TiBB Album Club: 2020 Edition! [on hiatus]

[Shaun]

https://i.imgur.com/mqGTs5Z.png

Alright, so I have no idea how popular this will even be but that's alright because the previous edition only lasted for eight albums anyway... but here's how this will work.

Each week, a participating member will nominate an album - released in 2020 - for TiBB to evaluate over the course of the week. Ideally we'll be choosing major releases so as not to alienate people who just really don't care about Anna Calvi or whomever. Since we're on the cusp of a major pop release at midnight tonight, it only makes sense that the club opens with Chromatica by Lady Gaga.

So, starting from midnight tonight any member can - until next Thursday - reply in the thread with discussions about the album, favourite tracks, how it stands compared to previous albums, etc... I'm obviously not going to tell you what you can and can't post about but I will ask for one thing: a score out of ten. At the end of the listening week, I'll add up all of the scores, divide it by the number of scores multiplied by ten, and work out a percentage from that - pretty much how the scoring system works for Metacritic (https://www.metacritic.com/music/fetch-the-bolt-cutters/fiona-apple). A score is the only essential requirement from anyone wishing to take part, but please back up your score with reasoning so this can be a little bit more of an interesting thread than a string of meaningless numbers! Oh and by score out of ten, I am lenient with halves and other decimal placings. If you really want to fine-tune the minutiae of your score between a 7.4 and 7.3, then go ahead babe!

I'm not under any delusions; I fully expect this to have peaks and troughs because TiBB cannot feasibly care as much about a week of Christine and the Queens as much as they'll care about a week of Gaga/Katy/Kesha/Britney/Rihanna etc, but as long as we can get a good dollop of 5-10 scores per album, the game can theoretically keep going until we die in 2021 from the third Corona wave! :) Anyone is welcome to participate, new or not.

I would ask that people judge albums fairly based on personal enjoyment, and don't seek to just...poo on stuff that is enjoyed by members you dislike... but I am fully aware of what TiBB is and is capable of, so, I'll set that little stillborn idea down the River Ganges and wish it well.

I'll update the OP with a Spotify link for the album currently under scrutiny.

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Album 1 — Lady Gaga - Chromatica — Score: 83 (29/5-4/6) - 17 reviews
Album 2 — The Weeknd - After Hours — Score: 68 (5/6-11/6) - 9 reviews
Album 3 — Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters — Score: 82 (12/6-18/6) - 11 reviews
Album 4 — The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form — Score: 53 (19/6-25/6) - 4 reviews
Album 5 — Haim - Women In Music Pt. III — Score: 74 (26/6-2/7) - 8 reviews
Album 6 — Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure? — Score: 87 (3/7-9/7) - 9 reviews
Album 7 — Soccer Mommy - Color Theory — Score: 79 (10/7-16/7) - 6 reviews
Album 8 — Tame Impala - The Slow Rush — Score: 71 (17/7-23/7) - 5 reviews
Album 9 — Taylor Swift - folklore — Score: 69 (24/7-30/7) - 9 reviews
Album 10 — Grimes - Miss Anthropocene — Score: 90 (31/7-6/8) - 6 reviews
Album 11 — La Roux - Supervision — Score: 77 (7/8-13/8) - 4 reviews
Album 12 — Perfume Genius - Set My Heart On Fire Immediately — Score: 91 (14/8-20/8) - 4 reviews
Album 13 — Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher — Score: 93 (21/8-27/8) - 4 reviews
Album 14 — Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia — Score: 85 (28/8-3/9) - 4 reviews
Album 15 — Katy Perry - Smile — Score: 45 (4/9-10/9) - 4 reviews
Album 16 — Purity Ring - Womb — Score: 68 (11/9-17/9) - 4 reviews
Album 17 — Declan McKenna - Zeros — Score: 67 (18/9-24/9) - 6 reviews
Album 18 — Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour — Score: 78 (25/9-1/10) - 4 reviews
Album 19 — Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine — Score: 88 (2/10-8/10) - 4 reviews
Album 20 — Kiesza - Crave — Score: 73 (9/10-15/10) - 3 reviews
Album 21 — beabadoobee - Fake it Flowers — Score: 72 (16/10-22/10) - 3 reviews
Album 22 — Ava Max - Heaven and Hell — Score: 48 (23/10-29/10)
Album 23 — Ariana Grande - positions — Score: tbd (30/10-5/11)
Album 24 — Little Mix - Confetti — Score: tbd (6/11-12/11)
Album 25 — Kylie Minogue - Disco — Score: tbd (13/11-19/11)

https://open.spotify.com/album/6B1U2tJse7tS9Yi4VJjZAA?si=ESTfN8OmRYaaHs_dQk0ZPg

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Scoring system:
100-81: Universal acclaim
80-71: TiBB enjoyed it quite a lot
70-61: A strong showing
60-51: Very mixed results, indicating either "nobody cared about this album" or "everybody cared about this album in contrasting ways"
50-41: A very lukewarm score, barely worth considering
40-31: TiBB did not like this album
30-21: TiBB wish this album did not exist
20-0: TiBB will not recover from this mistake

[Shaun]

Link for this week's record is now in the OP, so get listening and submit a score for it by next Thursday! :) For the first few weeks I'll pick the albums myself before opening them up to suggestions, just to make sure we cover some of the biggest releases of 2020 before plowing ahead with anything newer.

I'm thinking Fiona Apple, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd and The 1975 will be the next four.

[Saph]

I'm gonna give it another detailed listen before making my final first impression judgments

[Jake.]

:clap1: I’ll get to work over the weekend!

[Daniel.]

7/10

Her best since Born This Way without a doubt, a much more cohesive and flowing album with some of the best songs of ber career (Alice, Babylon) and I wouldn’t call any song outright bad.

On the other hand, some songs just scream filler and because there are no ballads a lot of songs end up sounding similar.

[armand.kay]

9/10
A solid and cohesive album. Very exciting to listen, every track just feels so epic. It's a nice and fun distraction from the chaos if the world around us. I love that she created a whole world and aesthetic around this project it just adds to the fun.

Best: Alice, Rain On Me, Sour Candy, Replay, Sine from above and Babylon
Worst: Free Woman and Plastic Woman

[Samm]

I’ll do this at some point!

[Strictly Jake]

Havent had chance to listen to most of the songs so far but why is sine spelt wrong?

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Havent had chance to listen to most of the songs so far but why is sine spelt wrong?

It isn’t

[Jake.]

Havent had chance to listen to most of the songs so far but why is sine spelt wrong?

Sine as in sine wave

[Saph]

okay so after another listen my current ranking is...

1. Alice (euphoric, amazing, one of her best ever)
2. Babylon (sounds like Countess Luanne, iconic, amazing, madonna vibes)
3. Free Woman (a great beat, catchy chorus, just an all round boppy song)
4. Rain On Me (loved it from first listen, fits into the album so well)
5. Plastic Doll (the production is very carly rae jepson, I think its the most interesting on the album)
6. 911 (I love the lower beat on this track, it gives such 2009 demo type vibes but I love it)
7. Sine From Above (I wasnt sure at first but its such a 1999/2000 euroclub banger)
8. Stupid Love (even though its this far down I still love it, I think because its older its not as fresh as the rest right now)
9. Enigma (I find this one interesting, its a great song)
10. 1000 Doves (a nice song and I love the chorus beat, but its not a standout for me)
11. Fun Tonight (I like how its a sad song masked over a beat, its very 'Dancing On My Own')
12. Replay (I dont know how I feel about this one.. the jingling keys noise in the left ear during the chorus is distracting)
13. Sour Candy (just not a huge fan, didnt need to be a feature)

Its too early to say where it stands with her other albums. Definitely better than Joanne for sure, i'd even say its one of her strongest up there with Born This Way. We'll have to wait and see how time treats it.

9/10

[MB.]

Good tier: Enigma, Sour Candy, 911
Great tier: Fun Tonight, Stupid Love
Amazing tier: Free Woman, Rain on Me, Plastic Doll, Alice, Sine From Above
Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique tier: Replay, 1000 Doves, Babylon

As others have said, it's one of her most cohesive albums, and it's one that manages to stick to a distinct, fully-realised concept without collapsing under the weight of itself. I actually really like the interludes ('Chromatica I' in particular is epic af and put me in mind of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which isn't something I can say about most pop albums) and I love how the album mixes space opera camp with Eurotrash with 90s house to create an instantly-recognisable Lady Gaga feel without retreading anything that she's done before. A 9/10 it is.

[Withano]

Honestly, most the songs sounded the same. I’d imagine I’d love all the singles that she releases from it, but I can’t listen to the album again. Proper headache inducing.

4/10 because Alice and Sine From Above gave it an ounce of variety and I liked that.

[Jordan.]

*feels safe to post now Withano has*

Yeah I didn't dislike the album, it started out pretty fun but by the middle it was feeling very repetitive which carried on until the end. Also as with all her albums I can't help but hold them to TFM's standard which she frustratingly fails to live up to with every release.

5/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Fetch the bolt cutters next girls?

[Smithy]

Gonna give it a few more listens before I give my final verdict :hee:

*feels safe to post now Withano has*

Yeah I didn't dislike the album, it started out pretty fun but by the middle it was feeling very repetitive which carried on until the end. Also as with all her albums I can't help but hold them to TFM's standard which she frustratingly fails to live up to with every release.

5/10

In her defence, you could easily make 8 track EP’s out of BTW/AP/Joanne/Chromatica which would be on TFM’s level, it’s just the extra songs that bog it down. If TFM was a full 12-15 track album it wouldn’t be as highly regarded as it is imo

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Let me start by saying that the elton collab is EVIL and needs to be thrown into a volcano... just absolutely terrible. As for the other collabs ROM is great but sour candy feels kind of pointless and didn’t really need to be a collab. I’m kinda sad that the chromatica interludes also feel pointless like if they were longer and... better :/ they would have been a really cute addition but in their current state they’re just silly filler. The only other gripe i have is the robotic vocals that feature on quite a few tracks (they kind of spoil alice in particular) are annoying. There are quite a few filler/genuinely bad tracks too and they sound like they could have been on the fame. I just think they add nothing and drag the album down because of how **** they are but i guess there’s room for everybody let’s just say that. Having said all that i think it’s easily the best album of her entire career and has many GORGEOUS songs to fall in love with :kissyface:

Kill it before it lays eggs: sine from above

Shoulda stayed in the drafts: chromatica interludes, fun tonight, 911, plastic doll

Did everybody try these tracks? I thought these tracks were lovely: stupid love, rain on me, free woman, sour candy, babylon

Best: alice, enigma, replay, 1000 doves

8/10

[Smithy]

I hope this works the same way as metacritic in that some people’s reviews carry more weight than others :hehe:

[DouglasS]

I was wanting to join this game and I also really like the 1975 and the weeknd so I will take part and listen to TIBBs selections. Based on what I’ve heard so far I am not at all a fan of this album but I will give it a go and listen all the way through (so help me) and be objective, maybe I’ll like it

[MB.]

