Doublez38's Ratings | Sputnikmusic

Doublez38

User

Soundoffs 550
Album Ratings 550
Objectivity 95%

Last Active 10-09-19 11:05 am
Joined 06-25-19

Review Comments 1

Average Rating: 3.00
Rating Variance: 0.65
Objectivity Score: 95%
(Very Balanced)

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2019
G Herbo Sessions	3.0
One of the greatest "quality", if we can call it that, is that G Herbo does not make people tell the news, he lives it and he suffers from it. Throughout Sessions approach the hardness and the reality of the street in Chicago with an atypical drill as he knows how to do it and as he always knew how to do it. I will say that the most beautiful song that illustrates this is My Bro's a Legend where he expresses his remorse about the death of one of his relatives, I quote Should've been right there, feel like I let him down. However Sessions has some flaws, like for example the instrumental tracks which are often risky for my taste, which do not emphasize enough the flow of Herbo. The second part of the EP is also much less interesting and forgettable. I think that G Herbo still has the potential and especially all the arrows have his bow to do something great with a careful work, but it seems to go around in circles.
Jackboys Jackboys	3.5
Even if I was expecting a lot more tracks, they avoided the almost usual mistake of doing wobbly label collaborator projects with a lot of filling, here they went to the essential. Travis knew how to stand back enough for the others to shine and the featurings to be relevant, without overshadowing the others. The project starts with a very good remix of Highest In The Room, which I thought was basically unfinished, and now I think they've found the vocals and the contributors (not to mention that they've polished the ending too, at the time it made me angry that it ended badly like that). I'll add an incredible mention to Don Toliver who is really on fire, I'm looking forward to him this year, like a child waits for Santa Claus on D-Day. Not surprisingly the production is great, and the guests are at the top (Thug's masterful performance..). A great EP that lets you know that the Jackboys solo will probably make us live a great year 2020
Gucci Mane East Atlanta Santa 3	2.0
Honestly it's not really what I was expecting for Christmas... it wasn't on my list so I'm not going to be too difficult with it, and finally it's a "gift" for Guwop fans like us so we're taking it, however it's a very weak project, surely one of the weakest for a long time I would say. The first listening left me perplexed, usually I still have a hype for the legendary Gucci and the second listening didn't even allow me to find more than 2 songs that are worth it, when it's good it's just good but very often it's quite average.
Duster Duster	4.0
19 years later, Duster is still able to surprise us, because finally even if the water under our bridges and if this music from another era still sounds so touching, it is because it is still so true today. I'd like to get stuck in the stun loops, so devastating and poignant that they produce in each of their pieces. I feel like I want to put back old shoes all at once
Smokepurpp Deadstar 2	2.5
On Deadstar 2, Smoke Purpp no longer knows how to dance, there is still a part of him who lives at the time of volume 1 and a second where Purpp became a novice auto-crooner who tries things, without having enough convincing vocals. However, some psychedelic instrumentalists like it's fashion at the moment suit him quite well (and finally production is probably the best thing here), but with vocals sometimes disastrous where Purpp is unrecognizable the rendering is rather mixed. He is still looking for himself, I will say that he may have a hope that he will find a voice that suits him with
Kaytranada Bubba	3.5
Bubba is much less brilliant than the previous one, but it still remains a good album. I don't know what really explains these reasons, I'll focus more on the fact that Kaytranada goes around in circles, that his style and formula are beginning to show some limitations, but also the fact that here the guests are often too similar to each other which prevents them from being more surprised or having more diversity.
Stormzy Heavy Is the Head	3.0
I still think that the overall criticism had been quite hard with Stomrzy's first album because he had the charisma, he was at the top, and he made a solid album with an interesting subject. On the other hand, I was rather disappointed with this new album. I am well aware that we can often make a link or metaphor between rap and boxing, with the ego trip blablabla, "I have a bigger dick than you" blablabla, you need a little self-confidence, but the first part of the album is very pretentious. For me, many young rappers (Dave, J Hus) are better than him now and many veterans are still better than him. The intro sums up Stormzy's state of mind very well, apart from interesting flows it's the best you'll find on this album. The second part is a little better but I didn't enjoy listening to this album, the best bombs are Wiley Flow and Vossi Bop here
Harry Styles Fine Line	3.5
Although it's very commercial pop and therefore very easy to access, Fine Line is well written and has very good catchy and effective melodies which makes the album convincing. The production also has a role in the success of this album because it is also very interesting, because it manages to be sufficient "rich" and "animated". One last important element, it is quite "diversified" and balanced enough so you can listen to it all at once without getting bored. When I compare Fine Line to Liam Payne's released one week earlier, we can say that Harry's has almost all the qualities and elements that were missing; like a real gap between them. Besides in general Harry Styles is for the moment the one who offers the best albums if we take all the members of One Direction.
City Morgue City Morgue Vol 2: As Good As Dead	3.5
Although I find volume 1 slightly better, probably because the discovery is often more exciting and they haven't really progressed on it either, the second volume is quite pleasant. I really like this fusion and it is much better realized and interpreted. As usual the problems are often the same: repetitive titles and some that are not built enough.
Free Nationals Free Nationals	3.0
Being well aware that it's R&B smooth, and yet I like it, the first time I listened to Free Nationals I confess to you that I was bored. But by giving him another chance, I must say that it's a nice and pleasant project, but it's absolutely not significant, I'll even say that it's maybe a little overrated
Roddy Ricch Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial	3.5
The 2018 rookie did a pretty good job this new year by delivering good singles, good featurings, always remaining very present and finally he now delivers us a pleasant and above all successful album. Roddy Ricch is moving at the right speed, without burning the steps, he made the album he should have done in the sense that many rappers would have favored productivity for productivity, multiple projects in the same year or capitalize to capitalize. Instead Roddy thought each track very well, and although the project is running out of steam a little bit towards the soft belly/end before ending well, his melodies and versatility have been able to rhythm the album as it should have. The production is also very interesting, they have been able to work on transitions and sequencing, which is rather rare these days. Personally I really like the first part of the album which is excellent with tracks like The Box or Moonwalkin for example. I'm quite impatient for the next step, Roddy still has a very nice margin for improvement, he has his particularities etc... but I think he still has to work to go further in his own identity, to refine his writing and his melodies. For a Compton rapper, ironically his music is mostly Southern rap, it's a perfect mix of Future/Young Thug with the "blues" of the Baton Rouge rappers, so I think there are also things that can be done with his roots.
The Who Who	3.0
Amazing come back but the result is no less so. In addition to the pleasure of listening to some of the biggest and most legendary English bands in good shape, WHO is a successful album that will suit fans and our old fathers well. They have been able to reproduce with today's strengths and means the spirit and musical sound of The WHO. It's their best album since 1978, at the time, they released Who Are You a few weeks before the death of the great Keith Moon...
The Chainsmokers World War Joy (LP)	2.0
The smoke always has the same shape, face and smell. So at first yes, it's nice to make a small fire, but after a while, smoking is not good for your health and moreover your clothes may smell like a cold burn. I am certainly exaggerating, but you have understood where I am going with this.
Fat Joe and Dre Family Ties	2.5
Sometimes we get the impression that Family Ties is more of a Dre album than a Fat Joe & Dre album, because Dre often takes the initiative for the tracks, does a lot of choruses and then finally he has to logically (probably) produce the beats too. Apparently it's been a while since Dre started rapping when he's still a well-known producer, in fact it works well but you won't listen to Family Ties for the rap performance of the year. This project didn't conquer me, but if you're a fan you'll have a good time, there are a few good passages and then especially we really have the impression that they really enjoyed doing it
Camila Cabello Romance	2.0
Despite a slight progression, where Camilo becomes a little more mature, more adult, more romantic, more sensual, musically we still feel the Havana ghost that haunts the young artist. What I mean by that is that overall the vast majority of the songs presented here are very similar to Havana without obviously equaling it. In concrete terms, the opening title Shameless is perhaps the best Romance proposal but also the most "diversified". The rest of the tracks are super poor, absolutely generic and boring. I'm not a "fan" of the first Camila album, but it's clearly much better than this one. To end nicely, I will put a (very) small honourable mention for the closing title First Man which is perhaps the best written song and the touching Romance
Liam Payne LP1	1.5
I find LP1 and Liam Payne (simply) simply unbearable to listen to, it's so smooth that there's no need for Spirit Level to see how flat it is, without soul, without musical personality. Liam Payne always sings the same way, there's just the instrumental that varies a little bit, it gives you the impression of listening to the same 17 tracks, sometimes you even thank the featurings, which are not even that good in fact, but at least it adds diversity. Simply exhausting
French Montana Montana	2.5
As usual, French Montana offers us a new "blockbuster" with a multitude of guest stars who occupy a large part of the album and who are also the real interest from here. Montana is a "good" album to listen to. There are a lot of forgettable tracks, but overall it's not as catastrophic as a Dj Khaled album for example. The first part is for me more interesting, with a little psychedelic and cloud rap tracks (especially through the production of Harry Fraud), conversely the second part is composed of bangers and rather disappointing generic hits. French Montana is rather "clever" to know what works and who can best remunerate him. He has not evolved musically, he relies mainly on his guests and on the current trend. Moreover, we already knew most of the tracks proposed in the second part so there are really no positive surprises.
Lil Loaded 6Locc 6A6y	3.5
Originally from Dallas, Lil Loaded is one of the new rookies of 2019. Very inspired by the Chicago Drill scene (especially Chief Keef of course), he incorporates this genre with his own street culture by using instead often the trendy formula developed by Soundcloud artists with very short songs that look like "freestyles with one or more choruses" like NLE Choppa for example, but he is also able to propose more melodic things. 6Locc 6a6y is an interesting mixtape, where you have 11 street bangers, only half of which are really to be kept, which is good enough for a start. I advise you more precisely Out My Body or Opps on Fire. If for the moment, the cause of his virality is rather staggering, he is still drowned in the mass but he gives off something more special than the others, to see later on if he is able to show better
Scarlxrd Acquired Taste Vxl. 1	3.5
Scarlxrd really poured out his anger like a machine this year, chaining 3 solid projects. True to himself here, what remains interesting about Scarlxrd is that it still tries to evolve and try little things at each release. It's not hyper detectable at first, because it was extremely productive this year but by getting to know it and as you listen to it, you realize that it always brings some new features. On Acquiered Taste Vxl 1, there is a lot of instrumental less dark and hardcore than usual, more classic trap and bounce. Moreover, sometimes he alternates between his hardcore flow and a calm flow, especially in the middle of the project, and I find it particularly successful. The best example is SMARTPHXNE which is one of my favorite songs of this project. It's crazy, but honestly if this guy had taken the time to accumulate his ideas and focused more on a few tracks, he could have released quite an album this year, because there's a lot of flammable materials
Cam'ron Purple Haze 2	3.0
Even though it's in the same spirit and it's a good album, we really have to stop the cult album sequels. I hadn't listened to Cam for years, or I had stopped listening to Purple Haze on a very occasional basis, and this sequel is pleasant because he has remained true to himself, faithful to his sound and his formula without getting lost trying to do something modern and unpretentious and finally making an album for the grammys. It's clearly a slap in the face of nostalgia.
NLE Choppa Cottonwood	2.5
I am a little disappointed, even if it doesn t really surprise me in the end, this project is really forgettable and insufficient. Yet I gave it a chance several times today. Recently he's been trying to make more melodic songs that look more like "traditional songs" than freestyles with which he exploded in the eyes of the general public. It's nice 2 minutes but honestly it's not a formula that I personally like. However on this project you will find a large majority of songs more generic or medium songs without interest which proves that he wanted to mark the occasion with an end of year project. I think he's preparing something more serious that will be released in the pro year as he left out songs like Camelot, but we'll have to do much better.
The Game Born 2 Rap	3.5
Born 2 Rap is an album that will delight fans of The Game overall and it is also an album like there are many more today. Faithful and always authentic, Born 2 Rap is not really different from the previous projects, it is a West Coast album as he knows how to make them with a small theme that pays as much homage to Rap as it does to The Game itself. Overall it's a good album and it's always nice to hear it, even if I haven't been surprised for a long time. The album is relatively very long, it gives you the possibility to make your choice and still has many interesting tracks. Another striking fact, I found a slightly aged The Game, even if it is ultimately totally logical, but I found that its flow/interpretation had lost some of its charisma. Fortunately, The Game still has a unique pen and identity that offers exciting content even though it is often something it has already done in another form. In addition, the production is well done. Favorites Track: Hug The Block / Carmen Electra
Cattle Decapitation Death Atlas	3.0
Even if there are passages with great riffs, crashing percussions, overall I'm not really impressed by this album. I agree with Dedex, it's too dense and the vocals are unpleasant. Although it is the "end of the world" or the "death of the globe" there is little room for contemplation, sometimes it is just a meteorite avalanche. I'd like that to be the principle, but no.
ECCO2K E	3.5
We can say that E is a great success for a first album. I loved the atmosphere and the overall instrumentation was quite good, however I am a little disappointed with the vocals and melodies that I find without sometimes inspired, a little repetitive and not exciting. I expected much better, you can say that this was an important point for me when you know a little about your past and your counterparts.
Trippie Redd A Love Letter to You 4	2.5
While in normal times he is more comfortable and succeeds better when he releases his famous A Love Letter To You, without forgetting that I wanted him to make up for his last album, but this time this volume may be for me his worst project all in all. We can say that it is a rather mixed year overall for him. Already the project is too long, I only remember 5/6 titles maximum (and still it's far from being his best songs), mainly the singles (Who Needs Love / Love Me More) at the beginning then some featurings (Hate Me), and some songs from the more "hardcore" part (Grinch / Death) (on the second side). Honestly, being usually a strong supporter of Trippie, it is a disappointing project, where Trippie in cruel lack of inspiration simply applies the same formula as a dried-up oil well, then sometimes he tries things he can't achieve or then too much is too much taken from other artists. If we compare for example with volume 3 which is probably Trippie's best project, we feel a lot of will, passion, emotion to give heart to his catchy melodies
Beck Hyperspace	2.5
I would say that this new album is first of all a new adventure, like a new challenge for Beck, because musically I have a lot of difficulty to recognize it and overall it is especially a failure. With a production by Pharell, obviously musically it looks like a mix between NERD and Tame Impala, which gives an alternative R&B with a slightly psycadhelic electropop. It's an interesting idea that could have given some good things, but I have the impression that Beck is not really a sheet and often it sounds like déjà vu or too smooth. For example, the Single Saw Lightning looks like Robin Thicke's Blurred Line (hey hey hey hey), but unlike last year's MGMT album or Current, it lacks that identity and especially worthwhile tracks. As much as I can put aside the identity aspect, but for that to happen the album would have to be not only a change but an innovation. It's probably his worst album ever.
Leonard Cohen Thanks For The Dance	3.5
Thanks for the Dance is a beautiful album that thanks to his son highlights some of these latest works. I really loved the introduction Happens to The Heat from a June 2016 poem and also the eponymous title. Normally I don't comment on posthumous albums, but exceptionally, since it is good, well exploited by the right people and especially since it pays tribute to a legend, it was necessary to do so, because no one will be able to do or do again what he has offered us
Coldplay Everyday Life	3.0
It took 11 years to finally get a decent Coldplay album, because they abandoned the idea of systematically making music that was too commercial to refocus on more serious music as it was at the beginning. So let's not get carried away, it looks much (much) better, but not everything is equal here and finally there are no great songs. However, it is obvious that they have worked and tried, first of all to tackle sensitive subjects, with humility, like Trouble In Town for example (which remains my favorite; it made me think a lot of Another Brick In The Wall Pt.2 in the funky and conscious spirit) but also to set up a theme and an atmosphere that overall does not really matter because unfortunately it is not really successful. In the end it is a pleasant, mature album that probably opens the way to the band's 3rd life.
YNW Melly Melly vs Melvin	3.5
Melly vs Melvin finally presents a lot of similarities with We All Shine, a really solid debut album, an interesting resemblance between City Girls/No Heart and Melly vs Melvin/Suicidal, or even Rolling Loud/Bang Bang which remains overall the best respective tracks in my opinion of each non singles album (Besides it's strong, but it has at least 1 big hit per album). Then there are still quite a few unequal titles between them, others that can be forgotten. Finally it doesn't bother me, we feel that he has nevertheless progressed in his versatility and melodies, the album is super fun and solid. For a guy who's in jail, we can say that he managed to leave enough rifle bullets for the producers to have fun making us a good album. I have only one regret, but still halfway through, since he didn't have much time for that, but I would have liked him to push the schizophrenic side, the good and the bad, much more, because he is totally crazy and strong when he goes into his delusions.
Tinashe Songs for You	4.0
Songs For You is a good and very solid album that feels good, especially after a rather ordinary Joyride. Tinashe is getting closer to what she can do, and it sounds like the years 2000/early 2010. Honestly, it's not an album that really seduced me, because there are still a lot of nice tracks overall. We also know that Tinashe's main strength is a good interpretation with a very beautiful voice and also this ability to stay simple, true that allows to touch the listeners, they can identify themselves. On the other hand there are some good moments, such as Die a Little Bit or more discreet tracks like Stormy Weather, Know Better or So much Better (which has 2 parts, I even managed to appreciate G-Eazy...).
GFOTY Gfotv	1.0
Finally GFOTY sums up rather perfectly what television is all about, a bunch of absurdity, entertainment that requires no brains, chooses and presents by many sardines, to keep the population well controlled. You will have understood it, it's a bad album, or at least a failed experiment, but the worst part is that I don't know what the worst part is between the album or the cover of it. It sounds like the music that you force the madman or victim to listen to in order to brainwash them.
Iggy Azalea Wicked Lips	1.5
Wicked lips is slightly better than In My Defense, because Iggy is (almost) done complaining, his flow is a little calmer, there are guests who give a little air and especially it lasts only 4 tracks. Otherwise, his flow and voice are still as irritating and platonic as ever, and the production is really down here
Milky Chance Mind the Moon	3.0
If the album has the advantage of being easy to listen to and offering pleasant listening, the problem is that each song here can be a Radio Hit, but none of them is as strong, powerful and good as their 3 big hits. And that's also what caused problems on their previous album. On the other hand, it is a pleasant pop album to travel or chill. I always find Clemens Rehbein's voice interesting and catchy, but for me he doesn't exploit it enough, either because of too limited production or because he limits himself to his comfort zone.
Lady A Ocean	2.0
I had a hard time finding positive points and just enjoying this new album Ocean. In fact, sometimes, they are not very close to succeeding in making a song go from banal to interesting, but each time an ingredient is missing, either it is too generic, or it is not endearing enough, or it is not well enough written, or it is not tortured enough. In any case, it is an album that you will listen to once 9 times out of 10 you will not listen again.
Tei Shi La Linda	3.5
La Linda is a good 2019 R&B album. Tei Shi's voice is still great, overall there are no tracks to remove, although not everything is equal. In the first half of the album, the whole is more homogeneous with a really endearing and effective alternative R&B, in the second part, as much it gets lost as it offers us some more specific songs where it explores a more subtle, more singular music. This now raises the following question, is it to the maximum of its capacities or can it do better?
Tory Lanez Chixtape 5	3.0
Unlike her albums and especially for some time now, Tory Lanez has been avoiding bad choices on ChixTape 5 because it is in her comfort zone and it sounds real. Finally, it had been since 2016 that I hadn't heard an acceptable Tory project and this one, although it is a little too long for my taste, was a pleasure to listen. Mainly the first half, where Tory doesn't just make you nostalgic for the 2000s but overall everything is well reworked here. I felt like I was hearing T Pain like I did 10 years ago, and when I heard that he claimed to take back Beautiful at his own risk, I thought to myself: damn bravo for not making a fool of himself, but when Uncle Snoop comes up on the second verse, like a validation certificate, I thought this mixtape was worth it.
Madeon Good Faith	3.5
Not really a fan of EDM (or even not at all), Good Faith surprised me, and in the good sense of the word. It is well built, effective, self-sufficient, engaging and captivating. Madeon does not intend to create a revolution, he does what he knows how to do, uses the voice wisely to accompany his production, and he succeeds thanks to a tried and tested formula, to render a style very often limited in something rich. What I liked most was often the non-single tracks, like the Nirvana/Mania sequence or the Borealis finale. Moreover, there is no waste here, the album is short enough not to lose you and it makes you want to start again, once finished. In the top of the best electronic albums of the year.
YNW BSlime Baby Goat	3.0
Wtf, Baby Goat taught me that getting a musical slap from a kid is possible. Bslime is only 12 years old, rap/singing only since this year and delivers us a mixtape quite amazing and awesome. Sincerely this kid sings in a fantastic way for his age and moreover he knows how to play with his voice, a little like Swae Lee knows how to do it. So yes, he doesn't really have a charismatic voice, but he always manages to find you a hyper catchy melody with which I always fall into the trap. However, there are too many limits, such as the texts and subjects he addresses, where Bslime has no relevance at all, he talks about love by dropping pearls like : "We Can be Happy, Stick Together Like Glue" or "Y All Really Be Fake, Call It Bologna, Wont Snatch My Chain, It Stay On Me Macaroni", he seems too inspired by the artists he listens to or by his brother YNW Melly (maybe he stole these texts from him). This kid (who still appears in the Rap Caviar playlist...) seems to have a crazy talent and potential, but unfortunately I'm afraid he's too young to keep up.
Andy Stott It Should Be Us	3.5
Although it's not one of Andy Stott's best productions, this one is still a really interesting and pleasant (Mega) techno dub EP. It's not new, but Andy has the ability to make the soul vibrate, and to subtly bring his music back to life.
FKA Twigs Magdalene	4.5
While we are witnessing a beautiful year 2019 for the trend that some characterize globally of Pop Art (and it is rather justified), with very good albums released by Weyes Blood, Lana Del Rey, Angel Olsen, Thom Yorke ou James Blake (to name only them), Fka Twigs has managed to do even better than them by offering a grandiose modern album with all the ingredients that others possess but also because in innovation and creativity, it has gone much further than others. Technically, even if many know her influences : Bjork etc... I tend to think more about Kate Bush, mainly for the vocal performance, but also for the intensity and emotion she delivers. It is a masterpiece, which will most probably become a classic, because of all that I have heard this year, it is "the story" or "the stories" that have touched me the most and best written/interpreted, where we share the pain of an important relationship end and then how to relive and recover from it, it is an indescribable sadness where regret, depressions and loneliness mingle. In the moment of course on the fact that musically, the production is prodigious. I kill the suspense maybe too early, but we're far enough into the year to say that Magdalene will probably be the best album of the year as well as the cover too. rPS: Very happy to see that Future is the only vocal featuring, which still shows that he is probably one of the princes of the "urban blues" (call it what you want), by advising you to go listen again to Hendrixx or Save Me
iann dior Industry Plant	2.5
Industry Plant is a second project much better produced in the sense of mix and masterization because Iann Dior is growing and he has invested himself globally (at least there is the intention) to make an "album" according to the rules of the art. He has multiplied his efforts to avoid his buzz being ephemeral and to try to make a career last, which for a soundcloud rapper is an important point. Now if we come back to the project, it has generally detached itself from Juice Wrld and Lil Skies, to get closer to Rock Emo influences (Blink, Sum41) or even with many similarities to Trippie Redd. It's an interesting and clever direction because it allows it to reach 2 types of audiences. However, this is often too insufficient in terms of interpretation and delivery. Moreover, the instrumental instruments are too bland and do not succeed in creating especially the alchemy and once again this spark is missing. It is therefore difficult to know for the moment which is Iann's best project, but for my part I like this one better because we feel that it has progressed
The Script Sunsets and Full Moons	1.5
^Sunsets & Full Moons is like imagining an Ed Sheeran in worse and the worst possible version of Coldplay and you will magically get The Script. All the tracks are blades of planetary success, reserved for rotten TV movies where the sets fall into ruins and the actors have done better to reconvert, which you can watch in the middle of the day. It goes beyond that when you look at the album cover, it's a total denial. The last point is the cruel redundancy of each song that gives the impression that the band didn't definitely listen to each other in order to realize their own trickery
Jacquees King Of R&B	2.5
Jacquees is more the king of his AirBnB than of the R&B, because even if I respect and like Jacquees, you have to have a success of esteem before you can claim it. Apart from that, this new album of the street artist is rather a disappointment on the whole. I think it starts strong, but in the end Jacquees falls back into these weaknesses. It's difficult to listen to it all at once, because the album is long and has many memorable moments. Often behind the character's image, there is a lack of inspiration, a lack of contemporary R&B that sounds like in the 2000s. Fortunately, the guests bring a breath of fresh air and a certain diversity. It's too little to pretend to be the king, not even the prince
Have a Nice Life Sea of Worry	3.0
Overall even if it's not brilliant, Sea if Worry is a good Post Punk - Gothic Rock album with an intriguing tortured ending. Some it's quite uneven, but you can listen to it all at once without being bored and without losing track.
Dave East Survival	3.0
Survival was supposed to be in a few releases his Victory Lap but it's finally a Dave East project like the others, and it doesn't get any closer to his best. I've always had a hard time with Dave, because there are always 2/3 things that are frustrating or that have not really interested me in each of his projects. It's the best quality is still his authenticity, his way of doing very good storytelling, his attitude and the fact that he rapes well. R.I.P but it's a bit of a Nipsey Hussle in East Coast version (less well too...). If we come back to Survival, for me he doesn't make the right choices (after all he has NAS as a mentor, he's not the one who knows how to make the best choices either): the album is too long, there are too many tracks to forget, it's hard to see the end; the beginning of the album starts rather well with a sound that sounds New York, then he quickly launches into a kind of really disappointing Trap, which is not coherent. And damn it, this guy is one of the rappers who represents the East side, New York the emerging city of Hip Hop, but nothing is new musically and nothing is excellent here. It's not the only one involved and I think Dave represents and speaks to the people they identify with. But I'm frustrated not to see anymore for years, a rappers who know how to innovate musically and really restore the New York blazon, with everything to tell and make us live. It gives the impression that he had so many great things in NY, that today, like an oil well, which has nothing left to pump.
SebastiAn Thirst	3.5
We haven't had a good French Touch album for some time now and this one is fantastically catchy. SebastiAn is known for 2 reasons, his great debut album in 2011 and for his masterful interlude on Frank Ocean's Blond album. Even if Thrist has some forgettable music, the whole is very solid and goes perfectly well together. The artists' intervention makes each song even better and has been rigorously chosen to perfectly match the theme, all this seems very well done. Not to mention that SebastiAn is also very easy alone, and by surprise we deliver a gift
Matt Maltese Krystal	3.0
Krystal is a good Indie Pop album that is pleasant to listen to and to melt into. I have a preference for production rather than Matt Malterse's interpretation. The album has the advantage of being short to avoid too much content, but it doesn't really match its precedent. My favorite title: Tall Buildings r
Avenade It's a Whimsical Afterlife	4.0
It's a Whimsical Afterlife is a real surprise this year, because finally Avenade remains an illustrious stranger as a musician for the moment (he is a music reviewer like us) but I think this album has a good chance to do him the most good. Finally, even if he wouldn't be able to become known, he left his mark on my mind with a stratospheric Noise Rock album. I have never listened to these previous projects, but the level of this one is so strong that there is no particular need for a comparison. In an atmosphere that is sometimes oppressive, sometimes tormented, Avenade offers us all its soul, we can feel all the energy, all the anger, all the darkness, and often things that we shouldn't hear. I think that the success of this work also depends on the fact that it alternates in an extreme way between more "hardcore" and other melodic moments, which creates an improbably remarkable fusion. It's a long album on paper, but it has so much to say that it deserves to be, although I might have lightened up towards the end by removing Over The Windbreak/Bloom which is the only avoidable track here because it's maybe too ambitious, not convincing enough. He doesn't invent anything, but everything is perfectly mastered, sometimes you don't even have the impression of a past from one music to another, it's a whole, it's a purification
Doja Cat Hot Pink	3.5
Doja cat stands out not only for its appearance and character, but also because it delivers a R&B/Rap on sweet cloth, without ever falling into the aggressiveness that the vast majority of today's female rappers possess. Moreover, her voice is also her first weapon musically speaking, she has the gift to find and apply catchy formulas/melodies. I take this opportunity to describe it well for those who don't know it or don't know it well enough yet because I haven't reviewed Amala and also because overall there's nothing new on Hot Pink. Doja Cat had already said everything about the old album, and despite her talent, Hot Pink sounds like a suite without much extra interest if you're not a fan. Be careful, it's a good album but you understood the idea, it's too insufficient compared to his talent. Moreover, it is the kind of album that gives a lot on the first listening and that loses value as new listeners come along. Finally, I recommend the song Won't Bite.
Jasiah JASIAH I AM	1.5
I'm not going to go through a thousand ways, Jasiah is actually a pale copy of XXX, SuicideBoys etc... even 6ixNine is better (on the flow, even the different voices). In short, it doesn't start well on the ground, and when I discover Jashiah I Am I tell myself that he still has a long way to go to convince me. Besides Crisis, his best title and also the most popular is not even on his project, WTF explain to me.
Labrinth Imagination & The Misfit Kid	2.5
It's no surprise what I expected before listening to this new Labrinth album: a lot of things super accessible, warmth and an electropop without too much flavor. Yet I have the impression that this artist is capable of much more.
NoCap The Hood Dictionary	2.5
After a rather nice mixtape, The Hood Dictionary is the second production this year, released while NoCap is currently in jail. Personally I preferred less I find that there is no evolution musically and in terms of interpretation, and there are no really interesting tracks except First Day In which is a little touching. This is often the case when a project comes out during a stay in prison, it is often B faces, or even C faces to feed the hype. Fortunately, often the opposite is true, the project of getting out of prison is better
KSI New Age	1.5
Unlike Quadeca who knows how to be pretty solid in a field that is not really his own (even if I am aware that he will not go far), KSI is a bad rapper. New Age annoyed me, it's flat, repetitive and not lyrically varied, the production is forgettable and nothing catches up with anything. It's not horrible, there are worse things, but it's just that sometimes you have to stay in your place. It's not the first time, though.
Gabbie Hanna 2WAYMIRROR	2.0
What is surprising about 2WayMirror is that Gabbie Hanna has put together a "concept" album/EP, in the spirit of building something unique, original and personal but with music that is sometimes generic or completely failed. The worst part is the rhythm she makes her songs go through, it's very slow and boring, it never gets out of hand, it's like a rocket instead of flying away (even if it crashes later), imploding before even trying something.
Trisha Rebirth	1.0
When you have the feeling that even before you listen you're going to walk on dog shit, that's exactly right. It doesn't really have a positive point, except that yes it is "listenable" in the sense that your body doesn't express such intense discomfort, but it's really ridiculous and just stinks. Worst EP of the year I've ever listened to
DDG VALEDICTORIAN	3.5
DDG arrives with a well mastered first album. As is often the case today, DDG is one of its versatile hybrid rappers who juggle melodically. Influenced by Drake or Migos in particular, he is in the same lineage as Saint Jhn or Don Toliver for example, but even if he approaches it, he is quite diversified (if not too diversified) and still seeks his own identity. But for the moment, Valedictorian is interesting enough for a start. For my part, I prefer moments when DDG is calmer in the approach of his songs, unlike the more dirty songs with his famous stifling bass with which I am having trouble right now. That's why I like the ALMOST intro or the ARGUMENTS single as my favorite tracks because I think it manages to get the best out of itself on this more R&B niche.
