Holy poopoo sauce this is excellent! Forgiving the obvious language barrier, "O País A Arder" is one of the most sonically wild and original post-punk records to come out this year!

Fav Tracks: Putas da Tv, Primeiro Ministro, Contradição, País a Arder, Puta de Deus, Anjo em Chamas, Loucura

Least Fav Track: Introdução

Score:
9
Outstanding

Those who only know Doja Cat for her meme music will be slightly surprised that her more serious music is... actually okay. "Hot Pink" has a lot of charisma and personality, the production is pretty decent and her vocals are very competent, but I wouldn't go far as to say that she's a good lyricist and some of the more lifeless moments fall flat.

Fav Tracks: Say So, Addiction, Bottom Bitch, Rules, Cyber Sex, Juicy

Least Fav Track: Won't Bite

Score:
6.5
Decent

Never have I ever found a bunch of Japanese girls screaming into my face so enticing!

"Itekoma Hits" is a quick, adrenaline-pumping, sociopolitical, rapid punch-to-the-face hardcore punk record with amazing band chemistry, great vocals, stellar instrumentation and space-high replay value! There's not a single dull moment in the tracklist, nothing is ever taken seriously and everything goes by faster than Duolingo will ever teach you how to speak Japanese! Was not expecting to love ... read more

Robert Alfons delivers once again on the last half of "The Destroyer". While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first, it still carries its strengths onto a more minimalist palette. The production is gorgeous, Alfons' vocal inflections are great, the lyrics are exquisitely-written and the tracklist is catchy as hell!

Fav Tracks: The Stain, Slow Burn, Destroyer, Enduring Chill, Iris

Least Fav Track: Shame

Score:
8.7
Exceptional

FKA twigs is like the most advanced synthetic musician created by man. Every time she has an opportunity to make an album, she just evolves. Every time she evolves, she becomes more human. Now that "MAGDALENE" has released, I think that aspect of her has been taken much further than before.

A good majority of the album's themes focus on the loss of her relationship with Robert Pattinson. A lot of people compare this concept to Björk's "Vulnicura", which was about her ... read more

I'm never expecting another release from Have a Nice Life to be on the exact same level as "Deathconsciousness", an album that is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorites of all time. They're only human, like us. "Sea of Worry" surely isn't a Deathcon 2.0, but it was never intended to be. They still retain that signature post-punk/shoegaze sound, with Dan Barrett's cryptically depressing lyrics and everything in the mix being cleansed with reverb. The big difference ... read more

"Tell Me I'm Pretty" is a great if not significant evolution from "Melophobia", with more of the catchy hooks, solid melodies and great instrumentation that made that album great. The lyrics are a big step down, though.

Fav Tracks: Trouble, Cry Baby, Too Late To Say Goodbye, Sweetie Little Jean, Cold Cold Cold

Least Fav Track: That's Right

Score:
7.9
Very Good

"Thank You Happy Birthday" is noisier and more raw, but that also means it's a lot more rough around the edges. Nothing sticks as well as "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" or any of their proceeding efforts. It also contains some of their worst ideas.

Fav Tracks: Shake Me Down, Aberdeen, Around My Head, Always Something, Flow

Least Fav Tracks: Sell Yourself, Indie Kidz

Score:
5.8
Okay

Cage the Elephant's debut isn't bad, it's just relatively uninspired. Some of the writing is pretty decent, the instrumentation is solid and "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" (the obvious standout) is a genuinely charming song. The real problems stem from their way-too-obvious inspirations and half-baked production.

Fav Tracks: Ain't No Rest for the Wicked, In One Ear, Back Against the Wall, Judas, Tiny Little Robots

Least Fav Track: Back Stabbin' Betty

Score:
6.7
Decent

The overarching concept of "Murder Ballads" is all about murder... pretty explicitly too. Even the song with Kylie Minogue, the singer behind "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (one of the catchiest earworms of the early 00's, is about death. It's also an hour long, but all of it's entertaining thanks to some vulgar and hilarious writing. It's also some of the most easy-to-digest music he's ever done, with great instrumentation and some amazing female guest vocalists!

