Post Of Random Chaos (including my top albums of the year so far).

So, the last couple of months have been sort of crazy, so my album review schedule has been all kinds of erratic. That doesn't mean I have stopped listening to new stuff, it just means I haven't had time to form full fledged opinions on a lot of it. However, I hope to get all of this off my chest as well as my overdue albums of the year so far in one big post. Enjoy!

Top Albums of the Year So Far (In no particular order).

1. Father John Misty: "I Love You, Honeybear".

The year started off really well, and this album is proof. FJM came together with a heartwarming and funny album here, full of songs about love and the road to it. In short, this album is everything you want in a singer-songwriter album that you can simply relax to.

2. Kendrick Lamar: "To Pimp A Butterfly".

Kendrick Lamar has been making waves for the past few years, but this album right here is clearly his masterpiece. An album that is so poignant, yet balances its message with an equally impressive and catchy set of instrumentals that are hard to forget. This is surely a contender for album of the year.

3. Alabama Shakes: "Sound & Color".

I was thoroughly surprised with the latest Alabama Shakes release, an  album full of tight and catchy rock tunes that even have a bit to them underneath the surface. Certainly songs like "Gimme All Your Love" will still be in rotation come 2016. Heck, this album may even win a Grammy or two, so that's cool!

4. The Decemberists: "What A Terrible World, What A Wonderful World".

 Sure, I may be a little biased, and seeing them in concert for the first time this year only enhances that fact, but I still think that The Decemberists came together and put out one of their most enjoyable albums in the last few years. Plus, you get a song about a pervy teenage boy, so this is like the most 'Decemberist' Decemberists album in years!

5. Drake: "If You're Reading This Its Too Late".

Drake has been on a streak lately. Though I thought his last album was just okay, I found myself really loving this new mixtape/album. Its been in rotation since the day it dropped, and tracks like "Know Yourself" and "10 Bands" are fantastic. I look forward to hearing his next project and just hope he can keep this up.

6. Sufjan Stevens: "Carrie & Lowell".

Sufjan has been a favorite of mine since the first time I heard Illinoise, and part of me figured the new album would never reach the same heights. While that is certainly true in terms of scale, I'd say this album is Sufjan's best in terms of just about everything else. Carrie & Lowell is a simply heartbreaking ode to Sufjan's life and relationship with his late mother, and it is a testament to just how great a songwriter Sufjan is.


Albums That I Didn't Get A Chance To Review, But I Still Wanted To Talk About.

1. Sun Kil Moon: "Universal Themes".

The new SKM album kind of came out of nowhere, and considering that Benji was my album of the year, I was really excited to listen to it. And while it definitely isn't as good as the last album, there are still some really wordy and enjoyable tracks on this album. The only problem is that some of the tracks get lost in the wordiness and rambling, leading to some of the longer tracks  feeling like a grind. This is a good album, but it isn't great.

2. Algiers: Self-Titled.

This album is fantastic and may end up on my end of the year list, but I just didn't have time to write a full review. and it's been out so long, I figured you didn't need another opinion telling you the same thing. In short, Goth meets Soul, and it's fantastic.

3. High On Fire: "Luminiferous".

Truthfully, I haven't given this album a full listen, but what I've heard has been excellent. Big, meaty riffs and fantastic melodies that are some of the bands tightest yet. I've loved almost everything that I've heard from this band and this new album is no different. Another album I really should have made an effort to review.

4.Tech N9ne: "Special Effects"

Sigh... I feel bad for ever enjoying All 6's And 7's. But at least that album had the decency to have some actually enjoyable tracks on it. Tech has been under utilizing his rapping ability and over utilizing his features lists for way too long at this point.

5. The Vaccines: English Graffiti 

It's not bad, but I just can't get over how odd the trajectory of this band has been. I like when they put out catchy brit-pop tunes, but I just don't find them to be interesting enough to do anything deeper than that.


Tracks That I've Really Enjoyed This Year.

