Taylor Swift - 1989 (Taylor's Version)

Release Date:  October 27th, 2023

Nice to meet you, where you been? 

Review:  Was this album a 10 back in 2014? Not for me at least. You see, I grew to love Taylor during the Fearless era, and with Speak Now, and Red, there were increasingly more pop moments and less country. And I felt like she was chasing trends rather than being true to herself.  Like on Speak Now, you can hear pop punk elements. And with Red, you heard dubstep. And so back in 2014, I felt betrayed that this girl who would wear diary entries in her songs, was making synth pop.

My original reaction to "Shake it off" was "what the hell is this?" But over time, once that opening beat hits, it does its job. Yeah, the lyrics are elementary and kind of embarrassing if you listed it as your favorite, but it's not suppose to be emotional. it's a "idgaf" type of song.

"Blank Space" "Style" and "Out of the Woods" are top tier. They've always have been. The opening track was never a favorite, but it has this glittery "new" feel to it that I never minded it. "All You Had To Do Was Stay," "I Wish You Would," and "How You Get The Girl" all had this adrenaline rushing quality to them. It's enjoyable, but also felt automatic. Thinking back, this was after Tegan and Sara had released "Hearthrob" and Chvrches released "The Bones of What You Believe." Those records changed my opinion on synth pop so even thought I enjoyed track 5, 7, and 10, I felt anyone could have made those songs, despite how enjoyable it was.

"Bad Blood" is an interesting case because I always though it was catchy and had a good beat. Lyrically, um, "band-aids don't fix bullet holes" always felt cheesy, but at least it made sense. I didn't follow the happenings of who this song is about, but people calling this the worst TS song is baffling to me. I don't sing along to the chorus, but in my head, i love shouting out to "hey!"

Depending on your mood, "Wildest Dreams" can sound really dreamy or really slow. I always liked it, but with so many back to back bangers, it does slow the pace. The last song, "Clean" was one of my earliest stand out when the album was still on my bad side. I just like the way it starts and the instrumental melody felt like a clock. Plus, because of the title, you think about showering or washing right? But her imagery of "downing" in water is the only way for her to be clean. like whoa.

There are two songs that held me back from thinking this was a 10, "This Love" and "I Know Places." Both are fine now, but I never liked the "i-i-i-i" part. For the bonus tracks, "Wonderland" felt too fairytale to me, "You Are In Love" is a slowburner. and "New Romantic" is one of the most overrated songs in the TS community. Yeah, it's fast paced, but I don't think it's deserving to be one of her national anthems.

as for the From the Vault tracks, they are all good. I'm not sure if they sound like 1989. The best one is "Is It Over Now?" which could be a midnight cut. I love that "oh lord" part and the "is it over now" climax reminds me of the climax of out of the woods. So that was cool.

as for the re-recordings, I think she did a masterful job of making it sound identical. I was really worried because for Speak Now, there was something missing. This version is superior.

Summary:  Let's give this album its flowers. I don't think it's a perfect album, but lord knows I still listen to this album.

Favorite Songs: Blank Space, Style, Out of the Woods
Rating: 10/10

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

Taylor Swift - Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

Release Date:  July 7th, 2023

the 3rd re-recording.

Review:  Fearless and Red sounded just as good. But here, something is missing. To start, the original Speak Now was never my favorite. It had good songs with bad songs. Over the years, I would always come back to Sparks Fly, Back to December, Story of Us, and Ours. The new version of Sparks Fly doesn't give me that rush, that excitement, that young person in love feeling. I'm fine with "Back to December," but The Story of Us felt less pop punk to me. Like I get it, she can't go back in time, her voice now is her voice now. The Re-recordings just doesn't sound right.

As for the 6 (From the Vault) tracks. none of them stood out to me.

Summary:  This was never one of my favorite albums and this rerecording didn't change that. For Fearless and Red, the rerecordings became my norm, but for Speak Now, I prefer the originals.

