Recent Ratings

Recent Reviews

Cate Le Bon - Pompeii
72
There now seems a clear artistic divide within Cate Le Bon’s discography, between her 2016 LP “Crab Day” and its 2019 followup “Reward.” In the interim, Le Bon turned to self-producing her works, and her already eclectic, quirky brand of art pop turned denser and knottier — though the less accessible output nonetheless earned her an expanded audience and the best press of her career. “Pompeii” sounds a direct continuation of “Reward,” ... read more
Belle and Sebastian - A Bit of Previous
50
Belle and Sebastian are now the better part of two decades removed from what was already a second creative career peak in the mid-aughts, and it’s understandable that the now-54-year-old Stuart Murdoch is no longer writing the best music of his career. That said, the past few Belle and Sebastian releases have taken a particular nosedive in quality — the terribly sleepy 2019 rerecording of “Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying” spotlighted a band drained of their former ... read more
Punch Brothers - Hell on Church Street
75
As The Punch Brothers’ career has progressed, they’ve become the de facto public face of progressive bluegrass for those less attuned to the scene, partially thanks to the success of their poppier 2015 breakout “The Phosphorescent Blues,” partially due to Chris Thile’s visibility as an NPR host. But after their 2018 LP “All Ashore,” which I found too precious and self-impressed for its own good, The Punch Brothers wisely use “Hell on Church ... read more
Hatchie - Giving The World Away
83
As much as I enjoyed Hatchie’s 2019 debut “Keepsake” for its melodic richness and willing embrace of dream pop’s poppiest instincts, I understood the vocal minority who found the album too bubblegum-polished for its own good — indie pop’s answer to Taylor Swift, before Swift herself tried to become indie pop’s answer to Taylor Swift. Luckily for fans and doubters alike, “Giving the World Away” is an unmistakable artistic progression for ... read more
Beach House - Once Twice Melody
89
Now eight albums into their career, Beach House must be in the conversation of indie rock bands with the all-time most consistent discography. Having long ago passed Steven Hyden’s five-album test, the duo have taken their time between releases but reliably follow through by releasing albums that meet their exceptional standards, simultaneously meeting expectations of how a Beach House album should sound while subtly forging ahead and expanding their scope. Their first double-album, ... read more

Shoutbox

4mo
no 100s? damn
9mo
yes, what an amazing one-of-a-kind album and performer. simply magical. I award too many 100s now but they all have merit. I hope you discover something else you like.
1y
welcome back, and get to work! I depend on you!
1y
please come back.
1y
miss your reviews man
1y
love your reviews! definitely going to find some cool new recommendations here :)
1y
happy you are enjoying Twain. we can both thank Mr. Buck Meek for the recommendation.
1y
hey, you have a great taste in lofi indie! love your heavenly atta girl review!
2y
Hey, I’m asking some of my favourite AOTY users to give me some recommendations now that my country is back in Lockdown. I’m doing a theme every week just to try and get me into some new genres/locations, and hopefully I’ll get enough responses to facilitate an AOTD type thing. Of course, if you’d like to get into some new stuff then ofc feel free to join me!

The theme I’ve chosen for the first week is Best Album from South America as I feel like it’s an area I’m not too aware of musically.

Thanks in advance :)
2y
Oklahoma Lottery sure is a great record, as I just recently discovered her (thank U) I see it grows with each listening. Superb songwriting

About

I basically only listen to things I think I'll like, so my scores skew high. 60 = average, 70 = good, 90+ = all-time fave.

Rating Distribution

100
 

90-99
 
48

80-89
 
453

70-79
 
538

60-69
 
353

50-59
 
123

40-49
 
34

30-39
 
12

20-29
 
4

10-19
 
2

0-9
 
2

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Member since December 26, 2016
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May Playlist