Ali Gatie YOU	3.0
Ali Gatie is the new rising star and is making a great year 2019 by revealing himself to the general public. His first EP You is solid. It obviously contains these 3 hits as well as some good new ones. Ali Gatie did not revolutionize the world of R&B/Pop with this project, but he knows how to write beautiful songs without falling into commercial clichés. What is interesting is that he seems to have the opportunity to make a great career as a superstar if he makes the right choices but also as an influencer with a more subtle and creative music. However, there are many similar artists, like Bazzi for example, who fall into an in-between that does not suit any of his 2 audiences and who end up being forgotten. To be continued
Nicki Jam Intimo	2.0
With little originality and a lot of forgettable songs (if not almost all) Intimo is part of the albums of Latin superstar difficult to listen in the sense that it quickly becomes boring and that I ended up banging my head against the wall
Highly Suspect MCID	2.0
MCID is not such a bad album. Obviously, I understand the fans of the first albums and their disappointment. It's often very generic, it goes in any direction, it's very influenced, and a lot of songs are very weak or medium. On the other hand, I find that in all this bazaar, this diversity has a charm and I wasn't bored listening to that. In addition, the guests bring the necessary energy. The group is generous here. On the other hand, MCID is an album that probably loses a lot of interest as you listen to it.
Earl Sweatshirt Feet of Clay	3.5
Earl is one of his unique rappers, who like wine increases in value over time. Feet Of Clay is a good EP, but yet it may be one of the worst projects on his discography. In fact, there are several explanations for this: Some Rap Songs arrived like a tidal wave after a moment of waiting, and even if overall Earl is still hitting hard, with SRS he had gone further. Feet Of Clay looks a lot like, without distinguishing itself, a continuation of SRS, and for the first time I found Earl less relevant, less brilliant than usual, to such an extent that my favorite moment in the album is Mavi's killer verse on EL TORO COMBO MEAL.
Electric Callboy Rehab	1.0
It's a pretty great idea to mix rotten EDM, with super generic metal, with an interpretation well below average to offer us a MetalCore album to any challenge, where each track looks the same and will destroy you. Not to mention the happiness I had when I discovered that there were 2 bonus tracks with a magnificent piano version and an electro version! Fantastic
Luke Combs What You See Is What You Get	2.5
Even if Luke Combs' music is still slightly generic, it is fun and pleasant to listen to. This album is actually the long version of the EP The PREQUEL which was released at the beginning of the year, with the same 5 first songs (in the same order...), which is probably dedicated to a commercial act and fans. Concretely, for those who are less fan, the EP is more than enough, because it covers Luke's whole palette and there's not much better in the extra tracks.
Tank (Singer) Elevation	2.0
I was very scared before listening to this album and I was right to believe my instincts. Damn, Elevation is the kind of bad album where either it's too generic or it looks like pale copies of stuff that may not be good in the first place. This was always more or less the case with this singer throughout his career. It's really an album that makes you want each song to move on to something else
Michael Kiwanuka Kiwanuka	4.5
This new Michael Kiwanuka album is very close to Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood, especially in the retro spirit (although it's Soulful), but also because without revolutionizing the music they both have fantastically perfect albums released. So it's true, Kiwanuka is a little less brilliant than Titanic Rising, but it's a great pleasure to listen to him and relaunch him again. In addition to being a great musician, he is a singer who speaks with his heart, and who shows great humanism. This ease, to introduce the pieces through interludes but also this ability to sequence the perfect transitions where we notice that Kiwanuka is a great work. There's a lot of that, but I also insist on the beauty of the songs that are present or everything in its place here. Moreover, to go even further in the retro spirit, we really have the impression that the production is authentic, greyish, and stifling as it was then, and especially as it could have been released at the time
Miranda Lambert Wildcard	3.0
Even if Wildcard is not a great record, Miranda Lambert has kept her authenticity and above all she has kept this soul and this freedom that still breathes the land of the country. And believe me for a popular country artist this album is pleasant to listen to. There are mainstream sides, but the balance is quite well managed.
Rod Wave Ghetto Gospel	3.0
After a good PTSD, Rod Wave is doing well here thanks to his interpretation and his poignant universe, unfortunately it is not diversified enough, and it is difficult to see the end however his project is quite short. I hope he can improve and who will do it, because otherwise the only interest will be to focus on some single or viral track by dropping the album listening.
Yelawolf Ghetto Cowboy	3.0
Ghetto Cowboy is slightly more charming and interesting than Trunk Muzik 3 released earlier this year. What I admire most about Yelawolf is that he has a personality, a style of his own and above all an original imagery that makes me understand the interest his fans have in him. On the other hand, I've never really liked Yela, I always go backwards before listening to these projects, because I don't adhere to the style but especially because I think he's a decent rapper/singer but not more, sometimes even slightly bad, so necessarily it never makes it easier for me to listen. Then it's quite subjective, even if objectively it's not a rapper you're going to rank in the top 100 because it's far from being extraordinary. However his worst flaw and we see it a lot more on this new album is that even when he starts doing good things, he makes bad choices as if we have the impression that he's going right under the only little grey cloud. It's never perfect, never excellent.
Bishop Briggs CHAMPION	3.5
Bishop Griggs' strength but also his great weakness is that his music is easy to access, which makes fans happy and converts new ones, but it only takes 1 or 2 listenings to understand the whole thing. On the first album there was at least the novelty effect that creates a little surprise, here this defect takes on a little more importance. However, I still liked this realization, it's fresh, there's the energy and character to create the necessary attachment. That's enough for now.
Counterparts Nothing Left to Love	4.0
Nothing left To love does not invent anything musically, but it gives energy and also communicates through the multitude of details. For my part, I don't find this band so extraordinary, but it must be said that on this record, writing is the main point that adds an indescribable added value. The album follows a common thread and starts with a epic question and ends with the inevitable ending, and that's remarkable
Turnover Altogether	2.5
Musically and lyrically, Altogether is far too shy and lacks character to create a strong interest in this project. Besides, even the cover doesn't really make you want to. On the other hand it is very well adapted to a background music or for chill quietly, and therefore little found its place. The only song to remember is the single Still In Motion, but again it's not strong enough, not lively enough, not catchy enough. On Altogether there's like a bitter taste of failure
Krept and Konan Revenge is Sweat	2.0
I never really liked this duo but clearly on Revenge Sweet it's hard not to fall dead of trouble. There is no rhythm and intensity, nor the power and charisma necessary in Grime to create my interest in their new album. It's pretty rare with English rap that it's so annoying to hear that.
Cold War Kids New Age Norms 1	2.0
I really hooked up with New Age Norms 1, because mainly Cold War Kids couldn't transmit their energy to me. With a music that is rather catchy, it is a basis to respect. Moreover I was not at all surprised, the music is correct but rarely good and interesting. Behind each track everything seems camouflaged, but in reality it's much too light, too insufficient.
Sudan Archives Athena	4.0
In addition to being remarkable and rich, Athena is a contemporary album par excellence (especially since it is her first), because it is modern and mixes different musical genres. Above all, it is a favourably R&B album, played and interpreted by Brittney Parks, a talented violinist and singer who knows how to shake up the R&B codes to bring it to a unique work and sound. It's certainly not the best album of the year because it has, in my opinion, less good songs like Glorius, it may end up being forgotten in a few years, it's still very early
D Smoke Inglewood High	3.5
Following his victory at the Netflix Rhythm N Flow show, which he really deserved to win for his performances and creativity, here is obviously his Inglewood High EP. Honestly, the guy is smart and good at rap and has an interesting musical ear. The EP is good and if you are a fan of the style or if you discover it you will really love it. For my part, I have a lot of trouble not thinking about Kendrick Lamar constantly and the famous To Pimp in Butterfly. On the other hand, D Smoke masters his subject, he is both homogeneous and knows how to follow diversified paths while remaining coherent. Moreover, he knew how to surround himself with talented producers who were a little forgotten or secondary like My Guy Mars and J.LBS. However, it will be necessary to move to the next stage for the next project, because it has sufficient creativity and must detach itself from the Lamar style to find its own musical identity. I recommend the tracks On Paper and The Game.
Jason Derulo 2Sides (Side 1)	1.5
Already that Jason Derulo has always been a really mediocre R&B artist in my opinion, since the time of Tattoos (with notably Wiggle) he had found a magic formula that he still applies today because he is clearly lacking inspiration. This EP is really bad, it's totally pumped and without ideas, it falls into every possible trap and offers junk food to its fans.
Gang Starr One Of The Best Yet	3.0
It's a timely return to add a little madness to this weak year 2019 for the Rap genre. One Of The Best Yet is a respectable project under the circumstances. They have managed to keep their sound and their universe without falling into the trap of the "old" too caught up in time. They do what they know how to do and no longer have anything to prove, because they have been legends for more than 20 years. Guru does the work and Dj Premier sublimates the production as usual. However, I think that the public is mostly touched, baited and slightly blinded by nostalgia. For me, it's an album for fans, which like many medium/correct albums, will eventually be forgotten
DeathbyRomy Love u - to Death	3.5
Love U To Death is an exciting EP. In appearance and in terms of image, DeathByRomy seems and wants to make itself look dark but its music is mostly explosive just like Billie Eillish, or formerly Pink, can be in his own way. So don't be afraid, because you're going to miss a good EP. The intro is reminiscent of a female version of ALL DAY (by Kanye), and the outro to oppose it seems melodiously sweet but breathes destructive texts. Personally I found the production interesting, of course it's not the most fantastic project of the year, especially since not everything is excellent over 18 minutes, but the sequence Love U To Death and Let Me Fall is taped
Ama Lou Ama, Who ?	3.0
Even if Ama, Who? is not convinced, I think she has a very interesting potential, which could one day explode in the open. In fact, for the moment, Ama Lou gives the impression that she has found her formula, but at the same time she seems to be always dependent on her influences and we feel that she doesn't lack much to reach this level there. On the other hand this small EP is a good R&B project, I advise you however to go back to DDD released last year if you liked this one
Toro Y Moi Soul Trash	3.5
It's an attractive mixtape and I even preferred it to his album released earlier this year. Unlike his album for example, Toro y Moi seems free, less under pressure, which allows him to experiment much more. In the end, if I understood correctly, the songs are a bit like studio scraps, songs not selected on these previous projects, and what is fascinating is that they all form a coherence. It was a pleasure to find this Toro y Moi
Alcest Spiritual Instinct	4.0
I think Spiritual Instinct is a good album, sometimes fantastic but finally overall, although it deserves praise, it will remain a good album. The beginning is for me well above and the end is a bit slow (after "Isle of the Dead"). It is quite easy to access. True to who they are. It is sufficiently attractive and active. The writing is nice, not extraordinary, but on the other hand I know that it's not all that important to have the voices in front, but I had a terrible difficulty knowing if it was French or English.
Swans Leaving Meaning	3.5
Personally, I didn't like Leaving Meaning. I have the impression that some things that he had managed to do in the previous albums are missing. But given his talent and his attempts at experimentation, the good moments save my note here.
PVRIS Hallucinations	3.5
I wasn't sure how to position myself on the new PVRIS EP but I came to this conclusion: it's pretty cool because it's well done and catchy, and it's really one of the bands that makes one of the "best generic music" electronic of the moment. A little something for Old Wounds which is for me the best track on the EP
Mayhem Daemon	3.0
I really didn't get into a relationship with Daemon. I found that Mayhem had stayed in a comfort zone by offering musical content that is starting to date, and moreover, but this is more subjective, I really have trouble with Attila Csihar's "voice". Not original
Norma Jean All Hail	4.5
Although the cover is not especially great, All Hail is one of my favorite albums of the year because with experience and talent Norma Jean is still able to bring us some excellent stuff, even a doubt that it can be their best. Yet they have already given much. They wrote good songs as much musically as lyrically/melodically, while managing to create a perfect balance between them. It's far from revolutionary, but I think it's sensational.
Great Grandpa Four of Arrows	4.0
Four of Arrows clearly has its place among the best Rock albums of the year because it exudes a certain strength and freedom that is difficult to achieve when you try to do it voluntarily. I have a particular affection for the first part of the album which is rather fantastic and endearing, especially for the tracks where the voice of bassist Pat Goodwin (I suppose it's him) is intertwined with that of the incredible performer Alex Menne several times on a few tracks, a bit like a good project which was also released this year Better Oblivion Community Center, even if in the end the fervour 90' s of Four of Arrows is a more beautiful success because musically it's better and more subtle to my taste.
James Blunt Once Upon a Mind	2.0
From the first 15 seconds, James thinks you're a jerk with a sweet deep house pop song like its released 1000 identical songs a year for now 12 years and it already makes me want to have the possibility to put a negative note like a -2/5... in short, I realize that by listening to a James album I was going to deal with a compilation of phony generic songs, even if sometimes there are not so horrible songs that bring a little light and good sense, but James really doesn't care about your head James blunt (2) From the first 15 seconds, James thinks you're a jerk with a sweet deep house pop song like its released 1000 identical songs a year for now 12 years and it already makes me want to have the possibility to put a negative note like a -2/5... in short, I realize that by listening to a James album I was going to deal with a compilation of phony generic songs, even if sometimes there are not so horrible songs that bring a little light and good sense, but James really doesn't care about your head
Kanye West Jesus Is King	4.0
After a few difficult years, a disappointing album (YE), multiple scandals, and without questioning his honesty because religion learns to trust, Kanye seems to have found comfort and rebirth in his faith, but also by showing intelligence: Jesus is king is born, a work that looks like a concept and a conceptual album with which he could catch up personally and musically. For my part, I devoured and loved this album, even if it is much less brilliant than its classics. None of the tracks present must be ruled out, they all have their own particularities while remaining consistent with each other. Kanye managed and built his album in a very meticulous way, many details are hidden and appear after multiple listening, and he delivers each time a different flow and/or way of singing. Whether musically or for the writing, we feel that Kanye is exhausted, that's also why the album is so short and meticulous, these are signs that don't fool you. Of course, it's not a musical revolution, but like all his albums, he will have an influence on artists. I would say that the main flaw of this album is that it doesn't seem to be finished, although by listening to it, in addition to improving myself, I more or less accepted it. I want to tell him: Wake up, Mr. West, let's go back to the studio and finish this.... Apart from On God, Everything We Need or God Is, all the others deserve to be longer, with why not more featurings? more instrumental parts, more reversals, more surprises? Frustration
The Growlers Natural Affair	2.5
I discovered this band with Natural Affair and it reminds me of a mix of The Strokes and Supergrass (from the 2000s), as well as the whole psychedelic pop-electro scene from the late 2000s. It's pleasant, funky and energizing, but despite this energy, the voice and melody of Brook Nielsen's singer is not transcendent enough and not diversified enough here, not to mention that he has little good interesting music and especially no excellent music that deserves to be heard herer
Cigarettes After Sex Cry	3.0
When you compare the greatest hits and previous projects of Cigarette After Sex, you can only be a little disappointed with this new opus, because nothing here is so great (maybe except for the single Heavenly which is quite catchy), neither new, nor as subtle as before. If you are a fan of the formula you will be rather delighted, but for the part I found that it lacked diversity, that many titles are similar, and that the band can't really bring me either the emotion or the feeling for which they are known, and that remains the basis of this style of music
Lucki Days B4 III	3.5
Lucki has taken another turn for his new project, which must sound a personal renaissance, incorporating many more elements of Drill where he is native but also of Mumble rap with flows and instrumentation that is very reminiscent of Playboi Carti or Young Nudy, via Pierre Bourne. It is quite surprising and good for us auditor to have 2 solid projects in the same year rather opposite. Personally I think it's a good futuristic project again that's worth listening to, even if overall I think I preferred Freewave 3 for its torture side. This one is more abstract in interpretation as the Drill always was, but it lacks this sparkling association with production to create what Playboi could have done on Die Lit or Nudy on Sli'merre.
Riff Raff CRANBERRY VAMPiRE	2.5
I expected everything but that, he surprised me on these first 2 very electro tracks because even if this guy never does ordinary things because he's unpredictable, I find that even if I'm not a fan just to be surprised it's positive. On the other hand, Riff Raff then falls back into his ways with a disappointing and predictable rap, so the rest is far too insufficient. I would say that the last positive point is the guests on the second part of the album and also the trick goes with Chief Keef on Floor Seat
Rex Orange County Pony	3.5
In addition to being a warm album, Pony is a pleasant album to listen to. Here Rex is not here to revolutionize music but already to offer us quality content, and he has perfectly succeeded in his mission. There are beautiful songs scattered on both sides, the production is remarkable even if it is not so complex. Despite that, he has two main flaws for me, the omnipresent resemblance to Frank Ocean, which takes up a lot of space and masks Rex's own identity. It is also impossible to mention moments that are too generic and some too smooth passages where Rex is often complacent
King Princess Cheap Queen	3.5
Cheap Queen is both a confirmation and a good follow-up after his first EP because the album is generally good, but on the contrary it is not a commercial confirmation (for the moment) and unfortunately it was rather on this niche that I saw it. King Princess has a lot of ideas and it shows here, which makes the listening vary but it looks like a kind of compilation and not really an album. There are often also some rather missed interludes for example. Despite this, KP has talent and can offer us something better in the future, it will first of all be necessary to refine her writing and especially that she differentiates herself from her competition. It's still very pleasant, catchy and fun to listen to, it's one of the best achievements of the week
Stereophonics Kind	2.5
Kind is an album that shows how much Stereophonics has matured because of course this band is getting older. It also shows 2 opposite things, that they are still able to offer albums that hold the road but conversely this album quickly begins to bore me with its simplicity and its real lack of surprise. It's really the album you can put on a person of any age you don't know who listens to Rock, because it's generic enough, both well done, and not too smooth to classify it as a bad album r
Gallant Sweet Insomnia	3.0
Gallant delivered a correct and rather homogeneous album with Sweet Insomnia. It's very R&B from the late 90s to early 2000 revisited so it necessarily has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. Personally, I would have a hard time going back on it because even if it's good, it's good but nothing more. Besides, there are not really any very good songs. Overall, it's a small disappointment when you consider the success of the first album. But it doesn't surprise me, it's a difficult year for R&B in 2019 because it's sorely lacking in innovation
Anna Of The North Dream Girl	3.5
On Dream Girl, Anna Of The North has the power to bring back a smile and good humour with a pop album that is both splashing and warm. Even if it's rather uneven and there are no excellent songs here, Anna has been able to make a coherent album where love and pain are the real driving forces
Brooke Candy Sexorcism	1.0
This album is a real nightmare lasting 33 fucking minutes, where Brooke Candy chases you and whispers to you like a creature from the underworld to concretely devour you once she has done her thing... it's musically freezing and petrifying so much it drains you of any desire to live. Actually for the production part, even if I really don't like it and a lot of things are still bad, in the spirit it makes sense. Moreover, even at the level of interpretation, however, it is radically bad. Besides, since it's a nightmare, she managed to screw up Rico Nasty and make a featuring with Iggy Azalea, it's like Freddy and Chucky were in the same movie. It's atrocious.
Neil Young Colorado	3.5
Apart from the fact that it's very nice to meet Neil Young with the Crazy Horse, Colorado doesn't sound like an outdated old man's album or like a come back album. It's amazing how a legend like him, at 73 years old (almost 74), is still as immoral, untouchable, passionate and authentic. Colorado sounds like its time because it is well written, interpreted like no one could have. Damn, from the second track you have a 10-minute marathon that keeps you on hold. It is remarkable to be able to do this and above all to convey a culture that is not yet dead, and that it will probably never be in the end
Leprous Pitfalls	3.5
Objectively I realize that it's a good album and that this guy has a beautiful voice, but Pitfalls gives me the impression that I'm being suspected of illusion, an album that sounds wonderful but actually has a lot of things that aren't that great. Einar Solberg has a voice that is too maneuverable for my taste, which disturbs my listening, and I manage to get past it. Apart from that, in this "perfect" appearance, there are moments underneath, but fortunately Leprous still has the talent to offer us solid tracks like Foreigner for example
Yeule Serotonin II	4.0
Yeule welcomes you to paradise, where you will be able to free yourself from all your negative waves, even more effective than Yoga or Meditation, during the space of a dream that lasts 41 minutes and 27 seconds, to deliver a dose of happiness. It's a nice surprise, the album is really solid and exciting. The fusion of two styles is both clever and well done, there is everything, a single, 100% ambient tracks and a beautiful voice. However, and I think it's important, there are still moments missing in Yeule where her voice lacks penetration and the singer/melody lacks effectiveness. For me, there are no very great songs here. On the other hand, musically speaking, it's really powerful
YUNGBLUD The Underrated Youth	2.0
Honestly nothing is amazing here, because very often it's too generic, too superficial and for my taste it doesn't make the right choices because it has a much bigger potential than that. There are still some pretty good tracks like the intro or the Original Me single that can be listened to well, but the rest is frankly disposable, regrettable and above all it's perceptible for miles around. Even regarding texts and ideas, some are nice and relevant and others are too typical, too in the mold of some things that is already basic in the mold. For example, with a title as lame as Parents, which is a pale copy of Twenty Pilots, Yungblud is too late on his time and far too accurate.
James Arthur You	2.5
Although not everything is equal and I think the album is too long, You is not a bad album and deserves the average. He didn't invent it and unfortunately it falls back (a little too much) often in the formula that made him known, his little Pop tracks, sometimes RnB are sometimes pleasant. The rest of the time, some tracks struggle to stand out from the others and are drowned in the mass.
Latto Big Latto	2.0
With the success of her hit Big From Da Souf, which made me discover this rapper, I thought to myself why not listen and rate her album. The overall observation is that it's not too bad, it's just not great in fact. Mulatto is one of the rappers who exists and who makes her career last mainly through her nudity and vulgarity, without really offering anything other than these competitors. So yes, his hit is fun, but it also lacks talent. Sometimes she rapes, sometimes she sings, but it's still mostly soup.
Chris Janson Real Friends	2.5
This year I (almost) didn't listen much to a drinking album by a very popular country artist but Chris Jason's Real Friends managed to be correct. It's very uneven, it alternates a lot between bad and good, but overall it's not unpleasant to listen to this album. I'm not a big fan of Hip Hop for example, but he managed to make a fun song with Offset on Say About Me.
Kash Doll Stacked	3.0
Unlike many Trap rapper women, often too aggressive, sometimes too vulgar, who have done too much, Kash Doll is calmer, raises her voice and presses when necessary, and believe me it makes her very different from the others. The production is often very minimalist and punctuated by overwhelming bass. Personally I'm not a big fan, there are a few things that keep me from holding on. Pourant Kash Doll goes rather well with the instrumental, it's rather original as I said in relation to it, but this minimalism frightens me (precisely), because I have the impression that it seems so exaggerated that listening to several songs by Kash bores me seriously. So I have a lot of trouble going to the end of the album. Fortunately, there are the guests who bring vitality to this album
Common Holly When I say to you Black Lightning	4.0
From the beginning, When I Say to You Black Lightning undeniably has some special and unique things, and I directly felt that I was really going to love it. There are a lot of details and Common Holly never gives you the opportunity to get bored, sometimes she takes us against our will, sometimes she goes all the way through her ideas like a passionate person or as if it came from the heart and the result is always fantastic. She also has a beautiful writing, often ironic and amusing despite the subjects she addresses which are not so joyful overall. It's very human and musically great. Waw
clipping. There Existed an Addiction to Blood	4.0
Clipping has undoubtedly released this year's most atypical and twisted rap album, but the talent of all the band's members has made it possible to build an album that will be remembered in a very positive way. I think they managed to go even further, creating a work like never before he had succeeded on all their previous albums. First of all, they succeeded in designing and working it, with a more excellent pen and production with a subject and theme that fit perfectly to their skin. In concrete terms, it is a consecration. However, I still find that there are moments that can be forgotten, often musically, sometimes repetitively, and the album should have been a little lighter. After that, it remains unique, and imperfection can also turn into beauty, which is a bit what happens here.
Electric Guest KIN	2.0
Kin is a failure and an album to clearly avoid listening. It's not catastrophic, but it has too many flaws. First of all, the group itself has not evolved too much, on the contrary it seems as if they are out of breath. It's a style that was fun at the end of 2000, early 2010 that is now outdated in my opinion, so it doesn't help them at all. Secondly, in this kind of style it has to be catchy and subtle enough not to seem too generic, but it's not lively enough. The interpretation as well as the production is insufficient and it's cruelly missing at least 1 hit to get in touch with.
24hrs World On Fire	2.0
If you read my comment on the mixtape released earlier this year "Valentino Twenty", you will have understood that I don't have 24 hours in my heart, because it's a monotonous and annoying rapper who offered us one of the worst rap projects of this year. World On Fire is much better. First of all because its melody and its use of autotune are less shrill and slightly less linear, but also because the beats and all that is chaining/transition is sufficient and well managed and makes you progress without any problems. Moreover, the project is much shorter and therefore it is an additional relief. It's important to get into your head once and for all, that using the autotune is very complex to manage and can make things wonderful when it's done very well. In addition, the natural voice of guys has an impact on the autotune. When you have a high-pitched voice (or a duck voice like Nav) I find that it makes the autotune less effective, even disgusting sometimes. The last point is this exaggerated monotony that makes things more catastrophic.
Floating Points Crush	4.0
Crush is one of the best electro albums I've listened to this year. It is refined, mitigated, lively and musically beautiful, and fits perfectly with the description of a crush. However, I'm not a big fan of 100% electronic music so it's even harder to convince myself. However, Sam Shepherd's talent is big enough to offer me a great experience. I hadn't listened to the appetizers released at the beginning of the year, so the whole thing was new, which I think I should participate to surprise myself all the more. Crush is an aquatic, hypnotic, distorting journey that gives the impression of an opposition between the body and the liquid. Personally I found the beginning and the last 2 songs more interesting, but there is nothing to throw into the project, especially when it is "weaker", the short duration of the tracks allows to move faster to something else
Berhana HAN	2.5
Han is a project that gives me a very mixed impression. There is imagination but he couldn't manage the direction and his ideas, so the concept of the album fell apart. It's always more complicated to make a concept album because it limits the possibilities of one and it adds to that I find it difficult to do both some coherent and excellent things. On HAN Berhana is not bad, but is not special either. It's just okay. There were a few good moments, but most of the time it takes water and they make a series of not-so-good choices. Too bad
Jimmy Eat World Surviving	3.5
I am quite surprised by the scores so high that I can see and especially to see such a beautiful average. It's a good Pop Rock album that's easy to listen to, because the band offers quality content and above all doesn't invent anything special. It's very faithful. So yes, Jimmy Eat World has a certain particular energy, a catchy emotion but when I'm not surprised I then expect to become addicted or be touched by a special aspect, however I don't find it here. One of the advantages is that Surviving is specific to albums that gains in seduction after several listenings, because it is perfectly managed from beginning to end, without too much inequality, with most of the songs well written. If I could have put 3.25
G-Eazy Scary Nights	1.5
Trying to avoid saying that this rapper is the archetype of the uninteresting rapper who just knows how to rap who has made a commercial breakthrough because most of his audience is sorely lacking in basics and musical spirit (which is what is ultimately respected), I realize that I just did it, but it was stronger than me. This new EP Scary Nights comes (as if by chance) as the movie Joker has just created a tidal wave by breaking records and shows how close the rapper's level of inspiration is to nothing. The atmosphere is therefore dark and nocturnal which is not the weak point of this record, on the contrary, it is especially that his rap gives again (and as always) these impressions of déja vu. For the moment it's not too generic pop, but you'd have to invent a word stronger than boring, perhaps : chiatique.
Foals Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2	4.0
The second part is a beautiful sequel, less electronic but more lively, more rock, as if Foals' triumph ends with a fireworks display. Even if this suite could have been released as a single album, it wouldn't have been as good, it has much more interest and gains in value because it is very complementary and not so stackable. It's incredible after a premiere that I love so much, to have beautiful tracks like The Runner, Into The Surf etc... again that are really fun for me. Moreover, it was an excellent choice for me to have divided the album in two, because it allows me to make the album live over a long period of time, which is rare nowadays at the speed at which we consume music, and also to be able to appropriate and digest each track better, because 80 minutes at a stroke might be too long. Personally I prefer the first part for the moment, I may need more time, after all I'm eager to see which part will leave the most trace in a few years, like at the time Guns N'Roses with USE YOUR ILLUSION
Third Eye Blind Screamer	1.5
I generally agree with JWT155's comment. Third Eye Blind (and more particularly its leader Stephan Jenkins) tried to make music on Screamer for young teenagers (whom they no longer do), already well overtaken by time, when he was 55 years old. Damn, it's the father who shames his kids when he drops them off at school, a few steps away so the other kids don't see them. Moreover, it's too generic to hope to save something here, it's very easy to become which path each track will take and also to anticipate (big) mistakes. Not to mention that there are totally horrible tracks, 2x Tigers, Who Am I, Got So blind...
Caroline Polachek Pang	4.5
Pang is a singular and diversified album without ever losing its coherence. At first I didn't make the connection because she was part of the Chairlift group because she sounded like a young new artist with a delirium, an imagery and a very modern sound of her own. She has appropriated the latest HipHop sounds (trap in particular), Rnb and electronics to confront her with a Pop sometimes Glitch, sometimes Baroque, sometimes Psychédélic and after checking it doesn't surprise me that she is working with Béyoncé or Travis Scott for example. Beyond that, Pang is meticulously controlled from start to finish, it's catchy, attractive and brilliant. With each listening you will discover new details and it will embellish the thing. There are so many pearls here, that you can ask 100 different people, they will quote different tracks even if it is true that you will very often find the last 3 tracks - Doors, Parachute and So Hot You' Re Hurting My Feelings (which are like by chance the singles). For me, Pang will be part of the top of the top album of the year, because she offers us a controlled and brilliant contemporary pop that has the strength to inspire and the possibility to make people talk about her for a long and long year, maybe not directly, but through other artists
Gucci Mane Woptober II	3.5
Woptober II is the best project since DropTopWop (i. e. for almost 2 years) and it is great. In general, see almost all the time with a few exceptions, Guwop delivers us mixtapes much better than his albums and you will never be disappointed with the results of these. On Woptober, Gucci is in good shape and multiplies the good performances, production and beats are as usual very well managed, then we really feel the remodelled Trap sounds that Gucci has been known for during these glorious years. It's not fantastic either, but there are some very good moments here like Highly Recommended (i love it), Tootsies or his verse on Bucking The System for example. I would say that there are 2 other little faults that are also to be noted, the fact that the album is already really going down and starts to lose its feathers at the end, and also the fact that very often Guwop is a little erased behind his guests (who are for the moment, ready for the appointment), even if we don't forget to remind him, guests who were very inspired by Gucci, so this is not a big problem either.ps: the project cover is incredible, OG
beabadoobee Space Cadet	4.0
On Space Cadet, Beabadoodee added a more tortured side, much more Indie than usual, which gives another dimension to her music. For me it is a step forward, which shows that this artist has a great margin for progress. I really like She Plays Bass and I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus (just quoting her s a bonus already). More generally all 5 tracks are good. It's one of the best EPs I've listened to this year, because Beabadoodee has not only evolved, but has also kept all these qualities. I'd say she s missing a hit that would be remembered for decades.
