Music Reviews

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

Really stupid but also kinda fun?

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

Light 5/10

Man this one is looooong.

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

-least favorite tracks: Unforming

Decent 8/10

Chop Suey cover song of the year.

I mean to call this a mixed bag doesn’t even cut it for this album – there are somehow some of the best songs I’ve heard all year on this and at the same time some of the unironically worst pieces of music I’ve heard like this entire decade so far. With that being said even with those you at least can’t say it wasn’t entertainingly bad and at the end of the day I think Uzi is just doing whatever he wants to do on here and I really can’t hate on that even though it doesn’t always result in the best song quality.

The album opens up with the ethereal and surreal „Flooded The Face“ which has hands down not only the best beat on this whole album but one of my personal favorite Uzi beats ever, the synths are just out of this world, the parts where you can clearly hear the bass are just super funky and when the beat drops… It really drops. And Uzi sounds amazing over it too – really starting this project on as strong of a foot as you can get. Just an absolute jam. Anyways Uzi IMMEDIATELY does a 180 with the next also amazing song „Suicide Doors“ produced besides others also by the legendary „Arca“ and you can clearly hear that in the mix with the guitars, the chainsaw sounds constantly going from left to right, the punchy synths – long story short, this song is an absolute rage bop. Easy gym playlist song. So yeah, to say this album opens up strong is an understatement. However things really take a nose dive from this point on kinda fast. Next is the song „Aye“ with none other than Travis Scott and for such a promising beat this song REAAAALLY underdelivers, like Travis is barely even present on here and the beat is like REALLY good but just misses some final touches, because like this it’s just all over the place and honestly Uzi is kinda what really drags this song down – overall a really promising song with some really cool parts that kinda just doesn’t go anywhere. After that is the song „Crush Em“ which is where the filler REALLY starts to settle in. I mean this song in particular is fine to be honest – and I like the way the synths are introduced later on in the song and admiteddly it is really catchy, but it just once again doesn’t leave much of a lasting impact like the first song. The song „Amped“ is overall also kinda filler BUT I just LOVE the beat on this one – the guitar beats on this album just work so much for me. Honestly I just can’t hate this song because if Uzi is kinda underdelivering at points I just zone him out and just focus on the amazing beat and then he also starts sounding amazing + the main hook is pretty hype I won’t lie. Speaking of really amazing beats with some weak deliveries from Uzi the next song „x2“ is like the definition of that. The beat is this glitched swirling set of synths and some heavy hitting hi-hats that all just come together absolutely amazingly. After this point however the songs REALLY start to just blend together, so I’ll only be mentioning the stand-outs whether good or bad. „Died and Came Back“ has a nice beat. „Endless Fashion“ with Nicki Minaj is this absolutely HORRENDOUS „Blue (Da Ba Dee)“ type beat that somehow butchers the original song more than that one other song from last year. Nicki’s chorus is I’m sorry but just absolutely horrible as is her verse – like what the hell happened Nicki? Uzi’s harmonizing is also just… I can’t I’m sorry, this song just ain’t it. „Nakamura“ is the first song in a looong while that’s like REALLY good, like the first two songs quality good. The main melody is really well constructed and surprisingly even sung, it feels super full of life after the couple of last soulless songs. Just a really good song overall, really picks up the momentum of this album by a bit and it sure as hell needed it. After that is the infamous single „Just Wanna Rock“ aka the song that just never really starts. I mean… It definetly fits the album and there are times where I can absolutely mindlessly enjoy it but when I said some of the songs on here don’t really go nowhere, it’s like this song doesn’t even start going like ever. Still there are parts of it I for some weird reasons really like so. After that is the surprisingly really hard „Fire Alarm“ (mostly for the „Justice“ sample“ but yeah) and what can I say, this song just kinda goes. The alarm type beat just really works for some reason and the intro to this song REALLY gets you hyped. So yeah, this one goes, sue me. Wow, 3 kinda really good songs in a row, is this album finally starting to pick up again? Can’t wait to see how the next song continues thi- oh… So yes, the rumours have been true, the next song simply titled „CS“ as in „Chop Suey“ as most of you probably already put the pieces together, is indeed a thing. Honestly nothing I could write here would really describe how absolutely just… Yeah see what I mean, I just CAN’T explain how this thing made it onto the album, he literally just gives up singing halfway throughout the song and just let’s the instrumental play out. This is easily like top 10 worst songs of the year, how is this real, like you’re telling me NOBODY in the studio said anything about it? Fortunately things do go basically from a 0 to a 100 with the next and also my favorite song on the album „Werewolf“ with Bring Me the Horizon, yes this is also a real thing. Even though it’s basically a BMTH song featuring Lil Uzi, his metal vocals area ctually surprisingly fitting and BMTH just do their thing and yeah it just work even though it really shouldn’t, I just can’t get enough of this song, the chorus, the instrumentals, even Uzi is just fire on this song. This one’s a certified hood classic. „Pluto to Mars“ has once again a really nice beat and honestly a really nice vibe, it’s a good kinda slow down after the BMTH song, I quite like this one as well. And „Patience“ with Don Tolliver as much as it’s kinda slow and drab, I can’t help but really like this one too – it scratches that R&B itch in my brain just the tiniest bit. And yeah, Don Tolliver really is barely there, his background vocals aren’t half bad honestly. It’s not the most well-made song on the album but it’s really pleasant to listen to. The second to last two songs „Days Come and Go“ and „Rehab“ are passable, definitely better than some of the song in the middle, but I’m still not as crazy about these though. However the finnisher „The End“ with BABYMETAL is REALLY something. It’s not on the same level as the BMTH song however it still absolutely rules. Not much to complain about with this one as much as it is just all over the place but like in a good way.

