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A mural of 20 well worn vinyl albums, Record Street Brewing Company, Reno, Nevada Artist: Erik Burke

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14/04/25

GNX-Kendrick Lamar

released- 22/11/24- 12 songs, 44 min

This was maybe a rogue choice for my first Kendrick Lamar album; coming straight after the infamous Kendrick v Drake beef, however this proved to be an excellent choice. The album opens with an interpolation from Deyra Barrera, who goes on to feature in 2 more songs. I found the use of a range of different instruments, such as various string instruments + acoustic guitars, helped to keep attention + pacing, even through the various different tempos and styles of songs. The features were perfectly chosen, with all the artist’s voices working perfectly with Kendrick Lamars, and especially SZAs voice adding a lovely contrast. Although every song on this album was incredible, my favourite would have to be ‘man at the garden', with the build-up being incredible, although the lyrics + ideas behind ‘reincarnated’ and ‘gloria’ making them tied for a close second.

- I have not posted in a hot minute due to exams and various other stressors in my life, but hopefully this’ll knock me back into it. Send recommendations in my asks !!

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We will define “enjoy a genre” as “I have sought out music in this genre more than once and actively listened to it for my own entertainment” for the purposes of this poll.

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23/02/25

Fine Art-KNEECAP

released - 14/06/24 - 18 songs, 37 min

I knew I would love KNEECAP coming in; when a band is constantly praised by your favourite artists, it’s hard to not expect that. However, what I didn’t expect was the unique and seamless mix of Irish and English in rap. I found this so impressive, especially as the rhyme scheme is kept throughout those switches.

A lot of the album, and KNEECAP in general, is centered around life in Ireland as a post colonial country and their relationship with Irish and English as a result. This is shown incredibly through the samples, with Irish artists such as Joe O Donnell + films like ‘Dancing on Narrow Ground' being used.

The instrumentals vary constantly, keeping the album fresh and exciting; from the folk samples of 3CAG elevated by soft vocals, to the almost dance music Parful and the divine bass line in ‘Better Way to Live'. Speaking of this song, it was by far my favourite on the album; Grian Chatten, lead singer of by far one of my favourite modern day bands, adds another level to their rapping. This is true for other features such as Nino in ‘Loving Making’, but I enjoyed it most with Grian.

One tool I really appreciated on this album is the interludes, which not only added some level of storytelling to the album (from meeting the British man in ‘KNEECAP Chaps’ to Harrow Road being about London), but also keeps the album lighthearted and an easy listen. This is also very reminiscent of Kojaque‘s most recent album, and as they frequently collaborate on live performances, I can’t help but wonder if there was a link of inspiration here. The album ends on such a surprisingly positive note with ‘Way Too Much’, which takes a very individualistic approach in looking after yourself, which I think is a lovely sentiment. It also features a beautiful slap bass line and a choir, the latter of which somehow enforces the message. Overall, this is a great album, and I can’t wait to see where else KNEECAP go with their music.

-Send recommendations in my asks ! Sorry for not being here for the last month, hopefully this overly yammering post makes up for it lol

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09/02/25

If Looks Could Kill-Destroy Lonely

released 05/05/23 - 26 songs, 1hr 23 min

This is yet another album where I'm unsure as to where I stand with it. On one hand, the earlier songs held a lot of potential for me; they had interesting compositions, with instruments that I hadn’t heard before in my (admittedly narrow) experience of listening to rap. However, halfway through the album, I felt that this appeal faded somewhat, and I was left with the fact that I don’t like the way he sings, under enunciating to an extreme, Having said that, I still really liked some songs, with “moment of silence” and “safety - interlude” standing out as particularly strong to me.

- Send recommendations in my asks !!

