Marilyn Manson – “1 Assassination Under God 2” review

This is the 13th studio LP from Ohio singer/songwriter, actor, painter & writer Marilyn Manson. Signing to Nothing Records & Interscope Records, his debut Portrait of an American Family proved to be a passable industrial rock/alt-metal debut although The Triptych launched him into international stardom. Said triptych including Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals & my favorite Holywood: In the Shadow of the Valley. The Golden Age of Grotesque & Eat Me, Drink Me were both received to mixed responses as was his final Interscope offering The High End of the Low & the Loma Vista Recordings debut Born Villain. However during my senior year of high school, The Pale Emperor made his true return to form followed by Heaven Upside Down & the Shooter Jennings-produced We Are Chaos wrapped up his Loma Vista contract. Marilyn hasn’t been around musically in a while because of psychological & sexual abuse allegations, which I can’t speak for myself on whether they’re true or false. Coming off his Nuclear Blast Records debut 1 Assassination Under God however, he’s back for a sequel.

“Unalive” begins with a goth rock intro singing about his eyes never weeping & being the only enemy we need whereas “Don’t Answer the Door” shifts towards an industrial rock vibe speaking of the tongues coveting us & consuming every last thing they see. “Front Toward Enemy” was a rebellious industrial metal/rock single with secondary influences of alternative metal demanding those on the ground to get up & right while “All the Vilest Things” dismisses revenge because those who tried to destroy him made him stronger.

Kicking off the 2nd half, “None of the Suns” takes it back to the goth rock sound singing about being in the black now at the end of everything while “Lucifer’s Teardrop” goes industrial rock again likening his heart to a loaded gun. “The Arsonist” sings about being the poison one can’t ever take over an industrially alternative rock crossover & once “Exit Wound” tolerably culminates all the general sounds explored to get resilient, the outro “Enantiomorph” concludes 1 Assassination Under God 2 singing about refusing to let people kill him or break his love.

Regardless of where Marilyn Manson goes beyond the 1 Assassination Under God duology, I can confidently say I enjoyed this final chapter more than its companion which felt like a cross between Mechanical Animals & Holywood. The darker production primarily leans towards the industrial rock side of things than 1 Assassination Under God 2‘s predecessor did retaining elements of alt-rock, alternative metal, goth rock & industrial metal using each stone he had thrown at him to sharpen his edges & outgrow purgatory.

Score: 4/5

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Phoebe Bridgers – “Lost Weekend” review

Phoebe Bridgers is a 31 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Pasadena, California known for being 1/3 of the supergroup Boygenius & formerly 1/2 of the Better Oblivion Community Center. Her 2017 full-length studio debut Stranger in the Alps as well as the 2020 sophomore effort Punisher would individual become some of the most crucial indie folk recorded this decade for their own separate reasons, returning after a 30 month hiatus to put out her 3rd studio LP following her own label Saddest Factory Records’ demise.

“The Outside” made for a sparsely slow intro produced by Jack Antonoff using a vocoder to discuss cycling or overlapping identities whereas “Lost Boys” fuses folk rock, indie rock, heartland rock, Americana & indie folk putting a more tragic spin on the group of children Peter Pan leads. “Kill Me” has a janglier quality to it mentioning her boyfriend Bo Burnham while “The Governor’s Waltz” recalls her previous relationship with Paul Mescal embracing a singer/songwriter vibe.

Meanwhile on the indie rock-inspired “Bobby”, we have Phoebe telling Bo she believes he’s truly the one for himl prior to the title track continuing to delve more into her calling off her engagement to Paul & referencing the way John Lennon described his 18-month separation from his widow Yoko Ono. “Haunted” turns up the Americana influences reusing the same ghost motif Phoebe has become known for musically until “Panorama” recalls a high-rise hotel stay interrupted by a cryptic visitor.

“Still Standing” acoustically kicks off the 2nd half of Lost Weekend looking back at the complex relationship she had with her abusive father following his death while “Liberty Tree” details on how things are currently going with Bo Burnham & I felt him doing background vocals was a sweet little nod. “Never Going Back!” combines a capellas with acoustics & a voicemail from her father expanding on the relationship they had while the intense “Other Plans” further embrace the John Lennon influences.

After the compositional “Lost Parade” intermission, “I Can’t Wait” winds down Lost Weekend’s final act embracing an ambient pop direction singing about accepting the 2 contradicting parts of her identity while “As Above” breaks down her perception of grief & love over layered instrumentation. A sequel to the title track concludes the album with a full circle moment revisiting the ideas of that song & breaking a cycle via a hard-earned catharsis.

