Sam Harkey

This is great for easy listening and an homage to 70 degree weather in the 70s. The record starts off really strong with some full band pieces from "When a Man Cries" through "Laredo" (I'm such a sucker for a flute solo), but then starts to slow down in the second of a three-part album, which bred some classic Leon Bridges tracks like "Teddy's Tune" and "Never Satisfied", but he lost me in the third part with all of the ballads. I always appreciate his artistry and he won't ever put anything mediocre out, but this got too comfortable at the end and it dilutes the quality throughout the first 2/3.

A roaring comeback for one of Pop music's goats of the 2000s. While the length of this record definitely makes it less cohesive and consistent, it's kind of what you want from a comeback album from her. She's doing all forms of pop, including Latin pop. The solo tracks carry enough wait (for the most part) and the features are usually solid (I actually like "Love Bites" with Tove Lo and SG Lewis a lot more in the context of the album). This is missing the magic of Loose, but that's okay.

Ironically, the non-single tracks are the best on this record, especially when they move in a more international direction. Unfortunately, while there are several solid and good tracks on here, it's way too cluttered and scatterbrained to be a considered "an album". Big room tracks like "Throw Some Ass" and "Spiral" are honestly tacky in today's day and age. However, I will commend their features in "Woof", "Goddess In Disguise", and "Cafuné", which ended up being 3 of my favorites off the record. Overall, there's an infectious energy about them that will continue to have me see them live, despite a pretty disappointing and comfortable release here (compared to expectations).

I appreciate that The Smile can put out two albums in a year, but I don't appreciate that coming at the expense for another Radiohead record. Personally, this ranks third in The Smile's discography from a replay value perspective. Sonically, it sits in between the two previous records, but offers a bit less for me than both overall. However, the run from "Zero Sum" through "Don't Get Me Started" may be my favorite run of their so far.

I've heard that this is Tyler's Mr. Morale, and from a vulnerability perspective, I sort of agree. This record is definitely chalk full of experimentation, but is not overall pushing any envelopes forward like his last trilogy did. I'm a big fan of how the album starts out with "St. Chroma" through "Darling, I", with "Take Your Mask Off" and "Thought I Was Dead" being other highlights, which showcases Tyler's ability to get the most out of his features. Unfortunately, where this album falls short of his last three: it's actually more scattered and inconsistent in flow and is lacking some of Tyler's magic, which is surprising given how intentional he usually is in crafting his music as an album… More

To me, this album just feels outdated like a group reuniting but still being on their same bullshit without growing at all as musicians. I was a big Japandroids guy in the late 2000s/early 2010s and this didn’t really scratch the itch I wanted it to scratch. Don’t get me wrong, the middle section of “Upon Sober Reflection” through “Positively 34th Street” hit hard and make up for some cringier cuts to kick off the record (like “Chicago”).

This album is just super fine and gets almost boring in it's attempt at a quirky dreamscape. It's a lackluster comeback 6 years following a very solid sophomore album that almost feels like they came back to make some extra cash.

Honestly was impressed by this record (like everyone else said, thanks Jack Antonoff for taking Sabrina to the next level). I think she can successfully venture into other pop adjacent genres like the country hit “Slim Pickins” and disco/new wave gems “Bed Chem” and “Juno”. However, it also made this album a little too scatterbrained that it lost out on points for cohesive vision. Additionally, the songwriting did feel bland or predictable on about a third of the record (i.e. “Dumb & Poetic”, “Don’t Smile” and “Sharpest Tool”). It felt more like a collection of songs, albeit mostly smart, witty, high quality pop songs.

This band has been exploding due to the critical acclaim from their first two albums. However, after the new set of singles came out, it was apparent that they were coming back with more money in the studio and a bit more polished rock sound, which had me a bit nervous. However, after deeply diving into this record, they were able to maintain enough of what's true to core identity of the band with some harder hitting riffs, more diverse and dynamic songs (even some horns in "U Should Not Be Doing That"), and some even more shocking lyrics (someone has to match the Geordie Greep energy). Now it's definitely not a perfect record and has a few tracks that… More

Super quirky, sometimes even weirder. True pop-punk meeting indie in a fun way. I honestly love the instrumentation, despite many tracks' rudimentary compositions to a fault. However, those with more sophisticated and experimental song structure show their ceiling (sky high). Every song is filled with some ear worm choruses that makes this an extremely enjoyable listen. Yeah, it's far from the best punk I've heard this year. In the end, this album simultaneously represents growth and regression for the duo. I'll be bumping the four song stretch from "Best Looking Strangers in the Cemetery" through "Lonsdale Slipons" through the fall and winter.

