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Special Event: atrlcritic | Ed Sheeran's new songs after the upgrade
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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One more day for Kendrick and Marina.
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox
Bruno Mars' second studio album is much of the same from the recent pop superstar, featuring executive production from "The Smeezingtons," the moniker of his production team, which also includes Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine. For the most part, Bruno is still concerned with the one thing that has always fueled his songwriting: girls. The string-laden opening cut, "Young Girls," makes this fact more than evident as he sings, "All you young wild girls/You make a mess of me." If that's the case, then the next 30 or so minutes are a discovery of what these women put Bruno through.
Lead single "Locked Out of Heaven" features some guitar that is not too different from The Police's "Roxanne" and a chorus that is strong enough to send it to the top of the charts. The song sounds surprisingly traditional and organic, considering the use of chopped-up bits of Mars' own voice and synths in the instrumentation of the track. "Gorilla" compares the (most likely) tame sex of his own bedroom to the animalistic sex of gorillas and features cringe-worthy lyrics, with "Give it to me motherf*cker!" among them. It's fine that Bruno wants to express his desires through his music, but who chose this to be the fourth single (seriously)?! The next track, "Treasure," fares better, with the most vulgar bit coming from a computerized voice introducing the song: "Baby squirrel, you's a sexy motherf*cker." The disco song, which compares his woman to treasure itself, insinuates that Bruno would rather seduce her by letting out an unstoppable dance floor groove with slick moves, instead of f*cking her like an animal.
On the heartfelt piano ballad, "When I Was Your Man," he laments a relationship that got away from him; here, he sounds regretful and learned from the experience. For the less serious "Money Make Her Smile," he sings to the hearts of every stripper within a ten-mile radius. Diplo lays down the production on this one, making it more irresistible and danceable than the rest of the album. He's got an ugly side, though, and he's definitely unafraid to show how he truly feels sometimes. On the Benny Blanco-produced "Natalie," he drags an ex through the dirt (literally) for whatever she's done ("Well, I'm digging a ditch/For this gold-digging bitch"). But whatever she's done isn't what matters; the effects that these young girls have on this impressionable, volatile Mars take center stage for the entirety of Unorthodox Jukebox.
The missteps are few and far between, with the aforementioned "Gorilla" being one of the worse tracks. Another mistake is the reggae-influenced "Show Me," which features a melody that is more insipid than it is lively. Despite this, Bruno is on point for a majority of the album, and even if he doesn't have a completely original sound, he still plays up the chauvinistic philanderer persona better than many who came before him (and after Michael Jackson). Besides, after such a large amount of success in such a small amount of time, it's hard to blame him for acting this way.
Skip to: "Young Girls," "Treasure," "When I Was Your Man," "Natalie," "Money Make Her Smile"
Skip: "Gorilla," "Show Me"
3.5/5
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I have left To Pimp A Butterfly and Froot open over the past two days to let more reviews come in, but that has not succeeded. Thus, I will end the two albums tomorrow night April 22 April 25, no matter what.
Both throwbacks are open for reviews! 
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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Let me see if I can get to work on at least UJ
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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*Unofficial*
| To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar | Interscope | Release Date: March 16, 2015 | Review Period: March 27, 2015 - April 25, 2015
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94 | Member Score
Universal Acclaim
based on 2 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
10. | Experimental Top Critic Score
Universal Acclaim
based on 1 Top Critic |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The third studio album from the Compton rapper was supported by Grammy-winning lead single i. | Record Label: Interscope
Genre(s): Hip-Hop, Rap |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 1 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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To Pimp A Butterfly results (unofficial).
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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*Unofficial*
| Froot - Marina And The Diamonds
Marina And The Diamonds | Atlantic | Release Date: March 13, 2015 | Review Period: March 27, 2015 - April 25, 2015
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93 | Member Score
Universal Acclaim
based on 2 Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
}-- | Experimental Top Critic Score
N/A
based on 0 Top Critics |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The third album from the Welsh singer was entirely written by her. | Record Label: Atlantic
Genre(s): Pop |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ████████████████ 2 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: 0 | | d | ....iMixed: 0 | | d | Negative: 0 |
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Froot results (also unofficial).
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Latest schedule:
Ongoing
Upcoming
Special
Bruno Mars - 'Unorthodox Jukebox' [April 12, 2015 - May 5, 2015]
Coldplay - 'Ghost Stories' [April 13 - May 5, 2015]
As you can tell, I extended the throwbacks to May 5.
