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[littlemusicreviews]

Shygirl – Club Shy

February 9, 2024 (Because)

Shygirl has always made house music to lose your mind to, but you could never have called it mindless. Every club banger on her previous projects was enhanced by her hypnotic flow, featured a futuristic, you-heard-it-here-first beat, and punctuated by lyricism exuding cunt.

Club Shy still shows off some of the charisma, nerve and talent that has made Shygirl a rising star (with a live show not to be missed), but unfortunately the uniqueness is missing. To paraphrase Jujubee, it’s just CNT.

This is mostly thanks to her choices of beats – the three-track run of “f@k€”, “mute” and “tell me” are garden-variety, sub-standard dance pop. Compare the production to something like “Leng” from Alias and it’s clear that pushing boundaries and being creative weren’t priorities for this EP. Thankfully, “4eva” and “thicc” are a lot more immediate and explosive, and carry the project to being a serviceable listen overall. Just don’t expect to be challenged.

Favourite track: “Thicc (feat. Cosha)”

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Declan McKenna – What Happened To The Beach?

February 9, 2024 (Tomplicated)

Re-invention is a tricky thing. An artist can stay in their lane, playing to their strengths album after album, and get called out for doing too much of the same – Beach House and Real Estate are examples of great bands who’ve received this criticism. Or, they can take a big risk and pivot their sound away from what they’re known for… leading to the controversial “experimental” album in an artist’s discography.

That’s the direction Declan McKenna has taken on his third album, What Happened To The Beach? He’s moved from straightforward, hook-heavy indie pop, to a more art-rock influenced, rhythmic effort. It’s admirable to want to evolve your artistry in such a way, but it unfortunately makes the case that certain artists should stay in their lane. Especially when said artistic pivot involves moving away from what made Declan’s music so successful – massive choruses and memorable riffs. Beach? is a more subtle affair, begging for multiple listens to reveal its layers, but there ultimately isn’t much lyrical or melodic substance to be found under the surface.

I can see Declan McKenna’s intention to try something new, but there’s a reason his established formula had gifted him so much prior success. Nobody ever needed Two Door Cinema Club to make a Radiohead album.

Favourite track: “Elevator Hum”

Rating: 3.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

50 Best Albums of 2023

50. Cub Sport – Jesus At The Gay Bar

49. SG Lewis – AudioLust & HigherLove

48. Bully – Lucky For You

47. Kelela – Raven

46. Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust

45. Nas – Magic 3

44. Beach Fossils – Bunny

43. Cicada – Seeking The Sources Of Streams

42. James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven

41. Teenage Joans – The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest

40. Nourished By Time – Erotic Probiotic 2

39. Young Fathers – Heavy Heavy

38. Angelo De Augustine – Toil And Trouble

37. Oneohtrix Point Never – Again

36. Feeble Little Horse – Girl With Fish

35. boygenius – The Record

34. Joanna Sternberg – I’ve Got Me

33. Avalon Emerson – & The Charm

32. Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade

31. Hannah Diamond – Perfect Picture

30. Jane Remover – Census Designated

29. Kara Jackson – Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love?

28. The Go! Team – Get Up Sequences Part Two

27. Amaarae – Fountain Baby

26. Wednesday – Rat Saw God

25. Yameii Online – Candy

24. Andy Shauf – Norm

23. Gia Margaret – Romantic Piano

22. Sofia Kourtesis – Madres

21. Mutual Benefit – Growing At The Edges

20. Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We

19. ANOHNI & The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

18. 100 Gecs – 10,000 Gecs

17. Lil Ugly Mane – Singles

16. PinkPantheress – Heaven Knows

15. Tim Hecker – No Highs

14. Slowthai – Ugly

13. Pangaea – Changing Channels

12. Paramore – This Is Why

11. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

10. Slayyyter – STARFUCKER

9. Underscores – Wallsocket

8. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown – Scaring The Hoes

7. Olivia Rodrigo – GUTS

6. Parannoul – After The Magic

5. George Clanton – Ooh Rap I Ya

4. Carly Rae Jepsen – The Loveliest Time

3. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

2. Yeule – Softscars

1. Sufjan Stevens – Javelin

[littlemusicreviews]

100 Best Songs of 2023

100. Kara Jackson – “Dickhead Blues”

99. Young Fathers – “Holy Moly”

98. Kraus – “Between”

97. Flume (feat. Isabella Manfredi) – “Rhinestone 1.7.2”

96. d4vd – “Here With Me”

