Music Reviews

They still got it.

After the absolute disaster that was The National’s last album released earlier this year „First Two Pages of Frankenstein“ (which I gave something like a 3/10) they decidede to release an actual competent piece of music with „Laugh Track“, what seems to be that album’s sister album of sorts. Sorry for the rough start but you have to understand I hold a lot of enjoyment for this band and I’m really dissapointed when they release stuff that’s obviously not half as good as they are capable of releasing. Anyways let’s get into „Laugh Track“.

The album opens up with the really pretty „Alphabet City“ which I originally didn’t care for all that much as a single, but it really grew on me as time passed. It’s actually a really great opener for this album, it sets the mood perfectly and captures that iconic The National feel perfectly. Really reminds me of something off of „Sleep Well Beast“. The opening guitar lick sounds like something straight out of the Life Is Strange OST and the orchestral elements in the latter half are great too. All around an absolute joy to listen to. Speaking off, the same can be said about the next song „Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces)“ – this one has some really smooth guitar riffs and sharp drumming, it’s really airy and sentimental, just all around everything a The National song should be. I especially enjoy the subtle guitar licks in the background here + the lyrics in the chorus really hit home for me lately. Yeah, this one’s a banger too, this album is two for two so far. Next is the song „Weird Goodbyes“ with none other than Bon Iver and this one admittedly is a bit too poppy for my taste, with the really simple beat and piano chords without much to make it unique, but Justin Vernon’s and Matt Berninger’s voice chemistry here is kinda unmatched. Plus the little bits and pieces of instrumentations slowly being added to make it more colorful here and there make it a little more fresh throughout. The tune is definitely there, it’s still a really good one. „Turn off the House“ is actually another one of my favorites, this one once again hits you with that acoustic Life is Strange feel right off the back but with arguably even more energy behind it than in „Alphabet City“. The different blends of instrumentation are absolutely seemless and the singing is kinda on point like a lot. I don’t know, this one just works for a variety of reasons, it feels really colorful and really complete, I especially enjoy the guitar work on here and also the way the part after the „turn off the house“ hook part is sung just hits differently. Yeah like up to this point it’s kinda hard to believe that these songs are off of the same the same sessions as the songs on the previous album were. Next is „Dreaming“ and this one has some REALLY nice but subtle synth work scattered throughout. The electronics here aren’t obnoxious at all, they add to the song a lot. Plus the lyrics once again I really enjoy here especially. Not much else to be said about the song though, I just really like it. After that comes the title track „Laugh Track“ with Phoebe Bridgers and as on the previous album, the Pheobe Bridgers track isn’t as great as I expected it to be. It’s kinda anthemic in a sense and the guitar work is once again just really excellent and well-placed, but the song could use a little extra like… Something. Not even the horns that are brough in towards the end add all that much – it’s still a good song, like it’s really pleasant when it’s on and kinda memorable and by the end of it the instrumentation reaches a beautiful mix, but it takes a hot while to get there and the song can otherwise be a bit boring. Good song though. Next song however, is this album at it’s peak – „Space Invader“ is the longest song on here a almost 7 minutes long and it absolutely makes that time worth sitting through. The base song is kinda simple but really catchy immidiately, once again feeling like iconic The National. However after like the second or third chorus the song turn into pure instrumental bliss as it slowly build with really chaotic drums, bright synths and really pretty guitar work, just an absolute climax. It’s genuinely one of the best The National moments period. Insane song. After that comes the much-needed slower ballad in the form of „Hornets“. This song is like the definition of a slow-burner. It’s really simple and kinda average but that doesn’t mean the instrumentation and performances still aren’t pretty great. Plus the horn(et)s (see what I did there) make a little comeback towards the very end of the song, which was a nice cherry on top, even though a bit short-lived one. Not bad but nothing all that great either, it’s alright. „Coat on a Hook“ has a really nice beat, the drums are super smooth and the plucky guitar melodies are pretty sweet too, it’s just that by this point in the album this sound gets a bit repetetive and this song doesn’t do much to stand out. It’s fine while it’s on but it probably could have easily been cut. As could probably the next song „Tour Manager“ – again, it’s fine while it’s on but compared to the earlier leg of this album it’s kinda impressive hoe forgetable it is. It’s fine. The second to last song „Crumble“ with Rosanne Cash and I’ll definitely say that the chemistry is there as is the tune, like especially after the last few so-so tracks. The guitars are much more lively here and overall the song just has more life to it. The solo at the end is really cool too, the song itself probably overall could have been a bit shorter though I’ll say that much. Still a banger. The closing track „Smoke Detector“ is another really really great one, the guitar riff is really catchy and instantly memorable, the singing feels very unique, like the singing range is probably the widest I’ve heard on any The National song up to this point. It’s just overall great. Apart from „Space Invader“ this is probably the most ambitious and complete song on the whole album, an absolute opus of this project. Wraps up the entire project masterfully and solidifies it as a true comeback for the band, at least in my eyes. Amazing closer.