Favorite Songs: Back to December
Rating: 6/10

TisaKorean - Let Me Update My Status

Release Date:  March 24th, 2023

Review:  I thought people hated soulja boy's music so when i read a burp that this guy makes nostalgic music from the late 00s that recalls soulja boy, i had to listen. and it's not that deep. I want to say it's shit, but it's funny how one trick it is. A lot of repeating phases. it's fun.

Summary:  silly

Favorite Songs: SiLlY MoAn.mP3, hOw yOu gOnE Do dAt.mP3
Rating: 7/10

Twice - Ready To Be

Release Date:  March 10th, 2023

12th mini album.

Review: I know, Twice can do anything and it'll be passable to me. By now, I've gotten use to "Moonlight Sunrise" and the title track, "Set Me Free." When they made "Moonlight" and "Icon," i though their english sounded really natural and it'll only get better. But this one didn't do it for me. "Set Me Free" felt like it was standard kpop.

Thankfully "Got The Thrills" is a banger. maybe a bit too busy, but i like it. Then "Wallflower" sounds sophisticated so i like that. "Blame it on me" sounds like a rocker that isn't special, but i can see it being fun live, similar to "shot clock" which i hated at first. "Crazy Stupid Love" reminds me of somi, which isn't bad, but I kind of feel like it's watered down.

Summary: This is rough, i love Twice, but i only see myself going crazy for "Got The Thrills."

Favorite Songs: Got the Thrills, Wallflower
Rating: 6/10

Tegan and Sara - Crybaby

Release Date:  October 21st, 2022

Doesn't it annoy you when you read comments from fans that won't give a band a chance once they changed their sound? "their old stuff was better."

Review:  I guess I'm that guy.  Don't get me wrong, I embraced them when they released "Closer" and Heartthrob was a game changer that made me like synthpop as a genre, but is this album bad or am I moving on? the first few seconds of "I Can't Grow Up" was such a turn off. "F*****g Up What Matters"
 is irritating. My heads actually hurting trying to think of why this album isn't for me. There are parts of "Yellow" that I like, and when the production is less distracting i try to imagine that these songs have depth. But I'm just not feeling it.

Summary:  I feel like I have a high tolerant for music even if i don't like it, but perhaps I outgrew this band because the music isn't working for me, and unfortunately, their voices don't make me want to come back to this. Maybe i need to watch their freevee show.

Favorite Songs: Yellow
Rating: 4/10

Tomberlin - i don't know who needs to hear this...

Release Date:  April 29th, 2022

I wish her name was more interesting so I could have discovered her sooner.

Review:  Yeah, it's a folksy record, but the word that comes to my mind is delicate. It feels very soft and spacious and simply, delicate. Outside noise would ruin the experience. I like that there isn't much distractions so the piano keys or guitar strums really echos. The first two songs, I was like, "okay, she's one of those artist." and "tap" showed that she could have an accessible song. But "memory" was where I went "oh wow." I just love how there's a steady rhythm and her voice won me. 

"unsaid" has finger picking guitars and the piano just knows when to be pressed. I was just mesmerized by how smooth the song goes. "sunstruck" is good too, but it has a music video so maybe the visuals changed the way i approached her. i didn't know she was this young. Anyways, i like the song, but i imagine i would have hated it if that was my first impression.

"collect caller" sounded awkward at first, but it grew on me. "stoned" has her sing like this was her spotify indie playlist single. it stands out because it soars, but maybe a bit too pop. "happy accident" kind of drags, but it also felt like the album's climax. "possessed" is short. and finally "idkwntht" has male backing vocal. if "happy accident" was the climax, then "idkwntht" is the sweet goodbye home.

Summary:  delicate is the word i keep coming back to, to describe this album. it'll take time for the lyrics to really hit me, but just listening to her, it feels cozy and soft and ultimately, delicate. her music has details that make me want to pay attention even thought for others, i would have deemed boring.

Favorite Songs:  memory, unsaid, sunstruck
Rating: 8/10

Taylor Swift - Midnights (3am Edition)

Release Date: October 21st, 2022

Taylor Swift needs no introduction.

