Rock For Light is a little weird to me, maybe it's because of the 3 longer reggae tracks interspliced into the album or because some of these tracks apparently being re-recordings from their debut. However the point is that I wasn't super into this aside from the first few tracks. I really wish I did have more to say about it.

Fav Tracks: Coptic Times, Attitude

Emergency & I feels like the epitome of indie rock in a way. It has that production where every element sounds extremely clean and clear, there's being played with rhythms and other miscellaneous elements and there's also a bit of a manic energy to the whole thing. The drums are what's most addicting to me, and overall this record is just very consistently polished and enjoyable.

It doesn't really wow me at any point though, kind of a classic case of me being able to ... read more

Using only a bass, a guitar, a minimal drum set and two beautiful voices, Low has created faint sounds of anguish reverberated throughout an empty void: I Could Live in Hope. This came as a very interesting contrast to the grunge and alt-rock of the time, and serves as 57 minutes of pure wallowing.

While this album is amazingly done, and tracks like Words and Lazy give me chills, I have to admit the lack of variation in sound can make the experience feel a bit repetitive. I also can't ... read more

I feel like I'm witnessing history when listening to Keine Macht für Niemand. I don't think I've ever experienced an album that was such an upfront statement and really seemed to push for action. In this way it was also very ahead of it's time. Of course protest songs weren't anything new, but the anarchist and angry portrayal were ideas that just weren't very prominent yet (in other words, this is a proto-punk album).

It's also incredibly consistent, it ... read more

Holy cow.. the way this album is stylized is absolutely mesmerising! It doesn't fully captivate me and I honestly don't know why, but overall it's a very polished and memorable album that I've really enjoyed listening to. The beautiful orchestration mixed with more psychedelic elements makes me feel like I'm walking around in a peaceful garden while it's raining.

I must also give a shoutout to Aleida's Theme for perhaps containing the best moment on this ... read more

A really interesting recommendation I received. Namely the final album of Кино, a post-punk / new wave band active in the 80s in the soviet union. This also made me realise I haven't really listened to much new wave, and I luckily was very pleased with this record. Lots of soft, cold tones that seem ever so danceable as they seem hopeless, which was likely very fitting for both its time and location.

I also really appreciated the songwriting. Anyone can write about how bad things ... read more

This was likely a weird choice to be the first X album I listen to, considering they've had three previous (and more popular) albums. More Fun in the New World starts extremely strong with its opener, New World. The country influences are clear, but what really makes me love that track is the powerfully played chords along with the way the vocals are delivered.

I wish the album was a bit more consistent, but there's for sure some other bangers that utilise the rockabilly/country ... read more

The first thing you'll get to know about this album is its premise. You're supposed to listen to the album shuffled with a crossfade of 5-6 seconds, making the album a different experience every time while still feeling seamless. The idea by itself doesn't really wow me, and the experience doesn't really feel fresh anymore after your fourth time listening. However, the execution of making the tracks fit perfectly no matter how they're shuffled, is impressive and makes ... read more

This might be the first ever time I've been truly biased towards an album. This is one of the first albums I ever listened to, back in early 2023, and it was the first time I could truly feel I was experiencing something new. It's honestly always stuck in my mind since then. I finally decided to come back to it, and I think I've basically gaslit myself into adoring it, but that really doesn't matter.

Seychelles is a masterpiece, it's 40 minutes of pure bliss with ... read more

It's a fairly short and sweet EP, but sadly just didn't quite click with me. I could enjoy and appreciate it on all my listens, but it was more of a "yeah it's cool" kind of enjoyment, and I probably will not come back to it. There's nothing specific I can really point to either, sometimes it just doesn't click.

Fav tracks: I Don't Wanna Hear It

Fuck man, there's nothing like The Velvet Underground. White Light/White Heat is an amazing continuation of The Velvet Underground's debut, having a very different structure and atmosphere while still retaining the noisy, gritty style I fell in love with. I don't even know why I was still shocked when first reading some of these lyrics. After The Velvet Underground & Nico I should've known the subject matter this band steps into is unimaginably morbid, especially for its ... read more

Ramones' self-titled album kind of feels like pop rock / rock 'n roll that just happened to be one of the first ever album to really nail the punk aesthetic. Fast playing, heavy distortion, political and rebellious topics (sometimes) and above all, a sick look with leather jackets. This is not a bad thing at all either.

While I can definitely understand people not being into this because of how streamlined and cheesy it can be, but I have to admit, I really love it. As simple as the ... read more

goodbye, world! is another genre introduction for me, in this case being tape music. It was pretty similar to what I expected, containing lots of distorted loops and having a kind of fuzzy quality to it. This album uses this style perfectly to build its atmosphere, I really feel like there's a certain feeling miffle was going for with this.

I may have been influenced a bit by knowing this album is dedicated to a friend that passed away, it just seems the overall feelings this sound evokes ... read more

There is a very unique kind of charm to music that you know is a bit amateurish and even awkward, but you know is filled with creativity - and most importantly: made purely because the artist enjoys it. I got a bit ahead of myself, but this album/compilation is something I found completely on my own, and has pretty much no fanbase or coverage online.

That has definitely made the experience of this record a lot more special, and added to the pretty lonely feeling it portrays. It's ... read more

I'm a lot more intrigued by Sex Pistols and their history rather than this album in itself. They've played a big role in the origins of punk rock and are probably the most provocative band I've read about. That's the main reason they fascinate me, their main (and maybe even only) goal is to be shocking and provocative, I don't feel like there's a more underlying goal or substance in what they do.

however, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols is ... read more

The whole history of Chuck Person's Eccojams Vol. 1 and how it was basically the single birthplace of vaporwave is pretty damn crazy. That alone makes me fascinated by it a whole lot more. I think vaporwave is very interesting in how it scratches a certain itch in the (or rather my) brain, if it's pulled off correctly at least. This album sometimes scratched that itch, but other times it didn't.

Tracks like A1, A2 and B4 absolutely hit that spot and bring up that extremely ... read more

Purple Rain is an absolutely electrifying album. I've heard a lot of talk about Prince and his versatility and raw talent, and I certainly hear it here. It's weird how this feels so different than anything I've heard so far. This album feels very carefully engineered to have some of the most electrifying and poppy energy I've ever witnessed. That's its main strength to me. It's an extremely fun record to listen to and the percussion and vocals are often on point, ... read more

I must say, my expectations for Byakkoya were definitely too high. I think this is mostly because I loved the OST of Paprika so much, and knowing two of the OST tracks were on here made me believe this would be one of Hirasawa's best. But sadly it just isn't, it mostly feels like a weaker continuation of Blue Limbo's style, and even the two OST tracks don't feel quite the same as they did in the movie.

With that said, it's still a main Hirasawa studio album, so ... read more

One of my favorite things about listening to music is stepping out of my bubble and experiencing something I'm not as used to. I love experiencing something that's wildly different from a lot of my favorite albums, or even most albums I have heard in general. There's almost always something to appreciate, even if it doesn't end up becoming a favorite album of mine.

This is basically how I feel about And Their Refinement of the Decline. It's not really my first time ... read more

Pretty crazy to see how Dead Kennedys went even more ambitious than before with this album, with the writing being a lot sharper and for sure my favorite part of the experience. While not as addicting and iconic as their debut (which makes sense considering how insanely high of a bar that is) I'm still extremely glad they went for something that feels more fleshed out and direct.

I'm also glad to still hear a lot of the energy I fell in love with, especially in tracks like Forest ... read more