Quite a solid debut! This was one I had been awaiting for a bit, and I was definitely impressed. The theater-esque instrumentation certainly constructed a productive atmosphere, offering a sturdy foundation to present her art. Her vocals were worthy of applause, too. At times I got a waft of Kate Bush, especially when she aimed for more melodic heights, and other bridges and choruses gave me an early Taylor Swift sensation (when she was at her best, albeit). My issues with the record appear in ... read more
I am quite fond of these Irish lads. Dawson's vocals wrap the listener in an embrace of warmth, like a reunion with a long-estranged loved one. Many soothing tracks that tap into this emotion of comfort. That makes the sudden ferocity in her voice on a track like "Roobosh" all the more enticing and cherished. There is an obvious evolution of their sound compared to their debut, however I am undecided whether it is a positive or regressive one. Madra was a really high peak to ... read more
Castle Rat is at their best when they provide the groundwork for Pinkerton to use her vocals in a melodic capacity. Unfortunately, they only meander down that avenue on a select amount of occasions, leaving many tracks devoid of that extra additive. Pinkerton has the vocal chops, has the capabilities and the talent, but instead the band opts for tracks that require her to sound mundane. The instrumentation achieves the intent, sounding dooming and imposing, and the percussion is likely the ... read more
I'll be candid: at first I was not pleased with this album. I was perhaps caught off balance by how many tracks were already released as singles, which could be a fault of my own expectation, and thus my immense excitement for this work from one of my absolute favourite unknown artists was tempered abruptly. Listening to it again almost two months later, it is abundantly evident that my disappointment was entirely unfair. This record is spectacular. It is so dark it is an abyss. Such a ... read more
These girls have some marvelous talent. The instrumentation is definitely the highlight of this band and this record, some really excellent sounds that are wholly their own. It might sound rather reminiscent of their previous album — potentially stemming from such little time between releases — but, as they say: if it ain't broke. The vocals, too, are, as expected, wonderful in their own right. The songwriting itself also manages to impress. It and the lyricism manage to ... read more
Overall, quite a whelming debut if I am being honest. Call me a Maneskin homer, but they just have a much better dynamic when they all perform together. In this case, Raggi doesn't possess much of his own identity, relying on a copious number of features to boost his sound. At times it does elevate his work, like with the UPSAHL feature, but I was extremely disappointed in the Franz Ferdinand collaboration. I really feel they deserved their own original track, and Kapanos' voice just ... read more
The instrumentals paired with her vocals are just ethereal. The listener is suspended above the clouds, floating merely off the effortless sounds that escape her throat and emanate from her musical decisions. It truly feels like a dream once it's all said and done. And that is the theme of the album, essentially. A romantic fever dream is the best way to sum it up. She is experimental at its absolute best, which is on occasion her detriment on this record in my opinion, but for the most ... read more
The rating is a bit harsh because most of the album wasn't my style, but it was calming. And the songs that were good were really nice! Really soothing instrumentals and vocals were great. A little too calm for most of it, but it had nice moments
Favourite Songs:
Barton Hollow
Birds of a Feather
Dance Me to the End of Love
She tries to balance a lot of things on this record, and it winds up not feeling balanced at all. It feels like at times she attempts minimalist instrumentals, which wind up bland, and other times it feels like she attempts a complicated blend of genres on tracks, which wind up oversaturated. I am also not at all a fan of her vocals at all. I don't think she is bad at singing, rather it is her style to sing poorly with intention, but I am not a fan
See, where my major gripe with Disintegration was tracks being overcomplicated and excessive in length, the tracks on this record seem too short, incapable of developing to their furthest extent and hindered by the lack of depth. I feel like the lacking hinders this record more than the excess hindered Disintegration. And there aren't as many interesting instrumentals here. The album has a consistent theme, but it isn't one that hooks you
It was a decent album, nothing entirely blew me away, though. The vocals, if we're being honest, are nothing special. The instrumentals can get extensive and overcomplicated at times, leading to run times that likely shouldn't be so lengthy. That doesn't overshadow the instrumental pieces that are great, and the tunes that are great as well. Plus the album holds a consistent dark romantic feel. At times, some of the tracks could be deemed rather corny, but the inspiration is ... read more
Lots of thoughts on this one. I would consider myself a Voila fan. They certainly have talent, but I believe they have a crisis of identity, of sorts. There is certainly a noir theme to this record, at least that is what I gauge, but it feels like it is attempting to wear too many hats at once. It feels like they are attempting to evolve their sound by becoming heavier, but in doing so they don't want to eliminate the pop elements that made previous records and tracks click, so they are ... read more
Such a sensual album. It feels like it is cozied up next to you, whispering into your ear. The lyricism, the instrumentation, Sade's superb vocals; all of it. The only way it could have made strides to become a 10/10 would have been if the record packed a bit more of a punch, but for what it's worth and what it's intended to be, it achieves it all. A really spectacular album!
Favourite Songs:
Feel No Pain
Cherish the Day
No Ordinary Love
Just feels like it lacks... everything she perfected before
A solid record, though a rather massive drop in quality from her third album. I enjoyed how thematically consistent it and how deep the messaging was on this one, though instrumentation felt weaker. And we didn't get as impressive vocals as we got on Worldwide Underground. An okay album that definitely could have been much more
Favourite Songs:
The Cell
Twinkle
The Healer
Hot take alert: Better than Baduizm! And Baduizm is good! But this record just feels more fresh! We get the best vocals from Erykah yet! Some of the catchier beats. Some nice variety! Big fan of this album
Favourite Songs:
Bump It
Back in the Day
Danger
She attempts more variety on this record, but it just lacks interest on my part
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On AngstyTeen's review of The Stooges - Raw Power
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On AngstyTeen's review of The Stooges - Raw Power
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Also, I will have to look out for those influences once I delve into Madonna's discography"
On Shayden's review of Britney Spears - In the Zone
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On Ninedescent's review of d4vd - WITHERED
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On Ninedescent's review of d4vd - WITHERED
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On IloveApples's review of Michael Jackson - Dangerous
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