Sean Peng – “Insomniac’s Dream” review

Here we have the sophomore effort from Bristol, England, United Kingdom emcee Sean Peng. Known for being 1/3 of the Creatures of Habit & 1/4 of NLP, he made his solo debut Crazed Conductor in 2016 under Lost Scroll Records & is coming off his Creatures brethren Illinformed fully producing his 2019 debut album Trips to the Medicine Cabinet succeeding the Controlled Experiment extended play preluding it in 2017 to run it back for a dissection of an Insomniac’s Dream through Illin’ for Meds Records.

“Inebriated Halfwits” featuring Jack Jetson starts with both of them over a jazzy boom bap talking about not seeing clearly regarding what they wanna do whereas “Stranger Than Fiction” stays in the basement instrumentally addressing the people who’re afraid to face the truth. “Broken English” takes a moment to represent the crowd of people who feel broken down leading into “Better the Devil” featuring Crossbow T marking my least favorite guest appearance despite the theme of Satan being a cloak within the mirrors & smoke.

Ramson Badbonez joins Sean on the jazzy “Sick Society” talking about people losing themselves all for a hit of notoriety just before “Hidden Messages” soulfully speaks of not stressing regarding the end because he’s already see the signs & symbols. “House of the Dead” spends 92 talking about being surrounded by zombies over more prominent kicks & snares while “Raw Syllabics” featuring O.A.B. soulfully compares their minds to timeless relics off psychedelics.

“Squid Games” featuring Jack Jetson references the popular Netflix series of the same name set to end after 2 more seasons in 2025 while “Rise of the Underground by the Creatures of Habit talks about underground hip hop becoming popular due to acts like Griselda being accepted by the mainstream for example. “The Abyss” brings a ghostly boom bap atmosphere to the table putting us inside the shoes of a person residing inside the pits & “Is This Real?” wraps things up asking himself if he’ll wait to leave behind the sadness in his life.

Almost 3 months after his Creatures of Habit partner-in-rhyme Eric the Red had made his Illin’ for Meds Records debut with his 4th album Painting da Town Red, it makes sense for Sean Peng to follow suit putting out a Trips to the Medicine Cabinet follow-up reaching the same bar it’s predecessor made still residing behind Caught Red Handed regarding Lost Scroll’s top 2 projects. Illinformed’s jazzy boom bap production feels unparalleled putting it against Sean’s last full-length, but it’s refreshing the latter moved on to newer concepts rather than still dissecting prescription drug abuse.

Score: 4/5

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Insane E – “Scales” review

Insane E is a 39 year old MC & graphic designer from East Palestine, Ohio starting out as 1/4 of the No Clue Crew in the early 2000s before branching out in favor of a solo career releasing The Fine Line at the very end of that decade. Subsequently, he became the Head of Graphic Design for Majik Ninja Entertainment & a graphic designer for the label’s founders Twiztid in November 2013 only 11 months after the demented duo had departed from Psychopathic Records to do it themselves. And to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of E’s sophomore effort The Art of Blaowww, I was eagerly waiting for the Astronomicon graphic designer’s 3rd album.

“In the Balance” kicks off the LP on some rap rock shit produced by Fritz the Cat opening your mind & taking a look inside whereas “Tell Me Do You Really Care?” heinously talks about hoping everyone’s paying attention to him since the end is near. “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me 2099” is a remix version of a highlight track off E’s solo debut The Fine Line, but then “Limitless” moves forward passionately talking about keeping your head up & giving it all you got.

The trap metal vibes on “Alien” suit the lyrical content of not fitting in or not belonging just before the anthemic “Chambers” featuring Zodiac MPrint finds Blaze Ya Dead Homie & The R.O.C. assisting E in running around circles chasing after what they’re looking for. “Get a Clue” takes an ominous trap route hoping that someone out there can hearing him crying leading into “Excedrin” marking a turn into boom bap territory talking about passing the over-the-counter medication to him.