Review:  Prior to folklore, I considered Taylor Swift to be a quantity artist, as in, she never had that perfect start to finish album, but she was very prolific. I knew she had the most total songs I liked, only behind my favorite band, The National. As much as I adore folklore/evermore, I was ready to move on from that era. Plus, I wanted Aaron to focus on the next The National album.

Knowing this album was produced by Jack Antonoff, and midnights was the theme, I was expecting it to sound like "False God." You know, a sound that felt like you were in another room trying to sleep, while the rest of the house was still trying to party. The overall sound feels murky, buried, subdued, and minimalist. There are a couple of bright spots such as the expensive "Bejeweled" and the untouchable "Karma," but for the most part, there's not a lot of interesting music. Still, Taylor Swift is a storyteller and I feel like her lyricism carried this project.

I was hoping that she would carry over the folklore aesthetic of writing about characters, but she's back being autobiographical here. I never cared about pinpointing who each song were about, but in the past, those specific details felt relatable, but on here, like in the song "Question.." she goes "Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room, and every single one of your friends was making fun of you, but 15 seconds latеr they were clapping too." What the hell does that mean?

The album opens with"Lavender Haze" which is a nothing track. I guess it's fine if you're in love. "Maroon" follows suits, but I like the way she mumbles that chorus of "the burgundy on my t-shirt..." The 3rd track is "Anti-Hero" and it's such a relatable song about one's insecurities. The chorus of "it's me, hi, i'm the problem, it's me" is really funny. Sonically, I really like "Snow on the Beach" and i think it would have fit on evermore. Lana Del Rey is barely audible, but i still liked the song.

I like the way Taylor sings on "You're On Your Own, Kid" and the way the song progresses towards the end. "Midnight Rain" might be my favorite song simply because the lyrics are easy to understand and I could see myself on either side of the equations. Also, the voice alteration at the beginning, I feel like it's a cheap trick, but I love the usage here.

"Question..." was one of my highlights on first listen. It sounds very pleasing and I still like it, I can relate to the general concept of waiting to ask your past lover questions, but part of me is like, "move on dude."

"Vigilante Shit" is a terrible song, until you stop giving a fuck. When she sings "Don't get sad, get even" is that a callback to Blank Space?  anyways, I hope someone does a remix of this song because the song itself is very barebones. I feel like it can be fun with the right visual or as part of a TV show.

I feel like "Bejeweled" is this album's "ME" except it's not as annoying. I even like the "Nice" part and the chorus is just expensive. For "Labyrinth" i really love that slow descent into some bottomless pit feeling. the line "uh oh, i'm fallin' in love" just melt me. And there's the vocal change similar to on midnight rain that I just feel like it works here.

"Karma" is fun. That's all I should say. I think most of us think of karma as revenge or what comes around goes around, but nope, karma is all the things that make you happy. I feel like this will be a crowd pleaser, even if the lyrics feel a bit middle schoolish.

"Sweet Nothing" is cute. I didn't much of it other than its a bit playful. "Mastermind" is good.

onto the 3am tracks, All of the aaron dessner produced tracks are amazing. "Bigger Than The Whole Sky" is pretty devastating. I just thought it was a song about losing a loved one, but the internet thinks its about a miscarriage and that only made the song more tragic. "Paris" is good, i like the way the song sort of dissipates instead of hearing the word Paris. and of course, I love that she could rhyme Paris with somewhere else. "Glitch" is meh, and "Dear Reader" has some interesting lines. When she says "never take advice from someone who's falling apart," is she talking about herself?

Summary:  So this is album number 10, I'm gonna pick and choose certain songs to listen to over and over while skipping a few. I liked Country Taylor the most and this album felt like a continuation of Reputation and Lover, as if the pandemic never happened. I wish you could hear more instruments instead of just the computerized beat. With that said, Taylor has a way of words that keeps me coming back. I know I'll be coming back, but it's hard to say if it's good or not. It's a interesting choice on how some of these 3am tracks didn't make it on the original 13.

