I don't know if I ever said it on this website, but I was planning on listening to at least one 2023 release a week throughout the year. And, uh, I haven't listened to a new album since April. So much for that. But I saw it was Lana's birthday the other day, so I figured it might be worth checking out her new project. After all, she's an artist that I was reasonably sure I would like, based on what I knew of her.

This album is pretty beautiful. I haven't heard much of Lana besides her more ... read more

In general, I like the production on this track, especially the guitar work, which is top notch from beginning to end. I'm not a huge fan of the vocals or how they're mixed, but from what I've heard of Death Grips, I have the same problem with them so it's probably just not my kind of music. Some of the glitch elements felt a little out of place, but they worked really well in the last 20 seconds of the track and created a killer vibe. Nice work!

Bon Iver's self-titled sophomore record sees Justin Vernon employing a much wider variety of instruments and styles than what was present on his debut album, “For Emma, Forever Ago”. Going into this project, I was aware that it departed from the stripped back production that evoked an isolated feeling on his first LP and was initially disappointed. After all, it worked so well on that album and I would have loved to hear more. After listening to this, I can say that I'm pretty ... read more

Edit: First 100! After more re-listens, this album kind of blows everything else I've heard out of the water. I love Revolver, it's one of my favorite albums, but Abbey Road is just so much...better. Like, I cannot comprehend how people like other Beatles albums more than this. This album also kinda blows "For Emma, Forever Ago" and "The Glow, Pt. 2" out of the water, my other favorite albums that are nearly 100s, but part of that is probably because of how upbeat this album ... read more

Before I actually sat through this album, I was listening to "Hallelujah" quite a bit for a few days. I like the song, and was enjoying it more on each listen, but something felt missing. A few years ago, during a middle school chorus concert, one of my best friends performed a solo of the song. To this day, as someone who has always sought out good vocalists, I don't think I've ever heard such a moving performance. At least a dozen girls went up to him afterwards, telling him how it ... read more

Wow. At first, I thought the language barrier and slower pace of the album would make this drag on and feel boring, but boy, was I wrong. Every single second of this album is so magical, with beautiful instrumentation and ethereal vocals that get highlighted with the sounds of the natural world. Listening to this feels like you've been transported to some island paradise that's been untouched by man and is full of mythical creatures, a feeling only highlighted by the enchanting nature imagery ... read more

This wasn't really working for me at first, but Lenker's vocals and the guitars sound so damn good. I was expecting to get a bit bored as the record progressed, but I kept getting more and more entranced by the stories and groovy sounds present on the tracks. None of them really stay in one place for their entire duration, except for the folkier tracks, but I always love those so it doesn't really matter much. I'm not sure how much I'll return to this project in its entirety in the long term ... read more

I hope Fleet Foxes continue this winning streak with their more recent records. Because "Helplessness Blues" is quite the masterpiece, improving on and changing only a little of what made their debut feel so special in the first place.

As far as sound goes, Fleet Foxes are as glorious as ever, with track after track booming with harmonies and rich with layered instrumentation. But the band doesn't stay stagnant, expanding on their distinct sound on tracks like "Bedouin ... read more

Edit: Uh, I thought that this could become a 100 one day, but I dunno if it can now. I complain a bit about hearing the vocals on, "The Moon" in this review, but honestly, that doesn't bother me much anymore. HOWEVER, I was NOT aware that there was an acoustic version of the song. Now that I've heard it, I not only like it more than the original but possibly more than every single song on this album. I will admit, I don't think it would fit the flow as well as the album version does, ... read more

Yeah, I like this a lot. I mean, it's a 'Must Hear' folk album, so that's kind of to be expected.

