Overcompensate - 8
Next Semester - 10
Backslide - 9
Midwest Indigo - 8
Routines In The Night - 8
Vignette - 8
The Craving (Jenna's Version) - 7
Lavish - 5
Navigating - 9
Snap Back - 8
Oldies Station - 8
At The Risk Of Feeling Dumb - 8
Paladin Strait - 10

Overall Score: 81

Favorite: Paladin Strait
Least Favorite: Lavish

This album is incredibly disappointing. It's disappointing because Twenty One Pilots doesn't really function well as an upbeat top 40 pop hits band. Their best material comes from their moody, deep storytelling. Most of this feels as if it could be in a Target commercial. On rare occasions it hits, and the final song is classic Pilots, but overall, this is an ambitious swing that ended up missing big time.

Good Day - 5
Choker - 7
Shy Away - 8
The Outside - 6
Saturday - 5
Never Take ... read more

The songs you know are good. The songs you don't are a mostly negative mixed bag. There's a lot of questionable creative decisions here, but the message is good, and they definitely build on that message with the quality of their next few albums.

Heavydirtysoul - 8
Stressed Out - 7
Ride - 9
Fairly Local - 3
Tear in My Heart - 8
Lane Boy - 4
The Judge - 4
Doubt - 6
Polarize - 5
We Don't Believe What's on TV - 3
Message Man - 4
Hometown - 6
Not Today - 4
Goner - 7

Overall ... read more

In my opinion this was the beginning of modern pop music. A legendary album that deserves to be recognized as such.

Wanna Be Startin Somethin - 10
Baby Be Mine - 9
The Girl Is Mine - 8
Thriller - 10
Beat It - 10
Billie Jean - 10
Human Nature - 8
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) - 8
The Lady in My Life - 7

Overall Score: 89

Favorite: Wanna Be Startin Somethin
Least Favorite: The Lady in My Life

R is for ridiculously good debut album. I actually saw these guys live when they opened for Silversun Pickups in Omaha, and they were fine. I now realize that what I heard was just an unpolished version of what eventually became part of this album. My god, did they do the material justice. It gives off strong 90s shoegaze/grunge vibes, and if you're into that, LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM RIGHT NOW!

The Choice - 10
Act Like Your Title - 9
Crossing Fingers - 9
One Million - 10
Another Second ... read more

No, maybe THIS album is my AOTY. So many good contenders this year.

Everything I hoped Geese would improve on after their last album, they did. It's more polished, there's so much variety in the instrumentation, the lyricism is on point, and all of the songs build to a fulfilling climax. Just excellent, all around, no notes.

Trinidad - 9
Cobra - 9
Husbands - 9
Getting Killed - 10
Islands of Men - 10
100 Horses - 9
Half Real - 9
Au Pays du Cocaine - 8
Bow Down - 10
Taxes - 10
Long ... read more

A very grunge-inspired turn for White Reaper. The results are mixed. When they lean in to the grungy stylization, it hits, i.e. on Blue 42. When they try to play it safe/radio friendly, it doesn't, i.e. on Honestly. For the most part, decent but not very memorable.

Coma - 6
Blink - 8
Honestly - 6
Freakshow - 8
Eraser - 7
Blue 42 - 10
Pocket - 8
Enemy John - 7
Rubber Cement - 8
Touch - 8

Overall Score: 76

Favorite: Blue 42
Least Favorite: Honestly

Can we have more music like this in 2025?

Run Away With Me - 10
E MO TION - 10
I Really Like You - 10
Gimmie Love - 6
All That - 7
Boy Problems - 10
Making the Most of the Night - 8
Your Type - 9
Let's Get Lost - 9
LA Hallucinations - 7
Warm Blood - 7
When I Needed You - 9

Overall Score: 85

Favorite: I Really Like You
Least Favorite: Gimmie Love

This album is the most gorgeous album Big Thief has ever done. They tone the vibes up to 11. With how good Adrienne Lenker is as a lyricist, I'm a bit surprised as to how lyrically simple some of the songs are. I really do not mind though because they do such a good job with the atmosphere.

Incomprehensible - 8
Words - 10
Los Angeles - 9
All Night All Day - 10
Double Infinity - 10
No Fear - 7
Grandmother- 10
Happy With You - 7
How Could I Have Known - 9

Overall Score: 88

Favorite: ... read more

Black Country New Road but make it American Football.

Your New Place - 10
Tenspeed (Shallows) - 10
Heavy Red - 7
Emily - 10
Seminary - 9
You - 9
You Pt. 2 - 8
Racing Mount Pleasant - 9
Call It Easy - 10
Outlast - 9
34th Floor - 8
Seyburn - 8
Your Old Place - 10

Overall Score: 90

Favorite: Tenspeed (Shallows)
Least Favorite: Seyburn

There's a lot of 1970s inspired albums being released as of late. This one's one of the very best.

