1300SAINT – “Savior” review

Atlanta, Georgia recording artist 1300SAINT finally releasing his 3rd LP. 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 last Halloween. All Hail marked his debut for the label, preluding Savior with Saint Season as well as 4 & NewDrug. respectively. However, the main course has arrived.

We get some background vocals & hi-hats colliding all over the intro “Bigger Than Life” thanks to venny & Internet Money Records in-house producer Synthetic so 1300 can describe how he’s been feeling this whole entire year to the world whereas “Kyoto” talks about being posted up in the capital city of the 京都 prefecture of 日本. “Stop Playin” finds himself refusing to go back-&-forth with these clowns online including a jab at his former labelmate 9 Vicious just before the cloudy “Slitherin’” talks about having his way.

Lil Gotit fresh off his new collaborative album with his late brother Lil Keed this past Halloween appears on “R.I.P. Pope” so they can sell swag & discuss the way both of them are living while “Heard It All” embraces a hazier trap vibe talking about how that bro shit don’t work with him anymore. “Divine” luxuriously breaks down his expensive habits & assuring the racks don’t speak for him while the flute-tinged “Mona Lisa” talk about possibly needing money counseling.

“Palm Springs” starts the 2nd half of 1300SAVIOR’s sophomore effort for YSL repping his squad for eternity & promising this fine woman that he’s been speaking to that he’ll buy her anything she wants leading into “Slimier > You” boisterously talking about how slimy he is. “Bounty” gives off a shimmery trap atmosphere suggesting you might need another engine to catch up with him while “Soulties” talks about not giving a fuck regarding all these broke ass rapper & not regressing to his past self.

Yung Heir makes the weakest guest appearance throughout Savior with “Chainz & “Corvettez”, decently clarifying they ain’t ever lonely because of the cash flow while “Flaws” talks about getting his killstreak back up. Nico Baran hops behind the boards for “Return You” likens himself to a pilot the way he make these muhfuckas flying while the “Interlude” feels more like a 3 & a half minutes song talking about going through it all.

“Savior Solitude” spaciously concludes by showing off his singing chops over a beat kin to Yeezus while “Militia Boss” starts the deluxe run with a 2-parter talking about putting a blick on that bitch. “Blonde P*nk” hops over a hypertrap instrumental boasting that he’s goin’ punk with an all blonde bitch beside him while “Mami” talks about having trouble getting all of these bitches off him.

The rage beats are brought back in full effect on “White Ops” promising to burn anyone who wants smoke with him or his gang while “Pandemonium” takes about full chaos unraveling any time he puts out new music. “I Need” featuring Sk8star links up over a euphoric trap instrumental to break down the type of hoes they’d require to have around them while “Pretty Pu$$y” talks about him & a bitch having the time of their lives.

“Loadout (Hit)” featuring ApolloRed1 teams up so they can advise other people to have a pole out whenever they catch them in public while “EA” featuring 9 Vicious talks about hitting the Eastern portions of their hometown. Rounding out 3rd, he issues a warning to not even think of testing him because the “Shells” he has are hot over an Ayelavish! beat while the final bonus track “Lifetime” produced by 406ahmad ends by telling this shawty that he still cares for her & he’s living like a rockstar.

1300SAINT has already paving the way for a new generation of YSL since late February & it’s without a shadow of a doubt my favorite project of the 5 he’s dropped since he got signed, enhanced by all 11 of the additional cuts. The cloudy trap & rage production is more detailed than NewDrug. a few months earlier & despite Yung Heir’s feature being the weakest of the 5, I do admire that he & the other guest verses make Savior’s gangsta themes feel less monotonous than All Hail.

Score: 4/5

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Ouija Macc – “America’s Most Wicked” review

3rd album from Las Vegas, Nevada emcee Ouija Macc in 2025 & his 9th overall. Breaking out when the Insane Clown Posse signed him to Psychopathic Records shortly after putting out his debut EP Trashfire independently, Ouija has since proven himself as the hatchet’s biggest solo act dropping his last 8 full-lengths, 2 greatest hits compilations, 8 mixtapes & 5 EPs all in the span of nearly 8 years. He even started his own label Chapter 17 Records, with Darby O’Trill now being the only artist other than Ouija & teamed up with each other 13 months ago for the excellent collab effort Anemoia building up Darcc Planet to become the darccest material of his career last summer. Psycho Babbel came a couple months later, entering the Temple of Ash & Chlorine proved that he’ll always be a scrub no matter how clean he gets. Sunken Church however concluded the story that Darcc Planet began, declaring himself America’s Most Wicked a few weeks after Matt Cardona & The Outbreak became the new JCW World Juggalo Heavyweight Champion & JCW World Juggalo Tag Team Champions respectively on episode 64 of JCW Lunacy. Can’t forget to mention the controversial WWE, WCW & TNA Wrestling writer and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Vince Russo becoming the head writer of Lunacy’s either.

