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Independency is the perfect blend of the avant-garde and the homely. It touches on both soft and comforting dream pop and experimental noisy collages, all in one wonky collection that somehow flows nicely together. It's good that the record doesn't follow a chronological, A-side/B-side order either: listening to the singles that top off the album (tracks 1-4) you kind of get the sense you're delving into a storm as the tracks get more dense and stranger still.
I did take away the most from the ... read more
I get some appeal of Michael Head and his band. I mean, I bought "From Across The Kitchen Table" on vinyl for a reason -- I was enamored with its lush instrumentation and high spirits, which frequently gave me the sense of being locked in a graceful dance. I also fell in love with "Reach", the opener to this album, pretty quickly -- those trumpets are to DIE for.
There totally could've been a world where this sound blew up and turned the early 1980s into a factory for ... read more
It took five years for this album to grow on me. FIVE.
I think the reason for this is I used to never really have much respect for MBV as a band. "Loveless" seemed just like a collection of abstract, noisy songs, and I had always felt like other bands (America's Swirlies and Should, the UK's Slowdive) had done the genre and style better. I also used to get irritated when someone would suggest this album was the pinnacle of the genre, as though everything done after was worse.
While ... read more
This won me over from a 70 to an 80 when bro just started whispering over folk instrumentation at the end.
"War Metal" and RABM music are not styles of black metal I've ever explored before. This is not out of a lack of interest, however -- I will say much of it comes from the fact that there are so many potential avenues to jump into it, and so many albums I've come across that've piqued my interest that it leaves me wondering, "Where do I even start?"
So obviously, when ... read more
DFW represent!
Snowy sent me this two weeks ago, and I really should have gotten to this much earlier because it's quite good! It's a lot of dynamic indie rock and pop with a focus on strong melodies and a consistently warm atmosphere. It feels incredibly lively and carefully thought-out in all of the best ways, and I really like the singing on here (from all voices). This is a band that knows what they're shooting for, and they do it quite well!
I realize I don't have too much to share, ... read more
Shoutbox
5d
Likewise, always great to find people on here with similar tastes! Will be a fun listen :)
6d
Oh damn, that sounds awesome! Been getting more into avant-folk so that sounds great! Thanks for the recommendations!
1w
Great, excited to see what you'll think of New Bermuda! You mentioned Swirlies earlier in the convo, saying they were your favorite shoegaze band so I checked them out and added "Salons" to my library. Will check them out soon, from how they were described they sound up my alley! I'm still in the early stages of discovering atmospheric black metal, but seeing as you're a fan of the genre, if you have any recommendations, just send them my way! :)
1w
Cool, thanks for the recommendations. Will add them to my ever-growing library where I store albums yet to listen to. Already added the swirlies record you were talking about I do indeed like ethereal music very much and loveless can get quite noisy and post-punky for my taste, so m b v is more my speed.
Personally I liked "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love". It's not anything groundbreaking, but there are some nice highlights imo. The same can be said for "Infinite Granite", which is almost entirely shoegaze. If you're familiar with the genre though, it's not gonna impress you. And fair warning, if you don't enjoy metal "New Bermuda" probably won't do much for you either. It's less shoegazy and more straight up black metal. Still good though :)
Personally I liked "Ordinary Corrupt Human Love". It's not anything groundbreaking, but there are some nice highlights imo. The same can be said for "Infinite Granite", which is almost entirely shoegaze. If you're familiar with the genre though, it's not gonna impress you. And fair warning, if you don't enjoy metal "New Bermuda" probably won't do much for you either. It's less shoegazy and more straight up black metal. Still good though :)
1w
Hey, yeah that's probably for the best lol so we don't have a whole ass conversation in your comments.
I'll agree with you that the highlights on Loveless are superior, but me being a nutcase when it comes to sound and atmosphere, I just find m b v to be more sonically pleasing.
Completely agree with you on the shoegaze-esque guitars often being better mixed on metal albums too. I love the way Deafheaven sound overall, deeply recommend their other records if you haven't already checked them out. I've had more trouble getting into Alcest, but lately I've been listening to "Écailles de lune" which I've found to be surprisingly great.
I'll agree with you that the highlights on Loveless are superior, but me being a nutcase when it comes to sound and atmosphere, I just find m b v to be more sonically pleasing.
Completely agree with you on the shoegaze-esque guitars often being better mixed on metal albums too. I love the way Deafheaven sound overall, deeply recommend their other records if you haven't already checked them out. I've had more trouble getting into Alcest, but lately I've been listening to "Écailles de lune" which I've found to be surprisingly great.
1mo
Hello! I just released the album Diffractions! It features 32 minutes of lush, psychedelic, soothing drone music! Also, there is a limited edition DVD-R with blooming visuals to accompany the album.
I would really appreciate it if you decide to check it out :)
All the links are in my review!
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/concretecastles/album/771547-diffractions/
I would really appreciate it if you decide to check it out :)
All the links are in my review!
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/concretecastles/album/771547-diffractions/
1mo
Hey just wanted to say thank you for listening to the album!! I'm so glad you ended up enjoying it :))
2mo
Hey hey! Hope you’re doing well! I just wanted to let you know that my band’s debut album, “Empty Homes in Blue Light” is out now on all platforms! I appreciate if you end up giving it a shot, and if not no worries at all :) Here’s the AOTY link if you’re interested:
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/556709-midnight-session-empty-homes-in-blue-light.php
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/556709-midnight-session-empty-homes-in-blue-light.php
About
jeet | 21 | he/him/his
constantly tweaking my rating scale, so my RYM will always be more accurate than the scores on here. this account is forever a work in progress anyways.
thanks for following as always!
constantly tweaking my rating scale, so my RYM will always be more accurate than the scores on here. this account is forever a work in progress anyways.
thanks for following as always!
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Recent Lists
Though many depictions of the future in music sound cold, sterilized and empty (**and honestly, as do some of these picks), these albums bring a little bit (or in some cases, a LOT) of heart to that. ...
Updated 8mo ago
