BABYMETAL – “Metal Forth” review | ベビーメタル – 『メタル・フォース』レビュー

BABYMETAL is a Kawaii metal trio from Tokyo, Japan consisting of Su-metal, Moametal & Momometal. Releasing an eponymous debut album together under Toy’s Factory over a decade ago already, the band’s sophomore effort Metal Resistance a couple years later was where I personally became a fan of their music. On the contrary, Metal Galaxy & The Other One were both average in comparison. Signing to Capitol Records this spring, the band’s finally ready to make their major label debut.

ベビーメタルは、スメタル、モアメタル、モモメタルで構成された、東京、日本のカワイイメタルトリオです。すでに10年以上前にトイズ・ファクトリーの下で同名のデビューアルバムをリリースし、数年後のバンドの2枚目の努力「金属抵抗」は、私が個人的に彼らの音楽のファンになった場所です。反対に、「メタル・ギャラクシー」と「ザ・オアザー・ワン」はどちらも比較で平均でした。この春、キャピトルレコードと契約し、 ベビーメタルはついにメジャーレーベルデビューの準備が整いました。

“from me to u” featuring Poppy blends alternative metal, metalcore, electronicore, nu metal, industrial metal & kawaii metal to sing about killing the enemies with the rage inside them whereas the WWE Bash in Berlin official theme song “Ratatata” featuring Electric Callboy fuses electronicore, kawaii metal & Eurodance comparing their bodies to weapons.

「私からあなたへ」にポピーが参加したこの曲は、オルタナティブ・メタル、メタルコア、エレクトロコア、ニュー・メタル、インダストリアル・メタル、そしてカワイイ・メタルを融合させ、敵を内なる怒りで倒すことを歌っています。一方、WWEベルリンでのバッシュの公式テーマソング「ラタタタ」に電気式コールボーイが参加したこの曲は、エレクトロコア、カワイイ・メタル、ユーロダンスを融合させ、彼らの体を武器に例えています。

Slaughter to Prevail joins BABYMETAL for the disappointingly mediocre kawaii metal/metalcore crossover “Song 3” trying to make their version of “Revolution 9” by The Beatles just before “Kon! Kon!” featuring Bloodywood embraces a heavier nu metal vibe with additional elements of kawaii metal, rap metal & Bhangra in what both parties have called “creature metal”.

スローター・トゥ・プリヴェイルは、ベビーメタルと共に、失望的なほど平凡な「カワイイ・メタル/メタルコア」のクロスオーバー曲「歌3」に参加し、ビートルズの「革命9」のバージョンを制作しようとしています。その後、「コン!コン!」では、ブラッディウッドがより重いニューメタルの雰囲気を採用し、カワイイ・メタル、ラップ・メタル、バンガラの要素を組み合わせた「クリーチャー・メタル」と両者が呼ぶスタイルを追求しています。

KxAxWxAxIxI concludes the first half of “Metal Force” by embracing the kawaii metal style they have come to recognize and standing at the top of the subgenre hierarchy, while the gradually cute “Sunset Kiss” featuring Polyphia reflects on the lovers’ relationship coming to an end, as it melts into the red sky of dawn , depicting the sun setting and the faded face still burning.

KxAxWxAxIxI 「は、彼らが認知するようになったカワイイ・メタル・スタイルを取り入れ、サブジャンルのヒエラルキーの頂点に立つことで、『メタルフォース』の前半を締めくくる。一方、ポリフィアをフィーチャーした徐々にカワイくなる 」サンセット・キス “は、恋人たちの関係が終わりを迎えることに思いを馳せ、夜明けの赤い空に溶けていくように、太陽が沈み、色あせた顔がまだ燃えている様子を描写している。

Spiritbox & BABYMETAL team up for the kawaii metal, alt-metal, metalcore & djent hybrid “My Queen” asking to be freed from some sort of pain while “Algorism” sings about the past & the future not going away because love’s a process within itself. “METAL!!” experiments with alternative metal, groove metal & Japanese folk music for an energetically playful single to dance to while “White Flame” climactically finishes the melodic speed metal series on a powerfully emotional note.

