With the release of every DJ Khaled album, a small handful of singles are released ahead of the album. At least one of these singles is always an excellent, opulent, A-list star-studded banger that pretty much everyone can admit to enjoying. This album was devoid of a single of quite this caliber, but all three of the pre-release singles for Major Key are enjoyable mainstream rap songs.

In the past, Khaled's albums have mostly been largely ignorable grab bags to capitalize on the success of ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#8)

The contents of Everybody Looking are visualized perfectly on the album cover: a morochromatic Gucci flexing overtop of colorful, beautiful art.

On this release, Gucci has decided to, mostly, fill his verses with brag rap, seemingly to reassert his dominance over the scene that he "fathered" now that he has been released from prison. He raps, principally, about 3 things:

1. The large amount of money that he has accrued
2. The fact that he doesn't ... read more

The confusingly titled Sketches from an Island 2 follows the fantastic 2014 2-EP compilation Sketches from an Island and last year's Sketches from an Island 3 EP. The music on this album is, largely in the same vein as that of its predecessors. However, the production, as a whole, seems to be more muted. Though, if you are familiar with Barrott's work in this series, you know that that does not mean that this music is not still incredibly vibrant.

This album is, indeed, still quite vibrant, ... read more

I've struggled to write this review because I feel that my listening experience with this type of music is deeply insufficient, and, thusly, I feel incompetent to write about it.

I've not spent much type listening to Bikini Kill or Brat Mobile. I haven't listened to basically anything by their predecessors such as The Slits, The Raincoats, or Kleenex. I am a huge, huge fan of Sleater-Kinney, but that is about where my knowledge of "riot grrrl" music and female punk bands ends.

So ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#7)

Writing a review of this album is just not that exciting of a prospect to me. It was a solid collection of songs. I enjoyed nearly every one of them for what it was. It just didn't feel like an ALBUM to me. It actually, upon a few full listens, seems to be less than the sum of its parts. I can see myself revisiting a lot of the songs on this album, but I doubt that I will ever feel like sitting down and listening to the album as a whole again.

Nonetheless, the ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#6)

Full Disclosure: Since I Left You is one of my favorite albums of all time.

So, naturally, I had high hopes for Wildflower. The first time that I listened to it over a week ago, I was, naturally, disappointed. I went into it with unnaturally high expectations. I already had the review written in my head: “Wildflower is good. It is expertly put together and sounds very professional… but the magic seems to have been lost in the pursuit of perfection.” ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#5)

Freetown Sound is not as explicitly about the “black experience” in modern society as many of the other "big statement" albums by black artists usually are. Unlike these other “big statement” albums, such as Fear of a Black Planet, To Pimp a Butterfly, and Yeezus, Freetown Sound is much more broad-reaching. It isn’t just about dealing with your ethnicity in the modern era, but it is about trying to be yourself or the person that ... read more

This is a GREAT EP from the band G.L.O.S.S. who have been getting a lot of buzz in the music media over the past year or so. All of the instrumentation is tight, and it is played loud and fast — just the way hardcore is supposed to be. The lyrics, too, are in your face and right to the point and are delivered in lead-singer Sadie Switchblade’s full-throated and self-assured howl.

Speaking of lyrics, I’m not sure if the ones found on this EP are more uplifting or depressing. ... read more

The acoustic bass hasn’t been used to as ominous an effect as that found on the first half of this album since Violent Femmes’ self-titled first LP. Like Violent Femmes, Puberty 2 uses a combination of simple instrumentation and unassuming, yet, somehow, unsettling vocals to create a cathartic feeling like no other. Unlike Violent Femmes, which was essentially an album length ode to blue balls, Puberty 2 is a very liberating and VERY feminine project.

In fact, this album is so ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#4)

Mello Music Group are a singular entity in modern hip-hop music. Not everything they release is perfect, or even great, but they have a certain defining aura that encompasses all of the music released through the label. Alongside that inescapable, yet undefinable quality, is the fact that music released on the label is always thoughtful and rarely hateful (which is like a breath of fresh air).

Red Pill is one of the artists, alongside the likes of Open ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#3)

YG is back in a BIG way. Upon it’s initial release, I wasn’t too crazy about YG’s last studio album, My Krazy Life, but, after return visits, I’ve learned to appreciate it more. However, Still Brazy is, in the humble opinion of this reviewer, one of the best gangsta rap albums since gangsta rap’s late ’90s heyday. YG released one of the album's best tracks, “Twist My Fingaz,” well in advance last year. That ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#2)

As I was having a hard time writing a long-form review about what makes this album so enjoyable, I decided to switch up my format and do a track by track review instead:

· Sea of Love: Short plucked melody repeated over over and over while the droning wall of sound over top of it grows louder and louder, only making the dissonance between the drone sound and the simple, beautiful melody underneath more apparent. While the louder the drone gets, the more ear ... read more

This is a late-career triumph for Paul Simon. While by no means a perfect album, it harkens back to the best of his solo work. Every song, with the exception of the meandering title track, is quite enjoyable. The album opens with a strong one-two punch. Opener “Werewolf” is an infectious and deliriously wonky reflection on life and death through metaphor, and the deceivingly upbeat “Wristband” critiques the open secret that is class division in our modern world. The rest ... read more

A sophomore slump if there ever was one. The energetic band that put out 2014’s Mourn* seems to be falling asleep on most of this record. The music is passable post-punk, but it never tries to surpass that. But, ultimately, the crucial element that this record is missing that their debut DID have is strong songwriting. Everything here just tends to blend together. The only exceptions seem to be the chaotic “Storyteller” and the strong, vibrant album closer, “Fry ... read more

ALBUM OF THE WEEK (#1)

Like many* of the best albums that come out nowadays, Whitney’s debut record is nothing new, but is instead both a refinement of and a combination of many styles and ideas that have been explored before. The themes found in Light Upon the Lake are nothing new. The minute-long “na na” close-out on standout track “Golden Days” certainly isn’t a novel idea, either. The musical style itself dates all the way back to the 60’s and was ... read more

Maybe this album doesn't deserve a perfect 10. There's nothing new to be found on this album, and it won't open any half-experienced music listener's eyes to any new concepts. However, these things are very easy to say until I actually put the album on and remember again why I love it so much. This album consists of 12 perfectly crafted pop songs that, for 45 minutes, make me feel warm and comforted no matter how many times I listen to them. So though this album may not be a revolutionary ... read more

Fear of a Black Planet opens with a warning siren of pop culture samples and knocking drums. It makes itself blatantly clear: get out now or get ready to get knocked on your butt, and then, on the next track, they deliver the first knockout blow. That track, Brothers Gonna Work It Out, still reigns as one of the most powerful, uplifting, and jaw dropping moments of Public Enemy's entire powerful, uplifting, and jaw dropping discography. What then follows is 18 tracks of government call-outs ... read more