And there you have it – honestly this project could have been not good but GREAT. There are so many amazing highlights, it’s just a real shame that a lot of the tracks here feel like they’re there just to fill up space. But besides that I mean what a comeback – I had very little hopes for the future of this band after the last LP but this is just great. Hope they continue on this path because I feel like a with a little more ambition and polish we could be looking at something really spectacular here.

-favorite songs: Alphabet City, Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces), Weird Goodbyes, Turn off the House, Dreaming, parts of Laugh Track, Space Invader, parts of Hornets, Crumble, Smoke Detector

-least favorite songs: Coat on a Hook, Tour Manager

decent 7/10

So I’ll admit I had no idea who this artist were when they popped up on the front page of album of the year, but the album intriguied me for many reasons, the album cover looks fire, the genres such as glitch-pop and shoegaze which this album falls into are some of my favorites and well, it seemed to get a lot of tracktion from the community, so I decided to check it out for myself. And am I glad I did so.

The album combines all these aforementioned genres almost flawlessly and very tastefully. Glitched is probably the best word to describe it. It feel weirdly distopian in like the best way possible. Very industrial yet super sweet and alive. The production is very hazy and shoegazy but also really bright and abrasive at points. It’s almost like the „Loveless“ of this time, almost.

So to start things off, the album opens up with the song „x w x“ a really agressive opener compared to the rest of the album. A lot of rock elements on this one, such as the really tasteful hard-hitting drums, the heavy guitars, the really intense screaming and honestly the orchestral elements too, the song really has it all. It’s very short and straight-to-the-point and pull the listener in instantly. The synths are also a highlight here, overall a great opener. Next is the much more restrained but shoegazy and sweet „sulky baby“ – this song is almost like a complete opposite to the last one in terms of tone even though the musical pallate remains the same, it’s really impressive. And it doesn’t feel forced either, it genuinely feels like the perfect follow-up. As for the song itself I think it is actually an improvement over the last one – the shoegazy synths and guitars scratch the brain just right, it’s almost euphoric. And the singing complete matches the vibe as it did on the last song – just a total banger front to back, one of the many highlights of this album for me. Next up is the title track „softscars“ which follows in the footsteps of the last song – it’s a little slower than the opener with a heavy emotional punch and some really beautiful background guitars and synths. The synths especially on here are an absolute joy to listen to, they feel really comforting. This song could have been longer honestly, another great one for sure. Next is the song „4ui12“ and this one has some HEAVY My Bloody Valentine aesthethics, the lyrics are also really vivid on this one too. I also like the glitchy hook or chorus or whatever you wanna call it, that essentially repeats the song’s name, it feels really bittersweet for some reason. The random crying and weeping noises towards the end of the song in the background also help make it feel more complete another really moving touch to this one, it’s a shame it ends so quickly, it kinda goes nowhere to be honest. After that is the song „ghosts“ and this one features some acoustic guitars, some simple synths and some really nice sheogazy guitars in the background. It’s a little too uneventful for my liking compared to the rest of the album so far but still really great nonetheless. The next song „dazies“ however is an all-out shoegaze banger. The way the song switches towards the end is really nice too, keeps the song feeling fresh throughout it’s runtime. The guitar lick is really memorable and the vibes are enormous – another great highlight here. „fish in the pool“ isn’t all that intresting, it features some really beautiful piano passages and heartfelt vocals – if nothing else it’s a nice change of pace from all the overwhelming shoegaze aesthethics and walls of sound, so I can give it that at least. Speaking of, the next song is „software update“ and it hits you with exactly one of those walls like right as the last song ends. After that the rest of the song is surprisingly mild though, it’s actually one of the slowest song on here – the vibes are still definitely there though, even though I wish maybe a bit more happened in the song. It transitions really nicely into „inferno“ though, which starts with this gorgeous orchestral piece that moves throughout the song – this is the first song in a while that once again has a more steady beat and a sort of heartbeat to it and I really like it for that. The synths are fun and match the aesthethic perfectly. The „drop“ of the instrumentation is a little reminicent of Crystal Castles as are the lyrics here, they are especially dark and twisted here. Really good song in my opinion, just once again a little too short. „bloodbunny“ has some nice synth manipulation and I like how much it does with fairly little, but I really think there could have been more done with this song especially. I like the melody a lot though, so I can’t complain too much. The second to last song „cyber meat“ is a really good one in my opinion, the more rock-centric instrumentals bring some much-needed life to the album by this point, the synths are also some of the catchiest on the album and overall the song just hits all the right notes for me. Finally the closer „aphex twin flame“ is another acoustic piece with some really gut-wrenching lyrics. Makes the lyrical theme of traumas feel really complete by the end of it. It ends in a bit of a freakout that isn’t anything world-shattering but serves as an effective final crescendo before the song come back down to it’s acoustic start. Nice way to end it off.