“Rigor Mortis” produced by Devereaux after the “John Walsh” intro begins talking about how juggalos don’t ever die & suggest that all the pussies knock it off with that shit whereas “Old Fashion Horror” locks in with DeadBoyGrim for response to the people asking what happened to traditional horror with a modern wicked shit banger he’s perfected up until this point. “Acqua Panna Tuscany” blends cloud rap & trap to talk about how you can’t fuck with the juggalo like him leading into “Offa Me” talking about giving 0 fucks whatsoever.

Moving on from there, “Stalker Jr.” talks about this woman blocking him & having 30 other different numbers so he can stay in contact with her while “Honky Tonk” boasts that he’ll buy a chainsaw off Amazon for the sole purpose of choppin’ up it’s CEO Jeff Bezos. “Phonky Homicidalyst” cleverly blends horrorcore & phonk music looking for cowards in a droptop until “Juggzilla” talks about being the juggalo version of ゴジラ.

“Let’s All Fly” continues with a ghostly trap vibe wanting the so as if there isn’t a fire blazing on the other side while the eerie lead single “Lil’ 1700” talks about creepin’ out the gutter ready to show the underground what the fuck it is. “Formaldehyde” pulls from the Memphis scene a bit making a dope reference to “Guts on the Ceiling” off Carnival of Carnage at the end of the 1st verse while “S.M.D.M.F.D. (Suck My Dick Muthafucka, Die!)” gives off that exact mentality.

Beginning the final leg of America’s Most Wicked, the cloudy trap crossover “Mama House” issues a warning that you don’t want to see him in Juggalo form while the psychedelic “Bong Rips” comes through with a stoner’s anthem for the playalos. “Cemetery Mane” cloudily talks about being haunted by an entity whispering his name while “Hypnotize” ethereally addresses those who have it out for him.

“Show & Tell” portrays himself as a teacher having the whole class yellin’ after swinging this hatchet & admitting that he likes to load a clip as much as choppin’ up bodies while “The Willows” talks about murdering sex offenders & bigots affiliated with all sorts of hate groups. “Build My Home” ends by suggesting he makes himself at home in a cemetery, unsure if God’s answering his prayers & realization the only thing left is the certainty of death.

Coming fresh off the news of Ouija Macc expecting his 3rd child & him buying a 17 acre farm that he calls Juggalo City, the CEO of the Psychopathic Records subsidiary Chapter 17 Records finishes his 2025 by rightfully claiming the title of America’s Most Wicked a few weeks since Ninja Mack became the new JCW American Champion. Filled with 20 tracks of certified wicked shit with 3 of them not being on streaming due to their extremities, it’s basically a soundtrack to the hypothetical situation of the country burning to the ground.

Score: 4.5/5

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De La Soul – “Cabin in the Sky” review

One of the most beloved hip hop groups of all-time from Amityville, New York consisting of Posdnuos, Dave & DJ Maseo a.k.a. De La Soul. Their first few full-lengths 3 Feet High & Rising, De La Soul is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate & stakes is high under Tommy Boy Records would all become some of the greatest of the late 80s & early/mid 90s. Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump & Art Official Intelligence 2: Bionix were both solid although I wouldn’t call them classics like their earlier material, but The Grind Date might be the most underrated entry in their discography. 1st Serve came out during my sophomore year of high school through Duck Down Music Inc. & it was a fun conceptual listen, putting out & the Anonymous Nobody… under their own label AOI Records almost a decade ago next summer. Dave unfortunately passed away in 2023 of congestive heart failure & he still appears posthumously throughout De La’s 10th album, which marks their debut for Mass Appeal Records serving as the 6th & penultimate installment of their Legend Has It series.