スピリットボックスとベビーメタルは、カワイイメタル、アルトメタル、メタルコア、ジェントのハイブリッド 「マイ・クイーン 」でタッグを組み、ある種の痛みから解放されることを願い、「アルゴリズム 」では、愛はそれ自体がプロセスであるため、過去と未来はなくならないことを歌っている。「メタり!!」は、オルタナティヴ・メタル、グルーヴ・メタル、日本のフォーク・ミュージックを実験的に取り入れた、エネルギッシュで遊び心のあるシングルで、「白い炎」は、メロディック・スピード・メタル・シリーズのクライマックスを力強くエモーショナルに締めくくる。

Metal Forth embodies BABYMETAL’s artistic growth by pushing boundaries & collaborating with artists they’ve connected with from around the world, landing behind Metal Resistance for their most essential full-length. Kobametal’s production is more bolder than the band’s earlier output going beyond kawaii metal to further explore the styles alternative metal, electronicore, industrial metal, power metal, j-pop, metalcore, deathcore, djent, nu metal, groove metal, Eurodance, rap metal, Bhangra & Japanese folk music.

メタル・フォースは、境界線を押し広げ、世界中のアーティストとコラボレートすることで、ベビーメタルが芸術的に成長したことを体現している。コバメタルのプロダクションは、カワイイメタルの枠を超え、オルタナティヴ・メタル、エレクトロニコア、インダストリアル・メタル、パワー・メタル、Jポップ、メタルコア、デスコア、ジェント、ニュー・メタル、グルーヴ・メタル、ユーロダンス、ラップ・メタル、バングラ、日本の民俗音楽などのスタイルをさらに探求している。

Score: 3.5/5

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J.I.D – “God Does Like Ugly” review

Atlanta, Georgia emcee & singer/songwriter J.I.D releasing his highly anticipated 4th LP. Coming up 15 years ago off his debut mixtape Cakewalk & joining the Spillage Village collective lead by the EARTHGANG around that same time frame, he dropped a couple more tapes as well as DiCaprio after that & signed to J. Cole’s very own Interscope Records imprint Dreamville Records in 2017. He has since made himself home there with The Never Story followed by DiCaprio 2 & more recently The Forever Story, having God Does Like Ugly precede JIDTRO fully produced by Metro Boomin’.

“YouUgly!” opens with J.I.D taking a ceiling challenge to shows he’s above his peers & a beat switch talking about not being the same as an individual tryna stand out in a crowd amongst fools whereas “Glory” produced by Lex Luger delves into his spirituality. “WRK” was a dope trap single talking about relentless hustle being required to achieve his ambitions while the crooning boom bap crossover “Community” featuring Clipse finds the trio looking back on their early days & wanting to shoot Bob the Builder.

Hearing “Walk” by Comethazine getting sampled on “Gz” was an unexpected welcome talking about car robberies while “VCRs” featuring Vince Staples continues the gangsta rap themes over a Jay Versace instrumental. “Sk8” featuring the EARTHGANG reunites the trio for an Atlanta bass cut talking about claiming your side whether it be north, south, east or west just before “What We On” featuring Don Toliver teams up for a psychedelic slow love song DJ Chase B helped put together.

6LACK appears for the tranquil “Wholeheartedly” wanting their partners to promise that they won’t ever switch up against them while “No Boo” featuring Jessie Reyez gives off a more cumbersome approach asking each other if they’re tired of being alone. After the “& We Vibing” interlude, “On McAfee” slaughters this nasty beat from Boi-1da, Vinylz & Cubeatz warning that nobody’s safe while the 3-parter “On Blue” featuring Mereba talks about finding a place to feel safe.

“K-Word” balances drumless & trap hopping over some strings to address the topic of karma prior to “For Keeps” chopping up a jazzy soul sample talking about the feeling he’s been trying to find for so long hitting him right when it seems like the mojo is gone & nothing having the ability to make him step away from the mic. The album officially finishes with an extended version of “Sun” featuring Anycia, which was previewed during his Dreamville Fest last spring.

