Descendants Of Cain is definitely one of my favorite hip hop albums of the year so far. The production is reminiscent of boom bap and east coast hip hop, but with a much darker and atmospheric take on it. Ka is a phenomenal writer and lyricist and the production really highlights Ka’s low-key, but still potent delivery well. The production might be inconsistent here or there for me, but it’s mostly enjoyable throughout. Ka also uses the audio snippets from movies that make ... read more

Considering that the only folk punk artist/band I can recall listening to before this album is AJJ, I don’t have much experience with the genre. However, Life’s a Riot with Spy Vs Spy introduces me to a very innovative folk punk album. It is a brief listen, at only 16 minutes, but it is still a nice look at what has influenced current folk punk artists/bands like AJJ. Even though Billy Bragg’s style isn’t remarkable because he just sings over a fastly-picked, upbeat ... read more

Psychodrama is a wonderful conscious hip hop record. The instrumentation usually consists of somewhat generic hip hop components like heavy bass and hand claps, but are still unique because of their atmosphere, ominous strings, dark and sinister pianos, and sometimes pitch-shifted vocal samples. This stripped back instrumentation fits perfectly with Dave’s serious vocals. Dave proves himself to be a great songwriter, writing about depression, racial inequality, and domestic abuse. The ... read more

Though the album faces an excess of tracks towards the end, Bad Intentions is easily Nav’s best release to date. Nav’s style consists of his somewhat awkward, but charming auto-tuned vocals and the production puts synths over trap instrumentals, which makes the tracks here feel slightly ethereal, yet still fun simultaneously. Almost all of the features are solid, but Gunna is the only one that I believe to be lackluster. My main gripe with this album is that by around the thirteenth ... read more

On Room on Fire, The Strokes do what they did on Is This It, make some really memorable post-punk revival tracks. Their style is still the same, but they work with much louder/intense instrumentation and the vocals are louder and have less of a lo-fi aesthetic to them. The vocals do sometimes feel lost in the instrumentation, but this aspect doesn’t hurt the record that much. It’s really hard to follow up a modern classic like Is This It, but I believe that The Strokes pulled it off ... read more

Though it isn’t nearly as enjoyable as Grey Area, Drop 6 is a decent EP from Little Simz that sees her go in a much more low-key direction compared to to Grey Area.

Favorite Tracks: One Life, Might Live, You Should Call Mum

Least Favorite Track: Damn Right

Though it is a large improvement over his Psychological mixtape, Young, Broke & Infamous is still an inconsistent mixtape from Logic. Like the Psychological mixtape, the sound quality of some tracks is subpar and a few tracks are not fleshed out enough. Also similar to the mixtape, there is boom bap production, but arguably much better this time around. Logic brings his always fast and charismatic delivery, though sometimes he is whispery, which is really hit-or-miss for me. Logic also ... read more

Despite a handful of underwhelming and boring tracks, I believe Dark Lane Demo Tapes to be an improvement over Scorpion. Drake goes for a more atmospheric and ethereal style of hip hop and it works occasionally. Many times, this type of production comes off as underwhelming, though on tracks like Deep Pockets and Losses, this more low-key production works with Drake’s serious delivery. This isn’t a mixtape I’m going to come back to soon, but it is a decent showing and I ... read more

Though not as cutting-edge as their previous efforts, Making A Door Less Open is still a great showing from Car Seat Headrest that dabbles in some indietronica and synthpop, which is unlike their previous works. The band really nails these genres perfectly, despite having little experience with them in the past. The instrumentation is similar to the indie rock brand they are know for, but it can also be pretty snythpop as well. No matter the case, it’s wonderful and Will Toledo provides ... read more

Other than a few tracks, August 26th is a poor display from Post Malone. It’s often bland and basic and the 38 minute run time feels like 58 minutes. Malone’s vocals can be very lazy or obnoxious and he does a disservice to sometimes decent production. Post is always outshined by his features, even though they are never really that great. A really boring and uninspired mixtape that shows that on later albums, Post Malone really improved.