So honestly what I think this album’s biggest flaw is that it from the first song presents itself as I guess more agressive than it actually is – not saying that a slower album is a bad thing, just saying that from the insanity that is the opener I expected the album to follow in those footsteps. Also the first few tracks really outshine the rest of the album in my opinion. The album is still great though with many memorable highlights that I’ll be bumping for days to come – I’m really glad I gave it a shot.

-favorite tracks: x w x, sulky baby, softscars, 4ui12, ghosts, dazies, inferno, parts of bloodbunny and software update, cyber meat, aphex twin flame

-least favorite tracks: fish in the pool

Decent 8/10

Okay SOUR definitely wasn’t a fluke.

Not gonna lie I wasn’t really all that hyped for this one – I heard only one of the singles released before this album came out in the form of „bad idea right?“ and thought it was kinda just alright. I liked SOUR well enough and thought Olivia proved that she can compose pretty catchy pop songs with rock elements without them feeling corny or feeling out of place. Overall with some occasional duds SOUR was a big success critically and commericially and I liked it quite a bit. But still I just for a while now didn’t feel like listening to this one for whatever reason, I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’m really glad I finally decided to though, because this album kinda slaps.

It opens with the song „all-american bitch“ which kinda says a lot about this album edginess (which don’t get me wrong I think is to the album’s benefit actually) but the song itself is also really good. Short but sweet with some really open and relatable lyrics from Olivia as per usual and some really dope guitar riffs too. Not too bad for an opener, actually a really catchy and hard-hitting one ,kinda like SOUR’s „brutal“, I like it a lot. Then there is the aforementioned single „bad idea right?“ which grew on me quite a bit actually – I really like the guitars on this one and the solo is a nice touch too. Continues the feel of the album really well and the hook is kinda funny honestly, it ain’t half bad. Still like the opener a smidget better though. Now „vampire“ is really where this album’s at up until this point – it’s the first piano ballad of the album, but the chords are just so good and the way the song goes from really slow and somber to this almost dance piano beat is kinda genius? Like I get how it can come off as a bit cheap but I personally really enjoy it. I don’t know, I just think the tune is really there, it’s super fun and catchy and also really heartfelt, like the singing has some unbelievable high points on this one. Gives me just a little Fiona Apple vibes honestly. The profanity feels a little out of place in the chorus though, I’ll say that, but that’s mostly just a nitpick, I really like this song, easy big hit from this album. Next is the song „lacy“ which is this Phoebe Bridgers-esk guitar plucky ballad which serves as kind of a nice comedown from „vampire“. There isn’t all that much to be said about this one to be honest, I like the vibe but it isn’t really all that memorable, but it’s a nice moment regardless. „ballad of a homeschooled girl“ really caught me off guard when I first listened to it, after the short and sweet „lacy“ this song is like an actual punch in the face. A fricking good one at that though. The bass is super tight here, the guitars probably the rawest on this album so far, the chorus is super catchy and almost punk-like, I like it quite a bit. The lyrics are also strong, honestly this song is like one of my favorites on this album easily. „making the bed“ comes after that and this one is another slower one but the lyrics and atmosphere are really what makes this one work. There are some guitars that are brought in after the chorus and they only help built the atmosphere, the distortion works really well with the more gentle instrumental elements. But the lyrics really sell me the most on this song, I really like the way she portrays how miserable she is doing the things she does but she knows that it’s her who’s making the decisions. Really well portrayed, good song. It also transitions really well into the next song „logical“ which is a pure piano ballad that honestly gets a little derivative after a while. Not bad, but it’s probably the closest this album gets to that so far – it’s honestly just kinda boring, even though Olivia’s performance carries the song heavily, her voice is beautiful and it’s given a full opportunity to shine here. „get him back!“ is once again more on the rock side of things, with sharp drums and heavy bass, but this one kinda misses the punch of some of the previous songs. The electronic elements in the second verse are nice though and the chorus grows on me the more I listen to it. Still probably in the bottom half of the songs on here so far. „love is emberassing“ picks things up a bit for me, I really like the cheery-sounding chorus, the straight-forwardness of the song and the honestly really creative guitar work on this song in particular, especially in the chorus, I wish this song was way longer than it is, because it’s a banger. „the grudge“ is one of the more effective slower ballads on the album in my eyes, once again especially in the lyrics/Olivia’s delivery department. And this one has a real indie vibe too, not too shabby this one. Can’t say much else about it, it’s just an alright song. The second to last song picks the tempo up a bit once again with the song „pretty isn’t pretty“ and I really like the message behind this one as I do the instrumental, both compliment each other quite well, the more airy almost shoegazy guitars work really well here. Now for the closer „teenage dream“ I think this is probably the piano ballad that turned out the best on this entire album – granted there is the drum freakout at the end, but that doesn’t last long and up to that point it’s mostly just pure piano so I say it counts. The lyrics summerize all the themes of the album such as anxiety, self-image, abusive relationships, beauty standarts etc. really well and make the album feel really cohesive. Great closer

