good. It's got a unique sound to it that, while I've heard somewhat in other alt albums of its type, the band's baroque style really manages to make it their own. Their classical influence really pave the way for some beautiful moments, too - songs like Pre-School Gangsters and Mary Boone are, especially, lovely to me.

There are some weird ... read more

I went into this album open-minded and left it not entirely disappointed. Sure, it is incredibly amateurish, and Wyatt James' rap style leaves much to be desired in most places, but this album isn't the worst thing I've ever heard. It's not even in the bottom tier, surprisingly, though I have to admit it's mostly because of the beats, mixing, and features.

There isn't a whole lot I can say about this album that others haven't said, so I will instead comment on the viscerally negative reaction ... read more

I'm six years late to this trainwreck, but I get it now. I get what people mean when they criticize Lil Dicky. This is awful. I don't know if Lil Dicky was trying to substitute substance for comedy, but that obviously didn't work as the only time I laughed was on the infamous "baked potato" line, and I only laughed because it was bad. Simplistic language, but there isn't much else to say.

Why would anyone bother to make this? Honestly, was there any effort made at all? The beats ... read more

Graceland is a hard act to follow. I consider it not only one of my favorite albums but also one of the best albums of all time, and odds are with Paul Simon's string of failures before the release of that album, you would be forgiven for thinking Graceland was lightning in a bottle Simon wouldn't recapture on his next album. It's not entirely wrong to think so, but honestly, The Rhythm of the Saints not only follows up Graceland successfully, but adds new dimensions that recontextualize the ... read more

The Modern Lovers' first and only album with its first lineup is a very bitter-sweet album to me, not because of this album's themes or because the album itself is a missed opportunity, but because the whole first lineup of the band is a missed opportunity. Of course, I wouldn't wish any of the members of the band to stay together if they really didn't enjoy cooperating with one another in the long run, but this album is just so good that I wish that things maybe panned out better.

This album ... read more

Before listening to this album, without any context, I loved Some Nights' title track and We Are Young, perhaps the most famous of fun.'s singles. I can see why some people would be put off from these songs, but personally, I think they're enchanting in that early 2010s-era way. They're hopeful, theatrical, and dramatic in a good way, and I was hoping that the rest of the album would continue on with that vibe - unfortunately, they do, but in the worst way possible.

I would describe this album ... read more

Breakfast in America surprises me not because of its colorful synth palette, unique vocals, or masterful use of Wurlitzer electric piano, but for how cinematic it sounds as an album. It feels like a soundtrack to a good movie or musical - the album has a big theatrical vibe full of dramatics and style you can’t really get on any other album. This is a pop star’s rock album, for better and for worst; for the most part, this works in the album’s favor, but it doesn’t ... read more

As Taylor Swift's Fearless was released way before I would have been old enough to get it, I know that I am not this album's target audience. I'm 20, not a fan of country or Swift, and all I really associate with Swift's career is her modern success, with pop radio hits I never listen to on my own and concerts I have no interest in attending. That being said, this album is not bad, but it definitely should have been better.

Everything technical about this album is flawless. The instrumentals ... read more

The rap genre never really clicked with me like it has for others in my generation. For better or for worse, it never really broke through into my head as a genre I go for on my own. I made an account on this website to get a better grasp on rap, amongst other genres, to broaden my horizons and explore my own jumbled existing thoughts on music and create new ones through seeing what I could find. I guess it’s good that my first true fully-listened rap album is DAMN., considering the ... read more

As an album overall, Making Movies is the best Dire Straits has to offer, even with its faults. I find it strange how some of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard (Tunnel of Love, Romeo and Juliet, Expresso Love) mesh with songs akin to breezy summer anthems (Solid Rock, Les Boys) and a few lighter tracks (Skateaway, Hand in Hand) without instigating tonal whiplash. Making Movies might not have the chops for universal acclaim as with their song Sultans of Swing or the pop rock sensibilities ... read more

