Shifty's Monthly Album Overview List: June Strikes Back :')

Hey remember when when I personally challenged June to come up with some good music? Well, June came through and embarrassed me. Shifty: 0, June: 1. Shifty is still feeling like a proud dad right now, cause I think that it's my fault that the music in June was so good. You're welcome. Shifty also feels like personally attacking months of the year isn't really a great idea, because months take those attacks seriously. This is a list of the bands that put out some really good music in June. The albums that I #liked get one seal of approval and the albums that I #likedliked get two seals of approval. This month's seal of approval is particularly fantastic.

#KissFromASeal

#thingsiliked

Bully- Feels Like
-Some of them rocks and rolls that your parents talk about. When I listen to this album, it FEELS LIKE (I rarely feel) this album is a good album.
#ISeeWhatIDidThere
#;)

Girlpool- Before the World Was Big
-This album really pulls me in. It feels really small, and it just makes me smile (I rarely smile). It kind of feels like the bass and the guitar are kinda dueling each other or something. And the dual vocals are just fantastic. Very sweet and syrupy.
#OneHundredOneMillionBillionTrillionTimes

Sun Kil Moon- Universal Themes
-Mark Kozelek comes through with another wonderful and personal album. He threw in some electric guitar, Steve Shelley on the drums, and some extra shouty lyrics and in the end it really worked out. Most of the songs are over 7 minutes, and it really takes a focused listen in order to catch all of the lyrics and themes of the album. In the end I enjoyed this album a lot, but not as much as Benji or the first half of Among the Leaves (which is his best work in my opinion).
#IfYouAreLookingForFantasticLyricsThenThisIsYourAlbum

Thundercat- The Beyond/ Where the Giants Roam
-The whole Brainfeeder crew has been on point lately. Flying Lotus's album last year, Kamasi Washington's album earlier this year, and they handled a lot of the instrumentation on To Pimp a Butterfly as well. Thundercat is striking while the fire is hot, and he delivers a quality ep.
#ForAllOfThemLostSouls

Wavves x Cloud Nothings- No Life For Me
-Oh hey look, two of my favorite bands made a collaborative album. Is any good? Yes it is son. Yes it is. Also, I like how both bands kind of went back to their roots for this. I was kind of expecting it to be a lot more influenced by Cloud Nothings' recent output, but this is a pleasant surprise.
#YesLifeForMe


               

#thingsilikedliked

Czarface- Every Hero Needs a Villain
-Czarface is a collaboration Wu Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck and the duo of 7L & Esoteric. This is the second album made by the trio, and this one does exactly what it's predecessor(Czarface) didn't. It is actually good. It's production is like a mix between RZA and MF DOOM production. It's got some of the best punchlines of the year (I rarely laugh) and a really great cast of features. DOOM's verse is his best in a long time.......... and it's villainous as can be. This is seriously like my favorite Inspectah Deck release ever.
#ForVillainsOnly

Jamie XX- In Colour
-This is a fantastic electronic album that is very varied. Jamie blends a lot of different components and it ends up being like a mix between house music and garage music. Jamie goes all the way in. So far, this is my favorite electronic album this year. Lately I've been asking myself, "What makes a good album?" The answer for me, I guess is that it's gotta have bangers. Oh boy does this album have bangers. All 11 of the songs on this album are bangers. So naturally, this album is gonna be #likedliked.
#NoAcousticInstrumentsUsed
#IOnceAccidentallyDownloadedALumineersSong
#IHadToThrowAwayMyWholeComputerJustToBeSafe

Vince Staples- Summertime '06
-This is a great album. A lot of people complain that Vince has a kind of monotone voice. I don't really think that takes away from how great he is. This album has fantastic production and the beats really play to Vince's strengths. It's very catchy and it also has a lot of substance. I'm not sure why he separated the album and made it a double album. Back in my day, 60 minutes of music didn't warrant a double album......
#NorfNorfForDays
#SummerInPain

Shifty Dual Month Annual Album Reviews™- April & May: Shifty Returns With a Vengeance Part 2.A.iii of 4

I didn't make a list thing in April because I didn't have the time to make one. I'm gonna put that right here. Cool. There was a lot of good music that came out the past two months.

