ive listened to two new albums today (ok actually i havent finished the second one yet but i will by the time i finish writing) and i want to talk about them. i kinda have a habit of just picking a few comfortable albums that i like and not listening to anything else for MONTHS, so its kind of nice when i get around to trying out new music. especially when it turns out i like it!
the first album is Endless Summer Vacation by Miley Cyrus. I think it just came out yesterday? the other one is cracker island by gorillaz. that one came out like a few weeks ago or something.
Album Review: Endless Summer Vacation - Miley Cyrus
Track Listing:
1. Flowers
this one was already released as a single so i already know its a banger. i can already tell its going to become super overplayed, but in the meantime i'm enjoying hearing it in every coffee shop and store i walk into. will i eventually get tired of hearing it? yeah probably. but for now: very nice.
as a bunch of people have already pointed out, the tune and lyrics of this song pretty closely resemble that one bruno mars song. i think the vague familiarity of it is part of what makes it so catchy? but also this is just objectively good pop music. and who doesn't love a song abt self love or whatever?? NO ONE
Rating: 9/10
2. Jaded
Honestly it was a bold move putting the best song on the album at track 2. the rest of the album is good but i dont think any of them top this one. idk what it is specifically, but every time it comes on i have to play it twice. i love the vibe of the distorted guitar in the background, and her vocals are so satisfying. honestly if i think about it, there's nothing in particular that makes this song 'really good'??? but it just kinda tickled my ears yknow. good stuff
Rating: 10/10
3. Rose Coloured Lenses
this one is pretty dreamy and nice, but also a little forgettable. maybe itll grow on me more with a few more listens, but as it stands now i don't think this one will get added to any of my playlists. it's pleasant though, it has a good melody and some sticky-sweet imagery in the lyrics. i can't really think of anything else to say beyond 'it's nice'.
Rating: 6/10
4. Thousand Miles (feat. Brandi Carlisle)
this one has **almost** country vibes?? not quite but the spirit is there. it also has heavy 90s pop vibes to me. there's something specific it reminds me of but i can't really put my finger on it. i really love the chorus and the instrumental choices; the production is really good. there is harmonica in it.
Rating: 7.5/10
5. You
this one sounds like it belongs in a movie tbh. also has some light country vibes. but the thing i notice about miley is that even when she sings country i just can't hate it because her voice is so good. there's a part near the end of the song where her voice is layered on a chorus of other people singing and it sounds fucking incredible. the lyrics are like that specific type of generic where it's pretty easy to self-insert and apply what she's saying to your own life. and that's kinda how you get more people to connect with your art right??? lol idk i like this one
Rating: 8.5/10
6. Handstand
The beginning of this song is like a scifi movie dream sequence. i cant think of it and i cant be bothered to look it up but theres this childish gambino song (i think on Because The Internet) that has similar vibes. i used to listen to that album all the time in 2016 and this song makes me feel like 2016, i don't really know if that's supposed to be a good thing or not but there it is. Anyway the production is killer on this one, the lyrics are pretty mid tho.
Rating: 7.5/10
7. River
this is the only one on the album that competes with 'jaded' for best song imo. i fully expect this one to become my new fav once i get tired of jaded lol. the bouncy fast bpm is so satisfying, and i love the line "living in an april shower." the synth and the bassline give me 80s vibes and i really like it :)) . there is a part where she says "the honour of my babies" and im gonna have to dock half a point for that line but otherwise this would be a 10
Rating: 9.5/10
8. Violet Chemistry
i was gonna call this one mid but im listening to it now and i think i need to give it some more credit. i can definitely anticipate this one being popular, it has all the hallmarks of a successful pop song. again, and tbh i could say this for every song, her vocals are so satisfying. the bridge is meh, but the beat/instrumentals/production is good.
Rating: 7.5/10
9. Muddy Feet (feat. Sia)
skip this one fr. writing makes me physically cringe also fucking sia
im not even gonna put the spotify linkRating: 1/10
10. Wildcard
this one is kinda like rose coloured lenses, in the sense that it's not BAD but it's just pretty forgettable imo. the melody is kinda boring, and it doesn't even have the pretty lyrical imagery going for it like the other one does. this one is just utterly mid.
Rating: 5/10
11. Island
also somewhat forgettable but i really like the relaxed, 'tropical' vibe of the music. melody is mid but the vibe is good, if that makes sense. it has a very 'sunny' sound, which is nice. the lyrics are also pretty mid. i'm trying to think of something else to say but like, it's pretty generic so i don't think there's much to be said. it doesn't stand out to me so i don't have any pronounced opinions. but it is a good vibe (have i mentioned that yet?)
