-ANNOUNCEMENTS-

• Migos member Takeoff has passed away at the age of 28 after an altercation in Houston.
• 70’s country musician Patrick Haggerty has passed away at the age of 78.
• BROCKHAMPTON have confirmed their final album, “The Family” coming November 17th.
• The Roots are returning after 9 years with their new album “End Game” coming next year.

-SINGLES-

“Lift Me Up” by Rihanna

Genre: Pop Soul

Rating: [7/10]

While “Lift Me Up” is a good track, Rihanna’s first single in 5 years leaves the listener wanting.  “Lift Me Up” is the first single for the upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack, and it is a really nice minimalist ballad.  The minimalism, however, makes this comeback feel a lot less significant, and rather than a huge comeback, it’s a little more disappointing.

“Shirt” by SZA

Genre: Alternative R&B

Rating: [8/10]

“Shirt” is an extremely catchy single after nearly a year of nothing new from SZA, and the wait was worth it.  SZA’s voice sounds amazing, the production is beautifully done, and it comes together for a song that is very well put together.  It also makes me sad not knowing how long it’ll be till we hear anything else from her.

“In My Head” by Juice WRLD

Genre: Pop Rap

Rating: [6/10]

Very base level Juice track, it’s obvious that his estate is running low on vault material.  Beat is overly simplistic and basic, and Juice’s performance is decent but nothing quite new.  It’s just not a very notable track and it’s quite sad to see. 

-ALBUMS-

“Changes” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

Rating: [7/10]

As a closure to the trio of albums KGLW released in October it’s kind of bittersweet.  “Changes,” is the 23rd album from Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard, and their final album of the month of October in which they released three albums.  The album closes out the trio of projects after the fantastic “Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms, and Lava” and interesting “Laminated Denim.” The album isn’t bad; it’s just forgettable. It’s something groovy but not much more than that, It highlights a bigger issue with KGLW: sometimes it tends to pick quantity over quality.  If it just funneled all the great concepts and artistry into one project that they took a bit longer to put together they could produce a classic, but instead each album they release lacks completed concepts.  There are some good songs here, and it’s sonically consistent but it just isn’t anything new or all that interesting for such an innovative band.

Favorite Tracks: “Change,” “Gondii,” “Hate Dancin’,” and “Exploding Suns”

Least Favorite: “Astroturf”

“10” by Westside Gunn

Genre: East Coast Hip-Hop

Rating: [8/10]

Westside Gunn ends off his HWH series with “10”, a very subtle finale.  “10” comes after a stream of Westside Gunn albums that fell on poor timing where the Griselda fatigue was kicking in.  “10”, however, ends that streak by being a very well made project with interesting concepts.  It has his signature vintage Hip-Hop production, DJ Drama as conductor, and Gunn doing his usual thing.  There are little passages where he tries something new like on “FlyGod Jr” where he tries out trap with interesting outcome and “Red Death” a posse cut featuring verse from fellow Griselda members as well as other rappers in the same vein.  All together, “10” happens to be a really quality ending to the series, taking everything people like about Gunn and funneling it into an album that is both fleshed out and concise.

Favorite Tracks: “FlyGod Jr,” “Shootouts In Soho,” “Peppas,” “Switches on Everything, “Science Class,” and “Red Death”

Least Favorite: None

“Trouble the Water” by Show Me The Body

Genre: Noise Rock

Rating: [7/10]

The 3rd full length record from New York based Hardcore Punk group is their loudest and most charged yet.  “Trouble the Water” is an album of brute force, it hammers in its ideals through its abrasive instrumentation and raw vocals.  At only roughly 40 minutes it gets its concepts through very well, but it can also tend to flourish more at certain times more than others.  There are moments where ideas can translate rougher than others, or points in which it can be a bit more derivative from its influences.  Even throughout its shortcomings on tracks towards the center of the record, “Trouble the Water” exhibits a lot of hardcore sounds and ideas that work in its favor.

Favorite Tracks: “Loose Talk,’ “Food From Plate,” “We Came To Play,” “Out Of Place,” “Demeanor,” and “WW4”

Least Favorite: “Buck 50”