Actually pretty pleasant. I wasn't really vibing with this at the start, but it's not that bad. I think you need to be in a certain mental state to enjoy this, it's very... Odd... ~I~ ~think~ ~that's~ ~just~ ~Art~ ~Pop/Neo-Psych~ ~really~~.~

The vocals are horrible, though. I'd never heard of John Cale before, but I'm aware he's rather old. Maybe he's lost his hearing in his advanced age, on the other hand, Beethoven, so I'm just gonna say John Cale's vocals are trash.

The production is fine. It's nothing special, there's not much distinguishing each track, but there's some nice passages, occasionally. The drums are bad, the guitars on I KNOW YOU'RE HAPPY are really nice though. It's a bit of a hit or miss on whether any given song lands on the good or bad side of mediocre.

The lyrics are garbage. Maybe I just don't get it, I'm willing to admit that, but honestly I didn't care about anything he was saying, and honestly I'd rather he hadn't said anything. I'll remind you the vocals suck, there was really nothing he could've said that would've made his piss poor performances worth it, but still, I'd appreciate something more than repetitive repetition, repeatedly.

He does ask some very hard hitting questions, though. Namely on this song called THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE. I recommend you listen to it. ~~You'll regret it!~~

It was hard to put THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE as my least favourite song on this album. It's hilarious. It's ACTUALLY so fucking funny (which is why it's also my favourite track on the album), everything, every single word, the instrumentals, the performance. It just cracks me up! It sounds horrible, it's just so bad I can barely comprehend why anyone would ever put that in a serious album. I think it's a troll, honestly. And that just makes it better.

What is the legal status of ice?
Where does it come and where does it go

Comedy gold.

Listening to this album almost gave me an aneurysm.

Best song: THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. Fat White Family)
Worst song: THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE (feat. Fat White Family)
Rating: THE LEGAL STATUS OF ICE/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

This is a spoiler-free review

Let's start with the obvious: the animation is brilliant. It's MAPPA after all. The production quality on this show is very good, and leaves very little to be desired. Sure, it's not the pinnacle of modern animation, but it's more than serviceable, and it posed no issue whatsoever.

Regardless, this show is very interesting, visually. The characters too, but mostly the environment is totally CRAZY! It's weird, and beautiful, and creepy. The flowers are just stunning, and knowing what they mean in the story just adds a special layer to such stunning visuals.

The voice acting (sub) is great as well, but the general sound design was subpar. I felt like a lot of scenes were very silent, and not in a cool or creepy kinda way, just in a "they didn't know what to put in the background" kinda way... The OP is a TOTAL BANGER though, and it was hard to skip, honestly.

Still, all of this isn't that big of a deal if the plot and the characters make up for it.

But they didn't really.

There's a varied cast with their quirky personalities and origin stories, but they're so poorly explored that that barely matters. The only characters that have any emotional weight are Gabimaru (MC) and Sagiri (MC). To be fair, these two do have very compelling backstories and cool chemistry. The rest of the cast either didn't have enough screen-time for us to truly engage with their stories, or had basically NO backstory at all.

Gabimaru specifically is a very emotional character. His struggle with his up-bringing, with love, family, and freedom is really compelling, and so is Sagiri's struggle with human nature, sexism, and her place in the world.

The plot is just OK. The setup is awesome, and promises a lot of action and adventure with lots of tension and high stakes, but that just ends up not being the case. We spend most of the time watching cool fight scenes. The fight scenes are very cool, sure, but where's the substance? I think a big problem is that Gabimaru is way too strong. His plot armour is just too much...

And the ending... I mean, come on. IT'S A FUCKING JOKE! If they were gonna end the show like this, it should've just been a 24/25 episode release. I know S2 is already in the works, but this season simply felt incomplete.

Well, the show does a lot of things right, and a few things wrong. If more time was spent developing the characters and advancing the plot this would've been way more satisfying. For that reason, I'm still looking forward to the second season.

Rating: 3/5

Watch on Crunchyroll!
Arr 🏴‍☠️!!

JPEGMAFIA might be the best producer of this generation. The beats are so intense, you just feel every track reverberating in your chest, it's incredible. This man is a genius, no doubt about it.

On top of that, he's a fantastic rapper. Witty lines with great delivery. I mean, even the names of the songs are hilarious!

Now, why has this genius ^(^^god^ ^amongst^ ^men^^)^ decided to collab with DANNY FUCKING BROWN?!

Yes, I'm a Danny hater, and I'm gonna keep hating. He's fucking unbearable. With that annoying voice, nasally and high pitched... I just can't get over it, it's FUCKING GRATING. I mean, his lines aren't that bad really, they're fine, they're good, but god every time this man opens his mouth I cringe myself to the size of a pea.