CNCO Que QuiÃ©nes Somos	1.5
At first I hesitated. I wondered if by chance I had put the previous album in the place, by mistake, since it looks so much alike. The problem with these super boy band superstar band is that they are often already very limited in talent. I hate this sentence but it must be said that: listen to a track you have already listened to everything. It's never been so true before. It is generic Latin for supermarkets and clothing stores of major retailers
A R I Z O N A Asylum	2.0
When you listen to previous projects again, you realize that Asylum is not up to the standards of others. Mainly because they have not succeeded in changing their formula. However, this album is still in progress, the single Nostalgic is not bad, the 80's sounds mix quite well with their "Deep House". It's far from fantastic, but it's not unpleasant.
Afro B Afrowave 3	2.5
Afro B is a true local phenomenon and one of the global ambassadors who is greatly involved in the democratization of the Afro movement in the world, thanks in particular to her success as Joanna-Drogba. Afrowave III unfortunately doesn't have such a good hit despite a Shape Nice that's not surprising enough, but it's a festive and atmospheric album. If you like these sounds, don't miss it. However, for me, I would have preferred a more subtle music, less access to the commercial. But it's a respectable choice.
Waterparks FANDOM	2.0
Fandom is a bit like the album that kids will love because they don't have any other way of comparing, but clearly it's particularly a music that can be anticipated and that sometimes shows bad taste. Although sometimes the group tries to add back elements that differ to create something special it is very often a failure. Sometimes it doesn't have a head or a tail, sometimes it's too much
Casanova (Brooklyn, NY) Behind This Scars	2.5
It's not the idea of the century, because in the end it's a pretty scratchy theme, but it's still an uninteresting idea: Prison / freedom / then now the after-effects - the rest. Behind These Scars starts off pretty well with the first 3 tracks but quickly ends up changing direction with first commercial singles without much interest and then a rather failed album end. In other words, it doesn't leave you with much to remember here. The big difficulty is to be able to draw a parallel between his dark songs and his attempts at hits, but Casanova has a terrible difficulty in doing that. Instead, the good things are drowned by his failures
Richard Dawson 2020	3.5
2020 is a semi-experimental folk/rock album, conceptual in its construction, in the treatment of human storytelling, and frankly musically original. Personally it's really not in my taste, because sometimes I love it and sometimes I just find it too weird (in the negative sense of the word), so I don't think I linger on it, even if objectively I admit that it remains a good album. It remains frustrating, because in my ears it often sounds disturbing, not because it is too generic or non-existent (on the contrary), but because his art is too atypical for me
Elbow Giants of All Sizes	3.5
Giants of All Size is a very good album, which can afford to rub shoulders with the best of their achievements, because there are many fantastic moments but also it is very solid from start to finish. What is fascinating is the impression of walking along a road that Elbow traces with ease, where you discover little by little with a perfect work of progression that takes shape through each track. It is also an album that has the merit of not leaving the listener time to miss the homogeneity that is installed here.
Mike Posner Keep Going	3.0
Keep Going is a mostly rap mixtape, where calm, perspective and self-revival reign, which follows the last unfortunate event, but which remains a beautiful continuation of his last album. Ironically, Mike Posner has built a structured "album" with his musical ear and good ideas, (and believe me, it's not given to everyone, I'd really like most rappers today to know how to build albums, not a compilation of tracks) but on the other hand it will be lying to you not to say that Mike is not a very good rapper. Unfortunately, it's too disturbing to miss that. Actually Mike doesn't have a nice voice when he rapes (in addition to forced rap on this one), for me he is much easier, more efficient and better when he sings POP and RNB. Finally, I would say that I prefer the album of the beginning of the year because we feel more emotions (which is normal...) and the balance of musical styles is much more respected and sounds like Mike
BABYMETAL Metal Galaxy	2.5
It's quite entertaining to see people with different opinions fighting and defending (or not) their piece of meat about this album. It's also interesting because it also raises the question of the global democratization of Asian artists that has been rising for a few years now, which is causing a war between people who are 100% reluctant to this art and others who are such fans that they swear by it (sometimes it even becomes delusional), because for the moment it is not yet assimilated and especially accepted by everyone. With a little objectivity, Metal Galaxy is an album that is far from being extraordinary, of course, but which is quite original and delivers an overflowing energy. It's very irregular, you alternate so often between good and mediocre that you'll probably keep in mind the negative side.
YK Osiris The Golden Child	2.5
So I was expecting something good because I really liked Worth It, I must say that I fell out of my rockin' flesh while listening to this first album by YK Osiris. Worth it shows an overflowing energy, the beat is crazy and his voice playing was the key to success, but yet here you won't find anything as good, quite the contrary. I don't really know what's more scandalous between the fact that the guy thinks he's the king (or Egyptian god) on his throne when the guy has released 2.5 singles and his album is absolutely not up to the task, or the simple fact that his rnb is so generic and already seen. How many rappers/singers will make the mistake of believing that they are on the throne when a week ago he was only on the throne of the WC. No kidding, this overconfidence and confidence is a plague for hip-hop because very often we do it to guys who think everything belongs to them, they should just offer us decent content because there are thousands of artists who don't have this chance to express themselves
88rising Head in the Clouds II	2.5
Head in the Clouds II is a failure in many ways. First, because it is generally too insufficient, too generic and generally much worse than the first volume. Then, why didn't you release this project this summer? It's fucking October. This is a real mistake. When you release a very commercial album, sunny, with warm sounds and a cover that speaks for itself, that can explain to me the why of the how. This is a good idea in itself, but the artistic direction does not get the best out of each artist and all the artists themselves offer a bad version. The only one who saves honor is Niki
Big Thief Two Hands	4.5
What is so wonderful about Two Hands is the ability, without apprehension, to deliver music so free that it constantly breaks conventional laws and automatisms like punk. Unlike the one that was more vaporous, more atmospheric, this one is more down to earth thanks to the way each track is written and interpreted but also in the way this music is produced and created. It's amazing, you get 39 minutes of happiness, with mastodon tracks like Not, Two Hands or The Toy to name a few. The success of this album is also explained by the intimate side of the subjects and human questions that brings reflection in addition to entertainment. For me it's at the same level as UFOF, it's so cruel to have to make a choice between one and the other. Unquestionably Big Thief has just broken the "glass ceiling", by proposing the same year 2 fantastic works of art that will undoubtedly travel through the decades through the traces they leave, through the future artists. To conclude, with these multiple results so rare, I would add that Big Thief already deserves in advance the merit of being in my opinion: the best band/artist of this year 2019.
Wale Wow Thatâ€™s Crazy	2.5
Wale is a rapper who exploded in the air when he had only just made himself known, and he never made it through the new decade of 2010 when he had great potential. In fact, instead of changing and improving his formula, he opted for a change of vision that really had the last word on him. He lost almost everything that made him so successful in his esteem. So it's no surprise to hear a new album by Wale again, really bland. Wow... it really lacks personality here, you navigate among multiple styles without coherence. Again it's very average and uninteresting, so it'll just be entertainment.
YoungBoy Never Broke Again AI YoungBoy 2	3.0
I'm still a little disappointed with this project, because although he probably had a lot to tell us after his prison sentence, Al Youngboy looks like a lot of mixtape from the south that generally falls into oblivion with time. First of all because Youngboy hasn't really evolved and doesn't give us anything surprising and also because there are too many tracks that don't allow the one worth highlighting to be highlighted enough, because they are drowned out as a whole. He has the rage of going out and it's all to his credit because it's important, but it's not enough. After this disappointment is also explained by the fact that I love this rapper very much and that he has a huge potential that is not fully exploited enough so I am more severe, especially after his very beautiful year 2018. Overall here I will only remember 4/5 titles, including Slim Mentality which we already know and the huge Make No Sense with an incredible Buddah Bless production and an interesting Youngboy delivery.
Lil Tjay True 2 Myself	3.0
Another unfortunate subject: True 2 Myself. Honestly I really liked his EP F.N, which is one of the rap projects not to be missed this year. Here you will have all the titles of the EP, as if True 2 Myself was actually just one expansion. What is disappointing is that there are no new tracks that are worth the effort and that arrive would only be the ankle of the EP's worst track. After that, if you're a fan of the rapper, you'll find it pleasant, then it offers you a more complete version, so it's not bad either. To make a success of his next album/project, the task will be very hard because I have the impression that a lot has already been said in F.N and we can already see its limits on T2M. Maybe I'm wrong after all, because he's a young artist with a lot of potential
Lil Mosey Certified Hitmaker	1.5
With Certified Hitmaker, your worst nightmare has come true. In this nightmare, rap has become so monotonous, lyrically poor and deeply boring and it is embodied by one of the new idols for now 2 years: Lil Mosey. Clearly I'm turning this into sarcasm, but this is one of the worst US rap albums I've heard this year for a guy who still has over 11 million listeners a month on Spotify. Moreover, the production (notably of its producer Royce David) is far too often flat, and too often redundant in the image of its artist. Many people and I the first Nav critic, because it is clear that there is a similarity and similarities between these 2 rappers, but at least Nav has the merit to be inspired by the artists and to have an impact on rap.
Mavi let the sun talk	3.5
Mavi could well be part of the underground face for the next decade because he has a very special talent. Probably inspired by Earl Sweatshirt, it has a very similar but less abstract elocution and delivry, and is very reminiscent of the Earl of the beginning in its interpretation. Even if we are aware that Mavi still has a lot of work to do to stand out from this influence, he offered us a really solid project and his rap is poignant. He has this ability to write and also to come back and drive the nail in, as if he was finishing his prey, mainly at first with nuggets like Self Love or the triplet Eye/I and I/Nation. Contrary to what I read, I don't find it underestimated, I even find it in its place for the moment, because it can do much better. I really appreciated the first part of the project but less the second part which is gradually running out of steam. Not to mention the interludes that I find really boring and that break the rhythm without really bringing what they should.
Bayside Interrobang	3.0
It's a great dive into the 2000s, or even the late 1990s, which brings back many memories. It's an album that finally looks like the Jimmy Eat World album that came out this year, where first of all the nostalgia of that time melts hearts with bands that shone with their talent at the time and now finds itself releasing a good and solid album. And I will make the same observation I find that for Jimmy precisely, surprised by the average so strong. There are some good songs, but none that are so excellent that I could recommend it to introduce someone to the band.
Akon El Negreeto	1.5
Already that Akon propose during his glory years a very commercial and generic content although it was much better than that, El Negreeto stinks of the desire to make a lot of money, which is rather normal for a career already far behind him. On the other hand, musically, his Latin/afro zumba borders on extreme pumping and the intention to target people who do not listen to music for its quality but only for dance. Why didn't you offer us both at the same time?
City and Colour A Pill For Loneliness	3.5
Dallas Green's new album is a multi-generational trend, combining both the style developed by U2 and Coldplay later on, halfway through with Oasis and sometimes there are progressive Rock particles like on the very good Astronaut track. This track is clearly different from the others musically, and the rest is generally more homogeneous. In addition to being a good album, it is a generous album that offers its listeners something to eat and rededicate, without it being too much at the correct dose.
Maisie Peters It's Your Bed Babe, It's Your Funeral	2.0
While it has more than 4 million listeners (on Spotify), I was surprised that few people talk about Maisie Peters. But after listening to this EP, I quickly understood that its audience is essentially very young and that its music didn't really matter when you are over 20 years old. It is a bouncing pop, access essentially on romance, without any difference as it exists for thousands of them.
Mika My Name Is Michael Holbrook	2.5
Mika is faithful to himself on this new album, it's groovy and emotional and very often it's (too) smooth. Sometimes he has ideas like on Tiny Love, where everything goes in all directions, which is for me the best track, but which remains a kind of Bohemian Rhapsody of the poor. Otherwise, the rest of the time, he does Elton John without the same pen and interpretation. Happily Mika gives herself up a little here, and still has her beautiful voice
Dermot Kennedy Without Fear	2.5
Here's something that annoys me, the albums where half of the album are tracks already used in previous albums (sometimes released the same year), recovery as if it were a recycling company, as if we really have the impression that the guy is lazy, or even worse as if in the end he had nothing to offer us more than a few little new cans (which have nothing new) serving as real mouth holes to make more sales. It really shows a certain amount of mobbing. Finally, the last track Without Fear is my favorite, but this last one is from 2015, incredible
Sabrina Claudio Truth Is	3.5
Truth Is is an album, just like the single, very sincere and really good. It's not his best achievement, but this one didn't blush because the whole thing is well mastered, the tracks were well chosen and each one has a difference and a story to tell. Personally I preferred the beginning of the album more because gradually it is running out of steam a little bit, with Take One To The Head which conquered me directly. Now I think it's time for Sabrina to raise the level for her next album, because she's having trouble getting away from her 2 successes in 2017 and I think she's capable of much better
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Ghosteen	4.0
Nick Cave could tell us, sing for us, shout out his pain and sorrows on 1 million pieces that he would still have the strength to touch us every time deep inside ourselves. This third part is so beautifully cold and sad, but proves once again that Nick Cave and his band are able to offer us a magnificent album, whose level of writing, the direction is so similar to a cinematographic work that the images will automatically come to mind with every word, every sound
DIIV Deceiver	3.5
Even if everyone knows the band's 3 great inspirations (Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Elliot Smith), this sound of an era still sounds and resonates as current and not yet out of style. What Diiv is doing on Deceiver is not only to be inspired by it, but also to appropriate it and ingest it in order to bring back to life the old lost ghosts that darken our souls and visions. It's an album of open wounds, striking
Billy Woods Terror Management	3.5
While Hiding Places was more down-to-earth, more homogeneous with a producer with a great notoriety, Terror Management is closer to Abstract Rap. He is just as human, less access to himself, more open and committed. The fact that it goes a little bit in all directions is first of all justified by the fact that many producers have collaborated on this project, but also that the direction and the theme of the project puts the finger on the urgency and the fact that behind the wall the pressure is stronger and this can be felt directly in both the instrumentals and in its interpretation. Billy Wood has shown that he can offer us 2 bombs in the same year, damn
Scarlxrd IMMXRTALISATIXN	3.5
I liked Infinity, but when I heard the rumor that Scarlxrd was going to release a new project I was doubtful, however I was pleasantly surprised. In fact IMMXTRALISATIXN has the appearance of a mixtape, there are many tracks (obviously too many), the whole is not mixed in a coherent way, and sometimes some tracks are not mixed at all in my opinion. But it doesn't matter, because here Scarlxrd has been able to complexify and perfect its formula to make it more versatile and subtle. There are really amazing highlights, like ASK which is just great to name a few. Scarlxrd is an easy target for his liabilities and his sub-genre that differentiates him, but he has to admit that this kid is going to the end of his ideas. I think he would benefit from doing some featurings with underground artists of all genres.
Summer Walker Over It	3.0
I'm quite disappointed and bored with Summer Walker's latest album. Before that, I had discovered him like many people thanks to Drake's remix and I had understood his style, with a Slow Jam formula, and I appreciated what I had heard from the first project. Then an EP (CLEAR) was released at the beginning of this year which made the hype even more popular because it knew how to evolve its formula in addition to making it more elegant. However, with Over it it it is as if it had all started from the beginning, with the same formula, in a more predictable way. And the problem is that the 48 minutes on 18 tracks (actually 16) will seem so long and similar to you. Musically and lyrically I understand the theme and it's coherent, because it's a very cool album but it's not the result I expected. PS: I regret the time when London on da Track used to deliver caviar on Barter 6...
Wilco Ode to Joy	3.5
Wilco offers us a calm, adult and particularly refreshing folk music. Of course, it feels good to find a really revitalized band after 2 less interesting albums, 8 years later. Wilco has rediscovered his ability to offer us music that seems quite simple at first, but which is actually full of subtleties and hidden details that become more beautiful as the listener listens, making this band still one of the best in the world.
Danny Brown uknowhatimsayinÂ¿	4.0
At a time when Abstract Rap and experimental Rap are really creating a gap with mainstream rap and installing underground rappers adored like gods because for some they are full of talent, one of its leaders dropped a bomb on the planet Rap again. Danny has been so much involved in the development of these sub-genres that today he sounds common, so I wasn't really surprised when I listened to this album, but it's perfectly interpreted and magically produced by a great bunch of producers. The funny thing is that there is a close connection between the abstract side of the sounds and the minimalist side of the production that makes the project so clean and controlled. It's obviously not Danny's best project, but it's incredibly catchy and terribly effective. There are also some great moments here
Angel Olsen All Mirrors	4.5
In addition to having transformed and developed his music (which was already of a very high level) to offer us a majestic album, one of the best of this year, Angel Olsen has given way to his dark and spiritual side to become a kind of enchanting witch capable of controlling everyone. Everything is fantastic here, the orchestration and production sublimate the voice and melodies sung by Angel. It is remarkable to see how these styles dating from the 60s (Chamber Pop, Pop Baroque and Psychédélic) can still evolve, bed and offer us albums so incredible year after year. With this one, Angel Olsen seems to have reached his peak
Finneas Blood Harmony	3.0
Finneas does not have the same gifts as her sister, because she has a certain madness, a fascinating personality and an immense talent, she is rather discreet and simple. Lost a Friend is a good start, it is rather well self-produced, well sung, rather well written. It's quite sad and exciting, but it's still too conventional to make this EP a project you're going to go back to. But for a few listenings it's pleasant
Lost Frequencies Alive and Feeling Fine	2.5
The new album of the Belgian Alive and Feeling Fine is made to relax your days and to surround your evenings, because its house is soft and generic enough not to think. It's obviously very loyal to him, you don't really see any difference between Crazy from 2017 and Sun Is Shining from this year. The guests get confused, which is consistent, but maybe it's a little too much like me. It's nice in the background music, but nothing more.
The Darkness Easter Is Cancelled	2.5
The main qualifier I feel about this album is the fact that sometimes I love it because it reminds me of the crazy 70s (this Glam Rock and Hard Rock mix), then a few seconds later they'll do things so old-fashioned, poorly done or generic that I don't know how to dance. Overall it's not bad, it's just too clumsy and since they don't invent anything, they only have their interpretations and writing as a weapon, but with this defect making a good album is unattainable.
Chromatics Closer to Grey	3.5
Ruth Radelet's voice and performance are piercing and redundant enough to blend perfectly with night and electric production. The imagery is powerful. With Closer to Grey, you're not dealing with the band's best album, but it has a lot of good elements scattered throughout the album and very little waste, which allows you to hold and enjoy the project throughout, especially as it gets better and better as you progress before reaching the 3 delicious tracks. What is certain is that it is an important electro pop album this year.
Sault (UK) 7	3.0
This new project 7 is concretely a continuation of the first one, or simply a fall of the pieces not kept at the initial. It's not bad, but for me there are no tracks that could have been part of 5 which suits me a little more of my hypothesis. For fans who really loved the first one, this one is a little thank you gift.
Sault (UK) 5	3.5
Although they are unknown and there is very little information about them, I think that this "group" is likely to be talked about or solicited in the future, because they have delivered a surprising work with 5. their funk psychedelic draws the essence better from the basics and culture but there is an experimental aspect or at least an unconventional will that allows to make music from another era to some things that still has to live. For me, however, they lack great songs here. With this album how not to think of the unforgettable Curtis Mayfiled.
Clever (Alabama) Who is Clever ?	3.5
We don't know much about Clever, we know that he was born in 1984, that he is from Alabama, that he is an artist who knows how to sing and rap well and above all that he is just starting his second career. Having listened to some old songs, Clever has (finally) really found his formula thanks to the Trap and this multi-genre hybrid movement, which characterizes this decade, which logically has finally brought him success (this guy has been making music since about 2006). Who Is Clever is a pleasant, solid album that is a good postcard that shows his artist palette and talent. For those who didn't listen to it, Clever sings and hums like Post Malone or Brian Molko from Placebo. It is also similar to Tory Lanez. Even if there are some less good pieces here, overall we feel that Clever has a good potential but strangely enough I'm not so sure 100%. For the moment I am enjoying this good project, with little ones like Darlin or Wooden Box.
Kim Petras TURN OFF THE LIGHT	3.5
(For those who don't know, this project proposes a first unpublished part which is volume 2 and a second part which is the first release last year, so the note is based only on the unpublished ones). After failing with Clarity, Kim returned to what she knows how to do, without pressure by proposing the second part of her first project. We quickly feel that she is more comfortable here, that she offers the best of herself to her fans and listeners. As for the first volume, the project is more electro than Clarity, very well managed by a production by Dr.Luke, Vaughn Oliver and Aaron Joseph which sometimes reminds me of the French touch of Daft Punk in particular. Thanks to this formula, Kim navigates between pop and more "gothic" performances. Personally I find that the 2 volumes are equal, even if I think I have a preference for the first one.
Brantley Gilbert Fire And Brimstone	1.5
Fire And Brimstone takes so much water that it feels like a wet firecracker. It's another album by a totally generic country star that I'm listening to this year, forgettable from the first listening, which shows how much contemporary country needs to be renewed. Moreover, in addition to being starred by the new arrival of the Trap Country, these guys offer it a content that is far from being as much fun and insufficient.
Young Dro I Am Legend 2	2.0
I'm (not) a Legend II is a basic Trap mixtape without interest. To survive, the old rapper Young Dro draws inspiration from and reproduces current rappers from all regions of the South (Young Thug, Future, Yo Gotti, T.I....) but he seems unable to make at least one Hit. IJWFOH is the only track I find rather interesting because it reminds me of a remake of its time characterized by the holy trinity of the kings of the Trap in the 2000s
Opeth In Cauda Venenum	3.0
It's amazing how much this album sounds like an album from the 80/90 era, on the one hand it's cool it's retro however there are often boring moments that come here and there. It's a pity, because there's an idea.
Twice Feel Special	2.5
FEEL SPECIAL is a good K-POP EP, but there's nothing to panic about either. I totally understand why this movement is in fashion, close to its peak, because culturally and popularly it is quite rich and strong, but musically K-Pop is (too) very similar to Pop, RNB, Electro and Hip Hop from America/England and for me I have the impression that many listeners are discovering this popular music that has already been made for years, even decades everywhere, by exclaiming "Wow its amazing ! No pls.... Listening to this one, obviously there is the Korean touch, catchy songs, but overall I find it too generic and without a dose of creativity.r
Kevin Gates I'm Him	3.0
It's crazy to say that, but it's more dreamy to listen to Kevin Gates' new projects, as if since Islah (which is the last solid production) he's exhausted all these last minutions. Since KG has taken another direction in his life and it can be felt in his music, I'm Him remains an acceptable album but he has trouble getting rid of his little ones whom he has influenced so much because he no longer reinvents himself and does not progress. The proof is that the theme of the album is based on his introspection between his new life and his old one. Finally, don't worry, you will still find some tracks interesting, but the rest is too insufficient
Young M.A Herstory in the Making	3.5
It feels good to listen to this, because it's already a good album, then rare are the good elements of the last 5 years from New York / or the surrounding area. Young M.A is an atypical person, who has the basics of the previous school at the end of 2000/2010 and (especially) who knows how to apply them without looking outdated. I liked the previous EP which showed a foretaste of its potential, but this one rhymes rather with an outcome, as an autobiography that she has been preparing for a long time and on which she has applied herself. Obviously, the album being too long, I would have done a little cleaning, but it's coherent, interesting in terms of lyrics and well interpreted.r
DaBaby KIRK	3.5
In addition to being cool to listen to, there is an overall progress on this album. In fact, although there is no Suge here, Dabababy has remained faithful to himself, energetic and charismatic, but unlike the previous album he knew much more "decorated" and diversified some tracks, limiting the one that are more raw, which allows to better manage the album. Of course, fans may be disappointed, because it's less disjointed, it was also this "new" style, crochet on hook and tracks that look like freestyles that pleased, but I think Kirk is a success (it should not be forgotten that the album was made in less than 6 months). He also tried new things like on There He Go even if it's not extraordinary overall, without forgetting that he managed his choice of featurings well.
Hellyeah Welcome Home	2.0
Often there is a correlation between the super vile covers and the poor quality of the album, and there I had a bad feeling about it. However, it's not that bad. It's just that it's déjà vu, warming up from the late 90s, the 2000s. That doesn't mean that some melodies are catchy and that you can retain some songs that are not catastrophic
Steel Panther Heavy Metal Rules	1.5
I agree with Terriblekonrad, this singer is so disgusting that it intoxicates his music. Thinking that they could dictate the rules of a musical style, which they denigrate by the poverty of their music, we thought we were attending a circus rather than a Metal performance. If lyrically you will have understood my opinion, musically there is nothing good here, and nothing new of course
nothing,nowhere. and Travis Barker Bloodlust	2.5
This collaboration starts from a good idea at the base, especially since I had appreciated Ruiner. But unlike Ruiner, Bloodlust looks like a parody. Even if it's not horrible either, I don't remember any songs here, because none of them catch up with the other and I advanced in the project by looking for maybe one that stands out, until I finish the project with nothing.
Thaiboy Digital Legendary Member	4.0
Whether you worship them or hate them (because there are often no two in between), the members of the YEAR001 or Trash Island label have left an indelible mark on Rap (and not just that) this decade. Legendary Member is a bit like the album of the consecration for Thaiboy Digital, because it has more or less been behind the "leaders" of the label, but here it delivers us an album both solid and modern. There are 3 reasons that explain this: first of all, all these years, we have had the time (or not for the refractory ones) to understand, assimilate, see the music of this whole scene so singular, so creative and futuristic, today it is much more in our habits. Secondly, to facilitate listening and improve the listener's attachment, Thaiboi has simplified the formula and this style, making it less abstract so it is also easier to digest, which means that other listeners who do not really know this scene can now take the project and adore it. Lately, his progress is to be highlighted, the production sticks to his music, his vocal performance and his interpretation are the keys to the good quality of the album
blink-182 Nine	2.5
Blink 182 sounds like it used to on Nine, and even if I'm still passionate about innovation (because there's not the slightest bit of it here) I'd rather get a nostalgic feeling thanks to a sound of their own, than see these bands get lost wanting to continue with too generic music. It's nice to listen even if it's not crazy and especially produced the way it should be. I would have made a smaller selection because on the long run it lacks a little imagination. Let's pay tribute to a band that has influenced many of the top artists of the moment
Tove Lo Sunshine Kitty	3.0
Personally I have the impression that since the success of the remix Stay High, Tove Lo, by becoming a big star, remains confined in his style, with Sunshine Kitty which remains the continuation of the precedent which is itself the continuation of the precedent. However, I don't really assimilate it to an evolution, because I have the impression that it is Tove Lo who is following the trend, rather than creating it. And I think she can afford it. Otherwise it remains a good album, pleasant, ambient where almost all the tracks could become the next singles.
Lil Tracy Anarchy	3.5
It is as if something has broken in Lil Tracy, probably due to the tragic loss of Lil Peep, which slows her down, or even prevents her from reaching a much higher notoriety. As an innovator and free electron, he had offered a lot like his partner to Rap and music in general, but given how fast the music industry is moving, he was caught up by the newcomers as he often does. Anarchy is not a bad project, but it sounds a bit like the ones from 2017, even if it's still pleasant to listen to him, I regret very much that he doesn't offer us a project that slaps me in the face. Ironically, I even prefer the trap tracks over the EMO ones, because I repeat it but we really have the impression that his EMO style hasn't really improved.
Boosie Badazz and Zaytoven Bad Azz Zay	3.0
After Chief Keef, it's Boosie's turn to be produced by Zaytoven, and as always it's worth it. It seems to me that they didn't work much together (which surprises me), but I found traces of collab on the 2014 Plies album or especially on the 2015 Shy Glizzy - For Trappers Only mixtape. On Bad Azz Zay (they should all stop with these unimaginative tracks...), the alchemia takes off well, but it's no surprise because Zaytoven has the gift of adapting to the rapper's universe, and Lil Boosie's is so broad and identity-based that we really believe we're in one of his solo projects. Here, Boosie talks about Baton Rouge and all this celebration around her career and life, until nothing really new. But anyway, it's a fan service album, so when I think about how Boosie left her mark until she reached the glass ceiling, we have nothing more to expect from his.
M83 DSVII	2.0
M83 started out rather well with a story that evolved, main instruments that varied, a sequence that immersed you in the universe. However, as soon as I was halfway through, I had the impression that I was drowned in this wind instrument, as if this album had been transformed into an animated Soji or one of these some of these unfavorable fairy tales. I ended up bored and finding the time long. This is not for me. r
Mxmtoon The Masquerade	2.0
The Masquarade is sorely lacking in musical diversity. We notice that the same ukulele chord comes back almost constantly, which really tired me after only about twenty minutes, especially since the album quickly becomes frankly less and less good from track to track. In addition, you have to put up with teenage girls' subjects, the same often repetitive, but after all, it's the tastes and colours
Keane Cause and Effect	2.0
Apart from their first album, Keane, unlike Coldplay, if we talk about a mega band inspired by U2, is more of a single band than an album, and it's much better to make a compilation for you. Cause and Effect is no exception to the rule, it's very dusty. As a miserable cache, Keane uses electronic effects/passages that are meant to be "experimental" but which in reality are very banal to hide the fact that the pop songs that come after are often too generic. What is unfortunate is that the maturity of the subjects covered is not highlighted because of these musical deficiencies. r
Liam Gallagher Why Me? Why Not.	3.0
Not surprisingly, Liam's new album is in the same spirit as OASIS, contains grievances towards his brother, and since Peaky Blinders is panicking the whole world, it seems that some Rock tracks that deviate a little from his usual formula breathe this TV series. At first I rather hooked, but quickly the album collapsed and became uneven, which makes the album good but no more. On the other hand, I was surprised to see that his music sounds rather sweet for a bad boy like Liam, I would have liked something more pêchuous.
