Britney Spears - Oops!... I Did It Again
70

Oops!... I Did It Again signals an attempt at maturation from those who attempted to carefully curate the image that Britney Spears personified. Perhaps her representation figured that the childhood innocence (from a legitimate teenager, need you be reminded) wouldn't sell records, thus they thrusted her into the role of the temptress at eighteen years of age. While the idea of sexualizing an eighteen year old girl remains abhorrent on the tongue, this record does offer a glimpse into the ... read more

Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time
55

...Baby One More Time marks the debut of Britney Spears, the pop princess herself, and, quite frankly, one of the most unnecessarily scrutinized celebrities that western media has ever pulverized. In retrospect, it's no wonder that a mere teenage Spears would succumb to the harsh treatment that the music business habitually employs against its musicians akin to a parasite that sucks the blood of its source for life. It regularly finishes in disaster when these artists have their youth ... read more

Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane
40

It's unfortunate that some interesting instrumentation and thoughtfully reminiscent lyricism is suffocated beneath some honestly horrendous vocal instances. I honestly would have preferred to listen to a version of McCartney that was left sonically untouched — it could have contributed to the recollection of yesteryear to have one of the most prolific celebrities in human history recount his trials, tribulations, and experiences with a complete embrace of his elderly age and wisdom. ... read more

Shinedown - EI8HT
20

I would hardly consider myself an avid hater when it comes to Shinedown. In fact, there are actually many tracks within their discography that I enjoy. I cannot speak for their records as a whole (for which I will certainly review in full, at some point), and while I may seem excessively harsh (which could be a symptom of my actively deteriorating mental health, which could be a motive for my distaste at nearly everything I've listened to lately), I can certainly vouch that this is one of ... read more

Saint Agnes - Your God Fearing Days Are About To Begin
70

Amidst the plagues of biblical proportions that encompass our contemporary existence, with dehumanizing political movements, isolationist behaviour en societal masse, and mental illness ravaging a plethora of the populace, Saint Agnes seek to both combat and embrace these tribulations through the inverted invocation of the religious institution itself. A sonic rebellion that aims to thwart the apathetic treatment by governments toward the people they have sworn on a supposed sacred doctrine to ... read more

Faouzia - BIRTHDAY
NR

It's a bit less interesting than anything she did on the vibrant Film Noir, truth be told

Marilyn Manson - One Assassination Under God - Chapter 1
75

A global domestic and sexual violence helpline: https://nomoredirectory.org/

Marilyn Manson - WE ARE CHAOS
65

A global domestic and sexual violence helpline: https://nomoredirectory.org/

Marilyn Manson - Heaven Upside Down
70

A global domestic and sexual violence helpline: https://nomoredirectory.org/

Poppy - Flux
60

Beneath the metaphorical lyricism, Flux is a record that captures Poppy's psyche in a period of both adaptation and realized independence. It effectively grapples with the complications of an abusive relationship, recognizing the hierarchical and violent tendencies that characterized behaviours of such manipulation. While her songwriting focuses intensely on societal shortcomings on I Disagree, Flux witnesses a more introspective dosage of lyricism, with plentiful iterations of comparative ... read more

60

Once removed from her debut effort, ROSALÍA's El Mal Querer reads as a series of anthems conceived as a deck of tarot cards. Each track offers particular glimpses into a relationship filled to the brim with toxicity, presented in the capacity of chapters that accompany the titles. Not only does this assemble the environment in a pristine fashion, but like an assortment of the aforementioned tarot cards, the tracks serves as cautionary depictions, fateful omens pertaining to the ... read more

Marmozets - CO.War.Dice.
60

Marmozets embrace the chaos on CO.War.Dice., but perhaps they underestimate the ability for it to slip from their grasp, at least to an extent. Make no mistake, there are some tracks on this record with palpable energy, with some rhythmic ambiance and some intriguing penmanship, but there are certainly fissures in the written process that produced this record. The thematic focal point would have benefitted from increased refinement. At first, it did hone the realistic qualities of the ... read more

Ακύλας [Akylas] - Press Start
30

Part of what made Ferto, Akylas' Eurovision entry that is also included on this record, as endearing as it was chaotically energetic was his ability to unapologetically incorporate aspects of Greek culture into a medium that would appear otherwise incapable of supporting the sparse disparity of its properties from electropop. Those cultural inclusions are essentially non-existent on his debut record, and eliminates an irreplaceable aspect of charm. The tracks do little separate themselves ... read more

