My friends will not shut up about J. Cole. Seriously, he's all they talk about, particularly the album 2014 Forest Hills Drive. And when I finally heard that album, I was pretty let down. I mean it was okay, but nothing special. I wrote him off as overrated almost immediately, but does that mean bad? Nope, because I found myself enjoying his newest album KOD quite a lot. This album had a cool feel to it, as well as great production and more than a few bangers. It even delves into some ... read more
This EP made me so happy. To see The Weeknd make a return to his old Trilogy sound is an absolute dream come true. Though it's not a complete copy of the Trilogy, as those mixtapes were centered around Abel hurting/emotionally neglecting women, while MDM is more centered around women doing the same to him. Nevertheless, the gloom captured by My Dear Melancholy makes for an incredibly haunting 21 minutes. The production is great, and the lyrics feel authentic, unlike much of Beauty Behind the ... read more
Despite what some may think about this album, I find myself enjoying Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino more and more with every new listen. There are multiple flaws with it, but I can't say there is anything out there that sounds anything close to what Alex Turner does on this record with its alternative, space lounge pop rock sound. Alex's weird, provocative lyrics are interesting to say the least, and conceptually Tranquility flows exceptionally well. The record suffers with much of it sounding ... read more
Virtue is one of the most intriguing rock records I have listened to in a very long time. Between dream pop, psychedelia, garage rock, new wave, electronica, and straight-up punk rock, the amount of genre hopping that occurs on this album is absurd. The instrumentals here are very intriguing and cool. Julian Casablancas' vocals add a lot of character to Virtue, and this may be my favorite album from him, rivaling Is This It. For a near-hour long album, Virtue keeps filler at a minimum. There's ... read more
Easily one of the tightest and most easily likeable releases I have heard in a long time. Every track is an absolute banger, between Push's lyrical ability and, the real star of the album, Kanye's production. These are some of the best and dirtiest beats that Kanye has ever made. My only issue is the length of the album, being only 21 minutes long. But, quality over quality I suppose.
Favorite Tracks: The Games We Play, Come Back Baby, What Would Meek Do?
Least Favorite Track: Santeria