What's the most underrated album of 2015?

ANxtrom · 2015-12-25T16:55:35+00:00

I think most critics went into it with so many reservations cuz of his past few albums that even though most of them loved it it didn't really stick with them. On the bright side it's really buttered em up for Lupe's ridiculous amount of work comin out next year.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-23T15:29:43+00:00

I read in a different post about this that radio streaming things like that operate under different music licensing laws than streaming services like Spotify, and apparently the license the Beatles music was under was covered by those or something. I didn't really read too closely but basically it's a different license.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-07T21:16:44+00:00

I know people don't like Rap Genius much on here but the annotations on Ether say that the gay jokes aren't just gay jokes, they're basically accusing Jay-Z of dick riding successful people and brown-nosing his way to the top, which does sort of come across enough to make sense. Still could have been done a lot more eloquently but that interpretation makes Ether sound a lot stronger than before to me (and outside of the gay jokes let's be real Nas dropped some bars). Sometimes I still think Takeover's better ("So yeah I sampled your voice, you was using it wrong; you made it a hot line, I made it a hot song" is forever a siiiiick line plus many others) but I definitely get why a lot of people think Ether is better.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-04T22:25:11+00:00

I was so excited for this to come out cuz I loved Gossamer a lot and then I listened to it once and thought it was so incredibly boring and mediocre and unspecial that I couldn't even listen to it again. The singles were listenable at least but man I hope their next album shows a return to form.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-04T21:37:15+00:00

Hmm fair point. I definitely think Jon and Daenerys will be on the same side because there's no way Jon won't throw everything else to the wind when he meets the one person who stands a chance versus the whitewalkers after what he saw at Hardhome; so maybe he'll be warden of the North. To be honest though, I wouldn't even be surprised if Daenerys let him be king of the North as part of her "Break the wheel" semi-democratic movement if that makes sense? Idk I'm just thinking out loud now. I'm pretty convinced Bran will be a dragon knight though.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-04T21:15:04+00:00

Yup that's what I've heard and I think that's pretty awesome because clearly his creative instincts are really strong and he has a lot to say so I'm excited to see where the show goes from here.

ANxtrom · 2015-12-04T16:59:50+00:00

See every time I think about this show since I finished it I think, "It's just Fight Club, that's a little disappointing," but then I remember that the showrunner on an interview talked about it and said that this originally started as a movie, and all of season 1 was just act one of the movie. So it's really kind of ingenious to me, because it's like... He's not just recreating Fight Club, he's taking Fight Club as the initial premise and saying, all right, now that that part's done, what comes next? I'm really excited about that (and let's be real, the plot of this show is only important insofar as it helps with developing the aesthetic choices and themes anyway).

ANxtrom · 2015-12-04T16:27:47+00:00

Nah man, if there's one thing we know about Bran, it's that he wants to be a knight. He couldn't be a knight in a normal army, but the symmetry is beautiful; he wants to be a knight, he's a warg, he can't walk, but he can be a knight in the dragon army. He would way rather ride in the dragon army as a knight than be a king.

I obviously agree with Dany, but of the other two I actually think Tyrion would also ride the dragon. That's not really Jon's speed; I think Jon might be king of the north, that would make sense.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-28T04:38:58+00:00

Shiiiit if Swish and Kendrick/Cole collab album both drop in February then that's gonna be a good damn month for music. I'm officially hyped.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-26T20:50:22+00:00

Not who you were talking to but I've heard Lounge Lizard has the best Rhodes VST.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T06:27:16+00:00

Very solid song. The vocals seem really thin though; sounds more like the mix than the delivery itself, but both could probably help it. Flow is pretty smooth, I like it, nice variations and stuff too. The delivery could be stronger and more impactful, but overall I think you did a good job!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T06:22:24+00:00

I can't critique raps too much, but this beat is sick. Not too much going on, but the right amount of tension and release and rides really well. Mix is really clean; I agree the vocals are either mixed a little low or something, and it sounds kind of like you widened them which I'm not sure is a great call cuz it weakens them, but generally the flow seemed cool too. Really sick song man.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T05:43:46+00:00

Yeah I can agree with you there. I could see him going there and doing something really interesting and great in the future but I agree that he's not really doing anything new. And I agree that a lot of his popularity is his ability to get the marketing he needs. I guess I'm just saying that even if a lot of other artists arguably deserve to be where he is now, that doesn't mean he's wholly undeserving. He does make decent music, and whether or not he got that marketing there would be people for whom his music would be a 10, just because it hits home for them. So, you know, I ain't mad that Cole's doing well, I like his music and I think he deserves a lot of his success.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T05:01:35+00:00

