Random albums I listened to in March 2025

LISA - Alter Ego

Born Again was great, 10/10 pop song.
FXCK UP THE WORLD is a catchy rap song. I don't care for Future, he's a bit too autotuned and mumbly. If he wasn't autotuned, he'd sound completely flat. The Vixi Solo Version is better.
When I'm With You is pretty good.
Chill is a bop.
Most of the songs were just... lazy writing. Some of the most thought-free lyrics I've heard in a while. For people who are either stupid, or don't listen to lyrics, ever. The production is there. If I spoke zero words of English, I'd like about half of these songs.

KAMAARA x Kill Ebola - Circling Terror

I liked how it grew. Few first songs sounded the same, but then something slowly happened and it turned from redundant, repetitive rap to NIN-esque industrial music. I liked the latter half a lot more. I wish the album was longer, isn't 20min more like an EP? 

JENNIE - Ruby

I can't help but compare LISA and JENNIE. Before these albums, I was a BLACKPINK fan (not a hardcore fan but I liked their music). Jennie was my favorite because of her deeper voice and image. After the group broke up, and before they did, Lisa impressed me with her rapping. Out of these albums, JENNIE is better. LISA's lyrics made no sense. It's not like JENNIE is the deepest lyricist, but at least these songs make sense...

I like this, it makes me nostalgic for 2000s bubblegum pop and modern RnB that were all over the radio and MTV.

My favorite songs were with the IE (way up) and Seoul City. I can see myself going back to listen to those again. Filter was also nice.

Dark Chapel - Spirit in The Glass

Well, this sucks... I'm desperately trying to find something positive to say, because I try to not say mean things on this blog, that benefits no one. But this is just so lame and boring I can't find anything positive to say. They can technically play and hold a rhythm and a tune, but the songs suck ass. And I want to document all the albums I listen to this year, for my own sake. So I won't bother listening to bad music by a band in the future, because I didn't remember I didn't like them...

Playboi Carti - MUSIC

Never listened to him before, I just know the name. I'm trying to get into more hiphop, and I figured the best way to do that is just to listen to a shit ton of it and see what sticks. I found this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_in_hip-hop and there's "all" the new releases listed, what the critics thought of them and which songs have been doing well on charts. So, I'll prioritize albums and songs that are newer and have done well, and my goal is to listen to 2-3 hiphop albums a week (depending on how much interesting metal comes out that week). And then slowly work myself through the most  Mostly they'll be listed on these "Random albums I listened to in..." posts I've been doing this year to lower the threshold I have on writing about music here, but if something sticks out to me as especially good, metal or hiphop or otherwise, it deserves it's own post.

I'm on third song now. This sucks. At least Dark Chapel was music. It's a stretch to call this music. The beats are ok. But the "rapping"... My bar is low - if I could rap better, they're bad, otherwise they're good. And he doesn't pass. Good thing I have stuff to do, I can do that while this plays...

Ok, the first third of EVIL J0RDAN was ok. Then it got worse.

I get that it's apparently quite alternative (or the alternative sound I know has become the mainstream sound, Idk), but he's not a good rapper or a good singer.

Fuck, there's 30 songs... see you on the other side, if I have any brain cells left an hour from now...

-- I'm trying to do chores while listening to this, but I constantly get the urge to skip the "random bad song" lmao.

The chorus on RATHER LIE is good. Sounds like The Weeknd, but he's not credited (?). He's not credited on Spotify, but is on Wikipedia: Music (Playboi Carti album) - Wikipedia

Why in the fucking hell does this guy have 50,5 MILLION listeners on Spotify? What the fuck is wrong with people's eardrums that they'd put them through this??
Sorry for being so negative lol. Live and let live. Whatever floats your boat. Etc etc.

Skepta, on the song TOXIC is a good rapper. Lyrics are boring, but the rapping talent is refreshing among all this shitty music <3 And Kendrick is here, too... He's everywhere :'D On the critically successful album chart on the Wikipedia article AND on the chart for hit songs as well. Biggest rapper of the decade, for sure...

The beat in I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI is great! I'd listen to that instrumental any day! -- Wikipedia says he produced this himself! Ok! I hate his rapping, singing and lyricism, but I like his production! Trim as well, that beat is awesome!

-- Edit: It's apparently been charting like crazy, and got pretty good reviews as well... Wtf is wrong with people? This is NOT good music...

Raja Kumari - KASHI TO KAILASH (EP)

I like it when she sings/raps in Hindi even though I don't understand a word. The language suits her aggressive rap style, and the folk music influences bring a new influence to her flows that I haven't heard elsewhere.

MIKE - Showbiz! 

I listened to this, because it got good reviews from critics - 81/100.

I don't see why. Maybe it's just my personal taste, but I don't hear what they hear. He's slurring and uses pretty much the same flow all throughout. It's boring.
I'm not saying it's bad. I can make out what he's saying for the most part and that one flow that he has is a good one. The bar is low - if they're a better rapper than me, then they're good. So he's good. But I can't rap jackshit and don't claim to. I don't try and make a career of it. And neither should MIKE. Just my personal opinion. I won't bother picking up his album again.

Lost Scribe is slightly better than the rest of the songs. I wouldn't mind hearing that somewhere at random.