Being introduced to Phoebe Bridgers after she was featured on the final installment of KiD CuDi’s historic Man on the Moon trilogy at the end of 2020 & later SZA’s sophomore effort S.O.S., Lost Weekend expands the artistic growth of Punisher far enough where I can say she had made her finest collection of material. The indie folk, singer/songwriter, Americana, indie rock, folktronica & ambient production Jack Antonoff handles compliments the themes exploring past her past relationships, the formation of a stable new relationship, grief & dissociation with her fame.

Score: 4.5/5

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benny blanco – “Hermoso” review

benny blanco is a 38 year old producer, songwriter, record executive & author from Reston, Virginia who made his debut in 2018 with Friends Keep Secrets under Interscope Records. He recently produced my favorite album Selena Gomez has ever made I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back in the spring of last year preceding their marriage several months later, departing from A&M Records following a 10 month tenure on the label to drop his sophomore effort that I’m sure will have a 2nd disc much like the predecessor a week after Adam Page & Brodido ended The Demand’s week-long reign as AEW World Trios Champions at Grand Slam VIII in partnership with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) at Arena México.

“Un poco perdido” by Neton Vega opens up drunkenly admitting he’s lost whereas “Te Olvido (La La)” by Becky G & Selena Gomez blends Latin pop, reggaetón & cumbatión asking what their partners have that no one else does. “Joven y salvaje” by Bb trickz co-produced by Cashmere Cat wasn’t bad of a contemporary R&B, pop rap, bedroom pop, alt-pop, post-punk revival single talking about not wanting to pick up the phone while the dream pop-inspired “Memoria De Paz” by The Marías depicts 2 lovers holding the sound of their voices on the phone tightly.

After the “Te Amo” interlude, “Ay Bendito” by Mora featuring co-production from Ovy on the Drums takes a breezier approach instrumentally getting sexual with the songwriting & “Degenere” by Myke Towers succeeding the “Cinco” skit properly concludes Hermoso with a reggaetón closer fans of his already heard a couple years ago when his 5th album La Pantera Negra came out so it’s a bit unnecessary although I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad introduction for those who’ve never heard of him.

Part of me respects benny blanco for what he’s musically done with artists like Eminem & of course the late Juice WRLD in the past, but I do find it strange for him to go full Latin for a Friends Keep Secrets follow-up that I’d consider weaker than his debut. Hermoso’s production is more Latin-heavy experimenting with Latin pop, reggaetón, cumbatión, contemporary R&B, pop rap, bedroom pop, alt-pop, post-punk revival & dream pop except I feel like it doesn’t come from a sincere place like Cypress Hill’s latest full-length Dios Bendiga.

Score: 1.5/5

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Smash Mouth – “Mercury Comet” review

Smash Mouth is an alternative power pop band from San Jose, California consisting of bassist Paul DeLisle, keyboardist Michael Klooster, drummer Randy Cooke, guitarist Sean Hurwitz & frontman Zach Goode. Originally fronted by Steve Harwell from their inception to 2021, their 1997 debut Fush Yu Mang & the 1999 sophomore effort Astro-Lounge under Interscope Records are widely celebrated as their strongest material. Self-titled, Get the Picture?, The Gift of Rock, Summer Girl & Magic were received mediocrely at best & horrid at worst. 3 years after Steve’s death, they’re keeping the band on life support for their 8th LP.

“Better Believer” made for an average power pop, pop rock & geek rock intro calling back to their cover of “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees whereas “Whiskey, Gin & Wine” questionably sings about alcohol considering Steve’s death was brought on by alcoholism. “Had Enuff” was an underwhelming cross between pop rock, freakbeat, baggy, power pop & geek rock singing about being fed up with somebody just before “Big Sur Sky” makes a tacky metaphor for being a star one of Cali’s darkest areas.

We have Zach & company taking it back to the Get the Picture? era stylistically on “House of the Setting Sun” singing about always going home if you can’t find the door preceding “Monsters on My Block” hideously mutating pop rock, geek rock, cocktail nation, power pop, freakbeat, funk rock & new tone to wrap up the 1st half. “New Wave Rodeo” gets the 2nd act going making mediocre references to a plethora of older musical acts including Devo & Elvis Costello while “Gimmie Gimmie” provides a cringeworthy tale of some dude in a bind not wanting to share with his partner.

