Hi, everyone! As we head closer to the end of the year, my end-of-year and decade-end lists are just getting harder and harder to make, and this month has made it difficult on what I'm going to end up putting on the list... Sorry there's been a dip in content lately, but I've been focusing a lot more on reviewing some more albums! November has been a real treat, as there were some really awesome projects that I finally decided to check out this month.
ALBUMS I LISTENED TO/ MY OPINIONS
Ginger- Brockhampton
Although I missed Iridescence last year due to my partial dislike of BROCKHAMPTON, I figured I’d give them a second chance with their fifth LP. I really liked their new style on this record, as it seemed a lot more mellow and melodic than their earlier Saturation products. The synths and drums on here are heavy with degredation, giving it sort of a nostalgiac feel to the late 90s and 2000s. On the lyrical side of the album, I think the band has definitely refined a lot of their stuff from the last time. While they may not be as memorable or repeatable as their predecessors, they’re still well-done overall. Songs that especially stood out to me were “NO HALO”, the Slowthai-featured interlude “HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU”, “IF YOU PRAY RIGHT” and the Denzel Curry-sounding “BIG BOY”. In terms of less desirable tracks, I really couldn’t get down with some of the mumble-rap tracks like “BOY BYE”. I REALLY loved the production on the track, but the flow was kind of annoying. Other cuts that fell a little flat for me were “ST. PERCY” and what is arguably the weakest link on this project, “LOVE ME FOR LIFE”. After listening to Ginger a few times, I think my interest in BROCKHAMPTON has slightly grown anew. However, I think I will want take a little bit more time to go back to their old projects and go back and see if my overall enjoyment for them has increased. 8/10
Schlagenheim- Black Midi
I’ve been meaning to listen to this project for a while because I’ve heard a lot of people telling me to give it a review. Upon doing research for this album, I learned that this record was recorded over a five-day period. It’s almost hard to believe, but these guys’ sound definitely lives up to their name (for those of you who don’t know what black midi is, go look it up), as a lot of the instrumentals were crazy loud and all over the place. I don’t mean that in a bad way, though, as most of the compositional choices on here were pretty solid. Whether it was piercing guitar lines and hypnotic drum beats, the Brit rockers really put on a show on their debut. I’d say that my only downside with many of these cuts was that a lot of them would switch from a noisy section to a soft, mellow acoustic section at the drop of the ball. That’s not to say that it took away from enjoying many of my favorite songs on here-- specifically the mellower “Speedway”, the jazzy, 8-minute epic that is “Western”, and the incredibly rhythmic, headbanging “Of Schlagenhein”. While I thought most of the tracks on the record had a purpose in driving the record a long, I saw a select few that stuck out like a sore thumb. I was personally not a fan of the leadoff “953”, “Years Ago”, and “Near DT MI”. Despite these smaller hiccups, I think Schlagenheim proves that Black Midi is heading in the right direction sonically. It’s safe to say I’m excited to hear some new music from them soon! 7.5/10
Thank U, Next- Ariana Grande
Although I’m not much of a big pop music fan, Thank U, Next is an album that has captivated a myriad of critics this year. For me, I felt like this record had some potential, but a lot of it seemed overshadowed by very bland production and a lack of variety within tracks. The songwriting on here is alright, and I could get down with some of her verses on relationships and love. She had gone through a lot of harsh times in that department in recent times, and I think there’s a lot of great expression on here. However, musically, it’s very cumbersome and lacking flavor. Unfortunately Ariana doesn’t do a great job of getting you into the record with while both “imagine” and “needy”. Yes, they were both decent lyrically, but they were nearly devoid of any musical value and made it hard to get into the record initially. When mentioning songs that I did like, though, there’s the hit single “thank u, next”. I also really liked the cuts on the middle of the record like “bloodline”, “fake smile” and “bad idea”. As we approach the end of the record, we hit the big singles “7 rings” and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”. Both these tracks did not keep me engaged, either, as I’m not really a big fan of either track due to their extensive radio play. I think even after a couple of listens this project is still hard for me to get a read on. As I previously mentioned, the lyrics on some of the songs are really great and make them stand out to me. However, I still can’t get over the fact that almost every damn song on here sounds exactly the same as the last. They’re heavy with reverb and R&B or rap influences, and many of these tracks come off as lukewarm and not at their full musical potential. I wouldn’t say that Thank U, Next is the worst album I’ve heard all year; a common thing I’ve seen with some of the artists this month is being ripe with potential. Sure, Ariana Grande’s been in the music scene for a while, but she is definitely heading down the right path for future releases. 6/10.