I like the speeches in the middle of songs, and I think that might be why critics liked this so much? If it's lyrically very personal to him or very much about the African American experience or about hiphop culture? I've heard some sentences over the course of this album that make me think that's the case. I'm a random Finnish metalhead who just got into hiphop a couple of years ago, so can't relate. Sorry. It's not even ignorance - I wouldn't understand fully even if I tried. Just like he wouldn't know what it's like being Finnish or a metalhead or queer, even if he tried.

Bloodywood - Nu Delhi

A solid metal album, makes me headbang. A bit short, though, only 8 songs, a bit over 30min. 

Awesome album name, very descriptive :D Indian folk music meets nu metal.

YouTube videos' descriptions seem to have the translations of the lyrics. I need to check them out some other day. Rn I'm listening to the album on Spotify and I don't have the time to deep dive into anything today, unfortunately.

This album is great! Very unique blends of traditional Indian music and modern nu metal and electronic elements. A 95/100 from me.

Shygirl x Club Shy - Club Shy Room 2 (EP)

I'm not familiar with her before. This is just a random album critics liked.

Je M'appelle and Flex are catchy. Nothing groundbreaking, but pleasant to listen to. Immaculate has a boring hook. F*Me is a guilty pleasure song, definitely. I'd go crazy over this on a club or listening to it alone at home, but feel embarrassed to admit to people I like it. It's catchy and sexy, but has no real substance and is very... not anti-feminist, but DEFINITELY not advancing it either... Upholding the gender roles in hiphop. Wifey Riddim was a positive surprise. Different, deeper than the other songs. But it still sounds like it belongs on this album. There's that alt pop / hyperpop influence, and proper rapping, just as the rest of the songs. She seems versatile. I understand the 2,6 million monthly listeners. She's versatile. Mainstream and alternative, rap, EDM and pop, can actually rap, can actually sing, isn't stuck on one image or topic in her lyricism. 

Jenni Vartiainen - ORIGO

- I like Viimeinen pisara and Leima (the single releases)

- A pretty average pop album, nothing that interesting. I do like her voice, but the melodies nor lyrics were that interesting this time...

Rebecca Black - SALVATION 

- Def better singer than what she used to be during Friday, lol

- Songs are alt and I like alt, but they're also quite annoying at times

- I like the mixing

- Do You Even Think About Me? and Twist The Knife were the best songs

Chappelle Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

- THIS is what a good pop album sounds like! Jennie, Rebecca - take note. It's timeless and versatile, and surprising. It's got everything. 

- She's an AMAZING singer. Her range and control are unbelievable!

Arch Enemy - Blood Dynasty

The album cover is gorgeous! So detailed!

This is a bit heavier than what I usually listen to, but I have a relative who absolutely loves this band (partially because he thinks Alissa White-Gluz is hot - I see the appeal, but she hot in a very straight-male-audience kinda way... Not my type.). 

Vivre Libre was my favorite song from the album - I didn't know she knew French!

The intro and outro of Liars & Thieves remind me of Criminal by Britney Spears. The melody is the same as the chorus of Criminal.

As a whole, the album was alright. Everyone's talented and all, but it's just not my thing. I don't see how this is "the greatest band ever" like I'm sure it is for some people... 

Deafhaven - Lonely People With Power

I've heard the name, but not songs from them, I think.

It's always a bit of a gamble with black metal. Either it's very aggressive, which is not my thing at all, or it's very melodic and melancholic but still dark AF, which is completely my thing. This is mostly the first thing. The Garden Route was a bit more melodic than the two songs before it, and I liked the intro song, Indicental I. But the screaming style isn't my thing at all. I'd prefer a mix of screams and cleans.

And then they give me Heathen and Amethyst! This is what I'm talking about! A mixture works so much better!

My favorite songs were: Heathen & Incidental II (feat. Jae Matthews).

Based on this, I'll follow them. I'd like to hear their future releases as well.

Antony Szmierek - Service Station At The End Of The Universe

It's like EDM-y hiphop beat, with spoken word poetry over it. I like it. I find his accent hard to understand, though. If I really focus, I can understand most of it, but not fast enough to follow what he's saying and internalize it enough to really understand him. So I'm just mainly vibing.

Poppy - Negative Spaces

I was going to listen to Helloween's new album, but turns out it wasn't new music, so... Backup log of albums I've been meaning to listen to it is.

have you had enough? is quite boring. The screams in the third verse made it a tad better, though. I've heard the cost of giving up before, I like it. they're all around us hits like a ton of bricks, in a good way! Like Spit, my favorite Poppy song I've heard thus far.

I don't mind the pop songs at all, surprisingly enough. They feel on brand for Poppy. And then building through the rock song push go back into the metal of nothing. It just works!

Sliki - EXIT

"Sä tiiät: Life is a bitch. Pitää nussii takas" 🤣 = "You know life's a bitch, you gotta fuck it back"

This has been doing well on Finnish album charts, that's why I'm listening to it.

Yeah, sure. The production's great, his lyrics are great. Flow is ok, not that interesting... I'll eventually translate the good lyrics for my other blog. I'm currently working on a different project, but I promise to translate all the songs from this album that I like, at some point.