There's promise here, but nothing especially notable for me to dig into with this album. Latour tries to be provocative but it almost comes off as satire more than honest.
Realized I never gave a rating to brat...it's a great album, but also a tough album to rate. The cultural phenomenon it has become has elevated its status probably above the actual quality of the album. I like 360, Sympathy is a knife, von dutch, So I , B2b, and 365. There are some definite misses on here, Rewind, Girl, so confusing, and Apple are at the top of that list... I'm going to settle in the lower 80s due to the cultural influence and quality of the album, and then come back ... read more
This album is dark...sometimes the dark can be hauntingly beautiful. I don't want to delve too deeply into a track review or anything, I feel that trying to describe each track in words would diminish the magic of this album.
Try this one out a few different times. It takes the right mood to really fuse with it.
Best thrash/groove album of the decade? This might be it, and if not then I look forward to whatever can beat this, cuz it would be perfection.
Just realized that I never wrote out my notes for Of Kingdom and Crown, even though it was my AOTY in 2022 (along with Messa). Let me try to rewind a second and think about when I first heard this... you never really know what you're gonna get with Machine Head, but let's just say I had very low expectations going into the album. Those ... read more
Not a ton to report on, this is a straightforward traditional country album with quite wistful and somewhat melancholy lyrics. 2am in London is a standout track, going on my best of the year playlist.
Nothing real negative to discuss, the ceiling is limited, but so is the floor.
Four real tracks on here, three are solid (Two Graves, Blood Marker, Holy Blade). The cover art screams throwback metal (or power metal), which is awesomely out of place for what turns out to be a solid hardcore EP.
Alright, let's do this...Alright, I did that, and what a marathon it was. This is pretty mediocre pop country. More than half the songs are about 1)losing a girl or 2) getting the girl back. The other common themes are 3) I like money and shit, and 4) I'm a bad dude that likes to drink booze. The music really could be AI generated and somehow is weaker than the lyrics on most songs. There's nothing that explores any of the country roots in here (and there easily could be). Plus, ... read more
I'm only listening to this so I can give Post Malone a fair review later. Since I'm here I'll just note that the "metal" in this album is mediocre as hell, except for Ronald.
Bamboozled by the funk? 90--->85--->78
This was an easy 90 on first listen with distinct Prince and Bootsy Collins vibes. Songs like See You in the Afterlife, Lost in Space, Feed Me and Chasing Low Vibes are standouts to me. Only one song that could've skipped, Paradise State of Mind, will likely grow. Only issue here is staying power. I'll re visit in a couple weeks.
Dropped it to 85 after a couple days...losing steam after some repeated spins.
OK, dropping to 78. Wow, what ... read more
The bedroom pop R&B sound is a hard sell for me. A bit too saccharine sweet, and this one doesn't stray far from that vibe. The production on this album is excellent. This really is one of the best produced and mixed albums I've come across in this genre. That said, there were more misses/meh songs than hits for me.
Hits (4): Genius, One Wish, Dream Girl, Love Me Not (Yessssss! Damn, she's gotta sing like this more often!)
Meh (5): Bad Idea, Candy (really wanted to like ... read more
Saw this on Angry Metal Guy...guess I'm gonna fit that profile here. Actually, not really angry, just realistic. This is exactly what people in my high school used to make as demos and would sell them at local shows at the roller rink. I think the effort is genuine here but the execution is...well, about as amateur as it gets. Vocals are a lowlight. It is like when bands bring up fans on stage to sing. It's not bad in an edgy way, bad in a 15 year olds church choir solo.
It is what you think it is.
Good beats ✅️
Weak ass lyrics ✅️
Mediocre flow ✅️
The DJ/producers carry the album. Ghostwriters and Latto need some more help.
OK groove metal album. Nothing really hooked me. The musicianship seems decent, vocals are decent, production was good, but taken together it comes off a little generic.
This album is tons of fun. I'm not very familiar with the Osees stuff so can't remark on how this fits into their legacy, but it definitely seems like they enjoyed making this album. Also the Gorilla was a highlight and going on my best of 2024 playlist. Other highlights: Drug City, Cochon D'argent, Cassius, Brutus & Judas, and Lear's Ears. Time to dig a little more into the Osees catalog.
(Rush + Rolling Stones)*CSNY = Flight b741 - - - - - Probably more complex than that, right. This album is like drinking bourbon. First sip tastes notes of vanilla and oak, than smoky matches in the next sip. Then the sips become gulps and the next thing you know you're passed out on the floor and your mouth tastes like batteries. "WTF happened?" "I don't know man, I got hit with some King Gizzard and the Lynyrd Skynyrd Wizard."
