Albums I Never Got To: QUICK REVIEW

Sorry I Missed These
Faith No More-Sol Invictus 6.0/10
Certainly not terrible, but also not really anything too exciting. Pretty disappointing after it being their comeback record. I feel like if you are going to make a comeback, it has to rival your previous work, and this album simply doesn't.
Hiatus Kaiyote-Choose Your Weapon 8.2/10
extremely soulful and colorful album. Really sad I didn't get to properly review this album, and I feel like it blends electronic, jazz, and r&b influences extremely well. The songs are pretty interesting but surprisingly direct, and how could you not love that voice?
Drake-If You're Reading This, It's Too Late 7.7/10
Undeniably powerful for Drake. Really have never been a fan at all, but this thing is chalked full of accessible and energetic rap songs that do not lack in the lyrical department either. It's not amazing or anything, especially compared to K.Dot's album, but it deserves a nice little shout out from me. Good job Drake.
Waxahatchee-Ivy Tripp 8.7/10
A simple, yet very emotional record that wins you over with its charm and heart. Kate Crutchfield pours her soul all over this thing and honestly although its simple, it's secretly one of my favorite indie records of the year.
Thee Oh Sees-Mutilator Defeated At Last 7.8/10
Another really solid art-rock/punk album from Thee Oh Sees. This album is another pretty simplistic album, but it thrives off it's catchy choruses and it's hard hitting tunes. Another good effort from a consistent band.
Natalie Prass-Natalie Prass 8.3/10
a very nice, sprawling debut record for singer and songwriter Natalie Prass. This album is lovely on the ears, and it showcases the beautiful voice Natalie has. This album has some pretty tasteful old-school instrumentals that include strings, harps, etc. This album is a little sleepy though, so if you are tired do not listen to this.

A$AP Rocky-A.L.L.A Review

Last Place                                                   A$AP ROCKY-A.L.L.A (4.9/10)

A$AP Rocky has been one of the more hyped rappers in recent years, and he certainly has some great "cloud" rap songs. Rocky has made a name for himself by making very whispy, chilled out rap songs that occasionally have a nice pop appeal. A$AP is not really the most talented lyricist or anything, but he certainly brings a unique style to the board which is probably what intrigues me the most about him. While A$AP has certainly found success on his prior two albums, I think it is evident there is nothing groundbreaking on these projects. I think even Rocky himself is aware of this simply because of the sharp turn in sonic attitude he made on this latest project: At Long Last ASAP. This album is a hodge podge group of songs that are often unconventional and are even sometimes just downright disturbing. While this was a great idea on paper in my opinion, I have to say the execution is beyond flawed. Some of the songs are just so lazy, and some of the lyrics/features really hinder the end result of this project. While I have never been a huge A$AP fan, I must admit he certainly stood apart from many other rappers in his field. He excelled at what he did, but on this project we just do not see this level of execution. A lot of these tracks are simply not very memorable and the whole thing really feels like it could have used a little more time to really solidify itself. If this album is as big as the title implies than I have to say I'm very disappointed. At Long Last ASAP implies that this is who he has always wanted to be, but frankly I think this is his least focused effort he has ever released. 

Don't get me wrong this thing certainly has highlights. It opens up with the grimey sounding Holy Ghost. This song features A$AP spitting at his best, and it also has a very anthemic chorus. The whole thing feels very badass. Canal St. also is a very minimalistic beat which really allows A$AP to shine. This track is just that kind of hypnotic cloud rap we have known to love from Rocky. Great lyricism over a very eerie piece of music. Electric Body shows A$AP flowing like Lupe Fiasco over a pretty sinister beat. While the lyrics are pretty questionable it still is a lot more interesting than the Migos-esque flow we got on a lot of this album. Schoolboy Q also is just intimidating as all hell on this track, and he feels great over the sinister beat. Also I really like how the tone of the track just kinda twists towards the end. Jukebox Joints is a very soulful track that just feels right at home. It has that Kanye West College Dropout thing going on, which is definitely not coincidental because Kanye is on this track. A$AP spits on this track and so does Kanye, so I do not really have any complaints here. Wavybone is perhaps the best track on here. The track has a nice hook and oozes confidence, and it features a lot of great rapping, even from Juicy J. M'$ also is a dark as hell beat, and it features a great verse from Lil Wayne. This track is not fantastic, but it's beat if pretty intriguing with the staggering 808 pattern. Back Home is also a really nice closer that also really feels badass. The beat has that grimey feel to it again, and it also has A$AP Yams on it which really feels like an appropriate tribute to one of Rocky's close friends. This beat also kind of flips on itself halfway through and it turns into a very airy song, but the song ties up the album nicely so I cannot complain. Other than those songs, I really don't have a lot of good things to say. A lot of the flows on this album are just so generic and plain and do so little to draw in my attention. This really hurts because A$AP isn't really known to be a fantastic lyricist in the first place. Also, some of these songs are weird, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel like they are weird for no reason. If you decide to have a sonic change that is fine, but you still have to have a sense of direction in your songs. Songs like LSD and Fine Whine really feel like good ideas that were lazily put together. These tracks have no direction, and they really have no purpose quite honestly. They don't have a lot of great qualities and I feel like the album would be better without these tracks. The tracks following these tracks also generally just feel lazy. Excuse Me is very bad lyrically and it just feels like A$AP so much more capable than this. Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye has an atrocious chorus and the beat feels like something you would hear inside a Reebok store. Also annoying synth line on this one. West Side Highway is not very good content wise, and it also is a lazy track. The track literally is so boring and bland, and a very poor use of James Fauntleroy's talents. Everyday has some great ideas, and it is decently executed, but the ideas just do not blend into each other and it is sad. That track was a blown opportunity for sure. Better Things sounds exactly like Excuse Me, so that hurts both of those tracks. Overall this thing just blows a lot of opportunities. A lot of good ideas are just lazily sewn together which is really sad to see. So can A$AP come back from this? I'm not so sure. He seems pretty satisfied with this, but honestly a lot of people are not happy. I don't think our opinion matters that much to him, which I can respect, so I'll just let him do his thing. 

