Something about Phoebe's songwriting style just really clicks with me, and this album is maybe the best example of that. I wasn't really familiar with Phoebe's work before last year's Better Oblivion Community Center project, which I mostly just checked out because of Conor Oberst's involvement in it, but that album really made me excited to hear a new Phoebe Bridgers solo album. Needless to say, this did not disappoint.

This album is all at once subdued, cynical, hopeful, and in the case of ... read more

Um... sleepy vibe music with some potential?

Everything about this is competent. The production is really nice and all mixed in a way that adds to the atmosphere Giveon was going for, and the vocals clearly show a lot of talent. But it's just not adventurous. Like, at all. Yeah there's some cool ideas here and there that must've taken a certain amount of creativity, like the guitar effects on THIS AIN'T LOVE and VANISH. Unfortunately though, the songwriting itself is uninspired, leaving the ... read more

Like most great singer-songwriter albums, Pick Me Up Off The Floor reveals itself to you bit by bit, gradually forming a fuller picture with each consecutive listen. It's an album made by an artist who is clearly confident enough in her talent and songwriting ability that she doesn't feel the need to lay her cards all out on the table immediately. Sure, you can gather from the first few tracks that this is gonna be a tasteful vocal jazz album with influences from blues and country, but that ... read more

I can see the appeal of this album to an extent. It's very well-mixed, and a lot of the lyrics are pretty clever. There's even some great performances here and there. But there's way too many elements of this that are just wholly uninspired. The songwriting works for me from a lyrical perspective (with one big exception that I'll get to later), but the structuring and composition on almost every song is the epitome of milquetoast pop-country. Yeah most of it sounds pleasant while it's on, but ... read more

Does everything Ian McKaye touches just turn to gold? Seriously, this is such a tight listen, I can't believe he still has it in him 40 years into his career.

I do have to give credit to the other band members though. Joe Lally's bass lines are a big driving factor of this album's appeal, and Amy Farina fucking kills it on the drums. Her vocals are a little hit or miss for me, but that's not a huge gripe of mine. If you want some great post-punk from some of the best artists in the scene that ... read more

Dear god this album does not let up. It's rare for a metalcore album to really affect me like this. While I enjoy some metalcore every now and then, a lot of it tends to feel a little too uhhh.. Hot Topic? Just edgy without any real weight or purpose to it. This album, on the other hand, does not waste any time in making you deeply uncomfortable. It pulls you into its demonic world through blistering production, discordant riffs, haunting atmospheres, and lyrics that I'd suggest you don't look ... read more

This one definitely grew on me. I guess the lack of experimentation (for the most part) on here gave me lukewarm feelings on the first listen, but after a few more, I can't help but smile when these songs are on. Seriously, this is some of the most addicting pop/R&B I've heard in a while. Even the occasional song that doesn't particularly do it for me is well-produced or has great vocal performances, so the end result is an album that's totally enjoyable throughout. I especially love that ... read more

God this thing is just pure math rock ear candy. I realize this isn't the most original sound out there, but there's not a wasted second on this thing. All three members do the most with their instruments, and they constantly lock into these incredible grooves and melodies. I prefer the shorter, to the point songs, but the longer cuts definitely don't detract from the overall enjoyability of the album. It's a melancholic but hopeful, warm, rainy-day kind of album that's way too likable to miss ... read more

Keep in mind this is a really high 7 for me, and I do definitely recommend this for fans of heavy psych, stoner metal and space rock. That being said, if this album was able to keep the energy going into the second half (and maybe had a little more structure to the songwriting), with would've easily gotten an 8. Unfortunately, those elements keep me from enjoying the album as much as I could've.

But since apparently my reviews all have to have some sort of contradiction in them, I see a lot of ... read more

When this album is on, it is fucking ON. I love the whole concept behind it and I think the idea of having a different rapper take the helm of each song is pretty ambitious, especially for an album this conceptual. And I want to stress that the rappers who do well on here absolutely kill it.

BUT..