“Welcome to My Gallery” fuses trap with metal once again coming to terms that he’s simply an artist searching for his inner self while “Brainwashed 2099” is another remix, this time of a Gemini Projekt track off the duo’s only album Experiment 17. “Scapegoat” brings a futuristic flare to the beat from Godsynth not giving a fuck about who hates him since he’s only moving faster up the ladder that he’s been climbing while “Bury It” featuring Jamie Madrox goes full-blown rap rock feeling like they’re losing their sanities.

We get more guitars & hi-hats on “Time” so E can ask how long will it take until Father Time starts crumbling down on us all while psychedelic “Life by Design” wants to know if everyone is living by default or design. “Let It Burn (No Return)” grimly talks about being past the point of no return while “Next Level” featuring Mr. Grey has this morbid trap groove to it discussing that they’ve been waiting too long to move up & move on.

“Homesick” nears the climax of balancing the Scales working in a stripped-back sound altogether with some acoustics courtesy of Stir Crazy talking about how there will always be a part of him back home & that the family he’s started meaning the world to him ahead of “Shift” properly concluding the album fusing electronic music & trap asking if you can feel him now.

Over a decade since we last heard from him on The Art of Blaowww & roughly 15 years that he began carving a path for himself as a solo artist, Insane E has returned to provide what I consider to be my new favorite solo effort of the 3 in his entire discography. It’s more well-produced than his last couple LPs were, he sounds focused addressing more personal subject matter & we get stronger feature performances on top of it.

Score: 4/5

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Shenseea – “Never Gets Late Here” review

This is the sophomore effort from Jamaican singer/songwriter & deejay Shenseea. Putting out a handful of singles since 2015 like the Vybz Kartel-assisted “Loodi” or “Run Run”, she then signed to Interscope Records prior to the pandemic & got her biggest push yet after appearing on the “Ok Ok” remix off Ye or formerly known as Kanye West’s final Def Jam album DONDA. Her debut album Alpha further solidified Shenyeng as dancehall’s most exciting new artist & had a feeling Never Gets Late Here was going to improve on the departments in which Alpha lacked.

“Face Lift” starts by signing over a cloudy trap beat from London on da Track & FNZ about continuing to keep going wherever life leads her whereas “Hit & Run” featuring Masicka goes straight dancehall explaining that you couldn’t get them to settle down. “Tap Out” brings a hypnotic groove to the table instrumentally trying to find out how long you can last with her, but then “Neva Neva” goes for a pop reggae vibe refusing to say never & not wanting to feel any pressure.

Meanwhile on “Die for You”, we have Shenyeng returning to the dancehall sound talking about dying for her lover just before “Keep a Place” brings a traditional reggae flare thanks to Supah Mario hoping her exes’ memories of her aren’t fading. “Dolla” once again turns back into bashment turf explaining that money is better than sex itself prior to “Loyalty” talking about her new man being a real O.G. atmospherically stripping down roots reggae with an increased emphasis on pure rhythm.

Coi Leray pops up for the funky “Flava” so both of them can talk spicy while “NaNa” takes the anthemic route aesthetically singing about someone waiting all his life for her & shining like the summertime every single day of the year. “Red Flag” featuring Anitta is this dancehall/Latin pop crossover explaining that men who don’t have it being a turnoff for them while “Stars” passionately encourages to leave them in the sky.

As the conclusion of Never Gets Late Here gets closer, the penultimate track “Heaven on Earth” asks where her paradise is over a warm trap instrumental that is until “Work Me Out” featuring Wizkid officially ties up the LP mixing dancehall with afrobeats talking about only being here for 1 night only getting 1 invite to give sexercise & burn them out.

Couple years after we get a proper introduction to Shenseea, she’s celebrating summer early following it up with a vibrant fusion of rhythms & genres showcasing distinctive style further demonstrating her songwriting prowess & knack for crafting infectious melodies that result in a truly unique musical experience.

Score: 3.5/5

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Niko B – “dog eat dog food world” review

Niko B is a 23 year old recording artist from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom emerging at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”. His popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next track “Who’s That What’s That”, now finally ready to unveil his full-length debut album only 3 years & 7 more loosely released songs later building up anticipation for this very moment to come.

