The Finschise's Biggest Dissapointments of 2018!

Good day friends!  It's list month!  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be diving into my favorite and least favorite material of the year.  Starting off this week, we have 10 of the biggest disappointments of the year!

10. Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want

It’s been a long year of reviewing music.  I’m a tired man, and I’m ready to relax for a week or two.  But something keeps bugging me, what’s up with this album?  People seem to love the hell out of this thing, with many coming to me with the feared “Album of the Year” title.  This new Daughters album is good, I get that.  But this quite frankly isn’t what I want to hear, nor expected to hear from the longtime Noise Rock vets.  Is it that wrong to want to hear Alexis Marshall go all out and give us the same chaotic performances we got on their self-titled album?  No, I don’t think so.  And don’t get me wrong, I do think the band’s new approach to tension is a breath of fresh air.  But this still just isn’t for me amigos.

9. The Men - Drift

In 2016 The Men released “Devil Music”, and showed The Men return to a much grittier, darker sound like we heard in the early days.  It wasn’t a perfect album, but it was an exciting album for its own reasons.  And hell yea, I was excited to hear this new one too.  But the absolute last thing I thought I would hear on “Drift” would be The Men at their most tame.  There are heartbroken Country tracks (something they’ve nailed in the past) and Classic Rock driven highway tunes (something they’ve ALSO nailed in the past).  But The Men just sound like they have no idea what they’re doing.  On “Drift” they never seem to just stick with a sound for more than a few minutes, which could have been exciting.  But it just ends up being really directionless.

8. Legend Of The Seagullmen - Legend of the Seagullmen

Oh boy.  What is it with Mastodon-oriented offshoots that just rub me the wrong way entirely?  With the names associated with this project, this has so much potential.  Danny Carey?  Brent Hinds?  A concept album about some legendary people of the sea and a heavy nautical theme?  This should be fucking gold.  And sure, some of the early moments show the members having some completely ridiculous fun.  It’s over-the-top and practically goofy at points, which is pretty much where I wanted to hear this album.  But the second half of this album completely derails, showing the super-group rush to button up this storyline which wasn’t really supposed to be taken seriously, to begin with.  The result is a bloated, puzzling album that comes off so rushed and rigid at the end of the day.

7. Børns - Blue Madonna

Ok, so this isn’t exactly the most disappointing album of the year, and it’s not even that bad of an album.  But the quality of tracks here compared to the first Børns album is absolutely astonishing.  On his debut “Dopamine”, Børns created a series of catchy Indie Pop anthems that were oozing with personality.  “Blue Madonna” is just painfully average sadly.  The production isn’t nearly as glamorous, and outside of “Faded Heart”, I can’t remember any choruses here that actually stuck with me. And like I said, in the past Børns’s performances had been larger than life and gigantic.  Why do I feel like he’s limiting himself half of the time on this album?  There are certainly highlights, but I was expecting something huge.

6. A Perfect Circle - Eat The Elephant

A Perfect Circle, the legendary Alternative Metal supergroup return after 14 years with an album that could have been a whole lot better.  The first few tracks on this one are actually totally fine, even reassuring that Maynard James Keenan hasn’t lost touch with what made APC so great.  Hell, when Maynard gets his head out of his ass for a few minutes, this comes off as genuinely well thought out material that’s a great Alternative to Metal.  Which yes, is what was originally so great about A Perfect Circle.  But no. So much of this album doesn’t have a tooth in sight, and I’ve heard more personality on Nu-Metal albums.  It’s a one-dimensional, self-centered “Metal” album in 2018, I’m not interested.  And let me just say, the fact that Maynard has been reduced to piano ballads like “So Long, And Thanks For All the Fish” in 2018 is absolutely terrifying.  Not looking forward to that new Tool album.

5. Ghost - Prequelle

So.  What the absolute fuck happened here?  Let me be straight.  I have absolutely not an issue in the world with a band taking a new direction, at least to some extent.  It’s going to happen.  Hell, I don’t even have a problem with a Metal band taking a more metal approach.  Look at Behemoth, “I Loved You At Your Darkest” is their most human album by FAR and it’s amazing. With “Prequelle’ the Swedish modern legends throw Metal almost completely out of the window for a collection of sappy, cinematic ballads.  If we got maybe one or two of these sprinkled throughout, this would be fine.  And it’s not like the band has lost their edge because tracks like “Rats!” are legitimately fantastic.  Not to mention, Ghost has taken their legendary campiness to new levels of ridiculous, which is something I love.  But so many of these tracks barely feature guitars and just made me lose so much respect here.

4. Panopticon - The Scars of Man on the Once Nameless Wilderness


So let’s get this right on the table, this album has lessened on me a little.  Now, this one is a tough one by any means.  On paper, this is Panopticon’s most ambitious and interesting album to date.  But now, this just seems a little extra to me.  With this absolutely gigantic album, we get one disk of Black Metal and one disk of warm Bluegrass and Folk.  And honestly, a good chunk of this album is either exciting or beautiful.  But at the end of the day, it’s just sloppy and way too much.  The cruel reality is, in these two gigantic discs or material there’s only really enough truly great material for one album.  The rest of this album is just a little bland, as some of the later metal tunes get a little too faceless, and by the end of disk 2, I needed a coffee.  This could have been the next great chapter in one of Metal’s finest current acts.  In its place, we got two gigantic disks where we basically have to trim the fat ourselves.

