Hello and welcome to another post! I know it’s been a while since I’ve made a mini review post, but I’ve got more of them on the way after this, and I’m finally getting somewhat close to being ‘back on schedule’ … whatever that means for me, because I don’t really follow a strict schedule for my reviews.

Anyway, as always these are all just my personal feelings on these albums. Feel free to disagree with me on any of these.

Alright, let’s get this post started with …

Exhaust by Pyrrhon:

So, here’s one of the most critically acclaimed death metal albums of the year, and even as someone who’s not really a huge fan of death metal, I was curious to hear this. I mean, it’s pretty short, and considering just how much acclaim this has been getting, I figured it was worth it to give it a shot.

But unfortunately, as I kind of expected considering this is a death metal album, this isn’t really for me. I mean, it’s not bad or anything, it just kind of sounds like a typical death metal album to me. And that’s not really fair of me, and it’s just me not really being a death metal fan—there’s probably a lot more to this—but I just don’t really like this sound all that much.

I mean, there’s clearly a lot of talent here, and I do think the intensity of the instrumental fits well with the small amounts of melody that are here, leading to an album that is mostly pleasant to listen to while it’s on.

But I just don’t really see any reason for me to go back to this. Again, it’s just not really a style of music I like all that much. But there are some death metal albums that I really like, when it feels like there’s a bit more experimentation. And again, maybe I’m missing something here, but there’s just not much about this that stands out to me personally, aside from the occasional groovy moment that I like such as “Concrete Charlie” which has some really impressive drumming, although even the best songs here don’t fully click for me.

When it comes to the lyrics … well, I don’t think they’re bad, I think I just don’t really understand them all that much. And yeah, I’ll admit that’s mostly me just not really taking the time to look into them much, but also I just don’t think the lyrics are all that amazing, at least on the surface. Again, I very well may be missing something.

I do like the semi-nihilist “Last Gasp” that doesn’t fall too far down that rabbit hole, and the vocals on that track are pretty strong, too.

But overall, this album just isn’t really for me. I guess I’ll give it a 6/10. Again, it’s mostly pleasant while it’s on, but I don’t think I’m going back to it anytime soon.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Not Going To Mars”, “Concrete Charlie”, “Last Gasp”
Least Favourite Track: “Luck Of The Draw”

Majordomo by Teenage Dads:

I first discovered this band from their 2023 single “Speedracer”, one of the songs on this album, which ended up being among my absolute favourite tracks of 2023, and I stand by that! And while this is their second album, it’s the first one I’ve listened to, and I was quite excited to hear this!

And I ended up really liking it! It’s kooky, it’s fun, it’s lightweight, and it nails all those vibes pretty much perfectly in a way that is different from anything else I’ve heard recently! And there are so many good choruses!

Unfortunately this album really doesn’t get off to a good start at all with “Boarding Pass” which sounds way too upbeat considering the song’s topic in which everyone is about to die. And look, that sort of thing can work … such as my favourite song from Post Malone’s new album, which I’ll talk about soon. But here it just feels like a parody, and it’s not even like the melodies or production are all that good.

But thankfully the rest of the album is so much better! And yeah, some of these tracks are totally ridiculous, such as “Spiders” which feels very influenced by “Spider In My Room” by Barenaked Ladies, another song which I think is great, but the arachnophobia really resonates with me as an arachnophobe myself, and the guitar solo at the end is killer!

And the production on this album is really strong, with lots of punchy snares, and the guitar sounds really good when paired with the basslines! I mean, a song like “Speedracer” is a perfect example, possibly still my favourite song on the album with just how joyful it sounds, and the way all the instruments just fit together perfectly!

And then there’s a song like “Live Until You Die” which might have one of the catchiest synth melodies I’ve heard all year, and that thick bassline is irresistible!

And “Boyfriend” might be the best song The Tragically Hip never made, although it’s a lot more of a pop song, and seriously, this song might have one of the best vocal performances I’ve heard all year! And on that topic, Jordan Finlay’s vocals throughout this whole album are fantastic!

