The production BANGS and these two are a great pair. Wish it was longer, though.

As someone who's been following their stuff in the past, this is pretty disappointing...

I dropped my bag and I'm instantly having a bad day! GET AWAY FROM ME MOM I'M FUCKING DEPRESSED AND AJR IS MY ONLY WAY TO COPE NETFLIX AND CHILL ALL DAY FAM!!!

The best single of 2019, no doubt! A beautiful and brilliantly-written ballad!

"Wraith" is a beautiful collage of industrial noise-jazz! The progressions are great, the production is outstanding and the atmosphere is haunting. Despite a couple of interesting ideas overstaying their welcome, I love this sound and I hope for more of it in the future.

Fav Tracks: VISITOR; I'd Rather, Jack; Hiraeth; Her Wraith; Gladiators Ready

Least Fav Track: Our Love Can Destroy This Whole Fucking World

Score:
8.5
Exceptional

As The White Stripes are coming to a close, Jack has a backup band. The Raconteurs are pretty much similar in sound to the Whites, but they present enough fresh ideas and lyrics that "Broken Boy Soldiers" feels like its own thing.

Fav Tracks: Steady, As She Goes; Blue Veins; Level; Hands; Broken Boy Soldier; Intimate Secretary

Least Fav Track: Call It A Day

Score:
8.6
Exceptional

"Get Behind Me Satan" is definitely the Stripes' least inspired set of tracks yet. The lyrical content is great here, but many of the tracks drag more than they should and there are a few awful production choices.

Fav Tracks: My Doorbell, White Moon, As Ugly As I Seem, I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet), The Denial Twist

Least Fav Track: Little Ghost, The Nurse

Score:
6.2
Fine

While the writing isn't bad, everything else, from the production to the composition and melodies, never show a sign of Bowie's originality or creativity. Combined with the overwhelming abundance of 80's pop rock cliches, "Never Let Me Down" is, hands down, David Bowie's worst album. A let down, as I must say.

Fav Tracks: Never Let Me Down, Day In Day Out

Least Fav Tracks: Beat Of Your Drum, Glass Spider, 87 And Cry, New York's In Love

Score:
3.2
Bad

I'm sorry but I HAVE to do this! It's so dated but fuck I love it! *sniffle* I loved the movie as a kid and coming back to this soundtrack made me super nostalgic no matter how fucking 80's it is!

Fav Tracks: Magic Dance, Underground, Within You, Opening Titles, Into The Labyrinth, As The World Falls Down, Thirteen O' Clock

Least Fav Track: Chilly Down (Not gonna lie, that blue screen was horrible)

Score:
7.5
Very Good

What the fuck happened here? Holy shit. Like, he actually made me put "God Only Knows" in the Least Fav Tracks section. That cheeky dickwaffle.

So, "Tonight" is Bowie's first creative low point in the 80's... and it shows. Half of the album is literally unoriginal material. The album isn't particularly awful in that regard, the majority of the tracklist is well-produced, but it plays it too safe with elements of pop-reggae cropping up here and there.

Fav Tracks: Loving The ... read more

"In Search of the Miraculous" has a few solid tracks, but the instrumentation is bland, the hooks get worse as the album goes on and the entire album is filled with indie rock/dream pop cliches. Overall, it fails to surprise.

Fav Tracks: Satellite, Murmuration, Argonauts, Jonatan

Least Fav Tracks: Ocean Wave, Cedars, Girl of the Houses

Score:
5.1
Average

The quirky lyrics from Sean Lennon and the great bass lines from Les Claypool fit very nicely together and "South Of Reality" is a very fun, albeit very bizarre, listen.

Fav Tracks: Amethyst Realm, Toady Man's Hour, Blood And Rockets, Easily Charmed By Fools, Boriska, South Of Reality

Least Fav Track: Little Fishes

Score:
8.9
Exceptional

Pretty cool stuff going on here. The skeletal synths, while they won't be for everyone, are pretty and there are some cool details (A synth on "Afterlife" sound like a female Opera singer). Some samey-sounding chord progressions aside, there are some weird, eerie, atmospheric sounds to take in on "Mazy Fly".

Fav Tracks: Real Fun, Under the Sun, Dirty Desert Dream, Haunted Water, Hard to Please, Afterlife, Secret Thread

Least Fav Track: Red

Score:
8.6
Exceptional

I mean... yeah. It was ironically enjoyable. I had a nice laugh copying down the most ridiculous lyrics from this album. But still, it’s just awful and messy throughout. I know this review is half-assed, but still.

Fav Tracks: Vroom Vroom Vroom, I Love It (ironically)

Least Fav Tracks: Be Like Me (Drink quintuplets, bizatch), Stripper Name, Off White, Fasho Fasho, etc.

Score:
2
“And I don't do doo-doo, so I don't do the butt (Do the butt)"

"Scoot scoot, scoot scoot ... read more

There's a layer of pure honesty in Julia's songwriting that hit me hard. Her lyrical style is heartwarming and reflective while also having a layer of self-awareness that you rarely hear in music of this style, especially in breakup albums. "Crushing" has some of the best lyrics of the year, but her vocals are so beautiful and passionate and the folk instrumentation is so meticulously crafted that they add even more to an already emotionally powerful record!

Fav Tracks: Turn Me Down, ... read more

It's an alright set of leftovers. It still has the haunting atmosphere that made the original score (and the movie) so good and Thom Yorke's production is always going to be solid. But it doesn't have anything against the actual soundtrack, which contains some of Thom's best material to date.

Unmade Overtones: 7
Unused Spell: 6.5
A Conversation With Just Your Eyes: 8.5
The7th7th7th7thson: 7.5
Volk Spin Off v1: 5
Volk Spin Off v2: 4
Volk Spin Off v3: 6

Score:
6.4
Fair

This album made me feel sick and teary-eyed. I just don't have a lot words to describe "A Promise". All I have to say is... it's an ugly, uncomfortable and painfully depressing record.

Fav Tracks: Apistat Commander; Ian Curtis Wishlist; Sad Pony Guerrilla Girl; Blacks; Fast Car; Brooklyn Dodgers; 20,000 Deaths for Eidelyn Gonzales, 20,000 Deaths for Jamie Peterson

Least Fav Track: Norpe

Score:
10
Mastapeece!!!

Penis Score:
5
Average

"Knife Play" is a great, discomforting debut that acts as a taste of what's to come from Xiu Xiu! I love Jamie Stewart's tortured delivery and lyrics here, as it fits well with the disturbing atmosphere.

Fav Tracks: Suha, Poe Poe, I Broke Up, Don Diasco, Dr. Troll, Tonite and Today (What 'chu talkin' 'bout), Hives Hives

Least Fav Track: Anne Dong

Score:
9.2
Outstanding

Ok. I like this one. Though I feel like they've written this song so many times before...

Edit: This is growing on me hella fast

I wholeheartedly disagree with the criticism surrounding this album since I enjoyed this almost as much as "Since I Left You"! The only real flaw I have is that the interludes don't stick with me quite as much. But everything I loved about The Avalanches' debut translates to "Wildflower", despite the skepticism I had beforehand, coming from the first batch of singles. The sampling is outstanding, the production is gorgeous and the overall flow is perfect! Add in the great ... read more