Porter Robinson - Smile :D
Genre: Electro-pop
Review
Smile :D is Porter’s full foray into electro-pop music after teasing that direction on his 2021 album, Nurture. For the most part, I think Smile :D works out great! My main problem with the album is that sometimes the lyrics that are supposed to be playful come across as cringy, especially when they’re put against some of the more emotional lines. The biggest example of this dichotomy is on “Russian Roulette”. During the second verse of the song, he’s talking about Pitchfork and their reviews with the line, “YouTube review, funny monkey. Takes a piss into his own mouth, crazy”. It’s a direct reference to a review Pitchfork did where the whole review was just a video of a monkey peeing in it’s own mouth, but having that line directly next to one talking about holding a gun up to his head, “Now my hand is drawn, I put the gun against the thing that's stopping me” is so weird. He then comes to the conclusion at the end of the song that life is worth living with this heartfelt bridge, but then the song ends with this robotic voice talking about song cliches. I understand the point that he’s making, and it doesn’t make the song unlistenable or anything, but we don’t need an explanation of song cliches after a song about him trying to deal with his suicidal ideations. Outside of the lyrical corniness at points, I think the album is awesome! I love the vocal chops in “Is There Really No Happiness?”, the ballads on the album are both stunningly gorgeous, and “Cheerleader” is one of my absolute favorite tracks of the year! I understand how some people that have been following Porter for the last decade might be disappointed in the change of sound, but as someone who only discovered him during the pandemic, Smile :D is another fantastic, emotional, and fun release!
Favorite Tracks: “Cheerleader”, “Mona Lisa” (Feat. Frost Children), “Easier to Love You”
If You Like…: Anime; emotional electro-pop
Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet
Genre: Pop
Review
It’s been a long time coming, but Sabrina Carpenter is now one of the biggest pop stars of 2024! She really shot to another level of popularity with the song “Espresso”, released in April. Just to put in perspective how big the song is, “Espresso” was the third quickest song to reach a billion streams in Spotify history. Not only is it one of the biggest songs of 2024, it’s also one of the best! The song is endlessly quotable, and the summer-y production helps add to the persona that Sabrina already has. After “Espresso” blew everyone and their expectations away, I was curious what the full album was going to sound like, and it ended up being a pleasant surprise! She doesn’t only stick to the retro-pop formula of “Espresso” for 12 songs, there’s quite a bit of variety. “Slim Pickins” is a twangy country-pop song more akin to Kacey Musgraves than to a new, former Disney pop star. “Sharpest Tool” sounds like a leftover from when Taylor Swift was in between the country and pop genres, but in the best way possible. While “Taste” has the high budget music video, and is still a pretty good song in itself, I can see “Good Graces” being her next big hit! The chorus is insanely catchy, and the track is playful in a similar way that “Espresso” is. Short n’ Sweet doesn’t reinvent any wheel, but it’s a pretty good introduction project for this newly humongous pop star!
Favorite Tracks: “Espresso”, “Slim Pickins”, “Good Graces”
If You Like…: Starbucks; have a lot of self-esteem or need to listen to someone who has a lot of self-esteem
ISOKNOCK - 4EVR
Genre: EDM; trap
Review
Before we get too much into the album, I just want to acknowledge that I’m definitely biased here. Isoknock is a duo made up of ISOxo and Knock2, who are two of my favorite new electronic artists! As of the day of writing this (August 6th), they are my third and fourth most listened to artists of 2024 of any genre! And neither one of them has released any music in 2024 before this album, it was all listening to their older material. So yes, while I do obviously think 4EVR is great, I understand how some people are disappointed. 4EVR isn’t better, or even on par, with the best that either one of them has done by themselves. Instead, 4EVR feels like two friends having the time of their lives while messing around in the studio for a couple weeks and this is what came out. For me, that’s all I want for collab projects. I’ve been disappointed too many times with collab projects that seem to be amazing on paper, but they almost never end up being better than anything they could’ve done themselves. Thankfully, I’ve learned where to set my expectations and instead of being disappointed by 4EVR, I’m just glad we finally got an official project from the two of them! Hopefully we still get Knock2’s debut album later this year!
