Lana Del Rey - Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Genre: Americana; alt-pop
Review
Lana’s newest is here and it’s easily got her most pretentious album title yet! But thankfully, the music on here is also easily her best in a few years! Her 2021 albums didn’t leave much of an impact on me, but even though this album is 77 minutes long, there are tracks on here I’ll have in rotation for a while! “A&W” is a two-part, 7-minute opus that goes from a piano ballad to a hazy trap-inspired sound. “Candy Necklace” with Jon Batiste on piano is absolutely gorgeous, especially with John’s piano playing. “The Grants” opens the album with another beautiful song about longing and loss. The last few tracks on the album have some more hip-hop influence, which is something that I’ve never heard from her before. It was something that was a pleasant surprise to hear after an hour of traditional Lana Del Rey tracks. While I do enjoy this album, I think the main negative of being 77 minutes long of mainly piano ballads is hard for me to get over. So even though I do really enjoy this album, I think it’s objectively better than I personally enjoy it.
Favorite Songs: “A&W”, “Candy Necklace” (Feat. John Batiste), “The Grants”
If You Like: Beautiful piano ballads; strong song writing
Kaytranada & Aminé - Kaytraminé
Genre: Hip-hop; dance
Review
This project could have been amazing. It should have been the project of the summer. Kaytranada’s music is made for summertime vibes and Aminé is a pretty good rapper who seemingly would fit perfectly with Kaytranada. The lead single being “4eva” with Pharrell made this album seem like it was going to be a dance album with some rapping, but it ended up just being a solid hip-hop album. Kaytranada’s beats are pretty good for the most part, but Aminé’s rapping on here is fairly lackluster. Everything on here feels like it was freestyled. Corny moments like the Will Smith slap reference and him giving specific sex references on almost every song really pull down the beats. Kaytranada’s beats aren’t always top tier, but they are still pretty solid for the most part. If I were to grade this project, I’d give his beats a solid B+, but Aminé’s rapping is a decent C. I still really enjoyed this project, even with all the negative things I’m saying about it. It just could have been amazing. Heck, even IDK’s project with Kaytranada last year was better, and they barely promoted it. This might be the first genuine disappointment of the year, even if I still enjoyed listening to it over and over.
Favorite Songs: “4EVA” (Feat. Pharrell), “Master P” (Feat. Big Sean), “letstalkaboutit” (Feat. Freddie Gibbs)
If You Like: Dance music; summer
Dinner Party - Enigmatic Society
Genre: Jazz-fusion; soul
Review
First of all, I’m very glad that Dinner Party is not just a one time thing! The supergroup is composed of Terrace Martin, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, and 9th Wonder. There’s not enough time to delve into all of them, but each of them are legends! Everything you could possibly accomplish musically, these guys have done it. There’s no way that they could live up to the supergroup expectations, but even though they don’t, this is still another fantastic album! It feels like Terrace has the most control of the albums because this one sounds right up his alley of west coast hip-hop/jazz fusion that he’s been making the past decade or so. As with the first release, I do wish they incorporated more jazz into the project. They did so at their live performance at Coachella I saw and it elevated it significantly above what it would have been if they just performed these songs. It allowed them to show their individual talents much more, which I would love to see here at some point. But for now, Enigmatic Society is another enjoyable collection of tracks from a supergroup I can still barely believe exists.
Favorite Songs: “The Lower East Side”, “Breath” (Feat. Arin Ray), “Insane” (Feat. Ant Clemons)
If You Like: Jazz-fusion; west coast sounding music to play on a hot summer day while having a family cookout
Ric Wilson, Chromeo, & A-Trak - Clusterfunk
Genre: Hip-hop; dance; funk
Review
This is Ric Wilson’s first project of any length in three years, but it came with some high expectations. The entire project is produced by Chromeo and A-Trak, which will definitely set the standards for your project high! They combine for 9-upbeat, dance beats for Ric to rock over, and he absolutely floats over this production! Little things like the drum switch up on the chorus of “Gimmi A Minnit” help keep the project entertaining while still being fairly samey. The track “Git Up Off My Neck” is definitely my favorite on here! While most dance projects are just full of lighthearted tracks, this song shows Ric bringing in a more serious subject matter to this sound. Explicitly saying something like, “It’s not white against black. It’s everybody against racism. It’s everybody against fascism,” shouldn’t be considered political in this age, but it is. Having stic.man, who is one half of the duo dead prez, featured on the track only adds to the political nature of it. But even aside from the subject matter, the subtle groove and piano chords are easily one of the best I’ve heard all year! This might be my favorite project from Ric Wilson so far!
