While not nearly as great as their next two records, Bleach holds an important place in Nirvana’s discography and does it in style. Kurt’s writing as well as the production here are good; however, they would still be significantly improved upon on Nevermind. It’s possible that this is simply something because this was my first listen, but no tracks really stand out here. They’re all just great. Although this is an album that needs to exist, right now I’d rather go ... read more

Elton John is really a talent and records like this continue to show that. Every track here is a jam and, while I think he improved on this in most ways with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, it's still a great album. I love just how bluesy Honky Cat is with that piano and those gorgeous horn hits. It creates such a groovy atmosphere that I can’t get enough of. Mellow is a great piece of classic rock that vibes so well. The organ, guitar, and piano compliment each other perfectly. I Think ... read more

Run The Jewels 3 is simply another phenomenal effort from one of the most consistent groups in hip hop. It doesn’t seem to me like Killer Mike and El-P can make bad music together. Everything on here, from the raps, to the beats carries over from their previous two records and is even better at points. I’ll admit that Run The Jewels 2 still hasn’t quite hit me in the same way I know it has for others; however, it’s still amazing and their debut has only grown on me. The ... read more

Unlike 6 Feet Beneath The Moon, The OOZ immediately clicked with me. Everything about this album is so smooth. It matches the album cover perfectly with an almost underwater, drowned out sound. You also get that line on the cover from the more punk tracks here like Half Man Half Shark or Emergency Blimp. It’s a surprisingly consistent record for being 19 songs; however, I did begin to get a bit tired near the end just because of the length. Still, there isn’t a bad track here and ... read more

Please don’t let this record slip past you, it really is some fantastic singer-songwriter stuff with a nice country twang. This is only my second exposure to MJ Lenderman, the first being on that new Kevin Abstract album from last year, but I am already in love with his writing style. Everything he says is so blunt and unique which creates some very vivid and relatable imagery. His voice compliments the country infused rock sound super well too. The instrumentals on this thing are so ... read more

I think this album was quite literally made for me. What do you mean it’s an LCD Soundsystem inspired and Charli xcx cosigned album, with production credits from Romil Hemnani from BROCKHAMPTON and Dylan Brady? The reception this record is getting has ME wondering what’s wrong with New York? It’s fucking awesome. Yes, he sounds like James Murphy (he even uses a melody that sounds like it was ripped directly from One Touch at the beginning of I Destroyed Disco), but if ... read more

This is one of those records where I knew I would love it before even hearing it and it honestly might have still exceeded my expectations. Everything about it is so comfortable and soothing and nostalgic. The math rock flare adds this beauty to the sound that is incomparable to much else I’ve heard. Every track here was phenomenal but the standout has to be Stay Home. I could’ve had another 20 minutes with the repetitions of “But that’s life, it’s so social” ... read more

I actually didn’t love this one all that much, it just felt a bit scattered in my opinion. Other than a few select tracks, nothing really stuck with me. I liked how psychedelic it was and it was an enjoyable listen though. They hadn’t got what they would eventually have on their biggest records yet and, if I’m being honest, this sounds almost like a different band entirely. They also falter to the panning issues that a lot of The Beatles’ masters did at this time, which ... read more

There’s nothing I can really say about this score. Go fucking listen to this immediately if you haven’t heard it and if you have, go listen to it again. This is a record that every single person on earth should hear. These nine songs are all genuinely perfect and the title track still somehow blows them out of the water. Prince’s performances as well as the instrumentation surrounding them create one of the most fun, dancy, and beautiful sound environments I have ever ... read more

WORLD WIDE WHACK is simply more of that personality and weirdness from Whack World. The weirdness is more in the sound of these tracks than in the lyrics, as there are some extremely dark lines scattered throughout this record. It is there though, especially when you go to moments like SHOWER SONG or the bridge of BURNING BRAINS. I connect on such a deep level with Tierra on songs like DIFFICULT and NUMB. She has a way with talking about things like depression and anxiety that really hits me. ... read more

