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
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)
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.
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.
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.
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)
(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.
I was originally kinda worried going into this one, considering I wasn’t really head over heels for the singles – „Seaforth“ actually grew on me quite significantly, but „If Only It Was Warmth“ I never really got. So knowing that I was kinda scared of whether or not I’d enjoy this one. Turns out I still did quite a bit.
The album opens up with the beautifully haunting „Filmsier“, another single to this album, one I’ve come to really really love. It’s also just the perfect album opener – the opening chords hit you right away and then as fast as they came the fade away into the main melody that starts slowy creeping in – it’s a really impressive way to easy the listener into the album experience. The song is really melancholic and chill, the guitars are super smooth and the electric guitar with all the synths and everything is also a nice touch, makes the song feel like it’s progressing somewhere – overall just a really solid opener front to back, sets the mood pretty well. This song is followed by the fast-paced „Pink Shell“ that is centered more around this hi-hat/bass combo beat with some nice guitars in the background and some really pleasant brass inclussions. It kinda comes and goes but it’s a really solid banger – the chorus is surprisingly agressive, I enjoy it a lot. Also for some reason this song really sounds like how a song titled „Pink Shell“ would sound, I don’t know, it’s all just very fitting. The aforementioned „Seaforth“ is the song after, and this one REALLY stuck with me. I’ve come to absolutely love the different melodies here and the sea feeling that’s just seeping through this song. It’s just so calming and almost puts me in a trance every time it comes on – definitely one of my favorites here. „That Is My Life, That Is Yours“, the next song, starts off with a slowed down version of what I think is essentially the Seaforth melody, or at least a really similar one. It slowly transforms into it’s own song with the brass section coming in with some more crisp and sharp drumming all appearing out of nowhere, until it slowly eases you back into that innitial calmness – this album’s sense of dynamics is really strong. As for the song as a whole, it’s alright, fits nicely after „Seaforth“. Next up is the song „Tortoise of Independency“, a short but sweet little track, almost interlude-like. I really like the chords on this one, it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and the little freak-out towards the end is also nice, although besides that the song doesn’t really bring anything all that intresting nor memorable to the table. It does transition waay too smoothly into „Empty Stomach Space Cadet“ though, which has this really spacey ethereal sound that I really enjoy. It has this feeling of floating through space that I really like – everything is so reverbed and atmospheric, I kinda wish this one was a bit longer but also it’s kinda the perfect length, this one’s really neat, all the saxophones and what not are super clean on here. „Flimsy“ is an actual interlude to the next big song „Hamburgerphobia“ and yeah, this one is also pretty solid, the fast beat feels really urgent, the main riff sounds kinda scary and it all collides together really beautifully Also one of the more memorable songs on here + the name is funny, so it’s the whole package. „From The Swamp“ is another one of my favorites on here, just something about the main melody really grabbed me – I also like all the different guitar and brass licks in the background, especially the little solo in the middle of the song where they both play off of each other, that’s a really nice moment honestly. Yeah, this one is really up there as one of the best on the album for me, the instrumentation is just really good and Archy’s voice is also top notch here. „Seagirl“ is another one of my favorites (yeah I really like this portion of the album), the female vocals are super nice here, the little ad-libs she does are heavenly, I really love them. The instrumentation works here too, this whole song is easily one of the best on the album, feels like a shorter more depressed continuation of „Seaforth“. And man the instrumental outro with the synths… That’s like the cherry on top. A really strong moment for sure. „Our Vacuum“ has the little leitmotiv repeated from the first song „Filmsier“ – the song itself isn’t as crazy, but it’s a powerful emotional moment and makes the album feel more tight. The title track „Space Heavy“ starts off very lowkey, but starts really building up after a while and becomes one of the most intense moments on the album – the build up is done very naturally without it feeling out of place in the context of this overall lowkey album. The instrumental palate is really tasteful here, with different heavy guitars, shar drums and pretty keys – then the song comes back to it’s more calmer state and slowly finnishes. Not my favorite on here but definitely a good song. „When Vanishing“ is this really gorgeous orchestral piece with some really nice sax inclussions, a really pretty instrumental moment in my eyes. Following that is the song „If Only It Was Warmth“ which I’m still not all that crazy about, however it doesn’t hurt the album in any way, it’s just sort of there. It does lead pretty well into the last song „Wednesday Overcast“ though. The song starts of really ominously and keeps that tone throughout. The soundscapes are really dark here and super intresting – the orchestral elements return towards the end of the song making it feel really final. The lyrics are definitely the main focus on here and they do pretty well in closing the whole thing off – overall a really solid closer.