Favorite Songs: Midnight Rain, Labyrinth, Would've Could've, Should've
Rating: 8/10

Twice - Celebrate

Release Date: July 27th, 2022

I really like Twice

Review: It's crazy how much content these girls can churn out. I know the japanese releases can slide underneath some people's radars, but it's still quality stuff once the jarringness of hearing them sing in japanese wears off, it's still Twice. Very cool that when the news broke that all 9 members of renewed their contract, their newest song was about celebrating. "Celebrate" seems to be an all-timer. It sounds good and joyful and i think it'll always put people in a good mood.

Anyways, I had some writer's block when thinking about this album. I guess "Voices of Delight" and "Tick Tock" have an rock edge to them. I love it when Nayeon has to do the high pitch ad-libs. Both are great. "Flow like waves" has a cool hook. "That's all i'm saying" is very pretty, has a tropical sound to it. On "Bitter Sweet," I like when Momo does the chorus because it sounds like an avalanche of words. "Sandcastle" sounds sassy.

"Just be yourself" is amazing. Finally "Doughnut" ends the album. I like doughnut, but feels weird to have it at the end, but there's no other place for it so i sorta think of it as a tacked on bonus.

Summary: I like Twice.

Favorite Songs: Celebrate, Tick Tock, Just be yourself
Rating: 8/10

Tove Styrke - Hard

Release Date:  June 3rd, 2022

Let's Go! I really liked her 3rd album "Sway" and on a recent episode of She-Hulk, they used "Say my name" as an end-credit. That's kind of validating.

Review: Like the last album, this is also very short, clocking in at only 25 minutes. It opens up with a statement song with lots of crunchy sounds. I don't it's ground breaking, but it has a lot of energy. The 2nd song continues with a marching beat. "Free" could be the type of song that could go viral if the right people see it.  maybe the line "i just wanna be free" is commonplace, I think the way the chorus just soars for that part is a stand out moment.

"24H" is fine. iono, it's a low key song so it's a bit sensual. "Hardcore" kind of sucks. I guess it depends on your mood if you like low bpm songs. It's missing something to grab me. Probably the star of this album is "Start Walking." I'll be honest, when I first heard it, I was blown away. it sounds so familiar that i for sure thought it had sampled something, but i can't find any info, so i guess it's just a good disco track. "Millennial Blues" is excellent because the instrumentals are very minimum, but it's so pretty the way she sings it. I feel like it's the most "Sway" era sounding.

"Show Me Love" is nice too, but it drove me a bit crazy because the guitar strums reminds me of "stand by me" but it never goes there, then the chorus sounds like something else, but i can't recall what it does remind me of.  Maybe it's meant to be generic to appeal to the masses. It's a pretty ballad. Finally "Bruises" is the album closer, which i liked, but also felt like it was on cruise control towards the finish line.

Summary: "Sway" was so good, and maybe it was because it was 2018 and I wasn't familiar to how pop music sounded in other countries, "Hard" felt like a let down. I still found enjoyment out of it, but it's kind of a mixbag of great songs to standard pop songs.

Favorite Songs: Free, Start Walking, Millennial Blues
Rating: 7/10

Twice - between 1&2

Release Date: August 26th, 2022

Twice!

Review: It's only 7 songs, which is a lot more than most other group's ep, but considering how much music these girls put out, one song can really pull the whole project back. If the story is important, than I should talk about how this is their first Korean comeback since announcing they have all have resign with the company, and this is like the start of a new chapter. Does it feel like it?  They all have their own individual Instagrams and all have solo activities. in a sense, it does feel different, but title track is on par. It's enjoyable, but not close to being S-tier Twice.

I really like "Queen of Hearts" for sounding very pop punk of the early 00s. And for "Basics," the verses remind me a bit of the mumbles of Yaeji. So i thought that was new and exciting. I think "Brave" is a very strong song, and the album closer, "When We Were Kids" is an excellent ending song if they ever do a concert anytime soon.

