Yeule - softscars

Release Date:  September 22nd, 2023

a lot of genres mixed.

Review:  Their album from 2022 was on my radar, but I never gave it a deep dive, but i remember it being glitchy (pun intended). This album, I'll be honest, during the lead up, I dismissed the singles and hoped it would go away. But here I am, browsing through music sites and decided to gave it a shot. 

I think what stood out to me was how much they sounded like Beabadoobee when they sing like its in their bedroom. And there's glitchy stuff too, some of it reminds me of the sweetness of porter robinson. But there's also hints of 90's alternative which kind of sucks. There's nothing here that is sugary pop, but i can hear the cutey electronic in the songs when it's trying to be shoegaze, so it makes me happy.

Summary:  Takes a bit to accept it for what it is. They could have passed going the bedroom pop route but the mix of genres keeps it interesting.

Favorite Songs:  softscars, fish in the pool, inferno, bloodbunny
Rating: 8/10

NewJeans - Get Up

Release Date:  July 21st, 2023

How was I so wrong on their debut?

Review:  They need more songs. This ep is only 12 minutes. It opens with an ok song. Feels like a elevator type of song in the sense that it's fine if they need BGM for their youtube. It fits their sound. But "Super Shy" and "ETA" are top-tier songs. "Cool with You" is ok. "ASAP" is quirky. I don't have much to say about the 36 second "Get Up" other than what's the point?

Summary:  Eva, look! Isn't that your boyfriend?

Favorite Songs: Super Shy, ETA
Rating: 8/10

Model/Actriz - Dogsbody

Release Date:  February 24th, 2023

Review:  can't say i was a fan of NIN, but i hear their sound on this album, to my surprise, i can let this album play out and don't get bored until maybe 2/3 into it. The back to back of Mosquito and Crossing Guard should win people over. I also really like how bare the closing track is.

Summary:  This is what I think Nine Inch Nails sound like

Favorite Songs:  Mosquito, Crossing Guard, Sun In
Rating: 8/10

Troye Sivan - Something to Give Each Other

Release Date:  October 13th, 2023

I liked Bloom, thought he should have been bigger back then.

Review:  instead of sugary pop, I would say this album is more hot and sweaty pop. Stuff you might hear at a dance club. Vocally, he's very airy and breathy. I was thinking it was ordinary sounding, but the chillness of "Can't Go Back, Baby" and "Honey" made me come back. "Got Me Started" also has a chiptune melody that I feel like I heard before. I'm not sure if I like this as an album album, but in small doses like tiktok or on netflix, i can see it being good.

Summary:  It's Gay

Favorite Songs: Rush, Can't Go Back, Baby, Honey
Rating: 8/10

McKinley Dixon - Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?

Release Date:  June 2nd, 2023

I really liked his 2021 album and outside of RYM, I barely saw much discussion on him.

Review:  Well, the same thing is happening again, except the Needle Drop did give a good score so that should give him some attention.  Anyways, I was expecting this to be overrated simply because this would be their first exposure to him, but I would think its a repeat. The good news is, I like it. I think that wave of being blown away wasn't there, but I enjoyed the jazz instrumentals and his lyrical content.

Summary:  Let's Go!, I don't think it's as good as his 2021 album, but maybe it's because that element of being surprise isn't here. This album is what I expected.

Favorite Songs: Run, Run, Run, Tyler Forever, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?
Rating: 8/10

Ratboys - The Window

Release Date:  August 25th, 2023

I discovered this band in 2018 when their name was grouped with other female fronted indie rock bands, and I really liked their 2020's Printer's Devil.

Review:  This album took me many tries to get into. It's noisy like a rock album should be, but her voice feels more suited for that indie pop or indie twee. Still, I tried. It's not catchy like The Beths, but since i played it so many times, I think the approach that got me to enjoy it is to let go of my expectations, and to not pay attention until it grabs your attention.