And so yeah, that was „GUTS“ by Olivia Rodrigo – I get a lot of Billie Eilish vibes with this one, because it’s not maybe as catchy or memorable as her first album but I think it’s much more mature and improved on a lot of things from the previous project to overall make it better than it’s predecessor. There is still a lot of room to grow obviously, but Olivia really killed it in my eyes and I can’t wait to see her grow even more.

-favorite tracks: all-american bitch, bad idea right?, vampire, ballad of a homeschooled girl, making the bed, love is emberrassing, pretty isn’t pretty, teenage dream

-least favorite tracks: part of get him back! and logical

Strong 7/10

Private session turned on for this one… (strong profanity warning for this one as well)

Okay so here’s my dilema – I would rather stick a needle through my eyehole 20 thousand times than listen to this even a single time but I also really really wanna talk about how awful it is because let’s not kid ourselves, from the singles this has to easily be one of the worst things to come out this year if not this decade. And hey, after listening to it, to the surprise of no-one, it’s really really really THAT bad. It honestly just feels like one long-ass add I’m not even fucking joking. I haven’t been this almost like actually physically ill from a piece of music in a hot minute. God I can’t stand everything this album represents – the huge arena rock Imagine Dragon-esk drops (fun fact – did you know that Dan Reynolds has the most production credits on this album?), the awful out of touch use of trap hi-hats, the clunky weird electronic effects, the awful corny disconnected lyrics, the most generic forgetable songs, Jared Leto is like a fricking alien on this album, literal AI could generate a more enjoyable piece of music than this.

And I’m not even gonna bother going track by track on this because guess what? EVERY TRACKS SOUNDS THE GODDAMN SAME. The only exception would probably be the opening track and the „big“ single from this album „Stuck“ which I thought was absolutely unlistenable on release but within the context of this album it’s legitimetaly the best track on here and an actual breath of fresh air which is something I’d never thought I’d say about this god awful song. Like you don’t understand how generic these songs, I thought there was like a limit to that but here all the songs genuinely sound like the most corporate, nothing-burger, void of any substance, car-add songs you can possibly get.

The other song that stands out is actually the song right after that „Life Is Beautiful“ because it’s LITERALLY the MOST commerical song to be EVER concieved, I’m not even kidding go listen to it. This song just screams advertisement, it’s gross.

One song that’s also maybe not the absolute worst thing ever is the song „Midnight Prayer“ – like the vocal effects suck as they do on every song on this album, but the beat at least has SOME life to it, which is after like 6 or 7 songs of just actually nothing kind of a relief. I mean like it still sucks, but it’s something you know… I really try to find enjoyable things with this album, but there is just nothing, it’s a wasteland…

Also what the hell is the absolutely horrendous switch towards the end of „Lost These Days“? It’s so out of nowhere and so just unnecessary, I really don’t like it, the effects are horrible. And the chants on „7:1“ don’t even get me even started on those. They are like THE absolute worst thing on this entire album, this whole song is like in the top 3 of the worst bullcrap on this album, I can’t stand it. What else… Oh, I guess „Seasons“ is passible? Like relatively speaking – it’s really bad, but relatively when taking the rest of this album into consideration, it’s kinda just whatever. I’m really struggling here…

Look, I think you get the picture – this album has nothing to offer. Like actually nothing. This is on the same level of substance as that Dream EP I reviewed recently – there is just NOTHING. Few songs are listenable. The ovewhelming majority of them I’d rather neve ever hear again in my entire life. Music is not your thing Jared Leto, please move on from this already, you’re living in a fantasy world.

-favorite songs: no. (Stuck if I HAD to say)

least favorite songs: yes. (literally everything, 7:1 being the worst offender proably)

Strong 1/10

Post Malone – AUSTIN (pop rock, indie pop)

I mean at least it’s better than his last record… Yeah this one is kind of a nothing burger if we’re being honest with ourselves. There are some redeeming tracks such as „Something Real“ and the closer, but most of the album is just some really decent background music – I like that the lyrics are more personal though, I’ll give it that and occasionally there will be some really catchy melodies etc., but it’s still a real mixed bag. Overall a step in the right direction, but still very far from what I think Post has actually got in him.

