A decent vaporwave album, not doing anything I haven't seen before.

Nettspend's rapping is so drowned in autotune that it becomes unlistenable at times, the fact that every song sounds almost identical makes it almost nauseating by the end. The production actually isn't all that terrible, I could easily see it support a better rapper in a better project, but again it's so repetitive to the point of mindlessness.

There's something about this album that's not quite clicking for me, perhaps it's that I've just grown out of Smino's music. Perhaps it's that Smino sounds pretty much the same as he did 7 years ago, while a lot of artists he got popular with, like Saba, and Ravyn Lenae, have been seeing pretty constant growth and evolution during that time.. Perhaps the smaller focus on R&B and more on straightforward rapping loses some of the personality that was present on ... read more

An interesting album to say the least, I think I'm in the small minority of people that thinks that Inca Ore's contributions were actually on par (and even better in some cases!) compared to Grouper's contributions. I think both artists present interesting takes on ambient music. I love how Grouper's vocals get almost completely drowned out by the ambient and gloomy production, it added a lot to the emotion and general atmosphere of those tracks. Inca Ore's tracks ... read more

Really unique combination of genres here, and they all mesh together pretty well. There's elements of Jazz, Punk, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, R&B, and Rock but they all come together naturally. I can definitely see the Tyler, the Creator influence, especially on tracks like "Trash Anthem", but Rimera here still carves out his own, distinct path. I wish the first half was a little stronger, it sounds a lot more like just throwing ideas at each other, without much rhyme or reason, ... read more

This album had a lot to live up to, being the album considered to have essentially "invented" metal music. This album is a case where I respect it's place in music history more than actually personally enjoy it, I think the main issue I had with this album was just the singing on some of the songs, it just killed some of the enjoyment I had with those tracks. Pretty much every other aspect of this album though, I like, the guitar playing here is great, as is the rest of the ... read more

Emotionally powerful album, in both the writing and the performance from Beth Gibbons, her subdued style of singing really conveys a lot of emotion. Really impressive and varied production here as well.

Their first EP, and only 3 songs long, I'm surprised how quickly Night Tapes established themselves as a powerhouse in this psychedelic/dreamy pop scene. The production is great, each of the three tracks sound distinct enough, but flow into each other so well. Some of the most underrated acts going right now, check them out if you can.

Yet again, Night Tapes show they're some of the best makers of Dream Pop today. They manage to perfect this ethereal atmosphere. They're EPs aren't that long, but each song is just long enough so that you can get fully immersed in its sound. The singing here is as incredible as you'd expect, it really elevates each track, the addition of another singer here really adds to how distinct this EP sounds from the ones that would come after. The production goes for a slightly ... read more

Lauryn Hill's only solo album is a triumph in hip hop, who's ripples can be still be felt today.

Discussion about the current state of hip hop, and the general state of the world was nothing new when this album came out. But the way Lauryn Hill approaches this topics is genius, seamlessly blending soul, R&B, and Hip Hop. The combination of styles from across decades creates this love letter, but also this critical reflection to the world Lauryn Hill grew up in, using traditional ... read more

Such a cool and creative sounding album. It's so easy to get lost in this album and drift away while listening. The way electronic and jazz elements are combined here is incredible, such a good way to approach ambient music.

This whole album just kinda went in one ear and out the other. Nothing really caught my attention, I suppose the production can be at points interesting, and the rapping was alright, it's just nothing I haven't heard before.

Really creative and interesting production here. This album really grips you from the start with it's glitchy, jazzy soundscapes. Each track sounds pretty distinct, but they flow into each other really well, and it creates this incredibly cohesive project. Really impressive listen.

Thanks to @Kickingpro for the recommendation!
One thing I never took note of while listening to Fishmans is how much I adore the singing on every single one of their songs, it's so dreamy and consistently fantastic. This album has a slightly more reggae and dub influence compared to what else I've heard from them, which makes for a really interesting listen. The final track also works really well a closer to the Fishmans discography, this being their final studio album.

One of the best hidden gems to come out of 2024. The production, instrumentation, and general sound of this this album make it feel almost timeless, and I think that's perfectly showcased by the cover art, it has echoes of the past, but there's a subtle sense of modernity in there. Juanita Stein's singing is incredible, and has a decent amount of range, from quiet and somber, like on the opening track, to more energetic and almost fun, like on "Daily Rituals" and ... read more

Thanks to @Kickingpro for the recommendation!
I'm surprised I haven't this album before, but I'm happy to say that this is NOT overrated. I know that this is a remake of a previous release, but the production and mixing hit this perfect middle ground between polished and noisy. I also liked how self aware the album was, at points it felt like it was directly talking to me about how to feel about the album, which I found really interesting. The vocals and writing have so much ... read more

I already didn't love "White Light", and this feels like a downgrade in every way possible. Just a less interesting listen all around.

The production here is great. And each track is consistently really good and well made. There isn't a moment here that doesn't sound great, with the exception of "Doves In the Wind", I get what that song's going for, it just didn't work out imo. SZA's singing is great as expected, she has a distinct sound here compared to other contemporary R&B artists. Almost all the features here do a great job, and add to the tracks really well.

Really weird and interesting listen! The singing reminded me of Jarboe's (Especially on Sacrificial Cake) and the production reminded me at points of Cristobal Tapia de Veer (specifically his work on the Utopia soundtracks). The writing is obviously politically charged, sonically works well with the general sound of the album. The album almost sounds like it's drifting in and out of consciousness, and is really well made. Sometimes the production can be a little annoying, and there ... read more

I think the weak choruses on this album bring it down a little. That being said, the verse were still really creatively written, and the rapping was also really good, and kept up a consistent quality for the entire runtime. The production here was some of the best I've heard from Tribe, the production sounds like it could have come out today and wouldn't feel out of place at all. While I do think this is much weaker than Low End Theory, it's still impressive from a technical ... read more