At first, I thought this was going to be primarily a hardcore album, since it starts off with that kind of energy. But once it really gets going, you can clearly hear it shifting into sludge and doom metal territory. Throughout the entire album, you still pick up on a strong hardcore edge, and I think a lot of that comes down to the vocal delivery. The vocals are more shouted than sung, which keeps that hardcore intensity. If you like bands like Kyuss but aren’t very familiar with sludge, ... read more

This album fits perfectly into the stereotype of the kind of country song you’d hear playing in the background of a movie scene meant to be mocked. I’m not a big country fan to begin with, but this one was actually pretty annoying, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. Now that it’s over, I have zero plans to ever go back down that road again. In fact, I’ll happily take the long way just to avoid it in the future.

I can’t remember if I’ve heard this album all the way through before, but if I did, it would’ve been back in the 90s. What I do remember are all the DJ mixtapes that featured these tracks, not to mention the countless samples that have been pulled from this album over the years. Ultimately, it’s a classic that has aged pretty good. What really stands out to me are the dark, murky beats and the smoky atmosphere running through the production, they give the whole record a ... read more

This album hits one of my biggest weaknesses, which is electronic, synth heavy dance music with swing style rhythms and sharp, catchy synth stabs. On top of that, I love the 80s electronic, almost mechanical movement in the production. Honestly, when it comes to this album, I could care less whether it’s Janet Jackson or anyone else. It’s the nostalgia and the sound alone are that pulls me in.

I’ve never been a Christina Aguilera fan and honestly never cared to pay attention to her. She always felt like another ditsy, run of the mill pop star in the same vein as Britney Spears. But after listening to this album, it carried a lot more weight than I expected. In some ways it sounds about ten years too late, because it really reminds me of the jazzy, soulful hip hop and R&B of the mid to late ’90s. But once you get past that, you can tell she worked with some strong ... read more

The Triffids is a band I definitely need to get more familiar with. I’ve seen their name pop up on compilations over the years, but nothing ever stood out enough to push me deeper into their catalog. About a year ago, the album generator gave me The Black Swan, and from what I remember, it struck me as pretty mediocre. But after hearing this album, I realize I need to go back and revisit it, because It’s one of those records that gets better the more you listen to it. In a way, this ... read more

This was a pretty cool album that I had been completely unaware of, especially considering how strong it is within the 70s glam rock scene. If you’re a fan of Bowie, Television, T. Rex, or Roxy Music, this one will be right up your alley. It’s got a lot of fun, catchy hooks that makes it easy to stay engaged from front to back.

This was a great album, and easily one of my top metal releases of 2025. It’s pure atmospheric black metal, and the cover art fits the music so perfectly that you could almost predict the sound before hitting play. The record leans heavily into luminous textures and vast, otherworldly soundscapes, creating an atmosphere that pulls you in immediately. It’s one of those albums that absorbs you so completely that, before you know it, you realize it’s already looped back to the ... read more

This one definitely gives a strong nod to the 90s. It blends shoegaze, post hardcore, and alternative metal in a way I’d immediately recommend to anyone who enjoys HUM or Deftones. This album has a great, evenly balanced contrast between the heavy downtuned riffs and the drifting vocals, along with the hazy shoegaze influenced atmosphere.

This is a really good album from front to back. I’m not super familiar with Nina Simone’s full discography, but I’ve known about her for a good 25 years now. I originally discovered her through those Verve remix albums where modern electronic and hip hop producers reworked classic jazz tracks. One of my favorites was the remix of “Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” and that was the track that made me seek out the original version. After that, I ... read more

This is definitely another standout shoegaze album of 2025. Any MBV fan would get a lot out of it, but it really reminds me of Swirlies and Drop Nineteens. It has a colorful, dreamy, melancholic atmosphere, almost enough to give it a subtle neo-psychedelia edge. A really solid modern shoegaze and noise pop release.

This album pushes the boundaries between dreamy, washed out soundscapes and abrasive, lo-fi noise. It blends hazy shoegaze textures, post rock ambience, and experimental indie rock into these atmospheric layers of reverb heavy guitars and vocal effects, using distortion and noise to play heavily on the contrast between ethereal and unsettling.

There’s a strong melancholic atmosphere throughout the record that also triggers a sense of nostalgia. There’s moments that takes me back to ... read more

This album reminds me a lot of MBV’s last record, except this one actually predates it. This one has that same colorful, swirling shoegaze atmosphere, but with a heavier edge than MBV. Out of everything I’ve heard from Ringo Deathstarr so far, this is definitely their best album.

This is another band I’ve known about for a while, but I’m only now finally checking out a full album from them. I’d always been told they were a “modern day Led Zeppelin,” which I originally translated as them being basically a Zeppelin knockoff, like a step above a cover band.

Before this album came out, I remember hearing a few of the singles leading up to the release, and I remember thinking they were really good, so this album has been on my radar for a few ... read more

Personally, this album looked good on paper, and I think most people who are into dream pop will probably enjoy it. But for me, it ended up feeling a little boring. It kind of reminds me of Beach House, Air, and The Blue Nile, but it’s missing something, and I can’t quite put my finger on what that is. That said, it’s a good album for the right audience. It just didn’t fully click with me.

This was a pretty fun ride. I’d never heard of these guys until recently, but this album was recommended to me and I’m glad I checked it out. I enjoyed how it jumps back and forth between mid tempo heaviness and high speed drumming. The sludgy guitars give it a thick, dirty weight, and the industrial edge woven throughout the album was a really cool surprise.

I’m still pretty unfamiliar with slam metal and what specific elements define it, or how to recognize it immediately when I hear it. But either way, this was a really fun brutal death metal EP with an underground party vibe. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it still delivers plenty of substance.

There are even a few samples that add to the goofy, party energy, like Kip from Napoleon Dynamite dropping the line, “Napoleon, don’t be jealous that I’ve been ... read more

When it comes to modern hip hop, I’ve noticed that I tend to gravitate toward the more obscure internet culture cloud rap, meme rap, and anything that lives in that weird underground universe. I think I connect with it because it feels new and refreshing, but also because it carries this raw, DIY energy that mainstream hip hop tends to lack.

This album is very tongue in cheek, with its comedic lyrics and meme style hooks. It really straddles the line between parody rap and serious rap, ... read more

This is definitely a classic album, and it’s solid from beginning to end. You can easily talk about how diverse it is, because it ranges from folk rock and blues rock to prog rock, hard rock, and even early heavy metal. But overall, these are all sounds they had already established on their earlier albums, so more than anything, this record just feels like a great continuation of their 70s career run. It pulls together everything they’d been developing and presents it at a really ... read more

If I were the one writing 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, this is definitely another one that never would’ve made the list. I’m not going to say Mariah Carey isn’t talented, obviously she is, but this is surface level pop music through and through.

I know I could try to say good things about this album and give it credit for this or that, but I’m not going to lie, I personally think the album sucked. I didn’t enjoy it at all. I couldn’t wait for it ... read more