3. Lykke Li - so sad so sexy

Oh boy.  Oh boy oh boy oh BOY.  I don’t know when Lykke became so faceless or obsessed with being this Pop Star that she clearly isn’t comfortable being.  You know, in the past I’ve admired just how fearless Lykke has been and her ability to bring together different genres.  But here, she throws away her sense of adventure and in return, we just get so many whiny lyrics and faceless jams.  This is barely an Indie Pop album.  This sounds like a no-name Pop star trying to become more edge.  And oh my God the more Trap oriented tracks here, I have to stop talking about this.

2. Animal Collective - Tangerine Reef

The year is 2018.  One of this generation’s most influential and genuinely experimental bands have returned!  Hmm?  What’s that you say?  The best songwriter in their troop is M.I.A.?  And what’s that?  It’s a visual album completely based around life in coral reefs?  Oh boy.  Oh, there’s more?  Half of these tracks do nothing without the visual experience?  Half of these tracks don’t have vocals or anything resembling a tune?  It’s almost an hour long?!  Oof.

Justin Timberlake - Man Of The Woods

So let me paint a picture for you all.  Justin Timberlake, one of the most legitimately cool figures in modern Pop.  Creator of brilliant albums like “FutureSex/LoveSounds” and “The 20/20 Experience”.  With just how bare this album was for decent Pop music, I just wanted to hear Justin doing what he does best.  But what we got, was a self-indulgent and bloated Pop album that shows Justin desperately trying to expand his sound.  Now, that’s fine, as a matter of fact, I respect that.  But this isn’t the definition of “Cool”  This isn’t hip, this is tragically uninteresting and what sounds like a collection of leftovers from his last few albums.  I don’t want to get into this, because we’re gonna be touching down on this in my “worst albums of 2018” list.  But this was the biggest back-step of any artist I heard this year by far.

Albums you may or may not have Missed - November 2018

Good afternoon all!  Hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving and all!  So we're starting something new here.   I try, but obviously I can't review every album under the sun.  So going forward, I'm going to do be giving my short thoughts on a few albums I wanted to review but just didn't have time to.  Hope you enjoy!

Ty Segall - “Fudge Sandwich”

Is it worth a listen?  Yes it is!

Thoughts:  I mean, this is just a big ol’ collection of covers, sure.  But it’s a fairly decent and actually really fun set of tunes.  There’s obviously some of these covers that there’s a little something missing.  But Ty just seems to be really having fun, which is something we don’t get to hear too often.


Tenacious D- “Post Apocalypto”

Is it worth a listen?  Not on your life sport.

Thoughts:  Oh boy, I feel like this album has just about every problem the “Pick Of Destiny” soundtrack had.  There are some genuinely funny tracks here, hell I laughed more at this in about 10 minutes than I did throughout all of “Rize of the Phoenix”.  Some of the skits are entertaining, but all of the visual gags behind this just don’t add up.  On the contrary, most of them make absolutely no sense without watching the show or knowing what it’s about. You may get a laugh or two out of it, with Kyle’s early Marlon Brando impression being legitimately hilarious.  But outside of that, I don’t want anything to do with this.


Cult Leader - A Patient Man

Is it worth a listen?  Sure!

Thoughts:  This is a genuinely interesting collection of Metalcore and Grindcore tracks, most of which hit pretty hard.  But I feel like the much more emotional and Sludge Metal performances here hit so much harder, and almost trudge into the Gothic Metal territory.  Now because of that, I feel like sometimes they end up overshadowing some of the more gritty and intense tunes here, but still, these guys have a cool sound.


Laura Jane Grace & The Devouring Mothers - Bought To Rot


Is it worth a listen?  Ugh, not really.

Thoughts:  I thought I was going to be into this, especially hearing some of the early singles.  And don’t get me wrong, I love Laura, and she sounds passionate as hell.  But while some of thee singles are aggressive and wild and easily some of the more Punk tracks are very exciting. But lyrically some of the later tracks here are just so whiny and not interesting at all.  I really wanted to like this one too.


Little Dragon - Lover Chanting EP

Is it worth a listen?  Buddy there’s better things to do with 18 minutes in a day

Thoughts:  Hey, I mean the “Love Chanting” single is actually pretty damn groovy.  If you’re into a more Dance oriented Indie-Pop sound you may be into this.  But this EP is just such a half assed project overall.  I honestly would have just hung on to this single and held it off for a while.


Cupcakke - Eden

Is it worth a listen?  Yes it is!

Thoughts:  I honestly wasn’t exactly expecting to hear from Cakke this soon.  She came out earlier this year with her most personal and mature album yet, and “Eden” does follow suit in a more ways then one.  Lyrically this is a fine album, and Cakke sounds as aggressive and intense as ever.  The only real issue I have is the issue I have with a lot of her early work, which is just how bland some of these beats are.  Still though, this isn’t a bad project!

Oneohtrix Point Never - Love In The Time of Lexapro

Oneohtrix Point Never!  Musical Pseudonym of Electronic artist Daniel Lopatin.  He's one of Electronic's true eccentrics and brave minds, and he's been a busy boy this year.  Already dropping one of my favorite album's of the year and two EP's, he's back for another EP.