Strong 5/10

QUEEF JERKY – QUEEF UNDERGROUND (comedy rap, experimetnal hip-hop)

I don’t honestly care about the lyrics being really dumb most of the time at this point, the production is just that good. And look, the members themselves are obviously having an enormous ammount of fun with this so as a result it’s kinda hard not to vibe along – also at least in my eyes the production and overall musicianship of this album has actually quite improved since the last release. Yeah, the lyrics still don’t crack me up as much as they should but you know what, I’m warming up to them. Kinda fun (the rapping still mostly sucks though).

Decent 5/10

Sprain – The Lamb as Effigy (post-rock, experimental rock, noise rock)

Okay so originally I was gonna write just something along the lines of just „wtf“ and then give this album a 9 but man I just HAVE to talk more about it. I would write a seperate review on it but time is tight and I’m already a planning one seperate review for one album I really wanna just absolutely dissect for why it’s the worst thing ever (you’ll get to see that soon don’t worry) – but this album right here is like one of the best releases I’ve heard all year. From the amazing opener „Man Proposes, God Disposes“ to the absolute opus that is the 24 minute track „Margin For Error“ this album just keeps on giving. Each track has something unique about it, my only real complaint is that sometimes when you’re not in the mood for it an hour and a half is kind of a lot to process, but other than that and that some of the tracks are not all THAT memorable, I think this is easily in my top 10 of the year so far and I really think it’s gonna probably stay that way. Absolutely brutal.

Light 9/10

Big Baller B – Clearface (comedy rap, mashup)

On par with the Sprain album, if not better. Truly the album of all time.

Brad Army HOO HA/10

Slowdive – everything is alive (dream pop, shoegaze, neo-psychedelia)

Hey this is pretty good! I’ve never been all that huge on Slowdive to be honest, I obviously enjoyed „Souvlaki“ but I always heavily prefered My Bloody Valentine between the two shoegaze giants. However I gotta say, this new album of theirs over here isn’t half bad – „kisses“ has been on constant repeat since it came out and besides like one or maybe two songs at the most, this album is full of absolute dream pop bangers. It’s all really ambitious and cohesive as well, I honestly really like what Slowdive managed to achieve here, great album.

Light 8/10

Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time (dance-pop, synthpop)

A little bit superior to its sister album. I just feel like the tunes are more there with this one then with the last album – take songs like „Kamikaze“ or „Shy Boy“ or the funky aesthethics of „Kollage“ and „Psychedelic Switch“. Just bangers all around, it’s the loveliest time to be a Raecist.

Light 8/10

City Morgue – My Bloody America (trap metal, horrorcore)

Really front-loaded, all over the place and as is usual with City Morgue, ZillaKami absolutely outshines SosMula on every song here. It’s kinda sad that the duo ended off on such an underwhelming note, but what can you do – it’s pretty decent, but there is just the spark missing from the previous projects. Could have been, well, should have been much better. The hook on „FUNNY“ is really really good though, it’s like the closest this album gets to the old City Morgue feel.

Light 6/10

BABY GRAVY – Baby Gravy 3 (pop rap, trap, comedy rap)

The beats and hooks mostly slap. But yeah, it’s nothing ground-breaking. For what it is, it works, but it really isn’t something I’ll come back to a lot – bbno$’s solo stuff is honestly way better as of late, this is still just two goobers goofing around on some decently produced songs with really mixed results. The slappers on here do slap though.

Light 6/10

Jeff Rosenstock – HELLMODE (pop punk, power pop, indie rock)

This man DON’T MISS – I mean, there are still albums of his that I prefer to this one pretty substantially but bangers like „DOUBT“ or „3 SUMMERS“ can’t be ignored either. Yeah it’s pretty great front-to-back, only a few brief moments that maybe aren’t as memorable, but this man is honestly carrying the entire pop punk genre on his back right now.

Strong 7/10

Divokej Bill – Bazilišek (pop rock, folk rock, punk rock)

Yeah, this one’s pretty alright – the members sound really comfortable in the sound they’ve created for themselves. My only real gripe with this album is that the ratio of melodramatic ballads to folk rock bangers is perhaps a little higher then I’d like it to be, because the bangers on this album all slap and as for the slower songs, they can honestly be a little hit or miss. But as at least half a true Úvaly patriot, I still can’t give this album too much of a bad time. Pretty fun overall.

Strong 6/10

I mean, this one has been long overdue…

Look, for this review I’ll try as much as possible to seperate the art from the artist, because I really believe Travis did something really solid on this album and I don’t want the context of certain… Events that took place prior to the release of this album to ruin not only my enjoyment of this project but also this review itself. I am simply going to look at this album experience as is, just simply musically speaking. With that out of the way, let’s get this one started, because it’s a big one.

Travis Scott’s UTOPIA – one of the most if not the single most anticipated album of not only this year but possibly this whole decade so far. The hype surrounded by this album was to put it lightly just enormous – under such huge expactations there was no way that Travis would manage to meet them under any circumstances. And yet I believe he kinda did – I mean this album is no Rodeo, like there is plenty of wrong here and we’ll get into that, but through and through Travis managed to pull through with a really cohesive listening experience front to back that I think is a testament for what great things he is able to achieve when he puts his mind to it.

