Hello, everyone, and welcome to another individual album review! And it’s a long overdue review of one of the most anticipated albums of the year worldwide, the eleventh studio album from Taylor Swift, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.

I’m going to begin this review with a bit of a bold statement that’s going to be very misleading, and may invoke exasperation at this platitude which almost patently is mostly ultracrepidarian—possibly the straw that broke the camel’s back. But I hope you hear me out on this one: I don’t really get why Taylor Swift is as popular as she is.

Oh yes, here we go again, yet another clueless ‘expert’ is here to ruin the party, right? And I don’t mean to overreact at something that, realistically, isn’t that big a deal, but I think it’s no secret that there are a lot of people who only know a few Taylor Swift songs and claim that all her music is the same, despite not having even listened to a Taylor Swift album before.

That’s not the case with me. Yes, I’m a bit of a pseudo-intellectual myself—‘a bit’ might even be an understatement—but I had already listened to every Taylor Swift studio album multiple times each (some of them quite a lot) even before very recently when I decided to relisten to each of them once all the way through in preparation for this review.

And not that this makes my opinion any more ‘valid’, but going back to my ‘thesis statement’ (I don’t know what else to call it) and my labelling of it as ‘misleading’ … well, I should mention that I myself am a Taylor Swift fan.

I’m not a superfan by any means—I think she’s got a very inconsistent discography, it’s felt like on many occasions she hasn’t come close to fulfilling her potential as an artist, and I wouldn’t say she’s made an album that’s really knocked my socks off—but not only is there an emotional appeal for me in specific songs, but she’s made some serious bops and bangers as well; “Welcome To New York”, “State of Grace”, “Red”, the list goes on.

So, what did I mean when I said I don’t really get why she’s as popular as she is? Well, it’s pretty simple, and at the same time it’s not. I meant what I said with that statement, and even though I personally am a fan, it doesn’t mean I fully get why she’s one of the most beloved artists in the world right now. Part of that is that if I’m being totally honest, with all the music that’s out there, I can’t help but wonder why an artist whose discography I personally find ‘pretty good for the most part’ is getting all the attention that so many other artists who I think are much better could be getting instead. And I’m not necessarily saying it’s wrong—I mean, music is subjective at the end of the day—but it does feel a little baffling to me. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, and I’m not trying to call anyone a fake fan, but there is a part of me that can’t help but wonder what percentage of her fanbase is just jumping on the bandwagon, and if it is a large percentage (which it may or may not be) then how much of it is subconscious?

And if I keep going down that rabbit hole we get into a very complicated conversation about accidental bias and a bunch of other stuff which this review isn’t really about. So, why am I bringing all this up as a Taylor Swift fan myself?

Well, the other big thing I wanted to talk about on the topic of me not fully getting why she’s so popular is that emotional appeal I talked about. Because there’s a certain sense of isolation and the self-reflection that comes from that, realizing how much of it falls on you, and while it’s kind of an underlying theme throughout her discography, it’s especially present on my favourite Taylor Swift album, folklore. I mean, it’s hard to fully explain because I feel like unless you have to deal with those same emotions that I do of feeling like a fuck-up when the parts of yourself you like the least get the best of you, you just won’t get it … but it explains a big part of the reason her music appeals to me at all. I’m not proud to say it, but it’s true. Case in point, that’s why “Anti-Hero” was among my favourite hit songs of last year, even though Midnights as an album didn’t really do a whole lot for me.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, folklore has a lot of good writing, I think the production fits with the lyrics really well, and it showed a lot of ambition with the way a lot of the subtleties connect together … but at the same time it’s a very long, messy album in which I don’t think the sequencing is all that good, and the main reason I like it as much as I do is because the best songs are absolutely incredible—I’m mostly talking about “mirrorball”, “this is me trying”, and “epiphany”. But again, it feels like my feelings on those songs might say as much about me as it does about the songs themselves, because of that emotional appeal I was talking about.

For the past few months I’ve been sort of semi writing the intro to this review in my head, even before the album came out, and I was trying to find the right way to describe the reason certain Taylor Swift songs hit so hard for me, and then I heard something that really stood out to me. Around the time this album came out, I was talking to a friend of mine about Taylor Swift, and while I don’t remember word for word exactly what my friend said, it was something like, ‘There are certain songs of hers that it feels like were written specifically for me.’ And when I thought about it that way, I realized how much I relate to that—looking at you, “this is me trying”.

Now, before I talk about this new album, I want to just make it clear that this review is only about the standard edition of the album. I haven’t heard The Anthology yet, although I do plan to probably write about it once I’ve heard it. But I just wanted to get through this review first.

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten all that out of the way and established my status as somewhat of a Taylor Swift fan, I want to talk about my expectations for this album, which were … well, I was excited, but I would also say cautiously optimistic. Like a lot of critics, I wasn’t a huge fan of Midnights (although it has grown on me a little bit since I reviewed it in 2022), and I do find her discography pretty inconsistent overall. My favourite albums of hers are folklore and Red, and if I had to pick a third favourite it might actually be her debut—it’s an unpopular pick, but I think it’s a really damn good country album with some serious bangers on it! But you never really know what you’re getting with a new Taylor Swift album, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to have much of an idea of what to expect until I started seeing descriptions and ratings online.

And that’s when my expectations were significantly lowered, partially because of the genre descriptions being similar to those of Midnights and because this one also features production from Jack Antonoff. As I said in my review of Bleachers’ self-titled album from this year, whether or not I like Jack’s production often depends on the style of the music. And I didn’t really think it worked on Midnights, which didn’t have me super excited about THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. But the other big reason my expectations were lower is the ratings—this album was not getting a very positive reception, and while I heard a few people say they really liked it—one of my friends even called it a masterpiece—the vast majority of the opinions I’ve seen on this album have been quite negative. So, while I had some hope, I really didn’t think I was going to end up liking this album. So, ten or so listens later, was I right?

Well, this is a very complicated album, and a difficult one to discuss. I mean, usually Taylor Swift albums are the kind of album that I have a lot to say about, and that’s no different here. But of any album in Taylor Swift’s discography, this might be the most precise showcase of who she is as an artist …

And possibly as a person as well, although that’s where I want to be careful here, because there are reasons I usually avoid talking about artists’ personal lives in my reviews. A big part of the reason why I am usually in favour of ‘separating the art from the artist’ is because in a lot of cases people don’t know as much about the people whose music they’re reviewing as they like to think they do. Of course there are certain circumstances where someone does something so bad that I can’t look past, but the vast majority of celebrities I just can’t really give much of an opinion on as people, because I’ve never met them and haven’t even read much about them.

So, when it comes to Taylor Swift … I mean, I’ve heard both good and bad things about her as a person, and as much as I would like to just avoid talking about her personal life in this review, it might be kind of hard to do that. I mean, a lot of this album is clearly about her brief relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, and while I don’t know a ton about Matty Healy he doesn’t seem like the most likeable guy based on what I do know about him, and he definitely has a pattern of being problematic. And while I can mostly listen to this album as its own thing, there are moments where it’s hard to separate it from the real life circumstances—case in point, “But Daddy I Love Him”. I mean, the context of it almost certainly being about Matty makes it really hard to hear in the same way as it otherwise would be.

And honestly, I can’t confidently share my opinion on Taylor Swift as a person. It’s pretty clear that there are good and bad things about her as a person—I think that can be said about anyone. If I had to guess, she seems like a good person who is also flawed. But again, when I don’t know her personally, it’s hard for me to really know if she’s a wonderful person or if she’s a total douchebag—I mean, I’d guess probably the former, but considering the way that she writes, I’d believe either.

But that’s not really what this review is about. The majority of this album I can listen to without the asterisk of ‘but this is Taylor Swift writing this.’

Actually, that’s not entirely true. I can separate most of it from the fact that it was written by Taylor Swift the person, but I have a harder time separating it from the fact it was written by Taylor Swift the artist. I’ll have more to say on that later.

And I think it’s easy to forget when listening to this that this is one of the most famous celebrities in the world. I mean, that can be said about pretty much any Taylor Swift album, and yet they often feel very relatable to me at the same time, and I’m not even a fraction of how famous Taylor is.

Because again, going back to what I said earlier, there’s a certain emotional core to Taylor Swift’s music that can feel like it was written for a very specific audience—an audience which I am a part of—and it’s why, despite all the negative reviews it’s gotten, I don’t dislike THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. And I think it’s a lot better than many critics are giving it credit for.

Now I will immediately follow that up by saying that I don’t think this is one of her best albums, and I think it suffers from a lot of the same problems that Midnights does. But the more I listen to Midnights, the more I realize it wasn’t the ideas behind the album that didn’t work for me, it was the execution. Because while there’s a lot about the subject matter that I don’t relate to at all … that emotional core is still there, and it feels like the album really should be right up my alley—it’s just that the production doesn’t flatter the album at all and for every lyric that really works for me it feels like there’s another one that throws off the vibe significantly.

And I hate to say it, but that’s once again the case with THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, and I think the biggest example of a song which had missed potential is none other than the title track, the second song on this album. I mean, I can understand why someone might hear this and think, ‘Missed potential? WHERE’S THE POTENTIAL?’ I mean, yes, there’s absolutely flaws in this track which hold me back from liking it a lot more. The percussion is clunky, the synths feel too bombastic to fit with the melancholic vibe; that is when they’re not just creeping into the bridge like a spider in the bathroom—I say that as an arachnophobe—and don’t even get me started on some of the lyrics, such as, ‘You left your typewriter at my apartment, straight from the tortured poets department. I think some things I never say, like ‘who uses typewriters anyway?’’ I mean, Arkells pulled this off in “Leather Jacket” a decade ago with the narrator trying to convince an alcohol addict to get help, and the narrator’s hilarious, unique way of trying not to hold any punches is a huge part of the appeal of that song! The typewriters line here feels throwaway and faux-deep. And I could also mention the cringiness of her saying ‘no-fucking-body’ on the post-chorus, or the line, ‘You take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on’—eyeroll—or, ‘You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate, we declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.’ If you think this song is straight-up trash, I get it …

And yet I’m left with a similar feeling I get with songs from Midnights like “Question…?” and “Snow On The Beach”, where there are ideas that, in a different context, could lead to songs that really resonate for me, but the execution feels like a huge misstep. And yet I think I like “The Tortured Poets Department” more than either of those songs. I don’t love this song by any means, but something about the messiness of everything described here with the toxic relationship in which both partners are overdependent really makes me wish the execution had been better here. I don’t relate to the lyrics in this song, but there’s enough elements about it that I really like to make it feel like I’ve been pulled into the story, and there are some details I really like—for example, I like how she refers to them as ‘modern idiots’, which I’ll admit has more magic to it than it probably should over a pretty basic vi-V-I-IV chord progression. Honestly, the end of the chorus alone is pretty much enough to somewhat save this song for me, but even some of the elements of this that I don’t like kind of do serve their purpose. Considering the main idea of the song, the messiness of the execution makes sense … I just wish some of it felt a little less forced.

On a bit of a similar topic, there’s “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”, which has a nice fragment of a vocal melody, although the emphasis is on the word ‘fragment’. Because it feels like this could have been a really striking moment near the end of the album, especially considering the lyrics and the endless roasts that Taylor sends toward an ex, probably Matty Healy … and yet I don’t think the execution leads to a very good song, in fact this is definitely one of the weakest tracks here in my opinion. That ‘fragment of a vocal melody’ ends up as the main melody of the song, lasting for two entire verses without much of a variation in the chorus, all over one of the most boring instrumentals on the album and a sort of beeping synth in the background which kills the melancholic vibe big time … and then there’s the bridge in which all hell breaks loose and the song becomes a full-on roast, in a way that reminds me a lot of the title track from Billie Eilish’s 2021 album Happier Than Ever, and that’s also a song which I’m not really a big fan of with the overblown production at the end. In both cases, the ‘payoff’ isn’t really much of a payoff if you ask me.

And don’t get me wrong, there are some lines I like in “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”, such as ‘you crashed my party and your rental car,’ and ‘you kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing.’ But it does feel a little awkward how this whole song is criticizing him for being ‘the smallest man who ever lived’ … I mean, it’s clearly metaphorical, but was there not a better choice of wording?

But I will say this about that song: it makes “But Daddy I Love Him” seem a little less awkward in the context of the album. And again, I don’t know a ton about Matty Healy, and I really don’t want to make this review about Taylor’s personal life, but it’s hard to separate this song from real life circumstances. And I feel conflicted on this song’s message, because on the one hand she has a point—there are a lot of people who will pretend to know what’s best for her, most of whom she doesn’t even know. On the other hand, the people who criticized her also have a point, and while she should be allowed to date who she wants to (as long as they want to date her, of course), considering the notably problematic things about Matty Healy which were going on before the start of their relationship, it definitely raises an eyebrow. And if the whole point of the song is about people telling her what to do as if they know what’s best for her, then what was that ‘soliloquies’ line in the chorus about? This song feels in a lot of ways like an unnecessary deflection, but at the same time I think she makes some good points here, thus why I feel so conflicted on it.

But this just feels like one part of a much longer conversation about the way real life circumstances might impact the art itself, because like I said earlier, it’s easy to forget that this is an album by one of the most famous celebrities in the world. And as ‘relatable’ as a lot of her music may seem, there is still that lingering truth that very few people can relate to being as famous as Taylor is, and that context will likely change the way a lot of people experience the album—and I think it does for me as well, at least it certainly affects the ways I’m going to analyze the album.

Look at a song like “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”. It’s easy to see this as just another song about putting on a fake smile while you’re secretly feeling miserable, and while that’s a very real struggle that I don’t mean to discount, it’s also a very generic song topic … and also one that’s relatable, and it’s going to resonate with a lot of people. But at the same time, does it make it harder to ‘relate’ to this song when you think about Taylor putting on that fake smile in front of millions of people? And I can’t answer that question for you—it really will depend on the listener. But it’s at least something to think about.

And again, it’s a gnawing connotation which persists throughout pretty much the entire album, and it feels hard to talk about the album without acknowledging it. Part of me feels like I understand the sort of guilt she sings about in “Guilty as Sin?”, where you wonder what everyone would think of you if they knew everything about you … and yet, that’s got to feel a hell of a lot different when the random strangers all over the place actually have an opinion about you and you know they do.

But it’s worth noting that I very well could be overthinking all of this. Obviously I can’t fully relate to Taylor Swift, and the fame has a lot to do with that, but can two people ever fully relate to each other? You can never know what it’s really like to be in anyone else’s shoes.

And when you have as much power as Taylor Swift, as someone who millions of people look up to, a lot of whom seem to view you as some sort of goddess, most mistakes you make are probably going to feel a lot bigger than they otherwise would. I mean, there’s no doubt that Taylor Swift is a flawed human, but aren’t we all?

And again, I don’t know enough about Taylor Swift to really have a strong opinion on her as a person. I mean, she’s done some awesome things, but she’s also flawed. And I’m not here to talk about what her intentions are, or whether the positives or negatives outweigh the other, or anything like that. But I will say this: she doesn’t really seem to care what the public thinks about her on this album. Actually, that’s not true—she clearly cares—but she’s not letting that stop her from admitting things that a lot of people don’t want to admit.

I think the reason I really like the ‘modern idiots’ line in the title track is because I think she’s taking the piss out of the notion that she is that goddess many people make her out to be. I think she’s made it pretty clear that she has a ton of appreciation for her fans, and I think she means it, but she realizes that it’s kind of ridiculous just how many people think she can do absolutely no wrong. And not only that, but it’s got to feel really strange being thought of as a genius by millions of people around the world. Again, while I think she’s a very good artist, I don’t consider Taylor Swift an exceptionally great artist … and it seems like she probably agrees.

And not all of this is totally new. I mean, in “Anti-Hero”, my favourite song from Midnights, it feels like she had a lot she wanted to get off her chest for the public to hear, pushing past the fear of what it would do to her public image. I don’t think there’s any doubt that she cares what the public thinks of her, but it seems like she doesn’t want that to stop her from being authentic, and I have to respect that. I think a lot of people, including myself, have misunderstood arguably her most famous song “Shake It Off” for years—never in that song does she deny caring what people think of her, she’s just going to ‘shake it off’, even if it really stings.

And thus, the song on this album that I probably find the most difficult to pin down is “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” One of the first two major observations I made about this song was that it sounds very reputation esque, not only because of the tension in the chords, melodies and instrumentation, and the way the production tries to sound really huge and dramatic, but also because she’s playing into the villain arc. The other of those observations was how oddly reminiscent this feels of Radiohead’s “How to Disappear Completely”. And I say ‘oddly’ because that song is completely different from this one, and I can’t tell if I’m totally overthinking this or not, but when she mentions ‘levitating down your street’, potentially trying to find some sort of escape by changing her own view of herself, that does kind of ring a bell. And this is now the second Taylor Swift review in a row in which I’ve made a comparison to a song from Kid A, and both of them are very possibly a huge stretch.

But anyway, the ‘villain arc’ of reputation felt more like a way of calling out people who she genuinely thought were in the wrong, and who probably were in the wrong. Whereas in this song I genuinely can’t tell what she’s trying to do. She very well could be doing the same thing here, but I also can’t help but wonder if she’s trying to genuinely paint herself as being less likeable than she wants to be. In fact, there’s a very good chance she’s doing both. She even says in the chorus, ‘I was tame, I was gentle ‘til the circus life made me mean.’ And in the bridge she holds no punches, with some of the most crucial lines of the album, such as, ‘So tell me everything is not about me, but what if it is? They say they didn’t do it to hurt me, but what if they did?’ That just brings up so many more questions.

