Every year I am baffled by some choices hyped by critics and this year here is the baffling batch:
1. Adrianne Lenker BRIGHT FUTURE (METACRITIC SCORE 8.7/10):
Lenker's one tone delivery bewitches critics every time...I can't claim to be a fan but it would be interesting to hear more variety and grit.
2. Beth Gibbons LIVES OUTGROWN (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):
who among us trip/hop fans doesn't love Portishead and, even more, Gibbons but alas those days are long over.
3. MJ Lenderman MANNING FIREWORKS (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):
even after repeated listens, I still can't hear the gems.
4. The Cure SONGS OF A LOST WORLD (METACRITIC SCORE 9.3/10):
away for a long time and although there are pockets of sweet reverb, it begins to sound way too predictable after a while.
5. Blood Incantation ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE (METACRITIC SCORE 9.2/10):
there's always that one metal record every year-end publication crows as epic.
6. Sabrina Carpenter SHORT N’ SWEET (METACRITIC SCORE 8.2/10):
guess it's a case of her being in the right place at the right time because the music is bland at best.
7. Kim Gordon THE COLLECTIVE (METACRITIC SCORE 8.4/10):
the cool rocker aunt image aside, it's hard to sift through the total opaqueness of this record.
8. Jessica Pratt HERE IN THE PITCH (METACRITIC SCORE 8.9/10):
a breezy but uninteresting run.
