Squid is one of those few bands that are currently carrying the good name of forward-thinking rock music on their shoulders. [O Monolith], the British act's departure from punk and veer towards sonic experimentation, is a solid and enjoyable listen that unfortunately occasionally overplays its hand and bogs itself down with questionable artistic direction.

{Devil's Den} and {Undergrowth} are fun tracks that suffer from a similar yet different issue; the first starts off nicely, plays out in ... read more

Catching Beatles (4/5) - Revolution 10/10

My favorite Beatles record is, incidentally, the one I have the least to say about. [The Beatles], also known as "the white album", is an experience I can compare only to trying to whip up a meal with the leftovers you have in the fridge and accidentally producing a bona fide masterpiece. The songs here have little to no cohesion across two sides, with the sole consistent factor being the knowledge that "man, if I'd heard this as a music ... read more

Why, man? Is this some new Oliver Tree promotion arc that I'm missing? You can't have your bandmate since the mid-90s leave the band, mismanage all announcements on social media and drop this steaming pile of garbage - an entire EP focused on ruining one of the most controversial songs in your catalog? For the love of God, get your heads out your asses.

Catching Beatles (3/5) - Good Value Strawberries (forever?)

How unhinged would I need to be to compare [Magical Mystery Tour] to an equally renowned album made in the 2000s? Not much, I'd wager. This album is akin to Radiohead's [Amnesiac] in many ways, from the fact that it contains songs that could've made it on the Beatles' preceding project to the occasional feeling of under-appreciation that permeates the discourse around these "younger sibling" LPs. I, personally, have to say ... read more

Catching Beatles (2/5) - Salty Broken Hearts Band

Being a contrarian is a difficult thing, and it's a good thing I've never been that much of a spirit of rebellion. But when I'm finally brought before the God of Music and asked to testify for my unforgivable crimes of bad taste, right before he casts me down I'll look into his eyes and say: [Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band] just isn't *that* great, man. It's not even top three Beatles.

Pay to mind to me free-falling and listen; I still ... read more

Catching Beatles (1/5) - The Warm Gun That Happiness Is

The Beatles are a band that can do no wrong by me. It's difficult to understate the joy that the mop-top quartet of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr inspired during their prime and in the decades after, writing songs that soothe the soul and warm the heart. If you start walking up to strangers on the road (I do not recommend this; very creepy) and ask them to "name three bands" entirely at random, ... read more

Review-Mini #6

Hard rock in the 2020s lives again, with the explicit and very loud blessings of Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters. After two harrowing losses in drummer Taylor Hawkins and mother Virginia Grohl, he starts taking lyricism more seriously than he ever has to great payoff, because [But Here We Are] is, front to back, the most consistent project the band has ever delivered.

From your standard hard hitting Foo tracks to shoegaze to mournful ballads to moments of acoustic finesse, ... read more

Hey, wake up. It's your spiritual suburban [Funeral].

Arcade Fire is a band that I've admittedly had a shaky relationship with. For a long time, my sole uniquely positive experience with them was their monumental and widely beloved debut LP, which I have a lot of love for thanks to the magnificence of songs like {Tunnels}, {Laika}, {Wake Up} and {In the Backseat}. Despite this being the case, they never really pulled me in enough to make me into an Arcade Fire superfan. I then went on to ... read more

Review-Mini #5

While I do consider this album a pretty surprising turn for Kesha, [Gag Order], pleasant as it is, feels like it turns into a one-trick-pony collection of songs midway through the experience. The vocal performances are sincere and heartfelt and Rick Rubin's production is as crisp as ever, but there comes a point when you start to notice the repetition of lyrics and droning noise, things present on many songs in this album, and they start to transform from a conscious decision to ... read more

Kind of an unpopular opinion, but I do so love to not be disappointed.