I predict that Douglas will break the scale and give Chromatica a 12 out of 10

[Jake.]

Chromatica Review

Gaga’s musical career has been a bit rocky since Born This Way, to say the least. Artpop was a mismanaged, disjointed mess with none of the ideas really “sticking”. The jazz collaboration with Tony Bennett was great for appealing to the over sixties crowd yet alienated her core fan base even further. 2016’s Joanne stripped things back and, whilst received well enough, still left most yearning for a return to her pop routes. Fast forward four years and Chromatica has landed.

The first impression one gets is that Gaga’s latest offering is vastly different to what she’s released previously. The first interlude merges into album opener Alice beautifully and the tone for the next 40 minutes or so is set; Gaga’s striking vocals intertwined with polished, pumping house beats. Dare I say, Alice might just be one of her best tracks yet. It’s so unlike anything she’s released up to this point, yet you’d never have guessed so; she sounds as focused as she ever has done. It’s really quite something and a world away from second track and lead single Stupid Love. That’s not to say the latter isn’t good - Its 80’s inspired hook is still as catchy as it was from when it was first released and it was a perfect choice for the lead. However, compared to Alice and indeed, the rest of the album, it can’t help but feel a tad out of place.

Rain on Me steers things back to the more dance-orientated route and this continues with obligatory empowerment themed Free Woman; The former in particular is a summer track dripping with replay-ability, helped by its “earworm” nature.

Further into the album, Enigma showcases once again Gaga’s strong vocals over an even stronger hook. Things only improve with Replay - producers BURNS and Benjamin Rice work their magic and the end result is a spectacularly twangy piece of pop.

Not everything is perfect, however. Fun Tonight feels a bit lost after such a strong opening. 911, whilst catchy, harkens back to her days of “The Fame” with amped up auto tune and a simplistic beat. Plastic Doll finds itself on the filler side of things with a fine enough chorus and some not-so-good verses. Sour Candy is something of a missed opportunity - The best parts of the track are those featuring just Gaga, but at only 2:38 minutes long and a strong presence of featured Kpop group BLACKPINK, those moments are few and far between.

Things close off with the third interlude, followed by Sine From Above. A soft EDM inspired track, it’s easy to see the influence Ryan Tedder and Axwell have had as songwriter and producer, respectively. It’s all a bit of a cringe from start to finish, with Elton John’s unexpected (and unnecessary) feature and the random last 40 or so seconds of drum and bass, for whatever reason. Camp but strong Europop-inspired 1000 Doves puts things right again before we hit the last of the album with Babylon. It’s cliché to say that “the best was saved ‘till last”, but Babylon is a fantastic 80’s styled throwback to Madonna’s Vogue/Bowie’s Fame. The instrumental is as euphoric as they come and Gaga once again feels right at home with yet another style at her feet.

As a package, Chromatica is Gaga’s most cohesive vision to date. It’s not perfect, but for the first time in years, her vision and concept has come together.

Average/Mixed: Sine From Above, Sour Candy
Good: Free Woman, Fun Tonight, 911, Plastic Doll
Great: Stupid Love, Rain On Me, Enigma, 1000 Doves
Amazing: Alice, Replay, Babylon

Album Rating: 9/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Changed my score because of that HORRIBLE middle section of fun tonight/911/plastic doll

I just can’t get over it girls

[Daniel.]

911 is a fav

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Actually nvm they’re kinda growing on me now

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

911 is a fav

Trash

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I hated plastic doll at first i think it’s kinda cute now :flower:

[DouglasS]

I honestly tried to give this a go, but I just found it awful. All the songs blend completely into one? There’s no uniqueness and the album is just one long boring song. Where is the originality or the change in pace? I was hoping it would be like the fame monster which seems to be her only good album. But the lyrics are kinda rubbish here and the songs just don’t ever reach a high point. It’s honestly given me a headache, it’s just electronic and extremely samey? Couldn’t even pull tracks out I like as they all blend into one but Enimga is the only one I didn’t mind? Maybe rain on me at a push. Honestly shocked this seems popular, a very poor effort. Give this album a year and I reckon it’ll be forgotten about as it’s just awful.

In half the songs she randomly speaks like a possessed goblin at times and I don’t understand why also

Edit: raised to 2.5/10

[Smithy]

A shock girls, a shock I must say

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I read on twitter that plastic doll was originally called possessed goblin

[MB.]

I read on Twitter that Enimga was originally called Enigma

[Ross.]

911 is a fav

Tea

Scott is cancelled!

[Marsh.]

I read on twitter that plastic doll was originally called possessed goblin

:joker:

[Marsh.]

Enema is a grower

[Shaun]

A shock girls, a shock I must say

it'd be shame if I had someone on total ignore and missed the post completely!

[DouglasS]

All my votes in your other games have been counted, would be bizarre to disclose it in this one purely because a difference of opinion :skull:

I did listen to the album and give it a go, I was hoping to enjoy it. I Just thought the album felt like one long song. I will raise It to a 2.5 because at least the main single is alright?

[Marsh.]

Disclose

[Smithy]

it'd be shame if I had someone on total ignore and missed the post completely!

:skull::skull::skull:

[Jake.]

I hated plastic doll at first i think it’s kinda cute now :flower:

My opinion on it is changing slightly too. The chorus definitely saves it.

[Daniel.]

Tbf even if it’s negative it’s not fair to not include a review of a person bc they don’t like it

[Liam-]

I enjoyed most of the songs, but the bad ones were really bad, Elton needs his knighthood revoked asap.

Replay, Alice, 1000 Doves and Sour Candy are my favourites :love:

6/10, it’s one of my least favourite albums of hers

[Shaun]

Tbf even if it’s negative it’s not fair to not include a review of a person bc they don’t like it

it's more of a "not including them because they've tried to undermine and sabotage my games for nearly ten years, and have served nothing other than facetious trolling to the forum" kinda rule, but I get what you're trying to say

[DouglasS]

Who are you talking about I’ve only been a member for 4 years, and how is taking part in games sabotaging :skull:. It just seems to be the act of throwing toys out of the pram and wanting full control over the result because you don’t like The actual true TIBB result :)

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Who are you talking about I’ve only been a member for 4 years

Why do you keep saying this when everybody knows who you are


do you have learning difficulties or something

[Jake.]

Who are you talking about I’ve only been a member for 4 years, and how is taking part in games sabotaging :skull:. It just seems to be the act of throwing toys out of the pram and wanting full control over the result because you don’t like The actual true TIBB result :)

Why are you still doing this lol?

[JerseyWins]

Douglas joined in August 2016 luvs

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

[Marsh.]

do you have learning difficulties or something

:joker:

[Jake.]

Douglas joined in August 2016 luvs

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

After being permabanned under a different username, yes.

[MB.]

Douglas joined in August 2016 luvs

Coincidentally that's also the same month the word "gullible" was removed from the dictionary

[DouglasS]

I don’t know what’s going on in this off site chat where people throw rumours around but I joined in 2016, it says it on my profile also if people need to check

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Douglas joined in August 2016 luvs

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

Don’t you dare start appropriating our culture you monster

[Jake.]

Coincidentally that's also the same month the word "gullible" was removed from the dictionary

:joker:

[Ross.]

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

Thank god, we don’t need anymore of your trash opinions

https://i.imgur.com/hzoeOWl.jpg?1

[Morgan.]

Douglas joined in August 2016 luvs

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

There won’t be a 6ix9ine album review so it’s probably not worth signing up x

[JerseyWins]

I don’t know what’s going on in this off site chat where people throw rumours around but I joined in 2016, it says it on my profile also if people need to check
It's easily accessible on the sidebar of your posts, very handy feature on this site :clap1:

[Shaun]

Alright so I'll try and keep this briefer than my usual reviews. On the whole, it's a return to form. The whole album is enjoyable and replayable, and I can see myself enjoying it for a while. Whether it'll endure as much as TFM/BTW did, I don't know... but right now it's on heavy rotation.

The singles are all good in varying ways... I really do enjoy 'Sour Candy' a lot even if it's brief, a sample that's been used a lot, and contains a feature that is largely pointless. Love a good monotonous house number (see: MNEK's Tongue). 'Rain on Me' is a deserved chart-topper and a pop "moment" in a music landscape that rarely makes room for those any more.

There's a generous dollop of euphoria in 'Free Woman' and 'Fun Tonight' but it's unlikely either will go down as classics for her. I'm intrigued/confused by her lyrics referencing her said classics on the latter, though - "You love the paparazzi, love the fame, even though you know it causes me pain/ I feel like I'm in a prison hell..." is she talking about those songs specifically or just being meta and namedropping her previous stuff to make a point about struggling with fame in general? Idk! idk!

Enjoy the random orchestral Chromatica segues; particularly juxtaposed with '911' which might be my favourite track. An antipsychotic pillpopping pussypopper? Yes please <3

What's stopping it from a perfect 10? 'Plastic Doll' mostly. Does nothing for me, sorry :worry: sounds like a Kim Petras b-side from 2017. The tracklisting is wise to dot the best songs around evenly so as not to get boring... 'Enigma' more than makes up for the muted feeling I have towards 'Replay', and 'Babylon' is a rare end-of-the-album moment that's actually great and cleanses the palate after a very confusing double-whammy of 1000 Doves/the Elton track. Will obviously feed into the hate from Madonna fans though with its heavy Vogue vibes.

Favourites: 911, Babylon, Enigma, Sour Candy, Rain On Me
BIN IT: Plastic Doll

Rating: 8.5

[LukeB]

Link for this week's record is now in the OP, so get listening and submit a score for it by next Thursday! :) For the first few weeks I'll pick the albums myself before opening them up to suggestions, just to make sure we cover some of the biggest releases of 2020 before plowing ahead with anything newer.

I'm thinking Fiona Apple, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd and The 1975 will be the next four.

Are we doing Grimes and Charli XCX? they are quite popular on here (and they both did great albums) :ninja2:

[Shaun]

Yeah I'd imagine they'll feature at some point, I just didn't want to dictatorially decide more than the opening five and at the same time wanted to make them somewhat diverse (aka. "include male artists")

Not sure how I'll work out the "who decides what we're reviewing" format, but it'll most likely be done on a loyalty basis (ie. members who submit multiple reviews for the opening five will have priority over someone who's JUST HERE FOR GAGA, SMITHY :hee:)

[JerseyWins]

I've changed my mind and started listening to this album. Not looking good :idc:

[Smithy]

Don’t you dare start appropriating our culture you monster

:joker::joker:

[Marsh.]