This EP starts off with “Love In The Time Of Lexapro”, and I actually love just how shimmering and vast this intro comes off.  For years, Dan has become an absolute pro at quickly making these incredible atmospheres.  And while at first, I wasn’t really into some of these abrupt shift.  Like there are legitimate few seconds of silence here that there is nothing going on.  But it does add some tension, no matter how awkward it is.  But outside of that, there’s actually a lot of really beautiful stuff going on.  I love the heavy use of more melodic synths which we got a glimpse of on is “Good Time” soundtrack.  It’s mysterious and beautiful, and absolutely immense all at once.  And while yea, fans of Dan’s more explosive and left-field work won’t be into this, this is a great standalone tune.  Then we get a “Last Known Image Of A Song” re-imagining by Ryuichi Sakamoto.  Now, this one is so much more abstract.  Ryuichi here actually is making an already incredibly tense, disturbing tune even moreso.  It’s a simple rework, with very twisted effects and even more room for a very hulking atmosphere.  But it really gives you the impression that anything can happen at any moment.  But sadly, halfway through in a weird way this one just sort of reverts.  I get that this is a reworking.  But the second half of this song just sounds exactly like the original piece.  And that’s fine and all, it was a captivating track, to begin with.  But I did expect a little more here.  Then we have “Thank God I’m A Country Girl” which is a little interesting.  This one is easily one of the more urgent tracks I’ve heard from OPN in a long time.  We have very upfront keys, but that’s literally it.  There’s no mystery, no intrigue, and no atmosphere.  That, alongside its painful short runtime, makes this a big no in my book.  This EP ends off on an interesting note with “Babylon”, this time around featuring (Sandy) Alex G on vocals.  Now, this is a real shot out of left field.  This one has Dan recreate his “Babylon” opening from “Age Of”, and it’s a very pleasant, stripped down alternate take.  Obviously, Alex is a much better singer than Dan, so he does do this track justice.  And no, I wouldn't say there are any real Electronic elements here of any sort, not even close.  But at least with this track, I think it’s an interesting alternative to some of the material on “Age Of”, which is basically how I feel about this entire EP. 

Rating: 7.1/10

Genre: Electronic / Experimental 

Overall Thoughts: My feelings on this EP are basically the same feelings I’ve had on every other Oneohtrix Point Never EP this year.  It’s fine, it’s just fine.  But I wouldn’t say there isn’t a single track here that absolutely DEMANDS a listen.  I feel like between the three EP’s Dan has given us this year there’s a perfectly fine “Age Of” B-Sides tape.  It’s fine for OPN freaks and guys that want to just hear more and more of what he’s doing these days.  But none of this is “must listen”. 

The Good The Bad and the Queen - "Merrie Land"

The Good, The Bad and The Queen are the legendary supergroup made up of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong, and Tony Allen.  They originally made their debut way back in 2007 with their self-titled debut and made a ton of waves with it. It made all sorts of year-end lists, and between its Socio-Political commentary and Art Rock vibes made for an intriguing listen.  But for me, it's not really anything I've loved too much of over the years.  I'm a huge fan of all of these guys, and tracks like "Kingdom of Doom" are good.  But with all of these geniuses together, I feel like I just expected more.  So honestly, I don't think I really ever expected this coalition to ever reform.  But here we are, 11 years later with new material.  And these singles, they're not terrible.  Let's chat my friends!

So we get a short intro in “Intro” featuring some quotes from “The Canterbury Tales”.  But guys.  It’s been 11 years.  This is all you have for an intro?  I don’t buy it.  This album starts off properly with “Merrie Land”, and it’s actually a really pleasant intro.  I really honestly wish they just sort of cut out that little intro and added it somehow to this.  Damon sounds just fine if you’re familiar with his current sound than you’ll know very well what to expect.  And honestly, I’m actually really loving just how graceful and elegant these instrumentals are.  Like I said earlier, I was never really too wild about their legendary debut.  But at the very least this is dramatic and interesting.  Not to mention, Damon’s socially aware lyrics this time around seem to be a bit easier to swallow.  I’m just fine with this!  But with “Gun to the Head” things start to get a little hairy for me.  They just built up this very elegant and sweet sound.  But here, this is just sort of corny and goofy, at least elements of it is.  Like, when things sort of straighten up things get alright.  I actually do really love the group-sung chorus and the sort of ragtime feel to all of this.  But like, why do I feel like this is some bizarre, long-lost soundtrack to a disturbing Disney movie.  It’s seriously not terrible, and I can’t listen to this without singing along to some extent.  But I just wish this wasn’t so corny at times.  On the other hand “Nineteen Seventeen” is much less goofy and even a little dark.  Like, there is some seriously weird stuff going on at the intro of this one.  But I love the groovy drums and the synths that are just so hard to place.  And Damon’s performance here is one of his more lively of the bunch.  And yes, that actually does a lot, it gives this one so much life and pizazz.  Hell, “Nineteen Seventeen” is even fun at points.  Sure, Damon’s lyrics are still very conscious and not diving into any “fun” topics.  But between all of that and the backing vocals that seem to be haunting everything and the cinematic vibes, I actually really love this.  Not to mention those strings are a really nice touch. 