The two songs i'm unsure on are "Trouble" and "Gone."  I would say "Gone" is the better of the two because i can feel the attitude in it. For some reason, "Trouble" wants to have that attitude, but depending on the day, it can sour on me and be annoying.

Summary: If Nayeon hadn't released a solo ep this year, I would have felt very underwhelmed by this ep. But 5 out of 7 is good.

Favorite Songs: Queen of Hearts, Basic, When We Were Kids
Rating: 8/10

Twice - Perfect World

Release Date: July 28th, 2021
Genre: kpop but in Japanese

Review: n/a

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Perfect World 10/10
2. Better 10/10
3. Good at Love 7/10
4. Fanfare 9/10
5. Kura Kura 8/10
6. Four-leaf Clover 9/10
7. In The Summer 8/10
8. Pieces of Love 9/10
9. Thank You, Family 7/10
10. Promise 7/10

Summary: Their Japanese stuff really goes under the radar, but if you watch any of their Japanese concerts, they have so many good songs back to back. This is their 3rd Japanese album and it's once again full of awesome tracks.

Key Tracks: Perfect World, Better, Pieces of Love
Rating: 8/10

Tri.be - Veni Vidi Vici

Release Date: October 12, 2021
Genre: kpop

I discovered their song "Rub-a-dum" on one of those Spotify kpop playlist and I thought it was a bold statement. Their debut followed the same tune.

Review: And on their first ep, the title track "Would You Run" has the same flavor as the previous two. It reminds me of Blackpink because of the Bollywood flutes, as well as a bit of Itzy during the chorus because it's like an empowerment song. "Lobo" sounds fine. I like the rumbling the music has, and it's kind of chill. "-18" sounds different, like a edgy song. I probably would like it more if Tri.be was my bias group, but it's just a edgy song to me. I like the softer "Got Your Back" and "True." The ep includes the previous two singles. I give "Rub-A-Dum an 9 because it still holds up as a catchy track.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Would You Run 7/10
2. Lobo 7/10
3. -18 5/10
4. Got Your Back 8/10
5. True 7/10
6. Doom Doom Ta 7/10
7. Rub-A-Dum 9/10

Summary: "Rub-A-Dum" is still that good. The rest are fine, but they feel safe, or feel like they been done before.

Key Tracks: Got Your Back, Rub-A-Dum
Rating: 7/10

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga - Love for Sale

Release Date: September 30th, 2021
Genre: Jazz

I'll keep this short. I have no idea what is good jazz and bad jazz. Most of the "good" jazz I can identify are simply because I watched a movie or cartoon as a kid and they had that particular song in the background. Anyways, I like it when Lady Gaga is being extra, and Tony Bennett is a name you think about with the likes of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, but do I give a fuck? I'm pretty sure I gave "Cheek to Cheek" a listen, but it's just an album.

Review: Anyways, these are all covers of Cole Porter so I knew it was going to sound "old." The first track, "It's De-Lovely" is cool. Then I got bored, then I sorta got into it again with "I've Got You Under My Skin." I feel like I should know "I Get a Kick Out of You," but I don't. I was surprise that there were so many solo tracks here, two each. Gaga's voice doesn't impress me, but if this was acting, she does an amazing job of mimicking that 50s swing sound. And I don't have much to say about Bennett other than that it's crazy to me that he is 95 years of age.

Summary: It sounds like Lady Gaga singing late night dinner, jukebox music. Very inoffensive, except for "Let's Do It," it sounds a bit freaky if you have a dirty mind. I know I'm not going to listen to this again, but I won't say it's bad, because it's sounds exactly what it's suppose to sound like.