“Trespass Coat” is this EDM-driven opener talking about learning a couple steps despite not really liking to dance that much whereas “I’ve Smoked Weed 9 Times & Have Had 1 Good Experience” playfully breaks down why weed simply isn’t for him. “ur a bundle of joy!” takes the groovier route instrumentally calling Milton Keynes the city of roundabouts, but then “boarded the plane” bringing a quirkier vibe talking about sitting in row 9 of a flight.

Moving on from there, “tom did” mellowly asks if anyone wants it prior to “miniclip” featuring KIRBS mixing cloud rap & UK drill so both of them can talk about winning any game they play. “it’s not litter if you bin it” delves further into smoother sounds saying that he’s fighting too many fights pondering if they would make him lose by filming him fighting while the pillowy “i’m just a pretty face” talks about being too hardcore.

“dagenham to barking” kinda has this deconstructed club quality to the beat referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy while the rythmic “what counts as fine?” talks about not doing things because he dislikes it. The delicately produced “14 days” nears the conclusion of Niko’s debut explaining how hard these past couple weeks have been without seeing an unnamed person in his life & the melodic “who’s in designer” closes the LP addressing someone he doesn’t recognize anymore.

Stemming from being in awe of everyone around him, the UK hip hop scene’s newest face makes his introduction to a wider audience enjoying his dog food because he likes it as opposed to everyone else around arguing & in competition. The versatility ranges from UK drill to indie pop & his storytelling is reminiscent to The Streets’ first couple albums, yet he very much meshes it all into his own approach & style.

Score: 3.5/5

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twenty øne piløts – “Clancy” review

twenty øne piløts is a duo from Columbus, Ohio consisting of lead vocalist, pianist, ukulele player, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, programmer & percussionist Tyler Joseph alongside drummer, percussionist, trumpeter & backing vocals Josh Dun. Although their eponymous debut as well as Regional at Best & Vessel were decent, Blurryface near the end of my senior year of high school caught my attention since former Aftermath Entertainment in-house producer Mike Elizondo did a few tracks on there including what’s arguably Tyler & Josh’s biggest hit “Stressed Out”. Trench in the fall of 2018 went on to become their most acclaimed body of work yet & are looking to bounce back from the subpar reception of Scaled & Icy to release their 7th album.

“Compensate” is a great beginning to Clancy fusing pop rap, alternative dance, big beat, trip hop, electropop & industrial hip hop flying by the dangerous bend symbol whereas “Next Semester” was the best single working elements of post-punk revival, garage rock revival, power pop & dance punk talking about starting fresh the following semester. “Backslide” crosses pop rap, trip hop, alt-pop & even boom bap over onto 1 fearing of relapsing old habits prior to the synth-punk flavored “Midwest Indigo” finding the titular character Clancy returning home from college for winter break maintaining the indie rock, indie pop, power pop, new wave, synthpop & post-punk revival vibes.

The melodic “Routines in the Night” tackles a recurring theme throughout the LP & really tøp’s discography of fighting your demons at the night just before “Vignette” takes the synth-funk route instrumentally to talk about addiction. “The Craving” blends indie folk, indie pop, pop rock & folk pop expressing Tyler’s love for his wife Jenna Joseph while “Lavish” criticizes the lavish nature of luxury life, the unnecessary ostentatious award ceremonies/shows & the need for a false toughness in order to survive in the music industry over a neo-psychedelia, art pop, alt-pop, psychedelic pop, chamber pop, boom bap, pop rap & trip hop hybrid.

