This album has classic appeal, but I feel it's extreme lack of consistency, specifically the extreme dip in quality for 3 tracks in the middle, to be jarring and pull me out of the experience a decent bit. I have long time familiarity with many of these tracks and had hoped on this most recent listen that I'd connect with the ones I wasn't familiar with - but I was mistaken.
Beyond my complaints, the production on this album by and large is quite good, and teters on phenomenal ... read more
The Rolling Stones are aging up but hardly slowing down. This feels like it sits neatly into their collection, staying relatively conservative in ideas but still achieving a classic feel.
Favorites - Miss You, Just My Imagination, Some Girls, Far Away Eyes, Beast of Burden
Least Favorite - Respectable
Something is missing for me, but I get the appeal. A just-fine step for Vince in my opinion, but I'm not quite blown away by any particular aspect. Vince's tonality is one that hooks me almost not matter what - I think he's got such a distinct voice and it's one that appeals to me, but I think the combination with the production is one that is hit or miss on this record.
Favorites - Go! Go! Gorilla, The Running Man, Only In America, 7 In The Morning
Least Favorite - The Big ... read more
Dennehy shows some of Geti's greatest pieces of work yet, and the low points render relatively "alright" for me. Tracks like Don't Talk to Jules have great descriptions that I can really get behind, but then there are some other cuts like Meth that just really don't click with me. The overall direction is one that I'm on board with, but the inconsistency can be jarring for my listening experience. Still love Derek as a character.
Geti's vocals are also just ... read more
British Island boys for a track. Honestly, it's basically despicable but I like these guys so maybe it can be overlooked. This album might not be appreciated enough in terms of the broader average AOTY-user rating scales - but I think it's still a good record.
Favorites - Hot Stuff, Memory Motel, Fool To Cry
Least Favorite - Cherry Oh Baby
Pretty enjoyable dance album. While I did appreciate the other cuts that weren't as dancey, I kinda wish a lot more hung onto the coattails of Hug My Soul, or continued to trailblaze in that direction a little further.
Favorites - Former Lover, Hug My Soul, Pale Movie, I Was Born on Christmas Day
Least Favorite - On the Shore
Goodbye year of the rabbit - this will do.
Expertly produced, this album sounds as amazing as it reads - the songwriting is so intriguing and fun. I'll be coming back often I have a feeling.
Favorites - Lord Grenville, On the Border, Sand in Your Shoes, Flying Sorcery, Year of the Cat
Least Favorite - One Stage Before
A noticeably weaker effort by and large from the Stones. I think the greatest weakness of this album is that it tends to lack the identity of the iconic albums from them, giving it much less backing to a majority of the tracks.
Favorites - Ain't Too Proud To Beg, It's Only Rock'n'Roll, Time Waits For No One, If You Really Want To Be My Friend
Least Favorite - Short and Curlies
Charming old chap these days. The structure of Salesman Saint feels like it suits his current vocal presence more than almost anything else on this record for me, but there's plenty to enjoy and it's got such a Paul feel throughout.
Favorites - As You Lie There, Days We Left Behind, Mountain Top, Never Know, Home to Us, Salesman Saint, Momma Gets By
Least Favorite - We Two
A pretty well produced album, filled with plenty of tracks I'd understand if people enjoy (even if I don't a ton), and a few tracks that genuinely have staying power in this current electrified pop era of the mid 2020's. I'm impressed compared to previous Kim efforts but not so much in the grand aforementioned landscape.
Favorites - Detour, I Like Ur Look, Brutalist, Bitch Ball Out
Least Favorite - Basketball
Excellent flow and execution the whole way through.
Favorites - O Homem Da Gravata Florida, Menina Mulher Da Pele Preta, Magnolia, Minha Teimosia, Uma Arma Pra Te Conquistar, Zumbi, Brother, Cinco Minutos
Least Favorite - Errare Humanum Est
Listened to this one on a walk, and that was a great choice. The feather reeds and typhas along the river I walk by remain repetitive and continuous, all the while Cities Aviv is blessing my ears with creative sampling, captivating wordplay and effortless flow that I can't shake. It's addicting and it sounds so good.
