The windmill scene is absolutely batshit.

The ‘windmill scene’ is referring to a music scene that originated around the Windmill pub in Brixton, London. While the initial style combined genres such as post-rock, post-punk, and jazz rock, many of the scene’s musicians take influence from other genres, making for a variety of music that still shares the same roots. The three most prominent bands of the scene are Black Country, New Road, black midi, and Squid. I am a fan of ... read more

And with that, after blessing the Earth with his alien presence, the starman returned to the sky...

David Bowie is considered one of the most highly influential musicians of all time, and I had only heard one album from him prior to this, that being 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust...' and that album was absolutely incredible. And so, I decided to listen to '★ (Blackstar)' in celebration of its 10-year anniversary (even though I’m months late). Was jumping right ... read more

Only 2,694 more days until '10,000 Days' has been released for 10,000 days. But all jokes aside, happy 20th to this album.

TOOL is a band I've heard about before and have planned to listen to. I've heard about their apart back for uncommon time signatures and unique progressive metal style. And as someone who both had yet to explore the genre of metal and TOOL as a band, I found this album's 20th anniversary to be the perfect opportunity.

'Vicarious' kicks ... read more

'Anti-War: The Album," and honestly? I've come to respect that.

While listening to this album, I was exploring the Pennsylvania Museum of Lumbering (or at least that's what my dad calls it). It was a very fun experience, and afterwards I would go to the Zippo & Case museum and the ruins of the Austin Dam.

'What's Going On' is one of the highest rated soul albums of all time, and I had yet to explore much in the soul genre. Soul is a genre known for ... read more

As a musician, these time signatures are confusing the shit out of me.

(Side note: While listening to this for the first time, I went to a yard sale and got 5 records for just 15 bucks! :D)

Despite the bad reputation of midwest emo as a genre, this album stands out to me and others in the music community as one of the best of the genre. Midwest emo is considered the 'second wave' of emo music, coming in between the emocore music scene of the 1980s and the pop-punk emo music scene ... read more

THIS MIGHT BE THE MODERN COUNTRY ALBUM

Listening to this at my little sister's ballgame hit harder than the players were hitting those softballs with their bats. The instrumentation of most modern country can be rooted back here; soft electric guitars, groovy drums, and booming bass. It creates a beautiful sound that modern country artists somehow fuck up with the same palette. Jason Molina also just had the perfect country voice. The lyrics have a poetic quality to them, similar to the ... read more

NOTHING BUT SAMPLES?!

I will say, the fact that this album is nothing but samples further proves the absolute genius that is 'Since I Left You.' The way it manages to create such a lush and groovy soundscapes off just samples, let alone the cohesiveness of the whole album, is absolutely mesmerizing and revolutionary for the time it released. The Avalanches are known for being a large influence in the plunderphonics/instrumental hip-hop genre, and I can see why. It's nothing but ... read more

FUCKED AND LOW

Here it is, the highest rated album of 2023 on AOTY. And I will say, I did enjoy it quite a lot. The shoegaze, punk-based instrumentation adds a certain charm to the album just for the sheer amount of noisiness it is. But, at other points, there are beautiful explosions of instruments and wonder, contrasting the themes of heartbreak and longing on the album. This album was made by 2 people who go under Willy and Star. Willy is the lead vocalist and lyricist, while Star is the ... read more

FAREWELL TO A LOVER

This album is what I believe to be the first Sufjan Stevens record to click with me. The whimsical instrumentation and Sufjan's soft vocals work together to create a beautiful sound. When I heard the lyrics were focused on the loss of his lover, my love for the album grew even more. When I first listened to this, I was just staring at my ceiling in wonder, as all the sound locked me in to this ethereal work. It's just a bittersweet farewell with so much emotion ... read more

THIS IS GROUND ZERO

This album is one of the most experimental efforts I've heard out of this decade. This was the last album of hip-hop group Injury Reserve due to the death of one of their members, Jordan Groggs. His death is a key focus in the album lyrics, as well as things such as the COVID pandemic, and even climate change, as well as the loss of other loved ones. The production is the key part of this album's uniqueness, with lots of use of samples, spontaneous sounds, and an ... read more

WHAT A DAMN GOOD POET

It's been a while since I last heard 'Blonde on Blonde,' so I decided to re-introduce myself to him with this album, probably his highest acclaimed album. And I'd say it's really good. It shows the blues-rock instrumentation that Dylan was innovating at a prime, and Dylan's songwriting groundbreaking as always. Truthfully, his clever and pure genius songwriting carries this record to greatness.

