Music Reviews, 7/26/2026
Hey, who else's July hasn't gone at all as they planned? (Not strictly good or bad, but...sideways?) Just me? Eh, whatever, I wrote some reviews.
Mimi Webb "Confessions: An Unexpected Turn Of Events"
You'd think an album where the Meghan Trainor feature is one of the best things on it would be a disaster, but hear me out! I somehow found myself liking this pop album that sounds like it was made between 2015 and 2017, then shelved until now (it was not).
And I think that has to do with framing: more mine than its. When we think of something as dated, we usually mean passé; something trying to capture a zeitgeist that's been left in the dust (and still thinking it's nailing it). But this to me feels dated as if it's a period piece; something not trying to recapture a lost time, but to explore the identity of that period. (Which, given there's plenty of people over 35 that think anything after 2010 doesn't have any cultural markers at all, is an interesting gambit. (I hope the fact I brought this up clues you in that I am not one of those, despite overqualifying for the demographic)).
Normally an album with 17 tracks has an uphill battle earning its length, but weirdly for Confessions its length is a strength. It helped me get used to the idea of listening to a dated pop album outside of my comfort zone. (Also, the songs are all 2:25 to 2:45; the closer's a positively epic 3:25 by comparison.) I started to get into it by track 10, instead of just kind of liking a song here or there. It's not essential listening by any means, but there's a handful of standouts, and as a full listening experience, it manages to tie itself together quite cohesively. If you're kinda into it at the beginning, you'll be at least more into it by the end.
[Blogger's Note: I wrote all that back in April. When I finally got back around to writing this blog and trying to finish the entry, I went to relisten to the album and found out this was a deluxe edition of an album from 2025. The first five tracks are the bonus, and that might explain why I felt the back end was more cohesive. Ya never really know, do ya?]
[Also, skip "That Girl" at all costs. Horrrrendous.]
Evildrank
I'd say I've never heard anything like it, but the flow is exactly the same on every track, so that'd be a lie. The beats are genuinely inspired in how fucked up they are, but it's not really worth putting up with the vocals. (Also, if you were trying to create the worst producer tag ever, "I swear I thought she was 18" can step up and claim the prize.) The most annoying thing you'll hear all year, but also kinda goes hard? YMMV, but I got something out of it.
[On a serious note, I do hope Evildrank was just being edgy by ending the project by threatening to kill themself. I hope they're doing okay and that they're either getting the help they need or are just being a shit poster. I could totally see this turning out badly, and I really don't want that for them.]
North West "N0rth4evr"
Yes, this is Kanye & Kim's daughter. No, that doesn't matter. This sounds like Playboi Carti signed a vocaloid to Opium. There's no real personality here. Then again, this is a twelve year old (she turned 13 a month after this came out), so like, maybe I shouldn't take this that seriously. If she keeps at it, she'll figure her shit out.
Beck "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime"
The title track is slightly more upbeat than most of Beck's sad bastard music, but it still falls into that category. I still think it's a good song. The cover of "I Can't Help Falling In Love" after that is atrocious. The man can't sing the song; his delivery is short, clipped, and possibly autotuned. THEN Beck shits all over "I Only Have Eyes For You", and I did not realize I'd signed up for bad karaoke night.
"Ramona"'s not as bad, but that's from the Scott Pilgrim VS The World soundtrack, and I'm also just finding out the title track's a cover? At least he did a good job on that one. "Michelangelo Antonini" at least has some neat harmony to it.
The cover of "Your Cheatin' Heart" is pretty flat and lifeless. Beck does the best he can with John Lennon's "Love", but the song is too basic to be saved (and I don't normally use "basic" as a pejorative; this one went above and beyond). We close with a cover of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You In The End", and I can't help but feel it could've used a tiny boost of energy in the delivery; it's a tad lethargic, if not serviceable.
I admit not knowing what I was getting into made for a confounding listen, but at least half the project is bad. Another quarter is nothing to write home about, and the other quarter leaves us with two songs that are...decent, I guess? Loosie single "Ride Lonesome" would've boosted the batting average, even though it's barely above the Mendoza line. I'd skip this one.
