The ‘Mats begin their gradual slide into indie pop with this refined, more focused effort. This album exists at the crossroads of getting banned from SNL and becoming the (more) mainstream darlings that Westerberg and company end up. Expect a little bit of old Replacements edge and a little of the insecurity and vulnerability that will later become a hallmark of the once-feared anti-establishment rockers. Admittedly, I prefer both ends of the Replacements spectrum more than the middle ... read more

Eric Egan and company have settled down a bit. Heart Attack Man’s previous output is full of vitriol, venom, and spite, bouncing between snot-nosed success stories shoving it in the face of those who said they can’t do it or wallowing in failure, or just simply hating somebody’s guts. This album sees Egan recede inwards a bit. The bravado and “come and get me” attitude displayed by HAM has been exchanged in favor of an infinitely more introspective approach this ... read more

shut the fuck up about the vocals we get it he’s screaming get over it

edit - 96 -> 100 because i read some interviews and listened to it on my cd player and got so much more depth from it, truly a genius album

i am a Cheek Freak

Justin Vernon’s “last” effort as (with?) Bon Iver sees him both play into what he’s known for with stripped down indie folk and branch out into RnB, soul, and gospel, to varying levels of success. The standout tracks on this album come from the SABLE EP, which is the aforementioned indie folk part, and the top of the new additions of fABLE. While it may lose some steam over its runtime, SABLE, fABLE is upbeat, triumphant and accessible, something that cannot be said ... read more

Essential emo-influenced DIY post-hardcore. Buzzwords aside, this album is overflowing with raw emotion, driving instrumentals and many, many moments of introspection.

The best music the Gallaghers ever produced. Cut from the same cloth as Definitely, Maybe (quite literally - Noel wrote all the songs for Oasis’ best work all in one swift go), Morning Glory sees Oasis take a breath for a second. Less rock-forward than their previous effort, this album provides us with anthem after anthem, with the big 3 of Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, and Champagne Supernova electrifying stadiums and kareoke bars alike to this day. The rock songs certainly ... read more

80% marketing gimmick, 20% substance

2nd listen (66-->81) - I was much too harsh on you, brat. I would say you're still about 40-50% marketing gimmick, but sometimes fun music can be fun without needing a manifesto to explain their themes. With that being said, Charli wanted this to be a manifesto with her whole "brat is a state of being" rhetoric. Take that as you will.

A vast, swirling landscape of sound that’s more of a 2-hr long soundscape than it is a traditional album. I think the conscious choice to release this album (mostly) in forms that are not easily broken into discrete “tracks” is evidence enough of this. This project has no standout “singles”. I can’t tell you my favorite song from Diamond Jubilee. However, I can tell you that I enjoyed drifting in and out of consciousness alongside each musical motif. Ideas ... read more

A collection of alternate takes, instrumentals, and, as the title suggests, demos from this old dog, mac demarco’s best album from his “mature” era. there are songs in all states of completion here, including fully written and composed songs, complete instrumentals missing vocals, guitar and vocal only demos, and some loosely arranged tracks with placeholder scatting. this compilation offers stripped-down versions of some of the better songs on this old dog in addition to many ... read more

i’m just dropping by to be pedantic and say that auto-biographical albums are not concept albums unless the artist themself is playing a character a la ziggy stardust, too many of yall are being fast and loose with the definition of a concept album

Combat from Baltimore’s debut LP brings maturity and youthful energy to the table equally in an incredibly intelligent package, but suffers from a painfully common, difficult to avoid pop-punk malady — lack of variety. While the songwriting, hooks, and thematic content of the album show a band firing on all cylinders creatively (they do, in fact, have sharper claws and leitmotifs) the constant in-your-face breakneck speed makes it more difficult to appreciate Stay Golden as an ... read more

No, your CD player isn’t being fucky. Minus the Bear gets as close to perfection as they ever have through an eclectic blend of glitchy synth lines, fuzzy chords and precisely calculated, mathy guitar hooks.

Oso Oso delivers a satisfying and engaging emo revival debut, but you can tell Lilitri has more creative ideas rattling around once this LP has reached its’ end.

I idolize John Mayer. I've had a copy of the handwritten tabs for "Neon" hanging in my room for 3 years, and I don't even play guitar like that. Sure, he's kinda skeevy, and has a lot of, ahem, lore, but he's also undeniably in the top 3 most talented guitarists and songwriters of guitar music in his generation. This LP was before all that was known, however. Before the Trio, before Taylor Swift and before his penis-hole saw it all, he was a guy writing soft rock ... read more

Radio rock built to be forgotten about. Are You Gonna Be My Girl? and Cold Hard Bitch have gone triple platinum in frat houses where they listen to cool, underground music like The Backseat Lovers. Sounds like the soundtrack to a movie about a rebel middle schooler. Obvious influences bounce between the Stones, the Beatles, Oasis, and the Strokes (“influence”, right?), with the result being me thinking “Huh, they’re really trying to be *name of band*, aren’t ... read more

I wish the Foos stayed this grungy and rough around the edges. I'll parrot what everybody else is saying about the mix - this sounds like dirt. Like, real bad. However, I believe this album has Grohl's most interesting, least "Play Me During A Football Highlights Package On Broadcast Television" sound and songwriting. It's nice to get pure unfiltered Dave. Good Grief is my favorite Foo Fighters song, by a long margin.

Canada's 2nd-best pop-punk band tries every genre they want, fails on most, and writes the perfect pop-punk song and a handful of real solid ones in the process. If you and duck, dodge and weave around the experiments and early-installment weirdness, glimmers of the band Sum 41 will become are apparent.

A re-recording of what seems like all the material Ben Folds produced in the year 2005. As such, it doesn't have much cohesion as an LP, as well as having some 2005-ass decisions like Rent-A-Cop, Get Your Hands Off My Woman and Bitches Ain't Shit. The latter was a poor enough decision that Ben no longer allows you to stream it, so you can either torrent or purchase a physical copy in order to hear our favorite angry dwarf drop the N word (twice.) Elephant in the room aside, this is a ... read more

Pinegrove’s return after self and community-inflicted exile is as listenable and well written as ever, but not without one major caveat - the earthy, ethereal-at-times atmosphere that fueled early Pinegrove’s successes has been neutered. ESH’s vocals are no longer placed at arm’s length from the listener nor are they surrounded by singing birds and buzzing cicadas. The mandolins and double basses of Everything Up To This Point have been supplanted by traditional indie ... read more