Music Reviews

I mean, this one has been long overdue…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Decent 8/10

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

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

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

The madman has done it again.

Now I know I’m a bit late on this one but ever since I found out about this man’s existence I just knew there was something to him – you see MC Motyčka is not your typical czech MC. No, on the contrary this man’s lyrical abilities and pen game put the rest of the czech rap game to shame. And this song in particular is the living embodiment of that – from the everchanging experimental beat to the quite profound lyrics, this song is simply put a gift that keeps on giving.

Jokes aside this song unironically goes through many intresting and musically challenging phases and whether you are a fan or not, you just gotta admit, it ain’t something you hear everyday (unless you are my classmate, in which case you hear it like 6 times a day minimum). To start off, the song opens up with this atmospheric intro that I just can’t help but love – it sets the tone of for the rest of the track immediately. Then ater a while these repeating synths start coming in and we have our first appearance from (what I’m assuming is) the man himself, MC Motyčka. The at this point iconic „Přišel jsem domů“ opening line repeated two times is definetly another highlight of the song – it lets the listener know that he has arrived home, so you know it’s about to go down. The suspense at this point of the song is almost crushing, you’re just sitting at the edge of your seat waiting for what’s he about to deliver next and oh boy deliver he does. The beat finally drops for the first time and MC Motyčka starts his verse – in this one he goes over many different topics and although this verse is very short-lived it leaves a huge impact on the listener – however before we can even possibly start to recover from this insane spitting that we have been just now subjected to we are met with another switch in the song that comes completely out of left-field yet fits perfectly right in – the beat starts building up once again before the iconic „ŠTYKY NA BEATU“ plays and the song completely let’s loose – the beat now includes these techno-esk drums that fit nicely in with the rest of the song and now it’s (once again what I’m assuming is) MC Paralen’s time to shine. And I have to say, these first 4 opening bars MC Paralen raps have to be some of the most exciting and memorable in the entire song, just take a look:

„píšu lines, je to prcačka,

jedu deep jako vrtačka,

zmrde sekám jak sekačka,

vytáhnu kvér, velký jak auto – ty řveš auto pálí“

The last part of this I can’t honestly completely make out exactly what is being said so I just gave it my best guess there, but you can clearly see that this man is just on another level. From there Paralen continues to give iconic line after iconic line (such as „já jsem repů editor, ty seš memů redditor“, another one of my favorites) before the we transitions into what I think is Young Chernobyl’s contribution to the song and this one might just even have a better opening than MC Paralen’s, just take a look for yourselves:

„seš slabej? čaj si dej,

nechceš blejt? čaj si dej,

nechceš čaj? tak si gej,

neser mě a čaj si dej“

Young Chernobyl’s passion for tee is almost physically visible through the way he delivers his opening verse and what a verse it is at that, rhyming „dej“ 3 times with itself is truly an amazing feat. From there Young Chernobyl completely snaps and lets out all his anger towards pikařs and delivers what’s easily the most agressive verse of the entire song – so agressive in fact that he starts choking and one of the two other MCs has to take over, this was truly Young Chernobyl’s peak in my eyes (and not just because this is the only known recorded verse of him ever).

The final leg of the song combines many of the production elements from before, now especially leaning towards the techno elements. The rest of the verses are also really good and wrap up many of the lyrical themes from before. Finally the song comes full circle as the trio gives one final laugh together and the song abruptly ends.

And there you have it – 4 years later this song is still a bop that never gets old. My only wish with this would probably for MC Motyčka to return – I know he has probably moved on from his short-lived yet fruitful musical career but the world NEEDS another MC Motyčka LP or at least another single like this. Anyways yeah, stream hejt na pikaře (this has not been sponsored in any way by the way, I just really enjoy the song and felt a little silly and goofy).

PŘIŠEL JSEM DOMŮ/10

So here it is, the brand new Metro Boomin‘ album and just from seeing the feature list on this thing you could already tell it was gonna be a good one. I mean he really pulled all stops with the features for this album and it’s not just name recognition, most of them do actually go really hard aswell.