(aka. "include male artists")

Scott will be fuming.

[Smithy]

Yeah I'd imagine they'll feature at some point, I just didn't want to dictatorially decide more than the opening five and at the same time wanted to make them somewhat diverse (aka. "include male artists")

Not sure how I'll work out the "who decides what we're reviewing" format, but it'll most likely be done on a loyalty basis (ie. members who submit multiple reviews for the opening five will have priority over someone who's JUST HERE FOR GAGA, SMITHY :hee:)

https://media1.tenor.com/images/14880a4ba0939575eb3e43eac973c269/tenor.gif?itemid=16916873

[Smithy]

Right girls, the review we’ve all been waiting for!

Well be prepared to be disappointed because I’m not eloquent at writing or refining my thoughts is not my sort of thing so this is very much a word vomit review :hee:

I think this is her most cohesive album since TFM, possibly her most cohesive ever? I feel like the Chromatica era as a whole has been planned to a tea and the videos/extras that are planned will lend itself to the cohesiveness of the album, which will end up deciding whether or not it is more cohesive than TFM.

Anyway onto the album, I LOVE that she is giving us everything that we’ve been dying for literally since ARTPOP, this whole album feels like ARTPOP done right without the whole pretentiousness of it all. It’s fun music, it makes you want to dance and I genuinely don’t think there’s a skip on the album, (let’s ignore the interludes because they don’t really count) which is the first time I’ve ever had this???

I’m not gonna write a review for each song but I LOVE the fact she’s tackling somewhat serious subjects in these songs (her antipsychotic meds, her mental health struggles, past trauma etc) and putting an amazingly positive spin on them and on top of the the lyrics are possibly some of the best she’s written. Yes there’s a few :eyes: sis you for real but then there’s lyrics in 911, Fun Tonight, Sine, Replay and others that are EXCELLENT, clever and well thought out.

Is this her best album? Probably not, but as I said to Jordan it’s hard to compare an album of 8 excellent tracks to an album which has a handful of excellent tracks and a handful of good ones too. But it’s a return to form that loads of us have been waiting for and it’ll no doubt mark a turning point in her career now that things are back on track after derailing horrendously in 2013.

Stand out tracks: Alice, 911, Sine From Above & Replay
9/10

[JerseyWins]

Can't even say I'm disappointed but pretty bad. :joker:

Rain On Me is a bit catchy but nothing special. 911 is getting very overrated. The vocals & beat are so off (I think the beat ought to be lowered). Not the best rhythm to it and lyrically ok.

I'm not a full-on Gaga hater. Paparazzi & Poker Face by Gaga are good and maybe a few others that were decent like Telephone, Just Dance, Bad Romance. Anyway, none of this album was anywhere even close to that level, just more of the usual same boring stuff from her. :shrug:

Debating between a 3 and upping it to a 3.5...

I'll give it a fair 3.3/10 :dazzler:

[Jessica.]

Alice - 10/10
Energetic, motivational, dirty bass

Stupid Love - 10/10
A summer mood, accurate lyrics because love can be stupid but we crave it

Rain On Me - 10/10
Their voices go so well together, I love the meaning behind it, it's really okay to cry

Free Woman - 10/10
My favourite on the album, I love the melody and the lyrics

Fun Tonight - 10/10
Genuinely fun and makes me want to twerk


911 - 10/10
My second favourite, I adore it

Plastic Doll - 10/10
A bop, I love the beat and it's so catchy

Sour Candy - 10/10
It is a very cute song, the BLACKPINK girls have lovely voices.

Enigma - 10/10
A genuine enigma

Replay - 10/10
Amazing, overflowing with talent

Sine From Above - 9/10
It took a while to grow on me, I love the remix at the end, it was really a 5/10 on my first listen but I gave it a chance and now I love it

1000 Doves - 10/10
Emotional, meaningful and funky

Babylon - 10/10
Retro aesthetic, nostalgic, reminds me of some of her older songs which I've loved

The three Chromaticas - Stunning

The entire album is genuinely a 10/10 for me
I am not saying this because I love Gaga for who she is but because this is seriously my kind of music, I love music that you can blast in a car or add that extra umph to a hot summer day, a brilliant album, one of my favourites of all time. It may pass BTW as my top Gaga album.

[Marsh.]

Also, I would like to take part in this but will not be listening to a Lady Gaga album tho so will have to skip for now!

I've changed my mind and started listening to this album. Not looking good :idc:

Can't even say I'm disappointed but pretty bad. :joker:

Rain On Me is a bit catchy but nothing special. 911 is getting very overrated. The vocals & beat are so off (I think the beat ought to be lowered). Not the best rhythm to it and lyrically ok.

I'm not a full-on Gaga hater. Paparazzi & Poker Face by Gaga are good and maybe a few others that were decent like Telephone, Just Dance, Bad Romance. Anyway, none of this album was anywhere even close to that level, just more of the usual same boring stuff from her. :shrug:

Debating between a 3 and upping it to a 3.5...

I'll give it a fair 3.3/10 :dazzler:

Being Jack's little lapdog must be exhausting.

[caprimint]

Just listened to this album this evening. I love Gaga so I was super excited for this (and hardly ever listen to anything if it's outside of being country so) and her last era was kind of **** compared to her earlier stuff but I was really disappointed </3

The only songs I really enjoyed were Rain On Me (Ariana makes it), Stupid Love and Sour Candy. The rest of the songs were either boring or bad. Not sure why the album took so long to produce when all the songs sound the same though :skull:

3/10?

[JerseyWins]

Being Jack's little lapdog must be exhausting.
I decided to go for it because Ross was practically begging me to tyvm https://i.imgur.com/hzoeOWl.jpg?1

[Black Dagger]

Ofc sis

[Smithy]

I honestly tried to give this a go, but I just found it awful. All the songs blend completely into one? There’s no uniqueness and the album is just one long boring song. Where is the originality or the change in pace? I was hoping it would be like the fame monster which seems to be her only good album. But the lyrics are kinda rubbish here and the songs just don’t ever reach a high point. It’s honestly given me a headache, it’s just electronic and extremely samey? Couldn’t even pull tracks out I like as they all blend into one but Enimga is the only one I didn’t mind? Maybe rain on me at a push. Honestly shocked this seems popular, a very poor effort. Give this album a year and I reckon it’ll be forgotten about as it’s just awful.

In half the songs she randomly speaks like a possessed goblin at times and I don’t understand why also

Edit: raised to 2.5/10

Can't even say I'm disappointed but pretty bad. :joker:

Rain On Me is a bit catchy but nothing special. 911 is getting very overrated. The vocals & beat are so off (I think the beat ought to be lowered). Not the best rhythm to it and lyrically ok.

I'm not a full-on Gaga hater. Paparazzi & Poker Face by Gaga are good and maybe a few others that were decent like Telephone, Just Dance, Bad Romance. Anyway, none of this album was anywhere even close to that level, just more of the usual same boring stuff from her. :shrug:

Debating between a 3 and upping it to a 3.5...

I'll give it a fair 3.3/10 :dazzler:

Just listened to this album this evening. I love Gaga so I was super excited for this (and hardly ever listen to anything if it's outside of being country so) and her last era was kind of **** compared to her earlier stuff but I was really disappointed </3

The only songs I really enjoyed were Rain On Me (Ariana makes it), Stupid Love and Sour Candy. The rest of the songs were either boring or bad. Not sure why the album took so long to produce when all the songs sound the same though :skull:

3/10?
https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/Bring-in-the-Clowns-ow-vowel-diphthong-activities-015828400-1372109424-1500873666/original-742237-1.jpg

[Marsh.]

Not Stacey only mentioning the 3 tracks released before the album. Almost like she hasn't listened. :skull: Desperate.

[caprimint]

Not Stacey only mentioning the 3 tracks released before the album. Almost like she hasn't listened. :skull: Desperate.
I didn't even know the others aside from Rain On Me had been released before :joker:

[Shaun]

Thank you everyone for the posts that will largely not be ignored!

[Samm]

After a few years taking a departure from her pop routes, which I argue even though a good half of the material on Joanne wasn't super, I do think it was beneficial after her creative vision with Artpop pushed the album and the era to be a bit overwhelming and not quite cohesive.

Anyway Chromatica is a dominant return to her original routes of pop music, the whole album has a ongoing theme of 90s acid house vibes mixed in with Gaga's own unique voice and sound. The sudden build up to the album due to the pop culture moment of Rain on me added to my excitement for the rest of the songs on the album and she didn't disappoint. Highlights included Alice a energetic pop twist on Alice in wonderland, Fun tonight a sad lyrical song about struggles she's faced turned into an upbeat bop is my favourite type of pop song echoing songs like; robyn's dancing on my own. The interlude into 911 is one of my favourite parts of the album a club banger that shares similar sounds to her material on The Fame. As the latter half of the album progresses both enigma and replay are ultimate disco tunes. Sine from above is VERY europop and i'm here for that rival. Babylon ****ing delivers and it's with Alice, Fun Tonight and 911 as my favourite songs from the album, a modern vogue.

Any criticism from me is that Plastic Doll isn't the best song and neither is 1000 doves, however they aren't bad songs more so get overshadowed. One thing that I would of liked to see is more of a electropop sound to the album throughout it's course, I was excited about SOPHIE being rumoured as a producer because the music they produce is so experiential and perfectly Gaga. Chromatica is a return for Gaga in the world of pop music and I can't wait to see where she takes it from here.

8.5/10

https://atrl.net/uploads/emoticons/gaygacat3.png

[Withano]

Tbf, the negative reviews all mention how repetitive the album sounds and that’s incredibly fair from anybody’s perspective surely?

Like even you guys voting it 9/10+ understand the songs sound very similar to one another surely? It’s fair for people to dislike that.

[Daniel.]

The point is the likes of Stacey and Jersey haven't listened

[DouglasS]

Tbf, the negative reviews all mention how repetitive the album sounds and that’s incredibly fair from anybody’s perspective surely?

Like even you guys voting it 9/10+ understand the songs sound very similar to one another surely? It’s fair for people to dislike that.

You’re only allowed to review the album if your opinion agrees with Shaun I think? I genuinely listened to every single song and set time to do so. I mentioned I was going to review it a day before I reviewed it and no one said I could not review it until after I’d posted my review and listened.

It’d be my suggestion to remove the “TIBBs” from my title and call it a album club And note the members, would be more accurate.

[Samm]

Miss rah rah causing all this aggression we had to stan

https://atrl.net/uploads/monthly_2020_03/074a4e9a4cb213c18559a8eabb4ce041.thumb.gif.b82aba5 451ec7d4e240b240c9d9e2300.gif

[caprimint]

The point is the likes of Stacey and Jersey haven't listened
https://thumbs.gfycat.com/HarmlessYawningHarpyeagle-size_restricted.gif

[MB.]