Favorite Tracks: “4EVR” (Feat. cade clair), “Smack Talk” (Feat. RL Grime), “Energy” (Feat. Bantu)
If You Like…: ISOxo; Knock2; crazy EDM bangers
Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk
Genre: Synth-pop; progressive pop
Review
Magdalena Bay became one of the most interesting things in pop music a few years ago with their debut album, Mercurial World. The music, along with the visuals, relied heavily on the early 2000s aesthetic and the nostalgia associated with it. On Imaginal Disk, the duo take everything that worked on the first album, and make it so much better! Pretty much the only thing their debut did better is it had a couple incredible standalone songs. When it comes to Imaginal Disk, everything works way better when you’re experiencing the album as a whole. The songs flow from one another wonderfully, and the ornate song structures that may seem too weird by itself, work beautifully when put together as a whole. Each listen makes the little details that make the album work stand out even more! For example, this is such a weird thing, but I love the gnarly synth bass hits on songs like “Image” and “Death & Romance”. And I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that they have that same sound and are right next to each other in the tracklist. And even though those are in the first third of the album, Imaginal Disk actually gets better the further you go! The outro of “Tunnel Vision” goes into some full prog-rock craziness, whereas the synths on “Cry for Me” actually make the listener levitate! I can’t wait to continue to unpack this album, and hopefully they come back to Madison again so I can see it live!
Favorite Tracks: “Cry for Me”, “Tunnel Vision”, “Image”
If You Like…: Pink Floyd & Caroline Polachek
Navy Blue - Memoirs in Armour
Genre: Hip-hop
Review
It was a big month for people who use hip-hop as therapy. Firstly, we got a new album from Navy Blue! You may remember that Navy Blue actually had my favorite song of 2023 with “Life’s Terms”, and even with those high expectations, Memoirs in Armour doesn’t disappoint! It is a bit less accessible than his previous release, but there’s no doubting his lyricism. As with his previous work, he’s not saying the most complex things or talking about obscure history figures, it’s just the way he frames everything that makes his lines hit hard. My personal favorite track on here is definitely “La Noche”, which ends the album with the chorus, “I hope you find peace of mind on your own”. The second verse of the track starts with the lines, “I've come a long way from crying on whoever shoulder was near. I close my eyes and let the moment appear. Glimmer of light, I saw some hope in mirror. I know the only way forward is to cope with the fears”. It’s hard to talk about Navy Blue without just presenting these straightforward lines and letting the listener interpret them. It’s not something that I think everyone will enjoy, but for people that need it, Navy Blue is here. He even says it on “Time Slips”, “Depression was the birth of Navy Blue. My message is to serve a greater you”. And serve the fans another helping of therapy he did.
Favorite Tracks: “Low Threshold”, “La Noche”, “Red Roses”
If You Like…: Introspective hip-hop; therapy; living a better life
Mavi - Shadowbox
Genre: Hip-hop
Review
The other big name in therapeutic hip-hop that was released this month is Mavi. Mavi’s last album, Laughing So Hard It Hurts, was a step up for him in terms of maturity and introspection, and Shadowbox is on that level, or maybe slightly better! In terms of my personal enjoyment, I don’t currently enjoy it as much as his previous release, but there’s no denying the songs on here! Just listen to “Too Much To Zelle”. The way he flows on the song is incredible and unlike what anyone else is doing. And even though that song isn’t one of the most personal ones on the record, he’ll still have a line like, “Took all I could muster to mutter, ‘Help,’” that’ll knock your socks off. It’s such a personal line that’s heartbreaking to hear, but I also love his phrasing of “muster” and “mutter”. At the end of the day though, Mavi’s a rapper who can rap his ass off, and he does it all throughout this record. “The Sky is Quiet”, “Grindstone”, and “I’m So Tired” all show Mavi just rapping better than 90% of the people out there, even before delving into what the songs are about. I’m glad it seems like Mavi was able to work through this difficult period in his life, and was able to share it with us in such an honest way.