“Jackie-O” sings about thinking he’d seen everything until he saw the titular character diving headfirst into a wishing well while “Soaking Up the Sun” goes for a ska rock direction yearning to chill by the ocean to escape from all the turmoil in our world. “Face in the Crowd” sings about them looking for a way in the current landscape when I think disbanding would be the properly solution to that & “Midnight Doctor (Mercury Comet)” concludes the album putting us inside the shoes of a morning regretter.

There’s literally no reason for Smash Mouth to even try continuing post-Magic & unsurprisingly, Mercury Comet in comparison ties it’s predecessor over a decade ago to become the most unpleasant listening experience of their discography. The alternative pop rock, power pop, pop punk, geek rock, cocktail nation, pop, freakbeat, baggy, funk rock & new tone production sadly gets wasted on Zach Goode’s unbearable vocals & Paul DeLisle’s awful songwriting.

Score: 0.5/5

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Sk8star – “The Beautiful Rebellion” review

This is the latest extended play & the 8th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Emerging all the way back in 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up with a total of 7 more EPs & a couple of mixtapes preceding him signing to Island Records for his full-length studio debut Designer Junkie this past spring marking a full circle moment when reflecting upon his earlier output. As he prepares for the upcoming sophomore effort After the Gala though, The Beautiful Rebellion has only just begun.

“Lo Mein” begins with a decent opener likening his girl to a vampire whereas “Bloodhound” produced by Pi’erre Bourne talks about these other muhfuckas being out of bounds compared to him. “Doom” featuring Pz’ finds the pair trading verses over an ahead of the curve trap instrumental from Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group leading into “Churchs’” bringing Richie Souf back behind the boards to resurrect the chemistry they displayed throughout Designer Junkie, talking about being the hood type.

Kicking off the 2nd half of the EP, we have Pi’erre & Sk8 cooking up 1 last banger together with the pluggy “Callin’” confronting someone who stayed the same unlike him evolving just before “Sk8rokk” introduces us to the titular MC/producer duo dissin’ those who run with what’s popular. “Loose Tooth” reunites with Richie Souf talking about receiving oral while the closing track “Siamese” featuring diamond* spends The Beautiful Rebellion’s final minutes discussing exactly how slimey each of them are individually.

Couple longtime fans of Sk8star I know have since hailed Designer Junkie to be the Take Care of his discography & regardless of my uncertainty towards that claim, I can say it was a satisfying culmination of everything he was doing throughout it’s preceding EPs & mixtapes. The Beautiful Rebellion nevertheless preludes After the Gala in the form of a tasteful transitional phase in Sk8’s career enlisting a couple ØWay members to remind the world on top of 16 minutes worth of tight trap, rage, plugg & cloud rap production that they really do this.

Score: 3.5/5

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Wakko the Kidd – “Infinity” review

Hollywood, California rapper & entrepreneur Wakko the Kidd staying busy with his sophomore effort. Introducing himself in the summer of 2018 off his debut single “Multiple Racks”, he would go on to launch his own strain of cannabis called Airheadz a year later. However a couple summers ago, the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records & has performed at many of their events like the Gathering of the Juggalos or Hallowicked. Coming off his full-length debut In Airheadz We Trust & The Kidd That Did, I was highly anticipating Infinity since MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 was solely producing it himself.

After the intro, “17 Dead” opens with a homage to the ICP song of the same name until “For the Haters” featuring Esham kinda has a boom bap vibe instrumentally sending a message to the people who’ve doubted them along the way. “Why” goes for a trap direction trying to figure out the reason everyone tries to blame him just before “Chasing Shadows” featuring Brotha Lynch Hung talks about making the bitch known as jealously their girlfriends.

“Dark Skies” kicks off the 2nd half of Infinity professing his loyalty always lying with Juggalo Championship Wrestling (JCW) Commissioner Violent J because he believed in him when no one else did while “Mirage (High All the Time)” embraces a calmer trap direction so the Kidd can talk about not trusting anyone since life’s an optical illusion. “Don’t Let Me Down” ghostly discusses not being left disappointed & the closing track “Save My Life” recalls a near-death experience.

In Airheadz We Trust & The Kidd That Did each have their own share of songs that made me understand why Psychopathic signed Wakko the Kidd, but Infinity finally gives us that 1 project I always knew he had in him that would finally shut up the detractors who’ve initially rejected almost every other artist who joined the hatchet until eventually leaving. 7’s production is a huge upgrade from Wakko’s earlier output, there are only a couple wicked shit guests joining him & it’s make absolutely sense for the west coast artist to step up his own performances.

