[rayword45]

Day 996: The Family by BROCKHAMPTON

So close to 1000, and so long between every review. In case you're wondering however, I haven't stopped listening to new music, I've just been loath to write reviews due to generally being busier with life than I was when I started this thread over 8 years ago, and due to the fact that I want my 1000th album review to be something significant. So before I write my typically concise bullshit about this album, allow me to just update you with some estimated scores I'd give other albums I've listened to within the past several months that I was too much of a lazy sack of shit to review.

Woeful Studies - Ka: 8/10
Languish Arts - Ka: 7/10
Ugly Season - Perfume Genius: 5.5/10
A Light For Attracting Attention - The Smile: 6.5/10
MOTOMAMI - Rosalía: 6/10
Renaissance - Beyoncé: 5/10
Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms and Lava - King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard: 4.5/10 (fuck you I'm not listening to everything this band dropped this year)
And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Weyes Blood: 7/10
Spiderr - Bladee: 5/10
Horseshit on Route 66 - The Garden: 7.5/10
WE - Arcade Fire: 4/10 (that score has nothing to do with the controversy this band has been going through, towards which I have no real opinion or knowledge of details about)
Gemini Rights - Steve Lacy: 5/10
God Save the Animals - Alex G: 5.5/10
Glow On - Turnstile: 5/10
ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH - Spirit Of The Beehive: 8.5/10
Hold The Girl - Rina Sawayama: 6.5/10
chingitychangitychong 2022 - Otoboke Beaver: 5/10
LABYRINTHITIS - Destroyer: 6/10
Come Home the Kids Miss You - Jack Harlow: 2.5/10 (still better than Gunna)
The Mars Volta - The Mars Volta: 4/10
Dariacore 3... At Least I Think That's What It's Called? by leroy: 4/10
The newest Sharon Von Etten: 7/10
The newest Toro Y Moi: 5.5/10
The newest Lizzo: 5/10
Fragments - Bonobo: 6/10
Versions of Modern Performance - Horsegirl: 5/10
Viva Las Vengeance - Panic! at the Disco: 1/10 (this is one of very few albums I actually do wish I wrote something for)
Arrangements - the band formerly known as Viet Long: 6/10
Bleed Out - The Mountain Goats: 6.5/10
Octopod Metropolis - Bluetech: 7.5/10
God Did - DJ Khaled: 3/10
Donda 2 - He Who Shall Not Be Named: 2/10
The album that got Fantano's divorce leaked: 3.5/10

Since these scores are all off memory, take them with an even bigger grain of salt than usual. You may be asking "Hey r-word, why don't you listen to those albums again and jot down your thoughts so you can have a better justification for your score? I realize that these numbers are already usually completely arbitrary, but now they seem even more pointless!" And to that I'll say, "eat a dick".

But anyways, onto the BROCKHAMPTON album. Man it's crazy how long it's been since I found out about this group in 2016, how long it's been since the SATURATION trilogy broke the internet, how long it's been since my friends saw the infamous first show without Ameer Vann while I was at my cousin's wedding, just how long it's been in general. These guys were the soundtrack to my first college summer, the early days of young adulthood, and I have so many memories attached to this group that I'll forever cherish. Even though their output never reached the heights of their hype-ass early days, the last album was surprisingly great after some much weaker efforts in 2018 and 2019, no doubt thanks to their willingness to actually have features from acclaimed musicians like Danny Brown and Charlie Wilson.

And with that, I guess they ultimately went down the OPPOSITE route for their "big finale" (although I would bet money on some reunion shows within the next decade). This album is basically a Kevin solo album, either due to necessity or as an artistic choice but I would assume the former. I've always paired Kevin with JOBA in that they have the strongest songwriting and production chops of the group but aren't the most enticing rappers. Unfortunately, only the latter half seems to hold up with this album, as this album just doesn't have the soul, the energy, the FEEL that their earliest works or even any album prior to this besides Ginger had. It feels like it was a contractual obligation and it's honestly just sad and limp to listen to. It's not terrible, but BROCKHAMPTON has always been about the chemistry of a massive group of friends. This simply cannot capture that magic, and making it even worse is how unfinished the whole thing sounds.

I have high hopes for hypothetical upcoming works from several members of the band, including Kevin and especially JOBA. I'm just going to assume this is a rough, transitory work and not indicative of what the future holds, as it stands alone this is a really underwhelming swan song.

And I'm calling this the swan song and not TM because I listened to both together, and the latter doesn't even deserve a review. That's a 2/10 album.

Best Track: Gold Teeth
Rating: 5/10