Album Mode

Album Mode

Welcome to Album Mode where journalist, Demar Grant and The Cool Table host, Adriel Smiley breakdown and review the latest albums. Each episode features a new album where both hosts dive in-depth about the project and the artist’s path to its release.

Episodes

July 14, 2025 57 mins
Démar and Adriel react to Clipse's latest album, 'Let God Sort Em Out', geriatric hip hop and the idea of artists making hip hop well into their 50s

Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10

The Love List: E.B.I.T.D.A., Ace Trumpets, Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers,


Timecodes:

1:25 - Every corner of the hip-hop world that’s not part of the mainstream was waiting
3:40 - Is this album really happening?
4:59 - ‘It’s Almost Dry ‘ sco...
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Démar and Adriel react to Justin Bieber's latest album, 'SWAG', Bieber's closeness to the black community and whether he still is that guy we thought he was in the 2010s .

Démar’s rating: 5.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6 / 10

The Love List: ALL I CAN TAKE, DAISIES, DADZ LOVE, DEVOTION

Timecodes:

5:30 - This album is showing he’s spending time with the black community
6:29 - Past Jb review
8:29 - Interested in the rollout
8:45 - No single/single...
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Démar and Adriel break down Haim's latest album 'I Quit', their closeness to black music and the idea of going 'indie rock mainstream'.

Démar’s rating: 6 / 10
Adriel's rating: 5.5 / 10

The Love List: Gone, Relationships, Spinning, Million Years

Timecodes:

1:41-  Where does one go after peaking above indie pop mainstream
2:26 - In some circles, people know them 
4:44 - MJ comparison
8:10 - First memory
12:28 - This album is kind of like to g...
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Honestly, Nevermind was met with confusion when it first came out but its fandom has been growing over the past 3 years since it's release. Démar and Adriel do a little bit of a retrospective on the album and look into how it Honestly, Nevermind continues to age like fine wine.

Timecodes:

0:55 Original review – Demar said in the future people are going to fuck with this
2:25 Is a very much do you know ball convo
2:50 Setting the scene ...
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Démar and Adriel break down Little Simz's sixth studio album 'Lotus', how the production sounds nothing like a hip hop album and whether this is Simz's best written album.

Démar’s rating: 9 / 10
Adriel's rating: 9 / 10

The Love List: Thief, Hollow, Free, Blood, Lotus, Lonely

Timecodes:

3:08 - The view over her career because she is from the UK
4:55 - Black Thought comparison as a rapper
6:09 - 
7:39 - That’s their Dominic Fike
10:38 - Thief...
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Démar and Adriel break down Miley Cyrus' ninth (!!) studio album 'Something Beautiful', how her voice allows her to make music beyond her years and how underrated she is as a songwriter.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6.5 / 10

The Love List: Prelude, End of the World, More to Lose, Easy Lover, Reborn

Timecodes:

3:23 - Hannah Montana – moved past that
8:44 - Did they get it right with the singles?
9:14 - End of the world
10:03 - Un...
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Démar and Adriel break down Common's classic album 'Be', how much hip hop production has changed in the past 20 years and how intricate "real rap" was in 2005.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 8.5 / 10

The Love List: Be (Intro), The Corner, GO!, The Food, They Say

Timecodes:

3:16 - Listening as an adult has a different tone
4:25 - Song bigger than the album
5:48 - Common’s longevity
6:36 - The Soulquarians are a real supergroup
8:49 ...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Aminé's third studio album '13 Months of Sunshine', Aminé cementing himself as a summer artist and how mortal enemies Drake and Pusha T are his main influences.

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 8.5 / 10

The Love List: 13MOS, Feels So Good, New Flower!, Cool About It, Temptations

Timcodes:

2:42 - Previous Aminé album rating – surprised how high
5:00 - Feels like an extension of Kaytraminé
8:13 - Dr...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Kali Uchis' latest album 'Sincerely,' how she's tracing her musical lineage throughout the album and whether her reversion is worth it.

Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10

The Love List: Illegal, Tonight, Noises, Stateside,

Timecodes:

1:34 - Demar’s favourite women's weekend
5:40 - No Features
6:39 - Song structure  
10:40 - thinks it has regressed a little
14:00 - Sunshine and Rain/pocket o...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss PinkPantheress' latest mixtape 'Fancy That', PinkPantheress the producer beginning to outshine PinkPantheress the artist and how PinkPantheress has become the John Wick of music.

Démar’s rating: 8.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10

The Love List: Illegal, Tonight, Noises, Stateside,

Timecodes:

2:42 - Demar is a superfan
4:56: - Too short because it’s good
5:30 - John Wick of music  
7:28 - Doesn’t feel like...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Yung Lean's latest album Jonathan, what he meant to cloud rap, his transition to rock and how his lethargic singing tilts into apathy.