And then there’s “Fortnight”, which is … certainly an interesting way to open the album. I kind of feel like the only person who was not at all surprised when I found out Post Malone was featured on this album—honestly, it’s felt like only a matter of time before these two would collaborate, as there are some notable similarities in their autobiographical writing style and the way they portray themselves as being difficult to put up with in their music.

And this is one of the few songs here I actually find it pretty easy to separate from real life circumstances, as the storytelling is so open to interpretation that it feels like a fictional story inspired by real experiences.

But anyway, I can’t help but think the second big name attached to “Fortnight” is the main reason it was the lead single, because it’s certainly not the song here that sounds most like a radio hit. And again, it’s a strange way to open the album, and it’s the kind of song I could see a lot of people having very mixed opinions on. I mean, she doesn’t hold any punches here, despite the fact that the framing doesn’t even necessarily portray the ex in the song as being in the wrong. I mean, it’s hard to tell, but is the husband described in the second chorus actually the ex, and the cheating is the reason they’re no longer together? Considering the use of the ‘you’ pronoun throughout the song, I don’t think so. And the narrator here seems very clingy and not super respectful of her ex’s feelings … and yet I think this song works, mostly because it feels like a bunch of thoughts going through her mind, and the desire to take her own problems out on others even though she knows it’s wrong. And if it’s only in her mind, why should she feel guilty as sin?

But sometimes it can still be really hard to admit what you’re feeling out of fear that people are going to think less of you, and again, I think she’s pushing past that fear. I don’t know how much of this album is actually about her real feelings and experiences—probably a lot of it, although I’m not totally sure—but some of the things she says on this album really make you think about her in a different light, and that can be said about her last few albums as well. I mean, maybe that’s really the point of “But Daddy I Love Him”—maybe she just wants to be honest and share how she really feels, even if she knows it might be kind of fucked up. She even says in that song, ‘I know he’s crazy but he’s the one I want.’ And that very much seems to be a feeling she only had in the past based on the things she says later on in the album, but it still feels very honest.

She even straight up says in “Fortnight” that she wants to kill not only her cheating husband, but also her ex’s new wife. And while I’m very confident she doesn’t mean it literally, there’s nothing in the song that actually implies that. It’s not a murder story, it’s a fantasy.

And I really like the way this album ends lyrically, even though I don’t love “Clara Bow” as a song. The vocal melodies feel like they could use more variation, the vocal production feels very distant from the instrumental, and the watery bass feels distracting and takes away from the immediacy of the lyrics … but speaking of the lyrics, I really like how the album ends with Taylor still being in disbelief at how famous she’s become, remembering when she thought about how unlikely that would be. And she questions how people are going to remember her—will she go down as an icon or be remembered as infamous? Thematically it kind of reminds me of “The Lucky One” from Red, and while I think that’s a much better song, in a way this kind of feels like the perfect closing track to this album.

And I kind of feel like I’ve been spending more of this review analyzing the album and what it means more than I have actually shared my personal feelings on the album, and at this point this is probably already the longest individual album review I’ve ever written.

And it also feels like I’ve been mostly praising this album up to this point, and while I do generally like this album, like I said it is an album that feels like it could have been so much better, with a lot of the right ideas being here for it to really click for me, but even though I like this a lot more than seemingly the majority of critics, I don’t love this album, and it’s for similar reasons why I don’t love Midnights. Although compared to Midnights it feels a little harder to pin down what it is that’s holding the album back for me.

I will say this: there are some tracks on this album that just don’t appeal to me at all sonically or lyrically. That’s not necessarily me saying they’re bad, but there aren’t even elements that speak to me in the way that a lot of Taylor Swift songs do. And one of those songs, despite being a fan favourite on this album, is “So Long, London”. And it’s the second time in a row that track five on a Taylor Swift album has mostly fallen flat for me. This song is about her separation from her longtime boyfriend, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful or anything, but while there was probably a lot of emotion that went into this, it really doesn’t shine through in the execution, at least to me. This song has some of the most boring vocal melodies on the album, and the monotonous instrumental sounds straight out of a car commercial, and to me it just doesn’t work at all.

And there’s also “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”, which has some interesting lyrics in which her partner is a piece of work, and she wants to try and fix him (as the title would imply), before coming to the realization that maybe she can’t. But pretty much everything else about the song bores the hell out of me, sounding like what you’d get if you sucked out all the subtle details on any given song from evermore.

“Down Bad” is another song that feels like a total dud to me, with its clunky snare, and that annoying pitch-shifted noise that opens the song and continues in the background. And while I don’t have anything against swearing in music, Taylor does kind of have a bit of a tendency to use swears really awkwardly in her songs, and the ‘fuck it if I can’t have him’ phrasing feels a little forced. And there’s just not much about the instrumental that grabs my attention in a positive way.

And there’s also my least favourite song on the entire album, “Florida!!!”. Look, I get what this song is trying to do, showing the desire for escape from a difficult situation, and wanting to travel somewhere far away from home … but in my opinion, this song isn’t good at all, and is honestly quite bad; probably the only bad song here. I often like a lot of Taylor Swift’s ‘out there’ lyrics, but some lines here feel like she’s trying too hard to be unique while not showing the wittiness which she can pull off really well—for example, ‘And my friends all smell like weed or little babies.’ And the chorus opens with, ‘Little did you know your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in’—yeah, that’s true, everything is impermanent, but it feels like it’s supposed to sound like some huge revelation that’s just been made, and it’s just not. And there’s also those extremely underpowered shots of instrumentation in the chorus, the annoying clicking percussion in the verses, the filthy vocal layering in the bridge, and what is in my opinion an awful Florence Welch verse—I really liked Florence + the Machine’s 2022 album, and I’m curious to listen to more of their music, but this verse really doesn’t work for me; the melody almost sounds randomly generated, the vocal production gives it this really weird vibe which doesn’t work at all with the rest of the song, and the ending of the verse is a massive eyeroll moment for me: ‘So I did my best to lay to rest all of the bodies that have ever been on my body, and in my mind they sink into the swamp. Is that a bad thing to say in a song?’ In the grander scheme of lyrics, I don’t think anyone’s going to bat an eye at that. It’s pretty typical poetry—not good poetry in my personal opinion, but it’s nothing all that shocking or appalling. I can think of way better contexts to ask that question.

And I may have made people mad, because “Florida!!!” also seems to be a fan favourite … but with all that being said, most of these songs at least show some promise and feel like songs that could have really worked for me. And while the production does hold this album back for me at points, I think I like the production here more than on Midnights.

I don’t love “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”, but while I’m not a fan of reputation and this song sounds very reputation esque, the production on this actually goes pretty hard! The chorus isn’t very strong in my opinion in terms of the writing, but that buzzing synth with the crushing snare reminds me of a lot of the production I really liked on 1989.

And “The Alchemy”, with some minor tweaks, could have been legit great in my opinion … and part of it is the sports iconography and this song having some of the best vocals on the whole album, but the production really helps this feel like a brief moment in time, which really works considering the lyrics, celebrating her boyfriend winning the Super Bowl and the magic of that moment! I think the song takes a bit to really get going, and there are some extra sounds which make it sound overly cluttered, but the production itself is really strong!

And there are way less awkwardly scattered synths here than on Midnights, which is also a positive in my opinion.

And while I’m talking about the production, I’d like to mention “Guilty as Sin?”, which seems to be another fan favourite on the album, and I absolutely get why! The mixing on this track is great, and it’s got such a glorious, magical sound to it which sounds unlike any other song of hers I can think of! And that dreamy guitar in the chorus sounds incredible behind the astonishing vocal layering! And even aside from the production, there’s so much else about this song that I really like! It feels like a catharsis from unnecessary guilt, as she realizes there’s not much she can do about her thoughts, and even if there was, why does it even matter that much anyway? And I love how she says ‘there’s no such thing as bad thoughts’ in the second verse, and that’s just one of so many great lines here! And the rhyming and phrasing is all so good, too! And as far as I can tell there’s nothing here that even explains what is so ‘bad’ about the thoughts anyway, which honestly kind of makes me like the song even more, highlighting the stupidity of it all. It’s an absolutely fantastic song, and while I wish the rest of the album had more like this, it doesn’t make this song any less great!

And as much as I’ve talked about a lot of the individual standout lines that don’t really work for me, there are a lot here that I really, really like, and which feel like such Taylor Swift lines! Yes, I used ‘Taylor Swift’ as an adjective. I mean, there’s the line where she calls herself a ‘functioning alcoholic’ at the start of “Fortnight” which really helps set the tone for the song, and I really like the ‘queen of sand castles he destroys’ line in “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”. And there’s also “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” which not only has a great callback to “mirrorball” but also has some really great details, such as, ‘There in her glittering prime, the lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night.’ And the list goes on and on, but I can’t not mention that line in the chorus of “But Daddy I Love Him”; if you know the song, you almost definitely know which one I’m talking about!

And sonically there are a lot of things going for this album as well! There are some really strong choruses here such as in “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”, “But Daddy I Love Him”, “Guilty as Sin?”, and “The Alchemy”. And I already talked a bit about the production, but I didn’t even mention that fantastic vocal production in “Fresh Out The Slammer” which reminds me a lot of folklore, nor did I mention how that deep, distorted synth on “Fortnight” really helps the villainous vibe, or how the sort of bombastic production in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” almost makes the song sound parody-like, and considering how difficult to pin down the lyrics of this song are it actually kind of works to add to the complexity, almost like she’s trying to fool us!

But I think it’s time I approach this review from a different angle. Because again, I often feel like my opinions on Taylor Swift’s music say more about me than the music itself. And yeah, that kind of goes without saying, because everyone has a different experience with music … but this feels different. In really explaining why I like this album comes me admitting things about myself that I kind of don’t want to admit even to myself. And I’m not going to entirely do that here—although I already have somewhat—and I also don’t want to hold it all back … and at this point I kind of feel like I’m just waffling, but in continuing to do so I will now say this: I’m a complicated human, as is Taylor Swift, and so is everyone else.

Now, with that being said, while I’ll never ‘fully’ understand any person, if there’s anyone I’ll ever come closest to ‘fully’ understanding, it’s myself. And there’s a sort of ‘brokenness’ that’s been in Taylor’s music for … honestly, probably many years now, but it’s been especially prevalent on her last few albums, particularly starting with folklore. And honestly, the more I think about it the more I wonder if I really think folklore is her ‘best’ album or not. Obviously there’s no objective answer, but I kind of think Red is. I mean, it’s not as messy, and it’s the kind of album I would expect to appeal to a wider audience—even though it probably didn’t—and it’s probably harder to argue against the production being great on Red. Because while I think folklore is far from a bad album, in fact I think it’s very good—I’ll even call it great—it’s kind of a mess, and that’s kind of why I like it so much; there’s no doubt it’s my personal favourite album of hers regardless of whether or not I think it’s her ‘best’ album. And we’d be here all day if I really tried to explain why that album appeals to me as much as it does, but like I was saying earlier about that emotional core, I think it’s lingered on her last few albums, even Midnights—I just wish I liked the execution more on that album.

But the point is … well, I don’t know what the point is. This review all began with me trying way too hard to look smart by using a bunch of fancy words, and then I started analyzing the meaning of a bunch of the songs, some of which was probably quite accurate but some of which was what you’ll usually find in my reviews where my interpretations are a huge stretch. And now I’ve been trying to tie it all together to end this review, and there’s a good chance none of this is making any sense.

And even if I tried to share everything I’ve been keeping inside me for this review … I’m not even sure I’d do all that good a job of it. Because it feels like something only a small number of people would understand … although considering how big an audience Taylor Swift has, maybe I’m wrong? But either way, I’m not even sure I could fully explain it to myself with words.

But remember I used the word ‘brokenness’ to describe Taylor’s music, and it’s the sort of brokenness that often has a hint of hope, but also can feel devastating, and there’s a certain comfort I find in her best songs which really make me think a lot about myself, and while there are some things about myself that I don’t like, I also do have a lot of self-love, and I recognize that being flawed is part of being human, and I can try and get rid of those flaws. And I know I won’t be 100% successful at that, but that’s also part of being human.

And I think a good way to sum up these last few paragraphs is by quoting one of my favourite songs in Taylor Swift’s entire discography: ‘I’m still a believer, but I don’t know why. I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try. I’m still on that trapeze. I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me.’

But really … am I overthinking all of this? I don’t know, maybe. But overthinking things isn’t always a bad thing in my opinion, and for as clumsy and messy as this review is, it’s honestly one of the reviews I’m most proud of on this website. But at the same time, if you think it’s terribly written and among my worst reviews, I absolutely get it.

And yeah, at the end of the day, music is totally subjective as well. As always, my opinion on this album is my opinion, and you can feel free to disagree with me. But while I am still kind of surprised at how negative the reception of this album has been, I also realize that my perspective on this album is probably going to be totally different from most people’s perspective on it. Obviously there is a lot to this album and it’s a lot to take in, but when you consider everything else I’ve said about the connection I feel to Taylor Swift’s music, that really makes it a difficult album to analyze and review in the same way I would most albums. And if this doesn’t have that emotional core for you, I could see why it might be a total dud of an album.

And it also makes for a really weird album to give a rating to … but I’m going to follow my own rule and give this a rating anyway … how about a 6.5/10? Again, I don’t love this album, but there is somewhat of a connection I feel to it that I can’t help but feel like a lot of people won’t understand.

I mean, she says on this album, ‘Put narcotics into all of my songs, and that’s why you’re still singing along.’ I’m not sure if I should be proud to like her music as much as I do … but I’ve kept singing along anyway. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a tortured poet myself.

And those are my thoughts. I hope you enjoyed reading me trying to articulate the way my messy emotions influence the way I experience art and rambling about a bunch of stuff that I don’t even fully understand.

I hope this review wasn’t too hard to follow. But honestly, I think it may be kind of fitting considering the album this review is about.

But anyway, as always, feel free to let me know your thoughts on the album in the comment section down below. I do still have more individual reviews planned which should be posted pretty soon, and I think I’ll probably make a post about The Anthology. I just wanted to focus on this first, because it’s already so, so much to take in.

And as always, thanks for reading!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Fortnight”, “But Daddy I Love Him”, “Fresh Out The Slammer”, “Guilty as Sin?”, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
Least Favourite Track: “Florida!!!”

Hello, everyone! Welcome to an individual album review—this time it’s the newest Pearl Jam album, Dark Matter.

So, here’s a band I don’t think I’ve ever talked about on this website at all … I don’t even think I’ve mentioned them.

I could be wrong about that, but probably not, especially considering I’d barely even listened to Pearl Jam at all until recently. They’re probably among the most critically acclaimed grunge bands of the 1990s, and yet pretty much every time I heard them on the radio I just didn’t feel any real draw to the music, and a lot of it just blended together for me.

But I decided to listen to their entire discography before this review, and thus after a few listens to their first eleven albums I had a little bit better an idea what to expect from album number twelve.

And unfortunately I can’t say my expectations were super high, because while I found most of their albums tolerable, I also didn’t find them all that memorable or gripping. And maybe if I’d given them more than a few listens each I’d remember the songs more—and I would’ve done that if I had more time—but I don’t think it would really make me like the albums more. I guess I can’t really know that for sure, but I just didn’t find the melodies all that strong, and the production was messy a lot of the time, and the songs just didn’t really stand out to me all that much. I really like the occasional track such as “Alive”, and Lightning Bolt I actually ended up liking as a whole way more than I thought I would—probably the closest thing they have to an album I’d call great, even though I don’t think it quite gets there—but I can’t say I’m much of a Pearl Jam fan.

But anyway, they have a new album out, and I decided to give it a chance. And I’m surprised how much I ended up liking it!

I wouldn’t say I love this album, but it’s got some notable standout tracks for me, and it feels very different from most of their albums based on what I can remember, and probably a lot catchier.

This album opens with “Scared Of Fear”, a pretty fun rock track that feels like a catharsis from self-doubt, as the narrator realizes that other people’s problems are not always your fault. Yeah, sometimes they are—but this feels like someone realizing that they just need to accept the fact that they may not be able to help this person, although that won’t stop them from trying. And I quite like the vocal melodies and guitar distortion on this track, and it’s got a pretty strong chorus, too!

But it’s got nothing on the next song, “React, Respond”, which has to be among Pearl Jam’s best songs to date in my eyes. The chorus of this song is so goddamn infectious with those super punchy snares and awesome vocals! And that guitar solo at the end of the track is the cherry on top! And I really like the lyrics about taking action, with lines like, ‘We could be fighting together, instead of fighting ourselves,’ as well as that aforementioned chorus of ‘Don’t react, respond.’ On a bit of a side note, if I remember correctly I’ve heard this song when watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sportsnet this year, and it really works in that context!

I’m not a huge fan of the next track, “Wreckage”, but I still mostly like it. It’s well produced, and the guitars sound really nice, but there’s just not a lot that makes it stand out to me sonically.

The title track is next on the album, and I understand why someone might find this song to be kind of annoying, with the generic chugging guitar riffs and a sound that feels built for the radio … but I actually really like this one, and I’m not entirely sure why! Maybe it’s just the guitar melodies being really strong, or something in the vocals—but something makes this really click for me, and I can’t quite figure out why!