In his all-knowingness however, Peggy made the instrumental so loud and overwhelming that we can't actually hear Danny like half the time. And the beats are ACTUALLY insane, deranged, in a mental asylum, the white room with the rats. Every second Danny is rapping and I can't hear him is a win in my book. And if what I'm hearing instead is incredible production, all the better.

There's also a lot of variety in the instrumentals, which is really nice. Some DnB elements, glitchcore, rock guitars? It's awesome! The samples are god-like, absolutely brilliant. I know Peggy's production from his previous project, LP!, so I knew what to expect, more or less. But this was another level altogether.

And then Danny raps. Ok.

The gap in quality is enormous. At some point, I start wondering if I really am just a Danny Brown hater, if he's really not that bad and I'm just exaggerating. Then he starts his verse, and my beliefs are reinforced.

75% of this album is amazing, 25% is Danny Brown. If you like Danny Brown, maybe you'll like this more than I do. I can't get over it though.

If I am a hoe, consider my timbers shivered.

Best song: SCARING THE HOES
Worst song: Garbage Pale Kids
Rating: 3/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

A brilliant musical journey.

I've listened to a lot of music. A lot of great music. And I can tell you, this is special.

It's one thing to infuse your art with a message, another thing to actually convey it properly, and a whole other debacle to manage to do that while creating something truly enjoyable. Little Simz made something magical. This album is way more than just music, it's a whole experience. And one that I'm sad I won't be able to experience again for the first time.

Being a woman, being black, her culture, her desires and aspirations. Little Simz shows all of herself for us to see. This album is incredibly personal, and one of the most majestic things I've ever listened to.

I already knew she was a brilliant rapper; her lyricism is nigh unmatched, and her delivery is second to none. Of course, the production leaves nothing to be desired either.

But really, the message is what elevates this to the next level.

There's a nice variety of sounds too, some hardcore hip-hop cuts, some jazzy tracks, pop, soul, and plenty of time to cleanse your palate before the next stop on the Introvert train by way of several interludes. Some spoken word passages as well, which I really appreciate.

I tend to dislike longer albums; 30 minutes is plenty, 60 minutes is pushing it. But this is different, I can't have enough of this!! I wish it would last forever...

If I could tattoo this album on my brain, I would.

Best song: Rollin Stone
Worst song: Never Make Promises (Interlude)
Rating: 5/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

I don't like reviewing unfinished works, as I feel a poor landing can destroy a whole story, just as a perfect finale can justify anything. There are 127 chapters out, as of me writing this.

However, I feel that every second that I stay silent about this web-series is a second wasted, an utter affront to fiction, and a betrayal of everything I stand for.

If even one person reading this did not know of "The Nature of Predators", I command you to look into it.

This is pure brilliancy. An epic story filled with action, drama, tension beyond belief. Mystery, betrayal, political collusion, and romance spanning the whole universe... There is nothing missing!

I have racked my brain for any weakness in the story... Maybe the pace, or the prose, maybe the characters aren't developed enough, maybe the plot isn't compelling enough... But no. Everything is impeccable, a true work of art. And to think it's not even completed yet.

"The Nature of Predators" follows several characters, with different beliefs, motivations, and interests. Some characters only appear later in the story, some appear early but fizzle out, some we've had the pleasure of accompanying from the very start and to this day.

There are characters you are made to love unconditionally, and characters you are made to hate. Some that want ultimate good, but can't help their nature, and those that went against their nature for their own survival. Terror inflicted upon the innocent, BY the innocent. A world upside down.

I simply cannot describe the emotional weight of the characters. I'm not ashamed to say I've bawled while reading this. Straight up tears and snot.

And in all this chaos, different personalities and stories clashing all over the universe, somehow everything clicks. Every plot point is addressed, in due time, and never are you left high and dry wondering helplessly about the true nature of things. It feels like no stone is left unturned...

But the stones never end! There is always the next step, the next adventure, the next mystery, the next quarrel... It's a relentless journey into the cosmos, and it's expanse is unending beauty.

A perfect balance between closure and novelty, tension and release.

My words CANNOT do this work justice. I urge you to read it, or listen to it. Do whatever you can to inject this story into your mind, for you will not regret it.

That being said, it is HFY. I know that bothers some people.

Rating: 5/5

Read on Royal Road!
Alternatively, listen on Youtube:

• Adastra has the best narration, but is currently almost 100 chapters behind.
• Agro Squirrel Narrates is only about 10 chapters behind, but the narration isn't as good (IMHO).

