Table Of Contents:
- Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
- Charli xcx – BRAT
- The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
- Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
- Geordie Greep – The New Sound
- Jack White – No Name
- JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
- Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
- Justice – Hyperdrama
- Kendrick Lamar – GNX
- Kim Gordon – The Collective
- MGMT – Loss Of Life
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God
- Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
- The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei
- The Smile – Wall Of Eyes
- The Smile – Cutouts
- St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
- Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
- The Voidz – Like All Before You
- ¥$ – VULTURES 1
- ¥$ – VULTURES 2
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
Beth Gibbons releases a solo album.
16 years after her last project (Portishead’s krautrock-influenced Third; their best yet), Beth Gibbons returns with her first solo outing; an album of dark acoustic chamber music, reminiscent of the works of artists like Nico and John Cale.
Any aging artist will inevitably talk about getting closer to the vicinity of death, though it’s not so much a cliché, but a matter of interpretation that matters here. It brings out a shared vulnerability we all have in common. Death is a universal component of life that none of us can ever escape, so it’s only fair that we tend to base art around it, as it creeps toward us.
James Ford’s (Arctic Monkeys’ frequent producer) production work here is stunning and immaculate, and not only that, but he lends his instrumental talents on various instruments throughout the album. The album comprises of almost tribal-like drumming, married to delicate, gorgeous acoustic guitars, as well as other instruments such as viola, flute, dulcimer, Chinese lute and the Hammond organ. It’s very different from Portishead, but you can still connect the dots to her previous work in terms of her lyricism and melodies.
Tell Me Who You Are Today starts the album off on a deliciously dour note. Floating On A Moment floats on with its angular pedal steel guitar work. Burden Of Life has droning violins and viola, reminiscent of John Cale’s work throughout The Velvet Underground & Nico. I usually despise whistling in music, as it almost always comes across as tacky, but Beth Gibbons manages to even make whistling work on Lost Changes; this woman certainly has a Midas touch.
Rewind takes things into a slightly eastern direction and has some very chaotic moments. Reaching Out displays some of the best drumming on the album. For Sale shows off some stunning resonator guitar work from James Ford, along with haunting strings. Whispering Love ends the album with a slightly more elated vibe and the sounds of birds chirping.
We probably won’t get another Beth Gibbons project for twenty odd years, but this album is layered enough to warrant several re-listens. As strong as anything she’s done with Portishead and dare I say, possibly her best work yet.
100 / 100
Charli xcx – BRAT
Charli becomes the zeitgeist of summer ’24.
This album was simply the biggest album of summer 2024, and it’s easy to see why. From the vibrant production, to the simplistic graphic design, to the mix of boastful and vulnerable lyrics, as well as the overall confidence exuded from Charli, BRAT was destined to flourish.
360 and 365 bookend the album, incorporating similar musical and lyrical motifs, giving the album a conceptual feel, but without them seeing derivative of each other either. Von dutch was the first single off the album, and shows Charli at her most playful and confident. The synths in Sympathy is a knife could cut through metal like a plasma cutter. Mean girls has a tasteful piano lick.
Club classics is a wild ride that really goes to town with its production. Rewind and I might say something stupid show her introspective side. Girl, so confusing is a total pop gem. The experimental Everything is romantic is one of Charli’s best songs yet, and finds a new use for the same sample found in Ye & Ty Dolla $ign’s VULTURES, which released several months prior.
One of the best pop albums of the millennium and deserving of all the praise and attention it has gotten, and Charli’s best album alongside how i’m feeling now.
100 / 100
Trivia: Brat won Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World
The Cure returns after 16 years and releases a masterpiece, comparable to their 80s works.
After a 16 year long hiatus and plenty of delays, the Cure finally release the follow-up to the underwhelming 4:13 Dream, with an album that rivals the band’s best works from the 80s. A beautiful, brooding melancholy weaves itself through this album and Robert Smith is as depressing as ever, at an age where grappling with one’s mortality becomes increasingly real.
Robert Smith sounds straight out of the 80s. How his voice hasn’t changed in 40+ years is a marvel and should be studied. Listening to this right after Disintegration, you’d have no idea that 35 years had passed.