Starting the “preluxe” run, “Behold” boisterously talks about giving 2 middle fingers in a picture so they don’t ever forget while “Beau” dustily compares himself to Rambo. “Knew Better” by the BlakkBoyz stands at the dawn of a new era while “Lisa” asks not for his high to get fucked up. “Animals” featuring Eminem fresh off the latter’s appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 with the longest reigning AEW World Champion MJF now becoming the new CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon and the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch reunites for a breakbeat “Fuel” sequel.

Prioritizing lyricism & artistry above everything else, God Does Like Ugly continues to exemplify J.I.D’s status as the best artist on the entire Dreamville Records roster with a supple prelude to JIDTRO & a virtuous successor to The Forever Story realizing the potential we initially heard almost a decade ago emphasizing the previous’ Christian themes. You’re still getting doses of trap, neo-soul, jazz rap & boom bap within the production except the Southeast Atlanta native’s wordplay keeps getting better with time almost a decade since his major label deal got inked.

Score: 4.5/5

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Amaarae – “Black Star” review

Amaarae is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from The Bronx, New York by way of Accra, Ghana independently releasing her 2017 debut EP Passionfruit Summers followed by the 2020 full-length studio debut The Angel You Don’t Know through her own label Golden Child Entertainment. The latter of which caught Interscope Records’ attention, who signed her for the highly praised sophomore effort Fountain Baby & looks to raise the stakes even higher with the 3rd LP becoming the most personal of them all.

“Stuck Up” opens with a reference to Spike Lee ahead of his upcoming A24 Films neo-noir crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest coming to theaters next weekend whereas the boldly audacious “Starkilla” sings about serving ketamine, cocaine & ecstasy. “ms60” contains one of my favorite instrumentals on the album from WondaGurl responding to those calling her stuff like bitch, villain & a controversial diva while “Kiss Me Thru the Phone 2” featuring PinkPantheress samples “Thong Song” by Sisqó for a homage to Soulja Boy.

As for “B2B”, we have Amaarae singing about bisexuality sampling “Maybe” by Toni Braxton just before “She’s My Drug” heavily interpolates “Believe” by Cher asking if one believes in love when sobered off the drugs. The lead single “Girlie-Pop!” however excitingly blends Jersey club, dance-pop, tamborzão, alté & alternative R&B embodying the feeling of a kiss from your favourite person in the world.

“S.M.O. (Slut Me Out)” combines dance-pop, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro & hiplife for a cross between Donna Summer & Control era Janet Jackson while “Fineshyt” makes for the 2nd & final track to be produced by BNYX of Working on Dying sings about her bisexual experienced wanting to buying the woman she’s currently in love with whatever kind of clothes she wants on top of the inability of leaving her by herself.

To get the 4th quarter’s clock winding down, “Dove Cameron” calls back to her previous LP singing about people referring to her as “Fountain” & showing off all the money she’s been making while “Dream Scenario” goes alternative R&B desiring for her lover to tell her what they want. “100drum” finds herself confronting the familiar feeling of paranoia brought on by an unnamed adversary & “Free the Youth” ties it all up by singing about not getting too pumped because she’s fucked up.

Familiarizing myself through her collaborations with the likes of KAYTRAMINÉ or Janelle Monáe to Bas & Childish Gambino, the 2nd major label offering in the Amaarae canon playfully embraces her Ghanaian heritage. It’s production leans heavier towards dance-pop & electronic dance music compared to Fountain Baby additionally pulling further inspiration from funk brasileiro, alternative r&b, house, alté, pop rap, African music, Afroswing, gqom, Bacardi Burger-Highlife, Detroit techno, electro, hiplife, Jersey club, tamborzão & alté to confidently explore her identity as an artist & as a woman.

Score: 4.5/5

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Metro Boomin’ – “A Futuristic Summa” review

St. Louis producer, DJ & record executive Metro Boomin’ finally dropping off his highly anticipated 2nd mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the middle of the previous decade as one of the most in-demand beatsmiths in hip hop today, he’s gone on to produce some of the best trap projects of the decade in their entireties including Future’s 3rd album D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2), Gucci Mane’s 53rd mixtape Droptopwop and the Offset/21 Savage collab tape Without Warning. It was until after Halloween 2018 when he put out his solo debut Not All Heroes Wear Capes & the 2022 sequel Heroes & Villains continued an ongoing trilogy by elevating his production game. A Futuristic Summa was announced earlier this month & we’re finally getting it weeks since the current 2-time World Heavyweight Champion Gunther retired WWE Hall of Famer, 4-time WWE world champion, WWE United States Champion & WCW World Tag Team Champion Bill Goldberg at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLI followed by former AEW Women’s World Champion Blake Monroe betraying former 3-time TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace & another former TNA Knockouts World Champion Naomi becoming a 3-time WWE women’s world champion by ending イヨ・スカイ’s 2nd reign as a WWE women’s world champion at Evolution II.