Favorite Songs: “Git Up Off My Neck” (Feat. stic.man), “Gimmi A Minnit”, “Pay It No Mind”
If You Like: Channel Tres; Chance the Rapper
London Brew - London Brew
Genre: Experimental jazz; jazz fusion
Review
You’ve heard of Bitches Brew, the iconic album from Miles Davis and one of the most acclaimed jazz albums of all time, London Brew is a direct homage to that album. This is not a recreation of Bitches Brew, but it was made in a purposely similar way. To make this album, they brought together 12 musicians from the London jazz scene and had them improvise together under minimal direction for three straight nights. Together, they created 12 hours of music that was somehow edited into the 88-minute runtime that we have now. Of course, this album will be nowhere near as influential or iconic as the original Bitches Brew, but that doesn’t mean that this is still a unique jazz experience, even 50 years later. The 23-minute title track takes the listener in every direction of psychedelic jazz, while the Jimi Hendrix-inspired “Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church” revolves around some fantastic saxophone and drum work. People are not making jazz music in this style with this many quality musicians in the mix very often, because it requires catching lightning in a bottle. While London Brew will obviously forever be tied to Bitches Brew, it is still a quality psychedelic jazz album that managed to catch a bit of lightning in a bottle.
Favorite Songs: “London Brew”, “London Brew Pt. 2 - Trainlines”, “Nu Sha Ni Sha Nu Oss Ra”
If You Like: Bitches Brew; crazy jazz fusion
Tyler, the Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost: The Estate Sale
Genre: Hip-hop; soul
Review
Two years after Tyler’s previous opus, there were a plethora of songs he wanted to release that didn’t find their way onto the original album. The Estate Sale is 7 new songs (and 1 skit) that we wouldn’t have heard if it weren’t for this, and it’s crazy that some of these songs didn’t make it on the original album! “Sorry Not Sorry” closes this deluxe album with an incredible song that easily rivals anything on the original album, if not surpasses a fair amount of it! Tyler apologizes to just about everyone in his life over an incredible beat. The video is also easily one of his best ever! I can’t believe this song almost didn’t make it out. “DOGTOOTH” has these incredible piano chords and drums that show Tyler at his best, production wise. Tyler also hands over production credits on “What A Day” to Madlib, which is understandable considering Madlib is one of the greatest producers of all time! Contrary to most people, I also really enjoyed Tyler’s attempt at classic west coast hip-hop on “Boyfriend Girlfriend” with YG. I wonder if this deluxe project means that we won’t get the usual Tyler album this summer that usually happens every two years. If not, I’m completely fine with him taking a longer break to work on something new. He’s put out a few incredible albums in a row that all have different sounds, it’s understandable to take a break to find out where else you want to go.
Favorite Songs: “Sorry Not Sorry”, “DOGTOOTH”, “What A Day”
If You Like: The original album; synth-heavy hip-hop
Zelooperz - Microphone Fiend
Genre: Experimental hip-hop
Review
He has already put out an EP earlier this year, but Microphone Fiend is Zelooperz’s most robust project since 2021! This project is absolutely bonkers, but I can’t yet figure out if it’s for the best or not. Even in the world of experimental hip hop, no one is quite like Zelooperz. The beats are full of warped samples and banging 808s. The songs themselves range from unhinged bangers to awkward attempts at slower ballads. As stereotypical as this phrase is, this is an album where you have to expect the unexpected. For example, there is randomly a point in the song “Tweakin N Geekin” where his raps are backwards for a couple bars. The same can be said for “Demon n Deities” where every other line is said in his normal voice, and then a pitched-up voice. There are some incredible bangers on here though that might be acceptable by the masses, including the absolutely wild “Arbyz”! Still, after a few listens, this album still throws me for a loop every time, which at the end of the day, is what I want from Zelooperz. Even if I don’t love everything he does, he is always pushing music to it’s limits.
Favorite Songs: “Arbyz”, “Microphone Fiend” (Feat. Young Coco), “Can’t Fill Your Tank”
If You Like: Danny Brown; ecstasy
Rae Sremmurd - SREMM 4 LIFE
Genre: Trap; hip-hop
Review
Rae Sremmurd has a discography full of hits and bangers, but this is the first time an album of theirs feels like a miss. There are some entertaining moments though, such as the Dido interpretation on “Not So Bad (Lean’s Gone Cold)”. It’s always nice to hear a Young Thug feature, and he brings it on “Royal Flush”. But the deeper you get into the album, the more confusing it gets. For example, what is “Tanisha (Pump That)”? The beat feels very amateurish and Swae Lee’s chorus of repeating “now pump that,” over and over is mind-numbing. And this was one of the songs they thought they should put out as a single?!? “Flaunt It/Cheap” mixes 80s electronic music with the trap sound in another unsuccessful way. This album just feels lazy, and yes, I’m being a little extra harsh because I know they can do better. Even their previous album, SR3MM, didn’t have any huge hits, but songs like “Powerglide” and “Buckets” were easily some of the best trap songs released that year! They could and have released some of the best that this genre has to offer, but this album makes me think they are on their way out.
