Nicholas Cicale

Pang – Caroline Polachek ★★½

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2019 Pang Caroline Polachek ★★½ 56 Pop Indie Pop I’m a big fan of creative pop albums, but I was surprisingly underwhelmed by Pang, Caroline Polachek’s third solo record. A lot of the disappointment comes from her repetitive, elementary lyrics throughout the album. Listening to Polachek’s lyrics mostly feltContinue reading “Pang – Caroline Polachek ★★½”

6 Feet Beneath The Moon – King Krule ★★★½

Year Album Artist 2013 6 Feet Beneath The Moon King Krule ★★★½ 78 Rock Jazz Rock Alternative R&B 6 Feet Beneath The Moon is full of emotion, coming from a deep, raspy voice sung by an at-the-time 19 year-old, thin, ginger kid from London. It’s sparsely produced, with soft, mostly guitar and drum tracks thatContinue reading “6 Feet Beneath The Moon – King Krule ★★★½”

V – The Horrors ★★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2017 V The Horrors ★★★★ 86 Rock Psychedelic Rock Alternative Dance It’s interesting to have a band produce two great, very different sounding albums almost 10 years apart, with a lot of underwhelming, uncreative and forgettable stuff in between, but that’s what the Horrors did in 2018 when theyContinue reading “V – The Horrors ★★★★”

Whole Lotta Red – Playboi Carti ★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2020 Whole Lotta Red Playboi Carti ★★ 46 Hip-Hop Playboi Carti is an artist who has always been more about vibe and aesthetic than substance. His beat selection mixed with adlibs, repetitive hooks and lyrics make for a hypnotic, non-stop, “get hype” experience that all runs and flows together. Continue reading “Whole Lotta Red – Playboi Carti ★★”

RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART – Vince Staples ★★★½

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2022 RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART Vince Staples ★★★½ 74 Hip-Hop Vince Staples has done it again, creating another highly-consistent and cohesive hip-hop album in RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART, which sounds both very different from anything he’s done before and also feels exactly like any other album VinceContinue reading “RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART – Vince Staples ★★★½”

Unlimited Love – Red Hot Chili Peppers ★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2022 Unlimited Love Red Hot Chili Peppers ★★ 43 Rock Alternative Rock With legendary guitarist John Frusciante– whose contributions in the past had lead to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ best works like Blood Sugar…, Californiacation, By The Way and Stadium Arcadium – again in the fold, there wasContinue reading “Unlimited Love – Red Hot Chili Peppers ★★”

2000 – Grand Puba ★★½

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 1995 2000 Grand Puba ★★½ 56 Hip-Hop The production here is the star. Grand Puba’s 2000 features some smooth, chill, jazzy hip-hop production that’s really easy to listen to. There’s a nice, laid back kick drum, some soul samples and nice bass lines. It’s just a step below AContinue reading “2000 – Grand Puba ★★½”

Salad Days – Mac DeMarco ★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2014 Salad Days Mac DeMarco ★★★ 60 Rock Psychedelic Rock Indie Rock Mac DeMarco is a man who knows what he’s doing and knows how to do it well. A lazy, drowsy, trippy, aimless 34 minute collection of short songs like Salad Days is absolutely not for everyone, butContinue reading “Salad Days – Mac DeMarco ★★★”

This Old Dog – Mac DeMarco ★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2017 This Old Dog Mac DeMarco ★★★ 65 Rock Psychedelic Rock Indie Rock If you want to get a taste of what Mac DeMarco is all about, this album is a perfect sampling of everything he has to offer. It’s 42 minutes of Mac at his most DeMarco-y –Continue reading “This Old Dog – Mac DeMarco ★★★”

In Your Honor – Foo Fighters ★★★

Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2005 In Your Honor Foo Fighters ★★★ 68 Rock Alternative Rock Double albums are almost always difficult to rate or justify, but Dave Grohl and Co. do a solid enough job to warrant one with In Your Honor, a two-disc, hour-and-a-half project that very clearly separates the band’s hard-rockingContinue reading “In Your Honor – Foo Fighters ★★★”