'It's totally vapid, surface level, etc. but I think it's also very effective as an encapsulation of the news onslaught social media feed thing.'

Hmmmm, not sure about this argument.

"This album is a product of it's environment, which is hella sh'tty in 2018, so it's allowed to sound similarly sh'tty to reflect this - that's art!"

No, that's called giving something a free pass

i think they were being ironic doof

because without the benefit of the doubt youd have to be fucking moronic to believe that

Being ironic is acceptable if you still produce something that sounds good/entertaining

See last year's Alex Cameron for a wonderful example of getting an ironic pop album right

Otherwise it's called 'making a bad music'

this doesn't make my bottom 3 surprisingly. camp cope, titus and tash sultana were all worse

If it's their OK Computer does that mean it's experimental, conceptual, deep, and has great songwriting?

Bottom three major releases from non-trash tier artists? This would be in the mix.

Once you start adding obviously dumb stuff like Five Finger Death Punch then it's harder to find space in a top three.

The mainstream albums I've found most insulting one way or another:

1. This
2. Muse
3. Janelle Monae

All three just scream 'made by industry committee product' with cynical attempts to ride cash cow cheesy trends. They also all share political notions believing they're a 'state of the world' address or whatever - so massive pretensions of grandeur with each, making them more laughable. I mean you also have your Imagine dragons or whatever but they're just distressingly bland and manufactured, but no one takes them too seriously.

The Camp Cope would be up there because the message adds a final noxious coating to already dire music. Also the Kanye, taken as 'an album', was pitiful.

By the way, no offense to that doof guy but man, that is a TERRIBLE tattoo. If that's yours, I really think you should get it fixed. I'm pretty sure that guy is supposed to be white. He looks like he's wearing black face.

Album Rating: 1.5 | Sound Off

lol

By the way didn't England LOSE the cup? I don't get it.

I wish that was my tattoo

Album Rating: 2.5

so doof, you're saying that since these artists aren't "trash-tier" that you judge them harsher, or are more critical of the actual intellectual aspects of the albums? Because I actually can agree with that. In the past I've defended artists like this and Janelle because I've been like "there's clearly artists who make worse music than them, so I can't in my right mind say its bottom-feeder trash," but fr if you compare it to the league that these artists are trying to place themselves in (highly conceptual type albums) the flaws are way more obvious, obnoxious and damning.

Yeah, there's definitely a difference in how I view and react to music I see with different intentions - sometimes I'll enjoy a trash-tier album in the way you enjoy a trash-tier horror B-Movie. You know it's objectively awful but it makes you laugh and the band in question usually know they aren't competing with Mozart. It'll still get a 1 but imo that's less a damning thing than slinging a 1 at albums like this one.

Album's like this are more like a blockbuster with 'big ideas' that stinks your local multiplex out - they still look and feel expensive, and somehow you always feel more cheated by that.

Out of over four hundred 2018 ratings I've dished out 25 0.5/5s and and 31 1/5s - so bad albums and low ratings are a pretty run of the mill experience for me, you're never going to rate everything highly. If you don't enjoy it or regard any of it as particularly good then it always gets close to a zero rating.

wow, i had no idea these blokes were from Manchester. they have none of the attitude! fucking wankers

Album Rating: 3.0

When was the last time you went to manchester? City churns out people like this on its way to enlightened gentrification of the social and physical environment. Its not great but it sure is an improvement on what manc was before

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

Mh. I guess I still think this is pretty fun.

It still has a 3.1

You are not alone

Album Rating: 1.0

'wow, i had no idea these blokes were from Manchester. they have none of the attitude! fucking wankers'

Unfortunately 'attitude' doesn't always guarantee music that isn't utter garbage, see Oasis for a prime example.

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

no way in fuck is this their worst album, I chalk that avg up to classic sput anti-hype

Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off

It isn’t anti-hype. This is just painfully boring