An absolute joy to listen to. It feels like the exact moment that someone rests their head on your shoulder for the first time, slowed down and stretched snugly across 30 minutes. Each song never fails to make me crack a smile, the vibes are just that good. Uchu Nekoko's voice is angelic, and the guitar effects could make the same two-chord progression still sound good after hearing it for hours. There's not much that's noteworthy about this album on paper, and even in practice, it's super ... read more

This is less a review and more a history of myself as a music listener. The tl;dr is that six years after first hearing this album and hating it, I now think it's one of the most touching and beautiful albums of all time, a shining beacon that showcases the clear potential of math rock.

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When I say that this album had to grow on me, I mean it.
Back in the Fall of 2018, I was a freshman in high school. I'd just gotten my first phone the year prior, a knock-off Samsung that was only $140, and ... read more

Taeko Ohnuki has one of the most pleasant and approachable voices I've heard. It's not very rich, but it's also not very light, and so it satisfyingly injects a sense of intimacy/personability into the grand, larger-than-life energies of City Pop. And by the way, these City Pop instrumentals are god-tier. There's a lot of depth to these songs, which really shines in how even the slower ballads are engaging and still have tons of replay value for someone who doesn't understand Japanese (yet!). ... read more

goodness gracious

bro I pirated this song for nothing

toe makes discontent feel comfortable. They remind you that these moments will pass, but then assure you that you can take your time. Take a walk on a moonlit beach. Ride your scooter through downtown. Lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling. Wake early and appreciate the sun.

Much like Horse the Band did for Nintendocore, Caravan Palace saw hope in something that both on paper and in execution, should've been absolutely hopeless.

In a weird way this album is the opposite of pretentious. Jacob just has no shame. It's two sides of the same coin, where instead of arriving at a musical release like this from "look at me and look at all this cool shit I can do!" it's like "what if I do this and this and this and add this and this..." without asking if it is actually good or if you just like it because it was fun to make. So I applaud his childlike wonder and the sparkle in his eye, but it would be cool if ... read more

Siren for Charlotte is a music label from Japan that examines what modern shoegaze should be classified as, and they make strong arguments for their ethos with the releases that they publish. They saw that at the core of shoegaze is the creation of an intense sense of atmosphere using loads of meticulously chosen guitar effects, with that atmosphere often being blissful, dreamy, and euphoric. So, what would moving beyond shoegaze into "post-shoegaze" look like? Siren for Charlotte ... read more

Most Ordinary Existence envelops you like the light of the sun in that period just before sunset on a cloudless, late-winter day. It's light, breezy. Welcoming, but very laid-back. It's like the perfect friend that you see every few months from pure happenstance, bringing spontaneous contentedness to your life. And, for those who translate the lyrics, they're a friend that'll always lend an ear when you feel just pitiful on all of those rainy days.

Shoutout to Fianie on YouTube for posting ... read more

What the actual fuck did I just listen to? (compliment)
I was so enamored with this thing when I first heard it that I had it blasting in my ears in the Barnes&Noble, and even though that is NOT the vibe of the album, I was having the time of my life. This album is just so fucking awesome. Piano that sounds like its constantly falling down the stairs. Drums that, well, also sound like they're falling down the stairs. A vocalist who sounds like 6 different people all switching out who's ... read more

The crazy thing is that they still feel like they're only at 90% of their potential

"Yeah the plug's a little weird but they chill af"

I am FASCINATED by this project. Seeing the title and artwork of this album, I was expecting grim, dark electronica and no-wave goodness, but I received the exact. opposite. The sound that Byul.org creates is cold, sure, but it's also shimmering, bright, blissful, and beautiful. And, it allows you to get completely sucked into this wonderfully crystalline world through some great execution. One of my recurring complaints about ambient pop is that artists often don't take full advantage of the ... read more

I'm having a tough time explaining this album. I mean, to be literal, it's piano-led instrumental music, with somewhat linear structures, very sparse glitchy embellishments, subtle strings and synth pads, and sometimes just piano. But on top of all that, there's just... something about it. Like, if I was forced to listen to only one album for the rest of my life, this definitely wouldn't be my first choice, but I probably wouldn't be mad if it was. I mean, it's ... read more

Things have been real rough since Alex left

WHAT'S THIS⁉️🔍🔍👁️‼️‼️ ‼️ A HINT OF FUCKIN MANGO🗣️🗣️📢🥭🥭 LET'S GO💪💪💥💥
BABY👶 IT STILL TASTES LIKE SORBET🤯🤯🤯🤯🍨🍨😋😋

So sweet it should be sickly, but somehow it's not. This is pure pop bliss, a "measured hyperpop," if you will, and it's carried on the back of 8485's pure sugar-rush of a voice. Her delivery and timbre make any line about love or friendship sound like the most hope-filled, self-hug inducing, cuteness overload while also making any emotional/nihilistic line feel like either a distant remnant of a memory or a sardonic joke at the digital afterparty. And the lyrics are very emo-esque in ... read more

We are always Everasking for more of you, Caroline <3

I remember back in my senior year my friend Chris for like a week or two would not shut the hell up about this Jack Harlow guy while we were in English class, eventually to the point where we shared earbuds to listen to this project. I was so confused. Chris usually has a very critical and solid taste in music. He's the type where if it ain't great, it's shit. He was one of the best players in the school's jazz band, so he had the musician's ear as well. He also listened to hip hop and funk in ... read more