Favorite Songs: “Not So Bad (Lean’s Gone Cold)”, “Royal Flush” (Feat. Young Thug), “Mississippi Slide”
If You Like: Party bangers
Metallica - 72 Seasons
Genre: Heavy metal; thrash metal
Review
Let’s get the obvious negatives out of the way, 77 minutes is way too long for a Metallica album in 2023. The majority of the songs meander between 6 and 7 minutes in length as well, which is way too long. Now, besides that, this album is as good as one could reasonably expect from a group of people around 60 making a thrash metal album. They’re still Metallica, so the riffs are extremely tight and James actually sounds pretty good on the vocals, but the unique factor is gone at this point. Everything feels very by the numbers. I do appreciate the lyrics being impactful at points, like how they talk about depression and suicide on “Screaming Suicide”. I won’t return to this album very often, but for fans of Metallica, this is still a fairly enjoyable record for them, especially considering they are 40 years into their career.
Favorite Songs: “Screaming Suicide”, “You Must Burn!”, “Chasing Light”
If You Like: Thrash metal; Metallica in general
Jack Harlow - Jackman
Genre: Hip-hop
Review
Jack was on his last leg, musically. While his name recognition is gigantic, after the abomination of an album he released last year, he was musically at the end of his line. Less than a year later, he is back again with easily the best music I’ve heard from him. The beats here are all classic soulful hip-hop sounds. The main thing I appreciate from Jack on here is that his rhymes are very honest. No matter if I agree with what he’s saying or how he’s saying it, nothing here seems like he’s lying. A song like “Denver” shows Jack wrestling with depression, imposter syndrome, and the troubles of fame in what is probably the best verse I’ve ever heard him do. “Ambitious” takes an idea Kendrick did on the track “FEAR.” and Jack uses one verse each to talk about his life at 14, 19, and 24. It’s obviously not as good as Kendrick’s, but it’s enjoyable and heartfelt. That’s how I feel about this whole album. Jack is far from an incredible rapper now, but he is finally releasing a full body of work that I can call good, which I wasn’t sure would ever happen.
Favorite Songs: “Denver”, “Ambitious”, “It Can’t Be”
If You Like: 9th Wonder; J. Cole
Mike Dean - 4:23
Genre: Electronic
Review
This is the most concise album that Mike Dean has put out yet. His previous albums have felt more like a collection of synth-led improvisations that meld into each other, but this one feels more like actual songs. It could be due to the fact that The Weeknd executively produced the project and is featured on about a third of it, or it could just be that Mike has started to put more time and effort into these albums. Either way, songs like “Artificial Intelligence” and “More Coke!!” are transcendent collaborations with The Weeknd on vocals and Mike Dean on the synths. Apparently these were also made in the week leading up to this project's release, which just makes it even more impressive! There is also the overarching theme of AI and its use in possibly creating art that is present here. 4:23 shows that Mike Dean is heading in the right direction with his solo music!
Favorite Songs: “Artificial Intelligence”, “More Coke!!”, “Earth To Michael”
If You Like: Synths; floating through space
Labrinth - Ends & Begins
Genre: Electro-pop; R&B
Review
Labrinth has had a career resurgence in the past few years with his work on the Euphoria soundtrack. Personally, I remember Labrinth more for his 2012 hits “Beneath Your Beautiful” and “Earthquake”, but it’s been over a decade since I’ve dove into his work. I had no idea what he would sound like in 2023. As it turns out, it’s an interesting combination of electronic and pop music. The production here sounds extremely polished, almost too much so. It’s right there for being truly amazing, but it’s not there because of the shine on it. Labrinth is still a fantastic vocalist, and he especially shines with his higher register. “Never Felt So Alone” has a Billie Eilish feature that is absolutely beautiful, whereas the Zendaya feature on “The Feels” is a bit lackluster, vocally. Everything that you would want in a futuristic, cinematic electro-pop album is here, I just wish he would do something more unique. I’m not sure what it is I’d want him to do, but he is incredibly talented, so much so that it feels there is something missing here. This project is really good and is definitely worth a listen for anyone, but I just know he can make something mind blowing, and this isn’t it.
