KIDS SEE GHOSTS finds both Kanye West and Kid Cudi in top form as they host a psychedelic odyssey through the darkest and brightest corners of their psyches.
Prequelle may be slightly less edgy than Ghost’s previous work, but is one of the band’s most well written and produced batches of songs to date, and its loose concept keeps things just fresh enough.
Even though it’s a little disappointing to hear Josh playing it so safe stylistically on the heels of Pure Comedy, God’s Favorite Customer more often than not delivers the sharp songwriting that Father John Misty is known for and admirably tackles some pretty dark and personal topics.
Age Of is abstract ear candy at its highest points, but is ultimately Oneohtrix Point Never’s least realized album in some time. The vocal tracks in the front half are particularly an Achilles’ heel.
Juice WRLD’s brand of emo-infused trap can be great in small doses, but has amounted to a spotty full-length debut.
Ye paints a vivid picture of Kanye’s current state of self and, for as brief as it is, succeeds as an intimate exploration of family and mental health.
Zephyr isn’t a particularly cutting edge pop and R&B album, but with all the classy instrumentation, impassioned singing, and thoughtful writing, NIKI has a lot going for her right out of the gate.
Testing contains some interesting ideas here and there, but they aren’t performed or organized all that well a great deal of the time.
Though Tear has its consistency issues and its concept is sacrificed for the sake of having something for everybody, BTS is making ambitious and passionately performed pop music that puts many of their Western contemporaries to shame.
The pieces on Park Jiha’s Communion are lovely individually, but overall, the blend of sounds could have been a bit more consistent and more attention could have been paid to the album’s flow.
