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26/30 pop revisited review singer-songwriter

jens lekman – night falls over kortedala

A chic rom-com with the lyrical posture of Morrissey and the humour of Father John Misty.

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26/30 hip-hop punk revisited review rock

beastie boys – licensed to ill (1986)

‘Licensed To Ill’ is cringeworthy, abrasive, and grotesquely enjoyable.

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26/30 indie/alternative revisited review rock

ted leo & the pharmacists – the tyranny of distance (2001)

“‘The Tyranny of Distance’ forgoes a weaponised awkwardness common to East Coast indie rock”.

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26/30 hip-hop revisited review

jungle brothers – straight out the jungle (1988)

Jungle Brothers’ ‘Straight Out The Jungle’ is a benchmark of Afrocentrism that pioneered jazzy self-assurance, a fun embrace of club culture, and spiritually conscious rhymes. 

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26/30 garage rock psychedelic rock

the human expression – love at psychedelic velocity (recorded 1966-67/released in 1994)

LA has its own unique psychedelic environment which can be seen today through the surreal lives of influencers and those scratching at the door of hot, empty fame. But in the mid-1960s, there was a genuine fascination for where the mental boundary was and how it could be snapped in two. The Human Expression never […]

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26/30 album of the week pop singer-songwriter

weyes blood – and in the darkness, hearts aglow

Weyes Blood began life as a DIY, acoustic venture, where Natalie Mering’s voice fluttered above a sound collage of tape recorders, saws, bells, and whistles. This is Natalie’s fifth album performing under the moniker. The opener could be on a spacier version of Bowie’s Station to Station: it’s not just that well-produced, it’s that sweeping. […]

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26/30 hip-hop

nas – king’s disease iii

With varying commercial and artistic success, Nas has always sounded certain. He is as sharply defined in his own vision as any hip-hop artist, which makes his singular place in rap more of a throne than a lonely corner. King’s Disease III is the third instalment in a progressively robust series. Featuring 100% Nasty Nas, […]

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26/30 folk hip-hop

quadeca – i didn’t mean to haunt you

Quadeca is a YouTube rapper who made his name through clickbaity disstracks at fellow streamers. That should tell you everything you need to know about the quality of this record, but “I Didn’t Mean to Haunt You” defies all expectations. The grandiose, genre-spanning concept-album is written from Quadeca’s own purgatory, where a lifetime’s worth of […]

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26/30 classical drone experimental revisited review

alio die – aura seminalis (2008)

I’m able to remember back to simpler, more innocent times, when the tithing was strong, the jerkins were well-fitted, and an Ox only cost a small drawstring bag of silver coins. Alio Die remembers this bygone era well, and he made a beautiful album about it. Aura Seminalis is a compositional translation of Renaissance life—dramatic, […]