QUICK THOUGHTS
A band well past their peak doing what they can to stay fresh and relevant, but their latest efforts feel like nothing more than a blip in the timeline. ‘The Human Fear’ by the UK’s Franz Ferdinand feels as if their doing what they can to inject life into their choruses, but in reality, they’re just making the most sterile brand of coworker music. There’s nothing quite “bad” about the album (though the one-dimensional lyrics leave a lot ... read more
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clipping. officially launches their new album cycle by doubling down on the batshit bonkers techno hip hop they began experimenting with last year. Though I'm not as big of a fan of the messy chaos of this single compared to the previous, you can't deny that it's insane in a mostly positive way. Maybe this will feel even better within the context of an album.
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Spellling returns with a syncopated and energized indie/art rock feel to open up a new album cycle, not what I was expecting. I loved 'The Turning Wheel' so much, and this feels like a big shift from that shimmering style of pop, but I think I'll warm up to it more with time.
𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐏
Hayden Anhedönia, the artist behind Ethel Cain, has made this distinction known despite the EPs long runtime of 89 minutes – unusual for a categorization much more set for short and generally more uncentralized works. It’s caused some discussion here about what being an “EP” truly means, but I think the true purpose is that Ethel doesn’t view ‘Perverts’ as an extension of the album ... read more
𝐄𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲
Hayden Anhedönia, better known by her stage name Ethel Cain, made a post on Tumblr in October 2024 which I think is relevant to many of the users of this website and across music discourse in general. In her own words, she explained her discontent with a lack of serious ... read more
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Unexpected crossovers in 2025. billy woods gets a fairly short verse on this Panchiko trip hop song, and it works great for the dark and regretful nostalgia. A little trippy, and a great vibe - I'm more excited for the upcoming album now.
𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝, 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
1973’s ‘Innervisions’ comes right in the middle of one of the highest artistic peaks for a musical act we’ve ever seen with Stevie Wonder’s run of albums in the early- to mid-70’s. The ... read more
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I began my night listening to the new unimpressive Lil Baby, fully anticipating it not being that great. Boldy… you were supposed to be the good one.
For someone whose cadence and voice is so great, this production absolutely slaughters the mood - it’s a miracle he sounds as decent as he does. Not just that, but the features are abysmal, genuinely harming the project.
I can’t believe I’m rating this lower than Lil Baby… please Boldy, slow down ... read more
𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝...
Lil Baby is ringing in the new year for music listeners all around the world, and I think he’s trying to make sure we get a good night’s sleep. Notorious for his monotony and lack of versatility, ‘WHAM’ is much of the same: it’s generic, mumbled trap slop that will be appreciated by uninvested music listeners everywhere.
All I came into ... read more
QUICK THOUGHTS
This is part 2 of AOTY user @TheUmbranHammer’s December double album release. Please go show them some support, they have an amazing catalog of reviews!
‘The View From Here’ is almost like a polar opposite to side A of the double album, ‘Let Your Grief Move You’, released one day before this. Whereas that record had me feeling legitimately unwell and looking over my shoulder, ‘The View From Here’ is like a tranquil reflection of life. ... read more
A modern masterpiece.
‘In Rainbows’ is the 7th studio album from the English rock group Radiohead – a group that needs little introduction in online circles like this. Their respect and dominance online can be no better summed up than by taking a look at any example of online all-time charts – for AOTY, three albums in the top 20 says all that it needs to.
If somehow you haven’t found yourself invested in Radiohead’s music yet, I actually think that ... read more
QUICK THOUGHTS
It seems like from day one, Jane Remover is staking her claim on 2025. Not only do we already have a release date this February for an album under the moniker venturing, titled ‘Ghostholding’, this January 1st single comes alongside the announcement of her third studio album titled ‘Revegeseekerz’. It’s as if 2025 will be something of a re-introduction to Jane Remover, as this first single “JRJRJR” dives headfirst into an explosive ... read more
~2024 Year in Review~
Today is December 31st, 2024 – the end of another excellent year in music and media, and like I’ve done twice now, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the year, react to my predictions and goals from this previous year, and create a few new predictions for 2025. If you’re interested in hearing me reflect for a few minutes, continue reading. If not, I wish you a wonderful new year!
If you’re interested in seeing my Year in Review for ... read more
The deluxe version for SZA’s late 2022 album ‘SOS’ takes what was already a long and winding record and extends it to nearly 2 hours, adding practically a full albums worth of new material to her massive commercial success. ‘LANA’ does feel like a pretty appropriate follow up to that album, though, and feeds a starving fanbase.
I’ve felt a little iffy on SZA since ‘SOS’ released, specifically related to her songwriting. I find that most of her ... read more
‘Let Your Grief Move You’ is the first of a double album from Nico Discenza, or @TheUmbranHammer on AOTY. I didn’t quite have an idea of what to expect heading into this project, and I’m pretty shocked to hear how dark and demented it is.
