For a 70 minute album, this things flies by. It's so captivating that you wouldn't even realize that it was over an hour. Everything about it just makes me want to keep listening to it and I kind of blend into the album. The amazing and powerful riffs, the shifting of styles, and just generally being consistently banger after banger means it doesn't get tiring to listen to. Even with most of the songs going over 4 minutes and there even being a song reaching 10 minutes long, I'm gripping for ... read more

This thing is just huge. 140 minutes of some of the most wild soundscapes there is. It feels like you're locked in a nightmare, not one that's directly scary, but one where everything is off. It almost feels haunted, with even the most "normal" songs having this sinister feeling creeping behind it. Every song has a haziness to it which makes it feel unreal. Now the genre tags may have you think this is just 2 hours of droning post rock nonsense, but it does shake it up a bit. Songs ... read more

If you any emo expert, they'll most likely tell you this is the definitive first emo album. Specifically it's emocore, which is the first iteration of emo that eventually formed into a more general concept. It's essentially the Black Sabbath s/t of emo. Unlike that album, it frankly isn't that instrumentally different from other kinds of music going around at the time. It sounds a lot like the typical sound of the DC hardcore scene of the 80s. What separates it is a staple of emo, whiney vocals ... read more

Orchid are definitely a classic band at this point, being the cornerstone of the emoviolence scene. While Chaos Is Me is the more iconic album, I slightly prefer Dance Tonight. It manages to be both their shortest album while also having their longest song. For being only 15 minutes long, this thing is stuffed to the brim. With a release this short with this many ideas to throw out, it would entirely be a nonstop barrage of yelling and noise. However, it takes some time elsewhere, sometimes ... read more

LCW is one of the heaviest albums in indie rock, with climactic and powerful riffs in almost every song. Riffs on songs like Doin The Cockroach are honestly suffocating. Isaac Brock does a great job over these songs, being able to put all the power into his voice when he needs to. He is also able to fit into the more somber and introspective moments very well. The range this album is able to pull off is widened because of that. There's songs that seep into post-rock, folk, noise rock, country, ... read more

I discovered Simz very recently through her last single, and I've been hooked on this album since. It's a really well made album and is super tight for it's 35 minute runtime. It does a lot with how little there actually is. The opener, Offence, is a great example of the style of this record. It has a lot of different ideas all thrown in being held together with this main drum beat, mostly using live instrumentals. This album uses a lot of live playing and it works really well, with the drums, ... read more

This Is Happening is very much a modern 80s album. There's clear influences from artists like Iggy Pop and Talking Heads. It has the post punk styles but with the repetitive and longer song structures of bands like Daft Punk.

It takes some real confidence to open an album with a 9 minute song that's hook is 3 minutes in, but they pull it off flawlessly. Dance Yrself Clean is one of the most exciting dance songs to ever be made and it has probably the best beat drop in music history. The ... read more

This album is a single 40 minute piece of music going through tons of different phases. The majority is instrumental, although there's a lot of lyrics packed in there as well. The lyrical sections serve as a path into what really makes this special which is the plentiful amount of great musical moments. Every instrument has its time to hit some high, and there's a few thrown in here, all of which are played excellently. There's your typical guitars and drums, but also flutes, organs, and synths ... read more

Indian Summer are no doubt a classic emo band at this point, despite their entire discography being about 10 songs long in total. They weren't documented all that well and their songs don't even have official names (all the names I use in this review are unofficial fan names). Despite all that, the small bit they did bring is incredible and revolutionary. While I was originally going to review their discography compilation, their EP is definitely more interesting than what comes after it. It ... read more

Imagine dragons are a very easy band to point at and say they're that shitty pop band that makes trailer music. That's not exactly false, but I do think that this is their best effort. The first half is mostly singles, which are that right mix of nostalgic and overplayed. The second half is the new stuff I hadn't heard before, which is definitely weaker. I mean, they threw a 9 minute song in there when it is definitely not needed. I think they definitely have good ideas going on and the songs ... read more

If you're looking for a good, consistent soulful r&b album with some rap elements, this is the place to go. Every song here is good, with a lot of great standouts. While the first song may make you think this is going to be a rap album, it hardly is one. It's a blend of singing and rapping, but mostly singing. Regardless of which way she's delivering lyrics, she has a great voice. Lots of great choruses held up by her incredible vocals and also some really great backing vocals. Pretty much ... read more

EAAY are one of the most notable bands to never release an album. Lasting only about 2 years and hardly ever gaining any traction then, it seems like this would be something lost to time. However, it began to finally pick up in popularity throughout the years as people stumbled across it and realized just how good it is. This is their fullest released project, and still is only 4 songs spanning 11 minutes. Despite its length, it's one of the most nostalgic and endearing albums of a genre known ... read more

One of the first and most iconic midwest emo albums, and it definitely serves up to its legacy. Pretty much every song on here is a jam where the band is just going all out. It's a math rock album, so it has a lot of that experimentation with structure and time signatures combined with the all out nature of post hardcore music. It has incredible drumming and captivating guitar riffs. The only real issue with a lot of these songs instrumentally is how short they are, with some being less than 2 ... read more

Ska is one of those genres people love to hate on. Regardless of your thoughts on it though, this album is the definitive peak of the genre. After 6 years of songwriting, enough to break the band apart, this last hurrah to ASOB is an incredible way to end it. The songs are all insanely packed with a nonstop barrage of horns, speedy vocals and tight songwriting. It combines typical ska with a more hardcore punk style to make it a lot more bearable. It never really dies down for its entire ... read more

Vacation is the final album from BTMI, a band with an incredible and constantly evolving run. This is their most polished record and acts as the sendoff to the band. It feels very grand and wraps up everything the band had to say. I'd call it their most optimistic album, but that's not really saying much.

One great strength of this album is the hooks. Many of these songs have downright addicting hooks which make me want to keep listening over and over. I could probably listen to the chorus of ... read more

Black Dresses have gained a real cult following over the past few years, and from what I've heard this is the best they've done. It really nails that pounding electronic industrial music with some pop elements thrown in and lighter moments. It works them together well and brings out some genuinely beautiful moments. It's catchy and punchy paired with amazing vocals and lyrics. The vocals also have a nice range, with there being both screaming and whispering across this album. Between all the ... read more

Beach House seem to be one of the most respected dream pop bands, and this was my first experience with them. This album is definitely very straightforward with what it's trying to do and doesn't really advertise otherwise. It's a dream pop album, it's sleepy and melodic with super dreamy vocals, much what you'd expect from an album in this genre. There's some interesting parts in here, like the dungeony synths on Common Girl, but it's mostly just what you'd expect. That's not inherently a bad ... read more

One thing that always excites me in music is hearing something completely fresh. Since I Left You is just that, an entirely unique experience combining tons of genres. It's composed entirely of samples, with there being somewhere between 1000 and 3000 samples total. Every moment is packed to the brim with these wildly shifting samples. It's chaotic and all over the place yet manages to make a solid and captivating structure. It handles being both a complete and accessible album while being all ... read more