After the “Cabin Talk” intro performed by Giancarlo Esposito from the Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul & The Boys/Gen V franchises, the first song “YUHDONTSTOP” beautifully opens up with the group assuring that the magic will forever come in 3 whereas “Sunny Storms” produced by DJ Premier takes a symphonic boom bap route instrumentally slowing down the sample he used during the final verse explaining there’s no need to grieve over the old you. “Good Health” keeps it dusty thanks to Supa Dave West for an ode to staying healthy in light of Plug 2’s death leading into “Will Be” colorfully talking about nobody stopping them.

Pete Rock flips both “7 Years” by The Impressions & “Uphill Peace of Mind” by Kid Dynamite during the lead single “The Package”for Posdnuos & Dave to trade verses with one another rightfully boasting their status amongst the finest in all of Long Island while “A Quick 16 for Mama” featuring Killer Mike talks about their respective mothers over a soulful Nottz beat. “Just How It Is (Sometimes)” turns up the funk so they can explain the way life goes occasionally until “Cruel Summers Bring FIRE LIFE!!” samples “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by the late Roy Ayers fighting for love.

“Day in the Sun (Gettin’ Wit U)” featuring Q-Tip reaches the halfway point with the 2nd & final single talking about another day beginning with them having nothing to do while “Run It Back!!” featuring Nas joins forces over more sampling to get in their battle rap bags lyrically. “Different World” soulfully talks about being in a place in their career where they’re no longer tasting the grit that they were craving almost 4 decades earlier while “Patty Cake” heads for a conscious direction thematically over a soothing Jake One instrumental.

Meanwhile on “The Silent Life of a Truth”, we have Premier hooking up a gospel sample cautioning that parents will still push the harsh realities away from children to make sure the fairy tales stay in place & to stay vigilant while “EN EFF” featuring Black Thought jazzily suggests not to make them laugh because muhfuckas be funny out here. “Believe in Him” turns up the gospel influences a lot higher talking about spirituality while “Yours” featuring Common & Slick Rick advises to not to be left astray.

“Palm of His Hands” kicks off the final leg of Cabin in the Sky with some sumptuous pianos talking about not wanting to get any older & the truth being a little heavy to lift up at times while the title track remembers Trugoy the Dove on top of a Supa Dave beat that kinda reminds me of some of A Tribe Called Quest’s material. “Don’t Push Me” finishes De La’s debut for Mass Appeal with a bittersweet self-produced Dave solo joint homaging “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious 5 during the hook.

As we prepare for Nas & Premier to end the Legend Has It series in 3 weeks, De La Soul’s return after almost a decade could most likely become my favorite of theirs since The Grind Date & rivals Mobb Deep’s final album Infinite for the right of being called the best entry in this whole run Mass Appeal Records has been on. Posdnuos & DJ Maseo not on oh honor the legacy of Trugoy a.k.a. Dave, but they extending that tribute much further to all the loved ones they’ve lost along the way 24 hours after what would’ve been the late Phife Dawg’s born day.

Score: 4.5/5

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Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover – “What of Our Nature” review

Portland, Oregon singer/songwriter Haley Heynderickx & Portland, Maine singer/songwriter Max García Conover reuniting for their 2nd collaborative project. Originally joining forces in the fall of 2018 for the final chapter of the Among Horses trilogy following Haley’s debut album I Need to Start a Garden, her sophomore effort Seed of a Seed celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary at the very beginning of the month & looks to recapture the late Woody Guthrie’s spirit from opposite corners of the country on What of Our Nature under Fat Possum Records.

“Song for Alicia” begins with a singer/songwriter intro telling the story of Alicia Rodríguez whilst further explaining that the Proud Boys & the Puerto Ricans are the only 2 groups convicted of American sedition. “Mr. Marketer” goes for a folkier vibe singing about Haley being told she was destined to grow a bold-hearted woman she thought she’d never know just before the stripped-back “Boars” feels optimistic of hipping through the cat grass living like the biggest little sluggers on the farm.

As for “Cowboying”, we have Haley & Max carrying the folky singer/songwriter sound over to sing about being unable to get these horses out of their heads & not being so sure as to what they want to eat while “In Bulosan’s Words” remembers the late Carlos Bulosan to end the 1st half. “This Morning, I’m Born Again” kicks off the 2nd leg with more acoustics singing that there’s only this emptiness against them while “Fluorescent Light” explains that the kind of lighting we’re living under is absorbing electromagnetic radiation.