“Won’t Tell” starts off really strong as the production sounds gorgeous, with that beautiful guitar timbre and the drums which sound great in the mix, but the vocal melodies on this track don’t really do a whole lot for me, and that synth in the background of the chorus feels kind of out of place, or at least I wish it blended in better with the rest of the production. I’m not really sure what the lyrics are about here, but I wonder if it’s about song writing. Overall, I somewhat like this track, but I feel like it could’ve been a lot better.

The next track, “Upper Hand” has an intro that kind of reminds me of U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”, and I feel like I would really like the intro to this track if it didn’t drag on as long as it does. And I also just feel like it doesn’t really build to a super interesting song. I like what seems to be the theme here of how no one experiences your life but yourself, but it just doesn’t feel like there’s much more to it beyond that. Maybe I’m wrong, but either way, I’m just not all that impressed by this song.

I like the lyrics on “Waiting For Stevie” which seem to show someone who is skeptical about what people think of them, with lines such as, ‘You can be loved by everyone, and not feel, not feel love.’ But I’m not really a huge fan of the way this song sounds, with underwhelming vocal melodies and overly tight production which doesn’t let the individual instruments stand out as much as I’d like them to.

“Running” is one of my favourite tracks here, with that awesome bass as a driving force for this anthemic rock song with a great chorus and great production! It’s not one that gives me a ton to say, but it’s a ton of fun to listen to!

“Something Special” is probably my least favourite song here. I don’t dislike this track, but something feels really off-putting about the way Eddie Vedder sings the title of the song, and the drums are clunky and the guitar distortion feels underpowered. This song just has a really wonky vibe to its sound and I don’t really think it works.

I mostly like “Got To Give” and I think it’s really well produced, and then the album ends with the song “Setting Sun” which is another standout for me, with its great melodies and a vibe which really fits with the lyrics describing the end of a relationship, and the percussion on this track sounds excellent!

Overall, this isn’t an album that gives me a ton to say, but I still think it’s a really solid rock album with mostly good production and some good choruses and some lyrics I really like, too!

I don’t think it’s a super consistent album, but it’s got some great moments, and I wouldn’t say there’s a bad song here, even though quite a few of them don’t really stand out to me all that much.

So, for me, Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter is getting a 7/10.

I know this review wasn’t as in-depth as it could have been, but I decided to try not to put too much effort into this review, considering how many other reviews I’ve been working on that I want to post soon, and this album didn’t really give me a ton to say. Honestly, I feel like it may have been better for a mini review, but this review is already written, so I guess it’s getting published as its own review.

As always, though, let me know what you think of this album, and before this post ends I want to give a quick update on what’s coming up soon on this website. I’ve got a bunch of mini reviews coming up, which I will probably post in one huge mini review post (probably 16 albums—I’m at about 10 right now that are ready), and I am also working on at least a few other individual reviews that I’m hoping to post sooner rather than later, including the new albums from Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.

As always, thanks for reading this post, and I’ll be back with more soon!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “React, Respond”, “Dark Matter”, “Running”, “Setting Sun”
Least Favourite Track: “Something Special”

Hello, and welcome back to another mini review post! Yes, I know I just posted one yesterday, but I feel like it’s about time that I finally post a bunch of these mini reviews I’ve been working on for quite some time now.

As always, these are all just my personal feelings on these albums. And now, let’s get to the reviews!

JUGANDO A QUE NO PASA NADA by Grupo Frontera:

This is the second studio album from regional Mexican band, Grupo Frontera, who have gotten quite a bit of popularity in the past few years, with quite a few songs charting on the US Billboard Hot 100. And after listening to their debut album once in preparation for this review (not a really in-depth listen, I just listened to it in the background), I can’t say I was all that wowed.

But I decided to give this album a chance … and it’s okay, I guess … but a lot of it feels really forgettable to me.

As usual with music that’s in Spanish (or any other language that isn’t English), I’m going to mention that while I translated the lyrics online, I’m not sure how accurate the translations are, so the lyrics aren’t as big a factor for me as they otherwise would be, and this review is mostly based on the way this album sounds.

And I think it’s mostly well produced, even though a few elements here and there stick out like a sore thumb, such as what sounds like some reverb in “NO HAY VATO PERFECTO”, and the overpowering snare in “ME HIZO UN FAVOR”. But overall, the guitars have a nice crisp sound to them, and I like a lot of the percussion. And the vocal production fits really nicely over the accordion.

About the lyrics—which, again, I can’t analyze super well—there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to them, but I also don’t think they’re all that bad for the most part. They just don’t really contribute much to the album in my opinion.

I wish the vocal melodies stood out to me more on this album, and that’s a big part of the reason why I can’t really call myself much of a fan of this album despite liking the production. There are some good melodies here and there—I really like the chorus of “POR QUÉ SERÁ”, for example—but the majority of this doesn’t feel super memorable to me.

I will admit that regional Mexican is a genre that I’ve struggled to get into for the most part, so maybe for an audience who likes this style more it might really click, but I just can’t really say this is for me. 5.5/10 for me, but I’d recommend it to fans of regional Mexican music. Otherwise, it’s probably worth giving a shot, but there are probably better entries to the genre, even though I haven’t heard them yet.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “POR QUÉ SERÁ”, “YA PEDO QUIÉN SABE”, “IBIZA”
Least Favourite Track: “NO HAY VATO PERFECTO”

Der böse Geist by NIMBIFER:

NIMBIFER are a black metal duo, and aside from a split album with multiple other acts, this is their first studio album.

And I can’t comment on the lyrics, because I couldn’t find them when I looked them up and I can’t hear what they are—and even if I could, they’re in German, and I don’t speak German. But I do like the way this album sounds.

The drums are crushing, the guitar has a lot of muscle and really helps fill up the mix without it being too overpowering, really giving this a lot more impact. And the bass feels like it just kind of floats in the background in a way that provides some really nice atmosphere, with the exception of “Ruinen” in which it sounds a lot stiffer.

The mixing on this album sounds absolutely excellent to me, with the clangy ride cymbal being the cherry on top. And there are some really strong guitar melodies as well, and great basslines!

And when you put it all together, I think it makes for a really good album … albeit not quite a great one, and I’m having a bit of a hard time figuring out why. But I think part of it is just that feeling that I’ve heard this before. No, obviously I haven’t heard this exact album before, but as hard-hitting as it is, and as much as I like a lot of the small details here in the mixing and the overall sound quality of the album, I can’t help but feel like it blends in with a lot of other black metal for me. And I really like black metal, but I usually prefer the more experimental side of the genre.

And maybe I’m missing something and there’s more to this than I thought there was, but I just can’t say it really did a whole lot for me. I do like the inclusion of the mellower interlude track “-”, and I think it’s pretty consistently good … just not all that standout to me personally.

Maybe I just need to listen to it at another time of year, or in a different context, and maybe it’ll click for me more. It is an album that feels like it might have more replay value for me than you’d think based on what I’ve been saying in this review, but as of right now I don’t think I can give this a higher rating than a 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Der Wind”, “-”, “Auf endlosen Pfaden und haltlosen”, “Der böse Geist”
Least Favourite Track: “Ruinen”

Focus by Betesk:

I feel like it’s been a little while since I’ve reviewed a ‘sound collage’ album, and they’re usually pretty quick and easy to review, so I decided to check out this album from a very obscure artist, and make a mini review of it.

And I’m not usually a huge fan of ‘sound collage’ albums anyway, so I can’t say my expectations were super high … but I thought I was going to like this more than I do.

This is a pretty short album, running for only twenty minutes, and yet even after a few short tracks I’m already starting to get tired of it. It kind of feels like the sort of thing you might hear at a Disney theme park, and I kind of get the appeal of it. It’s definitely got some interesting experimentation, such as the repetition of “Sorry I” even though I personally don’t really like it. It’s quite an eerie listen, and unfortunately it mostly just sounds like noise to me.

And I get that that’s probably the point. I mean, it is a sound collage, and I don’t think it was intended to appeal to the widest possible audience. And that’s why I would recommend this album despite the fact that I personally don’t really like it.

But I really struggled to get into this one—honestly, I failed to get into it. This kind of abstract art is very open to interpretation, and it’s hard to analyze all that well, but sometimes I can pick up more meaning, even if it’s just my own interpretation that is almost definitely wrong. But in this case, I’m not really piecing anything together.

With all this being said, there’s enough experimentation here and ideas that at least somewhat intrigue me that I’m curious to hear more. Betesk put out two other albums this year, and I think I might actually review them, considering how short they are.

I often feel bad giving negative reviews to smaller artists, but I hope my review will still inspire people to check out this album even though I personally don’t like the album. I’m going to give this album a 4/10, but again, it’s interesting enough that I think it could really click for the right audience. And the only way to find out if you’re the right audience is to listen to it for yourself.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 4/10
Favourite Tracks: “Go Time”, “Riddles”
Least Favourite Tracks: “Sorry I”, “Focusing”, “Seeing Stars”, “Icy Icy”

Cold Visions by Bladee:

So, despite all the critical acclaim Bladee has received over the years, I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with his discography. However, I did review his collaborative album with Yung Lean from this year, and I really liked it, so I was excited to hear this after seeing it getting a ton of critical acclaim! This has got to be one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2024 so far!

And there are some moments here that I really like, such as “ONLY GOD IS MADE PERFECT” which has some great flows which fit well with the glitchy production, and the frustration of the lyrics paired with the punchy percussion on “DONT WANNA HANG OUT”, and “I DONT LIKE PEOPLE (WHITEARMOR INTERLUDE)” is a really solid interlude even though the following song is kind of underwhelming. And there’s also the eerie synths on “DONT DO DRUGZ” with the lyrics warning the listener about the dangers of drugs, and “RIVER FLOWS IN YOU” with its awesome synths, the existential crisis of “FALSE”, and I love the repetitive instrumental of “CANT END ON A LOSS (OUTRO)”, and considering the title I think it would have made a lot of sense if it had been the closing track. That’s not to say the closing track here is bad, but it’s not a huge standout to me.

Anyway, the majority of this just doesn’t do much for me. Some of it is mildly pleasant, and there are a few duds—funnily enough, despite me really liking that collaborative album with Yung Lean, his contributions on this album don’t really do much for me and he’s on a few of my least favourite tracks here.

But overall, I guess I enjoyed this, at least somewhat. I’m going to give it a 6/10, as I don’t think it’s very consistent, and it’s over an hour long, but there are some really strong standouts, and I’d say there are probably more hits than full-on misses.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “ONLY GOD IS MADE PERFECT”, “DONT WANNA HANG OUT”, “I DONT LIKE PEOPLE (WHITEARMOR INTERLUDE)”, “DONT DO DRUGZ”, “RIVER FLOWS IN YOU”, “FALSE”, “CANT END ON A LOSS (OUTRO)”
Least Favourite Tracks: “ONE SECOND”, “TERRIBLE EXCELLENCE”, “FLEXING & FINESSING”

CURE by ERRA:

ERRA are an American melodic metalcore band who have been releasing albums for over a decade now. This is their sixth studio album to date, and probably their least critically acclaimed as well.

Now, with that being said, after listening to their other albums a little bit, while I maybe didn’t give them enough time and attention, so far I can’t say I’m all that wowed by their first four. A lot of it just felt like it lacked identity, although I very well could be missing something in the lyrics, and maybe if I listen to those albums more I might change my mind.

And their self-titled album from 2021, which is the last album they’d released before this one, is the one album of theirs I was pretty familiar with even before listening to it recently. And while I’m not crazy about that album as a whole, there are some really strong highlights on it like “Shadow Autonomous”, “Vanish Canvas”, and “Electric Twilight”. And thus I was quite excited to listen to this new album of theirs …

And I don’t like it as much, but I still think it’s some pretty solid melodic metalcore for the most part. I mean, Jesse Cash’s clean vocals and JT Cavey’s unclean vocals both sound really good, even though I sometimes find the contrast a little unimpactful. And I like a lot of the tension of the instrumentals, such as the synths in the background of “Slow Sour Bleed”, the lively bass in “Cure”, and the simple-yet-effective drum rhythm in “Past Life Persona”.

And lyrically there’s a lot of intriguing imagery that doesn’t fully paint a clear picture, and that’s something that carries over from their self-titled album and I think it mostly works … although I think that album maybe gave a little more detail than this one, and I think I preferred that. But I do still find a lot of this fascinating, such as the extremely high value the narrator gives hope on the opening track “Cure” without much regard to the present, and whether or not it’s the healthy decision isn’t really clear—I mean, it really makes you think. And there’s also “End to Excess” which feels like a really well-painted revenge fantasy after a breakup—probably in which the other person is totally innocent, and I don’t think it would work as well otherwise. Because it shows that sometimes it’s best to just think about what you want to think about as long as it doesn’t harm anyone. And “Pale Iris” feels like a song about seeking validation, and how in some cases it can send people into spirals they don’t really want to be in, even though it’s totally human to want validation—I really like the line, ‘I find the lie that leaves me ruined.’

But where I think this is held back for me the most is the production, especially with the kick drum, which feels way too loud in the mix. I guess it’s not as much the overall timbres and the way they collide as it is the mixing, especially with the way the vocals can feel underemphasized in the mix.

But sometimes this ends up having a much more watery vibe than I would have liked, such as in “Pale Iris” and parts of “Glimpse”, and “Idle Wild” has this really greasy vibe to the production with the way the underpowered guitar feels totally splattered on top of the bass in the chorus, which gives this a very hollow sound which doesn’t give it any punch at all.

The biggest highlight on this album for me has got to be “Past Life Persona”. It instantly got me hooked with those crushing guitars, and also being one of the few songs here where the kick drum doesn’t totally overpower the mix. And I like how it seems to represent someone entering a new chapter in their life and becoming a new version of themselves, with the glory of the music supporting that super well!

And I also really like the crushing intensity of “Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven” with its relentless instrumental and fierce screams which create one of the best songs here in my opinion!

So, overall, there is a lot about this album that I really like, enough for me to give this a 7/10, but I do wish the production sounded a little tighter. I know it might be a nitpick, but if I’m being honest, I just wish I liked this more than I do.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Cure”, “Past Life Persona”, “Crawl Backwards Out of Heaven”, “Wave”
Least Favourite Track: “Idle Wild”

Nonetheless by Pet Shop Boys:

So, this is my first time listening to an album by Pet Shop Boys, although I’ve heard of them a lot. They’re one of those bands whose discography I want to go through sometime soon, but considering how busy I’ve been with other reviews and how large their discography is, for now I just decided to review this without having heard any of their other albums.

Anyway, this has been getting quite a bit of critical acclaim, although not nearly as much as their work from the 1980s and early 1990s. So, I was curious to hear this, but I didn’t have super high expectations.

And I’m actually really surprised how much I ended up liking this! Not that I had any reason to believe I wouldn’t like it, it’s just that I didn’t really know what to expect, and I think this album is great! As far as I can tell, there’s not a whole lot to it, and it’s mostly just an upbeat album that acknowledges the struggles of life but motivates you to just try and enjoy the ride anyway, despite the challenges.

And I think the music really encapsulates that, with the breezy feeling of so many of the synths throughout this album, and in certain moments I like how the vocals get kind of drowned out, as it feels like it represents something, such as in “A new bohemia” where the ‘new bohemia’ might be within the narrator, potentially self-love, and thus the vocals are kind of ‘hidden’.

And the percussion is really strong on this record, too! I don’t think it’s super snappy or hard-hitting (with some exceptions), but that’s why I think it works so well, as it fits with the delicate vibe of these well-crafted instrumentals with the slightly airy production, potentially representing just how unpredictable and delicate everything is.

And there are so many absolutely glorious moments here, such as the gloominess of “Loneliness” with the slight sense of optimism in the instrumental melodies, the way the busy percussion complements the vocals incredibly well in “Why am I dancing?”, the beautiful arrangement of the layered instrumentation in “A new bohemia”, and much more!

And I really like a lot of the melodies on this album, too! I feel like I often hear music in this style of pop which have a lot of the production and lyrical elements to really click for me but where the melodies just don’t stand out. But this album is very melodic and the melodies stand out a lot in a positive way!

So, overall, I ended up really enjoying this Pet Shop Boys album! It’s about forty-five minutes in length, which I think is about right for this album—it doesn’t feel short, but it doesn’t drag on too long, either—and I love the progression throughout the album as it feels like a journey to find whatever it is you’re looking for most in life, or maybe just to find peace within yourself.

But I also really like how the album ends on a slightly bleaker note with “Love is the law”. And what this represents in the overall arc of the album … well, I think that’s up to you. But I can’t help but feel like there’s more to this album than what appears on the surface, and while there are some specific reasons why this album hits so hard for me due to my own interpretations of this, I think the point might be to find your own meaning in it.

Anyhow, this is an absolutely terrific 80s-esque pop album with so many excellent moments and very few misses, if any. For me this is an 8/10, and I highly recommend it to fans of pop music, or anything that will make you really think.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Loneliness”, “Feel”, “Why am I dancing?”, “A new bohemia”, “The schlager hit parade”, “Bullet for Narcissus”
Least Favourite Track: “The secret of happiness”

Infinite Mortality by Replicant:

This is the third studio album from this death metal band, and while I haven’t heard their first two albums, I was still curious to hear this album, even though I’m not much of a death metal fan. Because this has been getting quite a bit of critical acclaim, and it’s probably their most critically acclaimed album to date.