95. Feeble Little Horse – “Sweet”

94. Slowdive – “Shanty”

93. Travis Scott (feat. Playboi Carti) – “FE!N"

92. Soccer Mommy – “Soak Up The Sun”

91. Thy Slaughter – “Lost Everything”

90. Teenage Dads – “Speedracer”

89. Taylor Swift (feat. Fall Out Boy) – “Electric Touch (Taylor’s Version)”

88. Alison Goldfrapp & Claptone – “Digging Deeper”

87. Claud – “The Moving On”

86. Madonna – “Back That Up To The Beat (Sped Up Version)”

85. Ellie Goulding – “By The End Of The Night”

84. Bar Italia – “Friends”

83. Alex Lahey – “Youll Never Get Your Money Back”

82. Dorian Electra – “Sodom & Gomorrah”

81. Romy – “Enjoy Your Life”

80. Noname (feat. $ilkMoney, Billy Woods & Stout) – “Gospel?”

79. Beach Fossils – “Run To The Moon”

78. Overmono – “Good Lies”

77. Ava Max – “One Of Us”

76. The Armed – “Patient Mind”

75. Empress Of & Rina Sawayama – “Kiss Me”

74. Hemlocke Springs – “enknee1"

73. blink-182 – “Blink Wave”

72. Ichiko Aoba – “Meringue Doll”

71. Yves Tumor – “Ebony Eye”

70. Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair (feat. Tayla Parx) – “Set The Roof”

69. Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For?”

68. Rebecca Black – “What Am I Gonna Do With You”

67. Teenage Joans – “Superglue”

66. Yaeji – “For Granted”

65. Bully – “All I Do”

64. Jaboukie – “not_me_tho”

63. Charley – “Worst Taste In Girls”

62. Gia Margaret – “2017”

61. Snakehips & Tinashe – “Who’s Gonna Love You Tonight”

60. Ruel – “I Don’t Wanna Be Like You”

59. ODESZA (feat. Claud) – “To Be Yours”

58. Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo – “Ratata”

57. Niall Horan – “Heaven”

56. Charli XCX – “Speed Drive”

55. The National – “Tropic Morning News”

54. Dagny – “Heartbreak In The Making”

53. Slow Pulp – “Cramps”

52. Kelela – “Contact”

51. Addison Rae – “Nothing On (But The Radio)”

50. Cub Sport – “Songs About It”

49. Amaarae – “Counterfeit”

48. Tove Lo – “I Like U”

47. Fall Out Boy – “The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)”

46. Dua Lipa – “Dance The Night”

45. Troye Sivan – “Rush”

44. bl4ck m4rket c4rt – “Good Morning Texts”

43. Angelo De Augustine – “Memory Palace”

42. Mitski – “When Memories Snow”

41. Jane Remover – “Backseat Girl”

40. Tim Hecker – “Monotony”

39. Mutual Benefit – “Growing At The Edges”

38. Slowthai – “Feel Good”

37. Big Thief – “Born For Loving You”

36. Avalon Emerson – “Sandrail Silhouette”

35. Wednesday – “Chosen To Deserve”

34. James Blake – “Tell Me”

33. Lana Del Rey – “A&W”

32. Beyoncé (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – “America Has A Problem”

31. Róisín Murphy – “You Knew”

30. Hatchie – “Dream On (Country Girl)”

29. Hannah Diamond – “Affirmations”

28. SG Lewis – “Something About Your Love”

27. The Go! Team – “Baby”

26. Kim Petras – “King Of Hearts”

25. Andy Shauf – “Wasted On You”

24. Yameii Online & Deko – “Pls”

23. Paramore – “You First”

22. Susanne Sundfør – “Rūnā”

21. Parannoul – “Parade”

20. Pangaea – “Installation”

19. ANOHNI & The Johnsons – “Can’t”

18. Sofia Kourtesis – “How Music Makes You Feel Better”

17. Slayyyter – “Miss Belladonna”

16. Georgia – “Give It Up For Love”

15. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown – “Fentanyl Tester”

14. PinkPantheress – “True Romance”

13. Debby Friday – “So Hard To Tell”

12. Björk & Rosalía – “Oral”

11. Kylie Minogue – “Padam Padam”

10. 100 Gecs – “757” 

9. Boygenius – “Not Strong Enough”

8. Caroline Polachek – “Pretty In Possible”

7. Underscores – “Old Money Bitch”

6. Jessie Ware – “Freak Me Now”

5. Olivia Rodrigo – “Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl”

4. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Psychedelic Switch”

