Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another mini review post. Yes, I know once again these reviews are very brief, but I’ve been very busy lately, and the point of them is that they’re mini reviews.

As always, this is all just how I personally feel about these albums. Feel free to disagree with me on any of them.

Little Bit of Sun by Semisonic:

This is Semisonic’s first album in over two decades, and even though I’m not a big fan of “Closing Time”, the one song of theirs I knew going into this, I was curious enough about this to give it some listens.

And unfortunately it’s not doing much for me. The first half at least has some nice production that gives this a kind of huge sound that mostly clicks for me, and there are some good melodies, but overall these songs just don’t feel super interesting or unique to me personally.

And in the second half it pretty much just falls apart, with some of the most boring songs on the album.

But still, while it doesn’t seem to be doing anything all that interesting to me lyrically or instrumentally, it’s a decent enough listen, I guess. I’ll give it a 5.5/10, as at least it’s got a nice, warm, welcoming sound to it, if that makes any sense.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “The Rope”, “All The Time”, “Keep Me In Motion”, “If You Say So”
Least Favourite Track: “Out Of The Dirt”

Hackney Diamonds by The Rolling Stones:

So, believe it or not, I’m pretty sure this is my first time listening to a studio album by The Rolling Stones. I’ve heard great things about them, and they’re a band I want to listen to more, but I just haven’t really gotten around to actually listening to them much.

Well, this is their first studio album of original material since 2005, and usually when a band who was really popular many decades ago makes a big comeback album the reception isn’t very positive … although I’ve been surprised by how positive the reception has been for this album … and after listening to it, I kind of get why.

Now, that’s not to say this is amazing or anything, because I don’t think it is, but there are some good grooves here and good choruses, and Mick Jagger’s vocals are really good (and I also like that Keith Richards sings lead vocals on “Tell Me Straight”. I don’t think the song writing is anything all that great personally, lyrically or compositionally, although there are some moments that really stand out to me such as “Depending On You”, which seems to be showing the narrator realizing after a breakup it would have been a good idea to be more prepared for that possibility, and not to have been depending too much on this person.

So, overall, while I’m not blown away by this album, it is a mostly enjoyable blues rock album that I’d recommend. So, for me, it’s a 6.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Depending On You”, “Bite My Head Off”, “Dreamy Skies”, “Live By the Sword”
Least Favourite Track: “Get Close”

Higher by Chris Stapleton:

This is the first Chris Stapleton album I’ve listened to, but I’d heard some really good things about his music.

And while I’ve started to warm up to country music in general, this isn’t for me at all. At points this album can be some of the most boring country music I’ve heard all year.

Now, with that being said, there are some moments I really like, such as the excellent “White Horse” which has my favourite chorus on the album, but overall the vocal melodies and lyrics usually feel pretty boring to me, even though there are exceptions.

And while I don’t think the production is awful, there’s not really much about it that makes these songs stand out more to me.

So, I’m going to give this album a light 5.5/10. It’s not bad, but I can’t say I’m a fan of it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “What Am I Gonna Do”, “White Horse”, “The Bottom”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Higher”, “The Day I Die”

Australia Stops by C.O.F.F.I.N:

Here’s a punk band I hadn’t heard of until recently when I saw Anthony Fantano talking about them, and a few months ago they released a new album … and I can’t say it’s really doing a whole lot for me.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s clearly a lot of talent here, and at points it can be pretty hard-hitting, but the production often doesn’t give these songs the punch that they could have, especially with the drums feeling underpowered. Also, the hooks here aren’t as catchy as I’d like.

The lyrics seem to be full of social commentary, and while I like some of the lyrics I also just don’t find them super interesting for the most part … although maybe in part because I just don’t understand them. As I often say, take my opinions on lyrics with a huge grain of salt, as lyrics are not my strong suit as a critic.

So, overall, I just don’t find this album particularly interesting or memorable. It does kind of make me curious to hear more from the band, but I’m not much of a fan of this. 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “City Sun”, “Lover’s Leash”, “Australia Stops”, “Faceless”
Least Favourite Track: “Night Breaker”

Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua by Ana Frango Elétrico:

This is my first time listening to an Ana Frango Elétrico album, and this has been getting a lot of critical acclaim!

And I get why critics love it so much, as it’s got some really nice, smooth production and some really nice vocal melodies.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that a lot of the lyrics are in Portuguese, and I don’t speak Portuguese, so even though I found translations online, I don’t know how accurate the translations are. But this album doesn’t really seem to be as much about the lyrics as it is about the vibes anyway.

But just because I get the hype for an album doesn’t always mean I like the album … although in this case I like the album a lot! Again, the production sounds great, and I think the instruments blend together really well, with some specific instruments sounding absolutely incredible such as those awesome horns in “Boy of Stranger Things”!

There are also a lot of great basslines here, and there are some really catchy, memorable hooks, such as in the fantastic opener “Electric Fish”!

I don’t think the album is super consistent, with a couple of tracks around the middle feeling a little bit less interesting, but I don’t think there’s a bad song on here, and the best songs absolutely rule! I’m going to rate this a strong 7.5/10! Really good album, and very close to being truly great!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Electric Fish”, “Nuvem Vermelha”, “Coisa Maluca”, “Boy of Stranger Things”, “Debaixo do Pano”
Least Favourite Track: “Camelo Azul”

Lahai by Sampha:

This is Sampha’s second studio album and his first since 2017. I haven’t heard his 2017 album yet, but I saw this album getting a ton of critical acclaim, and I decided to give it a shot. So, how is it?

Well, I’m not really sure why, but I didn’t have super high expectations here … and now that I’ve listened to it, it ended up being a very pleasant surprise! This album has incredibly smooth production which fits really well with these mostly uplifting songs! And Sampha is an incredible vocalist!

There are so many great vocal melodies here, and some haunting moments as well such as “Dancing Circles” with that awesome piano loop or “Suspended” with its eerie combination of vocal melodies and the instrumental, with the latter of those two songs almost sounding kind of Radiohead-esque.

A lot of the lyrics are open to interpretation, but it seems like there are themes of being your true self and not letting obstacles hold you back, and celebrating the positive things in life. And there’s some really nice poetry here, and it feels super fitting with the instrumentals.

The interludes don’t really do much for me, and “Only” has a bit of an annoying chorus, but overall this is an absolutely great album that I can’t recommend enough. 8/10 for me, excellent stuff!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Stereo Colour Cloud (Shaman’s Dream)”, “Spirit 2.0”, “Dancing Circles”, “Suspended”, “Jonathan L. Seagull”, “Inclination Compass (Tenderness)”, “Can’t Go Back”, “Evidence”, “What If You Hypnotise Me?”
Least Favourite Track: “Only”