Charli XCX – “Music, Fashion, Film” review

This is the 8th studio LP from Cambridge, England, United Kingdom singer/songwriter Charli XCX. who one might be remembered for her feature on Iggy Azalea’s biggest hit “Fancy” a decade ago. Her solo material would go on to step leaps & bounds beyond hers with highlights including her 3rd & 4th mixtapes #1 Angel & Pop 2 respectively alongside her 4th & 5th albums Charli & How I’m Feeling Now. Her final Asylum Records offering Crash was ok & brat under Atlantic Records quickly became an indie sleaze revival landmark, coming off the soundtrack of Wuthering Heights to drop Music, Fashion, Film.

“Rock Music” produced by A.G. Cook made for a polarizing lead single blending new rave, indietronica & power pop singing about departing from the EDM style in favor of rock whereas “SS26” fuses indie rock, alt-pop, pop rock, indietronica, slacker rock & post-punk revival critiquing art being commercialized beyond recognition. “Card Declined” splits itself into 2 distinct halves singing about the topic of materialism prior to the indietronica, alternative dance, alt-pop & pop rock single “Camera” finds herself considering pursuing an acting career.

Moving on from there, “2007” looks back at how far she’s come since beginning to make music 19 years previously combining elements of alternative dance & pop rock just before “I’m Afraid” discusses Charli’s engagement to George Daniel & gets confessional regarding everything she fears. “Yeah” might be one of the weaker moments partly due to it’s repetitive structuring although I very much understand the concept revolving around yes men while “Wink Wink” mixes pop rock, post-punk revival, power pop, new wave & dance-punk revival sings about people always changing.

“Persona” winds down Music, Fashion, Film’s final act advising for people to not let their egos choke them whenever she’s around them over a fuzzy guitar playing behind her while “Magic Metal Montana” shows some appreciation towards A.G. Cook, considering him to be her best friend & that he makes things easier for her whenever they’re in the studio. The closer “No One Lasts Forever” featuring a spoken word interlude & outro from David Cronenberg sends off the album singing about enjoying life now since every living being eventually dies.

Starting the deluxe run, “I Keep on Thinking ‘Bout You Every Single Day & Night” vents over someone who’s constantly on Charli’s mind with some synthesizers backing her while “Playboy Bunny” gives us the complete sonic opposite of “SS26” & letting her sassy side take control responding to the people who claim her output sounds the same by saying it’s because she made it herself. The final bonus track “If you take away the music then what has she got?” menacingly concludes with a repetitive chorus & post-chorus preceding a guitar solo.

I fully support the idea of Charli XCX making a complete stylistic departure for Music, Fashion, Film even if I wouldn’t put it in the same category as brat or How I’m Feeling Now or Charli amongst her most celebrated material. However, I’ll still put it above the Wuthering Heights soundtrack & even Crash compared to her other 2020s output. A.G. Cook’s production experiments with indietronica, indie rock, pop rock, slacker rock, alternative dance, alt-pop, new rave, power pop, post-punk revival, noise pop, new wave & dance-punk revival so Charli can get more introspective lyrically.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

The Strokes – “Reality Awaits” review

The Strokes are an indie rock band from New York City consisting of guitarists/keyboardists Nick Valensi & Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, drummer Fabrizio Moretti & frontman Julian Casablancas. Their 2001 debut Is This It under RCA Records has been widely considered by many to be amongst the greatest garage rock-revival ever recorded & followed it up with the equally acclaimed sophomore effort Room on Fire, although 1st Impressions of Earth as well as Angles & Comedown Machine generally left audiences torn. The New Abnormal produced by Rick Rubin has already become the quintet’s 2nd greatest statement since their debut & are getting back together 6 years later for their 7th studio LP.

“Psycho Shit” gets things going singing about the Gaza genocide & looking at the teacher’s pet label as another form of death within itself while “Dine N’Dash” embraces a new wave vibe instrumentally detailing the consumption of something without paying it’s exact cost. “Lonely in the Future” interestingly suggests Anthony Fantano to focus on the technical side of music more often until the hideous soft rock, indie rock, countrypolitan & neo-psychedelia crossover “Falling Out of Love”.

