John Carpenter’s Halloween soundtrack is easily one of the most famous horror soundtracks of all time and for good reason. The material here is really atmospheric, menacing, and foreboding and works perfectly in context of the movie. Though, I wish it could be more varied, as many tracks redo other tracks with subtle changes, I still think this album is great and is definitely a classic horror soundtrack.

Favorite Tracks: All

Whitehouse’s New Britain may be the weakest release in their discography. There are more than a few entirely instrumental tracks that are absolutely boring and dull. There have been great instrumental tracks on previous Whitehouse project, so I have no idea how every single one here managed to be so unsatisfying. Like their first album Birthdeath Experience, there are many tracks with dull instrumentals, but even that album had some really solid tracks and not almost every track was dull. ... read more

The first $uicideboy$ release shows what the hip hop duo was capable of so early on. It isn’t nearly as dark as their later material, but it does have a slightly dark aesthetic. Kill Yourself and Mask & Da Glock are really solid tracks, but Maple Syrup’s production becomes dull after time. Still though, a really solid debut EP for the duo that is worth listening to.

Favorite Tracks: Kill Yourself, Mask & Da Glock

Least Favorite Track: Maple Syrup

Whitehouse somewhat extends their style seen on Peter Kürten on Buchenwald. Much like that album, the whistling, water noises, and distorted, but intense vocals are present. However, the sound on this project isn’t nearly as loud and high-pitched. It’s also less static-like and has much longer tracks than Kürten. The title track is really solid, but I do feel there is some wasted potential here. The track uses a horn-like sound, which is a nice touch on top of the ... read more

Following up Erector, Dedicated to Peter Kürten is a really solid release from Whitehouse. Whitehouse uses similar vocals to that project, but here they are clearer, louder, more high-pitched, and much more frightening. The instrumentation is also much louder and more static like than that album as well. The instrumentals contain whistles and sometimes even water noises. This album continues the disturbing songwriting from previous works, but this album notably is dedicated to serial ... read more

Erector is more simplistic compared to previous Whitehouse releases. The instrumentation is very stripped back and reminds me of Suicide’s eponymous debut record. Despite how simplistic the instrumentals here are, they create a foreboding atmosphere. You’re waiting for William Bennet to start screaming and then he finally comes in. It’s truly scary and it’s incredible to me how tense something as basic as this can be. William’s vocals take a somewhat new approach, ... read more

Total Sex sees Whitehouse continuing the sound they had on Deathbirth Experience. The instrumentation is about the same, but the vocals now have reverb used on them. This aesthetic choice is great during the first half, but harms the album during the second half, I will get to this part later. The recording of the vocals is also poor, though this still doesn’t negatively affect the album to me. The first three tracks are really solid, but the album nosedives after the third track is up. ... read more

Famous power electronics and noise band, Whitehouse, began their career with Birthdeath Experience. The instrumentation is very staticky and the accompanying vocals from William Bennett can be downright harrowing and horrifying. It’s too bad though that half of the material here is just okay. The tracks On Top, Rock And Roll, and The Second Coming are all great, the vocals are really eerie and memorable on these tracks and they are worth coming back to, but the other three tracks the ... read more

Though I’ve never found myself enjoying Xxxtentacion’s studio albums too much, his earlier work was decent and Willy Wonka Was a Child Murderer is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. The first and last tracks, Valentine and Never, are too light and feel underwhelming to me, but the the two tracks in between are great. The tracks are King and WWWACM and they both start out light like Valentine and Never, which is very deceptive because they both build up for a brief, ... read more

Chromatica is a really solid dance-pop album that showcases Lady Gaga’s eccentricity and creativeness. The material here reminds me of 1980’s - 1990’s dance-pop/synth-pop, but with with a catchy modern flare. Gaga’s vocals are magnificent and they sound fantastic over the 1980’s - 90’s nostalgic sounding dance-pop/synth-pop production. Sure, there are more than a few tracks where Gaga wants to appeal more to the mainstream and these tracks are more basic than ... read more

