When talking about some of the best artists of the 21 st century, it is easy for people to mention Beyoncé, Adele, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar and other fan favorites. However, one artist who seems to be underrated by music lovers is Bruno Mars.  Bruno debuted in 2010 with his album “Doo-Wops and Hooligans” and showed his caliber as an artist immediately. Songs like “Grenade,” “Count on Me,” “The Lazy Song,” “Talking to the Moon,” “Just the Way You Are” and “Marry You” went

“Gantz Graf” as an EP is sort of an anomaly. The EP was released after their album “Confield,” one of their more intricate works in terms of drum programming and came out before albums like “Draft 7.30” and “Untilted.”   The main thing that sets it apart from other EPs by the duo, though, is the fact that it’s mostly extremely abrasive. If you get used to it, it’s an amazing listen, but in general, it’s very abrasive.  The EP opens up with “Gantz Graf,” which slaps you in the

Brent Faiyaz, whose real name is Christopher Brent Wood, is making waves again with   his latest album, "Icon," released on Feb. 13. Known for his emotionally honest style,   Faiyaz continues to explore love, heartbreak, self-growth and vulnerability while prioritizing  artistic integrity over chart-topping hits.    Many fans and critics consider "Icon" among his most meaningful projects to date.   Instead of following trends or relying heavily on featured artists, Faiyaz foc

Since many people (including myself) have declared 2026 as the new 2016, I thought it would be appropriate to share my thoughts on an album that came out in 2016 that people weren’t the biggest fans of.  That album would be “Painting With” by Animal Collective. I firmly believe Animal Collective are legends in the indie circuit, as their output from the 2000s is nothing short of wonderful. Their albums from “Sung Tongs” to “Centipede Hz” are all exceptional releases, but whil

To fully understand the intricate beauty of Chinese shoegaze band Default’s album titled “California Nebula,” you simply need to understand the history of the shoegaze genre. One does not need to understand Mandarin in order to understand the scope and message of the album.     Believed to have emerged from the United Kingdom’s underground psychedelic rock sound, shoegaze has become a defining genre in mainstream music. The term “shoegaze” refers to band members gazing at the

What if you combined sweeping ambient soundscapes with the denseness and fuzziness of shoegaze? The answer lies in Lovesliescrushing, who has managed to create the perfect marriage between the two over their entire career. One of their best albums, “Xuvetyn,” turns 30 years old in 2026, and I am here to say that it is every bit as forward thinking as it was upon first release.  “Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)” fades into a song that slides from airiness to deepness like being u

Since Oneohtrix Point Never’s (OPN) new album “Tranquilizer” is releasing tomorrow, I thought it would be a good idea to write about another album of his in anticipation. When finding an album  I knew would be a good introduction to him as well as be a great listening experience in general, I looked no further than “Replica.”  When I first heard “Replica” and OPN in general, it was from listening to a different album from one of his aliases. Chuck Person’s “Chuck Person’s Ecc

Half jokes and quarter smiles With his 2024 release “Manning Fireworks,” alt-country-rock-ish artist MJ Lenderman paints portraits and vignettes of characters both pathetic and vicious through lines equal-parts witty and sincere.   On his fourth studio album, Lenderman takes note of the tired Southern stereotypes illustrated in the typical country song – men obsessed with living simple and religious, brazenly beer drunk alone, wondering where their lost love went – and both s

Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has garnered some pretty polarizing opinions from all fans. The general consensus:...

While I love all types of music, I generally gravitate towards the pop music genre more than others. When Sabrina Carpenter announced she...

When it comes to music taste, I really do not have a preferred genre. I listen to pop, country, hip hop, R&B and jazz, which is a lot of...

What can be said about “private music,” Deftones’ 2025 album release? Literally, it’s near perfect. Maybe it is just perfect. The...