Now first things first, I hear a few influences from this album. Let me just double check real quick, head over to TheUmbranHammer’s page and… ah, yup, a 100 for ‘Soundtracks for the Blind’ to along with a ... read more
![Fishmans - 98.12.28 男達の別れ [98.12.28 Otokotachi no wakare]](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/53597-981228-981228-otokotachi-no-wakare_104548.jpg)
QUICK THOUGHTS
I tried the new Spotify AI DJ yesterday. First song, the DJ comes on and goes “we’re gonna start things off hot, here’s Fishmans with “LONG SEASON”. Honestly pretty based DJ.
QUICK THOUGHTS
“Hand of Creator (Part I)” is the first single for the upcoming double album ‘I Feel Like Something’ from Nico Discenza, or better known to AOTY as @TheUmbranHammer. He’s been one of my personal favorite reviewers to keep up with for some time now and it’s great to see this long teased album finally start to roll out!
Regarding the single, it’s a little under 5 minutes of moving, weeping strings. There’s some great swells and dips ... read more
New album from user @RemisReviews, not just one of the biggest reviewers on the site but also regular in the AOTY music-making sphere.
I think it’s very important to enter these AOTY user-made albums with an open mind, but also to be fair and rational in your criticism. Most of the people using this site and trying to make music are amateurs, just starting to experiment with the sounds and styles they enjoy. This can lead to a lot of projects where the creator can be proud of the ... read more
Goodbye brat summer hello Cameron Winter OKAY OKAY IM SORRY IT WAS TOO EASY
Cameron Winter is not quite a household name just yet, and in fact he’s probably a name you’ve never heard of. Well, if you were around AOTY or niche music discourse last year you may have heard of the band Geese with their 2023 album ‘3D Country’, a majorly wacky and untamed mix of indie and alt-country that turned a whole lot of heads including mine (#13 on my end of year list). What makes ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On Maruja - Knocknarea
"Just wanna say that last sentence aged well, Pain To Power is a 10 and was my AOTY for 2025"
On Thundercat - Distracted
"@DonVersatility @Jp27 Thank you very much! 🙏
@sport It struck me too - not necessarily negative but very self deprecating. Maybe I just read into the whole thing the wrong way, but I felt weird with how one dimensional the emotions are"
On Thundercat - Distracted
"@Mmmvbnn2 Easily the best song on the album! An 87 rating for that may even be undershooting it, I think that'll be in my playlist for a while. Thanks for reading and understanding the rest though"
On 𝒋𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒉's review of Xiu Xiu - A Promise
"@jonag A Promise! A Crow Looked At Me is excellent, but my knowledge of Xiu Xiu is pretty limited so I’m interested to see what their early stuff sounds like"
On 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞's review of Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA
"Awesome 100 rating!! So happy to see your writing again"
On Bruno Mars - The Romantic
"I don’t even feel like any songs by themselves are bad. It’s just so unimaginably safe that the totality feels more difficult than any individual moment. This will certainly go diamond in showers and wedding dance floors all over the world though"
On Baby Keem - Ca$ino
"@MattsReviews Oh I highly doubt that but thank you, your longer writing is always excellent and thoughtful"
On MattsReviews's review of Baby Keem - Ca$ino
"I referenced your thoughts in my review, this is such a slam dunk take that everyone should at least leave this album feeling"
On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
"This will take longer than expected tbh, 101 minutes is a lot"
On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
"@zzile underappreciated word"
On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
"@DevonFlick @Romannoodles @DonVersatility Thank you very much!"
On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
"@AsaTalks Nice while it lasted lol, the J Poop review will have more likes by the end of the day"
On J. Cole - The Fall-Off
"@Juggernaut1914 🙏"
On Don Toliver - OCTANE
"@Juggernaut1914 I actually thought Yeat had a solid feature on Rendezvous, same with Travis on Rosary. Teezo was interesting just because it was different, but just felt out of place to me. That being said, the rest of the album feels so toneless and samey, just nothing all that compelling"
On painecuceapa's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Those 4 singles had me thinking this would be an album of the decade contender, but the rest of the tracklist doesn't exactly reach the same peak for me. Still very good, just not earth shattering"
On yonn's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"I've not heard the Injury Reserve self-titled, but at least in comparison to Phoenix this is another leap in experimentation and abstractness. Such a hollow sound imo, but in the best, most bone-rattling way. Very interesting"
On TheOnlyOpinion's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Nice review, "leaving the storm" is great. I almost feel like the ending in "GGG" is saying that the storm isn't something you can leave though, and more like a new relationship dynamic that needs to be tended to. The group is going to have to manage the storm rather than step out of it"
On cooperr's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Glad you loved this, but In My Town being the lowest is a CHOICE"
On Chorde's review of By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"Love the opening line, that feels like such a perfect way of encapsulating the record. Your comparisons between BTTIGTP and this are perfect too. As much as this album feels like a scar, it's a scar that RiTchie feels like he's trying to move on from to continue working, but his hand keeps brushing up against it. Its a constant reminder that grief isnt something that will just go away"
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