This is a SPOILER FREE review.

Horror done PERFECTLY.

"FROM" is creepy, desperate, and hopeful. Every second is crawling with this sense of imminent dread. Time is ticking, and ticking, and ~ticking~... And they can't escape. But they still hope that that might change.

The characters are brilliant. From father Khatri to Boyd to Jim to Jade, they all serve their purpose perfectly, and the more secondary characters also manage to flawlessly push the plot forward, as well as provide some much needed reprieve from the main storyline of the show. Because the main storyline is INTENSE!

The way the different personalities clash and slow things down, beautiful chaos. Even just the dynamic between the town and the colony house! The best part, really, is how much power is in the hands of the people, how much THEY control their life in the town. And how much one person can doom so many others.

Still, my favourite thing about the show is the very clear theme of family. That's what moves everything, they all lost family, and they all found family in that accursed town. I love that.

The audio and the visual are both great. Everything is set up magnificently to give the viewer that rising terror.

The only real criticism I have is the acting. It's not bad, but it's not that great either. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors before watching this show, but I'm not exactly looking forward to what they might do next. Still, it doesn't really take away that much from the show, since they do a good enough job of conveying everything that needs conveying; occasionally they knock it out of the park too.

This season left a lot of mystery to solve; more loose threads than I can count.

Watch on MGM+!
Arr 🏴‍☠️!!!

A very interesting sound!

This was majestic, beautiful, mystical! Both the vocals and the instrumentals are ethereal, and the lyrics are inspiring, sweet and sour, all the right things.

The production remains interesting throughout. You can hear something weird nearly every second of every track, but it never gets boring or repetitive, it's just good production.

The seemingly ubiquitous vocal harmonizations really remind me of Aoba Ichiko. It's just an image I can't shake when listening to this. Normally, that'd be a great compliment, but I feel like it's not done very well actually, like a poor man's Ichiko...

As the track list progresses, it feels as if the album keeps winding down. It starts so strong, but by the time we get to Hopedrunk Everasking we've slowed to a halt.

How long can she stay floating in harmonic clouds? I'd argue not 45 minutes, gee. And yet, that's what she tries to do.

She picks it back up a little bit in Smoke, but too little too late.

The album never crosses the dreaded threshold from "interesting" to "bad" that so many alternative projects do. It manages to stay tolerable throughout. It starts incredible, but it loses steam.

If she'd cut it off at Track 5 this would've been a brilliant EP, but alas, it's a mediocre LP.

Best song: Sunset
Worst song: Fly To You
Rating: 3/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

Extremely emotional. The feelings of being lost, hurt, depressed... slowthai screams his misery at the top of his lungs. He opens up about his struggles with addiction and relationships, and that makes this album feel really personal.

There's a nice variety of sound on this project; every song feels decently distinct, even if they have a lot of thematic overlap. There's a lot of guitars and heavy bass, very punk, but also a strong beat and artificial sounds. There's some hip-hop slices too. I love it!

The sounds on this album really jump out at you though, there's no two ways about it. Really, what jumps out the most is slowthai's vocal performance. He puts his all into nearly every word, you can really feel his emotion, his desperation, his despair. He's lost, and he'll make sure you know it, and that you won't do a thing to help.

This album feels like a trip down a tortured mind.

Still, the lyrics make the album, no question. The instrumentals are great, the vocals are strong, but the lyrics... He really has a way of keeping your attention, of pulling you in with melodies and punching you square in the jaw with total hopelessness and drug-fuelled spurts of vague happiness. The emotion is almost overwhelming at times.

I'd heard of him before, and I've even listened to one of his songs before, which I liked quite a bit. This is the first full-length project of his I've listened to though, and I'm looking forward to finding more of his stuff. This was great.

Best song: Selfish
Worst song: Falling
Rating: 4/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

This is horrible. The industrial style... It's so heavy, I feel like I'm drowning. It's crushing, overwhelming, uncomfortable,

grating.

There are definitely things here that are interesting, I liked passages from basically every song. But the vast majority of this album is just unadulterated trash. It doesn't even feel like music, just a random assortment of sounds barely "arranged".

I suppose that's the thing with experimental albums; if you want to listen to innovation in music, you have to be ready to listen to all the failures. Most of the stuff on this album doesn't work, it's horrible, actually. Occasionally, a nice melody plays, an interesting beat shines through... And that's it.

I'm trudging through shit in hopes of hearing gold.
^Maybe^ ^I'm^ ^giving^ ^this^ ^shit^ ^too^ ^much^ ^credit...^

Also, this album is 2 years old, so I guess I've already listened to the good stuff in other songs, from artists that took inspiration... Really, it's unfair.