This album features very long intros on every song, and where one may feel that this detracts from the album, I find it to be quite the opposite, where it’s hypnotic and draws you in like a vortex.
Lead single Alone arrived to let fans know that The Cure had been cooking up something real good over the past decade and a half. The drums to Endsong have been drilled into my head since the first listen. Drone:Nodrone feels like a classic Cure rocker. Warsong lives up to it’s name, by painting a sonic battlefield in your mind.
One of the great long-awaited comebacks in recent memory, and their best album alongside Pornogaphy and Disintegration.
100 / 100
Trivia: Songs Of A Lost World won Best Alternative Music Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
Dua Lipa works with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker.
Four years after her blockbuster hit, Future Nostalgia, which made her a household name and an international popstar, Dua Lipa is back with a new collection of songs with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala producing most of the album.
Opener End Of An Era musically sounds like a continuation of what Kevin Parker was doing on Tame Impala’s super-underrated 2020 album, The Slow Rush, albeit with Dua Lipa vocals. Houdini was a massive radio hit with it’s catchy hook, colourful Kevin Parker production and danceable synths. French Exit has some lovely acoustic guitar et un petit peu de français dans les paroles — er, I mean a little bit of French in the lyrics. And of course, Dua Lipa sings wonderfully across the album.
Dua Lipa isn’t someone I’d typically listen to, but as a huge Tame Impala fan, I was quite interested in listening to Radical Optimism to see the influence he’d have on the music. Fortunately, the tracks with Kevin Parker’s fingerprints on them are all quite good, but that’s where the problem with this album lies: only 7 out of 11 tracks were produced by producer extraordinaire Kevin Parker. This isn’t to suggest that the other four songs are bad, but this causes the album to lose some consistency and cohesiveness, with those songs sounding noticeably different from the rest. Had Dua Lipa just had Parker produce the entire thing, it could have been that much better. Or did Dua Lipa not want this album to be more associated with Kevin Parker than herself, the way Parker somewhat overshadowed Melody Protchet on Melody’s Echo Chamber?
Regardless, this is a decent pop album that I liked more than I expected to and while it could have been better, it still made for a handful of excellent earworms.
70 / 100
Geordie Greep – The New Sound
Geordie Greep leaves black midi to go solo.
Leaning further into the jazziness of black midi’s last two albums, like a twisted, Zappa-fied Steely Dan, The New Sound finds Geordie Greep at the height of his powers, on this explosive solo debut.
The New Sound is practically a concept album about a hopeless romantic, looking for love in all the wrong places, with all the wrong women. Never before have musings about prostitutes seemed so passionate. vulnerable and full of desire. The music itself is as fiery as the STIs that the narrator encounters.
A perfect continuation of what black midi spent three albums doing, with one of the most precise, expertly-crafted albums in recent memory.
90 / 100
Jack White – No Name
Jack White sounds like The White Stripes again.
Ever since Jack White dissolved The White Stripes, I’ve wanted nothing more but for him to return to that style. I’m not against an artist experimenting and evolving, but nothing Jack White has put out solo has rivalled The White Stripes’ best works.
That was until No Name, an album that sounds almost like vintage White Stripes, from the killer licks to the raw, bootleg-like production, which allows the songs to shine on their songwriting alone. White seemed laser focused on doing what he does best here (raw, fuzzy blues), giving fans a taste of what they’ve wanted, but without feeling regressive or derivative either.
That’s How I’m Feeling was the first single (followed by Archbishop Harold Holmes), but almost any of the songs here could have been singles. Old Scratch Blues,Bombing Out, Number One With A Bullet, What’s The Rumpus?, It’s Rough On Rats (If You’re Asking), Bless Yourself: all memorable.
The one Jack White album where he allowed himself to sound like The White Stripes again, and it ends up being his best solo record yet. Go figure.
90 / 100
Trivia: The album was initially given away for free to buyers at Third Man Record locations in Detroit, Nashville and London, on a white vinyl with no writing or credits, other than NO NAME. The music (which was obviously Jack White) was then ripped from the vinyl and shared online, creating lots of buzz. About a week or so later, the official name of the album, the song titles and the album artwork were all unveiled.
JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU
On his fifth solo album, JPEGMAFIA adds an increasing focus on song structure and conducts a hybrid of rock, punk, metal and rap.
