I'm just gonna start this off by saying that I live a few cities away from Joyner Lucas. I'm not proud of that fact.

I know I'm late to the meme (due to an odd Spotify issue that prevented me from listening to the full album for a while), but holy shit. I've never had more of a displeasure listening to a hip hop album more than "ADHD". Hell, this is probably the reason why none of the hip hop albums that came out this year so far aren't appearing on my year-end list. Almost ... read more

Perfume Genius implements a grander, bolder sound on "No Shape". While this gorgeous new direction helps his sound feel more optimistic, the sadness still looms. It tackles upon the subjects cemented in his other projects in a different manner. Mike Hadreas tries shedding hope on others who dare to stand in the face of adversity ("Just Like Love") and also shed light on the subject of religion forbidding two people of the same sex to love each other. These are still very ... read more

"Too Bright" is yet another saddening album from Perfume Genius. Mike doubles down on themes of sexuality and how society views same sex relationships, ranging from gay workers to AIDS to, well, just love in general. Along with the added instrumental palettes and experimentation, courtesy of former Portishead member Adrian Utley, it really pulls me in just like the albums before and I can really feel his pain through his fragile voice and sharp lyricism.

Fav Tracks: Queen, Fool, Too ... read more

Along with better recording equipment, Mike Hadreas ups the ante in terms of both the beautifully sad production and his songwriting capabilities. These are some truly heartbreaking and honest stories and song topics, ranging from mental health and abuse to sexuality. I read that he had a terribly non-accepting environment that was being hostile towards him for being gay during his younger years, so singing, in his beautifully delicate voice, about the pain he felt at that time must've taken A ... read more

If you're looking for some technical-ass death metal, then "Stare into Death and Be Still" is a place to start! I've been wanting to get more into the metal genre for a long time and I was hooked onto this thing! The blasting drums are so fucking ridiculous, the repetition of these sludgy guitars is addicting and the growls are brooding as fuck! It lacks a little in variation, but the content here is so haunting and face-punching that it's easy to forgive it.

Fav Tracks: Dissolved ... read more

I'll just start this off by saying that "Learning" is a very sad album. The rough presentation is a limitation, but I also think it works effectively in making the already sad atmosphere feel fragile. Mike's vocals are even more vulnerable here, with a cracking falsetto being the selling point. But the biggest plus to this short but sweet package is his already great songwriting. He writes with such pinpoint emotional potency and shares some heartbreaking stories about the way society ... read more

Y'all are focused on the two women, I'm focused on SWEET TITTY-DICKING CHRISTMAS THE FERRIS WHEEL'S ON FIRE! STOP DOING CUNNININGUINGUOUS AND CALL 911 OR WHATEVER THE HOTLINE IS WHERE YOU ARE! INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE IN DANGER!

"To Feel Alive" is a fine EP. It's got a couple of highlights, the production's pretty nice and Kali's voice is as great as ever, but it also feels unfinished and it lacks any sort of progression. Still, it's not nearly as enticing as "Isolation" but I ... read more

Since I loved Quelle Chris' "Guns" last year, I thought it would be cool to visit this album first in a rather lacking weekend for new releases. I haven't listened to the first "Innocent Country", but this second installment is pretty enjoyable. Quelle Chris' rapping and lyrics are still great and the production is really pretty. I wish the aesthetics were a bit more diverse, as the sameyness can make the album feel pretty long winded, but I still loved some of the tracks ... read more

I have no clue as to why I skipped on this album when it came out two years ago.

"Isolation" is really cool. No not the shit that's happening now ("Never get it twisted, ain't too bougie for corona"), I mean this lovely album from Colombian singer Kali Uchis. I love the hypnagogic aesthetics here, and the arrangements and production complement them in a really beautiful way. Kali's vocals are great and her pop/R&B songwriting never ceases to impress me. Top it off with ... read more

[Rereview because I wan't happy with my old one]

"After Laughter" is the album in their discography that stuck with me the most and I still love the shit out of it! Focusing heavily on the sounds of new wave and synthpop, this is the most focused the group has been to date! It definitely has a few depressive moments that are also pretty great, but the standouts are most definitely the groovier, catchier tunes. "Hard Times" and "Rose-Colored Boy" stand out as a ... read more