Favorite Tracks: “I’m So Tired”, “The Giver”, “Too Much To Zelle”
If You Like…: Spoken word; introspective hip-hop
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Flight b741
Genre: Blues rock
Review
It took until August, but we finally got a new King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard album in 2024! This time, they take on a somewhat familiar genre for them, blues rock. Flight b741 feels like a sequel to Fishing for Fishies in that way, where it’s a bunch of 70s blues rock barnyard bangers! Because of that softer sound, it’s also one of their most accessible records. Unsurprisingly, the album is also pretty good! While “Le Risque” is an awesome single, I can’t get the melody of “Field of Vision” out of my head! I feel like that could’ve made a better single, especially with the “Silly Billy” lines at the end. As with most King Gizzard albums, they still have one extended jam on here, and this time it’s the final song, “Daily Blues”. I do miss their extended jams a bit, so it was nice to still get a taste of it on here. Between this and the new Jack White album, it’s been a pretty good month for rock music, and I can’t wait to see how King Gizzard decides to perform these songs live in a few days!
Favorite Tracks: “Field of Vision”, “Antarctica”, “Sad Pilot”
If You Like…: 70s blues rock; think music was better before MTV
JPEGMAFIA - I Lay Down My Life For You
Genre: Experimental hip-hop
Review
I genuinely think JPEGMAFIA is getting better at producing with each album! Even when we look at his music when he first came on the scene with Veteran and Black Ben Carson, the production here is undeniably a step up! A big reason for this is his use of guitars in his beats. Just look at the first song, and how he includes these hi-hats and guitars that feels like a shoegaze song before it drops back into a minimal hip-hop centric beat. Most people can’t make something like that work, but he can! Now, even though the production is mindblowing, Peggy’s rapping is still the same as it's always been. He does get more personal during the last four songs on here, which is a nice change of pace, but don’t come to this album expecting him to change his flows or inflections very much. Overall though, this album is another successful endeavor from one of hip-hop’s best and most creative producers!
Favorite Tracks: “Sin Miedo”, “i recovered from this”, “New Black History” (Feat. Vince Staples”
If You Like…: Weird hip-hop; production that makes you go “wtf is this, but it’s amazing”
Ravyn Lenae - Bird’s Eye
Genre: R&B; soul
Review
It’s been a pleasure watching Ravyn Lenae go from being the high schooler who was featured on Telefone and Blkswn to an accomplished R&B songstress! When it comes to comparing Bird’s Eye to her debut album, Hypnos, the biggest difference is the addition of DJ Dahi as executive producer. Adding someone else to help her curate the album led to it being a better and more concise album experience! It also allowed her to get bigger features, like Childish Gambino on “One Wish”. The song itself is also a beautifully written letter to her father, who abandoned her and her mother when she was young. Gambino comes in during the third verse and gives a short verse from the perspective of the father, which just adds the cherry on top to an already stunning song. If you like R&B and you haven’t been listening to Ravyn Lenae, don’t let Bird’s Eye slip through the cracks!
Favorite Tracks: “One Wish” (Feat. Childish Gambino), “Dream Girl” (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign), “Love Is Blind”
If You Like…: R&B; beautiful high-pitched voices
Y$ - Vultures 2
Genre: Hip-hop
Review
I’m only forcing myself to listen to this album once, so I apologize if this isn’t the most in depth review. Unsurprisingly, this is a mess. Both Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign don’t bring their A-game. Or in fact, neither seem like they were interested in the album at all. Even when a song is somewhat entertaining, like “River” or “Field Trip”, there are so many glaring problems that it takes what could be great and turns it into something mediocre at best. Even “Sky City”, which has been leaked for half a decade, was made worse. I mean, just listen to this version and then go listen to the one that’s officially released. The harmonies on the unreleased one are so much more beautiful and the progression of the last two minutes is genuinely incredible! But they decided to just take that out of this one for some reason. All in all, I think Vultures 2 is the worst thing I’ve listened to this year, and it’s disappointing to see someone who objectively used to make incredible music make something so lifeless.
