Music that sonically mimics that liminal tug-of-war between passive and active dreaming; the times when our minds become aware of themselves amid an otherwise detached stream of consciousness and uncanny manifestation. The quiet and the loud coexist here, in an unpredictable way that still remains calming and beautiful even when the sudden shift of gears ought to "jump scare" us. Somehow, none of this is startling. Because in the end, we know we're being gently whispered to.
Music of ... read more
Very typical folk country with primarily just guitar and vocals. That's it.
Zeal & Ardor return after their explosive EP last year with more of their signature blues djent that works incredibly well despite its seemingly incongruous juxtaposition. While the aforementioned EP was an incredibly important release for metal music considering its anti-racist message, this full LP similarly stands as an important release for heavy music in general due to its incredibly unique musicality and the fact that it is also actually about something real lyrically. This time, it's ... read more
Very lovely pop music that aims for higher than most of its peers. The melodies are memorable. The production is solid. It's just not particularly extraordinary beyond those highlights.
At first I wasn't sure if this record was going to captivate me. Then point 2:44 of track 2 hit, and I realized I was listening to something pretty special. It only got better from there.
I respect the push to broaden the musical palette on this record. Even if it results in a disjointed final product much of the time. What's coherent is still pretty damn impressive.
Deathcore is what metalcore should have always been, and it carries into the future the best elements of melodic death metal and hardcore punk married in a much more organic and less mainstream way than that other aforementioned genre. This record demonstrates the power of taking the merging of these two related music worlds seriously, and it's absolutely relentless from beginning to end. Breakneck speed, yet taking time to pause and be mindful along the way, "Oh What the Future ... read more
The variety found here is to be commended, and Adrianne Lenker's sweet voice is always bewitching. But when Lenker herself released a one-woman masterpiece not even two years ago in "Songs and Instrumentals," it's very difficult for me not to draw comparisons between the two. Both albums are modern country and folk. Both feature Lenker's vocals as the starring element. Both are full of lovely music. But one of them is still overly long and bloated, ultimately becoming a fatiguing ... read more
Is it kosher for me to say that I have never really liked The Lumineers' music and that I have never understood the hype? Anyway, this album certainly won't be the one to change my mind.
Well, I guess I can add Empath right next to The Armed in my growing list of noise pop/popcore artists I'm really excited about these days. This record is an exercise in liminal songwriting and composition. As disjointed as it may initially sound track-by-track, there is a point to it all, inviting the listener into a region of existence that manifests in the static between radio stations, where genres and beats bleed into each other. Just follow the footsteps.
The sheer beauty of this collection of chamber music compositions is hard to capture in words but the perpetual motion of so many of them, slowly building layers upon the same riff repeated, deliberately and masterfully, puts me in mind of the same kind of chamber music that the Penguin Cafe Orchestra used to serve up decades ago. That same modern sentiment while still utilizing classic techniques resonated in my soul back then, and it has recapitulated once again in "aubades." It's ... read more
The first track is something truly original and intriguing. Tracks 2-9 are retro '80s pop homage. Pretty lovely for what it is!
I could program a primitive AI to make a plunderphonics record using samples of mule farts and Queen Elizabeth's orgasms and end up with a more coherent, enjoyable record than this one.
This was my first Saba record, and color me impressed! Technically proficient, melodically gorgeous cloud rap that kept surprising me all the way through to the end. Apparently this is "pop" music according to some reviews, and apparently that's a negative? I'm not sure, peeps. This is really good shit, whatever you want to call it.
![寺田創一 [Soichi Terada] - Asakusa Light](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/417306-asakusa-light.jpg)
Terada attempts to recapture the magic of his best work from the '90s, and falls short. But it's still pleasant enough music to put on in the background.
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