So that was… confusing to say the least. I mean don’t get me wrong, this album DEFINETLY has it’s moments, but at the same time there is just so much absolute CRAP burried underneath all of the greatness. It honestly just all evens out, but I still overall enjoyed myself, it was definetly an experience. I really wouldn’t mind Uzi experimenting like this more, because it usually still results into something pretty decent.

-favourite songs: Flooded The Face, Suicide Doors, parts of Amped, parts of x2, parts of Died and Came Back, Nakamura, Werewolf, Pluto to Mars, Patience, The End

-least favorite songs: Endless Fashion, CS, parts of Aye, rest is forgetable

Strong 5/10

Pure magic.

Look, if you’ve followed this page for a while now you will know that Parannoul is a project that I’ve been passionate about since it’s inception – from their debut album „To See the Next Part of the Dream“ which ranked I think number 3 at my year end list of best albums of 2021 to their colaborations with Asian Glow and their latest full length LP „After the Magic“, Parannoul’s output has been one hit after another. So when I saw that this, an hour and a half long live album with a 40 minute closing track, which also happens to be one of my personal favorite tracks from the band, I knew that this was gonna be something just out of this world. And well I got basically exactly what I expected – nothing could have prepared me for that last track though, that one deserves a whole review in of itself.

Going through this track by track is kinda pointless since all the songs are basically already existing songs just played live, however I will still say a few things about those before I get to the cream of the pie (that being the final track) – first of the song choices are absolutely brilliant here – not a single song on here feels like it shouldn’t have been here, everything flows into each other almost seemlesly and it all feels super lively and vivid, the live setting really brings these songs to new heights. Like the opener „Polaris“ just sounds absolutely beautiful and out of this world and immediately immerses you in this spacey other-worldly atmosphere that never leaves throughout the entire journey that is this album. It is immediately followed by one of my other personal favorite songs from Parannoul „Beautiful World“ that is really brought to exceptional heights here. The pianos are as beautiful as ever here and the guitars just have this extra power to them that the studio recordings are just missing. I think the only song I wasn’t like immediately instantly in love with was the song „Imagination“ not a bad song in any way, it just didn’t grip my ear as instantnly as some of the other songs here and the more I listened to it the more it clicked with me, I just think it’s the only song here without any like instantly recognizable qualities to it, it’s still fantastic and magical while it’s on but I don’t really find myself having this one stuck in my head as often as some of the others.

… Ok well let’s get to the reason I’m actually talking about this project. Don’t get me wrong, all the live songs up to this point have been if not anything else really great and all of them sound spetacular but what the last 40 minute song on this album accomplishes I haven’t heard since maybe the „LONG SEASON“ live song by Fishmans. And yeah If you’ve been on the internet anywhere where this album is discussed this comparison is right about the first thing that gets thrown in your face and even though I do think it’s valid, the emotional connection I get with this song is honestly more than I get with that Fishman’s song. I mean if there ever was to be an 11/10 it would honestly be this song for me, it’s really that good. Not good, it’s just… Unreal. Like I get chills everytime I’m hearing it. It evokes so many feelings at once and I just can’t help but absolutely love it for that. It undergoes so many phases and transitions yet still remains unmastikably itself and I think that’s kind of beautiful. And yes, it requires a lot of patienece but the multiple pay-offs this song has are more than worth it. And the guitars on this oh my GOD the guitars are the reason I wake up in the morning, like there are so many things happening at one but the guitars still stand out as just absolutely insane. Like sitting just through this entire song at once is a JOURNEY. Like legitemately I don’t get an experience like this from many movies and this is just a one song on a live album. The strings towards the end of the song are also just… No I can’t with this song, if you haven’t heard it yet just do yourself the favor of at least once sitting through it, I guarantee you you won’t regret it.

Now here comes the real dilema… Because this album is undoubtedly in my eyes AT LEAST a strong 9/10… BUT do I really think it’s a 10 overall? I mean the last song alone is basically like an 11 but this isn’t just that last song no matter how spectacular that one is… But the more I think about it, this project’s music has just been one of my favorite things I discovered in the last few years throughout the mountains on mountains of new music I discovered and to be perfectly honest, this album feels like the amalgamation of all of that into one cohesive emotionally powerful larger-than-life project that just delivers on all fronts and has literally no duds whatsoever. If that isn’t a 10/10 than I don’t know what is. So with that being said…

-favorite tracks: all, ESPECIALLY Into the Endless Nights

-least favorite tracks: Imagination (IF I HAD TO CHOOSE)

10/10

A match made in heaven.

