Username: Ghost-Quartet

Album: IGOR: This album was such a serve. While Tyler was a solid name before this I think a lot of people just kinda viewed him as a little punk, they liked his music well enough but rolled their eyes at him and his fans, but he shut all his detractors up with this one. It’s one of those rare albums that feels weird and unique but also manages to be *good* at the same time. It really is genre defying and I can understand his frustration at it receiving an award for being a rap album because it kinda isn’t, but the well deserved critical acclaim probably helps him sleep at night. Very curious to see what his next album will be like because he set a high bar for himself here.

IGOR'S THEME: 5 You’ll never be #30: Ariana Grande - Intro, Average: 6.770 // Total Points: 866.5 // Controversy: 2.189

EARFQUAKE: 9 I was really into this when it came out but as time has gone on my opinion on it has cooled. I think it’s cool how the whole song is basically just a big long chorus and the way he just screams out “DON’T LEAVE, IT’S MY FAULT” is really cutting but I kinda wish that there was more to it. Still it’s a pretty iconic moment, when this dropped we knew he was coming for blood.

I THINK: 7.5 One of my main frustrations with this album is that it’s really hard to get a hold on the tracks with how they’re so grungy and constantly shifting; I’m sure for a lot of people that’s a selling point but I’m a bit more traditional. I respect the experimentation and how he chooses to convey a mood but it’s frustrating when we get teased by a melody section that I really like the sound of that isn’t fully explored. I would love to hear the synth wave bridge of this song expanded into its own track but alas, it’s just a pit stop.

EWYRFYEUC: 1 why are we rating this? I don’t even know that this is particularly good advice.

RUNNING OUT OF TIME: 9 That “RUNNING OUT OF TIME” refrain is always the first thing that jumps to mind when I think about this album. I actually kinda think that this is the most straightforwardly “pop” that the album gets, if this were just tweaked a bit and made less grimy it could easily fit onto a Drake album.

NEW MAGIC WAND: 7 Remember his super freaky performance of this at the Grammys? That visual of him breathing heavily into the microphone probably would have given me nightmares as a kid. Anyways I’m a horrorcore whore so I should probably love this track but I’m just kinda “eh” on it.

A BOY IS A GUN: 11 Is it bad that I’m giving my 11 to the most straightforward, easy to understand song on the album? Maybe I’m just basic but I really like this track, it’s accessible while still maintaining the weirdness that makes *IGOR* stand out. The backing music sounds classy for some reason and it’s a great juxtaposition with his scratchy voice and the atonal “harmonies” in the chorus, and I love the way the melody seems to stumble over itself. I can actually understand all the lyrics here and I like what he’s saying, boys *are* dangerous and that’s the tea! Hope his next album takes its cues from this track.

PUPPET: 4 I usually like songs about puppets/toys, like usually if a song has something like that in the title I’ll end up liking this, but this is pretty forgettable.

WHAT'S GOOD: 4 this is popheads ma’am, stop screaming

GONE, GONE / THANK YOU: 7 I like the choruses on here, they sound like samples of old school songs, but I can’t help but feel like this would be stronger if it was just three separate tracks? Like I like the first part, then it switches and that’s neat, but then it switches a third time and it’s just excessive, especially since the third part is kinda the most boring. Like this is just a general note for all artists, it doesn’t need to be a six minute long double track you can just split it into multiple tracks and it’ll be okay, your listeners will thank you for it.

I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE: 6 that happened I guess

ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?: 10 The raw honesty of the project really works here, plus the melody lines are really good to listen to and the production is pleasant as well. It just all comes together for a fantastic closing track, it’s good that the album ends on a really strong note.

Album: GINGER: Yeah so this was very clearly the album I had the least to say about and reading the comments in the rate announcement thread it seems like the general consensus is that this album is weaker than the other two. I’ve never quite “understood” BROCKHAMPTON, I get the concept and the appeal but on a musical level they often leave me flat, and this didn’t change my mind. There were one or two songs on here that I liked but on the whole it felt like I was just marking time waiting for it to finish.

NO HALO: 6 Like the chorus of this one but it feels kinda flat, more like an extended intro than a true song.

SUGAR: 8.5 A nice chill out track, I think that their trademark sound is kinda “rap verses punctuated by more traditional boyband melody sections” and that style really shines here.

BOY BYE: 8.8 Love those skittering strings that filter throughout the track and the sound of their voices here.

HEAVEN BELONGS TO YOU: 5 This is like eating a piece of plain popcorn, it’s not bad but there’s really no impact to it

ST. PERCY: 3 Noooo don’t make music that sounds like this your so sexy aha

IF YOU PRAY RIGHT: 10 On paper I should dislike this because it’s very traditional rap and that’s not my thing but damned if I’m not bopping my head along with that beat and that horn is so addictive! There’s a “dirty” vibe to the track and their lyrics are sharp, but then the outro (which again, I should hate but don’t) flips it on its head and just gives you a minute to vibe after the party. One of the highlights of the album for me.

DEARLY DEPARTED: 7.5 This is vaguely related to the song but I had a coworker during college who went to elementary/middle school (I think?) with one of these guys and so now whenever I hear them sing about hard hitting topics like this all I can think about is like, a little white child singing in an auditorium and it just takes the air out of the sails. Hope she’s doing well.

