Are the Brits okay??

The front cover of Yard Act's new record is enough to fill one with a sense of panic and hysteria. The lyrics do nothing to quell those fears. From the first track 'An Illusion', Yard Act convey the disillusionment of a nation that is in deep distress and their reliance on spoken word lyricism allows James Smith's meandering lyrics to shine. On tracks like the harrowing 'Down by the Stream' as well as 'Blackpool Illuminations' Smith's writing reminds me of a darker ... read more

Reviewing Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #457

Overrated/Underrated?: Appropriately Rated

Well, it's been a while since I've done one of these, but thankfully, that means I've been sitting on this record for quite some time, so I have quite a bit to say.

I've always thought of Sinead O'Connor as being the quintessential musical figure of the 90's. While there's certainly a case to be made that there are far better people to fill that role, O'Connor conveys angst and rage in ... read more

I have to admit, while this EP was a bit all over the place, I did find it to be pretty compelling and I hope it represents a new direction for @ (although this is a band which probably doesn't need any more directions).

This EP felt like it was much longer than it's runtime simply because of all the different twists and turns that each song takes. In some cases this works, like in the title track which was a mesmerizing and interesting experimental pop track. But in some cases, this trick ... read more

When J Mascis released Several Shades of Why, I genuinely thought that indie's own Jimi Hendrix was going to reinvent himself as a great folk singer. Sadly, that never happened, nothing he put out following that really lived up to that first solo album (which if you haven't checked it out yet, I'd rank it amongst my favorite indie folk albums of all time).

But what is particularly disappointing to me, is that he seems to have given up on his folk side altogether. As a result, J Mascis' solo ... read more

Honey, wake up! A bunch of pigs just dropped the best album of the year so far...

Tapir! really set themselves apart on this debut with an expansive concept that explores the experience of losing one's religion. They display an impressive range with songs like the moody and epic Gymnopedie as well as the experimental journey that is Mountain Song. On the flip side, songs like My God, Untitled and On A Grassy Knoll show the bands' indie folk side.

As someone who grew up Catholic, I related ... read more

I've been following Dina Ogon since they released their stellar self-titled debut, and I consider myself to be a fan of their breezy, groovy psychedelic pop. And, while I enjoyed the follow up, I definitely noted that the band didn't depart particularly much from the sound on their debut.

Orion isn't much different. There are some punchier instrumentals on tracks like 'Jag Vill Ha Allt' (which is my personal favorite track) and the semi-successful single Det Lacker but beyond those tracks, ... read more

Blue Raspberry is an occasionally pretty indie pop album where Katy Kirby presents an intimate version of herself backed by delicate instrumentals and earnest lyrics. Maybe this is a hot take, but the kind of singer-songwriter style that Katy Kirby is going for here has become a bit played out in the days of Mitski and Lana Del Rey and others. In order for it to succeed in this style, a record really needs to punch above it's weight or deliver some interesting innovations.

Unfortunately, ... read more

A lovely little twee pop album that is, at times, very reminiscent of K Records and Beat Happening. I love the jangle pop influences here and the general earnest quality of the album makes it a very refreshing listen. There aren't any proper "bangers" on this album, but the sound is consistent, beautiful and very wholesome.

All of the comparisons that I'm seeing to They Might Be Giants are pretty well deserved. Cheekface are the latest rock band to lean into their quirkiness with a humorous tone. As I said, They Might Be Giants comes to mind, but I also think they sound a bit like if Jeffrey Lewis fronted Cake.

As far as a genre album of this kind, it's pretty solid. There was enough variation in the instrumentation to hold my interest throughout the track listing. But all in all, it doesn't sound all that ... read more

Excited to be checking out this album by @RemiReviews! Thanks for letting me know it dropped.

Two Abandoned Wrecks is an emotionally charged, electronic emo album with songs that contain a lot of twists and turns sonically.

