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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

This is probably the most well-executed of Fred’s LPs thus far. With much to like here, you can see his growth from AL1 to now. I like the idea and cohesion of the ten days that glue together distinct vibes; the run from “four” through “where will I be” is great. But let’s talk about why Fred has yet to put out an album better than a 7/10. At the end of the day, Fred falls victim to his Achilles heel: he’s an incredibly talented artist with a great ability to make the most out of collaborations, but his song composition ability typically falls short in favor of sticking to his “vibe” and vision. Perfect example… More

A fun ride with previous Tame Impala and current Pond drummer GUM and King Gizz's pianist Ambrose Kenny-Smith. You can definitely hear the influences of all three groups playing a part in this whimsical record that provides some good driving summer tunes like "Dud", "Fool For You", "Resilience", and "The Gloater". Sure some songs are forgettable, but overall, I'm satisfied with what these two veterans drummed up.

I'm definitely a fan of the comeback of 80s synthwave (thank you New Order). This album is loose, fun, nostalgic, yet still feels somewhat novel. However, I believe this album slightly falls short in diversity of the music. Yes, songs like "Wait Until It Rains Tomorrow" and "So Long" are great at shaking up the pretty consistent groove of the record, but those grooves can seem pretty homogenous on the surface. Diving a bit deeper is worth the reward. Overall, definitely satisfied with Donny's most recent record.

A satisfying follow-up to her debut HYPNOS that sees her experimenting with her sound. Was a big fan of “Genius”, “Love Me Not”, and “Candy”, while also enjoying the two collaborations with Childish and Ty Dolla. The album does hit a lull in the back half before ending on a sweet note with “Days”.

Chaotic and glitchy. This is an absolute explosion of energy and experimentation. Sometimes, my ears do get fatigued as this album is just all gas and no breaks.

Definitely her most confident and cohesive project. The first set of tracks are an awesome homage to some of the disco and nu-disco greats of the 70s-00s (from Gary Numan to Lady Gaga). Some highlights for me are “Weird World”, “Girl With No Face”, and “Saddest Smile”. However, part of what makes those songs hit so hard is what makes other tracks fall short for me, making the back half a little too hit or miss. All in all a very fun ride.

Another year, another quality release from Kamasi and his collaborators absolutely shredding. However, this one felt to have been a bit more comfortable from an experimental standpoint, which is something we’ve come to expect. Overall a very technically impressive record with highlights littered all over the place (i.e. “Asha The First” and “Get Lit”), the album drags a bit into background music toward the end. Nothing close to disappointing overall.

While definitely becoming a bit more formulaic than their previous two records, Fontaines continue to explore new ways to push forward post-punk, this time through more prog and traditional rock. This is a dip from their last two records, but still contains some of my favorites in their canon, like opener "In ar gCroithe go deo" or "Roman Holiday".

Extremely whimsical record that actually sees Hiatus Kaiyote experimenting with new genre fusion, with incorporations of smooth jazz and hard rock (even some metal?). While I'm not in love with some tracks on the record, I deeply appreciate the novelty of their explorative nature, even if some of the attempts don't land. It's a good reminder of why they are one of the more important bands of this generation.

Still chasing the high of Golden Hour, I have to tip my hat to her ability to come up with some raw emotional content that fits in well with her last few records, but provides something refreshing. However, this record falls short from time to time with songs that don't do her musicianship enough justice. I know she's capable of more, but this record is still a nice easy listen and I was generally impressed with the content.

This is a solid follow-up to Juno that finds Remi getting more serious about her musicianship, without losing her quirkiness. I appreciate her changing pace on songs like “Soup” and “Just The Start” while continuing to push out fun party hits like “Toro” and “Frog Rock”. While I wasn’t in love with everything (some songs definitely lack character and the middle of the record runs forgettably), this is a positive sign toward what’s to come.

Honestly am impressed by the sonic direction and musicality behind that powers this record forward. Unfortunately, I found myself wanting the lyrics to match the energy a little bit better. There are some undeniable jazz rock tracks that set the pace right out of the gate, especially "the fear is not real" and hit single "symptom of life". Unfortunately, the album hits a bit of a lull in the middle, but picks up strongly to close.

Overall was definitely a fan of 3/4 of this record. "Hell is Near" through "Big Time Nothing" did a great job of being playful with many signature sounds of rock, from NIN vibes on "Broken Man" to a more current post-punk sound on "Bit Time Nothing". However, enter the back half of the record and pace slows down, relying on the strength of her lyricism alone, which makes them much more hit-or-miss than the days of Strange Mercy. Definitely satisfied overall with her musical and personal exploration on this record. Very solid.

Extremely solid album. As per usual, she showed great restraint throughout the record, which creates some powerful tracks like "Bittersuite" and "Lunch" to match the obvious hits of "L'amour de ma vie" and "Birds of a feather". However, I found myself wanting slightly more out of her on several tracks that held me back from rating this higher. Definitely one of the better 3.5/5 albums of the year, though. I'm waiting for "the one" out of her that really shows the growth and experimentation I know she's capable of showcasing.

The production is consistently great on this. However, it's still missing the magic of 99.9%. The features are more hit or miss and some of the instrumentals struggle to get anywhere. The front half of the record (minus "Dance Dance Dance Dance") is really terrific and there are consistently enough bangers that you don't have to wait too long between them. This is definitely an album to be experienced live, just like Bubba. Overall satisfactory, but not wowing me.

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.

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.

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

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.