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QUICKSPINS: Rex Orange County – Pony

_Rex Orange County

Simplicity isn’t a bad thing on Pony

There’s sweet innocence to be found in Rex Orange County’s latest album, Pony. The project basks in simplicity and it wouldn’t be a stretch to compare him to Ed Sheeran, albeit a much more endearing version of him.

His lyrics aren’t meant to be groundbreaking, but the honesty with which Rex sings them makes this project all the more lovable and entertaining.

Songs like “Pluto Projector” sound like his best attempt at recreating a Frank Ocean song, and he pulls it off with success. However, more often than not, Rex is comfortable making clear-as-day, indie pop-rock songs that could be played at both a high school prom and at your grandparents’ house.

“10/10” is a solid single that shows Rex’s paranoia and distrust of disloyal friends and opportunists who try to take advantage of his fame. “Face to Face,” the third promotional single for Pony feels like an ode to 80s pop and specifically, Queen, as the vocal pitches and beat switches sound inspired, even if minimally, by “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Towards the back end of the album, the piano-led ballad “Every Way” jumps out as the emotional apex of the album. It’s short and simple, but it’s also cute enough to slow dance to at a wedding. The following two and last tracks continue the sequence of great songs as the album ends on a high with “It Gets Better” and “It’s not the Same Anymore.”

Pony is a decidedly simple album, and one could mark that as a flaw given how many deep, complex, and layered pop projects have been released this year. Sometimes, though, simple is nice. The album doesn’t require much thinking, it’s just a lovely Sunday afternoon neatly packaged as a 30-minute listening experience.

7.5/10

Trial Track: “Pluto Projector”

Star Bar: “The great protector

Is that what I’m supposed to be?

What if all this counts for nothing

Everything I thought I’d be?” (Rex on “Pluto Projector”)

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Gucci Mane – Woptober II

Gucci Mane - Woptober II

The trap pioneer’s 15th studio album probably sounds as you’d expect it to

Gucci Mane, veteran Atlanta rapper and the new face of fashion luxury brand Gucci, released his 15th studio album as the second edition of his Woptober series. The album features a variety of features including young up-and-comers DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and 66.6 per cent of Migos.

The rate at which Gucci releases new music is impressive to say the least, but this may take away from any of these records having any more longevity than the next. His clever bars and familiar flow are always welcomed, but Woptober II, like many of its predecessors, has little lasting power compared to some of the classics that Gucci released earlier in his career. The tracks with features always sound like a fun collaboration among friends, or between rookie and vet, while Gucci’s solo songs typically offer more introspection into the mind of a trapstar criminal turned multi-millionaire businessman.

6/10

Trial Track: “Big Boy Diamonds” ft. Kodak Black

Star Bar:
“I’m not talkin’ the Weeknd, but I’m talking ‘bout Abel / You see this shit that Cain did, and they weren’t even strangers” – Gucci Mane on “Highly Recommended”

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Wale – Wow… That’s Crazy

Wale - Wow...That's Crazy

Wow… That’s Crazy sees Wale at his sharpest, making the few misfires all the more frustrating

After spending the last year and a half releasing a handful of well-received EPs, Wale has finally delivered his sixth studio album. Wow… That’s Crazy explores the many facets of the D.C. rapper’s personality, and a variety of topics. While this is one of the project’s strengths, it leads to some very out-of-place moments that keep it from being great.

This album is at its best when showcasing Wale’s poetic lyrics and smooth delivery over lush, layered instrumentals. The 6lack-assisted “Expectations” is a perfect example of this. On this song, Wale speaks on his struggles with expectations, as well as the pressure women face being expected to fit certain beauty standards. On “Set You Free” Wale dissects his own lack of self-love, and its effects on his relationships and mental state, featuring a beautiful vocal performance from R&B legend Kelly Price.

Unfortunately, the album strays away from these moments of maturity and reflection, opting instead for generic, formulaic bangers. “Routine” featuring Meek Mill and Rick Ross follows a run of smooth, R&B-infused songs, making immediately apparent that it doesn’t fit in there. The closer “Poledancer” featuring Megan Thee Stallion is so far removed from the vast majority of the tracks, both sonically and thematically, that it causes the project to end on a sour note.

Overall, Wow… That’s Crazy, is a solid body of work, with a mostly consistent sound and mature content throughout. Unfortunately, a few unnecessary and inconsistent songs keep the album from being as great as it could have been.