Switching to a new lineup and focusing on a "poppier" direction, Paramore have found a great balance between the old, older and new sounds. The incorporation of synths are pretty cool and gives their pop punk sound a new wave spice. It can be quite lengthy and there are maybe a couple of moments that feel like slight filler (especially with the admittedly cute ukulele interludes), but this is still a wonderfully-produced, solidly-written, infectious and fun album heightened by Hayley ... read more

An even bigger leap for the band, "Brand New Eyes" sees Paramore move past their teenage years. It's a more matured and emotional effort, without letting go of their pop-punk roots. The instrumentation is solid, the riffs are great, Hayley's vocals are as good as ever and the songs are still hooky.

Fav Tracks: All I Wanted, Playing God, Ignorance, The Only Exception, Brick by Boring Brick, Careful, Turn It Off, Where the Lines Overlap

Least Fav Track: Feeling ... read more

"Riot!" shows a pretty big growth since their debut. The teenage angst present on "All We Know" has been handled mostly well on here and... goddammit I have a soft spot for this shit! This was a blast to get through, with some great pop punk riffs and incredible vocals from Hayley that round up to an extremely catchy and fun, if formulaic as hell, album!

Fav Tracks: crushcrushcrush; Misery Business; That's What You Get; For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic; Born for This; ... read more

I dig a lot of Paramore's newer material, so I decided to check out their earlier stuff in preparation for Hayley Williams' new solo album. Their debut is... okay. It definitely showcases Hayley's vocal talents at just 16 years old and some of the guitar hooks are pretty sticky, but "All We Know is Falling" suffers "2000's pop punk syndrome". The lyrics aren't as strong as they are on newer albums, resorting to "body empty, no soul" cliches. It also has those emo ... read more

I don't think this new Enter Shikari album, "Nothing is True & Everything is Possible", is awful. I think I can pick out a few highlights from this, the production is decent and I appreciate the amount of experimentation they take here. Unfortunately, it doesn't really pay off some of the time. "Crossing the Rubicon" is basically a glorified rip-off of "Magic" by The Cars, "Elegy for Extinction" sounds like the theme to a bad Disney movie ... read more

Too sluggish to be fun and too repetitive to keep my interest, "The Don of Diamond Dreams" is a hugely disappointing romp in a discography that I'm actually quite interested to do a deep dive into. There are maybe one or two tracks that are passable and there are a few cool instrumental flourishes, with a guitar or saxophone solo here or there, but the sonic direction they take here is so dull and languid that I question if they even put any forethought into this sound.

Fav Tracks: ... read more

EEEEED O'Brien, one of the biggest musicians out there (and by big I mean he's literally 6'5), finally releases his own solo record. Now, I've pretty much enjoyed a lot of Radiohead side projects in the past. Thom Yorke's work is great, Johnny Greenwood's film compositions are superb and Phil Selway... I heard he has songs. Now that the third guitarist in the lineup has released his own set of rock tracks under the very creatively-named EOB, how does it stack up?

Well, the production from ... read more

Holy shit, what a fucking pop album!

I haven't heard "RINA" yet, and I will, but "SAWAYAMA" blew me away right from the first track! "Dynasty" is a roaring, angelic blend of pop and metal that gets me pumped up every single time! That pretty much continued for most of the duration of this record! It’s catchy, the production is fantastic, Rina's vocals are amazing, the flow of each track is seamless and the commentaries on society, culture and ... read more

Fiona Apple has always been that rare artist that gets recognition for slowly and steadily releasing top-quality albums. She and Epic agreed that there will be no deadlines for her work, so she has taken all the time she needed to make her music as good as humanly possible. It's been nearly 8 years since "The Idler Wheel" and she has finally released her latest album, "Fetch the Bolt Cutters". Not only has Fiona surpassed her last album in terms of quality, she has somehow, ... read more

After 7 years, Fiona Apple released *ahem* *inhales* "The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do"! This may be a very stripped-back sound compared to her previous records, but it ends up making her even more intimate than before. On top of the simple but effective production, Fiona has perfected her skills as an artist. Her lyrics are as sharp and human as ever, adding a profound sense of depth to every verse ... read more