Upping the ante: Hellripper – Coronach *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Harkening back to the glory days of 80’s thrash, blending that with the death-defying guitar work of speed metal, and spreading a nice even layer of blackened muck over the top is Scotland’s very own Hellripper. Since 2014, James McBain has been the lone songwriter of this project, showcasing the sort ofContinueContinue reading “Upping the ante: Hellripper – Coronach *ALBUM REVIEW*”

Microtonal math rock: Angine de Poitrine – Vol. II *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Have you always wished that King Gizzard were French-Canadians with an affinity for anonymity and Dadaist performance art? The ultra-specific vibe that this audacious duo captures is not too far off, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything even remotely similar in the year of our lord. Loaded with a double guitarContinueContinue reading “Microtonal math rock: Angine de Poitrine – Vol. II *ALBUM REVIEW*”

The duality of man: MIKE & Earl Sweatshirt – Pompeii // Utility *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐✨ | How do you turn down the dials on something that is already naturally low volume? If you ask legendary underground rap figures MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt, they might scoff at the question entirely, or refuse to answer it. You know what? Fair enough. It’s philosophical in the paradoxical sense. An answer toContinueContinue reading “The duality of man: MIKE & Earl Sweatshirt – Pompeii // Utility *ALBUM REVIEW*”

Solid ear candy: Fcukers – Ö *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐⭐✨ | Is it pronounced “fuckers”? “Fuh-cuckers”? “Fuh-kookers”? It’s an eye-grabbing name, and it generated just enough curiosity in me about this New York duo to put them at the top of the priority list. Having not heard anything from them prior to hearing the album, I thought it could go a couple ofContinueContinue reading “Solid ear candy: Fcukers – Ö *ALBUM REVIEW*”

A pale imitation: Slayyyter – WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐✨ | I need someone to tell me what the hype is about…Not because I’m desperate to like this or anything. I can very much go on about my life never hearing this again and be totally at peace. It’s not as a way to back anyone into a conversational corner, imprisoning them withContinueContinue reading “A pale imitation: Slayyyter – WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA *ALBUM REVIEW*”

A lack of style: Harry Styles – Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐✨ | Harry Styles is nothing if not curious. His artistic acumen to date speaks volumes about his desire to remove himself as much as possible from the boyband leader image. The now disbanded One Direction put him on the map, and was over almost as quickly as it started (as can be theContinueContinue reading “A lack of style: Harry Styles – Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally. *ALBUM REVIEW*”

Transcendent: Gorillaz – The Mountain *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | There are many ways artists can transcend. They can capture an atmosphere and a sonic palette that goes far beyond our earthly realm. They can employ thematic ideas that explore the very idea of transcending itself. They can expand on their existing stylistic repertoire, graduating from their usual conventions for something moreContinueContinue reading “Transcendent: Gorillaz – The Mountain *ALBUM REVIEW*”

Even more mutant: James Blake – Trying Times *ALBUM REVIEW*

| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | It’s fascinating, really. As Blake leans more heavily into the organic warmth of traditional R&B music, his vocal applications grow even more manipulated. These undulations occur almost as if he were modulating himself in real time, independent of the technology required. The more rustic approach to his usual alien croon tunes onContinueContinue reading “Even more mutant: James Blake – Trying Times *ALBUM REVIEW*”

“I got blacker”: Jack Harlow – Monica *ALBUM REVIEW*

✨ “I love Black music. I love the sound of Black music. And of course, I’m hyper-aware of the politics of today, that safer landing spot that a lot of my white contemporaries have found. And of course, it appealed to me to do something that I felt, at a time when there’s certainly peopleContinueContinue reading ““I got blacker”: Jack Harlow – Monica *ALBUM REVIEW*”