Recent Reviews
Oct 6, 2018
SPOOKY MUSIC SERIES: #4
Goddamn. Now this is what I'm talking about. The Haxan Cloak really brings dark ambient into the 2010s here, folding elements of bass music and trip hop into the style's more traditional elements. Compositionally, Excavation isn't a whole lot less minimal than something like Lustmord's Where the Black Stars Hang, but Cloak's expanded sound palate and expert approach to sound design allow him to do much more with his compositions.
What strikes you first about Excavation ... read more
Goddamn. Now this is what I'm talking about. The Haxan Cloak really brings dark ambient into the 2010s here, folding elements of bass music and trip hop into the style's more traditional elements. Compositionally, Excavation isn't a whole lot less minimal than something like Lustmord's Where the Black Stars Hang, but Cloak's expanded sound palate and expert approach to sound design allow him to do much more with his compositions.
What strikes you first about Excavation ... read more
Oct 6, 2018
It's nothing too out of the ordinary hardcore punk wise, but CANDY delivered a pretty strong debut after luring me in with that gnarly album cover. In addition to the performances, which are exemplary all around, it's the noisy, chaotic mixes (yet somehow crystal clear production for this style) that keep me coming back to Good To Feel. They really do manage to conjure the dystopian, urban scene they display in that artwork with the music. I do hope they experiment a bit more in the future, ... read more
Oct 6, 2018*
"I’m like Stone Cold Steve Austin / I put homophobes in coffins" is my lyric of the year.
For some reason, I never expected IDLES to go as populist as they did here, but it works for them perfectly. Their lyrics and general pissed-offedness are so motherfucking relatable right now, and they do such a killer job of addressing issues that are not just impacting their own country, but the entire West (hell, the entire world). Plus, they've somehow managed to write even catchier ... read more
For some reason, I never expected IDLES to go as populist as they did here, but it works for them perfectly. Their lyrics and general pissed-offedness are so motherfucking relatable right now, and they do such a killer job of addressing issues that are not just impacting their own country, but the entire West (hell, the entire world). Plus, they've somehow managed to write even catchier ... read more
Oct 5, 2018*
This is the highest on fire I've ever been. Just a pummeling maelstrom of thicc riffs and earth-shaking compositions.
Favorite tracks: Drowning Dog, Spewn from the Earth, The Witch and the Christ, Freebooter
Favorite tracks: Drowning Dog, Spewn from the Earth, The Witch and the Christ, Freebooter
Oct 4, 2018
SPOOKY MUSIC SERIES: #3
So this is an interesting one. One of the tags on the Bandcamp page for this album is "death ambient", which is about as fitting a description as any for what Gnaw Their Tongues is doing here. Moving beyond the electronic palate of the 90s dark ambient releases I've looked at so far, this LP incorporates aspects of metal (distorted guitars, heavy drums, and harsh vocals), along with strings, ghostly, vaguely operatic vocals, and frequent dialogue samples. Yet, ... read more
So this is an interesting one. One of the tags on the Bandcamp page for this album is "death ambient", which is about as fitting a description as any for what Gnaw Their Tongues is doing here. Moving beyond the electronic palate of the 90s dark ambient releases I've looked at so far, this LP incorporates aspects of metal (distorted guitars, heavy drums, and harsh vocals), along with strings, ghostly, vaguely operatic vocals, and frequent dialogue samples. Yet, ... read more
Feb 11, 2018
I think I'm going to give this some listens when school starts for me. My dad also really loves La Monte Young (and a lot of minimalist composers) hehehehe
Feb 11, 2018
How did you take in the five hours from that La Monte Young album?
Dec 30, 2016
Thank you for your contributions in 2016!
http://forums.albumoftheyear.org/t/top-contributors-of-2016/190
http://forums.albumoftheyear.org/t/top-contributors-of-2016/190
Jun 17, 2013
Appreciate all the work you put in to get the new album ratings added to the site.
