Review Day

There are no major spoilers in these reviews.

Veep, Season One:
This HBO comedy starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale is fun and has some laugh-out-loud moments, but it's ultimately pretty vapid. There's less overarching plot and more setups for situational humour. The first season is only eight 30 minute episodes, so it's over pretty quickly.

Final Grade: C+

Sheezus by Lily Allen:
It's been awhile since Lily Allen's last album, and this new one turned out pretty well without trying to be too big or too bold. The songs are cleanly and minimally orchestrated, with the expected mix of pop and hip-hop influences. There's a little too much autotune and one song that's too repetitive, but otherwise, I'm enjoying it.

Final Grade: B+

Lights Out by Ingrid Michaelson:
Like snakeheads in the Potomac, Ingrid's fourth album, Human Again, was devoid of hooks. Lights Out takes a few steps back from selling out to Starbucks and has a good number of fun, catchy tunes to keep things interesting. Ingrid's newest device, though, is to forgo lyrics in favour of Ooooohs and Woooos, which can get a little tiresome. As Rebecca says, "There's a lot of ghosts in this band."

Final Grade: B-