13lood In + 13lood Out Mixx is an absolute onslaught of an EP from Denzel Curry. Vocally and flow-wise, Denzel is relentless on here and so are the features. The production can come off as trap metal influenced at points or spacey cloud rap at others. The tracks fade in and out of each other quickly, providing for a brief, yet satisfying listening experience. It’s aggressive, in-your-face, and immensely enjoyable. This project is just another example of why Denzel is such a phenomenal ... read more

After a three and a half year wait, Run The Jewels return with RTJ4. The production here isn’t nearly flashy as on previous albums, usually being somewhat intense and tending to highlight El-P and Killer Mike’s vocals. This is especially true on tracks never look back and pulling the pin. What does continue from the previous records however, is the political songwriting. RTJ 3 saw the duo write more about politics and political issues and it shows up on RTJ4 as well. The features ... read more

God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It showcases some of the best experimental hip hop tracks of the year. The dark and relentless production and uncompromising vocals and flows make this a really enjoyable listen. Almost every track features some vocal sampling that is truly remarkable and chaotic. The features perform well too, especially Devi McCallion from Black Dresses. If you’re someone who enjoys Jpegmafia or Death Grips, there is no doubt you will love this. ... read more

Though some vocal performances pale in comparison to others, No Dream is a really fun, energetic, and charismatic power pop/punk rock project. Jeff’s vocals are so quick and powerful and the instrumentation is unbelievable punchy, catchy, and fast. This is definitely one of my favorite albums of the year so far and has a possibility of being my favorite punk rock album of the year.

Favorite Tracks: No Time, Nikes (Alt), Scram!, N O D R E A M, State Line, Old Crap, ***BNB, Ohio ... read more

Full of Hell’s collaborative record with Merzbow results in a fantastic grindcore album. The fast and heavy instrumentation mixed with the growled and shrieked vocals provides for a fantastic, though short listening experience. Merzbow’s contribution to the album is brief, as his work only appears on three tracks, but I feel his work isn’t utilized the best. Two of the three tracks his work is on sound like the Full of Hell’s vocalist is shrieking in the background, ... read more

Though he faces some vocal struggles, Roddy Ricch proves himself to be a unique auto-crooner on Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. The production is pretty and spacey, especially compared to regular trap instrumentals and Roddy showcases his solid vocals and songwriting. The hooks on this project are melodic and really catchy. While Roddy does have room for improvement, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial is a great start to his career and this album really separates him from his trap ... read more

Merzbow’s first known release, Fuckexercise, is a weak start to his discography. It sounds like Merzbow wanted to make erratic noise music, but thought the best way of doing so was by playing an out-of-tune guitar with pans clanging against each other thrown in for 15 minutes straight. Refer to JustSomeGuy’s review, as he puts it perfectly. Still though, it’s not unbearable and at least the album is short.

Moses Sumney’s sophomore record, Græ, is an excellent art pop album. The first side is a showy experience that has some really pretty and grand instrumentation, especially on tracks like Cut Me and Virile. The interludes on this side don’t add anything to me, but I still don’t mind them too much. Moses’ vocals on this side and the second side are absolutely stunning and compliment the instrumentation so well. The track Gagarin is the only other thing on the first ... read more

Though it’s not as unbearably bad as Sam Hunt’s Southside from earlier in the year, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1 is undoubtedly a bland country pop album. If anything, it’s not really even country at all. There are guitar chords heard in country songs and fake-sounding country accents, but these aspects obviously doesn’t feel authentic. There are even pop singers and a feature from rapper Young Thug if you’re are still convinced this album is legitimately ... read more

Freddie Gibbs’ hot streak continues on Alfredo. The Alchemist’s jazz rap and boom bap production is great and Freddie’s relentless flows and rough lyricism sound perfect over it. The features do well too, especially Benny the Butcher and Tyler, The Creator. Even though a few tracks could’ve been more fleshed out, I still love a majority of the material here. Alfredo is a fantastic collaborative hip hop record, though it isn’t as impressive as Freddie’s work ... read more