“Buffalo, 1981” starts What of Our Nature’s final moments seeing about how this country hates the poor when that couldn’t be more relevant because of the whole SNAP benefits situation occurring during the new longest government shutdown while “To Each Their Dot” sings about humanity’s best interest being circular & simply making money off of us fighting the good fight. “Red River Dry” finishes by looking at Haley’s lineage like “Buffalo, 1981” did with Max’s.

Spending the last 12 months sharing creative ideas in the midst of reading Woody Gunthrie’s biographies & slowly exploring a patchwork of Americanism to see where their stories fit, Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover find themselves with this collection of music Woody left behind channeling the union of spontaneity as well as sweetness & defiance that made him one of the most important figures in all of American folk music over guitars & percussion, carrying on his legacy with a singer/songwriter & indie folk LP that raises the stakes of their creative chemistry.

Score: 4/5

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Awich – “Okinawan Wuman” review | エイウィッチ – 「沖縄のウーマン」レビュー

Awich is a 38 year old rapper from Naha, Okinawa, Japan introducing herself almost 2 decades ago off her debut EP Inner Research & Asian Wish Child respectively. She returned in 2017 with the full-length debut 8, which she would follow up by putting out Beat & Heart as well as her sophomore effort Kujaku & Partition. Queendom was fine for what it was & United Queens was a decent prelude to The Union, enlisting one of my top 10 producers of all-time RZA from the almighty Wu-Tang Clan for her 5th studio LP.

After the “Lotus” introductory skit, the lead single “Butcher Shop” featuring A$AP Ferg sets it all off with a boom bap opener giving it to y’all as raw as desired whereas “Fear Us” featuring Joey Bada$$ & RZA after the “Kaiju of Okinawa” skit finds the trio coming together to talk about those afraid of the truth. “Wax On Wax Off” by A$AP Ferg & Lupe Fiasco samples “Jeans Blues” by Meiko Kaji referencing The Karate Kid but after the “Flexin’ in Shibuya” skit, “Shibuya Flex” featuring MIKE & 454 talks about them having to lose it all.

“Hold It Down” featuring Westside Gunn starts the 2nd half referencing the current AEW International Champion オカダ・カズチカ set to retire 新日本プロレス president 棚橋弘至 at レッスルキングダム20 while “A Woman Hung Up” talks about being the finest out of Okinawa with a dollar & a dream. “Ghosts of the East” takes the trap route instrumentally looking to haunt the world to their bones & prior to the “Full Circle” outro, the final song “Noble Lies” talks about the very thing that makes the world go around.

To make up for the Juice Crew’s reunion EP getting pushed back, Okinawan Wuman kinda reminds me of Anarchy’s 2nd EP My Mind produced by Statik Selektah celebrating it’s 2-year anniversary last month in the sense that both are fine examples of the traditional boom bap sound originating in New York refined for a Japanese emcee who’s been around for a couple of decades already. Not only that, but I can’t forget to mention the stellar guest list either.

Score: 4/5

スコア: 4/5

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Oneohtrix Point Never – “Tranquilizer” review

Oneohtrix Point Never is a 43 year old progressive electronic producer from Wayland, Massachusetts in the late 2000s off Betrayed in the Octagon, Zones Without People & Russian Mind. The latter 2 & Returnal proved in their own rights to be head & shoulders above his debut. Replica alongside the Warp Records debut R+7 & Garden of Delete all came during my time in high school & are still praised today amongst his most important material. Age Of was alright, but Magic Oneohtrix Point Never & Again made great improvements even if I’d rank both of them behind his early Warp output. His 11th album however has been said to be his most groundbreaking in a while & that made me want to hear it for myself to believe it.

The vapor ambient intro “For Residue” begins with a riff reminiscent of the Pink Floyd single “Welcome to the Machine” whereas “Bumpy” feels like a mix of the Replica & R+7 eras. “Lifeworld” masterfully blends utopian virtual, glitch, progressive electronic, plunderphonics, new age, tribal ambient, worldbeat & ambient techno together just before the lead single “Measuring Ruins” takes inspiration from ambient, progressive electronic, glitch, epic collage, space ambient & utopian virtual.