This album definitely has its shortcomings, but I really do appreciate the growth that it represents as the band passes their decade mark while still staying true to their "surf noir" sound. It's easily misconstrued as just warm on the surface, but upon further inspection it's really showcasing trying to find beauty in a world that seems pretty ugly at times. The lyricism is moderately crisp (albeit slightly rudimentary at times) and the compositions are steady and vulnerable (although they have forgone their signature layered vocal instruments on some tracks). I think this is a fine release from the Seattle outfit. Ironically, my favorite tracks are all the non-single tracks ("Dandelions", "Good Luck With Your Secret" and "Close Your Eyes"… More

Took way to long to get going with some real fun, interesting, and coherent tracks (“Interlude” through”Approachable” absolutely rocks). The rest is decent drunk hard punk rock (looking at you “Des Goblin” and “Prayers”). While I appreciate their ability to put out some enjoyable post-punk and rock and not put anything bad in their studio debut, I question if they’re doing much to different themselves substantiously.

While I love her live shows and think she’s remarkably creative and talented, Leah’s musicianship doesn’t channel through well on her extended releases. This felt like a step backward from her studio debut and her Grateful Dead remix album. Filled with easy listening cuts sprinkled with the occasional bright star (I.e. “Feel” or “Succession”) and fun interludes, this album feels more like the smooth jazz of house than a showcase of one of the brighter stars in house.

I think Kelly took the “dreamstate” analogy too literally here, as for the first time in discography, she teetered too far off balance of liminal elegant dance to full on yawns at parts of the record. Don’t get me wrong, “Dark Angel” through “Higher” is pretty signature Kelly Lee Owens, and “Sunshine” through “Time To” is as well, but the rest is too comfortable and forgettable.

Definitely one of the wackier releases in 2024, and in a wonderful way. The performances are phenomenal on every song and the record oozes with …vivid… storytelling, frantic jazz drums, prog-rock and jazz guitar glory, beautiful accent horns and backup vocals, and more. Usually when lead men go solo, they lose the hmph of the collective, but not here. While there are definitely some parts that err on a side of chaos to the detriment of the music, overall this is a crazy roller coaster ride into the abyss. It’s every part shocking and impressive at once in a way that is truly punk, without being a true punk record. To be honest, it’s a pretty avant-garde and… More

Pretty smooth jazz that provides an excellent work environment. Joel is obviously an extremely talented jazz xylophonist, but sometimes his jazz compositions are lacking in technicality or structure to a fault. There's a few here I'll come back to, but not a ton, which is partly due to my lack of affinity for smooth jazz and heavy preference for more psychedelia or experimentation.

On their first fully english album, the group went with a New Order-esque new wave and synth rock album that opts on the side of simplicity, oftentimes to a fault. The angle was likely some catchy dance floor club rock songs, but the result was forcing myself to enjoy a majority of the tracks. Don't get me wrong, all is not lost here. The first half is very fun from "Clover Paradise" through "Love Is Over" until you get the sense that this is all you're going to be getting for the rest of the album. La Femme was always nuanced with it's sonic exploration, but this time things don't seem to be fully clicking as they try to penetrate… More

A very sonically diverse record full of creativity. Sometimes that results in some misses, other times in absolute gems. Overall you get a relatively cohesive, adventurous record that is equal parts frivolous and dense. There are several tracks I’ll be coming back to later.

Shoutouts to "A Dream Goes On Forever", "Another 9 Days", "Makeshift Tourniquet" and "Time Well Spent". This album's flow is pretty phenomenal, but with slightly less heavy hitters and slightly more low-lights than we're used to hearing with Vegyn. Overall a very pleasant listen.