Favorite Tracks: Git Wit U, 40 Funk, ... read more

Czarface’s eponymous debut record is somewhat of a throwback to boom bap/east coast hip hop and it’s fantastic. The boom bap production can drag on, but it’s still mostly solid and memorable. Esoteric and Inspectah Deck provide great lyricism and flows over these beats, making for a satisfying listen through and through. Czarface is a great hip hop record that knows how to make some enjoyable boom bap tracks even in current day.

Favorite Tracks: Almost All

Least Favorite ... read more

10 Day is a great debut mixtape from Chance The Rapper. Chance can have a really fun personality at times, but he can also be very straightforward. The production can be really optimistic at times, but somewhat serious at others. It’s nice to see an artist have fun, while still maintaining seriousness on some occasions. Chance also proves to be a solid songwriter, writing about getting kicked out of school for marijuana, nolstagia, and his mother, as well as other topics. 10 Day is a ... read more

Considering this is Logic’s first release, I don’t think it’s awful, but I doubt that I will come back to it. The sampled boom bap beats are okay, but they often become tiresome quickly and Logic’s boyish voice isn’t really impactful or memorable to me. Some tracks are also too short and don’t leave an impact, as well as the audio quality of the album as a whole being slightly poor. I feel like this aspect of this release makes the album sound dated. Overall, ... read more

On i,i, Bon Iver do what they did on 22, A Million, but tone down the absurdity of the electronic elements. They still incorporate subtle electronic elements, as well as some jazz elements, but primarily stick with the pretty folk music they are known for. Sadly, it results in their weakest album, with some ideas not panning out. Though I think it is their weakest effort, it still has some of their best material. Even when Bon Iver underperforms, they still manage to create a worthwhile record ... read more

On 22, A Million, Bon Iver go towards a Folktronica/Art Pop direction and almost all of their ideas work perfectly. Unlike their previous two studio albums, this record features more electronic elements such as vocoder vocals and synths. The project also contains some of Bon Iver’s most abstract material to date, especially on tracks like 22 (OVER S∞∞N) and 10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄. This album is essentially a fusion of the beautiful folk balladry shown on their ... read more

Bon Iver, Bon Iver is much more grand and has much more instrumentation than the stripped back, but still beautiful For Emma, Forever Ago. This more layered and detailed production works out perfectly and I believe is more consistent than their debut. It’s not as emotionally powerful as the debut, but it is still really hard-hitting throughout, especially on tracks like ‘Holocene’ and ‘Wash.’. Of course, Justin Vernon brings his always impressive ... read more

Though the track ‘Beach Baby’ feels like a leftover from Bon Iver’s previous record, Blood Bank EP is a solid follow up to the debut and it proves that Bon Iver is a versatile band.

Favorite Tracks: Blood Bank, Babys, Woods

Least Favorite Track: Beach Baby

I wouldn’t say Bon Iver’s debut record is the most revolutionary or inventive folk album of the 2000’s or anything, but it is one of a kind and one of the most emotionally potent folk records I have ever listened to. Justin Vernon’s tear-jerkingly beautiful vocals and the delicate and sometimes even powerful instrumentation make For Emma, Forever Ago an ethereally essential folk album of the 2000’s.

Favorite Tracks: All

Least Favorite Track: Team if I had to ... read more

Fleet Foxes’ eponymous debut record is undoubtedly a folk masterpiece. A big reason for that is the progressions that are made on each track. The progressions are so grandiose and epically memorable that it stuns me that the band could make them that way on their first album. Robin Pecknold’s vocals are otherworldly and match beautifully atmospheric instrumentation perfectly. I wish the occasional instrumental was more ambitious, but these tracks are still phenomenal and Pecknold ... read more

Stice’s vocals and flows are really awkward or annoying, so I’m thankful that the production is decent. It’s not awful because of the good production, but the vocals prevent me from coming back to this.

Favorite Tracks: Nothing good, but nothing unbearable

Least Favorite Track: See above