The atmosphere of this is incredible. It's so sparse instrumentally and yet the gentle brushed snare and heavily reverbed bass give it such an atmosphere. Her vocals are also genuinely gorgeous as well- she manages to get this perfect balance between ominous and beautiful. The other thing that's really great about this album is the twists that she's truly unafraid to take: the random switch in I remember had me genuinely shocked the first time I heard it, and the climax into ... read more

This so amazing damn

If this didn’t have childlike things on it it would be much better. For the most part, the album is dark and intimate, but with North West’s feature and the euphoric production on that song, I feel it only makes the listening experience worse. It completely messes with the album's flow.

I enjoy most of the album, though drunk girls and somebody's calling me I'm not the biggest fan of. Home is an absolute masterpiece though. And of course there's dance yrself clean.

Still prefer their twin peaks project and a promise, but this is pretty great! Good job Xiu Xiu.

Lives up to the hype and then some. Couldn’t have dropped at a better time as I’m currently deep into the Madonna discog. Amazingly produced, and her vocals are simply gorgeous- that’s the only way to describe them. I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone and everyone.

This is so good I’m sorry😭

I didn’t expect to connect with this as much as I did. The noise elements on this thing are stunning.

Most of the album is good, and some of it only decent, but prologue is one of my absolute favourite songs. The climax of that song is simply different.

It's one of the most cerebral ambient albums I've heard. Definitely sticks out as a highlight in the early 2000s ambient-drone movement. Alongside stars of the lid Tim Hecker has got to be the best to do it.

Like sipping the elixir of life. Tranquil rejuvenation.

Conceptually it’s great- I love the idea of immortalising someone in art and the way he describes substance abuse as a coping mechanism, but aside from his vocal layering, in the longer and final tracks, it’s a fairly normal indie rock album to me. The guitar tones grate after a while, and his voice only gets harder on the ears. I feel like I notice the same things every time I listen, whereas normally a relisten of any other album I would discover something new. Here I don’t. ... read more

Absurd album. The whole album is ridiculous, and the more I listen the better it gets. So dense and dirty it’s insane.

Bjork being one of my favourite artists, it definitely feels strange to say this is my favourite work from her considering her insanely consistent discography, but here we are. It’s my favourite bjork album.

The production throughout this project is remarkable- from the baroque harpsichord on Cover Me to the jazz fusion on it’s oh so quiet, the disco ambience on hyper ballad, the industrial influence permeating every track… every single track is unique and incredibly ... read more

The more I listen to this the better it gets. Absolutely one of my favourite albums, and a must listen in every way. So personal to Richard and to me. God I love this project.

The closer of this album is probably my favourite song of all time. So many bangers throughout this though, I’ve been revisiting this a lot recently- in my heavy rotation alongside sweet trip’s velocity design comfort and death grip’s year of the snitch.

The production isn’t terrible- just boring, but the songwriting isn’t just bad it’s offensive. Incredibly out of touch and insensitive, completely glamorises depression and suicide. Atrocious.

Probably the best album so far this decade. His flows are relentlessly excellent, and the production is excellent throughout. Lyrically sound as well. It works with such harmony and splendor- I really do love it.

Also, his vocals on REBOUND! are ridiculous, they have these incredible tremors throughout. Yeah I really can't wait to relisten to this.

EDIT- this album hasn’t stopped growing on me, and I can see it for the near perfect record it is. Biscuit is the most genius song ever, and is a contender for my favourite song.

I've grown up on portishead, my parents used to play them in the car a lot. I was reminded to listen to them again when I heard Beth Gibbons on Mr Morale, so I came back to it after around ten years. Yeah, it's still excellent. Her vocals, are beautiful, and match the tone of the album perfectly. The ... read more

Ventolin with headphones is outrageous.