5 - 1 Worst Albums
5. Justin Bieber - Purpose
I'm convinced that Justin Bieber's hyped comeback is successful mostly due to nudes and media presence. His new album, comprised of electronic pop and R&B, settles for mediocrity most of the time. The middle drag of Company-No Pressure-No Sense contains unneeded guests and severely lacks indispensable hooks! The dance tracks served by Skrillex fare better, but even some, like Children, verge on annoying.
4. Imagine Dragons - Smoke + Mirrors
Give Imagine Dragons some credit: Smoke + Mirrors is at least kinda ballsy. The Las Vegas band had a solid formula for arena-ready, electronic pop-rock down pat on their debut, but they decided to mix things up for their crucial sophomore effort. Some tracks still sound sleek as ever (Shots, It Comes Back to You), but the band experimented for the most part. Lead single I Bet My Life is folky, Friction contains some middle eastern flair, and Gold sounds like a Kanye West song. But over all of Smoke + Mirrors, it's clear that the band was trying to do too much at once, and somehow lost their songwriting ability in the process. At least Dream, with Dan Reynold's heartfelt performance, and Summer, with its funky bass line, have something to offer.
3. Years & Years - Communion
Unlike Imagine Dragons, the trio behind Years & Years don't seem to be too concerned with experimentation. Communion is chock full of synthy dance cuts, but the production is hardly interesting. Olly Alexander's voice usually sounds weak, especially when it's constantly placed against walls of electronic mush. A few tracks here contain memorable hooks (Shine, Worship, Desire), but when things slow down, the album falls flat on its face (Eyes Shut, Ties, Without).
2. Hilary Duff - Breathe In. Breathe Out.
You've got to admit: the whistle on Sparks is pretty infectious. Hilary Duff's comeback album serves a few other catchy moments, such as the dance-pop ditties My Kind and Confetti. Don't be surprised if the Ed Sheeran co-write Tattoo sneaks into your head, too. However, the rest is pretty much filler, Hilary's vocals are weak, and the album as a whole lacks personality.
1. Zedd - True Colors
Zedd's second album contains a few memorable hooks on tracks such as the Ryan Tedder-penned I Want You to Know which features Selena Gomez, Beautiful Now, and Straight Into the Fire, but the rest is as forgettable as can be. It must take some real lack of songwriting ability to make EDM this energetic sound so lifeless.
just because they dabble in different genres doesn't make it a bad album.
He's sucha cutie and definitely knows his way around a great hook!
Smoke + Mirrors actually slayed me more than I was anticipating it to.