Putrid. Uninspired. Creatively bankrupt. These are just three terms I've chosen from my lexicon to describe my utter disdain for this album. If I went any farther than three, the list of words I'd provide to insult this album into the ground would be as long as the dictionary. Everything about this album drains any positive energy from my soul and throws it in a shot glass for Morgan Wallen to drink with his whiskey, leaving me an empty husk sitting in my chair, allowing his worthless ... read more

Experimental music, especially when songs are essentially ten-minute-long jams, tend to be hit or miss for me. Either they hit the vibe perfectly or they miss the mark and it leaves the entire song unlistenable. What's strange about The Church of Anthrax is it's the longer songs on the album that hit and the shorter "filler" songs that miss. While it works out perfectly in the long run, it makes me wishing it had a bit more meat on its bones.

This album is a nice little experiment. ... read more

John Cale's Paris 1919 stands out from other 1970s rock music with its artistic direction, beautiful instrumentals, interesting stylistic choices, and aesthetic. This feels like an album from a gentle, creative mind, and while it isn't perfect, Paris 1919's efforts shouldn't go unrewarded.

I'm not sure if the album's somewhat lo-fi sound is intentional or simply a limitation of Cale's resources at the time, but either way, it works perfectly. Other albums using his technique in regards to his ... read more

Mellow Gold is a good representative of everything I like about Beck's music. As his first project, it's quite accomplished for the fact it spawned one of his biggest hits, Loser, and although he might think differently about that song, I personally consider it one of his best. It's so stripped-down and bare that it turns itself around, becoming greater than the sum of its parts through Beck's sheer talent alone.

Excuse me for the tangent, but my thoughts on Loser extend to the rest of Mellow ... read more

Upon first listening to Shore when it came out in 2020, as a fan of Fleet Foxes’ earlier works, I tried my best to find that same spark of passion and comfort their self-titled first album gave me. That effort would turn out to be futile. Sure, Shore is a fine album in a vacuum, but when you compare it to Fleet Foxes’ other three albums, it makes you wonder where things changed.

It feels like Fleet Foxes sacrifices much of its folksy roots for a more pop rock-oriented sound which ... read more

Dream should stick to his mid Minecraft videos, because this EP is laughable. It feels like it was made specifically to appeal to TikTok emos - and I’m sure it is, considering Dream’s fanbase and online behavior - but didn’t even really do a good job of that considering how widely mocked this project was.

To whoever wants to hear is as plain as beige while also somehow being dramatically self-serving and immature, serving mostly as a vanity sinkhole. While it’s ... read more

Hideously offensive and in wildly poor taste, just like the rest of Ronnie Radke's discography. There isn't a whole lot I can say about this "mixtape" without putting too much attention on this wastrel. You know you've made a mistake when your mixtape glorifies mass shootings in which you, the singer, pretend to be conducting one because you're mad at the "haters." Always and forever a zero out of 100.

Remain in Light is definitely Talking Heads' "best" album, even if it's not my personal favorite. As a fan of Fela Kuti, Talking Heads knocked it out of the park with using his work as inspiration for one of the most unique and revolutionary albums of all time. It may be presumptuous to say that this album effectively kickstarted the 80s, but I don't care; I'll make that claim now and forever.

There isn't much I can say about this album that a million other music nerds haven't said ... read more

I can say with total confidence that Graceland is the greatest pop album of all time. Pick any other album, from any era, by any other artist, and I highly doubt it comes anywhere near the glory that this album radiates. I would recommend this album to everyone on planet Earth regardless of age, background, or music taste, because anyone who listens to Graceland will be greeted with the prettiest lyrics, instrumentals, and aesthetics the 80s has to offer.

Sure, there are plenty of sonic ... read more

It's... okay-ish?

I'm not normally a fan of AJR - I personally think many of their previous works, while not being completely bottom-of-the-barrel, are subpar at best and cringeworthy at worst. However, I came into The Maybe Man with an open mind, especially considering the release of the album's singles The Dumb Song and God is Really Real, which I personally thought were pretty good. The release of Yes I'm a Mess should have been an indicator for this album's thoughts going in, because I was ... read more