Arca continues to work her alien soundscapes and glitchy production on "Xen", and it all sounds great. The problem is that some of these ideas never evolve into anything climactic.

Fav Tracks: Xen, Bullet Chained, Theivery, Held Apart, Sad Bitch, Sisters, Tongue

Least Fav Track: Family Violence

Score:
6.4
Fine

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English Translation: This is a great turning point for Arca. One that ... read more

This is, hands down, the best track TFS has released to date!

This is less fun than spelling

*claps* *claps more* *claps even more* *claps intensify* *hands bleed*

Okay... who the fuck let her get away with this shit?

It's a solid batch of singles with a nostalgic vibe through both of them. Nothing mind-blowing, but it's good to see Jai Paul's potential growing bit by bit.

Do You Love Her Now: 8.5
He: 7.5

Score:
8
Great

So far, I'm not anticipating this new album to be that good. But, I'm not gonna lie, this is the best of the three. Great bass grooves, great hook, it gets the job done in terms of what makes Foster The People a pretty good indie band.

It's Drake. Of course I don't care.

Omertà: 4.5
Money In The Grave: 6

Score:
5.3
Okay

Damn. This got me interested in checking this person out! Great atmosphere, great vocal performances, it's just incredible!

Daniel Caesar has a lot of potential as an artist. His singing voice is incredible and is songwriting is decent enough that it makes him one of the better R&B artists to come from this generation of music. It's frustrating, though, because "CASE STUDY 01" is so, so bland during its first half.

Fav Tracks: SUPERPOSITION, ARE YOU OK?, TOO DEEP TO TURN BACK, FRONTAL LOBE MUZIK

Least Fav Tracks: OPEN UP

Score:
5.9
Okay

"Choke" is an incredibly fun and dark effort that's a breath of fresh air from the generic and at times obnoxious "Am I A Girl?". The first four tracks are freaking great with the industrial sounds of the title track and "Voicemail", the infectious pop and metal blend of "Scary Mask" and the absolutely morbid "Meat"! Overall, Poppy seems to have found the perfect voice for herself and I'm very interested to see where she goes with this ... read more

Spearheaded by the one and only Eric André, BLARF is a project that pretty much matches the fucked-up mind of the actor/comedian! Some of the countless samples being used are recognizable (Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 theme, “Reckoner” by Radiohead, “For Reverend Green” by Animal Collective or Reading Rainbow theme song, for example), which also means it doesn't have the same amount of effort put into the music as, say, The Avalanches. But BLARF is a million times ... read more

The Black Keys are back. Yay? I mean, there's nothing bad about "Let's Rock", it's just plays things really safe. In terms of songwriting, it's okay but in terms of blues rock instrumentation, it's a bit lazy. Overall, it's plenty of dumb fun but it's also just standard car commercial rock.

Fav Tracks: Eagle Birds, Under The Gun, Sit Around And Miss You, Shine A Little Light, Fire Walk With Me, Every Little Thing

Least Fav Track: Go

Score:
6.5
Decent

UPDATE (OG Score: 9.6): Hmm... yeah. This kinda shrunk on me. After I put in the original score, I felt like something wasn't right. Now I can see what's wrong with this. I still love this record, don't get me wrong, but there is a problem that just came into mind after a few more listens. Freddie Gibbs' lyrics, while still spot-on, don't have the same energy as "Piñata". There are maybe a few references that are a little dated (the Pokemon GO reference) and that anti-vaxx line ... read more

Madlib is a hip-hop producer I'll always depend on and Freddie Gibbs... yeah. Together, they make one of the most enjoyable rap records of the decade! I love Madlib's production on here, it's just that infectious combination of samples and looping beats that made him score multiple home runs with other artists in the past. Freddie is also outstanding, with top-notch lyricism and tight flows, showing that gangsta rap ain't that old-school. Combine that with a fun guest list and ... read more

What in the hell happened?! Every ounce of energy the band used to have is completely stripped away in favor of these sluggish synthpop slow jams that, despite being well-produced, are horribly-written and jam-packed with unnecessary filler. Kele's vocal performances come off as cheesy and "HYMNS" is an almost consistently mediocre album beginning from the fourth track. Let this be a lesson on how NOT to change up your sound.

Fav Tracks: So Real, Only He Can Heal Me, My True ... read more

Bloc Party decided to go back to basics on "Four" (original title, I know), which results in a catchy, fun and immensely enjoyable record with great lyrics and instrumentation. They don't have nearly the same spark as they used to, though.

Fav Tracks: 3 x 3, We Are Not Good People, Octopus, V.A.L.I.S., Kettling, Truth, The Healing

Least Fav Track: Coliseum

Score:
7.7
Very Good

*shakes finger in between their lips to make a motorboat*

"Intimacy" goes for a much cleaner sound this time around, but it usually doesn't utilize it to its full potential. It's still a very good record with some great lyrics and production throughout, it's just that it lacks the emotional brevity their previous efforts had.

Fav Tracks: Ion Square, Ares, Trojan Horse, Halo, Biko, One Month Off

Least Fav Track: Zephyrus

Score:
7.3
Good

Even as a loyal fan of Radiohead, one of the musical acts that got me into the medium in the first place, I never thought that Thom Yorke's solo career would live up to Radiohead's legendary status. But "ANIMA" might just be that leap forward. This album's aesthetics are very similar to "Kid A" and "Tomorrow's Modern Boxes". However, I feel like the sound he was aiming for on the latter is perfected here and, with the help of long-time producer Nigel Godrich, it ... read more