It’s been a while since I did a Capsule Review post. This time, I have listened to around 30-40 or more (and counting) albums at the time of writing so I’m pretty excited to talk about them more for the next few weeks before this year is over. Specifically, I would like to look at the first 15. I’m hoping to do another round of this later on this month as there are other records by the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Halsey, and Bright Eyes. Either way, this is going to be a fun ride for sure…
One last little edit – I’ll be doing an ad-hoc Kendrick Lamar review. gnx is the shit.
Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk (23 August 2024)
The Californian duo’s sophomore album is, to put it humbly, a gold mine. Two years after their debut Mercurial World hit a lot of attention for their synthy alt-pop, Imaginal Disk feels like a ruthless, relentless attack at what it means to make pop in general. Yes, synths continue to take the driver’s seat, yet the influences, the diversity, the very tunes that build up this record is nothing short of magical. Think progressive, psychedelia, chillwave, indietronic rock, so on and so forth. The record is a peek into another universe where Lady Gaga not only rejects conventional wisdom surrounding being a popstar, but even the very corporate formula that some thought would guarantee millions. While the one interlude might pull the brakes way too soon and the production itself might break a bit from its cohesion from time to time, Imaginal Disk proves that independent music not only works with literal mass appeal. It can thrive in it. 4.8/5
Combat – Stay Golden (16 August 2024)
Combat is a Maryland-based band who are largely one of those pop punk fans going to run amok. Stay Golden is their big break under the record label of Counter Intuitive Records. Like a lot of pop punk names, expect there to be a lot of juvenility and kvetching about with non-stop catchy riffs and attempts made at making use of the limited vocal range. It’s not by any means special, but there’s a definite pedestrian impression that makes the album charming and on its biggest highlights like the title track, the relative childishness even feels comforting in its cringeness. A well-worth check for fans of the genre even if it’s not necessarily well-refined. 3/5
Nando García – Decir amor (31 May 2024)
Nando García is a Chilean folkist whose songwriting always tends to pivot into pop orientation. Released three years after his debut Pirueta, Decir amor shows that the style isn’t only what he has shown a clear knack at, but it’s one that he can liven up for artistic chops. There are a handful of tracks where the attempted layerings or divergence might make the ordeal feel overhanded for my liking like in ‘Nariz’ with the vocal harmony or the tweeness of ‘Protometer algo’. Additionally there are moments where the execution might not have worked as smoothly as had hoped like the interlude in ‘Pase por aquí’. Yet, the variety that could be found in the experimentations are nothing short of profoundly enjoyable and the record as a whole is capable of blending in danceability and even bits of beauty. Do feel welcome to give this a listen. 3.5/5
Foster the People – Paradise State of Mind (16 August 2024)
14 years ago, a certain indie pop band from California had dropped one of the most dissonantly catchy songs of the decade. ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ from their later 2011 debut Torches have made school shootings offensively grooveable, so much so that its chorus becomes a poster meme for any suspiciously quiet students. Unfortunately, that gold mine never appeared in the band’s radar again and in Paradise State of Mind, it shows. There is a lot of variety to be attempted like the nu-disco influences or the falsetto-styled vocals that are similar to Portugal. The Man’s own brand. Yet, in all its flashiness, it fails to play around emphaticness and it consequently relies on its sense of ambition to carry itself throughout. Compared to the concepts of the Microphones/Mount Eerie, the cohesion of Wilco, or the chaos of Mr. Bungle, Foster the People have little to back their variety. 1.4/5
¥$ – Vultures 2 (3 August 2024)
The best news to have come out of Vultures 2 is that Ye didn’t attend any rallies by self-proclaimed ‘Black Nazi’ Mark Robinson in North Carolina. As we know of. The second album out of the collaboration with Ty Dolla Sign is an embarrassing front which proves that it’s worth taking your medicine to help manage your diagnosed issues. Be it the weird inclusion of AI-generated content in ‘530’ (originally) and ‘SKY CITY’, the shallow materialism, or the blander-than-dry production, the album has a lot to disappoint. If anything, the most extraordinary part about the album is its occasional dive into domestic drama. Be it Ye’s divorce with Kim Kardashian or the sordid philanderings made, this feels less like a grand gesture, much less an everyman kind of work compared to My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy or The College Dropout. It is best advised to not listen to the album as an entirely artistic statement; Ye clearly doesn’t care about that. It does work however as a dive into the mindset of a declining music maestro be it mental or creative which is a damning warning against any notion of the tortured artist. Please look after yourself. 0.1/5
