Sam Harkey

Really was expecting more from this release. I thought it was pretty uninventive and comfortable. It was somewhat easy listening, but with shoegaze, if you're not producing something a) unique or b) lyrically dense, then songs get lost in the background. I feel like this is one of their weaker records.

A very solid and long-awaited debut for Elkka. You can tell this is meant for late nights in the club when you're looking to get lost in the music and don't truly care what's playing. However, not much is inventive, no matter how catchy and vibey the performances are. While there are no "duds" per se, there aren't many, if any, dedicated bangers. The album floats along, sometimes a bit aimlessly.

This really does feel like the magnum opus Charli has been carefully working toward after redefining her career about 5 years ago. This is hyperpop at its finest and most refined, and Charli is carving out a unique place for herself amongst the pop greats. It's filled with club anthems that feels perfectly in tune with the state of the world today: as we become even more connected to the chaos (both beautiful and horrifying) of the world via the internet, we want to turn to creative outlets (like dancing/clubbing) to distract ourselves. This album is glitchy yet calculated, scatterbrained yet cohesive, retrospective yet pushes pop forward, and more. It's near perfect in my eyes and ears.

With Mdou Moctar, you really are looking for energy. You definitely get that here with some incredible performances, but at the cost of sonic exploration that evolves beyond the last two records. While the band will never put out anything even mediocre, this left more itches to be scratched than its predecessor Afrique Victime.

Don't let the first two tracks fool you, because after a hot start that feels reminiscent of their french disco and electropop roots, the band reverts back to their comfortable sound as a slightly dancier Khruangbin or less rocky Parcels. With some smooth jams interspersed with quality features from Flatbush Zombies' Erick the Architect or Maggie Rogers, about half of this record will fade into the background of their discography and overall aesthetic.

It was all very OK. I miss the days of Once through her DJ Kicks mix, instead of this poppier sound that is quickly becoming the new big room. That said, the beats were slick and everything flowed well.

This album is a triumphant comeback for Beak>. It has better production and more cohesive vision than previous, showing they're still committed to growth, even if these pieces are more familiar and comfortable to them. In the end, it pulls from obvious influences of Radiohead, Flaming Lips, and Piper at the Gates of Dawn in a wonderful and concise progressive indie-rock LP.

Pure chaos and I actually enjoy it. Some tracks seem to end prematurely and the end meanders a bit, but overall there's lots to like here if you're into that industrial electronic vibe, which I sort of am.

Not crazy about this debut release. Definitely some strong signals, but overall just sounds like another slickly-produced R&B/Pop record. That said, her talent is undeniable and should feel more free to experiment with her sound in the future.

I enjoy how personal and dark this record is. However, my problem with the last few records have been the same: he went from a place of pushing hip-hop forward to returning to a comfort zone of relying on his storytelling to carry the album forward. I do think this is his best release since either Vince Staples in 2021 or FM! in 2019.

Mach-Hommy has been very busy since his breakout album Pray For Haiti, which was a favorite of mine in 2021. 7 albums/mixtapes in between RICHAXXHAITIAN and PFH in 2.5 years is typically would result in burnout, creating more content than quality. However, RICHAXXHAITIAN has a breath of fresh air and energy around it with some experimentation and collaboration that hits and some that misses. I appreciate this record, but when readying myself some an album that was supposed to pay homage to his Haitian roots, I expected a little more sonic exploration like there was on the title track. Regardless, I'm not left feeling dissatisfied, but more excited for him to take that next big leap forward in… More

While there were some standout instant heavy rotation cuts like “RESPEK”, “I LIKE U”, and “KILL_U”, the rest quickly fell back into background music, all sounding uninventive for Travis this late into his career. Overall, it was too hit or miss, even if no particular song is bad, per se.

Definitely dragged at parts and felt a bit one dimensional for 80% of the record. She's trying to take you to a liminal space, but instead I fell asleep.

Plz do something different for once

I was excited about the prospect of Sean Lennon producing this record, especially coming off of a top 25 album in 2023 Everything Harmony. Kicking off the LP with "My Golden Years" and "They Don't Know How To Fall In Place", they didn't lose a step. However, as the record progressed, I found that the sonic profile mixed with the songwriting let this record meander a bit.

I find this to be a slight improvement from 3.15.20, but the content and songwriting are inherently not where it needs to be. I find that some tracks like "Algorhythm", "The Violence" and "Why Go To The Party" definite benefitted from a second look and are very solid inclusions into Childish Gambino canon, but the features and poppier cuts are still only okay at best. He did trim out some fat in favor of more cohesion and better listening experience.

About half of this record were some absolute heaters and the other half was a bit of a snooze.

This album showed some real growth from Lorely Rodriguez. Tapping into futuristic electro-pop that really starting to blow up with the likes of "Lorelei" and "Femenine", and an unbelievable 3-track run in latin pop with "Cura", "Facil" and "Sucia", For Your Consideration is one of the better pop releases of 2024.

I enjoy the sonic exploration and experimentation in the production of this LP. Also enjoyable is the apocalyptic perspective on life in 2024 that errs on the side of satire. It's how we all feel about the world right now. However, the songwriting seems to take a step backward from Freedom, being much more literal. In the end, I'm not disappointed, but am left wanting more.

Not a big fan of the departure from a more emo-heavy sound of Flowers of Devotion, which now seems like a very distant past. The sound is sleeker and the harmonies are more sophisticated, but they come at the cost of less raw and emotional songwriting. It's too polished and poppy for my taste as the band continues to grow.

Really left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the genre fusion in a few of the tracks, showing some real growth. But then the other half of the record shows signs of no growth, so I'm confused.

The only thing that you can dispute about the greatness of this record is if it is their best. It's definitely one of the best hip-hop albums. Period.

Has to be a top 5 all-time psychedelic record. Pink Floyd couldn't become the Pink Floyd that we know and love without Syd Barrett and this record. I wish I could've been in London during the UFO days.

An awe-inspiring debut record that pushes the boundaries of world music, psychedelic funk, soul, and rock. Definitely a classic in funk canon.

Really easy listening. Things we already knew: Erick's got great flow and can fit in with any sound or vibe. This album didn't do anything groundbreaking, but was relatively consistent and comfortable, with several tracks with replay value.

Not the biggest fan of this new direction they've gone in, where they have opted for a more commercially friendly sound than on Champagne Holocaust. Definitely some heavy hitters like "John Lennon" and "Feed The Horse", but surrounded by too many misses.

Super solid album that shows Brittany getting comfortable in her solo career. I wish she would've done a bit more experimentation with her sound, but this was a concise and promising record. She has the capacity to bring to the table something more conceptual and cohesive, as well.

Disappointed. Coming off of the high of Future Nostalgia, I was really psyched for this follow-up, especially given her stated influences of 90s/00s UK rave scene. In addition, tapping into Kevin Parker in his current pop era made a lot of sense, but the pieces of the puzzle never fit together and add up to a full picture.

Pretty forgettable album with limited highlights and great production. Sort of what I expected.

While I appreciate the psychedelia inherent in the post-rock band's most recent release, I find that some of the songs at times get lost in breakdown of structure that they absolutely nail on other tracks. Bit hit or miss for me.