I couldn’t find the lyrics to this album when I looked them up, and it’s hard to hear what the lyrics are, so lyrics aren’t really going to factor into this review … but I actually really like the way this sounds!

I mean, it’s a death metal album, which almost always—this album included—means it’s not really going to fully click for me as much as I’d like. There’s just not a lot about it that I find all that memorable personally, even though I can respect the effort that clearly went into it, and the impressive instrumentation.

But I do still mostly enjoy this album. It’s got some killer guitar moments, and the snares are super hard-hitting. And while I’m often not a huge fan of this vocal style, it does sound pretty fierce and fitting with the instrumentation. And I really like a lot of the intense drumming here as well!

This album doesn’t give me a whole lot to say—again, it’s a death metal album, and that’s usually going to be the case with albums in this genre—but if you’re a fan of death metal, or even if you’re not, this might be worth giving a shot. I don’t think it’ll have a lot of replay value for me, but add a few more strong melodic moments and maybe a bit more tightness to the production, and this band very well could make an album that really clicks for me! I’m definitely excited to hear more from them!

When it comes to this album, though, I’m gonna give it a 7/10. I’m feeling mostly positive toward it still, it’s just not blowing my mind or anything.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Acid Mirror”, “Reciprocal Abandonment”, “Dwelling on the Threshold”
Least Favourite Track: “SCN9A”

Hi, everyone!

I don’t know why, but for some reason it feels like I haven’t been posting on this site nearly as much recently as I was before … but in reality, this is my third post this month, and it hasn’t even been two weeks since my most recent post, so maybe I’m just imagining it, I don’t know.

Anyway, if this post feels a little rushed, that’s probably because it is. I didn’t go super in-depth on most of these albums, but as always it’s just my own personal feelings on these albums, and I’m not trying to be ‘objective’. And they are mini reviews at the end of the day; the point of them is that they’re brief.

I do have more mini reviews in progress, and hopefully I’ll get them posted sometime in the next week or so, but we’ll see. Anyway, for now, there are ten albums I want to talk about here, starting with …

Light Verse by Iron & Wine:

For the longest time, I thought Iron & Wine was a full band, that is until recently when I saw this album had come out and I happened to see that he’s a solo artist. That is, unless that whole time I was thinking of a different band and I’d never heard of Iron & Wine before, I’m not sure. Maybe I was thinking of April Wine? I’m not sure.

Anyway, Iron & Wine is the stage name of Sam Beam, who has released a lot of albums under this name, including some which have received a lot of critical acclaim. And considering how busy I’ve been with other reviews as well as working pretty close to full time, and also the fact that I have a life outside of music reviews and my job … well, I decided to skip going through the rest of his discography and just start with this album, which seems to be his most critically acclaimed in a while.

And it’s a very mellow album, probably a folk album if I had to pick a genre, and it’s the kind of album that makes me curious to hear more in his discography, because this style of music often does really work for me … but I don’t like the execution here all that much.

I like some of the storytelling and detailed lyrics, such as the opener which has some good descriptiveness to describe examples of how we really never know what the future is going to look like, even if we think we have it all figured out. And I like how that’s kind of echoed a few songs later on “Taken by Surprise”, with the line ‘I don’t get taken by surprise anymore’ being repeated throughout the song. And there’s also the sanguinity of “Bag of Cats” which I really like, with the way it tries not to take everything too seriously, while still acknowledging how special life is.

And even though I don’t find the melodies all that catchy, and it’s not at all flashy in the compositions or song writing, that can work if there are enough subtle details that I really like … but in this case, a lot of it just feels kind of hollow, and I think the biggest aspect where this goes awry for me is the production.

And it’s not like I think the production is all that bad or anything, but it’s definitely far from something that would really click for me. Even putting aside the very palpable slovenliness of “Sweet Talk”, there are a lot of moments here which feel like certain instruments could use more charm. And there’s also the fact that a lot of the time the bass just doesn’t feel like it fits at all with the production, either adding to the overall clunkiness or just sort of feeling like a non-presence.

And in some moments it feels like there’s a lot of potential that doesn’t totally feel lived up to, like “Tears that Don’t Matter” with its huge-sounding strings and a kick drum that feels pretty much perfectly placed in the mix, but the snares just don’t have the punch to them that I really wish they did.

And then there’s also “All in Good Time”, a collab with Fiona Apple which I really wish I liked more than I do, but the production gives this a very oily sound that distracts from a vocal duet that I really like. I don’t think it’s a bad song, but it could have been so much better.

So, overall, this album has some elements that I like, but it mostly falls flat for me if I’m being totally honest. I’ll give it a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “You Never Know”, “Taken by Surprise”, “Tears that Don’t Matter”, “Bag of Cats”
Least Favourite Track: “Sweet Talk”

Por cesárea by Dillom:

This album was released in late April, and it’s from an artist I think I might have heard of before, but this is my first time listening to a Dillom album, and it’s in Spanish and the only language I know is English, so while I looked at translated versions of the lyrics, I’m not sure how accurate they are.

Anyway, this album has been getting a lot of critical acclaim, and I can kind of understand why, although I can’t really call myself much of a fan of this album.

Honestly the language barrier might be a good thing here for me … at least in certain moments. Because while I get the appeal of an album like this in which the narrator is very unlikeable, I think it only works for me in pieces, and even then, it doesn’t feel unique enough to me that I really see a lot of replay value. Again, I get why it might strongly click for others, but it’s not really for me. But back to what I said at the start of this paragraph about the lyrics, in some moments it really feels like it doesn’t fit with the upbeat vibe of the music.

There are some moments where the music seems to represent a disguise for the narrator to try and hide the things the narrator doesn’t want people to know, and that can make for some kind of fascinating moments, such as “La novia de mi amigo” which has some really good Kendrick Lamar esque vocals. And sometimes the music just sounds bleak enough where it fits anyway. But those are only in some parts of the album.

And musically there just isn’t a lot here in the sound or the melodies that really grabs my attention all that much. Overall I don’t dislike this album, and I get what it’s trying to do, but for me it’s a 6/10. If this sounds appealing to you I’d recommend listening to it, but I can’t really get into it personally.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “La novia de mi amigo”, “Buenos tiempos”, “(Irreversible)”, “Reiki y yoga”, “Ciudad de la Paz”
Least Favourite Track: “Cirugía”

angeltape by Drahla:

Drahla are a post-punk band from the UK who released their debut album Useless Coordinates back in 2019, and after listening to it a few times to prepare for this review … well, I didn’t really give it all that much attention when listening to it, but for the most part it didn’t really seem like my cup of tea. I mean, I mostly liked it, but I don’t see myself going back to it much.

So, now here’s their sophomore album five years later. I mean, I like post-punk, and this has been getting a pretty positive reception. So, how is it?

Well, I really like it! The drums have a lot of punch to them, the guitars bring a lot of energy, and the vocals are very captivating as well! And it all combines together to create a really fun post-punk album that I can see having a lot of replay value!

There are so many moments here that really stand out to me, such as the dramatic feeling of the guitar on “Second Rhythm”, the horns in the background of “Concrete Lily” which are just subtle enough, and the intensity of the drumming in the closing track!

And while I like a lot of the lyrics here such as how “Lipsync” seems to possibly be about someone realizing they’re trying too hard to be someone else or how “zig-zag” could possibly be about a sense of desperation to be heard, I’ll also admit I mostly like this album for the way it sounds and how hard-hitting these tracks are sonically, and the vocals being great as well!

I do still like a lot of the ambiguity of the lyrics, though, and the basslines are really solid as well … I mean, I wish it felt a little more consistent, and it’s not the most groundbreaking album I’ve ever heard or anything, but I still like this a lot! Light 8/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8/10
Favourite Tracks: “Default Parody”, “zig-zag”, “Second Rhythm”, “Concrete Lily”, “A”, “Grief In Phantasia”
Least Favourite Track: “Talking Radiance”

CAROUSEL FROM HELL by LustSickPuppy:

So, this is the debut album from LustSickPuppy, and it’s a pretty short album full of some pretty intense hip hop bangers with very distorted, glitchy production and very impressive rapping.

And it’s not really an album that gives me much to say. The production is super distorted and glitchy, but not in a way where it feels overpowering, because the mixing is really strong and everything sounds like it connects together super well in the production, and while often in this style some of the higher frequency sounds would be a bit distracting, here I don’t find that to be the case.

And the production really fits with the angry lyrics and vocal delivery, and I think the album is about the right length, too. I mean, it can be a lot to take in, and as great as it is, if this ran on for much longer I could see it starting to become a bit much.

And I also like how this album sometimes flirts with other genres as well like the sort of 2000s pop vibe the album ends with, or the metal elements of “BLISSTER”.

So, yeah, this is an excellent experimental hip hop album that I highly recommend! 8.5/10 for me!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “OFF THIS”, “EMPATHY RESERVED”, “AMERICAN HEALTHCARE”, “KETCHUP MUSTARD”, “LOTHARIO”, “CHOKEHOLD”
Least Favourite Track: “EVICTION”

Bats Feet For a Widow by Bingo Fury:

This is the debut studio album from Bingo Fury, the stage name of Jack Ogborne. And I saw this getting some hype as apparently some very experimental, epic art rock, post-rock, or something in that vein. I mean, this style of music has been getting a lot of critical acclaim in the past few years due to acts like black midi, and considering this album is under a half hour, I decided to give it a chance, and I was very intrigued to hear it …

And unfortunately I’m left feeling pretty underwhelmed. A lot of the instruments just feel like extra noise that doesn’t really add much in my opinion, like the horns in “Mr. Stark”.

And the piano timbre often feels a lot rougher than I would have liked, such as in “I’ll Be Mountains” or “Centrefold”, and I’m not really finding a lot in the melodies that really sticks with me. A lot of it feels like it’s trying to be really experimental, and not only do the more ‘out there’ ideas often not really work for me in their own right, but they often feel like they take the attention off of making the compositions really gripping, at least to me.

So, overall, while I do like some moments such as the buildup on the opening track and I like the percussion on “My Cup Overflows”, and some other moments as well … as a whole, this just isn’t really for me. I’m going to give this a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Carolina’s Theme”, “Unlistening”, “I’ll Be Mountains”, “My Cup Overflows”
Least Favourite Track: “Mr. Stark”

Pink Balloons by Ekko Astral:

Here’s a hardcore punk band whom I’d never heard of until recently, and this is their debut studio album, released a little over a month ago.

And on my first few listens this wasn’t really doing a whole lot for me … but after giving it multiple relistens, I actually ended up liking this a lot!

There’s a lot that I really like here lyrically, with a lot of the rage, and the creative way things are described, such as the ‘uwu type beat’ on the song of the same name. And a lot of this album seems to possibly be about how money has impacted our society, including “On Brand” which includes the line, ‘Spending all my money on a mass hysteria,’ one of my favourite lines on the album.

Based on most of what I’ve read, it seems like Ekko Astral’s music is in large part about lead singer Jael Holzman’s gender transition and discrimination that she’s faced because of it, and I’m having a hard time seeing it in the lyrics, although there’s a chance that’s simply just me being an unsophisticated cisgender person. But however you read the lyrics, there is definitely a lot of bleakness here, but I also think there are some moments that subtly show feelings of hope, despite how bleak things can get.

And I love the intensity of the music, with some crushing distorted guitars and a lot of really catchy melodies without losing the pure rage of the sound.

This album has a very messy sound to it which I think really fits with the lyrics a lot of the time, and while I do wish it maybe had a bit more punch in certain moments, for the most part I think the production style is fitting.

“Somewhere At the Bottom of the River Between l’enfant and Eastern Market” is a super eerie track which kind of feels like an interlude, and it’s very haunting. And “Devorah” has some excellent guitar distortion which really helps build tension. And there are so many other great tracks here as well!

This is an absolutely excellent punk album which is very daring and noisy, and I think it’s awesome! 8.5/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Baethoven”, “Uwu Type Beat”, “On Brand”, “Somewhere At the Bottom of the River Between l’enfant and Eastern Market”, “Buffaloed”, “Devorah”, “I90”
Least Favourite Track: “Make Me Young”

Radical Optimism by Dua Lipa:

It’s kind of hard for me to believe it’s been over four years since Dua Lipa released Future Nostalgia. The time really has flown by.

Anyway, I feel like I’m in the minority of people who actually prefers Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut over Future Nostalgia as a whole album. I think the best songs from the latter are better—most notably “Physical” and “Love Again”—but her debut felt like a more cohesive album experience and was probably more consistently good overall. Now, with that being said, they are pretty close for me, and in my opinion while both albums are quite good, I wouldn’t call either of them great.

But maybe this would be the one that really clicks for me? (No pun intended.)

Well … no. Not at all. In fact, I’m shocked by how big a drop in quality this is, at least in my opinion. And it really doesn’t give me much to say.

I gave this over a half dozen listens in full, which is more than usual for a mini review … and this just feels like a collection of bland, uninteresting pop songs built for the radio and nothing else. And I don’t mean this to be mean or anything, and Dua definitely seems like an artist who cares more about artistry than chart success, but if I hadn’t ever read/watched an interview of hers and had only heard this album, I probably wouldn’t think that.

The hooks don’t really stand out to me much at all, the goopy production creates some really awkward textures, and the vocal production really doesn’t flatter her at all, especially with how contrasting the vibe of the percussion is throughout so many of these tracks.

Lyrically, Dua’s music has never really struck me as being all that deep, and that’s once again the case here, with a lot of this seeming to be about brief relationships and hookups, and hoping one of them will turn into something more. But on Future Nostalgia it felt like there was way more passion and energy in the songs, so the lack of lyrical depth didn’t really matter. But here there’s so little that stands out to me.

I mean, “Training Season” and “Maria” are kind of catchy, the latter being probably my favourite song on the album, but even “Maria”, despite being really good, I wouldn’t call great. So, overall, this was a really underwhelming album for me. 5/10 in my opinion.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Houdini”, “Training Season”, “Maria”
Least Favourite Track: “Illusion”

Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend:

Vampire Weekend are one of those bands I’ve heard about a lot for a while but whom I hadn’t really listened to much. I knew a few songs of theirs before this came out, but that was about it. But before listening to this album, I listened to all their other albums—although I mostly just listened to them in the background and didn’t really closely take them in. So, take this with a huge grain of salt, but my overall feelings were that I mostly liked them but didn’t really love them.

But this is easily their most critically acclaimed album to date, and it’s their first in about five years, following Father of the Bride which didn’t get nearly as positive a reception as their other albums did. So, I was very curious about this album, and unfortunately I can’t really say it’s for me.

Lyrically there’s a lot going on here, and I’m not going to pretend I totally get it, but a lot of it seems to have to do with parts of society that are passed down from generation to generation as well as others which die out. And there’s some good imagery here, and I like some of the experimentation with the instrumentation, and some of the melodies are pretty good. But I wish there was a little more immediacy in the hooks and maybe more subtle details that really clicked for me, but I can appreciate the effort that was clearly here.

But arguably the biggest thing that holds this back for me is the vocal production, which often sounds like it was produced for a totally different album, and it brings what otherwise could have been a really good album down to a just decent one in my opinion.

There are some moments that I really like, such as the huge sound of the opening track “Ice Cream Piano”, the vibey instrumentation of “The Surfer”, and that really nice guitar melody in “Pravda”, which might be my favourite track here.

So, overall I thought this was a pretty okay album, and I’m feeling slightly more positive than negative on it, so I’ll give it a 6/10. I just really wish I liked the vocal production more.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Ice Cream Piano”, “Classical”, “The Surfer”, “Pravda”
Least Favourite Track: “Capricorn”

Silence Is Loud by Nia Archives:

This is the debut studio album by Nia Archives, a producer/singer/songwriter who has gotten quite a bit of critical acclaim for her debut album, Silence Is Loud.

And unfortunately I can’t really say this is doing a whole lot for me. It’s got a lot of tracks which are upbeat, and sort of danceable, with the sort of shuffling percussion that does work for me in some contexts but doesn’t really work here in my opinion, as it feels quite distracting and takes away from the vibe of the songs, such as in “Cards On The Table” … and various other tracks as well.

Nia Archives is a good singer in my opinion, and there are some nice melodies at points here. I like that melodic synth that shows up occasionally throughout “Out Of Options”, and the closing track has some nice strings and the vocal melodies are pleasant as well.

But when it comes to the lyrics … well, I don’t think they’re bad, but a lot of them feel very generic. And that doesn’t necessarily have to ruin the album. There’s a lot of music that I really like despite not really finding much that interests me in the lyrics, but there’s not enough in the instrumentals or production to really make this stand out to me on its own.

So, overall, I can’t say I’m in love with this album, and I’m giving it a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Unfinished Business”, “Blind Devotion”, “Out Of Options”, “Killjoy !”, “So Tell Me…”
Least Favourite Track: “Forbidden Feelingz”

Strike That Man Down by Bug Bus Piano:

Bug Bus Piano is an artist I had never heard of until recently, and this is a very short instrumental ambient album, running for under a half hour.

And I don’t really know what to even say about it. I just don’t find this all that interesting or captivating. I mean, some moments here have a nice vibe to them such as “Judger’s Realm”, but often it just feels like I’m watching paint dry, without a lot of strong melodies or variety in the sound.