Yeah so this was kinda insane for me – Danny Brown historically is reponsible for a couple of my absolute favorite albums of all time (especially „Atrocity Exhibition“ which is basically a perfect record for me) and JPEGMAFIA slowely but surely also became one of my favorite MCs to come out of the last decade – what really sold me on him was his 2021 „LP!“ album, that one seriously is just out of this world. So when I heard that these two absolute powerhouses were collabing I was absolutely ecstatic and the singles only submitted this hype further.

However I would just like to get my biggest problem with this album straight out of the way and that is how much of actual contribution to this project is split between the two of them, because at the end of the day this is essentially just a JPEGMAFIA record with a Danny Brown feature on every track. I don’t think a single song on this project was produced by Danny at all – which is a shame since I this man’s beats are some of the strangest most out there and most hypnotic I’ve ever heard. Not to devalue JPEGMAFIA’s production, on the contrary if he excells in anything it’s definetly his production style which is like nobody else’s – but I really think Danny’s production would have only exceeded my liking of this record. Well it is what it is, either way let’s dissect this one a little bit, shall we?

The album opens up with energetic and in your face „Lean Beef Patty“ which features really heavy synths that feel like you’re getting beaten up by the music and I mean that in the most flattering way. The different random transitions and samples are exactly what you would expect from a JPEGMAFIA produced song, it feels very chaotic and out there and it serves as one hell of an opener. My only real gripe with this song is just that Danny is mixed rather… Weird? A little quiet? I don’t know but it doesn’t feel as natural as when JPEGMAFIA is on the beat which is a shame because his verse ain’t bad either but whatever, what can you do, it’s stil a banger regardless. Speaking of bangers the next song „Steppa Pig“ has a really similar vibe to the first song however Danny’s voice is mixed just miles better then it was on the previous one. Plus the longer runtime of this one makes it a much more impactful experience – the production is really glitched and all over the place and you are just never bored. I especially enjoy everytime the main synths hit, JPEGMAFIA is just an absolute beast with the synths on this album. The constant switching up of the instrumentals is really ADHD-inducing but it sounds amazing so who cares. It really feels like 3 different songs mixed into one. Anyways after that is the title track „SCARING THE HOES“ which is like the definition of something that REALLY shouldn’t work on paper but it somehow just does – the clapping beat mixed with what I’m assuming is like a cello of sorts, I mean just reading this without hearing the song you have to say that just doesn’t mash together and yet JPEG once again manages to somehow pull it off. He pulls it off so well in fact that this remains as one of my favorites on the album – I just can’t get enough of how different it sounds. And man when the actual drums and then the bass kick in, it just transports you onto another plane of existence. It’s just so goofy yet it goes so hard, words can’t do the mix on this justice, you just have to hear it for yourself. Next up is the song „Garbage Pale Kids“ which features some realy crazy sampling and a really clunky beat, I honestly wasn’t really feeling this one on my first listen but I’ve grown to appreciate it a bit more. It’s once again very different in a very different way than the other songs are different and not every experiment on this album is as effective to me as others are, however they are all still very well produced and realised so. Also the electric guitar at the end of the song is really what makes this one click for me, like it just comes completely out of nowhere but it wraps up the song really nicely. After this we have another really sample-heavy song with „Fenatyl Tester“ and this one feels especially mysterious. I enjoy the sampling on this one waaaay more, the sampled female voice just sounds absolutely heavenly and Danny Brown goes completely crazy over it. This one is so good that even the hoes have to like it, enough said. Next up is the song „Burfict!“ and this one is THE hype song of this album. The trumpets are probably the best thing that’s touched my ears the whole year and even though the beat isn’t maybe as crazy and out there as some of the others on this album, it’s definetly the hardest and the most infectious. My only problem with this song is just how short it is, this one really could have profited more from a longer runtime. After that we have the double song „Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters“, the first one featuring only Danny Brown and even though I’m not the biggest fan of the beat on this first part and honestly the whole song, Danny really hold his own and carries his part so heavily to the point where it frankly makes up for it. JPEG’s part isn’t bad either, just kinda forgetable, I think my favortie part of the song production-wise is more the really cool transition between the two beats more than the beats themselves. However in terms of beats the next song „Orange Juice Jones“ more than makes up for it which correct me if I’m wrong but is that a fricking Michael Jackson sample I’m hearing? Well either way it sounds out of this world and even though the mix is a bit muddy here, it’s still one of the best beats on the entire album. Danny’s verse is also really good here. Following that we have the track „Kingdom Hearts Key“ another absolute sampling giant – I don’t know the origin of the sample here but it’s probably one of the best on the album (once again). I know this has to be a little tiring hearing this about quite literally every other song on this album, but it really is like that. This song especially honestly, the more I think about it, this beat is probably the most smoothest, most clean and most angelic on the entire project, it doesn’t even feel real. After that is the song „God Loves You“ which features some heavy gospell samples that just go super hard, like this song alone puts basically all Kanye’s gospell songs to shame. I really like the drums on this one aswell, they sounds super crisp and go surprisingly well with the gospell elements. After that we have the short almost interlude-like „Run The Jewels“ which start REALLY promising like the trumpet is super clean and sounds fantastic, however the song then transitions into this spacey almost 80s like beat and it’s over before it can even start – this is definetly the most confusing song on the album, even after hearing this album like a million times over I still can’t give my final verdict on this one. I mean I guess I’m glad it’s on the album you know but not much would honestly change without it, it doesn’t ruin the album but it doesn’t really bring anything to it that much either, it just sort of exists, it has some elements I like but that’s about it. The song „Jack Harlow Combo Meal“ starts of kind like a hotel-lobby-music-interlude-thing before the song just sort of comes and goes into like a million different directions and doesn’t stay at one idea for more than like 5 seconds and as a result this one really feels kinda empty by the time the song ends. „HOE (Heaven on Earth)“ honestly also sort of exists? Like I like the song it has some really cool elements to it, the gospell snippets are really nice, but the beat feels sort of weak to me compared to the earlier songs even though the transition at the end is kinda nice and it makes sense considering this is the second to last song on the record, you kinda want things to calm down a bit before the finnishing track. I don’t know, the final leg of this album just isn’t AS exciting to me as the earlier songs are. Fortunately the album at least finnishes on a strong note with „Where Ya Get Your Coke From?“ which feels like the perfect closer for this album – there is a constant shift between a simple beat consisting of literally just two sticks smashing against each other and an absolute explosion of noise and color, it sounds almost Death Grips-like and I find the contrast between the two very fitting for this album.