Key Tracks: I've Got You Under My Skin
Rating: 5/10

Twice - The Feels

Release Date: October 1st, 2021

It's funny because when the title of "Alcohol-Free" came out, I wondered if the chorus would have repeating syllables like "alcohol-ol-ol" or something. Well, they dropped the spoilers for "The Feels" pretty early and TikTok spoiled 20 seconds of the song, so I pretty much knew I was going to like the song. And I do. My first impressions of Twice have always felt lackluster, and it's only because I want that feeling of "oh my gosh" that I got from experiencing "Likey" or "Heart Shaker" for the first time.

But for what it is, "The Feels" is a fast, fun, and catchy Twice sounding song. It's produced by collapsedone who made previous hits for Twice. Since I speak English, there are some phases that make me go "eh." like "are we on the same vibe?" Am I dumb or do people actually say that. I do give a pass to Chae's rap part because her delivery is so cute, and I miss fast rapper Chaeyoung.

With that said, this song brought back the syllables with "oh-oh-oh" and I can't really complain. This is bubblegum Twice grown up. Sure the lyrics are pretty one dimensional, and I thought the actual chorus of "lightning straight to my heart.." felt more formulaic then anything. Still, it's Twice. I love everything that they do.

Rating: 8/10

Twice - Taste of Love

Release Date: June 11th, 2021
Genre: kpop

We're finally here. I wanted to review all of Twice's albums because I loved their whole discography and it was very hard for me to decide which songs was my favorite. The girls never disappeared after the release of "Eyes Wide Open." From my perceptive, they continue with their YouTube series "Time to Twice," a few of the members dropped melody projects or performance projects, there was an online concert for their Japanese fans and we have a great "Secret friend" vlog that took 10 weeks to finish.

So 7 months flew by. I really had no expectations because from my experience with "More & More" and "Eyes Wide Open," it really doesn't matter what they do, their overall package has already gotten me hooked.

Review: So with the title track, "Alcohol-Free," I once again did not listen to the teasers, but I did read it was a bossa nova type so right away, I was thinking about "Oh My Girl's "Who Comes Who Knows." It didn't sound like that. To me, it sounded very bare and the melodies didn't grow on me til much later. "First Time" was written by Jihyo and it has some interesting high notes during the chorus. I think it sounds fluffy, like something soft touching your body, but it's not warm. Then "Scandal" really made me go "holy shit." Dahyun wrote the lyrics to this one and it begins with Chae's loud whispers. The whole song sounds spicy.

Then "Conversation" is a Sana written track and I wonder if it was intentional that the chorus borrows a Elvis lyric, but whatever, the song is just sexy. "Baby Blue Love" is written by Nayeon and it's a very easy song to get into, but it heavily sounds like a Burno Mars song, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Finally it ends with "SOS" which Dahyun wrote. It's good. I like how smooth it flows.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Alcohol-Free 7/10
2. First Time 8/10
3. Scandal 10/10
4. Conversation 10/10
5. Baby Blue Love 9/10
6. SOS 9/10

Summary: The album cover really encapsulates these songs because it's not the bubblegum pop sounds, nor is it the 2019 era, they just sound fresh, clean, and no emotional baggage.

Key Tracks: Scandal, Conversation, SOS
Rating: 9/10

Twice - Eyes Wide Open

Release Date: October 26, 2020
Genre: kpop

By the time this came out, the pandemic was becoming our norm and I was listening to more kpop than I ever had in my life. "More & More" had disappointed me, but I felt deep into their variety show content, watching every new video that got posted to their YouTube channel, and part of me knew, these girls could be my favorite group for my 30s.

Review: I remember seeing people call this Twicetober because of their past comebacks on this month. I never got to experience their cute sound in real time, and I made sure to not listen to any of the teasers. So with the title track, "I Can't Stop Me," it sounded good and it was interesting to see to see the red red red light, but I kept thinking they were chasing trends because of Dua Lipa's "Physical," and Everglow's "la di da." So the song didn't feel fresh.

"Hell in Heaven" sounds spooky and i'll always assoirate it with TTT: Crime Scene. "Up No More" and "Do What We Like" are pretty standard pop songs, but they work for me. "Bring it Back" sounded weird, but it grew on me. "Believer" is a strong song. "Queen" is a song Dahyun wrote and I think it slaps, then with "Go Hard" they have this build up that drives me nuts.