7/10

Trial Track: “Expectations”

Star Bar:
“Self-loathing is my addiction amongst
Other things I don’t mention ’cause you be itchin’ to judge
It’s love, it’s overrated and underrated because
It seem like a placebo when it be done” (Wale on “Set You Free”)

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Music Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: Angel Olsen – All Mirrors

Riding the success of her recent releases, Angel Olsen takes a new orchestral direction on All Mirrors

Angel Olsen’s All Mirrors is a grand orchestral pop expedition into passion and loss. Just two years since the release of her last album, Phases, and three years since the major critical success of My Woman, Olsen has pivoted from her trusted folk-rock roots to a more bombastic, ambitious route on this newest project.

Olsen’s lyrics are often questioning and timid yet her vocal delivery carries all the power. This is especially apparent on the track “Impasse” where she belts “Take it out on me, I’m too caught up to see […] You know best, don’t you know” over gloomy swelling strings, creating a beautiful yet deeply unsettling atmosphere, a tone that appears often in the album.

Despite a sprinkling of upbeat moments on the album such as “Too Easy,” All Mirrors is incredibly dark. There is a palpable anger running through this project. Whether it’s anger at a past love like on “Lark,” or anger at herself as on the title track, Olsen isn’t letting anyone off the hook. All Mirrors is what a breakup album should be, Olsen’s songs of self-reflection and ire bring us even deeper into this powerful singer-songwriter’s mind.

9/10

Trial Track: “All Mirrors”

Star Bar: 

“It’s easy if you tell the truth

But knowing what it is, it’s not enough

And knowing that you love someone

Doesn’t mean you ever were in love” (“What It Is”)

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QUICKSPINS: Danny Brown – uknowhatimsayin¿

Danny Brown

Danny Brown goes back to basics on uknowhatimsayin¿

Danny Brown, hip hop’s resident weirdo, had huge expectations for the follow-up to his acclaimed 2016 drug-fest of an album, Atrocity Exhibition. The album was grand in scope, featuring a nominee for this decade’s best posse-cut that saw Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, and Ab-Soul trade bars with the idiosyncratic Detroit rapper.

Uknowhatimsayin¿, on the other hand, is Brown’s most grounded effort to date. While still strange in comparison to most rap releases, this album is a far cry from what was expected. The intro, “Change Up,” begins with a single guitar string that echoes enough to give it the classic paranoid feeling of a Danny Brown track. His lyrics also reciprocate the eerie feeling of the song, as Brown raps about focusing on his own life (“Gotta keep a grip when the rent is due / N****s tryna get you for every last cent”).

Legendary rapper/producer Q-Tip executive produced the album, which is easy to see when listening to the songs he produced himself, such as standout “Dirty Laundry” and nostalgia-filled closer, “Combat.” This album is partly a love letter to 90s instrumentals, while also trying to add the signature Danny Brown touch to it.

Uknowhatimsayin¿ also stands out with its features as underground darlings Jpegmafia, Blood Orange and Run the Jewels all make appearances. “3 Tearz” sees a lively Killer Mike of Run the Jewels, where he delivers an impassioned verse targeted directly to U.S. president Donald Trump (“I don’t give a fuck ‘bout Trump, who got dump? / Who protesting collections at their garbage dump?”).

Danny Brown’s strangeness continues to flourish even as he approaches 40. The rapper never ceases to innovate in his work and on uknowhatimsayin¿, he does the most with as little as possible. Don’t mistake this project for a lazy return, this is exactly what he needed after Atrocity Exhibition.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Dirty Laundry”

Star Bar: 

“Work all day ’til the work gone (Step)

Talkin’ back in the day when I had a chirp phone (Boop)

My n***a made a wrong turn, got flipped in the zone

Had to say I was a smoker just so I could go home (Home)”

  • Danny Brown on “Dirty Laundry”
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QUICKSPINS: DaBaby – KIRK

DaBaby

DaBaby has canonized himself in the game faster than he starts rapping on any song off of KIRK

“Straight off the rip, you know I don’t wait for no drop,” raps DaBaby on “OFF THE RIP.” It’s a running joke that he never waits more than a few seconds into the track to go in, and during a white-hot 2019, DaBaby has canonized himself in the game faster than he starts rapping on any song off of KIRK.