So yeah, as to be expected with two artisits like this collaborating, this turned out pretty great. There are some weird mixes here and there I’m not crazy about, I kinda wish Danny Brown had a bit more presence on this album and yeah, the final couple of songs feel almost improvised to me at points, but those are all just small nitpicks that ultimately don’t lower my enjoyment of this album as a whole. A really spectacular record for both artists that shows great potential for future releases between the two of them (if we’re lucky).

-favorite tracks: Lean Beef Patty, Steppa Pig, SCARING THE HOES, Garbage Pale Kids, Fenatyl Tester, Burfict!, Orange Juice Jones, Kingdom Hearts Key, God Loves You, parts of Jack Harlow Combo Meal, parts of Where Ya Get Your Coke From?

-least favorite tracks: Run The Jewels, first leg of HOE (Heaven on Earth), parts of Shut Yo Bitch Ass Up / Muddy Waters

Light 9/10

So yeah… I won’t lie, this new slowthai is insane. From the minute I heard the opener „Yum“ I knew this album was EXACTLY what I was looking for. I mean it’s got everything – from the experimental production, the punk elements, to incredibly heartfelt lyrics and vocals, insane energy throughout, this really feels like slowthai’s magnum opus. Not that he can’t do any better than this, but this is easily my favorite of release of his up to this point.

