Bon Iver – “SABLE, fABLE” review

Bon Iver is an indie folk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin consisting of drummer/keyboardist Sean Carey, drummer Matthew McCaughan, guitarist/keyboardist Andrew Fitzpatrick, bassist/saxophonist Mike Lewis, guitarist/keyboardist Jenn Wasner & frontman Justin Vernon. Their first 2 albums For Emma, Forever Ago & Bon Iver, Bon Iver are widely regarded by many to be their most essential offerings although that’s not to say 22, a Million & i,i didn’t have their own highlights. 6 years later, they’re back for their 5th studio LP.

After the “…” intro, the first song “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” acoustically starts the EP off singing about being caught compiling his own news expressing his fear of changing while “S P E Y S I D E” fuses indie & chamber folk with singer/songwriter taking a more autobiographical approach with the lyrics. “AWARDS SEASON” goes for a more minimal folk sound so Justin can sing about taking stock of a major & wrenching change whereas “Short Story” suggests you’ll never be complete since life heals & repeats.

“Everything is Peaceful Love” peppily sings about all feeling right inside of him regardless of the self-awareness surrounding his current relationship possibly falling apart at any time leading into “Walk Home” suggests his partner to show her burdens because he’s certain she was made for him. “Day 1” featuring Dijon & Flock of Dimes unites the trio asking if they can have a rewind only once just before “From” singing for his lover not to let shit trouble her mind & take the affection he has for her at her own pace.

Meanwhile on “I’ll Be There”, we have Justin promising to keep this fire inside him “even if it takes all goddamn night” while “If Only I Could Wait” featuring Danielle Haim serves as a duet about taking the pain for what’s already at stake. Prior to the “Au Revoir” instrumental outro, the final song “There’s a Rhythmn” finishes Bon Iver’s first full-length in 6 years talking about seeing a woman in Spain he genuinely considers a babe & how she treats him as good the way she does.

SABLE, feels more like a prologue detailing a controlled burn clearing the way for new possibilities & fABLE is the book counterpart portraying stories of introduction & celebration that includes a fresh growth blanketing the charred ground. Pretty much what I’m saying is that Disc 1 was a work of solitude & Disc 2 is an outstretched hand. The production is prominently based around indie folk & singer/songwriter with additional elements of chamber folk, folk pop & art pop originally emerging from a long-gestating breakdown.

Score: 4/5

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Messa – “The Spin” review

Messa is a doom metal band from Cittadella, Veneto, Italy consisting of guitarist/bassist Marco Zanin, drummer Rocco Toaldo, guitarist Alberto Piccolo aka Little Albert & frontwoman Sara Bianchin. Their debut album Belfry as well as the sophomore effort Feast for Water & Close have become amongst the highest quality traditional doom metal of the past decade with influences of heavy psych thrown in. Metal Blade Records has signed them for their 4th studio LP & one I was highly anticipating.

“Void Meridian” is this heavy psych/doom metal intro asking how far can 1 go whereas “At Races” blends goth rock, psychedelic rock, post-metal & doom metal to sing about being cursed & running. “Fire on the Roof” shows a bit of an industrial metal influence I wasn’t quite expecting admittedly spiraling backwards where Sara feels like she belongs while “Immolation” takes a shot at piano rock with a heavy psych twist asking to be sacrificed or immolated.

We have “The Dress” bringing together doom metal, dark jazz, jazz fusion & heavy psych singing about all Sara’s monsters that’re ready to be fed coming over to feast on her heart with no exception in addition to not even looking at herself at this point anymore while “Reveal” begins with a bluesy guitar until getting heavier & darker in terms of general sound. Last but not least, the closing track “Thicker Blood” finishes up the album with a cinematic 9-minute doom metal epic.

