The Toad's Burrow

    I love this album unabashedly. It took a little bit, and honestly I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, but it's so good, it's just undeniable. I mean this entire album just scratches an itch I haven't even thought about in years. I remember when I first started developing my own music tastes one of my first loves was dubstep. For better or worse those minecraft intro's stuck with me, and so I'll be the first to say I listened to my fair share of Monstercat. Except one small issue exists, it's kind of hard for me to listen to it now without cringing a little bit. So where should I go to find that same sound, without feeling the same embarrassment for what I used to be? Well hyperpop helps to some extent, but this album really does the trick for me. I'll admit, it's not for everyone, but this is definitely one of those albums you never knew you needed until it showed up. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. I Love My Computer - Ninaji...

      In terms of how useful, relevant or necessary this review is, I can safely say it's not to all three of those questions. Obviously, as someone who tries to stay informed culturally, I know who Kendrick Lamar is, I listen to some of his songs, but to say that I am a fan of his, or even equipped to properly review an album of his would be a ridiculous claim to make. Even still, I do like some of the songs off of this album, and of course it is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, so I'm inclined to give it a listen at my friend Sweaty's behest. So without further ado, my track-by-track review. To Pimp a Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar Wesley's Theory - 75/100 I will be hated if I say that I liked the intro of this song the best out of this entire song, and I won't because it feels disrespectful to the rest of the song, which I actually enjoy a decent amount. A lot of it is definitely the instrumentals by Thundercat but I think the chorus to this song i...

      Alright, I'll admit it. I took a break from watching season four of The Wire. But frankly, now that I'm done it, I'm starting to question why I would ever make that decision. Look, my complaint of the past couple of seasons is that this show immediately dived headfirst into stretching itself out, trying to keep up with loose threads of past seasons. Though, I think that this season they made the right decision. The kids work, I think this might be the most emotionally impactful season of the show. You just want to make it work out for at least some of the characters, and I don't know if they knew it was leading up to the final season, but I think it's shaping out to be pretty good still. Let's talk about it.     Immediately, the most noticeable change viewers will make is that there is a large McNulty size gaping hole in this season. Outside of a couple cameos it's laughable Dominic West even gets his name to touch this season, he made his peace, he th...

      Really? This is the season? I have to say Only Murders   in the Building  season five has been nothing short of a disappointment. I mean seriously. It forgets everything that made the show good, and mainly just meanders around hoping that by showing off new characters it'll be enough of a diversion from the fact that they don't even take their own premise seriously. I mean first of all, they drop the whole podcasting bit because they decide to quickly sign contracts, and then decide to never discuss the fact that their whole livelihood was taken away until the very end when they all suddenly become podcast fans again. Then, the whole mafia/mob thing is only ever discussed for like TWO WHOLE EPISODES. The worst part is, to top it all off, the big reveal about how the murdered was pulled off sounds too convenient, easy, and stupid. It's not clever or ingenious in any real way, it's just bad. Let's talk about it.     What was the point of this seaso...

      I come into this review with a fairly fresh pair of ears. By the time I was old enough to care about rock music Muse was already fairly washed, releasing albums like Simulation Theory , but luckily I never cared about them so it didn't matter to me. I did recently listen to Black Holes and Revelations  though, which I thought was fine but didn't really understand why it was rated so high outside of a few stellar tracks, mainly Starlight . Even still, I'm determined to figure out why people love this band so much, I like rock music, why shouldn't I try and see why this band was ever so revered in the first place. So, when my friend CJ recommended this album, all I was told is that it basically sounds like Radiohead. I don't know if that works for or against this album because I don't really listen to Radiohead either, but without further ado, my track-by-track review. Absolution - Muse Intro - N/A It's just your average intro. Apocalypse Please - 80/100...

      I did it, after spending basically all of October, and nearly 200 hours playing the game, I am satisfied with my Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom playthrough. Basically the only thing I didn't finish were some Korok seeds, the compendium, and some fabrics/schematics that ultimately didn't matter. Yet, I can't help but be reminded that it took me multiple attempts to actually get me into this game. It starts off pretty slow in the sky islands, and I really had to set aside this month to get back into things. I use the term "get back into" on purpose because this game very much feels iterative of Breath of the Wild  for better or for worse, but it's not necessarily a bad thing, it's just that there's this very clear push and pull between.     I mean can you hardly blame the developers? Open world games take forever to make, I'm looking at you Bethesda, but also BOTW also came out on the Wii U, and as of the writing of this review the Switc...

      Apparently this is my friend's GF's favourite movie, which frankly I was surprised when I heard that sentence. I mean I've watched this film before watching it again today. It was pretty solid, but I don't know if I could hardly classify it as even close to my favourite movie. And my rewatch mostly solidified that for me. To me, this movie could best be classified as a crowd pleaser full of sweet tunes and actions scenes to satisfy just about anyone, and that's okay. I mean I won't go into how problematic the cast of this movie supposedly is because the only one I really knew was Kevin Spacey, but even still this movie was pretty solid. Let's talk about it.     Probably the best part of this film, and what you'll notice about this film is the editing and pacing. You have to give props where props is due and Edgar Wright deserves all of it. You can tell he has a very clear vision on how he wants all of the scenes to play out, and the music and the a...

      Alright, I'll admit it. I didn't see any of this coming. I really thought Stringer Bell was a character that was going to make it all the way until the end. To be honest, I really felt like he'd be saved until the end. He really seemed like a smart character, until he wasn't. It's a real shame really, and a stark contrast from how his character was in season one where it seemed like he could outsmart anyone, only to realize he was a shark out of water, and there are always greater powers to be than him when it came to trying to go on the straight and narrow. I must admit, all of his conniving made him feel a little out of his element, and I think a split between him and Avon was bound to happen. Either way, The Wire season three goes back to the streets of Baltimore, with some alright results when they focus on the political system within the city. Let's talk about it.     While the Hamsterdam was pretty novel, and made sense other than the legalized drug ...

      Well, I have to admit. I had heard good things about this film, but I didn't realize it would be this good. Maybe it's because I was skeptical with having an actor play two characters at once. Maybe I was just concerned I wouldn't enjoy this sort of film since it is described as horror. But damn once this film hits about the halfway point it really kicks in and leaves you with a pretty satisfying film altogether. I mean I wouldn't call it perfect, I do think this film gets a little messy, playing it fast and loose by the end, but it knows how to keep itself together just enough to make it satisfying. Let's talk about it.     Sometimes, movies are just about the experience, and I'd argue that this film understands that, and makes sure to make it a priority. Do I think it's hyper realistic to life in the 1930's? No. Is the scene where they randomly start talking about the power of music and show different generations pretty jarring? For sure. But thi...