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hey, just found yr blog. your posts are really interesting! such a cool concept behind it :)

this isn't a a music rec but if you don't mind - what are some of your personal music favs? i'd love to know if you're willing to share :D

firstly, thank you so much! im glad ur enjoying them :)

i’ll always be a car seat headrest fan, but i can recognise that they’re not everyone’s cup of tea!

for recommendations, out of the albums i’ve rated i’d say that “the new sound” and “death of a ladies man” have been my favourites!

outside of this account, im a huge fan of fontaines dc; their most recent album has such a beautiful sense of nostalgia which i think everyone can appreciate, but if you’re in the mood for some ireland appreciation, “skinty fia” is also amazing (however their second album “a heros death” was my introduction to them and will always be my favourite).

if we’re going a little more niche, kojaque is another incredible irish artist, id recommend either “deli daydreams” or “phantom of the afters”, and all the artists he has as features are also incredible !

another smaller artist ive been liking a lot recently is shefu! they release singles semi regularly and their ep is really good !

sorry for yapping so much LOL i like music a lot !!

thank u for the question :)

- Send recommendations in my asks !

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monthly charts for jan !

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02/02/25

Electric Ladyland- The Jimi Hendrix Experience

released 25/10/1968 - 16 songs, 1 hr 15 mins

This was yet another album I was incredibly excited to listen, as I know how influential Jimi Hendrix has been. However, this was ruined slightly by my previous experience; although I know that he very much revolutionised music with his style of singing + guitar playing, I couldn’t help but hear the artists inspired by this when listening. This isn't to say the album isn't incredible in any way; just that I wish I could experience how incredible it would be to hear for the first time, when it first came out. Having said this, the way Hendrix plays the guitar is simply incredible; at points it truly feels like it’s singing along with him, and I appreciate how you can hear the bass without it being overwhelming. His lyrics are clever + playful, and in songs like “Crossroad Traffic” he works in heavy sexual themes without coming across as crass. Overall, this was such an incredible album.

-Send recommendations in my asks !!

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01/02/25

The New Sound-Geordie Greep

released-04/10/2024- 11 songs, 1 hr 2 mins

The first time l listened to this, I don't think really understood it “as it should be”. I loved it, each song is unique in composition and instruments, and the instrumentals come at the perfect time to allow you to breathe before launching back into the rambling monologues. However, when relistening, I was able to gather the character displayed in those songs, which found far more interesting. I found “Terra” to be a great exploration of this characters self centred nature; he places his suffering as more painful than anyone else’s, whilst “Holy Holy” showed his desperate need for social status with his usage of prostitutes in a purely unsexual manner, which is continued in “As If Waltz'. Eventually. his confident character breaks down, resulting in the 12 minute “The magician”, a beautiful and complex piece. Overall, this is one of the best albums/explorations of a character l've heard.

-Send recommendations in my asks !! Doing a triple post as a sorry for not posting last week

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16/01/25

theres someone in this room just like you- lots of hands

released -27/11/2021 - 7 songs, 20 mins

I knew nothing about this album coming in besides it being an ambient album, which I very much agree with. The album is composed of mostly instruments with a few, not-quite understandable lyrics muttered in a few songs. This results in a hazy feel; the best way I can deserve it is being outside at a party, getting sobered up in the fresh air yet still being drunk, and hearing the quiet ambiance of everyone inside talking and listening to music. This specifie scene got somewhat ruined for me with the last song, where the dominant sounds to me were heavy pulses, however this was still excellent. In conclusion, this is a great short album, and was recommended to me for public transport journeys, which I can see it working perfectly for.