Favorite Songs: “Kill For Your Love”, “Never Felt So Alone”, “100 Miles An Hour”
If You Like: Euphoria; blockbuster-sized pop music
Indigo De Souza - All Of This Will End
Genre: Indie rock
Review
Indigo De Souza has become one of indie music’s more underrated artists, and this project shows why. Singles such as “Younger & Dumber” and “Smog” are easily some of the best tracks in the genre of the year! The former is a gorgeous indie ballad that ends the album on a highpoint, while the latter is a classic indie rock track. The title track from this album is another highlight in the tracklist that she performed last July during her show in Madison. The lyrics on this track are especially potent. The main negative I have with this project is that most of the songs feel a bit underwritten. Now, this doesn’t bother me as much as it does some people, but it does make a clear difference between the songs made for the album, and the songs made to be singles. Still, All Of This Will End is one of the better indie rock albums I’ve heard this year, and another step hopefully towards stardom for Indigo.
Favorite Songs: “The Water”, “All Of This Will End”, “Younger & Dumber”
If You Like: Julien Baker; indie-rock
Flume - Arrived Anxious, Left Bored
Genre: Electronic
Review
This is his second batch of previously unreleased tracks that he’s put out this year, and even though this project does not have the highs of the previous one, this project is easily more consistent and entertaining overall! In fact, if this wasn’t part of a larger set of projects, I could almost see this being a project he specifically made these songs for! All of these songs are fairly downtempo, sound design-esque tracks. He even shows his chances at singing and house music, which both end up going fairly well, for the most part. I could be a bit critical of it if I wanted to, like how the title track goes on for a couple minutes too long or how the last couple songs don’t live up to the hype of the beginning of the project, but this wasn’t a project made to be criticized. It was made to get fans another 10 songs from Flume that we would not have had.
Favorite Songs: “Chalk 1.3.3”, “All There 1.9”, “Miss U”
If You Like: Flume’s previous projects
Destroy Lonely - If Looks Could Kill
Genre: Rage; shoegaze hip-hop
Review
If Looks Could Kill is Destroy Lonely’s debut album, and it’s clearly too much. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some highlights. The title track and single has this infectious guitar loop and a shout out to Dellavedova is something I never thought I would hear in any song. “Chris Paul” has a bouncy beat and a catchy flow by Destroy Lonely, even though I can barely understand anything he is saying. “safety - interlude” is the longest song on the album, even with the interlude diagnosis, and it’s easily one of my favorites. It almost feels like a rock song instead of a rock-influenced song, which I really enjoyed. It feels ethereal in a way that most of this project doesn’t. Obviously, the negative about this album is it’s 26 songs and over 80 minutes long! This album needed to be half this length at most. This is way too long for me to personally love, especially with how same-y it sounds. I hope he continues to evolve this sound, just in a more concise fashion.
Favorite Songs: “If looks could kill”, “chris paul”, “safety - interlude”
If You Like: Playboi Carti; Opium
Conway The Machine - Won’t He Do It
Genre: Hip-Hop
Review
This seems like it will be the year of Conway. According to Rolling Stone, he went to Denver last summer and ended up making six albums! Now, I doubt that we’ll ever get all six albums, but it’s nice to know that Won’t He Do It is not the only thing he was working on for the past year and change. Even though this album is really good, it’s pretty tame for a Conway release. The more I listen to this album, the more I enjoy it, but I do miss the more introspective Conway that we’ve gotten on previous projects. I understand why we’re not getting that anymore though, he’s at the mountain top. He’s made arguably classic albums, classic songs, poured his heart out for years, got out of the street life, helped build one of the more influential hip-hop labels of the past decade, and so much more. It’s understandable that he wants to take a bit of a break, but even with that break, this album has plenty of great moments on it, the best maybe not even coming from Conway. 7xvethegenius closes the title track with a verse that goes on for so long and is so personal that you forget Conway was even on the track by the end of it. She’s supposed to have her debut album soon and I’m definitely anticipating that. Even if it may be a slight step down from his previous projects, this is still a good Conway album, and I hope he heals quickly from his broken leg.