I absolutely adore this album. ... read more
I was introduced to Khirki as happenstance by scrolling deep on AOTY week of their 2024 LP release. As such, this 2021 debut is the second time I'm getting my face melted by Khirki. I love the buzzy hard rock mixed with Greek folk music. This is definitely more stoner metal inspired compared to the second release. I need to digest this one a bit more, but people are sleeping on this band to be sure.
Taking a deeper dive into Alcest after the 2024 LP. I generally dislike shoegaze, and black metal only really hits for me when it is one ingredient in a metal stew, so to speak. That said, I am really starting to warm up to Alcest's form of blackgaze. This is only my second Alcest album but I'm really digging the dreamy shoegaze sound mixed with black metal/blast beats/harsh vocals. Best part for me is this album (and the 2024 LP) work as either background music to be consumed ... read more
This is sort of a miss for me. I'm not feeling the schizophrenic noodling. The album is not cohesive and it comes off to me as pretentious more than creative. Look. I'm on a plane right now and perhaps I'm not scratching deep enough to really feel the historical weight of this album. Or I'm right and it's mid as shit. Regardless, I'm not feeling much like returning to this one to refine my review, maybe in the future. Overall, 2 hits, 2 misses 5 meh.
These are my ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@llamaqwerty feel like it's pretty generic metal. Weak nu metal i guess. I saw these guys open for good bands a bunch back in the day and they never impressed me all that much, so went with the most generic typology i could think of at the time i reviewed it."
On By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"@OnsPascal Everyone digests music differently. Like I said, I respect the artistic merit here, just not for me, probably for the exact reason that you provide here. Doesn't mean I shouldn't share my thoughts."
On HomeSession3's review of Soen - Reliance
"@HomeSession3 nice review. Agree on a lot of points, and I like the straightforward alt-metal sound, but found it a bit conservative given their talent. I wish they would lean just a bit more into their prog roots and juice the instrumentals a bit."
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@Kendrickgoatedg they were contemporaries... but yeah, pretty close in sound. I think they were trying to hit a nu metal version of soundgarden. Maybe a bit better musically but a bit generic."
On Hayley Williams - EGO
"@Killuah K Stan"
On DJ-SLIM's review of Norman North - Over the Influence
"LOL I almost added this last Friday but felt the same way."
On Bugeater_'s review of Squid - Cowards
"Agree 💯. The Narrator is still stuck in my head, nothing from this album is anywhere near as innovative and has the ear candy that the first album had."
On Orgone - Pleroma
"@Pangota72 💯 more people need to appreciate this masterpiece. 6 months in and it only keeps growing on me."
On Ethel Cain - Perverts
"Makes more sense re Dr. Luke. That dude ruins everything."
On Andwella - World's End
"@parannemi Thanks! It's airways fun stumbling on an old hidden gem like this album. I felt like it needed someone to pay homage."
On Alkymist - UnnDerr
"@chemjay300 even their tiny cookies are awesome."
On NTTR's review of VOLA - Friend of a Phantom
"You were spot on with the similar bands! Maybe a little Soen in there as well."
On Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD"
"@Zackhy the last three minutes were awesome! I get that layering sounds too create the end stage of each song is a process and I respect that. I'm sure that my opinion would change drastically after seeing them live."
On 40 Watt Sun - Little Weight
"@Doofy Fair point. I will leave this one in the rotation for a bit to see if it grows on me."
On Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
"@leoxmi You're right, I should. My favorite Nick Cave song is the Passenger off the Batman Forever soundtrack...I'll check out some of the early/mid-90s albums."
On Orville Peck - Stampede
"@dasturbo totally agree. With the right manager he could end up a legend in alt country. Just needs to steer clear of all the pop country industry nonsense."
On The Marías - Submarine
"🤷♂️ I didn't expect to be a citric but I'm not feeling this one."
On Maggie Lindemann - HEADSPLIT
"Cool. I'm going to have to check out the first two albums. Thanks!"
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"the self-titled album is much better. The lyrics are still a liability but the music has a lot more originality and funk to it. There were some good musicians in the original line-up, but they're all gone by now. It is tough to put the self-titled album in any one genre, but this album is kind of a one-trick pony."
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"Lyrics have been a problem with this band for its whole existence."
On Inherus - Beholden
"I have to be honest with you, XsVrits...I don't know what you're trying to convey with your statement here."
On The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
"Yeah, maybe t's not so much the harmonies as it is the actual lead vocals remind me of a mix of weird Al and Tiny Tim. The harmonies are actually decent, but that only exacerbates the weak lead vocals. Maybe that's my issue with it. I don't know, every time I turn this on to try to analyze it I just get a visceral reaction to something in the vocals."
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