I see some of us aren't feeling the kindness punk spirit

[Jigs]

I like the album but I do agree that it is very repetitive and I struggle to differentiate most of the songs from eachother despite giving the album a listen in full at least 3 times already. However, from my listens I've definitely got favourites. Rain On Me is BY FAR the most exciting and catchy track on t'album. Ariana's vocals really elevate the track. I also like Babylon, Enigma and the Chromatica II interlude.

Overall a 6/10 I reckon.

[Smithy]

Tbf, the negative reviews all mention how repetitive the album sounds and that’s incredibly fair from anybody’s perspective surely?

Like even you guys voting it 9/10+ understand the songs sound very similar to one another surely? It’s fair for people to dislike that.

The point is the likes of Stacey and Jersey haven't listened

.

[Shaun]

3 (and a bit, including today) days left to submit a review peeps, but don't feel coerced into submitting a half-assed one if you haven't even listened to it in full :hee: would be like going to a restaurant, ordering a meal, and leaving before it arrives and saying "the breadsticks were okay but nothing special"

[Glenn.]

I’ll give it a 10/10

Not quite sure about the slurs that’s it’s repetitive are coming from. There isn’t a track I don’t like, they are all bops.

I’m obsessed with Babylon and Enigma :love:

[JerseyWins]

Forgot about this :skull: I gave this album a half assed skimming listen & every song was very samey, boring & not my style. Idk if the YouTube playlist even has every song or if I listened to every one but it must’ve had like 16, 18 songs or something and was a struggle for some. :laugh: Literally the only one I decided to save was Rain On Me & idk if I will even listen any more

I only gave a listen & voted because of the response when I wasn’t going to :smug: Like I said I’ve never been a Gaga fan but this album was just that a 3.3/10 for me. If you don’t wanna count it idec :joker:

[Smithy]

Shauns a fan of half assed skimmed listens so I imagine he will

[Shaun]

2 days left to submit a review :spin2: and then starting Friday at midnight we will be reviewing 'After Hours' by The Weeknd. Am I anticipating a drop of participation in the region of 85%? Yes I am! But in the words of a spoilt British teen who's obsessed with dancing, planning her birthday party in 2010... I want diversity god damn it!

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I thought miss fiona was next

https://i.imgur.com/sHN4Too.jpg

[Shaun]

i don't think we are ready for the cultural shift from gaga to fiona, sorry

[Black Dagger]

This gay says that Chromatica is a 9/10. YES

She's back. After half a decade of alienating the uncultured gays with jazz driven collabs with an icon of the music industry and delivered a personal, powerful album dedicated to the namesake of my Mother she is back to doing what she does best. Delivering bombastic, energetic tracks one after the other. Its rich and its flavoursome and I devoured the lot. Babylon style. Yeah I'm impressed. It deserves all its accolades x

[Nicky91]

Chromatica

Stupid Love: very boppy, i personally like the music video too

Rain On Me: catchy and i am surprised how well gaga/Ariana their voices match up


Sine from Above: at first i was like WTF Elton's voice in a modern dance-pop song sounds so weird, i guess it does sound very anthemic though


overall a decent album (but for me personally not up there with Fame Monster)

8.5

[lewis111]

A step back in the right direction for Gaga in my opinion. A very cohesive album that doesn't have any skips on it - all the songs have their place on the album and I don't find any of them boring, one or two just don't hit as hard as others. Obviously vocal talent isn't an issue at all because it's Gaga. The album achieved what it intended, a fun dance pop album that details pain and trauma and can hopefully help people dance through some forms of pain. Whats great about this album is she managed to create an album she wanted to whilst also listening to what many of her fans have missed from her.
The only "issue" I have is more of a Gaga fan issue rather than a musical issue. I feel like a lot of pop stars could've released this album, whereas with albums like TFM, BTW and ARTPOP you could only see Gaga creating them, but that's not an issue with the quality of the music. Babylon is an exception to this though and is Gaga's best song since at least 2013 possibly as far back as BTW.

Faves: Alice, Stupid Love, Rain On Me, Enigma, Replay, Sine From Above, Babylon
Least Faves: Fun Tonight, 1000 Doves

9/10

[Shaun]

Right then, after 17 votes I've added up the scores and determined that Chromatica's score from TiBB is a very impressive 83. It's logged into the OP and we now move on with our lives to an album that was actually released back on March 20.

His fourth studio album, it went straight to #1 here, in the US and even Lithuania! It's also his most well-received by critics to date, usually sitting around the 4-5 star mark. The tracklist and running time might be intimidating, but you should already be familiar with at least one of the singles from the record (Blinding Lights, In Your Eyes and Heartless have all been hits) so there may be some time you can save by not listening to the ones you already know.

I'm aware there'll be a slight dip in attendance from a major pop female release and that's fine, but I'd rather you didn't all jump ship and kill the game off before it's even begun :hee:

Spotify link for the album is in the OP, and hopefully this works as a playlist if I embed it here:

JH398xAYpZA

Spoiler: it did not. The YT link above is the opening track, click it and you should find the playlist from there pretty easily.

[Samm]

i'll do this at some point, he's one of the few male artists i perch. save your tears is one of my fav songs of the year so far.

[JerseyWins]

Already heard this one :clap1: I know I didn't LOVE it, moreso liked just for some of my faves on it (mainly the big hits) but I will give a re-listen before I rate/review this

[Withano]

I’m halfway through and I’m bored ****less tbh

[Withano]

I didn’t like it at all and I assumed I would. I’ve loved every single one of his singles.

Horrible instrumentals throughout, his voice begins to grate, even his singles that I love blend in to the horrible noise

Giving it 2/10 Cos I’m sure there’s something worse round the corner, but I’m shocked at how much I hated that.

[Shaun]

I actually enjoyed this album a lot. Much of his previous releases have either been overstuffed (Starboy) or just plain boring (Beauty Behind the Madness, My Dear Melancholy) and it's been pretty disappointing following him since his breakthrough EPs in 2011 were all great (especially House of Balloons).

Most of the production is crystal clear and tight, and the singles have tapped in greatly to the 80s-revival zeitgeist that's seen similar success for Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan and HAIM recently. Obviously the lead single was massive and catchy and soulful and everything that a great pop song should be, but even the follow-ups haven't let me down... Heartless feels the most like his classic stuff, In Your Eyes is like a ballad ripped straight from Stranger Things, and the title track manages to make all 6 minutes of it continually engaging.

I just... really like this album. It feels like a major pop event; there's a lot to unpack and it's wrapped stylishly. I'd give it an 8.5 as well as Chromatica :worry: hopefully album #3 has a different score.

[Jessica.]

I really liked the album, I listened to it a few times when it came out. The first song Alone Again is probably my favourite on the album. I really like Hardest To Love as well.

I like that the album is moody but not too moody and love the production quality.

I really enjoyed The Weeknd's previous album but this one has topped it.

I'll give it a solid 8

[Jordan.]

This album was a slow burner for me, I wasn't feeling the first half much at all, seemed like there was about 4 boring slow songs right after one another which almost lost my interest, however I'm glad I stuck with it because it did finally pick up on Heartless and remained pretty solid until the end. I'd probably only come back for those later "bops" rather than listen to the album front to back again though.

Highlights: In Your Eyes, Blinding Lights, Heartless, After Hours
Snoozers: Scared To Live, Snowchild, Escape From LA

6/10

[Jake.]

I’ve listened twice and will give it a third go before I leave my review but it’s definitely one which improves with repeated listens :pipe:

[Jake.]

After Hours Review

Prior to giving After Hours a spin, Blinding Lights was the only track I’d heard and I thought it was phenomenal. It’s everything you’d expect from a good Weeknd track, only better, so I jumped in with high hopes. On my initial listen, I really wasn’t impressed until around the halfway mark. It was only when I listened for a second and finally a third time that most of the earlier tracks clicked in some way or another.

That being said, The Weeknd is at his best here in the latter half - The 80s inspired synths and production are a real treat for the ears. I think that this is his first release for me which is relatively “fluff free”, and thankfully most of it sticks.

Average/Mixed: Escape From LA, Until I Bleed Out
Good: Alone Again, Snow Child, Repeat After Me (Interlude)
Great: Too Late, Hardest To Love, Scared To Live, Heartless, Faith, Save Your Tears
Amazing: In Your Eyes, Blinding Lights, After Hours

Album Rating: 8/10

[Smithy]

Gonna do this either tonight or tomorrow :hee:

[Samm]

I started to listen to him and gain interest after starboy. This album in my opinion is his best work the 80s inspired syncs work so well and I appreciate how ever song bleeds into each other. I do feel that the album falls a bit flat in the middle, there’s a string of songs that are just to similar and mellow. It picks up in the latter half of the album extremely well and reignites my interest. Those six punches near the end (excluding the interlude) starting with Heartless to After Hours whew!!!

Highlights: Faith, In Your Eyes, Save Your Tears (his best song), After Hours, Alone Again

7.5

[Tom4784]

Chromatica (I know it was last week, sue me)

It's a real solid earworm album with no real bad tracks, I do think it potentially doesn't have a long shelf life though given that I think some songs could potentially grow old fast. That being said it's a very cohesive album, perhaps too cohesive on the first listen since it took me more listens to differentiate some of the songs, the more unique aspects of each song takes multiple listens to shine through I think.

8/10

After Hours

I liked it a lot although it's a bit samey at parts. Sonically, it's a strong album and the vibes and themes are entrancing and addictive but it's also a bit over long and there are some songs that feel like pure filler.

7/10

[Smithy]

I think I agree with what a couple of people said re there being some real stand out songs, but the middle section of the album has songs that are a bit too similar and hard to differentiate (Escape from LA is also 2 minutes too long tbqh). Aside from that I really enjoyed it, Abel is one of the very very few Male artists who’s voices I actually enjoy (even if the lyrics to the songs aren’t that relatable :eyes: “For that pussy you know i’m a slave” :eyes::eyes::eyes:) Aside from the singles which I’ve loved I think my fave from the album is Hardest to Love, hope it’s a single at some point bc it’s a BOP :dazzler:

Faves: Alone Again, Blinding Lights, Hardest To Love, In Your Eyes

7/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

When is fi

[Nicky91]

must admit it's not an album i have listened to in full

just know the most known hits

Blinding Lights: very much of a earwurm, a very recognizable beat too

In Your Eyes: also quite good, but not as good for me personally as Blinding Lights


no score from me because it is not a full album review, but i just wanted to say that about those 2 songs

[Smithy]

What’s next loov

[JerseyWins]

After Hours

Same as I thought on first listen of this album, it's decent but there's a couple songs that really carry it. Some of the better songs on the album ranked: Heartless > Blinding Lights > Snowchild (maybe 2nd best) > In Your Eyes > After Hours > Nothing Compares > Until I Bleed Out

Overall

7.2/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

After Hours

Same as I thought on first listen of this album, it's decent but there's a couple songs that really carry it. Some of the better songs on the album ranked: Heartless > Blinding Lights > Snowchild (maybe 2nd best) > In Your Eyes > After Hours > Nothing Compares > Until I Bleed Out

Overall

7.2/10

Is this really necessary

[JerseyWins]

It's slightly better than a 7 but not quite a 7.5 or 8 :spin:

[Shaun]

decimals are fine and welcome!

