Tea Time

GENRE: electronic I regarded FKA Twigs  as a more experimental electronic, modern artist. Today's song feels quite grounded in conventional techniques. Nothing stands out to me as groundbreaking or pushing the boundaries of the genre. I did not expect someone else to be featured on this album either. Unfortunately it doesn't add up to much on the album. In the best case scenario, it adds to the already plain and monotonous sound. Rating: 4/10

GENRE: indie This song retains their particular style and sound, while at the same time maintaining a suave, groovier vibe compared to White Gloves. I'm surprised this song isn't more popular compared to that. Rating: 7

GENRE: indie I can't quite my finger on why I find this three-piece so alluring. They've got a style to them that evokes a carefree sensibility. That much can be seen in their song, White Gloves . Apparently it's part their first album to feature vocals, and it's a welcome addition to the canvas. No one instrument stands out any farther and more unique than the others. Each instrument is featured and mixed pretty evenly, giving me a sense of noiselessness and soothing comfort. However, I think part of that plays against their favor. It plays more like a lo-fi ditty than a fully realized song. At about 3 and a half minutes, I would expect a bit more to be fleshed out. Rating: 5/10

GENRE: indie, shoegaze We haven't taken a dive into the 90's in such a long time! I'm glad it's this piece. It's not as bombastic, or heavy as others. It's not as searing or overproduced like other songs either. I get a calming and dazed feeling while listening to this. The ethereal effects on the guitar, the interplay between the singer's voices, the mild-mannered melody all play to create what feels like drifting. This would be perfect for a night drive. Even if it's early 90's, you can definitely hear the inklings of the 80's pop sound in the guitars. Caught in this transitioning era, they've still made something worse listening to. Rating: 6/10

GENRE: math rock, jazz I thank Reddit for this suggestion. They seem to have the most eclectic tastes. Rather, it's the people most outspoken about their music tastes that are eclectic. Today I find myself listening to a combination of jazz, math rock, metal, and progressive. I mean, how did they even make this blend of genres work. Although some genres are present more so than others, it's clear that they make creative decisions beyond the conventional. I can be pretty picky about voices like these, but this is quite something else. It's not so edgy as to make me cringe. The cleans are just grounded enough, due to their support from decent lyrics, and an even greater backing track. I think my favorite part about it is the mode that they work in. Of course, it being influenced by jazz, you got to have some gnarly transitions and modal interchanges here and there, and you definitely get hints of that here. I'm a fan. Rating: 8/10

GENRE: R&B, funk I'm still on the Teyana Taylor train; her ability to write in different styles is alluring. Or, is it her writers and producers that deserve more of the credit? Unlike her album, this single stands out to me, at least from what I've listened to so far. This legitimately sounds like it came straight from the early 2000's. From the rhythm and cadence to the overall song structure, it's hard to believe it was released in 2019. I wouldn't say this is a blunder on part of the writers. I guess it's up to your personal opinion, but I welcome the decision. I mean, just look at the aesthetic of the art. It's a fun song overall, with great production and pinpoint mixing that emulates the sounds of the decade. Rating: 6/10

GENRE: R&B This probably one of the "coolest" songs that I've listened to this year. And by "coolest", I mean that it sits close to top in terms of overall views. From that perspective I almost feel like I'm out of place, because I tend to avoid songs like these. Fortunately, Kehlani 's smash hit takes the best elements out of these types of songs. I'm particularly fond of the melody, the cadence of the lyrics, and the synths in the background supporting the whole song. The drum beats are clear and crisp as well. I have no complaints there. The overall production is loaded with rich sounds and details. I was surprised at how much I could pick up from repeated listens. More songs need that kind of detail nowadays. I couldn't care less about Ty Dolla $ign; he adds literally nothing to the song for me. Rating: 7/10