Two Hands- Big Thief This is the second record released in 2019 by these Brooklyn folksters, and I decided to check this one out after my love for U.F.O.F. Throughout the project, the band keeps their usual balance of poignantly minimalist instrumentals, but they added some fuzzy guitars and drums to add a noisier finish. Not only that, the background is coupled with the incredibly powerful lyrics up front, provided by the always emotional Adrienne Lenker. I feel like I’m in the minority when I’m saying this, but this formula they have built is running out of shelf life. After hearing what seems like the exact same record three times before, their fourth record is just not hitting the mark for me. Yes, they threw in some new instruments to add some diversity, but that didn’t add much of a spark to the fire. To me, it sounded as if the tracks on here weren’t made with the same love and spirit that were on previous. To make matters worse, Lenker’s breathy delivery makes her usually empowering vocals sound quite exhausted; maybe I’d go to say they’re more agitated and aggressive than on previous lyrics. I think that yes, there are some great cuts that add some relistenability to this album. I really liked “Rock and Sing” “Two Hands”, “Those Girls” and “Wolf” because they really embody who, to many, Big Thief is meant to be: a quiet, folk band that evokes a sorrowful, longing emotion from its listeners. On the other hand, songs like “Shoulders” and “Not” prove that the group isn’t quite willing to depart from this unique sound they’ve created over the past four years. Right now, I see the band at a crossroad. While Two Hands had some promising cuts, it left me polarized at whether I will come to appreciate this album down the road. At the same time, I’m left to question if this identity crisis will bleed over into their next release. 6.5/10
Feet of Clay- Earl Sweatshirt
Many people were blown out of the water by Earl’s surprise EP release, and I was really excited to dive into this one, too. On this fifteen-minute diddy, Earl dives deeper into the sound he explored on Some Rap Songs. It’s glitchy, lo-fi, and I got strong J-Dilla vibes throughout this project as I did with SRS. He wasn’t afraid to throw in some new samples, too, working with an accordion loop on “EAST” and some chopped piano sections on the beats of “OD” and “TISK TISK/COOKIES”. Lyrically, Earl opted for the similar stream-of-conscious style delivery like on SRS and Huey, and most of the verses on here are phenomenally written--what else is new? From a few listens, I really didn’t dislike any tracks on here, and “EL TORO COMBO MEAL” and “MTOMB” being my favorites out of the bunch. I think my only complaint with this album was the closer, “4N”, which seemed out of place in a bunch of one to two-minute ballads. If you’re going to chew over a quarter of the run time with one track, you might have either A.) opt to put it in the middle of the record so it flows better, or b.) add two shorter tracks in the similar styles so the record is more sonically cohesive. Nevertheless, Earl’s surprise release was another hit; yet another wonderfully crafted project from Thebe himself! 8.5/10
SONGS OF THE MONTH
Professional Griefers- DeadMau5
Furthest Thing- Drake
Killamonjaro- Killy
Ill Nana- DRAM
Radetzky March- Johan Strauss
Good to Sea- Pinback
Heybb!-Binki
How We Do- The Game
A Life of Possibilities- Dismemberment Plan
My Love- Wale
So, did you agree or disagree with my takes? Is there an album you'd like me to review in the future that you haven't seen yet? If so, feel free to reach out to me. In the meantime, thanks so much for tuning in, and more awesome content is coming your way soon!
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