Yes, there are some smaller details here and there, but overall I just really struggled to get into this.

And especially with some of the sounds feeling more distracting than anything … I’m gonna have to give this a 5/10. It’s just not really for me at all. If you love ambient music you might like this more than me, but even as a fan of ambient music myself I’m not wowed at all.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Fear Spread In Their Minds and They Became Insane”, “Judger’s Realm”
Least Favourite Track: “Beginning of Part Two and Three”

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another mini review post, the first one I’ve made in a while! Some of these are reviews I completed weeks ago but was just waiting for enough for a full post. Also, don’t be surprised if I make another mini review post soon, because I’ve been working on a lot of mini reviews recently.

As always, these are just my personal feelings on these albums. Feel free to disagree with me on any of these. Now let’s start this post on a mostly positive note …

Your Day Will Come by Chanel Beads:

This is the debut studio album from Chanel Beads, a duo who probably falls under the category of dream pop, and they’ve been gaining a little bit of buzz recently.

And I think it’s pretty haunting and really gives a sense of mystery in the slightly airy production with the eerie melodies and layered instrumentation.

The lyrics seem to show a lack of strong communication between two people, and I like a lot of the details here, such as the search for contentedness in which the only answer might be self-love on “Police Scanner”, and questioning which things we should really give value on “Urn”. And “Embarrassed Dog” seems to show someone foolishly trying to fix a broken relationship in which the narrator is probably in the wrong and yet you kind of can’t help but empathize anyway, and I find it quite interesting even though the mixing sounds like a total mess.

And speaking of which, I do think the production can be a bit messy at multiple points on this album, with the percussion not always being as punchy as I would have liked, but I think a messier, broken sound may have been the point here. I just don’t think it totally works for me, even though I see how it might fit with the lyrical content, potentially a decaying relationship and the need to face reality.

Now, of course, these lyrical interpretations are just my own—in fact, they’re probably wrong—but I do think it makes for a fascinating album … albeit one that I really wish I liked more than I do.

I don’t want to say this album feels too short—I mean, this sort of haunting, cryptic album with just enough detail to paint a picture while still leaving you wondering what the hell is actually going on … well, it’s the kind of album that feels like it should work as a breezy, quick listen that just ends leaving you all the more baffled by it.

But I don’t think there’s enough done with the nine tracks here to make it a fully cohesive album experience. It doesn’t feel like there’s a strong lyrical arc throughout the album in the sequencing—again, I could be totally wrong—and I don’t think the music fully does enough to make this really click for me. So, I’ll give it a 7/10. There are elements that I like, and I think it shows some potential, but it’s not totally for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Police Scanner”, “Unifying Thought”, “Your Day Will Come”, “I Think I Saw”
Least Favourite Track: “Embarrassed Dog”

Night – Bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day by Whitelands:

This is the second studio album from UK dream pop band Whitelands, and their first in nearly six years. Going into this album I gave their 2018 debut a few listens, and unfortunately I can’t really say it did all that much for me. But this album has been getting a much more positive reception, so I decided to give it a chance, and I was hoping I’d like it a lot more …

And I feel like there’s a lot more immediacy and vigor, with the blazing guitar and some of the incisive snares, such as on a track like “Tell Me About It”, and at times it can feel like it’s close to hitting that sweet spot with the atmosphere combined with the melodies, even though I don’t think it ever really gets there.

But I also don’t like how the vocals often get drowned out by the instrumentation, such as in “Born in Understanding” where the guitar just washes over everything, and I don’t mean that in a good way—although this is one of the rare moments where I actually like how the kick drum is miked/produced.

And on that topic, that’s another thing that really holds this back for me. Sure, the snare sounds really good at points, but the kick drum doesn’t complement it very well by sounding so underpowered in “Cheer”, or by sounding overly foggy in “How It Feels”, or with the sort of oily kick drum timbre in “The Prophet & I” and especially “Chosen Light”.

And I have another nitpick which is going to be tricky for me to explain, because I’m no expert when it comes to understanding sound, but the best way I can describe it is that it kind of feels like there are more higher frequencies than there actually are, and it sounds really distracting—it’s probably something about the way the drums and guitar mix together. And I could be totally wrong about this, but when I really listen to it closely, it doesn’t sound like there are a lot of high frequency sounds—I honestly wonder if there was a low-pass used here—and yet it still feels distractingly metallic. Yes, I know that’s a total nitpick, and I sound like the stereotypical music critic to someone who doesn’t like music critics, but I’ll admit it definitely impacts how I feel about the album.

With all this being said, the guitar does have some nice sizzle to it at points, such as in the opening track, and I generally like the vocals even though I wish they were produced differently. And there are some interesting lyrical moments even though it doesn’t fully make sense to me. I mean, the album starts with a track which seems to be about wanting to understand the meaning of lyrics, and I think it works well as a prologue for an album which seems so philosophical, and I like the ending which seems to be about people becoming overly reliant on The Bible, and while I feel like there’s probably a lot that I’m missing here as I haven’t read much of The Bible (although I just started reading it recently), it still is a good ending to the album lyrically after all the skepticism and fantastical dream sequence vibes, coming to a conclusion of realizing there isn’t always a right answer to everything. I don’t think that’s anything all that revolutionary, but I think it’s really fitting here.

I think this is a moderately good album, and it definitely makes me more intrigued to hear whatever’s next for this band, after a debut which didn’t leave much of an impression on me at all. So, I’ll give this a 6/10, and if you’re really into ethereal alt-rock, or dream pop, or shoegaze, or anything in that vein, I think you might really like this!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Setting Sun”, “Tell Me About It”, “Born in Understanding”
Least Favourite Track: “Cheer”

Harbour Century by Eunuchs:

This is the second studio album from Eunuchs, a band who’ve been getting a lot of critical acclaim this year for this album which I would probably describe as ‘noise rock’. Although I don’t mean the typical kind of ‘noise rock’ you’d probably think of with all the loud, distorted sounds, irregular rhythms, booming percussion, etc. It’s got a very dramatic feeling to it, à la Black Country, New Road, especially a song like “Estuary of Dreams”.

And unfortunately, I don’t think this feels all that experimental or interesting. There may be more to it than I realize, but a lot of it just feels like a lesser version of stuff I’ve already heard.

There’s a lot of grandeur, and it feels like the album is all connected together in some way to create this huge, epic experience … and unfortunately it kind of feels like style over substance to me.

Now, I should mention that part of this is due to me having a hard time following along with the lyrics (and I couldn’t even find the lyrics to every song when I looked them up), and there very well could be a lot to this, but often it just feels to me like it’s maybe a little pretentious? I don’t want to make that assumption, but that’s the word that came to mind for me a lot when listening to this album.

But also, I don’t even think the production or compositions really work all that well, either. The drums don’t feel nearly as hard-hitting as I’d like, and the horns often feel like they cut through in the production more than I would have liked, having a sharper sound to them that I think feels kind of distracting.

And musically this feels like it’s always building up to something really huge, and while those huge, louder moments do happen, they just don’t feel as gripping as I think they’re supposed to.

I do think the album ends pretty well with a really interesting closing track which runs for over seventeen minutes and has some interesting lyrics including some semi-repetition toward the end that really stood out to me.

Overall, I think this is a decent album. There are moments that I like, and if you’re really into this sound it might click for you a lot more … but even as someone who likes this kind of theatrical, opera-esque art rock, this just didn’t do a whole lot for me.

I’m giving Harbour Century a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Pat a Dragon”, “Estuary of Dreams”, “Hierophant”, “Heroin King”
Least Favourite Track: “Bird Angel Dynasty”

Deep Sage by Gouge Away:

Here’s a band I’d never heard of until recently, but I saw them described as hardcore punk, and all three of their albums have gotten quite a bit of critical acclaim! And after listening to their first two albums a few times each, I absolutely get it! They’re pretty hard-hitting with lyrics full of fury that I really like!

But something felt missing to make those two albums really fully click for me as much as I would’ve liked, but I was hoping this might be the one that fully clicked … and I hate to say it, but I like this album even less than the first two.

Now, that’s not me saying this is bad. Their first two albums I thought were really solid, and this one … well, I think it’s pretty good, but it’s just not really my cup of tea. I like hardcore punk, but this album doesn’t feel all that memorable to me.

One positive is that there’s a lot that I like here lyrically, some of which seems to be about the struggle of trying to figure out which things are a you problem and which are about your surroundings. And “Newtau” has some very fierce lyrics which hold no punches.

But sonically I don’t find this album super hard-hitting. The guitar distortion often feels like it could use a lot of power, not really having as much impact as I’d like. And the stiff bass on tracks like “Deep Sage” and “No Release” feels distracting as well, as do the clunky snares on tracks like “Idealized” and “The Sharpening”.

And pretty much everything just has a messier sound to it overall which I don’t think works for this style very well.

In some points this album kind of goes into other genres, with sort of a post-punk vibe on “Overwatering”, and a more typical indie rock sound on the closing track, the latter of which sounds like a lesser version of something that would’ve been on feeble little horse’s 2023 album Girl with Fish, but with a bit more of a ‘rock radio vibe’ that I think leaves this feeling way more dull and lifeless than I think was intended. And about the former of those songs, I once again think it sounds too messy to really fit.

I don’t think Deep Sage is a bad album. At her best, Christina Michelle is quite a captivating singer, and there are some good melodic moments in the instrumentation. And again, I mostly like the lyrics.

But I don’t think I’ll be going back to this much. 6/10 for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Deep Sage”, “A Welcome Change”, “Newtau”
Least Favourite Track: “Dallas”

This Could Be Texas by English Teacher:

Here’s a relatively new band from the UK who were formed back in 2018, although this is their official debut studio album. It’s about fifty minutes long, and I saw it described as post-punk, which definitely made me excited to hear this, especially with the pretty significant amount of critical acclaim this has been getting.

And I’m not totally sure I’d agree with that genre description. I mean, I’m not very good with genres, so take this all with a grain of salt … but who is good with genres, really? Anyway, I think the first half reminds me more of some of the post-punk I’ve heard in recent years, such as the super catchy “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying” and the musical build on the title track.

Then, on the second half of the album, there are some mellower moments such as “You Blister My Paint” and some moments with more of a straightforward indie rock sound to them.

And I think the production is really strong, with a lot of variety in the vocal production but which I think really fits a lot within these different contexts. For example, “Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space” sounds very Wolf Alice esque, not just in the instrumentation, but also the vocal production which I think really fits to encapsulate feeling really small in this huge world. And the lustful vibe of the production fits really well on “Sideboob”, especially with those gorgeous strings. And I think the frustration of “The Best Tears of Your Life” actually really shines through with the autotune, which I think sounds really good.

And this album is very unpredictable, constantly keeping your attention. It’s the kind of album experience that’s hard to fully explain and is probably better to hear for yourself. But I’ll say this much: it’s a 9/10 for me, and one of the best albums I’ve heard all year so far!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10 
Favourite Tracks: “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”, “Broken Biscuits”, “I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying”, “This Could Be Texas”, “Not Everybody Gets to Go to Space”, “The Best Tears of Your Life”, “You Blister My Paint”, “Sideboob”, “Albert Road”
Least Favourite Track: “Albatross”

Artificial Bouquet by Frail Body:

Frail Body are a screamo/metal band formed in 2017 who have received a lot of critical acclaim for both their 2019 debut album and this new album, which is their second. And going into this, I decided to check out their debut, and I really ended up liking it, with the intense music and the heartbreaking lyrics really working well together, even though I didn’t quite love it. It just didn’t feel super distinct to me, but I was very excited to hear this new album, which is probably getting even more acclaim …

And unfortunately I can’t really say I’m as big a fan of this as a lot of critics are. And part of this is the production, which I often feel like is close to really hitting hard but unfortunately falls short with some messier choices like the overpowering guitar and clunky drums of “Monolith”. And there’s also an overly tight sound in “No Resolution” if you ask me.

And while the guitar timbre can have some killer distortion at points here such as in “Horizon Line” or “Berth”, I often feel like it sounds more watery than I’d like, giving this a much more dreary feeling than I think was intended.

Although I guess you could argue it maybe kind of fits with the lyrics, a lot of which seem to be pretty standard for this style of music, questioning how important everything is, and trying to find an escape from deep philosophical worries but realizing you might just have to face them … and as always, I could be totally misinterpreting this, and there may be way more to it than I realize. But to me it can often feel like it’s lacking in more depth, and I wish there were a little more optimism to fit with the instrumentation—either that or the bleakness to be more emphasized in the instrumentation.

And I especially feel bad criticizing something that’s clearly very emotional and probably quite personal, but at the end of the day this isn’t me telling the band what they should or shouldn’t do, I’m just explaining what I like and what I don’t like about the album. Music is subjective.

There are elements of this that I like—I think the album starts and ends pretty well—but it definitely feels like a step back from their debut. I’ll give it a 6/10, as I think it’s decent, but not something I’ll probably be revisiting much.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “Scaffolding”, “Berth”, “Another Year Removed”, “A Capsule In The Sediment”
Least Favourite Track: “Critique Programme”

Beholder by The Blinders:

This is album number three from English rock band The Blinders, a band who I feel like I may have heard of before, but I hadn’t listened to them at all until recently when a friend of mine recommended them to me.

And after listening to their first two albums, I think they both showed potential and made me curious to hear what they were going to do next, even though they didn’t fully click for me. It felt like they were on the verge of making an album that really clicked for me, but they just hadn’t quite gotten there.

So, I had somewhat high expectations for this to be great … and not only is this not the great album I was hoping for from them, but it feels like a step back from their first two, and that’s really disappointing. The production feels way messier, with the vocals often sounding super distant from the rest of the instrumentation. And I don’t think the album is as catchy, either, outside of a few moments like that synth in the background toward the end of “At Any Hand But Hers”, or that great guitar melody on “While I’m Still Young”.

And the drums feel way clunkier, too, with one big example being “Always”, which is also possibly the only song here in which the vocals feel overemphasized in the production, and it really doesn’t sound good in my opinion. And the clunky percussion is also very noticeable in “Swallowing Static”.

Now, with all this being said, there are still some elements of their first two albums that I like that I think continue here. They can sometimes bring some real intensity to the songs with the way the instruments complement each other, and the vocals can be really gripping at points.

But I can’t help but feel like as a whole album, this is kind of a weaker version of what we’ve heard before, minus a few dreamier moments such as “Iggy Got Camaro”, which as far as I can remember is nothing like their first two albums.

So, sonically I wasn’t really all that wowed by this … and unfortunately, the lyrics aren’t doing a whole lot for me, either. It feels kind of cryptic, and maybe I’m missing some underlying message or theme, but at least on the surface it seems kind of vapid—not in terms of the specific wording and phrasing, which I think is kind of a saving grace here at points—but more just because it kind of feels like the same themes are being repeated about overdependency and desire, and a lot of it doesn’t feel all that new. But as always, I’m not the best when it comes to analyzing lyrics, so take it with a big grain of salt.

So, as a whole album, I don’t think this is bad. There are enough good moments and few enough duds that I’ll give this a 6/10. I think “Waterfalls Of Venice”, one of the most intense tracks here, is a great standout, and there are other moments that show them going in kind of an interesting direction, but I don’t think I’ll be going back to this album much as a whole. I’m still curious to hear whatever they do next, though.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “While I’m Still Young”, “Iggy Got Camaro”, “Waterfalls Of Venice”
Least Favourite Track: “Always”

Don’t Forget Me by Maggie Rogers:

This is the third studio album by Maggie Rogers, and after listening to her previous two albums I can’t say I was much of a fan of her debut, despite a few songs I really liked. And while I like her sophomore album a lot more, something felt missing to me, and I didn’t find it super consistent despite having a few great tracks such as “Honey”, and some minor nitpicks really held it back for me—it’s an album I feel is so incredibly close to being legit great, but it just falls shy.

So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect going into this new album … and it’s quite the stylistic change from its predecessor, because while 2022’s Surrender feels like it’s going for this huge, anthemic indie rock sound, this album feels a lot more stripped back and mellow, with songs such as “I Still Do” and “All The Same”. And I know there was some of that on Surrender, but on this album there aren’t as many songs in the vein of rock like “Overdrive”, “Shatter”, “That’s Where I Am”, or “Honey”. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing … but when the absolutely fantastic track “Honey” showed so much potential in that indie rock sound, I can’t help but at least kind of wish this album had more songs in that style … especially because this album isn’t really clicking for me, either, in fact it feels like a step back.

And I’ll start with the lyrics, which I don’t think are bad—in fact, I might even like them more than Surrender, as a lot of my nitpicks with that album were in the lyrics—but I’m also not going to pretend I’m all that wowed by them. A lot of it is what you might expect from a Maggie Rogers album, with the relationship struggles, nostalgia, and having self-love in the midst of all the chaos around you. And outside of maybe some of the imagery, there’s just not a whole lot about this that feels all that memorable to me.

And I also can’t help but feel like the vocals don’t cut through the mix as much as I would have liked. Maggie is a very good singer, but often her vocals feel underpowered by the production, such as in the closing track.

I think there are some moments here that feel a bit more anthemic, such as the opening track, “It Was Coming All Along”, even though it suffers from the same mixing problem that I was just talking about with the vocals. And I also really like “On & On & On”, which has a very groovy sound to it.

