Words cannot express my disappointment. “Brat” had immense potential with its blend of genres, but it ultimately fell flat due to the overwhelming use of autotune. The sole exception was ‘Club Classics’, the only track I genuinely liked. Sadly, the rest of the album is overshadowed by this stylistic choice.
Song recommendations: ‘Club Classics’
No rating
After the 2017 album, “Beautiful Trauma”, this one would always have to raise its standards. P!nk has not had much success with her critics, who have mostly given mixed reviews, saying that her records lack the Punk we were introduced to in the early 2000s. That happened quite rapidly, as the first time we heard her, she was doing RnB, which attracted a fair few Garage producers to remix her songs. She has also been criticised for having children over ten years ago, being told that would ruin her career; P!nk believes that having children has made her more tender as an individual and changed her music style somewhat. As some people within her circle told her, it certainly didn’t end her career. She said before she had children, she felt alone in an industry where you spend most of your time in your presence out with the studio and touring.
“Beautiful Trauma” was given a challenging ride by her critics for being too conscious, the production, and her all-round maturity. Her previous album, “Hurts 2B Human”, which wasn’t as good as “Beautiful Trauma, was also panned by the critics because she spoke about her life as a mother and lacked a new perspective regarding the subject matters and the wall of the sound. They felt it was a typical P!nk record back in 2019.
“Trustfall” removes the chance of the critics jumping all over it because it is pretty experimental, ranging from ballads to dance. The record is quite reflective of her life so far. The opener is a track called ‘When I Get There’, which is a piano ballad, and her reflecting on her late father. It is my personal favourite on the album. Yes, it may be melancholic, but the tender notes and her delicate vocals make this a beautifully tragic song. A term I often use to describe my favourite Smiths song, ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’. P!nk released a teaser for the record called ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’, which takes us into the dance with an element of pop. The critics favour it, but for me, it shows a fun side to her. It’s Katy Perry-esque. The title track sounds like a club track that will fill the floor and get a pull-up. I recently heard Noel Gallagher talking about, as you get older within music, you have to try not to do “dialling it in”. He means it gets more difficult to do the kind of music you could do when you had nothing. P!nk hasn’t “dialled it in”, and you can tell she cared about this album and was dedicated to ensuring it was more than good enough to release.
‘Feel Something’ is another highlight of the album where she questions whether she was ever ready to be married and start a family and how all your demons don’t just disappear once you do. Another of my favourites features the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit. The track is called ‘Kids in Love’. A country ballad where P!nk does the first verse, followed by Klara in the second, with sister Johanna providing backing vocals on the chorus. The song is quite reflective as she looks back on the innocence of youth and the naïvety of falling in love. There are a few more emotional moments from P!nk with ‘Our Song’ and the ill-tempered ‘Hate Me’. The latter is just a “fuck you. I don’t care what you think. This is who I am” track. Bringing it back to the days of ‘So What’.
I also enjoyed ‘Long Way to Go’ featuring the Lumineers. Quite an unusual song for the country band, as it is entirely out of their comfort zone, but the combination works. I have seen this record getting panned (No surprise there.), but I am in utter disagreement with the critics, because the album is incredibly diverse, and not your generic P!nk record. There is a lot of maturity on display, and she has proven she isn’t just the polar opposite of her rivals in the early 2000s. She leaves you pondering about life and issues based on reality.
Song recommendations: ‘When I Get There’, ‘Kids in Love’, ‘Long Way to Go’
8/10
Ahhhh KSI. I remember being introduced to his uploads on YouTube of playing FIFA with the who’s who of the grime industry. Especially JME. If you don’t know, JME was a colossal gamer once. He might still be, but he now has a child, so his time is shared. After all the gaming sessions, next, it was KSI doing challenges, and one of them was with the London Irish Exiles side of 2015/16, who put him through his paces and quite frankly battered him all over Hazelwood. I then saw he had released a book in 2017 or 2018, I can’t remember exactly, which I found absurd, and then he went into Boxing, albeit the circus act that is celebrity charity boxing. He thinks he has a chance at a professional level, but I fear he would get seriously hurt as it’s a different level of competition, and the professionals won’t hold back. Even journeymen could pick up a rare and easy win against the likes of KSI and the Paul brothers( One of the fucking idiots is wanking about going the distance with a half-interested Floyd Mayweather Jr. Make no mistake, if it were a serious bout, Floyd would have done some severe damage.)and seriously hurt them in the process.
