This is a National album even those who aren’t super big fans of the band seem to agree is pretty dang good. And yeah, how could one listen to Fake Empire’s piano slowly building up to the entire band joining in and finishing off with that fantastic horn section and not be impressed? The album doesn’t let up either, Mistaken for Strangers keeps the energy flowing with a hell of a chorus. “They wouldn’t wanna watch another un-innocent, elegant fall into the ... read more

I found the addition of female vocals on this to be really interesting and it certainly gives this album a defining characteristic. It works really well the opener You Had Your Soul With You. Where Is Her Head is almost entirely led by these vocals and it’s one of my favorite cuts on the entire record. Also super glad fan favorite Rylan finally got a release with this album! Not everything works though. Some interludes here feel weird like Underwater and Dust Swirls In Strange Light. I ... read more

Hands down my favorite National album. The opening track is so beautiful and sets the mood for most of the album. The quiet devastation as Matt tries to have this difficult conversation that inevitably has to happen, it gives me goosebumps. The explosive moments on here are fantastic as well. I don’t get why people aren’t big fans of Turtleneck but I feel it’s one of the highlights of the whole album. You can really feel the frustrations of the 2016 elections and the whole ... read more

I’m trying to be calm about this but… why the FUCK was this not just the regular album? The 15 tracks here absolutely body the first half it’s not even funny. Taylor feels stuck trying to be a 1989 pop star or a indie folk artist, and one of these is so clearly so much better. I don’t know why she is trying to merge this on one album which seems to ask the question “what if the first half only had like three good songs?” The acoustic instrumentation on these ... read more

Normally I really enjoy Taylor’s music, but god this is so boring. I listened to this and felt like I was going insane cause almost every song here sounds more or less like the last. The same drum machine with some synths sprinkled in over sleepy vocals. The whole tortured poet thing invites you to put more emphasis on the lyrics and makes the questionable verses here even more glaring. I’m sorry, but I can’t feel all that invested in the melodrama being brought up here most ... read more

The instrumentation sounds rough, but honestly I find that a bit charming here. It also meshes well with Gerard’s vocals which are a lot more harsh than on their future albums. I honestly wish he’d scream more like this on later tracks. Not their best, but an enjoyable listen. Fav tracks: Headfirst for Halos, Honey, Early Sunsets Over Monroeville

Interesting as an idea, but in execution? Not so much

Everyone is losing their minds over this, saying Chappell is the future of pop. She has a fantastic voice, and there are some really fun tracks on this, but idk a lot of it felt a little tacky or aggressively alright. The show moments here really drag the album down as she doesn’t have the lyricism to back it up. I’m glad people are loving this, I wish I was having as much fun as yall. It’s not bad, just not for me. Fav tracks: After Midnight, My Kink is Karma

From the very start of Daytona Sand you can tell what Orville was doing here is more grandiose in scale. While a lot of the songs on Pony were more laid back and pulled you in with this eerie atmosphere, Bronco is a lot more confident. Tracks like Any Turn will have you stomping your feet, other cuts like Kalahari Down sweep you off your feet as Pecks vocals soars over a gorgeous string section. I feel like this is a wonderful step up and has made him one of the most interesting voices in ... read more

The shoegaze vibe mixed with country creates an incredibly immersive and relaxing experience. His voice is like butter too. He can and will serenade you and you will be grateful for it. Fav tracks: Roses Are Falling, Take You Back, Dead of Night

I was instantly hooked on this from the intro track. It has a really eerie and moody atmosphere accompanied by some gorgeous vocals. The lyrics of reflecting on sobriety and how it has affected one’s life are incredibly intriguing as well. This culminates to Place In The Sun which is a beautiful statement of making your body a safe place after so many years of darkness. My only complaints would be that Eyes Like Nightshade and Salt while not bad by any means do slow the album down a bit, ... read more

Not as immediately rewarding as Little Dark Age, but one I’ve found myself enjoying more upon further listens. Fav tracks: Mother Nature, Dancing In Babylon, Phradie’s Song

Tickets To My Downfall wasn’t good, but at least it had some energy and wasn’t completely miserable to listen to. This is such a slog to listen to it feels like an eternity to get through. It’s hard to highlight just one bad moment but I think the most funny one to me is on half dead where after the “woke up sad” line there is like this little sniffle. Just a perfectly encapsulation of this EP, lazy, blunt, and miserable. Least fav track: lost boys, time travel

I’ve never listened to an entire Beyoncé album before cause she just isn’t an artist that interests me much. But I heard this would be more of a country album, and as a big fan of country music I thought I’d give it a listen. Well, needless to say I was disappointed. This album is so bloated, why is it this long?! The interludes do not help it either as they frequently remind me of better country artists I could be listening to instead. Why is a cover of Blackbird on ... read more

Who would’ve thought Jensen Ackles of Supernatural fame would have such a singing voice? It’s fine. Sounds like some twangy southern rock you’d hear at a dive bar or something. Which great if that’s your vibe, I just can’t say it’s exactly mine. Fav track: Sounds of Someday

Jeremy Renner, best known for fighting an army robots on a flying city with a bow and arrow, makes generic over produced pop country slop. Despite clocking in at 25 min god it feels like double that. Least fav: Lonesome Town

It Is You sounds like a gorgeous Disney song that never was in the best way possible. Such a lovely listen. Fav tracks: It Is You, Christy, Violently

K. Flay’s sound has been dipped in honey and honestly I think she pulls it off. Catchy hooks and good production makes for a fun listen. Especially like DNA, the lyrics on it are my favorite from any of her songs. Fav tracks: DNA, I Like Myself (Most Of The Time), This Baby Don’t Cry

This album feels like reaching into a bag and either getting a lovely piece of candy or some blood covered rusty nails. When I like a song on here it’s nothing amazing but it’s nice. When they’re bad oh my they’re bad. Her flow on tracks like TGIF and My Name Isn’t Katherine are really impressive. But then there are moments like Weirdo or I’m Afraid Of The Internet which are littered with such clumsy lines it’s hard to highlight just one. Unfortunately ... read more

K. Flay’s first album after losing hearing in one ear, so I commend her for continuing to make music. In the first half it’s a real triumphant feat. Are You Serious?, Carsick, Punisher are all great noisy tracks. Unfortunately the back half kinda lands on its face for me. Yes I’m Serious and Spaghetti has some real goofy bars it’s laughable. Better than her last project, but still not as good as others