By Tarein Phillips, Contributor [Sugar Trap; 2019] Rating: 9/10 Key tracks: “Cold”, “Hatin”, “Sell Out” All ragers were ordered to come together and shake shit up in the mosh pit following the release of Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats’ new album, Anger Management. Although Rico’s signature “KENNYYYYY” tagline has become career-defining for both artists, their latest…
Tag: Album Review
Album Review: Kevin Abstract – Arizona Baby
By Andrew Breazeale, Staff Writer [RCA; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “Joyride”, “Baby Boy”, “Boyer” Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract has returned to the solo scene with his new three-part album Arizona Baby. It’s been three years since Abstract released solo content and this album makes it clear that he has matured and evolved over the…
Album Review: Anderson .Paak – Ventura
By Kwase Lane, Staff Writer [Aftermath; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “Come Home”, “Make It Better”, “Winners Circle” Just six months after his latest project, Oxnard, Anderson .Paak returns to the music scene with Ventura. Oxnard was launched with a lukewarm response from many of .Paak’s fans, but Ventura sees him returning to a style…
Album Review: Priests – The Seduction of Kansas
By Maria Lubanovic, [Sister Polygon Records; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “The Seduction of Kansas”, “Good Time Charlie”, “Carol” Priests bring political power through twisted narrative lyrics and driving soundscapes, making their second LP on Sister Polygon, The Seduction of Kansas, a showcase of punk ideology and dirty rock riffs. Questions of bodily autonomy, motivation,…
Album Review: Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
By Marvin Dotiyal, Features Editor [Darkroom/Interscope; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “xanny”, “you should see me in a crown”, “listen before i go” When Finneas O’Connell first wrote “Ocean Eyes” for his band The Slightlys, the future of the song was beyond the scope of his expectations. It was when his younger sister breathed life…
Album Review: Wallows – Nothing Happens
By Kwase Lane, Staff Writer [Atlantic; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “Are You Bored Yet?”, “Scrawny”, “Ice Cold Pool” On their debut album, Nothing Happens, Wallows dyes their colorful, upbeat instrumentation a dark gray with their moody vocals. The project is filled with songs that make for excellent background music, but it rewards close listeners…
Album Review: Lena Raine – One Knowing
By Kiah Easton, Staff Writer [Self-released; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “Tsukuyomi”,”Insomnia”, “Trance State” After widespread critical acclaim from her release Celeste OST, Lena Raine has used her momentum to release a debut album, One Knowing, that stands alone as a sonic experience, unaccompanied by partnered media. While the OST for Celeste is a perfectly tailored…
Album Review: American Football – American Football (LP3)
By Lane Moore, Reviews Editor [Polyvinyl; 2019] Rating: 8/10 Key tracks: “Silhouettes”, “Heir Apparent”, “Mine to Miss” Like a half-conjured memory, one that might’ve been a dream, American Football’s third self-titled record begins with an ambiance that immediately sets it apart from the band’s previous work. American Football’s 1999 self-titled debut record focuses on the…
Album Review: Avey Tare – Cows on Hourglass Pond
By Kiah Easton, Staff Writer [Domino; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “What’s The Goodside?”, “Eyes On Eyes”, “HORS_” David Portner of Avey Tare, most popularly known for co-founding Animal Collective, released a new, full-length project entitled Cows on Hourglass Pond. Clearly a driving force within Animal Collective, this project reminisces his softer, narrative tracks within…
Album Review: The Japanese House – Good At Falling
By Kayla Chanthavong, Contributor [Dirty Hit; 2019] Rating: 6/10 Key tracks: “Maybe You’re the Reason”, “Follow My Girl”, “Worms” British solo artist and indie pop icon Amber Bain, also known as The Japanese House, follows her experience with life-changing events by releasing Good At Falling, her first full-length album. This time around, Bain gives us more…
Album Review: Marianas Trench – Phantoms
By Kayla Chanthavong, Contributor [604; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “Echoes Of You”, “I Knew You When”, “The Killing Kind” Three years after the release of Astoria, Marianas Trench grace us with another full-length album, Phantoms. Before this album release, they teased us with three singles: “Echoes of You”, “I Knew You When”, and “Only…
Album Review: Weezer – Weezer (Black Album)
By Maria Lubanovic, Copy Editor [Crush Music / Atlantic; 2019] Rating: 4/10 Key tracks: “Piece of Cake”, “Byzantine” Weezer already dropped an album less than two months ago. So, why is there suddenly another one? Does Rivers Cuomo have literally nothing better to do than crank out pure cheese and not the kind that anyone…