Your Arms Are My Cocoon – death of a rabbit (11 August 2024)
Your Arms Are My Cocoon is an anonymous Illinoisan screamo band who, with their frontperson Tyler Odom having opted to drop out of college to pursue a career in music, had garnered a quick following. Death of a rabbit is their de-facto debut album with blaring vocals on top of the Brave Little Abacus-esque additions of electronica music notes, post-rock structures, and lo-fi production. It would have been an overwhelming output, almost to the point of being detrimental, had it not been for some finely crafted lyrics. It’s vividly poetic with metaphors ruminating throughout topical explorations of love and loneliness. It’s a treat to imagine that, while the direction is definitely what the band seems comfortable in playing around, a more clarity-based production and less decibel-shattering performance would have made their biggest strengths shine more brightly. These glimmers are seen most notably in ‘runner duck’. 3.6/5
Wapddi – Like Our Friend Murphy (17 April 2024)
Similar to Parannoul, Wapddi is a South Korean (more specifically a Seoul resident) who prefers to go by his mononym online with a preference at writing angsty emo music. What separates him from the others is that his music owes a lot more to the pop punk whininess (not in a bad way mind you) to the Get Up Kids or the Wonder Years rather than shoegaze. For that, colourful chord progressions that are reminiscent of math pop takes the stage with endless ponderings about the ennui of being in your twenties. Don’t expect any more from Like Our Friend Murphy, but whatever it can do, it can do whatever. Turns out emo music outside of the US or the UK is an appetising treat even with the language barrier in place. 3.8/5
Mount Eerie – Night Palace (1 November 2024)
Phil Elverum, Washingtoner extraordinaire when it comes to innovative folk music, has finally moved on from mourning the tragic passing of his first wife Geneviève Castrée. Night Palace sees him instrumentally revisiting his past where he once played under the legendary project of the Microphones. The official website mentions explicitly his return to experimentation and introspective look on nature. For that, noise rock becomes the norm as it guts through acoustic music and, in one way or the other, it works surprisingly well with the Zen meditations which inspire the album itself. Bursting in all its eclecticness, Night Palace shows that almost thirty years into his long career, Elverum’s creativity wavers little and while there aren’t definitive highs as is the case with The Glow, Pt. 2’s first three tracks in 2001, it continues to thunder. 4.3/5
This Is the Glasshouse – 867 (10 November 2024)
The diamond in the rough that is This Is The Glasshouse got my attention with the release of their record after last year’s As Small As Ants that is 867. The backstory behind producing this is unfortunate as the artist and their friends have not only found it stressful to make every part matter, but have even flirted with the idea of quitting music. The bad news is that they essentially have little else to prove thanks to their previous effort and a lot of the music might wear its influences a bit too clearly. The good news is that even as much a homage to the Windmill aces like Black Country, New Road as it is, the album’s zaniness keeps your attention up. Pretentiously earnest insights into the feeling of depersonalisation in the modern world, unrequited love that was never meant to be reciprocated, and larger-than-life conceptional intersections make for one grand statement. It works because it’s an unabashed theatre kid-core. 4.1/5
Illuminati Hotties – Power (23 August 2024)
Illuminati Hotties, fronted by Sarah Tudzin who also handles the production and mixing, have first left a mark with the release of 2021’s Let Me Do One More. With its energetic performance and well-balanced production, it is definitely among the more fun records of the year. Fans who are hoping for more music like that might feel a bit left down by Power where, with its infectious vibe having seemingly been corporatised, there isn’t as much “identity” that could be found here. It’s power pop, it’s cleanly produced, it’s a cookie-cutter variety. It’s more disappointing given how contemporaries like Wet Legs or the Last Dinner Party are more upfront with making their music more pleasurable, more distinct from the others, all the while raking in mainstream attention. Maybe the main takeaway from Power is that there should be less “rock” following and more “punk” from their breakout. You can tell there just how well into the motion they truly are. 1.7/5
Ka – The Thief Next to Jesus (19 August 2024)
