I think this is a first for me to be around when one of my favorite bands of all time is just hitting their peak.
When I think of all my favorite bands, pretty much all of their best years are past. Maybe some of my favorite solo artists are hitting their peak, but not any band I am a massive fan of has hit their peak while I was around. Pink Floyd have not made an amazing album since the 70s. Swans are still making fantastic music, though their peak ended with The Glowing Man in 2016 and I ... read more
In the opening moments of this album, I despised it. I was wandering around an empty city park late at night, pacing back and forth frantically as I wondered why the hell I even turned this thing on. I felt deeply disgusted with everything about the music. It was just sheer, flat walls of nothing. Just meaningless, grating attacks on my psyche. I didn't know why I felt this way. None of it made any sort of sense. Why was I listening to this?
I started to aimlessly walk along the empty streets ... read more
I've been wanting to get back into the avant-garde music scene again. Listening to the music I normally do has burnt me out a lot and I have a hard time finding new music that truly excites me like it once did. I was into the harsh noise scene for a while, and I thought back to an iceberg I saw on YouTube, with one of the bottom layers being the most disturbing releases in the genre. This was included, alongside its "interesting" cover. What immediately intrigued me besides that cover ... read more
Xiu Xiu have always been rather divisive. Xiu Xiu's brand of "bastardized pop", as they call it, has been polarizing even on a site like AOTY, which is really surprising since Xiu Xiu seems like exactly the kind of band that AOTY would adore. They are an extremely dark and daring band which merge abrasive and experimental elements with more mainstream indie rock and pop music. Personally, I've always adored their music, even if they certainly have misses under their belt.
From their ... read more
10/10
It's kind of annoying seeing this show up alongside all my other 10s, so I'm not going to rate this, but this is truly a gorgeous and stunning single. Everything from the sorrowful and folksy instrumentation to the strange yet lovely vocals perfectly to the creepy and vivid imagery of the lyrics. This is truly a buried treasure in Neutral Milk Hotel's discography.
This album is beautiful. It's such a raw and melancholic yet uplifting and relaxing collection of jazz songs. It's like you are inside a bar on a rainy night at 2am in the morning. You should be miserable, yet you feel at home at this bar. These are your people and this is a very nice respite from the misery you face in your everyday life.
As someone who hasn't been very enthusiastic about jazz in the past, I honestly didn't care too much for the first two songs when I first listened to them, ... read more
A precursor to Godflesh. A precursor to Public Castration is a Good Idea. (In some ways) a precursor to their post-rock sound. A precursor to sludge metal. A precursor to industrial metal. Holy shit, this album is so ahead of its time.
This album is phenomenal. Average user score of 66, my ass!
Seriously, guys. Do better.
This album is the sonic equivalent of Sodom burning down in a holy bonfire. This album is violent, miserable and disgusting. I love every second of it. This, alongside ... read more
Harsh noise wall music has always been a highly controversial genre even in the context of the harsh noise genre. Perhaps the most famous release in the harsh noise scene is Merzbow's Pulse Demon, a pretty quality harsh noise release which somehow wormed its way into the conscious of mainstream music, which is why it's rated so low on this site in spite of being considered a classic in its genre.
The thing about Pulse Demon is that, while it completely abandons many concepts of normal music ... read more
I am going to be honest with you. I do not feel so great. I cannot sleep. I cannot do anything. My head feels burning hot. I think my brain is melting into soup inside of my head. I am sick in bed right now, light lugging around and pulsing through my head.
That's how I feel very often. Thankfully, this album is quite nice company. Alexis' howling vocals, the fun, danceable power electronic beats, the dark lyrics about mental illness. I can't lie: it's all quite nice. Alexis has done some ... read more
Is it offensive and insulting? Yes. Does the cover look lazy and AI-generated? 100%. Do its vocals sound annoying? Absolutely. Is it the stupidest and least clever parody ever created? Definitely. Do its vocals sound like the vocalist is half-asleep? Absolutely.
But ... I dunno. It made me smile. It's guaranteed that years from now, I'll probably hate myself for having given this insultingly high score to such an EP, but it made me smile because of its glee audacity. I can't believe that ... read more
A stronger opener than New Mind. A beautiful, mournful and melancholic masterpiece that perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. The instrumentation is gorgeous and mournful, bleak and self-reflective. The mournful strings playing in the background of the pounding, echoing drums and the playful yet mysterious harp makes it sound like Jarboe is calling from some great void which swallows her as she sings of the emptiness inside her. A masterpiece from start-to-finish and easily the ... read more
This album is a fucking masterpiece. It sounds like industrial music splashed with a bucket of mud and blood as it shuffles through the streets, high on drugs and beating the shit out of whatever comes its way. Wounds are open all over this fucking thing, as the whole thing dirtily clangs forward and forward, refusing to collapse as Michael shrieks, grunts and groans his blunt, ferocious poetry over the dirty and thunderous bass and drums.
And yet, amidst the cacophony, there is a strange ... read more
I am currently wide awake, listening to the gorgeous song that is Among The Leaves. This is the sound of love. Everything from the sweeping and swooning strings, the upbeat and adventurous guitars, and Mark Kozelek’s Southern-honeyed voice murmuring nostalgic stories. This is it. I haven’t listened to the album, and I doubt I will, but this is just a beautiful song. I lay wide awake, as I feel something awaken deep inside me. It feels like by listening to this song, I am now seeing ... read more
The whole album makes you feel like you are witnessing the dawn of something ominous. Like you are meeting a faceless alien leader that has the power to destroy you and all of humanity or save it. Either way, something big is going to happen, whether you like it or not.