After his tape Baby On Baby birthed the hit Suge earlier this year, DaBaby’s phone has been ringing off the hook for a feature. Derided by some for making the same song over and over again, DaBaby’s eagerness combined with his undeniable rap ability and the fact that this album has at least three different song formulas means that the Charlotte MC is only on his way up.

On KIRK, DaBaby reminisces about his father who recently passed. Not all of DaBaby’s lines or flows hit as hard as they could, but if you’re bored by any particular moment, you can count on him switching it up before you have time to think about it. Complete with appearances from Migos (sounds like Migos feat. DaBaby), co-baby rapper Lil Baby, and an Acid-Rap loosie of a Chance The Preacher feature, among others. While the songs run together at times, it is clearly more diverse and polished than Baby On Baby, and is a show of momentum that promises DaBaby will take much longer to fade than he did to come up.

7.5/10

Trial Track: BOP

Star Bar: And I still got a lotta shit on my mind that I can’t undecide/

Got me ready to slide, feelin’ like Doughboy when his brother died – DaBaby on INTRO

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QUICKSPINS: Tove Lo – Sunshine Kitty

Tove Lo - Sunshine Kitty

The Swedish Queen of dark pop has found a new path with lots of sunshine

Swedish artist Tove Lo usually creates alternative and honest pop songs about heartbreak, where the production suits the darker corners of the club. On her new album, Sunshine Kitty, Lo has been walking down a much brighter path – one that has a promising and very well-produced foundation throughout (almost) the entire album.

Tove Lo has changed her lyrical universe surrounding broken hearts and drugs, to embrace inner peace and falling in love. She wants you to actually enjoy the parties you attend, instead of being smashed and wasted on the dancefloor. Unfortunately, there are some quite dull moments between the delicate pop bangers; where songs like “Mateo” and “Shifted” give the vibe of waiting in line for the washroom at a party, where you are feeling impatient and restless.

Throughout the 40-minute album, Tove Lo is guiding you through her newfound happy place. Unfortunately, this positiveness doesn’t have quite the same feeling of sincerity and honesty that can be found on Lo’s earlier productions.

All in all, I am sure to give this little Kitty a spin or two, especially when I’ll be going out to dance the night away.

7/10

Trial Track: “Really don’t like u” ft. Kylie Minogue

Star Bar:

“They say be one with the city

So I’m standing in the sun all day

Got their manners mapped out

And they just smile, no matter what I say” (Lo on “Anywhere u go”)

 

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QUICKSPINS: Blink-182 – NINE

Two albums post-Tom Delonge, Blink-182 sounds self-aware, embracing angsty past

Don’t be mistaken. NINE is nothing like turn-of-the-millenia Blink. The band’s latest album revives their old sound, owning up to their angsty punk-rock origins and facing Mark Hoppus’ ongoing battle with depression. It’s safe to say that the band has successfully found their footing after co-lead vocalist and guitarist, Tom Delonge, left the band in 2015. Delonge, who co-founded the band with Hoppus while they were in college, gave the band their reputation for being immature prankster heartthrobs.

Their evolved sound lies somewhere between electronic and alt-rock, using contemporary production techniques to put forward anthems and quick bangers for new and old fans alike, such as “I Really Wish I Hated You” and” Pin the Grenade”. If you haven’t listened to these legends before, I really recommend diving into their old youtube videos before listening to the new tracks to really get a grasp of how much Delonge’s replacement, Matt Skiba (from Alkaline Trio), has helped their musical growth.

9/10

Trial Track: “Darkside”

Star Bar:

Photographs of you are still haunting my halls/

Still framed in blue, saying nothing at all/

Sacrifice myself, leave me dead in the sun/

Put it on a shelf, leave it there for everyone to see (“No Heart To Speak Of”)

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QUICKSPINS: Kid Cudi – Man on the Moon: The End of Day

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon

Re-visiting Kid Cudi’s genre-defying, generation-defining major label debut

In an era when hip-hop was in dire need of innovation, Kid Cudi’s major label debut arrived right on time. Presenting a unique soundscape, blending elements of hip-hop, indie rock, psychedelia, and electronica, Cudi released an album that was both genre and generation-defining.

In the late 2000s, hip hop was fully commercialized. Major labels were chasing high-charting hits that doubled as top-selling ringtones. Many of the genre’s active legends were either chasing a radio-friendly sound or failing to evolve at all. Man on the Moon challenged that, containing hit singles like “Day n’ Nite” and “Pursuit of Happiness” that were massively successful without sacrificing Cudi’s signature sound or watering down his content.

