Left brain: Hundredth did it better in 2020, shrugs
Right Brain: shoegaze indietronica captures the best of each genre and it coalesces very nicely, Bdrmm takes a hop and step towards Radiohead and skips away from Slowdive (there’s still lots of slowdive tho)

Kid Muscle and Naked are so good. The latter in particular is likely my SOTY given how stuck in my head it’s been. It’s so intimate and tender and funny, like a teenage diary entry about being with someone for the first time; without the first-hand embarrassment. Plus it rocks, too. Obviously.

My favorite electronic album in the last few years, it’ll re-wire your brain in a very slow, meandering pace

What’s with these “I’ve not heard a full Schoolboy Q project before today” ass reviews? That’s fine, shut up and listen.

Return to form. Crash talk was trash. Glad to have Q back in his best form. Incorporated some new sounds like Blueslides but it’s back to his basics for the most part: grimy shit-talk come for the crown rap. Time Killers, Back in Love, Yeern 101 are some of the best in his catalogue. Thanks Q.

Love the vocal layers and repetition to build with the underlying synths and instrumentation. A gorgeous fall afternoon sigh.

Hauntingly beautiful. A carefully yet haphazard collage of electronic sounds that feels intimate and expansive at the same time.

I hate this site sometimes. A 54 User Score? This isn’t a ground-breaking album by any means but it’s extremely entertaining emo/pop-punk with some interesting ideas mixed in. “I Wanna Start a Religion” is a good enough song on its own to merit at least a 70 so I’m inflating the score as much as I can and taking a walk with this album to get that dumbass score out of my head…

He keeps getting better while pushing the boundaries of indie rock. This is his best album. It hits every sweet spot for me musically.

Caught me off guard. Not been a huge Young Jesus fan in the past but this album has taken hold of my entire rotation for a few days. I don’t know how it’ll hold up in the future but it’s hitting the sweet spot now. Love the electronic experimental textures underlying the back half. Gold Line Awe through Believer is just stellar.

Boldy simply rapping his ass off, per usual.

Reminds me of Oso Oso, Wild Pink, etc…a pretty indie/emo mix with strings and horns. A personal soft spot.

Hitting that’s sweet spot between Yumi Zouma and Hot Chip, it’s a breezy listen with some genuine fun moments. Great summer driving album.

Some really nice alternative post-rock/punk with some shoegaze-y textures.
An album I liked initially but kept coming back to more as the year went on. Impressive debut. Deserves more love.

Crown ‘em.

Are you between the ages of 20-35 and have wanted a follow up to The Postal Service’s one album? Well Couplet is here for you.

I’m a big abstract/experimental hip hop fan. Earl Sweatshirt, Death Grips, Peggy, Navy Blue, Mavi, etc…but this is damn near impossible to listen to. Not going to rate it because I know the circumstances surrounding this album, but there’s not a single song that I enjoyed. If you like your songs hook-less and dense and jarring, this is for you.

This is just flooded with ideas. Truly unique and fully realised. Weird in the best ways. My Love’s would fit on the most recent Low album, and “Quotations” on The Avalanches or Caribou…but neither seem out of place. Gonna take a lot more listens to take in everything.

If this were any other band besides Deafheaven? I wouldn’t have tried this hard to like this album. It’s not bad, by any means. But it’s pretty formulaic and repetitive. Song build to a twinkling starry outro, or the last few minutes it gets huge and grandiose. They can do better.

Interesting mix of post-rock/hardcore and emo. The opener, uh, ‘The Opener’ is one of the most epic openings songs to an EP or album I’ve ever heard.

If your favorite quirky indie band stopped trying so hard and made some kickass shoegaze with hooks instead.