Ziferblat "Меланхолія"
These guys need to pick a lane, because if and when they do, they'll either be too boring to care about or truly amazing. Instead, they split the difference between ballady schmaltz and jazzy prog. I think they want to write more complex stuff, but are still chasing that Eurovision high. Once they pick a lane (if they do), I think they can really knock one out of the park. For now, this is decent and worth a listen, but kind of uneven. (Really recommend the first four tracks, though.)
Aja Monet "The Color Of The Rain"
The first song I gave a pass because "Okay, she's just building a vibe. I'm not going anywhere, let it take its time." The second one made me think "Is she...saying anything?" The two songs have pretty similar beats, I haven't latched onto anything she's said on this project yet...hmmm.
The third track says something, but in ways I've heard a billion times it feels like, and the music is damn near exactly the same. The line "There's no such things as a stranger if you're honest" in particular felt like horseshit. I was ready to turn this off.
And then "Hollyweird" comes in like a fucking bulldozer and lays these preconceptions to waste.
It definitely says some shit; about late-stage Capitalism, about the Palestinian Genocide, about how even when we try to do good, we "donate our wardrobes to people without closets". And the music matches the mood; it feels like everything is on fire (and some of the lines at least sideways reference the L.A. fires of 2025, so that fits). All right, now I'm paying attention.
"Skin" returns to the very chill vibe of the openers, but at least this is a honest-to-goodness poem she's reading here. I respect the form, and being the music doesn't have drums and is a little more major key, I can at least tell a difference.
"For The Congo" gives us a history lesson of what's been going on in that country over some bombastic Afro beats. "I Came To The Poem" reckons with why Monet started writing poetry and what she gets out of it.
Point is, it took me awhile to tune into her frequency, but once I did, I found it rewarding.
There are still some issues I have with the project: "I Know That I Don't Know" is the third drumless vibe thing in a row, and because it's hard to write something about not knowing something and make it interesting (this does not stick the landing), I would skip that one. But "Working Class Musicians" brings me right back.
I have a feeling this album is going to be a tough sell for a lot of people; spoken word has never been "popular" per se, but moreso it's the slow, atmospheric compositions that will bounce off listeners. I realize I myself cannot sit still, knowing how much shit I have to do. I don't have an hour to listen to...this. It's why I don't watch movies anymore. I cannot justify taking two hours for myself to enjoy or experience something. I have shit to do.
Man, sometimes you just gotta say "fuck shit". Do you.
U2 "Days Of Ash"
Okay, wasn't expecting U2 to stop their decades long campaign of suck, but here we are. This is a solid EP. Six songs, each about a pretty pressing issue in the world today, all serving as tributes to those that have been slaughtered. None of it feels preachy, which for U2 (even in the 80s) is a wild proposition. This is the first U2 project I would go back to any of since maybe (if I'm being generous) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004), or (let's be real here) Achtung Baby (1991). It's been a looooong time since this band was on my good side so it's a weird feeling that they're back.
U2 "Easter Lily"
Despite putting out two EPs of six songs each, U2 still plans to release a full length album later in 2026 (also despite Easter Lily being 32 minutes, which, to me, is full length in itself, but it's also only six tracks, so we can fudge it; frickin' EPs, man).
Definitely a little more laidback and straightforward than Days Of Ash, but still a decent enough ride. It focuses more on internal thought and conflict, like "How can human connections survive algorithms that discourage them?" or "Is religion still worth it?" or "What is friendship really?" or "Do these scars help or hurt me?"
I really only got something out of it as a companion piece to Days Of Ash. It's serviceable, but not really knocking my socks off on its own. As side B of this Lent "Album" however, it feels more complete.
Bruiser Wolf & Sheefy McFly "Push & Paint"
I don't know why this ended up on AOTY's Bottom list; I don't think this is bad at all. It's some fun throwback rap shit with the nefarious elements played up for effect. He's got a quirky voice, but it's not nothing that wouldn't fit in with E-40 and The Click circa 1998. I'm scratching my head why this would have such a subpar user rating.