Honestly, this would be in the absolute top tier of albums for me in 2024 if it weren’t for the fact that “Boarding Pass” is a legitimately bad track. Still, though, this is getting a 9/10, and I’ll absolutely have more to say about this record in a few months!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “Speedracer”, “I Like It”, “Spiders”, “Moon”, “Live Until You Die”, “Boyfriend”, “The Commander”, “Tale of a Man”, “What It Feels Like”, “A Day in the Life of a No Good Pirate”
Least Favourite Track: “Boarding Pass”

3+5 by Melt-Banana:

This is my first time listening to an album by Melt-Banana, a very critically acclaimed noise rock band who I don’t actually think I’d heard of until this came out.

And I’ve got to say, this is quite an interesting listen! Right from the first track you can just tell this is going to be a really fun time with lots of intense instrumentation and lots of creativity, and that’s exactly what this is!

This album definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome, running for less than twenty-five minutes, and I think that’s fitting for an album like this. I mean, the songs are so fast-paced that I think it’s supposed to feel like it just breezes past.

I can’t tell what the lyrics are as I can’t really hear them and as far as I know they’re not posted online, so I can’t really comment on that. But as a sonic experience, this is unlike anything I’ve heard this year. The vocals are very high-pitched, and it sounds like there’s some sort of effect on the vocals as well, and it creates a very interesting contrast from the hard rock instrumentals, which are lathered with industrial noise and sharp synths that really hit that sweet spot that so many hard rock albums can’t quite reach for me.

From the blazing guitar of “Puzzle” to the pungent high-pitched synths of “Stopgap” to those awesome shots of instrumentation on “Hex”, this album is full of super punchy, hard-hitting moments that really wowed me! And that’s not to mention “Case D”, which will knock your socks off with its relentlessness!

This has to be one of the most creative albums I’ve heard all year, and it’s kind of hard to explain. It’s an album that needs to be heard to be understood. And honestly, I think it’s among my favourite albums of this year, and I expect I’ll be going back to this quite a bit. I feel like once I start to listen to this more and become more familiar with the songs, they’re going to be going through my head nonstop.

So, I’m gonna give this a strong 9/10! I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this, but man was it ever awesome! I highly recommend this album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “Code”, “Puzzle”, “Case D”, “Stopgap”, “Scar”, “Hex”, “Seeds”
Least Favourite Track: “Flipside”

F-1 Trillion by Post Malone:

So, this is Post Malone’s country album, and honestly I can’t say I’m all that surprised at this point. It feels like Post Malone has changed genres so many times that at this point pretty much nothing would surprise me. I mean, he could make a hard rock album or even a metal album, and I don’t even know if I’d be all that shocked.

Anyway, I don’t really remember liking his album from last year all that much, and as I try to get back on track with my review schedule I decided not to take the extra time to relisten to that album, especially because I don’t remember it being all that good.

But anyway, I was curious to hear this, and … well, honestly the vast majority of this to me is just kind of bland and forgettable. Not bad, just not all that interesting. The sort of music that I can kind of appreciate as background music, but it’s just not really for me.

And really, there are only a handful of songs that I would say are exceptions to this, so I may as well go over each of them.

“Guy For That” is a pretty creative breakup song lyrically, with a really good Luke Combs feature, too, and I quite like the melodies on this track.

“Nosedive” is probably the best song on the album, with an optimistic view on life which really shines through with that great acoustic guitar, shiny chorus, and great Lainey Wilson feature! And the vocal harmonies on the chorus sound gorgeous! And the bridge really brings this song to another level! In fact, out of all the Post Malone songs I’ve ever heard, this might even be my favourite!

“California Sober” on the other hand is probably the worst song here, with the awful vocal layering and the storytelling which just doesn’t feel all that interesting. This song just doesn’t feel very fleshed out, and it’s honestly kind of annoying too with such a busy mix.

And look, there’s a very complicated discussion to be had about guns for another day—honestly it would be a lot simpler if no one had guns at all, which would be ideal, but I’m not going to get into that discussion right now—but as a sort of silly song toward the end of the album, I quite like “Hide My Gun” with the narrator asking his partner if she’d protect him from police if they knew he had a gun, because he doesn’t actually plan to kill anyone.

Aside from those tracks, this album is … fine. That’s about all I can say. I guess I’ll give it a light 6/10. The features are hit-or-miss and the melodies aren’t usually super strong, and the production often sounds messier than I would have liked. But still, there are a few good songs, and only one bad song, and even that one song isn’t awful.

