Money is a certified indie bop but the rest of these tracks are so utterly bland and lack that charm
I was really interested in hearing how the super abrasive production of Piggy translated to a live setting, and this EP shows that in terms of instrumentals the answer is quite well. That being said idk why Peter chose live recordings where he sounds extraordinarily winded and tired lol
This album is like looking at an explosion in slow motion. It's highly grotesque- snarling drums and vocals and lyrical content that feels like Thom is being ripped apart through a slow vacuum. And yet, you just can't look away- the longer you stare at it, the more beautiful it becomes. You notice the way in which the sweet, light guitar playing and odd time signatures invite you in and hold you in place through every track. This album really sounds and feels like a perfectly elegant explosion, ... read more
The orchestral production here is just simply phenomenal. The way in which it suits not only Thom's vocals but also the rest of the band is genuinely awe-inspiring and makes the sound palette of this album distinctly stand out from Radiohead's other works. Not to mention, this album is SAD- like, seriously terribly depressing. But, sad in a way that I feel is also different than Radiohead's other albums. Whereas an album like Amnesiac is sad due to a complete detachment and emptiness, this ... read more
Now THIS shows promise. The length of the track, despite being a longer runtime, runs by hella fast due to something The Smile's first album lacked imo... dynamics. The first half of the song is intentionally very slow moving and plodding before breaking into an outright terrifying explosion of sound and anger, not sounding out of place at all on an album like OK Computer. If Wall of Eyes album is as consistently solid as this single and the title single it will easily be one of the best of ... read more
Basically Radiohead but math rock. There are some really great tracks and moments on this thing, like the opener, The Smoke, and We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings, but on the whole I just felt relatively disappointed. The dynamic nature of this record is what clearly sets it apart as a side project- the vast majority of these tracks stay at a stagnant energy level throughout. Still not bad and I honestly liked it better than any Thom solo project but still pales to most true Radiohead albums
I know rating this higher than Kid A is blasphemous but I can't lie I just enjoy this album a tiny bit more. It goes without saying that this thing is WAY rougher around the edges, and some tracks it's a tad overbearing- but the hits here are just so damn good and show Radiohead in such a raw, untamed way that I genuinely don't think they've encapsulated since. Fake Plastic Trees, Just, High and Dry, Black Star... all such damn bangers. This is probably the only Radiohead album I think is ... read more
Debatably the best opener to a Radiohead album, kicking the album off to a crazy high start… and then honestly the rest of the album fails to reach those same heights again. Don’t get me wrong there are some great tracks here and I can appreciate the politically charged messages to a lot of these songs, it just fails to keep an energy level that I find super engaging for the majority of it
Whereas Kid A sounds like a wasteland, I feel like Amnesiac feels moreso like a void. The tracks here feel relatively unfinished at points which is definitely intentional, and the moments here which hit are gut-wrenchingly phenomenal like Pyramid Song. In some regards I think this album does excel a bit better than Kid A does but on the whole I do prefer Kid A for its more complete, polished sound
The very sound of a wasteland. All of the sound textures here are so damn bleak and dire that it’s nearly impossible not to feel genuinely weighed down when listening to it. That being said some of these tracks just don’t connect with me, perhaps as a result of the outright dissonant sound. Still basically a masterpiece and its importance can’t be overstated that’s for sure
Yeaaaa I mean what’s left to be said, this album is obviously Radiohead before they became Radiohead basically. Even still though for their biggest hit to be here is wildly impressive, and on a relisten I actually did enjoy a couple other tracks- Anyone Can Play Guitar, Blow Out- so to call this just Creep and filler wouldn’t be entirely true imo
I appreciate the concept of this album and what they were going for but for whatever reason it just doesn’t work for me basically at all. It’s produced well but every song just feels so meandering and some are outright obnoxious. I liked it a tad more on relisten than I used to but I would still say this is my least fav Radiohead album
![吉村弘 [Hiroshi Yoshimura] - Green](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/91138-green-1.jpg)
Deeply pleasant ambient listen, I wish a biiit more happened on basically all of these tracks but nevertheless they’re produced masterfully, it’s clear this is a cornerstone ambient album
What a truly lovely album. Despite the lyrics here being terribly sad and full of heartbreak, the instrumentation is outright cheery, creating this incredibly interesting contrast between what Joanna is singing versus her bright inflection and instrumental tone. Joanna purposefully writes in a deeply, DEEPLY personal way, and I can understand why that mixed with her technically subpar vocals would turn some away- but for me it completely works. I didn't expect to find another favorite of the ... read more
A nice, chill collection of some R&B instrumentals that sounds kind of reminiscent of some Nujabes stuff. I would’ve def liked some more experimentation bc a lot of these tracks feel like demos but eh it still sounds v relaxing at least
This to me feels like the modern Hi How Are You, both in execution and aesthetic. I do think a couple of these tracks fall pretty darn flat and are outright annoying at points but the aesthetic here is nailed pretty well that’s for sure
Post Modern Fade has absolutely no right to be both as wildly catchy and also gut-wrenchingly sad as it is. That being said the rest of this EP isn’t really anything special but honestly I was still impressed given I thought this would be a pretty terrible CSHR ripoff
This album is like if you took Beastie Boys, Death Grips, Rage Against the Machine, Death Grips, and a touch of synth-pop in a blender- and yes it’s as crazy as that sounds. This thing blends together so many genres in such a damned fun way that nearly every second of the album was frenetic as hell. I don’t absolutely love every track on it and there are a couple noticeable duds but I think this album is highly commendable for managing to swirl together so many distinct sounds in ... read more
Most of these tracks are pretty meh but the highs here are genuinely superb such as tracks like Waves and Stronger Than That. The closer especially is absolutely PHENOMENAL though like holy cow, All I’ve Ever Known has been one of my favorite songs for quite a while now, the production and lyrics are top notch on it. Had the rest of this record been to that level this would easily be a hidden gem but either way here the highs here are fantastic
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Recent Review Comments
On Jalen Ngonda - Doctrine of Love
"@Shayden 100% agree, it’s a throwback record done right"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 yeah I def get what you mean. Pac’s cadence and energy is so infectious for me I was able to look past the production being relatively ‘one-note’, even though like you said it is excellent production. That’s an excellent analogy"
On 2Pac - Me Against The World
"@Cloudboy019 that's a fair critique, I will say flow is not Pac's strongsuit, though a lot of people would probably disagree with that. The production is pretty much perfect here imo but it is definitely uniform across the record so I could see it growing stale if G-Funk adjacent stuff isn't as much your bag"
On David Bowie - David Bowie [Space Oddity]
"@usur_disc350 I’ll admit I’ve not revisited this much at all in the last couple years, but I’ll definitely stand by it having several great cuts beyond the title track"
On usur_disc350's review of McKinley Dixon - Magic, Alive!