Brittany Howard Jaime	4.0
Like Anderson Paak's Ventura, Jaime will be one of the very good (rare) Soul albums of the year 2019, except that this one is a lot more Blues, Rock and sometimes Vocal/Jazz touches. For her first solo performance, Brittany Howard delivers emotional and deeply sincere performances, while managing to detach herself from her group image. Without pretension, She knew how to master each of the tracks even if everything is not equal, by her powerful voice. You can juggle between Georgia Fireworks, the touching Stay High, or Short and Sweet which will take you back 70 to 80 years, without getting lost for a second
Lil Gnar Fire Hazard	2.5
Lil Gnar's previous effort was pleasant to listen to even if it was a little unnoticed overall, but I told myself at the time that I expected more from him on the next project, and unfortunately this is not really the case. Fire Hazard is a continuity, without innovation and essentially less well. First it took him to ask Lil Skies for help again so that his single would go: boom. Besides, there are many guests to support him. Second, when I saw the cover, I thought that with a tank in the cover, we would have a lot more hardcore tracks, more metal trap like the previous one, but no, we have more the right to a rap mainly autocrooner as we find tons and tons on soundcloud. It's a disappointment in itself, because with a blaze like Gnar, you might think it's going to be wild, not really here
Zac Brown Band The Owl	1.5
With this album, I can't help but think about that other very bad LP that Florida Georgia released earlier this year, scary. The difference is that instead of having hundreds of toxic Country apriori, Zac Brown Band preferred to "offer" us or make us suffer more with a country pop, generic electro like on OWN, or with ridiculous "hiphop" on God Given. It is necessary to wait for Already On Fire to have an acceptable track and still, nothing is to be saved, quite the contrary.
Jack Harlow Confetti	2.5
Confetti is not a bad album, but Jack Harlow looks too much like Russ or Tyga, without really having too much argument to stand out. Overall the album is coherent in its subjects, also in the atmosphere which is dictated by OVO style sounds, but it's too simplistic, sometimes too clean. Finally I only keep Heavy Hitter and Thru The Night.
Cult of Luna A Dawn to Fear	4.0
Cult of Luna continues to feed its cult (bad joke) by offering us a new modern, rich and meticulously controlled prophecy. First of all, they managed to create a perfect balance between "sung" and instrumental moments, between power and respite, which is a difficult task, especially since the album is almost 80 minutes long. I would have preferred it to be shorter, even if I am well aware that it distorted the work. Each piece transports you to a different universe, but each piece complements the other. I really enjoyed Nighwalkers and We Feel The End. It's probably one of the best metal albums of the year, maybe even the best, to be seen at the time of the report.
Ameer Vann EMMANUEL	2.5
After a complicated period over which I will not dwell, without taking a position, it was necessary and finally mandatory to express myself when I come back. Despite the multitude of subjects he could have addressed during this period, I am a little disappointed in that way, often aggressive in dealing with these subjects, thinking mainly of revenge, forgetting to talk about others or simply repenting too. It is a choice that can be understood, whether it is really guilty or on the contrary an ugly duckling. On the other hand, musically I find it too insufficient, I have a lot of trouble with the instrumentals (however there are still producers of great notoriety...) but also the way he performs on them
Slayyyter Slayyyter	3.5
I have never been a big fan of this Dance Pop movement, and of artists like Kylie Minnogue, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, although I am well aware of the influence they have had on the last 2 decades. While Charli XCX delivers an album in a creative spirit, Slayyyter comes to deliver C4. This first mixtape sounds great in 2000, it still sounds modern, and that's the main success. Here we can't even talk about energy anymore, because the word is not strong enough. And even if I don't really like this style as I told you, it's a surprise
Nostalgia Critic The Wall	1.0
Whether we like it or not, it's a real shame to deteriorate The Wall's classic, by grotesquely parodying it to the point of releasing an album. I hate it when humour mixes too much with music, everything should stay where it belongs. It is one of the worst turnips of this year, or even of the decade.
Djo Twenty Twenty	3.5
In addition to being one of the members of Post Animal and an important actor in Stranger Things, one of these other characters is called Djo and he delivers us a psychedelic Twenty Twenty album. We're not going to lie to each other, it's not an album where you're going to bang your ass on the floor, but at least this album has the merit of being really pleasant and fun to listen to. Besides, there are still some really good songs. Finally every year there are a few psychedelic albums like this one released, and I personally being a fan of this style I listen to them quite often and it must be said that although it is not at all innovative, nor brilliant, Djo manages to bring his songs to life and evolve from banal/good to interesting.
Men I Trust Oncle Jazz	3.5
Uncle Jazz is a good Indie Pop album, which is the achievement of 4 years of work. That's why it's extremely long, though. It is clear that with a small spring cleaning, I think that each track that would still be present would be much more valued and this would also avoid the less good and a little repetitive tracks. However, I liked this album, there is something that comes out of this band, it's a really high mood. On the other hand, I think that the main thing is found mainly in their previous projects. If you liked this I recommend the song Parachute by Sean (Ono) Lennon
Pixies Beneath the Eyrie	2.5
After Iggy last week, it's the turn of the legendary band Pixies to release a particularly forgettable album. Already it's time to think that Frank has aged a lot and that it can be felt. Obviously nothing is expected of them anymore, and they are of course overwhelmed by time, ironically
Sampa the Great The Return	3.5
This first official album is worth listening to. We already knew that Sampa was talented, but now we discover that she is also ambitious. It reminds a little of Little Simz in the interpretation and also of Chicago's Rap-Soul scene, but Sampa has a rich culture. Obviously the album is very long (almost 80min), moreover some tracks are so rich in elements that this density stifles a little the essential, and so it would have deserved a little cleaning, however I think it had a lot to offer us. In the other direction, the tracks often seem free and give way to celebration, how if the instrumental would never stop
Lil West Vex, Pt. 2	3.5
On this second volume, Lil West has made progress, perfecting its autocrooner formula. The atmospheres and sounds close to Heavy Metal or Rock blend well with its minimalist rap. Moreover, we can see that commercially it takes better than the previous one. There are many good things here that confirm its potential, even if the road is still very long. I really loved Flaws, and the cover is funny but stylish
The Lumineers III	3.0
On III, The Lumineers stayed in the comfort zones without innovating compared to their first album from 2012. Fortunately Wesley Schultz's voice is always a pleasure to hear and you will find good tracks. There is not much to say, it is often a sign of limit, even if overall it is solid
Chelsea Wolfe Birth of Violence	3.5
Birth of Violence plunges you into a parallel universe and each music gradually takes you towards the final goal. Mechanically Chelsea Wolfe has a great talent for making you feel emotion and guiding you. It is also an album not so easy to understand, and to love, because beyond the tastes and colors, the atmosphere is so singular
Soundtrack (Television) Top Boy (inspired by Netflix Serie)	3.0
While the show is great, the soundtrack inspired by it is rather a disappointment to me. I love this English scene very much, but here we have the impression that we have made a kind of grouping like DJ Khaled. So yes, there are (almost) everyone, apartment Kano, Skepta, Wiley or Stormzy who are really missing, however there was enough to do something big. However, although some rookies have gained in visibility here, the rest of everyone's performances are very insufficient compared to what we are used to find in solo or on featurings, except Dave who definitely remains the King. Drake even had the audacity to place a little freestyle at the end, or to place his guard of the BAKA body on the 4th track (which is already in his solo EP project), when he could have begged Little Simz to offer him a new track rather than VENOM which we already had the opportunity to break into this year.
Sam Fender Hypersonic Missiles	3.5
Hypersonic Missiles is sounding and pays tribute to the era in which it is inspired, and it's pleasant as looking at old photos filled with nostalgia. Sam Fender is a very good singer, and you are especially there for the performance. Not everything is at the same level but both singles and album tracks can catch your attention. It's an album of the first listenings, after which you'll only keep half of them really.
Metronomy Metronomy Forever	2.0
Quite often it seems that Metronomy is running after its first successes, but without any evolution and without having the same talent as before. Here you have a lot of things that will seem trivial to you. Many tracks are also really made for the album format, like a compilation of electronic interlude which if you listen to them alone you will find it bland. Moreover, I find it hard to get attached to more conventional and sung music. It's probably their worst production, and listening to the album will seem quite long.
Charli XCX Charli	4.0
I really like this mentality and this ambition to want to think about the future, even more so in pop, by trying to innovate, rather than overdoing the current trend by chaining too generic lines. Of course, Charlie XCX reminds us of this fusion between Madonna for the female icon side and Dépêche Mode for the sound effects and industry side, which also proves that the idea of robots and the Science Fiction atmosphere were already well explored in the 80s by many artists and groups. However, this album does good to the Pop genre, it has some forgettable moments, sometimes still too generic, but there are also some quite creative moments like Click or Shake It for example. Moreover, she knew how to surround herself with collaborators who fit very well with this very coherent album.
Korn The Nothing	2.0
Ironically, the track The Nothing defines perfectly what to remember from this album. Unlike Slipknot, who were able to rework their formula and introduce a special theme for their latest success, Korn didn't know how to reinvent themselves (even if it's been like that since the 2000s) and continue to release the same forgettable albums. Maybe we should start thinking that we shouldn't expect anything from them
Alex G House Of Sugar	4.5
House of Sugar is a treat. Even if it transpires a lot in the 90s, the result sounds modern and tilts towards innovation rather than adaptation. Everything is ultra endearing. (Sandy) Alex G has a gift for adding/superimposing sounds or parts of instruments that don't feel like they go together, but ultimately and this is where it's very strong, the mix always ends up finding a meaning, and becoming so charming. His second gift lies in the details and subtleties he adds to his compositions. It's sugar.
Being as an Ocean PROXY: An A.N.I.M.O. Story	1.5
If you like bland, calculated and predictable music, without real emotions for a context pushed towards the arena, here you are served. The problem is that we really have the impression that it's an album to make a career last and to be able to have some new ones to play live, however I think you have to be pretty high to have fun with it
Betraying the Martyrs Rapture	2.0
It's not a very bad album for the French band Betraying The Martyrs, but there's no progress and no things to put in your mouth. This is often the case in forgettable albums, I have trouble remembering a track. The whole thing is so easy to listen to
Hobo Johnson The Fall of Hobo Johnson	2.0
I didn't know Hobo Johnson before this release, and I must say at first that it's strangely original, which is still a great quality that gives him points. When you start the album, you come across a good Typical Story, but from the second track, everything falls apart. It's not especially bad contrary to a lot of opinions I hear, but I also understand it a lot, in the sense that this guy already has something that irritates me. I try to avoid it, but it doesn't happen very often. Hobo Johnson is a mix between Chance The Rapper (in the worst moments of Big Day) for his "similar" voice and Macklemore's nauseating spoken rap (besides I noticed that Ryan Lewis produces here). Moreover, it is difficult to take it seriously because it is often too much. Despite these 37 minutes, listening to The Fall of Hobo Johnson at once is hard, because most of the tracks are a compilation of endless spoken speech, it ended up boring me, and since I didn't have enough, I listened to it again to get bored again.
JPEGMAFIA All My Heroes Are Cornballs	4.5
Like legends such as Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, George Clinton, King Crimson and The Residents, or more recently Lil B or MC Ride (Death Grips) have opted to advance it by their respective genre but not just[to name just a few]. With All My Heroes Are Cornballs, JPEGMAFIA has already managed to do better than its predecessor, but also to pass a milestone concerning its musical genius, because musically and lyrically it has made such good progress. You never know where you're going, even if overall a particular atmosphere sets in, which you'll find throughout the album, defining the sound of JPEGMAFIA, which proves that this album is unique and magical. There are no borders, the track structures don't make sense but that's the coherence. It's early enough to talk about classic, because a classic is also about the impact it has on others, but I'm sure it will leave a lot of traces. Moreover it opens doors to a Rap genre that is struggling to renew itself I find for a while, which explains a rather poor year notoriously. Congratulations
Tiny Moving Parts Breathe	3.0
I don't really know Tiny Moving Parts, so I don't really have a benchmark to compare with previous albums, but I found Breath rather nice but not excellent. I often found it conventional, often shy and not tortured enough which is a bit of a relief for an EMO/punk band. The Singles are not crazy, you will remember especially the album tracks. Forgettable project for my taste, on the other hand I love the cover.
Jenny Hval The Practice of Love	3.5
Jenny Hval is a very talented artist, but this is not a surprise. She is so perched that her music is atypical and good to undertake. These texts and stories are complicated to understand at first sight and require multiple listening to analyze and decipher them. Musically, the atmosphere in The Pratice of Love is aerial and at the same time hypnotizing. Another great work of art
Conway the Machine Look What I Became	3.0
Among the Conway/Westside/Benny trio, Benny won for me this year, even if Conway's EP is strong. As usual, he is lyrical and his interpretation is faithful to himself. In addition, he had the possibility to include his latest featuring with Eminem which would have allowed him to make more sales, but he preferred to do without it, hat off.
bladee x ECCO2K x Thaiboy Digital Trash Island	3.5
I agree with HiItsMeAgain that with a casting like this, we could have expected much better. The "problem" is that there is still a cult around Bladee, whatever the project, which is respectable because God knows how influential he is (has been), but you also have to be critical when it is not exceptional either. The atmosphere and universe of Trash Island is interesting, singular and coherent, but for me the overall result is either too insufficient or too unbalanced. They are used to working together, but sometimes the chemistry is not perfect. It's still a good project, but I enjoy listening to Thaiboy Digital's solo album a lot more
Raury FERVENT	3.0
I love Raury and I'm disgusted that he couldn't have had the career he deserved because this guy has a musical spirit, a huge potential, however I think people weren't ready to have fun on folk/rap yet, because the planets weren't aligned this year, whereas today a young internet guy offers us country rap. No luck.... Obviously, even if I love his album All We Need, it wasn't good enough to at least win an audience outside the rap scene that could have supported his talent sufficiently. Instead he had to either get discouraged or not bear the pressure of his new popularity and he literally disappeared, so much so that I didn't even know he had released an album last year. His new project, Fervent, almost doesn't look like what I know anymore, because it's now more than pure folk. It is far from exceptional, but it is beautiful, gentle and calm enough to be listened to at specific times. But also to be appreciated. I even think it's easy to underestimate this project, because at the first listening, it seems too smooth and boring to you, but over time it gives something really interesting. But please Raury, come back to us, if you can still
Bat For Lashes Lost Girls	3.5
Lost Girls is a good and pleasant album, like a time and space capsule, even if I expected better before I discovered this album. There is no point in looking for innovation, here musically Bat For Lashes has adapted the music of the 80s with more up-to-date materials, and this is not surprising because this decade is a lot to go to pick in those years. Unfortunately there are many moments a little empty, too bland that didn't really manage to transport me, and since I stayed in 2019 it doesn't transcend me any more than that.
EarthGang Mirrorland	3.5
The EarthGang duo has clearly taken a step forward recently, because they have already made good progress but also because they have been able to surround themselves with the right people. So it was logical that the duo should do their best to release a solid album and it is noticeable that Mirrorland can now be compared to the serious outsiders of the moment. It's a good album, but in reality I'm not that impressed, they still have a lot of room for improvement for me and can do much better. It's not a revelation but Andre3000 has had such an impact on the greats of today: Kendrick or Young Thug which are also the main inspiration for EarthGang, it smells so Aquemini here.
Sleeping With Sirens How It Feels to Be Lost	2.0
How It Feels To Be Lost is for me an album to forget, first because Kellin Quinn's voice gives me lice, and although I scratch (and still scratch) I haven't found anything interesting, there's nothing to remember here. Musically it's halfway between too generic and already replaying.
MUNA Saves The World	3.5
With Saves The World, Muna's girls have raised the standards to the point where they no longer have their feet on the ground. What is fascinating is that even if nothing is really innovative, Muna have succeeded in designing and creating a truly electric, touching and conscious synthpop atmosphere. It also shows how much interpretation, writing, attitude and image have an impact on the quality of music.
Alessia Cara This Summer	2.0
This Summer is in the theme, it's joyful and catchy. The EP is guided by "Ready", a rather sympathetic radio single. Otherwise the rest is too generic and therefore too insufficient and too calculated. Moreover the 2 new ones are lower and bring nothing more than what we had before the EP came out, probably starting a satisfaction for Alessia fans. It has brought nothing new and as well as on these previous projects
Melanie Martinez K-12	2.0
It's very complex to make a theme/film pop album because the "efficiency and simplicity" mix found in good popular music becomes difficult to set up with a multitude of constraints. Obviously it's more relevant to watch the movie to enjoy this production, but I also find it interesting to listen only to the album alone to realize that precisely because of the complexity I explain above, that most of the tracks are very insufficient. Not to mention that the depth and maturity of the subjects covered are really a barrier.
Iggy Pop Free	2.5
If you know your huge career, you necessarily think at first that there are a few things wrong, but personally I think it makes sense. He has always been on the margins and on this album he tries to make us see things differently. So yes, we are far from his great works and personally I don't find him particularly interesting in this spoken-jazz style, but the album is not bad.
Post Malone Hollywood's Bleeding	3.5
On Hollywood's Bleeding, Post Malone has matured, improved its pen and improved its formula. The tracks Circle, Goodbyes, Saint Tropez, Take What You Want and Die For me are real bombs. However, like old demons haunting him, Post continues to perpetuate the same mistakes, that is, making titles far too generic in bad taste, such as the Allergic-A Thousand Bad Times sequence, or the Useless addition of Sunflower (which has no place here), without forgetting the roller coaster effect that we always find on his albums (between excellent, medium and bad). But in his defense, his evolution and this new album allows him to go one step further, and to continue to make his mark on the music of our time. I always prefer the first album because it's the basics installed by Post and then it was a step ahead of the others, but this one is much better than its second.
Death Cab for Cutie The Blue EP	2.5
The product is not so bad, the production is neat, the aesthetics too, but Death Cub now sounds like an Indie Rock band already heard 20,000 times. It is obviously very complicated, even very rare, over almost 30 years to persist at a good level, it is better to listen again to the old projects or to make a best of yourself.
Ghostface Killah Ghostface Killahs	2.5
This is the first time that Lord Ghostface Killah's solo project has been so weak. Usually, he always manages to find the collaboration, the producer, the theme, all this combined with his talent, but here it's just a kind of compilation of new unpublished material rather weak in performance and storytelling. At the same time with time, it must be very hard to create new things, it seems like this is not the first time he's been going in circles. This project will remain classified as a fan service album
Shoreline Mafia Party Pack Vol. 2	3.0
Faithful to them, this new project will allow you to keep the summer going and equip yourself for your parties. On the other hand, there is no real evolution, it is a project that aims to meet the expectations of fans. I expect more on a long serious project, they have the potential to do something very beautiful. rPS: totally agree with them, Free Drakeo, Free Greedo
IDK Is He Real?	4.0
IDK delivers us again a very good album, again in the shadows of the spotlight, but still this guy has always been well insured. The concept of Is He Real is very interesting, as is its unfolding, which alternates between "energetic" and "calmer" tracks where we let ourselves be guided into the rapper's wacky world. His inspiration is a mixture of what Kanye or Kendrick does, what we find in Atlanta but also this midwestern scene from Chicago. I don't know if IDK will ever become a very great rapper, but in any case all his ideas and his realization are very solid and particularly ingenious.
Lana Del Rey Norman Fucking Rockwell!	4.5
Producer Jack Antonoff has the ability to transform a strong potential into genius, as he has been able to do with Lorde or Lana Del Rey here. Moreover, by taking the bases of Born to Die, exploiting them and reworking them, Lana Del Rey has been able to offer us a wonderful album. She opens the doors of her universe to us like never before, because all the elements here are present, theme, writing, melodies, songs, imagery and creativity. There are no bad marks here, many tracks are extremely brilliant, especially the masterpiece Venice Bitch
Common Let Love	3.0
Common, it?s a bit like your uncle who breathes wisdom and experience, but not as boring as a lesson maker like J cole so it?s always special to listen to his music. As (almost) always, his albums have a lot of quality, except that this one has many more limitations default than the previous one Black America Again. Even if the ensemble is well produced, musically speaking there are a few things missing that prevent me from getting attached to the tracks
Lil Tecca We Love You Tecca	3.0
It's remarkable to have exploded and especially to have a lot of talent at only 16-17 years old. But as often after the great success of a viral single, the album that accompanies it looks a lot like this one, but not as well. Finally it's a pretty good album, especially at his young age, but a lot of tracks here are forgettable or will be in a few years. We feel a lot of inspiration from Lil Baby, A Boogie, Nav or Lil Skies, it's still early for a proper identity, but Lil Tecca is trying and doing very well for the moment. The second project will be very difficult to achieve and I think it will be decisive
Kano Hoodies All Summer	3.5
Although the topics covered in Hoodies All Summer are quite common, but important, this album is well produced and well interpretedrOn the contrary, although Kano offers us a conscious album, lyrically excellent, and he is a technical rapper, I find his way of rapping often not particularly endearing and sometimes unpleasant.
Shy Glizzy Aloha	3.0
Unlike Covered N Blood, the Aloha EP is more diversified, also taking into account that Harry Fraud produces 80% of the project. Again the Waikiki Flow intro is great. However, I think Shy Glizzy is capable of doing much, much better.
93Punx 93Punx	1.5
This album reminds me of Rebirth. About the intention to do something new, but forgetting that it is not enough to take a few stereotypes to get there and also the talent. I think he didn't take his own creation seriously himself. Vic Mensa has been taking a career path for a few years now, defying all competition in stupidity. He was so busy criticizing soundcloud artists that he hated them, that he ended up taking inspiration from them. The only problem is that even when he still has messages to pass on, he misses out.
Jidenna 85 To Africa	3.0
85 to Africa is much better mastered (and much more interesting than its previous LP), because it is more focused on a subject and much less pretentious. He will not know the success he had with Classic Man but he has the merit to have made a suitable album for an artist like him
SAINt JHN Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs	3.5
Ghetto Lenny's Love Songs is solid and particular, even if I am very slightly "disappointed" because maybe I expected a lot more. It should be remembered that it only took about 1 year to do this one while the previous one contains tracks from 2015. In the end, after several listening, I realized that there were more subtleties than before. In his place, I would take more time for the next project, I would investigate more topics, I would take more risks. Then I totally understand that he wanted to surf the wave of his recent success, but there is really an axis where the universe and style of JHN can be explored even more.
Jeezy TM104: The Legend Of The Snowman	3.0
This new album is a reminder of how important Jeezy was, even if we didn't really forget her either. It is finally a success story that pays tribute to the TM series. In addition, the guests present on the project learn to "travel back in time" by adapting themselves, rather than leaving their usual flow or song
Missy Elliott Iconology	2.5
Whatever happens, missy will always remain missy. That it is uninspired, that it is just right and nothing more, whatever the time, whatever the project.
Taylor Swift Lover	2.0
From the first track you will understand what you will find most of the time in the album, i.e. a collection of commercial songs without depth. However, Taylor talks about interesting subjects (love, travel...) and we feel that she has good intentions. It seems to have matured, but I don't have the impression that it's music to evolve. In fact, it gives the feeling that she can do much better based on her past and her status as a star, but it's far too little. Otherwise, it's obviously too long, and I'm having trouble remembering any interesting leads, except False God, whom I liked. For consolation, Taylor will rule the top charts, at least we can let him enjoy that.
Rapsody Eve	4.0
Eve is the most accomplished album of her discography. The tribute paid to female icons and to all the women in the world is a brilliant idea but also a very smart one because it attracts only sympathy. On the other hand, it has to be realized because it is not such a simple subject to exploit, and Rapsody is the best placed to do so. She has the talent, intelligence and wisdom. Since then, it has succeeded in developing and modernizing its formula. All the tracks are very good levels (especially the Ibtihaj jewelry) even if towards the end we are a little notch below. Not to mention the guests who add value. No doubt that Rapsody has been one of the top 3 female rappers for the past 5 years, if not the best
Brockhampton Ginger	3.5
Whether we like or not, we can « be happy » to have bands like Brockhampton for the Rap genre, because they have no barriers and have a will to innovate. This talent Andy creativity can be found again in Ginger. It?s a good album, but i think there are too many unequal moments, sometimes it?s even? unequal in the same track. Besides singles level, it?s much worse than on old projects. For these reasons, it?s their «worst »album for me. However, it is worth a detour at least once
Powers Pleasant Life Is Beautiful	3.0
Although he is still in the shadows and generally unknown, Powers Pleasant is having a great year with his great work on the Beastcoast project but also with this one. Life Is Dangerous is an interesting project, with talented guests (and not only NY) and long-time regulars, pleasant
Little Brother May The Lord Watch	3.0
It's a good lesson in Hip Hop. The most pleasant thing is to rediscover the spirit and mood of Little Brothers. It's also knowing that guys despite the weather still have cartridges to fire that they've kept warm for years. As is often the case with come back albums like this, it is very often nostalgia that takes over from the opinion we have, which is also why LB plays with this by emphasizing this aspect. Honestly it's not ridiculous, it's even good, but I prefer to go back to the old albums a hundred times and listen to the new artists of today.
Snoop Dogg I Wanna Thank Me	2.5
As every year we have a new album from the tireless legend Snoop. This time, it s a « return » to a more conventional style, without any crazy idea failed. As usual, the album starts strong but ends up leaving in a mess (between deja vu and delirium missed) from « I C Your Bullshit » even if we get some good songs like « First Place » or « Wintertime in June ». One more album, one more album (unfortunately) that can be forgetten.
Shadow Of Intent Melancholy	4.0
Melancholy's atmosphere is monstrous and the result is overwhelming. The album is very well tied up, each track is an extra sledgehammer blow and kept me focused and concerned until the end. The story is also striking, so it's certainly not revolutionary and they're not the first to propose this, whether it's for storytelling or musically, but they have made an excellent concept album in the form of a DeathCore symphony.r
ASAP Ferg Floor Seats	2.5
While the project starts very strongly with the introduction of Floor Seats, Ferg quickly falls back into these weaknesses. Althought he still has a lot of energy, it has been since « Ferg Forever » that he has lost this creativity and his style has stagnated. It?s frustrating for a fan like me who?s been following him since the beginning
dying in designer Nobody's Happy.	1.5
I was looking forward to discovering a new artist, but I think i came at a very bad time. Dying of Designer has all the clichés of Emo Rap, but that?s not the most important thing. Nobody?s Happy is a mediocre album. The young rapper constantly applies the same flow, the same melody in a very redundant and uninspired way. And that s not all, the instrumentals mainly produced or coproduced itself are appalling (we notice it with terrible guitars in particular and soporific kit). Besides, we notice the difference when we get to Nick Mira?s production.
Quality Control Music Control The Streets Vol. 2	2.0
This volume 2 is a horror. No stars (or even Lil Baby) of the label are on the level, nor try new things and the unflavored tracks follow one another and tire the listener. We have to wait for track 18 to hear a new recruit. Moreover neither the label s outsiders nor the new recruits are put forward on this project, they are placed at the end when it is almost impossible (given the level of the compilation) to listen to it at once. If the Migos have that level, Im very afraid to Culture 3
Young Thug So Much Fun	4.0
This return to trap music is probably due to the many criticisms he received during these past years of relatively non-progressive fans, which for me prevents him from fully exploiting his creativity and moving things forward as he could on Jeffery or BTG. However, that doesn?t mean that So much fun isn?t a real pleasure, even if on the one hand it also explains why this album won?t be classic. Then, although the start/middle is really strong, with high level tracks (lil baby, just how it is, Hot, whats the move, ecstasy, etc..) the end of the album is really too close. Overall, we also have the impression that it is not enough innovation, this is mainly explained by the fact that the emergence of a new generation of rappers from the 4 corners of the world totally inspired by Thug, we knew how to take advantage and exploit a vein that seemed to us at the time totally crazy which today has become common. It is also necessary to know how to give back to Caesar what Caesar has
The Murder Capital When I Have Fears	4.0
Ireland "shines" with the rise of the Post Punk group. Unlike its counterpart Fontaines D.C, The Murder Capital clearly has as many particularities as it does in common, if you expect to listen to the same album, you will be mistaken. The Murder Capital offers a more tortured, darker music, with much more instrumental part where the singing is a little less forward. From the intro you are immersed in their atmosphere as if you were there with an excellent For Everything, then (almost) nothing will make you lose your way and let go. Indomitable
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Infest the Rats' Nest	3.5
The Comet Is Coming Trust in the Lifeforce of Deep Mystery	4.0
Trust is The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery is a gripping and particularly rich journey. It's not just a Jazz album, since it's also very electronic, but it's probably the modern album we need in 2019. The sequence of Summon The Fire with Blood Of The Past is staggering. However, sometimes this journey falls back into intensity, it is not always a bad thing either because it gives you time to contemplate through your imagination, but sometimes this journey is less fascinating because it is not only a little softer, it is not as good
Tori Kelly Inspired by True Events	2.5
Tori Kelly doesn't have an identifiable and recognizable voice, but in case and we can't take it away, she still has a great voice. As for Inspired By True Events, I will say that it is correct, it is at the limit of generic music "acceptable" to my taste so it is listenable without tearing your hair out and shouting "that's what they do with our love that we wear" but it's human piggy bank are not the majority so here I am reassuring. Otherwise, to finish, it's a rather personal album that most often reminds us of the R&B of the 90s and 90s, but in the end we didn't really think about how to categorize it, sometimes it's folk, sometimes country, sometimes pop
Why? AOKOHIO	2.0
It's very difficult to hang on to AOKOHIO because for the moment there's not much in common but rather a compilation of boring or boring quirks. It's a really strange album but in the end I find that the experiments he tries to set up are often a failure and I haven't found much to hold back on.
Slipknot We Are Not Your Kind	4.0
For such a popular band that is often criticized for its status, I find it amazing that Slipknot is releasing such a brilliant and superbly produced album. Despite the rather long length of the project, with a few exceptions, they succeeded in doing a great job, offering an album that is easy to access but which gains in replay value after a few listenings. Here they knew how to manage the melodies and how to strike when it was time, to place some successful interludes that bring depth to the album. It will probably not be the best "Metal" album of the year but for me it comes close to it
Ugly God Bumps And Bruises	1.5
Like many popular Soundcloud artists, the attraction for them lasts 1 or 2 years maximum, and this is no exception with Ugly s new album. On Bumps and Bruises, you re going to face a compilation of stupid songs that are eager for interest, between those that don t give you any sensation and other demos where you can understand why they re not finished.. and even if we listen to this project for entertainment because Ugly is a character (normally) full of humour, we can?t even say it?s funny. Terrible
Trippie Redd !	3.0
While Trippie pays tribute to XXX with his !, I still see many of his critics and that is their right. For my part, I would say that Trippie is a very underrated artist. It is true, that he is young and that he has an image that can be hateful, but he has a reel personality and style of his own. I m not going to lie to you, it?s probably his worst album because he s having more and more trouble innovating and some of the tracks have already been heard before, but i think the beginning of the album is very good. In addition, I ve read a lot of opinions describing the inconsistency of these texts, but on the contrary, I find that it precisely keeps the way « Be strong, fight, don?t subscribe » and it?s more of mature message
Rick Ross Port of Miami 2	3.0
Even if Rick Ross no longer surprises me and impressed me, he never released a bad album. I never like the idea of making a sequel to the important album, so i try to ignore that. This one is a « replica » of these last projects, which you will listen to few times and select your few tracks. Where Ricki Rozay is still very strong is for these narratives like Turnpike Ike or Fascinated. Also note, the rather long duration of these tracks is an element to take into account at a area when everything is shortened, which shows that Rick Ross has things to tell and takes care of each track
Blueface Dirt Bag	3.0
Despite the fact that this project is good, I don't see any evolution in Blueface. In fact when you remove the effect of "surprise" and without a "Thotiana" from the previous project, there is little to remember. I am very curious to see what the future will be like for him, he can and must do better, it is just in his hands.