Score: 4/5

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Cletus Strap – “rappers suck.” review

This is the 2nd extended play & Tan Cressida Records debut from Inglewood, California emcee/producer Cletus Strap. Dropping his debut St. Cletus in 2022, he would go on to follow it up with the Hidden Agenda EP along with the sophomore effort serving as the sequel & What Might Happen. Tan Cressida recently announced there would be a new & improved version of the label, releasing rappers suck. to commemorate this forthcoming era of widely showcasing up-&-coming talent.

“Paddleball” begins with a 90 second lowend intro produced by Earl Sweatshirt dismissing any back-&-forth shit coming his way whereas “chilli” takes a cloudy stoner rap approach psychedelically talking about smoking weed. “on tha run” works in some prominent synthesizers prior to “risk it” featuring VIP Skylark wrapping up the 1st half with the weakest guest appearance of the 2 if I had to pick, although the cloudy drill vibe in general to be sweet.

We have Cletus on “fuck no” talking about not bringing any money around him because it’s high stakes just before “nonchalant” featuring Earl Sweatshirt finds the pair talking about moving calmly combining cloud rap with Jersey club rap & sexy drill. “goose chase” hooks up a soul sample to advise against fuckin’ around in risky situations & the closer “way more fun” concludes rappers suck. talking about still taking charge regardless of his tab remaining open.

Black Noi$e dropped his only album Oblivion through Tan Cressida Records back in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic so that technically makes Cletus Strap the 2nd artist other than Earl to drop new music under the imprint, but rappers suck. widely introduces us to him by giving us 20 minutes of the finest material he’s made. The trap, cloud rap, drill, plugg, lowend, Jersey club rap, sexy drill & pluggnb production separates Cletus from Earl’s experimentally abstract style well although the lethargic delivery might not be for everyone.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ravyn Lenae – “Blue Island” review

Ravyn Lenae is a 27 year old singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois who broke out as a member of the 0 Fatigue collective. She would later sign to Atlantic Records & dropped 3 extended plays, including Moon Shoes as well as Midnight Moonlight & Crush. However, her full-length debut Hypnos alongside the sophomore effort Bird’s Eye have each contributed to her elevation amongst the most interesting R&B artists today & that was a huge reason for giving her 3rd studio LP a shot.

“Handle” produced by DJ Dahi opens up blending pop rock, the Minneapolis sound, new wave & alt-pop to sing about her love being more than the average person can typically put up with whereas “Familiar Dreams” confronts a person who’s become a stranger to her. “Never Let Me Go” feels like a cross between Hypnos & Bird’s Eye pleading for her partner not to leave her side until “In & Out” sings about the inability of letting this person she sees everywhere know how she feels.

Meanwhile on “Potential”, we have Ravyn suggesting she needs a break & declaring herself to be the one fucking with this guy’s head at night just before “Sew Me Back Together” sings about confessing to her lover that things get old real quickly when they’re not accompanying her. “Reputation” featuring Dominic Fike wraps up the 1st half of Blue Island portraying themselves as a dysfunctional couple leading into the final single “Saturday Night” combining freestyle, contemporary R&B, synthpop, chillwave & synth-funk singing about an ex missing her on a weekend.

“Babygirl” featuring Doechii continues the album’s 2nd act uniting for an R&B/hip hop crossover courtesy of Karriem Riggins reflecting on the risks they took in order to get in the positions they are presently but after “Barriers” yearns for a man who won’t run when it’s too deep including her suggesting he doesn’t back from showing any affection because she clearly came back for more, “Wish You Well” sends her final regards to an ex who can’t get her off his mind advising he moves on with his life & clarifying the breakup was to better herself.

The song “Bobby” has a more upbeat tone to it confronting our titular character regarding whether they should continue their relationship or end it right then & there while “Find It 1 Day” uses a composed rhyme to remind an ex of a love they fumbled except she’s making it clear towards the end that she still cares about this individual over a No I.D. beat. “Let Us In” takes up Blue Island’s concluding moments singing about getting emotional when the sun goes down, only to let it all out.

Marking a transitioning point in Ravyn Lenae’s career, Blue Island has me looking forward to what she & DJ Dahi can do going forward now that her ambitions have been redefined. The latter’s production maintains the primary contemporary R&B & pop influences of Bird’s Eye a couple years earlier including secondary elements of sophisti-pop, pop rock, new wave, folk rock, soft rock, synthpop, chillwave & synth-funk to explore the spaces between what once was & what could be.

