The perfectly imperfect Beatles swan song.

Abbey Road has been discussed and dissected so many times that I don't feel like I have much to add. The only question I consistently struggle with is whether this is indeed a 100. I've been back and forth on it but at the end of the day I am going to lean into the fact that this LP was created, produced and released while the band was careening toward a breakup and yet they somehow created a cohesive, rich tapestry of an LP that was a ... read more

If Live Peace in Toronto were anybody but John Lennon, it would be long lost to the dustbin of history.

So this was Lennon's first album released as a solo artist. Yikes. First three quarters of the album probably would garner a 65ish score. Live blues with rough production. Lennon really struggles with vocal control on a lot of these songs, and not in a way that conveys emotional tone. Then there's the Yoko songs... I'm never going to get it. John John is 13 minutes of ... read more

Loudblast lives up to the name.

I'm starting to regret making an album queue list...sometimes albums are just OK and there's not a ton to say. Anyway, this is a decent death metal album. I was pretty checked out right around fortress, definitely didn't need the bonus tracks.

Couple song highlights: Son of Nameless Mist has some major riffage and is sludgy as hell. Inhale the Void is decent, has some nice tempo changes and layering in solos etc... to create a finished song ... read more

SPEYSIDE is a great song. The rest is pretty mid. Awards Season is a slog...there's a nice saxaphone instrumental in the middle of the song but the rest is sleep aid material.

Void of Vision is such an appropriate name for this band because this is some stale music.

20 years ago maybe this would have been a bit more innovative. In 2024 this isn't pushing any boundaries, and it doesn't really have any hooks that drive repeat listens. It's a decent one and done listen, but comes off as generic to me.

State Champs emphasize the pop in pop punk.

Decent release that drifts into pop territory a bit too much for my tastes in punk. This feels a bit life Disney punk; safe and something you can play when grandma's visiting.

Not a bad album by any means, but sounds a bit manufactured to check all the blink 182 late 90s hit boxes.

The great storyteller returns.

This is an unexpected treat for 2024. I thought Jamey Johnson was done releasing original albums, but after a 14 year hiatus related to recovery from a head injury and a contract dispute, the great songwriter has returned with Midnight Gasoline. And wow, what a return album.

First listen reaction: this is classic Jamey Johnson. This album sounds like there never was a 14 year layoff between albums. These are mostly quintessential Jamey Johnson slow burning ... read more

I keep returning to this album rating thinking I overrated it the first time through. I did not. This album fucking wails. John Bush sounds exactly like he did on old Anthrax albums, but the instrumentals are, dare I say...better?

This one is pretty straightforward...if you like John Bush era Anthrax, you will like Category 7.

Happy this became a cultural phenomenon. We need more of Chappell Roan in the world.

I'm late to the party so I'll keep the review short. Great album, sorry I missed it when it was released but glad it's in my rotation now. It feels like a throwback to Lady Gaga in her prime mixed with Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. There's really no weak songs on here; Hot To Go is prob my favorite, but tough to choose.

I feel nothing from this album. Lazy beats, egregious autotune, and lack of song structure = mediocrity.

I like the album cover though.

Strawberry Hotel from the group Underwhelming....I mean Underworld.

...JK, it's alright.

The opening track, Black Poppies, is a normal song and I mean that in the most critical way possible. I can't think of a more mundane opener for a techno album than this one. Thankfully the vanilla synth is short lived and things get weird with denver luna and it's stream of consciousness vocals. I like this song but it has the feeling of a song that would get annoying pretty quickly. The ... read more

This has been in my queue for too long. Made about 5 attempts before finally listening to the whole thing. This is the definition of a meh album for me. It consistently blends into the background. There's not much to remark on from a technical standpoint, the production is fine, vocals, instrumentals fine but unremarkable. 🤷‍♂️ The album cover is more interesting than the album.

Where has Roy Blair been hiding?

i've never heard of him before today. This is why I love AOTY. I would've never found this on the normal sites I scope for new music. While the album is a bit of a mixed bag, the innovation is clear and there's definitely potential here.

My first impression was this feels like an album that could, and should, blow up at any time. Subsequent listens didn't draw me in quite as much. There's a bunch of ear candy but not a ton of ... read more

Bent Blue sounds like an awful ER diagnosis after a night of adult-related shenanigans.

I lost this album in my to do list after getting side tracked by the Better Lovers album. On first listen, I hear a lot of Turnstile's latest album in this new release from Bent Blue. Particularly starting with track 2, The Other Half, the vocal delivery and tone are quite similar in style to tracks from Glow On. This album isn't as tight as Glow On but it is a high-energy, concise LP that brings ... read more

I can't rate Night Palace after a single listen, ain't happening. I'm going to write some notes while I try to digest...

Demolition is a brilliant track. It had me hooked beginning to end over the 12-minure duration. The beginning is one of the most haunting pieces of music I've ever heard.

90s pop punk was the shit. This EP is a great echo of the golden age.

U2 for chronically depressed is back!

TBH, The Cure have never appealed to me enough to listen to each album more than once or twice. I was hoping this album might change my perspective, but alas, I'm left feeling like it's a great effort that's mostly lost on me. I respect Robert Smith and the band for their longevity and impact on contemporary music, but I don't personally connect with their work. To each their own, I suppose. Robert Smith sounds amazing
though. ... read more

Pretty unique sounding album but I'm struggling with the vocals, both harsh and clean. Honestly, sometimes both come off a bit on the nose and result in the album feeling like a caricature of more serious metal artists. That said, the instrumentals are immersive and the production is crystal clear. The album shines most for me when it strays entirely from the metal elements and fully embraces the goth rock sound.

Hungry Waters is my favorite cut in the album. I get a bit of depeche mode ... read more

This album makes me feel like I'm floating.

Vola released my favorite progressive metal album of the year, so far. Friend of a Phantom is reminiscent of multiple albums released last year...Haken, Soen, Einar Sollberg and Tesseract all come to mind on just about every song. The only negative I noted is I'm not sure that the album rises above "this sounds like XX band" comparisons to leave me with a signature sound. I need to listen a few more times to refute or confirm. ... read more

Not a ton in here that's noteworthy. I like the production quality. I really like Spectres of Terror, but I think that's because it's a thrashy song. The straight up black metal parts are decent but I was clock watching through most of the album.