Anyway, onto KSI’s album with a bonus instrumental disc (My favourite part, to be honest.)I liked five tracks out of sixteen—an abysmal return when you think about it. KSI seems to want to use artists who have a penchant for that shitty autotune software. KSI is also guilty of using it for a considerable part of the record. I refuse to listen to any songs that contain this piece of shit software that has ruined many, many songs since 2010 onwards. I liked ‘Really Love’ featuring Craig David and Digital Farm Animals using the sample of DJ Pied Piper ft the Master of Ceremonies’ garage 2001 classic ‘Do You Really Like it?’ He also did another garage track with Anne-Marie but spoiled it with that software, which was a shame because I liked the beat. ‘Rent Free’ with Gracey was also good. ‘Madness’ had excellent lyrical content. ‘Silly’ ft Bugzy Malone was good for Bugzy’s bars alone, and ‘Swerve’ with Jay1 was another superb track. I found his egotistical lyrics about his rise to fame quite repulsive. Especially what he said about his “Boxing skills”. Sorry, geezer, but don’t turn professional. I say the same to the Paul brothers. You will all get seriously hurt. Real boxing isn’t a joke, nor is it the circus you guys compete in.
I am also really pissed off with these novelty acts that the majors like to sign. Remind me where that Justin Bieber lookalike Alex is now? It’s all good jumping on stage with Dave and barring his verse perfectly; it’s another to go to the studio and write and record your own material. I heard his album flopped and got nowhere, and to be honest, it wasn’t a surprise to hear that. KSI is better than Alex, but that’s why he was signed due to his status. The majors are really taking the piss now by signing these “happening” stars. Real musicians deserve the bread over these kinds of acts. They work their arses off to get signed.
Song recommendations: ‘Really Love’, ‘Silly’, ‘Madness’
5/10
I have to concede that when I heard Architects were number one, I was expecting the Garage collective who released the iconic Garage club classic “Body Groove” back in 2000 featuring vocals by Nana (Nay-Nay is how it is pronounced, by the way.) However, I ended up listening to a band that sounds very much like their fellow English counterparts, Bring Me the Horizon, and vocalist Sam Carter sounds precisely like Oli Sykes. Well, this is the Brighton outfit’s ninth album and the second since their founder and leader, Tom Searle, tragically passed away in 2016.
I’m not going to say from what because I hate the disease in question. Tom Middleton was his replacement, and they pushed on to release “Holy Hell” in 2018. It got a warm reception, considering the absence of Tom Searle. Some say they shouldn’t have continued, but they did, and on this record, it is shown why that was the correct decision. The album is full of rage, anger, passion, and emotion. The record contains many issues, including politics, lasting under an hour. The tracks range from “An Ordinary Extinction” on climate change to “Discourse is Dead” on politics, songs that address the band’s departure from the pre-Holy Hell days and their new standing in the music sphere by playing out at arenas.
There is also room to show their new standing with collaborations from Mike Kerr of another Brighton act, Royal Blood, and Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro. Just like Oli Sykes, Sam Carter has remained steadfast with his vocals, except this time, Sam is doing it on tracks ready to ring out across the arena air and become anthems, which I am sure they will be.
The band is not afraid to do a bit of noodling on the record, and that can be found on “Dead Butterflies” for a better example of them being experimental. I enjoyed “Dying is Absolutely Safe” above all of them because it has two sides to a coin. The song talks about how our world is such a chaotic state, but when strings come in, there is a sense of a brighter day to come out of the ashes of the chaos.
It’s also quite apt for the band at present because they have been in turmoil since losing their original leader, but from that adversity, the band has stayed together and got stronger as the journey continues. Tom Searle will be admiring that character from wherever he may be. However, from a purist’s point of view, this album is a disappointment because the band has lost their edge and sounds too generic now. That’s the impression I got when conversing with a fan of theirs. I recommend it if you have not heard of them or Bring Me the Horizon. You’ll discover new music and a band you may well like.
Song recommendations: “Dying is Absolutely Safe”, “Discourse is Dead”, “Dead Butterflies”
7/10
When you listen to any of her music, you know you will get entire honesty as she is not afraid to reveal each layer of her life. The same can be said for this album, as she is talking so openly about her sex life. It’s hard to believe she would do it when you consider she’s a Judy Garland fan and her past in children’s television shows.
I mean, she even had the fucking audacity to name a track after a particular area in the vagina, so everything is revealed, and she is not giving you a chance to use your imagination. It’s refreshing to see a modern-day R&B artist opting for a production from the 1990s R&B scene. Some tracks sound like the UK Garage scene from the early 2000s, and some remind me of house with that iconic piano.