And probably the best representation of that would be as I already metioned previously the opening track „Yum“ which is easily the best opening track of any album this year hands down, like no competition. It opens up with these abrasive swirling synths that are accompanied by a bunch of fast-paced heavy kickdrums that togeether create this beautiful messy amulgamation of sound over which slowthai repeats the mantra „I’ve been lacking motivation I need an intervention“ setting up one of the album’s main themes. It all feels very dark, very depressed, very hollow and yet super energetic, it’s a sound that slowthai was going for many times in the past but truly mastered on this track in my eyes. In the following spoken-word section he goes over his mental struggles, how he doesn’t feel in control and how therapy has only been adding fuel to the fire that’s building up inside of him. When the song finally kicks in it REALLY kicks in – the twisted glitched sound effects only add onto the dark atmosphere that this track builds and the instrumental drop has to be one of the most rewarding moments of the entire album and that’s just the opening track. Finally the song ends with slowthai having what’s essentially a complete mental breakdown. That also leads perfectly into the next track „Selfish“ another one of my favorites – this one has a much more clear structure but the instrumental is just so catchy I can’t get over it. The guitar lick is strangely mysterious and compiments the otherwise rather harsh instrumental really well – the glitched sound effect that’s being repeated is also a really nice touch. And the instrumental breakdown at the end is just the complete cherry on top, no wonder this one was a single, it’s such an earworm. Next up is the song „Sooner“ which is , I’m already getting sick of saying, but really great. The instrumental is once again instantly recognizable and I really appriciate how natural yet also very robotic everything sounds here. The lyrics on this one are also really morbid at points – it only continues the rabbithole that this whole album embodies even further. After that comes the single „Feel Good“ which to the surprise of noone is a very feel-good song but is more of like a calm before the storm. The song is fine but is very one-note and doesn’t change throughout it’s runtime at all – I guess that’s kinda the point but still, for such a promising song it leaves a lot to be desired but whatever, it doesn’t like ruin the album or anything. Anyways after this we have the song „Never Again“ which is probably the saddest song on the entire album, at least for me it was – the story he portrays here is just so vivid and you can really hear the pain in his voice over loosing this other person, every other line in this song just cuts deep like a sharp knife. The sampled instrumental is also really soothing and fitting for the story, this one’s just a real tear-jerker. After that comes the interlude „Fuck It Puppet“ which is an insane song for it’s runtime, like for just a one minute song to first of all go this hard and second of all to go through one of the most lyrically dense and draining moments on the album. And the harshness just keeps on going from there – the next song „HAPPY“ is ironically kinda like the opposite of „Feel Good“, this song is like the pure musical embodiment of desperation. The repeated „I would give everything for a smile“ chant in the chorus alway manages to cut deep especially with the guitar that’s added in the last stretch of the song, just another completely stunning and haunting song. Which is coincidentally also the perfect description of the following song „UGLY“ – this one has an especially rough mix which is however very much intentional as it gives the song a really strong sense of urgency and complete despair, it’s harsh, it’s real, it’s well… Ugly. The spelling in the chorus would otherwise by really annoying as I tend to release dislike this trend in music, but here it somehow blends in perfectly and I don’t mind it in the slightest. After this we have the song „Falling“ which is honestly up to this point probably the first real dud in the tracklist for me – not to say it’s bad per se, just compared to the other songs this one doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. Like at least „Feel Good“ was really catchy, this one just sort of exists, even though the screaming at the end is admittedly really powerful nonetheless but the song overall works rather as an interlude of sorts, at least that’s how I see it. Anyways after that we have the really punk and energetic „Wotz Funny“. And yeah, this one’s kinda a rager – I especially enjoy the way the guitars are mixed here and the adlibs on the chorus feel almost improvised, the punk energy on this one is just through the roof and I love every second of it, I just wish it was a bit longer. Anyways next up is „Tourniquet“ and if anything is the emotional climac of the album it’s this – the instrumental this time around is really somber and soothing with lush piano melodies and spacey synths however slowthai delivers what’s probably his rawest vocal delivery maybe even on the entire record – this contrast between him and the rest of the song feels really powerful and it’s honestly one of my favorite moments on the entire record. And finally we arrive at the closing track „25% Club“ is essentially just a guitar plucking ballad with just slowthai pouring his heart out over well… Everything. It’s another really powerful piece to the puzzle and even though it’s a really calm closer for such an energetic, all over the place and chaotic album. it fits strangely well. And slowthai’s singing is legitemately beautiful here aswell – I don’t know man, I just really like it, even though it may not be the most ambitious song on the whole album and it’s a really obvious choice for a closer it just works and makes the whole thing really complete which is all that matters at the end of the day.

Tu wrap it all up, this album is for the lack of a better word just amazing. Probably my favorite album of the year so far – it’s demented and twisted, yet beautiful and cathartic, chaotic and unhinged, yet calculated and very precise, it’s basically everything I could have wanted from a new slowthai release and it really surpassed any and all expectations I had for it. Give it a spin if you haven’t yet, you can thank me later.

-favorite tracks: YUM, Selfish, Sooner, Never Again, Fuck It Puppet, HAPPY, UGGLY, Wot Funny, Tourniquet, 25% Club

-least favorite tracks: Falling (if i had to choose one)

Light 9/10

What the hell just happened.

Yeah so this apparently is actually real – Lil Yachty out of all people dropping a potential album of the year in the form of an hour long neo-psychedelic rock record and yes it is actually as bonkers as it sounds on paper. I mean I’ve seen many comparisons of this record to Tame Impala but this is legitimately better then Tame Impala’s last album and it’s somehow not even close. So let’s stop messing around and jump right into this thing, shall we?