Lil Tjay F.N	3.5
Even if we already knew most of the tracks proposed in this EP, it's nice to listen to it. Lil Tjay is a good rapper and he has things to say. Moreover, the new F.N. is a great track that shows that it can do great things, and not just be a shadow of its "Brother". I look forward to discovering future projects
Bon Iver i,i	4.5
Let's be honest it may be Bon Iver's worst album, but it's a superb piece that for the moment remains one of the most beautiful releases of the year for me. They ended up completing their last cycle, the fall in the author's words, and it is again an evolution and a progression (I emphasize these 2 terms) for the group. Always as intimate, but always as exciting, on I,I we are moving towards a hybrid music difficult to classify, between pop, classical, gospel/rnb, hiphop, folk and jazz sounds... the production is majestic and the overall work is so subtly complex, so charming. I think they could have done a little better with vocals and melodies, but the main thing is elsewhere. Above all, they have managed to keep their moments of apotheosis, like a firework display, which can be found once or only partially in all the tracks.
Bazzi Soul Searching	2.5
You have to be brave to launch into a style (rnb trap) other than your own, and "abandon" a little the one who made you known and on which you can still accumulate a lot of money. However, it is a failure, because it is often a pale copy of 6lack, The Weekend or Drake. Moreover, in the middle, "the album" takes another direction and returns to a known terrain which also shows that there was a lack of ammunition in another style. Moreover, no title could appear on Cosmis for me, except maybe Paradise or IFLY (which I don't think is so crazy)
Penny and Sparrow Finch	3.0
Wow, this album seems a little overrated to me. Be careful it's not a bad album, it's good but not incredible. In fact, when I just think of the Bon Iver or James Blake albums that came out this year (which are not even their best respective albums) I find that the music (I mean musically) of Penny and Sparrow doesn't really have any difference and remains quite platonic. They lack the little element of madness that adds a mandatory added value. Moreover, they do not have the same writing and release much less emotions.
Mabel High Expectations	2.0
On High Expectations (excluding bonus), you won't find things as "interesting" as Dont Call me Up or other tracks that you can find on the first mixtapes, but the subjects and introspection she tries to put in place "saves" the album. Here Mabel delivers pieces by pieces as if it were very simple for her, yet when you are a young pop artist, that people still discover you, you have the choice between giving them what they have already loved or surprising them. Of course, she opted for the first way. Finally I have a preference for Bad Behaviour
Lil Durk Love Songs For The Streets 2	3.0
When we know his ability to release mixtapes of better quality than these official albums, we can say that in the end it is a "chance" for us that Lil Durk has been through a series of record label problems. It is precisely thanks to his projects and this attitude that Durk succeeds in nourishing his image and his influence, which continues with the new generations. On this volume 4, he explores his entire palette by integrating his frustration and sorrows, which makes it even more striking. We are far from his best achievements because it is no longer as innovative as before, but it is one more stone that strengthens his career
clairo Immunity	3.5
To begin with, I would say that it's rare enough to mention it and satisfying not to find these first great hits on his LP. His Dream Pop is pleasant to listen to and the whole album whether it's the singles or the other tracks are of a good quality. It is both entertaining and relaxing. On the other hand, as I listen to it, I find that the album tends to lose its value, because it is probably due to the lack of innovation and a feeling of déjà vu. However, she is still young, and I have no doubt that one day she will be able to offer an album much more memorable than this one.
Ty Segall First Taste	3.5
Ty Segall is a UFO. The most surprising thing is that every time he tries to innovate while offering brilliant albums. This time he decided to do without the traditional guitar, some it's not a revolutionary idea but it shows how much the constraints he imposes on himself make him stronger and more surprising. And in addition, we are entitled to it every year
Oliver Tree Do You Feel Me?	3.5
Under his Troll Nerd Geek appearance, Oliver Tree has a lot of musical talent. His new EP contains some very good new tracks very pop endearing but subsistently well worked and well thought out.rSo it's not as good as the previous EP but it's a good follow-up
Skillet Victorious	1.5
This warrior theme exploited by Skillet on Victorious wearies me. This album is scandalously too generic and could be confused with many other bands if we don't pay special attention. Moreover, the songs are quite repetitive between them. The only victory they'll get is maybe to win the ranking of the worst album of the year, but even if that I don't think they'll get it
Violent Femmes Hotel Last Resort	2.0
Although it was important at the time, it is a kind of music that has "aged very badly" for my taste, it is really kitsch. I really had a hard time listening to this album because I didn't have any pleasure anywhere, even the cover is horrible (I'm kidding, they never managed to make a nice cover anyway). I really advise you to go your way, or listen to the band's first 2 albums.
NF The Search	2.5
The fans of eminem... hmm sorry of NF will find themselves here. It's still a touching album, very conscious, very introspective in a greyish atmosphere. NF's rabies is still present and his mental health doesn't seem to be improving, but honestly sometimes it's so sad and tortured that it will end up depressing you too. Musically we are still a lot of Eminem, a little Big Sean and also Lupe Fiasco. Tommee Profitt's grand orchestration is often too extreme, fortunately the tension gradually subsides with quieter tracks. The album is too intense and too long, and would deserve to have a purity of tracks.
Comethazine Bawskee 3.5	3.0
THIS LAST PROJECT IS BETTER THAN 'BAWSKEE 2', BECAUSE UNLIKE THE RAW AND UNIDIRECTIONAL VERSION OF THE VERY GOOD 'BAWSKEE 1', THIS ONE MANAGES TO SLIGHTLY CONTINUE ITS PROGRESSION. I REALLY LIKED 'FIND HIM!', 'ACT', 'SOLVED THE PROBLEM' AND WHAT HE TRIED ON 'STAND'. I ALSO GREATLY APPRECIATE HIS HOMEGROWN PRODUCTION COMPANY AND THE CONTRIBUTION OF "DA HONORABLE C NOTE". THE REST IS USAL AND AVERAGE. I THINK THAT COMETHAZINE WOULD BE BETTER OFF TRYING TO GET OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE AND MULTIPLY THE EFFECTS OF SURPRISES, OTHERWISE IT WILL BE DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO RELEASE VIRAL TITLES AS STRONG AS ON "BAWSKEE 1", BECAUSE SINCE 2 PROJECTS HE REALLY LACKS A REAL HIT.
DJ Snake Carte Blanche	2.5
If you are going on holiday to recharge your batteries or/and celebrate, take this album with you. When you come back you can keep No More and Recognize even if it's more conventional (but rather good), less singular to DJ Snake, so you don't have to change too much, or Frequency 75 which reminds me of the time at the end of 2000 - beginning of 2010, but otherwise forget the rest because it's (very) fair. Carte Blanche is no exception to the lame albums that the super DJs release every year.
BJ the Chicago Kid 1123	3.0
BJ The Chicago Kid is faithful to his musical genre and pays him yet another beautiful tribute here. Without forcing, relaxing on the whole album, BJ shows a beautiful authenticity. 1123 is rather calm, it has advantages and disadvantages, because these tend to weaken the album. It emenates less emotion, depth of writing and less interest because it s smoother than In My Place. Fortunately, he is saved by his voice and his attitude. However, Bj is more perceptive about the contributions he makes on other people?s albums than on his own.
Cordae The Lost Boy	3.5
The Lost Boy is a very good album, performed by a good rapper, well produced, and everything is perfectly coherent (it even deserves a 3.75). In reality, it looks a lot like J Cole or Boogie, because if everything is always correct without deleting, nothing is extraordinary. My only surprise (and this is a major flaw) is that I was never surprised at any time. Here, there is no risk taking, no attempt at madness. Perfection is sometimes a trap, and in the end I can't remember a track. I expect a lot more from YBN CordaerPs: please, don't compare this album with The Big day (released the same week) because if Chance had released it, you would also find it insufficient
Burna Boy African Giant	3.5
Even if you are going to sort it out and keep only one part because the album is very long and looks the same quickly, almost all the tracks here have their place. With African Giant, Burna Boy is both one of the global pillars of his style and a serious and talented representative who inspires many artists today. I think I prefer Outside but this one is better musically.
Kaiser Chiefs Duck	2.0
There are sometimes easy melodies that you will find pleasant and in the end it's not a bad album. But the problem is that innovation and creativity is close to -1. It's an album that could have been a great success in the 80s, but it's really too generic and too overrated.
Lil Reese GetBackGang 2	2.5
Even if it is always a pleasure to listen to Lil Reese and the good watch Drill, it is generally too insufficient if compared to the first project of the Chicago native. There is still some satisfaction: find Fredo (Rip...) and the track BBQ which is a small butchery.
Pop Smoke Meet The Woo	3.0
If you?ve listened to Welcome To The party, you?ve already got the gist here. Pop Smoke almost never deviates from this formula and offers us a compilation of well street tracks, as well as the PTSD exception that looks like 50 cent of Get Rich. I will say that for a first project it is encouraging, because Pop smoke has some aspect of his own, and if he works well on a real album, he could do something interesting. But for now, it?s just fine.
Young Dolph and Key Glock Dum and Dummer	3.5
This mixtape is a killing and a great success. Even if it wasn't a surprise, the chemistry between the 2 artists is powerful (even if I have a preference here for Dolph). No tracks are disposable, although the project weakens in the second part. Obviously he should have chosen to shorten the duration of the project, but the bangers and all the punchlines rhythmically (almost) entirely by Bandplay all make a great impact. However, I would have seen a real hit here to put more light on this mixtape.
Rich Brian The Sailor	4.0
Even if we had a single before the release that could have alerted me, I was really surprised by the result. The mix of rap and baroque pop is perfectly managed and original. Everything is very well composed and performed, no waste, a perfect sequence and it is super well produced. So obviously it's not that innovative, not everything is the same but it's a very good album. Not to mention, Yellow is a big piece. He's still so young, but Brian bluffed me.
Cuco Para Mi	3.5
Para Mi is a beautiful trip you will experience, because it is both relaxing and entertaining, psychedelic pop and exotic. With more maturity, Cuco has succeeded in building a solid and entertaining album
Yung Bans Misunderstood	3.5
After a good Volume 5, Yung Bans is launching his first official album and it is rather a satisfaction. Although he is not yet totally detached from his influences (LiL Uzi, Future, Young Thug or YNW Melly) to my opinion which does not help him to make a real place for himself, Bans has the talent to offer endearing, sincere, ultra melodic tracks to offer an album that differs a little from others who share the same style. Surrounded by guests and renowned producers, who beautify the project, Bans manages to show himself good at solo or with others. Although it would have required a purging of 5 or 6 titles, Misunderstood is a serious achievement that will perhaps take it one step further.
Maxo Kream Brandon Banks	4.5
I really "understood" Maxo Kream some time ago, because before I didn't really find any interest there except for a few songs here and there, but one day I had like a vision, following and being dazzled by an intense light outside I discovered Brandon Banks, I can tell you that I fell under his charm from the first listening. For a while I didn't believe it, I thought I missed something that made me think this album was so great wrong, so I listened again and again to all his first projects to have some elements of comparison and first of all I realized that I had missed some great stuff in the past and especially it comforted me on the fact that Brandon Banks is an excellent album. In fact, Maxo didn't invent much here, he just made the most of the Southern heritage (Scarface, UGK, Three6) and refined his technique that he has been using for 5 years to find the perfect Maxo formula. If his formula has gained in unstoppable melodies, his writing and versatility have really taken a serious step forward. This album features both crazy bangers (The Relays, She Lives), ultra well written songs, sometimes intimate, with a monster storyteilling (Meet Again, Still etc...) and fantastic technical demonstrations (like 8 Figures, Drizzy Draco). Production and beats are part of the best this year and there are no songs to throw away here. As for the featurings, they are all great, he even succeeded in resurrecting from the hells of Schoolboy Q and Asap Ferg, while Travis offers us his best verse of this year. It's clearly one of the best Rap albums of 2019
Tomb Mold Planetary Clairvoyance	3.0
Planetary Clairvoyance has more moderately good songs than other things, and although the album is rather short, there are moments that can be forgotten or nothing more that are not surprising or engaging
Iggy Azalea In My Defense	1.0
The beginning of the album is a horrible victimization during 4 tracks where Iggy spends his time barking like a chiwawa against these haters. Already it doesn't give any impression of power from it and quite honestly nothing makes you want to have empathy towards her. Thereafter, Iggy spends his time talking about money and twisting on often passable beats and a similar ultra-repetitive flow technique... There's not much to defend here.
Sum 41 Order In Decline	3.0
It's been a long time since I've listened to a SUM 41 album, since Chuck and I must say it's a pleasure to listen to Order In Decline. The group remains faithful to itself, where I left it. They also knew how to adapt and keep this positive energy. I think it is also thanks to a growing maturity that Deryck Whibley's band have been able to write and compose songs that resist more modern competition, by implementing some new techniques, without ever losing their identity. It is a balance that is important.
Sabrina Carpenter Singular: Act II	2.5
As Ariana Grande proposes, Sabrina Carpenter has blast with a melodious dancing Trap-Pop/Rnb. Without falling into too generic pop, Singular Act 2 starts strong but ends up sagging with tracks with a slower rhythm then much less interesting, more redundant, but fortunately the short format of the album helps avoid boredom
Yella Beezy Baccened Beezy	3.5
Yella Beezy's main strength lies in introspection. With his striking flow, the native Texan delivers a new project where street, gang and perpetual fear problems that he can feel in everyday life are mixed. The tempo of his beats perfectly describes this sword of damocles that he constantly has on his head. Here the most interesting tracks are those that here are rather solo and the least commercial. A fracture separates the album, a first part very rhythmic then a second southern fold like Lil Boosie.
Baby Keem DIE FOR MY BITCH	3.5
No doubt Baby Keem is rocked by the DAMN album to fall asleep, but this young man has a lot of talent to defend. It's a rather delirious album, full of surprises, produced by a super performer, who why not make a name for himself in a few years. In the meantime, it's nice and it listens in almost any mood
Pollari Lil Jesus 2	2.5
I really liked the introduction with its crazy vocals and so I thought at first it could do better than its volume 1, but no. In fact, the level of the tracks of this one is more heterogeneous and in the continuity of the first volume. This finding also shows Pollari's limitations in general.
Dorian Electra Flamboyant	3.5
Flamboyant has its reasons to be part of the important albums of 2019, because it is a good album but also because it is a musical style that is really in turmoil, in evolution and in the spirit of the times. Personally I admit that I'm not really a fan of the musical style, but with objectivity and also because there are many qualities and arguments, it remains a modern and fun album to listen to. I must say that the vocals throughout the album are really fantastic, it's for me its best quality. On the other hand, even if musically and melodically he is sometimes capable of fulgurating, there are also moments when it is too common, sometimes you have day and night in the same music, I want it to be "pop" but for me it is not a reason. That's also why I prefer the second part of the album. However, there is really work to be done on the writing.
Willow Smith Willow	3.0
"Willow" is a good atmospheric EP, which seems calm by its rhythm where its interpreter delivers us his emotions and his questions. Musically, this project reminded me of 2 classic Beatles songs, Free as a bird (based on an unreleased by John Lennon) or Because . Willow Smith plays well with her voice, her sensitivity is interesting. The track Overthinking IT closes in a good "Willow" way.
Ed Sheeran No. 6 Collaborations Project	1.5
No.6 is not surprisingly a very bad album. Here you will not find any identity specific to Ed, but only a vampirization and a very embarrassing cultural appropriation for a very disastrous transformation. If casting is a dream (besides the guests are rarely disappointing, except for a few horrors... for example the title of Eminem and 50 Cent), Ed Sheeran adds up the catastrophic performances. When we look back at these previous albums, for example, there was ED in ED's music, with sometimes interesting "sung" interpretations. On this one, you'll hear him humming pre-made melodies without interest and you'll have to put up with his omnipresent rap, which will eventually drive you crazy (if you're in love with rap). How can a country like England adulate and defend to death an artist like this one, when they saw the birth of the Beatles, The Rolling Stones or David Bowie there...
Big K.R.I.T. K.R.I.T. Iz Here	3.0
This is probably the first time that a Big Krit album has been a thorn in his side of the discography. Rare to see Krit really stagnate without offering anything more (and less well) than on these previous achievement. The album is not bad, it always stays the same as Rick Ross? or 2 Chainz? albums this year. But after having held its territory well for a whole decade, Krit is entitled to a slight misstep
Purple Mountains Purple Mountains	4.0
Purple Mountains is a very good album, it presents a set of beautiful folk songs, all with a particularity. You shouldn't rely on a first listening that gives a good result but nothing more, because in the line of listening you will attach yourself to each of the tracks. Sometimes you will let yourself be invaded by instrumental solos, sometimes by medolies, sometimes by texts, sometimes you will take everything for yourself
Jaden Smith Erys	2.5
Jaden is a "member of the rap dunce" who is easily discredited probably because of his status. However, unlike many rap turnips I listen to, it has the particularity of being creative and wanting to create something special. But Eyres has so much in common with his previous Syres effort (in a worse way) that he gives the stick to get beaten. It's again an explosive album that sometimes gives too much despite a few good moments (mainly singles)... the post-apocalyptic idea is often too abstract and goes in all possible directions. It's very difficult to listen to it all the way, but it's not the worst album you'll find this year.
Machine Gun Kelly Hotel Diablo	3.0
El Diablo is an intelligent album in its conception that follows a rather interesting theme that make sense. His beef with Eminem did him a lot of artistic and commercial good, it even gave him a boost to his career. it's been a long time since i've listened to such a solid MGK album. Tracks like Floor 13, Candy or even I Think I?m OKAY are the pillars of the project. Of Course it's MGK, so we're not facing a musical revolution, but only (and sometimes that's enough) has a "sympathic" album.
Dreamville Revenge Of The Dreamers III	3.5
Locked up for 10 days in a house for a result that lives up to expectations. After a 2 year work, the Dreamville band gradually managed to become inevitable. J Cole, his leader, went from being a "has-been" father to a cool and understanding older brother (and that's great news!). So all the conditions were there to do something great. Even knowing the talents of the label's artists, I didn't think it would be so pleasant to listen to this project, but the common alchemy is successful and very well mastered. There are no really bad/medium tracks even if towards the middle/end of the project it gets a little more messy as if they had decided to go freestyle. But it's not very disturbing in itself. The contribution of guests such as Buddy, Young Nudy, Da Baby, Guapad3000 (and I can go on for a long time) gives air to the project, while members like JID and Johnny Venus as well as the many talented producers lead the game.
Westside Gunn FLYGOD IS AN AWESOME GOD	3.0
After being adored by his fans on these previous projects, it seems that even though he plays a role WestSide Gunn has rested on these laurels, perhaps taking the big head. If we compare it to these friends, this album is underneath because it seems totally crazy
Marshmello Joytime III	1.5
Marshemello is capable of the best and the worst. Guess which side Joytime III is on? In short, Marshmello is mainly the idol of the young people who listen to him in the background, hiding behind a screen in front of Fortnite for example. Not being a real EDM fan, it will not help this album to get a good grade. But in time, most of the songs not very long will either seem endless, or too brutal (which can cause you headaches) or simply too generic to soften you up. I think the only way to enjoy it would be to be pretty drunk.
Falls of Rauros Patterns in Mythology	3.5
Patterns in Mythology is part of this year's best work in Atmospheric Metal. If I had to describe this album, vulgarly certain, I would say that it is "a beautiful pilgrimage"
The Underachievers The Lords Of Flatbush 3	2.0
Hearing Issa and Aka making New York trap is of no interest to me, instead they waste their talent. I prefer to see them explore and try psychedelic and underground sounds as they are predestined and gifted for it. I would rather they fail to make a more creative album where they take risks than hear you do the worst project they've ever done in their careers. And God knows I've been a big fan since Indigoism.
Pouya The South Got Something To Say	3.5
The South Got Someting is fun to listen to, because there are the elements for it: fun, good rap and some good songs. What impressed me the most is that at a time when miami rap is especially oriented towards the Trap and the crashing basses led by Denzel Curry or Kodak Black for example, Pouya makes him relive and adapt to his own way the southern vibes that OutKast was able to explore in the 90s and also the electronic music of his city. He had already started exploring this some time ago, especially on Five Five, but he hadn't been able to fully incorporate it. What is strong is to succeed in proposing an evolution and a difference between these different projects, which shows that we can always count on Pouya, although it is not a project to which I will return very often in the future. Only on the spot it's cool.
The Appleseed Cast The Fleeting Light of Impermanence	3.5
The Fleeting Light Of Impermanence is a great Post Rock/Emo album well mastered and controlled from start to finish. It is as if you let yourself move to the rhythm of stories and melodies as if you were in a cocoon or as if you were closed in on yourself. Not everything is perfect, but if you're a fan of the style, then it's for you
Chris Brown Indigo	2.0
In fact, even before I started listening, it depressed me to see that there were 32 tracks... it's already been 3 projects in a row that he's made us endure this, for the stream and for the money, for the glory rather than for the productivity, especially since as usual, you'll alternate between bad and average songs. You'll have a hard time reaching the end, especially since apart from Undecided whom I like, there's really nothing to remember. It's inspired, without imagination, Chris spends his time doing bad remakes of fashionable things. The guy should only have focused on about ten tracks and worked on them as best he could. Instead, we feel like the guy thinks we're jerks.
J Balvin and Bad Bunny Oasis	3.5
On Oasis, the superstars are working on an entire project for the first time and they haven?t lost their wonderful chemistry. We are here on something rather traditional, the 2 Latin monuments recite their lessons without really talking any risks. Besides, i find Bad Bunny?s performances more interesting, more lively and more accomplished. It s project is so timely for the summer. The listening is very enjoyable, of good level (not as much as X100PRE though) and the duration doesn?t leave us time to get bored. I advise you half ( Yo le llego, Que pretendes, La cancion, Un peso)
Mustard Perfect Ten	3.0
Following its explosion in 2014, (DJ) Mustard had a few rather discreet years, but 2019 is a return to grace. Perfect Ten looks like a lastest work proposed by Mike Will or Metro Boomin (by gathering some of the best American rappers) because unlike these previous albums, this one is much less focused on California. However, it?s for me it?s best (solo) to date. The mustard sauce mixes well most of the time and gives a good album to listen to in this summer season. Nonetheless, behind this radiant sun lies a few clouds of disappointment that darkens the ranting. I?m really not a fan of the Pure Water or 100 bands singles where I find that Migos-Mustard alchemy doesn?t match, it offers flavorless hits. The same goes for the association (failed for me) ASAP « Mob » West coast stars on ON GOD which gives me goosebumps. It?s often the same problem on these album, Mustard invited his friends to the place and doesn?t really highlight his beats. When he works with 03greedo for example, there is something.
Wifisfuneral Ethernet 2	3.0
A very short project that is nice to listen to. We find new producers (Nvbeel, TNO) as well as first collaborations with others (Foreign Teck, 16yorld, PJ Beats...), enough to tease us for the next long format. The continuation of WYA is reasonably good and the opening title run? stands out from the lot. However, I don't understand why he chose this little EP as a continuation of an album that is now well known.
Freddie Gibbs and Madlib Bandana	4.0
Bandana is not surprisingly a very good album. Everything is excellently produced, and sounds modern even if it's a return to old-fashioned sampling. Anyway, everything Madlib touches becomes gold. Both form an alchemy as breathtaking as ever. But although they have managed to change their formula and offer an unforgettable album, it is far from worth Pinata (and that's normal). It's really a mandatory detour of the year
Thom Yorke Anima	4.5
Accompanied by his teammate and producer Nigel Godrich, Thom Yorke offers us a fantastic, modern and philosophical album. The thematic idea on Dystopia is very interesting, well developed, well exploited, and the whole album is very well written. Musically it is tasty, minimalist and particularly beautiful. Anima may finally be the best electronic album of the year (even if it's just as Pop), because it's both homogeneous and diversified, where each track is important and none is negligible. The perfect equation.
Kim Petras Clarity	3.0
After a promising first project, previous convincing singles, everyone agrees that Kim Petras has great potential (both commercially and musically), but everyone is quite aware that Clarity is too insufficient and does not confirm the efforts made before. The fault is too easy to interpret, the fault has a content that is generally too generic, but I think Kim would prefer to ensure a good commercial return for her first album
Key! So Emotional	3.0
By alternating good and bad projects, Key's is in the category of good projects. So Emotional is pleasant to listen to, it is colorful, Key is an auto-crooner who has made his voice speak. It essentially looks like Young Thug, there's nothing here that we'll keep for the next few decades, but this year's time yes
YFN Lucci 650Luc: Gangsta Grillz	2.5
It's still the same as on these last albums which were already full of complacency. YFN lucci stagnates on these achievements, it is now well caught up by the new generation. As you will have understood, 650Luc is a forgettable album, which shows how much more important even the capitalisation of clubs is than the rest.
Hatchie Keepsake	3.5
On Keepsake I had trouble finding a difference and identity specific to Hatchie in relation to his counterparts and influences, when I was discovering it at the same time. Nothing is innovative and often it is limited because it is often a little smooth. It's so lacking in ambition. But fortunately his music is quite endearing, especially thanks to the singles that allow you to find an additional interest. But for the next one I expect a lot more from her. My favorite track is Obsessed
MIKE Tears of Joy	4.0
Tears Of Joy is one of the best Abstract/Lo-Fi Rap albums of this year and I think it's his best made project, the most successful and the one that will have the most impact. MIKE had already started to make people talk about him for a few years, thanks to his music, his writing, his interpretation and his style, but with the unfortunate recent event, MIKE offered us a poignant work that was even more personal than before. Musically, the choice of samples, the way each song is performed and also the incredibly massacring atmosphere are jewels for us.
Mannequin Pussy Patience	3.5
If like me you like stupid but fun band names and you've had a boring day at work, assuming you're wise not to relieve yourself with alcohol or drugs, listen to Patience (although eventually this record and the drugs will mix well). More seriously, it's a great punk album, where you sail between College punk and a few things more hardcore and darker, more Noise Rock, with a few little Lo-fi touches. Patience is short and looks sweet by appearance, but in reality it is rich and particularly deep.
State Faults Clairvoyant	4.0
If State Faults would face 2 paths on the left and right, they would traverse in the middle, to get straight to the point. They don't do Emo by halves (even if it's obviously a fusion of several other styles as well), when anger rumbles and sadness explodes. Clairvoyant is their best album but also one of the best of this year. It took me a while to apprehend and understand it, then with time I understood that you have to be able to read between the lines and Clairvoyant immediately becomes more endearing. It's crazy, it's strong.
Hollywood Vampires Rise	2.0
If you compare it to team sports, Hollywood Vampires is a bit of a failed mercato (transfer market) but nevertheless the initial idea was appealing. Frankly this album is not bad, it can be listened to but there are too many flaws and forgettable things that I can't put the average. I'd say the thing that makes you dream the most here is just this fantastic trio
Lil Nas X 7	3.0
OTR will probably be the most viral Rap song of this year, because it is literally excellent. The rest of his EP is fun and pleasant to listen to but it is not a project that needs to be revisited several times to understand its real values. Anyway, the little nas x will have no trouble finding a job in marketing at a multinational company if the auditors' attention is no longer focused on it.
Gucci Mane Delusions of Grandeur	3.0
Even if Guwop was already a highly respected rapper, his new quest for maintream fame still allows him to ensure a rare notoriety today. This allows him to have on his new album excellent productions but also applied and powerful interventions of these guests (as if they had the possibility to explode in the eyes of the general public). We no longer expect him to revolutionize rap as he was able to do before, he now has the experience, the capabilities and the hindsight to offer us a very solid album.
Pi'erre Bourne The Life Of Pi'erre 4	2.5
Although he enjoys doing these solo projects, Pi'erre is an excellent beatmaker but not really a very interesting or talented rapper. However, we have to admit that there are some good tracks like Poof or Ballad, but his rap is too inspired by Playboi (and a lot of Travis Scott too) and it quickly brings us back to reality. To love this project you have to be a fan of it like me. But with all objectivity, the strong repetitions of his "Yo Pierre" (which I love so much in normal times) and after 16 tracks, most of them medium or poor, he is difficult to defend.
Benny The Butcher The Plugs I Met	3.5
The fact that the project is short and that it is well helped by the featurings, allows Benny The Butcher to hit it right and well. The Plugs I Met is a very solid underground Hip Hop EP that shows that this style is not about to disappear. It's dark, brutal but sincere.
Mach-Hommy Wap Konn JÃ²j!	3.5
When you listen to Mozambique Drill, who for me sums it up well, you realize directly that this guy has talent, both performance and lyrical level. It's one of the best abstract-Rap/Jazz-Rap projects I've heard this year, because it plunges you into a fog where Mach and his guests dictate the images
Black Midi Schlagenheim	4.5
In a world of chaos, Black Midi turns their music into magic, and their emotions into earthquakes. By taking elements of Progressive Rock for the evolution of their songs, Punk for the unconventional aspects of Noise Rock for the tortured side, as well as many other sounds, they have created a sound that is unique, original and amazing. On several occasions, I think back to Bowie, in madness, genius, weirdness but also in the voice. It's an imperfect voice and way of singing, but for me it's totally in phase with the instrumentation. It's stunning. It may not become a classic, but it is a must for 2019.
Craig Xen Broken Kids Club	2.5
Broken Kids Club makes me sadly nostalgic. It is a tribute that releases (almost) a year to the day after xx's death and is the sole direction of the project. After the tears and memories, you have to come back to reality, it is a correct project but probably done on a last minute impulse or not inspired enough because of the difficulty of the event.
Casey Veggies Organic	2.5
If you look at his career, Casey is faithful to his music and philosophy, and that's a beautiful thing. But despite his perception and desires, Organic looks like all these other albums, obviously more modern, but not better. The important thing is that he seems to be enjoying himself.
Rod Wave PTSD	3.5
Rod wave has an exceptional voice, he rapes and sings very well, and I think that by making the right choices he can have a great career. It is again fascinating to see how many babies Lil Boosie and Kevin Gates (in turn) have made. PTSD is one of the good Southern rap albums, because if it already has a great performance there are also storiestelling and the emotions necessary for its success. However, like many Southern rap albums and artists, Rod Wave innovates little, concentrates on the essential (and you will have understood that he does it very well) and leaves a style of rap in stagnation for 3/4 years now, despite his large number of representatives
Bad Books III	3.5
The Bad Books duo did well when they arrived, 7 years later, like the Pope in Rome with a new album that delighted their fans. III is a " sympathetic " album, and I think it's the word that defines it the most for me. It's nice with beautiful folk songs but it's the kind of album I would have devoured 10 years ago when the indie folk was in full demonstration. It's good, but there's been a lot better this year.