The lyrics are interesting sometimes. The flow, when there is a flow, is usually pretty cool. The spoken word sections are nice.

I mean, all things considered, this wasn't torture. But it did feel like Injury Reserve are unable to avoid ruining a perfectly good song with awful production and ridiculous vocal performances.

I don't have it in me to recommend this to anyone, ever. Their knees hurt 'cause they're growing, my ears hurt 'cause I'm listening to this album.

Best song: Bye Storm
Worst song: Superman That
Rating: 1/5

Listen on YouTube!

Intense!!! That's the best word to describe this tsunami of an album. The beats keep coming at you, throbbing and punching. That is... Except when María finds the time to pull out an emotional ballad with beautiful lyrics.

It's good. I love how she breaks out the Spanish sounds so often. You can really tell she loves her music. This album feels unmistakably modern, it's hyperpop and violent, crazy, but it still manages to dress up in a red dress and dance.

It's a bit too violent, maybe... It really comes at you, no mercy, and the patches of beauty in the sea of insanity aren't enough. It's an aesthetic, sure, but it's almost sickening.

Still, it does what it sets out to do, and for the people that love this kind of sound, such as myself, it really hits the spot.

I'm looking forward to what's next for María.

Best song: ME MIRABAS
Worst song: CREO QUE HOY NO ME APETECE QUERERME MORIR
Rating: 4/5

Listen on YT Music!

This is a short reminder to leave your hopes and dreams behind.

A beautiful project. I love the mostly instrumental nature of the album! The vocals are very welcome though, and the vocal chops add a lot to the texture of the tracks. And the vocals feel mostly like just another instrument, really.

This album feels like bubblegum and depression. I'm a big fan of hyperpop, so this really scratches a particular itch for me. It's weird in all the right ways, and it manages to have this connecting thread throughout the whole thing that makes it feel somewhat grounded. The spoken portions of the album add a special human flare to the otherwise very alien production, but they're not exactly great.

The Bandcamp entry states this was mostly made in-transit. I feel like the feeling of constant motion, of a rushing landscape, really permeates every note.

I wonder if Europa was travelling exclusively between 2 places though, as every song feels rather similar. It's nice, as I mentioned before, to have a connecting thread throughout a project, but there's not enough to distinguish every track, to make every entry unique.

Overall, I like it quite a lot. The laugh in Toxibaby is horrible.

Best song: Absentia
Worst song: Toxibaby
Rating: 4/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

A musical machine gun! A gauntlet of short tracks held together by... Almost nothing really. He manages to make some songs under 3 minutes feel TOO LONG. That's actually impressive, in a way.

The production leaves something to be desired; it's not bad per se, but it's just less interesting than I'd expect from the odd construction of the album.

If you're making a relatively short project (<40 minutes) with 18 tracks, I expect some variety, something interesting. And some songs do sound different, but there's a lot of sameness here... And it's not even that good. Sounds a bit like elevator music really. Pleasant, sure, but boooooriiiiiiing!

Also, he needs to improve his singing, or stop, or autotune maybe. His rapping is great, but this man can't hit a note.

Niggas say I'm copying Tyler like he invented jazz
Half you niggas copying Carti like he invented ass

- LONE SOLDIER

Hilarious line, but he does sound a lot like Tyler. It's not just Jazz, it's the way he writes, his flows, the way he changes his voice in some songs. Admittedly, this album sounds less like Tyler than *GHETTOLAND, but it's still not particularly distinct. Maybe it's unfair to compare an up-and-comer with a mainstream artist.

I like the themes of family that come up pretty regularly. I appreciate a rapper that is so open about his life, his tribulations, about how much love he has and how much he cares for those around him.

I also appreciate the intentions behind the album, I like his call for the lost to try and just do what makes them happy, to try and find happiness even if the world is pulling them down, or holding them down.

So yeah, it's a respectable project. It's certainly not the worst thing I've ever heard. It's just not good either. It sounds very odd, so maybe it's for someone else, out there...

Best song: LOVED ONES
Worst song: GOOD THING
Rating: 2/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

This dude is REALLY trying to be like Kendrick. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but he's falling short.

You can't help but feel like this is a poor impersonation of K-Dot. The song The Huud Shtrayt is a rip-off, and not a good one at all.

Every song has those soul, melodic, hymn passages. I mean, they're nice, but why does every song have something like that? It's a Kendrick parody, that's why!

