The Toad's Burrow

      Yeah I went to go watch Wicked . You've seen what I reviewed, was that ever really a surprise? What is a surprise, at least to me, was that the film was actually surprisingly good. Look, sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in twitter drama, and negativity only feeds off negativity, so going into it all the press I knew about this film was: the colour grading was bad/could be improved, whatever Cynthia Erivo is doing, Ariana Grande body discourse, and of course Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater cheating discourse. All of this to say, there was not exactly a lot of positive momentum for this film in my mind going into it, people were complaining hard about the fact that it was only part 1, afraid that Hollywood would do what Hollywood does best and stretch out this musical to five hours or something like they tend to do with finale's in action movies. Luckily, I can report that Wicked  has weathered the storm, remarkably well in fact I'd say. Frankly, of all the...

       You know I've never actually listened a full Kendrick Lamar album? That's not to say that I dislike all of the music he's released. I'm certainly a fan of his poppier stuff, and even off this album I absolutely adore Luther , though that song could hardly be considered a rap/hip-hop song. Either way, it's hard to think about this year in music and not think about him. His beef with Drake was on the mind of everyone, even mine, and I quite enjoyed some of the songs that came out of it, mainly Not Like Us and Like That . Even still, I was not particularly eager to go out and listen to this album when Kendrick surprise released it a couple weeks ago. I suppose a part of me understand that he's beloved, but I also understand that I'm not a big fan of the genre he operates within, so really the more I listen to his music the less my opinion on him is going to become. Regardless, I figured it's only fair I give it a shot, after all maybe I like more so...

    I have no strong opinions on Lizzy McAlpine, and will not pretend like I have any. I don't listen to much Indie Folk, though I am a fan of Fleet Foxes, so if McAlpine's music is anything similar than maybe I have a chance at enjoying this. I will say I have known of McAlpine's existence for a while, though in the sense that I also know who Kacey Musgraves is and never particularly listened to or felt a need to listen to her music. I fully expect this album to be fine enough, but who knows maybe I find one or two songs I enjoy. My friend Erock recommended this album, so I will listen to it regardless of my opinion. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. Older - Lizzy McAlpine The Elevator - 60/100 A solid enough track, though not one that I'd ever listen to again. The instrumentation is decent especially near the end where it begins to crescendo. I don't think I can rate this track very highly because it very clearly feels like an intro track which mos...

      I've listened to a couple Kanye West albums before, I've even enjoyed them before. I can say with a certainty however, that 808s & Heartbreak  never quite stuck the landing with me. Of course, looking back in retrospect I understand that it was influential within the rap/hip-hop space, but at the same time, I just did not enjoy many o the songs off of the album. I mean even when it came to  Heartless , one of West's most popular tracks, I would never say I was its biggest fan, I always preferred other songs by him. Regardless, my friend Omaid did recommend the album, so I figured I'd give it another shot to see if I might find something to enjoy within it. I did not mention anything about Kanye's antics because at this point it's just kind of depressing to watching him spiral, though I have to admit he is pretty funny regardless of what he thinks about Jewish people. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. 808s & Heartbreak - Kanye West S...

      I'll be the first to admit I'm a sucker for some good disco. Some people might find it corny and dated, but I've always adored those upbeat poppy choruses layered in with some synths for good measure. September by Earth, Wind & Fire was even one of my most most listened to songs on Spotify one year, though technically that has more to do with the fact that I hardly used Spotify at that time because I simply lacked the funds to afford premium. Regardless, when this album popped up on my radar late last year, it was an instant connection. I was looking for more albums to round out my end of year album list, and so scouring AOTY I noticed this album was being rated quite well. So I put on a couple tracks, and the rest is history. In hindsight this should have been expected, Ware does proudly possess a very large LGBTQ+ fanbase, and I'm not sure if you've noticed from my love for Carly Rae Jepsen, but as a bisexual I do possess the pop sensibilities of your st...

      Do I listen to Jazz that often? Absolutely not. Do I know anything about McKinley Dixon? Nope. What I do know is that my friend Sweaty recommended this album, and when I listened to the track Run, Run, Run , Dixon's most popular track on Spotify I was absolutely hooked. All I know is that it is rated extremely high and it's very short for an album, so we'll see how that plays out. And without further ado, my track-by-track review. Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? Hanif Reads Toni -  N/A Despite being over 2 minutes long I do think doing a spoken word poem is a cool intro. Especially with the music in the background, it creates this sort of tension and build up for when the music finally kicks in. Sun, I Rise - 80/100 Generally when it comes to rap music I'm not too picky about the songs in the sense that I just need a good beat and/or a catchy chorus to hook me, and the rest will come. I can confidently say that I feel that way about this song. The instrumentation in ...

      The greatest thing to come out of this latest season is that Martin Short and Meryl Streep are now in a relationship. That is about it. I'll admit coming into this season, and even for the first couple of episodes I had a good feeling about it. It's like that jolt of adrenaline you feel when one of your favourite shows comes back, only for it to fade very quickly as the excitement of a new season leaves you with only the drab of a new season. I felt it with House of the Dragon, and I felt it here too, because it really did feel like they were losing grip on what was slowly becoming one of my favourite shows to watch. It's just too much you know? Whether it be the celebrity cameo's, or the nonsensical retconning, or the fact that what should be very integral side characters are simply not present at all, it's just too ridiculous.     Can I start with Sazz and Charles? While I do think it was kind of funny that Charles was pretty antagonistic to Sazz for muc...

      The only descriptor I have coming in for this album is that it is described as "Sludge Metal" and that it is highly reviewed. In spite of that, even if it was recommended to me by my friend CJ I do not have the highest hopes for this album. Is it partially the album cover that looks like fanart someone would have made during the height of that weird 2010's killer clown phase? Probably. Is it because it looks very long and is a genre that does not sound very appealing to me? Also probably. Even still, it's been so long since I sat down and did a proper album writeup, and hey at least this album cover kind of gives off Halloween vibes, so at least it's in season. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. When the Kite String Pops - Acid Bath The Blue - 65/100 This album is certainly not what I expected it to sound like. Honestly, I thought it would be a lot less melodic, sort of like when I first listened to Bleach  by Nirvana as a child, which was not...

      Well, I suppose that's what you get asking for a sequel to a movie that probably never should have gotten a sequel. Do you want to watch a musical? Watch something, anything else, you will enjoy it more than whatever this movie is. Do you really want something with  Folie à Deux in it's name? Just listen to the Fall Out Boy album, I promise you'll enjoy it much more. Do you want a serious critique on the shortcomings of the mental health system? Well you also won't get it here, but if you're my sister maybe you'll see something in it that I didn't. All I can say is, bravo to Todd Phillips if this movie really is just meant to be a giant fuck you to the corporations that asked him to make a second, because I genuinely can't see it any other way. Like I get that they try to kind of make the "Arthur Fleck is mentally insane case", but that was kind of the point they tried to make with the last movie, people just watched it and were like wow ...