mini ratings

'23 dec 9:	1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues – 100 gecs despite some remixes reaching greater highs than their originals—the first three, dorian electra's remix, the brutal fishcenter closer—its intense disjointedness and (for gecs) enormous length weighs the rest down
'23 dec 7:	OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES NON-STOP REMIX ALBUM – SOPHIE bar it's okay to cry & immaterial, the way the tracks are contorted, stretched far enough to backdrop an eternal party, is both easily and uniquely intriguing—despite it not hitting upon the same focus of its origin
'23 dec 6:	Atrocity Exhibition – Danny Brown it's not always perfect, but the overwhelming honesty, truly one-of-a-kind sampling and instrumental work, and danny's incessant, supremely versatile voice all shine in a simultaneously harrowing and beautiful record
'23 dec 6:	Old – Danny Brown despite it faltering slightly twofold—its first half not always consistently revealing, its other half so out-there with its detroit techno thrills—old is another integral work to danny's canon, and its ethos is fascinating
'23 dec 6:	Back From the Dead – Chief Keef an absolutely erratic and raw chicago drill triumph, with two of the greatest songs in its lane, one transcending to one of the best hip-hop tracks ever; the rest of its material is at least good, but its highlights are what sells it
'23 dec 6:	Dummy – Portishead even if it's verging on thirty years since its release, portishead's debut is still effortlessly enthralling through a current lens, a dark melancholy seeping through all of the nearly perfect trip hop instrumentals
'23 dec 5:	PRODUCT – SOPHIE it's simply a wonky and playful (if not left field) bubblegum and futuristic bass record that's less than a half hour; it certainly works as a collection of singles, but its textures aren't always helped by its loose structure
'23 dec 4:	Ys – Joanna Newsom an empyrean, far-reaching exploration that confirms all of the possibility shown on her debut; the five tracks totaling just under an hour are arresting, poetically diverse, and a constantly shifting, wintery bliss
'23 dec 4:	Vroom Vroom – Charli XCX certainly a curt listen, leading to a wish there was more here to digest; the absurdity of it throwing all of its elements into a patchwork, assorted mess, and it coming out as an enthralling, cluttered rave is amazing
'23 dec 4:	Charli – Charli XCX the first five tracks and a blend afterwards make for electropop hits unlike anything else, a series of futuristic sensations; after many listens there may be weak spots, but they fly by in a creatively searing way
'23 dec 2:	Melophobia – Cage the Elephant while its majority is a garage rock revival masterclass, its midsection is split from its starting and ending bliss by a few key lower moments; it still reaches considerable depth though, its charm undeniable
'23 dec 2:	Moanin' – Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers its presence is irrevocable and evident by the outset, but its improvisations, while warm, still fall within a style that feels slightly foreign; its bookend peaks are interrupted rather than helped by the less eventful
'23 dec 2:	Polo Sporting Goods – RetcH an overlooked gem; its highs are impressively produced in a fuzzy space, paired with cutting lyrics—and they're split by cuts in the same consistent style that rework and rehash in an intriguing way
'23 nov 30:	Ways of Seeing a biting, artistic criticism of publicity marketing, male & internal perceptions of women, and art as an owner-commodity in a hegemonic western world; it may misstep a tad for its time, but its ideas are still cogent
'23 nov 30:	10,000 gecs – 100 gecs separated more in genre and in time compared to their first, and both more cohesive and dense for it; an alt rock & hyperpop rager that amalgamates 2000's rock themes into an energetic and engrossing 27 minutes
'23 nov 30:	1000 gecs – 100 gecs already a polarizing classic, laura les and dylan brady's debut album of 23 minutes is as rebellious as it is disjointed; even if there are low points, its avant-garde and playfully hedonistic atmosphere is undeniable
'23 nov 28:	The Milk-Eyed Mender – Joanna Newsom though it may be recency bias in my discovering of her music, the whimsical, beautifully poetic and odd atmosphere that newsom provides on her debut is absurdly captivating and colorful; it is uniquely refreshing
'23 nov 28:	Jubilee – Japanese Breakfast it is simultaneously a bit safe and still evocative in its arrangements and atmosphere; its starting and ending two tracks are its best peaks, but there's plenty of personality from michelle to carry it all through the midsection
'23 nov 28:	Atlanta, Season 3 certainly the most freewheeling and off-the-wall season of the show so far; it certainly falters a tad in its strive to have more anthological stories, but its blend is still intriguing, and its main leads are still stunning