Ed O'Brien - Blue Morpho
90

Ed O'Brien creates a delicate, transcendental project with Blue Morpho. Many moments on this record are pure instrumental divinity, as if bestowed wings and gently lifted into flight to scour the higher tiers of existence. With lyrical inclusions that delve into simultaneous complications and beneficiary aspects of transformation, and subsequently teaching oneself to express gratitude even when locked in the clutches of life's venomous vice grip, the Radiohead guitarist organizes a ... read more

Bleachers - everyone for ten minutes
25

When it's not painfully drowning itself in monotony, it varies from genres on such opposite ends of the spectrum that it induces a sort of vertigo to listen to. Not to mention Antonoff is not a particularly talented vocalist whatsoever. Any portions of intrigue are either too isolated to carry momentum into anything physical, or are subsequently marred by peculiar sonic decisions. Perhaps if it had been ten minutes long though...

Olivia Rodrigo - the cure
NR

Opens interesting — very interesting in fact — before waning a bit throughout the halfway point, and then accumulates intensity toward the latter leg. Certainly better than Drop Dead, and not particularly close, either

Nothing But Thieves - Evolution
NR

Uncharacteristically tame for them, in all honesty

Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor
100

A global domestic and sexual violence helpline: https://nomoredirectory.org/

The Warning - Ego
NR

Abrasive in the most complimentary form. Love hearing the girls embrace their mother tongue, and it aids in the construction of the harsh environment that suits them beautifully. If they lean into the heavier instrumentation more so than the relatively laxed sound on Kerosene, as well as the heightened lyrical depth here, then the new record will compete with their previous entries into their discography as something truly magnificent!

Poppy - I Disagree
85

I Disagree is a transformative experience to the fullest extent. It is the foundation for a creative voice flourishing into a fully-realized and complete artistic movement, blending glittery aspects commonly found in popular music with the impending ferocity and havoc of violent metal. It is the development of a robotic persona that similarly evolves into a hauntingly accurate depiction of the falsities that humans constantly participate in. And at its core, it is an introspective glimpse into ... read more

