Honestly, my memory of this album was much better than this listen -- felt like a lot of missed opportunities but, DANG, what an insanely culture-defining album for disco & electronic music! Electric guitar has never sounded this crisp 🎸.

'Give Life Back to Music' is probably the hardest opener of all time and it's followed by a perfect 3-song run in the middle. The rest of the album isn't even mediocre, it's just that the highs are so freakin' awesome that ... read more

MJ really was the best to ever do it. Nuff said.

Feeling a decent strong 9 -- I was pretty thrilled

Best song(s): Thriller, Beat, Billie Jean

Dang, this is a fantastic debut album! Hozier has a really unique voice and makes this project feel down to earth, taking an otherwise conventional sound and making it incredibly fun and heartfelt.

He seems to have figured out a decent blueprint here: punchy bass drums + crunchy electric guitar + humming background choir + a catchy hook = great blues rock/folk.

Feeling a light 8 -- proud to be Irish with this one! 🇮🇪

Best Song(s): Take Me to Church, Jackie and Wilson, Someone New, ... read more

Only rapper to ever in a pulitzer prize and it's deserved -- this album is so layered and explore a lot of really interesting themes of faith and personal salvation. However, the whole conceptual gimmick that it can be played "back-to-front" to tell a different story never clicked for me because 'BLOOD.' is a terrible finale in comparison to 'DUCKWORTH.'

Feeling a solid 8 -- really cool but sometimes kinda hollow

Best Song(s): PRIDE., LOVE., ... read more

Chromakopia is so frustrating for me because while it's some of Tyler's best work to date it also contains some of his least interesting and most self-indulgent, including tracks that I'd hesitate to call "filler" but still don't feel very necessary.

Praise-wise, the sound of this album is incredibly inventive -- the sampling on here is amazing and Tyler even has these recurring sound effects that tie the whole project together. It sounds so fresh and fun, you ... read more

To be honest, I've never really been a huge fan of Gorillaz' prior work; I've liked a select few songs here and there but even Plastic Beach -- their most acclaimed album -- didn't do much for me. That being said, I do like The Mountain.

This album is a lot of fun, with the sonic direction tapping into Hindustani sounds, while exploring death through the lens of traditional Hindu culture and finding joy in loss. There's a feature on every track which can be a little ... read more

Para contexto, no hablo español con fluidez pero yo sé un poco así decidía escribir mi revisar en español para práctica.

Esto proyecto es sobre la cultura y medio ambiente de Puerto Rico y es critico de los efectos de colonización y gentrificación en el país. La mascota del álbum es una coqui rana llama Concho cuyo especies es en peligro en Puerto Rico. Así, además ser buen musica, esto proyecto también ... read more

Put your bets on Mon Rovîa now, he's got a lot of potential!

This album has a very unique indie-folk sound; very soft and comforting in a similar sense to Lofi -- feels like a hug from someone that I've been missing for a while. Perfect to listen to while watching the sun disappear beyond the horizon during golden hour. And Mon delivers these vibes wrapped in a message of love and unity, something the world really needs today.

This project explores a lot of ideas about ... read more

Damn, JT really was THAT GUY for a minute in the 2000s. Like name another white guy with this much swag besides Timothée Chalamet rn.

The project can feel too 2000s sometimes, for instance the transition on 'I Think She Knows' definitely dates the song with it's electric guitar moment, but on the whole it's aged pretty well. This version of the album has that unnecessary 'Let Me Talk to You' intro on the front of 'My Love' but the latter on ... read more

This album feels like being bathed in a ray of sunlight -- a really wonderful example of silky smooth neo-soul pop.

Olivia comes bearing a comforting and refreshing message of kindness that you ironically enough don't see often on albums about relationships. While most of those are about breakups and the sadness that accompanies love, this album is more focussed on the beauty found in small, everyday moments.