Due to the fact that I featured two months of music in this Rundown Overview, I separated the music by month. The same prison rules apply to these Monthly Rundown Overviews. If I like a music it goes under the #thingsiliked section and it also gets one Shifty Seal of Approval™. If I really liked a music, then it goes under the #thingsilikedliked section, and OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! IT GETS TWO SHIFTY SEALS OF APPROVAL™!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU BASED SHIFTY AND THANK YOU BASED SEALS!!!!!!!! This is what a Shifty Seal of Approval™ looks like:

It is cute and you want one

April Music

#thingsiliked

Speedy Ortiz- Foil Dear
Very fierce. Sadie Dupuis is a great lyricist and this album features some of her best to date. Only a genius would be in a Pavement cover band called Babement. The only reason why I didn't love this album is because I felt like the the guitars weren't as dynamic on this album.
#I'mNotBossyI'mTheBoss

Toro y Moi- What For?
Toro y Moi is trying to go back to the simpler times. It's kind of a return to his roots simply because this album sounds the most similar to the music that was on June 2009. And I love it because that's a damn good album, and so is this. I wouldn't call this Chill Wave though..... it's more complicated than that.
#IWishMyNameWasChazwickBundick

Waxahatchee-Ivy Tripp

Katie Crutchfield has been making some sweet DIY music for a while now. She just signed to Merge and her new album features her at her most confident. She is not one to be triffled with and Ivy Tripp is her loudest battle cry yet. 

#CheckOutHerOldBandPsEliot

#AlsoCheckOutHerSistersBandSwearin

Shifty's Annual Monthly Album Rundown: Shifty's March Madness-Shifty Forever!!!!!

Wowza this was a good month guys!!!!!!
 A lot of good music came out this month and it made everyone at Von's really happy.
This is a very long list.
#sorrynotsorry

The same rules apply. Good musics (#thingsiliked) get seals of approval. Double good musics (#thingsilikedliked) get two seals of approval. If your album is on this list, you can come in and get a pat on the back. I am 100% serious. This is what a seal of approval looks like. It's very cute and it is probably really good at cuddling. 

#thingsiliked

-Courtney Barnett: Sometimes I Sit and Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit

This album is about this girl who likes chairs. Therefore, she probably likes rocking chairs. Therefore, she probably likes rocking. That's some good detective work right there. Great job team. Actually, she really likes rocking. Like I mean a lot. She just tells stories and they just turn into rock n roll songs. It's some kind of Australian magic or something. 

#sometimesithinkwheniamstanding

-Earl Sweatshirt: I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside

Earl has been making some sweet sad raps ever since he came back. He did most of the production on this album too. Gather round kids cause Earl's got some shit to say, even though he apparently doesn't like shit.

#whyarepeoplestillwearingfreeearlshirts

-Godspeed You! Black Emperor: Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress

I'm a sucker for post rock. It's hard to believe that this is only their 5th album. I like it when they do that one thing when they make one song last for like two songs. 

#ihavenoideawhatthealbumtitlemeans

-Lightning Bolt: Fantasy Empire
This is about as hardcore as it gets. If you aren't familiar with Lightning Bolt, they kinda sounds like they play their music through a megaphone. It's very very loud. Their drummer is a fan of very frantic and primal drumming. The drummer is also the singer and he wears a mask with a microphone attached so that he can sing whilst he goes hard in the paint when he drums. Very bassy bass. They make about as much noise as two people can possibly make. But it's the good kind of noise, it's not just noise for the sake of noise. Ya boys know what's up.
#hardcoreparkour

-Modest Mouse: Strangers to Ourselves
Modest Mouse came through guys. This album had a lot going against it. It took a long time to make and there were a lot of shenanigans going on (Apparently they were very busy being strangers to themselves???), but the important thing is that they made a good album. It's got some real sweet tunes on it.
#hopefullythenextalbumtakeslessthan8yearstomake

-Pile: You're Better Than This
Pile makes some wild ass music. These dudes are getting really good at making music that is like the soundtrack to a panic attack. They made an nice instrumental song called "Fuck the Police", and it's really lovely. Besides laying down lovely NWA homages they like to make weird guitar noises and take short walks on the beach. Their songs make some people uncomfortable, and their singer makes me uncomfortable for different reasons.
#spoileralerts #heisababe #googleit