Compared to earlier projects, the songs on I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU feel more structured and refined than any of Peggy’s past albums (other than the instant classic, SCARING THE HOES). The production is still a bit brash at times, but the music is more accessible than on previous albums, without sacrificing the experimental production either
i scream this in the mirror before i interact with anyone introduces itself with incendiary guitars and cymbals. SIN MIEDO goes from sounding like a song you might hear at a dance club, before changing into something much closer to a metal band, then mixing both together simultaneously. it’s dark and hell is hot is as bizarre as it is thrilling.
New Black History features tasteful synths and a Vince Staples feature, with an killer beat change at the end that leaves the listener wanting more. Lead single don’t rely on other men ends with wailing electric guitar and a vibrant orchestra. vulgar display of power (Pantera reference?) is another heavy, guitar-driven jam, oozing testosterone and adrenaline.
Exmilitary (Death Grips reference?) samples After Laughter (Comes Tears) by Wendy Rene, which was also the backbone to the 1993 Wu-Tang Clan song, Tearz. It ends with another classy beat change at the end. JPEGULTRA! revels in its brassy jazz, before changing the instrumental changes to Spanish guitar.
I’ll Be Right There and either on or off the drugs are both sensual, slow jams. The last three tracks, loop it and leave it, Don’t Put Anything On The Bible and i recovered from this wind the album down with more meditative and gentle timbres and sounds.
This is easily Peggy’s best solo album yet and leaves me anticipating what comes next.
80 / 100
Judas Priest – Invincible Shield
Judas Priest releases a career highlight 50 years removed from their debut.
Judas Priest managed to make an energetic callback to their 80s heyday, carrying on the momentum that the band had generated on 2018’s Firepower.
Legendary vocalist Rob Halford shows no signs of slowing down. Where many singers with high vocal ranges start gradually losing power over the decades, Halford is still in top form at 73. And like on their previous album, Richie Faulkner (the youngest member by 20-30 years) helps to inject some youthfulness into the band, along with Andy Sneap’s production.
While Invincible Shield doesn’t reinvent the steel, it frankly doesn’t have to. It’s a group of veterans who have spent half a century as pioneers of the genre, showing that they can still be relevant in the modern metal landscape.
80 / 100
Justice – Hyperdrama
The French dance music duo returns with another batch of groovy tracks, including Grammy-winning Neverender.
Coming 8 years after their last album, Hyperdrama sees French house duo in strong form on this slick dance album that includes killer features from Tame Impala and Thundercat.
The Tame Impala-featuring opener, Neverender, is a tour-de-force and worthy of its Grammy win for Best Dance/Electronic Recording — it’s also one of the best things Kevin Parker has been associated with outside of Tame Impala’s music, as is One Night/All Night, the other Tame Impala feature. Funk-lord supreme Thundercat appears on the buttery finale, The End. Generator is another highlight.
A fantastic, expertly-produced electronic dance album, wbich I’d describe as a mix of Daft Punk’s Discovery and Random Access Memories and Currents era Tame Impala, mixed-in with Justice’s usual futuristic arsenal of sound. There’s also a good balance between instrumentals and vocal tracks. Daft Punk may be retired, but at least we still have Justice for top tier French dance music.
80 / 100
Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Kendrick Lamar settles the debate about who the current G.O.A.T. of rap is.
While Kendrick Lamar’s character assassination of Drake (via several singles earlier this year) may have indicated that a new Kendrick album was on the horizon, nobody knew exactly when an album would actually drop. And then out of thin air, it did. The Pulitzer Prize winner continues his winning streak, with a mean, lean sixth album.
Every Kendrick Lamar album since Section.80 has dealt with Kendrick against his environment and the thematic narrative continues here (him vs. his neighbourhood on Section.80, him vs. his city on good kid, m.A.A.d city, him vs. his country on To Pimp A Butterfly, him vs. the world on DAMN., him vs. himself on Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers) and it seems like this time it was Kendrick vs. other rappers in the industry.
This album is quite antagonistic (as foreshadowed by his Drake diss tracks), but if anyone in the past decade has earned the right to boast about being a true all-time great in rap, then Kendrick is a prime candidate.
