🎯 We aimed for the stars… but pulled the trigger instead. 🤖 What if AI explored galaxies instead of targeting lives? 🪐 There’s still time to choose curiosity over conflict. #AIforGood #NotForWar #FutureTech #IranUnderAttack #MurderNetanyahu #SpaceExploration

I have some reviews that I need to share here still, but 2025 keeps punching. I just want to share a farewell for the best cat we could ever have asked for. His name was Altair. He was 16, and he was my daughter's best friend. Also, he worried about me when I sang.

Glorious.

I haven't got a lot of albums I'm looking at in May, but there are some heavy hitters here.

Sasami is not, truly, a #Pop artist, but this is a Pop album. It's her third album, and she has yet to repeat a genre. Sasami uses her classical training to study a genre, break it down, and reproduce it. And, in this album, it works so well. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

One of my most anticipated albums of the year pulled through. It doesn't disappoint. 18 reviews in, and we have our first certified 8+. #Spiritbox is a definitive act in the modern #MetalSky scene, and this is only their second album. #MusicSky #AlbumReview #Metalcore

This is the best #HyperPop I've ever heard. Hands down. #RebeccaBlack is really starting to find herself as an artist and songwriter. All of the songs here work really well, minus "Sugar Water Cyanide". It just needs to be longer. And have a conceptual throughline. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Arion is a #SymphonicMetal and #PowerMetal band that had a promising start last decade, but in this album they've kinda buried the lead. Ya know, the 'Symphonic' bit. It's literally buried in the mix. The songs here are still good for what they are, though. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Lisa's debut album is full of potential and production. I don't think it's much of a reach to say that #KPop is overproduced by default these days. There's so much money in that industry. Some of the album's early songs are BANGERS. It just also dies halfway through. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

I've been physically unable to do a few things this month, but I've still gotten a few reviews out, starting with this somewhat disappointing effort from Tobias Sammet's collaborative #PowerMetal project, Avantasia. It has its moments. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

I love Chappell, but this sums up pretty well my thoughts on recent comments she's made. To be clear: being queen *SHOULD NOT* be political. That's what the fight is all about. Whether we like it or not, though, it is -- because some bigots make it so.

I hope the April showers are full of good music!

Architects' newest album showcases an update to the band's #Metalcore sound, bringing in more Death-like harshness, and their trimmed lineup. It grew on me through a few listens, but I also still don't enjoy it as much as their last two albums. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Tate McRae's dance pop is incredibly boppy. So boppy that you might find yourself bopping along even if you don't enjoy the song. But "So Close to What" is overproduced and grossly inconsistent. On the bright side, the best tracks all have a familiar name as co-writer. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Lacuna Coil has always been a favorite, but Sleepless Empire feels like a final confirmation that they just aren't the same band anymore. They're still #GothicMetal, but that approach is firmly in the backseat. It's great if you want something heavy, but that's it. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Marko Hietala's second-ever solo album is one that I picked up out of respect for his legacy. It beat my expectations, though, and is currently one of my favorite listens of the year. If you like classic #HeavyMetal or #PowerMetal, give this a listen. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Ukrainian #Metalcore and #GrooveMetal stars, #Jinjer, are as wildly aggressive as ever in their newest album. If you're looking for something upbeat and angry, this might do. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

#DreamTheater is a goddamn titan in the world of #ProgMetal. There's no getting around it. And while their formula has grown stale, the return of one of their founding members has brought fresh vivacity to their newest album. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Ethel Cain's "Perverts" is nothing like her main album trilogy-in-progress. It's a unique sort of beautiful torment. If you like #Slowcore and ambient droning, you might love this, but don't pick it up expecting "American Teenager". It's a dismal as its cover suggests. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Can't believe February is over already. Time MARCHes on... No, wait, don't leave! I cope with reality through bad jokes and good music! Speaking of music, here are the albums I'm looking forward to this month (plus a special reveal of Versatone's first ever advance copy!).

The final album under The Weeknd moniker is expansive and surreal... and kinda boring across a full listen. The album is artistic and ambitious, and art points it feels like the music itself got lost in the vision. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Iniko's highly anticipated debut album is very good. It's great music, though I wouldn't call it a "great album". The Michael Jackson influence is strong, otherwise she sounds wildly unique. She will be very influential in the #IndiePop space in the years to come. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

I never imagined I'd find a blend of #DoomMetal and #BluesRock, but here it is. And the core sound absolutely works. Some songs here are better-conceived than others, though, so the album as a whole feels a little lackluster at points. #MusicSky #MetalSky #AlbumReview

Post-Black group Harakiri for the Sky leans into darker subject matter and a harsher sound than my last Post-Black review. But if you can get past the abrasive vocals, there are moments of transcendental beauty, as well. #MusicSky #AlbumReview #MetalSky

Despite being the coldest month, February has had no chill. Still, here we are with the first review of 2025! Larkin Poe is a really great #RootsRock and #BluesRock act from my home state of #Georgia. With a touch of #Country. It's #Rock with that GOOD good twang. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Release Radar for Feb is finally up. The month is looking surprisingly heavy!

