Review of 'Few Good Things' by Saba

I’ve got quite a few good things to say about Few Good Things.

Review of 'Ants From Up There' by Black Country, New Road

The loony art-rockers are back with their second (and possibly final?) album. The songs are less unhinged this time around, but equally creative.

Review of 'Dawn FM' by The Weeknd

Dawn FM is a gauntlet of synthpop bangers that takes the form of a purgatory-based radio station. It’s The Weeknd’s most energetic and conceptual album to date – and possibly his best.

My Top 20 Favourite Albums of 2021

Here it is! My favourite albums of 2021 (fashionably late as always). This was such a hard list to narrow down. The amount of stellar albums that dropped last year is insane (and I feel like I still haven’t listened to half the records from the year that I wanted to). If you like lists don’t forget to check out my favourite tracks of 2021 and my least favourite tracks of 2021 too.

My Top 20 Favourite Tracks of 2021

There was sooooo much good music to choose from this year. It was pretty hard condensing this list down to just 20 tracks, but I decided to stick with it, otherwise there would be too many embedded YouTube videos and this page would take three hours to load.

Review of 'Crawler' by Idles

Post-punk provocateurs Idles get less political and more personal on their fourth album.

Double Review: 'Solar Power' by Lorde and 'Happier Than Ever' by Billie Eilish

In this fashionably late double album review, I catch up on Lorde’s new sunny LP Solar Power, and Billie Eilish’s not-so-happy new record Happier Than Ever.

Review of 'Glow On' by Turnstile

Turnstile craft the catchiest hardcore punk tunes known to man on their latest album Glow On.  

Review of 'Donda' by Kanye West

Despite the messy roll-out, the bloated tracklist (27 tracks???) and the non-existent album art, Donda is not the slapdash slog I expected it to be. In fact, there are some solid and spectacular songs here.

Double Review: 'Vince Staples' by Vince Staples and 'The House Is Burning' by Isaiah Rashad

I’ll get around to reviewing Donda in a minute. In the meantime, here’s a post for the hip hop heads – a double review of the two latest albums from Vince Staples and Isaiah Rashad.

Review of ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ by Tyler, the Creator

The new Tyler record is predominantly a rap record (opposed to Igor which felt more like an r&b record). A lot of ideas get thrown at the wall, but most of them stick.

Review of 'Mood Valiant' by Hiatus Kaiyote

 

Hiatus Kaiyote return with some catchy and vulnerable neo-soul jams.

Review of 'Daddy's Home' by St. Vincent

St. Vincent’s new serving of 70s psychedelic sleaze somehow manages to be excitingly fresh. In fact, it’s one of the most exciting albums I’ve heard this year.

Double Review: 'Bright Green Field' by Squid and 'Cavalcade' by black midi

The UK is currently experiencing a wave of wacky post-punk bands. Squid and black midi might be the wackiest of them all.

Review of 'The Off-Season' by J. Cole

I've got my pick axe and mining helmet. I'm ready to go Cole mining. Let's see what we can excavate from The Off Season. 

Review of 'Fortitude' by Gojira

Forget black metal. It’s time for some green metal.

Review of 'On All Fours' by Goat Girl

Peckham post-punks Goat Girl deliver lots of creative ideas on their latest album. There’s even a Sellotape solo.

Double Review: 'Drunk Tank Pink' by Shame and 'For The First Time' by Black Country, New Road

If you’re a fan of unhinged noisy guitar bands in the vein of Idles or Fontaines DC, then you’ll love these two new albums from Shame and Black Country, New Road.

My Top 20 Favourite Albums of 2020

2020 was an unusual year for album releases. While some musicians chose to hold back releases due to the pandemic (e.g. Kanye & Adele), others took the chance to write and release multiple records (e.g. Taylor Swift – but don’t expect her in this list). I was personally astounded by some of the albums released this year. In fact, the quality was much higher than in 2019 or even 2018. Below are just some of my favourite albums from the year.

My Top 20 Favourite Tracks Of 2020

Killer virus and political mayhem aside, 2020 wasn’t all that bad. There was some phenomenal music released this year. In fact, whittling this list down to just 20 tracks was a real challenge. Below are some of the tracks that I kept returning to this year. 

(P.S. Don’t forget to also check out my worst songs of 2020 if you like lists. If you're a hardcore listophile, feel free to also check out my favourite songs from '19, '18, '17 and '16.)