“Navigating” showcases influences of post-punk revival, dance-punk, garage rock revival, power pop, alternative rock & new wave depicting the endless battle with the brain, but then “Snap Back” primarily keeps it alt-pop with the exceptions of pop rap, trip hop, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & emo rap weaving themselves in additionally talking about wrestling with an addiction that threatens to come back. “Oldies Station” is a indie pop, piano rock, indietronica, neo-psychedelia & post-Britpop track encouraging to let depression roll off your back & persevere while “At the Risk of Feeling Dumb” nears the end of Clancy addressing the complexities of friendship and support during challenging times over an alt-pop emo-pop, trip hop, alternative rock & pop reggae beat. “Paladin Strait” ends on the synthpop tip tracin’ out a line Tyler has mapped 1,000 times.

These guys are sorta known for having a bit of a toxic fandom & even I myself will acknowledge that, I nevertheless still enjoy Blurryface & Trench since those are the 2 full-lengths contain my favorite material of theirs. What about Clancy here? It’s an improvement from Scaled & Icy few years back & I certainly can’t deny that. We get a cohesive story of the titular character named after the protagonist Trench introduced us to & the final chapter in their nearly decade-long conceptual series basing itself around alt-pop & indie rock primarily joined by pop rap, pop rock, indie pop, trip hop, dance-punk, synth-punk, indie folk, folk pop, post-punk revival, garage rock revival, power pop, pop rap, alternative rock, new wave, piano rock, synthpop, indietronica, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B, post-Britpop, alternative dance, big beat, synth-funk, boom bap, emo rap, emo-pop & pop reggae as secondary genres.

Score: 3.5/5

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Bring Me the Horizon – “Post Human: NeX GEn” review

Bring Me the Horizon is an alt-metal/post-hardcore band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom consisting of frontman & keyboardist Oli Sykes, bassist Matt Kean, guitarist/backing vocalist Lee Malia & drummer Matt Nicholls. Introducing themselves into late 2000s/early 2010s off their first 3 full-lengths Count Your Blessings as well as the Epitaph Records debut Suicide Season & There Is a Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let’s Keep It a Secret., it wasn’t until their RCA Records debut Sempiternal during my sophomore year of high school where I became a fan of theirs & I also enjoyed That’s the Spirit few months after I graduated for it’s departure from their metalcore roots. amo was a decent exploration of every aspect love has to offer & the singles building up their 7th album had me expecting it to live up to their best EP Post Human: Survival Horror.

After the “[ost] dreamseeker” intro, “YOUtopia” is a metalcore opener feeling dead inside whereas “Kool-Aid” fuses alternative metal, metalcore, industrial metal & nu metal to talk about the Jonestown Massacre. “Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd” moves on from there with the antithesis of “Follow You”, but then “liMOusine” featuring AURORA serving as the other side of the introductory song “YOUtopia”. “DArkSide” served as the official theme for this year’s Vengeance Day IV premium live event or pay-per-view from the Endeavor-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental brand NXT exploring the darker side of the mind & the struggles you can have with yourself from within over an alt-metal, post-hardcore & nu metal hybrid just before “a bulleT w- my namE On” featuring Underoath is a thematic sequel to “One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest As You March Towards Your Death”.

Aftet the “[ost] (spi)rituals” interlude, “n/A” opens up about Oli’s addiction & his desire to break the habit just before the emo-pop, post-hardcore, hyperpop, easycore, pop punk & electronicore single “LosT” sings about not belonging on this planet. Meanwhile on “sTraNgeRs”, we have Oli tackling themes of depression & mental illness with an overall message of unity & togetherness over an emo-pop/post-hardcore fusion leading into “R.I.P.” singing about voices in his head that’ll never leave giving off a bit of an electronicore vibe instrumentally. The song “AmEN!” featuring Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo & rapper Lil Uzi Vert takes it back to the band’s original heaviness with religious connotations within the lyrics mixing alternative metal, metalcore, industrial metal, post-hardcore & rap metal into 1 while “DiE4u” following the “[ost] puss-e” interlude blends pop rock, emo-pop, electropop, alt-pop, post-hardcore, electronicore to create a style described by Oli as “future emo” dealing with addiction from the perspective of a toxic relationship prior to “DIg It” ending the album talking about self-hatred.