Favorite Songs: “Won’t He Do It” (Feat. 7xvethegenius), “The Chosen” (Feat. Jae Skeese), “Brucifix” (Feat. Westside Gunn)
If You Like: NY hip-hop; grimey hip-hop; Griselda
Durand Jones - Wait Til I Get Over
Genre: Soul; blues
Review
This is the debut solo album from Durand Jones. He has been making music as one part of the soul group Durand Jones & The Indications, but this is his solo debut. Wait Til I Get Over is fantastic! Jones’s voice is the clear highlight of this project! There are times he sounds like a classic 70s singer, like on the Donny Hathaway cover of, “Someday We’ll All Be Free”, and there are others where he sounds straight out of a gospel choir, like on the title track. The production is really good, but it is missing that extra something that other artists like SAULT really bring to this sound. It’s just an indescribable thing that is missing on these instrumentals compared to people like that. Either way though, Durand Jones absolutely kills it on his debut and hopefully he keeps it up in the future!
Favorite Songs: “Sadie”, “I Want You”, “Letter To My 17 Year Old Self”
If You Like: Gary Clark Jr.; classic soul
Fred Again.. & Brian Eno - Secret Life
Genre: Ambient
Review
Only a couple weeks after being a part of an impromptu Coachella-closing performance, Fred Again.. released a full ambient album he has been working on with none other than Brian Eno. The pair have known each other for the past decade, as they were neighbors when Fred was a teenager. The entire project has this aura of beauty surrounding it, like watching a bizarre sunset, as the cover entails. “Enough” is a stunning 5-minute track that builds with these effervescent synths and minimal electronic sounds that make everything worth the wait. “Secret” has some beautiful string and sample work. The vocal chops on “Cmon” span the entire soundscape and kind of feels like something James Blake would make, if he made ambient music. While this project may not be quite as good as his dance material, it shows that Fred can make quality ambient music, along with an ambient legend.
If You Like: Brian Eno’s music; study music
Overmono - Good Lies
Genre: Electronic
Review
The debut album from UK electronic duo Overmono is finally here, and it showcases both the potential and the limitations of their careers so far. Their style of breakbeat is mixed with everything from trance to the UK dubstep scene is exceptional. The single, “Is U” is a perfect example of this, especially when it comes to the heavy synth leads. There are plenty of other awesome tracks on here, including the high-energy, “Sugarushhh” and the more straightforward title track, “Good Lies”. The main limitation they have so far is that the entire project sounds like one long song. At 48 minutes, there should be some variety when it comes to the sound, but this project ends up running together too well. But when it comes to the individual songs on here, just about everything is fantastic! I just hope they add a bit more variety in the future.
If You Like: Early James Blake; low-key electronic music
6lack - Since I Have A Lover
Genre: R&B; pop; hip-hop
Review
I feel like 6lack is just on a slow downward trajectory, and this album unfortunately continues that trend. It’s still a solid album, there are lots of entertaining tracks. “Rent Free” has this skittering drum beat and 6lack’s voice being layered perfectly. Olu from Earthgang shows up to produce “Decatur”, and he makes it sound like it came from Decatur, especially with the subtle horns he has. “B4L” has probably the best chorus on the whole project, so that makes it fairly memorable. There are just too many bland tracks that fly by without leaving any impression. Looking back at his debut project to the mainstream, Free 6lack, the dark songwriting and atmosphere around that project helps it overcome the weaker moments. There is no atmosphere of anything when it comes to this project. It’s just 19 songs and almost an hour of trap-inspired R&B and pop music with the occasional detour. He just sounds uninspired when it comes to making music these days, which is completely fine because he seems happy, but it doesn’t make for music I want to personally listen to.
If You Like: Trap-R&B; his previous work
Summer Walker - Clear 2: Soft Life
Genre: R&B; soul
Review
Even though she’s one of the biggest names in the genre, I’ve never heard a Summer Walker project before this one. After listening to this new EP, I was definitely missing out! Her voice is absolutely gorgeous. “How Does It Feel” is a tender ballad where she’s backed by not much more than gentle guitar chords. Even when the choir comes in towards the end, the fragility in Summer’s voice is what comes through the most. It also helps that she has features from J. Cole and Childish Gambino on here. Cole does exactly what one would expect, which was an introspective verse over an R&B beat. Gambino, on the other hand, is one half of an old-school duet where they almost sound like they are trying to seduce each other instead of singing their hearts out. It’s not what I was expecting, but it works fairly well! There are a couple tracks that aren’t on the same level, but I don’t think she put as much effort into this project as she does her albums. I may not think she’s the best thing in R&B, but I will make sure to check out her next project!
Favorite Songs: “To Summer, From Cole - Audio Hug” (Feat. J. Cole), “How Does It Feel”, “New Type” (Feat. Childish Gambino)
If You Like: SZA; 90s R&B
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