Deftoes. Yummy.

Improving and developing their sound from "Adrenaline" tenfold, "Around the Fur" is what I consider to be one of the knights in shining armor when it comes to the mostly egregious hellhole that is nu-metal. Honestly, though I don't really consider this album to be totally specific to the genre. It still has that hip-hop tinge to it without suffering from any of the severe flaws of nu-metal, and I think this is very fun, very hooky, manic and ... read more

As the album that kickstarted the Digital Hardcore genre, "Delete Yourself!" is a great collection of energetic, anti-fascist, breakbeat-driven bangers. I imagine underground clubs filled with teenagers with alt makeup and mohawks headbanging and vomiting onto other people's crotches while screaming "RIOT! RIOT! RIOT!" to some of the key tracks. I listened to the remastered version of the album which means I don't really have anything bad to say about the mix. One of the ... read more

Arca further proves she has quite the diverse catalog, this time moving out of the conventions of genres entirely. "KiCk i" combines her usual glitchy electronic stylings with a more accessible reggaeton-fused sound. That style would usually turn me off but I think it works surprisingly well here, showing Arca's dedication to her craft. The results are pretty inconsistent compared to much of her discography as there are a few moments that prove to be underwhelming (or slightly ... read more

Porn actor: If you lick my windows. I'll eat your ass.

The album cover:

I know this is labeled as a single, but I always viewed this as an EP. Oddly enough, though, I actually never heard "Windowlicker" in full because I feared the other two tracks would pale in comparison to the titular track. This is kinda true now that I've actually heard it, but not nearly to the same extent since the other two are still great in their own right. The title track is still one of the most iconic ... read more

"Come to Daddy" is an excellent EP that takes RDJ's sound into more prominent atmospheric drum and bass territories and the results are very diverse and hugely enjoyable. "Come to Daddy (Pappy Mix)", along with the accompanying music video, is noisy fun with a distorted voice that wants "to eat your soul" capped off with menacing "guitars" and a horrifying screaming bridge. Meanwhile, there's the ominously gorgeous "Flim". The swelling synths ... read more

"Richard D. James Album" is such an amazing feat for the titular man. The titty man. This thing is filled to the brim with abrasive beats on top of the signature Aphex ambient touch to help it feel atmospheric and comfy. I'd hardly say these are dance tunes because of how technical and speedy the percussion is in contrast to the warm synths. Not to mention, the tracks here are masterpieces! "Fingerbib", "4", "Carn Marth" and "To Cure a Weakling ... read more

Soo... apparently one of my introductions to hip hop was Black Eyed Peas... yeah. I was, like, 11? My dad just pulls up "I Gotta Feeling" and is like "this is the real shit son". I love you dad but goddammit.

Anyways, they're back... and they're going full reggaeton. BLACK EYED PEAS SOLD OUT AGAIN?!?! Who the fuck cares anymore? This is the Black Eyed Fuckin' Peepees and they've swallowed more than they could handle on "Translation".

The lyrics are as abysmal as ... read more

I've been sneakily listening to "The Glow, Pt. 2" since... about... February? I really wanted to make sure everything clicked before I could review it and, now that a new Microphones LP came out, I finally decided that this is the perfect time to share my thoughts on this album.

Fuck... I guess I should start explaining what exactly I was getting into.

Lo-Fi music (or "Slacker Rock" if you're on rym. I sure do like my daily "Slacker Rock Beats to Relax and Study ... read more

[Flight 12]

[Destination: Iran]

*shits out a human-like being that immediately burns alive while going through a 12-second life-to-death cycle*

*does the thing 100 gecs did in the 800 db cloud video but on a wall*

WHY IS DIS ALBUM SO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD AAAAAH!

*Dies of lasagna dick*

[Flight: Day 11]

[Location: Lebanon]

Woah!

It's like the last few Arabic Folk records only this time it has jazz! *jazz hands*

Wow!