Post Human: Survival Horror renewed my interest in the bad considering the mixed reception that Music to listen to~dance to~blaze to~pray to~feed to~sleep to~talk to~grind to~trip to~breathe to~help to~hurt to~scroll to~roll to~love to~hate to~learn Too~plot to~play to~be to~feel to~breed to~sweat to~dream to~hide to~live to~die to~GO TO & what I hear in NeX GEn is the band’s best album in nearly a decade. They expand beyond their alternative metal & metalcore sound in favor of emo-pop, electronicore, post-hardcore, hyperpop alt-pop, industrial metal, rap metal, electropop, easycore, pop rock, pop punk & nu metal to tell an intentionally buried & hidden story from the last EP.

Score: 3.5/5

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Vince Staples – “Dark Times” review

Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples is back with his 5th LP. Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart from a couple years ago, Vince is fulfilling his Def James contract on Dark Times.

After the “Close Your Eyes & Swing” intro, the first song “Black&Blue” is this vigorous kickstarter talking about still being on some n***a shit whereas the boom bap driven “Government Cheese” encourages the listeners to smile & not to lose their inner child. “Children’s Song” goes for a twangier trap vibe instrumentally telling y’all to stop playing with his crib & play with your kids instead ahead of “Shame on the Devil” going for a conscious west coast hip hop vibe talking about God making him special.

Jay Versace‘s production on “Étouffée” takes the atmospheric route & Vince paying homage to the New Orleans hip hop scene during the hook & after the “Liars” skit, “Justin” returns to the boom bap telling the story of a woman who’s already in a relationship. “Radio” gives off a solemn trap flare to the beat from Cardo so he can turn up his hustle while “Nothing Matters” brings back the kicks & snares asking why she told him that she loves him when she doesn’t.

“Little Homies” begins the encore of Dark Times by hopping over a funky instrumental telling all his lil homies out there listening to be blessed & keep their heads on a swivel when they stop while the last song “Freeman” prior to the “Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?” outro fulfills Vince’s contract with Def Jam talks about everything being all good.

Even I thought that Vince had already left Def Jam since he’s been releasing his last couple projects through Motown Records, but at least he officially went out by finding the clarity that he was looking for when he initially signed his first major label deal over a decade ago. It has a prominently conscious west coast hip hop sound to it with additional neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, jazz rap & experimental hip hop undertones sprinkled in & you can truly hear his growth after all this time.

Score: 4.5/5

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Burzum – “The Land of Thulê” review | Burzum – “The Land of Thulê” anmeldelse

Varg Vikernes or professionally known as Burzum is a 51 year old musician, author & convict from Bergen, Norway whose 3rd album Hvis lyset tar oss & more specifically it’s follow-up Filosofem are regarded as some of the most essential black metal in the subgenre’s history even now. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf went for more of a dungeon synth direction since both of them were recorded while he was in prison for arson & the murder of founding Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Over a decade later, Belus marked a return to Burzum’s black metal roots & Fallen personally is the last LP of Varg’s that I personally found myself enjoying especially as a result of beginning to incorporate his nationalist far-right beliefs onto the 4 full-lengths he’s released since. Ye formerly known as Kanye West cited him as an inspiration for ¥$’ ongoing Vultures trilogy to the point where Burzum’s coming out of his 4-year retirement to put out his 13th & final album.

Varg Vikernes eller profesjonelt kjent som Burzum er en 51 år gammel musiker, forfatter og straffedømt fra Bergen, Norge hvis tredje album Hvis lyset tar oss og mer spesifikt dets oppfølging Filosofem blir sett på som noe av det mest essensielle black metal i undersjangerens historie. selv nå. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf gikk for mer en dungeon-synth-retning siden begge ble spilt inn mens han satt i fengsel for brannstiftelse og drapet på grunnleggeren av Mayhem-gitaristen Euronymous. Over et tiår senere markerte Belus en retur til Burzums black metal-røtter og Fallen personlig er den siste LP-en av Varg’s som jeg personlig fant meg selv glede av, spesielt som et resultat av at han begynte å inkorporere hans nasjonalistiske ytre-høyre-tro i de 4 fullengdere han er utgitt siden. Ye eller tidigare känd som Kanye West citerade honom som en inspiration för ¥$’ pågående Vultures trilogi till den punkt där Burzum kommer ut efter sin fyraåriga pensionering för att ge ut sitt 13:e och sista album.

