“Jasmine on the vine, clothes drying on a chair”

Very pretty and expansive folk record with some great inflections and little moments sprinkled throughout. Great guitar playing. Has grown off of me a little, but still a very sweet listen for a sunny day.

Favourites: Anywhere
Least favourites: Hospital

“Like diagrams of the textbooks that we no longer understood”

Very effective post-punk album, crafts a claustrophobic environment with ease, leaves you filled with dread. Extra point for the Simon Pegg feature, love the vocal style at use here.

Favourites: Peacehaven, Submersible, Construction Site
Least favourites: N/A

Very standard 80’s pop, good background music, nothing much more.

Favourites: No Conversation, Stay and Let
Least favourites: No Rebel

"Oh, I still call, I swear I’m always holding on, life goes by"

With a slew of features, Saba & No I.D. deliver an excellent project, my definite favourite from Saba, and perhaps favourite rap project of all time. I love the production and transitions so much, this album is overflowing with personality, creativity and fun, contagious in its rhythms. It feels so summery despite its monotone cover, and the collaborative nature makes for such an alive and breathing canvas ... read more

"For i knew I had to rise above it all"

Fantastic album that has stood the test of time, such an infectious energy across these tracks, introduced by an unbelievable 10 minute opener. Brilliant guitar. I am one who is put off slightly by the sound effects in the final track, but I try not to let it sour the overall enjoyment of the project. A classic deserving of its status.

Favourites: Can You, Maggot Brain, Super Stupid
Least favourites: Armageddon

"But don't you remember, August, honey, you were mine"

Features "August", perhaps the song that is dearest to me. Je t'aime, ma cherie. Very strong EP outside of my bias, lovely vibrant hue to it all, really like the vocalists tone, very unique and captivating. Adore the artwork too, so pretty.

Favourites: Fletcher, Churches, August
Least favourites: N/A

Similar to my review of its sister EP, this is definitely milking it. I'm fond of "July", but these 3 songs really didn't need to exist, this is clearly capitalising as much as possible on the taste of mainstream success, be it his labels doing or his own. Like I've said, these don't offer anything when separated from their intended environment, they feel more like flimsy and hollow attempts to reinvigorate interest, compiled from the scrap pile.

Favourites: ... read more

It's not his best work, but these B-sides are sweet enough accompaniments to the main event. These EP releases do somewhat leave a bad taste in my mouth, as if they sour the artistic integrity of an album as intricate as "Unreal, Unearth". "Too Sweet" sort of irritates me due to its time in the spotlight, and the rest don't really offer a reason to exist outwith the album they were intended for. My rating reflects my feelings towards the reasons for this release ... read more

"These days, I think I owe my life to flowers that were left here, by my mother, ain't that like them, gifting life to you again?"

Here is what I've been itching for from Hozier. He can write a damn good song, but his albums have always felt a little jumbled, a little misguided, unfocussed, this being my biggest gripe with his discography. On his third full-length, he presents a concept album based on Dantes Inferno, in which the album cascades through the circles of hell ... read more

"True that I saw her hair like the branch of a tree, a willow dancing on air before covering me, under cotton and calicoes, over canopy dapple long ago"

Definitely underrated. While I think it contains more misfires than his debut, it still contains some of my absolute favourites. His writing is as fluid as ever, and there are broader ideas made here that I respect, this is a man who knows what he's good at and simply goes forth and does it. Of course, his vocals continue to be ... read more

"So tenderly you watch me burn"

It feels like Joji operates better in short-form, leaving no room for filler or missteps (mostly). This is a fairly decent first foray into being a "serious" artist, the soundscape is actually quite unique to me, I like the chain sounds a lot for some reason. The lambasted "Bitter Fuck" isn't that terrible, even if it is noticeably weaker than the rest here. Perhaps controversially, my favourite snapshot of Joji, it's got ... read more

I remember hearing this for the first time and being mildly pleased by new Joji material, but ultimately left with a feeling of "that's it?". I don't think it's aged well either, I never really got "Glimpse of Us", it's a nice enough ballad but nothing great, I actually prefer the second side of this, contrary to my usual pattern with Joji releases. An overall underwhelming project that marked my distancing from Joji as a whole :(

Favourites: Dissolve, ... read more

"I know you're not in love like you used to be"

Perhaps the closest Joji got to a fully developed album, it is still brought down by fairly innocuous filler and a rough around the edges second half. A lot of nostalgia for this one, and quite a few of these tracks do legitimately stand on their own 5 years later, its just brought down by some feeling slightly inauthentic (surely due to his signing to a 88rising) and a little plain. An overall promising progression that proved to ... read more

“Oh, we’re absolute beginners, with nothing much at stake”

I’ve the version that ends with “Riot City”, so will be rating accordingly. A nice enough collection lead by Bowie himself with the title track, one of his greatest from the era. The rest here range from alright to fairly forgettable. Other than Bowies entries, I especially like the Sade song. Cute soundtrack overall, nothing special outwith the obvious.

Favourites: Absolute Beginners, Killer Blow, ... read more

“When will I learn to take you on my journey?”

I’ve a soft spot for Miss Raitt, she’s a great voice and can make a damn good song. This little covers album is great easy listening, zero complaints about it. I like how it isn’t afraid to broaden its horizons genre wise. A great snapshot of the 70s sound.

Favourites: Runaway, Louise, Sweet Forgiveness
Least favourites: Gamblin’ Man

“I will always love you, I don’t wanna fight at all”

I had never clicked with any Sufjan before this, though I really wanted to. With this album, I finally got it. This is quite angelic and heartfelt with lovely melodies and progression, and I really like the touch of the backing vocalists. “Shit Talk” is an incredible, incredible song. Such a pleasure to hear something like this, something so ethereal born of grief. One of the most purely human albums I’ve ... read more

“Sit beneath a light that suits ya”

Adore the instrumentation here, I think I’d prefer if Grians voice was a little lower in the mix to let them shine, but it’s a great experience regardless. I like this punkier side of them, hope to see this style return for them on a revamped level, it fits them well.

Favourites: Spring, A Hero’s Death, In America
Least favourites: N/A

“Please don’t turn around, ‘cause there ain’t nothing there for you”

Very pretty collection of polished and comforting tracks. A couple miss the mark, but it all glides through so cleanly that it’s hard to dismiss anything wholly. The song lengths can also make or break these tracks, as there’s moments I’d wish would be developed and moments I wished were shortened. Very consistent and pleasant listen, great overall vibe.

Favourites: Unspokern, ... read more

“Unfinished thoughts filled the air. It was the same thing”

Their second release treads on mostly similar ground to their first, while leaning a little more toward the louder aspects. It offers its own identity in the form of more of a post-rock influence, which works quite well. The last minute of “Thoughts Conversations” is a really irritating sound that spoils the flow near the finish line for me, the ending tracks themselves not really doing much to resuscitate it. ... read more

“But you never got to go to that place you always wanted to visit, safely wanting someone new”

Love the sound of this, mixing and all. Very dense and surging, equalled out with quite pretty melodic sections. Sometimes the guitar parts get repetitive, but I like what they’re doing for the most part. The ambience interwoven is so heart wrenching, really completes the album for me. Incredible debut.

Favourites: Chapter 1, Untitled, Space and Time
Least favourites: N/A