Insofar as forward-thinking, Gorguts’ debut is pretty lacking in comparison to the releases that would follow. It’s still smotheringly heavy and the drums are fully ‘machine gun’d, there’s just a lack of technical prowess underpinning the whole thing. A solid debut, just totally lacks Gorguts’ identity as possibly the most famous dissonant-death band

Bah-humbug to the length- viewing it as a traditional LP, the run-time is an obvious heel to the overall experience. That is, unless, you view Charmed as a futurist, kaleidoscopic whirlwind of Dance music and just about every prefix for the genre that could be contrived in the year 2020. Totally unique experience

A flawless union of blistering, choleric Hardcore and rooted Reggae, not compromising either half to make for a whole that’s emblematic of the punk movement in its entirety up to ‘82. Two halves of the same coin, methinks

Chrissie Hynde’s voice draws natural comparisons to Patti Smith given its bluntness, though Hynde’s vocals feel a bit less ‘pessimistic’ and more frenetic in line with the New Wave trends of the time of release- certainly the record’s heart and soul, as the instrumentation here is very little to write home about

Vista Kicks are absolutely in their best shape when operating in a high-energy rock pocket. The tracks here that utilize that sound are absolutely the best (Wrong Side of Town in particular), but overall the record’s insistence on slower, almost balladesque cuts and it’s sheer length (70 minutes is simply too long for a played-straight indie rock record) keep it from being an unknown classic like their debut

Revisiting this now, I certainly find flaws in a way I didn’t on first listen several years ago- many of the tracks here land a vibe *totally*, but ultimately fade into the background. That said- earnestness is off the charts here. VK never landed the sound they had on Chasing Waves quite the same, but Booty Shakers Ball does a throwback sound with minimal schmaltz

A *severely* overlooked debut EP that feels warm and vibrant. I’m just now getting to their stuff, but Vista Kicks were on heavy rotation for me a few years back. Not every track here is as good as the definitive Marceline, but regardless it’s an EP with heaps of passion

An even stronger collaboration than their ‘54 outing. Cherokee is my for the best fruit to yield from their works together, but across the board any Hard Bop fan will be pleased with these two young powerhouses bouncing and building off one another

Brown’s trumpeteering against Roach’s steady-as-a-clock percussion is one of the 50s greatest Jazz pairings- by the end of Delilah, you’ll no doubt see why

Moody jangle pop that feels almost hypnotically optimistic, making for a dream pop black sheep. Under the Milky Way sends you to space and back and is the easy highlight here, though it’s certainly a consistent affair- the vocals drew a bit too one-shaded for me by the end

Totally slamming performances across the board and a reinvigorated sound make for likely my pick for the best Metalcore record of the 2010s. The title track challenges Dark Horse as perhaps my favorite Metalcore track

I’m not afraid to say that TDEP started out in stronger form than just about any of their Metalcore contemporaries, even Converge. Metalcore in general for me is far from one of my favorite metal sub-genres, but there’s no doubt that this is a classic for the genre

It’s clear that Sculze’s own brand of space ambient is very similar to his work in Tangerine Dream, though there’s a sprawledness that’s even more drawn out and unfurling than, say, Phaedra. Does *not* demand your attention- giving all of it will leave you dragging with how long these pieces unveil their splendor- but still creates an entire micro-universe you find yourself in by the end

Whereas TDP's releases to this point firmly rooted themselves in an Indie-soaked Post-Hardcore sound (including Emergency), Change, aptly enough, finds the band shifting toward a more immediate Indie Rock palette. There's still plenty of warbling vocals and tilted riffs to go around, no fear- it's just the memo here is noticeably that of immediate accessibility as opposed to Emergency, which is in a space all its own. It's an A-OK change with me, as many tracks here go right ... read more

Definitely a stronger showing than their debut, though if you ask me there’s still a canyon of quality between this and Emergency. Regardless, hits here like Ice of Boston keep it afloat

TDP thrive in chaos, but on their debut it comes across as grating more often than frenetically enjoyable

Sharper than the prior Leatherette for sure. The cover has you expecting some hyper-sleek sophisti-pop as opposed to ‘funk from Venus’- unexpected for me, but perhaps that’s a failure of my own expectations

Grace Jones’ impact on fashion and even culture *cannot* be overstated- that should be said up front. A hodgepodge of styles here make for a record with plenty of highs, but also moments I found surprisingly disjointed. Still an earned classic just one I expected to enjoy a bit more than I did in lieu of Jones’ genuinely legendary status as a cultural cornerstone

The moment Metallica strips things back to the *basics*- it should be a total disaster, yet it results in what feels almost like the emblematic Metallica moment. Not best- but perhaps the record where Metallica truly entered a level of stardom no metal band before (certainly since) has reached in the public consciousness, far beyond the realms of metal forums and music nerd spheres

It speaks to the sheer integrity and firepower of these cuts that And Justice For All stands as an essential Thrash classic despite Lars Ulrich making every attempt to utterly torpedo the mixing here (including pulling a Doors and having.. no bass!). The mixing issues are apparent to those within this context (and even without for sharper ears), yet so many all-time classic Metallica moments are here, the obvious One, Frayed Ends of Sanity, a personal favorite in Shortest Straw… it ... read more