the bitcrushing makes this thing sound insane, a really nice aesthetic. "breathe2 (in/out)" and "centrifuge" are standouts.

love is an art is a fairly strong art pop album, and that's kind of all it needs to be. most of its songs are super well-written, and the overall aesthetic is vibey and fitting. "back to life" and "the only way to love" are highlights

thunder, lightning, strike is probably one of the most uplifting albums i've heard in a long time, and it's super refreshing to listen to, even through its dense noise and daring callbacks to its influences. although i'd call most songs on here highlights, perhaps the best is "huddle formation."

rooty is an energetic and innovative house album that's unfortunately pretty inconsistent, but its highs are a whole lot higher than its lows are low. "romeo," "jus 1 kiss," and "where's your head at" are standouts.

now THIS is how you make a video game soundtrack. recurring motifs, strong melodies, and gorgeous soundscapes, undertale's soundtrack is still one of the strongest there is, even after a few years of age. its mostly-chiptune style is both nostalgic and simple, giving any embellishments and further instrumentation more meaning and highlighting the great melodies at each song's core.

highlights:
"fallen down," "ruins," "heartache," "spear of justice," ... read more

free ice cream is a really short, really sweet indie rock album, and for its short length it has a hell of a lot of development. for songs that are like, one to two minutes long, i wouldn't have expected the band to be able to develop them, but they feel oddly complete and actually work very well. however, the last two tracks are both in the four minute range, and they break the fast-paced flow of the album, which is kind of disorienting. "it bears" and "shortbread" are ... read more

the mosaic of transformation is a truly immersive piece of work that doesn't fail anywhere at creating atmosphere, and it almost sounds like the score to a movie from somewhere in space, similar to spellling's mazy fly, albeit in a much more futuristic way. "the steady heart," "the spine is quiet in the center," and "expanding electricity" are all standouts.

why are "my agenda," "acid at 7/11," "dogboy," and "iceheart" the only songs worth returning to

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original score: 87
original review:
for much of his career, i've felt that yung lean has taken a backseat to other artists on the year001 label, but with starz, he proves that he's just as capable as anyone else. a lot of the cloud rap production on this is really different to what i'm used to hearing, and it's a lot darker while still staying super ... read more

although græ is filled with great concepts and incredibly lush instrumentation, and it's legitimately one of the most beautiful pieces of work that's been released this year, it doesn't feel that way. it's a chore to listen to, with twenty tracks that don't really differ enough to be recognizable, and even by the end of græ's first part they all seem to blend together. it's a shame, too, since some really great tracks are lost in the mix. "gagarin" and "me in 20 ... read more

how i'm feeling now is the perfect culmination of 2020's chaos, and it also happens to be charli xcx's best project since pop 2. normally, i'm not that big a fan of her more vulnerable songs, since on last year's charli they weren't as inventive as the pop bangers, but on how i'm feeling now they fit really well and manage to maintain charli xcx's knack for great pop hooks. the production on this album is breathtaking, with heavily distorted sounds and manipulated vocals that sound like they're ... read more

heidi montag's album is definitely a product of its time, and half of it isn't even that bad. after her rise to fame on some mtv show and numerous setbacks, superficial was finally released in 2010 and i chose to listen to it ten years later for some reason. i was surprised at the quality of the first half of the album, since the first six songs are actually pretty solid dance pop tunes (for its time), especially "more is more" and "one more dance." everything after that, ... read more

lou rebecca's debut album is a lot more smooth and put-together than her 2018 ep, and as a result it was one of the most interesting releases of 2019. restless's sound is so cohesive, yet she's able to do wonders with it, whether it's the fast paced, chase-scene-like rush on "break it apart" or the magic and glamour of "more." there's not a bad song on here.

it was actually pretty inconsistent. "water," "serial lover," and "open (passionate)" are standouts.

man alive is an album that i had been meaning to listen to for a while now, and i finally did! it's great. everything everything are so creative, and it shows. the album is really punchy and has such weird lyrics and melodies, but it's all amazingly catchy and one of the more unique things to come from the early 2010s.

vallow was behind my favorite album last year—pluto and the outer darkness—and i realizes that i hadn't really given a listen to his earlier work. sunroom has that narrative structure that i loved on patod, but some of that magic is lost because song structures and stuff are a lot more conventional on this album, and i didn't care for a lot of the tracks as a result. what's good is still very good, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't feel special.

made in heaven is a short but sweet pop album that takes inspiration from everything from drum & bass to dream pop and works well. the whole thing is really lush and ethereal, and i wish it was longer. "living my life over," "7pm," and "pick up the phone" are standouts.

although the fusion of vaporwave and metal is certainly something, i don't quite think it works well on rainbow bridge, and it takes away from the stellar vaporwave production that the album has at times. "it's now safe to turn off your computer" is the only track that really stood out to me.

warnings is one of the most atmospheric and spacious albums of this year, but it's a shame that most of them are just boring. apart from the gorgeous "the prophet" and the two 80s-ish songs on here, "neon lights," and "death engine," nothing seems to stand out from the rest and the album kind of mushes together.

wow, this grew off of me. although the best tracks got better, everything else on this album kind of just came and went upon relisten. "leave it alone," "sudden desire," "dead horse," "roses/lotus/violet/iris," and "crystal clear" are the songs that i regularly return to and probably will continue to.

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original score: 100
original review:
paramore's after laughter was a great alternative dance album, but at times it definitely felt a ... read more

although choir boy's second album isn't as conceptual as their first, the band still manages to maintain their soft yet eerie new romantic aesthetic, and they incorporate a greater synthpop influence than before. some of the updates work really well, but a lot of the time they just add glitz to parts that really don't need it. "it's over," "toxic eye," "complainer," and "shatter" are highlights.