I have returned to review music once again for the esteemed NHS Hilltopper and I’m ready for an even better year. While I plan to return to the format used last year, I decided to switch it up a little bit for the first edition of the Music Report. In this article I will be ranking the last five albums I listened to for the first time, and break down each of them individually. The ranking will be based on technique, style, and personal enjoyment. It’s important when reading or watching reviews of music to remember that music is inherently subjective--I also want to preface this ranking by saying I have listened to some pretty good albums in the past few weeks, and the rankings will certainly change over time.
5- Emotional Creature, Beach Bunny
Emotional Creature was, to say the least, not good, although it wasn’t horrendous. This album was released this year and is from the indie pop rock group Beach Bunny. As a fan of Beach Bunny’s earlier work, I was disappointed when listening to this album because it’s boring, generic, and cheesy. Nothing stuck out to me from this album other than the incredibly cheesy lyrics; for example, in the song “Scream,” the first verse goes as follows: “I feel conflicted, but it’s excitement, maybe I’m nervous.” Tell me that doesn’t sound like a fourth grader wrote the song. While this album didn’t show any improvement or evolution in their music, some songs were able to capture the magic of their more successful tracks. The one song that really stuck out to me was the song “Weeds,” but the rest of it felt like computer generated music. This album is the only one on this list that I thought was legitimately bad.
4- Everyone Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We, The Cranberries
It pains me to put this album this low because I really enjoyed it, but there are just so many good albums on this list. I love the sound of The Cranberries, and I thought that their unique sound was displayed very well on this album. The reason this album didn’t chart higher is that it just didn’t wow me. There are some amazing songs on Why Can’t We like the hit song “Dreams”; however, I felt that many of the tracks on this album were just status-quo. No part of this album was bad, but many parts of it could have been better.
3- The Queen is Dead, The Smiths
This is another album I’m disappointed to put so low because it’s very good. The Queen is Dead by The Smiths is a great project by an all-time classic band. The Smiths are, subjectively, the godfathers of indie rock, and they deliver with maybe their best on this project. One thing I enjoyed about this album was that while the main component of it was their signature angst and sadeness, they were able to branch out and blend genres a bit. I really don’t think that this album had many flaws other than the fact that it was a bit shorter than most, and some of the music I thought was a bit boring.
2- Self Titled, Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center is a self-titled debut project by indie duo Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst. As a big Phoebe Bridgers fan, I really liked this project. The album is an indie rock-folk album that explores themes of sadness and solitude. I particularly love the duets between Bridgers and Oberst, and I think the singers really help bring each other's voice out. Overall, this album is a great, trademark Phoebe Bridgers folk album with a heavy influence of rock and the vocals of Oberst.
1- Die Lit, Playboi Carti
Die Lit by Playboi Carti is an absolute classic trap album, and dare I say one of the greatest trap albums of all time. This album is what really pushed Carti into the spotlight, and I completely get why. One reason this album is so enjoyable is that it's filled with great features including Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert. This project also consists of classic Carti storytelling, rapping, and of course, his signature ad-libs. Overall I was very impressed with this record; however, as a newer fan of Carti was surprised by the lack of fire that inhabits his 2020 Album, Whole Lotta Red.