Ugh, but here’s my problem.  I think that Damon and company on tracks like “The Great Fire” are still very away and writing very important material.  But this track is such a bore.  The very dreary, drawn-out intro takes forever.  And even when it picks up a little into this sort of upbeat, whimsical tune there really isn’t anything about this that I can grab on to.  It’s like, a nightmare cocktail party which on paper sounds so much more interesting than it actually is.  Now, “Lady Boston” takes a much more direct approach.  It’s sweet on the ears, it’s actually pretty graceful, and Damon sounds legitimately passionate here.  The pianos here are just so charming, and the shimmering atmosphere is really a nice touch.  I would also say that lyrically this one is actually much easier to swallow as well, and I’m loving just how broad these choir vocals around Damon are.  And sure, I think that flute is a little absurd and not necessary.  But call me nuts, but this practically sounds like a really conscious and well written Blur track.  I’m all for this.  On the other hand, “Drifters & Trawlers” actually picks up a little into some low-key funk with some World Music influences.  Honestly, where has this sound been?  And as far as a truly catchy tune that sticks with you goes, this may be one of the most undeniable tracks of the bunch.  But I continue to really be on the fence with some of these flutes which make things loads more intolerable.  But Damon’s legitimately lively performance here and the instrumental shift make this very enjoyable.  But so many of these tracks on this album end up blending together.  With “The Truce of Twilight” we get yet another very downtrodden, woozy track fueled by a ragtime feel and a conscious attitude.  And once again, I really REALLY love the chorus, hell I found myself singing it all day.  But outside of that, this isn’t an interesting tune and it absolutely doesn’t stand out.  And all of these goofy instrumentals back to back are making me want to bang my head into the wall a couple of hundred times. 

But hey look!  With “Ribbons” we get some actual guitars and a sort of rustic, stripped back tune.  And well, it’s actually a genuinely cool and interesting sound.  Here, the band ends up coming off so much easier to take seriously, there’s no goofball ragtime in sight.  Damon’s performance is heartfelt, the atmosphere is somber, and the instrumental is just such a great sound for them.  If we got more tracks like this I would see the hype much more.  But what the actual fuck is going on with “The Last Man To Leave”?  Here we have Damon trying his best to make this one SUPER SPOOPY and combining that with some semi-political tones.  And holy hell is this one terrible.  No, really REALLY terrible.  And the goofy horns that pop in and over-the-top synths, I can’t deal with this.  If Damon wants this project to be taken seriously this is not doing it for me.  And is “The Poison Tree” really that much better?  This album has a fine base sound to it.  But why the hell does so many tracks blend here and float into one another end up coming off so boring.  Like, I don’t mind Damon’s falsetto’s here and the breezy atmospheres.  But everything else here is a joke.  Maybe it’s not necessarily bad, but I couldn’t tell the difference between this and some of the earlier tracks here. 

Rating:   7.0/10

Give A Listen To: “Merrie Land”, “Nineteen Seventeen”, “Lady Boston”, “Ribbons”

Least Favorite Track: “The Last Man to Leave”

Genre: Art Rock / Folk Rock 

Overall Thoughts:  Ok so this new album from The Good The Bad and the Queen is literally 11 years in the making.  And while yes, this album in parts actually captivates me more than their original work, is this worth the hype?  So many of these tracks just wash together, with the same oddball instrumentals which more than often get a little goofy.  It’s alright, but that’s literally it.  Its when the supergroup branch out into areas of Folk Rock and other genres that things get really interesting.  But those moments aren’t enough to carry this. 

Anderson .Paak - “Oxnard”

Anderson .Paak is a California based Singer, who I have to admit I was a little late to the party with. But Paak got on the map with 2014's "Venice", a lively and beautiful album that fused energetic Hip Hop, silky Soul, hazy R&B and greasy Funk. And honestly, it's vibrant and freakin' groovy as hell man.  Paak oozed charisma here, between his more Rap and Sung hooks, he really didn't seem to have any weaknesses.  This was a brilliant start.  And with 2-16's "Malibu", Paak just kept growing in all the best ways.  He continued to head down a very conscious path with very introspective lyrics. But his vibrant array of sounds continued to be the real star here.  Not only did he continue to blend Funk, Soul, Hip Hop and more, but it was all done so seamlessly, it all seemed to flow as one.  There was no clash of styles or gruesome moments, this was all just so beautiful and sweet. It was beautiful, it was soulful, but it also has absolutely tons of swagger and charisma.  Even 2016's "Ye Lawd!" collaboration with Knxwledge as NxWorries was pretty damn amazing.  Here, Knxwledge's very breezy, jazzy beats and vibey atmosphere clicked so well with Paak's soulful, conscious bars.  From the incredibly steamy "Lyk Dis" to the eternally funky "Scared Money", this collaboration rules.  So Mr. .Paak has been busy clearly.  But he's back with one of this year's most anticipated albums.  And honestly?  Just about every single is freakin' awesome here.  Let's chat about it!

