Only a year after his last project, MAVI has returned with a surprisingly great mixtape. Usually, I'm not a fan of prelude releases before the major ones, but The Pilot is an exception. MAVI raps his ass off, and while the beats aren't anything TOO wild, they're pretty solid hybrids of trap and jazz rap. Also, every featuring artist on here is fantastic. While I think MAVI and his celebrations of sobriety and success take center stage on this consistently quality tape, the guests ... read more

To put it bluntly, Tranquilizer is Oneohtrix Point Never's best release in a decade. My jaw was on the floor, drool falling out as I got further and further into this electronic masterclass of an album. It puts you into a trance with production that is both brilliantly vivid and layered. Between it's various glitches, samples, and instrumentals, this album has an entirely otherworldly atmosphere sewn into it's very fabric, and the way each track flows into each other ensures that ... read more

Age Of is probably the weakest of Oneohtrix Point Never's post-2010 releases. That's not to say it's bad, but it's pretty underwhelming both in scope and execution. I truly don't mind the combination of baroque and industrial sounds that Daniel built this album around. In fact, I like that little switch up when it works, but unfortunately it doesn't always work. There's a definitely few songs that contain flashes of greatness, but there's also a decent ... read more

With WORLDS APART*, Tommy Richman has utterly regressed from the past year or so of mostly quality releases. This EP feels like a watered down version of the west coast sound he's been embracing for the past two years. The beats are dreadfully plain and lifeless, Tommy's vocal performances and flows sound phoned in, and his lyricism utterly fails at it's one job; being catchy. I suppose there are a few decent cuts like SAN ANDREAS and WORLDS APART, but they don't really save ... read more

3 Feet High and Rising is an incredible album from the early days of hip hop that still holds up. It's fun, playful, and full of feel-good vibes. To be honest, I think it's the personality of this album and it's three voices that makes it as outstanding as it is. In terms of actual lyricism and production, it's nothing too complex, but what it lacks in technical flashiness it makes up for in wit and charm. The soulful sampling, simplistic but catchy flows, and colorful bars ... read more

Well, FKA twigs has returned with a new album less than a year after her last, so I guess I was wrong when I said that I would legally be able to drink the next time she released. However, you'll get no complaints from me, as I think EUSEXUA Afterglow is just a great as the albums that came before. It's got just as many ethereal highs as it's predecessor, and while I don't think any single track on here beats out the title track of EUSEXUA, this project is definitely a bit ... read more

I love Eusexua, and this deluxe only expands my love for that album, because these new tracks are just outstanding. Almost every single one holds up to the excellence of the original project, and tracks like The Dare and Got To Feel genuinely exceed the quality of many of the songs on it. While I am only rating the new songs with this review, I do think that this version of Eusexua actually flows a little better than the original on a track-to-track basis.

Best Track: The Dare
Weakest Track: ... read more

Unsurprisingly these songs are great.

To put it simply, Rock A Bye Baby, Glimmer Of God is a fantastic deluxe with some absolutely incredible songs. I adore how much more of a funky and groovy direction this addon took in comparison to the main project. The hazy guitars and shimmering synths littered across these eight new songs are nothing but amazingly intoxicating. Though, it would be wrong of me not to mention how killer Jean Dawson's vocals and incredibly unique delivery are. As much as I love the production, it's ... read more

I can't wait for the album! I don't really know what else to say.

MOOD CONTROL is BLK ODYSSY's shortest but sweetest release to date. Despite it's brief runtime, this album is a pretty satisfying effort as a whole. It's got slick vocals, catchy writing, and an incredibly unique neo soul rock-influenced sound to boot. While I don't think BLK ODYSSY quite reached his full creative and artistic potential with this project, it's still a very fun outing with some great tunes and a concept that, while a bit one-note, keeps you invested at ... read more

Only a year after his debut album, detahjae has struck gold yet again with FLARE, a mostly stellar sophomore effort. At this point, it's become clear that he's an outside-the-box thinker, and that continues to translate over to his music. The way FLARE tells it's story is just so fun and unique compared to almost anything else out there right now. detahjae's personality and wit is without a doubt the highlight of this album, though it would be wrong of me not to mention how ... read more

Even though it's not quite my favorite release from him, Danny Brown's Stardust is a welcome departure from his usual sound. His flows are as zany and off-the-walls as ever, but the hyperpop sound that this album tackles is definitely a first for Danny, and I think it fits him like a glove. He fully embraces the genre on this project, no holds barred, as he raps over these sugary, heart thumping beats like he's been doing so for a decade. While I'd say the production is ... read more

THIS HAS NO SAMPLES?!!!!????!!!

Can it be? A full song? THIS is what we've been waiting for!

I feel like I should have gotten around to giving Danny Brown's XXX a listen a long time ago, because it truly is an awesome mixtape. The depravity and chaos of this project's themes and sounds are just incredibly enthralling. It's dark, it's grimy, and it has far more depth than it leads on. I love how Danny balanced this tape's more wild, crass, and oftentimes ridiculous tracks with it's cuts that lean on more intimate storytelling. This release is full of tonal ... read more

While he's been gone for a bit, I'm glad redveil has come back swinging with this rollout.

It's nice to hear Gorillaz (and Damon) dipping some toes back into trip hop.

Prom King // Love On Acid had me thinking this deluxe/sequel album would be a lot better than it is. I genuinely enjoy this release's predecessor, but that project's issues are only exacerbated on here. The derivativity has been cranked up multiple notches (Poison Ivy is just a really mediocre Michael Jackson song) and the vocals runs are just far less interesting overall. Alone At Prom (Deluxe) has a couple bright spots of synthy goodness, but it's just too easy to poke holes in ... read more

Look, as much as I like GUS SMACKER, HEELS HAVE EYES 3 is a bit underwhelming when viewed as a whole body of work. Don't get me wrong, it's FAR from bad, but there's not really a whole lot of substance on here to really dig into, at least in my opinion. You could argue that it's just dumb fun, but I think this release is a bit scant in that department as well. There's definitely more than a couple songs that end just as they're getting good, and while there are ... read more