Pretty much didn't care for anything on here. Feels like the worst of JPEGs more commercial side and Flume's more awkward electronics. Missing the various factors of punch, smoothness, creativity, etc. that make their stuff good. Not trying to hate just not a project I care for.
Very rituals. Haunting dissonance with a decent mix of ferocity in the percussion and horn choruses. Goes to some pretty high highs. Only issue is it probably could have gone even further.
Benjamin found something special on this album. The mix of psychedelic instrumentation and melodies to the crushing noise is absolutely sonic beauty that is amazing to get lost in. Combine that with the heart-wrenching vocals and writing and you have something that is, like I said, truly special. I really really want to commend Benjamin's taste for the more experimental and abrasive on this project. His unblushingness when delving into the world of noise rock is something that most other ... read more
A shock to say the least. Listened to a previous Circuit album which was a bit too minimal in terms of art folk for my taste. But I decided randomly to listen to this because the album intrigued me. And wow am I happy I did. A switch up doesn't even begin to cover it. This feels like some thing Haley has had in the chamber for a minute, waiting for the chance to execute it to satisfaction and she absolutely kills it. This is some of the best modern goth, and darkwave in a minute. The ... read more
SAVED! The pathway to heaven! What do you do when you escape hell? When you confront the horrific traumas of your life, from childhood to adulthood, in one of the most harrowing, intense, and powerful trilogies of albums in the modern day? When you face all of it and come out the other side stronger than ever before, yet are still faced with the rest of the world filled with the unending atrocities, horrors, and injustices that you just fought so hard to stand atop. Backxwash fights this battle ... read more
![青葉市子 [Ichiko Aoba] - Luminescent Creatures](https://cdn2.albumoftheyear.org/100x0/album/1020365-luminescent-creatures_163309.jpg)
Disappointed to say the very least. The first song is the best and the album goes significantly downhill after. The instrumentation is gorgeous and layered with piano, strings, flutes and more. But, after one instance of this Ichiko seems to decide to pick only one of these elements for every song on the rest of the album. And the majority of the time it seems to be acoustic guitar which is plucked at for most of the songs. This is what I was honestly expecting Windswept Adan to be before I was ... read more
They did it again. Once again clipping manage to make the most catchy, addictive, fresh, entertaining album ever. This album leaves behind the thrill of the horror works and adopts some seriously funky and, again, catchy grooves. The production just sounds amazing as always and Daveed's rapping and flows are second to none. I also really enjoyed all the instrumental tracks on the album. People seem to forget that 2/3 of the group is producers who have deep loves of experimental, ... read more
Shoots for bjork but doesn't quite make it. Twigs definitely pushes this style of alternative club music into new and interesting directions but doesn't quite capitalize of fully realize the fascinating aesthetics of this album. (Which is kind of ironic given the themes). All the songs are actually pretty great, but compared to their music video accompaniment frankly they kind of pale. Every bit of this albums rollout was insane and the visuals and ethos of it is so great. But there ... read more
Percussive and textural masterpiece. A visionary display
Incredible. Nothing in noise music I have heard so far sounds quite like this one. So ritualistic, primal, raw, and human, while also having such mastery over electronics. And a serious avant garde touch for song structure
The beats go pretty hard but the rapping is mediocre. (Here come comparisons) Yes, there is a reason JPEG and MC Ride are the standard of experimental hardcore punk-adjacent hip hop which everything get compared to. They have incredible mic presence, energy, and good to great bars. I got very little of that here. The flows and delivery all felt awkward. Feels like they're too close to the mic and worried about being Too Too loud. Or they just can't really yell well. Oh well not like ... read more
The Lighthouse if it was in color. Colin's most expansive and conceptually lush album to date. The sound of this album feels truly imbued with the concept more than any of his other works. The sound of the sea is in the music. The endless layers of sax drones become waves and the textures of nature. And the spoken word pieces are some of the more gratifying and beautiful in his catalog, in my personal opinion. Vast depth of sonic layers which honors the ocean beautifully.
Haunting, kick ass, so much style. Great writing and playing. The super punchy very electronic sounding drums, the washed out guitar tones, and the creepy sometimes wailed vocals all make for a very intense and ghostly experience. Worst thing about this album might be the best song being first.
The first song is definitely the best. I like the heavy use of ambient sampling. Some very nice textures overall. The rest of the album is closer to standard jazz and has some nice moments. A very different experience from the live performance which got me to check out Patrick Shiroishi's work, which was much closer to something by Collin Stetson.
Mach-Hommy consistently hits me with missed potential. At his best his style of rap is fantastic and he has some absolutely amazing writing. But his heavy inclination towards low-key beats and quiet smooth melodies almost always ends up producing disappointing projects. But this is probably his best work to date. While I still think he is plagued by many of the same problems the beats chosen here are certainly better than he's had in the past. There's a nice sense of grittiness and of ... read more
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