The minimalistic wacced out murals opens GNX with a menacing Kendrick. squabble up even made Obama dance. luther and dodger blue are the album’s sexy R&B jams (like Die Hard, LOYALTY). man at the garden sounds like a sinister, west coast re-interpretation of Phil Collin’s In The Air Tonight.
reincarnated is a 90s throwback that samples 2Pac. tv off is a return to the sound of the smash-hit Drake diss track, Not Like Us. heart pt. 6 successfully continues the beloved decade and a half-running Heart series, reclaiming the title that Drake attempted to steal during their feud. hey now, peekaboo and gnx all feature compelling beats.
Sure, the album may not be quite as theatrical as Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers and good kid, m.A.A.d city, or as groundbreaking and epic as To Pimp A Butterfly, but what it is, is an album full of bangers and everything we’ve come to expect from Kendrick Lamar. It probably has the most in common with DAMN., but that’s not to say it’s derivative of that album. It’s its own beast and is an (expectedly) great new chapter in the Kendrick Lamar saga.
100 / 100
Trivia: GNX won Best Rap Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Kim Gordon – The Collective
Kim Gordon embraces the abrasion of industrial hip hop.
Back in 2019, Kim Gordon released her first solo album, No Home Record, which showed Gordon embracing her freedom as a solo artist, venturing into new territory like trap and industrial hip-hop, while still retaining the alternative, noise elements she is known for. Five years later, and The Collective leans even harder into its abrasive, dissonant beats.
Released at age 70, Kim Gordon sounds both as wise and youthful as she’s ever sounded, as she criticizes technology and its spell it has over modern society, while also embracing it, like putty in her hands. This album is a reflection of the hypnosis that our phones have on us (as evident by the cover art), and how so many of us have swapped out oxygen for Instagram and Tik Tok. Some people may reduce the message of the album to “old person doesn’t like technology”, but most people would be shocked if you told them this was the work of a septuagenarian.
Lead single and opener BYE BYE introduces the distorted synths and trap beats, which she began toying with on her debut. Her classic spoken-word vocals sound like they haven’t aged a day since the 80s and is still as badass as it ever was.
The Candy House mixes 808s and sounds of broken glass. I Don’t Miss My Mind is as nasty as it is blissful and displays Gordon’s knack for weaponizing abstract noise and turning it into avant garde art. I’m A Man may be an attack on her ex-husband/ex-songwriting partner, Thurston Moore, or a playful and satirical take on sexism.
This record was quite polarizing. Some listeners saw the album as adventurous and experimental, where others just see a 70 year old ex-art school student trying to sound like she’s 20 again, but goddamn if this isn’t what music and exploration is all about.
90 / 100
MGMT – Loss Of Life
MGMT contemplates life and death, making their most mature work yet.
More than half a decade after their last album, 2018’s synth pop gem Little Dark Age, the duo returns with their most mature and introspective work yet. After all, “loss of life” is another way of saying “death”, so you’d expect to stumble into some deep thoughts and revelations.
In contrast to their first four releases, Loss Of Life features lots of acoustic guitar. The usual flourishes of their neo-psychedelic brand are sprinkled everywhere though and the whole affair is still very much MGMT.
Despite the heavier subject matter, this albums feels positive and cathartic, heard on emotionally-charged and powerful songs like Nothing Changes, People In The Streets and I Wish I Was Joking.
Mother Nature is uplifting and inspirational. Bubblegum Dog is candy-coated fun and features Sean Lennon on keyboards. Dancing In Babylon feels like an ironic take on 80s pop ballads, managing to be cheesy and earnest at the same time. Nothing To Declare features fingerpicked guitar. Phradie’s Song is a psychedelic lullaby that would fit in on the band’s self-titled album. The title track has the band channeling Sgt. Pepper era Beatles.
MGMT has come a long way since Kids and Time To Pretend and I’m all for this trajectory they’ve been on.
A mature and profound album and their best next to Little Dark Age.
90 / 100
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God
Nick Cave finds joy in life again.
As much as I enjoyed Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ masterful 2010s trilogy (Push The Sky Away, Skeleton Tree, Ghosteen), where the musical focus was on texture and ambience, I was also hoping for a return to the more rock sound found in the mid to late 2000’s on Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus and Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!. Wild God blends together both eras, which results in yet another great album from the legendary Australian band.