Conor Oberst's voice is definitely the highlight of the project for me. His varied inflection really helps guide the tone of the album, whether it be nice and smooth during the more upbeat sections or strained and passionate during the sadder or angrier moments. It helps really sell all the themes of the album, especially on tracks like "Land Locked Blues" or "Poison Oak". ... read more

Well, this is certainly an improvement from The Microphones' debut album. The noisier parts of this album feel a lot better produced and less aggressive, allowing this album to have a more atmospheric feel with all the slower moments. The motif of water and clear theme of 'the glow' is also quite interesting, making this album feel a lot more cohesive than "Don't Wake Me Up". Elverum's lyrics are quite poetic but a lot less abstract than they were on the last album, making "It ... read more

My first Phil Elverum record! How exciting! I don't know why I'm teasing myself with a whole bunch of folk artists (Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Julien Baker, soon Sufjan Stevens) by listening to their first albums or the first tracks on their best albums and not making time for their later work, but that's what I've been doing.

Anyhow, I like the softer moments on this album but am not as big a fan of the louder ones. The music sounds too distorted at times, at least for me, which would have a nice ... read more

Volume One is, as expected, mostly boring. Volume Two, on the other hand, doesn't really have a single low moment until closer to the end, which makes me really wish that some of those tracks were present on The Beatles' later albums (especially the White Album).

"The Inner Light" was probably my favorite new song, as it's such a nice Harrison track that I've heard essentially nothing about, whereas I've heard of most of the other songs on Volume Two. I was a bit disappointed that ... read more

I try and flick through Brad's music request streams, looking for songs that seem interesting. Someone requested "Da Art of Storytellin" a day or two ago, which was such a fascinating song title that I couldn't help but check it out. The chorus was pretty groovy and I thought Big Boi's verse was good, but nothing I haven't heard before. Andre's verse though...that went crazy and pretty much singlehandedly convinced me to listen to this. I started with the second part, then the title ... read more

Y'know, I wasn't planning on listening to any of Weyes Blood's work yet. I definitely wanted to, considering the acclaim surrounding her two most recent albums and how beautiful the cover art is. On top of that, I really liked the sonic aesthetic of the one art pop album and one dream pop album I've heard, so I had high expectations for this. But I had full intentions of continuing my dive into folk music before branching off into other genres, and the night I listened to this, I was planning ... read more

EDIT: 80->96 (or something similar). This is one of those times where I feel the need to add that this review isn't really relevant to the score anymore. Well, it still kinda is, but that's not the point. The flow of this album is great and I've tried to just embrace the lyrics and drop some of the Anne Frank stuff, which has helped me like this a lot more. Also, I cannot convey how much I love Magnum's vocals and writing on "The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1", "In the ... read more

Yeah, this is better than the original in basically every way but the cover. Spector's production didn't bother me on too many tracks, but "The Long and Winding Road", "I Me Mine", and "Let It Be" are so much better on this version. I don't think I'll ever actively to listen to their original mixes to be honest. I'd say the track ordering is better, and switching out "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It" for "Don't Let Me Down" is obviously quite ... read more

Huh, I rather enjoyed that. I was expecting way worse. I'm guessing a decent amount of the "hate" towards this album comes more from this being released after "Abbey Road". I listened to this first, since I plan on having "The End" being the last album track/single I hear by The Beatles.

The main source of criticism towards this album, however, seems to be the production. Phil Spector's Wall of Sound method of production definitely makes this album feel a bit ... read more

Whoa, what an immersive experience. I was a little taken aback by the opening track and even the second one, to an extent, but this album did not fall short of my expectations after hearing "alyosha" a little while ago. In fact, I'd say the album surpassed them by a good margin.

I'll get my only issues out of the way first, which is mainly the spoken word bookends. Now, I wouldn't even call them bad, the ideas expressed and the music that accompanies them are quite interesting. They ... read more

This is quite groovy, catchy, and satisfying to listen to. Historically, I haven't been the biggest fan of "glitchy/electronic-esque" vocals and production (I might explore that stuff more in the future), but I really like how they sound on this track. The transitions sounded quite smooth as well.