While I still prefer "Silent Alarm" over this, "A Weekend In The City" is still a great change in sound for Bloc Party. It offers more of the emotional impact from their debut and go into more experimental territory which, while it caught me off guard at first, it eventually warmed up to me.

Fav Tracks: Kreuzberg, The Prayer, SRXT, Song for Clay (Disappear Here), I Still Remember, Hunting for Witches, Waiting for the 7.18

Least Fav Track: On

Score:
8.5
Exceptional

"Islands" is a record that made King Crimson realize that in order to keep people invested, they need to bring in something fresh, and they did just that by ditching most of their guitar sound. The jazz/classical elements are gorgeous and very well arranged and it holds some of the best writing from Peter Sinfield yet. And that closer is just breathtaking to behold and it's truly one of their greatest songs.

Fav Tracks: Islands, Formentera Lady, Sailor's Tale, Ladies of the Road, The ... read more

What's that? King Crimson's discography is on streaming services now? YESSSSS!!! Robert Fripp? More like Robert FRICK!!! OOOOOHHHHH!!! WHERE YOU AT?!?! WHERE YOU AAAATTT?!?!

On with the review, it looks like we're revisiting "In The Court of the Crimson King"... oh? This is an entirely different album, you say? Well I'll be damned! Yes, they decided to ride off the critical success of their debut by following the exact same structure on "In the Wake of Poseidon". It's not a ... read more

I'm sold on that fucking band name! Great job, guys!

Mannequin Pussy's new album is breezy and energetic, showing Marisa's extremely versatile vocal ability across 25 minutes of well-produced punk tracks. My biggest complaint would have to be that it has few ideas in terms of sound, but it still hooked me throughout.

Fav Tracks: Cream, High Horse, Drunk II, Fear/+/Desire, In Love Again

Least Fav Track: F.U.C.A.W.

Score:
7.7
Very Good

While Hatchie doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of dream pop, "Keepsake" is still a nostalgic debut with beautiful production and tight songwriting. There's also her voice which is also used as a texture throughout this record, and it's pure bliss.

Fav Tracks: Stay With Me, Not That Kind, Unwanted Guest, Her Own Heart, Secret, Keep

Least Fav Track: Kiss The Stars

Score:
8.3
Great

"A Bath Full of Ecstasy" sure as hell feels like one, alright (I don't even do drugs). If you ignore the ugly cover art, the album is beautifully-produced, colorful and heartwarming to boot. I like the direction Hot Chip took here and they stay as geeky and quirky as ever.

Fav Tracks: Hungry Child, No God, Melody of Love, Echo, Spell, Positive

Least Fav Track: Why Does My Mind

Score
8.5
Exceptional

Mark Ronson isn't someone who totally Uptown fucked me with his musical genius, but I did like "Uptown Funk". I was expecting this to be another safe producer's record, which it kinda is. What I wasn't expecting, however, was me liking this record as much as I did. This production on here is sleek and manages to avoid the trendy trap influences that seep into other mainstream producers' works. The all-female cast is also spot-on, with Angel Olsen, Lykke Li and Miley Cyrus (of all ... read more

As someone who has only listened to "Tourist History", I have no idea what styles occurred in between and what led up to this. I really like this style, though, because "False Alarm" still retains the infectiousness and all-around irresistibly dancey bass and drum grooves of that album. The production is great, the writing is solid and the instrumentation is solid. It has a few shortcomings, like that shitty Open Mike Eagle verse on "Nice To See You" (seriously, ... read more

This record has EVERYTHING I was looking for! All three vocalists have the charisma, energy and eccentricity to fit in with the noisy wall of sound! The math instrumentation is orgasmically (yes, I said orgasmically) bonkers and the production has such a "magnificent pearpuss" for the amount of chaos happening through the speakers! That amount of chaos, was exactly what I had envisioned.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but "Schlagenheim" is definitely mine. It may ... read more

Why did I just imagine "Old Town Road" being about Lil Nas X getting fucked by his clone in the street?

So, "7" is kinda what I expected it to be. Another great album by Beach Ho--wait... dammit wrong album!