Another point: Ellie Roswell is a really talented singer, and that's a really big part of the greatness of this album.

Thorns - 8
Bloom Baby Bloom - 9
Just Two Girls - 8
Leaning Against The Wall - 8
Passenger Seat - 9
Play It Out - 8
Bread Butter Tea Sugar - 10
Safe in the World - 8
Midnight Song - 7
White Horses - 9
The Sofa - 9

Overall Score: 85

Favorite: Bread Butter Tea ... read more

Sabrina Carpenter had a lot of inspirations on this album: ABBA, Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, cheesy 80s horror movies, even cheesier 70s porn, and getting dumped by Barry Keoghan, in that order.

Manchild - 7
Tears - 7
My Man on Willpower - 9
Sugar Talking - 7
We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night - 6
Nobody's Son - 7
Never Getting Laid - 6
When Did You Get Hot? - 7
Go Go Juice - 6
Don't Worry, I'll Make You Worry - 5
House Tour - 7
Goodbye - 7

Overall ... read more

Seventeen out of eighteen songs released off this album were singles. Still worth it to listen to the album because the one song Hayley didn't release beforehand is BY FAR the best one. True Believer and the title track are also excellent. Hayley never disappoints.

Ice in My OJ - 8
Glum - 9
Kill Me - 9
Whim - 9
Mirtazapine - 8
Disappearing Man - 8
Love Me Different - 7
Brotherly Hate - 7
Negative Self Talk - 8
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party - 10
Hard - 8
Discovery Channel - 9
True ... read more

Congratulations, graduates of the Fall Out Boy Academy of Song Naming!

No but seriously the vocals on this album are freaking insane.

princess carolyn - 7
the chicken from outer space - 9
C.C.C.R.E.M.I.X. - 9
punishment light - 8
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba - 5
the revenge of the chicken from outer space - 8
i experienced ego death on an nde thread - 7
every window in alcatraz has a view of san francisco - 10

Overall Score: 79

Favorite: every window in alcatraz has a view of san ... read more

Great beats, great flow, great lyrics, great album. Rest in peace Amy Winehouse. She was a real fucking talent.

Samurai - 10
Mumble Rap - 8
Cake - 8
Palaces - 9
No. 1 Headband - 9
Bigfoot - 7
Outside - 8
Til Eternity - 9

Overall Score: 85

Favorite: Samurai
Least Favorite: Bigfoot

Sickest album cover of all time. Album kicks ass too.

my mind is a mountain - 10
locked club - 8
ecdysis - 9
infinite source - 10
souvenir - 9
cXz - 8
i think about you all the time - 9
milk of the madonna - 10
cut hands - 7
metal dream - 8
departing the body - 8

overall score: 88

favorite: milk of the madonna
least favorite: cut hands

I love how this sounds. Even though the singer can't sing, there's a lot of passion in the vocals and the instrumentals are peak.

It's Thunder and It's Lightning - 10
Ships With Holes Will Sink - 9
Roll Up Your Sleeves - 9
Conductor - 9
A Half Built House - 5
This Is My House, This Is My Home - 9
Quiet Little Voices - 10
Moving Clocks Run Slow - 10
Short Bursts - 8
Keeping Warm - 9
An Almighty Thud - 7

Overall Score: 86

Favorite: Quiet Little Voices
Least Favorite: An ... read more

Strong contender for album of the year. I love everything about this, from the flows to the lyrics to the energy. Just a vibe and a half.

HYPERYOUTH - 10
BUST DOWN - 10
GIVE IT TO ME - 9
IS THIS LOVE - 10
SEE U DANCE - 8
PARTY'S OVER - 9
WASSUP - 9
LIVE RIGHT - 10
BILLIE JEAN - 9
HAVE TO CRY - 9
THE PARTY SONG - 8
MYSELF - 8
GO HARD - 8
DISCO TOMORROW - 10

Overall Score: 90

Favorite: LIVE RIGHT
Least Favorite: THE PARTY SONG

Chance the Rapper must've met Black Jesus or something because this album is exactly the comeback I wanted. Saturday Night Live, do your thing. I want to see Laszlo Holmes one more time.

Star Side Intro - 8
Ride - 8
No More Old Men - 9
The Negro Problem -9
Drapetomania - 6
Back To The Go - 8
The Highs & The Lows - 8
Space & Time - 9
Link Me In The Future - 6
Gun In Yo Purse - 6
Tree - 6
Burn Ya Block - 7
Letters - 9
Speed of Light - 8
Pretty - 8
Just A Drop - 9
Speed Of Love - ... read more

Hot take, I like this better than Modern Baseball.

Phoenix - 8
Gold and Green - 9
Pretty Okay - 8
Bad Beer - 9
Shapes I Know - 7
Sleepwalking - 8
Fish Fry - 8
Buttercup - 8
Friend Song - 7
Acolyte - 10

Overall Score: 82

Favorite: Acolyte
Least Favorite: Shapes I Know