Future Islands: The Chase

The Weeknd: I Can't Feel My Face

Hudson Mohawke: Scud Books

Rae Shremmurd: Throw Sum Mo

Kanye West: All Day

Muse: Drones ALBUM REVIEW

Muse are a band that I used to love. Though that is a bit dramatic for an opening sentence, it's true. When I was in my early teens I couldn't get enough of tracks like "Plug In Baby" and "Hysteria". These tracks and the albums they came from were a lot of fun, and I even to this day, still find a lot to enjoy about them; they're big, overly dramatic, and catchy as all get out.

The unfortunate thing is that for the last 10 years or so, the band hasn't really done anything that has moved me to do much more than shrug, or even cringe. The latter being my primary reaction to the band's last LP, The 2nd Law, an album so woefully mangled and bogged down in bad ideas, I'm surprised the band didn't implode while making it.

However, we now have this new album, Drones, which sees the group pulling back the reins of experimentation, and instead going back to a more familiar style, with a slightly more hard rock edge to it than usual. Overall, I am a fan of this change, but the album still doesn't leave that huge of an impression on me.

For instance, I like the tracks "The Handler" and "Reapers" and even find myself enjoying darn near every minute of "Defector", mostly because these tracks have great melodies, and rely on the symphonic rock styling that made albums like Absolution so memorable. But as soon as I find myself liking this album, a track like "Psycho" pops up, and I'm back to cringing.

"Psycho" features what is easily the cheesiest sample that you'll hear all year, with this drill sergeant screaming at a solider all 'Full Metal Jacket' style, but instead of being intimidating, it's just hilarious. Also, tracks like "Mercy" and "Revolt" are just too sappy and overly produced to evoke any kind of response from me.

This album is trying to urge the listener to fight against an oppressive military and government, but all I hear is the sound of a band conforming to a sound that they used to do a lot better. I'd say you're safe to pass on this LP if you haven't found any of Muse's last few albums enjoyable; it isn't terrible, but it ain't good either.

5.2/10

A$AP Rocky: AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP ALBUM REVIEW

A$AP Rocky started his career in 2011 with a really solid mixtape, which not only got him mainstream attention, but also made him a figurehead for the burgeoning 'cloud-rap' scene, a style that has since become a pretty prominent production choice in mainstream hip-hop, next to Trap. He even followed this mixtape up with a pretty solid debut album, which not only proved he could still produce worthwhile music, but even play in styles more akin to what was popular on the charts without losing his legitimacy.

However, it's been a while since we've heard a full length project from Rocky. This has a lot to do with the fact that he's been doing a lot of features, helping fellow A$AP Mob cohorts start their careers, and the untimely death of friend and mentor A$AP Yams, who he seems to be paying tribute to him with the album cover of his latest album, AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP.

The title seems to promise two things, one, that Rocky has finally become the MC that everyone knew he could be, and he even indulges in some straight narcissism, asserting that he has become a kind of rap god, kind of like Kanye. Unfortunately, he and Kanye not only share a knack for being pretty into themselves, but also releasing sub-par albums that show just how delusional these proclamations of godhood are.

The album starts off pretty well, I really like the track "Holy Ghost" and how it addresses the hypocrisy of certain religious figures who preach living within one's means, but wear expensive clothes and jewels. And the beat on this track and the following "Canal St." are pretty classy as well. But the album really gets stuck in a rut after this point, with the track "Fine Whine" sounding so muddy and unappealing, and don't get me started on the horrendous MIA verse on this track. After that we get the single "L$D" which is just an excuse for Rocky to sing over a vaguely psychedelic beat, which all sounds pretty bad when all is said and done.

While I enjoy tracks like "Excuse Me" and even kind of dig "Lord Pretty Flacko Joyde 2", tracks like "Electric Body" come in, and I'm back to shaking my head in disgust. The only other tracks that give me any kind of enjoyment are the tracks "Wavybone" for being the most consistent verse wise, "Jukebox Joints" for a pretty funny Kanye verse, and the closer, "Back Home" which has a pretty decent beat.

Overall, this album is too inconsistent for me to really be down with it. I find some tracks to be pretty good, while others are easily some of Rocky's worst yet. I'll look for more features, and especially other projects from guys like Ferg, but for now, I'll just have to chalk this album up as a disappointment that I hope Rocky can rebound from.

6.3/10