Hello, everyone! I’m back!

Yes, I know it’s been a while. I originally had the plan to do one more album review before mostly taking a break from album reviews, but that one review (which I’m still going to post) is taking longer than expected, and some of the other ideas for posts I had also aren’t happening as soon as I expected. So, why not do some more mini album reviews?

First of all, I have a lot more to say about some of these albums than others. I didn’t want to spend too much time on this post, and also, these are supposed to be ‘mini reviews’ … but some of these albums I had more I wanted to say about.

Also, as always, none of this is meant as a personal attack on any of the artists or anybody involved in making the albums. And also, if you like these albums, that’s great! It’s all just based on my own personal taste in music. And even though this is the case with all of my reviews, I especially feel the need to make it clear in this post, because … well … let’s just say, for the most part, these albums didn’t click for me.

And with that, let’s start with an album that somewhat pleasantly surprised me …

Suckerpunch by Maggie Lindemann:

Before I listened to this album, the only Maggie Lindemann song I knew was “Pretty Girl”, which was released in 2016 and became a hit in some countries in 2017. And I feel like this is probably an unpopular opinion in the music critic world, but I love that song!

If it weren’t for “Pretty Girl” I doubt I’d be listening to and reviewing this album in the first place (I’m not even sure I’d be very aware of it). But despite me loving “Pretty Girl” … well, there seems to be this trend of me discovering one song I like by an artist, and then I listen to an album by that artist, and I’m very disappointed. And maybe that’s just a coincidence, but I still had a strange feeling I wasn’t going to like this album.

But still, I decided to give Maggie Lindemann’s debut album a chance, and … yeah, this didn’t really click for me.

I’ve mentioned before that percussion is a big factor in my opinions on music, especially snares. And this is especially true in rock music … and on this album, a lot of the time, I don’t like the way the percussion is produced.

Now, that’s not to say it’s an issue on every song. “take me nowhere”, the first full-length track on this album, is easily my favourite track here, partially because of the powerful snare which is mixed really well. But on tracks like “casualty of your dreams”, “girl next door”, “we never even dated”, and “hear me out”, the percussion sounds underpowered. I also find that to be an issue on the chorus of “novocaine”, with the snare being mixed in a way that really doesn’t work for me. I also think the trap percussion really doesn’t fit with the song on “phases”, and I also don’t really think the percussion fits on “break me!”.

But I also think there’s quite a bit to like here. I already mentioned “take me nowhere”, but I also love the transition from “intro / welcome in” into “take me nowhere”. I also love the song, “self sabotage”, and the muddy (hopefully this is the word I’m looking for) production on that song. Despite my issues with the percussion, “hear me out” is still a song I like. And even on some of the tracks that don’t fully click for me, there are elements that I absolutely love … for example, the synths, the vocals, and some of the vocal melodies on “casualty of your dreams”.

So, overall, I like this album more than I expected to. I’m not saying it’s amazing, or even something that I see myself returning to in full, but I recommend listening to it!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “take me nowhere”, “self sabotage”, “hear me out”
Least Favourite Tracks: “phases”, “break me!”, “novocaine”, “you’re not special”, “how could you do this to me?”

Will Of The People by Muse:

Going into Muse’s new album, I had heard some very negative things about it … but I wanted to give it a chance, and … yeah, this is pretty bad in my opinion.

I’m going to start by talking about the title track, which, in my opinion, is one of the worst songs that I’ve heard from 2022. The hand-clap-like percussion sounds terrible in my opinion, this song is super repetitive without much of a build at all, and overall the production really doesn’t work for me, especially when it sounds like it’s really missing something … but the worst thing about this song in my opinion is THAT FUCKING CHORUS! I don’t think I even have to explain why I find that hook to be so fucking annoying … I think if you listen to it, you’ll almost definitely understand, whether or not you agree with me.

Now, if you want me to talk about the positives … well, my favourite track here is either “Verona” or “Euphoria”, but if I had to pick one, I think I’d go with “Verona”, which has great synths and lead guitar, and I also love when the drums come in. “Euphoria” has a great chorus and some great melodies, and speaking of great choruses, “Kill Or Be Killed” has a great chorus with some awesome guitars!

But there’s also “Won’t Stand Down”, which is saved from being a lot worse by a well-produced hook with good melodies, but … well, Matt Bellamy has said this song is about standing your ground against bullies, and this could have been done really well … but after saying he won’t stand down in the chorus, he tells the bully/bullies, ‘Now die alone.’ I don’t even have to explain all the problems with that line.