As for “Modern Lust”, we have OPN taking 5 minutes of our time to demonstrate the evolution of his production skills after almost 2 decades of making music leading into “Fear of Symmetry” taking it back to more of an ambient vibe generally & some sound collages. “Vestigel” carries the ambient elements over & throws hints of vapor in the mix along the way while “Cherry Blue” fuses ambient, progressive electronic, space ambient, glitch, post-minimalism & drone for the 2nd single.

“Bell Scanner” could be the only composition here I could do without feeling more like an 85 second interlude if anything while the 3rd single “D.I.S.” pulls from glitch, progressive electronic, IDM, dreampunk, trance, space ambient & epic collage respectively. The title track was an appropriately selected conclusion to the 3rd act dabbling with techno while “Storm Show” kicks off the 4th quarter with a cross between the ambient & new age genres.

To continue Tranquilizer’s final moments, “Petro” expands on the ambient new age direction of “Storm Show” with a bit of a vapor twist to it while “Rodl Glide” saves the best single of the 4 for last because of it’s intricately composed explorations of IDM, vaporwave, downtempo, progressive electronic, acid techno, ambient dub & trip hop. “Waterfalls” epically concludes the LP cooking up an outro presenting itself in the amalgamation of ambient, vapor, new age & sound collage.

Using an archive of 1990s sample libraries found on the Internet Archive prior to being deleted, I can tell you as a fan of Oneohtrix Point Never since my adolescence that Tranquilizer will have most fans walking away calling it his greatest musical statement in a decade. I could additionally debate the real possibility of it taking over R+7’s spot for his magnum opus due to the nostalgic progressive electronic production treading further beyond ambient, sound collage, glitch, vapor, utopian virtual, epic collage, new age, IDM, dreampunk, trance, space ambient, post-minimalism, drone, plunderphonics, tribal ambient, worldbeat, ambient techno, downtempo, acid techno, ambient dub & trip hop.

Score: 4.5/5

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Swapa – “CLRBLND” review

Swapa is a 21 year old recording artist & producer from Harlem, New York introducing himself in 2021 off his poorly received debut EP To Each It’s Own. He would gradually improve himself from there whether it be New Harmony, Bannon, Ollo, Eigen, Island or his most recent extended play as of me writing this Armageddon celebrating it’s 1-year anniversary last month. In regards to his full-length studio debut album CLRBLND, seeing a couple notable producers that I’m a fan of making some contributions to it had me intrigued & I thought I’d give it a shot.

“tap in” starts us off by introducing a new mind of swag to the world since he’s in his bag differently whereas the experimental “fully chop” talks about nobody being able to fuck with him because of his boss status. “redinyoeyes” appreciatively throws it back to the Bannon era a little for those who’re fond of that point in his career leading into the self-produced “skull” talking about the type of guy he is compared to some of these lames.

Moving on from there, “heavy metal” continues to display Swapa’s production talents assuring that he’s in it similarly to the titular genre of music just before the 808-heavy “steve kerr” talks about being richer than the Golden State Warriors’ head coach himself. “nah” stylistically feels like some new age Future shit getting fried while “sir scale” produced by Whyceg & Goxan works in more 808s talking about everything he says eventually selling.

“rigged” reaches the halfway point of the LP subtly referencing the NBA’s ongoing illegal gambling scandal involving Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones & Terry Rozier while “old habits” sticks out with one of my favorite flows throughout CLRBLND asking if one wants to die now that he gave his bitch a Glock to carry for protection. “nother level” speaks of wanting to murder their opps & throw their corpses in the river while “again” talks about it only being him & his bands in the end.

Things take a more rage-inducing vibe on “troll” considering himself a threat while “ykisshme” leans heavier towards a synth-based sound thanks to Clayco promising y’all gonna know it’s him when he pulls up. “marni” much like “old habits” shines as a moment where he shows off what he can do with his flows while the piano-heavy “why not?” talks about doing this music shit for himself. “alien” finishes Swapa’s debut with him psychedelically arriving to the function looking extraterrestrial.