The album opens up with the larger-than-life „the BLACK seminole.“ which when I first put this album on only having heard „Poland“ from Yachty at that time… Well saying my mind was blown is an understatement. This track is a 7 minute long epic that just only keeps on getting better – it starts with these swelling synths that slowely but surely transition into this Pink Floyd-esk explosion in sound that just sounds like something straight out of The Dark Side Of The Moon which is something I thought I’d never say about a fricking Lil Yachty song but here we are. Lil Yachty’s drenched in reverb voice goes surprisingly well with this sound, he sounds super natural and comfortable on this song and that’s only the beginning of the song – then out of nowhere come these heavenly guitar riffs that just overwhelm the rest of the instrumentation and sound legitimately just out of this world. After this whole thing is over a much needed break is provided to us before the final leg of the song kicks in and oh boy did Yachty save the best for last. Nothing I can say can really do those final 2 minutes of this song justice so just please go listen to it, if it has to be anything from this album make it this song. After that crazy intro we have the song „the ride-“ which actually builds on the previous song very nicely. It’s definetly not as explosive in sound nor as ambitious but it continues the vibe of the album very well and the guitar licks and synthwork are as amazing as ever. „running out of time“ is the next song and this one didn’t quite hit the musical peaks for me as the last two did but what really makes this one stand out is that the production on this song was done by none other than Magdalena Bay so I just have to love it either way. No but seriously, this is another pretty good song of the bunch – by this point you kinda accept that this is the sound Yachty is going for so the shock factor is kinda gone but the more you start to appreciate the little things in the production of this thing, it really feels like the musical equivalent of just an explosion of colors. Next up are the songs „pRETTy“ and „:(failure:)“ which I put together here because I think these are probably the most forgetable songs on the whole album and I actually just have nothing to say about them, except that the latter of the two is I guess a solid transition into the next two, which spoiler alert, are the polar opposite of the last two. So speaking of which the next two songs „THE zone-“ and „WE SAW THE SUN!“ are in a way two parts of one big song (yeah you can kinda tell where the Pink Floyd comparisons are coming from) and are both just amazing. „THE zone“ is a pretty solid way to kick this whole part of the album of, the highlight here is definetly the drumming, which you can say basically about the entire album, but this song especially just something about the way those drums are mixed is just so clean and crisp, it’s heaven to the ears. This song also has an amazing outro that just in the smoothest way imaginable transitions into the follow-up song „WE SAW THE SUN!“ which is equally as good or I’d say even better then it’s predecessor. I mean this song just makes you FEEL like the sun is shining right on you and everything is just the way it should be. Also whatever happens with Yachty’s vocals around the 2:20 mark in the song? Yeah just that. The next song right after that is „drive ME crazy!“ and there is just one word to describe what makes this song objectively good – the BASS. Well that’s technically two words but still – the bassline on this track is the reason I wake up in the morning. Even though the song itself is kind of all over the place and is lacking in focus a bit the bassline just makes up for all of that in my eyes, it’s seriously that good. Right after that we have „IVE OFFICIALLY LOST VISION!!!!“ and with this track I’ve officialy lost my ability to find bad things about these songs, because this one is RAW. Like Death Grips levels of raw, this tracks doesn’t waste a second in letting you know it’s gonna kick some serious ass. Once the distorted guitar build up kicks in you just know you’re in for a ride and it’s songs like these where I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m listening to a LIL YACHTY project. Definetly one of the most agressive and energetic things I’ve heard Yachty on period. However after that come a few songs that I enjoy but just have at this point nothing new to say about – like take for example „sAy sOMETHINg“, it’s a good song, there is nothing particularly wrong with it, it sounds good when it’s on, but there are simply just not any specific qualities differentiating this one from many of the other song on here. I do really enjoy „paint THE sky“ though, the loud kick drums mixed with the spacey synths sound almost like something that HOME would make and Yachty works surprisingly well on it, it’s once again something completely different but he just makes it work even though it really shouldn’t in theory. The closing track to this thing „REACH THE SUNSHINE.“ is as expected as insane as the opener is – it opens up with this really strange almost burried beat with gradually building synths and different sounds and Yachty just singing his lung out over it when this huge pay-off comes out of the blue that actually build up even more until it slowely fades away into this slowburn orchestral outro that really makes this whole song and album feel complete. So yeah, this song is the definition of a closing track, enough said.

WOW I mean I saw the average ratings for this album being so high and I knew that it was probably gonna be good but nothing could have prepared me for how REALLY good this actually was. Like I’m genuinely impressed this is the same guy that made „Poland“. So yeah, I mean it goes without saying but just give this album a shot, I think you’re seriously not gonna regret it.

-favorite tracks: the BLACK seminole.; the ride-; THE zone-; WE SAW THE SUN!; drive ME crazy!; IVE OFFICIALLY LOST VISION!!!!; paint THE sky; REACH THE SUNSHINE.

-least favorite tracks: pRETTy; :(failure(:; sAy sOMETHINGg

Decent 8/10

… wow.

Alright so… I’m kind of speechless right now. The numbers are running through my head and honestly I’m seriously considering giving this the perfect score. Like… Is this even the same guy who made „From Me To You“?? Because this seriously is on another level, this surpassed all and any expectations I ever could possibly have for this man. I still just have no idea where to even start with this, this album is just too much.