The message has some weight, I suppose. Empowerment and racial unity? I'm all for it, and I think it got through. There are some fun tracks too, and I like the self-awareness in taking part in this rap culture so full of boisterous consumerism, extravagance, while he's just some random broke dude. Talking about black gangs and street-life, and then getting called out for going to a PWI.

There's some high-points, such as Urgent-C, but the low points are painfully low.

The production too, it's nothing special most of the time, occasionally it's bad, occasionally it's good. Nothing to write home about either way.

Even the features! This is OK in every way, some good vocals, some bad ones, some good verses, some bad ones...

Still, I'm hopeful. If he can find his identity, if he can build something that's truly his own... I think he has promise. This wasn't bad. He's technically proficient in everything he does in the album, he just needs to put HIS OWN SOUL in his music, not Kendrick's.

Best song: Urgent-C
Worst song: The Huud Shtrayt
Rating: 3/5

Listen on SoundCloud!

Nothing's right in this town...

A brilliant show! Tons of characters, all voice acted incredibly well. The production quality is incredibly high, and it really elevates the show.

That being said, the production quality is not the best part of the show, the plot is. The mystery is delightful, the drama is enthralling, and the occasional comedy is very much appreciated.

It's described as a "fantasy crime procedural", but really the fantasy element feels secondary. Don't get me wrong, it's front and centre in the story, but it also doesn't... Matter? It's an element of the story, but it would work without it. It's a tool to boost the horror and to justify some actions and prejudice in the plot, it's a justification for horrible things, but not a driving force exactly.

I love the way the show explores human nature and emotion: fear, desperation, regret, isolation, hope, determination... This is what moves the story. Blind hatred versus Total selflessness, truly a battle for the ages.

And as it ends, I am overcome with a want for more.

That's the one thing that keeps the show down; the amount of loose ends left at the end of the short 8 episode run-time is almost UNBEARABLE. There's so many things I want to know, and I fear I may never get to find out the secrets of Darkstead.

I guess that's the issue with building up such a great setting with such compelling characters in such a short time... There's just so much left to explore after you're done.

Rating: 4/5
Listen on Google Podcasts!

Guitar heavy production punctuated nearly every track by a face-punch bass on the chorus. Honestly, I vibe with it.

There's a decent amount of synths, the percussion is a bit deaf but it does its job.

Everything is a bit blown-out, which is definitely not for everyone, but I'm a huge hyperpop fan so this is really not an issue for me in the slightest.

Here's what is an issue: every track is the same. What I said applies to every track, everything sounds the same. I appreciate cohesion in an album, I do, but COME THE FUCK ON MAN, EVERY TRACK?!

Not to mention, every song is so short that this project really just feels like 30 minutes of Aries' vaguely whiny voice talking about some hypothetical lover and his success in the industry over blown out pop guitars. There you go, that's the album. It's a sludge of mediocrity... I felt like I was drowning the whole way through.

His flows are OK, I guess. His singing is OK, I guess.

But really, the production and the performance aren't the worst... The lyrics, god. A couple of highlights follow.

Song: ETA

Prada shades I can't see through
Hello, mamacita
How long can I breathe for, under
So sentimental, zoom, zoom

Song: ONE PUNCH

You took a shot for the magazines, yeah
Another shot, John Kennedy

It feels to me like Aries wrote a bunch of cool (?) choruses, produced the same beat 12 times, and just put them together, filling them out with whatever words he could pluck out of his brain. I mean, this dude is very talented, but this is NOT IT.

Perhaps I'm misjudging his music, I'm willing to admit that. Is this a compilation of stand-alone songs mislabelled as an album?

Best song: HOW RUDE
Worst song: ETA
Rating: 1/5

Listen on YT Music!

Brilliant production by Danger Mouse. Incredible rapping by Black Thought. I can't shake the thought of a certain villainous duo from my mind, listening to this album. If that's not the greatest compliment in hip-hop, I don't know what is.

The features are on point, from Joey to Russ to RTJ to Rocky to... DOOM HIMself. And more!

The beautiful melodies in each track contrast beautifully with the hardcore rap style. You might think they'd clash, but they dance with each other, it's like the beat bends to fit the sharp edges of the lyrics and the stiff rhythm of the bars, like water filling a cup with the oddest of shapes.

Well, Danger Mouse plays good, Black Thought talks sweet, but what does he spit? The struggles of the street life, death, despair, drugs and violence. His home town, his success, his talent, his religion, his doubt. It's deep, it's honest... And it hits.

Overall, this is stupendously stupendous. Brilliantly brilliant. They did kill it, but it took just over 38 minutes. Bolt runs 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, so Black Thought was inaccurate there.

Best song: Strangers

Worst song: Saltwater

Rating: 5/5

Listen on YT Music!