It's a Ka album. That's really all you need to know.

Okay fine, there are some things that make this stand out from the rest of his discography. For one thing, this is one of his most lush albums. While the production is still minimal enough to put the focus on Ka's lyrics, the instrumentation feels so much more organic this time around. There's strings acoustic guitars, choral vocals, you name it. It may not be showstopping or anything, but for a Ka album it is worth noting. To top that all ... read more

I was honestly just about ready to give this a 60, but it stuck the landing so well in the second half that I had to bump up the score. Still, it's a very very light 70, and I do have some issues with this album, but I also appreciate it in many aspects. Even if the songwriting doesn't do it for me a whole lot, I have to hand it to them for going so ridiculously hard for almost an hour. It doesn't feel as long as it is at all, especially with how much it changes up within each song.

But, now ... read more

There's a high possibility that my favorite album of the year may be Freaky Nightmare Music for the second year in a row. I'm not kidding when I say I only have one single problem with this album. Sometimes, the mixing is too compressed. That's it. That's the only thing standing between this album and a 100 rating from me. It's that good.

Mestarin Kynsi is an album that knows exactly how to lull you into its atmosphere, and exactly when and how to pummel the living shit out of you. I don't ... read more

This album is about as colorful as that album cover. Seriously, I can't get over how much of an energetic and dynamic listen this is. Lido's vocals are on point the whole way through, and she dips into multiple different genres and production techniques throughout the runtime while keeping the same general aesthetic in tact. It doesn't quite go the extra mile on some songs, but I still can't help but appreciate how bold and well-developed the majority of this record is.

Favorite tracks: Nada, ... read more

While it definitely sounds pretty, and there's songs I can see myself coming back to, I just wish it took more risks. While it sounds really nice in the background, it just screams safe and overproduced for a significant portion of its runtime. I definitely see the appeal, but this style only really does it for me for a few songs at a time, not a full-length album.

Favorite tracks: Something Relative, In Light of Us, Starmaker
Least favorites: Tired Tower, Suzuki Dreams

I'll say right off the bat that, being such an ambitious project, I'm not entirely sure it lives up to its goals. A lot of songs feel a little samey, and I definitely think some stuff toward the end could've gotten cut. I'm saying that at the very beginning of this review because I adore every single thing else about this album.

Innocent Country 2 captures an extremely specific feeling that I can't fully put into words. It's that type of melancholy that comes from a combination of personal ... read more

The nostalgia factor I said for The Near Future goes tenfold for this album. Like for whatever reason I so vividly remember a few months from when I was 13 where I was obsessed with this album. Revisiting it, it does have some fucking solid power pop cuts (if you can look past the whole "GAMERS RISE UP" vibe it gives off). I'll never be able to separate this album from that point of my life, so I won't give it a rating. But it's good to remember this exists.

Holy fuck I didn't realize how much nostalgia I had for this album. I was in 8th grade when it came out and I can vividly remember my hype about it. I could honestly never trust myself enough to give this an honest rating tho since I'll never not associate it with that memory.

Although it starts to lose my attention a little in the later half, Purple Moonlight Pages is a thoughtful poetry collection of an album. R.A.P.'s delivery still borders on slam poetry (just like in his milo albums), but he isn't just rapping like a slam poet. He's writing like one too. So much is packed into each verse that analyzing this album as a whole is an incredibly daunting but rewarding task. Still, even just listening through this on a surface level, there's countless lines that just ... read more

Is a lot of it shameless Bob Dylan worship? Maybe. But that doesn't change how incredible Laura Marling's songwriting ability is.

Favorite tracks: For You, Strang Girl, Alexandra, Held Down, Song for Our Daughter, Fortune, Blow By Blow
Least favorite: The End of the Affair

From someone who is generally Not A Fan of early 2000s pop and rnb, the fact that I loved this album as much as I did is fucking weird. It's like Rina Sawayama came from an alternate universe where early 2000s pop was good.

I really think the title of this album sums it up really well. It's a disco/synth pop throwback with an updated 2010's aesthetic. Dua Lipa is definitely not the first person to make an album like this, and she won't be the last. But she does do a damn good job of it for most of the way through.

Don't Start now wasn't my favorite song when I first heard it on the radio, but hearing it on this album, I have no doubt that it's one of her best songs yet, and I'm glad it's her highest charting song ... read more

Despite having a pretty noticeable lull toward the end of the album, The New Abnormal feels like a revitalization for the Strokes. It's not anything entirely new, but the Strokes were never exactly a groundbreaking band to begin with. For the most part, they stick to what they do best on here: fuzzy, melancholic indie rock that's dripping with confidence.

Favorite tracks: Bad Decisions, The Adults Are Talking, Ode to the Mets
Least favorite: At the Door

LISTEn I know this is the third thing I've rated in a row the same as Fantano, and I'm just as mad about it as you are. I just figured giving it a different rating just to not copy fantano would be dishonest to how I really feel about this record, so I'm sticking with it.

Yves Tumor is at their best when they're making busy, loud psychedelic bangers. This album definitely delivers on that front in the first leg. Gospel For a New Century is without a doubt my favorite song on here, and it'll ... read more

I almost don't even want to talk about whether or not this album lived up to expectations. Everybody seems to be getting into discourse over whether this thing is overrated, with some people giving it lower scores to be contrarian, or giving it 100s just to boost its aggregate score and honestly? I'm tired. This is an album with so many intricate and subtle details that hype, whether it's good hype or bad hype, doesn't really do it justice at all.

SO with that rant out of the way, I fucking ... read more

This album gives me fucking migraine, I love it

Fuzz is a pretty big separation, at least sonically, from what Moodie Black were doing on Lucas Acid, an album that ended up being one of my favorites of 2018. Lucas Acid was a bold transition away from the hazy beats and cryptic character-driven rapping of Nausea. In contrast, Lucas Acid was much more abrasive, harsh, loud, and every other synonym you could throw at it. Not to mention, producer and rapper K Death's lyrics became intensely ... read more

Donald Glover spends an hour using messy production to distract you from the fact that he forgot to write any actual songs.

"Confused" would be the best word to describe how I feel about this album. "Annoyed" would be another one. "Frustrated"? Yeah. "Disappointed" is a big one for sure. But yeah, "confused" is the best one. I realize I might sound like a hypocrite here, since I usually like weird music that confuses me. An album being ... read more

CLOSED ON SUNDAYS GIRL YOU'RE MY QUARANTINE

I would've liked this song a lot better if it weren't for the lyrics, which is the boat I feel like most people are in with this song. Like, the instrumentals sound like one of the dancier cuts off Trench. I wanted this to be another My Blood, and it could've been. If I turn off my brain it's enjoyable, and it definitely has that anxious party-at-the-end-of-the-world type vibe which I love. But jesus that one line really rips the mask off doesn't it. ... read more

3/7 of the EXOCIETY hip-hop collective come together with a surprisingly consistent and colorful mini-album. Taking heavy influences from lo-fi hip-hop in the production, the album has a melancholy feel, but it doesn't drown the album in any way. In fact, the introspective vibe I get from this album is similar to Tyler and Brockhampton's styles in that it's cathartic while still being ridiculously fun and bursting with personality. Each member gets their own time to shine at some point or ... read more

I feel like I have a very similar attitude to this as I do to Destroyer's new album from earlier this year, and not just because they're both synth-heavy sophistipop albums with spoken-word vocals. In both of these albums, I can appreciate the artistry and poetry going into it, and I don't mind listening to it. In fact, it's over pretty quick and a pretty nice listen. But just like with that Destroyer album, nothing on here really warrants a whole lot of relistens for me. In fact, I got a ... read more