Overall, I don’t think this is a bad album, but I’m feeling a bit of a disconnect from it, and I can’t fully place why, outside of some of the mixing. Or maybe I kind of can, because I mentioned the lyrics not feeling super memorable, and I also don’t find the vocal melodies all that memorable … but I don’t know, it still kind of feels like I should like this more than I do.

I’m going to give this a very light 7/10. There are some elements that I like, and I’m still curious to hear more music from Maggie Rogers, but I just can’t call myself that much of a fan yet.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “It Was Coming All Along”, “On & On & On”, “Never Going Home”
Least Favourite Track: “So Sick Of Dreaming”

Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace by Shabaka:

Shabaka Hutchings is a composer and musician who has been in some pretty well known bands in the past, such as The Comet Is Coming, Sons Of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, and Shabaka and The Ancestors. And this is his official debut solo album, although it’s got a lot of features, including some pretty big names including Floating Points, E L U C I D, and Lianne La Havas.

And it’s probably what I’d call an ambient album, with its very calming vibe and subtle details in the production, including some which I don’t really like such as the sort of fuzzy noise in “I’ll Do Whatever You Want” which I think was an artistic choice but kind of ends up feeling like a mistake in the editing.

And parts of this can feel like they drag on longer than I would have liked, such as “Body to Inhabit” which seems to possibly be the favourite on the album for a lot of people, but E L U C I D doesn’t really do much here that grabs my attention.

But with all this being said, I do like some of the introspective lyrics here, such as “Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become” featuring Saul Williams, which feels like it’s about trying to be honest with people and be your authentic self, despite all the obstructions we create that shove us off that path to where we want to be. And it hits a little closer to home for me than I’d like to admit, but we’re all only human after all.

And I like how “Living” paints the picture of someone trying to get over a rough breakup, and it’s unclear what approach the person is taking, but that whether or not it’s a healthy decision, at the end of the day most people are usually wanting the same things, but we have different ideas of what the journey there looks like. And the svirel is a really nice touch, especially that ravishing texture it creates with the razor-sharp timbre of the strings.

But then there’s a track like “Breathing”, which feels like it’s trying to be really experimental and non-accessible … and it just doesn’t appeal to me at all, with something just really feeling ‘off’ with the instrumental harmonies, which I think was the point, but that doesn’t mean I like it.

But what about the production? I know I’ve talked about it a little bit already, but honestly I do think the production is pretty strong for the most part. It really gives a lot of breathing room to these instruments, and there’s a real elegance to the way the main melodic instruments gleam with ease, really emphasizing the calming nature of this record.

The album feels fitting for a winter day, like you’re waking up to the first day of snow in a while and you want an escape from the bleak weather … and that’s the kind of album that, when done a certain way, can really click for me.

In this case I don’t think it fully gets to that level, as I do have a decent amount of production nitpicks, and there are a few duds in the track list if you ask me, but I still very much enjoyed this and would absolutely recommend it if you’re looking for some experimental ambient music.

There are definitely some strong standout highlights for me, and I’ll give it a fairly strong 7/10! Again, it doesn’t fully click for me as much as I’d like, but it definitely makes me excited to hear whatever Shabaka has up his sleeve next. This is really damn good!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “As the Planets and the Stars Collapse”, “Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become”, “Living”, “Kiss Me Before I Forget”
Least Favourite Track: “Body to Inhabit”

We Have The Answer by Heavenly Blue:

Heavenly Blue (FKA Youth Novel) are a band who was formed over a decade ago, but they didn’t release their debut album until 2021.

And to prepare for this review, I listened to that self-titled debut album released under the band’s old name, and after a few listens I thought it was decent, but it didn’t really do much to stick with me.

And I definitely like this album more. I like the heaviness in the sound with the distorted guitar that feels crushing but not too sharp, with just enough of a watery timbre to keep the atmosphere that fits well with the bleakness, and the drums hit super hard as well and fit really well with this production.

And I like the blend of genres here as well. I mean, it’s got the heavy instrumentation and screamed vocals you’d expect in screamo, or post-hardcore, or whatever genre you want to call this … but there are also some elements of black metal, in tracks like “Looming” and “All Of The Pieces Break”, and very much in “Certain Distance”. And there are some mellower moments here as well, like parts of “Heat Death Parade”, and I like the way that song builds.

Lyrically it’s quite bleak, such as on the opening track “Davos”, which seems to show someone realizing they’re not as good a person as they thought they were—and that seems to continue onto the next track—and there seems to be a feeling of disconnect from the rest of the world on “Static Voice Speaks To Static Me”, and “Heat Death Parade” seems to be about the inevitability of an eventual death, and no matter how slowly you’re dying, you’re still dying.

So, yeah, it’s a bleak listen, and I think that often works well with the sound of the album. Again, there’s a certain bleakness to the sound which kind of helps keep this more open to interpretation, if that makes any sense. But either way, it definitely makes this hit a lot harder, with the super intense feeling like it’s implying something is going to go horribly wrong, especially in a song like “Pando”, which is definitely one of my favourites on the album.

I wouldn’t say this totally wowed me, and there are some moments that feel like they could use a lot more to make them really stand out, and occasionally the production can feel like it holds this back a bit (even though I mostly think the production sounds really good) … but overall, I think this is a really solid post-hardcore/screamo album … or whatever genre you want to call it.

I’ll give We Have The Answer a 7/10. It’s a good album, and I’m much more curious now to hear more from the band, but I just can’t say this is totally for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Davos”, “Pando”, “Static Voice Speaks To Static Me”, “Heat Death Parade”
Least Favourite Track: “…And Like That, A Year Had Passed”

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to my website for my first review in a while, and it’s time for a review that’s been long in the works. I’m talking about the newest Beyoncé album, COWBOY CARTER.

I remember listening to Beyoncé’s seventh studio album RENAISSANCE back in 2022 (the year it came out), and I remember thinking it was good but felt like an album I should like more than I do. And thus I was feeling cautiously optimistic about this ‘sequel album’, which I’ve seen described as a country album, which definitely made me curious about it.

But before I listened to COWBOY CARTER, I decided to check out all of Beyoncé’s first six albums, giving them a few listens each. And while I wouldn’t say I loved any of them, there were some really strong standout tracks, and I’d call myself a casual fan. I definitely didn’t dislike any of the albums.

And on top of that, I also decided to relisten to RENAISSANCE, and I stand by my original feelings on that album. I think it’s pretty solid with a few really great tracks, but it also often feels like it’s missing something to make it fully click. But still, I can’t deny it’s an album that really pumps you up!

So, now Beyoncé has released her eighth album, and it’s nearly eighty minutes long. And I gave it about ten listens in its entirety, which is why this review is as late as it is.

“AMERICAN REQUIEM” is the first track here, and I think it works well as an intro track to this album, a lot of which shows Beyoncé trying to bring to light country music’s Black roots. And here she shows everyone that she belongs in country music, and there was clearly a lot of ambition with this track and the grand production, even though some of the singing feels like she’s maybe trying a bit too hard.

Next is “BLACKBIIRD”, a cover of a Beatles song which I’ve never really loved despite its good message about Black rights and women’s rights, and while this cover makes sense for this album as another intro track, I feel similarly about this track as the original—I like it, but I don’t love it.

“16 CARRIAGES” is the first track here that doesn’t feel like an intro, and I think it’s a great track! It seems to be telling the story of someone watching their dreams slip away from them, but persevering anyway. And I love how huge the instrumentation sounds in the chorus with the booming snare and the powerful guitar! I also think this song could be about Beyoncé trying to prove her place in country music.

And then there’s “PROTECTOR”, a song which was probably written about Beyoncé’s kids, showing a parent struggling to accept the fact that they’re not always going to be able to protect their kids like they want to. I really like the line, ‘Even though I know someday you’re gonna shine on your own, I will be your projector.’ I think it’s a song I respect way more than I like, because for whatever reason this just isn’t doing that much for me. As much as I like the lyrics, the melodies and instrumental just feel pretty boring to me.

The next full song here is “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”, which was released with “16 CARRIAGES” as one of the two lead singles for the album. And I love this song’s energy with that stomping beat which complements the acoustic guitar really well, and the carefree attitude creates a really fun vibe! I also don’t mind the whistling here, which is rare for me to say.

“BODYGUARD” is the first real dud on the album in my opinion, with its clunky percussion, vocals that kind of sound off-pitch (probably because of the vocal layering), and a bassline that feels both overpowering and also too quiet a lot of the time, if that makes any sense. It kind of reminds me of my least favourite song from RENAISSANCE, “CUFF IT”, as it feels like it’s trying to be this fun party anthem and it just totally falls flat for me and honestly is kind of annoying.

After a short interlude from Dolly Parton, Beyoncé covers Dolly Parton’s classic song, “Jolene” (with some lyric changes), a song I’m not really a huge fan of to begin with, and this cover isn’t really doing much for me, either, but the following “DAUGHTER” is a very haunting track that I really like, with the tension in the acoustic guitar and the eerie vocal melody when paired with those strings. And I like the lyrics on “DAUGHTER” as well; they’re very open to interpretation, but there’s a lot of religious iconography, and it’s kind of hard to tell whether she’s painting herself as the villain or the victim … and I wonder if it has something to do with a revenge fantasy, although the details aren’t very clear, at least as far as I can tell. 

Then there’s “SPAGHETTII”, and while Beyoncé brings a lot of energy to this track, something feels missing which holds it back from hitting a lot harder, and I can’t quite place what that is.

“ALLIIGATOR TEARS” is another track I kind of feel like I should like more than I do, as I like the lyrics describing a toxic relationship, but sonically this just isn’t really doing a whole lot for me.

After another short interlude, there’s “JUST FOR FUN”, which has a Willie Jones feature that I’m not really a huge fan of to be totally honest. With that being said, I like the sort of clicking percussion and the slightly watery guitar timbre, even though it all creates a bit of a drab sound when put together. But the vocal melodies are really good, and Beyoncé’s singing fits really well over this instrumental. However, the lyrics seem to be aiming for this very optimistic vibe, and yet it feels way bleaker than I think was intended, and it’s a little awkward in my opinion.

“II MOST WANTED” is another highlight on the album for me. It’s a duet with Miley Cyrus, and I love the nice crisp guitar timbre and those elegant strings that really give this an old-fashioned feeling, like an old movie about two partners in crime. This honestly feels like it could be a movie soundtrack song, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment in this case. And the vocal production really fits with this style of music in my opinion. It doesn’t have the same flashiness of a country song like “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”, but it sounds like an indie country song and it’s arguably my favourite track on the album!

“LEVII’S JEANS” seems to be getting the most negative reception of any song on this album, and I definitely get why. The goopy production with the watery bass and the mucky vocal layering lead to a vibe that just doesn’t fit at all in my opinion. And while I don’t dislike this song, it is kind of a dud in my opinion.

There are quite a few shorter tracks in the next section of the album, but a few full-length ones as well, including “YA YA” which I’m pretty sure is another song celebrating Black artists, and as much as I respect this song and the carefree attitude where she’s essentially telling you to fuck off if you don’t respect her having a place in country music, I also don’t really like the chorus all that much—it definitely doesn’t hold a candle to MUNA’s “Good News (Ya-Ya Song)”. And the “Good Vibrations” interpolation doesn’t really work for me, either.

But there’s also “RIIVERDANCE”, which might be one of the catchiest songs on the album. I really like that acoustic guitar in the background, and the keyboard complements the pulse quite well.

The biggest highlight out of the last few tracks here for me has to be “TYRANT”, a collab with Dolly Parton which has some great percussion and commanding lyrics which demand your attention. It’s a great girlboss anthem that’s gotta be among my favourite tracks here!

And I also like the kind of full-circle moment of the closing track “AMEN”, which I think ends the album really nicely and feels like a moment of triumph with the interpolation of the album opener at the end.

So, overall, I think COWBOY CARTER is a mostly enjoyable album, albeit a very long one which only really stands out to me all that much in specific moments here and there. There are only a few full tracks I would call anything less than good, but also only a handful that I would call great.

I definitely like what this album represents thematically, as a celebration of Black artists as well as self-love, and much more as well. But I just can’t say the album fully clicked for me, and I don’t think I’ll be going back to it much as a whole, despite some great standout tracks.

You can see my favourite tracks down below, and again, I think there are standout moments here … so, overall, for me this is getting a 7/10. And if you’re a fan of country music, and/or a fan of Beyoncé, you might really love this album. But even as a fan of country music myself, it’s not among the best country I’ve heard in recent years, even though I respect it a lot.

But as always, this is all just my own personal opinion. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. I know this has been getting a lot of critical acclaim, and again, I respect the album a lot, it’s just not totally for me.

Like with most of my reviews, I wish I could have gone more in-depth here—and really, I could have. But I’ve got so many reviews I’m working on and I wanted to get this review out sooner rather than later.

And on that topic, if you’ve been wondering where I’ve been for the past few weeks … well, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on upcoming reviews. I’ve got at least three more individual album reviews planned, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to get them all out in May. And I’ve also got a bunch of mini reviews as well.

But for now, thanks for reading this review, and I’ll be back soon with more! 

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “16 CARRIAGES”, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”, “DAUGHTER”, “II MOST WANTED”, “TYRANT”, “AMEN”
Least Favourite Track: “BODYGUARD”

Hello, everyone! So, I know I just posted a mini review post yesterday, but I’ve already got another one ready, so why not just go ahead and post it already?

Just like with some of my other recent mini review posts, I’ll admit I’ve kind of half-assed these reviews. I have listened to these albums at least a few times each, and I’ve read the lyrics (if I could find them) but I didn’t give them all the time and effort that I wanted to. I mean, I’ve been really busy, and I wanted to get these reviews out anyway, so just take everything with an extra grain of salt.

With all that being said, had these albums really clicked for me more I probably would’ve given them extra listens to sink in … and unfortunately that’s not really the case. But anyway, as always these are just my personal feelings on these albums, starting with …

corpos de água by sonhos tomam conta:

This is the fourth solo album released by this artist under this name, and it’s the first one I’ve listened to … although I did hear sonhos tomam conta’s collab album with Asian Glow from last year, and I wasn’t really wowed by it.

Anyway, new sonhos tomam conta album … and unfortunately, it’s not really clicking for me. This album often has a very airy sound to it, which can work sometimes but the majority of the time it ends up feeling like it’s trying too hard to aim for a certain atmosphere. And sometimes the vocals get buried in the mix, like on the closing track.

I like the more punishing production of “de areia e sal”, which might be my favourite track here, and there are some moments I find pretty haunting as well …

But overall, I don’t find a lot of the vocal melodies all that standout, and the dreamy vibe just doesn’t fully click for me. So, I’ll give this a 6/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “tuas pegadas”, “de areia e sal”, “scarborough fair”
Least Favourite Track: “o oceano de solaris”

Heal Process by Cash:

I don’t know who Cash is, as I just randomly came across this album when looking for new ambient albums online … but I decided to give it a few listens and review it, and …

Well, it’s certainly experimental … but I can’t say it’s really doing much that grabbed my attention a whole lot. I mean, at times it can be calming and sometimes kind of fun, but overall this just isn’t doing a whole lot for me.

The production is okay but I’m not really a big fan of some of the higher frequencies which can get kind of distracting.

And there’s not a lot melodically that really stood out to me, either. Still, though, there are some cool ideas here and there, and I’d recommend it to fans of ambient music. I’ll give it a 6/10, as I generally liked it.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “cloudburst”, “A sentimental joint”, “Passthrough”, “walk together”
Least Favourite Track: “Some Space”

Funeral Sanctum by Witch Vomit:

Here’s a black metal/death metal album which I came across online recently, and after giving it a few listens …

Well, the production can be pretty hard-hitting at points, with some really nice snares and really good mixing, and I like some of the guitar melodies on tracks like “Endless Fall”, “Black Wings Of Desolation”, and “Dominion Of A Darkened Realm” … but something feels missing to me.

I guess I just wish I found these tracks more memorable, and sometimes the production does feel a little less punchy than I’d like, even though that’s only a small percentage of the time. And I’m not a huge fan of the vocals to be totally honest.

I couldn’t find the lyrics to this album and I can’t hear what they are, so this review is just based on the way the album sounds … and overall, I don’t mind it. It’s just not totally my thing. Light 6.5/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Endless Fall”, “Black Wings Of Desolation”, “Dominion Of A Darkened Realm”, “Funeral Sanctum”
Least Favourite Track: “Serpentine Shadows”

Gamma by Gesaffelstein:

Gesaffelstein is the stage name of Mike Lévy, and this is his third studio album. Although I’m not really sure why this isn’t credited to both Gesaffelstein and Yan Wagner, considering Yan Wagner does vocals on nearly every track here.

Anyway, this album is pretty short, and while I haven’t heard a Gesaffelstein album before this one, I was still curious … and it’s quite good! There are some cool experimental moments such as “Psycho” as well as some cool darkwave moments such as “Your share of the night”.

And the vocal production is really strong, giving this a very eerie vibe while still being a lot of fun to listen to!

I’m not going to say it blew my mind or anything, but the synths have some really cool timbres, and the way everything is balanced together creates an awesome vibe! And a lot of the higher frequencies add to the thickness of the sound really well! So, for me this is a 7/10! Very good album!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Hard dreams”, “Your share of the night”, “Hysteria”, “Lost love”
Least Favourite Track: “The urge”

Piano Reverb by Jasmine Wood:

Here’s an ambient album I recently came across online, and it’s by an artist I’m not sure I’d heard of until very recently.