She is fucking nuts; she even has a song called “My Hair”, which is all about her ponytail, which has somehow managed to get as famous as her. My favourite is “Motives”, featuring the talented singer/rapper Doja Cat. Although the record is highly sexually forward, there are moments where Ariana stops being playful and goes much deeper into her soul with tracks like “Off the Table”, “POV”, and “Safety Net”. I wonder where her next album is going, as we know so much about her sex life after listening.
Song recommendations: “Motives”, “Safety Net”, “Off the Table”.
7/10
I have to admit that I don’t know much about him apart from an incident in Harlesden last year when someone mentioned it in conversation and asked if I knew of him or his music. Anyway, I highly recommend listening to his album because there are some fascinating and gritty stories about his life with some tremendous wordplay chucked in. The album suggests that he is a rapper rather than an MC, of which I wonder if he has ever been the latter in the sense of grime, drill, or garage.
Nines captures your attention from the first track with his best introduction to date out of his previous two albums plus mixtapes. The track features a piano accompanying a horrific story about his father’s cancer diagnosis, seeing his friends getting sent down for life, not having material ready to give to major labels, and declining to appear at several festivals. He also yearns for freedom from that period, and how he feels trapped despite his current success. This isn’t just any old intro; this is an intro where the artist reveals, in this case, Courtney Freckleton rather than just Nines. “Intro” just blew my mind, and I have to say that I think it is up there as one of the most revealing tracks I’ve heard from an artist.
I also discovered that Nines is no small-time player in the game within the confines of the UK hip-hop scene, and that shows with the various features on the record who are the major players. Again, the contributing artists used impressive wordplay and told stories to make your ears prick up.
Much of the album uses samples from various hip-hop classics, mainly from America. He even chucks in a few 2Pac bars from his 1995 “Me Against the World” track. I believe the track in question is called “Lights” and uses the sample of Kool & the Gang’s “Summer Madness”.
As you know, I can’t stand interludes because they are often just throwaways, but there’s something about “Stalker Interlude”. Yes, it starts with Nines receiving a phone call from some next crazy woman asking why he hasn’t answered her fifteen calls. Still, he starts talking about the trials and tribulations of being caught up with women who act this way and even says to the lady in question that she’s a gold digger, but she isn’t the only one this song is aimed at. He talks about those who only want him as a boyfriend for his status and money and how he had problems with younger women and even posh women. An interlude I will listen to again and again.
“All Stars 2” impressed me not just for Nines but for the story Clavish delivered, where he boasts about being on a Nines album when all others had doubted he was even worthy to appear on his mixtapes, let alone one of his albums. It’s a friendly little reminder for his haters to hear for eternity.
The album ends with no surprises: “Outro”, and just like “Intro”, it is every bit as compelling with the storytelling. Here, Nines addresses that he was once one of many crabs in a bucket and is now in high-profile business meetings. It is pretty refreshing to hear that even though he is now a made man, he still keeps it 100 by still living in Harlesden, rather than leaving at the first chance like one of his friends did.
Of course, there are drawbacks to the record; I especially hate using the dreaded autotune, so I didn’t listen to seven of the tracks. Despite that, “Crabs in a Bucket” offers more than his previous two albums, as Nines remains on the same topic throughout—his life. The listener discovers more than just his alter-ego, and it is always great to hear a rapper talk about their life outside of the business and what they have experienced and are like, from their strengths to their weaknesses to their vices.
Song recommendations: “Intro”, “Lights”, “Stalker Interlude”
8/10
Do you remember that song that sounded like it was from the 1980s, yet also the future? Well, that’s when I first discovered the trio of sisters. The song “Don’t Save Me” was played in every shop I happened to walk in. From there, I found out the artist’s name (Or, in this case, a band.) and started listening from then on. Anyway, this album doesn’t hold back, as is indicated from the outset. “Los Angeles” begins with a jazz/reggae/Cuban sound. “3AM” starts and ends with a phone conversation between a man and a woman over with RnB song straight out of the 1990s (You know? When RnB wasn’t shit?), “the Steps” is a country track with a bassline that is akin to Joy Division, New Order, the Cure and Monaco. “I Know Alone” shocked me because I could see myself including this in my garage DJ sets as it is very much like garage, “Up from a Dream” has a Goldfrapp sound, “Hallelujah” is your typical country song and “Summer Girl” samples the late Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side”.
The record, to me, has been given artistic freedom; it is an array of genres that the sisters are keen listeners to. It is also a middle finger to the music industry itself, which seldom gives artists freedom when recording songs and albums. They constantly push the artists to create music for the charts and follow a trend, so seeing the Haim sisters being allowed to a record that suits them is refreshing.
