Album cover is beautiful— super distinct hot pink with sketchy black brushstrokes? Charcoal? 1. Blues generally isn’t my thing, just too formulaic. Love the backup vocals juxtaposed with the primary, and Simone’s vocals are mixed in a cool way— super flat and forward in the mix. 2. “4:44” by Jay-z sample? Goddamn what a piano line. Way more minimal instrumental than the first track, gives her more time to really grab hold of your attention, of the soul. More small details in inflection and such for the listener. Lyrics are incredibly poetic and distinct, color and texture used prominently as sensory details. Lil bit of flute, but very low notes, so timbre plays with lower piano keys and the dusk Simone’s voice. BLACK MUSIC. “Peaches” sung without concern for meter, powerful. 3. A little forgettable, but only because the following track is perfect. 4. Gorgeous. 5. Weirdly short, feels incomplete. Voice is gorgeous though, little bit more bass in the mix than previous songs. 6. Just don’t think this one is for me, the mixing of her voice is a disservice here where it’s a credit on other tracks in that it’s so forward, and the reverb really washes out the rest of the instrumental. Ends too early too, I hate these fade-outs. 7. Like the strings on this, wish they were used more. The guitar kinda has an accordion vibe, and it in tandem with the percussion gives this a very French romantic kinda vibe, but a bit more summery and jaunty. The fade-out comes more naturally too, and feels less like an abbreviated song and more just a short one. 8. Piano’s allowed a lot more freedom, and the twinkly improvisations play really well with her voice. Last couple of tracks have lacked such distinctive lyrics as earlier in the record, though. “Like a leaf clings to a tree / oh my darling cling to me” is great, but it was what made me realize such moments of appreciation hadn’t happened recently. Do love that line though. Much longer— I assume the live versions don’t use the fade outs the way the studio tracks do? I much prefer it, the band fills the space and it gives Simone herself more room to roam. Song builds energy to a conclusion, feels natural, feels much shorter than ~6 min. 9. Beautifully minimal. Titular line is super powerful. 10. Sequencing of the project kinda confuses me, like this is just a less distinct version of the previous track imo 11. Masc baritone vocals kinda feel out of place. Saxophones great, surprised there’s not more elsewhere— compliments her voice well. Incredibly annoying to me that this album ends on a super early fade-out in the middle of a sax solo, so weird— just let the track play! I imagine it has something to do with fitting on a single LP, but then just trim a couple songs from the tracklist man. Really frustrating.

Decent album cover, the colors are strong and texture is good. Not iconic or anything, but memorable enough and good. 1. Chorus and verse feel like different songs. But hey, chorus is good, and the bass really brings it all together— even if I’m not a huge fan of the vocals 2. Can already hear the loudness war shit here, this song clips to hell and back. Chorus is unforgivably poorly mixed 3. Classic riff, vocals match the beachyness perfectly. Frusciante’s solos are super tasteful. 4. Good song, but damn the bass is loud dude. Just weird to listen to this when everything is at least competently mixed these days. 5. This kinda stuff is when the pseudo rapping works. Little bit of Primus, just less weird. Never really opens up, feels claustrophobic til the end 6. Lyrics stand out here more than a lot of peppers songs, even beyond the classic titular coining. Drums really drive this song forward while strings take a backseat, works well though. Band has good balance throughout the album so far. 7. Drums sound god fucking awful, like recorded with an iPod touch bad. Very forgettable overall. Guitar solo at the end is fine, I like the layers. Def not worth sitting through the rest of the track. 8. Good choice for the sequencing of the album to slow it down a bit, but even besides those kind of logistics I think this song is pretty interesting. Does kind of feel like they didn’t know where to go with it, but I really like how the titular “porcelain” is sung, the brushes are a nice touch, and I like that the subdued tone doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Good 9. What a nothing burger man, boring verse and boring chorus. Sometimes Keidis’s choruses sounds like he’s just some guy doing a Peppers song for karaoke 10. Good energy, I like the delivery of “living the dream,” and the fun effects. Short but great Frusciante solo, woulda loved an actual hook/chorus though. 11. Unplugged electric guitar sounds cool on this, and I like the backup vocals— wish they popped up more, gives the song a nice little beachy sense of camp. Drums are good, this song just suffers from not having something super memorable— guitar line or lyric or whatever, like it’s a fine song but just one I don’t easily remember. Muddy mix when the hook kicks in doesn’t help. 12. Theater-core featuring the Peppers is kinda odd, but Keidis’s voice works with a bit of a melodrama behind it all. It’s fine, I like the work on the toms and the sleighbells are fun. This just isn’t what people listen to the Peppers for, ultimately. Doesn’t feel very cohesive, either; —the tempo changes for one, but the effects and instrumentation don’t convince me of their synthesis. 13. God fucking dude the vocals peak so hard. Flea fucks on this though, and it’s fun, just a little shallow. Love the breakdown at the end, though, Chad Smith really gets to show off his chops; wish he had the chance to more, but that’s also my bias as a drummer. 14. Nah man, they just can’t pull this neutered punk sound off. They just doesn’t commit to the edge needed to justify these explorations, dipping back into chord progressions and smooth vocals so quickly. Meh. 15. Fine last song. I like the strings, and think Keidis shows his range off well. The Peppers are really really good at their chosen instruments, like to such a degree that I’d say they’re underrated musicians despite there being a decent amount of respect for each member here and there. Still, wish they could more consistently find form and execution the way “Scar Tissue”, feels like there’s some ambition missing or something.

Classic album cover, how delightfully goofy. Underrated are the great fonts in the bottom left. 1. Hot take: this is a very very good song lol. Legendary fill, killer riff, phenomenal modulation of tone (both guitar and generally) and really cool lyrics delivered phenomenally. It’s iconic for a reason. What a solo, too! Simple and tasteful but epic at the same time. God, those chorus vocals though, so good. The grain in Cobain’s voice is so alluring. RIP, off rip 2. Drums fuck on this, love the triplets in the chorus and toms in the post chorus. Can’t say enough about Cobain’s vocals and lyrics, incredible stuff— that roar going into the chorus gets me stoked every time. Mix is a touch flat, but not horribly so. Guitar solo is dope. Can’t shake the feeling the song should be like 2 clicks faster. 3. God fucking damn dude these three tracks being the first three on the project is just insane, just about the strongest start to an album you could possibly ask for. Something about the lyrics of this are really compelling, and Cobain’s choice to flip the norm and have more grain in the verses and more smooth timbre during the hooks really work. Wish the drums were a bit more ambitious. Just a great song overall, though, that guitar tone is so Biblical dude, got that black metal kinda tone. Killer track 4. To be a bit critical, this driving sort of pseudo-metal kinda thing is a little trucker rock, but the crunch of the guitar is dirty in the best way and I like the hook. Could do without the repeated lyrics during the verses. I worry the song form of verse-chorus-verse-chorus-solo-chorus is gonna wear thin by the en fo the album, but in the other hand there’s so many pre and post chorus thingies that maybe it won’t matter 5. Oh yeah dude forgot this song was on this record, what a crazy project. Cobain makes “Yeah” a legitimately successful hook, which is, you know, stupid cool. Feel like there could be a little more instrumental heft when things really kick in. 6. Besides the crashes being weird af and totally unnecessary, I really liked this acoustic take. Gave cobain room to breathe and really grab the attention, though I feel maybe he could have taken even more advantage of the opportunity— it all comes out a bit textureless? Still, good 7. Yo this rips, did not know they had this punk in them to this degree. Bit of Fugazi DNA? Love the screams, but Grohl steals the show, so good 8. It’s like, good rock guitar chord progression, chorus is pleasant. Just not much distinct, not much worth coming back to. The buildup could be that, but just feels like it’s a little forced— I like some of the choices they make, but the textures end up feeling disparate from the otherwise by-the-numbers instrumentation and vocals 9. This band has some serious range, I hear a bit of British Invasion here. Cobain is firmly grungey, but the band around him really takes his talents in cool directions. Love the screams juxtaposed with such a poppy hook 10. Meh. I’ll use this chance to say the mix on this record is great— the snare on this track sounds absolutely incredible. Love Cobain just losing his shot for a second after that lil bridge thing. 11. The four-chord progressions are really getting stretched thin— what happened to the first five song’s flexibility in riffs and central ideas? Second half of this album would feel samey without some really good individual performances, most often by Cobain. Here, though, “I’m on a plain / I can’t complain / I’m on a plain” isn’t exactly scintillating lmao 12. Oh yeah wish this was the closer to the album honestly. What a great piece of music, the buildup is just immaculate, and love the addition of a strings section- it and the backup vocals really sell the tension. The acoustic guitar is so well miked, I can hear the strings and pick’s/fingers’ (I think it’s the latter’s) texture so clearly, really cool touch. 13. Wiiiild guitar tone, trashy as fuck. This is the kind of song I’m talking about when I’m speak on distinctiveness, they put every fabric of their bodies into this performance man. I take back what I said about the last song, this is a great closer for this album. This shit must have been incredible live.

