I have never heard a singer who is able to express emotion quite like Nina Simone. Her quivering vibrato contains the power of an earthquake, but conveys a wounded fragility. She makes it so easy to picture the quiet despair, bubbling anger & boastful confidence on display purely from how much she is able to get out of every note she sings. The only other singer I can think of off the top of my head who can make me picture such a visceral physicality in their vocal performance is Fiona ... read more
HEY EVERYONE I JUST DROPPED AN ANALYSIS OF SQUIDS CAREER ON YT! YOU CAN WATCH THAT RIGHT HERE!
https://youtu.be/eMALwzy-azQ?si=8vTNh-9wGtP8D0j2
Squid stepped up to the plate and took what worked best on "Bright Green Field", trimming the fat off to come back with a sophomore record that provides a much more concise listen. Delving deeper into a mix of noisy & bright electronics, atmospheric soundscapes & chaotic instrumental's that intersperse high end synthesizer's & ... read more
Cool jazz indeed
Bubbly melodies, intricate compositions & some of the most joyful music ever made.
Foo Fighters going all shoegaze makes for a nice switch up in their sound even if it’s still not something I’m over the moon about. Foo Fighters are a solid alt rock band, over the years there’s been a handful of singles that have caught my attention, but that’s been about it. Especially in recent years I’ve found their output album wise to be quite lackluster. Enter “But Here We Are” a record which stands as a solid effort from the group that ... read more
![tricot - 爆裂トリコさん [Bakuretsu tricot san]](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/25082-bakuretsu-tricot-san.jpg)
Dude the first four songs are among the groups most cohesive & fun batches of song writing. Even if the production is a bit of a step down from THE, the mix is still intact with a better shine on the lovely bass work. If it wasn't for the 5th track dragging and the last song being a rough cut of a song that would become one of their best, this EP would've been their best release. In fairness to the acoustic cut Ikkyu's singing is still able to power through into something emotionally ... read more
Quite solid if a bit underwhelming as a single, hardcore "Great Annihilator" vibes
My first Hella record was a wild ride! Let’s start off with how self contained the album is at just barely being over half an hour long & featuring such an idiosyncratic but sticky sound all on a debut record. The run time specifically really allows them to go buck wild without over extending themselves, really when it comes to these kind of maximalist extreme rock or metal record’s, being concise is almost always preferable. In most cases prioritizing a “short yet ... read more
stale clean hook
tiktok emo lyrics from a near 40 year old man
blending glitch pop with alt metal = bland effort
cringe breakdown
so is the duality of man that they release their best material only to follow it up with this...
Best album art of the year??
"Maps" is a thorough display of the strength that a collab can garner. Billy Woods's pen game is very clever and poetic, so much so that I struggled to keep up with dissecting certain songs, as one slick line would fly past me before I had time to register it another one would come up just as quickly and that's not due to the speed of his flow, but rather his tendency to jump from place to place through one verse. So while any deeper lyrical examination ... read more
Kind of underrated in their catalogue??
Listening through the previous two LP's prior to this paints a relatively clear image of what direction the band was heading into. Gearing their out of pocket & dissonant brand of darkness into a prettier & arguably much more refined sound. Though these two records do bring their own unique take on this sound, Le Foret approaches things with a heavy focus on lush atmosphere's, enveloping production & a lullaby like approach to it's melodies, ... read more
This is the production they were always meant to have, I can see this being a super cozy album that I could always have on no matter the setting. Sounds like they truly dove in to the sound of every season!
Another killer single from the band, that trumpet refrain in the second half is so enjoyable!
Let’s just hope they’re able to make the rest of the album this consistently good!
The last month has completely changed how I listen to music; the way I take in art.
I now understand what I couldn't before & the uniqueness of this record seeps into its quality when you examine how the apparent lack of "atmosphere" is found within the timbre & the texture of every moment. Existing in the same space as Williams/Che's writing style. A fluidity of all elements is experienced as flow & thus the feel of every song is endlessly dynamic.
... read more
Jesus Piece comes through with their most hard hitting record so far. The album feels like they went in wanting to make a classic metalcore & hardcore record with modern metal aesthetics. So in that sense it's a pretty admirable effort, though it's not the most consistent nor original record in the world. It's worth a listen if you've felt the fatigue of the modern metalcore scene.
Idk I've been a big fan of these guys, but since Portal of I their material has slowly started to fall in quality. Exul seems to suffer from making use of its soundscape. On previous Ne Obliviscaris records the fluidity of the tracks was always one of their biggest strengths. There was always so many interesting parts and the spotlight would shift and swiftly transition from player to player, section to section. But with Exul those moments have never felt farther apart than they have here. ... read more
1 The Price Is Wrong: 6/10
2 Motormouth: 6/10
3 Marigold: 9/10
4 The Way the News Goes...: 8/10
5 Remain Indoors: 6/10
6 Habitual Line-Stepper: 8/10
7 Flatline: 7/10
8 Absolomb: 9/10
9 Catch Fire: 6.5/10
10 Prayer Position: 6/10
11 Lune: 8/10
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Recent Review Comments
On literallyMoss's review of Xiu Xiu - Ignore Grief
"A lot of people are not into experimental experiences, hence a lot of complaints about this not having "the other aspects of Xiu Xiu that makes their music memorable" without further elaboration, a comment like this says more about their taste's than it is a critique of the music"
On 🪓lexa ☮️💖☯️🤝🇵🇸's review of Xiu Xiu - Knife Play
"Homunculus should be genuinely painful physically and emotionally to listen too. It’s its best quality"
On Archerycraft18's review of John Coltrane - Live in Japan
"Thank you for providing an in-depth review, lovely stuff"
On Invent Animate - The Sun Sleeps, As If It Never Was
"@steffyy thank you for the lovely feedback, glad it helped your experience!"