But yeah, this definitely isn’t among my favourite country music of this year. Still, though, it was an interesting experiment, and I’d probably recommend checking it out.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Guy For That”, “Nosedive”, “Hide My Gun”
Least Favourite Track: “California Sober”

Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter:

Sabrina Carpenter has to be among the biggest breakout stories in mainstream pop music this year. And honestly, it took me a lot longer than you’d think to actually listen to “Espresso” or “Please Please Please”—in fact, I didn’t hear them until I listened to the album in full.

Anyway, my first introduction to Sabrina Carpenter wasn’t through her music, but the Disney TV Series Girl Meets World, which ran from 2014-2017. As someone who watched that show as a kid, I decided to rewatch it recently, and I think it’s a pretty good show that definitely pales in comparison to its predecessor, but Sabrina Carpenter’s character Maya Hart was arguably my favourite character in the show, mostly because her acting was so incredible. But from what I’d heard of her music, it really didn’t seem like my thing. I don’t remember liking her 2022 album at all, and thus I can’t say my expectations for this album were super high …

And honestly I was pleasantly surprised by the opening track “Taste” which has some really good vocal melodies, and Sabrina really pulls off the role of the viciously jealous ex, with the attitude of this song being really captivating. I do think the production could be a bit punchier, and thus I don’t quite think this is a great song, but it is really damn good.

And unfortunately the album as a whole is nowhere near as good. Look, I don’t think Sabrina is a bad singer, and in certain tracks she sounds really good with this production, but I can’t really say her vocals wow me all that much. But the bigger issue here is that the songwriting really isn’t all that special in my opinion.

To me this just feels like a bland pop album which really doesn’t have a whole lot to offer. Even putting aside how “Good Graces” sounds like a bad cross between Ariana Grande and Magdalena Bay—by the way, I will get around to reviewing that Magdalena Bay album soon—this album just feels boring.

And often it feels a little bit forced, too, with “Coincidence” oddly reminding me of “skinny dipping” from her 2022 album with how much it feels overly kooky in a way that really lacks any sort of personality. And then there’s “Bed Chem”, which … well, that title alone is a really weird phrasing, and it’s not the only line in the song where it feels like she’s trying too hard to make this song stand out—I mean, ‘come right on me, I mean camaraderie.’

And while I don’t think the production here is bad—although in points it is—it just doesn’t really give this the flashiness I think it’s aiming for in tracks like “Espresso” and “Please Please Please”, neither of which are particularly strong singles in my opinion, although the latter does at least have one of the better vocal performances on the album, and I like the lyrics in that track in which she really wants to trust her new partner but she knows she’s forcing that feeling of trust.

So, overall … well, I know this review sounds kind of harsh, I guess because it is. I don’t think this is a bad album, it just doesn’t really feel all that special or interesting. And thus I was going to give this a 5/10, but at least “Juno” is a great song, so I’ll bump it up a half point to a 5.5.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Taste”, “Please Please Please”, “Juno”
Least Favourite Track: “Good Graces”

Here in the Pitch by Jessica Pratt:

Jessica Pratt is one of those artists whose name I’ve heard a lot, and yet I’ve never actually taken the time to listen to one of her albums until now.

This album has been getting a lot of critical acclaim this year, and I decided to give it a shot, and my expectations were quite high considering all the praise it’s gotten …

But unfortunately this really didn’t do much for me at all. Maybe it’s just not really my style of music, but I feel like I’ve heard other similar albums that I really like.

But I can’t say the compositions really grip me all that much, and I’m not a huge fan of the airy production style here, as it distracts from the singer-songwriter folk vibes which I otherwise really like.

Jessica Pratt’s vocals here are good, but I don’t find the vocal production all that flattering, as it really makes this sound a lot more artificial, which I don’t typically like in this style of music.

Lyrically I wasn’t all that wowed by this. I mean, there might be more to it than I realize—as I usually say, I’m not the best at analyzing lyrics—but while I often like this kind of lyrics with the longing for past relationships, I just don’t find this all that unique personally.

And there’s not really a lot in the vocal melodies that I find interesting, and really that’s kind of my feelings on the entire album. There’s just not much about it that makes me want to return to it.