And there you have it, King Krule’s newest album while maybe not his most exciting at first is definitely one of his most cohesive and complete records. I have to be in a very specific mood for this album but I think it definitely succeeds at what it does. Maybe a bit boring at points, but it has it’s charm, a really really solid record.
-favorite songs: Filmsier, Pink Shell, Seaforth; That Is My Life, That Is Yours; Empty Stomach Space Cadet, Hamburgerphobia, From The Swamp, Seagirl, Our Vacuum, Space Heavy, When Vanishing, Wednesday Overcast
-least favorite songs: Flimsy, If Only It Was Warmth, Tortoise Of Independency (kinda)
I mean it’s obvious that the members are just having fun with this one and I can’t hate on that too much. This album was my introduction to this musical project that is Queef Jerky consisting of members Dev Lemons, nickisnotgreen and for this album also Hivemind’s Riley. And it’s kinda exactly what you’d expect from these 3, just some goofballs having a blast with some really mixed musical results.
I’ll say one thing though, the openig track „20“ I actually unironically kinda enjoy – yeah it’s stupid but so is Die Lit and I love that album to death. The production sounds like if Death Grips met lofi hip-hop jazz beats and it’s honestly the highlight of not only this track but this entire album – the lyrics are really dumb though. The opening drums are absolutely unhinged and really caught me off guard the first time I heard them, they seriously slap. And the jazz out-of-nowhere switch is nice too, it’s really smooth and I don’t know, sue me but I just enjoy this one, it’s been on constant repeat for like the last week. Next up is the song „TAKE THE PILL, FAINT“ and this one features some glitched out instrumental with some samples, really all over the place trap beat and some HEAVY bass. The production on here is actually kinda insane here once again + the „I’m The Weeknd fan, I’m an ableist“ bar is unironically just so hard. This one is also just dumb fun at the end of the day but there is some seriously impressive production here aswell. „FARWARD“ is another one of my favorites, it has this realy sweet glitchy fast-paced beat + the autotune on this one at points REALLY comes through sounding absolutely heavenly. By this point on the album I realised that this album works best when you ignore the lyrics for the most part, because there are some legitemately strong songs burried underneath all the obnoxious bars – like the humor is definetly ment for a certain demographic but not every bar works. „LLC“ has some cool production moments once again, but this one is honestly just painfully unfunny and by this point on the album the lyrics really start getting to you. Far from the best on the album, also a strange choice for a single imo, overall an alright song. „THE MICHIGAN LEFT“, the next song, unfortunately continues in this really unintresting path the last song went for – I’m really getting tired of saying that but the production really carries this project, because besides that there really isn’t all that much of value. The hook is kinda bad but also kinda catchy? It’s alright overall. The second to last song „HURRICANE BLIZZARD“ is probably my least favorite here, even the production isn’t enough to save this one honestly. It just sort of comes and goes, the jumpy beat is just really corny as are the lyrics, on this song especially. Yeah this one really ain’t it tbh. And finally the last song „LEFT RIGHT CENTER“ has some really nice piano passages and some nice synth work aswell, like DJ Grant really killed production here. Kinda reminds me of the first song with how it constantly switches between some crazy passages here and there but always going back to that really smooth and chill centerpiece of the song. Better than the last few tracks.
And yeah, that was THE MICHIGAN LEFT by QUEEF JERKY – if this album shows anything it’s that these guys at least really care about how the song themselves sound even though the comedic qualities just aren’t always there, at least for me, comedy is subjective after all as is music. There are some really cool moments here, like I said especially the first song I just keep coming back to for some reason and honestly it’s a nice change of pace to listen to something more down to earth like this instead of the 2 hour long Swans record lol. But yeah, great potential, but a lot of room for improvement, especially in the comedy department for me.