While those singles went platinum, the album’s biggest strength is its cohesiveness from intro to outro. The album’s opener, “In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)” is a hazy, mellow introduction that plays like the opening scene to a movie – complete with narration from legendary Chicago MC Common. This narration continues throughout the project, breaking up its five acts and guiding us through the cinematic story of the Man on the Moon.

The story is one of Scott Mescudi, an outcast dealing with suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, relationships, and an overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Throughout the entirety of the album’s runtime, Cudi displays a refreshing honesty and vulnerability that was uncommon in a genre that was well-known for its bravado. It was a breath of fresh air, and its impact is still being felt to this day.

9/10

Trial Track: Soundtrack 2 My Life

Star Bar: “Ignorance to cope, man, ignorance is bliss / Ignorance is love and I need that sh*t” (Cudi on “Soundtrack 2 My Life”)

 

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QUICKSPINS: JPEGMAFIA – All My Heroes Are Cornballs

This album isn’t for everyone, but it’s one of the most ambitious albums of 2019

It’s hard to classify what kind of music JPEGMAFIA makes. There’s clearly rapping involved, but his newest album, All My Heroes Are Cornballs, defies any expectations one might have about a rap album. This project features some of the strangest beats of the year as well as some insane, loud, and in-your-face performances by Peggy himself. The album’s strangeness is most apparent on tracks like “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot”, where the song itself provides as many laughs as its title.

In contrast to his previous album, Veteran, Peggy’s new project is much more melodic, and he even flips TLC’s classic “No Scrubs” on “BasicBitchTearGas.” His new album isn’t for everyone. Frankly, it isn’t for most casual music listeners, but it is one of the most unique and ambitious albums of 2019.

8.5/10

Trial Track: “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am a Thot”

Star Bar: “Say what you said on Twitter right now (Right now, exactly, nigga)

You only brave with a board and a mouse (Uh-huh)

You wasn’t talkin’ when I put you in the ground (Sucker)

Don’t leave the house

Don’t get capped by a n*gga in a motherfuckin’ gown” (JPEGMAFIA on “Beta Male Strategies”)

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QUICKSPINS: Post Malone – Hollywood’s Bleeding

Post Malone - Hollywood's Bleeding

While many have questioned Post Malone’s appreciation for hip hop and its roots, any debate surrounding his musical talent no longer hold any grounds whatsoever, as Hollywood’s Bleeding solidifies his position as a musical powerhouse – regardless of the genre.

This project is Posty’s third studio album, and probably his most heavily anticipated body of work to date. Following the success of his first two records – Stoney and Beerbongs & Bentleys – his fans patiently waited almost one year and a half for some new content, and it’s finally here.

Through the 17-song journey, the Austin artist effortlessly flows over a wide range of instrumentals, creating an easily-enjoyable vibe fit to please anyone and everyone. He discusses themes ranging from toxicity in Hollywood to fame and fortune, and his vocal abilities and sheer emotion provide for an extremely deep experience – one which connects the listener to Posty and his music on a whole other level.

9/10

Trial Track: “Take What You Want” ft. Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott

Star Bar: “Tryna chase a feelin’, but we’ll never feel it

Ridin’ on the last train home

Dyin’ in our sleep, we’re livin’ out a dream

We only make it out alone” (Malone on “Hollywood’s Bleeding”)

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QUICKSPINS: Lana Del Rey – Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

Without a doubt, Norman Fucking Rockwell! Is Lana Del Rey’s most ambitious and strongest album to date. While her debut, Born to Die, took the world by storm, the album was still somewhat of a mixed bag. Her vocals were underdeveloped and her lyricism was simplistic at best. However, none of those criticisms are even marginally relevant on her fifth album. Songs like “Mariners Apartment Complex,” “How to Disappear,” and “Fuck it I love you” show major improvement in both Del Rey’s songwriting and overall performance.

Despite being just over an hour in length, the album never loses the listener’s interest, as each track provides something unique enough to differentiate itself from other records on the LP. Lana Del Rey has not only crafted the best project of her career but one of the best of the decade.

9.5/10

Trial Track: “Fuck it I love you”

Star Bar: “Goddamn, man-child

You fucked me so good that I almost said ‘I love you’

You’re fun and you’re wild

But you don’t know the half of the shit that you put me through” (Del Rey on “Norman fucking Rockwell”)

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