I’m not really gonna be going in depth on all of these features and songs since there are so many of them and not all of them granted stand out all that much however I will go over some highlights for me whether they were good or bad. You got John Legend on the opening track „On Time“ doing his thing and even I, who isn’t as crazy on John Legend as some other people might be, find his contribution here really charming and a great way to start this album off – also all the swirling strings are just a nice cherry on top. It also just transitions into the next song in like one of the most smooth ways I’ve heard any song this year transition period, it’s so grand and cinematic and just gets your super hyped for what’s about to come. The Homelander sample which yes is a real sentence is somehow also a perfect inclusion to the song, honestly there is very little negative I have to say about this intro. The next song „Superhero (Heroes & Villains)“ is a nice continuation of said sample that right off the back just delivers the pay off the last song was building up to and even though it’s basically a Future song with a really last minute Chris Brown feature thrown in at the last like 30 seconds of the track which doesn’t mash with the rest of the song at all, I still find this to be one of the best songs of the album. The horn sample is so simple yet so effective and Future just sounds so hungry and in his element here, it ticks all the right boxes. „Too Many Nights“ with Don Toliver and Future yet again is definetly the best Don Toliver feature song on this which is kind of a shame since there are a whole 3 of them and I think Don could have overall done better on this project but oh well – still his feature here and this song as a whole is pretty solid, I especially enjoy the really abrassive and chunky bass here, that’s definetly the biggest selling point for me here. „Trance“ with Travis Scott and Young Thug is another intresting one since I think that song easily had like one of the biggest potentials going into it of this entire project with this whole „Maria, I’m Drunk“ vibe the song is clearly going for, however I just feel like the song doesn’t really live up to it’s whole potential all that much – I still like the ethereal kinda other-worldly production and Travis and Yount Thug both do pretty well over it, especially Travis, however there is just such a big portion of the song where nothing really happens and it just comes of a bit empty, maybe a bit more time on the chopping board would have helped with this one. I REALLY enjoy „Creepin“ with The Weeknd and 21 Savage and yeah of course there is my obvious The Weeknd bias playing a bit into that sure, but this genuinely is the best on the album like no contest. I’m honestly not sure which song it is sampling but from what I’ve heard The Weeknd definetly does it justice and yeah, he sounds better than ever on here – his voice just cuts through the entire track like a knife through butter and when the trap beat is replaced by actual live drums? Man at that moment everything in life is just right. 21 is also on here as I mentioned but he does just okay, I could honestly take it or leave it but he doesn’t ruin the song or anything. „Niagra Falls“ with Travis Scott and 21 Savage is another one of my favorites from this album – if it wasn’t for the The Weeknd song this one would have definetly had my favorite melody from the whole album, the piano lick with the strings and Travis’s melodies combined is music to my ears and 21 with his cold-hearted delivery only adds to that enjoyment, they play off of each other super well here. The song is honestly super infectious, it crawls under your skin and just refuses to leave. „Walk Em Down (Don’t Kill Civilians)“ with 21 Savage (yeah he is on this album a lot if you couldn’t already tell) and Mustafa is probably my favorite just all out banger on this album, 21 is just absolutely merciless over this trademark Metro Boomin‘ bassy piano trap beat, he absolutely steals this track and Mustafa’s outro is honestly really surprising but in like the best way possible, kind of like a calm after the storm – this song is honestly the whole package.

There are obviously more song that I liked than just that (for example „Umbrella“ and „Raindrops (Insane)“) but I’d just be repeating myself talking about those, the only songs I honestly wasn’t all that crazy about were „Lock On Me“ with Travis and Future, that one interlude song that I already forgot, Around Me with Don Toliver which is just okay and perhaps the bonus track with Gunna that also just exists, but other than that, this album is just non-stop fun all killer no filler and a huge improvement on some of Metro Boomin’s earlier output.

-favorite tracks: On Time, Superheroe (Heroes & Villains), Too Many Nights, Umbrella, Raindrops (Insane, Creepin‘, Niagra Falls, Walk Em Down (Don’t Kill Civilians)

-least favorite tracks: I Can’t Save You (interlude), Lock On Me, Around Me

Strong 7/10

… 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

This one’s a bit short but c’mon, it’s Yeat, cut me some slack.

So I guess let’s get right to it – the opener „Flawless“ right of the back tries to be this opening raging anthem that kinda works? However I just wasn’t as crazy about it as everyone else – when the song first hits it’s great but from there nor Lil Uzi Vert’s feature nor Yeat’s performance are really that captivating – and trust me I listened to the song soo many times, I really wanted to like it, seeing how everyone else is head over heels for it, but for some reason I just can’t get into this one that much. HOWEVER here on the second track „Up off X“ is where things were starting to click with me for some reason. The track has a numbing quality to it that I actually do enjoy. It doesn’t stand out at all actually but it’s a really strong vibe that really got me into that „Die Lit“ mood that actually REALLY enhanced my enjoyment of this project. From this track on even though the songs weren’t the most memorable I just couldn’t help but enjoy them nonetheless. I mean I felt good listening to it that’s what matters right? The next two songs „Out thë way“ and „Wat It Feel Lykë“ both carry out the vibe pretty well even though as I said they don’t really stick out in any way (except the synths on „Wat It Feel Lykë“ which are a nice touch) but they don’t need to – the vibe is there. „Can’t stop it“ is the first song that switches thing up a bit adding some guitar and actual live drums to the mix that make for an intresting change but I don’t think they bring enough for the change to be justified, if anything for me it kinda ruined the pacing a little bit. I appriciate the experimentation but it just doesn’t necessarily stick the landing on this one. Still a solid tune i guess. Another song that doesn’t bring quite enough for me is „Krank“ funily enough the next song after „Can’t stop it“. There just isn’t anything remotely intresting in this one which yeah there wasn’t much in the previous ones either but at least those had a pulse, this one is sort of dry you know. However the next song „Talk“ is probably the hardest song on this whole album so it’s kind of excused. This song is really good even outside of the mind-numbing context of this album, the melody is just that infexious. The last 4 song are all surprisingly decent. „Comë on“ sounds like something straight out of Whole Lotta Red, „Systëm“ has a simple beat that actually goes kind of hard, „Holy 1“ has one of my favorite tunes on the whole album (even though the Future influence here is really apparent) and „Killin ëm“ is a really nice closing track, these last 4 songs alone manage to make this album actually surprisingly cohesive.

