My roommate and I have noticed that, for the past couple years at least, hip-hop has been increasingly less and less interesting to us. At this point, I can't even remember the last time I've felt a remote urge to throw on a hip-hop album - it's probably been around a year. Any time a new hip-hop release comes out, I'm always excited to try it out, especially if I'm already a fan of the artist's previous work. However, after I've spent a week or so with the album, my roommate and I come back to ... read more

Orville Peck's Pony is a surreal cowboy country album lined with drifter lyrics and 80's heartthrob production. It makes for a very unique and enjoyable album, with a sound like if Twin Peaks took place in rural Utah. Sometimes the instrumentation can be a bit sparse for its own good, but overall I'm surprised at how much I'm in the mood for this. A lot of elements involved in Orville Peck give him the stats of a gimmick artist with a novelty album. But a pleasant surprise is it doesn't feel or ... read more

I was hiking in Red River Gorge, Kentucky a couple weeks ago when I was given the news that a family member had very unexpectedly died of a heart attack. My current situation was not ideal in the slightest for this news - my friend and I had just laid down to sleep after a long night of being on the trail and setting up our camp (it was midnight), and we were miles from anyone. I was laying in my sleeping bag in the tent when I read the messages. It was so different from any other time I'd ... read more

Kevin's newest album is a cavernous beauty, complimented by soulful choirs and faith-stricken uncertainty. Instrumentally, I think it's Kevin's most balanced and rewarding album yet. The lyrics, however, I imagine are polarizing to some.

The lyrics are initially simple and poor, however remembering his lyrical prowess on his earlier records makes me see the nature of the lyrics on Oh My God as Kevin almost making a point, or at the very least a preference. In other words, I know he's capable ... read more