Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2011 Lasers Lupe Fiasco ★½ 39 Hip-Hop Pop Hip-Hop In one of the worst efforts ever by a record label to elevate a talented artist, 2011’s Lasers — Lupe Fiasco’s third album — pairs one of hip-hops most serious, lyrically gifted and smooth artists of the late 2000s withContinue reading “Lasers – Lupe Fiasco”
Category Archives: Album Reviews
Disc-Overy – Tinie Tempah
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2010 Disc-Overy Tinie Tempah ★★ 44 Hip-Hop Pop Hip-Hop I wouldn’t say Tinie Tempah’s debut record Disc-Overy is good, but I wouldn’t say it’s bad either, and like so many other hip-hop records with pop-leaning production of the post-blog era, there’s a fair amount of mindless fun to beContinue reading “Disc-Overy – Tinie Tempah”
Careless World: Rise of the Last King – Tyga
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2012 Careless World: Rise of the Last King Tyga ★★½ 53 Hip-Hop Listening back to Careless World: Rise of the Last King a decade later, I’m sure a lot of the enjoyment is due to the nostalgia that comes from immersing yourself into the post blog-era “up-and-comers” movement TygaContinue reading “Careless World: Rise of the Last King – Tyga”
B.o.B. Presents: The Adventure of Bobby Ray – B.o.B.
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2010 B.o.B. Presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray B.o.B. ★½ 38 Hip-Hop Pop Hip-Hop Of all of the post blog-era debut albums hat popped up from 2010-12, B.o.B. Presents: The Adventure of Bobby Ray is the most sterilized, generic and pop-radio ready. Simple, repetitive hip-hop drums play behind soft,Continue reading “B.o.B. Presents: The Adventure of Bobby Ray – B.o.B.”
Wall of Eyes – The Smile
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2024 Wall of Eyes The Smile ★★½ 58 Rock Alternative Rock Wall of Eyes, the second record by Radiohead side project The Smile, is a more mellow, subdued effort compared to 2022’s A Light for Attracting Attention. Even more so than on the first record, Jonny Greenwood’s orchestrations areContinue reading “Wall of Eyes – The Smile “
Remind Me Tomorrow – Sharon Van Etten
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2019 Remind Me Tomorrow Sharon Van Etten ★★★★ 80 Pop Indie Pop Remind Me Tomorrow is not as intimate as some of Sharon Van Etten’s other albums — like 2014’s highly personal Are We There or 2011’s indie-influenced Tramp. Instead, her 2019 release it’s probably her most accessible andContinue reading “Remind Me Tomorrow – Sharon Van Etten”
Morning Phase – Beck
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2014 Morning Phase Beck ★★★ 65 Rock Alternative Rock Indie Folk Beck has always been a bit of a musical shapeshifter, changing the tone and styles of his music as he sees fit to leave an impression on the music industry. And he knows how to make good musicContinue reading “Morning Phase – Beck”
Gigi’s Recovery- The Murder Capital ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 Gigi’s Recovery The Murder Capital ★★★★ 85 Rock Alternative Rock Post Punk The Murder Capital get’s the “Irish post punk band that’s a lot more creative than we thought they were” award for 2023, carrying the title that Fontaines D.C. and Shame proudly claimed the previous two years.Continue reading “Gigi’s Recovery- The Murder Capital ★★★★”
The Greater Wings – Julie Byrne ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 The Greater Wings Julie Byrne ★★★★ 85 Pop Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk Julie Byrne’s The Greater Wings represents the gold standard for what a traditional singer-songwriter album in the modern music landscape should be: lush, atmosphere-setting instrumentals that compliment a captivating, intimate vocal performance, with poetic lyrics filled withContinue reading “The Greater Wings – Julie Byrne ★★★★”
HELLMODE – Jeff Rosenstock ★★★★
Year Album Artist Stars Score Genre 2023 HELLMODE Jeff Rosenstock ★★★★ 82 Rock Punk Jeff Rosenstock has done everything someone can in the punk world over the past two decades — headbanging, anarchist guitar and bass riffs; pop punk structures and anthemic group sing climaxes; ska, emo, alternative and indie rock instrumentation; melodic harmonization, hardcoreContinue reading “HELLMODE – Jeff Rosenstock ★★★★”
Fresh Out The Deli 