We have The Strokes endorsing Maya Wiley on “Starting Again” to kick off the 2nd half just before the self-explanatory “Going Shopping” mediocrely blends new wave, indie rock, jangle pop & indie surf for the lead single. “Liar’s Remorse” addresses an individual who doesn’t want love because they can’t take the pain & after “The Fruits of Conquest” takes a moment for a rebellious middle finger towards authoritarianism, “Tyrants of the Mellow Moon” concludes Reality Awaits with a Radiohead-inspired closer waiting for another chance to take everything he can.

The New Abnormal had me thinking maybe Rick Rubin wasn’t entirely washed since that’s the first time in years where I can recall an album he produced receiving that much praise but unfortunately, Reality Awaits found a way to beat 1st Impressions of Earth or Angles & Comedown Machine in becoming The Strokes’ weakest entry in their discography. Rick’s production is fine recapturing indie rock, neo-psychedelia, new wave & post-punk revival sounds although I can’t say the same for Julian’s effect-heavy vocals.

Score: 2.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

NEMS & Ron Browz – “I Should Boom You Too” review

New collaborative extended play from New York recording artists NEMS & Ron Browz. One of whom is an underground veteran hailing from Coney Island, Brooklyn emerging in the battle rap circuit back in the early 2000s & the other’s a Harlem native gaining widespread recognition for producing Nas’ iconic JAY-Z diss “Ether”. They’ve crossed paths a couple times on tracks like “The Bar Exam” & “Count It Out” prior to I Should Boom You this past spring, linking back up for a sequel 3 months later.

“Glocktalk” opens up with both MCs over a boom bap instrumental from none other than Ron Browz himself spitting that gangsta shit together whereas “Yams” switches it up in the form of a 109 second tune catered strictly for the clubs. “Unbelievable” brings back the dustiness talking about the money they’re making coming in surreal amounts just before “Work It Out” featuring Will Traxx finds the trio telling those looking to party to merely follow the bassline.

Kicking off the 2nd half, the uptempo “Losing Control” admits to the chat that they wanna fuck leading into “The Greatest” takes the trap route instrumentally talking about their legacies. High Regards” featuring A$AP Ferg joins forces so everyone can get in their Fuck Ya Lyfe bag while “D.E.D.M. (Don’t Ever Disrespect Me)” spends the final moments of I Should Boom You Too advising the world that dissing them would be their biggest downfall.

I still maintain that the original I Should Boom You back in April contains some of the best rapping of Ron Browz’ career & despite not enjoying I Should Boom You Too as much, it’s still worth listening if you’re a fan of either him or NEMS. Its production is still prominently rooted in the traditional boom bap sound except there are more trap undertones this time around & the original material excluding both remixes feel more like outtakes left off the original album.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Cypress Hill – “Dios Bendiga” review

South Gate, California veterans Cypress Hill going full Spanish for their 11th studio LP. Consisting of B-Real & Sen Dog on the mic as well as DJ Muggs on the boards & Eric Bobo on percussion, the quartet would take the west coast by storm a little over 3 decades back off their eponymous debut under Ruffhouse Records in tandem with Columbia Records because of Muggs’ unique production style & their pro-marijuana legalization themes. Other standouts in the group’s discography include Black Sunday, my personal favorite Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom, the criminally underappreciated Cypress Hill IV, Elephants on Acid & the Black Milk-produced Back in Black through MNRK Music Group. Considering they’ve made Spanish songs in the past, Dios Bendiga seemed like a long time coming & the HYBE Corporation getting involved was even more of a shock.

“Wacha Trucha” featuring Alemán begins talking about staying alert & preparing for what’s to come whereas my favorite single “Campeones” reunites with O.G. member Mellow Man Ace so the discussing the new style that the team’s employing. “Rosas Verdes” continues from there talking about having only the greenest roses in their garden while “Run” featuring Poe Leos cautions against getting away from them if they pull up on you.

