HEELS HAVE EYES 2 - WESTSIDE GUNN This is honestly one of my favorite westside Gunn releases to date. I feel like honestly this is the perfection of everything he’s been perfecting on hwh but without the tracks that don’t work for me. It’s by far one of his most consistent releases with good hooks good beats good bars. Overall Griselda are still proving they’re at the top and this release only adds to that legacy of greatness. Long live westside
LIVE LAUGH LOVE - EARL SWEATSHIRT This album reminds me a lot of a previous earl sweatshirt release, that being his album some rap songs. Some rap songs is often praised as earls best work but it was never really my flavor of earl because it’s all almost too much for me. The rhymes are too off rhythm over beats that just don’t really work for me. All of this is to say live laugh love feels like the some rap songs style in a setting that works way better for me. The beats are absolutely gorgeous and lavish with earls consistent fast flow almost serving as another instrument to round out the sound of these beats. Additionally I really enjoyed the lyrical content of this album, it really does see earl in an optimistic space for the first time in a long time and it’s a really good look on him. There’s a lot of lines about raising his son that makes this album feel very full circle to me because one of the main topics of earls earlier discography is certainly death and it’s cool to see him focusing on the other end of the cycle. Definitely one of the rap albums to come out this year that should not be missed.
SMILE - BRIAN WILSON In my beach boys reviews from earlier this year, one may recall I was rather harsh on smiley smile, saying it felt like a collection of unfinished ideas compiled into an album. This album is essentially the finished version of those ideas and I’m absolutely obsessed with it. This is right up there with pet sounds for me as just one of my favorite beach boys release though this is just Brian Wilson by himself it still captures that classic beach boys feeling perfectly. I also find it interesting how childlike this album feels, and if I may infer a bit I think it has a lot to do with the story of this album. It was supposed to be Brian Wilson’s masterpiece that he never finished for almost 40 years and it really haunted him and I almost feel like this album was him healing his inner child in a sense and coming to terms with his life through the process of creation. I feel like that really shows with how well made this album is too it’s clear so much tender love and care went into it. Highly highly recommended, one of my favorite things I’ve listened to in a long time.
HONKY CHǍTEAU - ELTON JOHN I’m not gonna lie this album didn’t stick with me outside of certain tracks. It does have its moments but I feel like this wasn’t the right Elton John album to get into his music with so for now: this album is good but not my thing. In the foreseeable future I may find myself getting more into his catalogue and rereview this but for now it’s good it’s just not for me
LET IT BLEED - THE ROLLING STONES So The Rolling Stones are honestly probably my biggest classic rock blindspot and that’s something I’ve been trying to do with my listening lately is get into these Huge bands in a genre I’m very familiar with to cover up those blindspots. That being said this album makes me feel like they were a blindspot for a reason and that reason is that I simply don’t care for the stones that badly. At least not this flavor of the stones. Certain tracks are pretty undeniable hits, such as gimme shelter and you can’t always get what you want but for every one of those there’s a track that’s either forgettable or just not my thing such as monkey man. I don’t think this is the stones fault but this album is also just not my flavor of classic rock. Overall it’s okay and I’d check it out if you’re like a huge classic rock fan but otherwise it wasn’t for me.
PLASTIC ONO BAND - JOHN LENNON I find myself conflicted on this album and that’s honestly because John Lennon is just not my flavor of Beatles but man. This album is pretty undeniable. All the songs have this real simplicity to them that just makes the lyricism really really shine through. The songs that shook me to my core were really mother and god and you can tell this is Lennon at his most philosophical. It did not surprise me to learn this album was the product of intense therapy because the way it’s written is so heavily introspective. A really beautiful piece of music to be sure.
HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED - BOB DYLAN Every new bob dylan album I check out I feel like I understand the appeal of bob dylan so much more. This album is thoroughly fantastic and probably my favorite release from him I’ve heard thus far. It’s kinda hard to talk about though because this is some of the most highly praised music in American history like. What can I say about bob dylan that hasn’t been said already. It’s essential songwriting. It’s really fucking good like. It’s highway 61 revisited dude just go listen to it.
NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE CAR - LA DISPUTE I honestly only listened to this album the one time it didn’t really stick with me much. This isn’t to say it’s bad by any means I think I’d just have to listen to it more to form an opinion past its good and I’d recommend it if you’re already a fan of la dispute.
CONTRA - VAMPIRE WEEKEND This album is really really catchy at best and forgettable at worst. There are some really stand out tracks to me, specific shoutouts to Horchata and California English, both great tunes. I still think it’s a good entry in vampire weekends category but overall I much preferred their self titled to this.
HE WILD, THE INNOCENT, & THE E STREET SHUFFLE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN This album was good I liked it! I listened to it a couple times across the month and really got a feel for it. One of the things I noticed is the instruments really blend with each other well there’s really great mixing over classic songwriting. I enjoyed this album quite a bit!
BORN IN THE USA - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN So this is technically a relisten because I used to own this on vinyl before eventually selling it but tldr I haven’t heard this album since high school. There’s certain songs that are just perfect for me from the title tracks cynicism over American politics to I’m on fire being one of the best ballads I’ve ever heard. I do feel like some of the deeper cuts didn’t click with me as much but those tracks specifically did. I overall enjoyed my time with this album quite a bit.