3. Sufjan Stevens – “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”

2. Yeule – “Softscars”

1. George Clanton – “I Been Young”

[littlemusicreviews]

10 Best EPs of 2023

10. Jlin – Perspective

9. Charley – Timebombs

8. Hemlocke Springs – going…going…GONE!

7. d4vd – Petals To Thorns

6. easyFun – Electric

5. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown – Scaring The Hoes: DLC Pack

4. Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair – Set The Roof

3. Beach House – Become

2. Addison Rae – AR

1. Kraus – Anything Else

[littlemusicreviews]

10 Best Album Covers of 2023

10. George Clanton – Ooh Rap I Ya

9. Yeule – Softscars

8. Jamila Woods – Water Made Us

7. Sofia Kourtesis – Madres

6. Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

5. Shame – Food For Worms

4. Troye Sivan – Something To Give Each Other

3. Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want To Turn Into You

2. Kelela – Raven

1. Róisín Murphy – Hit Parade

[littlemusicreviews]

Various Artists – Barbie The Album

July 21, 2023 (Atlantic)

I present my official ranking of all the tracks from the Barbie movie soundtrack:

#17 “Butterflies” by GAYLE – alyssa_edwards_mamathisisgarbage.gif

#16 “WATATI” by Karol G (feat. Aldo Ranks) – So boring, it really feels like it could be any singer over any beat. Unless I’m missing something, there’s nothing Barbie about it either. A wasted spot.

#15 “Forever & Again” by The Kid Laroi – Incredibly generic, makes Post Malone sound like Perfume Genius.

#14 “Home” by HAIM – My ranking might feel a little harsh for this one, and it’s mainly because I consider HAIM to be a much stronger artist than most others in the bottom half of this list. They don’t play to their strengths on this sparse, electronic track and could’ve given so much more.

#13 “Hey Blondie” by Dominic Fike – I read a comment that this sounded like Maroon 5 and yep, that ruined it for me.

#12 “Silver Platter” by Khalid – Just like in the movie, it functions as perfectly pleasant and forgettable background music.

#11 “Man I Am” by Sam Smith – Culture has yet to decide if Sam Smith is camp, cringe or cunt (or all or none of the above). Discuss…

#10 “Choose Your Fighter” by Ava Max – Not really a comment on the song but I can really visualise a drag queen doing intensive choreo to this but always falling half a beat behind. Think someone like Blu Hydrangea. Bring it on, Drag Race.

#9 “Journey To The Real World” by Tame Impala – Put this one back in the oven to cook a bit more and it could fit right in on The Slow Rush (and before anyone calls that a read, I really enjoyed that album).

#8 “Barbie Dreams” by Fifty Fifty (feat. Kaliii) – Janet Jackson left no crumbs.

#7 “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (with Aqua) – Definitely a guilty pleasure track but if you’ve heard Charli’s original A. G. Cook-produced demo for Barbie, then you know that she deserved the Aqua sample.

#6 “I��m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling – Simu Liu if you’re reading this, I want you to [redacted] my [redacted].

#5 “Pink” by Lizzo – Iconic. Sets the tone for the entire movie. Only complaint is that the Bad Day version isn’t better incorporated into the soundtrack or the song.

#4 “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish – Honestly I didn’t care for this too much on first listen, but after seeing the movie twice (cried even more the second time) I feel like I really get it, and I respect the emotions that Billie put into her lyrics and delivery.

#3 “Dance The Night” by Dua Lipa – I went from thinking this sounded like a Future Nostalgia outtake to thinking it would’ve fit in perfectly on Future Nostalgia. That may not sound like high praise, but it is.

#2 “Speed Drive” by Charli XCX – EasyFun came out of hibernation to produce this banger, which feels like Charli XCX on autopilot but during her 2017-2020 imperial phase where everything she touched turned to gold. Earns a heap of bonus points for being one of the best integrations of a “regular” song within the movie.

#1 “Angel” by PinkPantheress – I don’t know who thought PinkPantheress’ usual formula of hushed, longing vocals over atmospheric drum & bass would pair well with bizarre, barking-dog synths and a fiddle playing an Irish jig, but boy does it. Funny that the best track on a movie that is so vividly bright, star-studded and in-your-face is one that feels like the antithesis of those ideals. “Angel” isn’t necessarily stereotypical Barbie, but she is still Barbie.