Song Of The Lake is an optimistic opener, guided by gentle synths and setting itself apart from Cave’s recent works. The title track starts off calmly, but then explodes into a powerful gospel-backed climax, where Cave urges the listener to “bring your spirit down”. Frogs is another song that elevates the soul. The sparsely-arranged Joy and Cinnamon Horses both sound like Skeleton Tree/Ghosteen era tracks. Conversion brings back the gospel choir climax of the title track, with Cave chanting “You’re beautiful”. O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is) is a lovely ode dedicated to the late ex-Birthday Party and Bad Seeds member, Anita Lane.
This is an emotionally heavy album, especially if you know of the circumstances around it. Nick Cave had lost one son back in 2015 (which was felt on 2016’s Skeleton Tree and 2019’s Ghosteen) and another one in 2022. By the time of the latter’s death, Cave had already dealt with the sorrows of losing one child and I don’t think he was ready to do that a second time, so you can tell this album and its supporting tour were ways to fight those demons and stay positive. I’m not insinuating that this didn’t affect Cave as much this time, but that it might kill him to spiral into that kind of sadness again.
A fantastic album for having been released 40 years into the band’s career and one that seemed cathartic for Cave to make.
80 / 100
Trivia: Radiohead’s bassist Colin Greenwood played on the album and was on the supporting tour.
Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
Pearl Jam releases their 12th studio album.
Pearl Jam’s previous album, Gigaton, was their worst yet. It was boring and even cringey at times. On Dark Matter, the Seattle rockers sound more revitalized, with much more energy and spirit on display.
There are no surprises and a lot of the album falls into the category of Pearl Jam album filler, but these songs have far more passion than what was found on their last record, though that’s not saying much.
60 / 100
The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei
The Smashing Pumpkins ditch the synths for guitar. and drums
Following two albums in a row of uninspired and dull synthpop (with the odd guitar track mixed in): the double album Cyr and the triple album ATUM (a combined 200+ minutes of late-era Billy Corgan ego), Aghori Mhori Mei finds the band finally going back to their guitar-heavy sound and no longer wasting the talents of drummer Jimmy Chamberlin or guitarist James Iha.
The music here is the heaviest the band has sounded in years, but Billy Corgan’s voice is still past its best before date. His vocals are shot and the mixing here makes no attempt to mask it. The singing really brings down an otherwise okay album. In fact, this is easily the best project the reformed Smashing Pumpkins have released, but still a far cry from anything the band released in the 90s.
50 / 100
The Smile – Wall Of Eyes
The Smile proves that they are more than just some one-off Radiohead side project.
After six years of radio(head) silence, The Smile’s 2022 debut, A Light For Attracting Attention, was a welcome surprise. While it wasn’t a new Radiohead album, it featured the two most important and prolific members of that band and Nigel Godrich as producer, so it was a satiating experience for those wanting their Radiohead fix.
Working much faster and efficiently than Radiohead, The Smile was already back with a new batch of songs only two years later. This time around, production was handled by Sam Pett-Davies, who worked as an engineer on Radiohead’s 2016 album A Moon Shaped Pool.
Compared to the band’s debut, Wall Of Eyes makes more of a use of atmosphere and texture, with generally slower-paced songs, like the beautifully eerie title track, the intense car-crash song, Bending Hectic (not the first time Thom has discussed his fear of cars) and the ethereal Teleharmonic. There are also tracks like Read The Room and Under Our Pillows which are driven by math rock riffs.
An incredible follow-up that sees the trio hone in on their tight musicianship and prove that they are not just Radiohead with less members.
And this was only one of two albums that the band released in 2024…
100 / 100
The Smile – Cutouts
The Smile releases their second album of the 2024.
Fans like myself were already feeling grateful for getting two new albums from Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood in the span of two years, so it came as a complete surprise when the band announced a second release of the year, with Cutouts.