And at points it can be calming, and at other times eerie. Overall, it’s not an album that really gives me a whole lot to say, although I do wish it had a bit less reverb at points (in that case would the album just be called Piano?), as it can get kind of distracting from the calmness of the piano.

But at points it does a good job of building tension, like in “VII”, which has a great attention to detail.

This album kind of feels like it represents the ups and downs of life, even though it’s an instrumental album. The contrasting moods from track to track really stand out to me.

And overall, I think it’s a pretty good album! I’ll give it a 7/10! I wouldn’t quite call it great, partially because of some of the production, but I still mostly enjoyed this.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “IV”, “VII”, “VIII (Tremolo)”
Least Favourite Track: “VI (Friends)”

Good Game Baby by Bats:

This is the third studio album by Bats, and it’s the first one I’ve listened to. I’m not really sure if Bats is a band or a solo project, but either way, Jess Awh is the mastermind behind this project, and I was curious to give it a chance …

And while I’m not totally wowed by this as a whole, it’s still a pretty impressive showing that makes me curious to hear Bats’ other albums.

I don’t always love the production—sometimes it can feel a little messy—but at its best moments it sounds phenomenal, such as the way the strings fit pretty much perfectly in “Sand Time Machine”!

And there are other standout moments, too, like that guitar solo with a really nice timbre in the closing track, and “Finger on the Tear” is very melodic and catchy and well produced!

At some moments it can feel way too reminiscent of other music I’ve already heard—I’d strongly guess there’s some Phoebe Bridgers influence here, and while that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, often here it feels like it lacks creativity. That’s not to say there’s no creativity here, but at points it can feel quite generic. Maybe that’s just a me thing, though.

Overall, I do still really like this, though! It’s got some strong standout moments, and I don’t think there’s a bad song here! 7/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Going For Oysters”, “Finger on the Tear”, “Sand Time Machine”
Least Favourite Track: “Thanks To U”

Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker:

Adrianne Lenker is the lead singer of the super critically acclaimed band Big Thief, who I’ll admit I haven’t listened to all that much, but based on my memory of their 2022 album it really didn’t do much for me despite the massive amounts of critical acclaim.

And this new solo album from Adrianne is arguably the most critically acclaimed album of the year so far, and thus I was really excited to hear this …

And I hate to say it, but to be totally honest it’s just not hitting for me in the same way as it is for so many others. I mean, this feels like it’s been the story of the last two years, where an album gets tons and tons and tons of critical acclaim, with nearly everyone agreeing it’s absolutely amazing, and I’m just here thinking, ‘It’s pretty good.’

But while there’s a lot of emotion here, and the production sounds mostly nice (even though I wish the vocal production fit more with the instrumentals), and I like some of the storytelling and detail in the lyrics, a lot of this just feels really forgettable to me, and I don’t find the melodies super strong.

There are some moments that I do really like, such as the acoustic guitar on “Donut Seam”, one of my favourite songs on the album which seems to be about trying to enjoy the present moment despite the uncertainty of the future. And I also think the album ends pretty well with “Ruined”, which has a gorgeous vocal performance.

But then there’s also a track like “Evol” which feels like it’s trying to be super deep and thought-provoking with all the lines about words having different meanings backward, and it just doesn’t feel nearly as interesting to me as I think it’s supposed to. Maybe I’m missing something, but I honestly find this track pretty annoying.

So, overall, as a whole album … well, I guess it’s just not really for me. I still mostly enjoyed it, which is why I’m giving it a 7/10, but as someone who’s really gotten into country music over the last few years, this isn’t anywhere near the top tier of stuff I’ve heard in the genre.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Fool”, “Vampire Empire”, “Donut Seam”, “Ruined”
Least Favourite Track: “Evol”

Akoma by Jlin:

This is my first time listening to a Jlin album, and it’s a mostly instrumental album which I think is also mostly likeable. It’s got some nice experimentation and I think it’s mostly well produced.

There are some moments where it can maybe feel a bit generic, but there are also some moments that really stood out to me, such as “Summon” with its super eerie vibe, and I love the way the tension builds in that track!

And “Auset” has a very hypnotizing vibe to it, with that percussion sounding awesome!

I do think the closing track leaves a lot to be desired, and I don’t find the album consistently great, but I do think it’s usually enjoyable, even in some of the moments that don’t really wow me.

So, overall, I guess I’ll give this a 7/10. It’s got its moments, and while I can’t say I’m fully wowed by this, it’s certainly intriguing.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Speed of Darkness”, “Summon”, “Iris”, “Auset”
Least Favourite Track: “The Precision of Infinity”

Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee:

This is the first time I’ve listened to an album by Waxahatchee, and it’s a pretty strong first impression!

I don’t always love the timbre of the percussion when placed in context of the overall sound of the album, but for the most part I think the production is pretty pleasant, and there are some good vocal melodies here, too!

And some of these songs are really strong standouts, like “Ice Cold” with its repetitive instrumental that feels kind of hypnotizing, or “Evil Spawn” which feels full of guilt and longing for things to change, and it also has one of the best vocal performances on the album! And the backing vocals on the latter of those tracks sound fantastic as well!

Overall, this is a really solid country album with good storytelling, good singing, and good production, and while I don’t find it super consistent, it definitely shows a lot of potential! 7/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Evil Spawn”, “Ice Cold”, “The Wolves”, “Tigers Blood”
Least Favourite Track: “Lone Star Lake”

Keeper of the Shepherd by Hannah Frances:

This is the third album by Hannah Frances, although it’s the first one I’ve listened to and it’s easily her biggest album thus far, getting way more attention than her previous two.

And it’s some pretty solid folk music in my opinion—at least I think I’d call it folk music; I’m bad with genres. Anyway, I quite like the vocal layering on this album, and there are some subtle details in a lot of the instrumental timbres which give this a very mystical vibe which I really like!

And Hannah Frances is a really good singer who expresses a lot of emotion with her voice on this album!

And with a lot of really good imagery in the lyrics and mostly solid production despite a little more airiness than I’d like … well, it leads to an album I would consider pretty good, but not quite great, in my opinion. Light 7/10.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Keeper of the Shepherd”, “Husk”, “Haunted Landscape, Echoing Cave”
Least Favourite Track: “Vacant Intimacies”

Hello, everyone! I know it’s been a little bit since I’ve last posted anything on this website. It’s been two weeks since my last post, about two and a half weeks since my last legit post (my most recent post was an April Fools Day prank), and over three weeks since my last mini review post.

If I’m being totally honest, I’ve been super busy with school and I’ve been dealing with more burnout than usual lately, which is why for the next few weeks I don’t think my reviews are going to be nearly as in-depth as I was hoping, and the reviews may be slowing down as well. I still listened to all of these albums at least a few times each, but I’ll be honest and say that at least with some of these albums I kind of half-assed the reviews and haven’t looked into the lyrics as much as I would have liked, nor have I listened to the albums as much as I would have liked. And that’ll continue to be the case for the next little bit. Hopefully I’ll get back to making better reviews in the summer.

But anyway, there are ten albums I want to review today, starting with …

Perfume by Cult Black Venus:

Here’s a debut album which I remember finding out about before the calendar even changed to 2024, and it’s by an artist who is not super well known by the general public. But I was kind of curious to hear it, although I wasn’t able to find it anywhere online until much more recently … so, now I’m finally reviewing it, and …

Well, it’s a pretty haunting listen … to a certain extent. Because while the chord progressions and vocal production when put together can create an eerie mood, and the lyrics full of desire fit well with the sound of the album, I’m left feeling underwhelmed for some reason.

And I think part of it is just feeling like I’ve heard this before. A track like “My Lovely Boy Death” is a perfect example of that, because the haunting, mysterious storytelling fits pretty well with the eerie sound, but that piano timbre and the style of the lyrics feels very familiar. It doesn’t feel reminiscent of anything specific, just a bunch of stuff I’ve already heard, and in my own personal opinion I think I’ve heard it done way better.

It feels like a pretty easy listen, which I think can be a good thing, but it also doesn’t feel like it was supposed to be an easy listen in this case. Maybe I’m wrong, but either way … well, it’s not all that hard to recommend, because it’s pretty short and generally likeable, too. But again, it doesn’t feel as interesting as I’d like it to be.

As with almost every review I’ve done, if not every review, I very well could be missing something. Music is subjective, and maybe to someone else this might be a masterpiece, I don’t know.

I do think the album ends pretty well with the stormy vibe of the closing track, “The Magic Mountain”, and there are moments (including that track) where the production is really strong in my opinion. I’m not denying there’s potential here. It does make me curious to hear more music from Cult Black Venus, but I’m just not totally wowed.

But I’m all for supporting smaller artists, and this is also a pretty good album … so, I’d recommend it, at least for fans of mellow, eerie music. And I mostly did enjoy it, albeit mildly. So, I’ll give it a 6/10. The lyrics often feel like they could use maybe a bit more detail, but for what it is it kind of makes sense. And once again, take all of this with a grain of salt, because I’m just some guy talking about how I personally hear the album.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6/10
Favourite Tracks: “In Our Secret Place”, “Dark Forest”, “The Magic Mountain”
Least Favourite Track: “A Cradle Song”

Orchards of a Futile Heaven by The Body & Dis Fig:

For a while, I’ve heard of the duo The Body, although I haven’t really listened to them much. I remember not really liking the one album of theirs I’d listened to before, but that was still when I was discovering my taste in music and I’m not sure what I’d think of it now.

Anyway, here’s their new collaborative album with Dis Fig, an artist I don’t think I’d heard of until this album came out.

And the first thing I’ll mention is that I couldn’t find the lyrics to this album when I looked them up, and it’s hard to hear what they are, so I can’t really take lyrics into consideration in this review.

And I have mixed feelings. I mean, the sound quality of this album is really strong. The vocals and vocal production are really strong, and the noisy distortion adds a really nice touch. The overall sound quality of this is very strong in my opinion.

And I don’t think it falls flat on its face or anything, because there’s nothing really keeping it from having the eerie, haunting feeling I think it’s aiming for. It does create a very eerie vibe, fitting for a horror movie soundtrack or something like that. And there are a lot of subtle details in the production such as how certain sounds are kept a little further from the front than you might expect, which works well to emphasize other moments where things get a lot more chaotic. It seems to do what it’s trying to do really well.

But I don’t really think this album is going to have a lot of replay value for me, because a lot of this feels like stuff I’ve heard before. Because while I mostly like the vocal style and the vocal production, it feels like I’ve heard this exact same style in so many other albums in this vein, and a lot of them just end up being kind of forgettable to me, which this one very well could, too.

I just wish there were maybe a bit more variety in the sound, or something that made it feel a little more interesting. Something that made this stand out to me more.

As it is, I don’t think it’s bad. In fact, I think it’s quite good, which is why I’m going to give it a 7/10, but if you’re looking for a noisy, chaotic album that’s super haunting … well, this might do the trick, but I also feel like I’ve heard similar albums that I think were done way better. That doesn’t make this bad, but I’m feeling a bit of a disconnect from this album, if I’m being totally honest. It’s just not entirely for me.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “To Walk a Higher Path”, “Orchards of a Futile Heaven”, “Holy Lance”
Least Favourite Track: “Coils of Kaa”

TYLA by Tyla:

This is Tyla’s debut album, and it comes less than a year after her breakout hit “Water”, which hit the US chart in the fall of last year. And it’s a song I mostly like but don’t really love.

Anyway, now that the album is out, I’ve got to say I’m excited to hear whatever Tyla does next! Because this is a pretty strong debut!

There are some good catchy hooks, I really like the crisp percussion timbre, and the mixing is really strong!

And even in the parts of the album where it doesn’t feel all that interesting or memorable, I still find it pretty enjoyable. There probably isn’t a song here that I’d call bad, even though “Butterflies” has some really messy production that I really don’t like.

I think the bass has some really nice presence on this album, really making these songs feel a lot less hollow than they otherwise would, and I think it fits! The really strong mixing and production makes these tracks way more danceable!

And Tyla is a good singer, too! I don’t always love the reverb on the vocals, but she sounds locked in to these songs without taking away from the chill vibe.

So, overall I thought this was a really strong album! I wouldn’t quite call it great, but I still enjoyed this quite a bit!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Safer”, “On and On”, “ART”, “To Last”
Least Favourite Track: “Butterflies”

Maquillada en la Cama by Juliana Gattas:

Juliana Gattas is a member of the band Miranda!, a band whom I’d never heard of until recently but they’re somewhat popular. Anyway, this is Juliana’s debut solo album, and it’s been getting quite a bit of acclaim. So, I was excited to hear it, and I think it’s a pretty fun pop album!

The lyrics to this album are in Spanish, and the only language I know is English. So, while I translated the lyrics online, I don’t know how accurate the translations are, so I’m not sure I can really analyze the lyrics all that well. But for the most part they don’t seem to be all that deep anyway.

But I think it fits for an album which mostly just feels like it’s supposed to be a super fun time and not much else. And I don’t think it’s consistent enough to fully stick the landing for me, but there’s a lot that I really like about this!

There are some great tracks on here like “Botas Negras” with its buzzing synths and a great groovy feeling to it, especially with those strings! And “Lejos del Fuego” has some really nice horns and strings and some really cool moments in the rhythm!

I do think some of the production can give the sound a bit of an awkward texture, but for the most part I think it’s pretty strong. Even some of the tracks I don’t like as much do usually have production that I like, such as the watery production in “Miro Hacia el Cielo”—yeah, I know I’m often not a huge fan of watery production, but in this case I think it really helps the atmosphere.

And the album’s pretty short, too, running for less than forty minutes! It’s a nice, breezy listen that’s got some really fun disco tracks on it!

I think there are points where the production could make the percussion fit a little more and I think some of these tracks would be a lot punchier, and I also think “La Casa del Amor Nocturno” is a dud of a track with some of the worst synth timbres here …

But overall I thought this was a lot of fun! I wouldn’t quite call it great (according to my own personal taste in music, of course), but I do think it’s pretty close! I’ll give this a fairly strong 7.5/10! I think it shows a ton of potential, and again, there are some very strong highlights on here as well! I’d highly recommend this to fans of disco music!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Maquillada en la Cama”, “Botas Negras”, “Lejos del Fuego”
Least Favourite Track: “La Casa del Amor Nocturno”

Something in the Room She Moves by Julia Holter:

I’ll admit I’m not super familiar with Julia Holter’s discography—in fact, this is the first solo album of hers that I’ve listened to—but after her collaborative album last year with Spektral Quartet and Alex Temple, Behind the Wallpaper, I was very excited to hear this, as that album ended up being among my favourites of last year!

And after listening to this album, I’m really starting to think I might want to check out more of her other albums, because this is great, too! The production is so smooth and yet so detailed and fascinating, and Julia’s vocals fit really well in this style!

And there are so many excellent subtle details on this album, such as the haunting backing vocals on “Meyou”, the subtle synths that wash over you in “Spinning”, and so much of the vocal layering throughout this album just sounding absolutely gorgeous!

And while the lyrics feel quite cryptic and I don’t fully get it, I also don’t think I’m supposed to fully get it. But there seems to possibly be a story of someone desiring more than what they have, but not feeling like pursuing their dreams, especially in “These Morning”. And there’s a lot here that I find very fascinating.

So, for me this album is a 9/10, and it’s easily among my favourites of this year!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 9/10
Favourite Tracks: “These Morning”, “Something in the Room She Moves”, “Materia”, “Meyou”, “Spinning”, “Ocean”, “Talking to the Whisper”, “Who Brings Me”
Least Favourite Track: “Sun Girl”

It Isn’t What It Is by Elysios:

Here’s an instrumental ambient album I discovered recently by a very underground artist I’d never heard of until this came out.

And while this didn’t blow my mind or anything, I do think the textures are really nice, and there are a lot of haunting moments that really feel like a reminder of how impermanent everything is. I don’t know why, but that’s the vibe I get from this album.

And it doesn’t feel like an album that’s meant to make you feel calm (with the exception of the closing track), despite how mellow it is … but as always, different people might hear it differently.

And I love how layered the instrumentation is at points, such as in “Sacred Lust”.

For me this album is a 7.5/10. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Revelation”, “Sacred Lust”, “Untethered”
Least Favourite Track: “My Elysium”

Three by Four Tet:

Four Tet is the solo project of Kieran Hebden, and he’s been releasing albums under this name for over two decades now, a lot of which have gotten quite a bit of critical acclaim. And I think this might actually be the first time I’ve heard of him. I mean, probably not really, but I don’t really remember hearing about him before this.

Anyway, this album is about forty-five minutes in length, it’s almost entirely instrumental, and it’s also been getting a lot of critical acclaim. I’m not sure if all his albums are instrumental or not, but getting back on topic, did this click for me?

Well, it’s certainly got some nice experimentation and unpredictability, and I like the variety of the calmer and more upbeat moments.

And the production feels very fitting for this time of year—in fact, one of the times I listened to this album to review it was right after going out for a walk in the sun without a jacket for the first time in a while, and it felt very fitting to listen to this right after. It feels like it represents the start of something exciting, possibly a change of seasons.