Bill Callahan Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest	4.0
Bill Callahan came back with a nice album, which is desired and deserved with several listenings. It's the first time that the duration of his songs has been reduced, even if for me I think he could have taken a few tracks a little bit below to get only the best out of them. The atmosphere is truly bewitching, the writing is refined and her voice still sounds as comforting as ever. It's really an album on which I hesitated for the final note, because on the one hand there are a lot of qualities and on the other hand there are imperfections but Bill has a crazy talent for melody that melts and for intriguing stories
X Ambassadors ORION	1.5
I feel like I know this album by heart when I was listening to it for the first time. It's often the same observation, but the worst enemy of these bad albums or/and bad bands/artists is to be too generic. Everyone knows tracing paper, he arrives in the studio after listening to the radio too much in their cars or complying with the requirements of toxic label records, he copies something traced, which is itself copied from someone else. My God, special focus on the track Boom which is terribly horrible, I want to shave my head and hit it on a sharp rock, help me
Baroness Gold and Grey	4.0
Gold & Grey is a very good concept album showing all the power of one of the best Sludge bands of the last 2 decades. Like Yellow & Green, this album is long and has passages that could have been avoidable especially towards the middle/end (it's running out of steam a little bit + the single Bordelines a little too dusty for my taste) or on a few interludes too many. It is always the complexity and difficulty of concept albums. But this one is more successful than his 2012 friend (even if he doesn't really have a major Hit in comparison) because the band manages to make this work atypical and epic thanks to its experience.
Madonna Madame X	2.5
Madame X is a three-dimensional mix, between Pop 80s and 90s, Latin pop of the moment and folklore, and it is one of her most interesting albums since Confessions on a Dancefloor (2005) after a series of bad projects. However, we constantly have the impression that Madonna is looking for a new youth and sometimes it is full of inconsistencies. Sometimes, we find ourselves in the middle of a bizarre situation worthy of carnivals or bands, while continuing on pop tracks that are sometimes banal, sometimes interesting and singular. The X has characterized him very well here, but it is also his own nightmare.
KILLY Light Path 8	2.5
On Light Path 8, Killy is much more melancholic and offers a wider palette. It?s a little more colourful than the previous one. So we feel Nav s influence more, but don?t worry, Killy s voice is much less nauseating, his flow is more versatile and much less redundant. Despite that, there s not much to save here, even if nothing is bad. I really appreciated the first project Surrender Your Soul, because it was darker and more coherent. It is also regrettable to see that popularity has since declined, even though it is a common phenomenon
Thank You Scientist Terraformer	4.0
This new album of Thank You Scientist could have been great, especially if the band hadn't fallen into the trap and scattered so much. I am well aware that prog rock often rhymes with long song, but that often leaves the possibility to propose just good things without more. Fortunately, the group is constantly bouncing back, offering brilliant moments. It's a music already complex and fanciful enough to make tons of it, and overall Terraformer would have deserved a nice liposuction. Besides that it's a unique and remarkable album
Octavian Endorphins	2.5
Octavian is an English rapper with potential, yet he is very Americanized. He has a similarity to Travis Scott in his flow and voice (often even the « old » Travis). For me, this is a few things that play a little against it, because it has this localisation identity less and yet there are so many things to do. It?s a bit of a disappointment, because apart from the 2 amazing singles « Bet » and « Feel It », the rest is very limited
GoldLink Diaspora	4.0
Diaspora aptly named. Despite the difficulty of making an album that addresses several different styles without getting lost, Goldlink and his team have succeeded in producing a coherent work (and it is quite rare to do so).rWe always have a good time listening to any of these albums. This one is colorful, warm and everything is meticulously produced / realized. As usual, Goldlink opts for relevance and never overdoes it. The guests' contribution is always there to make the transitions or to create strong moments. It's a great experience rPersonally, I have a weakness for At What Cost because it had a more real identity and a totally atypical atmosphere.
Lil Keed Long Live Mexico	3.5
After an interesting but generally mixed first album where Keed was able to make his fetal teeth, Long Live Mexico sounds like a rap album not to be missed this year. Obviously, Young Thug fans will find their way here, it's one of his foals but on this new album Keed has managed to find his own. Personally, I think he has a crazy way of making his voice sing with a stunning eccentricity. The album is long but not exhausting, it shows by its ability to remain interesting and has a very varied color palette (if we compare it to its multiple flows). Among my favorites I tell you: Anybody, Snake, Ride The Wave or Pull Up. so, Long Live Keed
Landon Cube Orange	3.0
The style similarity between him and Post Malone is obviously quite striking, but the difference is that Landon Cube has a more passionate, aggressive and less commercial side. Otherwise, Orange is a good EP that is easy to listen to, quite catchy, but far from what I can expect from him and from what I have heard about his collaborations.
Jonas Brothers Happiness Begins	2.0
I never thought I'd have the chance to make a little comment on a Jonas Brothers album, I must say I'm a little moved... Especially since it seems it's their best album ever. Maybe, unfortunately I confess to you that I am not hot (and also mentally ill) to make me the whole discography. Happiness Begins is a sweet pop album that is pleasant at times, but which obviously lacks originality and which at the lyrical level shaves the ground.
Vanishing Twin The Age of Immunology	3.0
The Age of Immunology left me perplexed, very mixed between I like and no it doesn't take. In fact, I found that the whole album was uneven, sometimes some tracks are involved, sometimes the one you think falls asleep and disconnects you from the work. Then it's subtle, there's lots of details, it's music that you have to deserve, but I don't think it's good enough for me to come back to it later
Future Save Me	3.5
Future wants to take a new way. With Save me he offers us a hybrid rnb-rap blues quite innovative for the genre. The ideas are excellent but aren?t sufficiently exploited correctly and some songs aren?t completely finished.. it?s a demo EP that shows how Future has the potential to change things again in rap, but unfortunately it?s too sloppy. I love visuals (clips) and I pray that one day he will be able to bring us a solid album of this style. I give him an honorable mention because he is one of the few rappers who take the risk of trying to make things happen
Tyga Legendary	3.0
After a stunning comeback to the highest level, Tyga offers us his best album since the Well Done series (volume 1 et 2). To do this, he has opted for what he knows how to do. He has found his magic formula, even if it has its limits (redundancy, no room for risk etc..). The whole is pretty good, but no new track can match Taste
Polo G Die a Legend	3.5
Die a Legend is a good album but makes me feel a mixed feeling about it. On the one hand, Polo G seems haunted throughout the album by his experience, his instict of survival, his victories, his losses, which offers a great introspection. But too often, ultra melodic instrumental music dictates the rhythms and shows how Polo G is paralyzed by what he lives, which on the contrary constantly offers a linear flow, where energy is non-existent. This lack of energy and redundancy are the black spots. This formula fully prevents Polo G from being able to deliver his messages, his emotions and create nuances that bring relevance to his texts as he should. I've noticed a lot of opinions that use the term "boring", I rather share this opinion when you listen to the album in one stroke. This is a distressing observation, because it is nevertheless a supreme fact that with so many things to tell, the author cannot interpret it to us at its true value
Tee Grizzley Scriptures	3.0
With Scriptures, Tee Grizzley has slightly raised the level after 2 previous mixed projects, offering a harder rap and also learning from her mistakes. There is (almost) no featuring, except the last track which is worth the detour to concentrate on an album of his own. But apart from Young Grizzley World, there is not really a very good hit or treasure to keep that will stay with time while this album will no longer be part of him.
Jumex LONER	1.5
Is it necessary to go into the details? I don't think so, don't waste time (not like me). So to sum up, Jumex is little like Dying In Designer, it's very badly produced, it's very clichés, without talent, very pompous, and it's especially very badly interpreted. On the other hand, I find that the difference is that we may be too severe (no), because it is a slap head too and as everything suffers pain you need one, I find that it has slightly more possibilities and diversity than Dying. It's still very scary.
Valee Runnin' Rich	3.0
Valee's music is not easy to understand because it is quite particular, however with an EP like this one I can only be disappointed because I expect much more from him. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe Valee is more of an artist/songwriter from the shadows who should be working for artists like Kanye. In the meantime don't forget that it's a good EP
Thomas Rhett Center Point Road	1.5
In my fun quest to find out what will be the worst Pop Country album of the year, I m honored to announce that a Thomas Rhett album is still nominated! This album has no homogeneity, it goes in all directions and apart from trying to make all the tracks a saleable singles it doesn't make any sense. Like (almost) always in bad albums, the whole thing is super generic and superimposable, without the slightest surprise. Not to mention that everything is written down.
Remo Drive Natural, Everyday Degradation	2.5
I understand how I feel the disappointment, but this album is not bad, it's just average. In fact, we have the impression that they have lost their Emo side to become an ultra basic indie rock band, but as much sometimes some songs are cool, as much sometimes it really falls apart.
Her Name Is Calla Animal Choir	3.5
Animal Choir is a good rock album, very well produced and produced by a band that deserves to be a little more known, however I found that sometimes some songs drag on for a while but also that the album is too long and prevents to be able to concentrate precisely on very good moments, to really benefit from the talent of the band.
100 Gecs 1000 gecs	3.5
This scene is in a real explosion, because it sounds so modern that I'm almost sure that no matter what happens this style will leave its mark. 100 Gecs are for me one of the main characters of the development this scene this year with this great 1000 gecs album. They break traditional pop formulas, constantly surprise, even a little too much, but in the end they have their sound. Unlike their counterparts, 100 Gecs is more accessible on a music with very fast rhythms to accelerate with a point relies more on the electronic than Charlie XCX or Dorian Electra for example
Skepta Ignorance Is Bliss	4.0
After 3 long years of impatience, I finally have the opportunity to listen to a new LP from the North London native and I'm not unhappy to have waited. Skepta has been able to evolve his music, explore and exploit other sounds. He has matured without losing his fighting spirit. Moreover, he is smart in his choices, the guests are a precious help. there are few weak moments, maybe "you wish" or gangsta" towards the end. Then honestly I had prepared myself for an album weaker than Konnichiwa.
Denzel Curry Zuu	4.0
With Zuu, Denzel returns to the field and offers us an energetic contomporary southern rap album. This one is a tribute to his city, describing the hostile environment in which he lived. It?s another great success, which reminds me a little of the Imperial album by its aggressiveness and the strength it gives off. However, there are limits, which can be explained by a single guideline that leaves little space for surprises and creativity (we were used to more with him). It?s fun, I?ve a good time listening to it, but the thing that could have made it fantastic is missing. So its far from being his best in my opinion. Finally, it?s important to recall how significant Denzel has been during this decade based on his impressive discography and the influence he has had on many rappers
Calboy Wildboy	3.0
It's quite interesting and good for a first project. Wildboy is represented by a great single "Envy me", and even if no other tracks come close to his height, it's quite satisfying. At Calboy there is a lot of influence from Lil Durk but it is possible that soon he will find his own voice.
Yung Gravy Sensational	3.0
Even if there are still limits with comic rap, Yung Gravy is a special case. Indeed he has a rather atypical voice, he knows how to rap well and he manages to collaborate with rappers who are totally different from him. This album is quite funny and quite original. It's very groovy, and finally coherent. We can see that it is more complex to make a long format, unlike your EPs, but it is well managed
Miley Cyrus She Is Coming	2.5
Despite my grade, is this Miley's best post-break out project? It is quite possible, because She Is Coming is more serious, much less provocative than these last albums, shorter with probably rigorously selected tracks and to finish especially it can be listened to well. For my part, I would have (maybe) not recognized Miley if I had been passed without anything on this EP. In addition there are nice guests with great notoriety who can only do good to this project. Finally it is the beginning of Miley's third life.
Flying Lotus Flamagra	3.5
It's not his best album because it's far from being as "brilliant" and innovative as the previous ones, but Flamagra is so endearing and well tied up that it takes you to the end without you noticing. Moreover, Flying's sound and technique is so identifiable, surprising, pleasant and talented that it makes the task easier. I understand his approach and I don't blame the fact that there may be too many titles because they are often short and form the backbone of the project, it's especially that for me there are no songs as exceptional as he was able to release before.
YG 4Real 4Real	3.5
4real 4real is a pretty convincing new album. There are some great moments (Go Loko, Do not Disturb, Bottle service) that were terribly missing from the previous album. Obviously there are also some forgotten tracks, he is also well helped by the guests, but the album is short so it limits the bad moments. We are far from the « golden age » of YG but listening to this album is well suited to the car and parties
Cate Le Bon Reward	3.5
Reward is an album that is deserved, difficult to perceive, difficult to understand, very human, which gains in value after several listenings. Cate the good has a great maturity in the writing of this album. However, despite its short format, it sometimes gives the impression of being endless and sometimes boring to listen to all at once. The result of all these characteristics above is amazing.
$uicideboy$ and Travis Barker Live Fast, Die Whenever	3.0
Money Man Paranoia	2.0
Money Man is a free electron who has been making his money in the shadows for 4 years now. If you listened to his first Black Circle 1 or 2 projects, you have already heard his music, a mix of Kevin Gates and Future, but not so much of course. Paranoia will bring you content to add at the end of your playlist Trap, but nothing is really worth listening to. In addition, the album is extremely long with 25 tracks.
Moneybagg Yo 43va Heartless	3.5
43VA HEARTLESS is MoneyBagg's best project to date, because he has managed to perfect his trap while covering interesting street subjects, and overall it is one of the good trap albums to remember this year. Everything is clean and controlled, there is no waste. Moreover, the contributions on this album are a real plus and fits well with the main artist. There is not much more to say about this project, which also proves that it is just good but not exceptional
Morrissey California Son	2.0
I'm really not a fan of cover albums, and the only thing that can compensate with that is that the artist offers an exceptional performance, without pretending to do better than the original artist by giving it a new life. However, despite the motivation and desire that Morrissey is trying to put into it, California Son is too insufficient and generally boring, to such an extent that I don't even want to discover the originals that I don't know.
Glass Beach The First Glass Beach Album	4.0
No one expected it (and so much the better), but The First Glass Album is an amazing show and musical experience. It's multi-genre, not so innovative, but their creativity, energy, ideas and identity have successfully merged to create such an atypical vision. In addition, they offer us tracks with a beautiful depth, on which there are so many things to discover. Glass Beach also shows that without apprehension, you can totally free yourself to do a few strong things, and that's good because it suits them so well. It should be pointed out that it is a great achievement today to release a very good album of 60 minutes in its entirety.
The National I Am Easy to Find	3.5
Without taking anything away from the talent that is still so great and the great notoriety of The National, after all the wonders we have had, it is normal that the group should lower a little bit of speed. I Am Easy To Find is a very good album because it has all the identity/sound of the band as well as some great songs (Light Years, Rylan for example), but sometimes I felt like I got lost at times, because the album is very homogeneous and too long for my taste. I would have very honestly removed at least a few tracks to keep only 10 and then I think I would have had a different opinion because the album would not have seemed the same to me. Surprisingly, it's rather rare but the end of the album is much better for me.
Lewis Capaldi Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent	2.0
Lewis Capaldi is the very archetype of the perfect generic singer of the 2010 decade for an audience of people who watch American Idole or The Voice, who of course listen to our dear friend: The radio. Honestly, his voice is for the only thing that is good, maybe it's the only thing that is highlighted, but I'm desperately looking. The Capaldi formula is simple, a calm rhythm, with a tasteless piano, dramatic orchestration and a forced voice to show how intense it is. For me, it's a movie. It is not enough to raise your voice to move your listener. Otherwise, it's very or very repetitive. I also heard a lot of comparison and read a lot of comparison with Adele, if you listen well to his first album 19, there is much more talent, soul in the voice, and especially diversity.
Carly Rae Jepsen Dedicated	3.5
One of the Electro Pop icons Carly Rae Jepsen gave us another good album. Although it doesn't match Emotions, Dedicated has good pop songs overall. After that for me there are too many forgettable moments and there is no attempt at innovation, not even a sigh. On the other hand, the power and size of its fan base is remarkable
Full of Hell Weeping Choir	4.0
I think it really kicks ass. It is ideal for getting up in the morning, going to church on Sundays and having a picnic in a family park for example.
Tyler, the Creator IGOR	4.5
Another fantastic trip with Tyler. Perfect production, wonders everywhere. He started the decade with innovation (overflowing creativity, talent, one of the mentors of a new generation, top 10 best rappers of decade) and finished it the same way. Congratulations
DJ Khaled Father of Asahd	2.0
Every year it?s the summer camp for rappers/singers. They come to celebrate the summer and money earned to participate in daddy Dj Khaled annual album. But as always, not all participants really play the game to the fullest, as they offer performances well below what they usually do. Itsnt by adding the stars on your album that the result will be up to the task, on the contrary it?s perhaps more complicated to create a perfect alchemy. It?s another mess, and it?s getting worse and worse
Megan Thee Stallion Fever	4.0
Like DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion has a fantastic energy, a burlesque humour, a strong charisma but what really differentiates them is her world, her culture and these influences. Rocked by Project Pat, Trina, Lil Kim or Three 6, the Houston child managed to make it into a tough competition with the explosion of "Ratchet Music". On Fever, she proves that she is the best and most talented (but not yet the leader). For 14 tracks, Megan pays tribute to her peers and finds every time the way to become master of her beats, without ever getting lost and still ending up killing it. He just needs a global hit to move up the next level and maybe achieve what Cardi B managed to do last year.
Maluma 11:11	2.5
He is often compared to Drake because he can adapt by remaining himself while being a good performer, but obviously this has limits to his music. On 11:11, we constantly alternate between good and medium tracks sometimes uninspired and fortunately that the guests allow us to rebalance all this. However, unlike Drake, Maluma doesn't surprise me much and often stays at the bare minimum (much less creative, much more timid) . It also gives the impression that the album is very long. Right now I prefer to rush to listen to Bad Bunny or Ozuna, which have much more content and talent.
Duckwrth The Falling Man	3.5
The Falling man is a good serious EP. The sequence of songs is well managed, no songs are to be thrown away, there are even some very good songs like King King for example, and there are also some twists and turns that bring rhythm. This guy's talented, we already knew that. However, I have the impression that Duckwrth has lost some of his innocence and madness on this project compared to the previous one, as if after the success of Start a Riot (on Spider Man's soundtrack) he planned this EP under pressure to be able to assert himself before a wider audience. It's not a bad thing, but I think he simplified his music at his own expense, which makes the result look so easy to understand and get into his head. The problem with "immediate" music is that on the first listenings, you find it great, then at the end of someone else you have already grasped everything so much that you find it good but no more. This is the situation here
Injury Reserve Injury Reserve	4.0
Although it's not their best "album", it's still solid and fun. Offering us such a good project after a series of excellent projects remains a great achievement. It's no surprise, it still reminds us a lot of Odd Future in creativity and spirit, but the project is well tied and royally endearing, with a few exceptions like the lack of taste Rap Song Tutorial for example. Unlike other projects that are more experimental, this one shows the evolution of the group and makes it easier to get people to talk about them. A last thought, for the sublime fine "Three Man Weave" which is a little jewel with a fantastic sample of the Phoenix group ("Embuscade" on their first effort)
slowthai Nothing Great About Britain	4.0
rIn addition to possessing the character traits of the native land of Punk, i.e. spirit, attitude and being unconventional, Slowthai has an atypical voice/accent and a crazy talent. In the midst of a social crisis, linked to Brexit in particular and with the life subjects he describes and tells us in these songs are perfectly interpreted and come at the right time because it makes him interesting content. This album is original, it uses the grime bases installed by The Streets essentially for its own use to make its own sauce. The atmosphere is gripping and ruthless and with all this he manages to ironicize, it's amazing. There's almost nothing to throw away in the album (with 17 tracks, that's strong) even if I find that sometimes towards the end it tends to drop slightly.
Erika de Casier Essentials	3.5
Essentials is a small treasure that takes up the R&B influences of the 80s and 90s (Sade etc.) and often merges them with baroque elements. Erika de Casier's beautiful voice is convincing enough to complete what for me is the greatest quality of this album: the instrumentation. Erika has the talent to develop and refine her sound and style, and I think she will very soon be able to make a great album, or so I hope
Kota The Friend Foto	3.5
If you're looking for a good chill album to accompany your Sunday sipping lemonade (I hope you're not actually doing that, but rather grilling yourself a little joint to celebrate this holy day) you've been served. Let's stop joking, Foto is a very sincere album that Kota shares with us, where he immerses us in his life, his present and his past, his relatives, his joys and his sorrows. The musical atmosphere is a mix between the East Coast sounds and the Chicago scene. It's an intimate project, really quiet, but a little too long for my taste. It is clear that if you want to make your friends dance, don't put this album on. Finally, sometimes it feels good to have albums like that, although it's neither surprising nor innovative, because that's not the goal here.
Employed To Serve Eternal Forward Motion	3.5
Even if I find that this album can be boring after a while, it has shaken my head enough. Justine Jones still does the vocals as well as ever
Leven Kali Low Tide	3.5
Here is a "new" name that will probably be used in the coming years. Leven Kali is quite versatile in exploring R&B styles, sometimes he does neo-soul psyche like Miguel (besides there is a lot of similarity), sometimes it's more R&B from the 90s and even he tried a Soul Jazz on one of the songs. In reality Low Tide is a little bit of a demonstration of what he can do, it goes in all directions, there is a lot of diversity, we get lost, and finally there are as many good songs as average. However it is a pleasant mixtape and I think it has an interesting potential to exploit
Jamila Woods Legacy! Legacy!	4.0
LEGACY!LEGACY!explores a theme and concept that pays tribute to famous or important personalities for the artist, it's not a new concept, indeed Rhapsody did some similar things this year a little while later. Personally I find it interesting, because it makes history and culture speak, but on the other hand, even if Jamila identifies herself or pays tribute because it necessarily has at least a mini personal connection with her, I find it an approach that is not intimate enough and therefore has its limits. Then it's really a very good Soul/Jazz album that has a particular musical timbre, very Chicago of course, which I particularly appreciate. She has a hypnotic and comforting song. Even if everything is not equal, there are 4 really excellent songs: Giovanni, Miles, Basquiat and Betty. I would add that even if the versatility of the melody and the writing sometimes present some limits, the production and instrumentation of this album is simply sublime.
Charly Bliss Young Enough	3.5
Young Enough is a pleasant album to listen to, and it gets better after several listenings. The atmosphere is pleasant, endearing, and overall this album looks like a long quiet river, because the whole listening experience will be pleasant. However, I wish there was more disruption when I sailed on this river. It's too square.
Logic Confessions of a Dangerous Mind	2.0
Logic shows that he is definitely getting out of good ideas with this last realization. I constantly have the impression that for him the importance is just to rap fast and well like Eminem. It?s no wonder he s on the album too.. anyway, it?s an album to mentally satisfy his fan base. Imagine that you?ve been eating the same meal every day for 4 years now. For me, I see more interest in reading his book or listening to his concept album Supermarket again because at least he break the habit and he seems to take pleasure in making music
Ciara Beauty Marks	2.5
Ciara has matured and it seems that she is better and that she has never been so well in her life, yet her musical rendering has remained the same as in her early days, more modern and certain, but without innovation. At least, we have the impression that she took pleasure in making this album, like the cover version of "Thinkin Bout You", and that she probably doesn't give a shit about criticism. It's an album that will make RNB fans of the 2000s happy and nostalgic. I personally find it slightly poor and kitschy, I think she had the potential to do much better and more adult
Quando Rondo From The Neighborhood To The Stage	3.0
FTNTTS is a defensible mixtape. As usual, Quando Rondo walks around and tells his life and street stories with melancholy, with the musical style of Louisiana's native. Even if he has a little less genius than Youngboy NBA for example, Quando has really been growing in popularity lately. The main problem with this rapper, and as a result it affects these albums, is that I have the impression that he has only one arrow in his bow. It's a problem that can be found on all his albums. On this one, you have again 2 or 3 tracks (Scarred From Love, Imperfect Flower) that stand out, and the rest are less good copies, which shows how there is no diversity or surprise in the music at Quando. So yes, fortunately, there are touching moments and also good stories, but listening to a Quando album in one go is not a fun task.
10k.Caash The Creator	2.0
Many new rappers are now breaking through the web or in the street with a formula that makes the buzz, and that they apply to a complete album and with which they can't get rid of it. That's totally the case for a guy like 10k.Caash. In fact apart from the viral title Aloha, nothing is as good and the cruel lack of diversity worsens his case, especially since with 14 tracks out of 22min you will probably have hung up before. Musically, the majority of the instruments are limited to a repeating bass and a rather rotten kick. Lyrically, it borders on the incomprehensible. Personally I don't think it's that bad for guys to have their own delirium, but for me to release an album like that, it's all about pure capitalisation.
Young Nudy and Pi'erre Bourne Sli'merre	4.5
It?s two guys ahead of their time. This trap album is probably the best of the year so far. It deserves more attention from the general public. Nudy isnt as precursor as Playboi Carti but lyrically he is much better. Pierre, for his part, continues to offer excellent beats and advances rap genre. However, there is one defect: this projet hasn?t major hit that could propel this work much higher; Pissy Pampers would have been a precious help
Queen Key Eat My Pussy (Again)	2.0
Queen Key is a pale copy of the old Cardi B, both in its image and in its ability to rap very badly. His Ratchet music is really below his counterparts. Her only advantage is that she has an interesting instinct for Chicago. It's an ultra-forgettable album. However the end is a little better with more serious tracks
Ari Lennox Shea Butter Baby	3.5
Even if Ari Lennox still has a long way to go to find his own identity and not the slightest innovation on his first album, Shea Butter Baby remains a solid R&B album because he has a really interesting mood and he is at a good level. However, even if it is different, it is well below Jamila's or Solange's album this year (and it is not the albums of the decade either). I would say that what I like most about this kind of album is of course the superb ari voice, the sensual and musically pleasant atmosphere, but as often in R&B albums it remains much too faithful and lacks terrible surprise. For my part, I think it is essential to surprise your listener at least a minimum, this is not the case
Berner El Chivo	2.5
Berner remained true to himself on El Chivo. So few people talk about him is that many people don't care, because this guy is an excellent entrepreneur, but above all an average rapper. At least, as I often say, the guy enjoys himself, it's a hobby for him. Here, and you can imagine, there's not much to save. A nice single with T3r Elemento and sometimes Hispanic sounds that obviously suits him well.
PnB Rock Trapstar Turnt Popstar	2.5
I m surprised that none of the tracks on this album catch my attention. I think it has (or had..) potential, it has demonstrated it in the past, but it?s empty. He was present last year with winning appearences on the Meek Mill or XXX album but when it comes to a solo album it?s gets smooth, like a feeling of deja vu. In my opinion, he?s going in the wrong direction, and he should only focus on singing
Vampire Weekend Father Of The Bride	2.5
Like a Margherita pizza, Father Of The Bride gives the bare minimum enough to please big radio stations and people who only have the time and desire to press play on a playlist hotspot. But what could have happened? If you do not season your pizza with mushroom, seafood or an egg that would come to marry and drip on the middle of it then you will get an average result. Here the pop is so sweet and too smooth that it shows that Vampire Weekend didn't have much of an appetite.
Big Thief U.F.O.F.	4.5
An almost perfect realization, very pleasant, as well as meticulously produced and sung. Even after several listening, you discover things and love more and more. Walks are hypnotic dreams, and the lo-fi atmosphere is difficult to describe because after being inspired by its elders (including Sparklhorse, RIP...) then transformed, worked on, it became a unique Big Thief experience
Judah and the Lion Pep Talks	1.5
Imagine and think of the very popular groups that offer already very generic content, well Judah and the Lion is even worse. Everything is so predictable. From the beginning, you face a hubbub of arena (and yes there are people who will see them live...) that announces the color directly, you'll be bored. Even when sometimes he tries to try things that are out of the ordinary they fail, it falls through. I don't understand how talents like a talent like Kacey Musgraves could have found their way here, maybe not pity.
Hoodrich Pablo Juan Blo: The Movie	2.5
It's not a bad project, but it's just a way. There are few things to remember and Hoodrich has been proposing this for two years now. In fact, what Hoodrich proposes is far too insufficient, to such an extent that fortunately he surrounds himself with many guests who allow the project not to take water and especially to fill the gaps of originality. Overall this guy went from a gangster rapper with a nail around his storytelling and his atypical flow, to a rapper drowned by the crowd.
Tink Voicemails	2.5
I really don't understand what could have happened to make Tink's great potential disappear. A few years after its successes, Voicemails sounds empty and outdated, to the point where there is not much to save here, even if it is not bad. Maybe she just got caught up with the new generation.
Marina Love + Fear	2.5
For her big comeback, Marina has musically crossed the good side for the dark side, where everything becomes enormously generic and/or relatively bad. It's not a bad album, if we've compared it now to the current generic pop music it's pretty correct. If, on the other hand, it is compared to the previous albums, it is day and night.
Blackbear ANONYMOUS	2.0
Personally I don't think that this album is that catastrophic, yes Blackbear makes a rather generic music, doesn't have a great writing and although he sings well he doesn't have original melodies either, but I still find that there are some interesting moments, which are a little drowned by the number of tracks here, which gives this repetitive side. The production is not crazy, but it's pretty good. I admit that it's not easy to listen to this project all at once
Catfish and the Bottlemen The Balance	2.5
It's "deja vu" before by other artists and also on their previous albums, but most of The Balance's songs are endearing enough and release enough energy and passion to succeed in ensuring a correct album but also to have a good time
ScHoolboy Q CrasH Talk	2.5
Crash talk is a huge disappointment. How can a guy as strong as Schoolboy Q (probably one of the best Californian rappers of the decade) deliver us such a weak album ? First of all, he experienced a major depression and drug addiction. We also learned that hed his album after the death of his friend Mac Miller, si being given a big fan of Q I may not be forgiving enough. But that doesn?t explain everything : from the first listening we notice that some things are not right. I ve Nevers seen Q sod on an entire album and even let the guests take the lead. I should have known when I listened to Chopstixx, but I didn?t believe it. Tell me it?s an nightmare
Pink Hurts 2B Human	2.0
Untiring, P!nk still offers us an album as she knows how to do them, without ever deviating from her musical style and it is very respectable. She hasn't really lost popularity and is still getting crazy streaming scores. So the big P!nk fans will be here. There is no novelty, no surprise, so what more can we say?
OMB Peezy Preacher To The Streets	3.0
As he shows us with this new project, OMB Peezy is struggling to get past the level on which he has been stagnating for 2 years now, in order to move from a potential new discovery to a real rookie. The album is not bad, but the observation is that there is really no track to remember or that competes with its old hits. So much so that the contribution of the featurings makes it possible to bring a rather precious help here
beabadoobee Loveworm	3.5
Beabadoobee is an artist who not only has a very beautiful voice, she is a living, sincere artist who knows how to write beautiful songs. What is hard in this style of music, very calm with an ascoutistic tendency is to be able to touch your listeners and personally, even if musically it's not crazy, it's well done and realized, it's melodic, it's fresh, it stays in your head and above all it's rather poignant and appealing. Moreover it is a short project, so there is no time to get bored, there is nothing to throw away and we have time to focus on each of the topics she raises on Loveworm.
Cokie The Clown You're Welcome	1.5
Musically I find it really bad, emotionally and psychologically I'm divided between seriousness and jokes, the problem is that despite the engraved subjects evoked and the feelings that one can feel while listening to it, it sounds far too much like a joke of bad taste rather than a call for help. For that reason I will not judge my grade on this point. On the other hand, musically, it deserves its note.