And that's all for now. Next time, we celebrate an unfathomable milestone. S t a y t u n e d .
Don't give up.
Mimi Webb "Confessions: An Unexpected Turn Of Events"
You'd think an album where the Meghan Trainor feature is one of the best things on it would be a disaster, but hear me out! I somehow found myself liking this pop album that sounds like it was made between 2015 and 2017, then shelved until now (it was not).
And I think that has to do with framing: more mine than its. When we think of something as dated, we usually mean passé; something trying to capture a zeitgeist that's been left in the dust (and still thinking it's nailing it). But this to me feels dated as if it's a period piece; something not trying to recapture a lost time, but to explore the identity of that period. (Which, given there's plenty of people over 35 that think anything after 2010 doesn't have any cultural markers at all, is an interesting gambit. (I hope the fact I brought this up clues you in that I am not one of those, despite overqualifying for the demographic)).
Normally an album with 17 tracks has an uphill battle earning its length, but weirdly for Confessions its length is a strength. It helped me get used to the idea of listening to a dated pop album outside of my comfort zone. (Also, the songs are all 2:25 to 2:45; the closer's a positively epic 3:25 by comparison.) I started to get into it by track 10, instead of just kind of liking a song here or there. It's not essential listening by any means, but there's a handful of standouts, and as a full listening experience, it manages to tie itself together quite cohesively. If you're kinda into it at the beginning, you'll be at least more into it by the end.
[Blogger's Note: I wrote all that back in April. When I finally got back around to writing this blog and trying to finish the entry, I went to relisten to the album and found out this was a deluxe edition of an album from 2025. The first five tracks are the bonus, and that might explain why I felt the back end was more cohesive. Ya never really know, do ya?]
[Also, skip "That Girl" at all costs. Horrrrendous.]
Evildrank
I'd say I've never heard anything like it, but the flow is exactly the same on every track, so that'd be a lie. The beats are genuinely inspired in how fucked up they are, but it's not really worth putting up with the vocals. (Also, if you were trying to create the worst producer tag ever, "I swear I thought she was 18" can step up and claim the prize.) The most annoying thing you'll hear all year, but also kinda goes hard? YMMV, but I got something out of it.
[On a serious note, I do hope Evildrank was just being edgy by ending the project by threatening to kill themself. I hope they're doing okay and that they're either getting the help they need or are just being a shit poster. I could totally see this turning out badly, and I really don't want that for them.]
North West "N0rth4evr"
Yes, this is Kanye & Kim's daughter. No, that doesn't matter. This sounds like Playboi Carti signed a vocaloid to Opium. There's no real personality here. Then again, this is a twelve year old (she turned 13 a month after this came out), so like, maybe I shouldn't take this that seriously. If she keeps at it, she'll figure her shit out.
Beck "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime"
The title track is slightly more upbeat than most of Beck's sad bastard music, but it still falls into that category. I still think it's a good song. The cover of "I Can't Help Falling In Love" after that is atrocious. The man can't sing the song; his delivery is short, clipped, and possibly autotuned. THEN Beck shits all over "I Only Have Eyes For You", and I did not realize I'd signed up for bad karaoke night.
"Ramona"'s not as bad, but that's from the Scott Pilgrim VS The World soundtrack, and I'm also just finding out the title track's a cover? At least he did a good job on that one. "Michelangelo Antonini" at least has some neat harmony to it.
The cover of "Your Cheatin' Heart" is pretty flat and lifeless. Beck does the best he can with John Lennon's "Love", but the song is too basic to be saved (and I don't normally use "basic" as a pejorative; this one went above and beyond). We close with a cover of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You In The End", and I can't help but feel it could've used a tiny boost of energy in the delivery; it's a tad lethargic, if not serviceable.
I admit not knowing what I was getting into made for a confounding listen, but at least half the project is bad. Another quarter is nothing to write home about, and the other quarter leaves us with two songs that are...decent, I guess? Loosie single "Ride Lonesome" would've boosted the batting average, even though it's barely above the Mendoza line. I'd skip this one.