Favorites - Chozen / The Prevalance of Issues, Funktion, Slave Play, Aktion, Knowing Is..., Connection's Chance, Song 10, Cypress, Serenity Rite
Least Favorite - ... read more
![高中正義 [Masayoshi Takanaka] - SEYCHELLES](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/349109-seychelles_165537.jpg)
Takanaka knows how to start and finish a project, with such a fun ride in between. My image of him is an older gentleman that just rips when he's performing, and it's easy to forget that he was 23 when this came out. Truly a fascinating talent, and what a debut.
Favorites - OH! TENGO SUERTE,トーキョー レギー, 憧れのセーシェル諸島, FUNKEE MAH-CHAN, サヨナラ······FUJIさん, TROPIC BIRDS
Least Favorite - 蜃気楼の島へ
Gorgeous in so many ways. The restraint in The School Boy to the more explosive back half of the Human Abstract is a mix that tends to be quite addicting to me.
Favorites - The Poison Tree, London, The Sick Rose, The School Boy, The Human Abstract, The Fly
Least Favorite - A Lttle Girl Lost
Fun little album that's mostly unremarkable, but I love The Beach Boys. There was a lot of forward momentum with the first few tracks but the fast pace didn't provide enough new ideas to stay interesting for each 2 minute section.
Favorites - Wild Honey, Aren't You Glad, I Was Made to Love Her, Darlin', I'd Love Just Once to See You
Ultimately, this album is pretty feel-good, and pays so many great respects to classics in a tasteful way. Some ideas here stick out as clear winners for the bands chemistry, but some of the deep cuts are still quite enjoyable. I think Gwen thrives when her vocals fit neatly into the track instead of being the absolute soul focus in the mix, like on tracks like Don't Speak or The Climb.
Some of the tight vibrato portions of songs like "Happy Now?" are very reminiscent of Geddy ... read more
This production really just stands the test of time. The flow of Hov is something to be mentioned and applauded. He's sharp, energetic, and had a lot to say. This album has so much staying power it's unreal.
Favorites - Can't Knock The Hustle, Brooklyn's Finest, Dead Presidents II, Feelin' It, D'evils, Coming of Age, Cashmere Thoughts, Regrets
Least Favorite - 22 Two's
Relatively simple and methodical, this herald of a new subgenre holds strong in some aspects, and feels dated in some others for me. Still so many things to admire about this record, though.
Favorites - Knuckleheadz, Criminology, Guillotine (Swordz), Glaciers of Ice, Wisdom Body, Ice Cream, Heaven & Hell
Least Favorite - Verbal Intercourse
This album is quite great really. The simple bouncy tunes hold up well, the inclusion of orchestral elements is gorgeous, and each of the performances feel controlled and well meditated.
Favorites - 100 Years Ago, Coming Down Again, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo, Angie, Silver Train, Winter, Can You Hear The Music
Least Favorite - Hide Your Love
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Recent Review Comments
On Mobb Deep - The Infamous
"@AltoSP I wouldn't say worst - my favorites list usually are the ones that stuck out to me on my first listen the most, and least favorite one is the one that struck me the least on first listen if that makes sense!"
On Wither's review of Serengeti - the gentle fall
"@hazyvizions Well that gives me a solid place to start then. Thank you for the recommendations!"
On Wither's review of Serengeti - the gentle fall
"I've quite enjoyed seeing your Serengeti dive on my feed day to day. Been feeling the urge to finally dive in myself."
On Tame Impala - Deadbeat
"@Anteoksik Yes WE"
On Alexis Marshall - House of Lull . House of When
"@snakesuitskin 😂"
On Buckshot - BURNING BARN
"@skazzel I think you’re taking my review a little too personally"
On Buckshot - BURNING BARN
"@skazzel Just an opinion man it’ll be alright"
On Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
"@Normanalee You're good, my account is just sort of a personal journal to keep track and look back on things I've listened to - not really for anyone else."