Standouts: The whole damn thing.

WHIMSICAL PSYCH-ROCK EXPERIENCE

This album is a fun and quirky time to listen to for the first time. Kicking off with the intensity of 'It's Gonna Be A Long Night,' and immediately plummetting into the soft pop tune that is 'Zoloft' sets the tone for the experimentation on the album. The record throughout blends elements of electronic, pop, folk, and rock, finding times of emotional songs, explosive rock tunes, and even the experimental 'F**cked Jam.' The ... read more

GLITCH-POP WONDER

Listening to this was a fever dream, but a blissful one at that. The production and instrumentation is off the walls, some parts mellow and ambient, some parts glitchy and spontaneous, sometimes even aggressive and powerful. The range of sounds on here is just unreal. Whoever the vocalist on this album his, you are an incredible singer, you perfectly fit this mixing pot of genres. The lyrics are very repetitive and catchy, which I feel as though, while is disappointing, works ... read more

THESE SOUND FEEL GOOD

The first time I heard this album, it was summer 2025, going to a state park in my home state of PA. At that time, it was the best album I'd ever heard. Revisiting it today, I still think this album is one of my favorite albums of all time. The production and instrumentation is so unique and amazing. It blends electronic music, rock, hip-hop, and so many other genres to create the soundtrack to the end of the world. The lyrics speak of love, heartbreak, and the state ... read more

ENTRANCING ETHERAL EXPERIENCE

This is the second Radiohead album I've heard, not too far after 'OK Computer,' which is my 3rd favorite album of all time. And while this album doesn't hold the same place in my heart as 'OK Computer,' it is still incredible. This album came out during a time in which Radiohead was experimenting with electronic instruments in rock music, according to other people I've seen talk about Radiohead's discography. And they blend ... read more

A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL, HIP-HOP BOPS INCLUDED

I've seen this album being praised as one of the most influencial albums in underground hip-hop, so I decided to give it a listen. I can definitely see why the praise has been given. The use of samples in the majority of hip-hop today can be traced back to this album, along with the works of Madlib and DJ Shadow. But on this album, J Dilla had a very simplistic style unlike the more complex beats from fellow hip-hoppers. Unfortunately, after ... read more

HYPNOTIZING TRIP-HOP

Well, this experience was a fever dream. Sometimes we're rocking out, sometimes we're floating in shoegaze soundscapes, but at all times we're bopping our heads to the beat. After listening to this for the first time at 10:24 AM, I have no business analyzing the lyrics, but just off the instrumentation, I loved this album. The performances are energetic and powerful, as are the vocals of the many vocalists featured on the album, including Horace Andy, ... read more

GOD IS REAL (NOT KIDDING THIS TIME)

A true example of Cameron Winter's absolutely genius. After the success of his 2023 effort with his rock band Geese, 3D Country, Cameron Winter turned around and made this raw singer-songwriter album. The instrumentation features pianos, keyboards, orchestras, drums, bass, guitar, the whole nine yards, performed by Cameron and a bunch of Craigslist musicians. Apparently, a good portion of the music was recorded in guitar centers and backs of taxis. ... read more

METAL OF THE 70s

Led Zeppelin is probably one of, if not the most iconic metal band of all time, and this record goes to show it. Full of iconic hits that would later go on to shape genres, this albums tracklist is flawless, not a single song can be overlooked. The heavy, sometimes sludgy sound of the record fuses with the blues rock influences to create the signature Zeppelin sound. The performances are incredible, whether that be some of the greatest guitar playing of all time from Jimmy ... read more

THE SOUND SURE IS NEW

Well I'll be damned. This album blew me out of the water. The first few seconds of Blues, the intro track, alone amazed me, let alone the rest of this incredible masterpiece. Geordie Greep is a name that has become well known in the windmill scene of rock, mostly from his now-disbanded black midi. While I have not given any of their catalog a listen, I decided to give the solo effort of their frontman a listen. The instrumentation throughout the record has the ... read more