pop music
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Amber Gomez – “I’m Not Black and Blue” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ I’m not sure whether I’ve ever expressed this opinion out in the open, but man, I’m really not a fan of Taylor Swift. Questionable ethics aside, her music is… nothing to me, and that is her greatest sin in my humble opinion. To my ears, it is a big, meaty slab… Read more
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Maya Mendez – “Through and Through” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ It’s been a while since I’ve last reviewed a nice, comfortable pop song, so here we go. The information my research provided me with is that Maya Mendez first hit the scene in February 2025 with the song “Have Your Fun” (which is a really pretty folk-pop tune, by the way! Check… Read more
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Yumi Matsutoya – “流線形 ’80” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ Trust me when I tell you that I really wanted to kick this review off by cracking a joke about how this album is just outtakes from “紅雀” that failed to make the cut due to being too interesting for that project – but man, this is just not that. What this is,… Read more
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Yumi Matsutoya – “紅雀” review
Final verdict: 7/10 ★★★⋆˙⟡☆ You know, the pessimist in me craves something to complain about. And initially, this album would have been it – oh no, would you look at that, Yuming, THE Yuming, fell off! This album is BOOOO-RING! The demise of who was arguably the greatest figure in the 1970s Japanese music scene is upon us!… Read more
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Yumi Arai – “Cobalt Hour” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ The stars have aligned once again; I am feeling capricious, hence I skipped my prose class today (being an English major is not for the weak), and what better way to spend my self-declared day off than to listen to Yuming, my most beloved of all? No, seriously. As time goes… Read more
1970s, 70s music, album review, blog, city pop, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Marina – “The Family Jewels” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ Marina has long been one of my favorite artists – through the holy trinity that is her first few albums (the “The Family Jewels” – “Electra Heart” – “Froot” run) she has proven herself to be a greatly creative songwriter, a force to be reckoned with. Those sentiments aren’t quite in… Read more
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Lady Gaga – “Mayhem” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ Say what you will about Lady Gaga – but one thing you absolutely cannot deny is that she’s an unlikely talent. A beast of a vocalist, a more-than-merely-competent pianist, and a reasonably trustworthy songwriter, complete with mind-blowing stage pyrotechnics. She’s what a popstar ought to be, the complete package. But well, let’s not… Read more
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Yumi Arai – “Misslim” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ The sentiments expressed on my review of Yumi Arai’s (or Matsutoya’s, or, as I will again refer to her, Yuming’s) debut LP “ひこうき雲” ring true with her follow-up record, too. And the record in question is none other than 1974’s “Misslim” – an album that has rightfully acquired its place in… Read more
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Dua Lipa – “Radical Optimism” review
Final verdict: 5/10 ★★⋆˙⟡☆☆ Okay, so, recently, a good buddy of mine coerced me into listening to this album. Well, “coerced” is a bit of a strong word, he didn’t technically do that, however he did repeatedly pressure me to listen to it and review it, because he was curious about what I’d think of it. Eventually I caved,… Read more
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Jun Togawa – “好き好き大好き” review
Final verdict: 10/10 ★★★★★ A few months ago I had a manic episode. Rough times, man, I don’t even want to think about it. But to review this album, I kind of have to. So, “好き好き大好き”. This album was all I would ever listen to during my manic spell. Anything that wasn’t a song off… Read more
