SimOut leaps into Rushdown with a bang, as he delivers a marked improvement from his last two EP's. Complementing his clearest direction and strongest theme yet, he dips into new sound design and genre territory with his cleanest mixes yet. While his debut EP sounded like he was trying to impress the label, this sounds like he put effort into bringing different styles together into a cohesive work. Ironic, as this is an even bigger label than Dreamscape was. The only weak spot here is in ... read more

🔴 Space Combat
🟢 The other 3 tracks

The first half is really strong, with triumphant melodies and energetic drops justifying the longer runtimes. The second half is significantly weaker in that the third track did nothing for me and the fourth track was only kinda fun. As I did around this time, I look forward to the following projects where SimOut begins to find more consistent footing.

Favorite: Daredevil
Least Favorite: Triumphant

Whiplash indeed. For the first time, I'll have to take it track by track...

Choreography: A classic and a relic of SimOut history. The melody rocks, and the song succeeds in leaning on it through the various movements. (75)
Whiplash: A weird one. The catchy vocal chop carries the verses. After the first 8 measures of the drop, it goes a bit off the rails and doesn't get back on track until the second drop, which carries the track. The breakdown just...exists. Maybe one of ... read more

Imagine you had a close childhood friend that moved away untimely. They traveled the world, met all kinds of people, and…changed, by all appearances. It was a significant change, the kind that causes concern. After years of growing up apart, this friend returns to your area to live, and you start hanging out again. Through that experience, you learn that he really has changed in so many ways, but not in the ways you thought. Although he has shifted, your hangs fulfill you just as they ... read more

There are a couple weak spots, several really strong spots, and some solid tracks to fill those in-between moments. Although there seems to be a bit of pandering with this album, I still feel like Owl City really took the reins back in this follow up to The Midsummer Station. Even if some tracks appealed to industry trends of the time, he was still making the music he wanted to, and the way he succeeded in that is very respectable. This is quite a fun album and is a step up from his previous. ... read more

And thus we arrive at the whoa-oh-oh album. While Owl City yields more creative control than normal to the industry, this album is undeniably his. Pop artists doing house music was a big trend at this time, but it was still a natural next step for Owl City, especially given the work he was doing for major motion pictures at this time. While he does it well, and that makes for a good album, there is less of the luster that sets Owl City apart from other artists. Heartbreak is an interesting ... read more

This is the first Owl City album to strike a balance between the classic Owl City charm and what would fit the trends of the industry at the time, as opposed to leaning heavier on the former. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I find no bad track on this album. But it does come at the cost of what makes Owl City albums earmarks rather than just tracklists. Still, this is Owl City in usual form, even if it, albeit only occasionally, feels like Owl City on autopilot. A fun album with ... read more

Owl City‘s second album has a bigger smile on its face than his first, and that works to its benefit. Because it reaches more euphoric highs in mood, it is more effective than ever at driving home those lonely, depressed, or wistful moments that serve as the overarching conflict—justifying the ultimate redemption. On top of pushing his boundaries in instrumentation, he enters more personal territory—handling topics such as mental health, romantic love, self-esteem, and even ... read more

Every Owl City album is a bit more lyrically on-the-nose than the previous, and this album is no different. But this one serves a unique purpose that couldn’t be true for any of the other albums. Following his more introductory Of June EP, Maybe I’m Dreaming takes the narrative one level deeper than before. It reveals not just the thoughts and images that swim around in Owl City’s head, but the complicated feelings in his heart. Pairing this more personal exploration with an ... read more

A gorgeous, simple bedroom pop EP that serves as a fantastic debut for Owl City. In the current music landscape, it’s difficult to find a project whose beauty is in its simplicity rather than its density, but Owl City achieves that with flying colors (in more ways than one). The lyricism is lofty in a strangely intimate way, making use of abstract images to connect with the listener however they see fit. This was just the beginning of what would go on to be an incredibly illustrious ... read more