Best Songs: Holy Ghost, Canal St., Electric Body, Jukebox Joints, Wavybone, M'$, Back Home

Worst Songs: Fine Whine, L$D, Excuse Me, Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye, JD, West Side Highway, Better Things

Essential Summer Albums

I Love Summer
Summer has a certain kind of attitude about it that is just so fun and care free, and I believe what you listen to this summer should reflect that. I really enjoy some early 2000s indie rock during summer, but there is definitely plenty to choose from overall. The following list is just my favorite albums to listen to during summer, in no particular order.
Enjoy!

The Essentials:
Bombay Bicycle Club-I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose
Tokyo Police Club-Champ
50 Cent-Get Rich Or Die Tryin'
Arctic Monkeys-Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not/Favourite Worst Nightmare
The Strokes-Is This It?/Room On Fire
Titus Andronicus-The Monitor
M83-Saturdays=Youth
Cloud Nothings-Attack On Memory
The Cribs-Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever/The New Fellas
Nas-Illmatic
Albert Hammond Jr.-Yours To Keep
Weezer-Blue/Pinkerton
Kendrick Lamar-Good Kid M.A.A.D City
Modest Mouse-Building Nothing Out Of Something
Arcade Fire-Funeral
Pixies-Surfer Rosa
Caribou-Swim
Broken Social Scene-You Forgot It In People/Broken Social Scene
Deerhunter-Halcyon Digest, Microcastle
Built To Spill-There's Nothing Wrong With Love, Keep It Like A Secret
Wavves-King Of The Beach
Death Grips-Exmilitary
Kanye West-Yeezus/Graduation
Mac DeMarco-Salad Days
The New Pornographers-Twin Cinema/Electric Version
Interpol-Turn On The Bright Lights
LCD Soundsystem-Sound Of Silver/This Is Happening
Pavement-Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain/Slanted & Enchanted
Outkast-ATLiens/Aquemini/Stankonia
Check It Plz
Suna-Sometime EP
Algernon Cadawaller-Parrot Flies/Some Kind Of Cadawaller
American Football-American Football
Tallest Man On Earth-Wild Hunt
The Walkmen-Bows & Arrows
Cymbals Eat Guitars-Why There Are Mountains/Lenses Alien/LOSE
Todd Terje-It's Album Time
Charles Bradley-Victim Of Love
Wild Nothing-Gemini
Clark-Clark
Wye Oak-Shriek
Washed Out-Within And Without
Unknown Mortal Orchestra-II
Strand Of Oaks-Heal
Speedy Ortiz-Major Arcana
Slowdive-Just For A Day/Souvlaki
The Promise Ring-Very Emergency/Nothing Feels Good
Portishead-III/Dummy
Lower Dens-Nootropics
Beach Fossils-What A Pleasure EP
Sleater Kinney-The Woods
Parquet Courts-Light Up Gold
SPORT-Bon Voyage/Colors
Tune-Yards-Nikki Nack

