WalkinToTheBeat

Hozier exists in the space between pop and singer-songwriter where is proclivity for the former forces him to prove he's an honest purveyor of the latter. Though his first album was a mathematical middle ground that refused to lean too far in one direction or the other, his second proved a point. Wasteland Baby... did not bring another "Take Me To Church" but it did well enough with songs like "Almost."

It feels like Hozier, or maybe his label, seems to feel like this last ... read more

Shook is Algier's most exciting album since their debut, but excitement doesn't always bring quality. With the band in a transition moment, it seems like everything is on the table. This means over an hour of everything Algiers has always wanted to do. This album is a mess.

Just three tracks in you will hear post-punk, alternative R&B, math rock riffs, and an industrial backbeat. Franklin James Fisher raps alongside Zack De La Rocha, gives spoken word priority over verse melodies, and his ... read more

I must admit that, as a self-proclaimed new wave and post-punk obsessive, I never 'got' Depeche Mode. This isn't to say that I'm about to trash this album. On the contrary, I can acknowledge the difference between not liking something and not getting it. This album has not yet changed my mind. Still, I am astonished by its quality 40 years into the band's tenure.

This album sounds like it could have come out anywhere between 87 and 93, and it would have fit right in without any question as to ... read more

ÁTTA is the kind of album that forces out the old addige; judge a work of art based on what it is and not what it isn't. This album is a great ambient music album. If that is what you came to ÁTTA for, this is a great album. If you came to ÁTTA for a classic Sigur Rós experience then things are more complicated.

You put this album on to maintain heavy concentration, or vice versa, a meditative state. It's not music that feels tangible and it was not written to be ... read more