Now to take this, as usual, track by track, we have the opener „HYENA“ which opens with this sung/spoken word piece which after a while leads straight into the track itself and man let me tell you, it does NOT mess around. Right off the back the industrial drums with the really raw keys mash together really really well, it sounds like something that would easily find itself onto Travis’s first studio album „Rodeo“. Then Travis himself comes in with this really energetic flow that just keeps on going and going, he’s really trying here and you can hear it. And man when the beat stops just for a second and Travis starts rapping over the short silence and then the beat comes back in and matches his flow PERFECTLY, that’s like a perfect moment for me. Yeah all around a super solid opener that sets the bar reaaally high. Next is the song „THANK GOD“ and while it does take a little time to really get started, it rewards you enormously for being patient with it – the constant switches, the orchestral elements, the suspense, this all has got it all in just around 3 minutes of runtime too. Plus I’d be lying if the Storm inclussion in the track wasn’t cute as all hell so. Yeah, not as good as the first one but still on that level of quality all around. Next up is the song „MODERN JAM“ which is kinda rough around the edges at first, the robotic minimalist Yeezus-type beat can be kinda hit or miss for me, but when the synths come in after a while they improve the song substantially, even though it doesn’t really evolve anywhere. I like this one still – it’s really catchy and even though I’m not completely sold on it I really appriciate what it tries to do, it at least keeps the tracklist fresh. Now the next song „MY EYES“ is… Simply put phenomenal. This is as of right now probably in my top 5 Travis song PERIOD. Like I liked the autotune startin 2 minutes well enough as is, the singing reminds me of something like Frank Ocean or Bon Iver but with an obvious Travis twist on it, it’s really pretty and the production absolutely slaps – but MAN when the beat-switch kicks in… There are kinda no words for how that makes me feel. That switch just does something to my brain. There is so much to dissect here… Like the second beat on this song is one of the most prettiest beats I’ve heard probably ever. The synths are so eargasmic and Travis just matches that energy perfectly. Like I get VISUALS when I listen to this song, I SEE the vibe. I absolutely adore this song. I ain’t even gonna lie, this is hands down my favorite on the whole album. Which is why it’s a shame that it’s followed by one of my least favorite in the form of „GOD’S COUNTRY“ which is… Alright? Look the sample isn’t all that great really, it just feels really off and no ammount of proffesional musical engineering can hide that. Besides the not-so-pleasant sample though, the song isn’t all that offensive – and honestly the beat at times isn’t even that bad, but it’s still not one of the better tracks on here. Not much to add here, the fundation of the song just falls flat on its face for me so. Now „SIRENS“ is a whole different story – the swirling keys combined once again with the hard-hitting drums make this song feel like some sort of march. The drums are in fact really good on this one – they sound super crisp and natural. Not much else to say here, the song is pretty good. After that comes the song „MELTDOWN“ with none other than Drake – and for once he actually delivers! But like really really delivers, like this has to be one of the best Drake features in a hot minute, like in a few years actually. He absolutely destroys this beat. The beat-switch is also pretty decent, not „MY EYES“ level of beat switch, but nonetheless still pretty good. It essentially serves as a transition between Drake’s part of the song and Travis’s part – both really good that together make for one hell of a song. We can only hope that the upcoming Drake album will be half as good as this feature was. Next up is „FE!N“ with Playboi Carti and… Okay like I get the hype behind this one, it’s a Travis song with Playboi Carti, that’s like THE event of the year right? Well, the song isn’t bad per se, but it still isn’t all that imaginative either – like okay, the synths and the beat itself is honestly pretty hype, but repeating the word „fein“ like a milion times over and over does get old after a while. And that kinda sums up Carti’s inclussion in this song, so it’s still basically just a Travis song with a Carti hook that’s barely a hook at all. Still, there are much worse songs on this record and this one at least keeps the aesthethic going while still switching it up a bit. Next is the song „DELRESTO (ECHOES)“ with Beyoncé which like c’mon, this song should have been amazing. But even though everything Beyoncé-related in this song is pure magic, Travis honestly really underdelivers here, as does the production – the core beat is really minimal and doesn’t evolve much and there is just too much empty space of Travis just singing in autotune and doing basically nothing for around a minute. It honestly feels like a dragged-out transition, not a big fan of this one – the good elements are there, but there just should have been more polish with this one. Beyoncé really killed it though, kudos to her. I also believe I’ve heard Bon Iver like two times in the song?? I don’t really know, this song is kinda a mess. The next song „I KNOW?