“I Want It All” by J Money after the “Black Migo Forever” intro starts with a decent futuristic swag opener talking about his desire for everything nice whereas “They Wanna Have Fun” by Gucci Mane, Quez & Young Dro co-produced by Zaytoven homages the Cyndi Lauper single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” with Quez’ verse in the middle being my least favorite of the 3. “Butterflies (Right Now)” by Roscoe Dash & Quavo goes for an Atlanta bass vibe so they can talk about doing the crime & time of killing pussy prior to “Take Me Thru Dere” by Quavo & YK Niece inferiorly continuing the themes of lust. 

The colorful “Loose Screws” by Shad da God & Skooly blends pop rap & trap with the help of DK Spinz to discuss losing their mind if the baddies they’re seeing move in with them just before the first of 2 Young Dro solo cuts “Stealin’ All the Swag” cloudily talks about wanting his swagger back. “WTF Goin’” combines these pianos & hi-hats shrugging off the haters because they only add flavor to what he’s doing while “Issa Party” by Jose Guapo, Shad da God & Young Dro warmly talks about wanting hoes to hit their line to rock & move with them.

“Clap” has gotta be the most I’ve enjoyed a Waka Flocka Flame song in a minute putting his politics & that corny publicity stunt where he got “jumped” aside while the danceable “Slide” by Young Dro confesses he hasn’t been able to talk the same since meeting this woman he’s addressing. “My Lil Shit” by BunnaB, J Money & Meany throws it back to the ringtone era of late 2000s southern hip hop while “Still Turnt (Forever B$hot)” by Shad da God talks about still being lit to this very day.

J Money, Quavo & Waka Flocka Flame all link up on the synthesizer-woven “Drip BBQ” showing off their sauce as if they’re at a cookout while “I Go” by J Money holds the fort by himself to show off his wealthy possessions. “Make It Make Sense” by Rocko has a darker trap mood to it talking about shit being illogical if it it ain’t making any money while “I Like That” by Waka Flocka Flame & 2 Chainz despite Honorable C.N.O.T.E. producing it wasn’t too bad of a pop rap track.

“Birthday” by Metro Thuggin’ & Skooly uses a bunch of playful metaphors to speak about sex & confidence while “Don’t Stop Dancin’” by Lil Baby & Skooly talks about loving the way their partners dance. “U Deserve” by T.I. & Young Dro throws it back to Grand Hustle Records’ prime in the mid-late 2000s while “Overly Trimm” by Jose Guapo, Quavo, Shad da God, Skooly, Travis Porter & Young Dro made for a mild posse cut.

Future & 21 Savage deliver A Futuristic Summa’s smoothest moment “Partying & Drinking” talking about women who be acting like they’re single when having fun with their friends while “Jerry Curry (Love & Basketball” by Lil Baby & Yung L.A. references TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon. The futuristic swag closer “I Need (Where U From)” by J Money, Lil Baby, Roscoe Dash & 2 Chainz sends off the tape with all 4 of them asking the women they’re dating about their sets.

Taking the aesthetics of early 2010s mainstream Atlanta hip hop & putting some modern touches on it, A Futuristic Summa will feel nostalgic to anyone like me who was in middle school when songs like “Lemonade” or “Hard in da Paint” were dominating the airwaves. Metro Boomin’s production easily sticks out as the best part of the whole thing diverting from trap to experiment with futuristic swag, plugg, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B. However, the guests’ performances are more hit or miss compared to Heroes & Villains.