Fav ... read more

"Let Love In" is considered by many to be Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' magnum opus and I can definitely see why! Personally, I like "Ghosteen" slightly more than this (so far), but this comes so damn close! This is Nick Cave's most full-sounding release yet and it's only heightened by some of his best writing, storytelling and instrumentation to date!

Fav Tracks: Red Right Hand, Do You Love Me?, Lay Me Low, I Let Love In, Jangling Jack, Thirsty Dog, Nobody's Baby ... read more

[Treasure Tuesday Ep. 13]

"Destination: Beautiful" is a standard-for-the-times but solidly-written and produced alternative rock/emo record. The production can get a bit too "twinkly" at times, but the tunes themselves range from decent to pretty great.

Fav Tracks: Embers and Envelopes; Summertime; Sun; Goodbye, Goodnight; All Deliberate Speed; Runaway

Least Fav Track: Skyline Drive

Treasure Approval Rating:
7.4
Good

While it still isn't as abrasive as "Children of God", "White Light from the Mouth of Infinity" builds upon Swans' sound in many ways. The production and instrumentation is fantastic and there's something about the atmosphere that's beautifully-unsettling. This entire record is actually pretty unsettling. Like, the core tunes have this optimism that I've rarely heard in a Swans record. It's just that Michael Gira and Jarboe's lyrics that are so depressive and dark that it ... read more

"Henry's Dream" isn't the most consistent Nick Cave record, but it's still very entertainingly-written and enjoyable throughout, with lots of stories to tell and, despite the band rejecting it, it's still another great in his discography.

Fav Tracks: I Had a Dream, Joe; Straight to You; Brother, My Cup Is Empty; Jack the Ripper; Papa Won't Leave You, Henry; Loom of the Land

Least Fav Track: John Finn's Wife

Score:
9
Outstanding

On "The Good Son", Nick Cave goes full-on soft. *GASP* BLASPHEMY!

Well, saying that this is "soft" isn't saying much. It's still a very gothic rock record, like usual. This is in no means a criticism, however, because "The Good Son" is still a worthy outing with some of his most human writing.

Fav Tracks: Lucy, The Good Son, The Weeping Song, The Ship Song, Foi Na Cruz, The Hammer Song, Sorrow's Child

Least Fav Track: The Witness Song

Score:
9.2
Outstanding

Yeule seems like an extremely interesting ambient pop artist, and "Serotonin II" only heightens my interest. The production is simply beautiful, Yeule's vocals are ethereal as all hell and the lyrics, while sometimes sparse, is pretty effective. I wish I would have more to say, but I'd have to listen to it more. So let's just keep it at this, "I freaking loved it"!

Fav Tracks: Pixel Affection, Poison Arrow, An Angel Held Me Like a Child, Eva, Reverie, Pocky ... read more

So, it's Halloween... for my city. They had to push Halloween to Saturday due to the weather. That makes me sad. :(

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my all time favorite films, and it also has one of my favorite vocal soundtracks! Every musical lives and dies on its soundtrack and Danny Elfman definitely did not disappoint with Tim Burton's (well, technically Henry Selick's) stop-motion masterpiece! The score is beautifully-composed, the musical numbers are charming and ... read more

Judging from the band/album title and the album art, featuring a man bobbing his head toward a goatman's crotch, this was either gonna be good or unbearably edgy. After listening, I'll say that it's a mix between the two... which is okay. The production and instrumentation is noisy and intense but some of the transitions in the tracks leave a lot to be desired and the lyrics can get borderline cliche.

Fav Tracks: A Hero's Welcome, The Greater Good, Ass to Grind, Fuck You for Your Service, He's ... read more

How does she keep improving? What the hell?

"M3LL155X" is yet another evolution to FKA twigs' future R&B sound. There's nothing that needs to be improved here, it just evolves. Every song is an ecstatic treat to listen to and, overall, this is her best material to date!

Figure 8: 9.5
I'm Your Doll: 9
In Time: 10
Glass & Patron: 9.5
Mothercreep: 10

Score:
9.6
Amazing

"LP1" is a probably one of the most creative, beautiful and mind-expanding art pop records of the past decade. The twists in production just come out of nowhere and I could definitely have this on repeat!

Fav Tracks: Two Weeks, Pendulum, Lights On, Video Girl, Kicks, Numbers, Closer

Least Fav Track: Preface

Score:
9.4
Outstanding