Favourite track: “Angel”

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

ANOHNI & The Johnsons – My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

July 7, 2023 (Rough Trade)

ANOHNI is a generational talent, and her new album My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross feels like a culmination of her 25-year career. She reunites after more than a decade with long-time band The Johnsons, and thus the sonic palette harkens back to their chamber pop releases from the 2000s. However, the influence of her electronic solo album Hopelessness is felt through the presence of the maximalist instrumental builds in “Scapegoat” and “Rest”, as well as the whiplash of “Go Ahead”, which takes an immediate left turn with its bold, experimental structure.

ANOHNI’s vocal performance is chameleonic and also draws from her entire previous body of work. In “Sliver Of Ice” she plays the part of a coy lounge singer, and then a mere song later on “Can’t” she wails like a banshee, evoking urgency within the listener through her pained performance. This urgency is multiplied by the lyrical content of My Back Was A Bridge, which overflows with sadism and masochism in equal measures. ANOHNI addresses dead family members, sings from the perspective of her dead friends, and laments our dying planet, all intertwined with both literal and metaphorical images of violence, aching joints and broken bones.

As grim as it all sounds, the overall tone of the album is confronting rather than bleak, and rather than only inspiring hopelessness it functions as a call-to-arms. One example is the massive riff that bursts into the last minute of “Scapegoat” like a sunbeam through a storm – it is an epic, awe-inspiring moment that unshackles you from the onslaught of dark themes, even if just for a moment.

And then, in the final moment of the album, ANOHNI leaves us with the message “For me / You be free for me”. She has allowed the listener to feel the pain that she feels, but ultimately grants us permission to break through that emotion and push forward with progressive change for both ourselves and our planet.

Favourite track: “Can’t”

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Fred again.. & Brian Eno – Secret Life

May 5, 2023 (Text)

On paper, Fred again.. working with Brian Eno is a very exciting combination, especially if you’ve listened to Fred’s Tiny Desk concert, in which he gorgeously stripped back his tracks, showing off proficient looping skills and expert use of negative space. Those same elements are present on Secret Life, but the album is missing the same magic. Opener “I Saw You” starts strongly, building up a very pretty atmosphere through piano, synths and repeated vocals. Subsequent moments of beauty are sparse – the beautiful but fleeting vocals on “Enough”, the delicate piano on “Trying”. In between these moments ambience that succeeds neither as foreground nor background music, rendering itself as purposeless playlist-filler.

Favourite track: “I Saw You”

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

SBTRKT – The Rat Road

May 5, 2023 (AWAL)

12 years ago, SBTRKT came on the scene with his self-titled debut, displaying a lot of promise with his fresh blend of genres and curated rising-star features. One disappointing sophomore album and many years of silence since then, the London-based producer has returned with The Rat Road. I was intrigued by the album’s title and track-list, but unfortunately the road is rife with potholes. Many track instrumentals are just a few looped bars of vague electronica, making the album feel like a collection of unfinished drafts. Even bringing Sampha and Little Dragon back as guest vocalists feels like a sad re-tread when the production quality afforded to them is so uninspired compared to “Hold On” and “Wildfire”, which felt so boundary-pushing in 2011. The Rat Road, unfortunately, could be career roadkill.

Favourite track: “L.F.O. (feat. Sampha & George Riley)”

Rating: 2.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Susanne Sundfør – Blómi

April 28, 2023 (Bella Union)

I want to start by saying that “Rūnā” is one of the most gorgeous folk songs I’ve heard, ever. It captures all of the craftsmanship, tradition, longing and whimsy of the genre in a 5-minute crescendo that will induce smiles and tears, feeling like a warm hug from a lost parent. It’s the centrepiece of Blómi, but thankfully it’s also surrounded by other tunes that feature top-class vocals and chamber-folk arrangements, like “Ashera’s Song”, “Fare Thee Well” and “Alyosha”.

Where the album falters is that for some reason Susanne Sundfør has chosen to bookend it with opening and closing tracks that are experimental art pop, unfortunately heavy on spoken word. It’s a bizarre choice, and while there may be lyrical through-lines, these two tracks (as well as “Ṣānnu Yārru Lī”) are a complete sonic misalignment. I’m going to be a little bit naughty and encourage you to cheat – delete these three mis-steps from your library, and you’ll be left with one of the most beautiful contemporary folk collections of the decade so far.

Favourite track: “Rūnā”

Rating: 7 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Jessie Ware – That! Feels Good!

April 28, 2023 (EMI)

She is large and in charge, chunky yet funky, bold and beautiful. A winning album, apparently best summarised by a Latrice Royale quote?