It’s not a bad album, and Jessica is a good singer, but I just can’t bring myself to give this a score higher than a 5.5/10, despite all the massive amounts of critical acclaim. I’m still curious to listen to some of Jessica Pratt’s other albums, but this one just didn’t really click. That’s all. At least it starts pretty strong with a couple good tracks, but from there on it just loses its momentum in my opinion and turns into some of the more boring folk music (or whatever you call this style of music) I’ve heard this year.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Life Is”, “Better Hate”, “Get Your Head Out”
Least Favourite Track: “World on a String”

Vermillion by Simone Simons (ft. Ayreon):

So, before I talk about the album itself, I know there’s no reason for me to point this out, but I find it kind of interesting how there is a featured artist listed for the whole album. I’m not saying it’s a good or bad thing, I’m just saying I don’t know if I’ve seen that before.

Anyway, to those of you who don’t know, Simone Simons, who has one of the best names in the music industry—yes, that is very much biased because my name is in it twice—is the lead singer of the famous symphonic metal band Epica. And as someone who listened through all of Epica’s albums for the first time earlier this year, I can’t say I’m a huge fan of them. I mostly like them, and there are a few songs here and there that really stand out to me, but I’ve never really loved a full Epica album.

Ayreon, on the other hand, I still have yet to really listen to at all, despite all the massive amounts of critical acclaim. And this reminds me I might to get on that soon. But anyway, I decided to give this album a shot. It’s officially Simone Simons’ debut solo album, and … well, it’s pretty strong!

I’m not going to say this is great, but I think I like it more than the vast majority of Epica albums. I mean, the production is stronger, with the drums having a lot more punch, and there are some really good vocal melodies, too! Although “R.E.D.” is slightly obnoxious at points, with it’s overblown production and chugging riffs which don’t really have a lot of power in my opinion.

But I think the album starts really strong with “Aeterna” and “In Love We Rust”, the former of which has some really interesting musical tension, and the latter of which has some of the best vocal melodies on the album.

And while the lyrics don’t seem super deep as far as I can tell, I do like the arc which seems to show the narrator trying to get a grasp on what one’s purpose in this world really is, and the melancholic ending is an interesting twist.

I do think sometimes the guitar riffs and drums can feel a bit generic, and some of the choruses don’t really land for me, such as “The Core” and “Cradle To The Grave”. But then there are moments like “The Weight of My World” with that awesome breakdown at the end of the chorus with that sick guitar solo, and the eeriness of “Dystopia” which is really amplified by the electronic elements. And overall, I think this is a really strong album for the most part, that probably tops every Epica album for me except for The Holographic Principle. I’ll give this a light 7.5/10! Really good stuff!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Aeterna”, “In Love We Rust”, “The Weight of My World”, “Dystopia”
Least Favourite Track: “R.E.D.”

Passage Du Desir by Johnny Blue Skies:

So, I’ve never really listened through Sturgill Simpson’s discography. I’ve heard a little bit of his music but that’s about it. But now he’s released this new album under a new name, and as someone who’s gotten into country music a lot more in the past few years, I was quite intrigued to hear this …

And I ended up really liking this! Sure, it’s not the most experimental or complicated country album as far as I can tell; it seems to mostly just be a bunch of country songs with a very classic style of writing, with the storytelling and almost a bit of a campfire song vibe, especially in a song like “Who I Am” … although it doesn’t go too far into campfire territory that it becomes a chore to get through.

And sometimes this album borders on indie rock, especially a song like “Right Kind of Dream”, with that prompting bassline and those pianos and strings which kind of remind me of early Arcade Fire. And there’s also the borderline psychedelic rock outro of the closing track which reminds me of Pink Floyd!

And he pulls off the classic country song quite well, too, like “If The Sun Never Rises Again” or “Scooter Blues” with really good melodies, descriptive lyrics, and vocals that really fit the production well!

I don’t think there’s much of a lyrical arc throughout this album, aside from the fact that there seem to be a lot of references to him performing under a new name, which makes me wonder if he’s going to release more albums as Johnny Blue Skies. But I do still really like a lot of the lyrics here, especially in “Jupiter’s Faerie” in which he tries to reach out to an old friend only to realize said friend has passed away, and it’s a devastating track. And I like how the album ends, with the narrator realizing he needs to move on from a relationship and he’s the one to blame for it not working out, and he just needs a fresh start and to make some improvements to himself.