I used to dislike "Shot Clock" because we already have "Touchdown" but because I go back to listen to "go hard" so much, hearing the intro of "shot clock" with that marching band drug and nonsensical words in the background, it gets me hype, plus the way Momo says "countdown" makes me laugh.

"Handle It" was another song I originally disliked, but only because it's so slow compared to the rest of the album. I would say it took 4-5 months for this song to finally grab me. Go Chae!  "Depend on You" is a Nayeon song and I think it's the most easy to get into on first listen.

The last two tracks disappointed me. "Say Something" is a city pop song and I tried to appreciate this, but it's just a nice song. And Dua Lipa is credited with the music for "Behind the Mask," but it's not the future nostalgia sound, so it felt a bit slow.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. I Can't Stop Me 9/10
2. Hell in Heaven 8/10
3. Up No More 9/10
4. Do What We Like 9/10
5. Bring it Back 8/10
6. Believer 9/10
7. Queen 10/10
8. Go Hard 10/10
9. Shot Clock 9/10
10. Handle It 9/10
11. Depend on You 10/10
12. Say Something 8/10
13. Behind the Mask 7/10

Summary: So this is their 2nd full length album and it's very cohesive that I rarely listen to these songs outside of the full album. I always felt like the pre-2019 sounded like it came from the same source, and then something switched in 2019, and this album sorta stands alone with the 80s sound.

Key Tracks: Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You
Rating: 9/10

Twice - More & More

Release Date: June 1st, 2020
Genre: kpop

My first comeback as an full fledged Once, but it's also the album I'm most confused about. I think with all their previous music, because I got to absorbed all their songs within a month, they all existed together like I was hearing Twice being Twice and they all felt like they all came from the same water. With More & More, I'm not sure, but it felt different, like the source of the water came from somewhere else.

Review: It's funny because I remember not wanting to be spoiled by the teaser, but they had individual teasers for each member and there was an instrumental with barely anything to it. I figured the real song would have drums or some type of beat, but it doesn't, so my first impressions of the title track were that, something felt missing. And the chorus wasn't a real chorus, it was just this weird swirly sound. The pre-chorus is fine, but the dance-break sounded dumb, and this was the first time where their outfits made me think they looked weird. But of course, my expectations were too high, and I probably wanted them to top my favorite track, which is more of the cutey type, and this was not it.

"Oxygen" is awesome, I read in interviews that this was a contender for title track, and it does stand out, but because we already had the "Feel Special" album, part of me felt like this was a leftover songs. I actually loved "Firework" for its Latin sound. "Make Me Go" is fine too, but again, part of me felt like it was a rehash of their 2019 sound. "Shadow" felt slow, but when they use this track as bgm on any of extra content, it amazes how good it is. "Don't Call Me Again" has a 70s action cop sound to me. And finally, "Sweet Summer Day" has Nayeon rapping for a few bars. I thought this song was too summery, but again, when they use it as bgm in their extra content, it makes me happy.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. More & More 7/10
2. Oxygen 9/10
3. Firework 9/10
4. Make Me Go 8/10
5. Shadow 7/10
6. Don't Call Me Again 7/10
7. Sweet Summer Day 9/10

Summary: My first Twice comeback and also my most conflicted album. Their 2019 sound felt like a shift, but also a natural fit to their sound. On this album, as much as I enjoyed it, I also felt the sound here was dated, or the sound was taken from other sources, but not their own. At the same time, I know my expectations were set high and as with everything album if you listen to it enough times, it'll grow on you. So that's how I feel. I have no problem listening to this album, but it's rare I go back to it.