Favorite Tracks: “Sky City”, I guess. But just listen to the leak instead; “Field Trip” is enjoyable enough
If You Like…: Being obsessed with Kanye
Parannoul - Sky Hundred
Genre: Shoegaze; noise rock
Review
The same day that Vultures 2 came out, Parannoul surprise dropped his new album, Sky Hundred! For those that don’t know, Parannoul is an anonymous person who lives in South Korea and makes everything on the albums himself! As of a couple days ago, he did his first interview with a Korean news channel, so he is starting to slowly put himself out there, but he’s still covering his face and not giving out any personal information whatsoever. Sky Hundred is another noisy, expansive, and emotional opus from the young artist! I have no idea what he’s saying on any of the tracks, because they’re all in Korean, but the emotional climaxes that the music comes to on almost every song transcends any language. The instruments on here are more blown out than normal. It feels like everything was recorded with a microphone inside the instrument, but they still managed to mix and master it to be pleasing to everyone’s ears. It’s an album you really have to sink your teeth into, because everything is so dense and noisy that upon first listen, it feels like a mess. But I guarantee that the more you check this project out, the more you’ll come to appreciate what this person is able to do!
Favorite Tracks: “Gold River”, “A Lot Can Happen”, “Backwards”
If You Like…: Noisy rock music; emotional rock climaxes
Gucci Mane - Greatest of all Trappers (Gangsta Grillz Edition)
Genre: Trap
Review
It’s been a while since I listened to a Gucci Mane album. In fairness, most of his recent albums have been promoting his new label. And the one project that wasn’t a label project was 24 songs long, which is probably too much Gucci for me at one time. But he’s back with a 12 song mixtape narrated by DJ Drama, so it seemed like the perfect time to hop back into Gucci, and he’s just as awesome as ever! Now, it sounds like he made this project in a week at most, but everything is still quality, in my opinion. The production is classic Gucci, and he somehow manages to make these repetitive choruses work for him. As usual, his lyrics are fairly simple, but also hilarious. “Last night you met, she looked like Kim K. Next day, no makeup, look like Chief Keef,” is probably my favorite joke on the album! It’s nothing that’s mind blowing, or anywhere near the best for Gucci, but I think it’s pretty enjoyable!
Favorite Tracks: “Kicked In”, “Leak”, “Hypocrites”
If You Like…: Gucci; southern trap
Tinashe - Quantum Baby
Genre: Pop; Alt-R&B
Review
I can’t say that Quantum Baby is as great as its predecessor, but it’s still a fantastic little project! This is the second installment in a three mini-album series from Tinashe. So while this is classified as an album, it’s only eight songs and a little over twenty minutes long. Personally, I think people just set their expectations too high after the lead single to this album, “Nasty”, became a hit on social media! It’s an incredible pop song that is just another example of Tinashe’s ability to create sexy earworms, and she does it again here with “No Broke Boys”. I could be wrong because “Needs” from last year wasn’t a hit, but “No Broke Boys” surely feels like it could be huge with the right promotion! The rest of the album is a bit more R&B focused but it works! Tinashe’s voice is gorgeous, and the more ambient instrumentals especially accentuate her voice beautifully! So while a song like “When I Get You Alone” doesn’t fully hit for me, a song like “Red Flags” more than makes up for it. Hopefully the last installment of this project is as awesome as the first two!
Favorite Tracks: “Nasty”, “No Broke Boys”, “Red Flags”
If You Like…: Accessible pop and R&B
Louis Cole (with Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley) - nothing
Genre: Pop; electronic; funk
Review
Louis Cole was approached to do an orchestral version of his last album, but instead of taking that easy path, he decided to make an entirely new album to perform with the orchestra. There are two songs that are from his previous album, but the rest of the album consists of 15 new tracks composed by Louis Cole. Some of the songs feel like perfect elevations of Louis Cole’s sound, combining his lofi funk-pop bangers with string arrangements. Songs like “Things Will Fall Apart” and “These Days Are Killing Me” are both perfect examples of these sounds coming together, but there are also quite a few purely orchestral moments that are new for Louis. The biggest example of this is the eleven minute classical penultimate ballad, “Doesn’t Matter”. Do I personally enjoy it as much as the more upbeat anthems, no. But, I still enjoy everything on this album at least somewhat, and it’s more than worth the listen for anyone interested in Louis’s sound!
Favorite Tracks: “Things Will Fall Apart”, “These Days Are Killing Me”, “A Pill In The Sea”
If You Like…: Orchestral funk pop anthems
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