considering that it's bright eyes, i was very disappointed to find out that they didn't really expand upon these christmas classics—instead of making them new and unique, the band just does nothing.

at first, i thought that jesus is king was just thrown together out of laziness and stuff, but after relistening to it i've come to enjoy it a lot more than i used to.

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original score: 57
no original review

to justify its comedically short length, i'd have imagined that kanye would do something new and exciting with ye to make it worthwhile to listen to. he didn't. it's 23 minutes of blandness that doesn't really have any high points.

i don't like the life of pablo as much as i used to. i think it's more obnoxious than anything and loses the elements that made his previous albums work: consistency, quality, and interesting-ness.

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original score: 83
no original review

yeezus is my favorite kanye album, filled with mechanical noises and cold, synthetic sounds that i absolutely love.

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original score: 84
no original review

bittersweetheartbreaker is one of this year's saddest albums, and i don't know whether that's because of its quiet mixing, minimalistic style, or melancholy melodies. its ambience is also unrivaled, being some of the most immersive that this year has offered.

now that i own this on vinyl after barnes & noble fucked up my order, i think it's pretty reasonable to review it.

and yeah, it's candy claws; it's going to be dense with sound and full of great ideas. what i wasn't expecting from two airships / exploder falls was the sheer excitement that i would feel while listening to it. it's super solid noise pop, but it's a lot more than that, mixing in elements of neo-psychedelia and even idm at some points. as a whole, i really would have ... read more

although some aspects of this album evolve 808s's style, a majority of it awkwardly meshes it with those of his previous albums, resulting in a good album, but not a substantial one.

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original score: 80
no original review

with subsequent listens of 808s & heartbreak, it only gets better. its electronic production really stands out from anything else of its kind, creating a cold and distant feeling that contrasts kanye's emotional lyrics.

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original score: 90
no original review

consistently enjoyable, graduation explores so many different styles while staying relatively focused, especially helped by its much shorter runtime. it's a huge change in kanye's sound, and it's for the better.

late registration really matures kanye's sound as he opts for good production and lyrics that have the ability to persist through an album of its length.

there's too much on the college dropout for it to really be enjoyable, and with over 70 minutes of material its sound gets stale and burns out.

the cardigans' debut album is nothing to gloss over. much of emmerdale's deceivingly blissful sound is contrasted by its lyrics; for example, "sick & tired" is about a summer love affair, and "sabbath bloody sabbath" is a black sabbath cover. this album draws inspiration from many places, such as the obviously trip hop-inspired sound on "our space." as a whole, though, nothing seems to be out of place.

melody of certain damaged lemons is certainly an emotional album, filled with melodies and instrumentation that fill me with melancholia, and for the most part, it's a great listen ("hated because of great qualities," "a cure," "for the damaged coda"). however, even for an eleven-track album, some songs feel unnecessary and don't add as much weight as they should.

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original score: 100
no original review

sia's 2008 album is a beautiful experience that is both consistently good and consistently themed. tinged with influences of soul, some people have real problems turns the regularly underwhelming world of acoustic pop on its head by introducing the great melodies and songwriting that sia is known for. "little black sandals," "i go to sleep," "soon we'll be found," and "electric bird" are especially grand and interesting tracks that showcase these ... read more

janelle monáe's fusion of so many different genres—funk, soul, pop, even some rock and stuff—is so stunningly gorgeous, as well as effective at telling the story of cindi mayweather. there's no point in the album that sounds out of place, since it progresses naturally and flows unbelievably well.

an absolutely beautiful album, ceres & calypso perfectly pairs unique, adventurous melodies with all sorts of shoegazing shenanigans, ultimately creating an experience that's suspenseful, mystical, and entertaining. "illusion (fern lake)," for example, is a stunning song that i think exemplifies this very well, being dreamy and interesting.

sonic citadel begins with insanity, but by the end of it i was left wanting more.

wonderful rainbow is an insanely wild release that pushes noise rock to its limits—filled with both chaos and vibrancy, lightning bolt's harsh sound is extremely solid and memorable.

finally! i've arrived at where it all started, and it's kind of underwhelming, but not necessarily bad. other than "everlasting flames," which is pretty great, nothing on gluee is really that interesting, just bland and whatever. as a beginning for bladee, it's exactly what i would have expected, if i'm being honest.