Genre: Pop/Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: “The world sucks right now and we need to figure out how to deal with that” is a pressing concern in our current neoliberal neoracist Trumpian landscape. But it’s a tricky thing to do aesthetically. Father John Misty, for example, sounds a lot like a… Read More »
Genre: Pop/Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating (Revamp): 3/10 Rating (Reestoration): 7/10 Commentary: Is anyone else excited about 2 full-length cover albums of Elton John’s music? Revamp features work by pop and rock celebrities, and it mostly sucks, serving up soul-less or tacky renditions of good songs. Restoration on the other hand features covers… Read More »
Genre: Classical Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 9/10 Commentary: This violin/piano duo will melt your face off. Their wild (and virtuosic) take makes it hard to listen to any other recorded versions of these pieces. You get the impression that they probably ended their studio sessions by bashing the violin to pieces on the… Read More »
Genre: Psychedelic Rock/Garage Rock Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 7/10 Commentary: I have a weak spot for lo-fi psychedelic rock, and this is a great genre album. The strongest songs have a swampy- Iggy Pop/Exile-on-Main-Street vibe as well, which is hard to explain until you listen to it. Reviews have been mixed, but it… Read More »
Genre: Symphonic Metal Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: This album represents a big change in line up for this bad, and I think the mix-up has worked really well. It delivers everything one expect’s from the genre: bombastic lyrics, backing string sections, harmonies, glockenspiel, big hair. This is a very cheesy, and… Read More »
Genre: Country Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 8.5/10 Commentary: Andrews’ last album was one if my favorite country albums of last year. This album is almost as good. It lacks the scrappy feel of the last album, with songs that are more polished and have more production. And some of the songs just take… Read More »
Genre: Folk/Pop Format Reviewed: Spotify 320 kbps Rating: 6.5/10 Commentary: This is a breathy, atmospheric pop-folk album by Gwenno Saunders, a musician with important political sensibilities. Her album before this one was mostly sung in Welsh, and this one is entirely in Cornish. What is great about this album, in addition to that, is that… Read More »