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July 2025 Album Review Wrap-Up

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Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! I spent this month diving deeper into the music I didn't even know I loved. Unlike previous months, I have grouped some albums together to keep this post clear and concise. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty Released: 2018 Father John Misty's fourth solo album continues to prove to me that he made his best album first, and nothing else he's made has come close. Though I did enjoy this more than Honeybear and Pure Comedy, which is definitely telling for what I am to expect next. Favorites: God's Favorite Customer, We're Only People, Hangout at the Gallows Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Bombshell Oldies Vol. 1-4 by Monica Rocha Released: 2019-2025 Revisited one of the albums from one of my previous Album Review Wrap-Ups, Forever & Ever by Thee Heart Tones, and there is just something that I love about modern Chicano soul music. I began hunting for more from this style of music and came across Moni...

REVIEW: Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

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I  have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Bantam  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Not Quite Dead Yet ! I think I'm still in shock that I got to read my most anticipated release of the year early. If you recall, Holly Jackson's young adult series A Good Girl's Guide To Murder was my favorite series of the year in 2024- and spoiler alert: The Reappearance of Rachel Price is one of my favorite standalones of this one. I'd been anxiously awaiting Jackson's adult debut, and Bantam providing a galley was simply a wonderful surprise. Not Quite Dead Yet follows twenty-seven year-old Margaret "Jet" Mason after being the sole victim of a violent attack on Halloween night. Told she has just days left to live due to the extent of her injuries, Jet makes it her life's mission- literally- to find her own killer before it's too late.  Right off...

June 2025 Album Review Wrap-Up

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Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! June's been a really eventful month for album releases and I have quite a few packed in, so without further ado... Honey To The B by Billie Piper Released: 1998 Listened to this in lieu of the newest Doctor Who episode's ending, as Billie Piper may be playing the Doctor? Either way, she made a good r&b-infused pop album. I actually used to hear Because We Want To and Girlfriend a lot as a kid on social media, but this is my first time hearing the non-single tracks. Thous I will say that many of the tracks felt very surface level and lyrically catered to partying teens. The last track, Don't Forget To Remember reminded me a bit of Fiona Apple. Favorites: She Wants You, Honey To The Bee, Don’t Forget To Remember Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars Addison by Addison Rae Released: 2025 Aside from Aquamarine I already wasn't the biggest fan of Addison's singles, but the album tracks were quite underwhelming in compa...

REVIEW: Overruled by Lana Ferguson

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I  have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through the publisher. This has not affected my rating or review in any way. Thank you to Berkley  for sending me an Advance Reader’s Copy of Overruled ! I would be lying if I said I didn't jolt up and out of bed when I woke up to the email telling me I had received an early e-copy of Lana Ferguson's newest. I loved her debut The Nanny , and also enjoyed her other works The Fake Mate , The Game Changer , and Under Loch and Key . I've been eagerly anticipating her next novel, and I'm overjoyed that I got a copy from Berkley! Overruled follows divorce attorney Danica "Dani" Pierce as she takes on a new eccentric client against her rival- and fling- Ezra Hart. It follows the typical Lana Ferguson style, with more steam than romance, a humorous and personable cast of secondary characters, and just a carefree, fun plot to give you all the warm and fuzzy feels. Lana's books are what I turn to when I jus...

Revisiting the Original Taylor Swift Albums (As A Very Nostalgic Swiftie)

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It's finally legal to listen to the original six Taylor Swift albums again!* *Note: It was never actually illegal, but it did feel illegal morally. I've been a fan of Taylor Swift since 2011, but I've been listening to her for as long as I can remember. Growing up in the south, her country singles like "Teardrops On My Guitar," "Love Story," "You Belong With Me," and "Mean" were always cycling on the radio. But I didn't really notice her until I came across her song "Safe & Sound" made with the Civil Wars for The Hunger Games soundtrack. After listening to that song twelve billion times, I went and listened to her back catalogue, which at the time was only three albums. I didn't really care for the country-leaning self-titled album or Fearless, but I absolutely fell in love with the magic of Speak Now. Then, Taylor released Red, my then-favorite album from her (now in second place), and I was a Swiftie for life. ...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Series Fifteen

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This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk. A beautiful yet disappointing end to an era. What started out as a collection of some of the best episodes of Doctor Who as a whole turned out to be one giant, meaningless waste. At the beginning of this series, I had so much hope and love for this show. Now all I feel is sadness, confusion, and uncertainty (and a little bit of shame). For me, the series started out great. The Robot Revolution , while somewhat campy, was a good episode to ease the viewer in. Lux was a fun romp that continues with the Pantheon of the Gods storyline, and The Well took one of my favorite episodes and continued it as an indirect sequel without ruining the source material. Lucky Day was a better Doctor-lite episode than the previous series'  73 Yards in my opinion and gave a good insight to what was going on with Ruby Sunday and UNIT back on Earth. The Story and the Engine was a masterful exploration of culture and mythology, and The Interstella...

May 2025 Album Review Wrap-Up

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Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! Quite the variety in this month, from metal to... country? Let's get into it! Youthanasia by Megadeth Released: 1994 Been eagerly anticipating getting back to my Megadeth discography listen-through! And I think I loved this slightly more than Countdown To Extinction, surprisingly. Their albums are getting less and less thrash-y as we go. Coming off the first listen, there’s no songs I immediately disliked. A solid album. Favorites: Family Tree, I Thought I Knew It All, Blood of Heroes Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Sincerely, by Kali Uchis Released: 2025 Kali has done it again! I'm mainly happy that she brought back Leon Michels to produce Angels Around Us, as he is my favorite music producer. I just love this album so much and I totally didn't grab a CD at Target to play in my room. Favorites: Territorial, Lose My Cool, ILYSMIH Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Fancy That by Pinkpantheress Released: 2025 I'm not a very bi...

Taylor Swift Finally Owns Her Masters! ...So, Now What?

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It brings me so much joy to say that, announced today by Taylor Swift herself, the masters of her first six albums are finally in her possession after an excruciating seven-year tug-of-war. Taylor with her babies.  🥹 (Can we legally declare May 30th Taylor Swift's Independence Day?) Taylor posted the announcement across her social platforms, alongside a photoshoot of her with her first six albums looking happier than ever. A link to her website takes you to a long letter explaining how she obtained her masters, the rerecording process, and how thankful she is to her fans for their support throughout the journey. ICYMI: In 2018, Taylor left her long-time record label Big Machine. It was later announced that the master recordings for the albums she had made under that label, along with the label itself, had been sold to businessman Scooter Braun and his company Ithaca Holdings for $300 million. When Taylor attempted to buy her masters back, she was told that the only way she could g...

April 2025 Album Review Wrap-Up

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Hi all and welcome back to another album review wrap-up! April was a super productive month for me, so grab a snack, sit back, and enjoy! Tidal by Fiona Apple Released: 1996 This was my first Fiona Apple, and what a good place to start! I really enjoyed this album, it’s very soothing. Can definitely see myself revisiting quite a few of these tracks. Favorites: Sleep To Dream, Criminal, Carrion Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars I Love You, Honeybear by Father John Misty Revisited Released: 2015 Gave this a relisten before moving onto his next album and I’m still not a fan 😅. I don’t like a lot of the lyrical or instrumental choices made, and quite a few of the lyrics just give me the ick lmao. On the other hand, I still love Fear Fun and have a few of the songs in my daily rotation. Favorites: Strange Encounter Least Favorites: Chateau Lobby, True Affection, The Ideal Husband Overall Rating: 2.5/5 Stars Pure Comedy by Father John Misty Released: 2017 It’s better than Honeybear but not as good ...