The opening track was probably my favorite. There's almost a bipolar quality between the bass-heavy chorus (if you can call it that) and the brighter verses (bright in terms of the sound, not the lyrics which are pretty dark throughout). And in the end, the song opens up ... read more

Is it just me, or do these guys kind of sound like they're ripping off Radiohead?

As Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood blow past the 30th anniversary of Radiohead's debut album, it's kind of remarkable the amount of energy and innovation they're both still able to bring to their music. 'Wall of Eyes' sounds as exploratory and original as Kid A did two decades ago.

Right from the opening track, 'Wall of Eyes' has a familiar moodiness and a grandeur that has become characteristic of Radiohead. ... read more

Sleater-Kinney aren't doing anything revolutionary here, but Little Rope is a solid release of enjoyable garage-y pop rock. In my mind, there's a category of album that's great for fans but not particularly worth the listen for non-fans of a particular artist. This is a pretty good example of this type of album.

Little Rope will add a lot of depth to the group's catalog, but it's depth that will seem more like a rabbit hole to people who don't have an emotional connection to the band. That ... read more

Bruiser Wolf's latest was very hit or miss in my opinion. The tracks vary from groovy and interesting alternative hip hop, to really annoying and painful tracks. Two songs that show this dynamic is 'Dope Boy' on the one hand, which despite being a tad repetitive, is really quirky, interesting and lovable. But immediately following that, comes 'Holla At Ya Mans' which is truly a painful song with one of the most annoying choruses I've heard in quite some times.

Marika Hackman's Mitski-esque indie pop is aesthetically kind of lovely and charming. I kind of wished that some of the noisier elements were explored a bit more on this album so as to give it a bit more bite. But not a terrible album in any sense.

I've been a bit out of pocket recently (although I was able to get out a few reviews here and there). And so here's some quick personal news to justify that: I got engaged to my girlfriend of three years this weekend! It was an awesome weekend that we got to spend together and with family friends, but the planning leading up to it was a mess and so I wasn't able to spend much time spewing music opinions into the great void of the internet.

Anyhow, enough about me. Bill Ryder-Jones' new ... read more

Green Day is, unfortunately, a band that's been in a bad way for awhile. Purists might argue that they've been in a bad way from the jump, but I'm partial to many of their early albums (Dookie is a classic) and I'm not personally on the American Idiot hate train the way some people seem to be. But after American Idiot, it's hard to deny that there was a significant drop off in quality, even amongst the most diehard Green Day fans.

And while I don't *hate* this album, it definitely doesn't ... read more

This Mexico City outfit dropped a hardcore punk album at the end of last year that practically reminded me why I used to be in love with the genre. This 15 minute album is loud as hell and packed with monster riffs, nasty vocals and downright brutal music.

It's definitely a genre piece but it works really well and it's the exact pace you want out of a hardcore record.

Orquideas is an album full of colorful reggaeton and pop bangers. The production on this album is really dynamic and fun, and there were some really good tracks throughout the track listing.

'Te Mata' is an obvious highlight, which is a wonderful and empowering song about overcoming suffering and not allowing others to bring you down. 'Tu Corazon Es Mio' is also a really pretty and heartfelt love song that works really well.

The songs on this album are really diverse stylistically as well. ... read more

21 Savage's latest is an interesting, soulful and sometimes gross (did we really need *this* many references to poop??) album that has a surprising amount of depth.

I found the tracks where 21 aimed at greater emotional depth and resonance to be the best on the album. Not just in terms of lyrical quality but in terms of production and the general sound as well. 'letter to my brudda' was a standout as well as the opening track.

Unfortunately, there was a lot of fluff on this album as well. A ... read more

Finally, new music Friday is back. But for some reason, I chose to listen to Kid Cudi as my first listen of the week.

My general read of Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon, which I listened to a week or so back, was that good production was the centerpiece of the album. Cudi's flow is not particularly interesting and his lyrics were decent but not good enough to carry the album on their own. On Insano, all of this remains true except the lyrics are considerably worse and the production is not at all ... read more