Coyote teams up with B-Real & Sen Dog on “Sueños” to deliver one of the strongest guest appearances explaining that the days of their dreams are anything but small while “Estamos Listos” ends the 1st half talking about how they always stay ready. “Voló” featuring Sick Jacken kicks off the 2nd leg discussing the war & everyone smoking what they grew up with in the streets leading into “Saca La Bolsita” featuring Trueno talking about there being trouble if someone crosses the line with them.

“No Tengo Miedo” featuring Sick Jacken admits to them not being afraid of death & leaving slowly whenever their time comes while “Barrios Prendidos” featuring La Santa Grifa talks about Mexican bandits turning against neighborhoods. “El Perro Y El Coyote” featuring LadiesLoveGuapo pleads for their guardian angels to let them rest & a long live burdening them while the reggae-influenced closing track “Otra” sends off Dios Bendiga talking about their love of smoking weed.

It’s a bit surprising to me that Cypress Hill waited a quarter of a century after the Los Grandes Exitos En Español compilation came out to make their full Latin debut but as much as I wanna like it, there are some flaws unfortunately. The rapping’s on point from both B-Real & Sen Dog including a majority of the guest appearances, my biggest issue with Dios Bendiga lies more with the production lacking the same consistency Back in Black had earlier this decade.

Score: 3/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Gangrene – “Better Than McDonald’s” review

Yes, a brand new studio LP & the 5th overall from California emcee/production duo Gangrene has arrived. Consisting of The Alchemist & Oh No representing Los Angeles & Oxnard respectively, the latter of whom’s the younger brother of one of my top 10 producers of all-time Madlib & the other so happens to be yet another top 10 producer of mine. They’ve put out a total of 4 full-length albums along with a couple EPs together over the past 16 years & are coming off Heads I Win, Tails You Lose back in 2024 marking their return after almost a decade to explain that the position each of them are in is Better Than McDonald’s.

“Note Ascension” hops over a raw Alchemist instrumental to get things going taking shots at rappers who’re out of their element whereas “Forever” turns up the grittiest so the pair can discuss being around eternally. “The Xtract” featuring Estee Nack finds the trio linking up over a gully Oh No beat to drop off hardcore verses without the need of a hook just before “King Taco” featuring Ab-Soul soulfully suggests a lil bit of hate will take you a long way.

Meanwhile on “Muscle Head”, we have Gangrene advising to keep playing your role for the scriptwriters leading into the drumless “Gas Factory” featuring Rome Streetz going full battle rap mode. “Errybody” featuring Armand Hammer continues the 2nd half with the most abstract moment here while “Microscopic Manner” featuring Meyhem Lauren references the late WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant.

“Run Downs” winds down the last leg of Better Than McDonald’s asking for God to have mercy on them since neither could give a fuck less running up their money while the boom bap-tinged “Sasquatch” featuring Boldy James talks about pushing the pedal to the max without crashing. “Proper Etiquette” featuring Wildchild sends it all off observing the issue of everyone wanting to be loud instead of adequate, which they clarify isn’t a weakness.

You know? I’m grateful we didn’t have to wait another decade for Gangrene to drop another album, but Better Than McDonald’s still might be my least favorite in their discography. In no way shape or form am I trying to insinuate that the music itself has nothing interesting going on because both members deliver & so do the increased number of guest appearances, I just wish Uncle Al would stop trolling people using AI generated artworks regardless of him confirming that it’s a painting.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Leedz Edutainment – “Hard to Learn” review

This is the 9th compilation album from Boston, Massachusetts underground record label Leedz Edutainment. Since the early 2010s, they’ve already dropped a handful of comps under their belt already with the Mass Movementz duology as well as the Write Off tetralogy & Eastern Standard. It’s already been a few years since A Worker Among Workers came out & Hard to Learn arrives 49 months later to get significantly vulnerable in comparison to it’s predecessors.

