[Flight: Day 4]

[Location: France]

I remember fondly of a beautiful French pop track "Le Festin" from the movie "Ratatouille". Now that I'm actually hearing her music for the first time in ages, I can safely say that it definitely holds up. "Ouï" goes for a more synthetic approach to production and it still sounds oh-so lush. Her gorgeous French vocals are handled extremely well, and the vocal layering adds a gentle touch to this already soothing album. On ... read more

I just turned 19 today. So, to celebrate, I decided to put together a review for an album I forgot was my favorite electronic album of all time.

Yes, you read that right. The complete idiot that I am almost forgot that this was actually my favorite electronic album. You might've read that Björk's "Homogenic" was my favorite electronic album, but I edited it. This doesn't mean it didn't leave a huge impact on me, it's just that I've waited so long for an Aphex Twin (re)binge that ... read more

[Flight: Day 2]

[Location: Euskadi]

Kalakan's self-titled album is a pretty cool taste into the world of Basque folk music that they live in. It's pretty traditional stuff most of the time, with lots of percussion and chants showing themselves through each song. Sometimes it can go even further. There are some really pretty, atmospheric synths and soft vocals on tracks like "Txori Erresiñula". The major flaw of this album, however, is that it feels like it goes on for more ... read more

[Flight: Day 1]

[Location: Jamaica]

It may be reggae, but it don't have much of an impact.

This album is reggae to a goddamn tee. Every single cliche, trope and/or stereotype of the genre is all packaged into one 31-minute collection from the simplistic lyrics to the amount of reverb/echo on the vocals. There's even a dance track called "Reggae Music", and it's so by-the-numbers and lazy as hell that I was like "why even bother"? There are a couple of good highlights like ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 31]

It's the last day of this challenge and here we have this very pretty Israeli rock album called "Hamichtav" ("The Letter"). It presents us right off the bat with some beautiful soundscapes that reminisce of the psychedelic/glam era of rock music in a very tasteful manner. There are so many great tracks on here, from the opening title track, "Onot" and the hypnotic "Yoter Miday", "Kochavi Balayla" and "Machar Kvar Lo ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 29]

Wow... I fucking love this thing! At just 8 tracks and 28 minutes in length, this album has a whole lot of shit to offer! I love the raw production and the noisy instrumental interplay. Marion Coutts' vocals are playful, her lyrics are sharp (i.e. "Enzymes do the protien march", "My name is Mary Houdini/I am an escapologist") and it's all done on top of the very energetic performances... and the occasional trumpet and/or sax crops up. Overall, "Humans ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 28]

This is a pretty damn solid indie rock record with a great sense of optimism and energy. It's nothing mind-blowing but, as long as the riffs are catchy and the lyrics are well-written, it still makes for a pretty fun and enjoyable listen.

Fav Tracks: Divorced, Our Fight Song (Begin), Red (Gainesville is Full of Excuses), Dare, Good Weather, The Simple

Least Fav Track: Favorite Flavor

Score:
7.6
Very Good

[UNDA5: Day 27]

Mother Evergreen displays a lot of post-rock beauty and emotion throughout. But why showcase so much of that when the album itself isn't that memorable in the first place, even with multiple listens? It's not bad, I like some of the production and performance aspects and some of the songs are great, it just doesn't leave a lasting impression.

Fav Tracks: Cass, Attachment / Extension, A Newer North, Endful

Least Fav Track: Flutter

Score:
6.3
Fine

[UNDA5: Day 26]

"Thirteen Blue Magic Lane" is a Halloween-themed album... that forgets its a Halloween-themed album sometimes and it ends up being your run-of-the-mill Philly Soul/Disco album. It definitely has plenty of charm, great vocals and cool production choices, but it's still a little corny even by today's standards.

Fav Tracks: The Loneliest House on the Block, What's Come Over Me, Born on Halloween, We're Right on Track

Least Fav Track: Haunted (By Your ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 25]

"I Spider" doesn't do much to separate itself from its progressive rock contemporaries, but the formulas it tries to use are done really well. The vocals are outstanding on here and the instrumentation is really well done. I don't have too much to say on this one, but I think this is a really solid release.