"Honestly, really well put. I still have this rated pretty highly but I'd say I feel similarly, there's a sheen over this style of 'indie rap' that's starting to feel like the sheen that's covered a large bulk of indie rock the past decade (post-Mac if you will), it's a sheen of homogenization. Hadn't really put much thought to it until now but I think this absolutely hits the nail on the head, and is probably why despite there being so much 'good' hip-hop nowadays, the bulk of it feels like one big swirl of sameness. Excellent take"
On susquatch - Water Plant
"@Rileone it is yeah but it’s also definitely math rock too"
On Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. - The King & I
"@TheTrillTrolla that’s actually very informative, thank you!"
On Doofy's review of The The - Infected
"I prefer Soul Mining a shade, but I’ll agree that this record should be considered as far closer in quality than most. Nearly everything that makes Soul Mining so excellent is found here too, excellent production and songwriting especially"
On Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
"@HomeSession3 holy shit what a story! Thank you for sharing, that certainly sounds like one of those life-defining moments, for you and Roach. Live Jazz may be the definitive form of live performing for the reasons you said- it makes the frail jolt to life"
On My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe
"@Trazyn I hate saying ‘annoying’ bc that’s reductive, there are def moments where the lyricism along with the vocal style felt really contrived and grating to me though. Overall it’s certainly not an ‘annoying’ album, just nothing particularly new for Windmill. I would say I’m annoyed with the windmill scene in general nowadays"
On Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
"@Litebill931 thank you much! I have to stop myself from over-writing a lot of the time lol"
On 𝒩𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓂𝑒𝒶𝓃𝓉's review of Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA
"First review of this project that’s really made me want to check it out- seriously excellent write-up"
On XTC - Drums and Wires
"@sher12308 you’re totally right! Major goof on my part, I’ll edit that, appreciate the call-out"
On King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon
"@yusukeYYH thank you so much! His music is this really intriguing blend of abstract and extremely vivid"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 yeah for sure! I appreciate the compliment! Jeff Buckley is a perfect example of why 90s rock really shouldn’t be funneled into those two ‘categories’ I listed because he blends so many styles and sounds (a major reason why Grace is one of the most majestic albums of all time). I’m the same as you in that there’s very little I truly dislike that I listen to- it makes it a lot easier to be encouraged to check out more stuff! Let me know when you’ve got those reviews typed out, I’d love to check em out!"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"Sorry for the long winded answer, hope that helps! If you need help finding some specific bands lmk too and I can try and throw you some based on what you currently rock with 🤘"
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"The other main strain in my mind is Slacker Rock (the kind I tend to prefer a bit). This is your Pavements, Built to Spills, Weezers, etc. This style of rock tended to ‘look forward’ whereas grunge took influence from a lot of its contemporaries in many ways.
In terms of what I’d do for a deep dive now- honestly, I’d determine which strain you like more and start with the big bands before digging deeper, maybe even trying out some of the influences/ similar bands. For instance, if you really fw Weezer I’d recommend other Geek/Wacky Rock bands like Cake or Grandaddy. Same goes for, say, AIC- you could check out other alternative metal bands for instance."
On Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album)
"@ScaredDog6163 for sure! I went on a pretty big 90s rock binge a couple years back and it’s definitely a vast canyon. This is a wildly simplified answer, but imo there are two *main* streams of 90s rock. The first is what most people think of , being Grunge. These are your Nirvanas and Pearl Jams and basically what the average person will probably think of when they think of ‘90s rock’- and it’s great! Grunge pulls a lot from heavier influences depending on the band, such as Punk and Noise Rock for Nirvana or even Metal with bands like Alice In Chains."
On The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
"@Zubb autism + long commutes to work goes a long way lmao"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you so much! It’s become something of a passion of mine for sure. The kind words go a long way, I’d love to have my own site or something one day"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne no I’m not, it’s funny you ask because in high school I had plans to maybe become a writer but it never panned out"
On Johnny Blue Skies - Mutiny After Midnight
"Unless you find a rip somewhere or dish out thirty bucks it’s impossible for the time being unfortunately, it is an absolute blast of a record though no doubt, one of his best easily"
On Silk Sonic - An Evening With Silk Sonic
"@Iam_AKne thank you much! I have fun with them lol"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby that does look interesting, I’ll try and get to it later today, thanks again for all the recs! You’re the Zappa guy so it’s been helpful as a total Zappa novice"
On Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage Acts II & III
"@ScottShelby honestly, having sampled a handful of tracks from his studio records to follow from here I think I’m going to bow out for the time being on his discography, I’d prefer to end it on a high note. Someday I’ll eventually go the whole distance but I think I’d honestly just get burned out going through a series of just messy subpar records tbh"
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