[Shaun]

Right then, the aggregate score for After Hours is a respectable 68.

Album #3, you ask? I suppose it's best we get Ms. Apple out of the way before Scott hurts someone. I'll put it in the OP.

[Daniel.]

10/10

When I joined this forum and quickly became friends with Scott, one of the first things he asked me to do was listen to 'The Idler Wheel'....by some woman I had never heard of and I obliged. Six years later, her latest album is released and I was blown away on first listen. It feels like Fiona just woke up in a pissed off mood and sang these songs whilst releasing her rage and what a glorious outcome it gave us. I love the feel of the album, with kitchen utensils used as instruments and dog barks in the background of songs, you can really tell this was self produced. I genuinely like every song on here, it's one of those albums with no duds, and it's all very cohesive and flowing without feeling repetitive, I feel Fiona has finally released her masterpiece, and I hope this album is seen as the artpop classic it is, up there with other fantastic works like Kate Bush's Hounds of Love and Björk's Homogenic, because it deserves it. This album is a one off and a masterpiece.

Favourites: Shameika, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, Under The Table, Relay, Newspaper, Heavy Balloon, Cosmonauts, For Her

[Daniel.]

Oh wait will it still count if I didn't review the weeknd?

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Genuinely one of the best albums of all time and it doesn’t even feel weird saying that when it’s not even been out for 2 months. There are some tracks that i’m not overly keen on (newspaper and heavy balloon) but the others more than make up for it. Shameika is a highlight and like, the fact that she references that gloria in excelsis deo hymn that they made everyone sing in primary school... her mind. That and “my dog and my man and music is my holy trinity” is probably the greatest lyric of all time? The title track is another highlight and references cathy bush - legends supporting legends, we love to see it. She also INVENTED feminism with ladies, giving her blessing for her ex’s current partners To take whatever she left in his kitchen cupboards/bathroom cabinets - charitable queen! Although there are too many amazing tracks to pick out a single favourite, for her is transcendent and definitely among the best. “You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in”. SHOOK.

Not terrible but not great: newspaper, heavy balloon
Legendary: shameika, fetch the bolt cutters, relay, rack of his, ladies, for her

10/10

[Marsh.]

“You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in”.

:skull:

[caprimint]

Lmfao Scott

That's legit the most I've ever seen you write

[Jessica.]

I'm excited to listen to this one!

[Shaun]

I don't have a full review yet but I wanted to give it a bump so I'll drop my score: 9.5. I'll get around to explaining fully eventually but for now I'll just say that my favourites were Shameika, Relay, Ladies and For Her.

Only thing holding it back from being a perfect 10 is that I think Cosmonauts and Drumset sort of take the wind out of its sails towards the end of the album, but I don't hate either of those. Actually **** it let's make this the full review. I think the lyrics are startling; some of the most personal and evocative personal music I've ever heard. Pretty much every track feels like an unfiltered therapy session, and there's almost a chaotic quality to the album. But at the same time, it's refined into something seamless, and each chunk makes sense in context and feels like a lushly-described flashback towards something she's overcome.

I don't know if I've given it the full attention it deserves yet - in fact, no, I know I haven't - but it's definitely album of the year so far.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I don't have a full review yet but I wanted to give it a bump so I'll drop my score: 9.5. I'll get around to explaining fully eventually but for now I'll just say that my favourites were Shameika, Relay, Ladies and For Her.

Only thing holding it back from being a perfect 10 is that I think Cosmonauts and Drumset sort of take the wind out of its sails towards the end of the album, but I don't hate either of those. Actually **** it let's make this the full review. I think the lyrics are startling; some of the most personal and evocative personal music I've ever heard. Pretty much every track feels like an unfiltered therapy session, and there's almost a chaotic quality to the album. But at the same time, it's refined into something seamless, and each chunk makes sense in context and feels like a lushly-described flashback towards something she's overcome.

I don't know if I've given it the full attention it deserves yet - in fact, no, I know I haven't - but it's definitely album of the year so far.

https://i.imgur.com/GjY5uQX.jpg

[Marsh.]

https://i.imgur.com/GjY5uQX.jpg

:joker:

[Jessica.]

Fetch The Bolt Cutters is a tough one for me, I really enjoyed some of the vocals, then in the exact same song there would be parts where she sounded like a croaky witch, it was very confusing. The lyrics were good, I'll say that, but this definitely isn't my style of music. I'll say Shameika is my favourite song on the album because it was the most entertaining.

Overall I'll give Fetch The Bolt Cutters a 5
I can understand why people enjoy the music but it's not for me.

[Smithy]

I've listened to this album quite a few times now to try and get into it as much as I can. I think the songwriting/lyrics are great and can’t really be faulted but the vocals and basement sounding production just isn’t enjoyable for me. I can appreciate why people enjoy it, because it gives it a more stripped back “authentic” (?) kind of feel, but it just makes everything sound like a demo for me. On top of that, I just don’t find her vocals particularly enjoyable. Some parts she sounds like a dolphin and then other parts she sounds like my stomach growling and I just can’t understand the point of it? I think i was just judging this on the lyrics it’d be an 8 or a 9 but in terms as enjoying it as a full album I can’t. So I’ll have to give it a 5/10

My faves are Shameika, Fetch The Bolt Cutters & Ladies.

[Shaun]

https://i.imgur.com/GjY5uQX.jpg

and you shoulda saved this for the two bloody 5s

[Daniel.]

Maybe scrap the last two reviews

[Tom4784]

I'll get around to listening to it tomorrow.

[Jake.]

Fetch The Bolt Cutters Review

I’ve never listened to a Fiona Apple track before (let alone a full album), so I jumped into this really not knowing what to expect. I’ve given FTBC a few listens now, and one thing I do have to praise her for is just how unconventional the album is. It’s clearly been produced at her home with a minimalistic production and for certain tracks, it really does work; you can feel the anger and raspiness in her voice during the chorus of Newspaper (an album highlight) and the almost 50’s-ness of Rack of His/Ladies really does compliment her vocal style. Whilst I don’t think she possesses what I’d call great vocal abilities, I have to commend both her songwriting and uniqueness when it comes to making her music; Using random utilities around the kitchen to create the sounds of instruments is pretty inspired and not really seen nowadays.

But then there are just some parts which I don’t feel go down well - Her dogs (I assume they’re hers, anyway) barking during the latter half of the title track.. Ok, not sure why? The weird, almost dolphin-like noises she makes at the end of I Want You To Love Me.. Again, not quite sure what that was attempting? Both Drumset and On I Go are pretty weak compared to the middle of the album and Relay feels like lost potential - what are pretty good versus and buildups are followed by a chorus which is so repetitive and annoying.

When FTBC hits, it hits, but I feel that some of it is probably just a bit too experimental for my taste.

Average/Mixed: On I Go, I Want You To Love Me, Relay, Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Good: Under The Table, Drumset, Cosmonauts, Shameika
Great: For Her
Amazing: Newspaper, Ladies, Heavy Balloon, Rack of His

Album Rating: 6.5/10

[Doogle]

some of you need smacking for these low scores

I’ll post mine later after another malibu and Coke DONT close it without me x

[Doogle]

I've listened to this album quite a few times now to try and get into it as much as I can. I think the songwriting/lyrics are great and can’t really be faulted but the vocals and basement sounding production just isn’t enjoyable for me. I can appreciate why people enjoy it, because it gives it a more stripped back “authentic” (?) kind of feel, but it just makes everything sound like a demo for me. On top of that, I just don’t find her vocals particularly enjoyable. Some parts she sounds like a dolphin and then other parts she sounds like my stomach growling and I just can’t understand the point of it? I think i was just judging this on the lyrics it’d be an 8 or a 9 but in terms as enjoying it as a full album I can’t. So I’ll have to give it a 5/10

My faves are Shameika, Fetch The Bolt Cutters & Ladies.

Smithy I swear to GOD

[Daniel.]

Not you lot guving that forgettable gaga album a high score and rating a masterpiece low

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Not you lot guving that forgettable gaga album a high score and rating a masterpiece low

Mental illness literally

[Jake.]

Not you lot guving that forgettable gaga album a high score and rating a masterpiece low

https://66.media.tumblr.com/6ddfd1e181efb9cb0d0b2cf3b9cd4e55/tumblr_plc2rvd9dz1rqpbcko2_400.gif

[Zizu]

Chromatica (I know it was last week, sue me)

It's a real solid earworm album with no real bad tracks, I do think it potentially doesn't have a long shelf life though given that I think some songs could potentially grow old fast. That being said it's a very cohesive album, perhaps too cohesive on the first listen since it took me more listens to differentiate some of the songs, the more unique aspects of each song takes multiple listens to shine through I think.

8/10

After Hours

I liked it a lot although it's a bit samey at parts. Sonically, it's a strong album and the vibes and themes are entrancing and addictive but it's also a bit over long and there are some songs that feel like pure filler.

7/10



I absolutely love Weeknd .. I think I’ve got just about every song he’s done . Can’t think of one I didn’t rate highly .

As to them being a bit samey I’m thinking it’s simply because his voice and the production are so distinctive??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Daniel.]

https://66.media.tumblr.com/6ddfd1e181efb9cb0d0b2cf3b9cd4e55/tumblr_plc2rvd9dz1rqpbcko2_400.gif

98 on meta

The critics agree!

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

The fact that all the low fetch reviewers rated chromediocre the highest :suspect:

[Jake.]

98 on meta

The critics agree!

I’m sure they do! I definitely didn’t say it was a bad album!

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Genuinely not just saying this but in hindsight i’d give chromatica like 6/a generous 7

[Jake.]

Not you lot guving that forgettable gaga album a high score and rating a masterpiece low

The fact that all the low fetch reviewers rated chromediocre the highest :suspect:

I thought you both gave Gags decent reviews/scores, I must be mistaken

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I thought you both gave Gags decent reviews/scores, I must be mistaken

Genuinely not just saying this but in hindsight i’d give chromatica like 6/a generous 7

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

[Jake.]