GENRE: R&B, lo-fi I can't remember where exactly she popped up on my radar, but I'm glad she did. This song feels like a modern take on the hottest hits of the 2000's. I say that because of the rapid singing style, wrought with flairs everywhere. What's different is the subtle, hazy backing track. The instrumentation is perfect too. Clean guitars and acoustic drums take to another level that most modern pop artists don't really escape to. Leaning on a more indie and lo-fi style was the right way to go. I'm loving the choice of making it a bit fuzzier, which really emphasizes the emotions of longing and nostalgia. The use of samples is intentional and not overbearing. The lyrics are simple, concise, and pack a tight message. Overall, just consistently good writing. Rating: 7.5/10

GENRE: jazz, hip hop Like some people, I came to this artist amidst investigating what "Yandhi" was. I thought it was someone featured on Kanye's latest album, but apparently it's an incredibly promising, young, and new artist as well. I'm not entirely where the artist has contributed because they could be samples for all I know. I think the mixing could be improved a bit, as some of it can feel a bit flat and muted. The vocals could be brought out more and the drums more crisp. The sounds feel a bit too compressed, and considering how floral the singer's voice is, a concomitant backing track is needed. The jazz background is fantastic; I definitely need to explore more of this type of genre. Of course, people have done it before a la Tyler and Kendrick. I'm excited to see someone else on the playing field as well. Rating: 7/10

GENRE: pop Coming in I had few expectations. Post-listening, I will say that I'm quite surprised. What usually deters me from listening to top-of-the-charts hits is their mundane and homogeneous production.  I may not have been caught up with the current industry, but I can definitely jam with that bumping bass line. Going staccato and funky was the right choice to go, and feels like Daft Punk in that regard. I also appreciate the diversity of sounds thrown in throughout the song. I'll have to do more research, because this could be Dua Lipa  coming into her own style. I hope she continues to grow from this. The only downside I would attach to this is the monotony of her voice. Her timbre and her cadence is just too similar to some generic song you'd find in a club. Rating: 6/10

GENRE: indie Today we're back on the indie train to figure out the rest of the album that featured a single that I really enjoyed. The eponymous song takes a more classic indies take, and sounds like it was pulled straight from the late 90's. What with those eighth note rhythm chords, the leading guitar line, that poppy bass line. My god, there's even a guitar solo that takes most of its inspiration from the existing lead line. All that aside, the theme is a bit imaginative and lends to satisfying word schemes and lyrics. Unfortunately, I don't think that gives it enough staying power. Rating: 5/10

GENRE: folk  This song comes at the behest of my friend Ben. He's been raving about this band for a while and I decided, why not entertain him? My first impression is the strong influence of Bob Dylan on this song. From the strained and accentuated voicing, to the finger-picking guitar serving as the main instrument. And with most of these songs, it's the lyrics that are the main thrust. Honestly, he's quite the poet. His symbolism and imagery fall into the spectrum that I particularly enjoy. Beyond that, I feel a bit missing here. As much of an emotional, personal, one-on-one piece it is, I want something more complete from the instrumentation. I personally think it'd give this song a little more memorability for me. Rating: 5.5/10

GENRE: rap There's something to be said when a rap song is incredibly clean, well-written, thematic, and important. That something is this song by a rapper I haven't heard of yet. I will say, the backing track is nothing to yell about. The star of the show is in the lyrical content and the expressiveness of Dax . I guess in a way, it forces you to listen to the message more so than the instrumentation. When it comes to this song though, I believe that may be to its benefit. Dax  explores the hypocrisies and fallacies of religion in this song with emotional detail. Although, this type of content isn't something we haven't heard about before. Frankly, it's all pretty high-level and comes from a more personal perspective. I liked it at first, but listening to it again there's not quite as much depth as I would like. With the empty backing track, I only feel that sentiment even more. Rating: 6/10

GENRE: metalcore Ok, I swear I didn't just look up Ann Arbor and search for this song. It naturally came to me as I was finding songs about hatred. Follow up note: I was looking for a particular song and not trying to fuel something else. Enough about that though, because this song is quite a jump from my previous pieces. I think I'm starting to understand what hardcore and metalcore are. At first I felt like this vocal style was cringey. But, as most things do, the song sort of grew on me. The backing instruments are ok, they're bombastic sure but their production feels a bit flat. One of my favorite parts though is when the guitar drops out and the bass guitar is isolated; it feels like the calm before the storm. Now vocals... I don't have an informed opinion because I don't know if it's good or not relative to its genre. The vocals are incredibly wet and sound painful to sing. At least the lyrics themselves aren't bad. It's nothing you wouldn...

