Midnight Juggernauts

Dystopia – 5.667/7.000

A self proclaimed “dirty-organ rock” band from Melbourne, AU, the Midnight Juggernauts deliver a solid performance throughout their latest album, Dystopia. They continue to output the strongly electro-synth-based music they and their contemporaries (Justice, Cut Copy, Trans Am) are known for. However, in their most recent musical endeavor, they leave the aforementioned pastiches by tip-toeing into the ambient genre, decently with “Aurora” but not so decently with “Road to Recovery.” While they do move their musical style in this direction, they do not forget to put in the classic electronic-pop songs such as “Twenty Thousand Leagues” and the first-rate tracks “Nine Lives” and “Shadows.” Whilst taking the risk of pushing their fan’s expectations with the bit of ambient, the Juggernauts undoubtedly lost ground in their home-field of electro-pop but only a surprisingly small amount.

Underground Communication

Underground communication- 7.187 / 7.000
Skeptical of all white dudes with dreads, I attempted to find flaw in the recommendation that came from the 45-year-old-coworker-raver. Stunned I wondered why this music was not all over the radio. Is "free form" music not clear cut enough? BassNectar takes just about every genre of music, from spoken word to grindcore, and melds it into one exemplary production. The tracks on Underground Communication use motifs that remind the seasoned BassNectar listener of the strong pedigree of prior albums. Underground Communication synthesizes all the brilliance that BassNectar possessed in earlier times and and adds ground-breaking, innovative technique that BassNectar invents himself. Underground Communication is not just an album, it is a work of art.

way easier noob

copy paste done

Thug Reunion

Thug reunion- 2.211 / 7.000
Inundated with repetition, profanity, and threats, Spice 1 hands us the paragon of "thugged" out rap. The transcendental quality to Spice 1's rapping lets the listener close their eyes and feel like they are trapped in a frightening part of town. Spice 1, a west coast rapper raised in Hayward, laid much of the ground work for rappers to follow; it comes as no surprise that the quality of local rap music remains in a moribund state. The only redeeming quality to Thug Reunion is the 3 tracks that could theoretically be played at a dance, a setting where everyone's social anxiety distracts them from the vacuous and obscene lyrics. The deficiency of musical complexity wouldn't keep the third grader with piano lessons interested.

Nujabes

Modal Soul - 6.542/7.000

Nujabes’ elusive character—no concerts or interviews—only added to the heavy anticipation for most recent album, Modal Soul; the anticipation was thoroughly met. His standings in the semi-definable genre of “jazzy-hip/hop” stayed strong via numerous jazz samplings from Yusef Lateef to Miles Davis paired with incredible guest performances by rappers Cyne, Shing02 and Substantial of QN5, and even famed soul-man Terry Callier. What makes this album decidedly special however, is the huge variation of flavours between songs. Ranging from fluttery, whimsical melodies with a tight snare yet lulling vocals to deep bass, rapid rhymes, and philosophical invocations Nujabes delivers an immersing, well-rounded and wonderfully produced album, Modal Soul.

The Blond Pole Dancer