Impressed with his verse on Devstacks’ sophomore effort 4SouljasOnly earlier this spring, it only made sense for me to find out if CLRBLND would be capable of topping Armageddon in addition to some of the other EPs he has under his belt that I don’t find myself going back to very often like Island for instance. Surely enough, all 5 tracks he produced by himself along with “sir scale” & “ykisshme” to name a couple all make for the finer moments over the course of Swapa’s proper introduction.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Neighbourhood – “(((((ultraSOUND)))))” review

The Neighbourhood is an alternative rock & indie pop band from Newbury Park, California consisting of drummer/percussionist Brandon Fried, bassist Michael Margott, rhythm guitarist Jeremiah Freedman, lead guitarist Zachary Abels & frontman Jesse Rutherford. Signing to Columbia Records in 2012, they would go on to make their full-length debut the next spring with I Love You. & Wiped Out! celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary only a couple weeks ago. Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing would improve from both it’s predecessors while Chip Chrome & the Monotones would moderately fulfill their Columbia contract. They have since taken a hiatus between 2022 & this summer, joining the Warner Records roster for their 5th album.

“Hula Girl” sets up their return with a bit of a homage to Oasis singing about the feeling of being removed from his peers whereas “OMG” continues by blending elements of the Wiped Out! & Hard to Imagine The Neighbourhood Ever Changing eras lyrically calling back to “You Get Me So High” & “No Grey” respectively, which is something I believe longtime fans will certainly admire. “Lovebomb” goes for a more nostalgic vibe altogether breaking the curse that all of Jesse’s previous relationships all have in common just before “Private” sings about the relationship he has with his current girlfriend Valentina Bilbao.

As for “Lil Ol’ Me”, we have The Neighbourhood continuing to pull inspiration from Oasis with a hint of Nirvana sprinkled in this time around singing about people wanting Jesse’s soul after putting a lease on it while “Planet” incorporates a bridge reminiscent of the late Michael Jackson yearning to take back a light that was stolen. “Holy Ghost” reaches the halfway point experimenting with alternative dance singing for Valentina to hold him close whenever he feels uncomfortable or wants to give up making music while “Rabbit” begins the 2nd act of (((((ultraSOUND))))) tackling themes of agony & despair.

“Tides” keeps it rolling by throwing it back to the Wiped Out! days once again depicting a relationship built around constantly fighting & asking if they can put their differences behind them while “Daisy Chain” shifts towards an indie rock direction stylistically singing about the topic of nostalgia. “Zombie” compares Jesse to the undead because of him staying up all night waiting for a woman he’s been in contact with as of late to answer his missed calls while “Mama Drama” thematically picks up where “Daddy Issues” left off a decade earlier.

The song “Crushed” winds down (((((ultraSOUND)))))‘s final 11 minutes by taking a bit of a funkier approach in terms of sound singing about self-destruction while “Mute” apologizes in advance if Jesse’s been acting weird, attributing it to his desire of wanting to disappear & things inside his head becoming increasingly loud. “Stupid Boy” concludes the band’s comeback with a sequel to “Pretty Boy” off Chip Chrome & the Monotones, except the aesthetics of I Love You. happen to be more significantly prominent with his empathy increasing & his faith in humanity decreasing.

“Start” appropriately begins the deluxe run singing about having a difficult conversation with someone while “Good Grief” continues by admitting that he’s been having difficulty trying to get over the individual he’s addressing. “Lulu” sings about creating a self defense mechanism that allows Jesse to transform himself & experience life through a different identity while “Red Flag” suggests to set him on fire before he loses it. The final bonus track “Bed” spends the last couple minutes singing about being unsure of whether he’s lonely or alone & lying to himself to make everything seem alright.

Up until this point: These guys to me personally have always been one of those acts where they’ll occasionally wow me by putting out tracks like “Prey” or “Roll Call”, but (((((ultraSOUND))))) changes everything for The Neighbourhood returning under Warner Records for what might be their strongest LP. The production has something that all fans can enjoy recapturing every style they’ve explored during their Columbia Records tenure from alternative rock to indie pop, indie rock, alternative dance & dream pop with it’s darker & moodier spin complimenting Jesse Rutherford’s intimately self-aware lyrics revolving around heartbreak, disillusionment & emotional vulnerability.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dave McMurray – “I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting” review

Here we have the 9th studio LP from Detroit, Michigan saxophonist & multi-instrumentalist Dave McMurray. Introducing himself in 1989 off his debut album The Secret Life & returning 7 years later with the sophomore effort The Dave McMurray Show under Warner Records, he would go on to put out Peace of Mind as well as Soul Searching & Nu Life Stories between the late 90s/early 2000s until returning in 2018 by signing to the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & made Music is Life his debut for the home of the genre’s finest. Coming off Grateful Deadication & it’s sequel, he wants to make it clear that I Love Life Even When I’m Hurting.