-favorite tracks: 20; TAKE THE PILL, FAINT; FARWARD; LEFT RIGHT CENTER, parts of THE MICHIGAN LEFT
-least favorite tracks: HURRICANE BLIZZARD, LLC, parts of THE MICHIGAN LEFT
So I finally sat down and decided to listen to the whole thing and man what a journey this one is. Out of all the Swans albums I’ve heard so far I feel like this one takes the most patience to get the most out of but it definetly rewards you for that plenty. An even though it may not be the most action packed album in Swans discography it still has lot to offer – mostly with it’s lyrical themes that are actually really thought-provoking and filled with existentialism in your typical Swans fashion but I feel like Michael Gira took it up another notch with this album. And yeah don’t get me wrong this one DEFINITELY isn’t for anyone, like even I find myself kinda falling out of it at points due to just how incredibly long-winded it can be, but I really appriciate that this album can be besides haunting and depressing also just surprisingly beautiful.
That being said the album opens up with the song „The Parasite“ that has these haunting and mystical guitar plucks over which Gira ponders over various topics until the song divolves into this synthy mess with a repeating sound in the background that sounds kinda twisted like a siren going off in the distance, it’s a chilling opener that leads into the even more chilling „Paradise is Mine“ which is probably like the closest we’ll get to a typical Swans song within this first half, with the instrumental slowly building up until there are these absolutely fantastic guitars brought in that sound really primal and make this whole song feel like it’s just marching towards you but surprisingly the song doesn’t explode into like anything super crazy, it just carries on with this with Gira repeating the chant „is there really a mind?“ and it feels really meditative and ritualistic, I really like this one. The song slowly fades away into the next song „Los Angeles: City of Death“ which is probably the most straight to the point song on this whole album clocking only at around 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Within that relatively short time range the song still manages to leave a pretty strong impressions with these punchy guitars and really catchy melodies and chants, it feels like the next step in the ritual. Next up is a song I originally really wasn’t all that crazy about „Michael is Done“ because it just really wasn’t what I expected. It feels almost like a lullaby for the first few minutes and the big crescendo feels like really beautiful and hopeful, like the shining sun in musical form, it caught me really of guard the first time I heard it but the more I return to this one I grew to enjoy it a lot and actually found it really fitting. „Unforming“, the next song, is more of an interlude than a song really, but it continues the atmosphere and vibe of the album relatively well, but I still could have probably done without it even though it isn’t inherently bad per se. Not much to say about it, although it does serve really well in that it eases the listener out of the vibe of „Michael is Done“ into the next song and also the title track „The Beggar“ which feels really similar to „Paradise is Mine“ in the sense that it slowly builds up with minimal things happening at first with just some bass, distant drums and typical post-rock guitars in the background slowly adding some orchestration elements until the song finally explodes into this final segment that once again is pretty good but still feels relatively tame compared to some other Swans cuts, but it just has this overwhelming energy to it still, once again like ritualistic is probably the best way to describe it, that I really like, even though I understand how it may perhaps not be like that big of a pay-off for many typical Swans listeners. With the next song „No More Of This“ we get this like surprisingly chilled out and really pretty piece of music that has a really similar vibe to „Michael is Done“ but somehow even more happy sounding but still in like a weird twisted way – I’m finding it really hard to explain the aesthethic of this album, because it’s just so unique, but yeah this song is like the prime example of that, I actually kinda like it. It also leads smoothly into the next big song „The Ebbing“ which starts of with just a simple guitar strumming and some ascending and descending keys that feel almost like from some sort of video game, before it all kinda clashes into each other and we once again get this really sunny crescendo, this honestly even more so than the previous two, it’s really punchy really powerful, kinda reminds me of like if the „Bring The Sun“ part of that song from To Be Kind was less like larger than life and more grounded or whatever (look I’m trying my best here, this is music you gotta experience yourself to be honest). The first disc ends with the song „Why Can’t I Have What I Want Any Time That I Want?“ that is actually one of my favorite songs from the first half – the main guitar riff is like strangely mezmerizing and the last two minutes of the song really feel like all of the hope of the previous songs kinda just slipping away – the guitars on here are really trippy and close of the first half in almost prefect fashion. And yeah, obviously the 44 minute song „The Beggar Lover (Three)“ is kinda out of this world. Don’t get me wrong, this one is like the definition of slow but man does it reward you for being patient with it – I was drawing some stuff along side with it and I had like an almost spiritual eperience. It’s one of those tracks that the atmosphere that it builds feels like a whole movie. It undergoes so many phases and feels like the definitive Swans eperience. I mean I could really sit here for hours and talk about how this song alone carries this whole album (because it kinda does in a lot of ways) but you kinda get the picture. I don’t think it’s perfect but it definetly takes you on a journey that much you can’t deny. The closing track „The Memorious“ expands on that perfectly as it feels very final and wraps the whole thing together nicely.