Making another step towards legendary status, Messa invites the metal world on a breathtaking journey across the wide open skies of their creative imagination over a beautiful landscape of moods, twists & styles during the course of their Metal Blade debut. From a basis in the band’s eclectic sound they they call scarlet doom, The Spin rises, falls, broods, bites, comforts & destroys while resounding with both instinctive, compulsive magic & obsessive, concerted hard work.

Score: 4.5/5

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Ken Carson – “More Chaos” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Ken Carson celebrating his 25th birthday with his 4th studio LP. Breaking out in the SoundCloud scene & becoming a protege of local trailblazer Playboi Carti as one of the first artists to sign to the latter’s Opium Records, he would go on to drop a total of 5 EPs prior to his full-length debut Project X & coming off the mature sophomore effort X which Anthony Fantano infamously gave a 0. A Great Chaos came in the fall of 2023 & is looking to stir up More Chaos.

“Lord of Chaos” featuring Ty$ on the remix starts it off with a rage-inducing instrumental from Outtatown talking about being a master of disorder whereas “Xposed” maintains a hypertrap flare shouting out the 808 Mafia since some forget the fact of him starting out as a member of the prolific trap production team. “Money Spread” blends glitch hop & trap to talk about his paper getting bigger while “Root of All Evil” locks in with 16yrold to discuss his current run he’s on bringing back the rage in the process.

Moving on with “K Hole”, we have Ken over a rattling bass-heavy beat with some horns making a nod to “K Pop” off Carti’s 4th album MUSIC that finally dropped month ago just before “Trap Jump” talks about getting the trap crazier than the greatest basketball player of all-time Michael Jordan himself. The 2-parter “Blakk Rokkstar” produced by F1LTHY of Working on Dying dismisses the need for a diamond tester since his ice be blinging out leading into another 2-part song “LiveLeak” making reference to the current TNA World Tag Team Champion in his 3rd reign & the inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy of The Hardy Boyz.

“Diamonds” keeps the 2-parters going refusing to trip over hoes who don’t reciprocate his energy while “Dismantled” gives those same bitches a middle finger since he’s getting money regardless. “200 Kash” with Four3va ends the first half of More Chaos airing out a supposed Blood he saw rollin’ with a rival Atlanta gang called the 60 Crips, but then “Down2Earth” talks about vacationing in Japan with a woman he’s sleeping with & encouraging her to bring a friend.

The rage continues to be turned up to higher levels on “Confetti” upping a million times on everyone else who look at him as competition while “Naked” talks about a wack relationship he found himself involved in & preferring to be solo since it’s that stale. “Kryptonite” displays a raunchier side to Ken feeling he & his girl the only 2 people in the world when they link up while “Psycho” opens up about him being as crazy as he is.

“Inferno” reunites with F1LTHY to stay true to himself & not fucking with too many people other than his Opium family while “Thx” confesses his fear of having his heart broken. “2000” represents the year he was came in this world on his 25th born day while “Evolution” talks about the overall growth in Ken since he began making music. Pi’erre Bourne saves another standout beat for last on the uncannily dark “Ghoul” homaging my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant when he hits a buck while “Off the Meter” featuring Destroy Lonely & Playboi Carti serves as an Opium posse cut referencing WWE Hall of Famer, former 6-time WWE Champion, 2-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 5-time WWE Tag Team Champion & NWA World Tag Team Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Originally said to come out last Halloween & unsurprisingly being delayed 6 months later since that’s how the whole Opium roster has been moving when you really think about it in the grand scheme of things, More Chaos carries over the ethos of it’s year & a half old predecessor. The prominent rage production showcasing additional influences of pop
rap, hardcore hip hop, Chicago drill, digicore, industrial hip hop & experimental hip hop feels as if it’s a cut above the previous installment & Ken holds off from having any guests to hold the fort down on the day of his Silver Jubilee.

