Sam Harkey

Anyone who previously wrote about the saxophone is playing the guy down. Actually felt some growth and liveliness in this record as a whole when I thought FJM was stuck in his usual rigamarole.

A whacky, whimsically dark and fun adventure. Lovely introduction into Dana Gavanski that took me through the rest of her discography.

I mean, I get what she was going for, but why? Not a ton to come back to here, but I guess there's something for everybody... I did heavily rock with "Darwinism", but that's about where it ended for repeat value for me. Awful album to snowboard to...

A lot more scatterbrained than previous releases, but still some quality genre shifting with some instant hits and a great cover of Glen Campbell to close. Every song was a collaboration, making this feel much more like a country mixtape than one of his art pieces. "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other" with Willie Nelson is one of the best starts to an album this year.

A bit confused by why he’s trying to give us an album of sounds that were popularized 5-10 years ago and now should only be done by Bladee and his posse.

Here for a good time and a long time, I see.

This is definitely a record that becomes more rewarding on multiple listens. It's eerie and uncomfortable, making it a tough listen. However, it's also very beautiful, kind of like life. There's nothing that super "wow" but also nothing that's even remotely mediocre.

Very enjoyable psychedelia that pays homage to many other genres of rock. While definitely a niche record, there's something for most people, whether it's the post-punk "Dogear" or the Obscured By Clouds-esque "Junk Correado" and "World i" or the more classic psych-rock "Cholla Beat".

10/10 of his fingers fuck, but behind it isn't as much depth as I wished. His live performances are unparalleled and I'm sure all of these tracks will rip, but through my headphones, not as much.

I definitely think this record is extremely strong, even likely the best to date for Magdalena Bay. Tracks like "Killing Time", "Fear, Sex", "Watching T.V." and "Tunnel Vision" are pretty incredible pop tracks. I'm not too sure why "Image" is the most popular because there are many many more to like here. Does this reinvent the pop wheel? No. Is it still strikingly creative? Yes. It's consistently good, and sometimes great.

Big fan of "Come Together" through "Rise Above", but feel the rest of the album is chasing that initial high. Sometimes it hits (i.e. "We Belong" and "Liming"), and other times it does not. Overall a really fun and funky release. Love recruiting Balal for it.

Way more inconsistent than his typical releases. This one was a bit bewildering. The few I liked felt like copycats of other musician's styles ("Gum Tree" sounds like Thom Yorke on an Ed O'Brien cut). There was enough dynamics for an album that tended to just drag on through his depressive attempts at dreary hopeful music.

This is what Taylor Swift wishes she was. While this doesn't match the magic of her studio debut record, tracks like "Anchor" and "Driver" show some artistic growth while still giving us some signature folk/singer-songwriter hits like "M", "Thinking Of You", and "Evergreen". It's been great to watch her grow, even if this doesn’t have the longevity of past releases.

Listened to this over 3 days while I had the stomach flu. Was nice,

They must be aliens to come back like this not missing a beat. The rhythms and riffs hit harder and the topics are retrospective and wise not dissimilar to Bowie’s Blackstar.

Honestly might be worse than vultures. Just soulless, heartless, and almost talentless if it wasn’t for the features (who may have hurt their careers for jumping on this).

Sooo much potential here as Ireland’s new darlings, even earning a Grian Chatten feature as Fontaines reaches superstardom. I’m not sure if some songs just fall flat or the album never truly gets going because of the frequent interludes, but definitely keeping a close eye on future releases.

I get what they're trying to do with this record and I feel like it doesn't land like they hoped. The Sean Paul cover is fun, but nothing that fantastic, which is too bad because the singles for this record were so great.

Every time i get through this album/EP, I find new sounds, new rhythms, new melodies. It’s a bewildering piece of experimental techno in a good way.

Another solid release from Freddie. This record seemed to be just for fun, with him returning to older form and giving us just raps, very few choruses. The beats are crisp and his pen game is still as strong as ever, even if none of the tracks absolutely blow you away like on his collaborative releases with Alchemist and Madlib.

Pretty sure I forced myself to hit the like button on too many tracks here (6 tracks). Felt pretty generic and about half the tracks blended together into one song. Still some promising tracks on there (I.e. “Progress”, “Ghosts”).

Sturgill has this crazy infectious energy that is only replicable by the outlaw country greats. On this record, he gives you a good litmus test for different types of country. While I don’t think the lyricism and compositions match the sophistication and vibes of previous releases, it’s definitely a fun listen. Tracks like “If The Sun Never Rises Again”, “Jupiter’s Faerie” with the auto tune, and “Mint Tea” remind you why Sturgill is the modern goat of country.

Unfortunately, Michael Kiwanuka has set a very high bar for himself… then comes out and lets us know Danger Mouse is producing his next album (this one). Hype is at an all-time high, yet the energy on this record is at an all-time low. The middle is quite a spectacular and beautiful collection of pseudo-ballads, but are sandwiched by blander ballads. I honestly expected more from the production throughout, where “Floating Parade” got things off to such a hot start. At the end of the day, it’s still a solid release and I genuinely enjoy a good 65% of the tracks, just not as much as previous releases.

This is a rating for both Piedras records, which I’ve heard were originally purposed as a score for a play based in a dystopian future Chile. It feels like just that, with lofi hypnotic dance cuts and a cohesive 2-part journey that is engaging for those willing to put in the time and space to absorb it. Part 2 is a bit less dynamic and emotionally-charged, but fits really well into the overall context.

This is a rating for both Piedras records, which I’ve heard were originally purposed as a score for a play based in a dystopian future Chile. It feels like just that, with lofi hypnotic dance cuts and a cohesive 2-part journey that is engaging for those willing to put in the time and space to absorb it.

Huge fan of the first half of the record, where the band is going through a clubbier, fancier phase. Unfortunately, besides the single “Human After All”, the album unravels into uncertainty and flat grooves that leave a poor taste in my mouth. I wonder if the album would be an 8/10 if songs like “Strange Affair” and “The Revolution Will Not Be Anything” were on there.

This is a pretty enjoyable and spunky listen once you lower your expectations a bit, but people have been really wanking this off. I did not find this to be at all living up to the hype, with more linear songwriting and compositions that were less unique and creative than previous releases, this felt like more of a tribute album to indie country and Americana. “Wristwatch”, “Rip Torn” and “On My Knees” remind why I can like MJ of the past.

Some really fresh takes on trap, techno, and electronica. If not for getting a bit predictable and less experimental toward the end, this would be an instant electronic classic.

Makes decent use of sparseness, which allows her to come out hot with tracks like “Breathe Now”, which is an incredible d&b adjacent jazz track obviously influenced by Roni Size, or the title track. Unfortunately the rest of the record is a hit too inconsistent, even with some haunting lyricism. Also pretty into the dynamics on “South Bombay”, “Like The Ocean”, and “Untold”.

Overall, decent jazz and folk. But the shtick gets pretty shticky quick.