Wet Leg – moisturizer
Wet Leg is fundamentally a band that thrives on absurd, catchy songs. It’s a little awkward for a band as cool as Wet Leg but it is nonetheless the engine that makes the whole project go. moisturizer has plenty of catchy, absurd songs like “pillow talk” and “catch these fists.” The chorus of these songs will sneak up on you when you’re distracted in a day and have you repeat them until you scratch their itch. There is, however, nothing quite as infectious as “Chaise Longue.” It’s an album that once exorcized is unlikely to return. It’s still a fun ride while you’re on it.
Kpop Demon Hunters
I really liked both the movie and the soundtrack. I was honestly surprised by how much I liked the soundtrack outside the container of the film. Andrew Choi’s singing stands out. “Soda Pop” was comfortably the song of the summer and “Your Idol” was the song of the movie. “Free” does really well to strip down the song to just him and EJAE and let them shine.
EJAE herself has crafted the big setpieces of the album very well. “Golden”, “Takedown” and “What It Sounds Like” revel in their maximism and so sell the ritual narrative beats that they punctuate which in turn justifies the traditional KPop in a moment where bands like LE SSERAFIM and KATSEYE are redefining the genre.
The soundtrack is really helped by the movie providing both a narrative backbone and the necessary connective tissue. When Rumi sings “This is what it sounds like”, the movie has already provided the stakes. It also provides a strong visual for each song. “Soda Pop” does better for having the candy colored visuals behind it. Now all I need is for them to do the Gorillaz maneuver and create the fully animated bands.
Tunde Adebimpe – Thee Black Boltz
TV on the Radio is still a must-play whenever it shows up on my YouTube page. They’re an eminently likable band and Tunde Adebimpe’s solo project changes none of that. This is dirty, unapologetic rock. It’s tremendous fun in “Something New,” it’s layered and emotional in “Drop,” it’s clean in “ILY.”
It’s unfortunately also too formulaic. There’s a lot of rock that’s done very well here but there’s little that surprises or sticks. It’s still very likable though.
Blondshell – If You Asked For A Picture
There’s a lot to be said for an album that does its job well. The craft of If You Asked For A Picture is impeccable. Blondshell has razors to spare throughout the album. “23’s a baby / Why’d you have a baby?” needs no ornamentation.
They add spectacular, dreamy indie rock to this. “Strange” has very compelling guitar lines and then shifts into an incredible emotional breakdown that all pays off with “I’m sorry for changing.” The two pieces don’t always come together like this. Sometimes, like in “Event of a Fire” and “Model Rockets”, the lyricism makes up for unimaginative music but it’s much more frequent that both sides click at once like in the excellent “He Wants Me.”
If You Asked For A Picture is beautiful dream pop throughout. It’s excellent music and clever lyrics and an unmissable album.
Nubya Garcia – Odyssey
Odyssey ends up disappointing slightly. There are excellent spots in here. “The Seer” has good solos from both the sax and the keys and the percussion puts down excellent fills. “Water’s Path” is beautiful nature jazz. The album as a whole lacks challenge however and so ends up a little unsatisfactory. Neither the groove in “Triumphant” nor the sonorousness of “We Walk In Gold” are enough to make up for how easy both are to anticipate and so the album’s virtuosity is undercut by its mildness.
Top Five Records 