Score: 3.5/5

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Gerald Clayton – “1s & 2s” review

Gerald Clayton is a 41 year old pianist from Los Angeles, California notable for being the son of John Clayton & the nephew of Jeff Clayton from The Clayton Brothers. Introducing himself in 2009 off his full-length debut 2-Shade followed by the sophomore effort Bond as well as a Life Form & Tributary Tales, latter of which caught the attention of Blue Note Records & Gerald made his debut for them in 2023 with Bells on Sand. Continuing to evolve under the greatest jazz label of all-time, the Out Of/Into member’s returning for his 6th full-length LP.

“Angels Speak” combines post-bop, chamber music & neo-soul for a lead single with Elena Pinderhughes playing the flute alongside Joel Ross on the vibraphone & Kendrick Scott on drums whereas “Cinnamon Sugar” moves forward with a heavier lenience towards Latin jazz reminiscent of the late Kenny Dorham’s 3rd album & Blue Note debut Afro-Cuban.

Moving on from there, “Sacrifice Culture” embraces a nu jazz vibe remembering Jon Hassell prior to “How Much Love?” heavily leaning towards Elena’s flautist abilities. The buoyantly angular “Count M” pulls from hip hop culture a little blending a flute & a piano with Marquis Hill playing the trumpet for 2 & a half minutes leading into “Just Above” homaging the late Eric Dolphy’s sole Blue Note offering Out to Lunch! a couple months following his death in 1964.

“Lovingly” finishes the first half of 1s & 2s combining a flute & vibraphones for a 4 minute composition while “Rush” begins the 2nd act by giving percussionist Kassa Overall a few moments to shine throwing it back to Herbie Hancock’s jazz fusion masterpiece Head Hunters. “For Peace” evenly balances elements of nu jazz & electric jazz while the usage of a vocal choir during the backend of “More Always” felt like a refreshing idea to me.

The closer “Space Seas” takes us through a 2 & a half minute exhibition of Kassa’s percussionist skills getting more rhythmic than “Rush” was earlier while “Glass Half Warm” starts the deluxe run shifting the spotlight towards the flute, piano & vibraphones. The final bonus track “Glass Half Cool” feels like a continuation of sorts to “Glass Half Warm”, justifying the album’s key themes of harmonious tension & the idea of coexistence extending out to human relationships & cultures than simply music.

Heavily inspired by the art of turntablism, Gerald Clayton set out to create a musical statement consisting of 7 songs each symbolizing the opposing sides of yin & yang where the A side can be played simultaneously with the B side. The end resulting him ditching the post-bop vibes of Bells on Sand in favor of a jazz fusion/nu jazz sound, joining the likes of Robert Glasper’s whole Black Radio trilogy & the Madlib collection of remixes that got me into Blue Note as a teenager Shades of Blue in bridging jazz music & hip hop culture.

Score: 4.5/5

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Chino XL – “Map of Bones” review

Right in front of us is the 7th full-length studio LP albeit 2nd posthumous offering from East Orange, New Jersey emcee Chino XL. Breaking out in the mid-90s after signing to American Recordings & releasing the classic full-length debut Here to Save You All, he eventually went on to beef with 2Pac & I genuinely feel sorry for anyone who writes him off because of that. Especially since that I Told You So, Poison Pen & the Viper Records-backed RICANstruction: The Black Rosary all contain some of the best songs in his whole discography. Stu Bangas was brought in to produce God’s Carpenter couple summers & that became a near-flawless comeback, with Darkness & Other Colors recorded back in 2020 foreshadowing his own death from beyond the grave. Continuing to warm up for God’s Carpenter 2, what would’ve been Chino’s 51st birthday is being commemorated with Map of Bones recorded between 2008-2012.

“Hard to Kill” opens up by ruggedly suggesting that you should come heavy if you ever making threats & getting at his best when things get intense whereas “Die 4” angrily asks if anyone wants war with him. “Not Ok” works in these prominent horns so he can tackle the theme of mental health from beyond the grave leading into the heinous “Monster” talks about his beast status.