On CheerAxConisuer's review of King Crimson - Islands
"He was Fripped out of his mind on "Sailors Tale""
On Spamman's review of The Necks - Disquiet
""it's a track that is a journey, a story."
In a sense The Neck's don't make stories within their music. They create static, explorative sonic environments built on repetitions & time manipulation, extensive run times help create the hypnotic effect, creating a mode of stasis where they can add new elements or change the specific details of these repetitions in order to alter the texture of the piece.
What may seem like the exact same thing really isn't at all due to how they play around with microtones, pacing & then adding and subtracting pieces from the overall construct. I agree with your assessment on "Causeway" but it's strange to me that you don't see how elements are weaving in and out of the first two tracks."
On landminemower's review of The Necks - Disquiet
"It wouldn't be a 10/10 if it was shorter. The length is integral to the experience of lulling you beyond considering time."
On HomeSession3's review of Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
"I can only wish you & your family the best, an honest beautiful tribute that means a lot to me as I read it. Thank you for having the strength to post this as you go through this incredibly difficult time"
On s3sh's review of Xiu Xiu - Ignore Grief
"Come on man, I can understand where this perspective comes from, but it's sad to see people that wouldn't try to understand the art for what it is than for what their preconceptions of art would dictate for them to believe. Abstract art is art for a reason and its worth exploring why this album is the way it is or at least being able to formulate substantial criticisms for others to contend with instead of offering a statement so broad and dismissive that it begs to be replied too. Just sort of expressing some views the review conjured and not trying to make you feel worthless or express any kind of personal hatred :)"
On Echoesanywhere's review of Andrew Hill - Compulsion
"This review is a great example of reviewing abstract/difficult works of art. Following the music through its patterns (emotional, structural, musical) it reveals the core of what the art is and it doesn't have to be so impossible to define or require knowledge on music theory. The real key I've found is to just really tune yourself into the sound and what it's doing between all the musicians. It will speak to you."
On HomeSession3's review of The Mountain Goats - Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan
"Sounds really interesting! What mountain goats records would you recommend?"
On DAVECHER's review of Stan Getz & João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
"I wish the bland recommended jazz had the same degree of warmth in the production & sensory depth in each instrument. Getz sax work is especially stupendous, take O’Grande Amour where he spends most of his time in hushed breath yet the whole thing is so playfully emotional. Making that first and final push at the end so impactful."
On HomeSession3's review of Geese - Getting Killed
"A lyrically great review that distills what makes this album unique! Loved reading it :)"
On cappyk's review of La Dispute - No One Was Driving the Car
"Try understanding what they're going for instead of going expecting a good rock album lol"
On Miles Davis - E. S. P.
"@HomeSession3 Sure you can recommend them to me or comment them on my page, I'd love some as I've really gotten into the genre this year :)"
On HomeSession3's review of Imperial Triumphant - Goldstar
"I love this review and it's a style that I try to grasp when constricting certain reviews of mine, but rarely capture it as well as you do here. Less a checklist of good and bad qualities and instead you paint a picture of the records character and quality from within. Lovely stuff and my favorite review I've read this year."
On Doofy's review of toe - the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety
"You should check out their next release For Long Tomorrow, I feel like that one may resonate a bit more."
On H1DD3N_1N_TH3_ST4T1C's review of Hail the Sun - Divine Inner Tension
"Haven't listened to this one yet, but you would really enjoy their output if this one works for you. I'd listen in this order: Secret Wars, Wake, New Age Filth & Mental Knife after that is pretty open to what you're interested in."
On jaredpeelstich's review of Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
"not on my watch
no rating submitted, review gives a 10/10"
On chaz's review of Don Caballero - American Don
"they're a "multiple relisten's" kind of band for sure"
On tyler's review of Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
"I’ve only listened to the tracks A & B, but I agree with what you’ve said so far. I started getting into jazz and i think you should check out “Let My Children Hear Music” which is also by Mingus. It’s my favorite of his that’s I’ve heard so far, it blends classical music & avant- grade jazz, love to know your thoughts."
On CLJesse's review of Glassjaw - Worship and Tribute
"Any update on that post hardcore flow chart??"
On CLJesse's review of foxtails - fawn
"Great find to start off the year, very much agree with everything you've said here"
On mj04's review of Code Orange - Underneath
"Idk man, I really love the vocals. Sound very intense and very much something of their own. "
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