Hello, everyone! Time for more mini reviews!

As always, this is all just how I personally feel about these albums. Music is subjective, and I’m not trying to control what kind of music people make, I’m just sharing my own personal feelings on these albums.

Also, like with a lot of my recent posts, these reviews are less in-depth than usual. My mini reviews aren’t usually super in-depth anyway, but I feel like these are even less in-depth than usual, and it’ll probably continue to be this way for a bit, as I’ve got so many other reviews I want to post, and I’m busy with other things outside of reviewing as well. But still, I listened to all these albums multiple times, and I found some things to say about each of them.

Also, if I’ve counted correctly, including the reviews in this post I’ve now reviewed 250 albums from this year! I’ve got to admit, I’m pretty surprised I found a way to review that many, especially as early as October!

And now it’s time for the reviews, starting with …

Again by Oneohtrix Point Never:

Well, this is an interesting album, to say the least …

This is my first time listening to a Oneohtrix Point Never album, although I’ve heard his production on other people’s music.

And overall, I mostly like this, but it is kind of a mixed bag, where parts of the album really click for me a lot, and other parts just feel pretty underwhelming to me.

But it’s still pretty consistently enjoyable, and there are some great moments, like the gorgeous “Ubiquity Road” or that absolutely haunting intro of “World Outside”.

Overall, the production is pretty strong in my opinion, and while I don’t love most of this album, it’s got its great standout moments, and I mostly like it overall, so I’ll give it a strong 7/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Again”, “World Outside”, “The Body Trail”, “Ubiquity Road”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Nightmare Paint”

BB/ANG3L by Tinashe:

This feels more like an EP than an album, but officially it’s an album, meaning it’s eligible to be in this post.

And unfortunately I can’t say it’s really doing much for me. I don’t dislike it, but it’s just not really my cup of tea.

I think the album opens really well with “Treason”, which has gorgeous vocals and a haunting instrumental, but pretty much all the other songs feel like they’re missing something, and while I mostly like the production, the vocal melodies often don’t really do much for me.

I can’t say the lyrics really wowed me much, and “Needs” feels really creepy, as the narrator is pretty much telling somebody ‘I need to have sex with you’ while having the attitude of, ‘Oh, I’m just being human.’ If the word was ‘wants’ instead of ‘needs’ I don’t think this would be creepy at all. I mean, based on the other lyrics in the song it does seem like the other person is into it, but it still comes across as creepy. And I know it’s not meant to be taken seriously, but I still don’t want to listen to this.

Overall, while Tinashe is a good singer, and I mostly like the production, and at least the album is short, this album just didn’t really do much for me, so I’ll give this a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Treason”, “Talk To Me Nice”, “Gravity”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Needs”

It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day by Thirty Seconds to Mars:

This is the sixth studio album by Thirty Seconds to Mars, and while I haven’t heard particularly good things about their early albums, they certainly got a more positive reception than 2013’s LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS and especially 2018’s AMERICA. I personally still haven’t listened to their first four albums and I don’t feel in any rush to do so, but a few months ago curiosity got the best of me and I listened to AMERICA once … and after one listen, I already didn’t feel like listening to it again, and I was kind of shocked by how much I disliked it.

And as I expected, this new album was getting really negative reviews, but curiosity got the best of me once again … and it’s rare that I review an album after listening to it less than three times, but after two listens I decided I didn’t want to sit through this any more, because this is some of the most uninteresting, annoying, overproduced music I’ve heard all year. And considering some of the things I’ve heard about Jared Leto as a person, I don’t feel as bad for giving this such a negative review as I otherwise would—although I don’t know that much about him and haven’t really done a lot of research, so I don’t want to make assumptions or anything, especially because you can’t believe everything you read online … but I think you get the point.

Also, as always, I’m just sharing how I personally feel … and yeah, I can’t get into this album at all. Pretty much every song here—if not every song here—sounds like a million other songs I’ve already heard, and the production takes away pretty much any punch this could have had … but even aside from that, the melodies are boring, and just because there’s emotion in the lyrics doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend I find the lyrics interesting at all. I’m not trying to be insensitive or anything, but I personally find the lyrics to be some of the most generic lyrics I’ve read all year.

This sounds like it’s supposed to sound like a rock album, but the pop elements just totally overpower the rock elements … and it’s not that I don’t like pop music, it’s just that this sounds like it’s going for this big, epic feeling … and it just feels so bland and overproduced, with some really awkward mixing choices. And overall, this album is incredibly annoying and difficult to sit through.