“ however picks things up pretty substantially – the minimalist beat here actually works, because the song knows what it wants. And it does that perfectly – the dark 3 am atmosphere is just seeping through this track and I love it. Travis also does like really really well on this one, his melodies on this one are very pretty, I like it a lot. Just not overdoing with this one, really simple, but really effective, definitely a highlight. „TOPIA TWINS“ is a weird one – on one hand the beat has to be like one of my favorites here, the hook is really catchy and 21 Savage is, well, 21 – but honestly the lyrics from Rob49 in the first verse and some other lyrics on this one are just complete eye-rolls. I don’t know, I don’t dislike the song, but it’s a really goofy one. Sort of a waste of a beat in my eyes. Next up is „CiIRCUS MAXIMUS“ and the Yeezus comparisons REALLY start to show themselves on this one – the beat is basically just Black Skinhead reinvented. The Weeknd is a nice addition to the song but he feels kinda out of place on this song still. The drums are obviously really good, the synth outro isn’t bad either, but the song probably could have used some more… I don’t know, just something. Like I don’t really remember a single line or a melody from this one except the drum loop which is indeed really good though. Maybe I’m overthinking it, the song is still really good. The next song „PARASAIL“ is one I see a lot of people criticizing probably the most on this album (except maybe one which we’ll get to later) and look, I get that the song is more of an interlude, but MAN, I just love the beat on this one, I can’t lie to myself – the gentle guitar plucks and the melodies are really gorgeous. The song isn’t anything special as many before me have already pointed out, but I appriciate it for what it is. „SKITZO“ is one of the longer songs on this album and honestly I think that’s the biggest criticism I have with this one – it EASILY could have been like a minute or two shorter, Young Thug’s first verse isn’t all that crazy and Travis just repeats the chorus over and over in the first part of the song. The first switch is really cool, feels really twisted and out of this world and Travis absolutely boddies it. Plus it’s a really cool transition into the actual second part of the song, which is your typical Travis Scott beatswitch, but I like this one quite a bit. It does go through a lot of phases, once again really reminiscent of Yeezus, because all of the 4 switches are completely out of the blue, yet they work really well. The last beatswitch is more of a sample with some orchestral elements etc., finnishes the song of quite nicely and transitions really well into the next „LOST FOREVER“ with Westside Gunn. Speaking of Gunn… Yeah, he owns this track. The song starts of somewhat decent but when Westside Gunn comes in and the beat completely flips with him, I mean that’s like a top 3 moment on this album. And he just spits and spits, there is almost no breathing room. And Travis does really well too when he switches with Gunn too, they have surprisingly decent chemistry. Yeah, this one is a banger. As is the next song „LOOOVE“ which I feel is almost like the more realised version of CIRCUS MAXIMUS and DELRESTO in one hard-hitting, in-your-face track. Sure, it may not be the most experimental or ground-breaking thing on this album, but it sure as hell slaps. Travis also gets really primal and agressive with his flow for a second towards the end, like there is really passion behind that. Another great song here. After that comes the first single to this thing and what I think is the most out-of-place song on this song on this album, which is „K-POP“ with Bad Bunny and The Weeknd once again. And while I believe the song works better in the context of this album, I still don’t really enjoy it. Bad Bunny does okay, Travis is barely even on this song and The Weeknd’s verse is really atrocious. I’m sorry but those are some really awful lyrics there, especially the korean tsunami bar, that one is just straight up racist I feel like. Yeah, still not all that huge on this song, probably could have done without it honestly. I do really enjoy the second to last track „TELEKINESIS“ with SZA and Future. I mean this type of song is just my kind of song – from the ethereal, spacey, gorgeous beat, to the earworm melodies on the hook and the background voices, I just love this one. And SZA really steals the show towards the end, all the people on this song absolutely kill it in my opinion. The only thing is that it probably could have been a little shorter though, like for a 6 minute song, there isn’t THAT much happening. That’s honestly more of a nitpick though, in reality I can’t get enough of this song. And finally the closer „TIL FURTHER NOTICE“ with 21 Savage and James Blake – I mean that just sounds like all the ingredients for a banger closing track. 21’s verse is really solid in my opinion and James Blake is just phenomenal as always. Everytime he comes on he steals the show with his voice. The beat also feels very final and like something is coming to an end, just the perfect choice for a closer all around finnishing with Travis’s verse and some female vocals as the beat finally comes to an end – no nitpicks here, great finnisher.