I guess the best way to start is just do you know, just do it – the album opens up with the multi-phased „sorry4dying“, an amazing tone-setter that right off the back sounds like nothing Quadeca made up to that point, the improvement on all fronts is apparent right from the start with the lyrics, the aesthethic and just the overall quality of sound off this song, I really feel this is Quadeca at his most realised yet. And the streak of stellar song doesn’t stop there, right after we are blessed with the song „tell me a joke“ which was actually a single release prior to this album and it’s not surprising to see why – once you get used to the burried sound the song is easily one of the most instantly infectiuous and catchy of the whole album, the chorus gets stuck in my head like at least 3 times a day. It’s also just one of the most cohesive songs on the whole album, the song structure is super unique and unpredictable and it never becomes stale or boring, you’re always just at the edge of your seat thinking about where will the song go next. And if that wasn’t enough the song finnishes off with a rather grand finale, a crescendo if you will, that’s just the absolute cherry on top. The next song „don’t mind me“ has probably one of the weaker tunes of the whole album, however it more then makes up for it with honeslty what is just an even catchier chorus melody than the last song, the „closed eyes and a dream“ is just sung so beautifully I can’t get enough of it. It kinda drags in the middle portion of the song admittedly, however I can honestly look past that with all the other amazing things this song does right, it’s just comparing this one to some of the other songs on the album, this one’s just ever so slightly not as impressive I’d say. Even less so maybe with the next song „picking up hands“ which is perhaps the only song of this album I’m not just super in love with – don’t get me wrong it’s still great and continues the narrative concept really well, but the sound isn’t all that memorable compared to the others and the climax at the end just feels a bit rushed and un-deserved, like there was pretty much no build up leading up that – still a pretty good song, but if I really wanted to speedrun through this album and had to skip a song, this would probably be my pick even with the 8 minute closer. Fortunately this is as „bad“ (which is a joke to say obviously) as this album gets, so it’s really only up from here. Speaking of the next song „born yesterday“ is a prime example of that – this song honestly rules. This is the song that also marks the „banger territory“ as I like to call it on this album, which is basically the entire rest of this thing. Anyways the song just paints such a serene and hauntingly beautiful picture with these atmospheric guitars and glitchy instrumentation, it all feels super other-worldly and kinda off but in a good way. The vocal harmonies on this one are also just genius, can’t get enough of the „ooo“s, again, just the way they are sung clicks with me heavy. After this song we have the only interlude on this album titled “ the memories we lost in translation“, which I gotta say for interlude standarts this is a pretty good one not gonna lie. Then again it’s still an interlude so there is not all that much to talk about, but I definetly think the harp strings and swirling orchestration should just absolutely take your breath away either way. It also just leads perfectly into the next song „house settling“ with DANNY FRICKING BROWN. Yes, you’ve heard that right, the guy that made Atrocity Exhibition is on this track and is rapping in the most hungry way from the perspective of carbon monoxide (I couldn’t make this up if I wanted to) and the best part is that it absolutely solos. Like my man absolutely kills it, Quadeca does really well on the song too, but once Danny comes on he honestly absolutely steals the show, who are we kidding. The verse also just goes on and on and on, he just never stops dropping these weird but strangely fitting bars, like there is just something really unsettling (get it) with this whole song and I think Danny has probably the most merit in this. So yeah, this is a pretty good one if I do say so myself and it only gets better from here with the next song „knots“ which is a song I was probably the most conflicted on my first listen, mostly because I just didn’t expect this extremely experimental grungy harsh Death Grips-esk thing from Quadeca and even if I did nobody could have prepared me for how extremely well he would pull it off – like this might just be my favorite song from this entire album now. It definetly takes a while to get used to, but once you do oh boy this song just keeps on giving each and every time. It’s probably the least accessible song from this entire album but with that also the most experimental and boundary-pushing, like even if you don’t like it (which like how) you gotta at least respecet Quadeca for just making this one, like this just shows his artistic evolution. Anyways after this raging banger comes the 7 minute long behemoth of a song „fantasyworld“ which is probably the album’s emotional opus, the build up throughout the song doesn’t get tiring for one second and once everything finally crashes down on you, you are instantly just transported into a different dimension (a fantasyworld if you will). I’m getting tired of just repeating myself over and over again but yeah, another pretty good one, honestly no words can’t really do these song justice. Speaking of these words don’t do you justice the next, and also second to last song, „fractions of infinity“ is essentially the calm after the storm. The mezmerizing keys with the haunting atmosphere of everything is really unnerving but also weirdly comforting and it all manages to not be cheezy or tacky throughout this whole album mind you. This song also feature and I kid you not the Sunday Service Choir, like how does one even get that on a song?? But yeah, just for that this song is a must listen, the repeated mantra „these words don’t do you justice“ (now the transition finally makes sense) is honestly just a complete tearjerker, I cry to this song like 90% of the times I listen to it and I ain’t even ashamed to admit it. And finally the album closes up and ties everything nicely together with the last song „cassini’s division“ which is this spoken word piece with really gorgeous instrumentation that I think fits perfectly right here at the end of the album, it just puts a nice little morbid bow on everything. Once that’s over the song in the last few minutes fades out into this buzzing mess that eventually just stops which was a really nice touch.

And there you have it folks, my album of the year contenders made by a youtuber, never in a milion years though I’d say that but here we are – however don’t get it twisted, this thing truly is a masterpiece in the purest sense of the word and I just can’t wait to see where Quadeca goes from here, because in my eyes I think there is still a chance he might top this one of someday in the future – either way, go stream this thing, bye.

-favorite tracks: all of them lmao

-least favorite tracks: picking up hands (if i had to PICK one get it)

Strong 9/10

The return of the queen.

Yes, the rumors are true, Björk is back with a brand new release out – following her pretty decent 2017 album „Utopia“ Björk took a much needed break from releasing albums back to back and finally after five whole years decided to come back with once again this brand new sound and aesthethic and boy is it a weird one for even Björk standarts.