In contrast to Wall Of Eyes, Cutouts is more about math rock guitar riffing and jamming, like the Windows 95 referencing Zero Sum, the jazzy Eyes & Mouth, and the National Anthem callback Colours Fly. But like its sister album, it also features plenty of gentler tracks like Foreign Spies and the Bends era Radiohead sound of Instant Psalm. There’s also Don’t Get Me Started, which verges into Tool-like prog rock territory and Tiptoe, which could be an outtake from Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool.
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood seem to have a renewed vigour since working together, pumping out 31 great songs since 2022 under The Smile. At this point, I’m nearly just as excited for a new album from The Smile as I am from Radiohead and considering anything new from RH is unlikely any time soon, there’s solace in knowing The Smile is always there.
100 / 100
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Annie Clark goes Industrial.
Annie Clark reinvents herself again, this time with her darkest and moodiest music yet. There’s Nine Inch Nails-like industrial touches all over the album (albeit far less abrasive, depressing and nihilistic), especially on singles Broken Man and Big Time Nothing, the latter of which is also reminiscent of U2’s 1993 single Numb. Then there’s Violent Times, which sounds like it could have been a James Bond theme song.
Two of the Foo Fighters show up here (Dave Grohl and their new drummer Josh Freese), and lend to the album’s hard rock leanings. The first half of the album definitely has a harder edge and features all the singles, whereas the back half is a bit more in line with Clark’s infatuation with Talking Heads-like art rock (after all, she did a collaboration with David Byrne in 2012).
The second half of the album is quite weak compared to the first half and seems to abandon a lot of the industrial flavour, but the overall project is good and definitely sits comfortably in the the company of the other St. Vincent albums.
75 / 100
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Vampire Weekend returns with one of their best albums yet.
Few would have thought it was possible for Vampire Weekend to surpass or even match 2013’s Modern Vampires Of The City, but I think they just might have here.
Five long years after the extravagant Father Of The Bride (which was basically a Ezra Koenig solo album), comes a much more concise Vampire Weekend album. This time, the group adds some dissonance and neo-psychedelic elements to the mix and to great effect.
The band adds a new song named after a woman (continuing on from Diane Young and Hannah Hunt) with Mary Boone. Connect dances along with a cascade of piano notes. Classical is a classy, jazzy affair. Capricorn is a new theme song for those of us born between late December and early January. The guitar work is also quite fascinating on Prep-School Gangsters and Gen-X Cops. The Surfer is another highlight, with its psychedelic slacker sound.
A brilliant return after 5 years and my favourite record from them yet.
100 / 100
The Voidz – Like All Before You
Julian Casablancas ❤ autotune.
Like All Before You comes 6 years after The Voidz’ last album Virtue, although a handful of singles have released in the interim.
Virtue was deemed by many listeners to be one of the strongest recent albums from Julian Casablancas, and was considered a major improvement over The Strokes’ 2010s output (though those albums are definitely underrated). This was followed by that band’s The New Abnormal in 2020, which saw the Strokes back on top of the world, with what was easily their best album since their seminal 2001 debut, Is This It.
The instrumentals, Overture and Walk Off (Outro) bookend the album, and are rather superfluous. The most bizarre thing though, is that Overture was released as a single, but I suppose that the Voidz aren’t supposed to be your typical band.
Square Wave starts off sounding of late 80s Cure, then gives way to unintelligible autotune vocals, which will become a staple throughout the rest of the album. Lead single, Prophecy Of The Dragon plays like both an homage and satire of 80s metal, with a riff similar to Ozzy’s Crazy Train, but different enough to be it’s own beast. 7 Horses dances around a reggae-tinged beat. Spectral Analysis is a drumless piece that kind of just meanders.
Flexorcist incorporates a groove that recalls New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle, and was another single released to promote the album. Perseverance–1C2S is a moodier piece and features a killer guitar solo. All The Same uses plenty of autotune and while it’s not the best track on the album, it’s playful and fun. When Will The Time Of These Bastards End makes the… uh, “interesting” stylistic choice of pitch-shifting Casablancas’ voice to sound much deeper, sounding like Dracula.
Many fans seemed to have made up their minds about the album before it even released, due to the use of AI artwork on the cover. This, mixed with Julian Casablancas insistence on using autotune (a stylistic choice, as he has already proved that he’s an excellent vocalist) left many listeners feeling betrayed and letdown.