-Send recommendations in my asks !! Thank you so much anon for recommending this :)

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TO LISTEN LIST ♡

albums i will listen to !

send recommendations in my asks

1. sharpen your teeth- ugly casanova

2. andromeda- linus

3. whenever, if ever- twiabpaianlatd

4. what a devastating turn of events- rachel chinouriri

5. nothing feels real- bleach lab

6. radio retaliation- thievery corporation

7. dragon new warm mountain i believe in you- big thief

8. idlewild- everything but the girl

9. the early four track recordings- of montreal

10. three cheers for sweet revenge- my chemical romance

11. stratosphere- duster

12. k’s tape- jamie turner

13. agony- take care

14. best buds- mom jeans

15. boyhood- birth day

16. trick- alex g

17. death consciousness- have a nice life

18. the now and never- what is your name

19. summer death- marrietta

20. sports- mobo

21. blue lines- massive attack

22. koln concert- keith jarrett

23. dimanche à bamako- amadou et mariam

24. the miseducation of Lauryn hill - lauryn hill

25. for lovers- lamp

26. fireworks and rollerblades by benson boone

27. human- rag’n’bone man

28. ye vagabonds - nine waves

29. harvest- neil young

30. jolene- dolly parton

31. set- youssou ndour

32. chet baker sings - chet baker

33. cowboy junkies - the trinity sessions

34. field songs- mark lanegan

35. dummy- portishead

36. afro cuban all stars - a todo cuba le gusta

37. my beautiful dark twisted fantasy- kanye

38. momento,- dinos

39. kind of blue- miles davis

40. the doors- the doors

41. the diary of alicia keys- alicia keys

42. mr freedom- gabin

43. william onyeabor- william onyeabor

44. black classical music- yussef dayes

45. love and hate- michael kiwanuka

46. good kid, maad city- kendrick lamar

47. the score- the fugees

48. get rich or die trying- 50 cent

49. all eyez on me- 2pac

50. unreal unearthed- hozier

51. do little-pixies

52. blue lips - jpeg mafia

53. illmatic - nas

54. WANTINGWANTINGWANTING- deity of chaos

55. title fight- shed

56. persona- half-life

57. 4eva is a mighty long time- big krit

58. this could be texas- english school teacher

59. the stranger- billy joel

60. part one- the west coast pop experimental band

61. manc- skullthepierre

62. to forget- wishing

63. either/or- elliot smith

64. Cardinal- pinegrove

65. songs of leonard cohen- leonard cohen

66. cinema- the marias

67. days before rodeo- travis scott

68. welcome- slaughter beach, dog

69. when the pawn…- fiona apple

70. any other city- life without buildings

71. tear jerky- sparkly deathcap

72. stick season- noah kahan

73. no place like home- vacations

74. power andre 99- silica gel

75. desire- bob dylan

76. rumours- fleetwood mac

77. perverts- ethel cain

78. gemini rights- steve lacy

79. complete recordings- the liverbirds

80. in the aeroplane over the sea- neutral milk hotel

81. intercontinental- joe pass

82. we’re all down the rabbit hole- the last whole earth catalog

83. harmony of difference- kamasi washington

84. cardinal- pinegrove

85. no thank you- little simz

86. lord of the rings soundtrack- howard shore

87. stone roses- stone roses

88. help!- beatles

89. making movies- dire straits

90. square 1- blackpink

91. for those which wish to exist- architect

92. the part where i become a ghost- nicoteens

93. blue suicide- coma cinema

94. koori woman blues- marlene cummins

95. fruit for flies- the army, the navy

96. its a shame about ray- lemonheads

97. into a pretty room- lots of hands

98. are you experienced- jimi hendrix

99. milira- milira

100. open the door- lazy day

101. give a monkey a brain and he’ll swear he’s at the center of the universe- fishbone