This album starts off with “The Chase”, and this is actually a really freakin’ cool intro.  Between Kadjha Bonet’s very haunting harmonies that are layered for this really fantastic effect, and this very mysterious instrumental, I’m all sorts of hyped.  And what follows is some genuinely refreshing and well planned out Soul.  This has a real retro vibe to it, with a lot of this reminding me of like, the “Superfly” soundtrack, as cheesy as that sounds.  But Anderson’s very charismatic performance really wipes out anything cheesy about this.  And in its place we get this very epic, gigantic intro with plenty of old and plenty of new coming together.  It’s classy, funky, and absolutely brilliant.  Then we have “Headlow” featuring Norelle.  Like a lot of Anderson’s projects, the production here continues to be absolutely immaculate and genuinely creative.  This one is much more on the modern side compared to the intro, with .Paak giving us a very sleazy yet likable verse.  Anderson really remains so charismatic though, even when he’s at his heavier and more Rap-oriented.  Mostly because he just oozes likability, and his voice is just so unique.  It’s hazy, its eclectic, and it’s incredibly classy.  While I personally enjoy .Paak at his more soulful, this is still wonderful.  On the other hand, the upbeat and groovy Electro-Funk of “Tints” is exactly what I needed to hear right about now.  This one is just so much fun, and I absolutely love hearing .Paak in these atmospheres.  Like, this is the sound that I want to hear him run down more.  It’s sort of old school, but it’s still got tons of very new sights and sounds that actually make it more legit.  Not to mention, special Kendrick Lamar and Anderson have TONS of chemistry together, and this chorus pops so damn hard.  Give me this, more of this, ALL of this, please.  Now, “Who R U?” is the tamest and low-key track yet, and more importantly the most Rap oriented track we’ve heard yet.  And for some, that’s going to be just fine.  I do like the hectic feel and .Paak’s much more intense performance here.  That enough is really interesting.  But outside of that, this one still really doesn’t hit me too hard.  The beat is just sort of average as well as the production.  It’s not like .Paak can’t rap, it’s clear here that he can hold his own.  But this is just not captivating to me.   Then we have “6 Summers”, and I have to say the sort of in-the-moment feel to this one as well as .Paak’s instantly captivating performance has this album back in my good graces.  There are some political undertones here, there was plenty on the last track as well.  But outside of that, I think what makes this one work so well is just how timeless it comes off.  Like, outside of that Trump line I feel like there are issues here that we’ve been dealing with for a long time, and sadly will probably still be for some time.  But .Paak as always seems to be the slightest bit hopeful or at the very least offers up some alternatives.  And it honestly ends up working really nice for him.

Oh man, but some of these throwback Soul instrumentals on tracks like “Saviers Road” give me the chills.  Like, in a time where so many of these interludes are throwaway, this at the very least seems planned out and offers something to the album.  It’s gloomy and downtrodden, and while it’s short I actually feel like this is one of my favorite of .Paak’s performances of the album.  It’s heavy hitting, but it’s equally emotional and seriously sticks with you.  It’s by far the shortest track of the bunch, but it’s brilliant and reminds me of what I loved about the “Yes Lawd!” project.  “Smile / Petty” on the other hand, strips things down even further into this very steamy sort of slow jam.  And honestly, it’s effective and once again doesn’t come off cheesy.  Because let’s be real, this album could have been cheesy.  But this continues to be a seriously tasteful blend of classic Funk, Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop.  This one is once again, very personal and emotional.  I love the sort of “He Said/She Said”, style here, and how Anderson goes deep into cheating and adultery.  But outside of that, this one has this incredibly forward-thinking instrumental and is just such a breath of fresh air.  And Anderson’s performance on the second half is absolutely flooring.  Then we have “Mansa Musa”, which as far as his more-Rap oriented tracks here may just be the best of the bunch.  It’s filled with animated verses from Anderson himself, Coca Sarai, and the legendary Dr. Dre.  And it’s actually a really fantastic banger that gets pretty exciting.  And after that last track which was this super emotional tune, it’s refreshing to hear .Paak really freak out and have some fun.  On the other hand “Brother’s Keeper” steps back in time once again for this retro Soul and Funk instrumental.  It’s packed with chilling harmonies floating through the background as well as soulful guitars.  And on top of that, we have this fantastic beat that brings things to this century just enough.  And not too shocking, but Pusha T really just seems to right at home within this atmosphere.  This one ends up being wildly epic, hard-hitting, and just so damn refreshing in modern Neo-Soul and Hip-Hop.  Then we have “Anywhere” which is old school in an entirely different way.  This one absolutely has a throwback early 90’s Rap sound to it. And honestly, it’s not terrible.  It’s certainly not awful, and Snoop Dogg’s verse oddly enough is pretty on point.  But outside of that, once again I feel like this just doesn’t add up to the other tunes here.  The instrumental isn’t nearly as flashy and the production really isn’t that interesting.  This just sort of blows by me, which is depressing after all of the other truly fantastic moments here.