So the question has to be asked… Did it deliver? Well mostly I’d say yes – there are some big big flaws with it, but the majority of the tracks and moments on this album really lived up to that hype. It’s not on the level of Rodeo in the slightest, but at least for me it did surpass ASTROWORLD as the superior release. Let’s just hope that his output stays at least on this level of quality continuing forward.

-favorite tracks: HYENA, THANK GOD, MODERN JAM, MY EYES, SIRENS, MELTDOWN, I KNOW?, parts of TOPIA TWINS, CIRCUS MAXIMUS, parts of PARASAIL, SKITZO, LOST FOREVER, LOOOVE, TELEKINESIS, TIL FURTHER NOTICE

-least favorite tracks: parts of DELRESTO (ECHOES), parts of TOPIA TWINS, parts of PARASAIL, K-POP (FE!N is just okay)

Decent 8/10

(light profanity warning at points for this one) I REALLY should be writing the Travis Scott review by now but man I just had to review this – I was casually browsing album of the year as per usual when I stumbled upon this… Thing. I couldn’t belive my eyes! I haven’t even listened to it yet, that’s how badly I wanted to write this one. So what I’m gonna do, is give each song its own little review segment in real time as I listen to them and then summarize my thoughts at the end as usual – oh boy, let’s… Yeah, let’s do this or something.

„Slow Down“ – right of the back the vocalizer at the beginning SUCKS Jesus Christ, 3 seconds in and I want to already rip my fricking ear-drums out, who approved this. Then you have the lyrics and the singing… I mean it’s Dream, what did you expect this to sound like even listenable? It’s genuinely impressive how much of a nothing burger this song is all around, lyrically and instrumentally. It’s like Dream’s little anime fantasy, it feels super disconnected and delusional. The chorus is genuinely God awful too, like HOW is this the highest rated song on here, I can’t even imagine this somehow getting worse.

„Kind Of Love“ – oh yeah, it got worse alright. The plucky guitar beat with the finger snaps sounds like Linkin Park’s „Sharp Edges“ but if all the members were having a stroke. The singing is somehow even less passionate here, the lyrics are as generic as it gets, as is the instrumental, this is barely background music. Even the orchestral elemens feel like super programmed, I can’t stand this, let’s move on.

„Paranoid“ – please just stop. The kickdrum/guitar loop is like something off of the new MGK album, which is NOT a good thing. Then you have the vocal effects after the chorus that are abismal, to say the least, like what the genuine shit happened there, they sound awful. Dream’s harmonizing throughout this entire tracks is like beyond annoying, it’s really unlikeable the way he sings here. With this song I can at least say that the tune is more there than with the previous songs, even though quite literally nothing else improved and some things such as the verses got somehow even worse, so honestly it pretty much evens out. NEXT.

„Spotlight“ – THE GUITAR IS SO PREDICTABLE I KNEW EXACTLY HOW IT WOULD SOUND BEFORE IT EVEN REALLY STARTED HOLY SHIT. Man this song is ESPECIALLY bad. I can’t recall who this is ripping off but it so obviously sounds like somebody else it’s laughable. Also the lyrics in the chorus? Kinda give me the creeps honestly, they don’t sound flattering or wholesome at all. It’s generic, unoriginal, boring beyond words, uninspired, lazy, melo-dramatic, void of any substance or emotion and sounds like something the radio would even refuse to play. How are there still 3 more songs to go Jesus…

„Everest“ – just… no. Young Gravy’s verse is probably the best part of this album so far and that’s saying A LOT. Like I don’t even enjoy the guy’s music basically at all, but his inclussion was an actual breath of fresh air in this. The keys are horrible, one of the worst mixes on the entire album on this one. Without the feature this would handily be the worst song here so far.

„Invincible (like u)“ – I don’t remember a single thing from this song and I just finnished listening to it. Void. Emptiness. Nothing.

„Until I End Up Dead“ – uhhhh, this is trying sooo hard to be like the impactful hopeful closing track and it falls flat on its face. The post-chorus effects are pure auditory torture, they sound actually just horrible. Once again there is just nothing to say here, I’m trying really hard to find any positives here, but it all just sounds so bland, so disconnected and so unexplainably boring, like you have noo idea how boring it all is. It has quite literally the most basic uninspired tasteless musical palette there is. I’m done with this, let’s get this review over with finally…

So yeah… Dream’s first little project here is to the surprise of absolutely no-one devoid of any actual substance and instead it all sounds like bad covers of i-Carly songs, if even those had zero punch to them. Dream sounds bored to tears on his own project (which I would be too if this was what I was making) and is the centerpiece and the main reason of why this album doesn’t work. His delivery and lyrics are childish and really dull and he brings zero actual character to his music. The production choices are mostly questionable, with some occasional decent sounding tracks (at points) that however still get overrun by different issues – there isn’t a single track on here I don’t have a major gripe with or isn’t just overall unlistenable. In short – it’s shit.

-favorite moments: uhhhh chorus of Paranoid maybe??? Let’s see, what else… Oh, some production choices on Slow Down I guess??? And the Young Gravy feature on Everest wasn’t like horrible (even though it’s VERY out of place)… Look I’m really trying here.

-least favorite songs: c’mon…

Decent 1/10