They also attack a particular music magazine journalist who interviewed them about their gender rather than their music’s brilliance and obvious talent. I’d listen to that track; it’s called “Man from the Magazine”.
Songs recommendations: “I Know Alone”, “3AM”, “Man from the Magazine”
9/10
I remember hearing about this band in 2013 and giving them a chance, but I didn’t think they lived up to the hyperbole they were getting. I couldn’t stand their song on FIFA 14 either and removed it from my playlist. And would they have got on if it wasn’t for their leader Matt Healy being born with the mother-of-pearl spoon in his mouth? It certainly helps when your parents are well-known British actors. It also helps they came along when the rock side of music was not really doing a lot.
The opening track, named after the band, features a piano with a speech given by Greta Thunberg at one of her many climate change rallies. I might not believe in everything she says, but I admire her passion. Climate change is just a case of nature taking its course, but it certainly doesn’t help when you’ve got fucking idiots drilling huge holes in the ice for research. If I were the scientists, I’d suggest they leave the drilling well alone. Of course, that will agitate the ice and cause it to break up.
The next track I will mention is “People” It has shite elementary lyrics, but the drum beat reminded me very much of Blur’s “Song 2” and a very unusual assault for the band into the punk genre. I never had them down as a punk band or even attempting to do punk. “the End” is just one of those fucking pointless throwaways that are known as interludes. This one is just a short-stringed instrumental. That then leads us into “Frail State of Mind”, which, in my opinion, is a failed attempt to appeal to the fans of the garage genre. It didn’t work, lads. It’s not your forte.
“Streaming” is just another stringed instrumental interlude. “Yeah I Know” is yet another failed attempt at appealing to the club scene with its garage element. Seriously, lads, leave well alone.
“Then Because She Goes” is trying to emulate the indie scene of the 1990s, with this track sounding like the Wannadies smash hit “You and Me Song”. “Shiny Collarbone” is trying once again to break into the club scene with this house instrumental with a ragga sample chucked in. “If You’re too Shy (Let Me Know)” is very 1980s.
The final two tracks I am going to mention are “Playing on My Mind”, which sees the band take time out to reflect and bring the tone down of the music by going acoustic and “Having No Head”, which is dance music that is ideal for a child’s disco.
I was thoroughly bored listening to this double-disc record; most of the time, the album didn’t hold my attention, and I wondered what my review would look like and if it would be even long enough. I cannot stand the band; I don’t understand the hyperbole surrounding them, and this album hasn’t changed my view.
Many of the fucking idiots who follow them will be like, “You’re just trying to be ‘edgy’ and ‘cool’ by saying you don’t like them”, but it IS actually true. I cannot stand them. My dislike of their music is genuine. Others might be like little sheep and follow, but I have my own mind, which tells me I do not like their music.
4/10
It has been a very testing time for the vocalist from Stratford since the release of his debut album “Common Sense”, which charted at No.6 in the main chart and secured the top spot in the R&B chart. However, on this record, he doesn’t really talk about any of his personal problems during the past two years or so. If anything, this record is much wiser for a kid that is only twenty-three years old. Whatever it is that he was dealing with has seen him come out on the other side with a more mature point of view of the world. The debut was more spontaneous and had a sense of “I’ve made it, so I am going to have fun and live fast” attitude to it, whereas his follow-up shows more of his talents, and that he feels a lot more comfortable with the direction, he is heading in with his music.
You notice this from the title track alone and understand the hyperbole surrounding J Hus. Another thing I particularly like about the record is how the producer TSB has made it feel more like a live performance than a recorded record in a studio. I will need to check if the tracks were performed as a live show (albeit not to the public.) rather than the usual method of recording these days. Although this may be his record, the performance of icee tgm catches my ear on the opening two tracks. Especially on “Helicopter”. I recommend looking out for this talented female vocalist in the coming year.
She is not the only artist to be collaborating on the record. J Hus has opted to showcase himself more and use only three collaborations with icee tgm, Burna Boy and Koffee. Although some tracks have pop elements to them, their references to guns and sex, like “Play Play” and the very comedic “Cucumber”, might not be deemed radio-friendly enough for the mainstream singles chart.
As the album goes on, it gets darker and darker. I liked “Deeper Than Rap”, as you get a real insight into J’s life through the piano instrumental accompanying his autobiographical story. What is especially good about this record and why it deserved the top spot is that it blends all the sounds associated with the UK through the decades. It is ranging from Jungle, Drum & Bass, Garage, Grime and so forth. With Stormzy and now J Hus already scoring No.1 albums this year, it raises the stakes for other Grime artists to emulate.
9/10
Honest Opinions 