Fav Tracks: Concerto for Bedsprings, Ymphasomniac, Love You, I Spider

Least Fav Track: Always I Wait

Score:
8.2
Great

[UNDA5: Day 24]

Right from the second you hit play, you know "Emergence [The Process of Coming Into Being]" is gonna be a very lovingly-crafted jazz fusion record. The arrangements and playing are really energetic and the live nature of the recording is a really cool artistic choice as Mwenso becomes intimate with his audience. It's not something I'll be coming back to and there are a few forgettable songs, but the album was still undeniably gleeful and beautiful overall.

Fav ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 22]

A Japanese YouTube guitarist who flexes his technical ability rather than his success, Ichika Nito paints a beautiful canvas on his new EP. His frequent use of tapping and harmonics and the use of a reverb/delay pedal are key factors for the instrumental story telling and melancholy atmosphere. It's pretty short at around 10 minutes, which makes me anticipate a much longer release from him in the future!

Fav Tracks: Orb, Ethereal Feel, Homesick

Least Fav Track: ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 21]

"You Can Fly on My Aeroplane" is a smooth as heck and well-produced soul album with lots of charm and plenty of wah pedals. So much wah in fact that the secondary singer decides to become a wah pedal. I wouldn't be surprised if this person cries like that in prison. All of this is pretty charming... for the first few tracks. Unfortunately, this album falls victim to repeating its own formula throughout the majority of its runtime. For 9 tracks and 40 minutes, it ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 20]

A lot of these come at the perfect time when I'm in a specific mood. For instance, I'm in a very relaxed state right now. Bring me 豊平区民Toyohirakumin's "Music in the Air".

Here we have another mallsoft album, but I find it even groovier than "Mall of 1974". There's a lot of great basslines and nostalgic, vintage atmospheres here and it's a pleasure to relax to. The album loses steam near the end, offering not much exciting to the genre, but ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 19]

"Fall Demo" is a collection of rough-around-the-edges tracks (which doesn't hurt the album) that contain a lot of angst and raw, emotional, screamed vocals behind the rather beautiful guitars. It's pretty short at just four songs and 9 minutes, but I still really liked this.

Fav Tracks: Flannel Flash Mob; Stop, Drop and Roll Won't Work in Hell

Least Fav Track: Intro

Score:
7.8
Very Good

[EXTREME UNDA5 MEGAMIX XVIII]

Being this was a mashup suggested by The Dankest Meme, I was kinda worried. But I do remember "EXTREME SOUNDCLOWN MEGAMIX V & VI" and held those in high regard as good mashups. The rest of the package though, well... it doesn't hold up. It's just a bunch of overused and now dated memes placed into 65-70 minutes of cluttered messes.

Fav Tracks: V, VI

Least Fav Tracks: I, II

Score:
4.1
Mediocre

[UNDA5: Day 17]

Being the oldest album on the challenge, this self-titled release from The Foundations holds up fairly well as a fun pop soul album for the most part. A few tracks can definitely be "of the times" and the lyrics aren't anything to write home about, but it's still a great collection of passionate, well-performed tunes with so many memorable hooks and a huge emphasis on the Motown Sound! I also find it weird how "Build Me Up Buttercup" was their only real hit, ... read more

[UNDA5: Day 16]

"PAU PAU" is a strong offering with lots of math-y guitar hooks and really geeky, if not totally great, lyrics. It falls apart a bit near the end with some inconsistent songwriting, but the first three tracks and the closer are all pretty great, adorable tracks.

Fav Tracks: Buki Bag, Go Alien, Hatshepsut, 90s Kids

Least Fav Track: 400,000 Years

Score:
7.4
Good

[UNDA5: Day 15]

"The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left", the last album from this short-lived band, is quite the surprise for me. The mix of rock and dark cabaret would usually be a turn off... but, lo and behold, it clicked with me! Not only is it grand in scale, breezy and practically seamless, it's also chaotic and satisfyingly experimental! The arrangements are manic as all fuck, the production is dense and brilliant, the lyrics are well-written and the vocals are great! I would've ... read more

"Bridge to Quiet" is a surprise new EP from this legendary band. To say that I have been following AnCo for quite a bit is an understatement. I literally binged these guys for so long that I had to readjust my schedule at one point. That's not to say that it didn't come with some roadblocks during the mid-to-late 10's, as their leanings toward a quirky pop direction kinda fell flat by the time "Painting With" dropped. There was still some hope, though, as I loved both the ... read more