So yeah, do I like this more over perhaps some of his earlier stuff? No, not necessarily, but it’s still an overall nice addition to his discography even though a bit forgetable one.

-favorite tracks: parts of Flawlëss, Up off X, Talk, Comë on, Systëm, Holy 1, Killin ëm

-least favorite tracks: Krank, Can’t stop it, Got it all (this one’s just forgetable)

Light 6/10

Sheesh this album flew COMPLETELY under my radar.

So yeah, I’m a bit late on this one admittedly – like seriously, I didn’t even register that this album came out at all – however I’m really glad I decided to go back to it, because this album goes super hard. The samples THE FRICKING SAMPLES ON THIS THING are music to my ears, like this is exactly the type of thing I love in rap music. The beats are super clean with just the right amount of dirty (forced breaking bad reference check) and are all super memorable – this is like an album made of those songs that get stuck in your head for days and just refuse to leave.

Case in point the opener ¨Sometimes¨ where the sampling really shines through – it’s like going through a portal. Honestly I just wish the song was longer. ¨Cheat Codes¨, the next song, has a similar vibe to the last one, except this time around the emphasis is on the keys which make the song sound more i guess dirty – I will complain though, even for the shorter runtime of this song, nothing really changes throughout – I just wish there was like a beat switch or something because I think it would really make the song pop out more – still a great track though, just kind of uneventful. ¨The Darkest Part¨ picks thing up a bit, the angelic chorus hits super hard and compliments the rap verses pretty well, however the same criticisms I had with the last song also apply here (even though the core tune is so good that here it’s not as big of an issue, however there is a pattern growing here) – it’s more of a nitpick really but the song barely changes throughout it’s entire runtime and I just wish there was more to it you know. It’s really intresting because the album feels like a not so all over the place Madvilliany (which is a compliment, however the unpredictability of that album is exactly what I love so much about it, so I guess it’s just the element of surprise that’s missing here – it’s more like a collection of banger songs, which is by no means a bad thing, but at least for me as the days went by it kind of lost the replayability aspect a little bit, because I felt like I got the most out of it already – anyways sorry about this little rant here, let’s keep going with the review). Well funily enough the next song „No Gold Teeth“ sounds like something straight out of Madvillainy – the really dirty bass with all the instrumentation surrounding it, just something about it screams that album to me. „Because“ with Joey Badass, Russ and Dylan Cartlidge in the mix is one of my personal favorites from this album, the way the chorus is sung is just super orgasmic to me, so it’s really no wonder that it’s the most well performing song from this album. Also while we’re still on the topic of Madvillainy -the next song is „Belize“ with the one and only MF DOOM (rest in peace obviously) doing a posthumous feature and man does this song just hit different. DOOM’s verse makes it feel like the guy never really left, the man absolutely owns this track. Definetly one of my favorites here for sure. Speaking of favorites „Aquamarine“ sure is another one – the beat goes hard, the lyrics are raw and delivered agressively, it’s the whole package! „Identical Deaths“ is honestly kind of forgetable – at least relatively to the rest of the album. I appriciate the message of the song and the instrumental switch up towards the end, however I just think there could have been more done with the song, feels kind of underbaked. The same can’t however be said about the next song „Strangers“ with fricking A$AP Rocky AND Run The Jewels?? Christmas really came early this year (I did aswell listening to this song but that’s besides the point). I mean do I really have to tell you that the song is a banger? A$AP kills his verse as does LP and Killer Mike and honestly what else do you want? After that comes „Close to Famous“ which is alright – I mean you could put any song after the last one and it would feel stale in comparison so that’s not really the song’s fault. Still a nice addition to the album. „Saltwater“ with Conway the Machine is honestly really carried by Conway, he murders his verse and instantly ranks the song up a few notches. Still it’s once again all things considered just alright. And finally the closer „Violas and Lupitas“ is probably the best way to close this album – the strings with the otherworldly production really create this feeling of a journey coming to an end and by the end of it the whole album just comes full circle for you.

I mean WOW I knew this album was gonna be good based on the features but nothing could prepare me for just how good – Danger Mouse’s production throughout the whole album is on point, as is Black Thought’s rapping and there isn’t a single feature on here that isn’t at the bare minimum good. So if you, like me, for some reason haven’t checked this album out yet then go do yourself a favor and do so, because you will not regret it.

-favorite tracks: Sometimes, The Darkest Part, No Gold Teeth, Because, Belize, Aquamarine, Strangers, Violas and Lupitas

-least favorite tracks: Identical Deaths, Close to Famous

Decent 8/10