102. awaken my love- childish gambino

103. pieces of a man- gil scott-heron

104. whats going on- marvin gaye

105. songs in the key of life- stevie wonder

106. come in- weatherday

107. 3cag- KNEECAP

108. time- electric light orchestra

109. UGLY- slowthai

110. No Fear of Time- Black Star

111. bright future- adrianne lenker

112. superunknown- sound garden

113. somos todos iguais nesta noite- ivan lins

114. Forever Howlong- Black Country, New Road

115. Chrysalis- Malaki

116. In the Court of the Crimson King- King Crimson

117. Blindness - The Murder Capital

118. Hugo- Loyle Carner

119. DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS- Bad Bunny

120. Matière Noire- Mass Hysteria

121. Ctrl- SZA

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21/01/25

EP! - JPEGMAFIA

released - 6/11/2020 9 songs, 26 mins

I found this album to vary very much when it came to my enjoyment of it; ‘BALD’ and the second half of ‘COVERED IN MONEY’ were very enjoyable, but other songs blended into one in my mind. The overall tone of the album stays light-hearted with clever wordplay and switches between melodic and spoken rap, the former of which I enjoyed more. At parts the instrumentals felt a bit empty for me; with not much more than percussion + noise going on, which was definitely my least favourite thing. However, this was overall a good short EP to listen to.

- Send recommendations in my asks ! Completely reorganised my reviews + to listen list, so check those out if u wanna :)

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you should check out "there's someone in this room just like you" by lots of hands, if you haven't already :)

it's an ambient album - i quite enjoy it but it's an older release so not quite indicative of the more recent work… new album is out, like, tonight ? i think ?? their new work is imo better but there's someone in this room just like you is a personal fave for public transport

love ur blog !! :)

thank you so much anon! will add to my list and try to listen soon :)

have a lovely day !

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12/1/25

Motorcycle.jpg-Slaughter Beach, Dog

released - 14/7/2017, 4 songs, 13 mins

This is a very short EP, so if I’m honest I wasn’t expecting much coming in. However, I really liked these songs. The instrumentals and vocals are quite typical with a (as far as I can tell) pretty standard band setup + a nice but slightly whiney voice. To me though, the real selling point of these songs is their lyrics; they’re so incredibly personal that you can't help but feel connected to the writer of them .I particularly like the way in which these use repetition; lyrics are said twice with slight changes, which I find beautiful. My favourite song was ‘Your Cat’; I liked how happy the instrumentals were and how this contrasted the melancholic lyrics, as well as the harmonica (?) coming in at the end, which I thought was so unique and beautiful.

- Send recommendations in my asks ! Sorry for posting this late, I lowkey just spent all of yesterday evening watching a jack manifold stream.

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not an album on my list but Clever Girl’s “No Drum and Bass in the Jazz Room” is such a good EP! Purely instrumental + sooo good; the earlier songs remind me a lot of BC,NR’s style of instrumental.

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05/01/25

Rodeo- Travis Scott

released- 4/9/2015, 16 songs, 1hr 15min

This was the album I was most excited for so far; none of the albums I’ve listened to so far have been very adventurous. However, I can’t see myself listening to Travis Scatt if not for this challenge, which made me very excited! The first things I noticed were the features; this is the first album that I’ve 'reviewed' with any features, let alone such huge figures. The songs in this album vary a lot I felt, with songs like ‘90210' having a softer piano in the background, whilst ‘Piss on Your Grave’ is mostly comprised of one lyric repeated. I canto help out feel like I missed out on a majority of this album; with rap, I feel like the lyrics take priority and me not having the Iyries up impeded my ability to fully listen to the album as it was intended. Maybe because of this, or maybe just due to the way the album was constructed, I felt that this was more of a compilation of songs rather than an album. I feel like the order I listened to it in wouldn’t have affected my listening experience.

- Send recommendations in my asks ! I’m finally caught up with my previous reviews, so from now on I’ll be posting every Sunday!

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24/12/24

Submarine-the Marías

released -31/05/2024, 14 songs, 45 mins

Starting off, this album has a vastly different sound to what l expected, with the first two tracks having quite an electronic feel which I personally didn't like. However, after this, I found the album very good, with the singers voice having a dreamlike quality which mashed well with both the faster and slower songs. I also liked the spanish influences that were incorporated , both in language (obviously, with ‘Lejos de Ti’ and ‘Ay No Puedo’) but also in the style of guitar played. My favourite song was ‘Vicious Sensitive Robot’, which felt different from the others, and I got a Radiohead feel from it.

- Send recommendations in my asks!