Oh gosh, but out of nowhere, we have “Trippy”, featuring J.Cole.  Yes ladies and gentlemen, J.Cole, who if you’re new here you’ll need to know I don’t understand.  I’ve never gotten his popularity, and let me tell you this guy is far from “Woke”.  But “Trippy” is rather breezy and sweet, even if it takes forever to get rolling.  But I do like the very woozy and hazy style of this one, and .Paak’s very groovy performance here is actually really likable.  This is easily one of the steamier moments here.  And like I said, I’m not a fan of J. Cole at all, and yes some of his bars are cringe-worthy.  But here, he doesn’t sound nearly as intolerable, which is big for me to say.  This isn’t the most jaw-dropping tune, but .Paak is still so ahead of the curve.  On the other hand, “Cheers” ups the funk in all sorts of levels.  .Paak sounds like an absolute Funk machine here, calling back to all the different sounds that he’s touched in the last few years.  I love the groovy horns and the slick bass, even the distant keyboards.  “Oxnard” is just such a colorful album from start to finish, and .Paak continues to have such intriguing ideas.  And Q-Tip absolutely sounds right at home in between this very tasteful beat.  It’s hazy and interesting, colorful, genre-bending, and an absolute breath of fresh air. And “Sweet Chick” is just as soulful and eclectic.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard so much personality I heard coming out of an artist like .Paak, but I love it.  I love the freaky feel to this one and .Paak’s once again very sleazy yet amazing performance.  The backing vocals are a really fantastic addition, and BJ The Chicago Kid’s guest spot is actually flooring.  Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat this.  I’m not into “Left to Right”.  I wasn’t when I first heard it, and I’m even less into it now.  Sure, it bangs and it has a hell of a beat and some colorful production.  But why do I feel like this is just so safe, and nothing about this track actually gives me the feeling that this is an Anderson .Paak track.  It’s just not what I expected to hear, and it’s seriously underwritten.  Thankfully this album is still a triumph, but this is still disappointing. 

Rating: 8.5/10

Give A Listen To: "The Chase”, “Tints”, “Brother’s Keeper”, “Smile / Petty”

Least Favorite Track: “Anywhere”

Genre: Neo Soul / Hip Hop 

Overall Thoughts: Anderson .Paak returns after already achieving superstar status with a series of his most fluid and enjoyable tracks yet.  For years, .Paak has seamlessly fused Hip Hop, Funk, Neo-Soul and more.  But with tasteful throwbacks, an interest in Electro-Funk and Pop Rap, a star-studded guest list and more, .Paak sounds more charismatic and charming than ever.  There are tasteful Jazz Rap tunes, throwback sleazy funk, modern bangers, and all sorts of other colorful gems.  It’s an album that demands a few listens, but man is it ever a blast. 

Mumford & Sons - Delta

Mumford & Sons are an English Folk Rock band who have been at it now for over a decade.  And by this point, you know who these guys are. They released their debut in 2009 with "Sigh No More" and immediately started turning some heads with an old-school approach to the genre, a rustic sound, some heartfelt lyrics and more importantly some passionate performances by Marcus Mumford.  And while at the time I wasn't phased by this album outside of a few tracks, I've grown to enjoy it much more over the years.  I mean, the only real complaint I had with this album was that I sort of wish they pushed further in an Alternative Rock direction.  Like they did with 2012's "Babel".  Here, Mumford & Sons took the same heartfelt performances and rustic sound but upped their production-game.  Not to mention they were writing genuinely catchy tracks.  I wouldn't say they were reinventing any wheels, but they just sounded great.  But with 2015's "Wilder Mind" Mumford & Sons went for much more of an Alternative Rock sound which polarized so many people, including myself.  When this album is on, it's on in a big way.  Honestly, I would say that some of my favorite Mumford & Sons tracks are on this album, like "Ditmas" and "Tompkins Square Park".  But when this album get's cheesy, it's pretty bad.  Tracks like "Believe" have never done too much for me, and some of the softer ballads are a little awkward.  But I wouldn't say this is as unlistenable as people claim.  So Mumford and Sons are back, and these singles have been a little wonky.  I mean, I really loved one of them, but the other is iffy.  Anyways, let's chat!

This album has a super solid, rustic start with “42”.  There are some harmonies that are actually really stunning, and even Marcus’s use of vocal effects here are so tasteful.  It’s a smooth track, one that is definitely still in the sort of mindset of the “Wilder Mind” era.  There are some groovy guitars and epic keyboards, not to mention as always, Marcus comes off incredibly passionate.  All around, I really dig this as an intro.  It’s a very different beat and much more of a cinematic sound for Mumford and Sons.  But they pull it off wonderfully with some gigantic instrumentals.  And things end up getting seriously epic in the last 40 seconds or so.  Now, “"Guiding Light”” drops a lot of the big, epic instrumentals and experimentation.  No, this one is Mumford and Sons by the books.  It’s smooth and reminds me once again a little bit of the material from their last album.  It’s heartfelt, sweet, passionate, and all sort of things.  But while I’m still very much into this, I can also see a ton of Mumford purists being into it.  And hey, this one still solves a problem that a lot of people had with Mumford and Sons over the years, and that's their lack of adventure.  But hey, I’m digging this.  This album continues to rub me the right way with “Woman”.  Honestly, I can’t help but actually get all warm and fuzzy listening to this one.  I love the plucked guitars in the background and the woozy electronics.  And Marcus’s performance here is absolutely stunning, in a different sort of way for him though.  Like, here, he has this absolute sense of “cool” to him, and I can’t help but get all swept up in this very breezy chorus.  It’s a little bluesy, but most importantly it’s very tender and heartfelt.  This is a GREAT sound for them.  On the other hand, “Beloved” is the most Folk-based track of the bunch yet.  And honestly, I haven’t heard Marcus this up front either for this entire album.  And yea, this one is a little bit more for the classic fans.  But it still has this incredibly warm, sweet atmosphere that I can’t say no too.  But I do sort of feel like this one is a slight hiccup.  I love Marcus’s lyrics and intense performance, that’s all fine and dandy.  But it’s not until like 2 and a half minutes in that things get really adventurous.  But still, this isn’t a bad track at all.  And I actually really love some of the World music influences and group vocals towards the end.  But it’s tracks like "The Wild” that right off the bat that give me the chills.  I love how legitimately tense and how much patience this one has.  Marcus’s performance here is pretty chilling as well, and I love how spacious this all continues to come off.  Once again, this is a little on the quiet side, so it’s something you’re going to need to sit with a little bit.  But this one is just graceful and beautiful.  And while it’s the farthest thing from instrumentally dense, it’s just as impactful.  And it transitions really nicely into this incredibly epic finale, with everything from woozy synths and gigantic drums and tons more.  I LOVE this track. 