It’s funny that your “hindsight” comes into play when a few give fetch the weird noises cutters scores which you don’t agree with

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

[Samm]

i’ll give pots and pans a listen later excited

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

It’s funny that your “hindsight” comes into play when a few give fetch the weird noises cutters scores which you don’t agree with

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

Incorrect when i literally told daniel the album felt more like a 6/10 a couple of weeks after release which he can confirm

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

[Doogle]

Incorrect when i literally told daniel the album felt more like a 6/10 a couple of weeks after release which he can confirm

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

You’re so lucky I’m back to defend Fi with you

[Jake.]

Incorrect when i literally told daniel the album felt more like a 6/10 a couple of weeks after release which he can confirm

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

Then Fi might grow to an 8/10 for me in a couple of weeks, who knows

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

[Daniel.]

True scott

Also a 7 is only a il above average

[Smithy]

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/560314dde4b08e45a5ee2576/56eee76bab48de606621c249/56eee834b6aa60d91221f47c/1459959794977/gaga.jpg?format=1500w

[Smithy]

Smithy I swear to GOD

Oh piss off back to Twitter you old Trollop!!

[Smithy]

It’s funny that your “hindsight” comes into play when a few give fetch the weird noises cutters scores which you don’t agree with

https://media.tenor.com/images/bcf7f88921c7d79baf5c8b80b7646126/tenor.gif

I knew this would happen, glad gagita was first out of the gate! :fan:

[DouglasS]

I decided to listen to this because of Scott’s username

After the first listen I thought what the hell is this noise, but I felt compelled to listen again :skull:

I listened a few more times and I actually surprisingly really like this album and I’m really surprised I’m giving it a good review, I was expecting to give it like a 3. She is actually very talented and kinda gives me a less pop version of Florence welsh. The album has a few bores, but the album as a whole is actually really good listening

Best: Fetch the bolt cutters, For Her, Heavy Balloon, Ladies, Newspaper
Worst: Relay, On I Go

I’ll give it a 9/10

Love the Weeknd so gutted I missed the timeframe on that.

[Smithy]

MMI still thinking he’s involved

I have to laugh.gif

[Doogle]

Oh piss off back to Twitter you old Trollop!!

Old? What does that make you then little monster :hehe::hehe:

[Doogle]

I decided to listen to this because of Scott’s username

After the first listen I thought what the hell is this noise, but I felt compelled to listen again :skull:

I listened a few more times and I actually surprisingly really like this album and I’m really surprised I’m giving it a good review, I was expecting to give it like a 3. She is actually very talented and kinda gives me a less pop version of Florence welsh. The album has a few bores, but the album as a whole is actually really good listening

Best: Fetch the bolt cutters, For Her, Heavy Balloon, Ladies, Newspaper
Worst: Relay, On I Go

I’ll give it a 9/10

Love the Weeknd so gutted I missed the timeframe on that.

What an incredible review

[Smithy]

Old? What does that make you then little monster :hehe::hehe:

This weak ass drag

https://abload.de/img/ibnaluulh5rze6nwocf.gif

[Doogle]

This weak ass drag

https://abload.de/img/ibnaluulh5rze6nwocf.gif

I wasn’t trying to drag it was friendly banter while also being a cruel reminder about old age fast approaching you

I love Smithy I would never say that

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Big monster?

[Doogle]

Big monster?

Too much innuendo

[Smithy]

*war flashbacks to rob pestering me on Twitter*

[Shaun]

MMI still thinking he’s involved

I have to laugh.gif

Since the intention with this one isn't to piss off the gaga fans it'll be allowed x

If he submitted for the weeknd (i don't remember) it was allowed too

[caprimint]

So anyone who didn't like the Gaga album was 'intended to annoy her fans'? :laugh2:

I actually like her (more than any other pop girl) but the album was trash

[Jordan.]

I'll admit I went into this album expecting to find it completely over hyped after seeing all the rave reviews it received, however I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it and now believe the praise was well earned. The lyrical content was the main highlight for me although I also loved the unorthodox vocals and production which all together really created the charm of the album. I think this is something I could frequently come back to without getting bored because there's so much going on you notice something new or appreciate a new song every time you listen.

Faves: Newspaper, Cosmonauts, Shameika, For Her, I Want You to Love Me, Rack of His

8.5/10

[Smithy]

Since the intention with this one isn't to piss off the gaga fans it'll be allowed x

If he submitted for the weeknd (i don't remember) it was allowed too

Tbf I think it probably is tbh :joker:

[Doogle]

Wait does MMI still hate Gaga fans DJDJDHHFHF

He kinda made points tbh

[Smithy]

Yeah :skull:

But he pretends he’s not MMI (even though admin said he is) :skull:

[Samm]

HMM yeah i was expecting something amazing, i appreciate the production and there’s some really good stand outs; under the table, newspaper, heavy balloon, for her & on i go but the rest chile.. i was either bored or it was just bad noise, maybe i’ll give it another listen tomorrow. shame because I really rate her 90s stuff.

https://i.imgur.com/wP1BjXZ.gif

6/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

It’s all the receding/hair loss gays rating it low

A correlation maybe? :think:

[Jessica.]

Do you want us to lie? It's not personal. That's my OPINION

[Shaun]

edit: nvm I thought yesterday was thursday lmao

[Jake.]

It’s all the receding/hair loss gays rating it low

A correlation maybe? :think:

Fetch the hair clippers?

[Marsh.]

*war flashbacks to rob pestering me on Twitter*

:joker:

[Tom4784]

Fetch the Bolt Cutters

I liked it a lot, like Fiona's other stuff, it's very kind of raw and... how do I say this... Chaotically calm? Like, sis goes AWF and goes crazy but it all feels very kinda laid back? I can't describe it well but I was here for it.

I do agree that the production is messy at points but I think it worked in the album's favour. This is more of a first impression than a full review but after listening to it in full, I'm listening to it on Shuffle and I'm not skipping any songs yet which is a good sign.

Like with the Weeknd's album though, I did feel like it was a bit too long but most of the tracks stood out and felt different enough to each other that I wasn't really bored.

9/10

[Daniel.]

Can we do Grimes next

[MB.]

I'll edit in a review if I have time but score-wise it's a 9.5

[Doogle]

I never thought she had it in her given how strong Idler Wheel was but somehow she managed to take the best elements of that album, with experimental sounds she began to explore with songs like Hot Knife and perfect them. But not perfecting them in a way that sounds polished and finished because that would go against the very essence of Miss Apple. Instead, she doubled down on her anger and anxieties and poured it all into this album which showcases the very best of Fiona Apple’s songwriting. A couple of months have passed since the album release but it’s worth noting how important it was for an anticipated album like this coming at a time where the entire world stopped. Fiona had a lot of people’s attention and she decided to use that to be more outspoken than ever before. The messy production compliments the rawness of the lyrics well and it’s surprisingly digestible for an album with dog noises and Björk esque dolphin impersonations. Fiona knew exactly how to follow up her past work but you can tell she released this with no regard for how it would be received. An effortless attempt and I would die for her. For me it’s the perfect album. No skips, incomparable storytelling and bops like Rack of His make this a joy from start to finish.

10/10

Highlights: Under The Table, Rack of His, For Her, Drumset

(I’ve not written anything proper in ages I’d like to delve properly into what I like about particular tracks but I’m not Pitchfork and I kinda fear the judgement so hope this will suffice!)

[Marsh.]

Doogle :clap1: Scott clocked me for saying I liked Drumset.

[Shaun]

OK, after 11 reviews Fiona Apple ends up with an aggregate score of 82, indicating universal acclaim!

People can still submit reviews for previous rounds and I might wedge them into the actual score if they didn't get that many reviews.

Onto album 4, then... and I can't remember what I said the original five would be :think: I'm tempted to opt for something that I know TiBB would pan but that seems counter-intuitive if the point of the game is to find stuff we enjoy.

Okay, kinda major album release a month or so ago: we're reviewing Notes On A Conditional Form by The 1975. The band's fourth LP, it currently has mixed reviews and is most likely polarising due to frontman Matt Healy (Denise Welsh's son, no less!) and his weird tirades. I believe he's currently in hiding for promoting his song in relation to the BLM movement. Hmm. Anyway. This album has 22 tracks and is 80 minutes long :skull: so I guess I'm testing everyone's limits and attention spans.

[Jessica.]

:joker: I might have to listen in two halves

[Jake.]

not 80 minutes

[Samm]

https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article18934157.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Celebrity-Big-Brother-Danielle-Lloyd-and-Jo.jpg

[Jessica.]

I just started the album :bawling: Oh no

[DouglasS]

This is a good album :clap1:

[Jordan.]

I wanna start by saying I do like this band and probably consider myself a 'casual fan' so aren't just gonna trash them for the sake of it, however I really struggle to enjoy their albums for the most part. It seems for every great song they make they add about 5 filler or just outright tedious instrumental tracks that do nothing but make the albums feel disjointed and a chore to get through. It's disappointing because I was quite looking forward to this based on the singles they had put out, Me & You Together song being one of my favourites of the year :flutter: but when I saw the tracklist and runtime length I immediately knew it was gonna be a rough ride. Also for an album that definitely isn't lacking in content I struggled to find any real standouts outside of the singles. I really hope in future they just put their focus onto making 10-12 solid & coherent songs that they're more than capable of and stop doing TOO MUCH and ruining the overall quality in the process.

Highlights - Me & You Together Song, Jesus Christ 2005, Guys, People, If You're Too shy

5/10

[Smithy]

I'm tempted to opt for something that I know TiBB would pan but that seems counter-intuitive

we're reviewing Notes On A Conditional Form by The 1975.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MasculineAlarmingKiwi-small.gif

[Jake.]

Notes On a Conditional Yawn Review

From the albums opener, this was just a mess from the off. Every other track felt like an unnecessary interlude, the different mix of genres didn’t blend well at all and the whole thing was easily double the running time it should have been.

There’re a few which stood out but other than that, it just felt non-coherent and silly :shrug: So far, I’ve listened to every album at least 3 times but you can get to **** if you think I’m going to spend another 160 minutes of my existence listening to this again. I don’t know if it’s just a case of too much going on, but the end result is pretty flat.

Tracks I Might Keep: People, Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied, If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know), What I Should Say, Guys

Album Rating: 3.5/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Can we start doing old albums instead of just new releases and can liz phair’s exile in guyville be first

[Shaun]

no and no!

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Trash!

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Arca and haim next week?

https://i.imgur.com/Ok2oUwQ.jpg

[Samm]

sawayama will be coming yes?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cl2NZaHUoAAzjqE.jpg

[Nicky91]

Gigaton next

[Tom4784]

Notes on a Conditional Form

Matt Healy needs to learn, understand and implement one thing into his work and that thing is editing. I think I've said this about most albums in this thread so far but this album is the biggest offender of simply being too long for no good reason. There's plenty of songs and interludes that add little to the album and serve no purpose other than to be skipped on future listens.