At least it ends with “Avalanche”, which I think is a pretty decent song, but the rest of the album makes it seem like a masterpiece in comparison … and in my personal opinion this is easily among the worst albums I’ve heard from 2023. It’s a very light 2/10 for me, and while I’m not going to judge anyone for liking it, I just can’t bring myself to recommend this at all.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 2/10
Favourite Tracks: “Avalanche”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Stuck”, “Life Is Beautiful”, “Seasons”, “Get Up Kid”, “Love These Days”, “World On Fire”, “7:1”, “Never Not Love You”, “Midnight Prayer”

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski:

So, for a while, I’d heard really good things about Mitski’s music, but I hadn’t really listened to much of it. And while Laurel Hell from last year was considered by many to be a big disappointment, it ended up in my top 25 albums of last year, and considering the popular opinion seemed to be that her earlier albums are a lot better, that made me really excited to check out those albums!

And yet I can’t really say I was all that wowed, at least in comparison to Laurel Hell, which I can now say is by far my favourite Mitski album, and that made me wonder if maybe Laurel Hell was just a one-off, and maybe I shouldn’t go into this new album with the highest of expectations … but I wanted to give it a fair chance, and …

Well, I definitely don’t like it as much as Laurel Hell, that’s for sure. And that’s not to say this is bad, because I don’t think it is, it’s just not really wowing me as much as that album did.

There are a lot of interesting lyrics here, and I mostly like the production, and Mitski is a good singer, but often the vocal melodies feel underwhelming and for the most part the hooks aren’t as strong as the hooks on Laurel Hell—there’s no standout chorus here like “Should’ve Been Me” or “Stay Soft”.

There are moments that I really like, such as “The Frost” which is a haunting track with a very winter-like feeling to it, but there are also a lot of points that don’t do much for me at all, and “I’m Your Man” is a terrible song in my opinion, especially with the line, ‘when you leave me, I should die,’ and also the dog noises in the end of the song.

The run of tracks from “The Deal” to “The Frost” are all at least solid, some of them great, but outside of that there’s just not much here that really grabbed me, and overall I’m going to give this a light 6.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “The Deal”, “When Memories Snow”, “My Love Mine All Mine”, “The Frost”
Least Favourite Tracks: “I’m Your Man”

Fanfare by Dorian Electra:

This is the third Dorian Electra album and it’s the first that I’ve listened to, despite all the critical acclaim that they’ve gotten … and overall, I can’t say I’m really wowed by this.

That being said, it does make me curious to listen to their first two albums, especially Flamboyant as it’s probably the more critically acclaimed of the two. And this new album does show some promise, as I mostly like the production, and there are some catchy moments here like “Phonies” …

But while there are some interesting lyrics, a lot of which is social commentary, musically there’s just not much here that makes me want to go back to this. It could be described as ‘experimental pop’, but it feels so much like a lot of other ‘experimental pop’ that I’ve heard that it doesn’t feel as experimental. That’s not to say there isn’t any creativity here, because there is, but it doesn’t feel as creative to me as a lot of experimental pop, that’s all.

And about the lyrics … well, I’m not going to pretend I really understand the lyrics that much, but I do mostly like the lyrics, some of which seem to be about social media, and the pros and cons of it.

But overall, I’m going to give this a 6/10. I like some parts of the album, but most of it just feels kind of boring to me, and “Puppet” is incredibly obnoxious.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Yes Man”, “Phonies”, “Warning Signs”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Puppet”

Silence Between Songs by Madison Beer:

If you follow popular music, chances are you already know who Madison Beer is, even though she hasn’t had that huge mainstream breakthrough that feels more like a matter of time than anything. But in case you don’t know, Madison Beer became a YouTube star as a teenager about a decade ago, and in 2021 she released her debut studio album Life Support.

And unfortunately Life Support really didn’t do much for me at all; in my opinion, that album is mediocre at best. So, I can’t say I had super high expectations for this album …

And like I expected, this didn’t really do much for me. I do at least like it slightly more than Life Support, but that’s not really saying much. But the production is pretty good for the most part even though some elements at points sound kind of awkwardly produced in a way that doesn’t really fit with the rest of the song, such as the guitar in the background on “King Of Everything”.

I’m not going to say the lyrics really wowed me all that much, but I don’t think the lyrics are bad, either. And like I always say, I’m not great at analyzing lyrics, so take this with a grain of salt, but a lot of the lyrics feel kind of generic to me.

But still, Madison Beer is a good singer, and there are some good vocal melodies here … but for some reason, when you put it all together, something just feels missing on this album, and compositionally a lot of it feels like I’ve heard it before. So, for me, it’s a 6/10. I’d recommend giving it a chance, but it’s not really for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Nothing Matters But You”, “Home To Another One”, “Reckless”, “Silence Between Songs”, “King Of Everything”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You)”

Infinite Spring by Superviolet:

This is the debut solo album by Steve Ciolek under the name Superviolet. I saw this described as indie rock, and I was curious to hear it.