  GENRE: experimental, pop Ok, so this is one of Panda Bear 's projects, and I already know I feel about his work. Sometimes I feel that it can be reaching in terms of how approachable it is. With this one, however, I can sit back and almost zone out. The song is a multi-layered fusion of pop and experimental music. It begins with a ticking that anchors the entire piece, with a repetitive melodic line in the back. From the ethereal, the piano grounds you with its soft tones and clean chords. The vocals are really clean too, it feels like minimal effects have been added on to alter them. The message of environmentalism, and almost loosely documenting its history stands strong, and you can certainly hear the pain in his voice too. I think that's the most powerful component of the song. Rating: 7/10

GENRE: lo-fi hip hop We've circled back and hit the lo-fi hip hop stages. Although I generally stray away from lo-fi, I do have certain traits and characteristics that I much prefer they have if I am to properly enjoy them. This particular song achieves quite a bit of what I like to see. In addition to the choice of samples, the way you choose to use them is obviously important. Namely, I am not a fan of spamming samples. Rather, I enjoy hearing them as an anchor, or having their meaning be woven into the fabric of the piece. The selection of instruments are lovely to hear as well—soft and not so repetitive. Rating: 6.5/10

GENRE: pop Oh, I should've checked in more often. Kero Kero Bonito  snuck by and released a whole EP, even when I had caught their single when it first released. On this EP, they continue to innovate their sound, transforming it to be both more mature and more in line with their aesthetic and style. You get techno sounds with emotional synths, quirky samples, laden across like an intricate painting. They've done it again. Rating: 7/10

GENRE: rock Wow, I'm really impressed with this album so far. Their use of syncopated rhythms resonate so much with the kind of music and techniques I adore. They show a bit more of their technical chops in this song as well, incorporating pithy solos throughout the sweeping chord progressions. In this particular song, this is supported by the dominant chords in the chorus. One thing I've found that really evokes their style is their use of the synth. That sound is so prominent throughout, and is equally balanced across the rest of the instruments. What's more, they have amazing song structure! Around 3 minutes, the whole song has hushed away in anticipation of some kind of build up, some sort of rise to greatness that can be equivalently captured in their album art (which I found to be a consistent trend across all their albums). Rating: 8/10

GENRE: rock  Why is that I never recalled the name of this band? They have some interesting hits that I've heard before across various mediums. In particular, Only Time Will Tell , I believe I heard in MGSV. Today's song, I think I've heard from one of South Park's episodes. One of the funniest things to me is the album art. It's the 80's, and they decide to plaster a colossal oceanic dragon on their album. It's awesome. Their music however, does not reflect that aesthetic, in my opinion. I was expecting some epic, 80's power metal music, but what I got was some heartfelt, empowering rock pieces. To my surprise, the songs are actually quite enjoyable. As cheesy they are, they have a way about them that makes them so catchy and easy to return to. In fact, I think I'm going to take it a step further and listen to this whole album. As unintentional as it may be, I like the humor and juxtaposition between the music and the material. Rating: 8/10 ...

GENRE: hip hop  Going further through the album, this was one of the songs I particularly enjoyed. It's quite pandering given the content, and given how manic Kanye is. Again, as ridiculous as he can be, he does produce great material. You've got that old school jazz style perpetuated throughout the song. I love those strings and how they play against the singer's voice in the intro. Kanye's voice is altered a little differently than in his previous songs. It sounds fatigued, strained, as if he's been singing for a long time before actually recording. I doubt that that's the case; it's probably just some effect. But nonetheless, it took a while to get used to, but I'm a fan of it. It's soft, and endearing in my opinion. Good stuff. Rating: 7.5/10