I still haven’t heard the new Bladee (mainly because there are other records of his I want to get to first), but I’m going to say it: rage album of the year. Considering that rage is something I’ve never been in love with, my expectations going into this weren’t that high. It blew them out of the fucking water though. I genuinely loved this through and through. The huge hits of bass, the pretty synth tones, and the massive amounts of distortion work to create these ... read more

I wanted to enjoy Lover more than I did. It has some pretty high highs, but its lows bring it down far too much for my liking. Taylor Swift takes a much more pop central sound after the critical failure that was reputation. This makes way for the modern Taylor Swift sound that we now know, both in a good and bad way. We get some early signs of what we’d hear on folklore, especially with that Jack Antonoff production, but also in her writing style. Unfortunately we also get some of the ... read more

I’m going to keep this one short n’ sweet, just as Sabrina would want me to.

Short n’ Sweet is exactly that. I’d compare it to eating a bag of gummy worms, great while it’s happening, but not at all filling and a bit forgettable after the experience. I didn’t go out of my way to listen to any of the singles, but that didn’t stop me from hearing them. Through hearing both Please Please Please and Espresso a thousand times out in the wild, I was actually ... read more

Innervisions is more of the Stevie Wonder we all know and love. Every track here is so electric, the man knows his way around melody and song structure. Every time I listen to a Stevie record it’s such a joy. I can’t help but smile when he’s talking about how much he loves his “golden lady” or when he’s telling her “don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.” That being said, Living For The City is easily my favorite track here. The driving beat ... read more

I enjoyed it while it lasted but this thing is not really memorable at all. It’s possible that giving it extra listens will make me like it more and more, similar to how Some Rap Songs grew on me, however, I’m not loving it right now. I think the tracks are generally good though. They’re very cloudy and a bit lofi. The beats of this are my favorite part as I feel that Earl’s flows aren’t changing up that much, leading to verses on different tracks sounding far too ... read more

I’m not sure if this is the preferred album to start someone off with Vampire Weekend but it sure was a phenomenal introduction for me. It honestly feels like if Arctic Monkeys took off the suits, listened to Illinois by Sufjan Stevens, and got a bit noisier. The way Vampire Weekend mix the noise and distorted/glitchy mixing with that extremely classy indie rock sound is fantastic. Also the piano on this record, wow it’s gorgeous. I mentioned Illinois for a reason and it's ... read more

Starboy is yet another great addition into what has grown to be one of my favorite and most consistent discographies in pop and R&B. Although Abel had a few hits at this point, this is really the album that sent him into stardom. I wasn’t even into music like that when this dropped but I have vivid memories of the title track’s music video and hearing the hits off of here constantly. Even eight years later, this thing holds up. From the hits like I Feel It Coming, Starboy, and ... read more

On Samurai, Lupe Fiasco employs some of the best verses of the year surrounded by some extremely impressive jazz rap instrumentals. The only Lupe album I had heard before listening to this was Tetsuo & Youth. It’s been a little while since I’ve heard it at this point but I remember my main issue with that album being how slowly it was paced. That issue is completely gone here, this is actually an insanely well paced record at only 30 minutes. There was not a single point where I ... read more

I went into this with much lower expectations than what it ended up delivering, I’m not too sure why though. This was my fifth DOOM album and I had loved everything I’d heard from him. I think it’s just knowing that DOOM takes more of a producer role here than a rapping role. His beats are amazing though and I enjoyed every feature performance. The sample heavy sound of DOOM’s beats is iconic at this point and he kills every single one here. You get those classic ... read more

Off the Wall may be my personal favorite Michael Jackson album. The more disco and soul inspired production combined with the absolute insanity of the grooves on here make for such an amazing experience. It starts off extremely strong with Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough into Rock with You. The first has such a classic sound with those horn hits and swells as well as the funk guitar. I love that high vocal register that he gets into, it’s super odd and I’m not sure ... read more