I consider myself an outspoken critic of the "releasing half the songs in the album as singles" form of album promotion, but I can't get mad at this. Up-and-coming British (mostly) alternative metal band Sleep Knot cement their glorious return with their most diverse project to date, [Take Me Back to Eden]. A bit of an out-there but not entirely inaccurate comparison to this band would be Megadeth; their ... read more

This year is just a massive victory for music

Opinions tend to be extremely divisive on UK singer-songwriter, folk pop icon, semi-amateur rapper and black midi murder victim Ded Sheeran. One one hand, his music seems to be what people would describe as "lowest common denominator"; extremely inoffensive, works in any given situation, beloved by radio stations of all kinds, hated by people that have devoted enough of their time to the wider music space to be aware of the fact he seems to be content with perennially skirting on the ... read more

Review-Mini #4

Jessie Ware? Wouldn't it be Jessie Was?

Misuse of English aside, she returns once more to show us that Jessie Is (haha) a very talented singer with a formidable vocal presence in a genre that tends to eat talented vocalists for lunch. [That! Feels! Good!] is an album that invites you to dance, and then wipes the floor with you because it's just that much better. The tracks feel a bit samey, but the point is that they blend together in a great showcase that disco is in fact ... read more

Review-Mini #3

He's the Jackman (ski-bi dibby dib yo da dub dub)

Jack Harlow returns with a surprise 20-minute release that signifies, finally, a proper step in the right direction. The songs are, while still unrefined, straight from the heart, produced well and play along well with Harlow's voice and more classic/standard style of rap. The hit-seeking style of song as seen in tunes like {First Class} from the last record is traded off for sincerity and an opportunity for him to express his ... read more

I heard [Deathconsciousness] for the first time last month on the recommendation of a friend. By the time I'd gotten through the entire project, it was very late at night and my thoughts weren't collected enough for me to be able to elaborate on what I thought or felt during the experience, and then life took over and left me with too little time to invest in my little music analysis hobby. I think it's finally time that I attempt to sum up my feelings on Have A Nice Life's thesis on the human ... read more

Mourning the loss of Andy Fletcher, British synthpop formerly-trio-now-duo Depeche Mode bring us a heartfelt and nostalgic collection of songs on [Memento Mori]. Without wanting to even insinuate the whole "suffering begets creativity" schtick that seems to be occasionally popular when projects like these drop and as a perennial fan of the band, I have to say that this has to be their greatest project since 1997's [Ultra].

The beauty of some of these songs is beyond compare. {Don't ... read more

Review-Mini #2

... there's just some partnerships that can't go wrong, man. Last year when I saw a release collaboration between Black Thought and Danger Mouse, I thought to myself "yeah that's probably going to be on my year end list" and so it was. It's the exact same situation here. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown's collaboration on [SCARING THE HOES] is an abstract celebration of their unique and loud artistic styles. They flow into each other like a river flows into the ocean, they ... read more

It's fine to think you're dumb! Nirvana also had a song about that sort of thing, and if they did it it's clearly acceptable.

[10,000 gecs] is the latest album from unhinged hyperpop duo 100 decibels. Since there quite literally isn't any frame of reference I can use to judge this album due to how self-referential both the band and genre are, I'll simply judge it based on my own enjoyment: it's good! I liked it. The loud moments here are definitely not as deafening as they were on the debut ... read more

Review-Mini #1

I'm not very familiar with IDM and not as into shoegaze as a lot of other people on this website, but I sure did love this. [Velocity : Design : Comfort] is an excellent project front to back with highlights that impress and no discernible weaknesses. Perhaps this is deserving of a 10, but I'd have to sit on it for a bit until I finally decide.

Favorite Songs: Pro : Lov : Ad // Dsco // Velocity // To All The Dancers
Worst Songs: none
Special Commentary: Don't ask me why but I'd ... read more

I'd say I'm underwhelmed, which seems to be the common sentiment, but frankly I didn't have many expectations to begin with. The singles, with one notable exception, were just not grabbing me - which is a huge problem if you've decided to throw out half the songs in your album as singles in the pre-release cycle.

[Cracker Island] is the latest project by beloved British virtual band Tropical Monkeys. The theme of [Cracker Island], if it exists, seems to be lost on me. That's kind of a problem ... read more