Score: 3/5

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prettifun – “Funhouse 2” review

In front of us is the 4th studio LP from Charlotte, North Carolina rapper & producer prettifun. Known for his membership with the 4ersona collective, he would go on to put out 3 full-lengths & 7 EPs in almost 3 years prior to Victor Victor Worldwide signing him last fall & appearing on the new Lucy Bedroque mixtape Unmusique. mikey’s last album Funhouse was greeted to the same warm welcoming reception Pretti got & looks to expand the palpability of Funhouse by making a sequel.

Outtatown’s welcomingly playful rage atmosphere of “My Name” couldn’t have been a more appropriate intro talking about having fun with the money he’s been making while “Kisses” gets in depth regarding him not having to prove shit to anyone. “Fuck with Ya” produced by Ginseng suggests to keep blowing up his phone since he had to cop a new one covered in dough posted up in your hood just before the rage/plugg crossover “Famous” advised not to act as if he’s a huge star.

“Digital Love” gives his props to the Daft Punk single of the same name talking about his relationship struggles leading into “Last Wish” remembering his late grandmother. “Sides” clears up the rumors of him & another 4ersona member che having beef with each other when they simply haven’t talked in some time while “Heartbreaker” ties back into “Digital Love”.

Ending the first half of Funhouse 2, the lo-fi rage single “Unfazed” talks about starting a trend as a result of the waves he’s been making while “Different” professes that he feels like nothing’s been the same recently stepping on muhfuckas without a camp. “Internet” talks about having no fear inside of him because he’s self-aware of his artistic potential while “Back” speaks on his money addiction & there being no way out of it.

“idk wtf” combines rage, hardcore hip hop & digicore so asking for his vision to be trusted while “Infinity” talks about the endless flows he has in his arsenal & being ahead of the curve compared to his peers. “Hi-Fi 2026” finishes prettifun’s major label debut by announcing Hi-Fi 2 coming out some point within the next 52 weeks, which has me hoping it’ll surpass it’s predecessor when it comes to quality.

Honoring prettifun’s 20th birthday this weekend, Funhouse 2 feels nothing like a “deluxe version” of its predecessor & more of an eager standalone continuation. The production feels complexly layered compared to the original Funhouse embracing it’s experimental rage sound heavier than he initially did last fall aside from the occasional pop rap, trap, plugg, hardcore hip hop & digicore detours peeling back the vulnerability layers of his confessional approach to songwriting.

Score: 4/5

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Yeat – “Dangerous Summer” review

Portland, Oregon rapper Yeat elusively announcing his 7th EP earlier this week & it’s finally here. Emerging in 2018 off his debut EP Deep Blue $trips, he’s been dominating the mainstream since 2021 whether it be him dropping several projects or receiving cosigns from the likes of Drake & Earl Sweatshirt. He eventually signed to Geffen Records, who backed his sophomore effort albeit major label debut 2 Alivë & it’s companionable deluxe EP Gëek Pack shortly after. Coming off his 5th mixtape Lyfë a few summers ago alongside Aftërlyfe & the experimental Capitol Records debut 2093, he went back to his roots to rep the Lyfëstyle & has returned 10 months later for a Dangerous Summer.

“Put It Ong” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying hops over a vocal sample with some synthesizers & hi-hats flexing that he can make $1M in a week tops whereas “Loco” travels towards a rage-inducing direction thanks to Synthetic of Internet Money Records admitting that the money got him going insane. “Loose Leaf” finds himself talking about a woman who loves percs & pearls leading into “Oh I Did” featuring NGeeYL finds the pair refusing to even waste a minute.

Meanwhile on “Comë n Go”, we have Yeat over some quirky synths to tell a bitch to come out & show him exactly how thankful she is that he showed her his Lyfestylë just before “[ADL IS COMING]” preludes the man’s upcoming 6th LP A Dangerous Lyfë. “I’m Yeat” was a fun west coast trap/rage single talking about the kind of guy he is while “M.F.U. (Middle Fingers Up)” featuring SahBabii finds the pair breaking down the way they live until the end.

“2Tone” featuring Don Toliver starts the last leg of Dangerous Summer going back-&-forth with one another over a futuristic beat thanking God for the times they used to pray for coming to fruition while “Fly Nitë” featuring FKA twigs serves as a duet wanting to proven why they shouldn’t leave each others’ sides tonight. Last but not least, “Growing Pains” finishes up the EP by talking about feeling as if he’s going insane.