Album Review: Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment-Surf

Let's Go Surfing

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment: Surf
7.2/10










Let's get one thing straight right away: This is not a Chance The Rapper album. This is a collaborative effort between Chance, Peter Cottontale, Greg Landfair Jr., Nate Fox, and Donnie Trumpet himself. Why is this important? Well, at least to me, I have been pretty frustrated to see the general public not giving these other musicians their fair share of credit. There's no denying that Chance is a great talent, but giving him all the credit for a project like this is simply ignorant. These other musicians put in a lot of work into making this album, and I just felt like that should be at least acknowledged. Now that that's done, lets get to the review! I have loved Chance's work with the band thus far, so I was heavily anticipating this project, and I have to say, my expectations have been met, definitely not exceeded, but met. This album is an interesting blend of neo-jazz, soul, and hip-hop that is just really unique. Not a lot of people are making music like this today, and it is cool to see someone like Chance continue to branch out musically. Some tracks are energetic and punchy, but most of this album is actually very quiet and atmospheric. This is a very spotty direction for the band to go in because although the musicians are very talented, most of the group's vocalists have a really hard time carrying a track by themselves. Also, the quiet nature of this LP ultimately loses my attention sometimes. It's not that the music itself is boring, it is just that these musicians usually are way more vibrant with their songs, and I felt like some of these songs just lost life half way in. Regardless of this change, all the instrumentals/beats are very well done, and it seems like this group was more than capable of pulling off this change. Most of the songs on here are still rather captivating, but honestly compared to what I envisioned it just seems sort of lifeless. Overall, I still enjoyed the album, and there was still plenty to enjoy.

This thing kicks off with the mystical, yet powerful Miracle. This thing features a great verse from Chance, and immediately shows the listener that this thing is going to a pretty different sounding album. My only complaint on this song is that the singing kind of just blends together into a mess, but otherwise this song one of the album's highlights for me. Slip Slide starts out with a very awesome Marching Band introduction which just sounds great. This song feels more Acid Rap-esque and it has that childish, yet fun attitude that we all love. It features a great guest verse from Busta Rhymes and another great verse from B.O.B. Janelle Monae also offers some great vocals here. I really love the vocals in the hook, and how they just make it so much more fun. The way they say Slip SLIIIIIIIDE makes me chuckle (in a good way). My one complaint about this one is that it abruptly ends. It kind of settles into a piano interlude with Chance on vocals, but then just disappears. I really liked what I was hearing there, but it didn't develop at all. Warm Again features great verses from J. Cole and Chance, but on this track the struggling vocals are pretty apparent. NoName Gypsy just cannot carry a hook, so I kind of just tune out during the chorus. Nothing Came To Me is a ballsy trumpet interlude, but although I kind of like it, I will admit this piece of music has absolutely no direction. It makes it a little hard to listen to at points. I think it is still a well played piece of music, but it just seems like mumbo-jumbo trumpet sounds at some points. Wanna Be Cool is definitely my least favorite cut on the album. The message is good, but Chance's vocals fail tremendously on the hook, and the rapper at the end is just simply annoying. When Big Sean is the best part of a song, that is not good news. Windows is one of the more emotional songs on here, and it is probably another favorite of mine. This song feels pretty sincere, and Chance seems to be telling his fans/followers that he is not a role model, but he does it in a way that somehow just makes you love the guy more. Caretaker is an extremely forgettable interlude that just kind of states one idea and never develops on it. I really feel like these 1 minute tracks on this album are pretty lackluster overall, and we could have done without them. Just Wait has a fantastic groove and Chance feels right at home on the track, but yet again this track ends with such a bummer. The trumpet part at the end showed promise, but it just feels unfinished. The track ends with 15 seconds of silence which is ultimately pretty disappointing. Familiar is a soul-funk tune that feels pretty great. The instrumental sounds bouncy and lovable, and there is also a sense of camaraderie on this track. Everyone kind of seems to be in this together. This song also features a Migos verse that is pretty bad, but yea not a huge surprise so no points off there. SmthnthtIwnt is actually the one great interlude on here. A great eerie instrumental with straight bars from Saba. Loved it. Go was a really big disappointment for me. Other than a couple of verses, and a guitar solo at the end, this song is just a looped groove. Although this thing is funky, it just seems pretty repetitive and annoying. Questions falls pretty hard because it really isn't a developed song, and Something Came To Me is not nearly as good as its predecessor track. It just feels like lazy trumpet playing over lazy drums, and until the blaring trumpets at the end, nothing special happens. Rememory is my favorite song on the album because it blends the intimacy of a Chance song with the added instrumentation of the Social Experiment. Also Erykah Badu has a great connection to Chance on this track, and they fit together perfectly on this song. Sunday Candy would fit perfectly on Acid Rap, and ultimately is so catchy and huge sounding that I find it hard to believe that anyone would hate this. Pass The Vibes is a bad closer though. This song goes out on an eerie note which I can appreciate, but this song also never develops on its original idea, and just relies on wordplay to get it by. I really think this thing could've ended with a band, so that made me sad. Still, there is plenty of great songs on here, but also plenty to dissect and correct for the next release. Overall I enjoyed it, but I will admit that this thing could have been much better even. I still have very high hopes for these musician's futures.

Overall, if you are just into hearing some fresh sounding music, I would recommend this. There's not much that sounds like this right now, and even if it can fail at times, the whole thing is really cool, and I can certainly appreciate their vision. This album is not great, but it is certainly good, and I think that is good enough for me.
Best Songs: Miracle, Slip Slide, Nothing Came To Me, Windows, Familiar, SmthnthtIwnt, Rememory, Sunday Candy
Worst Songs: Warm Again, Caretaker, Just Wait, Don't Wanna Be Cool, Go