Otoboke Beaver Itekoma Hits	3.5
If you get bored, think and listen to Itekoma Hits, because with this album, it was as if I was an apple tree that you shake to drop the fruit, or the punching bag that you hit without interruption. This album is so full of energy, it seems that the band has a lot of energy to add to their end of the month. There is the perfect dose of fun, humour, subliminal messages. This emerging Japanese punk scene has nothing to be ashamed of, it is in its place with its own identity. And with satirical titles like "Introduce me to your Family", when you know the culture and serious attitude that families are in Japan, I imagine the singer would arrive like a fury for a first presentation, it's crazy.
AJR Neotheater	1.5
When one of the members confessed at the beginning "I'm Kinda Scared To Drop This Album", I thought to myself that indeed he should have followed his instincts and not delivered it. As you can see, Neotheater is a terrifying album. When the content is not too generic or misinterpreted by an infernal trio, they do so much in their production that it sounds wrong. I might have liked it when I was a kid and I had no references but I'd be ashamed today, but everyone would be ashamed of his little childish foolishness.
Aldous Harding Designer	3.5
I love to get lost in this kind of album, letting myself be transported and then devoured. Aldous Harding Designer's new album is a little gem produced by a great man John Parish. The superb introduction Fixing Pictures directly displays the musical colour of the album, where Aldous talks about her Ex Marlon Williams, songs that are obviously intimate but touching. Overall, directly or indirectly, it is a personal album. She knew how to stay on the same wavelength throughout this production, it is an ultra homogeneous project where each song intertwines to keep a perfect coherence. Designer has the ability to play with a few small elements, such as brass, wind, string and additional voices that refine the main instruments as well as her sublime voice, making each piece more beautiful.
Kevin Abstract ARIZONA BABY	4.0
Arizona Baby is one of the most enjoyable and endearing rap albums I've listened to this year. It is constantly a multiplication of style variations that are brilliantly managed, exploited and that never leave time to get bored. Whoever says good album very often says that the production is graciously successful, assured by Jack Antonoff and Romil Hemnani who seems inexhaustible. Overall it is not as excellent as the projects realized by Brockhampton during the year 2017, but it diversifies and is completed with his previous solo album
Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats Anger Management	4.0
In addition to Anger Management being a must-listen recommendation this year, it's a true winning duo, because Rico's anger is ruthless and Kenny is here to make it even more explosive. For 18 minutes, everything is on fire, under the aggressiveness, hooks and ad-libs of a young talented artist, who has managed to impose her own sound here. The problem is that it's too short, I think with more content, it could have done even better. Otherwise, it's a treat, the guests' input is excellent and fuck I wish I had more!
Sadistik Haunted Gardens	3.5
This album is a nice experience, because although the atmosphere is quite dark and sad as we often find in this style, sadistik has a particular way of making it feel and live differently. On the other hand, despite the' short format, although the album keeps a super homogeneity, we sometimes have the impression that it repeats itself
Kelsey Lu Blood	4.0
It is undeniable, Kelsey Lu is a talented artist who is making her own wings. Blood is a beautiful album with a magnificent orchestration and instrumentalization. Moreover, even if her style is much more akin to Pop, her R&B and Rap culture allows her to add flavour and soul to her music, making it lively and touching, and even if the atmosphere and mood is generally calm, Kelsey never falls into a platonic interpretation, and delivers the necessary delivry. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves
03 Greedo Still Summer In The Projects	4.0
It has already been 3 years since 03 Greedo has been at the head of the renewal of the Californian scene, while being incarcerated for already 1 year now. Like Gucci Mane, 03 has set aside reserves to continue to supply its fans during his (very long) stay in prison. His latest project, entirely produced by a top-level Dj Mustard, show how impressive the rapper s potential and talent is. His autotuned flow is smashing, his melodies are hypnotic and his slang is instinctively fresh. Although it?s one level below it?s predecessor, Still Summer is for me the best gangsta rap album on the West Coast of the year so far (June 2019)
Smokepurpp Lost Planet	2.5
Before I start, I would like to point out that my rating is based on the album + its expansion: Lost Planet 2.0 rSmokepurpp seems to have lost a little bit of himself. Indeed, I have the impression that it is being overtaken by newcomers who are now offering more interesting content such as Comethazine or NLE Choppa for example. It is difficult to have things to remember here at perhaps Double. rAdditional note: if you are a fan of Pop Rock, the cover of the album is a wink to Robert Smith from The Cure
Young Nudy Faded In The Booth	3.5
Even if Faded In the Booth is a good project, not his best solo certainty, he had to go through a break following last year s great mixtape but thats not the case. Hopefully he did it with Slimmere a few months later. Otherwise Nudy stands out from the other rappers, and from her cousin 21. Moreover the production is correct with many unknown beatmakers. It?s interesting, but too fair
Tech N9ne N9na	2.0
Perhaps as soon as Tech N9ne stops making albums that are too long, full of fillers, taking more time to work on (recent) albums and spacing the releases date between them, then (maybe) we ll have good project again. Of course, there are still some good tracks because with his talent he always manages to entertain us, but his formula has been at a standstill for some time now. However, to my great surprise, i must say that he stopped rapping (ultra) very quickly
Lizzo Cuz I Love You	3.5
Lizzo's new album is coherent, because it delivers sufficient energy to her demands and masters her theme. This is an important quality, because even if it is impossible for me to identify with this artist, I understand her message because it is well done. On the other hand, musically, even if she has a delirious and beautiful voice, it's average, already seen, not particularly surprising, and it's still a very important basis of the music for me.
Shy Glizzy Covered N Blood	3.0
Covered N Blood is not a bad album, because it has a nice writing but it has a strong redundancy between the songs. The album starts in the best way with a solid Volcano, but the rest is so similar, whether it's at the instrument, flow or lyric level. However, the album is quite refined...
Fredo Bang Big Ape	2.5
Fredo Bang of course created a buzz around him and his song Ouuh following his accusation of murder, which had given a good street album 2 Face Bang. However with Big Ape, he hasn't passed a milestone, his rap is still very inspired by home and despite the things they could tell (and I guess he lives things that can be interesting, about introspection etc...) it's too weak
Loyle Carner Not Waving, But Drowning	3.5
While the album deals with serious subjects, we often have the impression of listening to salon music! The writing of en Loyle is still his strength, musically it's not bad, sometimes there are a few boom bap songs to throw away clearly, but otherwise the rest is good. In his place I would have purified his album more, by shortening or mixing some tracks together, but the artist planned that all the pieces were essential to the puzzle.rPs: what a pleasure to meet Sampha again
Pivot Gang You Can't Sit With Us	3.5
While Chance The rapper worked on the most talked about album of 2019, the members of Pivot Gang met with guests as a group, like a family to offer us a Chicago rap album as they know how. So yes, you will quickly realize that we are not here on the best album of the year, nor even on the best album that Saba (the leader) could offer us, but it is a good rap project where local rappers can express themselves in the open.
Slauson Malone A Quiet Farwell, 2016â€“2018	3.5
Slauson Malone's music is captivating. A Quiet Farwall, Twenty Sixteen to Tweenty Eighteen is an album full of surprises, as much about vocal performances, samples, sounds, subjects and the way all these elements are united to offer the listener an abstract and sensational experience. He uses techniques and ideas like background voices, like whispering that adds soul depth to the tracks and or his choice of samples. Required passage
Aries (US) Welcome Home	4.0
09/26 rWelcome Home is a great first achievement. Aries delivers us his best tracks worked since 2 years (and this to his importance, we will discuss it later). As a reminder, the Californian singer/rapper/producer is often classified in the Pop Rock genre, but personally I think it's more Emo Rap. One of Aries' strengths, apart from his talent for catchy melodies, is that instrumental music is almost entirely tailored to him, since he is the one who produces or co-produces on all his tracks. I was also rather amazed by the very good level of his prods, which, like his universe around the Carousel or RaceCar for example, uses and transforms these loops into a cycle that seems endless and so hypnotizing. Concerning the interpretation, it's good, but not excellent. I also have a strong feeling that he and Juice WRLD have influenced each other a lot, which makes the link with the first tracks released in early 2018, just as Juice WRLD is starting to explode
SOB x RBE and Hit-Boy Family Not A Group	3.0
Family Not A Group is a pleasant project. The merger is going well between Hit Boy and SOB X RBE for their first collaboration together (it seems to me). Unfortunately the product should remain anecdotal because no tracks pull the project up, and the whole thing is aspired to be experienced today and probably not tomorrow
LSD (Labrinth, Sia, Diplo) LSD	2.5
While I was very apprehensive, I must admit that it is "a surprise" in the sense that I expected radio noise pollution, but not really. This is half the case, because the album is nice to listen to as a whole and some music stands out. Obviously there is nothing new, but LSD has kept a certain homogeneity and the album has the merit of being meaningful. I am convinced that these 3 artists have ideas, but they all have personal limits, and sometimes listening to this album gives the impression that they wanted to see too high. Because if it's commercially successful, creatively it's missed.
Anderson .Paak Ventura	4.0
On Ventura, Anderson knew how to return to what he does very well, that is to say Soul/Funk with a touch of rap. When he is «free » to make his music, he succeeds in building solid albums. In Oxnard , he had lost his way in desperately wanting to make a classic album, but he had failed. Everything here is simple but effective. He seems be passionate. The hype has returned
iann dior nothings ever good enough	2.0
Originally from Texas, iann dior is one of the new soundcloud rookies. Nothings Ever Good Enough is an Emo album not especially original to date and a real mix between Juice Wrld's vocals and Lil Skies' way of rapping. Produced essentially by a Nick Mira not in his top form either, Iann dior tackles the inevitable subjects without really bringing small lyrical and musical subtleties that could be distinguished from these 2 great influences. He is still very young and I don't know if he will always have at least the same mainstream presence but it will be necessary to redouble our efforts. If we compare the beginning of July 999, I do not find the small spark and the small creative impulse here to by an amazing number of views.
Riff Raff PiNK PYTHON	2.0
Every year we are subjected to one more weird, stupid and often bad project from our friend Riff Raff. This one doesnt deviate from the rule however it had started well with a good intro. Instead of evoking the defects, I will rather talk about the positive things, the original aspect that is certainly always present in these realizations and the cool featurings that gives light back to the darkness
BTS Map Of The Soul: Persona	1.5
I feel like ive turned on a number 1 radio station and i have to endure ultra generic music. Im very surprised by the professional critics, it is very weak, very common, very predictable. For me there is nothing to save, it is the least project of the band to date
Fontaines D.C. Dogrel	4.5
Post Punk is still doing as well as ever and is constantly evolving and seems to be inexhaustible in terms of resources (for a style that is already more than 40 years old), 2 years ago we had Protomartyr, in 2018 IDLES, and this year it seems to be that of Fontaines DC. Dogrel is vibrating, it is compact, at the same time committed, sometimes knowing how to be fun, diversified and each listening is great and makes it more and more endearing. Grian Chatten's voice and interpretation are incredible and embellish the group's fantastic work. The group has a real identity and applies their Irish culture. The writing is strong and striking. We're on some memorable, real things.
Secret Band LP2	3.5
LP2 is a project brimming with energy and abyss, thanks to the power of Secret Band. I really liked this project, however I tend to find it quite repetitive at times, with some forgettable tracks and I would have preferred to find some tracks on a really solid EP than an entire album, yet it is still quite short
Supa Bwe Just Say Thank You	3.0
Its not his best project, but as usual its always interesting, rather original and good. As an artist and also an engineer, he would deserve to be solicited by many more rappers for their work. I?m also waiting for the next LP which should be released this year
MoStack Stacko	2.5
Stacko is a disappointment but it's half a surprise actually. MoStack has the popularity and strength to drive rappers up, because its winning Afrobeat/Grime formula remains generic enough to cause this phenomenon. However, there are so many promising young people (as well known or less known) who possess more talent than he does. He lacks his own identity, he is still too influenced by rappers like Stomrzy, Dave or the Nigerian scene like Burna Boy. There are too many fair tracks here, it's too insufficient. On the other hand, if you are looking for some sounds to surround your parties, there is something to do
BLACKPINK Kill This Love	2.0
Not much to say about Kill This Love is just horribly generic and unattached.
Kings Kaleidoscope Zeal	4.0
I made a lucky double move when I discovered both Kings Kaleidoscope and also this surprising Zeal album. First of all, I really appreciate the energy released by the whole collective and also Chad's atypical voice. It's a totally successful mix of styles and genres and it's not that simple to achieve, even if everything is not perfect, we can say that they never miss what they undertake. It's crazy this ability to make music so easily accessible, at the borderline of the credits but while making it more complex so that it never seems common or too smooth, they manage to keep the balance constantly and add the little detail that changes a lot of things. On Zeal, there are some for everyone, I think it's easy to find several people who have different favorite tracks, for my part I really like Hero Over My Head, Aimless Knight or the 3 parts of Rush. In short, it is a pleasure
Weyes Blood Titanic Rising	4.5
Titanic Rising is a real time machine. Everything is so beautiful, magnificently produced and magically written. This trip takes me back to the late 60s and early 70s, swimming between the folk scene of those years and the innovative pop rock that we used to format today. Instinctively, it also reminds me of the slap I took when I listened to Julia Holter's Have You in My Wilderness. This album is much more than a film it is a work as it is very difficult to make because it is necessary to surpass the already made to bring a proper singularity to it
Khalid Free Spirit	3.0
While I had placed a lot of hope on the continuation of Khalid's career after his first album, Free Spirit is generally a disappointment. Obviously his young age and his giant commercial popularity can be a brake on deep work, but I expected him to take a more developed artistic direction because I am sure he has the means. On most of the album, you will teleport to remote, desert regions, with splendid panoramas, synonymous with freedom for the POP side. On the other hand, you will relive more Soul-funk moments reminiscent of the 70s. However, it seems that the concept of the album is more like a compilation of similar music than a thorough work. Khalid is so strong without making an effort that most of his fans will be satisfied, yet he doesn't have any songs as strong as Location, then the evolution since his first album is pretty small. For the rest, amateurs or connoisseurs will find this second album very creatively weak, even lazy. But right now I'm not really worried.
PUP Morbid Stuff	4.0
As usual, we find all the power of the 90s in this new PUP album. What is amazing is that they always manage to do some current and very good things with it. It is also an opportunity to revisit this golden era with groups such as Built to Spill, Weezer, The Promise Ring and Green Day. Even with more maturity and despite a rather weak evolution compared to the previous albums, the band keeps its overflowing energy and they still have beautiful days ahead of them.
Anitta Kisses	2.0
Kisses doesn't deserve the average because she made bad choices to make an album that fills the wallet, and it's not as if there aren't enough resources in Brazil to do some decent things. Anitta has a beautiful voice but no more, she sings in a too banal way, it's obviously too generic. As for Kisses' production and beats, it's really a pain, because first of all it's really average, then it's drowned in a lot of styles, which gives a music without its own identity. Incorporating too much Hip Hop rhythmic and using too much Latino style (from the Spanish language) often makes the content too dull, uninteresting. And when he's (finally) Brazilian, they do too much and add Snoop Dogg, WTF
NoCap The Backend Child	3.0
Descendant of the long and great Young Thug family, NoCap is a mixture of Lil Baby and YoungBoy NBA. Without really differentiating himself from the others, this young man knows how to rap well, like the others he tells his street experience, like many others he is currently in prison, and as often he uses a melodic formula that works well and he managed to get his Street Banger with Ghetto Angels (which is a good song we must admit). Honestly I may be exaggerating (almost) too much, because The Backend Child is a good mixtape, but for me it has trouble differentiating itself from the mass.
Cuban Doll Karma	2.0
Cuban Doll isnt a very good rapper, but she has a rather atypical personality, the level of musical content on Karma is very insufficient, especially because its draft and it?s already been a few years now that the others, as well as herself, have been able to do that
Whitechapel The Valley	3.0
First of all, I must say that I love the cover. As for the musical content of The Valley, I like it overall but no more, I think it had a lot (much) better this year in Deathcore. It's especially the first part of the album that's worth it, otherwise the second part gradually runs out.
Laura Stevenson The Big Freeze	3.5
Ironically, The Big Freeze comforts and puts our souls back on. In addition to progressing, Laura Stevenson has also concocted another pleasant and interesting album. I was not sublimated by the power of the melodies and by the musical interpretation, but overall his atypical voice and his writing are still a strong asset. However, honestly, this is not the folk or indie rock album I will come back to in a while.
Saweetie Icy	3.5
This EP is a nice surprise, it?s involving, bouncy and catchy. The universe is coherent and fits well with her personality. Besides, I hadn?t heard Quavo so good in a while, which proves that we re on a solid project. To finish, even if My Type is a huge success, I find that it?s not on this track that it finds the essential of Saweetie
Pink Sweat$ Volume 2	3.0
If we compare Volume 2 to the first one, it is difficult to see some differences, the similarities are obvious and it is quite a pity given its high potential. You enjoy listening to a song alone more than listening to the whole EP in one go, because its blues voice is very atypical and brings an extra value to the song each time. If you listen to the whole, the redundancy between the tracks mixed with its rather minimalist acoustic style, you will risk being bored (despite the short format...). I hope that he will manage on the next project to surprise us much more and to develop his style without falling into the mistakes of ease.
Billy Woods and Kenny Segal Hiding Places	3.5
Hiding Places has a sinister, very suffocating atmosphere. While Billy reveals his fears of a brutal and ridiculously vicious life, Kenny fits in perfectly with him by offering a high quality production. It is a perfect cover to illustrate the forgotten people. No doubt that fans of Hip-Hop Alternative underground will find themselves here. This is a (almost mandatory) step to live at least once this year
Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?	4.5
Billie is a surprising and talented artist. While she is still so young, this second production of an album which Willy remain a masterpiece of Pop music by the influence it will have. Althought by it?s young age we inevitably find lyrical lightness, its here very supplemented by the emotion that emerges from these texts. Billie is where we didn?t expect her especially, its a quality that great artists often possess. Its a bold counterfoot. Moreover, another strong symptom: imperfections and defects become strong points. I also really appreciated the end of the album, more traditional pop where there is a « mini symphony » that couldn?t stop me from thinking about the end of Abbey Road album (in this concept). We are facing one of the most important albums of the year
Epic Beard Men This Was Supposed To Be Fun	2.5
Underground rap fans will find their way here a lot (purists too). Despite some good moments, the main part leaves a vague impression of déjà vu. Humour is their main defence, but this was supposed to be fun?
Quelle Chris Guns	3.0
If lyrically it?s strong and ultra conscious, as we often forget other very important elements but often forget when we do a serious hip hop to make a very good record: the performance of kicks and also very good instrumental. I found it very long, boring quickly, even if I only recognize the value of the album (which explains my 3). But as a result, the messages he wants to convey aren t sufficiently highlighted and that is a great pity
Yelawolf Trunk Muzik 3	3.0
There s nothing new or innovative here, but it?s a well managed album, quite diverse and rather endearing. Moreover, Yelp didn?t fall into easy generic pop to make hits like he did in the past, he stayed true to his theme. Interesting album
Birdman and Juvenile Just Another Gangsta	3.5
Its not extraordinary, but its fun and pretty solid. Nostalgically speaking, it?s a delusion. Everything is rather well done, interpreted, especially with a fit Juvenile.
Show Me The Body Dog Whistle	3.5
Dog Whistle is a good moment to live this year. Its murky,brutal and claiming. Ironically, breaking everything up feels good and relaxes. Recommended
Devin Townsend Empath	3.0
Honestly I wasn't thrilled and won over by Empath, I understand that it could please the metal player or prog fan, it's super well produced, Devin Townsend is a great multi instrumentalist, but unfortunately all too often I found that it was just smoke and mirrors. I find that you are swayed by it everywhere, wanting to be epic but almost systematic I gradually pass to love, but there are some things missing that I can't describe. Besides, I didn't like the Disney style incorporation, it loses all its charm. It's still a good album though
Melii phAses	3.0
With Phases, Melii is starting to make a great place for herself in the rap game. It?s a decent album, hybrid rap, pop and rnb in the spirit of the times, surfing on the emergence of female rap. Not everything is to be kept, but the singles are nice, and the overall content is respectable. She could do much better (I think) if she could develop a much personal identity that would set her apart from today s big stars or competitors
Logic Supermarket (Soundtrack)	2.5
It?s a pleasant experience during I would say 2 or 3 listening sessions. I?d rather Logic try than a hip-hop album like he s doing right now. But in the end, we never really believe it
Anonymuz There Is No Threat	3.5
Anonymuz?s music is as pleasant as his universe. His strength lies in his polyvalence, he adapts perfectly to the beats (which are sometimes his own), he never tries to annoy the listener and has interesting lyrics. It obviously makes you think a lot (so much) about Denzel Curry. But unlike what Denzel has been offering for years, Im not so impressed by this album, although it?s very good. He is not a musical revolutionary (for the moment) either, but with a talent and ambition like his, he can make a bigger place himself and why not become an influence
Andrew Bird My Finest Work Yet	3.5
Andrew Bird has not lost his superb voice and fantastic multi-instrumental musical ability on his latest charming album My Finest Work Yet. I had the impression I was propelled in the 60s and 70s, it's an ultra endearing Folk/Chamber Pop. The intro Sisyphus is the leading song to my taste because it perfectly sums up what you will find on this album. On the other hand, not everything is perfect, and above all there is (of course) no innovation, it is not a problem, but it is not advantageous either
Jenny Lewis On The Line	3.5
It's not everyone's favorite album, but it's the closest thing to it. More mature, Jenny Lewis delivered us a hyper catchy album. From the first listening, the melodies charm you and train you. There is no grain of innovation here, but it's just well done, it's a bit of a 2019 syndrome when you think about it. On the other hand, it takes you right back to the late 70s and it feels good. On 11 tracks, you will easily remember half of them that you will often listen to again, it's certainly a little uneven
American Football American Football (LP3)	3.5
American Football have managed to pay tribute to themselves with this new album, first by coming back from beyond the dead with a good serious album, but also because they have marked by their influence their current. They managed to make up for the previous effort and finally it is the fans who are the happiest now.
La Dispute Panorama	3.5
Panorama is a very interesting album, well written and musically striking, however there are some flaws or things that bother me and that are not negligible, with too much weight for it to be an excellent album. At the same time I love the writing, the imagination and even the tortured spirit that Jordan Dreyer can have, however often his voice or his screams at the effect of a painful cotton swab.
Nilufer Yanya Miss Universe	4.0
In addition to being one of the best Indie Pop/Rock albums of this year, it is a treat to listen to. Miss Universe is diverse, relaxed, talented, addictive and always striking from start to finish. Nilufer Yanya has perfectly captured the sounds and influences of the 80s to make them modern and up to date. In addition to being a great musician, Nilufer knew how to write an album with a theme on anxiety more generally which is rather common but hard to produce well, but she knew thanks to a great writing, a little fun, to approach her subjects, without losing the rhythm to touch the listener.
Nav (CAN) Bad Habits	2.5
Nav should have really stopped rap to focus on production. Instead, he still delivers a forgotten album. His voice is a torment, the monotony of his flow is not far from it
Rich the Kid The World Is Yours 2	2.5
He is a persistent man, he worked hard to get there. However, only 1 listening to the album is enough to understand that it doesn't really have its place. His audience is huge, yet he can never be more captivating than the guests on each track. And when he's alone, he offers an alternative version that other Atlanta rappers have already done, quite a while ago now.
Yhung T.O. On My Momma 2	3.0
On my momma 2 is a good project, but no more. Ford then of all, it is not at the same level as the first one, as well as its last one of 2018. In fact, there is a significantly redundancy effect even if the album only takes 40 minutes (flow, melodys, instrumentals), a formula that has struggled to evole, and although it is one of the leader of his band SOB RBE it lacks precisely this mixture and this alchemy that makes them strong
Flume Hi This is Flume	4.0
Hi This Is Flume is a nice surprise, because first of all it's not what I expected from Flume at all, secondly it's an evolution and lately it's definitely a success. It's fluid, brilliant and experimental at the same time. This is perhaps where Flume's position becomes interesting, when he is between "the hammer and anvil", between commercial and experimental, because although it is not so incredibly innovative, he has developed his sound and also he positions himself as an "influencer" or "spokesman" who can make musical progress in his ecosystem. Flume magically built and concocted distorted sounds, avoiding losing me. The featurings do as much good to the artist as they do to themselves. I think there will be beautiful days after that
Dos Monos Dos City	3.0
I'm looking for a little madness, but I'm being served. This Japanese band is totally crazy and has a sound of their own. Personally I don't really like it, but you have to admit that the use of jazz/hiphop samples is remarkable, and it is precisely this element that has allowed them to create their own identity.
Venom Prison Samsara	3.5
Venom Prison is part of the DeathMetal revival and with Samsara, this group opens the door to some even better things to come. Whether it's them or someone else.
Chief Keef GloToven	3.5
Its been a long (long) time since ive listened to such a strong Chief mixtape. The chemistry is interesting but not so surprising,after all its 2 legends that meet
Scarlxrd INFINITY	3.5
If we pay attention to his career, INFINITY is not his best album but it is a strong comeback after a more fragile precedent. Despite still keeping its unique formula, Scarlxrd never runs out and always succeeds in restarting the machine. Moreover, another album will probably be released this year. To finish on this one, his cries and howls are always more meticulously incorporated on a delicate production and more advanced than before. He knows when to drop lightning and when to let himself be overwhelmed by the instrumentation, which means that Scarlrxd has more than ever its own identity.
Zacari Run Wild Run Free	3.0
Run Wild Run free is a shy first project (EP). Although he isnt particularly well known to the general public, Zacari has shown over the past 3/4 years his strong potential as a singer/songwriter and it is not for nothing that he is signed at TDE. In fact, when we look at these various collaborations and appearances (Love by kendrick; redemption on black panthers or participation on Goldlink's Crew title) we have every reason to believe that something can happen. However and badly because he is well surrounded by good producers/beatmakers (Oz, J louis, Teddy Wilton and Cubeatz), as well as the great Dont trip as a single, the young wolf has difficulty to concretize solo for the moment. This may be explained by a certain redundancy in its formula
Lil Gotit It's Crazy But It's True	2.5
It's Crazy But It's True is a good mixtape to listen only once or twice because the importance is to focus on a few tracks that are really worth it (the very interesting one: Da Real Hoodbabies, then Pyrex Kid, We Da Gang, Now). Unlike his brother Lil Keed, Gotit is still in full development (at the very beginning), flow level, mixed interpretation, little personality... but with the small successes he is starting to have, he too has the opportunity to make himself known in the coming years, but much remains to be done.
Lil West Vex, Pt. 1	3.0
Overall, Lil West's music has something original because the production and its interpretation is quite minimalist. Sometimes her flow and voice sound a little like the nonchalence that Travis Scott can have. It's a good EP, the autocrooner explores cloud or nocturnal atmospheres but there's much more to explore, so precisely, this originality could take on a higher dimension
MAXO (L.A) LIL BIG MAN	3.5
Maxo is categorized in abstract rap and experimental rap because in spirit and musically it is what comes close to it, however unlike the Slauson Manson or MIKE for example, it is easier to access and quite close to the old underground hiphop conscious of the 2000s, so necessarily it has less impressed me. Sometimes Maxo sounds a little like Curren$y or Earl. For me it lacks energy at times, but it's the style that wants that, I'd say it sometimes lacks passion, but it's still a good album. It also allowed me to discover Pink Siifu.
Dido Still on My Mind	2.5
The main direction of this album is this "electro chill" atmosphere as the demons chasing the artist torture Dido's mind. The problem is that I prefer more conventional pop songs like Hurricane, while I can't find the interest of more electro tracks managed by Rollo Armstrong. So, even if the whole album is coherent, many average or forgettable moments mask what Dido could have done better on an EP.
Stella Donnelly Beware of the Dogs	3.5
I liked this first album, it's an Indie Folk/Pop that I particularly like, because in addition to singing well Stella knows how to make hyper catchy medolies and can write beautiful songs. On reflection as much the first part, up to Boys Will Be Boys is excellent, as much the second part is generally rather insufficient, with a few exceptions, as if it lacked the little madness or the ingredient that made the difference as on the fantastic Tricks or Season's Greetings. I will say that I listened much better to his counterparts this year to give him a 4, but I would be very attentive at the next release
Dave Psychodrama	4.0
Psychodrama is a ï¿½ï¿½conceptï¿½ï¿½ album that is quite difficult to access, very atypical but talented. For a first album it?s strong, especially since he has a star status in his country. However, if i had to make a comparison:this film makes me think of some Oscar-nominated films, sophisticated, reserved for real amateurs that we watch once every 20 years because once every 20 years because once we see it, we have already understood the essential and it is no longer so surprising. I m curious about the continuation
Juice WRLD Death Race For Love	4.0
I have seen and heard a lot of bad things about Death Race, personally I appreciate it. So let s start with the disadvantages: first of all, its true that Juice Wrld hasn?t invented anything, he can inspire his icons (Young Thug, Lil Uzi, Lil Peep, Kanye etc..) and has a voice and a way of singing similar to Post Malone. However, Juice remains a gifted performer. Secondly, he is often accused of these clumsinesse as well as the limited number of subjects (drugs, love, heartbreak, drugs again) but let us not forget that he is only 20 years old (moreover many reports acclaimed by critics only have the same subjects). Beyond appearances, this album is beautiful challenge of 22 tracks. Obviously not everything is to be kept and a simple 14 tracks would have been enough to make it more relevant (one of the harmful causes of streaming area) but unlike his first album he took much more risks winning (as on HeMotion, 10 feet, Maze, Make believe). His Emo rap is easy to access but touching because he is still a naive teenager and I say it again: a great performer. Robbery on the first front, is proof that he excels in this field (it?s not just a « one hit » career to refer to Lucid Dreams). And despite a few failed attempts (Syphilis for example) and a few copies of what already exists (Fast, Big), it?s quite rare today to have more than a dozen superb songs in the same album.
Gesaffelstein Hyperion	2.0
While the production of a very good electronic album is always very complex because you have to succeed in captivating the listener in less easy situations than in live for example, this is totally ( especially terribly) the case here. While the « sung » parts with the featurings ate very forgettable and overrated, the instrumental parts really struggle to offer something other than boredom. Hyperion is a failure, where i had trouble feeling sensations. Gesaff?s music has lost all its former violence and relevance as if had remained in the past, or a if it were finally just a misguided mind
Maren Morris Girl	3.0
Since "The Middle", Maren Morris has wanted to take a much more commercial pop direction (by abandoning country) and this is the case on the majority of Girl. This evolution will greatly please the new fans acquired thanks to the "The Middle" and make victims more attached to more traditional music. This is not a mistake in itself, because with such a beautiful voice you can achieve wonders in this style. I didn't know this artist before this album, but by listening and comparing it with her first one, I appreciated "Hero" more, which is more down to earth.
