Just as Beyoncé surprised her fans by releasing her self-titled album three years ago, earlier this month Kendrick Lamar treated his fans with a surprise mixtape: untitled unmastered. Although at eight tracks, it’s too short to be considered an album, untitled unmastered sounds like a compilation of songs that should[Read More…]
Tag: album review
Album Review: EVOL – Future
A question that might come to mind when analyzing trap music is whether the lyrical content is in fact an accurate representation of the rapper's selves and their views. With this question in mind, what can one make of Future? As his life fell apart in recent years, his music[Read More…]
Staff Round-Up: Kanye West’s The Life Of Pablo (TLOP)
As a long-time Kanye West fan, I knew The Life of Pablo (TLOP) would deliver in terms of innovation, and considering Kanye’s career progression it was easy to guess that TLOP would feature heavily over-processed samples and gospel-esque backing beats with strong hooks and stronger guest artists. Admittedly, the best[Read More…]
Album Review: Bodywash – Bodywash
On their debut EP, Bodywash (the McGill band formerly known as Cult Classic) sticks to a relatively simple synth-pop—or “cream pop,” as the band puts it on their Facebook page—formula. Although it is not a harbinger of anything groundbreaking, it is more than worth checking out for any fan of[Read More…]
Album Review: The Catastrophist – Tortoise
Musical progress is a bus usually driven by the young. Generally speaking, young people are more accepting of progressive artistic directions and their familiarity with technology allows them to make greater strides in musical creation. There is something to be said about an aging veteran playing a heartfelt show for[Read More…]
Staff roundup: Rihanna’s ANTI
In light of Rihanna's latest album, ANTI, and genre trasition that came with it, the Arts and Entertainment staff at the McGill Tribune got together to write up their initial thoughts on Rih-Rih's latest project. Is ANTI a good album? Sure it is. It’s simple and stripped down, allowing for a cohesive but emotive[Read More…]
Album Review: David Bowie – Blackstar
When Blackstar was originally released in 2016, no one could have recognized the significance of David Bowie’s latest project; however, before anyone had enough time to tear the album apart with cold skepticism, the streets of London and of the world filled with adoring fans mourning the loss of Brixton’s[Read More…]
Album Review: Kodak Black – Institution
In his self-proclaimed 2015 summertime jam “Ran Up a Check,” Kodak Black playfully commands his listener to call him “butthead,” “cause his mind’s on your ass.” Observed in a vacuum, the lyric is juvenile and silly, yet paired with the track’s ebullient, DJ Mustard-evoking production, the lyric feels authentic—a snapshot[Read More…]
Album Review: Damn Country Music – Tim McGraw
Another month, another country album that your mom or American cousins might like. This month, it’s Tim McGraw, and he’s hardly poised to challenge any assumptions about what kind of person makes country music. His latest, Damn Country Music, is unlikely to challenge the standard country sound. Certainly no one[Read More…]
Album Review: 25 – Adele
Some singers shoot for critical reception; others for commercial success. Some aim for none, some for both… and then there’s Adele. The British sensation—officially Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (yes, she’s an order of the British empire now), literally started from the bottom. Born in Tottenham, U.K., and raised by[Read More…]
