While I do think Flatbush Zombies still sound too much like A$AP, they do come with their own flavor on "Vacation In Hell" and display amazing chemistry as they trade verses with an energy level that's always on a thousand.
Smoke DZA's "Not For Sale" is an homage to classic hip-hop and it may not open him up to a new audience outside of his already core fans or hip-hop purists but it's still yet another solid addition to an impressive and growing discography.
Alison Wonderland's sophomore effort is a crazy mix of wide ranging sounds that kept me on my toes throughout, not really knowing what to expect next. I'm not the biggest EDM fan but I really enjoyed her brand of music and I never would have guessed that someone could make me like a Chief Keef EDM song as much as I did.
I'm a fan but I've been as critical of his music as any one out there, but Cole absolutely knocked it out of the park with KOD. Easily his most relatable project yet that has something for everyone. If you're still in the 'hate J. Cole' camp after this then you're just not listening enough or you haven't experienced life enough. Simple as that.
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Carnage's "Battered, Bruised, & Bloody" is a largely forgettable collection of generic trending beats, repetitive songwriting, and weak features.
Marilyn Manson...love him? Hate him? Too scared to say?
Superorganism's music is about as youthful, happy, and oddball as I'd expect from a group clearly born of the internet age and has an almost infectious quality to it that you can't help but vibe to. It's definitely one of the most inventive albums I've heard in a while and they clearly speak directly to this generation of teens.
Wye Oak's latest feels decidedly more accessible than say "Civilian", but in reality their compositions are as dense and layered as ever, but the new synth and rhythm additions make their sound so much more expansive. And it's the interplay between the bright expansive backdrop and the highly introspective lyrics, sung through her still incredibly beautiful airy vocals, that make this such a fulfilling listen.
Once in a while I’m pleasantly surprised by an evening that is so intimately tied together that you can’t divorce the performances from each other. Performances that demand to be addressed as a whole rather than cut into distinct pieces. Gordi and S. Carey put on one such performance to a sold-out crowd at DC9 Nightclub in Washington, D.C. Check out the full gallery of photos from their amazing sets here.
In 1967, Arthur Lee and his then stable band, Love, came up with Forever Changes - widely considered to be their, and one of rock’s greatest masterpieces. While making some impact in Europe, in particular England, at the time, the album was practically ignored in the US. Now, 50 years later, the album is being recognized for what it is (even by Rolling Stone, who missed its greatness the first time around).
CARE FOR ME is an absolutely gorgeous project with lush soundscapes that allows Saba to lay down deep, emotional, introspective gem after deep, emotional, introspective gem. It's an exploration of grief, isolation, and trying to cope with the woes of life. But it's more cathartic than masochistic with glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel.
CZARFACE & MF Doom put out a generally competent, but not particularly exciting, project that aims to please the hip-hop purists out there. But it's largely lethargic feel and average rhymes probably won't satisfy even the staunchest traditionalists out there.
Thirty Seconds to Mars try their hand at a politically charged record but they ultimately come up well short of saying or adding anything worthwhile to the conversation. It's essentially an album that's full of vapid buzz words/phrases set to painfully generic electro-infused pop rock. It's not a "terrible" album but it's not a particularly compelling one either.
In the Manic Street Preachers' latest, resistance may be futile but they're one of the last warriors still fighting to their last breath. It's solid raucous rock with a touch of punk spirit that gets the blood flowing and has you ready to stand up and fight.
Hard To Kill's sound is dark, lo-fi, moody, and very reminiscent of early A$AP. It's mood music and although it's nothing particularly new or different, it is extremely well done and I found myself grooving with the vibes for a large majority of the album.
Yes, Tinashe does have a nice voice and yes there are a fair amount of head nodding pop numbers, but once again it was an experience that left me feeling largely indifferent. It checks all the boxes for what a pop album should have but misses out on the soul and personality needed to make it really stand out.
"Bless Yo Trap" is a by the numbers 'SoundCloud rap' album that fails to produce anything really worth of note. When the bar of entry into this sub-genre is this low they were always bound to start cannibalizing each others' sound and fan base sooner than later.
Despite the clear similarities to Amy Winehouse, Kali Uchis' music stands on it's own and it's a brilliant exploration of blues, funk, soul, R&B, and latin sounds, which she maneuvers through with impressive ease. Isolation is a breathtaking debut and a statement piece that shows she might just be music's next big thing.
All in all, Sango's "In the Comfort Of" is a really thoughtful and lush album that does a great job of blending hip-hop, R&B, and electronic sounds, while contemplating spirituality, life, and love.
I'm not saying The Decemberists come off as gimmicky or overtly "hipster" but I have no problem imagining many of the songs here being played at a local renaissance fair or in the soundtrack to one of Wes Anderson's latest movies, and not in an ironic way either. But for as much as I found myself eye rolling, I found myself singing along, which in itself is the ultimate goal of music isn't it.
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Did Cardi B live up to the hype, a trio of perfect albums, and getting stuck in the streaming matrix
We're back and we finally got Cardi B's long anticipated debut album. We discuss our thoughts about the project and whether or not we believe it lived up to the immense hype and talk whether Nicki Minaj was being petty for starting her rollout right after it's release. We also talk about Apple Music removing the ability to download music and the increasing hold streaming services are having on people, if we think Coachella has become too mainstream and started to plateau, and our first 5 star album ratings of 2018 from Young Fathers, The Weeknd, and Saba - among other things.
Cardi B's debut isn't great by any stretch of the imagination but it's not that bad either. It's a more listenable project than I expected and has more than a few noteworthy moments. I guess what really makes it a decent project is that all of her best songs sound like a more than serviceable approximation of whatever artist she's feeling in that moment. They say the best artists steal, so in that sense she's more than on her way.