“The Magic of the Grave” is a nonstarter intro because while I appreciate the fact that Varg gives a calmer delivery, the atmospherically depressive black metal/dungeon synth instrumentation with post-punk undertones is on some cutrate GarageBand shit. “The Hidden Name” decently works in more atmo-black influences although the vocals get drowned out whereas “The Nature of the Gods” pointlessly goes spoken-word for 3 minutes over a piano. “The Call of the Kraken” has to be my favorite track here so far feeling like a throwback to the Belus/Fallen days of my early adolescence, but then “Beyond the Gate” comes off as cheaply composed as the opener.

«The Magic of the Grave» er en ikke-starter-intro, for selv om jeg setter pris på det faktum at Varg gir en roligere levering, er den atmosfærisk depressive black metal-/dungeon-synth-instrumenteringen med post-punk-undertoner på noe kurant GarageBand-dritt. «The Hidden Name» fungerer anstendig i mer atmosorte påvirkninger, selv om vokalen overdøves, mens «The Nature of the Gods» meningsløst går i tale i 3 minutter over et piano. «The Call of the Kraken» må være favorittsporet mitt her så langt, og føles som et tilbakeblikk til Belus/Fallen dagene i min tidlige ungdomstid, men så blir «Beyond the Gate» like billig komponert som åpningen.

Burzum does an ok job of evoking epic soundscapes commonly associated with fantasy & medieval settings through the usage of synthesizers, keyboards & drum machines on the 15 minute “Winds of the Vanished Realm” that is until “Memories in the Mist” microwaves a longwinded post-minimalism leftover from the Thulêan Mysteries sessions, Varg’s previous full-length prominently centered around dungeon synth alongside dark folk & ritual ambient music.

Burzum gjør en ok jobb med å fremkalle episke lydlandskap som vanligvis er assosiert med fantasi- og middelalderinnstillinger gjennom bruk av synthesizere, keyboard og trommemaskiner på den 15 minutter lange «Winds of the Vanished Realm» det er til «Memories in the Mist» mikrobølger en langvarig post-minimalisme-rest fra Thulêan Mysteries -øktene, Vargs forrige fullengder sentrert fremtredende rundt dungeon-synth sammen med mørk folkemusikk og rituell ambient-musikk.

“What Will Come” makes up for the mediocrity of “Memories in the Mist” which an atmospheric black metal/funeral doom metal hybrid that I enjoy except for Varg delivering what could possibly be the absolute worst vocal performances on the entire thing while “Elfland” surprisingly is my favorite so far putting a post-punk spin on atmospheric black metal. Can’t say the same for “Beneath the Barrow” or “The Mound of Fire”, both replacing the secondary post-punk elements with spoken word for uninspired atmospheric black metal while the bonus cut “The Reincarnation of Ódinn” has to be right behind “The Call of the Kraken” & I’ll even say amongst the best dungeon synth/spoken word tracks that Burzum ever put out as someone who isn’t a big fan of Dauði Badlrs or Hliðskjálf personally.

«What Will Come» gjør opp for middelmådigheten i «Memories in the Mist» som er en atmosfærisk black metal/funeral doom metal-hybrid som jeg liker, bortsett fra at Varg leverer det som muligens er den absolutt dårligste vokalprestasjonen på hele skiva, mens «Elfland» er overraskende nok min favoritt så langt, og setter en post-punk vri på atmosfærisk black metal. Kan ikke si det samme om «Beneath the Barrow» eller «The Mound of Fire», som begge erstatter de sekundære post-punk elementene med spoken word for uinspirert atmosfærisk black metal, mens bonuskuttet «The Reincarnation of Ódinn» må være rett bak «The Call of the Kraken» og jeg vil til og med si at det er blant de beste dungeon synth/spoken word sporene Burzum noensinne har gitt ut, som en som ikke er en stor fan av Dauði Badlrs eller Hliðskjálf personlig.

