Caught off guard by how good this new single is, I have yet to find any full release by Dream Theater very compelling but this is just a damn good piece of prog rock. Everyone here (even LaBrie is fine) are at top form and by far the instrumental section are the most invigorating to listen too. Petrucci, Rudess and Portnoy's dynamic is so much fun, but the way Petrucci makes his guitar sing with those ascending chords near the end tops nearly everything else on this track with how it pulls ... read more
Nails the expected places that a sci-di death metal album should go.
Nifty! The groups chemistry is at their most synchronized here between each of their divergent interest & stylings. With an overall commitment towards ringing tones & soft to sharp digital rhythmic schemes. Being so close to the ear enhances their intimacy amidst the various feelings they instill in the details. Skinner continue’s to be one of my favorite modern drummers for his pool of influences between kraut rock & jazzy embellishments. His groove are always so snappy, but ... read more
Xiu Xiu’s latest see’s them take in straightforward ragers with ambient explorations of melody's to keep you synced in with their abstract textures that sustain the bulk of the runtime. Said ragers however combine blissful grooves & tense moments of ecstasy that always seem to fall back on delivering a hazed crunch. As Stewart themselves have stated, they realized they were making a psychedelic rock record and they liked that challenge, but they didn't want to just ... read more
New Geordie Greep single reminds me a lot of black midi’s second album musically. Lots of focus on poly rhythms and tight mathy and abstract jazz instrumentation. The mix is super dry but punchy and not nearly as colorful as anything from black midi but I think it works very well. It’s tight as hell and is super invigorating, especially how everyone comes together bring this nail biting tension that only subsumes you and never relents. Big fan!
Aptly produced and incorporates its gospel elements incredibly well. Not all of the songs are super memorable, but it's a consistently engaging and enjoyable listen all the way through.
Great groove with some roomy production that's a lot more lush than what I'm used to from Phil, it's pretty great!
Best jazz album of the year, just thoroughly concise & dynamic.
I cannot fathom that this was recorded and performed live.
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(Update many years later)
Perhaps the first Coltena project that stuck with me, even if it was out of stark befuddlement than anything else. Returning back on this quaint, drunken night I encounter an odyssey of primal restraint. The band often downplays their ability to complicate individual expressions and the intermingling of relationships in order to service the much more dry, passionate & biting front facing saxophones. In ... read more
![John Coltrane - Ascension [Edition II]](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/315284-ascension-edition-ii_230831.jpg)
I've finally arrived at Ascension, the point of no return for Coltrane's search for heaven on earth. I think Meditations
is the pinnacle of Coltrane's free jazz period, utilizing the chaos & lack of boundaries to tell a story of finding & maintaining love through the struggling miracle that is life. So, if Meditations takes the foundation of Ascension & flexes the roots, what can be said for Ascension itself? Well to put it bluntly, it is in my estimation the ... read more
Bro dropped an absolute toe tapper!
That first riff is so black midi that it almost hurts, following that we get shades of jazz rock and baroque pop. All influences that fit so well if you've paid attention to much of the music Greep spends his time shouting out on his twitter. All together he has shown great promise as a solo artist and it's hard to imagine a greater introduction to this new phase of his career than a single this bold, this catchy, this well produced & this ... read more
Cannonball brings an otherworldly embodiment of playing with your heart on your sleeve and no record personifies that better than this one.
JPEGMAFIA’s newest release sees him put his jagged, lo-fi aesthetics to the side in favor of an incredibly clean, open and bouncy production. Bringing these songs a much more refined sense of life. While still managing to embody the manic layering that Peggy is known for. All the while taking on more traditional rock sounds into an incredibly punchy place. All the while keeping a good balance of dynamics, between total ragers and low key pleasures. Peggy is nothing if not consistent in ... read more
Even with a slight dip in consistent quality across the record, the bar for Death’s albums are a cut above most bands out there. Just an insane run of constantly evolving musical vocabulary that never abandoned the core drive for intense & gratifying ecstasy.
Yeeeaaahhh sorry, but this doesn’t work for me. I think the chaotically funky Kaleidoscope style this album goes for is an interesting one, but not much ever really grabbed me when it came to the performances or execution of any song.
Post FTM Mars Volta began to really throw off the safety rails, diving headfirst into the limits of maximalist jazz fusion & prog rock. The end result would be two crazed projects, Amputechture & The Bedlam of Goliath. The former shows next to no restraint in seeing the band push their experimentation into a blend of melody & technical psychedelia. Often the music feels so adventurous and hungry to see what lies past itself that it forgoes the careful plodding of FTM. When sections ... read more
Successfully ironic and makes for some good satire, plus and possibly more importantly it’s funny and catchy.
Holy shit they’re back!!!
Damn! We just getting some straight up noise rock, David’s drumming hits these powerful grooves, but also stays fresh the entire track, pulling out unique fills or differing variations of previous moments. There’s something colorful and wistful behind many of the guitar passages and especially the chorus. It glimmers and shines above some pretty in your face, dense rhythms. I’m a fan!! I’m so surprised at how straightforward this is ... read more
I can hardly fathom how they play these songs live, especially Macaw. A very crisp recording that captures an even more wild sense of mania then their studio produced projects.
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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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