oh you

Madonna's MDNA.

It's her worst album.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/7392405.bin

Yep. Just as I thought. I changed my mind about the album almost entirely after giving it a few more shots.

So much for being disappointed, I guess... :p:

It's pretty boring and I won't listen to it after giving it another shot in an hour or so. (unless I also have a miraculous turn around)

This. I still listened to it a lot, but I had such high hopes.

Of the things I was anticipating in 2012, here are my biggest disappointments and the reasons why. I've put them pretty much in order of most disappointing to slightly disappointing. It's not just a function of what I rate the album overall (as noted), but also considers my expectations.

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Clark - Iradelphic (3/5)
You can't say I didn't try, I've played this album at least 10 times since its release. Short of one or two tracks, there's just nothing to latch on to. It's pleasant enough background music but it's a huge let-down considering Clark has been one of my favorite electronic producers for quite some time. I'm all for artists expressing themselves and trying new things, but I also have the right to feel disappointed. Hoping he'll spring back into something more exciting with the next LP.


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The Shins - Port of Morrow (3/5)
Congratulations James Mercer, you're on your way to playing lounges in Las Vegas. Sad to say after being a fan of The Shins since the first album, and loving each of the first three equally in their own ways. Smooth move changing the line-up, asshat.


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Band of Horses - Mirage Rock (2.5/5)
There is some decent material on here, but the title track and its "oooooooo oooooooo" intro are cringe-inducing, as are a few of the other tracks. Overall it's just so...bland. Many were disappointed in Infinite Arms, and I may have been after the first listen but it quickly grew on me. It's different from the first two in that it's more Americana and less indie rock, but I liked it. This is just too...bland in that it's pulling too much from 60s folk rather than continuing with their own sound. It's as if it was their debut, before creating their own identity.


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Jaill - Traps (3.5/5)
I fell in love with That's How We Burn the minute I discovered it and it was one of my top 2010 releases. Just great indie pop energy, a great time album. Then Traps drops...and it's awkwardly mature like a fun-loving kid reaching adolescence and becoming a bit antisocial. The thing is, I like this album. It's just more chill than I expected, and has a few awkward moments that just don't improve with repeat listens. Maybe they'll grow from this and produce the perfect album next time around. I do feel it has some great songs and most people won't go past their initial impressions to realize it.


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A Place to Bury Strangers - Worship (3/5)
I got into this band last year, loved Exploding Head and also their s/t debut. So I was excited to hear they had a new one coming out so soon after I discovered them. Unfortunately there's nothing on this album to really latch on to. Nothing like the great "Keep Slipping Away" or "Something Always Goes Wrong" from Exploding Head.


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The Men - Open Your Heart (3/5)
Leave Home wasn't awesome - it's not like I like I'm a big fan of the band in any way - but it contained a few really awesome heavy tracks and showed the band had potential. Then we get the clusterfuck that is Open Your Heart - which contains a few decent tracks, a few cringe-inducing ones, and overall offers a very hodge-podge experience. It sounds like a label sampler to me.

Can't say I agree with you on this one. I thought Epicloud was/is great. To me it's a mixture of Synchestra with some of his mellower stuff, which isn't a bad thing.

I definitely agree with this. On their first two albums they sounded like they could do no wrong. Infinite Arms was a good enough album but there were signs that they were sliding towards mediocrity. On Mirage Rock, well, they have arrived at mediocrity and checked in. There are one or two songs which sound decent but there is some seriously bad stuff on it as well.

For Christ sake they were the band that recorded 'The Funeral', what the hell happened?

the OF Tape Vol.2 and Mellowhypes Numbers was very disappointing for e