Being that my hometown is a suburb of Chicago, I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to sit down and listen to this album in full. Dunno why I haven’t yet, just one of those projects I’ve always put off. Love what I’ve heard off of “Carrie and Lovell,” adore his collabs with Angelo de Augustine, and excited to dive into this. Album cover is goofy as hell— feels like an illustration on a board in a small town museum, in a great way. Very hokey and likable. Immediately enamored with the hilariously specific and long winded song titles too. 1. Kinda want the tempo to slow down a couple of clicks? Doesn’t feel as patient as an opener should be. Okok wait the flute is incredible, and his voice is a fresh witchhazel wipe to a flushed face. Love that the first song is about a UFO sighting, makes this project feel campy and sincere and earnest and silly and good. “3 stars” like those of a night sky, but also like a rating— funny. Great opener. 2. My singing monsters type intro? Clarinet (oboe?) and flute go dummy, though, love the orchestral notes throughout these first couple of songs, feels really ambitious These trumpets are making my home state feel kinda epic! We’re on the edge of theater-core here, and it would be schlocky if it wasn’t perfectly done— since it is, it’s just delightfully camp and catchy to boot. Woulda been cheesey if it were the album intro, but for some reason works great as the second song. 3. God his voice is just pleasing dude, just pleasant!! Kinda no idea what these lyrics are about but they sound good. Very jaunty, nice upbeat tempo and the 5 sounds great. Wish more indie stuff was in 5, it just feels perfectly quirky and fun. Worried 6 minutes would be too long, but the song is super patient and layers really nicely. Just a good sounding song!! 4. Ugh dude a song named after and about a serial killer should not be this pretty lmao WOW! Falsetto is so vulnerable and beautiful over gently diligent guitar and stumbling piano, subtle backup vocals are great, and goodness the lyrics are spellbinding— that last line, “under the floorboards,” gives Poe a worthy spiritual successor. I’m immensely impressed by the mic and mix quality, Stevens’s voice is so close, so intimate— I can hear the mouth working and soft breath texture and it is very forward in the mix but the instrumentation is still so lush! I think they panned all the instrumentation either slightly left or right and kept the vocals front and center, and it allows everything to operate as a whole while still having space for breathe. Great stuff. 5. The banjo is hokey for two seconds, and then it just submerged itself into the mix of Ladybug Transistor trumpets and beautiful strings and some lovely electric guitar noodling, that just kinda sounds like someone improvised one long solo over the song! It’s all so organic and folksy in the best way. Drums are to the left, shakers are to the right, cool balance, I have mo idea what his lyrics are saying ahaon, but I just like how he says “Andrew Jackson.” There hasn’t been a bad outro so far too, and this is no exception: strings seem reticent to end, and mourn the song’s passing before finally growing quiet. Love 6. Ah okay that strings outro I was talking about was its own song— love the song title, love the moment, feels very natural and I wouldn’t skip it. This and track 8 are really nice touches, makes the album feel really cohesive and fun 7. Sequencing is great so far too, banjo’s introduction last song leads into what is proper Americana folk, accordion and all. Delightful lyrics again, feels like a childhood roadtrip. Word to Abe. Such great balance of treble and bass on all of these songs— because Stevens has a generally breathy and trebly voice, the hurdy gurdy (or maybe it’s just low notes on an accordion imitating the drone?) give the lead vocals and their accompanying backups a solid foundation from which to roam. I like the clapping at the end, for some reason it feels like a part of the song in a way a lot of clapping doesn’t. 8. Lmao no wonder the clapping sounded like a song, it was one! Cute, and I wouldn’t skip it— fits like a glove 9. The central rhythm and melody of the vocals is super catchy, but I do think the instrumentation takes a bit of a backseat this song. I do like the vibes (word to the vibraphone too lol), but I’ve just been so pleased with how intimate and ornate the songs have sounded, this feels a little composed. It’s still super catchy, though, and feels really bombastic and certainly still carries emotional heft. The trumpets still continue to be essential to the DNA of the song. Vocals could stand to be like 2 dbs louder, and could do without the sleigh bells. I dunno, this song is the weakest on the album so far imo and it’s a strong strong 7/10, so. Hrm maybe 8/10, cos the lyrics feel really personal and human and good. 10. Side note, my high school marching band played in the Pulaski Day parade, it’s like a Chicago thing because the Polish community is big and also the parade in Ferris Buhler’s Day Off and oooo he’s talking about cancer oopsy. Okok love the dueling acoustic guitar and banjo, the former is space heater warm and the latter is your favorite scratchy wool blanket warm and Stevens’ voice is like Swiss Miss hot cocoa made with 2% milk warm. Absolutely adore the lyrics in this, doesn’t sacrifice meter or rhyme to tell a great human story. Super impressive. Just a beautiful song good God. Outro with the “dadadaas” layered with trumpet and the guitar and banjo and subtle backdrops of synth and flute it’s all so textured and warm and good!!! 11 Holy intro Batman omg I could listen to those twinkly plink cascades of guitar piano and vibes and percussion all fucking day dude, shit is musical ASMR— everything is panned super far out to the right or left except the trumpet and piano are kept center and it’s incredibly satisfying 12 trashy guitar tone bookends lovely indie goodness, really like how the edge being draped in satin backup vocals and cute glockenspiel accents. Just a nice track, though my brain doesn’t like how he says “man of steel” as much as how he says other things (e.g. “Andrew Jackson” from earlier) and that is kind of the heart of this song. Not a standout, and probably a touch too long. Still don’t think I’d skip it on future listens though. 13 Gos I love vibes dude they sound so good, wish they were used more often. Love the old timey synth and oboe, crazy combo. This kinda tries to do that layering from the 11th track, but I think there might be a little too much here, the vocals totally get lost in the sauce and the drums and oboe are a bit too forward in the mix. Sleigh bells work better here to give some whimsicality, just kinda doesn’t all come together as cohesively as most tracks here. 14 cool little interlude, little bit of a sudden transition into the next track but I’ll allow it 15 loooove the plot flute intro. Feels like they clocked that the flute is just a great pairing with Stevens, and I agree. Penguin Cafe Orchestra feels like another point of reference for this song with all the orchestral and choral elements! Irked I didn’t connect that sooner, instrumentals are very “Sings of Life.” Vocals are still so special though, love Stevens’s performance in this. Love the repeated image of the titular “wasp.” Drone outro sounds crazy cool, but kinda sudden transition here too— first questions raised about the sequencing 16 kinda by the numbers guitar riff, which feels odd this far into such an intricate album so far. Still built well, got me tapping my foot. Not super convinced by the backup vocalists’ hook. Funny song title, just wish the tone shift to more tension was used more substantively, feels kinda directionless 17 Strings plus bits of vibes interlude, catchy enough but not a standout. Transitions into the next song well though. 18 Julianna Barwick type vocals cloak this interlude in ethereality, i think it’s beautiful and really cool. Just odd to have two interludes back to back like this, but fun! But wish the first was as meaty as the second 19 Funny pun in the song title justifies by cool lyrics about looking down from the top of the Sear’s Tower. Dunno if this was written before the name change, but true Chicagoans will never call that magnificent temple the W***** Tower! And I’m definitely one of those lol uuuh good song but long album, starting to feel it on a slower song like this. Who’s Emmanuel? First truly forgettable song on this album, if it weren’t for the song title and cool vocals over from at the very end 20 Now here’s some proper Broadway shit. Them claps are crisp! Or is it more Wes Anderson movie? Love the play with time, alternating 5/8-6/8 sounds great, especially with such intricate piano and oboe lines. Cymbals are panned so far back and forth, weird but fun. Delightful listen, really justifies its length and reinvigorates my ears just as I was flagging, def a standout 21 very jazz trumpet for sure, so much texture in each tracked trumpet. Cool interlude 22 we made it! Very cool Steve Reich sorta intro, “Cournerpoint”-esque pulses complete with mallet percussion— had to be an inspiration. In the context of this album’s intricate webs of rhythm, though, such unison is almost unsettlingly whole, and when the pulses start to splinter and separate I’m almost believed to be within entropy again. This is just an absolutely stupendous closer to an absolutely stupendous album. Piano being the last note after the vibes get a little solo sounds like Stevens gives a little thank you to Reich— but also the beauty of Illinois as a state. Just great.