Feeling a light to decent 8 -- Olivia's a very promising artist and ... read more

I'm not into that kinda stuff but I honestly really mess with the Ren-Faire vibes -- feels very lively and fun. Also, I got to read C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters in my philosophy class and immediately recognized the title "Dear Wormwood" from there. Pretty cool reference :)

This album isn't super innovative but it's not trying to be; it's familiar and kinda comfortable. Feeling a strong 7 to light 8.

Best Song(s): Soldier, Poet, King; Thus Always to Tyrants ... read more

Overall, really good moments but bloated and bogged down by some filler. Danny creates a cool sound aesthetic that ties the whole project together but apart from that this honestly works better if you treat it as a compilation album cause it's quality is pretty inconsistent.

Feeling a strong 7 to a light 8 -- although Danny's been unable to meet the standard he set with Freudian, this record is pretty good and has more to offer than CASE STUDY 01.

Best Song(s): Toronto 2014, Let ... read more

Laufey has such a lovely voice and the slow guitar / smooth jazz / bossa nova ‘cafe’ vibe that this album has to offer are just bliss.

Plus there’s no shortage of music; I actually really like that this is a little longer.

Feeling a decent to strong 8 — my favorite Laufey project.

Best Song(s): Beautiful Stranger, Falling Behind
Worst Song(s):

Mac's best* album -- thematically enticing, completely sonically cohesive, and excellent vibes. Listening to this genuinely feels like floating.

Honestly, the weakest parts of this record are when Mac strays from his newfound style and goes back into his more generic older ways like on "Conversation Pt. 1".

Feeling a strong 8 to a light 9 -- Mac 100% proved himself as one of the best out there.

Best Song(s): Come Back to Earth, Hurt Feelings, Ladders, Dunno
Worst Song(s): ... read more

It's a shame, Mac was really starting to come into his own and find his style on Swimming and this album further shows that he would've been one of the greats -- I've never felt worse about lost potential.

Posthumous albums are almost never handled well but, thankfully, Mac's estate and producer Jon Brion knocked it out of the park: it's the best musical send-off fans could've asked for. This is actually one of the few albums I'd genuinely say has no skips, ... read more

Putting my money on Mustafa now -- he's going places.

This album has a really unique Arabic-inspired folk sound that fuses really nicely with R&B, and Mustafa himself has a very distinct voice so for me this project was a very enjoyable breath of fresh air. This project starts at it's weakest with "Name of God", which is the most generic, but kicks into gear pretty quick with "What good is a heart?".

Feeling a light to decent 8 -- Gaza is calling, from the ... read more

Easily Billie's strongest work -- it's crazy that she's only 22 making this. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT feels very cinematic and weightless thanks to the soaring strings scattered throughout the project.

Absolutely flawless first half with two of her best songs ever; kinda stumbles in the second half, with the autotune hyper-pop back-end of "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE" and "THE DINER" which is a little too reminiscent of her older stuff, but finishes strong with ... read more

Wasn't really a fan of Bewitched but A Matter of Time is definitely a return to form. Although I do miss when her style was more Bossa nova, Laufey does make for a good Pop singer.

Pretty flawless first half; loses a little energy in the second and kinda wobbles the landing with "Clean Air" but overall a very fun ride.

Feeling a light to decent 8 -- could very well be Laufey's best album yet, but I'm still pretty fond of Everything I Know...

Best Song(s): Lover ... read more

Cool little project that's more of an exercise than an actual album. Rudy's a naturally talented musician so I wouldn't be surprised if these were just some songs he made off of vibes and decided to put together.

Love the way each song progressively builds on itself, creating a very absorbing soundscape.

Feeling a strong 7 to a light 8 -- an interesting idea.

A fairly solid sophomore album that's pretty daring at times but padded by generic filler.

"COMPLEXITIES" kinda kills the vibe of the last act but "ARE YOU OKAY?"'s beat switch is beautiful and a really cool finale.

Feeling a strong 7 to a light 8 -- *stock 'children cheering' sound effect*

Best Song(s): CYANIDE, TOO DEEP TO TURN BACK, ARE YOU OK?
Worst Song(s): RESTORE THE FEELING, COMPLEXITIES