An impressive display of percussive guitar prowess, but Marcin gives us a good bit more. Pulling from musical influences from all over the world—incorporating trap, midtempo, classical, and even baile at one point—Marcin keeps most tracks distinct to keep the album grounded amidst the head-spinning dynamics. Seeming to theme itself around Southeast Asian acoustic music in both style and expression, Marcin gives us a bit to chew on in each track while showing off his mastery of the ... read more

Granted, each track isn't that special in a vacuum and the EP isn't very innovative. But HYPERSPVCE gathers the best parts of the chillout genre, from the floaty atmospheres to the ethereal plucks to the deep subs to the groovy percussion patterns, into a cohesive whole. This is the kind of chillout I love to hear, even if it doesn't blow me away.

Favorite: Lightyear
Least Favorite: Not Our Time

Overload indeed. I'm gonna have to agree with a lot of the other reviewers in saying it's a mixed bag. I think the EP has some of his best ideas (mostly executed underwhelmingly) and a bit of his worst (executed fine). If that's already confusing for you, get ready for an immense amount of variety within the tracklist, whether melodic, heavy, cutesy, or anything else you might expect from Slushii. Some weak execution, some strong execution. Man is this EP like a box of ... read more

I already know CloudNone is a master of establishing an immersive atmosphere, so simply doing that won't make a project stand out for CloudNone anymore. Unfortunately, that's what you get here: CloudNone setting the mood with little else to set it apart from his other projects. Fortunately, that still makes for a nice listen, especially for CloudNone fans.

Favorite: 1999
Least Favorite: 4u

🟡 Of My Soul
🟢 The other 4 tracks

Certainly a dazzling EP to get lost in, even as the memory of much of it fades right after listening. Au5 and Psyuri make a great team, as they both nail this ethereal vibe that makes for an exceptionally immersive listen, even if no track stands out in Au5's generational discography. But despite none of the tracks standing out in a vacuum, there's something special about this EP. A worthy project to follow up Au5's Bridges Between ... read more

🔴 Bench Sitter, Roundabout, Closet
🟢 The other 4 tracks

Although this EP has a clear theme and some good tracks, Sara Kays is unable to capture the magic I've heard from her music before. The lyricism has gotten a little sloppier and triter, and the compositions bored me quickly. With the exception of "Old Enough", if you've heard one track on this EP, you've heard them all. But as always, it was a nice vibe with a sad theme.

Favorite: Old Enough
Least Favorite: ... read more

A delightfully strange little project. Released on a Tuesday with no single releases and few previews preceding it, this EP is great to tide us over until the next big MP project. The more simplistic production style he takes here rarely makes for a boring listen. The two interludes join the EP title in making for a cohesive project. “melon collie”, despite the word for which the title is a pun, is some of MP’s cutesiest work, pulling inspiration from anime soundtracks to ... read more

🔴 Stay With Me, In The End
🟢 The other 11 tracks

This album is pleasant enough meldub with the occasional rock influence, genre switch-up, and interesting lead. But it is Trope Central, pulling from tropes years behind what is generic nowadays. It leans heavily on the production decisions the genre was "supposed to" have years ago. So if you listened to meldub in the mid- to late 2010's, it gets so easy to predict that after a while, it becomes a mindless listen for the ... read more

🔴 Saviour
🟡 Hideaway, In the Real Early Morning
🟢 The other 9 tracks

I love hearing albums where the artist is clearly setting out to do whatever the heck they want. When you see a Beach Boys cover in the same non-cover-album as a Flintstones theme song cover, you know you’re in for a trip. There’s a good amount of underlying structure to this album that makes it a cohesive listen, even amidst all the time signature changes and key modulations that make it a bit hard to ... read more

🔴 In My Bones, Time Alone with You, In Too Deep
🟡 Sleeping On My Dreams, Running Outta Love
🟢 The other 7 tracks

Occasionally, Jacob Collier runs around his musical playground so fast that he trips over himself a bit. The first half of Djesse Vol. 3 has the most examples of this out of all four albums. But, fortunately, this is the most musically polarizing album of the tetrad. It’s fortunate because, despite the flaws that prevent it from starting off on the right foot, it ... read more