“We Got the Beat” by the Go-Gos First album I don’t recognize, though I do know “We Got the Beat.” Love the album cover, feels very Rococo? Or at least sunbleached. Looking forward to some ‘80s. 1 Bit of an overexposed mix, but I like the sunny guitars. Oh, totally recognize the hook! Catchy as hell. Wish the bassline was a little less plucky. Always thought they were saying “I love Lucille” lol. Pre-chorus is perfect too, love that they interrupt choruses to come back to it. Great song! 2 Wow, dreamy! Love these guitars, good layers super well mixed. A lot warmer than the first track. I think I need to drive in a covetable with long hair to this album. 3 Still fun, and I like the chorus— but the verses are pretty forgettable, and the crash cymbal pisses me off something fierce, it’s way too frequent and flat. 4 Bass line’s great, but lyrics are pretty corny. One thing I’ll say though is that these are pop songs that don’t overstay their welcome, which I appreciate— they still feel complete and whole but are succinct all the same. 5 Okay so I think the vocals are still great, but the limited range is pretty obvious when listening to an album. There’s songs seems like they’d shine brighter as singles, but sequentially they feel pretty samey. I do not care about “This town,” I’m afraid. Guitar solo was pretty weak. Like how the drums are mixed, bass is still really good, meh overall though. 6 Oh yeah this song is iconic for a reason— the bass and keys play off of each other in a really cool way, her range really stretches in a fun way (love the offer register growl) and the drums propel everything forward. Phenomenal song, no notes. 7 But like, see how much less this tried to be its own thing than the previous song? Super forgettable. 8 Oh ok love this, love the tempo change and creepy crawly bass and drums and she says every syllable in “automatic,” and that one time where she pauses for a totally silent moment Newfie saying it again— it’s super fun and distinct and I appreciate the change of pace. I even think the fade-out works pretty well to end the song, despite my predisposition to dislike the choice! Yay 9 It’s fine, I like the guitar getting a little surfier. One of the better songs from this formula they gave but still kinda forgettable. I just wish they’d yell something, or have a weird lyric or solo, or something that marks this as different! 10 “They say get a mechanic / I say get a shrink” is a crazy good line on a song comparing love to a race. The lyrics on this do what I was talking about with the previous song, it feels like it has its own personality way more because of the goofy car and heart lyrics, and there are less general abstractions like “towns” and “nights” and “worlds.” 11 Feels like the tone of a closer, so that’s good—but just forgettable again. Bass lines hood, drums and guitar are formulaic, vocals are fine but nondescript besides her distinct timbre, which wears thin over an album. Really wish more songs stretched her vocal capabilities like “We Got the Beat” or even “Automatic” did. It’s good collection of ‘80s pop songs that I would say is a weak album as a whole, but the highs are high.

First album where I don’t even recognize the artist! We got a proper country boy here—I do like the typeface up top and how tiny it is, but otherwise I’d probably write this album off as not my thing at a record shop. 1 well that’s what my biases get me man, this is really great! Really charming, human folk that’s legit funny to boot— “A bowl of oatmeal stared me down / and won,” and “I called a rainbow down a one-way street / dead-end” are Mitch Hedberg esque one liners that both got an irl chuckle, and I just love the whole idea of Americana defending weed! Well paced song, I like how the chorus slows down a touch, seems to invite you to sing along. I like the instrumental generally, it’s impressively catchy given how forward the vocals are, good balance without taking the spotlight from the lyrics. I think there’s a bit of a drone or something in the third verse to accompany the more paranoid sobering thoughts, which I love, before silliness is reestablished by the totally nonsensical collection of non sequiturs that of the outro. Fantastic first impression. 2 Yo, based proto-anarchical Christian love song, erm, yes please! Okok 2/2 man this is great too, great story telling and cute as hell and I like how he says peaches and “For I knew the topless lady / had something up her sleeve” is goddamned hilarious (especially since she’s dancing the hoochie-coo lmao) and it’s all just likeable! Instrumental is fine, not quite as catchy as the first track but perfectly serviceable. Good! 3 The first two notes on the guitar are the exact same as the very first two notes of track one, probably not great for the variety of the album if we’re already repeating keys. I do like the electric guitar tone and keys on this though, so still a good sound. A bit more homey, folksy Americana on this, little less jokey— well done, though, just different. I like how the bass comes in on the chorus, really gives depth and heft. Lyrics are a bit less memorable, but still pleasant. I like all the names he uses. Ah, he gets a little quirky at the end— “a hollow ancient ass” sure is a silly way to address old people. Word to old people! 4 Keys on this have a bit of a steel guitar sound. Like the acoustic guitar panned to the right. Yo I know this song!!! I know a cover of it, but I can’t remember who, one sec. Okok I think I’ve heard the Johnny cash version. The line “There’s a hole in daddy’s money where the money goes / Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose” is just an incredible line, and I’m bummed that cash took the latter half of that line out, kinda cheap. Strong, powerful song. Something like sitar at the end? Or a mandolin with heavy effects? Really cool. Oh, or I’ve heard it on Spiritualized’s song “Cop Shoot Cop?” Yeah wait it’s totally that, cos I remember the “hole in my head” line that follows. Cool interpolation. Anyways, fave of this album so far. Sad as fuck. Great. 5 Critique on the development over American nature, very progressive and dope. Folk and country often used to be on the forefront of what we see now as liberal thought, funny enough. Good song, even if the instrumental is not too unique— my heart breaks a little every time he says “coal train.” 6 Again, speaking to violence and the assault of women, not to mention religious unity, in a super modern way while still making a banger. Love the electric guitar fuzz, love how hard the rhythm guitar and drums are panned— kinda Blue Note. Third verse is particularly catchy, word to Allah and the Buddha at the last supper, funny but also poignant. 7 “I was digesting reader’s digest” is immediately funny, but the lyrics throughout balance wit and social critique perfectly. True cowpokes are anti war!! God man there is just not a bad song on here. 8 Huh well right after I say that, this didn’t hit like the rest of this album did. There’s a bit more nuance and observation than the average pining for a love song, and I like the glockenspiel bits and the hard panning, but something’s off. The pacing of the verse is kinda weird, or maybe it’s just a meter thing? But yeah, not quite as excellent as the rest of the record so far. 9 Hm okay meter of the verse on this one is weird again, don’t know what the drummer is doing— kinda hard to feel the picket outside of just up-beats. Lyrics are the most banal that they’ve been, I don’t care about an “old rodeo” as much as I care about the other specificities elsewhere on the album, and the use of fem pronouns is cool— probably a cover? Dope he didn’t change the words if it is, even doper if that’s just a choice he made. Still catchy enough, nice and bluesy. Just feel like we’re losing a bit of steam here. 10 See here we go, love the personification of the week days as time and information washing over the everyday, super creative. Very Bob Dylan for sure. New choice to repeat a couple lines towards the end, they’re not his best but certainly good. Liked it! 11 The steel guitar is kinda wearing on me, because it just sounds the same every time. Wish it was used a bit more sparingly so it could maintain its potency. I like the lyrics, very simple poetry in a cute way. Dreamy and kinda surreal, almost like psychedelic Americana? Prine really does have that thing that truly great vocalists have where he just says words and they sound special— “First breath from a baby” as an example. Really really liked the outro, wish that melody was used elsewhere, or otherwise just foreshadowed 12 Love the electric guitar tone. This really showcases the mixing of this album, everything is so forward and yet all sounds so good and balanced. Listen to that bass man, wow! Love that he sings about changing diapers, just something super humble and cute about it. Oh god sad sad lyrical turn in the third verse. Damn, really recontextualizes the whole thing. Lovely losing about being grateful for the small parts of a domestic life. 13 Whoa, jaunty closer! Wouldn’t have guessed that, thought we were kinda winding down— fiddle? Woo! Fun! I’m square dancing yeehaw, lil ragtime piano? Best guitar solo on the album! Damn dude great stuff just a really catchy fun song. Really really good record overall!.