Why this wasn't a Daphni album is beyond me. It will serve as an outlier in their discography, which is totally fine if they made it cohesive like a Caribou record. Dan definitely knows how to make a club hit, but it feels as if the artistry was sacrificed to some extent. The result: a mixed bag. I understand that Kieran Hebden did the arrangements and mastering, which has led to some absolute bangers littered across the record (shoutouts to "Honey", "Volume", "Dear Life", "Campfire" and "Got To Change"). Perhaps this is an attempt to unify a vastly expanding music scene (listen to Floating Points most recent release for another example) and provide an introduction to Caribou to a wider… More

This album takes a bit to get going (although “Forecast” is a pretty beautiful introduction). From “Derecho” through “Still Existing”, I really love his exploration into experimental jazz electronica that fuses together many influences from around the world. It’s a refreshing burst of creativity that a testament to his adventurousness. Unfortunately, I think the first half of the record (minus “Airlock” which is a really wonderful journey) is too comfortable and meanders.

A very solid dance record, they are really mastering their sound. Unfortunately, much substance is sacrificed from previous records. The bookends ("Pull the Rope" through "Fire" and "Far Away" through "Dance in the Rain") are really great, but I have trouble staying engaged through the middle portion of the record.

chill vibes, not a lot of replay value. honestly, starting to wonder why i continue to return to Wu-Lu's stuff since i've been vastly unimpressed so far.

Their sophomore record demonstrates tons of growth, but I don't believe they've achieved their full potential just yet. A creative blend of shoegaze, post-punk, indie rock, and more, this record definitely takes you on a pleasant journey, even if the tracks don't always hit. The middle chunk of songs from "Don't" through "Ghost" are pretty sweet, with some inconsistencies to bookend. While I really enjoy "Real Deal" and "Cold Caller", some of the songs surrounding them meander a bit in a lost identity and vision; while I understand that "Movies" was supposed to be a cinematic piece to conclude the record, I think it actually dilutes the overall cinematic aura of the entire album. Overall, an extremely solid follow-up to… More

He does it again. Big ol’ 3/3; a perfect example of why waiting a while between releases can be worth it. After almost 10 years, he’s back with an album that takes modern trends in electronic and makes them into his own sounds. Not every song is perfect, but they all seem to blend well, making good use of most of the features to break up the album a bit (shout out “Daffodil” and “Life”). However, I think the strongest tracks by far are the solo material (i.e. “Treat Each Other Right” and “Still Summer”). Does it scratch the same itches as We’re New Here or In Colour? No, but it isn’t trying to do… More

Honestly the most cohesive and engaging chunk of music Mura Masa has ever put out. While very chaotic and disorganized as times, it almost adds to the experience. There’s elements of garage, folktronica, house, and more all packed into one continuous punch in the air.

A pretty ethereal album, I do believe that Orion Sun is taking her musicianship to a new high. However, the entire album does not represent new highs. There are definitely some points that feel more rudimentary, but overall this is a very enjoyable album given the right mood.

Touched essentially every pop country cliche from the last 25 years and looped in most of country’s stars… all to peg the question: anyone can make country, but should they? Ironically, the best two songs were 2 of 3 that didn’t have features: “What Don’t Belong to Me” and “Right About You”, which get slightly meta acknowledging the capitalism that has ruined country music. Sure it makes for some easy listening and there are some really terrific instrumentation, decent flow, and great guest performances from Lainey, Chris, Brad and Billy, but also some questionably wasted features with Hank Jr., Tim and Dolly. It’s not terrible, but it definitely isn’t it. I will say, I appreciate… More

Don’t get me wrong, this album is a fun ride. Kicking things off with “Vigilante” set the tone properly. However, besides lead single “King of the Slugs” and “Running”, I find that this has little replay value. I love the elements of Jewish traditional music mixed with chaotic hard rock and definitely think this band can have high potential if they get a bit more serious in trying to compose something more cohesive.

This album really has 2 acts. The first half is extremely grungy showcasing tons of artistic growth. I love her exploration into post-punk and “Keep on Dancing” through “Binding” have been on repeat nonstop (shout out to “Like I Say” which is one of my most listened to tracks of 2024). Once the album slows down, it has a really hard time picking back up. The songs are beautiful, but any given track like “Call it Love” gets diluted by the surrounding ballads, which is something we’ve grown to expect out of Nilufer. Overall definitely very satisfied, but expectations will be sky high for her next record.