I think "Crossed That Line" was the first attention grabber. It's really fast like punk rock. "It's Alive" has a safe sound to it, but i found it pleasing to the ears. The title track, "The Window" probably will make people stop and listen. It's about her grandpa not being able to there for his wife in the nursing home due to COVID protocols. so he had to look through the window. "Black Earth, WI" is 8 minutes long and there are parts where its a jam session so that was interesting. I like how bouncy "I want you (fall 2010) is. And the last track, "Bad Reaction" strips it all back. It's simply, but the melody works for me.

Summary:  So I struggled with this album because I expected something more pop, but it's more rock and alt-country, but not fully there. I also don't think it's special or doing anything different from what bands did 5-10 years ago. Still, female vocals are my weakness and I know I'll give this more plays than others.

Favorite Songs: Crossed That Line, The Window, I Want You (Fall 2010)
Rating: 8/10

Jihyo - ZONE

Release Date:  August 18th, 2023

the 2nd member of Twice to solo debut.

Review:  This album is good, but it didn't click with me because I know Jihyo is a hard worker and talented singer, but her English pronunciations can be off-putting. So I didn't like the title track at first, the "you're making me feel something new" sounds weird, but the song is a banger if you don't focus on the words. "Talkin' About It" is fire and it's all in English. and she sounds great here. the rap feature from 24kGoldn is good too.

I slept on "Closer" and "Wishing on You" at first, but it's grown on me when I accept that it's meant to be a treading on water song. "Don't Wanna Go Back" is cool. its more melodic than the previous two. My favorite b-side goes to "Room." I'm not sure how to describe it other than it's gorgeous. Finally, "Nightmare" closes the album in epic fashion. It's interesting because she performed this as her solo stage on tour and I wasn't too keen on it, but the studio version is really good.

and if it matters, Jihyo was very hands on with the ep, where she has writing credits and production credits except for the title track.

Summary:  But is this good? I mean, she's the leader and main vocalist of Twice.

Favorite Songs:  Talkin' About It, Room, Nightmare
Rating: 8/10

Asake - Work of Art

Release Date:  June 16th, 2023

Review:  I don't have a frame of reference for this type of music, for all I know, this could be some basic afrobeats stuff, but I really enjoyed it on first listen. Granted, I didn't look up the lyrics, but it feels spiritual and supportive. like let the heavens rain on me, that's how it feels. He does mumble a lot, don't know if that's intentional or that's just how he sings. but the music is just great.

Summary:  all the songs hover between 2:30-3:00 so it goes by quick. The quality is consistent, but when he goes sentimental, it's hard to not feel something in return. it's only 36 minutes so unlike a lot of american rap albums, it doesn't wear you down.

Favorite Songs: Sunshine, Mogbe, Remember, Lonely at the Top
Rating: 8/10

feeble little horse - Girl with Fish

Release Date:  June 9th, 2023

I would see this album cover in passing on twitter, but I thought I listen to them already.

Review:  anyways, midway through this album, i was thinking how if i sent these songs to a friend, it would only validate to them that I have shit taste in music. It's noisy, it's lofi. it's fuzzy. I'm not musical, but it feels like the notes don't end satisfactory. I'm sure it's intentional, but it just made me go, "oh, it's one of those bands." but hearing the playfulness of "paces" and the nice acoustic sounds of "slide" with some digital notes, and then hearing "pocket" as it tries to be a melodic tune. I guess you could say, it won me over.

Summary:  Still, it's only 26 minutes. I can understand if people think it's lofi garbage, the singing isn't special, and I doubt any of these songs are clamoring to be song of the year, but sometimes bands are a coin flip, and this one won me over.

Favorite Songs: paces, slide, pocket
Rating: 8/10

Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS

Release Date:  September 8th, 2023

I still haven't seen hsmtmts

Review:  I wanted to avoid listening to the singles until the album came out, but it's hard to avoid her on the radio. I didn't think "Vampire" was a special song, but "Bad Idea Right?" sounded like what I image Hole would sound like if all their songs were like pop. I saw her VMA performance where she sang parts of "get him back" and i thought the lyrics were a bit dumb. but hearing it on the album, it sounds good. just a bit teenage angst.

