Trent makes a full and refreshing return to industrial, now with Atticus and many more years of experience behind him for an intense and rewarding burst of tracks. Especially following up Hesitation Marks, an album that is particularly dull by NIN standards, Not the Actual Events stands as a highlight of the later years of the band's discography.

While many of the diverse sounds that will further become staples of Muse's sound are absolutely here on Origin of Symmetry, I feel that it is lacking the same level or lyrical depth as the couple of albums after this, possibly due to the harsh political landscape soon to follow and inspire Bellamy. Instrumentally the album is still quite impressive, though definitely feels as though the band hadn't yet mastered merging genres as seamlessly as future projects. Still, Muse deliver an ... read more

Donkey Kong Country has a far from an overlooked soundtrack, yet despite the popularity of its big themes that are still being remixed and recomposed to this day, I feel the ambient tracks are where the uniqueness of Wise and Fischer’s compositions stand out the most. With such little room to navigate instrumentally, this score packs an atmospheric punch. The dripping throughout Cave Dweller Concert or the truly frigid and cold feel of Misty Menace are shockingly subtle and lend ... read more

Linkin Park sand off their edge and coat their sound in a pop sheen to mostly disappointing results. Minutes to Midnight is much more in line with the unmemorable side of 2000’s radio rock. Though there are some lyrical highlights for the band, most songs never seem to build to an explosive high, if anything at all. This is one of the most atrociously paced albums I’ve ever heard. Fast song, slow song, repeat. Zero album flow present here. Nothing here is straight up bad, but most ... read more

Super Mario 3D World is in many ways even more linear than Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, and certainly less thematically intense. Large orchestral arrangements likely would not have fit a game with levels much more concise, but the Pandora’s box that Galaxy opened with its live instrumentation left a large question: what was next? The answer was revealed in what is now one of the series most celebrated soundtracks to date, as Nintendo opted for a jazzy big band style score with some ... read more

As often as Radiohead’s “OK Computer” is cited as a timeless album because of its themes of technology consuming the world, Kraftwerk’s 1981 album literally titled “Computer World” has them beat by over a decade and a half. Presented on this album are both worrisome and optimistic views of technology in the modern world, such as its infiltration of everyday systems like banking and government, computers within your own home, portable technology, and even ... read more

Though not the hidden masterpiece I used to think this was in high school, Tranquility Base is still a particularly interesting switch up for Arctic Monkeys with a gripping concept and some excellent prophetic and odd lyrics. The loungey piano rock style with Alex's crooning comes together much better than you would expect from a band once known for their punky-indie rock style. Hopefully over the years this album will be revisited and reconsidered by fans and the general public.

Justin Timberlake absolutely nails the sleek factor surrounding every aspect of the aptly titled "20/20 Experience", with extremely clean production and grooves, not to mention the black and white suit and tie imagery of the artwork and Fincher directed music video, but unfortunately drags the project down by unnecessarily extending every song to almost 8-9 minutes. Most, if not every song is fairly good but keeps going long past the point you'd expect it to stop with little more ... read more

After decades of praise to the artists that have inspired him, Thom finally lands an album under Warp through a collaboration with Mark Pritchard. I truthfully know nothing about Mark, but I had expected that his name heading the project would have lead to something much different from Thom's solo outings. Unfortunately, the sound on this album is quite familiar, though not remotely up to the same quality of even "Tomorrows Modern Boxes". "Tall Tales" spares plenty of ... read more

I would be lying to claim that Vegas has stood the test of time near as well as other big beat albums from the same era, but I’ve grown up with a decent amount of songs from this album and couldn’t possibly deny it’s eventual influence on my love for electronic music. Little six year old me thought Busy Child was one of the best songs ever, and he was probably right. Trip Like I Do and High Roller are stand outs as well. The album definitely loses more and more steam as it ... read more

I truthfully had no expectations or even an idea of what a Kraftwerk record this late into their career and so long after their last real studio album would sound like. I can’t say ambient techno was on my bingo card, but it’s great! Kraftwerk does an excellent job creating a new sound while still keeping true to their signature elements. Its length, trance-inducing ambience and beats create an atmosphere perfectly capturing the essence of its titular inspiration. The end of the ... read more

Kraftwerk may not be improving upon the tracks chosen for The Mix, but the songs which have been drastically altered stand out as fun and interesting versions, like the great remix of The Robots. Songs like Autobahn and the TEE cuts that have more so been re-recorded than remixed aren’t as appealing and leave me wishing I was hearing the originals. I guess you could say it’s a mixed bag!

"Get Behind Me Satan" is a surprising change in sound for The White Stripes, especially coming off the heels of the now classic "Elephant", though despite its experimentation, I found it to be a welcome change that worked more frequently than it didn't. "Blue Orchid" is a great opener that is more what you would expect of the band, though with a much heavier guitar tone that would become more prevalent in Jack's music in the future, but is something of a ... read more

Weezer go pop punk to middling results. Hash Pipe is fun and Island In the Sun is a genuinely sweet song, but most of what remains is much less catchy or as well written compared to Blue, or as brutally honest and aggressive as Pinkerton. Though Green doesn't work as well as its predecessors, Weezer once again attempting a new sound is at the very least commendable.

It’s incredible that in barely a year The Beach Boys managed to go from their debut to “Surfer Girl”. Once again, the boys show stronger songwriting and harmonies, even when compared to “Surfin’ USA” from earlier in the same year! The title track is a wonderful intro for the album. Many of the surfing songs still don’t necessarily hold up but are far from bad. The standout track here is clearly “In My Room”, a song that caught me quite off ... read more

As I have come to love electronic more and more it is essential that eventually I visit the works of Kraftwerk, Autobahn being my first. Being as early in the genre's life as it is, it's astounding how well the album holds up, especially that monstrous first track. Despite its over twenty minute runtime, it stays engaging and changing throughout, more than warranting its length. I was shocked at the back half of this project, which goes more of an ambient route, in some ways even a ... read more

Rarely does an album get an emotional response so strong out of me, but The Caretaker's "An empty bliss beyond this World" had me sitting in a dark bubble in my room. A truly melancholy exploration of dementia through ambient and classical instrumental that only becomes more apparent and unsettling the further it goes. Recollection of memories can be clearer and happier, often nostalgic, as on the first track and "Camaraderie At Arms Length", but start to fade and ... read more

Surfin' USA is an improvement over Surfin' Safari in every way. For starters, it actually sounds like a surf album, with plenty of surfing related tracks and upbeat instrumentals. Brian showcases his phenomenal voice much stronger, and the group's harmonies are significantly better. The title track is still a really fun hit to this day, but I was shocked to hear Lonely Sea, a sort of slight glimpse into the sadder side of the band that won't show up again for a while longer. ... read more

Practically unrecognizable as the band that would become as known and celebrated as The Beach Boys. I suppose this would have sufficed as a decent pop record back when it released, which it is certainly a product of its time, but pretty much nothing here would be noteworthy if it wasn't for the band's back catalogue being reexplored these days.

"The Social Network" is not only my favorite film score ever made, but one of the best electronic albums I have ever heard. Consisting of all the framework that makes up many of my other very favorite electronic albums, like it's irresistible synthesizers on tracks like "In Motion" and "Intriguing Possibilities", moments of very dark ambient as on "3:14 Every night" and "The Gentle Hum of Anxiety", and it's undeniably phenomenal piano ... read more