Honestly I really enjoyed this album overall – sure, it isn’t anything close to how explosive Swans usually are, in fact I don’t think there is a single instance of this album going like super crazy explosive, but is still has it’s charm, especially in the lyrics/aesthethic department. I don’t think I’ll be coming back to it anytime soon as it has a very specific atmosphere for a very specific mood but when in the mood for it this album is exceptional at what it tries to do. And yes, I do prefer the I guess more off the wall sound Swans typically strive for the past decade or so, but this was nonetheless still a really nice experience, definitely not for everyone though.
-favorite tracks: The Parasite, Paradise is Mine, Michael is Done, The Beggar, Why Can’t I Have What I Want Any Time That I Want?, The Beggar Lover (Three), The Memorious
So I’ve been REALLY binge watching hivemind the last few days and with that I also watched a lot of Dev Lemons content. I knew that she has made music in the past but I haven’t really checked if there was anything new she had under her belt recently. So I said why not, decided to look her up on Spotify and what do you know – not even 2 months ago a new EP, her first ever in fact! And look I’ve never really been like a big Dev fan, up to that point I’ve heard like maybe three songs and all of them were you know listenable, but I did really like the song „One Whole Me“ I think she really came into her own with that one. All of this is to say that I was at least familiar with the style Dev usually de(l)ved (get it) into going into this one, so I wasn’t like completely blind.
But yeah, this EP honestly went kinda hard not gonna lie – it’s only 6 tracks but besides one I’m not all that crazy about it’s basically a hit after a hit. It opens up with the song „Cyberpunk Fairy“ which has these just gorgeous piano keys that open it up feel almost distant and kinda mysterious. The beat is really bassy and full of these swirling strings that I really adore, they make the mix sound really rich. But honestly the thing that just kept me coming back to this album is at the end of the day the lyricism – I really find Dev’s lyrical abilities to be genuinely great. Maybe it’s because I find myself relating to A LOT of what she has to say on these songs, but either way it’s conveyed in a really mature way without it being corny and it’s all also delivered very whole-heartedly, it feels super personal and I can’t help but be drawn to that. Anyways, got a little side-tracked there – the opening track is really good. The second song „NIghtstand“ has this really simple plucky repeating catchy beat that I think is very charming and Dev’s vocals just melt like butter over it. The song doesn’t go in like a crazy direction but it’s just so catchy and playful that I still like it a lot, I only wish there was more done with it. The third track „Dizzy Vision“ is one of the more out-there songs on the album – it opens up relatively tame with a snappy calm piano beat that is however very quickly replaced by this almost hyper-pop sounding instrumental with heavy-hitting drums and huge synthy bass hits. And the chorus in this one is just chef’s kiss, it’s catchy, simple yet super effective as are the lyrics, this one is honestly one of my favorites here hands down. „If You Wanna Reach Me“ the 4th song on here is the one I’m probably least crazy about – it just sort of fills the track-list for me, besides the lyrics there isn’t all that much that stands out about it. And honestly something about the chorus just rubs me the wrong way at times, I don’t know, I can’t really explain it. The hyperpop ending feels kinda out of place aswell even though it’s admiteddly kinda cool. „You Tear Me Apart“ does pick things up pretty substantially though, I really like the chorus on here and the melody after it is just heaven to my ears. Not much to else to say here, I do appriciate the Tame Impala-esk finnish to the track, it’s honestly a really nice touch and the few guitar licks sound great. „Think About It“, the closing track, is almost the perfect finnisher for this album – the electric guitar is an excellent choice and it is honestly executed really well, the way the audio is cut out at first and then brought back in and it all just melts beautifully, Dev really shined here, but once again WHY ISN’T longer.
