Not even some improved production and new members can save these hunky chuggs from tiring themselves out.
How do you go lower than the already subpar production on a deathcore album
No better combination of abstract & abrasive, yet accessible and catchy music.
Wow it’s so hard to pick out a weak song out of a huge track list and from a band I’ve never been super into. This rating could absolutely increase in the future. Gorillaz have crafted something really special here.
I love how willing Poppy is to go out of her way in experimenting with her sound. But wow oh wow was this the worst noise album I've heard. Attempts at shock value, but with a lack of compositional quality. There's more to making a good noise album than just being abrasively loud or weird. This reeks of laziness and has some of the worst mixing of the year. Lets not do this again please.
I appreciate them trying more things and while it has its catchy qualities and Sam sounds good. They’re taking a lot from BMTH here for better or worse. I hope they continue to go farther into this new route for them. Interested to see what the rest of the album will sound.
EDIT: Doesn't hit the same emotions as it once did, but it really shouldn't anymore and that's perfectly fine. At the time I had never heard an album like whatever the fuck this is, it was my first foray into experimental music and yeah this is quite the unstable lily pad to leap onto when you've never listened to anything like this before. But I still appreciate much of the dark and weird overtones/directions that Xiu Xiu took here. Not all of it works perfectly, but it is ... read more
It's been 10 years since Adam Johnson's Ep "4 Songs". This debut LP features mostly re-recordings of past material that's been on YouTube for years. Which serves to complement the theme of listening to someone's music changing over time. But it’s all condensed into one album. A concept that I had yet to hear explored in a single LP. The end result being a rousing success!
Which by the time you get to the last song, the production sounds a lot cleaner & the mixing is a lot ... read more
The hopeful release I really needed from this year. There is such a blissful reassurance that lays over this album that doesn’t shy away from the struggles that this year has brought on all of us. Every song has something to explore whether it’s out of Robins personal trials and discoveries over the last few years or discussing the trial that the pandemic has been. All of it thorough and beautiful in sound.
First Drone album that spoke to me. The opening three tracks are transcending and colossal in sound. It starts treading old ground in the middle section but finishes off slightly stronger. Regardless Anna has peeked my interest in her work.
While a sure fire improvement over his debut and ep. Nectar suffers from to many hip hop cliches & generic song writing to be anything greater.
Songs like Run, Ew, Daylight, Like You Do. Showed us a more refined version of Joji. Improved vocals and more meditative samples. This album has moments shine without a doubt. But it is bogged down by to many forgettable tracks to really stick out as anything more remarkable. Your Man is perhaps the most anti climactic & boring closer to an ... read more
Dark Skies served to me as the staple metalcore album of the 2010's. In the sense that if you wanted to know what the basic metalcore sound was for this era. You'd listen to the Dark Skies. The difference is for being a standard metalcore album, it was still enjoyable. It seems they've done the opposite for The Path.
I'd say my biggest gripe here is with the fact that most of the tracks are so generic and poorly mixed that none of them stand out. Tracks like Annihilation & God of Fire ... read more
![福居良 [Ryo Fukui] - Scenery](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/60518-scenery_013708.jpg)
YouTube has helped me yet again in finding some great music. Every piano note feels so meticulously placed, without coming off as static or robotic. It can be free flowing & enchanting like in “It Could Happen To You” & “I Want to Talk About You”. While songs like “Autumn Leaves” & “Early Summer” feature groovy smooth ear candy. The two last tracks “Willow Weep for Me” & “Scenery” carry a much more delicate ... read more
Reshaping some of my least favorite songs with acoustic, symphonic and synth. Turns out to be the best thing for these songs!
One of the best combinations of progressive and extreme metal music to be condensed into an album.
Thank you to Jon Brion for finishing this album and arranging it in such a beautiful way. His production is polished to near perfection. Delivering in the years most melancholic listen. Taking what happened to Mac into everything it’s beyond sad. It never misses a beat and despite being nearly an hour long. It maintains such a great pace. So glad I was finally able to check this out.
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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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