🔴 It Don’t Matter, Do You Feel Love
🟡 Feel
🟢 The other 13 tracks

Recently I followed the guy on Instagram who took up a walking excursion from the UK to Vietnam. This album feels like the soundtrack to a journey like that. Taking mainly European and African music styles, Jacob Collier gives us a more structured volume than the previous. Each track is distinct from the others—even in the midst of some perfect transitions between tracks. Although I don’t agree with ... read more

🔴 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
🟡 With The Love In My Heart, All Night Long
🟢 The other 6 tracks

This album is one of a kind, even within the Djesse saga. Taking much inspiration from both classical and world music, Djesse Vol. 1 is a seamless journey from front to back. As a result, treating this album as the sum of its parts would be a great disservice to the analyst.

Returning to this first volume helped me notice a dimension to the Djesse series that I had never thought ... read more

🔴 this is how it ends
🟢The other 11 tracks

OK Go evidently put intentional effort into crafting a dynamic, impactful album using their signature pop-rock style. With this pursuit comes a tendency to come off a little samey. But if you like their style, as I do, you’re eating good with this album. There are even some more downcast moments that deliver some emotional impact that I wasn’t quite expecting, mainly knowing this band for their creative music videos. A fun lesson to ... read more

🔴 HEAT DEATH
🟢 The other 9 tracks

This is quite a well-built album in terms of dynamicism and vibes. There's something special about the melancholy air this carries, and the electronic glitches in the instrumentation add to the distant, lonely feeling of each track in a cool way. The reason I can't bring it above a 65 is that most of the tracks struggle to be catchy, so it's hard to remember much about the individual tracks after just hearing them. Despite the occasional ... read more

(Note: Yellow Lights given to tracks where I think I heard a red-light-worthy thing, but I'm not quite sure...)

🔴 Turbo Time, WDGAF, Flashback
🟡 Pen Island, Water, Hot Piss, Rubber Dub
🟢 The other 8 tracks

I'm gonna echo Flux Pavilion in the track "Hot Piss" by saying, "Yeah, I don't really know, uh...I don't really know..." At best, this album is tolerable to mildly enjoyable. At worst, it is an affront to the ears. Most of the time, the ... read more

🔴 Magic
🟡 Fizzy Lifting Drink, Two Minds
🟢 The other 12 tracks

Very possibly one of the most oddball albums in Monstercat history, but I’m here for it. Although this album has only a few highlights, the tracklist is consistently interesting. The highlights have some fantastic melodies and fascinating ideas. “Fizzy Lifting Drink” has never gotten and will never get old on me; what a bop that puts a big smile on my face. When the album gets low, it mainly just puzzles ... read more

While this EP mixes the serene with the groovy pretty well, it isn’t the most innovative work in the genre. That makes for a good EP and a pleasant listen, but not a very memorable one. I love seeing this escape from writer’s block manifest itself in new releases though. While it won’t top my list, it was a pleasant 9 minutes.

Favorite: inner you
Least Favorite: still searching

The album is a lot like the cover art: there's so much stimulation happening that the viewer has no idea what to focus on, and neither, it seems, does the art itself. There are plenty of nice things about all the presented elements: from the synth solos to the bass hits to the instrumental backing to the key modulations to the time signature changes. But it rarely takes you anywhere; it just kinda happens. Although there are some low points I can't deny, it is a fun listening ... read more

Another fantastic entry from MYRNE on This Never Happened. He hits so many of the right notes here, with solid progressions, stellar vocals, triumphant synthwork, and harmonic complements, to make for a blissful listen. Although I loved when MYRNE experimented more with different styles, I wouldn't mind having a lot more of this!

Favorite: Salve In The Mist
Least Favorite: Light Through The Leaves

Consistently good, but not much else to say about this one. After Discipline, I was expecting more than just run-of-the-mill club beats, but it's pretty good for what it is even though it's not remarkable.

Favorite: All Over
Least Favorite: The Forest