Score: 4/5

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1300SAINT – “NewDrug2.” review

This is the 5th extended play from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT. Known for staying out of the box with a versatile sound & style drawing in listeners from all walks of life painting pictures of all colors & shapes to create a true experience for his audience, the heavy 808 based instrumentals he lays his smooth vocals over on his full-length debut Noir makes you feel every song a little more than usual & led to Young Thug signing him to YSL Records not too long after he came home Halloween 2024. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, a sequel to the latter has arrived without any prior announcement

“Encore.” hops over a rage beat talking about never missing shots again & after “Nightgown.” chaotically observing the surreality of his new lifestyle, “Painkillers”. reached the halfway point looking to get so geeked that he can’t feel his face. “Tattoos.” kicks off the 2nd act telling a woman to get tatted if she truly loves him leading into “NotASong.” talking about God giving us what we need rather than what we want. “808s.” lastly wraps up the EP in the form of a 2-parter encouraging someone not to lose their ways.

It was originally announced on Twitter back in April that he would be dropping Saint Season 2 later this year & now 1300SAINT has confirmed the idea was scrapped, he’s giving us a taste of what we can expect out of his upcoming 3rd album Pretty Boy later this year with a solid continuation of the NewDrug. saga. Might not have any criticisms regarding his performances, but the rage-inducing production doesn’t impress me the same way his sophomore effort did last fall.

Score: 3/5

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Pooh Shiesty – “All Eyes on Shiest” review

This could potentially be the only studio album from Memphis, Tennessee rapper & songwriter Pooh Shiesty. Signing to Gucci Mane’s historic 1017 Global in tandem with Atlantic Records in April 2020 off the single “Main Slime”, he would later drop the Shiesty Season mixtape merely 10 months afterwards until serving a 3 year prison sentence. However, he’s dropping All Eyes on Shiest under 1017/Atlantic ahead of his upcoming trial for armed robbery & conspiracy to kidnap.

2-time WWE Hall of Famer, former 16-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 6-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE tag team champion & 9-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair gets referenced during the intro “I’m Back” talking about his return whereas “Federal Reality” ironically flexes burning his prison uniform when he’s likely spending the rest of his life back behind bars for being stupid.

“Reap What You Sow” talks about laying low & playing slow being the motto around his parts of town leading into “Last Man Breathin’” containing one of my favorite instrumentals from Mike & Keys despite him discussing the struggle of rapping & being caught up in the streets. “Collecting Tears” talks about stealing hoes & putting them up on game over a Dez Wright beat just before “Still on Timing” featuring Big30 speaks of stealing 2 different souls together.

Sexyy Red appears for the raunchy strip club anthem “Booty Club” produced by the late Tay Keith delivering another standout instehmebtal leading into “Reckless Living” wrapping up the 1st act of All Eyes on Shiest talking about him making his lifestyle vivid for people. “CMO” featuring Baby Slime, Big30 & K Carbon finds the quartet uniting for an underwhelming freestyle until “McLaren Truck” talks about him sticking up Gucci.

“Trip” hits us with more mediocre gangsta raps on top of a bland piano-driven trap instrumental but after “JPay & CorrLinks” talks about him not understanding why other artists be movin’ lame when he made a stupid move himself at the beginning of the year that could cost him his eternal freedom, “New One” featuring K Carbon reunites so they can declare themselves smackers who happen to rap over more hi-hats & keys.

The song “Bigger Than the Program” winds down All Eyes on Shiest’s final moments hoping to explain the difference between him & most other rappers being bitches while “F.D.O. (First Day Out)” talks about staying true to himself upon coming home although it quickly aged like milk 4 weeks later when he got arrested again. “Mane” featuring Glorilla sends off the album having both of ‘em poppin’ out with that dog shit because that’s the way both of them stunt.

I can’t even begin to express the disappointment I have for Pooh Shiesty holding Gucci at gunpoint in an attempt to get out of his deal only for All Eyes on Shiest to still come out under said labels like a dumbass, which makes the full-length even less enjoyable than the final product already is because he pretty much threw himself beck behind bars for the rest of his life over nothing. I truly did believe he had the most potential out of everyone on 1017’s revamped roster despite the features & production becoming less enjoyable than Shiesty Season.

Score: 2/5

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