I should also mention the closing track, which is at least terrible in a hilarious way in my opinion … it’s called “We Are Fucking F****d” … yes, seriously, that’s what it’s called. If you want to laugh, then it’s worth a listen, but otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it.

Overall, for me, there are some highlights on this album, but as a whole album, I’m giving it a strong 3.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 3.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Kill Or Be Killed”, “Verona”, “Euphoria”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Will Of The People”, “Won’t Stand Down”, “Ghosts (How Can I Move On?)”, “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween”, “We Are Fucking F****d”

Throwback Review – Born to Die by Lana Del Rey (2012)

So, this is an album that I had heard before, but not for a long time, and I hadn’t really listened to it very closely.

Part of the reason I decided to listen to this and review it is because it’s rare for an artist to have such mixed opinions from critics as Lana Del Rey. In the online music critic world, lots of people seem to think Lana Del Rey is an amazing artist, and lots seem to think her music is terrible. I was really curious to see where I would land on this album.

And after multiple listens to this album, I think it’s safe to say that I land on the side who doesn’t like this album.

Now, I want to point out something interesting … my last throwback review was MARINA’s second album, Electra Heart, which was also released in 2012. And these two albums are actually quite similar in a lot of ways. First of all, the vocal style is quite similar on both albums. Also, both albums are a mix of mellow and more upbeat … and also, there’s just something I can’t quite describe in the way these albums sound that is so similar … if you listen to them both, you’ll probably hear it, too. Also, while the lyrics are very different in a lot of ways, they both seem to at least somewhat be about somebody who is caught up in an unhealthy lifestyle of bad behaviour.

But there are multiple reasons why I like that album so much better than this one. One of those reasons is the production, which is one thing I really love about Electra Heart … but on this album, there’s a lot about the production that I don’t like. For example, the strings being so quietly mixed on “Off to the Races”, “Blue Jeans”, “Dark Paradise”, and “Summertime Sadness”, or the way the instruments sound together on “Video Games” and “Carmen”.

Also, a lot of the percussion on this album really doesn’t work for me. For example, on “National Anthem”, it’s mixed really quietly, and I also think it’s really underpowered on “Dark Paradise”, a song in which the percussion also feels too fast at some points, which is also an issue for me on “Summertime Sadness”. I also find the percussion to be underpowered on “Radio” and “Carmen”.

And then there’s the lyrics … and even though I highly doubt this was the intent, it often seems like these behaviours are being celebrated. For example, the song, “National Anthem”, where she sings about a relationship which involves drinking and driving, drugs, and she also sings the line, ‘And you can’t keep your hands off me or your pants on.’ So, why does this song sound so upbeat? And this is an issue for me on quite a few songs, even though I’m almost positive this wasn’t the intent.

But I should also mention my least favourite track here, “Diet Mountain Dew”, which, in my opinion, is SO ANNOYING! I find the chorus super annoying, especially with those pianos which, in my opinion, sound HORRIBLE on that chorus, and the underpowered percussion. Also, this song feels super repetitive without much of a build. And then there’s the lyrics, which contain the line, ‘Maybe I like this roller coaster. Maybe it keeps me high.’ Look, I get that this wasn’t intended to be celebrating the lifestyle described throughout this album, but it really sounds that way … and when Lana admits on this album that there are problems with this lifestyle, it’s usually done in a way that doesn’t feel very interesting to me … for example, on this song when she says, ‘You’re no good for me, but, baby, I want you.’ I mean, at least she’s admitting it … but still, overall, this song just makes me want to turn it off immediately.

But this album also has the song, “Million Dollar Man”, which is easily my favourite track here. I love the strings on this song, the instruments fit together really well, it’s got some great melodies, and I think it might be the one example of a song here that I feel really succeeds at the overall lyrical theme of the album, showing how people and things aren’t always as great as they seem at surface level. And also, Lana’s vocals on this song are fantastic!

Overall, while I’m curious to listen to more of Lana Del Rey’s albums, this one really didn’t click for me, and I’m giving it a strong 2.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 2.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Million Dollar Man”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Born to Die”, “Off to the Races”, “Video Games”, “Diet Mountain Dew”, “Radio”, “Carmen”, “Summertime Sadness”, “This Is What Makes Us Girls”

Hold The Girl by Rina Sawayama:

I was super excited to hear a new album by Rina Sawayama considering how much I love her debut album, Sawayama, and now her second album is out … what do I think of it?