Like seriously, this album is LOADED with great ideas, most of which are executed really well, but the longest song on here isn’t even 3 minutes long. Just stretch it out a bit, some of these songs were essentially just two choruses on top of each other – fantastic chorus with really great lyrics, but still. But yeah, that’s mostly a nitpick, at it’s core, this EP is a huge dub for Dev, at least in my eyes – I really can’t wait for where she goes next. To summarize, good but not enough Eminem impressions, so automatically a 0/10.
-favourite songs: Cyberpunk Fairy, Nightstand, Dizzy Vision, You Tear Me Apart, Think About It
So there have been a few updates in my 10/10s lately, some I have docummented here on this very page and some changed over time, mostly it’s been additions. Before we continue I’d just like to say that the numbering of these numbers is in no particular order even though I tried to do so, all of these records I hold very close to my heart.
15. Injury Reserve – By the Time I Get To Phoenix (strong 9 – light 10)
Yeah this album is still kinda out of this world. The biggest problem I have revisiting this one is that it kinda looses me at points, especially with songs like „Wild Wild West“ and „SS San Francisco“ a little bit as well, those just don’t really do it for me as much as the other songs on this one, but even then they still fit nicely in the aesthethic of the album so I don’t really mind it all that much. Besides that yeah I still can’t wrap my head around this album. It feels like a complete mess and it makes literally no sense yet so much sense at the same time. It feels like a panic attack in musical form and is filled with this just absolutely depserate and sorrowful mood throughout it’s entire runtime, like it’s definetly an album for a specific mood, but when you let yourself get immersed by it, you get transported into a whole different messed up universe. At the same time the really specific nature of this album makes that a lot of the times this album just doesn’t do it for me because of x or y. But when I manage to get into that specific headspace, yeah, this one is just completely out of this world.
14. Deafheaven – Sunbather (light 10)
Yeah I’ve cried several times when I first heard this. With time this album doesn’t show me much more than it already did but MAN does it pack a serious punch even after all these albums, like this is a black-metal album and it’s easily the most bright and sunny thing on this entire list. It feels so hopeful yet hopeless at the same time, I can’t get enough of the aesthethic this one builds – and the sound of it is just so incredibly over-bearing, it really is too much to handle sometimes. There is no miss on this album, the interlude tracks maybe don’t do all that much for it, but I’ve still grown to enjoy them a lot as I think they serve as brief breathing point in the middle of all the madness. Yeah, another incredible record right here, definetly deserving of the 10/10 rating.
13. Death Grips – The Money Store (light 10)
Oh yeah I still recall the first time I heard „Get Got“ over at my friend’s house during a sleepover when I was around 12 to 13 years old – if Meteora and Sempiternal opened me more to music, then this album broke EVERYTHING I thought music could be. With more time this album isn’t AS unreal as it felt the first few times I’ve heard it, but even to this day the production on this one is still just unbelievable. The crazy synths, the fast-paced drumming, the barely intelligible rapping from MC Ride that all mashed together on paper really awkwardly but also somehow absolutely perfectly, this album had it all. I don’t think there is a single song on this project that I don’t enjoy to some degree – sure there are few ideas here and there that aren’t maybe as innovative or just don’t do it for me as much as others do, but man, songs like „Lost Boys“, „Hustle Bones“ or the to this date absolutely massive „Punk Weight“ are absolute bangers. An abslute classic in the underground experimental hip-hop scene and a really important project for me.
12. Radiohead – In Rainbows (light 10)
This is the most album that just sounds like it’s album cover. There is one Radiohead album I overall prefer more to this one, but don’t get me wrong, this one still has it’s undeniable charm – as many people have already stated before, this one is definetly Radiohead’s most human, that’s for sure. It’s also their most colorful and I’d argue the one most packed with bangers – like the first 5 tracks are just absolutely insane, how is this even real. „Bodysnatchers“ always sends shivers down my spine with it’s climac, „Nude“ is chillingly beautiful as is „Weird Fishes/Arpeggi“ and it doesn’t end there. „Videotape“ as simple as it is probably one of my favorite album-closers ever, I always get teary-eyed listening to it. This one is just so much fun – like with the Injury Reserve record though this one is this low because honestly, there are times where it doesn’t hit me as hard as other times, but once again when in the right mood, this album does wonders.