Whether we get A Dangerous Lyfë by the end of 2025 or at some point the following year, Yeat reunites with BNYX for a 34 minute precursor that’s less 1-dimensional regarding the production & bringing a menacing demeanor with only less than a couple months until fall begins. In terms of consistency from the guests, the last 2 features at the backend of it suit the vibes the Lyfestyle Corporation founder was going for.

Score: 4/5

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Homixide Gang – “Homixide Lifestyle 2” review

Homixide Beno! & Homixide Meechie known together as the Atlanta, Georgia duo the Homixide Gang releasing their 4th LP. Bringing to turn heads off their debut EP Snotty World to the point where trap trailblazer/rage pioneer Playboi Carti made them the 3rd act to sign to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records following Ken Carson & Ken Destroy Lonely respectively, Homixide Lifestyle was a solid debut & Snot or Not wound up being a mixed bag of a sophomore effort. Their debut mixtape 5th AMNDMNT & their previous album I5U5WE5 were both received more favorably, looking to revisit the Homixide Lifestyle for a sequel.

“PC5” is a bombastic trap intro shows love to their homie Problem Child 5 presently incarcerated on murder charges whereas “Redrag” produced by Maaly Raw talks about shooting a lame in his face with the Glock. “1-800-555-OPIUM” blends trap & rock together so they can discuss the money callin’ them just before “Call in Me” links with Toom of Vanguard Music Group so they can compare themselves to walkie talkies being only a call away.

The way “Cherub Rock” by The Smashing Pumpkins was sampled on “5G” was pretty rad refusing to sell their souls while “PB&J” featuring Ken Carson finds the trio talking about their dangerous tendencies & trying to score as opposed to goaltending. “Soul-Fly” works in an unexpected soul sample to discuss their past leading into “Vice City” talking about having bitches go crazy over a Pi’erre Bourne beat.

“Frank Matthews” reflects over a Clayco & OPM BABI instrumental of wanting to become drug lords their whole entire lives while “Red Tails” references the greatest QB of all-time & 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. “Villain” conceptually dissects the Dark Knight quote “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain” prior to F1LTHY of Working on Dying sampling “Downtown” by SWV during the highlight “Facet!me”.

ATL Jacob hops behind the boards for “Johnny Cage” referencing the character from the Warner Bros.-owned Mortal Kombat franchise prior to Homixide Mali appearing for “Sober” so the trio can get loaded. “Breeze” has a more laidback approach than what Homixide normally does boasting that they have more stripes on their backs than referees while “Watch Out!” bombastically talks about needing to stay geeked up.

“Going On” heads for a trap metal direction instrumentally to flex the kinda shit that pops off around them while “Headtap” talks about slangin’ the sticks with no aim & leaving blood everywhere. “Free Agents” touches base regarding their lifestyle & after “Shopping Bags” talks about hitting the store with them since they got everything y’all need, “State Property” playfully sees the pair getting money hungry.

To start Homixide Lifestyle 2’s final leg, “$$$ Problems” talks about having no issues regarding their finances returning to a trap metal sound while ”Nun 2 It” assures their respective girlfriends that they’ll go global effective immediately. “Gvnganati” talks about the subject of loyalty remembering the late R5 Homixide & “Nintend0” wraps up the LP with both of them playing the gamble of life using all cash.

Aside from Carti unsurprisingly not clearing his “Chopshop” verse hence why it didn’t make the final cut & Destroy Lonely only doing a hook for “Shopping Bag” instead of a verse, the Homixide Gang’s successor to their debut has a more general hardcore hip hop approach instead of gangsta rap although it very much expands on it’s rage/trap metal production minus the industrial hip hop elements.

Score: 3.5/5

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Justin Bieber – “Swag” review

Justin Bieber is a 31 year old singer/songwriter from London, Ontario, Canada signing to Island Records during my time in middle school to put out My Worlds & Under the Mistletoe only to fulfill his obligations with them on Believe & Journals. He has since been on Def Jam Recordings for the past decade & Purposemarked a divisive debut for the label, although Changes & Justice was equally as bad as a great deal of his Island output. Coinciding with Clipse’s comeback Let God Sort ‘Em Out, his 7th album has arrived after receiving an 8 hour notice.