Now, “October Skies” takes things in a little bit of a more retro direction.  There’s much less of an adventurous vibe to it, and the great atmosphere that Mumford & Sons have built up over the last few tracks seems to be forgotten.  However, if I may, I so absolutely adore Marcus’s incredibly passionate performance, especially on the chorus here.  But outside of that, I just feel like this passes off as one of the more lukewarm tracks from “Wilder Mind”.  But hot damn is that chorus great and continues to show the sort of World-influences that Mumford & Sons are working with.  And at the very least, “Slip Away” is a slightly enjoyable left turn as the band are starting to work with some slightly more upbeat material.  And it’s not terrible really.  Instrumentally, it’s sort of what I’ve come to expect from these gents, but with a little bit more of a vast feel to it.  There are also some really beautiful backing instrumentals, even what seems to be a harp.  But of all of the choruses here, this one just sort of blows right by me without having much of an impact.  And I’m sadly not that "Rose of Sharon” either.  This so far has been an album of Marcus and company really trying some new things and branching out.  But this one just completely shits all over the rustic sound they once mastered.  The result is an Alternative Rock track that sort of just sounds like they’re trying way too hard to be hip.  And that’s just not what I showed up for.  And it’s a shame because the chorus here is easily one of the most memorable here.  Then we have "Picture You” which once again does seem like it’s trying to be very modern with some Electronic beats, some of them are really good too.  But we’re getting really close here to a borderline Pop tune.  Like, the only thing about this track that I’m remotely grasping is Marcus’s performance.  THAT’s just fine.  It’s everything else about this one that’s just so average.  Thankfully, Mumford & Sons really turn it around for the remainder of this album. "Darkness Visible” isn’t exactly the most exciting thing in the world.  But here at the very least, the band is trying something different.  I love the vibrant atmosphere and the speech that actually comes off pretty epic.  You have to give these guys some credit, they really are branching out into some different stuff.  And I just love how big and hulking this gets towards the end. 

But going into this album, spoiler alert, I felt like “If I Say” was quite possibly the worst track I’ve heard from these boys in years.  Sorry, but this is literally everything that I wasn’t into about “Wilder Mind”.  Like, there are some passionate vocals that I have to give props to.  But everything else about this track is cheesy and all sorts of goofy.  And I don’t completely hate Marcus’s heavy use of vocal effects, but here he just comes off as awkward.  But Mumford and Sons brunch back with "Wild Heart”, a much more rustic and beautiful track.  This is the first track in a few that’s been really stripped back and honestly is gorgeous.  This is just so painfully real with Marcus talking directly to us, and it’s easily the most personal track here.  It even has a broken down, bluesy vibe to it.  Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about this one.  Even some of the backing instrumentals are just so tragic and emotional, I love this one so much.  And “Forever” is the sort of tender ballad that I’m surprised to say comes off really well also.  While yes, this one does sound like one of the lesser tunes on their first few albums,  I can’t deny just how passionate and immense Marcus sounds here.  Lyrically, this is actually one of my favorites of the bunch.  It’s seriously gorgeous, and I really do love some of the backing vocals that pop in.  Sure, I may have been harsh on some of the other ballads here.  But this is legitimately stunning, and that last high note is nothing short of impressive.  This album ends off with “Delta, and once again sounds very spacious.  But I fear that it’s maybe a little bit too spacious.  I do like Marcus’s very bluesy vocals and his bruised performance.  But instrumentally, this one is a little bit of a snoozer.  Thankfully, Mumford and Sons really do end up knocking this out of the park with very passionate performances.  Sure, I wish this ending track was a little more adventurous but this could have been so much worse. 

Rating: 7.7/10

Give A Listen To: “42”, “Woman”, "The Wild”, "Wild Heart”

Least Favorite Track: "Picture You”

Genre: Folk / Indie Folk

Overall Thoughts:  Mumford & Sons on “Delta” tear off their rustic roots for their most adventurous and genre-defying album to date.   It’s an adventurous album, filled with woozy synths and huge atmospheres, most of which are actually pretty intriguing.  However, there are a few moments where I feel like Mumford & Sons may have bitten off a little more than they can chew, and end up coming off a little too close to a Pop band.  However, if you’ve had a problem with just how straightforward the sound of Mumford & Sons can be at times, give this a shot. 

Azusa - Heavy Yoke

Asuza is a Metal supergroup that has recently formed, and right off the bat actually caught my attention quickly.  We have members here of bands like Dillinger Escape Plan, Sea + Air and Extol.  Those are big names.  And from hearing these singles that started the album off, I was impressed at their moody, yet heavy sound that blended all sorts of interesting sounds.  Let's chat about this debut folks.