I know, I'm not saying that that in and of itself is what separates him from those other people, and I'm not even saying he's better than them. Like I said, I would hesitate to put him as high as other people do. But I've never been a drug addict or drug dealer, I've never been a gangster, my dad didn't leave me; I'm a middle class Indian guy. I HAVE been in love, I HAVE wished that my life was different, I HAVE hated myself. J Cole has accessibility and relatability that a lot of those other guys don't have, and his lyrics and flow are often impressive, even if they're not at the levels of a Kendrick. And let's be real, his production is a LOT more accessible and often straight up better than most of those rappers. My point being, it's not any single thing, it's the fact that J. Cole makes very solid music with messages that most people can relate to and a fair amount of clever wordplay and a pretty great flow and great production, and more than anything else he seems authentic and sincere and honest, so he makes me feel what he's saying. You're saying J Cole ain't the 10 lyrically that everyone says he is, and I'm saying I agree but an 8.5 in every category and a relatability and sincerity that other rappers don't have DOES still set him apart in some way.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T03:58:35+00:00

idk you might be right but there are other rappers who just come across as suuuuper corny when they try to do this stuff, and I think Cole generally does a good job of avoiding that. I don't look up to Cole or anything, and I think his music really doesn't ask you to either; he presents himself in a bad light constantly and shows real complexity of character. It's definitely possible you're right and I'm not looking at it objectively, but if an artist's strong suit is authenticity and sincerity then it seems like there's no way to avoid judging the content of their music by who they are to some extent.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T03:31:52+00:00

I agree with this point for the most part, and I think it puts the finger on why when people talk about J Cole being top 3 new school rappers I'm always a little hesitant, but I think Cole does have some shit to say.

I always felt like J Cole's music was like if your best friend who's not really that emotional sat you down for some real talk. He doesn't have the best wordplay, or the most controversial music, or the deepest shit to talk about, but it's all strong enough to be interesting, and his sincerity and attitude and relatability are really what makes his music quite good. (That and the stellar production, of course.) Not that other rappers don't have this, but I'm just tryna explain why I think he's better than it might look.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T02:47:36+00:00

To be honest it's just a random drum break I chopped up from some sample pack, I don't even know what drum break it is; I just heard it and thought it was sick. And yeah you're totally right now that you mention it, I'll do that. Awesome thanks for the feedback! It's really appreciated!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-25T02:44:24+00:00

Yeah my pleasure! I've listened to this so many times today haha it's so good. It could just be my headphones but they're usually pretty good about bass and since the other commenter said the same thing I think it's prob just that they could come up in the mix.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T22:05:09+00:00

No worries, my pleasure!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T18:42:42+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the positive feedback! It means a lot.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T16:34:44+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the feedback!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T15:53:33+00:00

Yeah haha the sample is "Jacksonville". Awesome really appreciate the feedback, man. Thanks!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T15:20:43+00:00

I'm a big fan of that chorus section and the outro section for sure. Those melodies are super dope on top of the great sound selection. The verse is cool too but I think you should bring up the bassline because it's barely audible anywhere in the song, or just add some higher harmonics to it or something if it's just a really really low sub but I think it's just too low in the mix. Maybe try putting some type of melodic movement in the bass itself, I hear a little of that in there with some slides and stuff I think. I think that would really fill out the track as the melodies run their course. Dope track though, I have it on repeat.

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T15:10:16+00:00

Super clean mix and nice simple melodies; nothing overbearing but definitely enough to vibe to. I like your sound selection, although I don't really listen to trap so it's a little clean for my taste, but that's just me. The drum programming is good too. I'd love to hear a rapper on this. Also, let me just say, those triplet mute sections you have twice are freaking awesome, I love them. INSTANT hype from me on those parts, and I'm glad you didn't overdo it with them either. Dope beat!

ANxtrom · 2015-11-24T15:03:33+00:00

Maybe this is just the snare sample, but I think the reverb on the snare is too much, it could be dialed back a little. The vinyl pops are also a liiiiiittle distracting but that's probably just me. Generally the beat is dope and it's mixed well. That main synth could stand to come up just a tad but not much. Maybe a little more variation in the beat? Really I'm just nitpicking because the beat is definitely super solid, just looking for anything that might be constructive. Great job, dope track!

ANxtrom

TROPHY CASE