Now, I will mention that I don’t think “Mint Tea” really works much for me. I mean, it’s a decent enough song, and it was interesting to hear a possible Taylor Swift reference in a country song—I mean, she was originally a country artist—but it kind of throws off the pacing of the album and it doesn’t have the best melodies.

But I do still really like this album a lot! There are some nice, chill tracks and also some long emotional tracks such as “Jupiter’s Faerie” and “One For The Road”, and the production is really nice and crisp. And while, again, I don’t think this is breaking boundaries for the genre or anything like that, I am a sucker for some good country jams, and this fits that bill for me! 8/10, great album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “If The Sun Never Rises Again”, “Scooter Blues”, “Jupiter’s Faerie”, “Right Kind of Dream”, “One For The Road”
Least Favourite Track: “Mint Tea”

your perfect hands and my repeated words by Sadness:

Sadness is the solo project of Damián Antón Ojeda, and while I don’t think I’ve ever listened to a full Sadness album, I’ve definitely seen a lot of the critical acclaim online, including for this album, one of two that Sadness put out this year (I haven’t heard the other one yet). So, I was quite curious to hear this album, even though I saw it described as shoegaze, which typically isn’t a genre I’m a huge fan of.

But I gave this a few listens, and … well, again, this style of music isn’t always my cup of tea, and thus to really click for me it’s typically gotta do a lot of things extremely well. And I’ll admit there’s a lot that I really like about this album.

I like the lyrics full of desire even though they feel a little bit sappy at points in a way which makes it a little harder to take seriously, and I feel pretty bad saying that because there seems to be a lot of genuine emotion in this. But still, when the atmosphere is so gorgeous in moments like “lowsun bridge”, it’s kind of hard for me to complain about that sappiness I mentioned.

But there are also moments where everything feels all washed out and overly dreamy, most notably in “spring flashes”, which is probably my least favourite track here.

Still, though, overall I thought this was a pretty strong album. Definitely nowhere near my favourite albums of the year or anything, and I wouldn’t even say it’s close to great, but I will give it a light 7/10, mostly because I can sort of understand why this might work for its audience, and there are some good moments here and there.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “pink clouds”, “lowsun bridge”
Least Favourite Track: “spring flashes”

Sunday Sadness by Amy Shark:

This is Amy Shark’s third studio album, and after listening to her first two recently (albeit not reading along with the lyrics, just listening in the background), I’m not really sure her music is for me.

And this album isn’t really doing a whole lot for me, either. The songs here just don’t really feel all that memorable, often feeling like they blend in with a lot of other albums in a similar style, with the acoustic guitars and melodic hooks which don’t really stand out to me, and the sort of percussion you’d often hear on an adult contemporary radio station.

I do think the production is mostly good here, even though some tracks like “Babe” have a really weird texture from the vocals and instrumentation not blending well at all, and that particular track has very underpowered drums. But still, I generally think the percussion sounds pretty good in the mix on most of this album, and the acoustic guitar timbres are pretty nice … even though, again, the compositions don’t really grab my attention much.

And there are a few decent hooks here, such as “It’s Nice to Feel This Way Again” with the kind of bouncy instrumental and what I think is really good vocal production, and “Beautiful Eyes” has a nice melody in the chorus.

And I quite like “My Only Friend”, which has some nice guitar and probably the most memorable hook on the album. I mean, I wish the instrumentation built a little bit more, but it’s still probably the closest thing this album has to a great song. On a side note, this is now the third Amy Shark album in a row to feature a blink-182 member, and it’s been a different member each time. Something tells me she’s a blink-182 fan.

Anyway, I think the album ends pretty well with one of her best vocal performances here on “Our Time Together”, and I especially like the outro with only vocals. But again, I just don’t think the album as a whole is all that memorable or interesting.

So, yeah, overall this is going to get a 6/10 from me. I mean, this sort of folk/adult contemporary/indie pop sound isn’t typically one that I really love, at least not if the melodies don’t stand out much to me, and in this case they don’t. But maybe you’ll like this more.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “It’s Nice to Feel This Way Again”, “Beautiful Eyes”, “My Only Friend”, “Our Time Together”
Least Favourite Track: “Babe”