I BEEN BORN AGAIN: 6 I like the production on this one but the lyrics and vocals kinda sink it

GINGER: 4 A YouTube video started autoplaying while I was in the middle of listening to this and I went “oh thank god something interesting is happening in the song” before realizing what was happening.

BIG BOY: 5 how am I supposed to find something to say about this

LOVE ME FOR LIFE: 7.2 the “edgy rap boyband” thing pops on this track, I like it when they pay homage to that ‘90s boyband sound like they do with the chorus of this one

VICTOR ROBERTS: 9

Album: Swimming: I’d previously listened to *The Divine Feminine* and I thought it was like, okay. I think the problem was that I listened to *Freudian* by Daniel Caesar around the same time, an album with similar themes and sounds that’s infinitely better, but on the whole I was just kinda ambivalent towards Mac Miller. This did not change that. When Mac is on he is ON and he delivers great music, but the flashes of greatness are punctuated by a lot of mediocrity, which is to say songs that sound good enough to be released but aren’t really all that much worth listening to. His music exists on a knife’s edge… are his vocals raw/heartfelt or just ugly/untrained? Is the plainness of his lyrics honest or just banal? Are his songs “chill” or just boring? I oscillate back and forth on these points basically from track to track, but more often than not I find the answer to lie on the negative side of the fence. Perhaps he just speaks to a demographic that I’m not a part of.

Come Back to Earth: 10 Really love the lyrics of this one, I totally understand and relate to what he’s singing about here. This is such a strong opener for the album, it sets a high bar that the rest of the album doesn’t entirely match but it’s a really pretty piece of music regardless.

Hurt Feelings: 6 His vocal delivery is really weird here? Like I know that’s just kinda what he sounds like but it really sounds like he’s only singing out of the corner of his mouth on the chorus of this one. The lyrics are solid though.

What's the Use: 7.5 I like this one because of the smooth, danceable production. I looked the lyrics up they’re pretty well written and intricate, unfortunate (or perhaps fitting?) considering it’s about his battle with substance abuse. I will say though that the bridge sounds like it was cut from *IGOR*, but like, in a bad way.

Perfecto: 3 these lyrics are stupid, and I know I’m not the only one who thinks so because this track has the second least views on Genius by a decent margin

Self Care: 6.5 I like the prechorus of this and the verses aren’t bad but oh my god his voice on the chorus is SO punchable. Like the way he elongates the word “soooooo” is just an ugly sound. He sounds better on the second half though, in general the “Oblivion” portion of this track is what saves it because that half is infinitely more interesting.

Wings: 5 Why does his accent on the verses make it sound like he’s about to try to sing “Coal Miner’s Daughter?” Do people from Pittsburg sound like this? I looked up a map and it’s above the Mason Dixon line. I don’t know why, it just hit me at this point in the album for some reason. Anyways the production on this track is really weird and largely unsuccessful.

Ladders: 8.5 Maybe I’m just easily seduced by a funky groove but I quite liked this one.

Small Worlds: 2 This is kinda insufferable actually, I don’t want to speak ill of the dead but he really sounds like a tool in this song. I think there’s nothing wrong with simple, straightforward lyrics that just kind of state the message of the song plainly and clearly but this is just comes across as banal; there’s a difference between being “real” and just being boring. He’s reaching for depth that just isn’t there, which is unusual because he shows on a lot of the rest of the album that he can be much better than this. Also he just sounds bad. A big old dud but it gets points because I kinda like the structure of the chorus though.

Conversations Pt. 1: 7 The themes of this song are so tired but there are some really snappy lines in this that elevate it a bit.

Dunno: 7.8 Maybe I’m too gay and straight laced to appreciate this song about having a vaguely toxic relationship with a woman and drugs, but I actually appreciate his vulnerability here and the overall sound of the track is pretty. If the lyrics were tightened up a bit this would be a ten.

Jet Fuel: 4 I’m sorry, these lyrics are stupid and his delivery is bad. “Come down when I run out of jet fuel / and I never run out of jet fuel” ~~this is why we have co-writers~~ there are five co-writers credited and none of them could come up with something better?

2009: 8 This didn’t need to be this long but it’s otherwise a nice song

So It Goes: 7 This is very wavy and spacey but kinda a strange choice for a closing track? Like it’s pleasant but it doesn’t leave much of an impact beyond the synths at the end, which are admittedly pretty nice.

BONUS TRACKS

GROUP B: 6 oh he’s like actually rapping here

BEST INTEREST: 8.5 I like this weird sort of, like, carousel of vintage sounding samples

Baby Boy: 10 Will be very surprised if this one doesn’t win the bonus rate. I found this song through the Popheads Jukebox (RIP) and while the album it came from was something of a disappointment this is just so beautiful, I still revisit it from time to time. It’s like that moment in an indie romance film where the protagonist realizes who they’re really supposed to be with and they go running off into the night after them.

Sugar - Dua Lipa Remix: 8.5 Dua is on this? She’s barely noticeable. It’s cute though.

Buttons: 5 this isn’t hte pussycat dolls

Programs: 6 maybe I just don’t like Mac Miller?

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