This album explodes with “Interstellar Islands”, not wasting any time.  Instantly, we get some vicious Metalcore breakdowns, some rigid MathCore, and some really explosive vocals from Eleni Zafiriadou.  Like, she is absolutely monstrous in her performance.  But this one also has some really well done, hazy sequences that walk the edge of beautiful.  It just gives this one a little something different, but don’t let that fool you, this one is blistering.  But for my liking, I actually sort of wish we saw them experiment even further with these sort of dreamy sounds.  This is decent, but it’s clearly pulling from everything these artists have already done.   Now, “Heart of Stone” is much more streamlined.  This one is a little more in the Alt-Metal direction and I actually love the sound of this track.  Eleni’s screams are just as guttural, but I love how she kinda sorta sounds human deep down, giving her this incredibly tortured sound.  Not only that, but I love the catchy hook that they drop in on this one, making it just memorable enough.  But they do all of this without giving up an inch of just how technically abrasive this one is.  Like, this is HEAVY.  But, I’m loving every minute of this one, and the quiet moments here make for some seriously great moments of tension.  The technical onslaught continues in a big way here on “Heavy Yoke” with rumbling drums, and Eleni’s performance is absolutely curdling.  Like, it is absolutely brilliant.  And here, they make this really cool move of going for a big, dreamy, dreary chorus.  It’s beautiful and all, but then these verses come along and they’ll have you running for your life.  I like this one a LOT, even though I do sort of feel like they need to really narrow down their sound an iron out some kinks.  But so much of this is impressive.  Now, ““Fine Lines”” actually goes for something entirely different.  This is a much slower, atmospheric, chugging tune with tons of personality.  And it’s absolutely freakin’ brilliant to be honest, even if it’s less than 2-minutes.  Azusa here really define their sound and find a great balance between all of these sounds coming together.  Eleni’s singing is beautiful, and even amongst all of these beautiful elements this one still has plenty of teeth. 

On the other hand, “Lost In The Ether” blasts in with plenty of chugging Metalcore drums and zooming guitars.  But this one is my least favorite track of the bunch.  This is decent and all, but outside of the more sung chorus there really isn’t anything about this one that stands out to me as something truly different in these genres.  And some of these Mathcore inspired moments here to seem to be a little more unsure of themselves than these guys were hoping for.  And it’s a shame because there are really cool elements, like that sung chorus and these very tense drums.  And with tracks like “Spellbinder”, I can’t really say much more.  This is easily the tightest and most rigid tune of the bunch yet.  But this absolutely has no personality.  As a matter of fact, it has like -2 personality.   And sure, this one rips, but with these guys, I really feel like they can do so much more.  The fact that I have nothing to say about this one good OR bad is a problem.  But “Programmed to Distress” has such a legitimately eerie, twisted intro that I can’t help but dive right in.  I know that it’s predominately been a lot of the slower tunes here that I’ve enjoyed.  But I do really love some of the incredibly haunting vocals here, and just how loving this one is.  Like, here, some of these Mathcore moments actually come off like they have some meat to them.  And Eleni’s vocal here may just be her most harmonious of the bunch.  All of this, while still remaining genuinely heavy.  On the other hand, “Eternal Echo” is one of the more calculating songs here.  I love how much this one really just attacks from all sides.  The guitars are rigid, the drums are booming, and these vocals are just so tortured, as Eleni sounds like she’s about to rip her damn throat out.  I actually wish they ended up taking this one up a notch and went to the next step.  But still, this is a really great sound for them. 

Now, “Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis” takes everything I enjoyed about the last track but adds in some keyboards in the background to take things to that level that I really wanted them to go.  Sonically this is so vast and chilling, and Eleni here is absolutely captivating.  This one is heavy as hell, but there isn’t a single second here where Azusa isn’t completely challenging themselves.  The winding guitar solos are jaw-dropping, the drums are bonkers, and there isn’t anything here that isn’t completely melting my mind.  And that’s what I personally want to hear.   On the other hand, “Succumb to Sorrow” is absolutely soul sucking.  Here, Eleni sounds like she’ll rip YOUR throat out for a change.  It’s not the most explosive tune here.  But the calculating guitars and the pummeling drums here are a really great touch.  Once again though, I do wish this was a little longer.  But hey, some of these effect-drenched vocals at the end are BRILLIANT.  This album ends off with “Distant Call”, and of all of the slow-burning, chugging tunes here, this is not the band’s finest moment.  Like, I think the very breezy chorus is fine, and that distant violin (or at least I think it’s a violin) is a nice touch.  But the piles of Mathcore riffs piling up here just sound lost and even worse, awkward.  This is an alright introduction to this project, but they can narrow down their sound so much more. 

Rating: 7.4/10

Give A Listen To: “Heart of Stone”, “Fine Lines”, “Programmed to Distress”, “Iniquitous Spiritual Praxis”

Least Favorite Track: “Spellbinder”

Genre: Metalcore / Mathcore / Experimental Metal 

Overall Thoughts:  With how fantastic of a year this has been for Metal, I honestly did expect a little more out of this album.  Asuza has a really great sound, blending elements of all of the bands these members came from.  And honestly, it’s really interesting, especially when they slow things down.  They blend genres like Metalcore and MathCore with gloomy Doom Metal.  There are the occasionally dreary breakdowns and even catchy choruses.  But I feel like they don’t take that far enough.  When they’re just blaring through Metalcore jams, they tend to come off a little faceless sometimes.  Still though, this isn’t terrible.