Ka’s unfortunate passing leaves a deep hole from one of the most unexpected legends to have emerged out of the hip-hop circle over the past decade. Despite being in his forties by the time he broke through with 2016’s Honor Killed the Samurai, the Brooklyn-based rapper’s lyrical talents already evokes comparisons with MF DOOM’s abstract virtuosity, Nas’s suave flow, and Black Thought’s rampant consciousness. In The Thief Next to Jesus, he carries on his talent over spacious beats, radical push backs against the system, and an unyielding bind to his Christian faith even as it feels that his time as the voice of reason is up. He continues to rap over soulful samples and he conjures up metaphoric symbols based on his home state of New York, expertises that prove to be impactful to his scene. It’s unfortunate that his demise has otherwise meant that his legacy might be a bit shortened. He might easily have been one of the greats in abstract hip hop and his albums will continue to carry on in its scope and focus. 4.3/5
Imagine Dragons – Loom (28 June 2024)
They made ‘Radioactive’, ‘Demons’, ‘It’s Time’, and ‘Amsterdam’. This is the same band who once made ‘Radioactive’, ‘Demons’, It’s Time’, and ‘Amsterdam’ and now, they made this overproduced pile of garbage. “Spinnin-nin-nin”. Wise words of wisdom from Dan Reynolds. “I don’t think I was strong enough,” cried he over melodramatic pianos and unwarranted reverbs. “Lock me up in a maze,” goes one chorus as if they thought that’s a badass enough line to give Rorschach or T. S. Eliot a run for their money in the most badass utterance one could have made. There’s no dignity to be had in a project like this. It’s even more dried up than that one attempt at a rock opera that was Mercury. At least there’s fun to be had in the vision while it lasted. :( 0.2/5
Tyler, the Creator – CHROMAKOPIA (28 October 2024)
Tyler, the Creator always tends to deliver with his records since 2017’s Flower Boy. His soulful productions are among the most lush in modern hip hop and his seeming acceptance of his bisexuality on 2019’s IGOR and 2021’s Call Me If You Get Lost makes him one of the more unique mainstream figures. This year, in a break from his biennial major drops, CHROMAKOPIA sticks out as among his most experimental to date. It’s more conscious with the commentaries on Black American fashion in ‘I Killed You’. The production itself is more alien like the use of rock samples in ‘Noid’. It’s more open in its pursuit for normalcy with the anti-secrecy message from ‘Take Your Mask Off’. Yet, it is also in CHROMAKOPIA that Tyler’s cracks are at its most apparent. Some may attribute the production style as becoming too much of a brand, but I feel that, relative to his other works, the album lacks the certain punch that makes it entirely consistent from start to finish. It has honesty, but it doesn’t feel as shamelessly open as is the case in ‘I’m Sorry’ nor is there a major track where the whole concept gets exposed like in ‘Wiltshire’. A music artist of Tyler’s talent is going to keep cooking for as long as they can, but it will help if they can step outside the box and think of the common patterns. 3.7/5
Godspeed You! Black Emperor – No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead (4 October 2024)
One of, if not, the greatest post-rock band of all time aren’t only known for popularising (and mastering) the use of grand orchestral crescendos in the genre. They additionally do not shy away from any possibility of promoting their anarchist views and staunch anti-war stances. The Israeli conflict with Palestine culminates in the invasion of Gaza which not only draws alarm over many instances of international law being crossed over, but even builds a compelling argument of genocide. At the time of writing, the Lancet published an article which estimates the total casualty of over 186,000 deaths based on the likelihood that the reported number are undercounted. To an act as politically driven as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the fog of war in Gaza isn’t just a horror show. It’s emblematic of the normalisation of evil, its eventual march towards banality which subsumes even the mind of those who vowed, “never again”. Pay attention to the vibrato, the shifts in the tempo, the samples, the timing of each climax and its conclusions. Bear in mind the hope, the tragedy, the morosity of the century-old bloodbath that had led us down the road towards unspeakable evil. No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead shocks because the band plays with a conviction that is rarely felt since Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! 4.1/5
Shawn Mendes – Shawn (15 November 2024)
When the finale comes along and the cover of Leonard Cohen’s famous ‘Hallelujah’ arrives… it’s utter shit compared to Jeff Buckley’s angelic take. The Ontario-born singer who broke through to the mainstream at just the age of 18 now shows that at the age of 26, he sticks a tad bit too closely to the boyish search for love. Not enough time was spent on his overwhelming anxiety from going on a world tour at a ridiculously young age. The attempt at utilising folk pop makes for a hackneyed effort at authenticity when Charli XCX proves at length that you can make a danceable tune & still stick in hard-hitting introspective lyrics about maturing and changing as an individual. Speaking of Charli, she manages to pull a 180-degree turn from a talented singer with a hit-or-miss array of smash hits to a certified diva after ten years. Maybe we can give Shawn some time to build on his work and take him to profound new heights? 1.3/5
GutterPutter 
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