The title track by the Barrel Brothers & REKS produced by The Arcitype after the “Acceptance” intro begins with an uplifting boom bap opener talking about waiting for your turn whereas “The Friends of Eddie Leedz” by Big Shug, Ed O.G. & Mann Terror finds the trio repping their city. “The Darkside” by Lex the Hex Master, Ruste Juxx & XL the Beast explores a horrorcore vibe talking about darkness following them while “Walk Among What Remains” by Ill Bill, Q-Unique, Rite Hook & Wildcard tastefully blends hardcore hip hop & rap rock.

“No Surprise” by Blueprint, MURS & Sareem Poems after the “Diversion” skit & Lenny Lashley’s Gang of 1’s cover of “Downbound Train” by Bruce Springsteen returns to the boom bap talking about jumping through hoops to stay alive while “Bear the Burden” by Akrobatik, M-Dot & Reef the Lost Cauze precedes the “Lyrical Shit” skit hopping over a D.C. the Midi Alien beat discusses the good feeling of overcoming obstacles to come back stronger than ever.

Bonnie Stone, Freddie Black, Lateb, Napoleon da Legend, Raw Deff & Weapon E.S.P. all join forces for the 5 minute posse cut “Battle Tested” where Napoleon & Weapon E.S.P. each drop the strongest verses just before “Animal” by Rite Hook, STL GLD & XL the Beast prior to the “Show’s Over” skit reaches the 1st leg of Hard to Learn talking about the quartet feeling like a pack of angry wolves coming across a herd of sheep.

After Godforbid hits us with a cover of “Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers” by Primus that isn’t much better or worse than the Bruce Springsteen one, we have The Dunnas making an appearance for “The Working Man (Turn & Burn)” celebrating those types of people specifically while “Fictional Fantasies” by Awon, Emskee & Sadat X after the “Be a Man” skit talks about not being able to progressive if you’ve never experienced any hardships in your life.

“History iz Watching” by Blak Madeen & Daddy-O calls the world to choose between right or wrong while “Living With a Ghost” by Ea$y Money, STL GLD & XL the Beast after the “Father’s Day” skit talks about fathers who weren’t around much. “Learn to Suffer” by Block McCloud & Problemattik speaks of staying true to yourself & after the “Gratitude” skit, “Penniless Kings” by XL the Beast ahead of the “See You on the Next One” outro realizing that’s exactly what everyone is.

Wasn’t really sure if Leedz Edutainment would be able to top A Worker Among Workers, but Hard to Learn already dethrones it by putting the listener inside the shoes of a person who’s carried more than they thought they could. The Arcitype returns behind the boards with the exception of 2 tracks retaining a hardcore hip hop/boom bap sound other than a couple rock covers I could’ve done without confronting issues ranging from divorce to addiction, grief, anxiety, working-class struggles, faith, redemption & the long road toward acceptance.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Aaron Lewis – “Give My Country Back” review

Aaron Lewis is a 54 year old singer/songwriter from Longmeadow, Massachusetts notable for being the frontman of Staind. Although his 2011 solo debut extended play Town Line was divisively received, the eponymous EP as well as the full-length debut The Road & the sophomore effort Sinner were all moderately received in comparison. State I’m In & Frayed at Both Ends marked a decline in quality, coming off the worst entry of his solo catalog The Hill to say “hold my beer” & record his 6th LP.

“The Door” begins with a tiring country intro singing about being judged by the world when he inflicted that upon himself by becoming a bootlicker whereas “Bad Thing to Be Good At” promises to let freedom ring whenever he makes music when the authoritarianism he supports suggests otherwise. “Too High for This” sings about heading down the lowest road he can find & I guess you can use that in a literal sense while the crooning “List of Things to Quit” lets the whiskey consume him after imagining someone who isn’t real.