The first half of the album is meandering, pretentious and a plain bore to get through and it just goes on forever. The first time I listened to the album when it came out, it was enough to almost make me give up on the album but the second half manages to pull things back with a string of mostly good songs that I immediately added to my liked songs playlist on Spotify.

Honestly, if you got rid of the first half of the album then I'd score it way higher but that first half was just plain painful. I'm not going to spotlight songs I did like since that would be most of the second half while the songs I despised were all in the first half.

Too much of something is often a bad thing and that's where this album went wrong, when it's good, it's great but I don't think the album works as a body of work all together since it's just a ball ache to listen to all together. In order to make a good album great, sometimes you have to trim the fat and I hope the mixed response to this album teaches the 1975 that as I did really enjoy their other albums.

I'm gonna give this album a 5/10 simply because the songs I do like, I like them a lot but there's just too much filler and needless **** that it dilutes the album completely into something that's just mediocre. This is the album equivalent of Joslyn Fox falling on a rack in Claire's boutique.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I really enjoyed their last album but i’m not even bothering with this one bc of the poor reception and the fact that it’s like an hour and a half long like who has the time

[Smithy]

Genuine suggestions for the next one

Fine Line - Harry Styles
Ungodly Hour - Chloe x Halle
Dedicated (Side B) - Carly Rae
I’m Your Empress Of - Empress Of
Sawayama - Rina Sawayama

[Tom4784]

I really enjoyed their last album but i’m not even bothering with this one bc of the poor reception and the fact that it’s like an hour and a half long like who has the time

The second half is good but the first half is just mind bogglingly bad.

[Smithy]

(I will get around to this one either this evening or in the next couple of days)

[Shaun]

Sawayama will be one eventually yes, and I think I will do a "live" release for next week's with HAIM releasing.

Other already released ones that are definitely being used: Grimes, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Perfume Genius, Chloe x Halle, Rina Sawayama and Tame Impala
And other yet-to-be-released ones that are definitely being used: Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry, Drake

There are 27 weeks left of the year for this to be "a thing" and whilst it may be optimistic to still be going at the end of December, I think 27 albums on top of what we've already done is fair enough. I've named 11 of them, so that still leaves 16 up for suggestions. I have some, but I've pretty much just dictated 15 already.

[Shaun]

Fine Line - Harry Styles

A lovely 2019 suggestion! Fag!

[Smithy]

Well not my fault it’s on recent releases on Apple Music :inamood:

[Shaun]

I think it was December tbf.

But uh... I've lost track of future releases bc I wrote a bunch down at the start of the year and they've already come to fruition recently (Run the Jewels, Phoebe Bridgers) or will do very soon (HAIM, Jessie Ware)

From the pre-orders section on iTunes I can see the following being semi-big releases: The Killers, Idles, Lianne la Havas and Fontaines DC. But all of the "big" future releases are still a way off, and obviously there's potential for a surprise Beyonce drop or something coming out of nowhere as a smash debut.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Jockstrap wicked city EP next

[Shaun]

My review for this week:

I loved both of the 1975's previous two albums, and hated their debut. The last two were close contenders for "album of" their respective years; and A Brief Inquiry... is definitely one of the best of the 21st century, so I went into this with high expectations.

Those expectations... were not met. But that's not to say it's as deserving of the panning it's got from some (even Pitchfork still gave it an 8). A lot of the jabs the album has received seem to be personally-motivated, clouded by judgment that Matty Healy is a bit annoying on Twitter and their fans are largely similar to KPop stans. My biggest gripe with this is the sheer weight of it; dream sequence pianos linger a little too long and contribute nothing more to the album than an attempt at making their criticisms of the world more palatable. There are good messages (Greta Thunberg's opener) and there are muddled ones.

There are - thankfully - a handful of great tracks and some will perform very well in my best of 2020 lists. "Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America" is gorgeous, featuring Phoebe Bridgers who's also just released an album this week; "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" has drawn a lot of comparisons to Tears for Fears and I guess I can see the influence, but it's unique enough to stand out; and "Me & You Together Song" is haplessly cute. In hindsight it seems wise for them to go so far from their niche with the first single 'People' because it's a jolt of adrenaline in an album that could very easily be described as narcoleptic. Not my favourite song of theirs, though, by a long shot.

Shave off the following and you've got a great album: The End (Music for Cars), Streaming, Yeah I Know, Then Because She Goes, Shiny Collarbone and Having No Head

All in all I'd still give the album a 7.5... but it's an admitted dip in form for the band.

[Smithy]

I just added this to my library and it’s the Apple Music deluxe edition so I checked Wikipedia but the tracks are the same?

Is there not a standard version? :fist:

[Smithy]

Not being funny greta I appreciate everything you do but this isn’t really the time or the place

[Jake.]

I just added this to my library and it’s the Apple Music deluxe edition so I checked Wikipedia but the tracks are the same?

Is there not a standard version? :fist:

The apple one adds on a video or something I think, I just deleted it

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

The regular version is underneath the deluxe one CLOWNS

https://i.imgur.com/N3Mw0dc.jpg

[Shaun]

Reviews for this close today - and tomorrow we'll go for another fresh release (a la Chromatica week) with HAIM's "Women In Music pt. III". Which is only just over 40 minutes. Almost paltry compared to this week's.

[Shaun]

Right then, after a grand total of FOUR reviews :o the 1975 end up with a score of... 53. Well, 52.5 but we round up on this little game.

I am very much enjoying the idea that I made a handful of members listen to something they hate so much they couldn't even be bothered to pan it :love:

A new week dawns, and we're now checking out the new one from HAIM. Their third studio album, it seems to be getting good reviews and follows the moderate success of 2019 singles "Now I'm In It" and "Summer Girl" - both of which are just bonus tracks here. Will edit the OP with the Spotify link for the album now.

[Shaun]

Since the Spotify link contains the 3 bonus tracks (and 2 of them are already-known, very very very very good singles), that'll bump the total runtime of this album to 51 minutes. Sorry for the false advertising girls!

[Shaun]

at least some acknowledgment of the thread would be nice

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Can we do arca as well as haim this week

The indie bitches need representation

[Shaun]

I won't stop you

[Black Dagger]

I didnt know HAIM had released. Im on this one.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I won't stop you

https://media.tenor.com/images/341999c41df2fb1b4133e28f3beab742/tenor.gif

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

It’s annoying that there isn’t a version of haim’s album without the deluxe tracks :mad:

[Shaun]

but Summer Girl and Now I'm In It are bawps </3

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Then why not just have them as regular album tracks instead of “bonus tracks” it’s messing with my OCD

https://i.imgur.com/0O9B8RN.gif

[Shaun]

:joker:

idk that is annoying yeah. I think they released like 5 songs in the build-up to this and then probably panicked that everyone had heard the whole album already before it was released (a la the 1975)

[Samm]

oops i missed the 1975 i listened to half of it i think don’t think I missed much though :skull: with what I listened to i would of given ha like a 4

anyway

the indie girls did it again. I knew from summer girl and now i’m into it (my favourite song of 2019) this album was going to be stellar and they didn’t disappoint. loved the folk rock summery california vibe, like I was cycling around some retro city. I’ve enjoyed every single so they’re definitely still the highlights for me, with the most recent (the steps?) being one of my favourites. (non single) highlights included up from a dream, 3am, another try, all that ever mattered. the weakness of this album for me is that some songs feel like they lack something or don’t hit the mark.

8/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

The steps SOTY

[LaLaLand]

WIMpIII is honestly one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. Genre-blending, Incredible lyricism, emotional range - it’s excellent.

[Tom4784]

I didn't care much for this one, tbh. I loved Haim's previous two albums but I found a lot of this one to be forgettable and repetitive. There's a few great songs here but there's also a lot of filler which bogs the whole thing down.

5/10 mainly because the good songs are mostly great but the rest of the album passed me by in a blur.

[Shaun]

WIMpIII is honestly one of the best albums I’ve heard in years. Genre-blending, Incredible lyricism, emotional range - it’s excellent.

we need a score /10 darling!

[Jordan.]

I really liked this a lot, it was a good one to follow The 1975 because everything I thought they did wrong Haim did right here. There was clearly multiple inspirations and genres thrown into this album and yet they managed to effortlessly incorporate and blend them (and doing it flawlessly) It was such a chill easy listening experience I could see myself coming back to it a lot during the summer (also gonna visit their other albums since this is the first I've actually bothered to listen to in full :eyes:) Only minor negative there were a couple of "meh" songs towards the end that could really have been switched with the singles that got demoted to bonus tracks.

Highlights: Los Angeles, I Know Alone, 3AM, Now I'm in It, Don't Wanna, The Steps

8/10

[Samm]

i know there’s still some past big releases this year to come, but i request what’s your pleasure by miss jessie soon because mamn.. this album is a masterpiece

(grimes first though :eyes:)

[Jake.]

Women In Music Pt. III Review

I’m glad that I gave this a second listen because I left feeling a lot more impressed than I did on my first. I do feel that it’s perhaps a few tracks too long and there’re one too many songs which almost blend together (leaving them feeling a bit same-y), but thankfully the better songs are dotted around so it doesn’t feel mundane. It didn’t blow me away by any stretch, but for the most part it was a pleasant enough ride.

Highlights: Los Angeles, I Know Alone, 3am, Don’t Wanna, Another Try, All That Ever Mattered, Now That I’m In It

Album Rating: 7/10

[Nicky91]

Gigaton up next pls :fc:

[Shaun]

No, Nicky.

Compared to their previous ("Something to Tell You", which was... just dull) this was fantastic, but in the grand scheme of things I'm not completely blown away. HAIM have always toed the line between satisfying pop and chillwave indie and never really committed fully to either angle, and it can be a bit of an underwhelming experience at times. Sometimes I wish they'd go full "Pray to God" with Calvin Harris again.

BUT... this was a very enjoyable listen and something with plenty of stand-outs beyond the early singles. "Another Try" is a funky, brassy number and should soundtrack summer perfectly, whilst "The Steps" gets better with every listen. "Leaning On You" feels incredibly Vampire Weekend (which makes sense, since two bandmates produced this/are dating one of the sisters), but also quite folksy and something that'd go down very well at Glastonbury. They even channel a little bit of Joni Mitchell on "Man from the Magazine".

I think I'd have to give the album a solid 8 and not a drop more; it might have been a little too long, "I've Been Down" was super repetitive and uninteresting, and it's also slightly silly to release a summer song, called "Summer Girl", and then wait a whole damn year to put the album out the following summer. SILLY. But I liked this a lot.

This makes 5 reviews at the moment but I shall allow any latecoming scores to the result. As things stand, HAIM score 72.

