Yeah it really does feel like you could put any hot girl on those Dua songs and they'd be mostly the same. I still have some hope for her though, she just has to find a way to be unique again.

44. Before Its Gone by Salt Cathedral* - 5.8

-This is an alt-pop band with a girl singer, usually right up my alley, and its fine, but I also would have forgotten about it already if not for this review thread.

Album of the month

January 2024: Lizzie No - Halfsies: 9/10
February 2024: The Paranoid Style - The Interrogator: 7.5/10
March 2024: Sheryl Crow - Evolution - 8/10
April 2024: Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department - 8.5/10

Standout songs from April

Taylor Swift - thanK you aIMee, But Daddy I Love Him, Peter, The Tortured Poets Department, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Katie Pruitt - All My Friends, White Lies White Jesus and You, Self Sabotage, The Waitress, Standstill
J Cole - Crocodile Tearz
Kendrick Lamar - Euphoria

I didn't do the best job listening to indie albums this month other than Pruitt.

Count me as a Euro then as I like Radical Optimism. Probably because I grew up on 80s and especially 90s Eurodance.

I like her two first singles + These Walls and Maria the most so far.

Everyone knows that Australia is just Europe but with more snakes. So that tracks.

April monthly award - tie between Tortured Poets Department and Only God Was Above Us. Speaking of ... when you gonna Vamp up, Mr. Shack? You was spitting lots of diss tracks about rockband music in the offseason, but now a #1 contender comes along and you can't find a reason?

45. All Born Screaming by St. Vincent - 8.4

-Annie and the rest of the band go back and forth with me. Just when I think I'm a St. Vincent fan, their next album turns me off. And just when I think I'm done with St. Vincent, they release something awesome like this album. Very much an industrial rock vibe (so very Nine Inch Nails, yet no Trent Reznor on the writing credits) and its right up my alley. "Broken Man" and "Big Time Vibe" are my favorites.

Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism: 7.5 / 10

I like this quite a bit actually, she felt like a songwriter to me on it, and she sells her whole stoic demeanour as being emotionally guarded. Falling Forever is definitely the standout track but I also like These Walls, Anything for Love, Maria, Houdini which I had listened to a lot already, and Training Season has grown on me.



I tried it last month but I only really liked Capricon

46. Don't Forget To Breathe by Buddy - 7.6

-Buddy may not be destroying a pop culture icon right now, but he did go to the Kendrick Lamar school of modern rap. Buddy's from Compton, he has smooth ass beats and elevated lyrics (pretentious word I know, but I can't think of anything better cause I ain't a smooth MC.) I've been getting more into trap lately, but still think this is the best form of hip-hop.

47. Mirror's Edge by Northlane - 8.2

-Another one of my favorite new (ish) progressive metalcore (aka djent) bands. Northlane are from Australia, mate, so maybe they are also Dua Lipa lovers? They go heavy on the progressive part of their music. Miasma, my favorite, could be a hit dance song by Dua Lipa if she could scream better. I'm seeing Northlane in July, with Invent Animate as the opener - stoked!

48. You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To by Knocked Loose - 8.8

-The most hyped (on the internet at least) heavy rock album of the year mostly delivers the goods even though Knocked Loose (motherfucker) decided to omit the lead single (and their best overall song) Deep In The Willow. That might've driven the score up to a 9 honestly. However, I kinda get it. One of the best parts of this album is how all the songs transition into each other and maybe DITW didn't fit into that scheme? The whole thing is relentless though and I love that. Poppy's song is great and she's got quite the scream. Even Chris Motionless is less annoying than usual, bringing his amount of good musical moments up to 2 after playing Rhea Ripley to the ring at Mania this year. I think Piece by Piece or the Poppy song was my favorite on first two listens, but Blinding Faith is gonna be what the people remember.

49. Hopiumforthemasses by Ministry - 5.9

Ministry brings their usual mix of thrash metal and industrial, which I liked alot. The problem is the vocals, or rather lack there of. Some songs have singing, but feels like the majority have clips of famous speeches / rallys playing over them instead of any lyrics.I get what they were going for, and would have been fine with it if it was just for one or two songs, but it got annoying after awhile thus the mid grade.

50. Final Summer by Cloud Nothings - 8

-Feels like deja vu to write about Cleveland's own angsty punkers Cloud Nothings and give them an 8. They are the 8est of all 8 bands here in these threads as every one of their albums (released every other year or so) lands right around an 8 (or B+/A- in the old grading system.) And its not like they just all the same record. On this one, supposedly their last, they seem to think they are The Strokes. It still sounds like Cloud Nothings, don't get me wrong, but just that little difference in detail makes Final Summer feel special.


Billie Eilish vs Cage the Elephant tonight! I need a cool name for it like with the apopalypse.

Beams - It's All Round You: 6.5/10 - Solid female led indie band I found. The lead singer personality seems a bit witchy or with some Florence and I think their guitar player is talented. Childlike Empress is a cool song.

Need one more listen before posting scores on the Battle of the Billephant. In the meantime...

51. Half Living Things by Alpha Wolf* - 8.8

-And a 10 on a scale of badassery. This is more of a traditional metalcore, like The Ghost Inside, than the more progressive stuff I've been posting lately. I had heard the name Alpha Wolf before, but always got them confused with Reignwolf (who are much more lame.) Glad I corrected that mistake!

52. Neon Pill by Cage The Elephant - 7.9

-Matt went through the whole drug addicts goes to rehab story in the 5 years since Cage released their last album (something else happened in the time period too.) Like many modern drug addicts, he saw the dope as a way to go back in time, in this case to very groovy 80s / early 90s. A time that was apparently very neonic. They had already started going down the path of new wave with Social Cues, so I guess he was high for most of that record? Or perhaps just dipping his toes into it? This is a weird album to grade in that regard. It starts very well, Rainbow being the stand out track, and there's nothing bad on here. If this was a new band I'd be celebrating the record. I just imagine that, once the dust is settled, this will join Melophobia in the tier of "Cage albums I don't listen to as much as the others."

Billie’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is easily, by far and away the best album of the year so far (for me). She nails it, impeccable, delicious, fun and achingly lovely. (and at a precise 10 tracks, doesn’t overstay her welcome (take a note Ms. Swift)). This is an instant classic album for me.


Other albums year that have doses of greatness (amidst some uninspired, subpar songs for the artists)—

Vampire Weekend’s Only God Was Above Us
Maggie Rogers’ Don’t Forget Me


Wasn’t expecting anything from Sheryl Crow but enjoy Evolution quite a bit.


Anyone here listen to The Smile? it’s essentially the current evolution of Radiohead with a lot of returning members (including Johnny and Thom). Their previous albums didn’t draw me in but Wall of Eyes is pretty special, probably my #2 AotY r n.

53. Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish - 9.8

-The lez era of Billie Eilish is off to a fantastic start. This album is really groovy! I feel like half of the good songs would be all slow and painful if they were on her last album, the decent but dull Happier Than Ever. Just embracing her reality as a popstar also allows Billie to push her sound forward, rather than be all rebeliousness and purposefully trying to make an album without any hits on it. Because even with all that, it never feels like a compromise, this is Billie being Biillie and only Billie could have made this record.

Rankings:

Birds of a Feather
Lunch
The Diner
Blue
Lamour De Ma Vie
Wildflower
Chihiro
Bittersuite
Skinny
The Greatest - the second half of this song is the only part of the album that is meh for me, but first half is solid

Agreed. I didn't like the first album, but thought this Smile album was much better and gave it a 7.2.