We have Aaron spending a great deal of the sickening title track telling anyone who doesn’t like the rise of fascism to pack their shit & leave to reach the midway point of Give My Country Back. Right after “People I’ve Known” kicks off the 2nd half singing about the world changing in front of his very eyes for half his life however, “Let Go Like the Rain” continues from there crooning dabbling with a country rock sound to address familiar themes of moving on.

The song “A Showman’s Life” winds down the last leg stylistically stripping things back so he can observe the parts of being famous that no one has ever told him about while “Keeping Up with the Jonesin’” leaning towards a country rock vibe again singing it wouldn’t be so hard if he didn’t knew what he was missing. “Duct Tape & Baling Wire” sends off what could likely be the worst country album I’ve heard all year singing about using those 2 things for a patch up.

“It’s Been a While” ranks amongst the most overrated post-grunge singles of all-time & it’s unfortunate watching him go from that being such a hit to embracing a fascist heel turn to keep his name relevant. And unfortunately, it’s bleeding a lot heavier into Give My Country Back basically making the album equivalent of the “Where My Country Gone?” episode of the Paramount Skydance Corporation subsidiary Comedy Central’s flagship animated series South Park.

Score: 0/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Dave Blunts – “I’ll Believe It When I See It” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Davenport, Iowa by way of Salt Lake City, Utah rapper, singer/songwriter & internet personality Dave Blunts. Dropping a total of 16 EPs & a few full-length albums since 2018 or so, I’ve even mentioned a couple guest appearances he made for Babytron & D. Savage on Tronicles & We Love D. Savage a couple years earlier respectively. You Can’t Say That last spring got some rightful backlash for the transphobia & dissing artists who have stronger discographies than him, not expecting anything different out of I’ll Believe It When I See It.

“Shuey Gets a Job” opens up talking about his friend Ethan Shutak’s being hired for a minimum wage occupation whereas “Burning Spoons” tells the story of Jordan’s baby momma being a meth addict. “Vbucks” hits us with a corny KanKan diss although it’s not as disgusting as it was on You Can’t Say That until “1 More Day” finds himself crying about wanting to be with his ex-girlfriend Solar again for 24 hours if he had that opportunity.

We unfortunately have Dave Blunts getting transphobic again on “Cupcake” dissing KanKan again & throwing at jab at one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West prior to the single “World Champ” throwing out a homophobic slur during the hook. “Rollie” talks about people thinking he was gay for writing “Cousins” for Ye when I’ve literally never heard anyone say that while “Scale” expresses his love for codeine & sleeping with a semi-automatic by his side.

“Unnecessary” after a redundant remix of “Back on Oxygen” jabs at KanKan & Dax, with the latter being the only one that’s deserved because his music’s not any better than Dave’s at all. The penultimate track “Ciara Come Home” nears the end of I’ll Believe It When I See It bitching & moaning for a woman he’s known for 6 years to take him back while “Drown” finally sends off the album wasting a plugg beat on some horrifically performed vocals talking about his life being exciting.

Now before anyone asks me why I subjected myself to I’ll Believe It When I See It when Dave Blunts has been throwing shots at Ye or even 50 Cent of all people for the past year? I don’t know. What I can say that he’s retaining his usual gimmick of lyrics using dark humor, introducing characters, dissing more prominent artists even if there’s always 1 who’s justified & his hatred for transgender people when they literally haven’t done anything to him.

Score: 1/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Syd – “Beard” review

Syd is a 34 year old singer/songwriter, DJ & producer from Los Angeles, California known for being one of the now defunct Odd Future collective’s earliest members alongside her younger brother Taco. She would also front the alternative R&B band The Internet, who would go on to drop 4 studio LPs. I should also mention the Raunchboots solo mixtape back in 2011 along with her 2017 full-length debut Fin under Columbia Records & the accompanying Always Never Home extended play. Her sophomore effort Broken Hearts Club arrived in 2023 & had hopes of her Warner Records debut albeit 3rd LP artistically elevating herself beyond her previous material.