Key Tracks: Oxygen, Firework, Sweet Summer Day
Rating: 8/10

Twice - Feel Special

Release Date: September 23rd, 2019
Genre: kpop

I guess technically, "Feel Special" was my first Twice comeback because I had started following them on twitter, and when these teasers came out, it had the pre-chorus instrumentals that felt like it was building to something, but silly me, I wasn't sure if it was an album, a one-off M/V, or perhaps a concert. I didn't even know that Mina was taking a break. So this was my first exposure of a Twice comeback, each member getting a teaser everyday.

Review: I feel like I said this on my blog a few times, but certain things needed to happen before I fulled embraced kpop and what Twice was. Because there was nine members, I originally didn't like the song because Nayeon didn't start the song, and it wasn't cute, I didn't understand the words, and the "feel special" chorus felt weird to say out loud. Of course, as I gotten smarter and understood the meaning of the song, it's a very sweet song about their friendship and love for each other.

"Rainbow" was written by Nayeon and the music is feels very unstable, like a lot of clashes. I love it because it's feels hard and crunchy. "Get Loud" has those same qualities, very chaotic music, then with "Trick It" just feels like they are shooting phases at me and they just shock me. Most people know about "Love Foolish" and its either overrated, or MTV got it right declaring it the best b-side of 2019. I imagine people who love the song love it because when chaeyoung goes "i hate you" like holy shit, it sounds so good.

"21:29" supposedly is a song "to Onces" (21), "from Twice" (29) and yeah, it's a ballad, written by all of the members, but kinda boring if I'm being honest, however, I don't mind it when they use it for their variety show content, but i tend to skip this song. And finally with the korean version of Breakthrough, it's just a bonus, but I'm not a fan of the song.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Feel Special 10/10
2. Rainbow 10/10
3. Get Loud 9/10
4. Trick It 10/10
5. Love Foolish 10/10
6. 21:29 7/10
7. Breakthrough (korean version) 5/10

Summary: So removing the last two songs, those five tracks are ridiculous. "Fancy You" were more mature in how it sounded like they are grown up women, and "Feel Special" sorta continues that, but I don't hear a clear sound from the 70s or the 80s, it just sounds like a noisy dance trick with a lot of fun repeating syllables, and it drives me mad. Also, all of the b-sides are co-written by members of Twice.

Key Tracks: Feel Special, Trick It, Love Foolish
Rating: 9/10

Twice - Fancy You

Release Date: April 22nd, 2019
Genre: kpop

It's blasphemy of me to think that I originally didn't like "Fancy" because the chorus was just "Fancyyyy youuuu." I think at the time, the korean language was just gibberish to me and it would annoy me when the chorus was just the English title being repeated like it was suppose to mean something. Nobody uses "fancy you" in every day conversations so I really dismissed the song as anything other than forced catchiness.

Review: As strange as this sounds, it wasn't until I saw a clip of Doja Cat reacting to "Fancy" that made me go back to it. I loved all their previous singles because it was very bright and cute, but Fancy felt like it was an attack. Hearing Doja say "itsabop" made me wonder if she was being polite or was this song actually good. My journey takes a few turns, but the journey ends with me feeling that "fancy" is one of their best songs, its addictive, and I don't understand which award show matters most, but it should have won song of the year for one of them.

"Stuck In My Head" sounds annoying, but when I watch fanvids of them in concert, this song is fun to hear in person, along with "Touchdown." I sometimes think it sounds like shit, but there's a redeeming quality it has as an fighting anthem. "Girls Like Us" is a Charli XCX song, so it sounds good. I hate the first few seconds of "Hot" because it reminds me of Bruno Mars, but the rest of the song is, well, hot. "Turn it Up" starts with (i think) sana's la la and then it erupts into this pulsing, action packed song. "Strawberry" is horny.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Fancy 10/10
2. Stuck In My Head 8/10
3. Girls Like Us 8/10
4. Hot 9/10
5. Turn It Up 10/10
6. Strawberry 9/10

Summary: So yeah, the mini album that mark the change in Twice's songs, no more cutey stuff and this is more like, strong independent women?  I dont know, but its really confident.

Key Tracks: Fancy, Turn it Up, Strawberry
Rating: 9/10