On moveimemo's review of Colliding With Mars - Time To Meet God
"Glad I'm not the only one that had this impression haha"
On The Caretaker - Everywhere at the End of Time: Stage 6
"@Mr_Smiles421 Thank you <3"
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 Likewise likewise, glad we could find some common ground, and definitely didn't bother me. Take care!"
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 like if I go into a lil dicky album expecting it to be trash, it doesn’t deserve a 100 because it’s the exact trash I was expecting. It still will deserve a 40 LOL"
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 that’s a fair thing to say. What I’m saying is that just because something meets an expectation like that doesn’t mean it’s absolved of criticism, or that I cant give it a lower scoring still."
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 There are plenty of big games (much larger than this) with much smaller soundtracks - it's a fair criticism. I don't really understand getting upset at someone sharing their opinion on an album & explaining reasons behind a lower rating. I listen to a lot of music I both enjoy and don't enjoy willingly, and give my thoughts equally willingly. I don't rate things I haven't fully listened to. I don't see the problem with expressing my perspective on this work of art. If I'm not allowed to "complain about" (critique) music that I listened to in full because it's "dumb" then the point of this entire website is moot man. My "complaints" about this soundtrack are not dumb, and your love for the album isn't dumb either."
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 On another review you replied with "This is like one of the very few games I would say where you have to play it first to like the soundtrack, by itself it really doesn't work well at all" which plays the same tune as my final line in my initial review: "As a standalone listen, it is rough"."
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 I think you might be totally misunderstanding my words; you and I aren't disagreeing as much as you think. I'm not inclined to give a higher score to something I rate based on enjoyment, just because it fits well within the parameters and circumstances by which it was given. I think it is a good soundtrack. My rating is between "good" and "really good" in fact.
Nintendo64 soundtracks suffer from even further limitations and tend to succeed more for me, so I don't consider the sound chip limits a worthy consideration in how much I (subjectively) enjoy this. I'm not rating the game + music combination, I'm rating the music as a standalone as I mentioned in my initial review."
On 植松伸夫 [Nobuo Uematsu] - Final Fantasy VII
"@Mr_Smiles421 That's an interesting thing to point out! I appreciate the insight and given tech limitations it makes sense :). I didn't say that it didn't need 80 tracks though, I just said it was in "absurd" territory lol. Instead, I was saying that I don't think games need to have a limit based on my personal preference, but while that's true I do think 80 is a ton for what it offers."
On Natural Snow Buildings - Daughter of Darkness
"@Zackhy Absolutely agree with ya, that's basically what I was getting at. I've listened to a decent amount long ambient albums, and this one while pretty tends to lose direction for me more than other experiences that end up being 1/3 or less of the time taken."
On Shiro SAGISU - Neon Genesis Evangelion (Original Series Soundtrack)
"@qepYT for sure will do! :) i watched a watch-order video ages ago but will definitely brush up before beginning"
On Shiro SAGISU - Neon Genesis Evangelion (Original Series Soundtrack)
"@qepYT My time for shows has been so limited 😔 but that's up next on my anime list at the moment!"
On Ethel Cain - Golden Age
"@CyanWatercress I know it's a hot take 😞 I think I just enjoy different aspects of her music than how most people enjoy her music is all"
On OutOverThePA's review of ANAVITÓRIA - Esquinas
"@womanizerpartwo That's a fair point. I personally look up translated lyrics I can't understand audibly. But maybe they just meant if they could intuitively understand without external sources (such as genius) they would connect better. Even for albums I look up translations for, sometimes I still feel that too. Even for albums I really like"
On OutOverThePA's review of ANAVITÓRIA - Esquinas
"Nah this review is valid. You should be allowed to review things you don't like or had trouble connecting with, as long as you listened to it and gave it an honest shot. We can't and shouldn't gatekeep reviews and comments to only people that are familiar with a particular artist/genre/language and so on."
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