Rating: 6/10
12. Wonder Woman
a nice heartfelt ballad to end the album. this sounds like the type of thing you slow dance to at a middle school dance. i mean, the subject matter doesn't really make sense in that context but it has exactly the right cadence and voice to be a "awkward teen slow dance" song. it also has a chord progression that reminds me of christmas music. i like this one, but tonally it is a bit of a downer so i probably won't listen to it ever again
Rating: 7/10
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overall i think it is a really good album, but she really stacked all the good stuff in the first half imo. everything after violet chemistry is a comfortable skip for me. but there are a few really good ones on there :)
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
ok now for the next one:
Album Review: Cracker Island - Gorillaz
Track Listing:
1. Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat)
this one was already released as a single, and is already being played to death by the radio station i always listen to while i'm driving. that's fine though because it is really good. i will say though, i had no fucking clue he was saying "occult" for the first 5 or 6 times i listened to it. i would literally crank the volume so i could try to hear what he was saying and i still had NO FUCKING IDEA. i thought he was saying "A Co" and i could not fucking imagine what a "co" was, my best guess was that it was some british thing i had never heard of. i had to google it but honestly even listening now, it does not fucking sound like the word "occult" at all. ANYWAYYYY
Rating: 8/10
2. Oil (feat. Stevie Nicks)
my first listen of the album i wasn't really looking at the track list. this one came on and i immediately was like "is that fucking stevie nicks?"
i pulled out my phone and discovered that it was indeed fucking stevie nicks. but she also kinda sounds like lana del rey on this song, just because of how she's singing. this song is a really good vibe, to me it feels like driving with the sunroof open on a cool but sunny day. ik that's kind of specific but listen to this song and tell me i'm wrong fr
Rating: 8/10
3. The Tired Influencer
this song sounds like it's from a video game where you play as an 'influencer' protagonist. like it sounds like a cartoonified version of the concept of social media. it sounds really romantic and dreamy and idk, sci-fi? very reminiscent of plastic beach, which also played a lot with vibes of toxic futurism. actually now that i think about it this song sounds like it could be plucked right off the plastic beach album, minus the ocean references.
Rating: 8/10
4. Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
this one is hard not to dance to, it has a really satisfying beat. it kinda goes without saying that the production is great because it is gorillaz lol, but i guess i should mention it at least once. i don't think this one stands out that much though compared to the other songs on the album, but it is still very very good. i wanna say it's generic, but like 'gorillaz generic' which is not actually that generic, but i just mean compared to their other music there is not much that sets it apart.
Rating: 7/10
5. New Gold (feat. Tame Impala and Bootie Brown
i think this one was also released before the full album came out but i didn't listen to it until now, but i WISH I DID. this one is SO GOOD. it encapsulates the style of the artists perfectly while also being its own thing. like the styles of all three artists work so beautifully together. i think this song is pretty much a masterpiece. i love the beat, i love the bassline, i love the chorus, i love the verse. GOOD STUFF
Rating: 10/10
6. Baby Queen
this one is also giving me plastic beach vibes a little bit, but not as much as the other one. i think specifically it reminds me of On Melancholy Hill; it has a similar melody and production style. i'm gonna have to say the the same thing i said about silent running though: that it's good but it doesn't really stand out to me.
Rating: 7/10
7. Tarantula
this one sounds adorable, and also kinda sounds like it could be in a video game. very bubbly and upbeat and innocent sounding. the music sounds really 'green' to me, and almost childish? the vocals sound dreamy and optimistic. this one has a really good vibe
Rating: 8.5/10
8. Tormenta (feat. Bad Bunny)
i don't think i've ever heard anything by bad bunny before?? but this song is really good. it's got a really satisfying beat and a pleasant dreamy vibe.
Rating: 8.5/10
9. Skinny Ape
this song is also really cute-sounding. i think this one sounds the most 'pop' out of the other songs. the chorus is really catchy. but the last minute of this song is lowkey the best part. u know the part where he says "skinny little ape" over and over really fast? yeah that
Rating: 8.5/10
10. Possession Island (feat. Beck)
BECK IS IN THIS ONE. i was so excited when i saw that. i was hoping the beck feature would be a more upbeat track, but this one is really sweet and light despite the melancholy. i guess ending an album on a somber note is popular idk. i love the imagery/feeling in the lyrics, and the twinkly piano in the background. beck seems to be mostly doing backing vocals- i wish he had his own part lol but oh well. this song sounds like a night sky over the ocean to me. i probably won't listen to it much because it's a little slow, but i think it's a really sweet song to end the album with :)
Rating: 8/10
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overall i think this is a really strong album; nothing scored below 7 which is pretty good. but also there wasn't much that really struck me as "wow thats a really good song" besides new gold. everything kinda hovered around the 8-8.5 range. but idk maybe they'll grow on me more
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
okayyyyy that's it, that was a really productive way to waste 2 hours. thanks for reading, if u listen to some of these songs pls lmk what you think of them! :)
