DEAD REVIEWS: a new weekly album review show

What is DEAD REVIEWS?

DEAD REVIEWS is an album review show hosted by DEAD, the rainbow skull in the red DEAD cap. It lives on the DeadOrdinals YouTube channel, and every episode follows the same simple format:

1. DEAD sits down at his desk with his headphones on and a record on the turntable.
2. He plays a short snippet from a track.
3. He stops the record and talks about what he just heard.
4. He works through the album that way, then gives his verdict: a Skull Score out of 10.

The snippets stay short and every one comes with commentary, so the review is always the point.

When do new episodes come out?

A new album gets reviewed every Friday on youtube.com/@DEADORDINALS. Subscribe there so you catch each review when it drops.

Episode 1: Charles Hamilton, The Pink Lavalamp (2008)

The first album on the desk is The Pink Lavalamp by Charles Hamilton, planned for Friday, October 30, 2026. Some background on the record:

• Released December 8, 2008, for free. Charles Hamilton put it out himself through Demevolist Music Group after he and Interscope disagreed over including the single "Brooklyn Girls".
• The last chapter of The Hamiltonization Process. He signed with Interscope on August 14, 2008, then released The Hamiltonization Process, a run of eight free mixtapes in fall 2008 leading up to this album. The Pink Lavalamp was the final release of that run and is counted as his debut album.
• Produced entirely by Charles Hamilton. He recorded it at the Frederick Douglass Academy music lab in Harlem, during a period when he was homeless.
• 15 tracks, 70 minutes and 18 seconds.
• The sound: soulful samples over down-tempo grooves that pull from jazz, psychedelic funk, R&B and rock. The album built a cult following.

The featured tracks and the Skull Score arrive with the episode.

A serious subject

The Pink Lavalamp is a loose, introspective concept album about Charles Hamilton's thoughts and emotions leading up to an attempted suicide. It deals with depression, substance abuse, infidelity and individuality. DEAD REVIEWS treats that subject with respect: the review stays on the music, and the jokes stay away from it.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 in the US (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline).

The tracklist

DEAD and Charles Hamilton

Full disclosure: DEAD and Charles Hamilton made an album together. Refreshing! is a DEAD and Charles Hamilton collab, pressed on vinyl by DEAD RECORDS and limited to 100 copies ever. Read more about it in The DEAD albums: I Don't Want To Die and Refreshing!, or hear it on Bandcamp.

FAQ

What is DEAD REVIEWS?

DEAD REVIEWS is a weekly album review show on the DeadOrdinals YouTube channel. DEAD plays short snippets from an album, talks about each one, and ends with a Skull Score out of 10.

When do new DEAD REVIEWS episodes come out?

Every Friday, on youtube.com/@DEADORDINALS. Episode 1 is planned for Friday, October 30, 2026.

What is a Skull Score?

The Skull Score is DEAD's final verdict on an album: a rating out of 10, given at the end of every episode.

What album is reviewed in episode 1?

The Pink Lavalamp by Charles Hamilton, released for free on December 8, 2008. It has 15 tracks, runs 70 minutes and 18 seconds, and was produced entirely by Charles Hamilton.

Where can I hear DEAD's own music?

On Bandcamp at deadordinals.bandcamp.com, and in the music player at the top of dead.global, which plays songs from both DEAD albums.

Sources

Album facts checked October 20, 2026, from:

• Wikipedia, The Pink Lavalamp (album)
• Wikipedia, Charles Hamilton (rapper)
• Discogs, Charles Hamilton, The Pink Lavalamp (master release)