What began as a very jarring listening experience, has evolved into more than just a guilty pleasure. It’s not great and has its flaws, but it’s an interesting album all the same.
75 / 100
¥$ – VULTURES 1
Ye forms an unpronounceable duo with Ty Dolla $ign.
Vultures 1 got a lot of hate when it came out. A lot. And it wasn’t just from detractors, but from fans as well. But to be perfectly honest, a lot of the criticisms felt like they were aimed at Ye and his controversial statements, and not the music itself. To be fair, Ye has said some pretty shocking things in the past couple of years (even by his standards), but that has little to do with the music found here.
STARS opens up the album in dramatic fashion, followed by the soulful KEYS TO MY LIFE and TALKING, the latter of which features Ye’s daughter North. PAID is a bit similar to the Life Of Pablo cut, Fade, except with an interpolation of The Police’s Roxanne briefly thrown-in (but in a tasteful way and not the lazy way that many pop artists use these days).BURN, should please old school, chipmunk soul Ye fans, who yearn for simpler times, when Ye was just focused on making music and wasn’t such a controversial figure yet.
Songs like PAPERWORK and CARNIVAL evoke a somewhat more industrial Yeezus-like sound. BACK TO ME is built around a Jay & Silent Bob dialogue sample that works surprisingly well. VULTURES acts as a fitting theme song for the project and as a mission statement for the duo. BEG FORGIVENESS is an epic ballad and one of the best cuts on the entire album. GOOD (DON’T DIE) was unfortunately removed due to an uncleared Donna Summer sample, which is a shame, because it was a great song and showed a softer side to this era of Ye.
Unlike many Ye albums since The Life Of Pablo, V1 was released with no post-release changes and had plenty of variety and the trademarks we’ve come to expect from Ye. Fortunately, the album tends to avoid most of the controversial opinions Ye was uttering prior the album’s release.
Like most Ye albums since the College trilogy, haters are going to hate and will take years to admit that they like the album, but that’s not the case for me. I enjoyed it upon my first listen and subsequent listens have only reaffirmed my stance.
Ridiculously over-hated and the result of people taking out their hatred for Ye’s views on the music.
100 / 100
¥$ – VULTURES 2
¥$ actually follows-through with a sequel to the first VULTURES album.
If you thought that VULTURES 1 was hated, the hate for VULTURES 2 took hatred to a whole new level of contempt and disdain. People were acting like this was the second coming of Corey Feldman’s Angelic 2 The Core, but this is instead another decent Ye collaboration, full of interesting production and sampling, and contradictions between faith and sin. Sure, it might not be of the caliber of some of his greatest works, but it still packs some gems.
SLIDE is built around a sample of the THX music. TIME MOVING SLOW is a heartfelt, piano-based gem. FIELD TRIP samples the legendary drums from Portishead’s Machine Gun. FRIED sees the return of the hooligans from the previous volume’s CARNIVAL. On LIFESTYLE, the duo utilizes the famous drums from Led Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks, which has been a classic drum loop since the first Beastie Boys album.
530 sees the debut of a song originally intended for DONDA 2, and originally had a mumbled rap from Ye on the second half, but that has fortunately been fixed since the album’s initial release. SKY CITY is another holdover, this time fromJESUS IS KING and is a beautiful, soulful song. RIVER and MY SOUL are two other songs that sound like they could have fit on JIK or Donda, helping to balance the album’s more vulgar songs.
The only truly terrible song here is BOMB, which is easily the worst song from any of Ye’s projects; it seemed more like it was just Ye letting his daughters have a contribution on the album. There’s also HUSBAND, which is more tolerable, but also meandering and cheesy, and ISABELLA, which is an unnecessary 9 second interlude that doesn’t serve much of a purpose.
Critics and the public alike, have been acting like VULTURES 1 and VULTURES 2 are not only amongst the worst albums of both Ye or Ty Dolla $ign’s careers, but of the entire decade. Compared to V1, V2 was admittedly a bit rushed and was released in an unfinished state, (which resulted in months of updates and fixes), and Ye had used AI modulation to finish some of his verses, but there is still plenty to like about it, despite its haphazard release, especially since it’s been fixed.
75 / 100
FIN
Britain Chambers
