I've never heard any of Olsen's (not to be confused with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, of course) projects, but, judging from the two singles, I was legitimately excited for this! Now that it came out, I am joyous to say that "All Mirrors" has lived up to these singles! It's a gorgeous, tightly-written and emotionally-powerful singer-songwriter record. The only slight criticism I have is that the mixing could've been tweaked a little, with Angel's vocals sounding a bit front-and-center. ... read more

It’ll take a miracle to make an album on-par with Danny Brown’s “Atrocity Exhibition”. It’s an album that still rings to mind for me when it comes to experimental hip hop albums from the past decade, with hilarious writing and a destructive concept mixed in with some of the most bonkers hip hop production you will ever hear. Which is why it’s a bit weird, and at the same time refreshing, to see him aiming for a totally different style this time around, ... read more

It's about time we got a genuine Halloween record after so many shitty covers of older songs! "Turn Off the Light" is spooky, fun and campy in the best ways! Kim Petras' vocals are stellar here and the EDM-heavy production is infectious and fantastic! It's the latter, though, that's the most intriguing about this record. The interludes carry the theme and pacing of the record beautifully and complement Kim Petra's monster-pop bangers perfectly.

Fav Tracks: Close Your Eyes, Wrong ... read more

I've heard her on some projects I like, so to celebrate the release of her new album, I decided to check out her... less new album. This is a HUGE step back from what I enjoyed. She has plenty of potential shown here and the tunes themselves are pretty catchy. But the songwriting is just godawful and the production is surface-level radio fodder.

Fav Tracks: Icy, Blow It All, Do Me, Sweet Spot, Clarity

Least Fav Tracks: Meet the Parents, Broken, Shinin'

Score:
5.2
Average

[Treasure Tuesday Ep. 8]

I'm not a diehard for drone metal, but I see where the ambition lies... mostly. The atmosphere is haunting, the riffs are sludgy and the vocals are pretty damn good, even if I have heard better. The problem is that Monarch! aren't pushing themselves to their fullest potential. "Lilith", however, is an epic 20-minute buildup.

Fav Tracks: Lilith, Cadaverine

Least Fav Track: Of Night, With Knives

Treasure Approval Rating:
6.3
Fine

While they're not the best tracks from them... yet, KKB have crafted some solidly-written and well-produced tunes that could lead to another great LP. This EP also couldn't have come out at a better time, as the paranoia of global warming is getting more widespread.

Fav Tracks: Battle Lines, When the Fires Come

Least Fav Track: The River

Score:
8.3
Great

"OLD" isn't nearly as good as his more experimental works and Side B suffers from the club banger cliches of 2013, but it's still a very fun, energetic record with great verses from Danny and some of his best bangers yet. It's also a great segway into his next record.

Fav Tracks: 25 Bucks, Lonely, Old, Float On, The Return, Smokin & Drinkin, Dope Song, Dope Fiend Rental, Torture, Clean Up

Least Fav Track: Break It [Go]

Score:
7.9
Very Good

Danny Brown absolutely kills it and Black Milk's production is fantastic, which makes "Black And Brown" an extremely fun, albeit unfocused, 23-minute EP.

Sound Check: 6
Wake Up: 9.5
Loosie: 8.5
Zap: 9
Jordan VIII: 9
Dada: 8.5
WTF: 7
LOL: 8.5
Dark Sunshine: 6.5
Black and Brown: 8.5

Score:
8.1
Great

THIS is the Danny Brown I know and love! Everything that has defined his career all got birthed by "XXX". The experimental hip hop production is vibrant and spectacular and the pacing is excellent. But the real star of the show is the Adderall Admiral himself. It isn't just the delivery, vocals and flows that shine here, the stories he tells are nothing short of engaging! The lyrics go from pussy-eatin' and dick suckin’ to themes that recall impactful, albeit traumatic, ... read more

This album art is absolutely horrendous. What isn't horrendous, however, is "The Hybrid" itself. It's a pretty solid debut effort from the soon-to-be-great Danny Brown. The production and delivery isn't nearly as refined as his future endeavors and his lyricism can come off as juvenile at times, but what he pulls off here is pretty damn good.

