Hardly Credible Music Reviews with Kieran

The Legend of Chin  - Switchfoot 1997, Re:think Ah, Switchfoot's charming debut record. I wasn't alive yet and these guys were already getting things started, albeit their line-up was a bit smaller at the time (Jon and Tim Foreman and Chad Butler). Even in their earliest iteration, Switchfoot was already establishing their style, one they would continue to develop over time. The result is a likable record from a band that showed promise. As you might have guessed, this album is a blend of what would become Switchfoot and a youthful side of the band that has, with age, been abandoned. On the track "Chem 6A," Jon sings about having "nothing but laziness" in a tongue-in-cheek song about teenaged indifference. The song "Might Have Ben Hur" is about a girl Jon is infatuated with; a handful of songs start with some pre-performance banter among the guys. All of this adds to the charm and youth that oozes out of the album. On the other hand, Jon was...

Girl with Basket of Fruit - Xiu Xiu 2019, Polyvinyl I can only describe this album as absurd. I have little previous experience with the experimental band Xiu Xiu, nor do I know if I want to know more about the crew. The sounds on this album are disturbing, contorted, even repulsive. The lyrics hardly make sense during the initial listen-through and it doesn't get much better on repeat experiences. In fact, repeated listens are what hold the album back. Like re-watching a horror movie, you know when the freaky stuff starts. Songs are no longer held up by their weirdness and, strangely enough, become boring. But that's not to say all songs lose their punch. "Mary Turner Mary Turner" will remain one of the most disturbing songs I've ever heard, as it retells the disturbing execution of Mary Turner. The title track still makes absolutely no sense and teeters on the line between enjoyably weird and too weird. Jamie Stewart's vocal delivery sounds pained at ...

Igor  - Tyler, the Creator 2019, A Boy Is a Gun / Columbia Records This is Tyler's left turn. He took the instrumental style of his previous full-length album Flower Boy  and took it further, releasing something far from a rap album. Instead, what Mr. Creator has produced is one of the best break up albums I've ever listened to. From a sonic aspect, this album is amazing; the way Tyler warps his voice against the music works incredibly well. The sinister sounds of "NEW MAGIC WAND" and "WHAT'S GOOD" are addictive; the hooks on this album are crazy catchy. But what really takes the cake for me is the pacing. Every song arrives just in time and never overstays its welcome. The order of the songs tells a convincing lost-love story: from the admittance of one sided love in "EARFQUAKE" and "RUNNING OUT OF TIME" to the manipulation on "PUPPET," from the I-don't-need-you-anymore vibe on "WHAT'S GOOD" to the ...