🔴 Utican, Repeat Until Death
🟡 Birthplace
🟢 The other 7 tracks

The most serene Novo Amor album other than his ambient album. A marked improvement from his debut album with Lowswimmer, Novo Amor doubled down on the atmospheric, bittersweet soundscapes that he became known for, but this time it sounds more pensive than eerie. As he later proved further, Novo Amor lyrics do best the more of a balance there is between the abstract and the concrete—what sounds poetic and what makes ... read more

🔴 I Feel Better, No Plans, Halloween, Guestbook
🟡 Birdcage
🟢 The other 5 tracks

Novo Amor‘s most upbeat record also has some of his most vulnerable lyrics. You can tell he had fun making the music, but if you see just one level pass that, you see an emotional and even triumphant effort at making sense of his emotions through the kind of music that touches his heart. As a result, you get an album that can speak to your heart too if you let it. Powerful project from Novo Amor. And ... read more

By all appearances, this is just another The National Parks album. After all, this album demonstrates skillfully that the band has their formula down. But there are a couple other things going on here that push this album to a new level. The first is the fuller production. Some messiness might slip through the cracks there, but that is the price the band paid to achieve the euphoric highs of the album. Second, they delve into a couple of themes that they hadn’t explored very deeply up to ... read more

Probably their most reserved album yet, but it doesn’t necessarily work to its benefit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good album all the way through. There are even some stand out tracks here and there. But the pacing is a little uneven at points, staying reserved for a little too long or wandering a bit lyrically. I liked the desert theme that they were going for, but they definitely could have made it feel a little less empty. Overall, a good album that’s well worth the ... read more

Arguably The National Parks’ first dedicated road trip album. It’s full of adventure, curiosity, discovery, and heart. It’s got a nice ebb and flow to it, although it’s mostly flow. The storytelling in each song is as intentional as ever, and thanks to that, it succeeds in engaging me every time I listen to it. Super fun ride from front to back.

Favorite: 1953
Least Favorite: The Future

I am amazed by how quickly this band refined their sound. In every respect, this second album is a step up from the first. Although the band proved they could handle heavier material well in their lyrics, the decision not to take themselves so seriously paid off. The openness to being a little more tongue-in-cheek and even corny birthed the classic The National Parks charm. The instrumentals are also more creative than ever. In fact, some of my favorite tracks on the album were ones that let ... read more

Granted, this debut from The National Parks has its flaws: a bit of mixing oversight at parts and a slight lack of catchiness in the melodies, but that’s really it. There’s an emotional weight to this album that I was surprised to hear. Young is their most downcast album, and I’m sure that’s because they were still trying to find their sound and their purpose behind the music they were putting out. Even so, there’s just something about this album that piques my ... read more

Direct doing what Direct do, which always makes for a great project. The basswork and ambience is smooth, and the beats are groovy all the way through. He even throws in some ear candies, bass fills, and the like to demonstrate that nice ambience and groovy beats is not the only thing he can do. The talent brought on to aid in this was fantastic. Direct nails at once again.

Favorite: Odyssey
Least Favorite: How Can It Be

🟡 Meet Cute, See You Later
🟢 The other 12 tracks

An intimate, vulnerable debut album from what seemed to me an unassuming source at first. Seems like every year I find yet another bittersweet indie pop artist that tugs at my heartstrings. This year, it's Matilda Mann, as she crafts delicate and simple yet gorgeous acoustic soundscapes, complementing them with her smooth voice. The lyrics match the atmosphere perfectly as well. The only thing that keeps it from greatness is its ... read more

Fantastic ambience all the way through, setting up the bittersweet atmosphere brilliantly through creative and cathartic sound design. It flows so well from beginning to end, sonically ebbing and flowing in the places that most appeal to me most of the time. An ambient album made so much sense for him, and he knocked it out of the park.

Favorite: Full Health
Least Favorite: Slowlife