Converge’s album run from 2001 to 2017 is really one of the best I’ve ever heard from a band, even from any artist or group across any genre. The Dusk in Us is once again proof of how hard this band goes.

The album feels very similar to their 2012 project, and just like All We Love We Leave Behind, the title track is the strongest song on the tracklist. Lately I’m getting a ton of quality music through my ears, and I’m starting to struggle to process all this goated ... read more

Having already watched Challengers, this really interested me. I had heard about this movie many times, and I remembered watching it when I was little, it bored me to death. I took courage and decided to rewatch it and… turns out I confused it with another movie about bonds.

This was a pretty interesting watch, but throughout the whole movie the music felt pretty detached from it, not because the atmosphere didn’t fit the scenes, but simply because I wasn’t expecting to hear ... read more

James Blake with hardcore productions? I thought I had heard many different combinations, experimentations, and possibilities in music, but I missed this one. The EP overall works pretty well, and even if I don’t think Vincent’s intention was to make something influential or groundbreaking, it still gave me some nice songs to play with.

All We Love We Leave Behind delivers everything I wanted to hear in a post‑hardcore album that came a few years after the majestic Axe to Fall. Compared to its predecessor, this 2012 LP is more of a firm and heavy stone rather than a dynamic river: the project has a very strong tracklist, and no song falls behind except for Precipice. The title track is definitely in my top three Converge songs, but there are also many more memorable ones here, like Trespasses and Sadness Comes Home.

Coldchain 2 is another strong proof of the potential he’s showing in the early stages of his career. The production is very wide, but it doesn’t feel made for a cohesive project. The whole mixtape felt more like I was shuffling his This Is Vince Staples playlist on Spotify, but the lyrics and flows are good, so…

Emotional Palette.

From the very first songs, Axe to Fall felt like the best Converge album I’ve listened to so far: the progressive atmosphere that completely transforms the project from start to finish is what, for me, makes the whole tracklist stand out. The LP feels divided into different stages, each one expressing a different emotional state.

The various contributions from members of Cave In, Hatebreed, Entombed and others really add a special extra value to every track they ... read more

Ground Zero Mixtape falls among the many mid‑’10s trap mixtapes that carry their light across almost thirty songs without managing to bring a cohesive or consistent tracklist.The synth‑pop sound changed once again, and this versatility from Steez is much appreciated.

On the other hand, Oskar brings many different flows, but for sure, at least for me, the Polish language is very harsh to my ears and makes everything sound very dirty and mechanical.

Summertime ’06 manages to create a cohesive atmosphere even across a two‑disc tracklist, holding the project’s consistency for the whole hour.

I don’t really know why, but this album gives me GKMC vibes for some reason. It’s not just the West Coast/hardcore beat selection, but the whole alternation between the serious perspective of a young black man and the more gangsta attitude shown in some parts.

The strength of the album lies in its best tracks, like Norf Norf ... read more

The movie wasn’t interesting at all, but I immediately noticed that the soundtrack was good. The techno rhythmic section is very interesting, it fits well with the movie’s pacing, and it creates a nice contrast with the otherwise uninteresting atmosphere of the film.

I really tried to watch it fully, but after forty minutes my hustling ambition got the upper hand, and I got on my phone doing something better than watching this trash bag

I can recognize a good MC when I hear one, and Jamal got my attention from the first stages of his career. I really liked the hardcore hip‑hop attitude of the project driven by Mac, not something I would’ve expected, but I’m positively surprised by it. All the features do a great job, especially Q on Back Sellin’ Crack.

The combination of Staples’ young and hungry rapping with Miller’s unique production style didn’t manage to reach the top spots in the ... read more

I really enjoyed this album, especially in a song‑to‑song listen. The post‑punk influence really made the difference here. The lyrics are amazing, and they keep getting better album after album.

I can’t understand why I Will Follow You Into the Dark is the highest‑rated song on the tracklist. It has very emotional lyrics, but also one of the least memorable arrangements on the album.

It’s a very good starting phase of Staples’ career, with him stepping into the shoes of a conscious hip‑hop artist in a modern key over West Coast‑trap productions. The rapping performances are good, and the lyricism is surprisingly interesting. For sure a few tracks aren’t that compelling, but it’s an interesting perspective for the future.

-€500

Oramai la quasi totalità degli album che escono negli ultimi anni è radicalmente distaccata dalla classica scena hip‑hop della fine degli anni ’00, che si parli della noiosa e sempre statica musica italiana oppure dell’“innovativa” merda che viene da oltre oceano.

Oramai tutto ciò che scala le classifiche è impregnato di r&b alternativo, elettronica e cazzate strumentali da band performative. Una merda, vero? Già, ... read more

The critically most acclaimed project All My Heroes Are Cornballs navigates around safer waters in terms of sound choice compared to its two predecessors, Veteran and Black Ben Carson. I’m really enjoying this artist dive: it’s giving me a lot of new perspectives on how music is made for itself.

The album distances itself from previous JPEG projects while getting relatively close to his Devon Hendryx early artistic stages. The glitchy and chaotic production gives this album the ... read more

It doesn’t hold the comparison with the best projects in the catalog, but it still provides great production with cloud rap and jazzy elements.

I listened to this while going out for lunch for my parents’ five years of marriage (yes, they’re very late). The car ride was very harsh: the road was trash and full of turns!

The album’s instrumentation is similar to the band’s previous projects, but every instrument sounds better. The lyrics are amazing, and the only little downside is probably the relative repetitiveness of the songs, surely not a boring listen, but less varied compared to the other LPs.

First Party of the Year

Finally (and sadly) the temperature hit 35°C in my town, and that means summer is here early.

It’s been a while since the last time I went to a party, and this function was twenty bike‑minutes from my house, and this LP was my partner in that late‑night ride.

The abstract and cloudy production is great throughout the whole LP, and Lofty’s performances are almost as amazing.

The biggest strength of the project is for sure the uniqueness of its ... read more

As a debut, this EP shows off a lot of character in proposing such a heavily synthesized production with trap rhythmics. Not every song is good, but it’s definitely part of the experimentation with different samples and melodies.

Thanks to its atmospheric background sound choices, The Cold Sun, the debut album by Loathe, builds everything around what many listeners wouldn’t immediately recognize as the main purpose of the project on a first listen.

I really liked the individual instrumentals, especially the guitar and the vocals going pair‑to‑pair at times and forming amazing yet violent melodies. Since I’m also currently listening to Converge, the comparison between the two sounds is inevitable for me ... read more

Maxine, the best project of the early stage of Lofty alongside Haunted Clothes, gave me a good mood throughout the relatively short play. The synthesizers took most of my attention not only thanks to those very original patterns, but also because of the great palette he uses, especially in Posh Raiders and Bakkup, some of the best cloud‑rap songs I’ve listened to in a while.