As for “I’ve Seen”, we have Chino over heavy sampling telling us everything he’s experienced during his time in the music industry just before “‘Til Death Do Us Part” shows his affection towards his wife-now-widow. “Capable” talks about people casting doubt over what he’s competent of doing, but then the chaotic boom bap hybrid “Keep Diggin’” speaks of staying loyal to the code o until the streets phase.

“The Search” becomes 1 with the ocean Jesus once walked on while “Numb” featuring Roc C triumphantly sees the pair back on the block. “You First” gets split into 2-parts with an EDM flare during the 1st half & boom bap for the other getting bloodthirsty while “Still Sailing” refers to every word he wrote as a symphony. The title track hauntingly rounds it out by talking about the suicidal thoughts that sadly took him.

Word’s been going around since last fall regarding Chino XL having a collaborative effort with Dheezy called The Mantis coming out at the end of 2025 & we’ll have to cross that bridge until we get there to see if that actually happens, all I know is that I appreciate Map of Bones for feeling as complete of a product as Darkness & Other Colors was. Even if I find myself preferring Body Bag Ben’s production on the latter, DJ Fokus’ left-of-center style is a bit refreshing & hearing Chino continuing to foreshadow him taking is life over a decade ago hits differently.

Score: 3.5/5

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2hollis – “star” review

2hollis is a 21 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Chicago, Illinois coming up as 1/2 of Mage Eternal & a member of OSX under the original Drippysoup moniker. Putting out a total of 7 EPs along with a couple mixtapes & 3 studio LPs, his last full-lengths 2 & Boy resulted in him signing to Interscope Records as a solo act this past fall. He’s now making a significantly bigger splash with his 4th album albeit major label debut a week out from the current 新日本プロレス President, former 8-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, 2-time IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン, 新日本プロレス世界TVチャンピオン, 3-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, NEVER無差別級チャンピオン, NEVER無差別級6人タッグチャンピオン, GHCタッグチャンピオン, CMLL Mundial Parejas Campeon, CMLL Mundial Trios Campeon & RPW British Heavyweight Champion 棚橋弘至’s final US match.

After the glitchy “beginning” intro, the self-produced “flash” talks about a lot of the things he’s shown the woman on his mind have actually been illusions whereas “cope” homages the “Heroes” title track by the late David Bowie admitting he feels empty & asking if he can be trusted. “you” works in some house undertones telling this woman how good she is at lying to him leading into “tell me” embracing the EDM vibes heavier talking about being afraid of death.

“destroy me” gets back on the hip house tip hoping for this chick to tell him she loves him & needs him in her life just before “burn” pulls a little from the dubstep scene talking about his romantic interest continually sticking in his head. “girl” is a bass-heavy trap dedication to his girlfriend he doesn’t want to lose tryna make sense of her & after the “dream rain sports” instrumental interlude, “nice” samples “Household Goods” by the Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs” showing his generosity.

2hollis maintains an EDM flare on “nerve” admiring the way he & partner are nonconformists but after the “ego” interlude, the rage-inducing “sidekick” talks about never being a close associate or assistant to anyone else. “eldest child” acoustically speaks about what it was like from his experience of being the oldest of 2 children in his family & the minimal closer “safe” pleads for his lover to tell him that he’s safe.

star for a major label debut feels like a collection of feelings & meanings from someone chasing stardom finds it all coming true in the most beautiful ways despite it burning so badly . His production here takes cues from electropop, electroclash, hyperpop, electronic dance music & digicore taking us along for a hero’s journey after starting everyone on the enemies & trials ahead of the upcoming follow-up he’s already working on as announced earlier on during the week.

Score: 3.5/5

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Σtella – “Adagio” review

Here we have the 5th full-length album from Athens, Attica, Greece singer/songwriter Σtella. Introducing herself with an eponymous debut, both it’s follow-ups Works for You & The Break would result in Sub Pop Records signing her and making the Redinho-produced Up & Away a decent debut for the Seattle, Washington indie label. 3 years later, she’s returning by putting out Adagio & the singles teased for it until this point seems like it could shape up to be better than Up & Away or even dethroning The Break for her strongest material.

