This is probably the brothers' weakest offering to date. It has some great moments and production, and it has a beautiful closer. But there are a few half-assed ideas. "The Salmon Dance" works OKAY as a novelty track, but everything either meanders or is pointless to begin with. There are also times where they use synth noises that clip through the rest of the mix and it's kind of annoying.

Fav Tracks: Saturate, Do It Again, Das Spiegal, Battle Scars, All Rights Reserved, Burst ... read more

"Push The Button" is one of the better outings from The Chemical Brothers during the 2000's, but it still doesn't live up to their 90's classics. There are some great highlights here with MOSTLY great guest performances. I say "mostly" because Anwar Superstar's performance is subpar and the hip-hop fusion on "Left Right" is poor.

Fav Tracks: The Boxer, Surface To Air, Close Your Eyes, Galvanize, Believe, Hold Tight London

Least Fav Track: Left ... read more

"ISON" is a pretty solid project that features chilling production, great structuring and tight songwriting. Sevdaliza's vocals aren't anything to write home about, but they add to the overall atmosphere and sometimes act as a texture. My real complaint is that some ideas drag out for way too long (you could've added more lyrics to "Angel" to justify the length). If "ISON" was cut down to about 12 tracks, this would've been one of the better trip-hop records of the ... read more

"Bold as a lion
Tony the Tiger"
*laughs hysterically in disbelief*

Remember when they were dominating the charts? They've got nothing now. They're so desperately trying to make another Billboard hit and, while I can kinda see some potential in "BOOM", everything else is so formulaic and the writing is so hilariously bad!

Fav Tracks: BOOM, RECOVER, HEY CHILD

Least Fav Tracks: CONFIDENCE, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PRAY, RULE, HOLD YOU DOWN

Score:
3.1
Bad

The production's pretty damn good, with a lot of cool African and house influences. The features are also pretty solid, especially Pusha T and Tyler, The Creator. Unfortunately, the lyrics leave a lot to be desired and GoldLink's vocal performances are flat-out uninteresting.

Fav Tracks: U Say, Cokewhite / Moscow, Maniac, More, Zulu Screams, Joke Ting

Least Fav Tracks: Yard, Days Like This

Score:
6.1
Fine

I loved "Locket" so I was interested in where their debut was gonna go. What I got was a short but sweet record with beautiful production and a lazy vibe that's very admirable and very easy to relax to. Overall, "Jinx" is a great recommendation for casual listeners who want something to vibe with and for those sound fanatics, like myself, who've been craving to scratch that psychedelic itch.

Fav Tracks: Ghostride, Nina, Part III, Fall Down, Jinx, And It Never Ends

Least ... read more

"Gold & Grey" has huge, and I mean HUGE, potential to be a good metal record. But there is a glaring flaw that ruins this. I know that so many people are complaining about it, but the mixing is gawd awful! The otherwise solid instrumentation and performances are completely SWALLOWED by the obnoxiously loud drums and hi-hats and the ear-piercing amount of compression placed into most of these tracks! Even worse is that when it even attempts to be chaotic, it practically clips ... read more

"Claustro" is an outstanding track that wears Burial's fingerprints everywhere with great sampling, distinctive percussion and tight atmosphere. "State Forest" is an okay ambient track, but it pales in comparison to the first track. Otherwise, it's a solid offering.

Claustro: 9.5
State Forest: 5.5

Score:
7.5
Very Good

I mean, it isn't the worst thing I've heard all year. It's definitely Madonna's most diverse record, with musical styles ranging from dance pop to Latin pop to trap. Unfortunately, "Madame X" fails to execute these influences well. The production does nothing new to these genres and the lyrics are trite. There's also "Killers Who Are Partying", which is supposed to be well-intentioned but it ends up being in poor taste. Another big problem I have with this record is that ... read more

It’s not “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” tier, but Joji’s vocals have improved drastically, especially in his higher register, and the hook is pretty sticky. The production is nothing to write home about, though.