Yo, a OST? Dope! Big budget methinks 1 Fucking GROOVY there is a lot going on here— congas and sax and string section and vibes and harp?! Goddamn smooth as hell, introduces the audience to characters and settings in a cool way too. Wish the vocals had a bit more umph to them, either in mix or execution, to match the cinematic quality of it all— but they’re still smooth as hell, which is good. Drums really kick into gear towards the end, good energy throughout. Good pacing, could be a bit shorter but it’s a movie theme so. Great 2 Rototoms? Off rip? You’re spoiling me golly MM that’s some rhythm love the vocals immediately, soulful like a smooth rock skipping across a still pond. Love that he backs up, lets the instrumental breathe plenty. It’s patient, but insistent. God dude I wanna like make someone think I’m hot to this. Very unique track in that it feels longer than it is in a good way— doesn’t usually work like that, but this time dilation some good shit. Def don’t mind the fade-out, it’s tasteful and well-timed 3 Hm okay the story telling is a little on the nose on this one, a little too broadway— still fun, though, and damn if the string section isn’t sweet. RIP Fred ig. Truck driver key change is a little corny, but I like the muted trumpet that kicks in. This is the theme? I guess. “Fred is dead” is def catchy enough to be a tagline, crunchy bass is crunchy, okay this is growing on me. Little energy break, lovely little harp accents! Yeah yeah ok I’m with it 4 Horn section’s time to shine! This is more OST, perfectly catchy while not demanding your attention. So much of soul can feel samey to me, capturing vibes more than substance, but because the instrumentals are so diverse and eclectic so far I feel really fresh. Silly title though lol 5 More OST kinda stuff, until the vocals kick in ok nvm. Not loving the hi-hat just playing slow 16ths in my right ear, really distractingly loud. Melody on this is nice, wish the harp had more to work with than just the occasional flourish though cos it’d play off the flute and higher-register piano really well. Yeah, just groovy stuff! 6 Euyugh, a triangle? Duuuuude nice. Eddie, think of the tears and fears! Guitar sounds like— NO THAT TOTALLY IS A THEREMIN! Or a guitar with the sounds of the strings being plucked edited out lol. God dude this album is just delightful. Strings offer real tension, especially in the post-choruses. 7 God dude, just an immaculate mix— so much going on, but it’s all so well composed and controlled. Love call and response with the vocals and the muted trumpet. Could be the poppiest so far, really goddamned catchy. The one consistent throughout this record so far has been grooving conga, and it’s really paying dividends here— allows the form to dip more towards pop and funk while retaining that soulfulness. Lil sax solo? Kinda distant, the piano is so forward. Wish that got mixed better. Back to biz afterwards though. Kinda misleading to subtitle this “Cocaine Song” haha, def promoting a clean life? Or at least the semblance of one. Sunny and fun. Listen to that piano twinkle in the back, and the bari sax gently roar! Sure is funky! Nice slow fade-out, that’s classy. I think I’m really coming around to fade-outs 8 Oo taking it down a notch, beautiful tone to the guitar. Could see Nujabes sampling this. Wow, glockenspiel all the way in the left ear sounds absolutely stellar, celestial. Oboe? Bassoon? I always get those confused, but it’s one of those fuckers— sounds great. Such a fresh OST, so much experimentation while still sounding cohesive. Weird little rhythmic thing, kinda feels like they skip a beat somewhere a couple of times, that’s odd. Love the sax swaggering in. Half time really feels great leading in to the final song on the record, feels like we’ve come a long way. Very cinematic. God yeah this is for a movie! Crazy stuff man. 9 God I have never been half as cool as Curtis when he says “Superfly” lmao. Can def hear the Blaxploitation in some of the lyrics throughout this record, but it’s played so lovingly and beautifully that I can’t help but feel it lives beyond its roots. I haven’t talked enough about the vocals, his delivery has really grew on me, he’s got a feather touch to consonants that is just pleasing as heck. Wild instrumentation for the title track— steel guitar kinda sound, heavy use of rototoms, deep brass. Eschews the earlier use of strings in favor of more big band feels on the latter most songs of the record. What a timeless record that is distinctly 70s. Oxymoronically phenomenal.

Cover kinda hurts my eyes, but it’s distinct— I think it’s good! 1 Ergh okay really not my thing, just a pop song dressed up by tepid punk aesthetic and a least common denominator bit of anti-capitalism. That clap sound affect is particularly heinous 2 This has a bit more personality, drum and guitar have a bit more room to roam and the vocals are way more interesting. Kinda annoying lyrically, but the band just seems to be having more fun here. Fade-out seems like a cop out from having to actually end the song though 3 Recording’s a little lofi, gives it a nice little fuzz and crackle, I don’t hate it in the context. I think this just isn’t for me, though, like it’s decent pop, but it seems to suggest some rock edge that doesn’t actually exist? Like the vocals are passionate, but I just don’t buy the whole package as a whole is actually invested the way it seems to want me to think it is. I worry this is just me calling something formulaic because I’ve heard it before, when in reality it was actually watershed— like, I will say it’s an impressive debut? 4 But nah, this is just watered down blues. Vocals are still the best thing but everything else feels flat. I like the guitar tone but it all feels undermined by the stubborn pop sensibility. 5 Predictable sequencing to slow it down here, but I’ll allow it because it’s well done. More space in the instrumental means I have more room to enjoy the really impressive vocal performance, and I’m more emotionally invested in the lyrical content too. Guitar noodling is a little aimless, but the cool keys feel me back in. Feels like the fade-out here is a choice rather than a compromise. Could see Wilco/Jeff Tweedy doing a cool cover of this song. 6 Back to this pseudo honky tonk bullshit. Am I just in a cynical mood? Would I enjoy this rag piano more if it was a sunny day? The occasional clipping and insistent pingy ride reassures me that it probably doesn’t matter. 7 Obnoxious radio title is obnoxious, but this is the most I buy this pop-rock fusion thing. Specific, memorable lyrics with a more distinct psychedelic tone to the guitar. Fave song so far, o think, but three songs in a row that end with this fade-out as lyrics are repeated thing is really straining the album experience 8 Good god how were these drums recorded?! Intro has full on cuts, much less clips. This song sounds like shit and after the very competent and pleasing makeup of the last track, there’s no excuse. Sonic edge can work when you have something to be edgy about, and the lyrics do their part— the verses are legitimately interesting and feel like they have something to say. I just feel it’s undercut by a cloying hook and another goddamned fade-out. It feels formulaic, and consequently insincere— which sucks, because there’s a world in which this song works really well. 9 You’re kidding me, dude. Just because your name is Elvis doesn’t mean you have to whore yourself out to this sound. Nah ok I’m being an asshole, this song deserves a look on its own merits: the tempo is ever so slightly bumped up from the usual, and in tandem with the pointed vocals, there’s little bit of something punk here that feels interesting. Good god though, the mic clips every prechorus and the fade-out is cheaper than ever. Just end the fucking song you cowards! Not nearly punk enough to justify a 1:37 runtime, it’s just lazy. 10 Nondescript lyrics, but I they’re really well metered here, and the prechorus has a really interesting set of chords. Bass feels very competent throughout this album, and has a couple moments in the mix of this track in particular that prove it. This GODdamned FADE-OUT god FUCK it’s so DUMB. Okok this song was one of my faves though. 11 I could see someone who fucks with this sound more than I do feeling like this is a fun track, but I’m just not having enough fun to justify this kinda tone. “I’ve got this camera… / … smiling with your legs” are two really great lines sung really goddamned well. Hrm okay contrary to my prior assertion, I’m having fun. Twinkly guitar is nice, electric guitar rips, vocals are stupendous. Drums are good. Fade-out feels a little more patient this time at least— just hate this trend. 12 Really really like the lyrics on this, hook might be a little cheesey but the whole package has Allen Ginsberg vibes in a great way. Do I have to say it?— another fade-out. 13 Dude, what? Last track with a legit reggae vibe? Gotta be pretty forward thinking for the early 70s. His voice over this works, even if the actual makeup of the instrumental feels a little goofy. Kinda pouty. Might wear thin Second half of the album def came through with more personality, still inconsistent overall