Umskiptar up until this point was my least favorite black metal album in the Burzum canon & fast forward a dozen years, The Land of Thulê has now sadly taken over Umskiptar’s spot since he usually thrives the most there. I’ll always defend Burzum’s first 4 albums including Belus & Fallen for being enjoyable black metal, but does that mean I agree with & support Varg’s views? In absolutely no way shape or form! My issues with this LP are the cheap GarageBand production & his take on the same style of extreme metal that would literally go on to influence countless other acts simply isn’t as innovative as it was when he first emerged in the Norwegian black metal scene during the late 80s/early 90s.

Umskiptar frem til dette tidspunktet var mitt minst favoritt-black metal-album i Burzum-kanonen og spol frem et dusin år, The Land of Thulê har nå dessverre overtatt Umskiptars plass siden han vanligvis trives best der. Jeg vil alltid forsvare Burzums første 4 album, inkludert Belus og Fallen for å være morsom black metal, men betyr det at jeg er enig med og støtter Vargs synspunkter? På absolutt ingen måte form eller form! Problemene mine med denne LP-en er den billige GarageBand-produksjonen og hans oppfatning av den samme stilen av ekstrem metal som bokstavelig talt ville fortsette å påvirke utallige andre handlinger, er rett og slett ikke så nyskapende som det var da han først dukket opp i den norske black metal-scenen under slutten av 80-tallet/begynnelsen av 90-tallet.

Score: 2/5

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Juicy J – “Mental Trillness 2” review

This is the 7th full-length solo LP from Memphis rapper, songwriter, producer & record executive Juicy J. Rising to stardom in the 90s as the co-founder of the seminal Three 6 Mafia alongside his Tear Da Club Up Thugs cohorts DJ Paul & the late Lord Infamous, he’s also had the most successful solo career out of everyone in the Mafia whether it be the Taylor Gang Entertainment/Columbia Records-backed Stay Trippy & Rubba Band Business: The Album or more recently Crypto Business & Mental Trillness. The latter noticeably taking on a more serious tone than some of Juicy’s latest material, taking a good chunk of it’s time coping with Gangsta Boo’s untimely passing & was wondering if the sequel here would address personal themes once more.

“Serenity” starts with a drumless instrumental saying goodbye to Hollywood whereas the self-produced “Bury My Problems” continues by banging out a Memphis tinged 2-parter talking about his pain running deep. “Overseas” works in more minimalistic half-time drum machine programming & droning bass to flex his European guap just before “Desperate Measures” eerily asks why you think he scrapes the bowl tryna get all the extras out.

Hi-hats get mixed with chopped & screwed vocals throughout “4 Life” so Da Juice Man can represent his city until he can’t anymore, but then the decent single “Sukihana” featuring Sukihana herself has more of a cloudier trap flare talking about needing a freaky hoe. “My Hood” throws it back to the classic Three 6 sound advising the newer Memphis artists who been pimpin’ leading into the ominous “He Did” discussing those online claimin’ sets getting checked by goons.

“Fired Up” starts the 2nd leg of the album in the form of a 2-minute smoke break for everyone listening that’s working a 9-5 while “Dig” serves as a playful dedication to hard working bitches. “Cut Back” brings back the signature Memphis sound instrumentally talking about trying to get his life together while “Money Flippa” featuring Project Pat taking a soulful turn to the beat telling everyone to get their grind & shine right.

Nearing the LP’s final quarter, “Switched Up” chops up soul samples once again airing out those who turned on him while “On the Way” featuring both IDontKnowJeffery & Xavier Wulf of the East Memphis Boyz brings 2 generations of the Memphis scene together fondly. Xavier sticks around for the penultimate track “All It Takes” smoothly talking about your girl running to dudes like them & lastly, “Suffering from Realness” concludes Mental Trillness 2 morbidly boasting that he’s too real.