The title track was a bedroom pop & samba intro asking why she’s being tormented likening herself to a spy with her 400 eyes taking her from A to B whereas “Ta Vimata” sings about the steps bringing her to the narrow path. “Omorfu Mou” finds her wanting her romantic interest when they leave & missing them while she stays just before “Baby Brazil” featuring Las Palabras suggests to let the feeling roll since the individual she has in mind likes control as much as they do.

“Can I Say” asks if she can tell her partner exactly how much she misses them while “80 Days” acoustically sings about going by the rules even if they don’t apply. “Too Poor” groovily explains the way she’s attracted to her lover & after the “Corfu” instrumental cut, the closing track “Caravan” officially wraps up her Sub Pop Records sophomore effort singing about her only real partner in crime at the moment being Father Time itself.

Inspired by an 11-minute boat ride to Anafi roughly 6 years ago, Σtella sounds more at ease & comfortable than she’s ever been on Adagio displaying new approaches to her songwriting. The end result turns out to be a pop LP that feels like a warm blanket due to the way it swaddles its listeners with nylon-string guitars, featherlight percussion, psychedelic keyboards & staccato drums offering a meditation on love, desire, rest & time.

Score: 4/5

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Black Country, New Road – “Forever Howlong” review

Black Country, New Road is an experimental rock band from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom consisting of bassist/vocalist Tyler Hyde, saxophonist/flautist/vocalist, Lewis Evans a.k.a. Good With Parents, violinist/vocalist Georgia Ellery, keyboardist/vocalist May Kershaw, drummer Charlie Wayne & guitarist Luke Mark. Signing to Ninja Tune, the band’s debut For the 1st Time & the sophomore effort Ants From Up There have both quickly become the most important post-rock & art-rock albums of the current decade receiving universal acclaim. Taking 3 years off, they’re returning for their 3rd studio LP.

“Besties” blends progressive pop, chamber pop, baroque pop, sunshine pop & soft rock dealing with unrequited love for a best friend whereas “The Big Spin” dabbles with country singing about a restrictive domestic life unwillingly enforced on a person. “Socks” gives off progressive pop & art rock vibe explaining our lives hold a light no life has held before while “Salem Sisters” finds Tyler singing about happily being in a tree with a fire biting beneath him.

The country influences once again on “2 Horses” asking if Georgia found a man she can finally lean on leading into “Mary” heading for a minimal direction in terms of general sound taking the lyrics from diary entries followed by “Happy Birthday” crossing over progressive pop, baroque pop, art rock, folk rock, piano rock, chamber pop, indie rock & neo-canterbury teaching us privilege doesn’t bring happiness.

“For the Cold Country” carries over the progressive folk, art rock, chamber folk, progressive rock, choral, post-rock & neo-canterbury elements focusing on a journey of self-reflection while “Nancy Tries to Take the Night” tells a tragic tale ending in suicide. The title track returns to a minimalistic flare with a winding approach to the songwriting & “Goodbye (Don’t Tell Me)” finishes with an acoustic ballad admitting to Georgia falling in love with a feeling.

The modern day experimental rock trailblazers reemerge with a meticulously detailed album that includes everything from folk to prog via baroque pop & touches of alt-rock yet all the while retaining that unmistakably unique sound that only this combination of musicians can come up with. Although hugely varied & expansive, Forever Howlong also feels deeply cohesive & focused as it takes 3 distinct voices & styles & seamlessly intersperses them into a new collective sound.