As for the rest of the album, there's a lot more ballads than I was expecting. My favorite track from "Sour" was "enough for you " so I don't mind the slower pace. "the grudge" is great. "making the bed" is reflective. the "two plus two equals five" line from "logical" is stuck with me because at first, i thought it was stupid, but that's the point. people can't see the toxicity of the relationship until they are out of it. I like the flowing nature of "love is embarrassing." 

I think "pretty isn't pretty" would resonate more with girls, because i think it's a bit routine. same with the ending song, "teenage dream." like i get it, will people still care when she's in her mid twenties singing about teenage heartache? It's not her fault, but since i'm a swiftie, i feel like taylor covered this topic on "nothing new."

Summary:  When she goes for that poppunk avril vibe, i get it, but the lyrics are a bit childish, but when she slows it down and writes these beautiful dairy self reflective songs, i pay attention.

Favorite Songs: bad idea right?, logical, the grudge
Rating: 8/10

Carly Rae Jepsen - The Loveliest Time

Release Date:  July 28, 2023

I wish her music was more radio ready because on first listen, it felt very okay. 

Review:  Even after pitchfork gave "Psychedelic Switch" best new track, I was kinda confused because it sounded like a recycled Daft Punk song. But its grown on me. I still think the opening track has a bad chorus. The next trio of songs were okay. I think Shy Boy has something working, but not quite a banger. "Shadow" felt like nothing, but over time, the chorus felt like tiptoeing my brain and i found it to be so soothing. I also really like "So Right." It's not in your face, but the melody for the pre-chrous "but you know the deal..." sounds so good. I think once those songs won me over, the rest feel into place. The album ends with "Stadium Love" and it gives me "when i needed you" vibes in how she sorta chants or yells.

Summary:  Its not fair to want her to make Emotion side C, but for what it is, this album has some of her best song.

Favorite Songs: Shadow, So Right, Stadium Love
Rating: 8/10

boygenius - the record

Release Date: March 31, 2023

Review:  I love Julien's solo work, but part of me wanted to validate myself by disliking this album because it feels like Phoebe Bridgers can do no wrong recently in the eyes of the critics. I thought Punisher had good verses, but boring chrouses, but it got good reviews as an apology for sleeping on Strangers in the Alps. Anyways, that's not important. This album didn't blow me away like i wanted. "Not Strong Enough" is my favorite song and all three of them have equal shine in them. But for the most parts, the album divides the songs so it's basically taking turns on who's solo song it is. Yes, you can hear the others in them, but their sound didn't really mix, it's more of a compilation of their individual work. I did like how the last song had melodies of their song "Me & My Dog."

Summary:  Overrated, but if you're a fan of them, it's good.

Favorite Songs: True Blue, Not Strong Enough, We're In Love
Rating: 8/10

The National - Laugh Track

Release Date:  September 18, 2023

The National are my favorite band. Yes, I will be bias.

Review:  It's interesting, leading up to Homecoming, I would see threads pop up on reddit that a new album was coming, but I didn't believe it. When they release Alphabet City and Space Invader, I thought it was a reminder to the fans of who they are because of the poor critical reception. It helps that I didn't overplayed these songs for when the album eventually released

"Alphabet City" is the opener and I can understand why it was chosen. It has this spacey SWB sound. Then "Deep End" has that familiar-ness sound. I always liked "Weird Goodbye" so I'm glad it has a home now. "Turn off the House" is one of those deep cuts that if it hits you, it hits you. I like that towards the end of the song, the music just grows bigger.