Refer to my other two reviews ;)

Fav Tracks: Eltilli, Bema Enno, Raksay Al Ors, Hek Bta'mil Kek, Aflation

Least Fav Track: oo7

Score:
6.4
Fine

"...I Care Because You Do" doesn't really match Aphex Twin's best when it comes to consistency and "Ventolin"... ouch. I understand that this is one of the harshest dance tracks ever, but it fits horribly into a casual listening experience and I always skip it whenever I go back to this album. Otherwise, this is yet another fantastic record! It focuses more on acidic techno beats, only this time he can get away with some pretty abrasive results. The album prominently ... read more

[Flight: Day 10]

[Location: Palestine]

Just like yesterday's album, it sounds like pretty much everything I've heard from this style of folk music. The mixing and production is great and some of the compositions are pleasing, but it doesn't offer anything new in the end.

Fav Tracks: Sodfa, Bordeaux, Sans Adresse

Least Fav Track: Gitans En Orient

Score:
6.3
Fine

It was the very early morning of July 25th (in my timezone, anyway) and I was in a Discord call with my AOTY friends. We were pretty much chilling out and talking about our favorite releases this year. CLJesse mentioned Loathe's "I Let It in and It Took Everything", an album I've been meaning to check out, as her favorite and Pipe listened to it right away. We continued sharing our favorite records of each year from the 90's onwards... then I check back in the call and see him ... read more

[Flight: Day 9]

[Location: Egypt]

Never thought I'd have another 1950's rating for a long time since that "Kind of Blue" hot take but here we are.

As someone who appreciates most genres and styles, this is no exception. The problem is that this brand of traditional Arabic folk music is nothing I haven't heard before. It's not like I wasn't expecting it to be as such and it didn't let me down in that aspect, but it didn't leave me with anything memorable.

Fav Tracks: Ma Alli ... read more

I thought "Dogrel" was a great and well-written post-punk record with tons of energy and great production. From there, I was curious as to where they might go next with this sound. A little over a year later and Fontaines D.C. shift to a darker, more gothic approach to their post-punk sound on "A Hero's Death". This shift isn't anything to worry about, however, as I'm starting to prefer this direction. The energy of their first record is mostly lessened and traded in for ... read more

[Flight: Day 8]

[Location: Nigeria]

"Moral Instruction" doesn't offer up anything new in the afrobeats genre, but what it does is definitely fun and colorful. The production is fantastic and Falz' lyricism and delivery is surprisingly good. There are a couple of duds with underwhelming features, but I enjoyed a great deal of this short-but-sweet album overall.

Fav Tracks: Follow Follow, E No Finish, Johnny, Amen, Talk

Least Fav Track: Brother's Keeper

Score:
7.5
Very Good

[1,500th Rating]

Focusing a whole lot more on creating an ambient sound more than the club beats of its predecessor, "Selected Ambient Works Volume II" is another masterful work from Richard D. James! Both discs of this 24-song, 156-minute album house a lot of different moods, styles and atmospheres that are extremely complacent in ambient music today! The butt end isn't quite as strong as everything else, mostly due to an overly repetitious 11-minute cut, but everything else is ... read more

[Flight: Day 7]

[Location: Algeria]

As the soundtrack to a documentary that focuses Jewish and Muslim musicians and their love of Algerian Chaabi music, the music complements this concept pretty well. While it's not exactly to my tastes and the mixing can be a little spotty (as this is done in live settings), it's still a very colorful, gleeful and interesting look into this culture of music.

Fav Tracks: El Gusto, Chihlet L'Ayani, Medley: Je suis pied noir / El Hmam / Ili Hab Yelaab Sport, ... read more

[Flight: Day 6]

[Location: Montenegro]

Hey look! It's one of the most legendary Slavic rappers of all time: Knas

The first two tracks led me to believe that this was gonna be a serviceable 80's throwback album... oh how I was wrong.

"Otrov i med"? More like Otrov i... need mah pain pills cause this gave me a headache youchymama! This album is such a terrible concoction of the most dated, cheesy and least favorable tropes of 80's pop to ever exist and blends it with the modernized ... read more

[Flight: Day 5]

[Location: Belgium]

There's plenty of charm and color to this collaborative set of eight Brazilian-flavored tracks. Toots' chromatic harmonica adds a fun amount of character to this otherwise straightforward album and it's quite relaxing to sit back to as if it was playing at an actual bar in Brazil. In terms of memorability, however, it falls short of the mark.

Fav Tracks: Sandra, Vai Passar, There's No Greater Love, I Just Called to Say I Love You

Least Fav Track: Out of ... read more