When they ask you who won Super Bowl LIX, you will respond, Kendrick Lamar. I just turned my tv off.

"Charcoal Grace", by Caligula's Horse, is my 2024 AOTY. There is no album, that I've found, which better encapsulates our collective experience with the Pandemic and lockdown. And CH are masters at crafting music that is both heavy and gorgeous. #MusicSky #AOTY #Top40

Here we go -- my Top ten albums of the year. You can't go wrong with any of these. #MusicSky #AOTY #Top40

Totally forgot to apply the tags to this... lol #MusicSky #AOTY #Top40

Three-quarters done. I'm putting the finishing touches on the list today, and the top ten will be in your hands tomorrow.

That's half the list done! There are always surprises in the 20s every year that I expected to have higher up. But when you don't limit any genres, curveballs can come from anywhere. #MusicSky #AOTY #Top40

There was a ton of good music last year. But I'm only ranking 40 albums, so don't write off these first ten. They had to be awesome to even make the list. #MusicSky #Top40 #AOTY

Finally! It's time to count them down. Being able to highlight my favorite albums of the year with a countdown is why I spend so much time listening and recording my thoughts, publicly, at the risk of vicious mockery. I've got a total of 30 honorable mentions in here. 31-40 tomorrow. #MusicSky

We've made it to my first earmarked releases of 2025! There are three of them, rather than the four I anticipated. The Weeknd has postponed his release by a week in response to the LA wildfires. The other three are linked below.

My 2024 Top 40 albums list is nearly done. Ranks 5 - 40 are decided and just need blurbs and formatting. The #AOTY title is still up in the air, though, among the top 4. And I've got a week to finalize that decision, tops. 😬

Did anybody get a screenshot of the whitesplaining comment to @flavorflav.bsky.social ? It's gone now and I would also like to shake my head at this person in silent contempt.

Doing a final sort of the albums I couldn't nail down earlier in the year. Plus a bonus rant!

Holy crap, ya'll! Iniko's debut will be out at the end of the month!

The second half of my musical wish list features acts that haven't produced an album in over 5 years. These are long-shots, but we can hope! #MusicSky

The most exciting part of a new year is the mystery and anticipation of not knowing what great music the year will bring. But I do have a wishlist. 20 artists total; 10 today, 10 tomorrow. Here's the first half, limited to artists whose last albums released within the last 5 years. #MusicSky

Final review of 2024 is finally here: Fish in a Birdcage! This project is unique and quirky, but also wildly creative. The songcraft on this album needs some work, but they're always worth listening to. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

What? A Pumpkins album that I genuinely enjoyed? I'd begun to think that would never happen again. Fans of 90s #AltRock Pumpkins will like this one. There's grunge in the guitar, guys! It's not AOTY material, but it's refreshingly good. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

Sunburst have reappeared out of nowhere with their second album, and it's truly stellar #ProgMetal. This album is everything I was hoping for when I included this act on my 2024 long-shot wishlist. #MusicSky #AlbumReview #MetalSky

@billboard.com.web.brid.gy Ya'll alright? Opened up to a literal wall of posts. Also, didn't you name T-Swift the #2 pop artist of the 21st century? But you're naming her the top overall artist of the 21st century? How's that math work?

Sturgill Simpson is dead. Long live Johnny Blue Skies! #AltCountry is the best #Country genre at the moment, by far. And this is the best non-Beyonce Country album of 2024. Period. #MusicSky #AlbumReview #CountryMusicSky

#ProgMetal is all about dynamics and technicality. Rendezvous Point has the latter here, but not the former. The album is full of gorgeous moments, but there's never any progression or payoff. Frankly, it's infuriating. They have the talent. It just doesn't click. #MusicSky #AlbumReview #MetalSky

Rachel Platten's 'reintroduction' album is filled with admissions of self-doubt and mental health concerns. The lyricism is beautiful and relatable, but the average bpm is in the negatives. This is still solidly written #Pop, but it will be best in playlists. #MusicSky #AlbumReview

It's never a bad time to talk #NewMusic. I've got five albums on my list for January, plus an overview of what else is coming for Q1. If the world burns, it won't be without good music. #MusicSky