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Recent Review Comments
On The Plague Review's review of Paul McCartney - The Boys of Dungeon Lane
"I didn't care for it much either, but gave it some grace since at this point McCartney can do whatever he pleases in his career twilight"
On Lynn's review of TX2 - End of Us
"DeathbyRomy is easily the best part of this record and that is hilarious considering she is there for like 2 minutes"
On Shayden's review of Katy Perry - Witness
"Chained to the Rhythm has often been a diamond in the rough for me within Katy Perry's discography, though I'm uncertain whether it works as intended in the grand scheme of the record, I haven't (nor do I really intend) listened"
On Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time
"@Shayden Those are the two that always come to mind for me that received so much abuse at the end of the media's sword. What they experienced exceeded anything I can even think of. The media was deliberately cruel toward them, and actively perpetuated false narratives that continuously harmed them, fully cognizant of their culpability in the assault on both of them, arguably contributing to the death of Michael Jackson for one, and to the literal removal of Britney Spears' autonomy. She was eighteen on her second effort, and already writing lyrics regarding the pain that fame brought. It is absolutely terrible that so many normalized that treatment of her. She deserved so much better"
On Ninedescent's review of d4vd - WITHERED
"@Ninedescent I have been placing this (https://nomoredirectory.org/) link on my Marilyn Manson ratings. I haven't looked into any explicitly attentive to pedophilia, but I would like to believe a sexual violence helpline would be sufficient assistance"
On Ninedescent's review of d4vd - WITHERED
"I tend to agree. Review bombing strikes me as attention-seeking. "Look at me!! I'm against this person!!" The same sentiment is conveyed if one just doesn't engage with the art whatsoever. If I despise the artist I am reviewing on an ethical plane, I simply attach a link to support those who have been victims in similar instances. I am more pleased with offering that assistance, however miniscule it may be, than trying to display my apparent ethical superiority for clicks"
On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - Dangerous
"This was a project that cemented himself as a force of pure versatility. He was the King of Pop, and as you mentioned, allowed his drive for perfection to steer him down a completely foreign road. And he excelled. He allowed his morals and ethics to tackle cultural issues such as racism, "human apathy" (as you so intelligently put it), and worldwide mistreatment of the planet. It expands across such a vast array of thematic grievances, and it is superior for it. It's truly perfection. I'm very glad that you enjoyed it for the marvelous masterpiece that it is, and I am pleased to read and reply to your reviews!! You analyze them without a measurable bias, and with a willingness to allow the art to speak for itself. Simply stunning review!!"
On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - Dangerous
"DANGEROUS AT 97!!! YES!!! My absolute favourite record of all time. I adored this review!!! It really was a symbolic evolution for the King. It was his first example of completely unbridled creative control, and it is safe to say he rose to the occasion. I was extremely intrigued by your mention of the palpable paranoia that encompasses this record! It is no secret that MJ was perhaps the most paranoid person on the planet throughout his career, and its really interesting to see that terror manifest itself in a romantic context on tracks like Who is It and Dangerous, while also in the context of himself as a celebrity on tracks like Jam and Why You Wanna Trip On Me"
On tistan's review of Kim Petras - Detour
"They're going to come after you, but you're right"
On Lynn's review of Neoni - How To Kill A Fairytale
"I was quite disappointed, too. Death of Daisies was really intriguing, and I felt like their songwriting progressed too. This record has some moments, but overall was more of a regression from a songwriting perspective"
On Olivia Rodrigo - the cure
"@Ciroriberi Exactly. It takes immense talent to allow the momentum to naturally gather the way she does"
On Lynn's review of Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
"Can't Stop Feeling is a banger"
On IloveApples's review of Marina Sena - Coisas Naturais
"I'm glad you found it beautiful! It was definitely a really serene ambiance that Marina Sena managed to capture — the record has only continued to grow on me since listening. It was my introduction to Latin pop, too, and what an introduction it was. There are so many gorgeous tracks on Coisas Naturais"
On realjulianj's review of Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
"It's unfortunate that the Arctic Monkeys have been on the receiving end of such harsh scrutiny on their last two records, especially when it includes some of the most riveting songwriting in the band's discography, courtesy of the one and only Alex Turner, and, in all honesty, some of the best songwriting in music itself in the last decade"
On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - You Rock My World
"Very pleased to see Invincible growing on you:) You Rock My World is absolute r&b excellence"
On GVLSCH's review of The Warning - Ego
"@josech5 lmfao cook, I have never understood why people on this site genuinely seek to review things they know they won't like. It's one thing if you go in wanting to like it and find yourself disappointed, but so many people hate review things on this site because they know they won't like it"
On ayayeboo's review of Ed O'Brien - Blue Morpho
"Same opinion here. I can take or leave Radiohead, but this is such a smooth and delicate listen"
On Dσɳ Vҽɾʂαƚιʅιƚყ's review of Olivia Rodrigo - the cure
"My thoughts exactly. I probably prefer a few other songs in her discography, but I definitely echo the idea that Drop Dead was much too middling, and that this is a much more eloquently produced song from Olivia"
On SilviaLb_234's review of The Warning - Ego
"If they release it this year it's going to be an album of the year contender for sure!"
On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - Forever, Michael
"I definitely agree that this record — and many of Michael's work in his adolescence — were plagued by this reluctance to include him in the literary process, at least not to the extent he was included on projects beginning with Off the Wall. It's no wonder everything from '79 onward is as stellar as it is when provided the context that he gained the ability to be more hands on with his own work. Great review! Also, happy birthday!"
On Ακύλας [Akylas] - Ferto
"@ANKLEBIKE404 Eh, I've always found Espresso Macchiato as a fun song, especially to watch Tommy Cash perform, without treating it as much of a serious attempt at anything"
On Vengeful Wraith's review of The Warning - Ego
"I can't wait to dive into this, I have very high expectations for these brilliant girls and I have a feeling they are going to deliver and then some!!"
On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
"Just bought this record on vinyl last week — the first record in his career that felt entirely realized from a creative and artistic perspective, and he just soared above everyone else from that point forward. Great review!!!"
On Shayden's review of Drake - ICEMAN
"I pity anyone who does make the conscious decision to put their ears through this"
On Foodnliquor's review of Michael Jackson - Michael [2022 Reissue]
"Even without the fake songs it still feels like a disgusting cash grab"
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