This record is complete, unadulterated fun. It’s exclusively bops from front to back that will leave you in wonder. The sound palette is so colorful and varied in genre with some classic synth pop to disco to even some noise pop/shoegaze type stuff. This all makes for such an amazing experience that I fully understand why people constantly rave about. I mean, I couldn’t stop smiling throughout this whole thing with its soft vocals and instrumentation that makes for pure ear candy. ... read more

There seriously wasn’t a single moment here that I didn’t enjoy. Outkast’s mix of funk and southern hip hop manages to create a sound that I’m not sure anyone in rap was doing way back in 1994. Their rapping was on point from the very start as well. I mean seriously imagine your first record having a verse like Andre 3000’s second on D.E.E.P.. I would pull a line out of it but it’d honestly be better to just go listen for yourself because wow.

Their ... read more

Kingdom Hearts Key for people who thought Kamikaze was better than Veteran

For an album that receives so many strays I expected something far worse. Rocky is known for really pioneering cloud rap and pushing it to the heights it’s at now. He took some older sounds along with some more experimental psychedelia and made them into LIVE.LOVE.A$AP, the mixtape most would call a modern day classic. Here on TESTING, he does something similar. He took his sound from his previous 3 projects, experimented with it by adding things he previously wouldn’t have, and ... read more

I really enjoyed this. The first part with the guitar and vocals was super nice. The autotune did lead to some clipping/moments where I just couldn't quite hear what she was saying but the vibes are there. The ambient noise in the second part could have used maybe a bit more of a fade in however once it gets going you do get lost in it. The interview managed to keep me engaged throughout the whole 8 minute ambient section as well.

At its best, C,XOXO is relatively bland pop that I’m not sure if anyone will be listening to by the end of this year. At its worst, however, it is derivative of all the better pop artists out there right now, taking out any personality that Camila Cabello could have put into it. This is shown off immediately with the first track.

Although, I’d hate to compare I LUV IT to really anybody with just how fucking annoying that chorus is, it clearly rips off Cabello’s contemporaries ... read more

I’ve seen this album cover everywhere and, for an album that’s less than two years old at this point, the cover has a bit of an iconic status (in the music nerd world at least). So yes, I have known of this record basically since I branched out of exclusively listening to hip hop, however, I never really gave it the time of day. I completely regret that now though, as this is one of the most creative sounding albums I’ve heard this decade.

They mix these acoustic guitar, ... read more

I’ve always known of Queen, as basically everyone has, however, I never really thought of checking out an actual project from them. Queen are known for their stadium rock for a reason but that doesn’t mean they can’t do more toned down stuff. Their classic sound is shown off on tracks like the intro, Death On Two Legs (Dedicated To…) with those massive stabs of piercing guitars and such an animated vocal performance from Freddie Mercury. You also get that on I’m ... read more

This was a fantastic genre switch up from twiki’s previous work, chronic. She decided to move into this more noisy, indie rock sound and it seems to be working out for her, as this is a great project. I love how she still manages to incorporate some of the sounds from chronic, like those little hyperpop type beep melodies. It reminds me a lot of artists like underscores and early Jane Remover (specifically frailty) and how they blend electronic sounds with organic guitars and such. The ... read more

For having come out 14 years ago at this point, this thing feels so timeless. The genre blends, the orchestration, even the concepts and themes it plays with all work to create a record that, you could have told me had come out today and I wouldn’t bat an eye. This quite literally feels like a full album experience. There are tracks in here you could take out of context and they would work perfectly fine, but everything works best in the setting of the album. I’m not fully tapped ... read more

I feel like the lofi aesthetic really works in favor of the album. It creates this extremely vintage sound that helps with the kind of lull this record tries to put you in. There are some super pretty songs on here as well as a few more driving tracks that definitely help to keep it engaging. I love the way panning is used throughout this album too. Sounds are hard panned left, right, and center, which keeps these roughly mixed tracks to where you can still hear the instruments most of the ... read more

The vibes here are off the charts, this album is just so funky and groovy. A theme I’ve noticed between the two Internet records I’ve heard is how great the bass is. Their bassist absolutely kills it every single time, which is extremely important as the bass is kind of the backbone of all of The Internet’s music. Syd’s vocals are amazing as well, I love how quiet and smooth they are. Come Together, Roll (Burbank Funk), La Di Da, and Beat Goes On all feature Steve Lacy ... read more

It’s surprising just how well this has held up over the years. Maybe it’s just the nostalgia talking, but the quirks and things that should have aged poorly have managed to keep sounding great. A specific example being the weirdly pitched/autotuned “he ate my heart” vocals on Monster. They really shouldn’t still be enjoyable but here I am, jamming the fuck out.

Gaga just knows how to make these songs her own, which gives this almost immediate icon status to each ... read more

I feel like it's hard to write a review of this without it sounding like a bunch of rym descriptors so I’m going to keep it brief. Words like “transcendental” or “otherworldly” have been used to death on this album, but it’s for a reason. This is some of the most gorgeous music you’ll hear. This record genuinely sounds like something aliens would bring down to us. In fact, if aliens came down, I think this would be the record to show them. Just the ... read more

The only way I can really describe this is terrifyingly gorgeous. It’s so minimal with the exception of a few more industrial moments. That minimalism makes way for such a quiet and eerie sound broken up by these louder sections. It still feels cohesive though. If you played me Blacks and Fast Car outside of the context of this record, I’d say no way those would work together on an album, but throw Brooklyn Dodgers, which has a mix of the loud and quiet elements, in between and it ... read more

This album is so dancy and house inspired and I absolutely love it for that. There are so many places it seems KAYTRANADA is taking from to create this record. I see clear Daft Punk influence on songs like TRACK UNO with how that main sample pattern is looped. I also see some inspiration from artists like The Avalanches, specifically on the track LITE SPOTS. I mean this thing sounds straight out of Since I Left You with that groove it gets into and those vocal samples. KAYTRANADA really knows ... read more

This is some of the most fun synthpop I’ve heard all year. I’m surprised just how good the pacing of this record is. The way the high-paced first three tracks lead into the next two slower tracks, Coffee and Casual, is perfect. Those go back into some more upbeat songs with the very Lady Gaga reminiscent, Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl, and the extremely campy, HOT TO GO!. It can get a little slow towards the end, but it manages to pick itself up with tracks like Naked In Manhattan ... read more

While a bit bloated, this album has its status as a classic for a reason. I mean just look at the four track run that it begins with. The 11 minute Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding (which may be my favorite song here) as well as three absolute classics with Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, and the title track, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I don’t even need to talk about the last three as everybody and their grandma has heard them. The intro however, is this gorgeous two ... read more

This album blends so many different genres to make a really refreshing sound. This honestly sounds like nothing I’ve heard before. There are clearly lots of elements of art/glam rock and soul in here, but the way they’re put together creates this super enticing and unique experience. Yves Tumor and Justin Raisen’s production on this record is some of the most impressive I’ve heard in a bit. This is shown off immediately with the first song, Gospel For A New Century. ... read more

This music just makes me so happy. I could sit here and talk about the few negative aspects of this album, but, frankly, I don’t want to. I absolutely love the pure 80s sound on here. There’s clearly lots of influence coming from records like Michael Jackson's Thriller, however, Whitney Houston fits so well within this sound and really paves her own way with her vocals. The sheer quantity of vocal layers on some of these songs is genuinely astonishing. I don’t know if anyone ... read more