After the spoken word intro “This Life” by Herschel Boone, “The Jungaleers” starts with Shady Records in-house producer Luis Resto alongside drummer Jeff Canady & percussionist Mahindi Masai joining Dave to pull from Afrobeats for a nod to the high school the latter had attended whereas “Just a Thought” dedicates itself to his wife & daughter. “7 Wishes 4 G” blends soul-jazz & deep house for a love letter to “Astral Traveling” by Pharaoh Sanders leading into him covering “We Got By” by Al Jarreau.

“The Plum Blossom” by Yusef Lateef gets covered to start the 2nd half while the title track recruits Blue Note president Don Was to play acoustic bass. “Find Your Peace (4 Tani)” gives his flowers to drummer Tani Tabbal bringing the soul-jazz influences back in full effect to endearing results. “The Wheel” finishes the LP with a cover of the Grateful Dead b-side of the same name & honoring Jerry Garcia’s legacy in his own fashion.

Celebrating the love he has for the Motor City & for the many musicians he’s collaborated with, Dave McMurray comes off the Grateful Deadication series to make his greatest musical statement since Music is Life. Consisting of 6 original compositions & 3 covers in the wake of a friend of Dave’s who succumbed to illness & passed away alone, it’s admirable for me hearing him using that energy to construct a full-length themed around positivity surrounded by the most special people in his life.

Score: 4/5

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FKA twigs – “Eusexua 2: Afterglow” review

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter & dancer FKA twigs releasing a sequel to Eusexua with her 4th album. Notable in the art pop scene for her XL Recordings subsidiary Young Recordings debut EP2 after her eponymous debut EP along with her full-length debut LP1 & her 3rd EP M3LL155X. Her sophomore effort Magdalene was also acclaimed with many saying it’s better than LP1 & the same goes with her Atlantic Records-backed debut mixtape Caprisongs, releasing Eusexua at the beginning of 2025 & has followed it up almost 10 months later with Afterglow.

“Love Crimes” makes for a post-dubstep intro singing about the best time being the hardest ones to let go & advising her lover to take things slow whereas “Slushy” blends alternative R&B & glitch pop so she can create some harmony by painting her own utopia with her mind. “Wild & Alone” featuring PinkPantheress finds the 2 joining forces over a UK garage be at to sing about loving a celebrity who constantly has the feeling of isolation leading into ”Hard” pulling inspiration from Janet Jackson a little describing the way she wants to be loved.

Trip hop, illbient, alternative r&b, future garage, chopped & screwed, ambient dub and eccojams all collide on the final single “Cheap Hotel” yearning for her & her romantic interest to go all night with each other sexually at a spot behind the club just before “Touch a Girl” shifts more towards an alternative R&B vibe singing about a clever man leaving her spinning although he’s not good with women. The lead single “Predictable Girl” comes across as an internal monologue blending UK bass, 2-step, glitch pop deconstructed club, future garage & industrial techno while “Sushi” starts the 2nd half singing about wanting to take this guy out.

“Piece of Mine” starts the final moments of Eusexua 2: Afterglow balancing glitch pop & alternative R&B advising the man she’s with to relax his mind because he’s a part of her while “Lost All My Friends” could be my least favorite track here due to be heavily repetitive songwriting despite the EDM approach instrumentally. “Stereo Boy” finishes twigs’ 2nd full-length of 2025 singing about hearing the static within the titular character’s heart, allowing him to drive herself off the edge if she can land in his oils although her pain has remained even after she changed the station.

Maintaining than continuing the primary electronic dance music influences of it’s predecessor & swapping out the art pop elements in favor of alternative R&B, what was originally set to be an expansion of Eusexua has become a spiritual successor that’s more experimental than it’s counterpart. The production additionally exploring sounds of UK garage, post-dubstep, glitch pop, UK bass & deconstructed club expands on the feelings that come after experiencing Eusexua & transmuting them into a soundtrack for the hours after the rave tackling themes of freedom alongside pleasure & maximizing every moment to the fullest.

Score: 4.5/5

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