An achingly beautiful and nostalgic album combining some gorgeous minimalistic guitar songs and some longer rock jams.
Some of the best songs off of the album:
Have You Forgotten - Probably one of the best folk songs ever made. It's so nostalgic and sweet, yet melancholic and depressing. It's like you're remembering the embrace of a person you once knew so well. When you see them, all the memories of your past come to you. All these beautiful memories of simpler and happier times when the ... read more
I saw this on a music iceberg. It was love at first sight.
This is an absolutely astounding song. The looping ambient effects overlapped occasionally with jarring babble from some random person is wonderful, adding to the atmosphere of the spoken word. The spoken word poem is perfect. David Tibet's voice reading aloud Thomas Ligetti's world-hating and pessimistic poem is so creepy and astoundingly powerful.
The poem itself is a beautiful thing. It expresses an ugly fear and hatred for the ... read more
A near-perfect album, this instrumental epic is a dreamy masterpiece that will take you on a journey through your own mind. I never knew I could love an album this much. This will be by far the longest review I’ve ever written, so strap in as I write out my thoughts in a list-like format similar to my review of GY!BE’s debut album. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for doing so but you better be prepared to go way farther than this. Thanks and without further ado:
Lift Yr. ... read more
Say what you think about Pulse Demon, but I could at least see the appeal. There was some actual engaging experimentation and composition going on. However, this is just unlistenable. You ever listen to some avant-grade album and think to yourself “What normal person would listen to this?”. This is how I felt. There’s nothing interesting, smart or emotional about this. It’s awful. Just awful.
Edit: Ever since I reviewed this EP, I've been getting more and more into the ... read more
Lingua Ignota knocks it out of the park as usual with the first side, which is about an 85/100. Do some songs go on for a little long? Yes, and the minimalist production does not help that. Her voice and performance can make literally any song at least good, though, so it keeps the first side sailing smoothly.
The second side is bad. 0/100. I love noise music, but harsh noise is something I hate. Did The Rita literally just fuck around with an aux cord for twenty minutes and then declared it ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On Scientificman's review of Chappell Roan - The Giver
"@liam_hogan07 fall off needs to be studied? Dude, being famous for a year and then releasing one mid single doesn’t mean an artist fell off"
On DevonFlick's review of Les Rallizes Dénudés - '77 Live
"Interesting that you see this album as so destructive and depressing, when I honestly see most of this album as kind of a freewheeling, upbeat and magical journey with some dark or chaotic moments"
On Ascension's review of JoJo Siwa - Guilty Pleasure
"New Cassandra Jenkins record also came out! I’ve heard it’s pretty good"
On healio's review of David Bowie - Station to Station
"I felt the same way when I first listened to it. Give it another shot. For me, what made it click was when I got on board with the more clinical and coldly tragic tone of the entire album's lyrics and thematic content. It's very good!"
On gebhi's review of Boris - Boris at Last -Feedbacker-
"For me, this album feels so hot, like you're trudging through an active volcano that's about to erupt"
On Amy's review of Ulver - Nattens madrigal: Aatte hymne til ulven i manden
"I love how this review is so raw and legendary"
On Allen's review of Vothana - Hành động bây giờ, tương lai đảm bảo / Action Now, Assured Future
"Gotta agree with Myxo here. It's one thing to headbang to some Burzum every now and then, but this music literally is Nazi propaganda. Like, I get that there's some interesting artistry to this band and all, but their literal mission is to create anti-Semitic propaganda in the form of music. It confuses me how could you listen to this without any sort of hesitancy?"
On Chorde's review of Swans - To Be Kind
"Does a neighing horse intermission not entertain you enough?"
On JustSomeGuy's review of N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
"I kind of like the "terrible" production. It's so ear-grating and offensive to the ears, not overtly abrasive but barely off and uncomfortable enough to make it feel sick and repulsive. Almost feels intentional."
On Plainsong's review of LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
"It used to be classified as an EP on this website, plus it’s not available on streaming services."
On FYFAYAS is Shelved's review of Lingua Ignota - LET THE EVIL OF HIS OWN LIPS COVER HIM
"If you’re seeing this, mods: I did not mean to mark this review as low quality. I was just trying to check the guy’s artist ratings and accidentally tapped the button."
On Björk - Atopos
"black midi's new album rules, btw. I take back everything I said."
On OloffStan17's review of Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
"I was being pretty petty. Sorry about that."
On CyberCrasher_TV's review of Car Seat Headrest - How To Leave Town
"Sorry, I didn't quite understand Step 6. Can you explain that step all over again?"
On PipePanic's review of The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2
"I'm surprised you disliked this album and haven't listened to any of Phil's other albums, yet you enjoyed The Microphones in 2020. I would not have expected that."
On Kanye's review of The Microphones - Microphones in 2020
"Fair enough. You’ll probably hate it if you’re unfamiliar with Phil’s other stuff."
On OloffStan17's review of Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
"It was that way with Long Season (Live) for a while, until some jerk gave it a 0 (probably to piss people off)."
On fuyuyuki's review of Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
"I get jazz isn't for everyone, but that's kinda the point. It's meant to be sparse, raw and melancholic."
On JustSomeGuy's review of Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
"Do you feel like you would still like their older stuff even though this doesn't connect with you?"
On JustSomeGuy's review of Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want
"On some level, I do relate to the music, though, because I feel like Alexis Marshall is exceptionally talented at writing and composing music which reflects cases of extreme mental anguish and illness, which is a rare talent even among the more extreme artists. I still feel like you've made a lot of valid points though. Great review, of course!"
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