Weird album cover. Kinda reminds me of Mezzanine by Massice Attacks? Feels like that font is very of time, specific to techno and rave— while also being oddly modern in its seriflessness. Title kinda doesn’t make sense to me? But I like the sound of the word “infant” in the context. 1 Yo okay ask me how I feel about this song after like the first 12 seconds and I’d be all like “well the drums panned echoes really tickles my brain and I like the metric modulation but this is kinda emblematic of a techno sound I think has aged really poorly, just not enough subfrequencies so everything sounds kinda tinny and/or washed out” and then WHAM the kick and bass kick and I’m all like wow wtf how have I not heard this record before this is inSANE! Love how this builds, it’s not quite as metrically advanced as it might seem because the downbeats are still hit pretty hard every 8 bars or so, but the little bits of syncopation and rut humid distance are great. The hat that comes in the right ear eventually is mixed a little too harshly, but it’s balanced out by the addition of a ride in the left and a center kick— super tasteful all together. And layers just keep getting added, it’s such a wild fusion of space-age 90s krautrock poeticisms and monotoned robot voice with a proper dance floor 4/4, and that synth that dances over it all YO GUITAR wow dude this track is so patient, those chords sound so good and only kick in like 4 minutes in— of course, that’s only like a fourth of the song, isn’t it? I am MAD I have never listened to this before fucking WOW. Really really like the lyrics, feel like poetry. I never understand when people call this kind of techno repetitive, it just feels like a fundamental misunderstanding of the point of layered instrumentals like this. The implication that change is music value is contrary to like all pop theory, and yet. Word to Andy Warhol. Getting pretentious, lemme get back to the music. Love how the vocals’ melodrama seems to naturally lead the instrumental correspondingly more gothic areas. Synth sound around 9:20 is fucking nasty bro, serrated af. Cacophony of percussion is auditory crack for me. Rave aesthetics are leaned into without ever feeling overdramatized or otherwise heavy-handed (subtle rave music feels like an oxymoron, but this at least treats the concept as possible lol). Ambient theory is allowed by a simple two chord pattern puts its feet up for a bit while the percussion rests. Vocals return; I had almost forgotten they had been here at all, so thoroughly immersed was I in the development of the song. It’s a track of movements, leitmotifs, and composed tones. Feels very intentional, with an immense amount of control and taste. Chip-tuned vocal sample listing colors kinda gives Board of Canada or the Orb vibes. After 16 minutes of patient development, a fade-out is very earned. Crazy good track. 2 No WAY is this dreamy LTJ Bukem-ass liquid d+b the follow up to the previous track!!! The atmosphere! Good god!! I am so mad this record has escaped my clutches until now this is so good. Water level music in a video game about hacking. The vocals really add something unique though— it’s one thing to have this gothic, new wave sort of delivery, but such an abstract narrative is outlined perfectly by occasion bleeps and bloops, the frenetic drums, and splashes of heavily effected guitar. I want to sit in a conversation pit with this song playing. It is so gently insistent, the two chords a pendulum back and forth— tension, resolution, tension, resolution. Hypnotic, especially when other chords start being altered around the five minute mark, prompting the drums to slowly dissolve and what sounds like the sounds of a factory floor to take their place. And this acoustic guitar is. So dope! Very Beck. When the percussion re-emerges, it’s more trip-hop, downtempo and crunchy. The skittering of the earlier jungle sound is now embodied by the acoustic guitar, and a really gentle pad brings it all together. Love this part, and love the vocals coming back in, great to juxtapose both sonic halves of the song with the vocals as the common denominator. With the brands and drug references I def see the comparisons to best poetry for the lyrics— they’re good, but wish the stanza repeated for the final bit of the song had a bit more semantic umph somehow. Hrm the dissonant sine-y keys solo kinda loses me, kinda sounds like Pac-Man having acid flashbacks. It isn’t there long, though, and we’re right back to the perfect guitar/pad/drums concoction. Seriously magic. Last two minutes fuck, majorly groovy. Do feel like a fade-out wasn’t necessary, kinda cheap— but then again, kind of a cheap piece of critique on a quarter-hour song 3 Now we’ve got an Air bass line over hard techno 4, really cool. God these vocals are so close and intimate, super cool. Weird vocal sample, kinda Kraftwerky? You’ll never believe this— very cool! I’m just so interested in the choices made in instrumentation, all three songs feel like they have such unique DNA— makes for a really strong album experience. Vocals and lyrics have a bit of a post-rock feel, don’t they? More of a Scottish accent and I’d be listening to Arab Strap. Some breakbeat in snare ghost notes that dance around the 4/4 pulse. God this song is just COOL! Psychedelic as all hell. Huh kinda ends abruptly— even some reverb woulda worked, just feels like it pauses lol. Still, great song, total journey. 4 Tsalright, like just kinda drives a groove into you. More straightforward rave, which is fine— they’ve just set such a bar for invention and experimentation, feels like this doesn’t clear it 5 Yeah baby now we’re back, percussion on this so so cool, that breakbeat feel with a pseudo half-time over crunchy synths feels so epic. Music to hack into a government computer for sure. Vocals are a little drab on this, but the song grows into itself. Felt like the brighter pad around 4:30 was important in helping the vocals click for me. Length of the first three tracks means I was kinda surprised when this so suddenly faded out, felt like it had more to give. 6 Oo fun little bouncy melody, kinda braindancey? The genre fusion is really dope, really does feel like they drew a little bit from every electronic subgenre under the sun. Ik it’s rave, but woulda loved if this track stayed on the floor rather than adding an up-beat snare, because the sound really lends itself to that techno feel— it’s aight though. Vocals have a bit more pitch and control than normal, which is cool. Really like “Bunny girl, happy shopper / Bouncing ball, telephone dial” both in delivery and simple sonics. Very hypnotic track. Good pacing, feels like it comes to a natural conclusion. 7 Guitar’s back, love the chop— nice little ambient direction, a bit like if Steve Gunn were remixed? Good color, doesn’t overstay its welcome, but both this and Rowla feel a bit like interludes to me, and that’s a little indulgent give they account for a fourth of the tracklist. Not too mad though— I wouldn’t skip them, so. 8 Vocals and lyrics feel more essential than ever. This one’s instrumental feels artsier than ever— could be a cover of an alternate universe Pink Floyd track. Lyrics are weirder, though. I like this song, like it’s genuinely good, but the first three tracks had such insane inertia that I feel the second half of this record has allowed to peter out a bit. I like the drums’ boomy crunchiness, very unique mix. Good energy. Just feel the record as a whole is a little top-heavy.

Never heard of artist or album, but love the album cover— organic and corporeal. Love the docs, love the typeface and its placement.. 1 Whoa, quirky drum intro aside this is kinda country, that guitar sound rips? Her voice is really great? Something’s weird about the mix, but haven’t decided if it’s bad yet or I’m just not used to it. I think it’s just a lot of moving parts panned to different places, like if each guitar in a shoegaze song was panned to a different part of the range? Hrm. Catchy hook, I like the little bopbopbops. Ooo the bridge is real fun, love the lyrics, but backups in the left ear a little too forward I think. Guitar solo good— gotta repeat myself, guitar sound is incredible, shit’s stadium ready. 2 Glockenspiel, twangy guitar, phenomenal snare sound. Like the mix a lot more on this, vocals are allowed a lot more space, and backups feel more contextually relevant. 3 “What a waste of gunpowder and sky” is an incredible line— really, the lyrics and vocals are the star of the show here, really incredible stuff. Just feels like the instrumental lets it down a little bit. That aforementioned stadium feel doesn’t work as well on a track that feels meant to be guitar and vocals— the drums are super boomy but somehow thin at the same time, and the strings could be real but they sound MIDI. Still good overall, just feel the chorus isn’t in tune with the track as a whole. 4 Twangier, and I like the sillier keybodard stuff matched with a couple of accents into falsetto. Her voice is so goddamned good! We’re back to the mixing of the first track, and I’ve decided I don’t like it— the drums being panned so hard to the left but EQed with such a flat, choral sorta treble feels counterintuitive to each other’s intent. Like, panned to the left feels intimate (think Blue Note— jazz trio in a small space; closeness of the audience) while the sound itself feels large and bombastic and distant. Still, this is undeniably catchy and really good, I love the compositional package. 5 First time the vocals are the biggest negative, hook sounds super flat. Bass and guitar sound good, kinda catchy— nothing super special, but good radio pop-rock. 6 Not really feeling this track, the rock ballad kinda feel is very dad-rock at a dive bar, and the hook’s repetition of “You stupid thing” is just kinda a bummer, totally tonally dissonant with what otherwise feels heroic. A fade-out is the cherry on top, no me gusta. 7 Hook is great, lower register sounds accusatory and higher register sounds distraught. The lil bridge fucks, the guitar has a great bounce, and there’s some real funky effects and keys and what not scattered about. Lots of personality on this oneof, definitely one of my faves. Also YES a solid practical ending! I totally thought I heard a fade-out coming, stoked to be wrong 8 Lil finger cymbal action and the sleigh bells really offer something hip to this. Got a bit of a folksy vibe with the anaphoric verses and general drinking song vibe. Sweet lyrics, even if I don’t fully get what’s going on. Love the Irish sound towards the end, dunno what instrument or instruments are in there (piccolo might be part of it?) but it’s good. 9 Proper sequenced slowdown, then, given the tempo of this song is a little downtrodden too. Strings feel much more organic here than earlier on the album, and her voice plays off of it perfectly. Love the lyrics on this, seems a precedent for Fiona Apple and Frances Quinlain and the like. Clarinet and French horn are beautiful. Like this a lot. 10 Lil melodramatic, and feels a bit quiet? But vocals are cool, lotta little textures and inflections. Bit of Stevie Nicks. Kinda just not that memorable of a song overall. 11 lyrics are proper cheesey, and rhythmically uninteresting. Strings are pretty I guess, but it’s in spite of the rest of the track. 12 I appreciate the drums backing the hell off, they’re occasionally way to greedy on this album. This song’s better for it, allows for more of the orchestral elements (woodblocks, chimes, flutes, strings and I think a bassoon— or maybe bari sax?) to come through. Her voice is beautiful, and with plenty of space to show it. Just a gorgeous, lush song. Second half of this album is inconsistent, but when it hits it hits hard. 13 Oo a little pscyhadelia, I like it. The drums being panned to the right after being leftwards everywhere else on the album does piss me off ngl, but I like the sound of this, it’s cute. Lyrics are pretty unremarkable, but serviceable. Love the xylophone and piano!! Album as a whole has some real bright spots, and the whole package is buoyed by legitimately great vocal talent. Just inconsistent mix, and I do wish the instrumentals were of a more consistent makeup— feels like a collection of songs more than an album.

