Joanna Newsom - Divers

Release Date: October 23rd, 2015

I wasn't seeking out music in 2015. I know I was aware of this album, and if I did give it a listen, I have no memory of it, but I do remember telling myself that I'll eventually get to it.

Review: and so here we are. It's no Ys, but I can hear these songs sitting side to side with "Have One on Me's." I don't think the first two tracks are all that interesting, and the title track, "Divers" isn't all great either. I did however like "Goose Eggs" and "Waltz of the 101st Lightborne" and the 2 songs under 3 minutes. The last song has a cool climax to it, but I feel like I heard it before.

Summary: It's a fine album, but i don't think it's an "attention to detail" album like her past work. I could be wrong, since it's only been a few days listening and i'm more focus on the sound and not the lyrics. None of these songs are bad, but just compared to her other stuff, these just feel like songs, not magical.

Favorite Songs: Goose Eggs, Waltz of the 101st Lightborne, The Things I Say
Rating: 7/10

Twice - The Story Begins

Release Date: October 20, 2015
Genre: kpop

I discovered Twice during the "What is Love" era, then sorta dismissed them because I thought "DTNA" had no real value, but I kept tabs on the big 3 kpop girl groups at the time, and slowly got familiar with all of their music videos, but I still felt like they were just a "music videos only" type of group. Then certain albums by Red Velvet and Iz*One were needed for me to go back and unlocked whatever barriers I had with Twice. I ended up watching their "Seize the Light" documentary, which made me seek out their reality show, "Sixteen." and from there, I consumed 4 years of their discography in about a month.

Review: Starting with their debut album, the title track is a classic. I love going back and watch their debut stage performance because the audience isn't that loud for them, and this song is catchy as hell. It's still a crime that for a debut song, they gave Jeongyeon no lines. Since I did watch "Sixteen," there is a soft spot for the next three songs, but to be honest, vocally, they sound so squeaky. Because it's Twice, I don't mind the songs and I wouldn't mind listening to them over other groups, but within the Twice universe, they are all catchy still, but not on the top of my preference list.

"Candy Boy" wasn't on Sixteen, but it deserves a show out for the reason why their lightstick is called a candy bong. They closed out the album with "Like A Fool" which was an instant love for me. The instrumentals have a harmonica or something and this was the first song of theirs that made me feel emotional about their vocals.

Tracklist/Scorecard:
1. Like Ooh-Ahh 10/10
2. Do It Again 5/10
3. Going Crazy 6/10
4. Truth 8/10
5. Candy Boy 6/10
6. Like A Fool 9/10

Summary: It's their debut, I like it, but at times, it sounds rough and squeaky, but it's interesting to hear this, then hear how they evolved over the years.

Key Tracks: Like Ooh-Ahh, Like A Fool.
Rating: 7/10