SnapCube is probably the only real gaming channel I watch in an age where other gaming channels are riddled with monetization and stale comedy. But her music leaves a lot to be desired. The lyrics are poor, the production is cheap and Penny's vocal effects are just terrible. It sounds like Owl City but somehow more generic. This also has, hands down, the worst mixing I've heard since Corey Feldman's "Angelic 2 the Core". I'm dead serious. It does start to pick up during the last leg, ... read more

This collaboration between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks DOES work... most of the time. Both of their tongue-in-cheek irreverence are great together and the quirky lyrics makes this record very fun. There are a few times where the quirky production can get awkward, especially on "So Desu Ne", but the rest of this project is pretty solid.

Fav Tracks: Collaborations Don't Work, Little Guy From The Suburbs, Piss Off, Johnny Delusional, The Man Without A Tan, Call Girl

Least Fav Track: So ... read more

"Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action" doesn't live up to their previous outings, but it's still a fun record with catchy lyrics and wonderful production.

Fav Tracks: Love Illumination, Right Action, Bullet, Evil Eye, Treason! Animals., Fresh Strawberries

Least Fav Track: Brief Encounters

Score:
7.8
Very Good

Franz Ferdinand takes a different, electro-disco-oriented approach on "Tonight", which fits perfectly with the overall concept. It's nothing ambitious. Just a night out with lots of dancing, crowds and the possibility of scoring with that one girl that catches your eye. Of course, I have way too much anxiety for parties like that but I do have the confidence to say that this is a great, charming record with fantastic production and witty writing. It's not as consistent as their ... read more

Self-titled Review: "... their debut is untouchable in terms of quality for them."

OOOOHHH HOW I WAS WRONG!!!

So, I'm seeing a trend where a lot of Strokes-era indie rock bands release an second album that's either really close to their predecessors or better, and in such a short release window, too. "You Could Have It So Much Better" is definitely one of them, as it takes everything that made their debut so great and build upon it. Every song on this record could be an ... read more

Roger Waters paints a beautiful modern day canvas with the political views he's applied to his other works on "Is This the Life We Really Want?" It's an exceptionally mature record with some of the best writing on a Pink Floyd-related album in years, which is further accompanied by Nigel Godrich's outstanding production. It's not as memorable as other Pink Floyd records, but goddamn does it have some powerful moments on here!

Fav Tracks: Is This the Life We Really Want?, Picture ... read more

This is Pink Floyd's final album? "The Division Bell" would've been a good sendoff to their career because it reflected upon their past and the heartbreak and controversy it caused. "The Endless River" isn't that. Instead, it's a bloated, pointless record that's filled to the brim with so many half-baked ideas.

Fav Tracks: Louder Than Words, Allons-y (1), Anisina, Surfacing, It's What We Do

Least Fav Tracks: The Lost Art of Conversation, Ebb and Flow, Eyes to ... read more

The lyrics can fall flat at times and there's nothing spectacular here, except for the closer, but I think "The Division Bell" is an underrated record... ish. I mean, at the very least, it's the best record to come out of Pink Floyd's late catalog.

Fav Tracks: High Hopes, What Do You Want from Me, Marooned, Coming Back to Life, Poles Apart, A Great Day for Freedom

Least Fav Track: Wearing the Inside Out

Score:
6.9
Decent

"A Different Kind Of Human (Step II)" is a beautiful record that combines modern pop with Björk-ish production pretty well. There's the odd cliche that pops up but AURORA's dedication to sound and songwriting are undeniable here.

Fav Tracks: A Different Kind Of Human, The River, Daydreamer, Animal, The Seed, Dance On The Moon, In Bottles

Least Fav Track: Soulless Creatures

Score:
8.4
Great

As a posthumous release, it's nothing horrible. There are a few good performances on here like Chris Martin and Imagine Dragons (yes, I actually say that Imagine Dragons is good for once!). Everything is very generic house pop with a lot of undercooked beats and drops.

Fav Tracks: Heart Upon My Sleeve, Heaven, Fades Away

Least Fav Tracks: Freak, Excuse Me Mr. Sir, Peace Of Mind

Score:
5.2
Average