The predecessor last spring was a bit of a breath of fresh air that Juicy’s solo output needed since it was starting to feel repetitive lyrically & the Mental Trillnesssequel plays to the strengths from the album that we got from him over 13 months ago already. He tones down the amount of guests only by a couple notches, it’s mostly self-produced in comparison to producing a little over half last time & addresses further personal issues on the mic.

Score: 4/5

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Rapsody – “Please Don’t Cry” review

This is the long-awaited & highly anticipated 4th full-length studio LP from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina emcee Rapsody. Rising to prominence last decade with a handful of mixtapes & EPs, he 2012 debut album The Idea of Beautiful continued to show her potential until the Roc Nation Records backed Laila’s Wisdom in 2017 truly refined her style & sound almost perfectly. 2 years later, she signed to Def Jam Recordings releasing EVE to similar acclaim, but is returning after 5 long years with Please Don’t Cry.

After the “She’s Expecting You” intro, the first song “Marlanna” produced by Sndtrak mixes boom bap & trap together so she can remind everyone exactly who she is whereas “Asteroids” takes a luxurious route instrumentally thanks to Hit-Boy hurling back at everyone that threw rocks at her. “Look What You’ve Done” brings an angelic vibe to the beat giving you what you need & that you can chase the bag just before “DND (It’s Not Personal)” funkily talks having one of those days of being left alone.

“Black Popstar” puts a bigger emphasis on the trap sound charismatically boasting on the lyrical tip leading into Eric G. giving “Stand Tall” some jazzy undertones refusing to let anyone trigger her & being true to bounce back on the days that she eventually does. “That One Time” talks about learning to be okay with your imperfections over some woodwinds & that life is a process every single one of us goes through, but then “3:AM” addresses a lover who makes her feel like a new person on top of S1 & Lonestarrmuzik drawing inspiration from neo-soul behind the boards together.

Meanwhile on “Loose Rocks”, we have Rapsody over a cloudier instrumental asking where her future lies if she doesn’t know the truth already by now prior to the S1 & Wu10 guitar-laced “Diary of a Mad Bitch” portrays an angrier side to as she takes this time to call out an ex who doesn’t deserve her. “Never Enough” featuring Keznamdi brings the pair together over a reggae/trap fusion talking about how everyone has wants & needs as well as being unable to find peace in Babylon while “He Shot Me” returning to the boom bap interpolating “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley during the hook tackling racially charged gun violence.

“God’s Light” marks a groovier turn within the instrumental talking about forever shining in the eternal light of the High Power himself while “Back in My Bag” hooks up these prominent horns & hi-hats so she can passionately getting back in her zone as if she never took a few years off to begin with. After the Niko Brim interlude showcasing his talents for a whole minute laying a verse on top of a classy beat, “Raw” featuring Lil Wayne fresh off performing for former 10-time WWE tag team champion Jey Uso’s entrance at WrestleMania XL last month against his former 9-time WWE tag team champion brother Jimmy unites both MCs over kicks & snares flexing their lyrical prowesses while “Lonely Woman” psychedelically encourages lonely women to love themselves.

Baby Tate joins Rapsody on “A Ballad for the Homegirls” smoothly talking about becoming more & more like their mothers the older they become & after the titular interlude, “Faith” nears the conclusion of Please Don’t Cry telling everyone to maintain their faith over pianos & a chipmunk soulful hook that is until the closer “Forget Me Not” officially closes up shop by fittingly talking about not wanting to say goodbye & acknowledging that we love too deep to really ever be at peace with the ones that have passed despite the world being so bad.

Rapsody much like Sa-Roc has always been one of the very first people who come to mind when I hear out-of-touch heads bitching & moaning over women in hip hop this day in age severely lacking & Please Don’t Cry proves my point yet again. We get an artist who’s unafraid to draw on lifelong influences to find their true voice & pulling back the curtain on who she is off-stage as a person. She even reconciles with the past to empower her future, exploring the depth of her technical dexterity with more vulnerability than she has been previously.

Score: 4.5/5

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