Ziferblat "Меланхолія"
These guys need to pick a lane, because if and when they do, they'll either be too boring to care about or truly amazing. Instead, they split the difference between ballady schmaltz and jazzy prog. I think they want to write more complex stuff, but are still chasing that Eurovision high. Once they pick a lane (if they do), I think they can really knock one out of the park. For now, this is decent and worth a listen, but kind of uneven. (Really recommend the first four tracks, though.)
Aja Monet "The Color Of The Rain"
The first song I gave a pass because "Okay, she's just building a vibe. I'm not going anywhere, let it take its time." The second one made me think "Is she...saying anything?" The two songs have pretty similar beats, I haven't latched onto anything she's said on this project yet...hmmm.
The third track says something, but in ways I've heard a billion times it feels like, and the music is damn near exactly the same. The line "There's no such things as a stranger if you're honest" in particular felt like horseshit. I was ready to turn this off.
And then "Hollyweird" comes in like a fucking bulldozer and lays these preconceptions to waste.
It definitely says some shit; about late-stage Capitalism, about the Palestinian Genocide, about how even when we try to do good, we "donate our wardrobes to people without closets". And the music matches the mood; it feels like everything is on fire (and some of the lines at least sideways reference the L.A. fires of 2025, so that fits). All right, now I'm paying attention.
"Skin" returns to the very chill vibe of the openers, but at least this is a honest-to-goodness poem she's reading here. I respect the form, and being the music doesn't have drums and is a little more major key, I can at least tell a difference.
"For The Congo" gives us a history lesson of what's been going on in that country over some bombastic Afro beats. "I Came To The Poem" reckons with why Monet started writing poetry and what she gets out of it.
Point is, it took me awhile to tune into her frequency, but once I did, I found it rewarding.
There are still some issues I have with the project: "I Know That I Don't Know" is the third drumless vibe thing in a row, and because it's hard to write something about not knowing something and make it interesting (this does not stick the landing), I would skip that one. But "Working Class Musicians" brings me right back.
I have a feeling this album is going to be a tough sell for a lot of people; spoken word has never been "popular" per se, but moreso it's the slow, atmospheric compositions that will bounce off listeners. I realize I myself cannot sit still, knowing how much shit I have to do. I don't have an hour to listen to...this. It's why I don't watch movies anymore. I cannot justify taking two hours for myself to enjoy or experience something. I have shit to do.
Man, sometimes you just gotta say "fuck shit". Do you.
U2 "Days Of Ash"
Okay, wasn't expecting U2 to stop their decades long campaign of suck, but here we are. This is a solid EP. Six songs, each about a pretty pressing issue in the world today, all serving as tributes to those that have been slaughtered. None of it feels preachy, which for U2 (even in the 80s) is a wild proposition. This is the first U2 project I would go back to any of since maybe (if I'm being generous) How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004), or (let's be real here) Achtung Baby (1991). It's been a looooong time since this band was on my good side so it's a weird feeling that they're back.
U2 "Easter Lily"
Despite putting out two EPs of six songs each, U2 still plans to release a full length album later in 2026 (also despite Easter Lily being 32 minutes, which, to me, is full length in itself, but it's also only six tracks, so we can fudge it; frickin' EPs, man).
Definitely a little more laidback and straightforward than Days Of Ash, but still a decent enough ride. It focuses more on internal thought and conflict, like "How can human connections survive algorithms that discourage them?" or "Is religion still worth it?" or "What is friendship really?" or "Do these scars help or hurt me?"
I really only got something out of it as a companion piece to Days Of Ash. It's serviceable, but not really knocking my socks off on its own. As side B of this Lent "Album" however, it feels more complete.
Bruiser Wolf & Sheefy McFly "Push & Paint"
I don't know why this ended up on AOTY's Bottom list; I don't think this is bad at all. It's some fun throwback rap shit with the nefarious elements played up for effect. He's got a quirky voice, but it's not nothing that wouldn't fit in with E-40 and The Click circa 1998. I'm scratching my head why this would have such a subpar user rating.
And that's all for now. Next time, we celebrate an unfathomable milestone. S t a y t u n e d .
Don't give up.
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