Over the week-long February break I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I decided to use my time to indulge in my hobby of listening to music. During the last couple weeks, I’ve listened to upwards of 12 albums and I’m excited to share my thoughts on them. For these breakdowns I’m not going to go into extreme detail. I will list my favorite song(s), album rating, and my brief thoughts on these various albums. I hope my reviews spark enjoyment or curiosity in many readers.
Album: 4 Your Eyez Only
Artist: J.Cole
Favorite Song(s): She’s Mine Pt. 1, 4 Your Eyez Only
Rating: 8
Thoughts: I think that this album is severely underrated. I really liked this different side of J.Cole shown throughout this album. While this project doesn’t quite live up to J.Cole’s previous album 2014 Forest Hills Drive --which I consider one of the best modern hip-hop albums of all-time-- it is a much more intimate look at J.Cole. I think the bits of vulnerability are the best parts of this album and are what make this album so special. Some of J.Cole’s peak storytelling is in this album. One critique of this album is that it is slow or boring at times, but I would say that critique isn’t entirely true at least in my eyes. I would recommend this album especially if you are a hip-hop fan or already a J.Cole fan.
Album: Stranger in the Alps
Artist: Phoebe Bridgers
Favorite Song: Motion Sickness
Rating: 8
Thoughts: I went into this album not really knowing much about Phoebe Bridgers and I was pleasantly surprised. This album was actually pretty good and I enjoyed listening to it. While Bridgers’ second album Punisher seems to be more popular, I believe that this album is just as good, if not better. What appeals to many about Phoebe Bridgers is her music's ability to touch the listeners emotional chords, and this album is a very good example of this ability. I would recommend this album but beware it takes a bit of a sadder tone.
Album: KIDS
Artist: Mac Miller
Favorite Song: Knock Knock
Rating: 8
Thoughts: This early Mac Miller album is very fun, catchy, light hearted and is a great listen. This project is some of my favorite Mac Miller pieces just because it's a great vibe. This album has been described to have “early 2000’s skater vibes” and I think this is a near perfect encapsulation of KIDS. This album is great to put on when hanging out with friends or just hanging out by yourself. Again, I would recommend this album to anyone looking for a good listen.
Album: Honeymoon
Artist: Beach Bunny
Favorite Song: Ms. California
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: I was unfamiliar with Beach Bunny before listening to this album and I was not disappointed. I really like Beach Bunny’s sound, and I look forward to their next album because I think they have great potential. While I don’t really listen to much indie pop/rock, Beach Bunny is definitely one of my favorite indie bands. I would recommend this album to people who like indie pop and if you're looking for a fun pop rock album.
Album: Melodic Blue
Artist: Baby Keem
Favorite Song: 16
Rating: 5.5
Thoughts: While this Melodic Blue wasn’t a bad album, I just wasn’t a huge fan of it. This album received a lot of hype when it was released and I had high hopes for this album, but I was disappointed. There were a couple pretty good songs on Melodic Blue, but altogether I felt that it was a pretty boring album. While I didn’t hate this album, there are better hip-hop albums out there.
Album: Don’t Forget About Me, Demos
Artist: Dominic Fike
Favorite Song: 3 Nights/ Westcoast Collective
Rating: 9
Thoughts: I’m not exactly sure if Don’t Forget About Me, Demos is an album or an EP, but regardless it’s excellent. With the increasing popularity of Dominic Fike I decided to listen to this album and it was a great decision. The total runtime of this project is only a little over 17 minutes, but it's an amazing 17 minutes with absolutely no skips. This album would probably be classified as indie rock, but even if you’re not the biggest fan of the genre I believe that most people would like this album and I recommend it to all.