First listen: March 2019

Pretty song for a pretty man

93/100

First listen: March 2019

Bill Wurtz is everything I aspire to be.

90/100

First listen: March 2019

It's actually incredible how Bill is able to create such random lyrics that are comedic on surface level and actually profound on a deeper one... AND IT SOUNDS GOOD? The fact that he is able to swing from idea to idea without losing any of the message is astounding.

94/100

First listen: March 2019

A charming, fun song about making the best out of not-so charming, fun situations. Bill manages to master the eccentricity of his music.

86/100

First listen: March 2019

I remember one entry from Bill's Questions page a while back:

Q. What was the "bad thing" that you did in the song "I just did a Bad Thing"?

A. The bad thing was that I didn't do enough good things.

91/100

First listen: March 2019

And to think that Bill chose to complete this song as 1 out of 367 through a random number generator. This song is amazing.

97/100

First listen: March 2019

Bill's best song yet. The groove is immaculate.

99/100

First listen: August 4, 2019

Wow yeah the Imagine Dragons comparisons are actually on-point here. Basically Evolve/Origins for 40 year-old Christian motorcyclists. Victorious is at least a bit more consistent Unleashed. Mixing is better as well, but the songs themselves are not particularly interesting. This is basically a rehash of Unleashed where everything is mellowed out and boring. Lyrics are even more uninteresting and repetitive. The band is just making the same song over and over again ... read more

First listen: July 2019

With Unleashed, Skillet attempts to update their sound while simultaneously sounding super outdated. It seems everything I liked about Rise is gone and what I didn't like is worse. The production and mixing is all over the place, vocals are bad and sometimes incomprehensible. Some if these songs are actually interesting musically (notably Feel Invincible and The Resistance) that I would like a lot more if they were produced better. Saviors Of The World is very loud but ... read more

First listen: Spring 2019

Likewise with Awake, I used to be really into this album, but its charm has certainly been lost over the years. Most of these songs are just really middle of the road. The quality has decreased notably from Awake as well. It sounds like the band is trying way too hard to be 'edgy' and 'rebellious' with the "Standing up to evil" trope. Other moments that reinforce this just aren't well done. Don't like the outro to the title track. Don't like the last minute ... read more

First listen: Spring 2019

From someone who was only allowed to listen to Christian music as a kid, this was probably my favorite album. It was religious enough so that my parents allowed it, but to prepubescent me, this thing was EPIC. I can still see myself at Church Camp 2012, absolutely jamming to Awake and Alive over the loudspeakers. This band was my introduction to rock as a genre. But beyond the fond childhood memories I had, this album just isn't as hard as I remember it. The badassery ... read more

First listen: April 2019

The only good thing about this album is the cover art.

As I said with Evolve, Imagine Dragons seem to still be neck-deep in their sellout stage. Again, most of the songs on Origins are utterly uninteresting and uninspired. They sound like I would expect them to be in a commercial for the next iPhone or something. Like, wow, Zero was made to be used in the b-rate Wreck It Ralph sequel? Shocking! I will rate this higher than Evolve, however, because at least in this ... read more

First listen: April 2019

YOU NEED A TRUCK THAT'S BUILT TOUGH LIKE YOU. INTRODUCING THE NEW FORD THUNDER.

There are two types of songs on this album: The singles, and the regular tracks.
The singles are the most overblown obnoxious anthems that seem procured specifically for television adverts. It's impossible for me to hear songs like Believer or Whatever It Takes without also picturing a screen showing an ugly pickup truck driving through some mud, or some generic ass white dude hitting ... read more

First Listen: April 2019

this is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come...

I am no longer 12 years old and don't think Radioactive is the peak of music anymore, but I still find myself returning to this album regularly. As safe and generic as it may be, it's still got some fun moments and an overall charm to it to where it's one of the only albums from my childhood that I can still enjoy. But that isn't to say that I don't agree with its criticisms. I do believe that Radioactive is a very ... read more