11. Danny Brown – Atrocity Exhibition (light – decent 10)
My most recent realisation of an album being a 10 is definitely this Danny Brown one over here – man I haven’t listened to this in AGES. But recently I’ve bought this album’s vinyl for a really solid price and decided that well, I haven’t heard it in a long while, might as well give it another shot. And I gotta tell you, these songs BANG. They do everything right. I just LOVE the aesthethic of this album, it’s so captivating throughout. And the production, like don’t even get me started on that. Some of the most craziest, most out-there beats created the last decade. And it all just sounds sooo good, like this album’s soundscape is almost edible I feel like. I had this one at a strong 9 for years but in reality I have virtually zero complaints about it.
10. The Microphones – The Glow Pt. 2 (decent 10)
I had this album at a 9/10 for a REALLY long time aswell, but man, recently it was just hitting in a way I can’t recall an album hitting in a long time and I could just no longer see any problems with it – in fact my last few listens of this thing have been so good that it skipped right here to this spot on this list. „The Moon“ is probably in my top 5 songs of all time. „Headless Horseman“ I’ve learned on guitar in it’s entirety, and the transition between „I Felt Your Shape“ to „Samurai Sword“ is probably one of the most brutal and defeating musical experiences I’ve had in a while. And the lore and story behind this one… Look I could at this point probably go for hours talking about it, it just resonates with me for so many different reasons that I can’t even begin to tell you, so I’ll just leave it with that, a really important album for me.
9. Swans – To Be Kind (decent 10)
Oh yeah this one is a given. I’ll admit I heavily borrowed this one from Fantano at first, because I just thought he had really cool takes, but the more and more I listened to this album, the more it REALLY started clicking even for me – and now this is like one of the most intense musical experiences I’ve ever had. Every song is so just primal, so ritualistic, so heavy, I can’t get enough of this album’s feel. The musical peaks on this album are some of my favorite moments in all of music period. The 34 minute long „Bring the Sun / Toussain L’ouverture“ always goes by like it’s nothing and the whole project doesn’t feel like 2 hours long at ALL. Yeah, just another absolute masterpiece, there are a few moments on here that kinda get me out of the vibe a little bit, but besides those few nitpicks, this album is an absolute journey.
8. Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There (decent 10)
Yeah this album came out during what was probably the happiest era of my life and I have many many dear memories linked with it – not only that, but this might as well be my album of the decade so far. The emotional gutpunch I recieve every time I hear this thing is unmatched. Isaac Wood’s voice is filled with sorrow throughout this entire project and I can’t get enough of it – this album also may not be as instant as the band’s previous efforts, but it definitely rewards you ten times as much for being patient with it. Yeah there just isn’t a track on here I don’t at least really like from „Concorde“ to what’s probably the song of the decade for me so far „The Place Where He Inserted the Blade“. No yeah, this album is just fire front to back, enough said.
7. Parannoul – After the Night (Live) (decent 10)
My latest addition to my 10/10 list, this album grows on me with every passing day – I have a review on this one written where I go into more detail why I think this album is an absolute masterpiece, so go check that out if you want, but to keep the long story short, this album is just magical – probably the best live album I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Every song is just so warm and comforting, it all feels like a big, heartfelt, magical hug. I love every single performance on here, not a single song ruins the experience in the slightest. And don’t even get me STARTED on the last 40 minute song on this thing – that might as well be in my top 10 songs of all time by this point. Also it really sounds a LOT like the album cover, just an explosion of color that is so over-bearing yet so beautiful and feels really just… Peacefull. I don’t know, I’m just really gratefull this musical project, and by extension, this album exists.