“Walls” starts us off with a settle R&B intro singing for her lover to come over to her place whereas “Callin’” featuring Blu June finds the pair using 911 for a metaphor detailing how much these 2 lovers need each other. The self-produced “Jasmin 17” embraces a groovier vibe instrumentally singing about this woman’s physique being therapeutic to her just before the bossa nova-inspired “My Love” gives a fuck less if anyone thinks she’s crazy for proving her love to this person.

Jordan Ward appears on “Always Be Mine” depicting a couple who doesn’t want to leave each other’s sides leading into “Closet” featuring CUBE wrapping up the 1st leg having Raphael Saadiq play bass singing about feeling the complete opposite of usually desiring for their own space. “Bad Guys” co-produced by Benny Cassette kicks off the 2nd half reminding us all that every villain was once goodhearted at some point while “G.M.F.U. (Got Me Fucked Up)” featuring Big Sean on the remix talks about being misperceived.

“Do Better” finds Syd refusing to go in circles again telling this woman she’s crazy for that she needs to make some improvements after the love she had for her became a weapon while “Any Time” featuring James Fauntleroy neo-psychedelically sings about always losing when running from the individuals addressed. “Water” assures the female partner she adores that she wouldn’t have if she found someone else & “2 Many Days” sings about working too hard to not make any money.

Nearly everything Syd has released on her own up until this point has left listeners torn, but I adamantly believe Beard sticks out in a league of it’s own compared to her early output although I wouldn’t put it above Steve Lacy’s new album Oh Yeah? that dropped earlier today. The largely self-handled production distills the contemporary/alternative R&B influences of her earlier output, coming into her own mixing them with some smooth & trap soul undertones.

Score: 3.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Steve Lacy – “Oh Yeah?” review

Steve Lacy is a 28 year old singer/songwriter, guitarist & producer from Compton, California known for being the guitarist of the now defunct Odd Future collective’s The Internet. Following a demo extended play in 2017, he would make his full-length studio debut in the spring of 2019 with Apollo XXI & his sophomore effort albeit major label debut Gemini Rights under RCA Records marked a huge artistic evolution compared to his early solo output to there point where his 3rd studio LP has become the most anticipated of his career.

The self-produced title track has a bit of a repetitive approach to the songwriting singing about being let out for the evening since he’s too young for death whereas “Is It Cool?” featuring SZA co-produced by his OF/Internet brethren Matt Martians blends alternative R&B, neo-soul, downtempo & neo-psychedelia to admit that the pair don’t even trust themselves. “The Feeling” incorporates secondary influences of psychedelic soul, bedroom pop & sophisti-pop asking why this person tested his patience.

Erykah Badu herself appears on “Pure Colour” teaming up to sing about 2 partners who desire to let them take control of one another so they can feel lighter while “Show You Me” reaches the midway point of the album with some cheery acoustics expressing the love he has for a bad boy. “Doom” continues from there with a nihilistically grungy 2-parter observing that people value validation instead of genuine connections while “nothing” sings about the inability of getting someone off his mind.

“LoveSexDrugBomb” winds down the last few moments of Oh Yeah? including a writing credit from Tyler, The Creator warmly yearning to have his partner right beside him while “Nice Shoes / In Your World” splits itself into 2 separate halves, climatically spiraling downwards for the sole purpose of him keeping to wish this body of work bestowed upon us. The alt-rock closing track “Bebe” sends it all off recalling the time I got my life screwed up.

Watching him blow up since Gemini Rights has been a long time coming for Steve Lacy as someone who’s been paying attention to him for almost a decade & Oh Yeah? contradicts the expansiveness of his idea. His production continues to push boundaries exploring neo-psychedelia, bedroom pop, indie folk, indie rock, alt-pop, singer/songwriter, alternative R&B, neo-soul, downtempo, psychedelic soul, sophisti-pop, alternative rock & grunge to tackle his usual themes of lust & longing from every angle he can possibly find.

Score: 4.5/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!