STICKY FINGERS - THE ROLLING STONES I don’t have very much experience with the stones past their singles and a few other shorter albums but out of what I’ve heard this is by far my favorite. There’s these really great ballads in sister morphine and wild horses, but the stand out track for me has to be the Led Zeppelin esque can’t you hear me knocking. Such an awesome songs and one of my favorite performances from the stones. If you listen to anything off this album please listen to that one song it’s so good
BROWN SUGAR - D’ANGELO Good lord this album has some vocal performances that blow me away. The harmonies on this thing are like nothing else and every song is so consistently good. I really liked this album it just has such a good vibe and I really love this era of r and b such good stuff to be found in it.
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - THE BEATLES This album is phenomenally good even past my general bias have towards the Beatles this really is one of my favorites like. I feel like it manages to blend catchy melodies with psychedelic instrumentation and lyricism in such a perfect way that it just has to be top 3 Beatles albums for me. It’s perfect I really can’t get enough of this beast of an album. One other thing I noted in listening to it is that it feels like John Lennons take on sgt peppers since that album has more McCartney on it iirc. And I think that’s really cool. The way the b side of this album is just hit after hit is insane to me this really was the Beatles at their peak
LET IT BE - THE BEATLES This was their last album in their generational run I had yet to listen to and I thought it would be fitting to save their last studio album for last. That being said I think the fact they were all sick of each other shows the most on this album. There’s certainly songs I love like across the universe and get back but overall I did feel like this album had some filler on it which usually isn’t the case with Beatles albums. I’m still happy I listened to it but it didn’t stick with me nearly as much as others.
HELP! - THE BEATLES To cap off my little Beatles kick I decided to listen to help, what most consider the best of their nonessential albums. To this though I feel discredits how good help actually is. The songwriting on here is maybe the catchiest that the Beatles have ever been and it really does have some of my favorite hits from them on it. Great time I loved help.
MAPS - BILLY WOODS & KENNY SEGAL This was a great introduction to Billy wood’s catalog. I feel like sometimes his music can be very inaccessible for me in the sense that it’s just too conceptual and it’s kinda lost on me but this album doesn’t suffer from that. It also has great features from Danny brown on year zero and Aesop rock on waiting around. All over this very luscious and classic Kenny segal production it’s an overall great experience.
TRICK - ALEX G I only listened to this album once but I really liked the experience. It’s hard not to make the Elliot smith comparisons here but I mean that in a very positive way. Though it was short I really enjoyed my time with this album : )
MWAH - ISSBROKIE! I’m reviewing both the a and b side here because I think they compliment each other very well and I’d ultimately just be saying the same things about them but such a fun hyperpop experience I really liked this album and the general energy brokie brings to the table I had a really fun time with these
CANCER 4 CURE - EL-P This album was great tbh el ps raps have never been my main thing it’s always been about his production for me and i feel like that’s where that album really shines. Rich blippy synths and hard hitting drums are all over the place on this album and it’s great. Will be listening to fantastic damage soon to get a better idea of El ps discography.
HOW TO BE A HUMAN BEING - GLASS ANIMALS This project was interesting to me because it’s not especially my style and I don’t exactly plan on diving deeper into glass animals’ discography. That being said I really enjoy this album the songwriting on it is really killer and I enjoyed the tones they play with. It’s like. It’s really good and I can tell that but it’s just not my thing which is fine. I did enjoy it but I struggle with finding interest for more.
RUN THE JEWELS 2 - RUN THE JEWELS lemme get one thing outta the way: RTJ will never escape the criticism of being reddit rap. It’s absolutely true. The sooner you can accept that the sooner you can go to enjoying them. There really is a lot to enjoy here, el p and killer mikes chemistry really cannot be overstated they work brilliantly together. I actually really like this album I can’t even front. If I had one criticism it’s that there’s very few el p verses I love past his verse on early, but considering he handles production I’m more than willing to overlook that. A very good album all the way through.
RUN THE JEWELS 3 - RUN THE JEWELS Basically everything I said for rtj2 applies here it’s more of the same. That being said I feel this album carries considerably more bloat to it, it just doesn’t feel nearly as punchy and concise as rtj2 which definitely works against its favor. If you listen to rtj2 and love it you’ll like this. It’s fine.
BEAT THE CHAMP - THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Right off the bat this is one of my favorite things I listened to in September. The beautiful songwriting using wrestling terms in order to convert different metaphors over catchy chords and production appeals to me in just about every way. It’s so good dude I really do love this thing and I’m so excited to get deeper into tmgs discography. Loved this and deeply excited to hear whatever’s next from them.
LONERISM - TAME IMPALA I only listened to this album very recently so I don’t have too many thoughts but I thought it was good overall. It feels like a very natural extension of what came before it which was something I really liked. The Beatles inspired harmonies and beautiful psychedelic melodies definitely appeal to me. It’s good but also I feel like it’s hard to praise tame impala because so many others already have and I’m a bit late to the party.