6. Radiohead – OK Computer (decent 10)
Now don’t get me wrong, I love In Rainbows to death, but this album is just something else – the vibe it creates was, and still to this date is, quite literally revolutionary. And yeah the first few listens I didn’t get this one all that much, it definitely took some time to get adjusted to it – but when it clicked, oh man it clicked. It’s also kinda crazy how greatly this album ages with each passing day, the lyrical themes are so ahead of their time it’s kinda scary – and don’t even get me started on the absolutely beautiful musical soundscapes this album creates with it’s sound. It feels so depressed yet so hopefull, so harsh and yet so gentle, I still can’t to this day quite put my finger on it, all I know is that I just really love it. Songs like the opener „Airbag“, the ambitious „Paranoid Android“ and one of my favorite jams „Let Down“, which is an underated masterpiece, all the songs here just sound so futuristic and like they are from another planet. Everyone should hear this album at least once during their lifetime, it’s an absolute must-listen.
5. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (strong 10)
This is like the musical definition of what taking drugs must feel like. From the very moment the first song „only shallow“ kicks you immediately get transported to a whole nother dimension. It’s all so serene and so in your face, like pure euphoria or ecstacy or something, it’s really hard to eplain the feeling of this album. Songs like „to here knows when“, „when you sleep“ and probably my personal favorite „sometimes“ are all just so magical and beautiful, like really out of this world levels of beauty. This album is perfect for me, there are only a select few I think out-do what this album does for me.
4. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (strong 10)
This is the album that I think is the most perfect musically. There isn’t a single NOTE on this 4 track hour and a half long album that I don’t like. It really is all larger than life and I don’t use that term lightly. The highs on this album are incomprehensibly high – the climaxes of instrumentation and the way everything plays off of each other is like nothing I’ve ever heard before and believe me I’ve heard a lot of stuff, I get PHYSICAL CHILLS during those moments, like it doesn’t even feel like it was made by actual living humans at points. I love this album to death, it’s so beautiful, I could write a whole essay on each song on here.
3. Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly (strong 10)
So many good memories linked with this one. Look, there are way more people who are way more skilled in writing who wrote almost entire seminar works around this album, so I’m not gonna go too in-depth to why this is the album of the century or whatever – for me this is just a perfect story-based conceptual rap album with beautiful lush jazz instrumentations and really introspective and profound lyrical themes. This album is essentially for me just everything I want a rap album to be. Kendrick really went above and beyond when creating this thing, like this album has a SOUL. So many great songs on this thing, such as „Weasley’s Theory“, „King Kunta“, „How Much A Dollar Cost“, just to name a few. Definitely in my top 3 for sure, no questions about it.
2. Daughters – You Won’t Get What You Want (strong 10)
Look I know about the allegations and all that and I in no way whatsoever respect any of the heinous stuff the lead singer did… BUT this album is just… Brutal. No but actually like BRUTAL. I like to seperate the art from the artist here, because I just love this thing. It’s one of the most intense things I’ve ever heard, if not THE most. I hate listening to it because it just feels like I’m getting beaten up by the music and yet I can’t get enough of it. And trust me there is NO breathing room on this album – every single song is a different kinda of beatdown. The production on this album is like… So clean and so mezmerizing, I don’t understand how this album exists. It would be my number one if not for one album that not only dfined my growing up years but still to this date holds up as my favorite album of all time. Which is, as last time…
1.My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade (strong 10)
Yeah I’ve got no words, this is the perfect rock opera album. Not a single dud. Perfect from to back. Powerfull instrumentation and performances, powerfull vocals and lyrics, powerfull concept and it’s execution, this album feels like a whole movie. I like to just close my eyes and imagine the story of this album in my head as I listen to it. And what a story it is – every single song tells a story and they all connect into one huge theatrical performance of grief, hopelessness, denial and so much more. I also like how you can essentially decide for yourself how the concept of the album ends – if the so called „patient“ or the protagonists of the album lives or dies. Also yeah, „Mama“ is probably my favorite song of all time, just though I’d mention that. So yeah, this album is my favorite album of all time and the only other album besides Sempiternal of which I have a poster hung up on my wall if that counts for something.
![QUEEF JERKY - 20 (ft. hivemind riley & DJ Grant) [Official Music Video] - YouTube](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TN5z2vdFMHg/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGH8gWSgwMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA-WSIZn_xxxdMXtYpC2pLhCxTCVw)