Oh dude hell yeah, love this album! My mom grew me up on Beck, “Devil’s Haircut’ was a staple on my iPod nano. Goofy cover, but in a good way. 1 Yeah just as good as I remembered. Inject these drums into my veins bro, that snare sound is incredible. Bass line and hook are catchy as hell, and I love that little beep boop electronic thing that kicks in after one of the choruses. Crunchy guitar and feedbacked vocals rip as an outro. Great fucking song. 2 This Southern cowboy slide guitar shit is so sick. He sounds more like a white guy rapping on this, tbf, and the hook is a little too abrasive to be proper catchy— but then that absolutely filthy sub-bass sawtooth drops in after the first hook, and I’m back. Beck sounds so cool once you buy in. Drums are immaculately mixed, when they get more acoustic on the chorus it pans farther the left with the higher frequencies (you can hear it the hat) and it gives them such great depth. A bit goofy, and not as good as that great first track— def coulda grown a bit more substantially if we’d gonna do 3 longer verses, as opposed to adding little four-bar layers of weird instruments. Outro is proper silly, but cool. Weirdly groovy. 3 Genre switch to such a rootin tootin folksy rock really cements the alternative flag this album flew. Beck’s vocals are kind of a you like em or you don’t think, and I like them. Love how the track is mixed, good balance between the right and left, Gives Wilco vibes as a complete package here. What a silly fade-out, makes the song kinda ephemeral. 4 Dude the feedback with flute as an intro, and then the funky ass vocal melody over such incredible drums? Dust Brothers fuck bro this sound is so crystallized. Love the experimentation while still making catchy shit. Sax is dreamy. It’s so splintered, such fragmentary instrumentation, like action figures from different IPs all in the same play scene— but it works for me. 5 Absolutely love the percussion here, but I do think the package as a whole doesn’t come together. Like he tries to sing like Beck on a track that sounds very left of Beck rhythmically speaking. Love the finger piano and weird drone thing. His lyrics are always non-sensical, but because the instrumental is also kinda non-sensical there’s a sense of confusion. God the drums that kick in after the second verse, and then the raga strings and percussion? Wish more songs used tabla it sounds so sick. Wish he committed to that stuff as more than just a bridge— as is, feels like a really cool choice used more aesthetically than substantively. 6 Again, drums!!! Golly dude Dust Brothers just mix them bitches so well, word to the Fight Club OST. Love the sampled transitions, do not love the vocals. Way too fuzzy for how seriously he’s taking them. There’s definitely some Avalanches or The Books DNA in certain parts, I just feel Beck’s choice of song form can be a little samey and uninteresting, and I’m not convinced of his rapping on this like I was on track 1. The actually chorus is pretty cool, guitar sounds dope— I think the instrumental being as wacky and fun and cool as it is saves this song for me, because the moments it all comes together are so good. 7 Lil bit of a psychedelia kinda vibe? Really think his vocals fit that guitar tone like a glove. Lil bit of glockenspiel action is pretty as a mf, and love the harmonica that pops up later. This album is full of samples you don’t know are samples, and I think that’s a testament to the composition. Beck’s lyrics are some of the strongest I’ve heard from him too, proper poetry. Really think this is gonna be one of my faves on this album. The fucking donkey on the end? Tf? Great. 8 Love the vinyl crackle at the beginning, love the keys even more— what an absolutely filthy lil riff. The clap and sing along thing with the hook is pretty cheesey, the vocoder is the first experiment that super does not work for me on this record— feels incredibly conspicuous. I do love the little drum breakdowns and random samples throughout, though, especially with the sax and trumpet textures. Very split on this song— on one hand, the groove is immaculate, but the execution is a little too scattered I think. Kind of an aimless jam session by the end— the fade-out fits, and not in a good way. 9 Very Jeff Rosenstock, diy punk with glockenspiel lol. Goddamn that bass tone is great. Lyrics are good, but don’t fit the song— the abstractions are fun and sonically pleasing, but the instrumental suggests the lyrics should a salient point (punk tradition) and they definitely don’t. Still liked it, it’s fun. 10 A little forgettable, kinda sounds like other songs in this album but done less interestingly. I do like the dial tone thing like halfway though, weirdly cool. 11 Crackle is a little too strong on this, feels kinda performative. Feels like it doesn’t build to anything, and the bass tone is way too clean— way too trebly, way too much in >2000 hz registers with nothing lower to balance it out 12 Goody wikiwikiwhat ass music, and the vocal filter is wwaaaaay too much. Truck driver rippity rap, and the hook sounds like Sunday school slipknot. Love the random classical music sample, dislike everything else. Second half of this album is all over the map man 13 Oh, now see I really like this. Really love the lyrics, “Hand me downs / Flypaper towns / stuck together, one and all” is great in meter and substance both. Love the acoustic guitar, and love how it’s panned with a slight chorus— a bit in the left, and a bit in the right— and overall, love the sparser Americana sound. And then it builds on it all, breaks out some interesting chords (I think suspended something, if my music theory is right?) in a subtle lil bridge of sorts. Good composition. Surprised this isn’t the album closer honestly, super pleasant. 14 Well, so much for pleasant. The rhythm just isn’t interesting enough to justify a loop like this, and it’s abrasive in a way ill-fit to an album with otherwise recognizable song forms. Poor choice. I dunno, I still have a nostalgic soft spot for this album— and I really like the songs I like— but as a package, it doesn’t quite come together. The idiosyncratic nature justifies a bit of buckshot, but not this much.

Hey now we’re talking, love me some Bill Evans! Not a very memorable cover, tbh. Still excited. 1 Yeah, I mean, what is there to say? Incredible intimate and pleasant recording— maybe a bit tinny at times with the higher pitched piano keys, but the bass is immaculately recorded, and good thing too because Scott LeFaro plays his heart out, his solo is incredible my. Both drums and bass are panned far left with piano far right, which is a bit unique— but I like it, really gives Evans space to roam by sidelining the drums like that. He’s just so expressive and colorful and goddamned human, man, what a pianist. I don’t really notice the drums, which is a compliment— they’re so fully integrated into the song and very naturally placed, it allows bass and piano to be selfish. The brushwork, though, does really shine if you turn your ear to it. Just a phenomenal track. Also love Shen live albums include applause and smatterings of chitter chatter, feels so real. 2 Okay not too much chitter chatter, can’t be talking through that good of an intro! The cymbals are so glittery, the sizzle has crazy sustain— love the bass strings’ texture, and Evans’s playing is captivating. It’s all so accessible and humble while still being bright and brave in small spurts, just really good stuff. I’ve come around to the chatter being a fun little ambient thing, too. Bass solo’s great. Especially beautiful last couple of chords leading into the outro in that head, damn. 3 Bill wanders a bit aimlessly in this piece, and I think the sound thins out a bit too much— especially when he gets away from chords. Still, excellent interplay between the drums and bass. Drums are centered a tad more, I think? Or maybe it’s just during the bass solo on this that I noticed the pan on the drums, while still leftwards, doesn’t occupy the exact same space as the bass. Another crazy solo by LeFaro, all over the map in the best way. A cartographer, if you will. Didn’t love whatever that drum solo was towards the end. Not one of my favorites from Bill, I’m afraid, especially given the longer runtime. Makes sense then, too, that it’s not one of the four tunes given another take on the second half of the record. 4 Really interested in how this song grows itself, how the piano seems to grow slowly more confident, the bass finding its footing. The cymbal sizzle is back and beautiful as before, really fills the space in this trio and allows Evans to get weirder and/or stray away from chords. Just a delightful track, feels just as magical as its namesake. 5 This head is a touch more straight ahead, has good groove— Evans doesn’t refrain from dancing around the shuffle a bit though. Lovely stuff— I dunno what I’m gonna have to say about this record that’s new, it’s just fantastic trio jazz. 6 Quiet, moody, incredible texture. I wanna be a gumshoe detective to this. I wanna tell a dame I’ll do my best to find her stolen pearl necklace, and then I want to smoke a cigarette to this. Works great as a point of rest sequentially halfway through the album, but also as a great closer if you just wanted to listen to the tracks foremost takes. 7 Dude yo I switched to by nice headphones for this, and maybe it’s just the different takes but golly this sounds lush. So much rhythmic play and adventurousness 8 More of the same, love how greedy the bass is in these piano led songs lol I think he really pushes Evans to stand out and live up to his shredding lol 9 There’s a really cool glass clink sound in the middle of this— little moments of serendipity really make a live record like this special. I think I liked the bass’s earlier solo better, but Evans does play a bit more with comping over his stuff here which is cool. Outro’s a bit cheesier. 10 It’s hard to tell with the sizzle, might be making it up— but I think there’s a little white noise or something in the mix here? You can hear it at the beginning. Def prefer Take 2, just feels deeper. Still good. Overall, just a phenomenal trio record, and a great introduction to trio jazz. The alternate takes are a little hit and miss and seem sorta extraneous, but the package is still delightful— just the ultimate lounge music.