“All I Can Say” made for a decent synthpop intro singing about the inner turmoil in his life at the moment & trying to find some sort of solace whereas “Daisies” fuses bedroom pop & sophisti-pop courtesy of Mk.gee to count down the days he has left for him & his wife Hailey to reunite. The stripped-back “Yukon” tries to figure out what his soulmate would do if he didn’t love her including corny lines like “get a move on like U-Haul” until the atmospheric “Go Baby” sings about creating an emotional space without any sort of judgment.

Haile gets brought up again during “Things You Do” throwing out more weak bars such as “Sunday to Sunday, I’m here whеn you’re weak” leading into “Butterflies” responding to paparazzi gangin’ on him at Coachella this spring. “Way It Is” featuring Gunna was an underwhelming pop rap/synthpop crossover talking about wanting to settle down with their respective partners just before “First Place” sings about wanting to see his spouse in 1st place like “it’s a birthday”.

After the first of 3 questionable Druski skits, “Walking Away” breaks down a few different chapters in the story of his decade-long relationship with Haile while “Glory Voice” sings over a bare guitar for a minute to show off a religious side of himself. “Devotion” featuring Dijon co-produced by Daniel Caesar finds the 2 teaming up for a tribute to Justin’s son Jack stripping the sound back even further while “Dad’z Love” continues to expand on the themes of fatherhood.

“Sweet Spot” featuring Sexyy Red after another Druski skit gets together to bang out a decently sexual synthpop & pop rap duet while “405” after the final Druski skit makes a weak reference to Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man in The Walt Disney Company-owned Marvel Cinematic Universe. The title track feels like a Cash Cobain song since Justin’s only handling the chorus & it does very little for me since I prefer Cash Cobain as a producer than a rapper.

The song “Zuma House” counts down towards the last 5 minutes of the LP singing over an acoustic guitar for a mere 83 seconds asking Hailey if she would catch him if he happened to fall backwards & “Too Long” ahead of the “Forgiveness” outro feels reminiscent to those luscious new wave pop songs you would’ve heard back in the 80s letting off some steam regarding the length of time he’s had away from Haile.

Didn’t even have a review for Swag in mind for the majority of the weekend but when Biebs joined Travis Scott & Jim Jones in dissing Clipse because they “make music for bitter grown men who collect KAWS dolls & still shop at KITH & Union”, it gave me some inspiration & I’ll argue that I liked Swag less than I did Jackboys II & At the Church Steps combined. Mainly because it feels like his attempt at Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers for casuals except it stylistically focuses around contemporary R&B, pop, pop soul, alternative R&B, bedroom pop, sophisti-pop, neo-psychedelia, synthpop, pop rap & gospel

Score: 2/5

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Openness Trio – Self-Titled review

The Openness Trio are a jazz trio consisting of Oakland, California guitarist Nate Mercereau alongside Takoma Park, Maryland saxophonist Josh Johnson & Los Angeles, California percussionist  Carlos Niño. Known for collaborating with the likes of Kamasi Washington & André 3000, all 3 members have decided to form a new supergroup under none other than the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records & make a broader introduction with an eponymous full-length debut studio album.

“Hawk Dreams” was a solid, freely improvised new age lead single & a better intro to the LP with secondary influences of spiritual jazz whereas “…Anything’s Possible” works in a saxophone & some percussion for a little over 5 minutes. The final single “Openness” blends new age & ambient for the shortest composition of the 5 but once “Chimes in the Garden” embraces the spiritual jazz vibes a bit heavier for a moment, “Elsewhere” finishes with a mesmerizing free improvisational outro that Nate originally teased on YouTube in 2021.

For fans of the prominently ambient new age direction that André 3000 embraced on New Blue Sun or Kamasi Washington making amongst the greatest spiritual jazz of this current millennium even a decade after The Epic, the freely improvised self-titled debut from the Openness Trio brings a sound to the modern Blue Note roster than their own moniker implies & hopefully it’s only the beginning for them collectively.

Score: 4/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級王座, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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