The Toad's Burrow

      Am I doing another review of a Conscious Hip Hop album that I almost certainly shouldn't be doing? Yes. Will I almost certainly just say that I like the instrumentals and that I'd vibe with it in a car? Yes. Will I ever play this album again? Almost certainly not. Was this recommended by my friend Sweaty? Yes. Is this my track-by-track review of it? Of course. Changes of Atmosphere - Dela Changes of Atmosphere (Intro) [feat. Liza Garza] - N/A It's a spoken word intro I'm not rating this. I Say Peace [feat. J-live] - 50/100 The flute and horns are cool? I'm not sure why I'm doing a track-by-track review of this album I already know I won't have anything to say. Is it a copout to give every song a 50? Live The Life [feat. J.Sands] - 60/100 This track feels like it has a little bit more energy than the last one, I'm kind of digging the small sung outro. My Ni@#a [feat. Elzhi] - 50/100 I have come to the conclusion that I really just don't have str...

      The Scott Pilgrim series certainly has an interesting legacy, from people not understanding the real point of the movie, to the discourse that it has spun, especially with everyone's favourite song  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Ruined a Whole Generation of Women   which only highlights the issue. I mean just look at the comments, I used to like the song because I thought it was catchy as a kid, but looking at the comments that are still been floating to the top of that video show that people are mostly just using it as an area to vent any and all frustrations about women. Which is ironic because like you'll see comments talking about how someone had an abusive ex, or something about pedophilia, and you just ask yourself if they even watched the original series, because Ramona did all of her exes dirty, but that's basically it. Why am I discussing all of this on a review of a Netflix adaptation? Well that's because the fans really have not changed at all. ...

      Am I just reviewing artists that I saw live this year? Yes obviously, because it was one of the best decisions I made this year. I only found this album because I was checking the top albums of 2023 on AOTY (to see if people were giving HELLMODE  by Jeff Rosenstock the love it deserved), and I stumbled on this album which was receiving some super high ratings. Intrigued, I went on a walk and put on this album, and while it was a bit of a challenging review at first (I mean it still is if you don't like hyperpop you won't like this album) it grew on me considerably. Then, I bought 20 dollar tickets to see Underscores on a whim, and it was one of the best decisions I could make. I mean I'm genuinely impressed by them as a whole, shades of pop-punk, but absolutely drench it in autotune and vocoders, and add a zoomer touch and what comes out is a surprisingly fantastic artist. And with that introduction out of the way, here is my track-by-track review of Wallsocket...

      Look, I've already listened to this album, many many times and all I have to say is that it's fantastic. I'm not sure if it's one of my favourite albums of all time, because right now I do still stand on the hill that WORRY. by Jeff Rosenstock is the best pop-punk album ever released, but I'd be lying if it wasn't closing the gap these days. I mean I literally saw them perform this entire album live for it's 10th anniversary and I can tell you it was fantastic, I was practically singing every single lyric as loud as I could and I even caught a guitar pic from one of the guitarists. It was a fantastic night and it really made me appreciate just how good this album is and how many people it's touched. So when my friend CJ recommended this album I jumped at the chance, because this album really is special, and as I've grown older it only resonates with me even more. The only major gripe I have with it is that if you aren't a fan of pop-punk th...