Score: 4.5/5

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Allegaeon – “The Ossuary Lens” review

Allegaeon is technical death metal band from Denver, Colorado consisting of lead guitarist Greg Burgess, rhythm guitarist Michael Stancel, bassist Brandon Michael, drummer Jeff Saltzman & frontman Ezra Haynes. These guys have been making themselves at home with Metal Blade Records for the past 15 years ago putting out 7 albums & the most notable being their last 4; Elements for the Infinite, Proponent for Sentience, Apoptosis & Damnum. Beginning the 2nd quarter of 2025 however, they’re coming back after 3 years to deliver their 8th studio LP.

After the “Refraction” instrumental intro, the first song “Chaos Theory” begins with a progressive technical death metal vibe explaining an abysmal dissolution causing chaos to be restored in life whereas “Driftwood” maintains the prog-tech-death approach talking about the shadows of your past taking you eventually. “Dies Irae” promises to spare no one while the technical death metal-tinged “The Swarm” asks to give ‘em falling skies to take their eyes.

“Carried by Delusion” maintains the tech death flare talking about his ghost carrying the sword & standing in a shallow grave immortalized just before “Dark Matter Dynamics” featuring Adrian Bellue devours all light where questions roam with answers being kept tight-lipped. “Imperial” asks to what degree is our fate sealed & to what end do we allow while “Wake Circling Above” morbidly explains being on his way out & never finding himself again. “Scythe” ends by talking about Hell opening alongside fear dying a long time ago.

Ezra’s return after a decade represents several different viewpoints of death further touching on some classic Allegaeon science-related topics such as chaos theory & dark matter while also strumming the chords of more introspective topics such as alcoholism, relationships & perseverance embracing a new subgenre called melotech bringing melodic death metal & technical death metal together to display the band at their most cohesive.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jane Remover – “Revengeseekerz” review

Jane Remover is a 21 year old musician from Newark, New Jersey known for pioneering the Dariacore microgenre. They made their breakout debut in the fall of 2021 with Frailty under deadAir Records & it wasn’t until exactly 24 months later when former BROCKHAMPTON leader Kevin Abstract called Jane Remover’s sophomore effort Census Designated his favorite album of that year where I personally got introduced to their music. Continuing the bi-yearly release cycle, their 3rd album has finally arrived after high anticipation.

“Twice Removed” begins with this digicore intro explaining that 2022 feels like a million years ago to them by now & shit getting old to them so quickly whereas the EDM-driven “Psychoboost” featuring Danny Brown finds the 2 talking about both of them feeling as if they’re a part of each other. “Star People” blends hyperpop & trap so they can ask if you’re either their bestie or their enemy prior to the chaotically noisy “Experimental Skin” talking about seeing no evil.

Moving on from there, “angels in camo” returns for more of a digicore vibe trading names with demons & refusing to let the creeps win just before “Dreamflasher” takes the sound of the previous cut & meshing it with EDM asking God to save them since they’re so turnt at the current moment. “Turn Up or Die” brings a glitchier flare to the table giving this bitch a proper sendoff by blowing his head off while “Dancing with Your Eyes Closed” perfectly showcases fusing hyperpop, electropop, digicore, bass house, future bass, electro hop, electroclash, Dariacore & rage influences.

“Fadeoutz” talks about feeling the same affection the standard popstar receives & likening fast love to fast drugs while “Professional Vengeance” balances digicore & pop punk returning from California with a bag 10x the price of what they were sold. “Dark Night Castle” admits to feeling like they don’t deserve the business prior to the outstanding digicore, rage, experimental hip hop, industrial hip hop, dark plugg & emo rap closer “JRJRJR”.

There are artists in the digicore scene I’ve given props to like Bear1boss or che & Polo Perks no question, except Jane Remover reclaims the sound that made them popular on the occasion of presenting the most flawless listening experience I’ve had in 2025 as of right now & a landmark in that style. The glitchcore aesthetics get uniquely branched out to the likes of experimental hip hop, electronic dance music, rage, hyperpop, hard dance, bass house, industrial hip hop, hardcore EDM, dark plugg, emo rap, electropop, future bass, electro hop, electroclash & of course Dariacore seamlessly.

Score: 5/5

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