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Glad both of these amazing albums got the reception they deserve 
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Coldplay - Ghost Stories
Following Chris Martin' s split from his longtime life partner, Gywenth Patrow, Coldplay returnes with their most laid back and stripped down record in years. There is not as much pop like on Mylo Xyloto, no colorful artsy anthems like the ones on Viva La Vida and no opulent arena rock like on X&Y. Instead Coldplay sounds much closer to their roots in the early 2000s but in an electronic garment. The drum machine is heavy on this album but at the same time Chris Martin's vocals and the lyrics stand on the front and create a sonically dense and personal album. The album is extremely cohesive with most songs following
similar paterns and having a sparse and minimalistic nature about them. Often songs like True Love, Another's Arms and Magic only change up minimally with evolving production elements and Chris Martin's vocals getting more demanding and emotionaly charged. There are only a handful of songs that stick out. The single A sky full of stars does this not necessarily in the best way with a rather bland Avicci production and the vocal performance really saves the song. Midnight is the highlight of the album with dissorted auto-tuned vocals grinding over a very experimental electronica beat. This is definitely a direction Coldplay should pursue on their next album.
Final Say: Ghost Stories is another great addition to Coldplay's excellent discography.There isn't much to complain about except for the fact that they didn't really push themselves for the second time in a row. The album does not dare to go out there just like the previous album Mylo Xyloto didn't either. It feels like the evolution is not as strong as it could be, and hopefully for their next (and according to rumours last) album, they will do something completely different or return to straight up alternative rock music like their early 2000s stuff.
Highlights: Midnight,True Love,O and Another's arms
8,9/10
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,973
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If you want this thread to be popping again, start Pretty Girls on Monday
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Request Ciara's Jackie and Britney's Pretty Girls.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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I'll start Pretty Girls this weekend, and leave the throwbacks open for the weekend as well.
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Member Since: 9/1/2013
Posts: 3,235
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I have a request for "True Colors" by Zedd
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Member Since: 9/16/2011
Posts: 50,981
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Request Brandon Flowers album
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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Sorry for my negligence over the past two weeks.
I will definitely start Pretty Girls tomorrow. I promise.
The throwbacks will be put on hold indefinitely for now.
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
Posts: 24,225
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Unfortunately no1curr 'bout the throwbacks... 
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 43,331
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| Pretty Girls - Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea
Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea | RCA | Release Date: May 5, 2015 | Review Period: May 21, 2015 - May 31, 2015
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.? | Member Score
TBD
based on ? Reviews | ddddd. | dddddd
}? | Experimental Top Critic Score
TBD
based on ? Top Critics |
| | dddddddddddddd | Summary: The much-anticipated collaboration from 2014 breakout Azalea and veteran pop star Spears was produced by The Invisible Men, who also produced Azalea's Fancy (featuring Charli XCX). | Record Label: RCA
Genre(s): Pop |
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| Member Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ? | | d | ....iMixed: ? | | d | Negative: ? |
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| | Top Critic Reviews | | d | .iPositive: ? | | d | ....iMixed: ? | | d | Negative: ? |
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Member Since: 2/20/2012
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Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea - "Pretty Girls"
The lead single from B9 cements Britney's status as a trend-hopper! The Invisible Men practically rehashed Azalea's own breakthrough hit "Fancy" and serviced it to Spears; she's a little late, though, and this time around, Iggy's irresistible rapping and Charli XCX's smooth hook are noticeably missing. The end product is an electrohop song that feels lazy and rushed out for chart success. However, even if Iggy sounds bored on her verse, Britney sounds ten times more engaged and excited here than she did on all of Britney Jean. Don't be surprised if it gets caught in your head.
3/5
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Member Since: 6/21/2012
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The new single from Britney Spears, "Pretty Girls," is a catchy tune, but it definitely disappoints me a lot as a Britney and Iggy fan. This song feels very rushed and they didn't take their time seriously, and they just wanted a hit. Britney Spears' vocals are actually the best part of the song, along with the beat. Although the song disappoints, it can still get stuck in your head, so if you don't like catchy pop songs, avoid this. Overall, "Pretty Girls is a song that is decent, but is very rushed and could've been better had they kept working on it.
6.5/10
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Member Since: 4/29/2012
Posts: 15,977
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Britney Spears ft. Iggy Azalea - Pretty Girls
Remaking old hits is one of the industry's oldest tricks but it has rarely ever been as obvious as on Britney's first single for her untitled ninth album. The track sounds exactly like last year''s smash hit Fancy but everything is worse. The hook is not as catchy,Iggy's rapping not as fun and Britney sounds as robotic and lifeless as ever. The song has nothing to offer and it only works as a radiofiller and even then everyone might as well just turn to Fancy anyway.
2/10
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Hopefully we are doing How big how blue how beautiful by Florence + the machine.
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Member Since: 9/16/2011
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