"Dreaming" is kind of boring. It sounds like they had an idea and they stretched it out to 4 minutes. "Laugh Track" is amazing. "Space Invader" sounded like "Eucalyptus" at times. People seem to love the outro to this song, but the novelty wore itself for me. "Hornets" is really pretty. I like how the song feels empty, but the melody creeps in on you.

"Coat on a Hook" is ok. "Tour Manager" is that lullaby song to tuck you in bed. "Crumble" is that alt-country vibe they had on SSFDL. and finally "Smoke Detector" is an interesting one, reminds me a lot of Joy Division.

Summary:  This is their 10th album and I imagine some people are wondering if they should have combined this with the last album and trim the fat. From Alligator to Sleep Well Beast, it always felt like the band was always going uphill. I can hear elements of their past work on this album, but I didn't feel like there were any All-Timers here. Still, I like it.

Favorite Songs: Laugh Track, Tour Manager, Crumble
Rating: 8/10

Michael Jackson - Bad

Release Date: August 31st, 1987

alright, i believe this is the last album of Michael's golden era.

Review: I was gonna start by talking about the singles, but apparently 8 of the 11 songs were singles, 9 if we included UK only singles. anyways, starting with the songs I recall, I don't "Bad" is that good, "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror" are top tier. I feel like I heard the name "Dirty Diana" but it sounds entirely new to me and it's really different from a MJ song. And "Smooth Criminal" is the most played track on this album, but I honestly never heard of this song until Alien Ant Farm did it. it's crazy how it was a stable of 00's pop punk, and it doesn't differ too far from MJ's version.

for the songs i don't know, "Speed Demon" sucks. and i was expecting to dismiss "Liberian Girl" and "Just Good Friends," but I really don't mind. i hate to compare MJ to lesser 80s music, but I can hear the Paula Abdul industrial sounds. I originally disliked "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," but if i don't compare it to MJ's biggest hits, it's a fine track if sung by another artist today.

Summary: This one feels more like a relic of the 80's than a timeless classic.

Favorite Songs: The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana
Rating: 8/10

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

Release Date: June 28th, 1988

If you google "best album of the 80's," you'll find this one.

Review: I know I heard "Bring The Noise" and "Don't Believe The Hype" somewhere, and both are still great. But to my surprise, I wasn't bored for the rest of it. Yeah, hearing Flavor Flav be the hype man is a nice contrast to Chuck D's baritone voice. I only knew him because he was on some VH1 show. anyways, I actually like him when he was lead on "Cold Lampin' With Flavor." and hearing him say "yeahhhh" throughout the album. I'm not sure what to say about Chuck D, his voice is awesome, and a lot of rappers these days also sing, so its interesting that he doesn't have to do that here. of course, i gotta mention that its good to hear rappers talk about real issues and not just brag about money or sex or drugs. "She Watch Channel Zero?!" is interesting because its from 1988, but its still an issue today where people can be braindead watching TV.  I know it's a product of its time, but hearing that DJ scratch noise is interesting and it's something i'm gonna look out for in other rap albums to see when it stopped.

Summary: I respect this album.

Favorite Songs: Bring the Noise, Don't Believe the Type, Caught, Can We Get a Witness?
Rating: 8/10

Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

Release Date: March 10th, 2023

I always liked the song, "Silent shout" but never felt The Knife were accessible, so I ignored their future releases, including those of Fever Ray's.

Review: And before I knew that the first 4 tracks here also had Olof, which could essentially make these The Knife songs, I thought it was near perfect. The opening song felt like a rallying cry. The 2nd song has this interesting rubber band effect. And the 4rd track sounded really sexy. I like it when they use their deep voice rather than the high pitch ones. "Even it out" is weird to get behind. I like "Looking for a Ghost" and "Carbon Dioxide" sounded good at first, but i felt like its a waterdown version of a good song. Unfortunately the album gets less exciting from here. "North" is fine, but not something you get excited for. It's the closest thing to a ballad on this album. I feel indifferent with "Tapping Fingers." and then the album ends on a 7 minute, I'm not sure what to call it. it's called "bottom of the ocean" so maybe its a  song for whales. anyways, because its at the end of the album, it doesn't hurt it. but wow, terrible song, skip skip skip.