Well … I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … to me, this is kind of mediocre. And a lot of this is because of the production. A lot of these songs sound very messy. For example, the song “Holy (Til You Let Me Go)”, in which the mixing is a big issue for me, as the instruments are mixed really low at the start, and eventually, the vocals are mixed really quietly. Another example is on the song, “Hurricanes”, with a lot of the instruments sounding like they were each produced for a different song.

Also, when it comes to vocal melodies, this album is way weaker than her debut, and there are some moments where the vocal melodies really don’t work for me, like the chorus on “Forgiveness”, the post-chorus of “Frankenstein”, and the ‘ooh’s on “Send My Love To John”. I also don’t find the vocal melodies very interesting on “Send My Love To John”, and it’s also an issue for me on “Imagining”.

Now, I’m not saying this album is bad. I don’t think it is. It’s just super disappointing to me. This was one of my most anticipated album releases of this year, and despite having a few great songs, I don’t see myself going out of my way to listen to this album as a whole.

Also, I don’t find the production to be an issue in every song … in fact, “Catch Me In The Air” has exceptionally great production in my opinion … the percussion and guitar are mixed well, and the pre-chorus sounds fantastic!

But on a lot of these songs, the way the percussion is produced bugs me. For example, sounding really underpowered on “Forgiveness”, “Holy (Til You Let Me Go)”, “Hurricanes”, “Phantom”, and “To Be Alive”, and also just sounding really annoyingly snappy on “Frankenstein”.

Overall, while I like some of the lyrics on this album, and I found it to be an enjoyable listen, it’s not something I’m going to be going back to much, if at all. So, Hold The Girl gets a 5/10 from me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Minor Feelings”, “Hold The Girl”, “This Hell”, “Catch Me In The Air”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Forgiveness”, “Imagining”

Asphalt Meadows by Death Cab for Cutie:

So, I get that some people probably don’t want me to continue to go on and on about percussion that doesn’t really work for me, but … yeah, it’s one of the big reasons why this album doesn’t really work for me.

The snare feels really underpowered on “Pepper” and the chorus of the title track, and the drums are mixed super quietly on “Fragments From the Decade”. Also, “Rand McNally” has percussion that sounds really disconnected from the rest of the song, and overall, the track sounds kind of like it could have been on Interpol’s newest album … that’s not meant as a compliment.

And then there’s “Foxglove Through The Clearcut”, where the drums sound too quiet on the chorus … although I do love the guitars on the chorus. It just could have been so much better in my opinion … and I’m also not a big fan of the spoken word delivery on the verses.

And the snare on “Here to Forever” I find to be quite annoying, as it really doesn’t fit the song in my opinion, at least at the speed it’s going … and something about it feels really annoyingly snappy.

I do think the album starts well, though. The first two tracks are my two favourites on the album, and I think the percussion sounds better on these tracks than on most of this album.

But still, despite the positives, I’m giving this album a 4/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: “I Don’t Know How I Survive”, “Roman Candles”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Asphalt Meadows”, “Here to Forever”, “Pepper”, “Wheat Like Waves”

Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths:

I mean … in my opinion, the percussion sounds better than it does on most of these albums … but aside from that, there’s not a ton about this album that really works for me.

That being said, there are some highlights on the album for me. “Best Left”, my favourite track here, is a really well produced song. I love the way the instruments sound together, and the mixing is great.

“Change in the Weather” and “2am” are also highlights for me, the latter of which has a really good build toward the end … and other than those three songs, this album mostly bored me. The melodies feel really uninteresting to me, and there’s not a lot in the instrumentation that really works for me.

Expert in a Dying Field gets a 3.5/10 from me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 3.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Best Left”, “Change in the Weather”, “2am”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Knees Deep”, “Silence Is Golden”, “Your Side”, “I Want to Listen”, “When You Know You Know”, “I Told You That I Was Afraid”

The Hardest Part by Noah Cyrus:

Well, we’re ending this post on a … kind of positive note … kind of.

I like this album better than the majority of the albums in this post, but that’s not saying a ton. This is quite a mellow album, and quite a few of these songs almost work for me, but not quite. For example, “Unfinished”, which has a chorus that I really like, but the verses feel kind of boring to me (or should I say they feel unfinished? … hahahahahahahaha! LOL … yes, I know that wasn’t funny).

“Hardest Part” is a song in which I like the lyrics and the drums, but there are some details about it that make it fail to fully click for me, like the pauses in the instrumentation, and the vocal effects during those pauses. There are also some parts that just bore me.

Overall, I think this album is worth a listen, but it’s just not really for me outside of “Ready to Go”. I’m giving this album a 4.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Ready to Go”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Every Beginning Ends”, “My Side of the Bed”, “Loretta’s Song”