Week 1: What have I been listening to? (Weekly retrospect)

With an attempt of keeping up with the consistency of this website and the releases of this year I’m starting this little weekly series.

This blog will released every Saturday and then a monthly wrap-up at the end of each month. I will be relying on sections so this blog can stay neat in format and so it can be an enjoyable read. Sectioned off with the titles of albums, EP’s, and singles. I will be going over and rating everything new to me that I listened to each according week...so to keep this intro short I’m going to jump into it.

ALBUMS

Rid Of me-PJ Harvey (1971)

Alternative Rock

Although not new by any means this album is something I just recently listened to and I was blown away with how visceral and raw it was. I actually found about this album through the Pitchfork website and it had a 10/10 rating and I had been meaning to get back more into rock so it was almost perfect in timing. With this project being almost 50 years old it doesn’t sound outdated and could easily be mistaken for a newer project on your first listen. The guitar riffs are fresh and sound particularity amazing on each track and the drum arrangements are well thought-out and complements Harvey‘s voice as well. Speaking of which she also has a great voice for showcasing emotions and when there are parts that she just let’s go and just starts shouting are probably my favorite sections because of how uncut and raw they are. In my opinion this album is just way to underrated and deserves way more attention as a lot of key elements from this project can be seen in other rock projects released today.

RATING: 10/10

Blank Canvas-Little Simz (2013)

Hip-Hop

With the newest installment of her discography being on my “Top 50 albums of 2019“ list I decided to check out one of her earlier projects that I had not listened to. One thing I can always say about Simz is that her flows have and continue to be articulate in nature. She can be quick with it and keep great pacing and she can slow things down to get the listener to pay attention to what she spits. Although I wouldn’t say this is as good as “Grey Area” this project alone is still worth a listen as with it you can see her steady development into being a better well-rounded artist. Even so this project also showcases that she has always had the lyrical ability to obliterate any track which she is graced upon. The only song I sorta disliked was “Love In The Key Of E.T” which uses the hook from ”3:16 am“ by Jhene Aiko. I love both artist truly but it just seems a little off compared to the other tracks in my opinion but regardless lyrically i still appreciate the track.

RATING: 8/.510

I Disagree-Poppy (2020)

Kawaii Metal/Rock

The stark contrast between this project and her earlier works is wild and the change did not just come out of nowhere her recently released EP “Choke” hinted at a more metal and rock based tracks. I personally loved ”Choke” and after a few interviews of Poppy hinting at the change of sounds and genres for this specific project I was ready for a more heavy hitting experience and she did not fail in that category. With her using a soft passive voice during parts you are knocked into another world when the guitar rifts and drums start blaring and she’s screaming. Like on the track “Anything Like Me” is a prefect example of this it’s chaotic and all over the place but a great track overall. I like the incorporation of the industrial and electronic elements put in to give the project more personality. I feel like personally I had really high hopes for this title and it hit most of the marks and I would qualify it as great project overall i guess the only true problem I had with this is that well there’s nothing i really find wrong except I’ve seen bands do a similar sound and I have seen it done better but for her first full project with this style she did it pretty well and I give her props for that.

RATING: 8/10

EP’s

Out of touch EP-Beauty Queen (2019)

Indie Rock

This project is really refreshing for me it’s calm and airy. With the tracks on this EP being her only tracks released it gives a great first impression and shows that she‘s a great artist. Her music gives me this 1980’s and 1990’s vibe and sound which I really appreciate. All the tracks having a certain style and mood all blend together pretty cohesively and then there’s “Sold You Out“ my favorite track from her that has been on repeat because of the emotions and instrumentation. It‘s a quality track and no matter how many times I’ve heard it just this week it just doesn’t wear and grow off of me. I feel like this is a great start for her and I hope she releases some new music this year because I would love to see her try and use more versatility in dabble in different sounds and styles.

RATING: 7.7/10

STROODLES-Cousin Kyla (2019)

Alternative/indie/Psychedelic pop

This just happened to be a very random listen but its a decent project and has a very distinct sound which sets It apart from the projects that I’ve had the pleasure of listening to. Hands down “Brain Abroad“ being my favorite track from the group being on this specific project because its a “Pysch Pop on rainbow steroids“ as said by a friend of mines. Each song is a swirling mixture of pop, disco, funk, psychedelia, and afrobeat that opens our auditory palate to a whole different level. It’s crazy how in only five tracks they were able to perfectly intertwine so many elements, sounds, and styles into this one EP. One thing I really enjoy about the band is their ability to make some of the best choruses to ever grace man kind if you don’t remember any of the lyrics trust me you’ll remember the chorus of any of the songs. With the layered indie electronic beats mixed in with guitar, bass and drums I couldn’t help but find myself nodding and tapping my feet to the music.

RATING: 9.3

SINGLES

Lonely-Doja cat (2019)

Pop Rap

I never realized I missed this released being only released on her SoundCloud and on a couple YouTube channels. It’s very soft on the production with a soft bass almost sounds like bedroom pop type beat. With her singing the chorus and outro while rapping the verses it’s not overly impressive lyrically with a few references but I think it’s a decent sounding track from her but nowhere near her best. Talking about how her boyfriend makes feel lonely even when he’s directly talking to her and discusses the reason why that could be it’s your typical pop cliche but Doja puts her own spin to it.

RATING:6/10

Three thirty-Reaper (2017)

Psychedelic Pop/RnB

From the initial beat drop to the end of the song it’s a smooth and crisp track. This is a track I can wholeheartedly recommend to everyone. The chorus is slick and sounds amazing. The bass line that casually rides the beat is fantastic. Although his voice isn't anything great or new it does the job from his pronouncements and pacing it all works in his favor for a really chill track.

RATING:10/10

OUTRO

Hopefully this is enough for a decent read I hope to dive into more recent projects as this year continues as more projects will be released. Well thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day or night and hopefully I’ll see you next week peace.