The Toad's Burrow

      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...