So, "7" is kinda what I expected it to be. "Old Town Road", which is on the track list twice, is the standout. I don't like country at all, but this is a cool fusion of hip hop and country that actually works! But besides "Rodeo" (which ... read more

"Help Us Stranger" starts off great with plenty of witty writing, crunchy riffs and the amount of raw energy you would expect from a Jack White project. But after "Don't Bother Me", a fantastic track that feels so purely White Stripes, the record stumbles in the middle with a lackluster Donovan cover and one of the clunkiest hooks Jack has ever written. It does start to pick up afterward with a few more great tracks, but it doesn't feel as invigorating as the first third. ... read more

I mean, this is some good ambient music and I do enjoy ambient. It's just that this isn't what I'm looking for in a Sigur Rós recording. The textures are very pretty, don't get me wrong, but I just found some of it to be dull. There's a few memorable pieces in here but "Route One" isn't anything I would come back to. This album is full of buts, more buts than on the cover for "Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust".

Fav Tracks: ... read more

"Kveikur" is Sigur Rós at their most "aggressive". They ditch the ambiance of "Valtari" in favor of adding industrial elements to their post-rock sound, with more complex drum sections and thunderous bass throughout. I love the atmosphere here, it's daunting, cold and punchy while never losing sight of their classic sound. That's not to say that it's entirely dark, the choruses are catchy and Jónsi's aching falsetto (which NEVER gets old) still ensure ... read more

Sigur Rós go for a heavily-ambient approach on "Valtari". While it's one of their weaker releases, it still provides gorgeous arrangements and Jónsi's eargasmic falsetto to make it yet another worthy addition to one hell of a beautiful catalog!

Fav Tracks: Ekki múkk, Varuð, Fjögur píanó, Ég anda, Rembihnútur

Least Fav Track: Varðeldur

Score:
8.4
"I get it."

While I do see why these tracks aren't worthy of the Sigur Rós name, Jónsi still provided some beautifully-crafted pop songs that feel oh so grand and extremely catchy! The weird thing about this album is that the two songs written in Icelandic are, ironically, my least favorite tracks. Gosh, even typing that feels weird because I've always enjoyed his native tongue (even though said tongue is present throughout the album). But they're still great songs and I loved "Go" ... read more

"Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" takes a more simplified approach to song structures this time around. That doesn't mean it can't have a lot of moments of brilliance, though, as Sigur Rós make yet another beautiful record with gorgeous vocals and outstanding melodies. It's not their most consistent release, but it still has a lot of what made the band so great.

Fav Tracks: Festival, Við spilum endalaust, Gobbledegook, Inní mér syngur ... read more

After I listened to this record, my farts started sounding like Merzbow. Is this something that needs to be taken care of? I'm just afraid that I'll blow up my house and level cities because of it.

There's nothing evolutionary on here, but "Born In The Echoes" is a great return to form for the duo with fun big beat production, a star-studded guest list and some of their best tracks to date!

Fav Tracks: Go, Sometimes I Feel So Deserted, Wide Open, Under Neon Lights, EML Ritual, Born In The Echoes, I'll See You There

Least Fav Track: Taste Of Honey

Score:
8.6
Exceptional

After struggling to find their voice in the 00's, the trance-inspired direction on "Further" is a fresh change of pace. It has some great production and the entire flow of the record brings me back to their 90's roots! I wouldn't really say there's a poor decision on this record, unlike their previous efforts, it's all pretty spot on.

Fav Tracks: Escape Velocity, Another World, Dissolve, Horse Power, Swoon

Least Fav Track: K+D+B

Score:
8.3
Great

Dammit! Stop reminding me that I'm missing out on seeing these guys live! There were two shows in Massachusetts... TWO SHOWS... and I couldn't even go to one of them!

Anyway, these guys sound phenomenal live! I was afraid that Will wouldn't be as passionate in his performances as he would be in his studio recordings and it turned out that I was wrong! "Beach Life-in-Death" continues to be one of my favorite songs of all time, "Cosmic Hero" made me remember how outstanding ... read more