And I mostly like it! The album reminds me quite a bit of Andy Shauf’s album from earlier this year, Norm, not only because of how open to interpretation a lot of the lyrics feel, but also in the style and sound of the music.

I think the album opens really well with “Angels on the Ground” which has some drums that sound great in the mix and a lot of good vocal melodies, and there are some other highlights here, too, like “Overrater” which has some really interesting storytelling and some great guitar.

So, overall, I’m going to give this a 6.5/10. It’s a good album, and I mostly like the production, but it didn’t really wow me. It’s an album I think I’ll go back to more in pieces than as a whole.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Angels on the Ground”, “Blue Bower”, “Locket”, “Overrater”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Big Songbirds Don’t Cry”

The Weight Of The Mask by Svalbard:

I’ve heard some really good things about Svalbard’s 2020 album, When I Die, Will I Get Better? And while I still haven’t listened to that album, it made me excited to listen to this new album.

And I’m glad I listened to this, because this album is really strong! Now, it’s worth noting that if you’re not into metal or post-hardcore or anything like that, then I’m not sure this will be for you, but I mostly like the production here, and there are some really strong melodies in the instrumentation!

The guitars sound great, and I love the crushing snares! And while there are some passages that just don’t do much for me at all, the majority of this is really strong … even if rarely something that really wows me all that much. But still, “How To Swim Down” is absolutely amazing, and there isn’t a bad song here!

This album has lots of emotional lyrics, and the music fits the lyrics really well. And while I wouldn’t quite call this album great, it’s very close! I’ll give this a strong 7.5/10, and I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of metal or anything close to metal!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “November”, “How To Swim Down”, “Pillar In The Sand”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Lights Out”

Crux by Glasser:

I was looking at new album releases and I came across this album from an artist whom I’m not sure I’d heard of before. It’s her first album in a decade, and while I still haven’t listened to her first two albums, I decided to give this album—which is her third to date—multiple listens.

And while there are parts of this album that really stand out to me, as a whole I wouldn’t call it great.

And I can’t quite place what it is about this that isn’t fully clicking for me, because this album is very creative and it is mostly enjoyable, with really good vocals and melodies! And I mostly like the production, too!

But when you put it all together, I just feel like something’s missing a lot of the time, and I can’t place what that is.

Now, there are some strong standout highlights here for me—“Easy” has some of the best synths on the album, and there are some really interesting lyrics in “All Lovers” … and the latter of those two songs has a very catchy chorus! And “Drift” is a really interesting dance song with a very moody vibe to it, and I love the strings at the end of the chorus!

But overall … well, I don’t dislike it, but it does feel kind of underwhelming to me. Still, though, I’ll give it a 6.5/10 because I did mostly enjoy this … I just feel like I ‘should’ like it more than I do.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Easy”, “All Lovers”, “Drift”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Ophrys”

Born Again by Danger Mouse & Jemini The Gifted One:

So, this album was recorded decades ago but was just finally released this year, and to me it counts as a 2023 album because that’s when it was released.

Anyway, do I like the album? Well, yeah, I like it a lot!

Now, it’s worth mentioning that I couldn’t find most of the lyrics for this when I looked them up, and while I tried to listen to the lyrics, I didn’t want to worry too much about making sure I heard every line, and there’s not as much time to process the lyrics when the rapping is so fast, so I’m not really going to try to analyze the lyrics much. But I do like a lot of the lyrics I can hear, even though if I can hear it correctly “Me” features the awful line, ‘Got gay bitches switched.’

But there are also a lot of great lines here, with great rhyming and also some interesting storytelling, like on “Dear Poppa”—I don’t have the lyrics in front of me, and I very well could be misunderstanding it, but it seems to be about a love/hate relationship with the narrator’s father, who based on the lyrics sounds like he may have been abusive, and it seems like the narrator is trying to appreciate the good things his father did without justifying the bad … but again, I could absolutely be wrong about this, especially because I can’t hear what all the lyrics are.

Danger Mouse’s production here is fantastic, with the percussion sounding excellent in the mix, and the strings fit in pretty much perfectly!

Jemini The Gifted One has so many great flows here, and the flows and instrumentals go super well together, and musically there’s quite a bit of variety on this album!

If you’re looking for a great hip hop album full of bangers with great production, I highly recommend this album! 8/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “All I”, “Locked Up”, “Born Again”, “Walk the Walk”, “World Music”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Knuckle Sandwich II”