And of course it’s kind of difficult to analyze the meaning of instrumental music, but that’s one thing that I often love about it—it could potentially represent so many different things, and different people can find their own meaning in it. Yes, that can be said about pretty much all music, but especially instrumental music.

And I really like a lot of the sharp synth timbres here, as well as the crisp percussion on tracks like “So Blue” and “Loved” which really help give this a much more breezy feeling. I don’t think this album is doing anything all that mind-blowing or revolutionary, but it’s just got such a nice, chill vibe to it.

I don’t really have much else to say, honestly. For me it’s a strong 7/10, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for something experimental but still quite accessible and easy-going. I think this is a very good album! I’m definitely glad I heard it!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Gliding Through Everything”, “Skater”, “So Blue”
Least Favourite Track: “Daydream Repeat”

Psykos by Yung Lean & Bladee:

Despite hearing about these artists quite a bit, I’d barely listened to music by either of them at all going into this album. But I was curious about this, so I decided to give it a shot, and I ended up mostly liking it!

I’m not super wowed by it or anything, but I like the atmosphere the production provides, and there’s a lot of emotion here.

I do wish some of the melodies stuck for me more, and there are points where I wish it were more experimental, but overall I thought this was a pretty enjoyable listen!

I think this album’s at its best when it’s a little more intense musically, like with the lead guitar in the background of “Sold Out” or the clicking percussion in “Golden God”! And “Enemy” has some really interesting production with the drums not being super loud but still hitting very hard!

So, overall, I really ended up liking this! 7/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Golden God”, “Sold Out”, “Enemy”
Least Favourite Track: “Coda”

A Lonely Sinner by samlrc:

I’d never heard of this artist until very recently, but this album which was released in early March has been getting a lot of critical acclaim, seemingly out of nowhere.

And after giving it a few listens … well, I can’t say I fully understand the hype. I mean, it’s definitely noisy, and experimental, and creative … but to me there aren’t really a lot of standout melodies, and the production feels a little messier than I would have liked.

There are quite a few samples used on this album, and I’m not sure where they all are. So, I don’t know how much of this is totally original material. But either way, I mildly enjoyed this, some parts of it much more than others, but as a whole it’s just not really doing all that much for me.

But with all that being said, there are specific moments where I really like the production. The texture in the opening track sounds really good, and the way the piano is miked in “Flowerfields” gives it a really nice, smooth feeling that I really like! And the strings fit really well in “For M.”, helping the texture sound way more crisp, if that makes any sense—and it gives the song a much more dramatic feeling.

And the vocals are pretty good, although I wish they were a bit louder in the mix at points.

On Bandcamp this is described as ‘an album about a sheep experiencing love in it’s nature’, although I can’t help but wonder if there are some metaphors here. A lot of it feels like it represents a person feeling kind of trapped, wanting to make a change but possibly being too scared. I don’t know, it’s hard to tell, but I especially get that vibe from “Storge”, and some of the other tracks feel like they’re kind of connected in a way.

By the way, on a bit of a side note, “Storge” has some of my favourite moments on the album, with its stormy production and hard-hitting drums!

But still, something feels missing here and I can’t fully place it. But I can’t say I love this album. I do mostly like it, but I don’t think I can go higher than a 6.5/10. I get why people like it, but I’m surprised to see it getting this much acclaim.

Final Thoughts
Rating: 6.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Lamb Theme”, “Storge”, “Sheep Theme”, “For M.”
Least Favourite Track: “Philautia”

Double Take by Michael Grubb:

Here’s an artist I had never heard of until recently, but I saw this described as an ambient album, and it’s pretty short. I figured it would be pretty easy to review, so after a few listens, how do I feel about it?

Well, I actually ended up liking this way more than I thought I would! I’ve barely seen this getting any traction at all, and I just randomly stumbled upon it online, and thus I had no idea what to expect at all, but this is actually pretty great!

It’s a very calming listen which feels like a break from the chaos of the world and any emotions I want to escape for a bit. It feels like a great album to just turn your mind off to and just experience the peacefulness of this album.

Now, for an album to really reach that absolute top tier, it’d usually have to feel more like it was doing something I found way more unique/groundbreaking, and this doesn’t really feel like it is … I mean, maybe to some extent. But in a lot of ways this does just feel like an album that’s doing a really good job of a style I’ve heard many times before.

Still, though, this is an excellent ambient album full of gorgeous piano timbres and the overall sound quality is magical! 8.5/10!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 8.5/10
Favourite Tracks: “Turn/Curve”, “Long White Hall”, “Being Everything”, “Arpeggio In C (Working It Over)”, “Nothing about Something”
Least Favourite Track: “Arpeggio In E♭ (Cabin)”

Hello, everyone! Today I’m going to do something a little bit different from usual on this website, as instead of an individual review or a mini review post, I’m going to be counting down my favourite songs by The Beatles. I plan to do these lists on other artists in the future.

And why not start with one of the most famous and most critically acclaimed bands of all time? I mean, they’ve got to be one of the most talked about bands, right? And despite all the critical acclaim, there are a lot of people who would argue they are extremely overrated. And yeah, I’ll admit I don’t love The Beatles nearly as much as the vast majority of critics, but I can still acknowledge how great their best songs are. So, now it’s time for my top 5 countdown of my favourite songs The Beatles ever made!

#5: “Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds” (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band)

So, whether or not you believe this song’s title was a reference to LSD, it has been revealed that the song’s title was inspired by a painting of the same name John Lennon’s son made. And I love the imagery of this track, making it feel like a movie soundtrack, and it makes me feel like I’ve been transported into some totally different world!

The chorus is so goddamn catchy, and I love all the excellent vocal effects and those slightly eerie synths in the verses! This song is pretty much a masterpiece, and yet somehow there are four songs I’d put ahead of it on this list!

And how could I forget Paul’s excellent bassline? It’s just such a joy to listen to, and while this track doesn’t give me a ton to say, it’s a magical journey!

#4: “Any Time at All” (A Hard Day’s Night)

This is probably the biggest hot take on this list, and it’s not that I think this song is particularly disliked or anything like that, it’s just not one of the ones you’d probably expect to see on a list of the best Beatles songs.

But this song has some of my favourite vocal melodies of their discography, and that chorus is so hard-hitting! I love the drumming, and everything sounds so good in the mix! Whenever I hear someone say that the production in all old music sounds bad, I think of tracks like this and think about how much I disagree!

And I love the uplifting lyrics about being there for someone you care about, whether it be a romantic partner or a friend, or maybe a family member—in any case, it’s a nice message with the narrator trying to help this person through whatever they’re going through.

But I also think this track could be a metaphor, possibly trying to send a message about protecting the Earth. The line ‘any time at all’ seems like John saying that any time he can make a planet-positive decision, he will. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but I think it’s implied in the lyrics. Either way, this song absolutely rules!

#3: “Hey Bulldog” (Yellow Submarine)

I mean, where do I begin? That iconic opening melody has to be one of the catchiest melodies The Beatles ever made, the sharp snares in the chorus hit super hard, and I love how much the song progresses throughout!

Ringo’s lyrics on this track about his pet bulldog are really quite something, and I especially love the line, ‘Hey Bulldog,’ which is in reference to the song’s title. I mean, it’s kind of a song about itself, is it not? And honestly, that’s pretty awesome!

And that excellent guitar solo at the end is the cherry on top! It’s just such a fantastic song that’s their most famous song for good reasons!

#2: “Penny Lane” (Magical Mystery Tour)

I just don’t understand why this deep cut is so rarely talked about! This is the moment The Beatles proved that they could pull off any genre, with their huge shift to making pop music! Everything up to this point had been rock music, but this is the moment it all changed!

And it’s probably the best pop song they ever made (minor spoiler for #1, sorry), with the A.I. generated lyrics, the brutal death metal passages, the absolute fire bars that George Martin spits on the eighth verse, and that six-minute outro with the looped guitar feedback sample is just such a nice, calming moment to end the track!

So, which Beatles song could possibly top this one?

#1: “Welcome to the Black Parade” (The Beatle Parade)

There was never really any question for me as to what my number one favourite Beatles song is. This is the first Beatles song I ever remember really loving as a kid, and it’s stuck with me for all these years! In fact, it might just be one of my favourite songs of all time!

Right from that opening note, it’s such an instantly recognizable track, and I love the incredible intro and how it leads into that awesome moment a little over a minute and a half in when everything changes and it turns into a full-on punk rock song!

I love the lyrics on this track about a dying patient thinking about a memory with his father, and there’s so much lyrical depth and detail here! And Gerard Way, one of the founding members of The Beatles, gives one of his best vocal performances on this track!

This is easily The Beatles’ true masterpiece, and the best song they ever made!

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another individual album review, as today I’m reviewing the new Kacey Musgraves album, Deeper Well.

Do you ever listen to an album once and then immediately know it’s going to take a lot of listens to really have an opinion on it? Well, that was my experience here, but before we get to that I want to talk about my feelings on Kacey Musgraves’ previous albums.

She released her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park in 2013 to loads of critical acclaim, and I absolutely get why. Not only was Kacey a fantastic singer with a ton of personality behind the mic, but the song writing was really strong as well. Not only with all the fantastic melodies that made the songs all the more memorable, but the lyrics were great, too! There was so much charm to the way she wrote about so many topics, a lot of which tried to have an optimistic perspective on life while acknowledging that things are never going to be perfect.

But then Pageant Material came out in 2015, and while I mostly like that album, it didn’t have nearly as many standout tracks as her debut did in my opinion. But I definitely like it better than the next two albums she released, both of which had lots of airy production and boring melodies, and despite some emotional lyrics, it just didn’t feel nearly as interesting as her first album.

But I was still very curious to hear Deeper Well … and while I don’t think this is quite as good as Same Trailer Different Park, this might be my favourite album she’s released since then. There’s a lot to this album, and I think the best way for me to review this is to go track by track.

The album opens with “Cardinal”, which has some really nice vocal melodies. I especially like that moment at the start of the chorus with the three ascending notes, and it’s followed by some high notes with a really lavish texture with the gorgeous vocal layering. I do wish the vocal production felt a little less disconnected from the instrumental, especially in the verses, but I still like this track quite a bit, especially considering the lyrics, where she sees a cardinal and wonders if it’s some sort of sign, maybe a friend who passed away sending her a message … but really, there’s no way to know, and the frustration subtly shines through in the vocal performance and slightly less subtly in the melodies. I do think the more upbeat drums and guitar sound a little awkward when paired with the frustrated vibes, and it’s part of the reason I don’t quite think this is a great song, but it’s not far from it.

Next is the title track, “Deeper Well”, in which she sings about making positive changes, and moving on from things that are holding her back from living the life she really wants to live. And there’s a lot of maturity here, as she’s not worrying too much about whether or not she made the right decisions in the past, because you can’t go back and change it. And the calming acoustic guitar with the gorgeous vocal layering really fits.

Sonically I’m not a huge fan of the next track, “Too Good to be True”, with its sort of clunky percussion and some acoustic guitar that I think is too loud in the mix, but I do like the lyrics where the narrator has entered a new relationship and it’s going very well, but she can’t help but wonder if it’s too good to be true.

In “Moving Out” I definitely like the acoustic guitar mixing a lot more, and while the snare feels a little snappier than I would have liked, I still think the instrumental is pretty strong here. In this track she’s describing moving out of a house, and remembering a bunch of memories she’s made there, and I like that there’s some detail here.

Things do get a little awkward, though, in the next track, “Giver / Taker”. I think I get what this song is trying to do, as I think she’s describing a relationship in which she’s doing so much for this person and this person isn’t really doing much for her. And it seems like she’s sarcastically responding with the idea that they should both do absolutely everything the other person wants. And it feels a little awkward because the sarcasm doesn’t really fit with the feeling of earnestness in the vocals and instrumentation. Like with pretty much any song, I may be interpreting it wrong, but it still feels awkward to me. Although I do still like the sound of this track overall, and there are some good melodies.

As we get closer to the halfway point of the album, there’s the song, “Sway”, which I think is fairly good but not all that memorable. Yeah, the percussion has a nice, crisp feeling to it which fits pretty well with the rest of the instrumentation and the very calm vibe of this song, especially considering the lyrics which seem to be about trying to reach a point where you can stop overworrying about small things and not letting them ruin your day, and it feels fitting considering how much this track feels like a fantasy of hopefully reaching that point in the future. But the chorus is pretty weak in my opinion, especially with some strange vocal effects that really take away from the emotional feeling of the track, and I wish the acoustic guitar melody had a bit more variety.

“Dinner with Friends” has some really nice lyrics where she lists a bunch of things she appreciates about life, and while I mostly like this track, I do think the chorus makes it feel a little less happy than I think it’s supposed to, with a sort of gloomy feeling that I’m baffled by.

“Heart of the Woods” has some ideas that I like, with the lyrics which seem to be about treating people with respect, regardless of whether or not we know them. I just wish it felt more fully fleshed out, and the production feels way messier than I would have liked.

But then there’s “Jade Green”, easily one of my favourite tracks on the album. The lyrics seem to be about someone very special to her, possibly a romantic partner, and she feels like this person is always with her, using a gift from this person as a reminder. And sonically this track reminds me of Jewel’s “Standing Still”, another great track in my opinion. But whereas “Standing Still” has some notable elements that I think very much hold it back from reaching its potential, I don’t really notice those as much here … it’s just got such a nice, clean sound to it that washes over you in the best way!

But “Jade Green” isn’t quite my favourite song here; that would be “The Architect”, which not only has some of my favourite vocal melodies on the album, but the production is absolutely stunning, with the way the acoustic guitar accompanies Kacey’s amazing vocals, and everything sounds pretty much perfect in the mix! And I really like the lyrics, too, where she’s questioning what caused everything to be the way it is, and whether or not there’s a higher power, and if there is, how much control does that higher power have?

I also quite like the next track, “Lonely Millionaire”. It has a nice interpolation of JID’s “Kody Blu 31” that I think works quite well, and the production sounds pretty good, too. Lyrically it doesn’t seem to be doing anything all that unique, but the instrumentation and vocals which together feel like they represent trying to claw your way out of depression do fit well with the lyrics about money and fame not totally solving anyone’s problems.

And while “Heaven Is” doesn’t have the most gripping instrumentation or melodies here, I do like the lyrics, which seem to be about trying to forget about all the fame for a moment and just appreciating spending time with a romantic partner. It kind of reminds me of when Taylor Swift did something similar near the end of reputation with what I think is one of the better songs on that album in “Call It What You Want”, except unlike that song this one doesn’t get the mood killed by an incredibly distracting hi-hat.

“Anime Eyes” definitely has some vocal layering that I think sounds a little too busy in a way which kind of ruins the atmosphere, but the acoustic guitar sounds nice, and I mostly like the production on this track.

And I think the album ends really strong with “Nothing to be Scared Of”, which I feel like could be interpreted in a few different ways, one being her settling into a new relationship and trying not to worry about what might go wrong.

But the closing track also feels like it could be about two exes who are living in different parts of the world, but the narrator feels like her ex is still with her everywhere she goes, and she’s wishing she could go back, but she’s going to at least appreciate the good times they had, and also hopefully they’ve changed each other for the better … ‘I’ll come to you and drop my bags, and you’ll help me unpack them.’

And this seems to possibly be an underlying theme throughout the album—when you’re feeling sad, looking for a silver lining. It kind of feels like a full circle moment considering that’s the idea behind the opening track on her debut album.

And there seems to especially be an emphasis on past experiences improving the future, such as how she mentions ‘leaving it better than we found it’ talking about a house in “Moving Out”, and there’s also the title track where she tries not to worry about decisions she made in the past and looks more at how to do better in the future. Maybe they were learning experiences.

And considering some of the more philosophical lyrics in tracks like “Cardinal” and “The Architect”, it makes this all the more fascinating because it brings up the question, ‘How many of the bad decisions we’ve made in the past are going to end up impacting our lives in a positive way by teaching us a lesson?’ And “Sway” also feels like it could represent trying to have a more optimistic look at things, and not letting the mistakes we make prevent us from being happy and living our lives.

So, overall … well, there’s a lot to unpack here lyrically, a lot more than I even mentioned here. But while I often like lyrical detail, often this album can feel personal in a way where it just doesn’t feel all that relatable. And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hearing other people’s stories, but often this style of music with this kind of production and a bit of a gloomy feeling to it is the kind of music where I usually like it more the more I feel like I relate to it.

And thus I can’t quite say this really clicked for me as much as I’d like lyrically, and there are some moments where the melodies are kind of boring in my opinion, and the production can be a bit hit-or-miss at points, but the best moments here are great and I don’t think there’s a bad track here.

Overall, there’s a lot more that I like about this than there is that I don’t, so I’m going to give Deeper Well a 7/10.

As always, though, this is all just how I personally feel about this album. Feel free to disagree with me in the comments. This is all just my opinion.

Just before I end this review, I want to quickly give a brief update on what’s coming up soon. I’m just about to finish my first year of college, and with exams coming up the reviews might slow down a bit, and/or they might be a little more rushed, and I’m totally fine with that. In a few weeks I’ll probably make reviews a bit more of a priority than they are right now.

Thanks for reading this review, and I’ll be back soon with more!

Final Thoughts
Rating: 7/10
Favourite Tracks: “Deeper Well”, “Jade Green”, “The Architect”, “Nothing to be Scared Of”
Least Favourite Track: “Heart of the Woods”