She is large (the soaring, back-to-back maximalist arrangements of “Free Yourself” and “Pearls"), and in charge (Jessie’s cunty diva vocals on “Shake The Bottle”). Chunky (“Freak Me Now”’s phat bass-line) yet funky (the bougie-beach-party grooves on the title track and “Beautiful People”). Bold (idk but my head is bald after listening to this album), and beautiful (the choral passages that unfurl over 5 minutes in “Begin Again”, I mean come on). In summary, she is a queen. Crown her.

Favourite track: “Freak Me Now”

Rating: 9 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

The National – First Two Pages Of Frankenstein

April 28, 2023 (4AD)

If The National have been making dad rock for their entire career, then First Two Pages Of Frankenstein is when your Dad starts falling asleep on the couch while watching the 7 o’clock news. He’s getting old, closer to 70 than 40, and you’re trying harder than ever to repress the rapidly-manifesting worry for the future. You chuckle to yourself as you notice the drool pooling at the corner of his mouth, and you re-position his newspaper (sports section) to stop it from falling into his lap. Things aren’t as they were, but you love him all the same.

Favourite track: “Tropic Morning News”

Rating: 6 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Tim Hecker – No Highs

April 7, 2023 (Kranky)

I first put this album on as I was getting ready for bed, hoping for some ambient vibes to help lull me to sleep. My boyfriend made me turn it off; the song “Anxiety” was sending him on the way to a panic attack.

On No Highs, Tim Hecker captures these feelings of fear, uneasiness and panic that creep up behind you like a cold chill on your neck. He unravels his dread-inducing motifs slowly across the 11 tracks, like a giant grey moth unfurling itself from a cocoon. Colin Stetson’s saxophone makes a memorable appearance on “Monotony II”, whipping around melodies like a charmed cobra. It becomes painfully clear that this is not bedtime ambient, it’s the soundtrack to a night drive where you contemplate premeditated murder. Tread cautiously and enjoy.

Favourite track: “Monotony”

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Yaeji – With A Hammer

April 7, 2023 (XL)

On the aptly named With A Hammer, Yaeji takes a lot of big swings. Rather than staying in her lane of hip-hop influenced house music, she wanders into new ambient-glitch territories, with mixed results. “For Granted” and “Michin” hit the nail on the head, marrying her old style with a left-field pop sensibility and landing somewhere between Yeule and Magdalena Bay. “Submerge FM” and “I’ll Remember…” are examples of the big misses – they stall momentum and go nowhere, feeling neither fleshed out in ideation nor execution.

Overall, Yaeji’s debut can best be described as a dazzling mess, in both the positive and negative senses of the word.

Favourite track: “For Granted”

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Chlöe – In Pieces

March 31, 2023 (Parkwood)

How disappointing to go straight from the top-tier R&B of Ungodly Hour to… this.

In Pieces jumps between themes, vibes and tempos without any cohesion, and still manages to feel one-note. Chlöe’s vocals feel phoned-in throughout – missing a sultriness that was so effective in Chloe x Halle. That project also has undeniable sisterly chemistry, while the features on In Pieces feel tacked on and trite. Missy Elliott has a fun time on “Told Ya” (an annoying bop), but the song has more in common with the marginally-better, pre-album stand-alone singles, rather than other album tracks. And Chris Brown? Get Halle back to talk some sense into her sister. Let’s all hope for another collaborative album soon, instead of… this.

Favourite track: “Body Do”

Rating: 4.5 out of 10

[littlemusicreviews]

Fall Out Boy – So Much (For) Stardust

March 24, 2023 (Fueled By Ramen)

In the early days of this blog, I had the displeasure of reviewing Fall Out Boy’s two post-hiatus comeback albums. Let’s re-visit some quotes from the archives:

Save Rock And Roll (2013): “There’s nothing horrible or unlistenable on this record, but there’s also nothing here after track 1 that warrants any prolonged interest.” - 4.5/10

American Beauty / American Psycho (2015): “In this particular moment, Fall Out Boy are the most dull, trite and uninspired they’ve ever been.” - 3.5/10

Can you see why I didn’t bother with M A N I A?

Now, 10 years after that first review, we’ve reached Fall Out Boy’s post-hiatus-post-hiatus comeback album, So Much (For) Stardust. Rather than a full review, I’ll leave a catchy soundbite similar to the ones above:

So Much (For) Stardust (2023): “Fall Out Boy have returned to the bursting energy and infectious hooks of their pre-hiatus albums, but instead of a regression it feels mature and evolved – I’m shocked, I’m proud, and (most of all) I’m 13 again.”

Favourite track: “What A Time To Be Alive”

Rating: 7.5 out of 10