Fav Tracks: Nowhere 2 Go, Generation Rx, Exotic, Greatest Rapper Ever, White Stripes, S.O.S., Drinks On Me, I'm Out

Least Fav Track: Guitar ... read more

"The Talkies" sounds like rocket launchers being shoved up your ears and fired at once. It sounds like a wrinkled vagina with legs chasing after you and screaming at you. This album is a lot of things and there's nothing that isn't abusive as all hell about it! The fuzzed-up, drone-y atmosphere, the eardrum-pounding production and instrumentation, the manic delivery of the vocals and the brutal lyrics that touch upon the most absurd subjects make for one of the most unforgiving ... read more

Y'know, I used to be a fan of this guy. But then he started doing these skits in his reviews and the more he put out, the more corny they were. Nostalgia Critic is better when he's a more grounded. Now we're at the point where he's critiquing the film adaptation of Pink Floyd's "The Wall". Where do I start?

I think "The Wall" is a really good album, but not as much as I used to 3 years ago. It has an amazing concept that's weighed down by barebones songwriting, but it's ... read more

“The Wilderness” is a much needed improvement over the band's previous two records. It keeps the gorgeous atmospheres while upping the instrumentation and adding a healthy dose of great percussion work, even if Explosions in the Sky still lack in the originality department.

Fav Tracks: Logic of a Dream, Disintegration Anxiety, Wilderness, Colors in Space, Landing Cliffs

Least Fav Track: The Ecstatics

Score:
6.8
Decent

This album put a huge smile on my face through out much of its length. Just the nostalgia of recognizing and growing up with some of these songs made this a lot of fun for me. The fact that a double album has consistently amazing songs just baffles me! Stevie Wonder has produced some of the best compositions, songwriting and most infectious melodies in the genre. Couple that with gorgeous production and amazing vocals and "Songs In The Key Of Life" is perhaps one of the most timeless ... read more

[Treasure Tuesday Ep. Steven]

AW SHIT! IT'S LITTLE STEVIE MOTHAFUCKAS! HIDE YO KIDS, HIDE YO COUSINS, HE BE PULLIN' UP IN YO HOOD!

*Ahem* Okay, so Stevie Wonder's debut album is a small collection of jazz soul numbers written by him. Now, it's obviously not comparable to what Stevie would produce years later, but the fact that he made these compositions at just 12-years-old is nothing short of impressive! When talking about the genre as a whole, however, it's all too familiar. Overall, ... read more

"the masquerade" is cute while it's on and Maia's writing and vocals aren't half bad, but the quality of the second half falls victim to having some of the most generic production of the year.

Fav Tracks: prom dress, unspoken words, suffice, blame game

Least Fav Tracks: untitled, dream of you

Score:
5.4
Average

I see some potential for Slayyyter to be a decent future pop artist. Her style reminds me a lot of Britney Spears, which definitely ain't a bad thing. The PC Music-esque production is also plus. The big problem here is that the album contains some of the most genuinely uncomfortable moments of the year (Candy is a raunchy-ass bop, tho) and the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Fav Tracks: Alone, BFF, Mine, Devil, Tattoo, Candy

Least Fav Tracks: Daddy AF, Celebrity

Score:
5.8
Meh

"XYZ" is a great collab record that features amazing sampling and some of the most unique electronic production of the year. It's maybe a little too short, but the record features enough insane variety and infectious moments that it's easily forgivable.

Fav Tracks: Drown U, Lockii, Teef Chizzel, Lux 2, C Thru, Maü Shit

Least Fav Track: XYZ

Score:
8.9
Exceptional

I’m really loving the work you’re doing! These are some great drum ‘n bass jams with impressive production and “No Form” is definitely my favorite AOTY project so far!

Seascapes: 8.5
Space Junk: 9.5
Lost: 8.5
Avalanches: 8.5
Spaced Out: 9

Score:
8.8
Exceptional

I was never under the impression that Blink-182 was a good band. Your local teen band plays them because the songs are easier to play and they have aged poorly over the years. “NINE” shows that they're trying really hard to appeal to the teen demographic while they're in their forties. It's soooooo dull, with generic, trendy production and terrible, pandering lyrics.

Fav Tracks: Black Rain, Generational Divide, The First Time

Least Fav Tracks: Blame It On My Youth, On My Emo Shit, ... read more