The teaser tracks to this thing were all very… Abstract to say the least and you know that’s to be expected with Björk but there was just something… Off with these songs – take the opener „Atopos“ for example, it starts off with these sequenced drums that sound like a march coming towards you followed by just a plethora of sounds ranging from horns, strings and whatever else is in there I honestly still have a hard time pinning that down. It mashes together really awkwardly the first time you hear it but it becomes clear that it’s very intentionala and creates this reall uncomfortable feeling that doesn’t really let go throughout the entire album. Björk sings her absolute heart over this chaos only giving more fuel into the fire. Then if all that wasn’t enough these just alarming synths with huge bass appear in the second half making the track feel even more like some ancient evil is chasing you in a dark corridor. After repeated listens the song is honestly an absolute masterclass at setting the tone for the rest of this thing, it immidiately let’s you know that you’re in for one hell of a ride. This is followed by the next song and also a single „Ovule“, probably the most song-like sounding song on this album. The horns on this are really pleasant for a change and it serves as a nice breathing room between what just came and what’s about to come. The song features similar drums to the last one but in this context it’s much more catchy and just overall just less scary. „Mycelia“ is the next song and it’s right back to the weirdness – it’s all essentially an acapella consisting of just snipets of sounds that clash together in this really haunting experience. It’s more of an interlude than anything but I still commend Björk for experimenting. After that we have „Sorrowful Soil“ which much like the last song is mostly acapella but this time around with actual lyrics in which Björk talks about her complicated and painful roots and her ancestors , a theme that’s brought up many times throughout this album. Speaking of which the next song „Ancestress“ is a 7-minute beast of a track just about that – this song was also one of the singles for this album which is like the most Björk thing to do to have the longest and one of the most hard to swallow tracks as your single. Anyways the song is very long-winded with beautiful orchestral pieces scattered througout that slowly but surely all colide together around the halfway mark – then the song quiets down a bit and starts building up again for another crescendo that ends as fast as it comes – then silence again. The song play VERY WELL with this dynamic and makes for an amazing centrepiece in this album. Combine that with Björk’s heavenly singing and introspective lyrics and you have yourself one of the best Björk songs period which yes is saying a lot. After that comes another short interlude that I honestly won’t even mention and we’re thrown right into the secod longest track on the album „Victimhood“ which manages to be just a few seconds short of those seven minutes. This song build on the last song with much darker orchestration and more lowkey sound, it’s honestly one of the most haunting and sorrowful moments on this whole album. The electronic elements of course find themselves a way in aswell, at around the 4 minute mark there is this EDM-esk beat that just comes out of nowhere and once again only adds to the chaos, then just after like a minute just vanishes completely, it’s so random but it works very well and doesn’t break the immersion at all, only adds to it. Then at the last leg of the song it just goes almost full techno for a moment and then transitions into an acapella outro – I mean it’s just so unpredictable, you never know what’s around the corner and I love that about it. „Allow“ is next and honestly I don’t have much to say about this one besides the fact that it sounds very sweet and the flute-work on this song is on another level, like seriously LISTEN TO THEM GO. Maybe I wish the song was a bit more memorable (she just keeps repeating the word „allow“ over and over again for the majority of the song) but it continues the vibe very well and there are some genuinely angelic vocal passages towards the end so I can’t complain that much. The next song „Fungal City“ sounds EXACTLY like the title implies, everytime I listen to it I just imagine a magical forest full of mushroom trees with a full society living in them, it’s unreal the imagery this song paints. The orchestration sounds straight out of some old Disney film with just a tad of electronic madness sprinkled throughout. And Björk’s voice was like born for this aesthethic, she feels super comfortable over it all. Definetly one of the best tracks on the album for sure, the sheer ammount of musicianship is just one a whole nother level with this one. There is another interlude before the next song „Freefall“ but the interludes are honestly like the least intresting parts of the album, they don’t ruin it or anything but are just kind of meh, but just know that they are there. Anyways „Freefall“ – yeah this one’s pretty standart Björk. It’s really heartbreaking and full of genuine emotional ache and pain, it makes me just sad – this is like the sad part of the Disney movie. Her performance is super powerfull on this one aswell, like the pain in her voice with the ascending strings is like a top 3 moment from this album, super underrated song. The switch up is also pretty neat, one of the most seamless and effortless switches on this whole album, the faster strings make for some really pretty musical passages and this time repeating „illuminate“ all over again and again only adds to it in my opinion rather than take away from it. Yeah, this one’s a pretty good one. ANYWAYS the title track Fossora is on a whole nother level of good, dare I say even great. No seriously, this is my favorite song on this album for a reason – it just mixes all the great parts of this album into one spectacular experience that ends with the biggest and most powerful and earth-shattering musical crescendo of this whole album. The pummeling bass and drums with the super abrasive synths make for an absolute musical treat that I just wish lasted longer – it honestly feels like the whole album has been building up to this moment, it’s just so climactic and insane, words can’t do it justice, but when it comes you just absolutely ascend. So yeah, this one’s pretty alright if I do say so myself – anyways onto the next and final song of this album „Her Mother’s House“ which is like the perfect musical and lyrical ending for this album. It’s like the most beautiful calm after the storm you’ve ever heard and puts a nice little bow on this whole album making it feel like a full journey and experience.

So yes, if you couldn’t tell, this is in my opinion of Björk’s best bodys of work to date. Super pleased with how it turned out and even though I could probably do without some of the interludes and some tracks do drag on a bit too long this is honestly through and through spectacular. Can’t wait to see where Björk comes next.

-favorite tracks: Atopos, Ovula, Ancestress, Victimhood, Fungal City, Trölla-Gabba, Freefall, Fossora, Her Mother’s House

-least favorite tracks: like two of the interludes and maybe Sorrowful Soil??

Strong 8/10