Madlib doesn't require introductions as he's one of the most influential producers in hip-hop genre, crafting some of the genre's best works of the past 20 years.
In 2021 he releases "Sound Ancestors", a solo record with Four Tet as the main producer and collaborator throughout its long process of planning and recording.

When I first saw its title and album cover, I thought it would consist of a stripped back, skeletal sound. I wasn't exactly wrong.

For the most part the record ... read more

"They say don't live in the past
And I don't
I live deep within myself
Just like everyone else"

Shame's well awaited sophomore record was probably the first notable release of 2021, and it didn't disappoint even though the record's sound doesn't go that far from their debut at first glance.
With that said, there are some positive differences I noticed after various listens.

Charlie Steen's voice sounds more mature and developed as well as less restrained (in some kind of way), ... read more

Relatable not debatable
Relatable not debatable
Relatable not debatable
Relatable not debatable

Shame are a young (and *so* young) British punk band that perfectly showcases how the genre can still be very relevant and open to creativity today. I've been delaying listening to them for too long.

On their debut "Songs Of Praise" the group covers topics such as the psychological and social struggles that this generation of late teenagers/young adults go through, and covers them ... read more

The 1980s was quite a polarising decade for Queen, at least when it comes to studio work. They produced some of their most iconic tracks, while also creating some of their weakest.

"The Works" was born after the band's most difficult time creatively, a period that culminated with the release of the disco-influenced and ever-criticised "Hot Space".
The band somehow managed to get their spirits up after such disapproval, and returned with a much more solid record.

It's one ... read more

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Bowie's passing, and so I post this album review in his memory. We miss you, Starman.

In my view, "Hunky Dory" is Bowie's first truly classic album. His previous project "The Man Who Sold The World" marked the artistic birth of who is now usually called "The Chameleon of Rock" (even with Bowie's disdain towards that title), but it's on this record that Bowie started cementing his place in music history.

The album showcases a ... read more

While this record was high up on my list of records to review, I wasn't expecting to write about it so soon. With that said, I felt the need to do so after the news.

I'd only started to heavily listen and appreciate DOOM's work for about 2-3 months now, but the news of his passing have been affecting me quite a lot. My heart feels heavy, and listening to his songs have a completely different feel now. This review is of course dedicated to this great artist, a master of his craft. Rest easy, ... read more

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone!
This will probably be my last review in 2020, so thank you all very much for following, reading and liking my reviews. Here's to a better year, with great music!

António Variações is one of the greatest voices that ever graced Portugal.
Throughout his painfully short career, he revolutionised the pop landscape in the 1980s musically and morally, opening the audience's horizons to new sounds and the acceptance of queer ... read more

Few artists this year have appeared so much on my internet feeds as much as Phoebe Bridgers. I didn't know much about her work apart from a few tracks of her 2017 record "Stranger In The Alps". I missed out on a lot of shit the past few years, and thanks to this website I've been discovering more and more.

I'd like to start off with the album cover, something I usually tend to not talk about. It's fucking beautiful. In my view, the dark blue background expresses feelings of grief ... read more

So Paul finally managed to finish his self-titled album trilogy...During "ROCKdown" 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I was obviously feeling skeptical by this release. The sheer amount of limited edition, colored vinyl editions made me question how desperate Paul was to sell this record, or if it was any good.

Well, "McCartney III" is the most solid record Paul has put out in quite a few ... read more

Björk's second record (or third...If you count *that* album) is the one that spoke to me the most so far, and the one I've most often returned to.

"Post" was a huge success upon release, and has been considered one of the best albums of the 1990s time and time again.
IT DESERVES SO DAMNIT!

Björk elevated her musical style, lyricism and eclectiveness with this project with the help of producers such as Graham Massey (from 808 State) and Tricky (from Massive Attack).

The ... read more

I've been avoiding making a review of this record for a while. This is the last The Smiths record, and for the longest time the one I liked the least.

That changed unexpectedly this year. This album grew on me like hell. And for that reason I never felt ready to write on it. But the time had to come, eventually.

After the success of "The Queen Is Dead", The Smiths didn't last more than a year. Vocalist Morrissey and guitarrist Johnny Marr were developing increasingly different ... read more

It's hard to write a review about a record from which everything has already been said and analysed. But here's my take on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

This was the first Beatles record I heard from front to back, quite a few years ago. It blew me away for diverse reasons, like its concept, the classic album cover and the lively atmosphere the whole project emanates.
While my taste for their material has changed over the years (and the top spot for their best record ... read more

I listened to Adrianne Lenker's newest record with bare to no knowledge about her previous solo projects and mild exposure to the work released by her band, Big Thief (both of which I have the wish to explore in the future).

Her second solo record was made after the abrupt cancellation of Big Thief's tour due to Covid, and a breakup that deeply affected Adrianne. These two factors made her isolate herself in a wooden cabin, where she wrote and recorded this album.

"songs", as the ... read more

I started listening to this one a bit skeptical, but was left satisfied!

"A Hero's Death", the second record from Irish punk group Fontaines D.C. was released only a year after their debut and it was able to impress me very much for the positive, specially since I was left slightly disappointed with "Dogrel".

This record shows a great, rapid improvement in the band's overall sound as well as the song themes and aesthetics.
Practically each and every one of the 11 tracks ... read more

Fontaines D.C.'s debut record is a curious one.

I decided to listen to their work after the rave reviews their latest record "A Hero's Death" had. Before that, I haven't heard of this Irish punk group.

After hearing the first half I felt disappointed. The tracks weren't necessarinly bad, but I expected more? Grian Chatten's vocals weren't compelling, and while the instrumentals have nothing to complain about the first five songs took longer to grow on me. They eventually did, ... read more

"The Man Who Sold The World" is a record on David Bowie's discography worth remembering, even if it doesn't have the fame that other albums like "Ziggy Stardust" "Hunky Dory" or "Heroes" have.

It was the first record to feature Mick Ronson and Mick Woodmansey in guitar and drums. Both of them would later be part of "the Spiders from Mars", and were crucial for Bowie's improvement on his musical style and his records' instrumentals.

While ... read more

The Doors' popularity wasn't at its best when the 60s ended. The band's previous record "The Soft Parade" was unfavorably received by the public, and Jim Morrison's substance abuse led to poor concert perfomances and the decline of the band's reputation and radio-play. 50 years ago they released "Morrison Hotel", a record that set the band back on track.

The fifth album from the LA-based group shows a back-to-basics sound heavily influenced by blues rock, a genre from ... read more

Happy Halloween everyone!

"Disintegration" is without a doubt The Cure's magnum opus, and was the first album I heard from the band. It's also the oldest compact disc I own, an original edition from '89.

The band went through both hard and happy moments in the time gap between the release of "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" and this record.
Robert Smith got married in 1988 (and his wife was the inspiration for the track "Lovesong"). Despite the wonderful ... read more

I listened to this record as a recommendation from a close friend of mine. I can't thank him enough.

In the past I've listened to "Siamese Dream" from 1993 and "Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" from 1995. These two records put The Smashing Pumpkins at the top of their game and "Adore" was the anticipated follow-up, released in 1998.

The album marks a change in the band's sound, with lyrics influenced by the band members' personal struggles that went on ... read more

Who the fuck hurt Joji?!

I'm a bit late on this one, but I was relunctant to review this album at first (and to even listen to it in its entirety).
"Ballads 1" was more than disappointing, and I doubted this new record would be much better. But after some time I just decided to get on with it and see what happens!

What happened, you ask? Well, I was left surprised for how the record had more enjoyable tracks than what I expected but also disappointed with a few flaws. ... read more