Summary: Really strong album until the last 15 minutes where it gets less exciting.

Favorite Songs: What They Call Us, Shiver, Kandy
Rating: 8/10

Danny Brown - Old

Release Date: October 8th, 2013

his 3rd album. Not gonna lie, I didn't get much from XXX, but he said in a interview that if XXX was his OK Computer, Old would be his Kid A, and that got me intrigued

Review: and it started off normal, then "25 bucks" was really cool, but "wonderbread" was silly. Thankfully the 3-song run of "Torture," "Lonely" and "Clean Up" were good. I would say all of Side A was a enjoyable listen. Side B started with Dope Song and it put me off, and Dubstep didn't help. I thought i would like "Dip" since I was a fan of that kanye/jayz song, but i thought it sounded bad. the album won me back with "Smokin & Drinkin" and "handstand." I love Charli XCX, but the last song didn't do much for me, granted, this was 2013 so she wasn't the pop megastar she is now.

Summary: When he says that this is his Kid A, i can understand it. I thought XXX was just another rap album that had its moments. Some songs here, danny uses his annoying voice, but the production just sounds different here. It doesn't sound like Kid A, but i understand the leap he made, and i really liked this.

Favorite Songs: 25 Bucks, Lonely, Clean Up, Smokin & Drinkin
Rating: 8/10

Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Release Date:  June 15th, 1979

My new year's resolution was to listen to more "classic" albums, whether it's for the first time, or an album I'm revisiting. Of course, I've heard of Joy Division, they get mention whenever anyone talks about post-punk. The album cover for this album is pretty iconic.

Review:  Anyways, is this album good? Talking about old albums is tricky because I know I can be swayed by the things being written about said album. I've seen the perfect scores. I've seen the top 10 placements. Because my favorite band is The National, I can sorta hear why The National gets compared to them, but very faintly.

The opening track is really good. but I kept wondering if they were really bad at their instruments or not. It sounded like they could only play two notes. But it really grew on me. vocally, dude sounds so robotic. The next few tracks felt slow and sluggish. a slow slow burn. and again, some of the instrumentals just sounds like they only know a few notes.

the whole album is like this, very cold feeling, with a few out burst to make it interesting. because I tried listening to this about 10 times, the melodies became clearer to me, but i don't know if its because i like it or because i come to understand it.

Summary:  so this is post-punk.

Favorite Songs: Disorder, Insight, New Dawn Fades
Rating: 8/10

Grace Ives - Janky Star

Release Date:  June 10th, 2022

This album cover is something

Review: This is a pop album, but it doesn't sound popular. It's glittery and fun and mostly digital. tbh, i felt my mind going "anybody could make this" until "Burn Bridges." I like the beat where there's a pause in the rhythm, so that won me over. Then with "Shelly" i like how robotic it sounds during the verses. "On The Ground" is good. she sounds kind of evil in it. And on the last track, "Lullaby" she sounds the most accessible. I'm not sure what the song reminds me of it, but its so sweet sounding.

Summary:  shes not a mainstream popgirl, but it is a pop album.

Favorite Songs: Burn Bridges, Shelly, Lullaby
Rating: 8/10

Florist - Florist

Release Date:  July 29, 2022

Review:  It's a very spring sounding album. The first track was ambient, but once i heard her sing on the 2nd track, I knew I would love this album. it is nearly an hour long so I did have to take breaks. The album was fairly consistent. The songs that were near the 5 minute mark are all welcomed. it's hard to go wrong with acoustic guitar strumming plus her voice is lovely.

Summary:  good stuff.

Favorite Songs: Red Birds Pt. 2, Rivers Bed, Dandelion, Feathers
Rating: 8/10