Sam Harkey

Plz do something different for once

I was excited about the prospect of Sean Lennon producing this record, especially coming off of a top 25 album in 2023 Everything Harmony. Kicking off the LP with "My Golden Years" and "They Don't Know How To Fall In Place", they didn't lose a step. However, as the record progressed, I found that the sonic profile mixed with the songwriting let this record meander a bit.

I find this to be a slight improvement from 3.15.20, but the content and songwriting are inherently not where it needs to be. I find that some tracks like "Algorhythm", "The Violence" and "Why Go To The Party" definite benefitted from a second look and are very solid inclusions into Childish Gambino canon, but the features and poppier cuts are still only okay at best. He did trim out some fat in favor of more cohesion and better listening experience.

About half of this record were some absolute heaters and the other half was a bit of a snooze.

This album showed some real growth from Lorely Rodriguez. Tapping into futuristic electro-pop that really starting to blow up with the likes of "Lorelei" and "Femenine", and an unbelievable 3-track run in latin pop with "Cura", "Facil" and "Sucia", For Your Consideration is one of the better pop releases of 2024.

I enjoy the sonic exploration and experimentation in the production of this LP. Also enjoyable is the apocalyptic perspective on life in 2024 that errs on the side of satire. It's how we all feel about the world right now. However, the songwriting seems to take a step backward from Freedom, being much more literal. In the end, I'm not disappointed, but am left wanting more.

Not a big fan of the departure from a more emo-heavy sound of Flowers of Devotion, which now seems like a very distant past. The sound is sleeker and the harmonies are more sophisticated, but they come at the cost of less raw and emotional songwriting. It's too polished and poppy for my taste as the band continues to grow.

Really left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the genre fusion in a few of the tracks, showing some real growth. But then the other half of the record shows signs of no growth, so I'm confused.

The only thing that you can dispute about the greatness of this record is if it is their best. It's definitely one of the best hip-hop albums. Period.

Has to be a top 5 all-time psychedelic record. Pink Floyd couldn't become the Pink Floyd that we know and love without Syd Barrett and this record. I wish I could've been in London during the UFO days.

An awe-inspiring debut record that pushes the boundaries of world music, psychedelic funk, soul, and rock. Definitely a classic in funk canon.

Really easy listening. Things we already knew: Erick's got great flow and can fit in with any sound or vibe. This album didn't do anything groundbreaking, but was relatively consistent and comfortable, with several tracks with replay value.

Not the biggest fan of this new direction they've gone in, where they have opted for a more commercially friendly sound than on Champagne Holocaust. Definitely some heavy hitters like "John Lennon" and "Feed The Horse", but surrounded by too many misses.

Super solid album that shows Brittany getting comfortable in her solo career. I wish she would've done a bit more experimentation with her sound, but this was a concise and promising record. She has the capacity to bring to the table something more conceptual and cohesive, as well.

Disappointed. Coming off of the high of Future Nostalgia, I was really psyched for this follow-up, especially given her stated influences of 90s/00s UK rave scene. In addition, tapping into Kevin Parker in his current pop era made a lot of sense, but the pieces of the puzzle never fit together and add up to a full picture.

Pretty forgettable album with limited highlights and great production. Sort of what I expected.

While I appreciate the psychedelia inherent in the post-rock band's most recent release, I find that some of the songs at times get lost in breakdown of structure that they absolutely nail on other tracks. Bit hit or miss for me.

After a couple of weeks of listening to this album, I can finally say this is my favorite in their discography. It's their most mature and honest LP, using a raw master to add to the authenticity similarly to Fiona Apple's Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Each song serves a purpose and builds a narrative of how whacky life can be. While there may not be any pop hits like in prior records, it's really a beautiful continual build-up.

In typical Kim Gordon fashion, we're getting something that we could not have ever expected hearing. The mix of hip-hop, industrial and shoegaze provides you with an unbelievable experience. At this stage of maturity in her career (both with Sonic Youth and as a solo artist), she's diving deep into an experimental hole head first and not looking back... and we're all better for it.

Game-changer in hip-hop

This is a solid return to form for their first record in 8 years. I feel reminiscent of the days of Cross, but this album is more of a general look back on their entire discography (with a heavy emphasis on Audio, Video, Disco. I was slightly underwhelmed by the features and feel that Saturnine and The End left me unsatisfied. However, I’m definitely happy about the return to harder and deeper techno-esque angle.

One of Taylor's weaker releases. Since 2020 brought us folklore and evermore, Taylor has tried going back to her signature sound, but has struggled to come up with much original music. I appreciate the angle being a little more raw and real, but it comes with too many cliches and blatant copying of some of her peers Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo, with the latter really doing it best right now.

30 songs is mighty long, but overall Bladee (alongside Drain Gang, who is all over this mixtape) are perfecting their quirky cloud rap in a palatable way. There was definitely a solid amount of fluff, but the diversity in sonic profile is refreshing.

Definitely not one of their stronger releases and found it to be a little forgettable. I usually enjoy the experimental hip-hop fusion that doesn't lend itself to hooks, but this album at times felt too under-dynamic. "Exotic BOP" and "Take Me To You Leader" were my two favorites and bookended the album nicely.

This isn't really country music, but is country in the roots of her raw and emotional lyricism and sonic choices. Beyonce is from Houston, where the soul of country music ripples through all genres like hip-hop, soul, rock, and more. The album more plays as a modernized Western movie, with Beyonce exploring personal topics not seen since the days of Lemonade.

This is a prime example of a band who has a clear vision from day one. Their debut builds well off the singles and is a fun and challenging record all throughout. The callbacks to glam rock era are very welcome. “Feminine Urge” might be up there in my SOTY lists.

I was a little let down on this album after how promising the singles were. It was too lengthy to the point of become unfocused and meandering at times. Overall, I appreciate the progression he's made since Wild Wet World, as this effort was much less comfortable and pushed the boundaries of sound composition further. He's one of the most unique artists out there now.

Blane is continuing to develop, mature, and hone her sound. This EP (almost LP). However, it seems that the collaborators shined over Blane on this EP. "mr useless" is overrated, but "4eva" and "f@ke" have me excited for what's to come next.

A slightly less experimental progression for Jlin has her exploring new genre fusion and heightened levels of club energy. It's calculated chaos that's never losing sight of what the album is as a whole. I can only imagine the experience of this record live.

You could fill a whole back of double-stuff oreos with all the fluff on this record.