Okok more 90s techno, I’m interested— not too thrilled by the chill-out sorta aesthetic Apple Music seems to think this embodies, I think the sound has aged really poorly, but it’s worth a shot. Album cover’s kinda crunchy. 1 Oo nonono this has not aged well. Rhythmically unambitious, sonically dated, and the vocals are near pastiche— especially the backups, good lord. The lyrics and the space-age lounge feel has some camp appeal, but this being peers with Aphex Twin’s or Autechre’s early output really contextualizes this for what it is. Of course it fades out. 2 Bass is a little subbier here— Hrm but the percussion does not feel balanced, and there’s echo panned to the right that feels clumsy. Midi sax plus that acidy squelchy synth is kinda fun, they kinda orbit around each-other in a fun way— but I’m distracted by the major IV chords on a default space pad and the hopelessly cheesey lyrics. God those backups are poor choice. Shitty fade-out cop-out. 3 Ok the guitar is a cool piece in this intro, and I really like the synth that kicks in. Drums are a bit neater. This is sounding better! Little less dated! And now there is a man yelling in my right ear. Hm. He’s gone, and there’s a beachy psychedelic electronica track Ieffover, kinda sounds like it could be on a Donkey Kong Country soundtrack or something. (Word to Jammin’ Sam Miller’s remakes of those, they’re so good.) I dunno I prefer this sample to their vocals. The guitar is particularly pleasant. Interested in this sound, hope we get less power pop disguised as club music and more this. 4 Okok the little drop from the vocals into proper techno got me. Short song, but works as a cool interlude. I can accept a fade-out given the limited run-time. 5 Yeah okay, we’re picking this shit up! Way more danceable and goth rather than the schlocky eurodance of the first two songs. Still not my thing, but at least the personality of it is less sugary cereal and more legit weird. Vocals still suck, but I like the little laser gun sound. Bassier too. Yuck okay the self-shoutout over 90s shitty pop chord before the kick blows out the speakers is horrible— but when the 4onthefloor drops back in, I’m back in. Corny vocals (and absolutely nonsensical lyrics) or not, this is dance floor ready, that bass and those phasers are real. “Over and out” is such a silly outro but at least it’s not a fade out. 6 See that whistle tone sounds fucking dreadful at the beginning— I know tech was limited, but taste has to play a part, you have to recognize how artifacted that is. Clipping or not, though, I love this guitar and bass guitar sound. Oo okay vocals are way more interesting and human, less performative— very To Those I Love. The masc vocals, I should clarify, because the fem vocals are totally drab in their ofitstimeness. Goofy little DKC synth is back for this, but the downtempo is nice. It’s whatever man, just an energy I’m not feeling. Just want a song with only the dude with the Irish (Scottish?) accent, that shit’s great. 7 Slow this down by like 20 clicks and you might have an interesting trip hop song. The gibberish lyrics at the beginning are super dumb, sound like placeholders. The artsier lyrics spoken so intimately in that far right pan are cool and play well with the fem vocals. Clarinet is interesting, and the acid melody stabs have aged better than a lot on this record so far. I dunno I appreciate the weirdness I guess. Song doesn’t really go anywhere or build anything, and the nonsense syllables popping back up as the song fades out doesn’t feel cyclical as much as formulaic. 8 Good god hearing this tepid reggae fucking ballad by a bunch of white people ostensibly up their own ass with quasi-spiritual cultural colonialism (if the one size fits all lyrics over this horrid instrumental and like the general themes of the album as a whole are anything to go off of) and seeing this song is 9 fUCking minutes? No thanks. Someone else who reviewed this record on this website said this record doesn’t overstay its welcome? You’re joking, right? Another saying Americans just don’t get it— I promise I’ve done my due diligence, I’ve listened to my Kraftwerks and Chemical Brothers. Take off the nostalgia glasses, and I feel strongly that you’ll see that this hasn’t just aged poorly, it just sucks. Speaking more generally— what in the fuck do these lyrics mean? Not just this song, anywhere? There’s some level past abstraction, and I think it’s just platitudinal. 9 NO dude you do not hear those synths and drums in the year of our lord 2025 and think that’s acceptable! This is the 90s, and I’m listening to a remaster to boot— this sounds inexcusably cheap. Vocals mean and do nothing. I like how the stabs pan between left and right, and there’s some interesting rhythmic layering, as a consequence. I feel like this is 90s electronica for listeners with no good grasp of what electronica contemporaneous to this sounded like. I’m being a prick. But also I truly do believe a good number of music nerds don’t listen to electronic music to the degree they should and so they like subpar shit like this. 10 And for the record, I recognize this as a record— a sound, poetically— that can be emblematic of a time, a scene, maybe a place for the listener. But I promise this isn’t me saying “Old music bad”— I just genuinely and fervently belief this is lazily executed and uninspired. The vocals on this closer track don’t make me miserable (as long as i ignore the toddler babble lyrics about deities and apple carts (word to Death Note). The random swells swooshes, and the excessive reverb, though, do. Who is this for?!?? Dadaism said shit about art. Does this least-common-denominator pop gussied up with acid and house aesthetics say anything about music? Marcel Duchamp wouldn’t chart #1 twice.

Yo slipknot is on this? That’s crazy lol. I got a weird relationship with numetal, bit of a guilty pleasure for me— freak on a leash is an all timer. Album cover is kinda stupid, but I still like the design of their masks it’s gimmicky but in a cool way. 1 Not really feeling this as an intro, kinda abrasive and doesn’t come together quite right rhythmically. A skip for me. 2 ok now we’re talking, the kick is crazy on this. Bit of loud war fuzz for sure, but it kinda adds to the edgy aesthetic. It def is edgy, but like the drums rip so fucking hard and I can hear every time the bass strings hits the pickup but like a good way. Kinda overstays its welcome, feels like a long 3 and change to me. 3 I’ve heard the intro to this song before (word to StarPowerDrummer) it is so so so good. When the vocals and bass drop in proper too they speed up just a tad and I can feel my body getting twitchy wanting to be in a pit man. Like yeah the lyrics kinda suck, but it’s such a full commitment that if you kinda just turn off your brain and buy in (very aided by the drums and being as insane as they are) it’s really fun. I’m down. Listened to the rest of this at work, so just short thoughts for the rest because I wasn’t writing while listening: 4 Feels the most radio ready slipknot is gonna get, and so kinda tame. Not a whole lotta punch or distinctiveness. Good length though and the vocals and breakdown at the end are good 5 This feedback thing is kinda what the first track tired to do— still doesn’t work. Fucking love the percussion though, the clanks are great lol. Lyrics are a bit of a tantrum, but I’m kind of always down for a fuck the man song. Again, what makes the vocals work is that they fully buy in— there’s no wink or nudge or joke to get, he’s just mad. Last 40 seconds or so rip 6 Guitar sounds a little flat on this one. The rap and scratches are fun but kinda shit lol 7 Slow build on this, I like the patience and the payoff— still don’t like the feedback though. 8 Wish the kick was given more bass in the mix. Trash can cymbal is back, love it. Hook vocals are a little corny 9 “Liberate my madness” kinda doesn’t mean shit, does it? Like that doesn’t really make sense? This is the first song that really starts to see this record feel kinda bloated, nothing here to remember besides a cool lil bit of metric modulation with the 3 over 4 riff over drums. Still good vocals, still technically good, just nothing new. 10 This song is kinda gross man. I think the my parents are divorcing and I’m angry at the world music only works if you’re angry at the world, not at a specific entity— otherwise it just feels like a kid throwing a tantrum. The fact this entity seems to be a potential romantic partner just makes this track feel super rapey. 11 Zack de la Rocha woulda done this song better, but it’s still alright. Their drummer is so fucking good 12 Kick is way too small and clicky on this song, bugs tf outta me— feels like such an obvious thing to fuck up. I like the vocal layers 13 The rapping on this is not good, which sucks cos I like the bass and turntable stuff on this. Cutttime on chorus is good too. This is def what seventh graders play before getting in a fight on a blacktop though lol. Ugh but the drums are so GOOD. But no, doesn’t work as a whole. Same trouble as track 10. 14 I can appreciate what they’re trying to do, but ~8 minutes on the 14th track of an album otherwise pretty quick and dirty is a big ask, and it just doesn’t have a cinematic quality I buy into. Commitment can’t overcome stale instrumentation and form. 15 Blastbeat rips, lyrics are braindead in the best way, decent closer. Look— if you buy in, there’s stuff to like here. I think being angry at everything and everyone is, whether we like to admit it or not, a very human emotion. Consequently, I don’t really buy the idea that numetal aged poorly as a larger concept or form? But the sound and aesthetics themselves fray at the edges, and the album’s cutting floor could’ve been a little more cluttered.