As for the next album? Well... I said I was open to suggestions and - since there's nothing out this week that will interest TiBB (Paul Weller? Willie Nelson? I don't think), I am more than happy to take Samm's suggestion of Jessie Ware. So that's what it shall be!

[LaLaLand]

My vote for HAIM is a solid 9/10. I really, REALLY enjoyed it.

Keep flitting between that and the next album to be reviewed funnily enough so I’ll do a proper “review” of What’s Your Pleasure?” in the coming days! :)

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I’ll give ha 8/10 but i don’t really have much to say about it other than musically some of the songs give me christian rock vibes and idk why so i’m glad they threw in quite a few F-bombs because this somehow balanced it out for me. Also the random screaming in the background of all that ever mattered... gorgeous, bjork found dead etc. Favs are the steps, i know alone, 3am and all that ever mattered

[Shaun]

Those two scores bump HAIM up to 76 :spin2:

[Smithy]

HAIM

It was enjoyable, but it took a couple of listens before any of the songs particularly clicked, it was nice enough; however it’s unlikely id listen to the album again in full and I’d just add the handful of tracks I enjoyed to my library 6.5/10

Jessie Ware

Wowowow Id heard good things on here and on Twitter about her album but i wasn’t expecting much because the last time I’d listened to one of her albums was in 2012(?)/2013(?) with Devotion and nothing really stood out to me with that. That being said I was completely wrong and I loved this album from the first track. I definitely agree with whoever said it was like a more mature version of Future Nostalgia (in a good way) it’s a great disco album. Great choruses and beautifully produced. I think there’s a couple of songs towards the end of the album that it took me a few more plays to get into than most of it, but overall it’s a great album. 8/10

[LaLaLand]

I genuinely can’t stop listening to WYP? and haven’t stopped since it was released. I’ve always been a big fan of Jessie but she really excels with the more dance/electronic sound so the fact that she’s gone full-on Disco is excellent. Her best album since the incredible “Devotion” without a doubt.

I gave HAIM a 9 and I like this quite a bit more than wimpiii so I’ll have to score Jessie a whopping 9.5/10

A truly excellent album! Disco is back people, can’t wait for Roisin Murphy’s album whenever it drops to fuel the “new Disco” revival. :fc:

[Tom4784]

I'll listen to Jessie tomorrow and post my review.

[Samm]

Absolute disco euphoria. Haven’t not listened to any of her other albums I didn’t know what to expect. I heard Save A Kiss earlier this year and have been hooked on that particular single so I was thrilled to listen to the album. It blew me away every track was on point. Particular highlights for me included spotlight, what’s your pleasure, soul control and the kill. Absolute pleasurable production and lyrics throughout. I’m gonna go ahead and give this album a full 10/10 quite comfortably in the top three of my favourite albums of the year thus far.

[MB.]

I'll try and remember to edit in more detail once I gather my thoughts fully, but What's Your Pleasure? is a 9 from me. The standout tracks for me are the title track, Soul Control, Spotlight (possibly one of my favourite songs of the year so far), The Kill and Save a Kiss :love: it's also nice to see Jessie continuing this year's trend of retro bops called In Your Eyes after kickstarting last year's trend of mellow pop bangers called Adore You

[Shaun]

4 reviews before Wednesday? Whew Jessie's impact

[Tom4784]

I was really surprised by this album, Jessie Ware is great but I've always known what to expect from her albums since she has a very particular style and she's stuck to it in the past and I was expecting more of the same and what I got instead was a disco inspired album containing a whole bunch of bops that I really loved. She gave me strong Donna Summer vibes with this album and I love Donna Summer. She did all that while keeping sight of her own style which is admirable and shows a versatility that I didn't think she had in that she can adapt what she does best to genres that ultimately feel detached from her usual sctick.

My only real complaint is that some of the songs feel like they are a minute or so too long (I feel like I'm always complaining about the length of albums in some way) there wasn't a song I wanted to skip but there were some times when I felt like some songs overstayed their welcome but that's more of a nitpick than anything.

9/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I’ve listened to WYP about 5 times now and it’s consistently lovely. I don’t really have anything negative to say about it other than although i really enjoy the album as a whole i don’t think there are any AMAZING tracks on the album, like none of the album tracks would feature in my top songs of the year list. I think that’s why it’s a 7/10 for me because it’s just consistently good throughout but there are no standouts/highlights for me. Maybe this will change because i do find myself enjoying it more with each lesson. Favs are ooh la la, save a kiss and read my lips :hugesmile:

[Jake.]

What’s Your Pleasure Review

Wow, there was me thinking that it was Sophie Ellis Bexter who invented disco music!

For the most part, WYP was a delight. To put together a 12 track disco-infused album and not have it come off as repetitive at all is a pretty great feat.

Personally, I took preference to the “edgier” songs (i.e. Adore You, What’s Your Pleasure) and there are one or two tracks I probably wouldn’t rush back to listen to again, but that just falls under personal taste rather than being a reflection of the tracks themselves. I do feel that perhaps the quality dips slightly after the halfway mark, but it’s nothing drastic.

Jessie’s put together a really euphoric sound here and the whole thing plays off excellently.

Highlights: Adore You, What’s Your Pleasure, Spotlight, Ooh La La, Soul Control, Save A Kiss, Step Into My Life, Read My Lips, The Kill

Album Rating: 8.5/10

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

Girl listing 9 out of 12 tracks as highlights is that necessary

[Jake.]

Didn’t realise! :eggonface:

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

We’re doing gazelle twin - pastoral next

[Ammi]

...I know mine doesn’t counts as a review as such but I would have given What’s Your Pleasure an 8/10 probably...I agree with Dezzy, it has so many reflections of Donna Summer..:love:...quite a while ago I listened to some of Jessie’s podcasts with her mum, which were really quite sweet and chilled and easy and another aspect to her...and it feels as though, that was ‘daytime Jessie’...but at night, she becomes the light and voice of disco, she IS Disco...what’s her pleasure, THAT’s HER PLEASURE...she slips into it like she created it, like she rules it, like she summons it as it’s mistress...like it’s her guilty secret...

...anyways, all of the tracks are consistently good...but What’s Your Pleasure obviously is magnificent...Spotlight and Ooh La La..and Adore You...all have the disco ball spinning...:love:..

[Shaun]

All reviews are welcome, Ammi :love:

Alright then, week six is over! I'll submit my review now.

Jessie Ware's past two albums have fallen flat. 'Devotion' - her debut - was slick and meticulously crafted, whilst 'Tough Love' was just a bunch of desperate collaborations hoping for hits (Ed Sheeran one of them :yuk:) and 'Glasshouse' just left pretty much no impression on me. It is probably no coincidence that Devotion and this album were produced, by and large, by the same one person - it feels like an album that flows smoothly and doesn't dive down confused experimental paths.

There are a lot of highlights: 'Spotlight' is a contender for song of the year and is just ridiculously and opulently gorgeous. 'Save a Kiss' grows more passionate with every chorus and revels in a synth melody that even Robyn would be jealous of. There's a tinge of Yazoo sophisticated-cool about 'Soul Control', while 'In Your Eyes' is sheer bedroom sleaze to be proud of. And then there's the closer 'Remember Where You Are', which sounds halfway between a Bond Theme and Cafe Del Mar. Disco is a genre that flickers in and out of being on trend and, done wrong, it can feel like the party is dying and everyone's heading home as the lights go up. Done right, and it's timeless; 'What's Your Pleasure?' is probably not going to be album of the year but it's something with a lot of replay value and proof that disco will never die. I give it a 9.

This gives 'What's Your Pleasure?' an incredible TiBB score of... 87 :o Of course, people can still submit late reviews that'll affect the score later on.

As promised, Scott chose the next album and idk wtf his last post means but he suggested Soccer Mommy and that's an album I've been meaning to get around to for the past few months :worry: so we're going with that and I fully anticipate the 2 reviews it'll get! It'll be edited into the OP shortly.

[Smithy]

Noah fence but why do you keep giving into Scott and these random nobodies nobody has heard of when we already had fetch the pots and pans AND everyone has been asking for Rina/Dua/Others

[Shaun]

If you think Fiona Apple is an obscure album you are living under a rock lol

even from the names you mentioned she is like 1000x the "name" that Rina Sawayama is, lol, even if we'll get around to her later

[Ammi]

...I’ve always liked what I’ve heard of Soccer Mommy but I have to say that I hadn’t listened to much, only a few tracks...it’s funny how 2020 is a year that’s bringing so many different things and listening to a complete album is something I’ve rarely done for a long, long time...so this is all a bit lovely...although I also realise how awful I am at reviewing albums/music...especially when I’m not that familiar with the artist to feel a connection...?...while I was listening to it though, I read a bit about her...about her mother’s chronic illness ...which she’s lived with for many years, not knowing when she’ll lose her...and about her depression...it seems though that she seems to express her emotions and self through her music more than in speaking...which is quite often the way with artists...this is a rubbish review I know....but I’m going to say 9/10 because it’s such a ‘bear everything inside’/raw emotion album...the lyrics are just superb...and the album is so melancholy and meaningful, it’s impossible not to feel the heart she put into it...

...special mentions to Bloodstream, Circle the Drain, Royal Screwup, Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes and Gray Light...but each song is like a time and feeling that impacted her..?...


...I wish her mum as good health as possible with her condition and hope they have each other for much time to come...

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I’m giving color theory 10/10 because it’s amazing from start to finish, there isn’t a single track i dislike and a few of them are my favourite songs of the year so far. I have nothing but good things to say about this album and i can see it becoming one of my favourite albums of all time. I love this bitch and i’m already looking forward to her next album because imo each one has been better than the last. Besides FTBC obviously i can’t imagine another album overtaking this for me this year. Perfection :love: also “You are a mirror // Say I'm the fairest of all // I am "fake it 'til you make it" in a can“ is the greatest lyric of all time so there

[Shaun]

Listened to this a couple of days ago and it's definitely an 8 out of 10.

There were some tracks that stunned me - the 7 minute 'yellow is the colour of her eyes' felt, if anything, not long enough, and 'night swimming' was my close second favourite. Is it odd that, given the intensely personal and grieving nature of the record, I found myself feeling serene with the latter? 'Circle the drain' was also a highlight, making the inescapable depressive episodes sound almost fun.

The only track that I didn't really like was 'crawling in my skin'; got a bit too repetitive with the guitar runs and felt like it breezed past me without impacting me in any way.

[Ammi]

...yeah, that’s exactly how I felt, Shaun...a sense of calming coming from what must have been such stormy emotions in making the album.../..a sense of understanding...it’s not an album I could listen to all of the time because of the nature but it’s a huge noteworthy musical impact, I feel...