'23 nov 27:	shut the fuck up talking to me – Zack Fox in no way does it take itself seriously, but that might be its greatest strength; it is absolutely absurd, both lyrically and in how catchy it matches with the instrumental work, and it's captivating in that wild appeal
'23 nov 24:	Pop 2 – Charli XCX even if it tires in spots with its commitment to its bubblegum bass ethos, its highs are still absolutely thrilling, a step in a new direction for what would become of hyperpop; a classic, even if its bearings aren't set in stone
'23 nov 24:	OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES – SOPHIE the sole, non-compilation or remix record from one of the most inventive figures in music of the past decade; a very human record with fine-tuned but shockingly synthetic energy, its noise both ethereal and commanding
'23 nov 24:	The Money Store – Death Grips their commercial, incessantly internet-based and catchy debut; it may not be the be-all-end-all of the band, or their absolute best, but it is undeniably iconic, absolutely seething with energy, and a classic
'23 nov 22:	Quaranta – Danny Brown it repeats its themes at times in between some of his most scarce, touching work; it is undoubtedly an important character portrait of a healing but still eccentric iconoclast, and a fitting update to his breakout 'xxx'
'23 nov 20:	The (Uncensored) Picture of Dorian Gray despite the long interjections and uncomfortable historical beliefs present in certain parts, the interactions between its three leads and the descent that dorian makes, despite being foreign, is still an intriguing journey
'23 nov 20:	The Queen's Gambit the miniseries' acute interweaving of chess, substance abuse and this drive to be the best or nothing is something that, while the plot subtlety scatters or disjoints itself at times, comes together very well overall
'23 nov 20:	Treasure – Cocteau Twins like a wintertime trance through a broken but healing fantastical empire; its very synthetic drum machines can be insistent, but its shape, alongside elizabeth fraser's undeniable vocal charm in this space, is utterly enthralling
'23 nov 15:	Exmilitary – Death Grips an iconic blend of electro-industrial and abstract hip-hop, with ride's now-signature lyrical prowess; even if certain tracks stretch their theme a bit too far, some of their best material ever is here, in spades
'23 nov 15:	The Menu (2022) it gives curve balls in an intriguing way, allowing for an enthralling first watch—and the leads' acting is effectual in what it's trying to do—but it simply stands as a one off, a film for that initial, wild thrill
'23 nov 10:	Ants From Up There – Black Country, New Road completely ornate and bittersweet, a poetic stride of dense but beautifully constructed art rock; isaac's poetry, matched with the swirling and at times massive arrangements, reach soaring emotive highs
'23 nov 10:	Crack Cloud$ Over Arts Kitchen – Black Kray a swirling, psychedelic, and completely off the rails cloud rap and witch house epic that sounds like nothing else to this day; houses some of the genres' best works, showing in a single tape kray's intense creativity
'23 nov 10:	Piñata – Freddie Gibbs & Madlib a gangster movie set as an album; madlib's distinct, fuzzy beat sorcery pairs unnervingly well with an hour of freddie gibbs's amazingly distinct voice and cadence, along with a host of equally stellar guests
'23 nov 9:	Princess Mononoke (1997) the beautiful animation, the extremely solid storyline couched in fantastical wonder and early history war, and nearly all of the dynamic characters combine altogether into a one of a kind movie
'23 nov 7:	Howl's Moving Castle (2004) even if at times the story elements felt a bit scattershot, providing only slight deeper meaning to a wonderfully eccentric backdrop of beautifully done characters, it incorporates all of it together in a really good package
'23 nov 2:	4NEM – Chief Keef after one of the most explosive starts of a hip-hop career in recent memory, Chief Keef continues a streak of mid-career highlights of experimental, idiosyncratic ragers that never tires too often for its style
'23 oct 27:	Counter-Strike: Global Offensive despite the fact it just fizzled out of existence to make way for Counter-Strike 2, it was a formative, extremely influential game that i think will forever have a serious impact on esports and myself
'23 oct 23:	uknowhatimsayin¿ – Danny Brown even if there's less trailblazing thrill compared to other works of his, the Q-Tip-lead venture into wild and journeymen shifts of hardcore hip-hop is a vital piece in his discography
'23 oct 23:	Atlanta, Season 2 the first season of Atlanta that has enough depth to necessitate reexaminations; contains the most effectually moving and consciously subversive moments that work great as a set
'23 oct 23:	Atlanta, Season 1 the first season i think takes a minute in the midsection to keep its footing in a good way, but its opening pair and the idle, uncertain ending to it starts the show off very well