Démar’s rating: 3.5 / 10
Adriel's rating: 4.5 / 10

The Love List: Might Not B, Horses, My Life

Timecodes:

3:30 - How do you feel about reviewing YL
6:25 - The modern swaggy trap white rapper
7:16 - His influences
8:40 - Two stand-out lines  - shut the world off
14:45 - Albu...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Wiz Khalifa's latest mixtape Kush + Orange Juice 2 how he was one of the kings of the blog era and how his trademark sound is one step away from becoming cutting edge.

Timecode:
2:34 Freestyles leading up to the project 
3:17 Most influential rappers of the last 15 years
4:16 Wiz day to day vlogs
5:46 OKAY Wiz Khalifa Voice
6:46 The cargo shorts  
9:12 Say Yeah
9:32 Mixtape buzz
11:41 Kush & Orange Jui...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Bon Iver's fifth studio album SABLE, fABLE how it nears greatness before ultimately shying away and how it feels longer than its 41 minute runtime implies.

Démar’s rating: 4 / 10
Adriel's rating: 4 / 10

The Love List: THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS, S P E Y S I D E, I'll Be There

Timecodes:

1:29 - Thought it was one dude
2:36 - Sampha comparison  
04:43 - Adriel’s Doppelganger
6:16 - Best Feature
8:26 ...
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Cue the filler music! Adriel and Démar are taking a look back into the annals of Album Mode history and to find the best debut projects they've ever reviewed. When you've been podcasting for nearly 5 years, you can do that. We're talking Unknown T, Olivia Rodrigo and of course the goddess, PinkPantheress and more!

Timecodes:
5:36 - Framework of the context of the artist
6:28 - The album that is the furthest in their career
7:39 - Arlo ...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Lucy Dacus' fourth studio album “Forever is a Feeling” how the album is a tone setter for her post Boygenuius and how her lyrical longingness escapes being cheesy.

Démar’s rating: 7 / 10
Adriel's rating: 6.5 / 10

The Love List: Ankles, Limerence, Talk, Most Wanted Man


Timecodes:
3:25 - Songwriter-type music  
5:23 - The reset button and how that affects their career
8:42 - The origins of this album
9:24 -...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Men I Trust's latest studio album “Equus Asinus” how the band's production has shifted in this latest release and how you can get drop a Men I Trust lyric in your relationship to sound poetic.

P.S. Where's the Clairo feature??

Démar’s rating: 8 / 10
Adriel's rating: 8 / 10
The Love List: I Come With Mud, Bethlehem, Paul's Theme, Frost Bite, Girl (2025) 

Timecodes:

5:11 - Soft enough for the bedroom but ...
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This week Démar and Adriel discuss Playboi Carti’s third studio album “Music”, his new deep voice, the album’s incredible production, and how Carti’s aura and influence is pivotal to his fandom.

P.S. SWAMP IZZO!!!!

Démar’s rating: 7 / 10 
Adriel's rating: 4.5 / 10

The Love List: POP OUT, RATHER LIE, MOJO JOJO, WAKE UP F1LTHY, OLYMPIAN, OPM BABI, LIKE WEEZY

Timecodes:

6:00 - Hip-hop Christmas song
9:16 - Features / narrative wise
12:42 - Mo...
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March 16, 2025 70 mins
This week Démar and Adriel discuss Lady Gaga's latest studio album 'Mayhem', how she's navigated her fame throughout her career and why this entire project sounds like it got pulled straight out of the 1980s.

P.S. heavy Siouxsie and the Banshees vibes on Abracadabra

Démar’s rating: 7.5 / 10 
Adriel's rating: 7.5 / 10


The Love List: Disease, Die With a Smile, Perfect Celebrity, Vanish into You

Timecodes:

2:26 - Bruno Mars 
4:13 - A star is...
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March 7, 2025 57 mins
This week Démar and Adriel discuss Lisa's debut solo studio album 'Alter Ego', how it might be one of the most expensive albums of the year and whether her alter egos are just an excuse for a lack of vision.

Démar’s rating: 2 / 10 
Adriel's rating: 5.5 / 10


The Love List: Moonlit Floor, Lifestyle, BADGRRRL, New Woman

Timecodes:

3:03 - Americans don’t listen to K-Pop
4:00 - Gangnam Style
7:32 - What genre is this?
9:30 - Doja cat comparison
...
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February 24, 2025 95 mins
This week, Démar and Adriel discuss Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR's collab album '$ome $exy $ongs 4 U', how this album is 10 years too late for old-school Drake fans and why this album is just another milestone in Drake's path of late stage mediocrity.

The Love List: NOKIA, DEEPER, SMALL TIME FAME, MOTH BALLS

Timecodes
2:24 A lot of Drake fans wanted a Drake PND album
3:12 Listening experience has changed
6:06 Don’t hear PND enough  
14:24 Son...
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