As a result of each rapper doing their own thing on here, this feels more like a compilation album than anything, and that kind of tanks any concept or flow this album had going for it. Some rappers ... read more

Even though you get the occasional song that doesn't hit quite as hard, NO DREAM as a whole is a showcase of everything that makes Jeff Rosenstock such a captivating artist. This think is packed with punchy, angsty, and political pop punk jams that know exactly when to turn up the aggression, and exactly when to hit you with an unforgettable hook. Sure it's not all that different from the stuff he's done in the past, but it is admirable that he's able to write and perform this well almost two ... read more

I don't need to tell you that this album is good. We knew it was gonna be good. We know why it's good. It's exactly up to the standard of everything they've done before this. I honestly don't even super feel the need to give this a formal review? Like what else is there to say about it that hasn't been said about every RTJ album. Instead I'll just list off some of my favorite moments that I feel the need to talk about on each track.

--The first few seconds of yankee and the brave are one of ... read more

Reunions is the kind of album I feel like was made specifically for me. Americana influences with a socially conscious edge? Self-reflective ballads and harrowing short stories? Songs where you can yell along with the chorus? Fiddles? Sing me the fuck up.

In all seriousness though, Jason Isbell is an extremely talented singer-songwriter, and The 400 Unit provides some great, fleshed out alt-country instrumentals to back him up. Some songs may not hit as hard as others, but every single track ... read more

While the quality gets a little more inconsistent as the album goes on, this is nonetheless another great addition to Carly Rae Jepsen's discography. If all the songs were as good as that first stretch, this would've easily gotten a higher score. Oh well though, it's still a fun listen.

Best tracks: Stay Away; Comeback; This Love Isn't Crazy; Window; Fake Mona Lisa
Least favorites: Now I Don't Hate California After All; Let's Sort The Whole Thing Out

So right off the bat, The Alchemist fucking kills it all over this thing. I'd say I like pretty love every beat on here to some extent, with my favorites being Frank Lucas, 1985, and God Is Perfect. Freddie on the other hand...

Okay I know this is not a popular opinion, but I am just not excited by Freddie Gibbs. I realize he has a really technical rapping style, and his flows can often be impressive. In fact, there were a lot of bars and flows that blew me away on here. My main issue with ... read more

This is one of the most thoroughly pleasant, charming, and joy-filled albums I've had the privilege to listen to this year. Every second of this thing is so endearing and warm. Even the songs that have a little bit of a darker tint to them, like Hasta la Raíz and Un Derecho de Nacimiento feel more like a part of a celebration than anything. And that's exactly what this album is. It's a celebration of the Mexican folk music tradition in all its forms.

Natalia's voice is as on point as ... read more

Charli mostly does what she does best on this album. Futuristic, loud, catchy-as-fuck pop bangers. While pink diamond is a little too all over the place to be amazing as a standalone song, it's an incredibly bold start to the album. The stretch from forever to i finally understand is close to perfect, and the only place I start to have some problems is with c2.0 and party 4 u. They kind of have the opposite problem from each other though. c2.0 is structured like an interlude with how ... read more

While it has a bit of a dip in quality toward the middle of the album, Set My Heart on Fire Immediately still contains some of Perfume Genius' best songs yet. Even if it doesn't always pan out, I do like the sound he's approaching on here as a whole, and I heavily fuck with the consistent overall tone. Something about that mixture of sadness and anxiety with small fleeting moments of hope and calm just feels so profound. If it weren't for some of those forgettable songs in the middle, this ... read more

I definitely enjoy part 2 more than part 1, but that honestly doesn't change the fact that both halves are beautiful, bold artistic statements that compliment each other really well. Not to mention part 2 is essentially flawless in my book, so it'd be hard to top anyway.

grae is an extremely ambitious album, and even for all its weird detours and occasional duds, I can't help but love the full project. Even songs I'm not head over heals for work in the context of the album. Plus they just make ... read more

Weird how I ended up coming to the same score as Fantano but for basically the opposite reason. I actually think the new wave cuts are some of the worst ones on here. I can't stand Dead Horse or Taken, and a lot of the others that attempt this sound just feel like wallpaper. It's weird to say that too, because Hayley Williams has proved that she can do the synthpop/new wave revival sound justice. She did it plenty of times on After Laughter with great results. On here though, it just feels so ... read more