Sigrid Sucker Punch	3.5
Unlike many of today's stars, who rule the charts with many generic pop hits, I find that Sigrid manages to deliver powerful bombs like Mine Right Now or Strangers that have some more special things and that make the effect of a real emotional and very catchy firework display. Moreover, because it's not her only asset either, she also manages to make good album tracks more discreet like Level Up and Business Diner for example even if the whole thing can be a single choice. Of course, on the 12 tracks, you will do your own sorting, but you are facing a good Pop album from a promising artist.
Germ (ATL) GERM HAS A DEATHWISH	3.5
With Germ Has a Deathwish, I have the impression that Germ is going in circles, that it?s formulating and his creativity seems to be coming up against a few things. Be careful, I?m not saying that it?s not good, on the contrary, but overall as much after a few listening of this one, keep 2 or 3 tracks and then go back to listen to the old projects
Kari Faux Cry 4 Help	3.5
Kari Faux is determined to be left alone, it?s an EP that drips with a strong character, quite hard lyrically. Musically its less direct, more subtle, rather well realized, between Rap-Jazz and Rnb. Her best project to date
Quadeca Voice Memos	3.5
Voice Memos is a respectable and rather creative project. I myself, like most people, have rather closed and severe opinions towards Internet personalities who are getting into music. However, with an album of this quality, I can tell you that its much better than many rap albums i listen to every week. Obviously, its quite uneven, not all the time serious, but overall the guy has a lot of imagination and talent (even if he gets a lot inspired by SoundCloud artists). Finally, an important flaw: I would say that it is a more interesting album during the first listening and that loses interest afterwards
Foals Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1	4.0
Even if nothing here is a musical innovation, nor their best album, it is a beautiful evolution of Foals which shows above all how they can build us again a solid and ambitious album after so much production, with some fantastic and very well written music (Exit, Café D'Athens, Sunday etc...). As the listening goes on, I love this album more and more and more and it's not an easy feat to do, especially with a band that's already installed and has done what they know how to do, without upsetting everything. The whole is fun, coherent while it is quite diversified, it's rare to have so many good tracks. It's already strong, without forgetting that there's a second part.
Ian Brown Ripples	2.0
On Ripples, Ian Brown is terribly lacking in imagination and offers us flavourless titles where each time one or more ingredients are missing that will hook you to a song. Nothing is catchy here and it's still one of the Britpop's particularities. Anyway, it's not good and it's not catastrophic. It's hard to finish a song to the end, there are a lot of things that disturb you. I still take the opportunity to "pay tribute" to it here even though I didn't appreciate its latest album, it's still one of the pioneers of a musical movement that I particularly like, who gave birth to groups that are important to me
Little Simz Grey Area	4.5
Little Simz is one of the most talented female rappers currently, each project is a step forward. This one is probably her apogee (for the moment). these 35 minutes are carefully calculated and leave no room for waste. she musically and lyrically pays tribute to the boom-bap by adding some touches of modernism. she should by her talent have more impact commercially but she lacks something to achieve it
DaBaby Baby On Baby	4.0
Baby on Baby is a very good reason to nod. DaBaby is full of energy to spare, every moment of this album is proof of that. For 30 minutes, the caroline rapper continues the forceful trap hooks without ever wavering. We can see the love he has for rap. Dababy is not a great innovator, nor a great lyricist and sometimes you can find him redundant, but fortunately the album is rather short. The beats are consistent and fit the rapper well. He deserves 3.75 if I could.rEDIT : 4
Weezer The Black Album	1.5
Personally, I find that there are many groups/solo artists with great careers (who are sometimes legends for some) who persevere to stay alive by regularly delivering turnips. Weezer is one of the most striking examples. Apart from Everything Will Be Alright in the End and a not bad The White Album, Weezer has been suffering from disappointments and very average albums since Pinkerton. There is probably some material to make a little best of post-90's, but for me it's often the approach that makes them turn upside down. As on Black Album, the band has in mind to propose an ultra commercial rock by going to vampirize what is done by other bands and other genres. Here they have almost no foot in the rock that made their identity.
The Japanese House Good At Falling	4.0
This album is a gentle fall, sometimes in weightlessness, that makes us live and admire multiple landscapes that we can imagine throughout this new pearl proposed by Amber Brain. This is the logical continuation of these previous works, so it is not necessarily the most creative album of his discography but Good At Falling is surely its culmination. This is the kind of synthesized pop project without deletion and sublime, that I will be happy to listen to again regularly
Hozier Wasteland, Baby!	3.0
By combining pop-rock music with R&B without really inventing anything new, Hozier does everything to his limits and critics. However, although it's very accessible, there's nothing to throw away in the album, neither single nor title because he still manages to make good music. If you like his style, you will have a great time listening to this album. Although he is more political/social and therefore more "conscious" Wasteland, Baby! does not really reach the level of these previous projects, but this one will allow him to continue and relaunch his career
Solange When I Get Home	4.5
Of course it's less brilliant than the previous one, but Solange still managed to release an extraordinary Neo soul album. I personally found the album musically hypnotic and sincerely personal. I understand the reproaches that can be made of it, at the beginning when I first listened to it I shared a little the same feeling, this boring and hyper-repetitive side that we can find here, however with time I found that the whole ironically was at first elusive but incredibly rich and subtle as I revisited it. It is an intoxicating experience that will leave its mark and impact on the future releases of the coming decade, without a shadow of a doubt, just as Erykah Badu was able to do years ago, because nothing is a coincidence.
2 Chainz Rap Or Go To The League	3.5
Im very divided on this new album. Its still a great like all his discography, but ive the impressions that he?s rambling. For me its a pale copy of the 2017 album (with certainly a little more political and social discourse) and musically it doesnt bring anything new. I totally understand that it is present un some end of year lists (a little overrated by the pro reviewers), but after a few listenings i ended up putting this album on a shelf
Blu and Oh No A Long Red Hot Los Angeles Summer Night	3.5
The atmosphere and stories created and introduced by the duo are very immersive, making this project a good element of this years Californian scene. Both the production and the rapper s performance are well cared for and? worked on, as usual. Its a good time to spend, and? moreover the album never blows
Aaron May Chase	3.5
Chase is a good debut album adapted for chill or slow ride. Aaron is still so young but yet he already looks sharp. Of course, the resemblance with J Cole is highly visible, as much for his qualities as for his faults, even if he is still far from being as strong as his "influence". It's a good thing to listen to, but I would have liked to have more reference and sound from home (Houston) because there was almost nothing to suggest that he came from there.
Lil Skies Shelby	3.0
I really enjoyed the first project. But this one remains my first disappointment of the year as if the flame was no longer there. We often say that the second album is the most difficult one, it seems that despite the examples around him (Lil pump, Smokepurpp etc...) he preferred to stay on the same line as the first one, but we always have more talent when we do it on purpose
T-Pain 1UP	2.5
Overtaken by "his children" and unknown by "his grandchildren", T-Pain seems to have realized that he no longer has much hope (only 1up) of becoming the artist so easily influenced again. Here don't expect a miracle, the whole thing is pretty average, no surprise. At least on this new album, T-Pain is deliberately free to create the music as he wishes, without pressure.
Offset (ATL) Father Of 4	4.0
Father 4 is an underrated album for me. First of all, it's the best solo album compared to the other 2 Migos members. Okay, you're going to tell me that's not a strong argument, it's true, but for me it proved that it could happen during the time of an album of these comrades. Secondly, there is an interesting common thread, Offset indulges in these regrets about these fatherly mistakes without wanting to create any empathy towards him. He even assumes he was an asshole. The other themes covered here are quite common, but his approach is particular and well done. While remaining true to itself, Offset delivers performance at its level. Many forget the influence he has had on the rap planet in the last year. It's not his best production, we're far from the best LP of the year, but it's an exciting album to listen to and well above most Friday releases.
Gunna Drip Or Drown 2	4.0
With this last project, Gunna deepened his « aqua drip » style without falling into the ease of the? mainstream that was avaible to him. The week of beatmakers/producers is notable. Apart from rather fair lyrics there is a notable classic hit missing. The next step will be crucial
Lil Pump Harverd Dropout	1.5
2 years ago Lil Pump surpassed on this « new » wave of teenage rappeurs stamped with a fun, energetic but stupid album. This time, he lost all these « qualities » by becoming even more stupid. There?s not even a hit to save. It took 2 years to lay that out, its just a waste time. To sum up the pump music, its a bit like children?s toys that you buy by impulsive consumption because your kid has exhausted you.. with whom he plays once and then never replay it again. Yet I had the impression that he was close to progression with « I love it »
Giggs BIG BAD...	3.5
He hasn?t really evolved, but I feel like he s his best. It?s content is thick but it?s difficult to find bad/medium tracks. Baby it?s a crazy banger (waw)
Tyla Yaweh Heart Full Of Rage	2.5
At Tyla Yaweh, there is a lot of Post Malone, a little Juice Wrld, a bit of Lil Uzi, sometimes Travis Scott but not really things that he has for himself.We'll quickly go around Heart Full of Rage. There may be the first 3 tracks that can end up in one of your playlists but that's not enough. After all, he is a new artist and a first real project so let's give him time to prove it later. However, I still have trouble understanding why She Bad is not there when I think it is probably his best and most singular song.
Julia Jacklin Crushing	4.0
The introduction "Body" perfectly sums up what Julia Jacklin proposes in her second album. It is a metaphor that describes the corporal and inner emotions in a very intimate, sometimes uncomfortable way that you will find throughout Crushing. It is also a very beautiful work of writing and interpretation. And although it's not the best album of the year, it's an excellent achievement full of emotional torture and touching truth. It is a solitary struggle against the multiple hazards of life. Don't Know How to Keep Loving You is my favorite.
Elhae Trouble In Paradise	2.0
The main problem with Elhae is that he has no identity of his own at all, and in addition there are already many other artists who propose this as well. On the whole album, Elhae sings and rapes, but it's so uninspired that you'll get bored very quickly. After that, it's a very summer album, and you won't have any trouble listening when you take a nap on the beach
Deniro Farrar Re-Up	2.0
Albums of this level and of this basic trap style, it's already been 5 years that every week there is 1 that comes out like that. Secondly, even if he has a "castling" voice, he cannot enhance it, and fortunately the guests arrive from time to time. Let's not talk about the very average content
Higher Brothers Five Stars	2.5
Five Stars is a little messy,which sometimes is good, sometimes too redundant, sometimes funny, but the only things that remain unchanged is that it?s not really innovative, but it?s still a good delirium. On the other hand, the featurings are quite disappointing, except Rich Brian or Ski Mask (which is logical since they influence themselves a lot of him)
Saor Forgotten Paths	3.5
Although Forgotten Paths is the most important song and the success of the eponymous album, the other 3 tracks also have things to say. We can still feel that he's not moving at the same speed as on his previous albums
Avril Lavigne Head Above Water	1.5
Avril Lavigne has taken a totally crazy direction. While she is totally lost, Head Above Water is an album compiling attempts at Pop hits from the last decade without really doing anything that sounds 2019 in the end. Since she is overwhelmed by her time, the result is very poor. Dumb Blonde is the best example that illustrates my words, it proves a real without patheticity. Apart from that, there may be some fans who will find themselves (a little) in some tracks
Florida Georgia Line Can't Say I Ain't Country	1.5
While many artists/pop have attributed or influenced themselves to the country music of the 90s and 2000s, Florida Georgia manages to do less well, in an even more predictable way and without offering any sensation. Very often, we even have the impression that the band makes fun of their own musical genre, by linking country clich?s, and even more so through the SKITs... Can't Say I Ain't Country smells like a dish prepared to be reheated in the microwave.
Wicca Phase Springs Eternal Suffer On	4.0
A totally darkness album where the pain is reins and leaves only the place for sad melancholy. If the whole writing is totally Emo, the way WPSE describes his suffering is sincerely engaging and compassionate. Suffer On is far from being his first test run but it is his most accomplished and brilliant achievement. Thanks to the help of Dï¿½ves, atmospheric production is sparkling and perfectly superposable under the voice of WPSE. All tracks have a different characteristic more or less important, even if some of them are similar, none really deserves to be discarded. But the main flaw of this album (and it is also the paradox) is that the nonchalance of his way of singing repeatedly gives the impression of having the heart as crushed but also shows the limits of WPSE.
Czarface and Ghostface Killah Czarface Meets Ghostface	2.5
It is always a complex task to judge one more album of veterans, especially when they are always authentically strong. Although over time, they gradually lose the level of their pen, as well as their inspiration, it remains an acceptable album. However, without any surprise effect, flows that can often be anticipated, and stories of superheroes not really extraordinary, this meeting between these legends will be pleasant for a little while and the few times you will play it again.
Lucki Freewave 3	3.0
Lucki does cloud rap but keeps his feet on the ground. Freewave 3 is the continuation and solidation of his previous works, where the rapper s flow drill blends with industrial and psychedelic sonorities. For me, importance is often found in the productions, but the subjects covered and the interpretation is the ingredient that embellishes these instrumentals. You won?t keep everything, especially this second half which is much more uneven, which also explains why it?s not it?s best. But you have interesting tracks like More Than Ever, Geek Monster or All in
Uboa The Origin Of My Depression	4.0
The Origin of My Depression is a terrifying and psychologically memorable experience. Musically it's really a "delirium" apart, it's not revolutionary but it's rather unique. Uboa was to combine these 3 aspects, musical, a disturbed and cruel writing, and a truly hardcore atmosphere. I must say that it is both morally significant when we try to decipher this story, when we are enchanted by all these dark feelings and especially a poignant and bloody experience that is transcribed on this musical work of art.
Copeland Blushing	3.5
Blushing is a super beautiful modern album, emotionally touching. Going after Ixora was a difficult task, but they managed to offer us a terribly serious album. Writing and instrumentation/orchestration are the main strengths of the album. On the other hand, I think it may be a little too long. There are also some inequalities here, sometimes the interpretation just ensures the minimum, and sometimes the instrumentation struggles to fill this sufficiency, I would have liked to have had better on this point. Fortunately, there are stronger moments that slightly erase these imperfections.
24hrs Valentino Twenty	1.5
Valentino Twenty is irritating project. There is no such thing as a drinking melody, altough sometimes a few things that come close to it, but you will end up with a headache. It is often the same with super autotuned artists. On this project, you have a first part 100 % solo inaudible, and fortunately a second where the guests manage to save you from the heart attack, even if nothing is really worth a few things
Pet Shop Boys Agenda	2.0
Give Stupidity may not be the song of the year, because it's generic and low in content, but it's much worse than the other 3 which are a totally failed and outdated attempt at what they knew how to do at the time. To do this, we must avoid using the past as if it were a magic wand.
AJ Tracey AJ Tracey	3.5
Its a first solid effort. AJ pays tribute to his roots, his influences in a mix ignore genres while remaining coherent. It represents the new generation of the Grimme. It?s an album that explores several styles and can therefore be listened to in different moods
Currensy and Wiz Khalifa 2009	2.5
A project that makes you nostalgic where you can find some interesting tracks. Obviously, it's not nearly as good as it was 10 years ago. The first 2 of the listening is pleasant and then let's stop screwing around and grow up
Ariana Grande Thank U, Next	4.0
With conviction and impertinence, Ariana Grande delivers us an amazing and excellent album. At the height of her potential, she was able to transcribe and reinvent her musical influences, removing her aspects too girly to create a totally impassive, combative and very talented character. At first, when I listened to the first single or the previous album, I thought that the character would never have the strength to impose himself because musically his music had a lot of limits, but on Thank You, Next I must admit that the whole thing remains very solid. Nowadays, whether in Pop, RnB or even Rap, we often have the impression of hearing Ariana from others.r
Jessica Pratt Quiet Signs	3.5
Quiet Sings gives the feeling of swimming in an ocean or walking on an endless path. It's a minimalist, calm job where you'll get lost. Sometimes you won't feel like I'm changing tracks, and this homogeneity is both a strength and a weakness. Fortunately the album not exceeding 30 minutes, Quiet Signs never drowns. It is also an album of singular beauty, listened in retreat as if in a bubble. The main problem in my opinion is that her high-pitched, foggy and hypnotic voice makes me irritated.
G Herbo and Southside Still Swervin	2.5
A suite without much interest reserved for real fans. There is a big difference in level between the first opus and this one. For most tracks it's probably the B-sides not kept initially, which have the chance to be present only thanks to the success of the first one and to fill the new additions. At least the album ends beautifully with Wilt Chamberlin and Hood Cycle
Luis Fonsi VIDA	1.0
While he managed to take everything with him thanks to Despacito, probably thanks to a precious chance or help from Daddy Yankee, Luis Fonsi offered us two years later one of the worst albums of 2019. The whole of what he tries and does on Vida is a real disaster. Luis Fonsi remained stuck in the 2000s to offer us a variety and sometimes very low level reggeaton, very outdated especially. This shows how much Despacito is a (happy) accident and why it took him 2 years to make an album that will accompany him...
Yugen Blakrok Anima Mysterium	3.5
The universe of Anima Mysterium is wonderful, you are directly immersed in a futuristic world of Science Fiction as much in terms of the sounds used for the instrumental instruments as in the texts. It's a really good delirium. Yugen Blakrok is in charge of interpretation and lyrically, there is good storytelling. However I would have liked to have more madness in her interpretation to accentuate the futuristic side, but since she comes from the old school (Sage Francis etc...) she is probably attached to her roots then to her automatism, and I have the impression that it limits her potential for experimentation.
Pollari Lil Jesus	3.0
Lil Jesus is a good project because Pollari tackles his beats in an intelligent way. We already knew that his main strength lay in the way he managed his vocals and what allowed him to experiment a little at the same time, but he knew how to keep his subject from beginning to end. It may not be his most creative, but it's one of his most solid projects.
Lil Boom Hentai Haven	1.5
Lil Boom is a mix between a soundcloud artist desperately looking for the best and a Lil B without his talent. I don't know if it's done on purpose, because it's possible, but the project seems to have been recorded in any way. Lyric level is pathetic. The only thing that saves him a little and gives him interest is his originality, otherwise sometimes it is inaudible.
Rudimental Toast to our Differences	2.0
In the end, it's sometimes hard to comment on an average album, because often there's not much to say, it's often listening to music that I don't particularly like. Apart from the singles released before Toast To our Differences, there are not really any tracks that are really more interesting or that stand out, not even sometimes they try but it never leads to good songs. Besides, the album is terribly long.
Westside Boogie Everythingâ€™s For Sale	3.0
It?s not crazy, but we have a good time musically listening to this album. Personally, he ends up boring me (fortunately it?s short). I have a hard time understanding his world, yet seems easy to access. Maybe I can?t take it seriously, or maybe people have made tons because it?s well rapped and human
Bring Me the Horizon Amo	4.0
Following That's the Spirit, with whom the band had decided to take a new direction, which had divided opinion but which had also given the band a second wind, Amo is a more advanced and refined version. There will still be a lot of differences of opinion, for my part I think this album is a success. BMTH is now multidimensional and has a broader vision. They have very well matched their influence in the year 90/2000 by crossing them with the modern sound that he is trying to put in place here. Not everything is perfect, some very good tracks cross paths with more "déjà vu" or more simplistic tracks, but that doesn't prevent us from enjoying the whole thing because it also creates a certain charm.
Dreezy Big Dreez	3.0
Big Dreez is a much better project than No Hard Feelings. There's not much time to get bored because it's short, and there are some interesting things. But honestly I don't think there's anything crazy about his music, I don't even know if I prefer Rap parts or RNB parts. It is a project that you have to listen to once or twice, without having to dig deeper
Sada Baby Bartier Bounty	4.0
If Saba Baby has gradually made its way by making a beautiful place for itself locally, with Bartier Bounty it is now truly making its mark. Here, each track is a ball cartridge that pierces the listener. Not everything is equal, but the fact that this rapper is very versatile and at the same time surprising, gives the impression that he is unstoppable. If it is essentially thanks to the viral success of Bloxk Party that Saba Baby has been able to make people talk about him, it is not only here that he excels, because his energy, his talent and his strong character are a tsunami that improves each track, and that differentiates him so much from the other
The Dandy Warhols Why You So Crazy	1.5
Why You So Crazy turned me off. I was surprised by all the negative aspects I could find on this record. Either it's a bad joke or it's a failed experiment. For someone like me who hasn't listened to this group for a very long time, I fell a little bit down. Sometimes some rather average music manages to save the one that is really weird, or really bad taste
XXXTENTACION Members Only, Vol. 4	3.0
This is a good way to keep the late XXX alive while showcasing talented artists. This is a scene I particularly appreciate, and unlike the "album" Skin this project looks much more like a possible realization if xxx had been alive. Among the strong points, I will remember the good performances / productions of Bass santana and Flyboy as well as some moments of Craig Zen. Of course this project has limits, it's not as crazy as its predecessor but if some people think it's too long overall, they will always find some tracks to their liking
Better Oblivion Community Center Better Oblivion Community Center	3.5
When you think back to Conor Oberst s great career, whether solo or with Bright Eyes, and Phoebe Bridgers very promising career, you can only think that both of them working on a joint album is a very good idea (they have also already collaborated together on Stranger In The Alps). That s totally true. You will be transported by combination of the 2 voices and their intersecting styles. It s a very good concept album where the 2 author-composers expose their anguish and their desires to you.
Comethazine Bawskee 2	3.0
It's brutal and that's the goal. Jumping for 20min. i love it. But what will happen on the next project?
FEVER 333 Strength In Numb333rs	2.5
Basically a grouping of Fever 333 with 3 famous artists is an interesting idea, but on Strenght In Numb333rs, they seem a little too freewheeling and the result of all this is a bit like you take everything that was done very well in this style in 90/early 2000 to often torture him and get the worst out of it. There are interesting moments and good ideas but almost systematically I find that they end up wasting their efforts
The Twilight Sad It Won/t Be Like This All the Time	3.5
I must admit that I didn't really like this album when it was released at the beginning of the year, but with time and new listening I started (without suspense) to appreciate it. It's not the best Twilight album, it will be perfect for the fans of the band or the fans of the style. In the end, that's what I really appreciate and remember, it's typically the sounds of the 70/80s post-punk years, with a really catchy accent
Switchfoot Native Tongue	1.5
On Native Tongue, Switchfoot tries to make up for whatever branches they can, moving between each very pop rock style by delivering songs on sad songs and all generic to death. In fact, they reproduced the same songs years later, which themselves were criticized at the time for their lack of originality, their lack of thickness and content that radio stations loved. Boring
Future Future Hndrxx Presents: The WIZRD	3.0
The Wizrd is a new show of strength for lovers of dark mood and southern clubs. This mixtape is nothing specialror new but it satisfies fans like me for a while. However, it is the least interesting solo project he has released in arwhile
YNW Melly We All Shine	3.5
Although there are some nuggets (in particular at the beginning and Mixed Personality of course), We All Shine is much less successful and important than it?s predecessor. It is progressing rather slowly and? these legal cases match not be going to stop it straight away. That doesn?t mean I can?t enjoy listening to this new project anyway. As for the rest of his career, I have the impression that we re very close to a mess
James Blake Assume Form	4.5
Assume Form is a very important evolution, a real level of progress creatively and humanely for James Blake. The album begins with the depression and doubts the artist felt before, as usual in comparison with these old efforts, then continues on to loneliness and instability before quickly transforming into a remarkable romantic work. rIt is a fact, his current love relationship to give birth to Assume Form. Very strong moments in the opus are confronted with songs bewitched by a little less important love without ever tiring my attention and it is something that very few artists know how to do... the work of the singers/rappers guests and producers is an essential ingredient to the success of this one. We do not have here the best of the best he could have done, but we have a new facet of a man, who has gone from "lack of trust and anxiety" to a liberating and more appeased man, from deconstruction to rebirth.
Mike Posner A Real Good Kid	3.0
If life isnt a long quiet river, the loss of a loved one or love is a very difficult battle to surmount and overcome. Mike Posner's in A Real Good Kid is an excellent example. It is also by trying to bring joviality to these sounds and melodies that Mike tries to heal himself. Musically, there are good and interesting passages. And unlike these previous albums, this one deserves his attention and can be listened to again without being forced.
Sharon Van Etten Remind Me Tomorrow	4.5
I really loved this album. Everything is very beautiful and very well done. Sharon Van Etten manages to bring you emotions with simple things, childhood memories, love... each of her melodies are unstoppable. It's electric and simply endearing. After several listening you will wonder when you will stop singing, or simply where the weak moments are. But you will not find an answer to that. On the contrary, you will play it again.
Deerhunter Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?	3.5
Maggie Rogers Heard It in a Past Life	3.0
Heard It In a Past Life is an album filled with beautiful ballads where adventure and comtemplation are the main focus. Pharell?s protege has talent and wonderful voice. However, unlike her mentor, Maggie is (too) discreet and sometimes it reflects a certain lack of ambition that is felt on the album. Apart, from these great hits released before the album (since 2016), there aren?t tracks that reach their level, it also shows a certain brake to its evolution. We could have expected much better.
Toro Y Moi Outer Peace	3.0
There s been something less in the Toro y Moi albums for some time now, it?s probably due to a little lack of inspiration. It?s quite mitigated, as much as you re going to face some very good tracks, notably the 2 singles Freelance and Ordinary Pleasure, as much as there are things you can forget. That didn?t stop me from having assets of pleasant listening, because his neo disco and chill robotic funk is catchy
Papa Roach Who Do You Trust?	1.5
Who Do You Trust? is an album faithful to what Papa Roach has been offering for over 15 years, but worse, it's very uninspired, quite bad, just like the single ELEVATE, which I find horrible. It's a waste of time to listen to this. Might as well go back to the first albums
Malibu Ken Malibu Ken	3.5
It's a solid project, because on the one hand we have a beautiful Tobacco production that sounds like no one else this year, and on the other hand a rapper who is still as good as Aesop Rock is no longer presented. However, I have trouble getting into the project, because I already don't find it that fun, and although it's minimalist, the irony is that I have the impression that it's too dense for me. I prefer when it's more abstract because it's like sailing in an alien ship, submerging and swallowing by sound. Rap level is good, but there is no feat and no novelty. It's still part of the UFOs to listen to this year
Watsky Complaint	2.0
I hadn't listened to Watsky since Cardboard Casles (which was good but no more, in a whole other era for rap) and so I was (half) surprised at the mediocrity of this project. Often Watsky has too much ambition, so they do too much, sometimes it's just fair, simpler but generic. There are a lot of bad tracks here, and since there are only 9, it gives you an idea of the value of the project
Wifisfuneral and Robb Bank$ Conn3ct3d	2.5
a connection that works well, but far from requiring a deeper interest
gnash we	1.5
Here, it's as if you're listening to a mix of unfunny pop and emotionless song, with a non-living and rather repulsive voice, it doesn't make any sense. There's nothing more to say, and nothing explains for me its massive success. At least I have a reason for satisfaction, it was the first album (from 2019) I listened to to to start the year, at least I might have already listened to the worst
PNL Deux Freres	4.5
Its not my favorite album but its probably their best to date. Even if everything isnt perfect (4 or 5 tracks too many) and the language barrier still remains, the mysterious brothers have considerably deepened their lyrics. They opened their hearts by releasing a major rap album this year. As for the now classic « au DD » rappeurs/artists from all over the world should draw inspiration from their creativity and ideas, if they have not already done so
Nekfeu Les etoiles vagabondes	2.5
Les étoiles vagabondes is a very melancholic and sad album that requires careful listening. The key to making this kind of album a success is to be able to talk about interesting topics, to touch the listener but also to create empathy in him. However, it is rare to find the merger of these 3 conditions here. The few good ideas are misused and the rest is generally boring. Musically, it's a step back, most of the sounds/flows are bad copies of Cyborg. Nekfeu gets lost in hazardous subjects (racism, social difficulties) and seems to lie to himself. Another irritating point: the need to constantly make puns that didnt make sense (please...) . To conclude, I strongly advise you to (re)orient yourself on Cyborg or Feu album
Stunna 4 Vegas BIG 4x	3.0
Being a long-time friend of DaBaby, it is rather logical that Stunna 4 Vegas surf on the new wave of the Carolina, so much the better for him it allows him to make himself known, and especially so much the better for his wallet. Obviously Stunna is not as talented, does not have as much charisma and above all I don't think he is the same potential (to follow) as his counterpart, but his BIG 4x mixtape is a good project to listen to, to surround and pass strong enough. If you're DaBaby fans, don't miss it
Jaydayoungan Endless Pain	2.5
Jaydayoungan's latest project is forgettable. He is cool to listen 1 or 2 times maximum, but the whole is not as good as on his previous mixtapes, moreover no track really manages to stand out and comes close to his successes. He recently came back with a more interesting track 23 Island, but overall it is advisable to listen to other guys like Yungeen Ace for example which is much more interesting
Gashi Gashi	3.0
Gashi is a rapper that few people talk about, but he has a crazy audience. He is an artist in the spirit of the times, between rap/rnb who explores similar sounds and styles. I never really appreciated the featurings he did, but his new album is quite solid, versatile, energetic, catchy, but paradoxically it's never surprising and innovative. When I finished the album, I came across Hurt (a cover of Johnny Cash) which left me perplexed, because I hadn't understood how talented he is at performing. With this asset, he should rather try to try more innovative, more singular things, but I have the impression that he doesn't have the capacity and/or the will to do so

2018
YNW Melly I Am You	4.0
I Am You is an amazing mixtape that reminds us of Miami point is an important part of rap today. Melly flies over each beats and offers a monster delivery. Between humour and cruelty, Melly is one of my most beautiful discoveries of the year. In the footsteps of these influences (Young Thug, Boosie Badazz, Lil Uzi Vert..), Demons managed to stand out. It?s a real diamond to polish
Rich Forever Music Rich Forever 4	2.5
While the label's leaders are content to do what they know how to do, linking the B or C sides to feed their fan base, the only real interest of this project is the new band 83 Babies. This Volume 4 is a great opportunity for the trio to show themselves and continue to discover them after the success of No Cap Remix. I think we'll hear from them by the end of the year.
Gunna Drip Season 3	4.0
Even if Young Thug?s influence is omniprésent, Gunna manages to make à name for himself with this project. He has a disconcerting ease for catchy melody. The first listening is rather meaningless, but with perseverance this album becomes addictive. He finally manages to stand out (a little) from master. I dont know really what role he?ll have in a few years, for now i?m playling this shit again

2016
PNL Dans La LÃ©gende	4.5
This album is absolutely wondeful. Its my favorite album of their discography. The 2 brothers have managed to reach their musical peak. They were able to transcribe their raw anger and sorrow into aerial beats. The group has its own identity and a talented mix engineer. They now have nothing to envy the pioneers of the genre, they are now the cloud rap

Unknown
Wilma Vritra Burd	3.0
Burd is a great experience listened to at least once this year if you are a rap fan. Wilma Archer's production is brilliant, original and remains the strongest link in this project. On the other hand, I would have preferred another rapper, because even if Vitra is not a bad rapper, I don't find him too soft, not really charismatic, ordinary and lyrical not especially strong. Guys like MIKE or Billy Woods will kill it

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