-The Soft Moon: Deeper
If Trent Reznor and Depeche Mode had a baby, it would probably sound like this. Apparently the songs on this make people want to groove or something. Kids these days will groove to anything. He even throws in some ambient stuff at the end too just for good measure. Did someone say dark wave revival?
#2spooky4u

#thingsilikedliked

-Death Grips: The Powers That B
This is raw as shit. They threw in some guitar and some Bjork mouth noises. The second half of the double album is a lot more interesting to me. The vocals are back to being aggressively aggressive. Everything is kinda all over the place, and it's beautiful. Hopefully we hear some more tunes from them in some form, cause this album made a lot of kids on the internet very happy. Death Grips 2.0? Yes please!!!!!!
#yourgrandmalovesdeathgripscauseitmakesherreallynoided

-Jimmy Whispers: Summer in Pain
Jimmy Whispers is all about honesty. He makes some of the most honest and earnest music that I've heard in a while. The only thing that matters in music is honesty. He only records his music on his phone and that's about as lofi as it gets. He writes about real things that he truly cares about. He sings about apocalyptic love sickness and how he thinks the fucking kids outside are all idiots. I mean who doesn't care about those things right? He's definitely the best bedroom popper popper in the tri-state area.
#youcancrytothis

-Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly 
This is a great album. I still like Good Kid Maad City better, but that doesn't take anything away from To Pimp a Butterfly. Kendrick really put a lot more thought into this album than most people put into most things. I really hope he does more poetry in the future. The buildup to the poem on the last track is just phenomenal and Kendrick is just on another level. Speaking of that last track, "Mortal Man" is one of the most bizarre songs that I have ever heard. This album has a great message, and people are still gonna be talking about it years from now. There's really not much left to say cause everyone else already said it. Great Job Kendrick!!!
#lol@greatamericanhiphopalbum

This is a song from that Pile album



This is a song from that Death Grips album.

This took forever to write. Thanks for reading.  :)

Shifty's Annual Monthly Album Appraisal Thingy Thang- February 2015

Plain and simple, this month was pretty lackluster. 

Februarys are always like this. Next month will be better. 

For the audience keeping score at home, the Shifty System works as such: Every album I like gets a Shifty Seal of Approval!!!!! Every album that I like-like gets two Shifty Seals of Approval!!!! Every Shifty Seal of Approval can be exchanged for 3 pats on the backs, but if you turn in three Shifty Seals of Approval at a time, I'll give you 10 pats on the back cause I'm cool like that.

Shifty's Annual Monthly Album Rundown Overview- January 2015

It was a good month for music, man. Cool. 

Everything on here gets a Shifty Seal of Approval!!!!!

#thingsiliked

Panda Bear- Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

-I like this cause it's got some sweet tunes on it. Panda Bear is fam, man. Not as good as Person Pitch, but I can't name a lot of things that are. #givetheguyabreakokay

Justin Townes Earle- Absent Fathers

-Someone's got some daddy issues. Guess who it is. It's Justin Townes Earle. Sorry man. #thiswholealbumisadisstrack

Alex Calder- Strange Dreams

-This guy is good friends with Mac Demarco. That explains a lot. V chill. #thereisabigdifferencebetweenlazinessandlethargy

Sleater-Kinney- No Cities to Love

-There are plenty of cities to love. #amiright  

Napalm Death- Apex Predator

-Grindcore man. Does this album skew more towards hardcore punk or death metal? Let's have a discussion about putting things in a box or something. #whocaresimjustinitforthetinnitus

Pond- Man It Feels Like Space Again

-You're goddamn right it feels like space again. These guys are answering all of the hard life questions. #nicealbumtitle

#thingsilikedliked(These ones get two Shifty Seals of Approval)

Joey Bada$$- B4Da$$

-Probably the best album title of all time. So much effort was put into that, ya know. Cause it's like his name and he doesn't have $$ yet. So smart. So hip. So hop. Good beats. Good lyrics. I liked 1999 a little better, but that doesn't matter. 90's kids man.  #only90skidswithbackpackswillunderstand

Viet Cong- Viet Cong

-Very spooky stuff. My favorite album from this month. I like the last song on this album the most cause cause it's really long and it has a pretty name. #listentothiswhenyouarelootingthroughcansofbeansduringtheapocalypse