Honestly, going in to this a bit biases because I’m not a huge fan of Coldplay’s sound. Feels very crafted and careful in a way I think is boring. Trying to keep an open mind. Cover kinda sucks though, like the typeface is a little self-serious and the moon is whatever, doesn’t really connect with the title. Let’s go: 1 yeah okay, this is a great album opener! The acoustic is a nice foundation, the lyrics are hopeful while not being too corny— I esp like the “Yeah they do” moments, good personality— and it doesn’t try to be all that and a bag of crisps. 2 Lyrics are a little heavy-handed on this, but damn if the vocals themselves aren’t full of talent— that falsetto is immediately impressive. Drums on this are great, weird lil shuffle feel— gives the song something. To hang its hand on. I don’t think it’s blowing me away, but it’s solid and better than I thought it was gonna be so far, especially given it’s a debut. I can totally hear myself hearing this in 2000 and being like damn, these guys got something— I’m just jaded by the 2025 Coldplay lol. This track probably goes a bit long, but last chorus has good energy so I’ll allow it. 3 I really like how each of these first three tracks really feel like their own thing, yet still cohesive. Gotta be the vocals that keep them intertwined, he has a really distinct voice that gives the instrumentals flexibility behind him. Not fucking with the lyrics, the vagueness of the titular “Spies” and what they’re metaphor for is pretty uninteresting to me. Still a good listen, the drums are really colorful (common theme so far) Andy he guitar is pleasant. The engineering of this record is top notch, btw, the levels are immaculate— haven’t even thought about it because there’s nothing to notice. 4 Oh dude, this song! I really really like this song! He has a bit more fry on the vocals that build to his hooks really well, gives some really emotional weight. The drums are really pleasant and patient, the riff as complimented by bass and piano touches is frankly beautiful, and his chorus’ falsetto is just arresting. If I were to nitpick, I’d say it could be a couple clicks slower? Damn, the acoustic guitar is so well miked, it’s so bright and dynamic. Some real interesting chords in the second verse. I latch on to “sparks” I found harder to do with “spies.” Like the outro, fits well. Just a top, top notch track. 5 Oh dude why do the drums sound like that? The snare sounds super out of tune or something or just sewed wrong. Uh can’t really say much about this song, the lyrics and vocal performance are phenomenal, and the instrumental around those is a good vessel to carry them in. I think the hook’s subtle layering of vocals and the bass being a bit high in the mix is my favorite part, and when everything cuts out for “you know I love you so,” it’s really perfect. God yeah I’m trying to see this song through the eyes of like a Y2K alternative music fan, and like, yeah it’s poppy, radio ready, all that— but it’s also just a complete song (besides the snare inexplicably sounding like hotdog water). Can’t really argue with the legacy too, it still gets play. 6 Yeah man Chris Martin is just a really good singer huh? Piano and bass layer really well on this, acoustic guitar takes more of a backseat which is think is due, so good choice/sequencing. Love the bits about the “spider web,” and love every time he says “trouble.” Lil bridge seemed kinda pointless. Woulda liked to see the melody evolve somehow, not every song can rely on new vocals to heighten the tone. 7 title track being a sub-min solo singer-songwriter track is a cool choice— problem is, I think this is his work vocal performance so far. The song feels like a fragment more than an interlude or the like/- which, since this record is 10 songs clocking around 40 minutes,— feels like a waste of time, gotta make those 10 count more than this one dude. 8 not sure I feel about this one— vocals are unusually forgettable and the lyrics are a little tepid, but the hook is nice and I stick with the song. Just gotta reiterate how phenomenally mixed and mastered this album is, besides the snare in Yellow I have zero complaints and I am a picky motherfucker. Coulda built to something, but kinda didn’t— which works with the songs that assert themselves. 9 This one skew towards wholly forgettable. Bridge feels a bit more substantial, but the verses and chorus don’t have the same personality as previous tracks— which matters on a 10 song album. I’d chalk this up to a debut album kinda thing 10 Don’t really feel like the piano-led ballad sound plays to Martin’s vocal strengths— I think his powered in his ability to rise above the instrumental around him, but his performance feels a little exposed without that context (esp at such low registers). Honestly the development of this is really nice, I like what it grows into— until the last minute-thirty or so of outro. I really like the lyrics and the stripped down aesthetic of that last bit, but think I’d prefer that bit excised from the five minute song it’s tacked onto and developed into something a little more complete. Feels too disparate. I’d say on the whole I really enjoyed this listen, and while I thought there were parts that were outshined by the moments of true excellence, it’s a seriously impressive debut record.

Never heard of the band much less the album. Kinda weird album cover, but I think it’s a good weird lol. Just gonna cover the og eight tracks. 1 This is really really well recorded and mixed, great balance that’s really allowed to flourish at higher volumes. The bass is punchy, the violin is beautifully distant (if a reedy), drums are dynamic and the guitar is just perfect. Surprisingly modern take on this folk sound given the run time, and so can live within pop form while still sounding super authentic and powerfully folksy—because boy howdy does it. I could listen to another 8 minutes of this for sure, feels so deep. Drummer plays with real emotion, with just a perfect balance of comping and the occasional indulgence— it’s super human drumming. Guitar is great. Absolutely LOVE that they do not fade-out at the end and end the song proper, it’s beautiful and bucks that awful trend that was everywhere at the time. Respectful to folk tradition in doing so. 2 Oh god fuck yes this is incredible. Just beautiful. Getting emotional in public rn listening to humans enjoy the music they’re making. Love the ambience— laughs and “yeahs,” what sounds like glass breaking?— the accordion and triangle are charming to an absurd degree. When I tell you I was so entranced that I didn’t realize the song was in French until the second listen? I will listen to this song for the rest of my life. 3 Whoa that 5 is really cool, feels super organic. Drums and guitar and bass all sound just perfect together when it becomes 4. I have not said enough about her voice the past couple of songs, good god is it hauntingly beautiful. She has incredible control. Fantastic guitar solo. Another great song. 4 Really patient, and builds the balance folk and rock really well. Feels like the fiddle and guitar are dueling, one in each ear— the vocals are commentating on their match and the drums and bass are the arena. Particularly love the toms on this track, and when the vocals dip out in favor of another honkier tonkier guitar, it’s just a rock reverie man. Fugue state stuff. Great track. 5 Hm okay first track I’m a bit split on, the accordion sounds super hokey and weird over this blues kinda sound and the drums are mixed way too high. Mix in general is just super busy actually. To be fair, I’m just a bit of a blues hater, but. Very short song too. I’d skip this in future listens of the record. 6 Simply beautiful. All parts are good and catchy and well done. Most radio ready but in a good way. 7 Sitar on this is dope af. Really like the vocal rhythms on this. 8 This is a fun lil romp, love the mandolin kinda sound. Lyrics are super fun, and the masc vocals are a cool lil thang to end the project on. Just great great folk rock, shorter so the fifth track being a bit of a dud is a bummer but some really really stellar stuff besides.

Incredible band name, incredible cover. Excited for this one. 1 HMPH dude bass line goes hard af and the drum beat is insane, that snare sound? And all the percussion stuff? Immense amount of personality in lyrics, and everything is super big and bright in the EQ. 2 Great story telling, and super great inflections. The instrumental really compliments the tones, and even provides diegesis like when the sirens turn into synths. Way weirder than most music that sounds like this, which I think is cool. Goddamn that snare sound is crazy lol. Fade out works for me here 3 omfg the vocals and lyrics have so much BITE and that piano?!? Great bass line, and continued perfectly 80s drumkit. The backup vocals could be so schlocky but they’re pitch perfect. Harmonica and strings could not work with this song like they do, but it’s all so cinematic— feels like a track from a musical in a good way. LOVE this song. 4 Counterculture has never been so catchy! Or something, lol. Love the choice to strip the drums out of the verses, the congas and string bass are dreamy and it all gives the vocalist a lot of space to work with. I dunno man I could see these lyrics being read as corny, but I think it’s kinda campy in a Susan Sontag sorta way. Sincere, yano? And I’m down to buy in. Def some og theatercore music though lol 5 This is a really sudden drop in quality. Vocals are super aimless and inessential, the spareness of the instrumental gives you way too much time to sit with how each snare sounds exactly the same and equally loud, and simple but effective bassline is not nearly catchy enough to make up for a lack of important melody. The percussion stuff is fun but kinda extra. 6 There’s a lot less INXS and New Order in these last couple of tracks and a lot more proper post-rock/punk. Some parts work, like the bari sax is good on this and the bass an effects are really fun, but it feels like the vocals are just pretending to have fun now, and the blown out rimshots really wear on the ears. Don’t fully buy in to this duet kinda thing either. Fades out to avoid have to create an ending. 7 This bizarro broadway is grating as hell. What a bummer of a cliff dive from the earlier songs that I legit enjoyed. The lyrics have cratered to, the social commentary was at worst vague but at least it was pointed and seemingly passionate— this is just nonsensical and noncommittal to boot. 8 Bit of a return to form in terms of energy that ends up dragging way too long, diluting the success. The outro’s stupid too. Damn, lotta promise, I’m s sucker for this kinda scene’s sound— but I feel confident in saying this just isn’t a complete package, and the punker aesthetics are diluted.