Rapid Review - 10/10/21

Meek Mill – Expensive Pain: Meek Mill drops his fifth studio album that’s filled with hard-hitting trap bangers, including an exemplary tracklist of features. The intro is an amazing track by itself and A$AP Ferg, Moneybagg Yo, and Lil Uzi Vert contribute great verses in their respective songs. However, there are some features and cuts that are disappointing despite them looking good on paper like the title track and the Young Thug feature. Overall, I’m still impressed by Meek’s consistent output. ~7

Poppy – Flux: A slight drop from her big metal debut I Disagree, the former viral video phenom Poppy releases this shorter album that furthers her progress into rock and metal. I can hear more Japanese metal influences on this project, which was expected as I recall some singles between Flux and I Disagree that had that same sonic aesthetic. She continues her playful yet angsty lyricism backed by rock guitar-centric instrumentals throughout the album. I specifically enjoy the title track, So Mean, and Her. This seemed more like a long EP, but I’m still curious to see where Poppy’s musical career goes. 6.5-7

Don Toliver – Life of a DON: One of the biggest artists now under Travis Scott’s label Cactus Jack, Don Toliver drops his sophomore project after successful hits with Travis and with the recent Kanye record Donda. Being around an hour-long project, Life of a Don sees Don Toliver refining and polishing his unique style of slightly autotuned singing with elements of hip-hop and R&B. Honestly, the record fits the cliché contemporary music form of hard hitters at the beginning as the end drags on. Don tried to combat that with the Baby Keem and Travis features towards the end, but it seems like both the numbers and my criticism say they’re at least a little disappointing. Tracks 1,3, and 4 are great, though. 6-7

This Heat – Deceit: The experimental outfit in the early 80s is an artistically intriguing album that is constituted by a variety of vocals, noises, and fast/slow beats. It’s a truly different experience than I have ever listened to before that encounters you at so many different avenues of violating contextual expectations. By the end, it’ll leave you with a chilling, rattled, yet stupefying feeling. I highly recommend it to people interested in the influences of post-rock and industrial music.