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User
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Last Active 12-23-19 9:27 pm
Joined 09-16-14
Review Comments 22,503
| June 2017 resumé
Make no doubt of it, June IS the weakest month in music. And given how weak this year has been althroughout thus far, this is an extremely bad result. At the time of first posting this I've now heard 35 albums and I can only point out one or two that I actually liked. Folks, this is bad. As always, if you're reading any of this, write "I like your big hairy cat, mate." in the comment section. This is no best-of list, it is just a bunch of records I've heard, that were RELEASED this month. Not the ones I've heard this month, but ones that were RELEASED this month that I've heard. Therefore, as the time goes, I'll be adding more items on the list, since I listen to stuff constantly. By the way, the names occasionally written under the comments are titles of songs that I recommend. If there are none written, it's either because I didn't like enough of them or because I can't point out a highlight. And now a score guide: 10/9 - 5; 8 - 4.5; 7 - 4; 6 - 3.5/3; 5 - 2.5; 4 - 2; 3 - 1.5; 2/1 - 1 | | 52 |  | Sleepy Sun
Private Tales
Surprisingly mild and tender album, although not without its sharpness. The songs are patient, slowly flowing and carefully moving, as if to signify a strategy of sorts. It's all so mellow and warm, I feel like sitting by the fireplace wrapped in a blanket with a cup of hot tea in my hands. 8/10
When the Morning Comes, Throes, Crave, The Keys, Demon Baby | | 51 |  | Horrid Red
Afterdreams
German/American musical obscurists Horrid Red are an interesting band at the very least. Their persistant and stubborn dedication to off-kilter, yet deeply atmospheric music is almost hypnotic. There is a strong sense of exotic or even out-of-this-world aesthetic. It's a strange, perspective-bending experience. 7/10 | | 50 |  | Guerilla Toss
GT Ultra
Part intruiguing, part obnoxious, part rapid, part forgettable, part exciting, part overbearing. 6/10 | | 49 |  | Kevin Morby
City Music
An easy-listening, pleasant, free-flowing and sometimes almost heavenly pretty. I had a surprisingly good time listening to this utterly relaxing and stress-relieving record. It's music for the soul in its purest form. 7/10
Come to Me Baby, Aboard My Train, City Music, Downtown Lights | | 48 |  | Saint Etienne
Home Counties
I don't know if it's just what I got to listen to or if this album actually has 19 songs, but if you are going to pull that many songs together, you better make sure they are amazing, otherwise the album will be an irredeemable dread to listen to, which this one is. 5/10 | | 47 |  | Dispatch
America, Location 12
A fairly pleasant Folk-Rock that just strikes with homely attitude, kind personality and youthful charades, or rather an ode to the lost youth. It's a fine mix of soft and tender Folky beauty and occasionally raw, riff-based Rock. 7/10
Be Gone, Only the Wild Ones, Begin Again, Atticus Cobain | | 46 |  | Carach Angren
Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten
An over-the-top album full of overwhelming and grandiose instrumentation and atmosphere. My only real gripe with it, besides the fact that it is so tiring, are the vocals that didn't quite fit in all the time. 7/10
Opening, Charlie, Charles Francis Coghlan, Three Times Thunder Strikes | | 45 |  | Dzo-nga
The Sachem's Tales
This album has some of the most beautiful folk/orchestral passages on a Metal album this year so far, but it also has some of the flattest production I've heard all year, especially on the drums. And that is unfortunate, considering the fact that each song contains some really well-done instrumentation, which is drowned by the said production. 6/10
P.S.: Nice Magic the Gathering card art on the cover.
Midewiwin Lodge, Against the Northern Wind, The Witching Meadow | | 44 |  | Rozwell Kid
Precious Art
A surprisingly enjoyable Rock album that might not exactly try to be anything outstanding, but is fun and its carefree attitude unheld by the nice instrumentation and songwriting only keeps you going. 7/10
Wendy's Trash Can, Boomerang, Booger, Wish Man, Michael Keaton | | 43 |  | Smidley
Smidley
A little grading vocally, but musically adventurous and the Emo influences really show nice colours. 6/10
No One Likes You, Pink Gallo | | 42 |  | Goatwhore
Vengeful Ascension
Decently produced and instrumentally monstrous album that unfortunately doesn't quite work compositionally. Sure, ithe band's rapidfire delivery and their insane energy is present, but the whole record feels somewhat underwhelming and doesn't give you a lot to go on listening for. 6/10 | | 41 |  | Shade Empire
Poetry of the Ill-Minded
An overproduced and over-the-top Metal release that I can't quite figure out, whether it takes itself too seriously or not enough. The vocals certainly don't really do a whole lot for me, but the overall ridiculous nature of the record is entertaining enough. 6/10
Thy Scent | | 40 |  | Lapalux
Ruinism
I present to you LordePots' masturbation soundtrack 2017. 5/10 | | 39 |  | Anathema
The Optimist
I was honestly ready to hate this album, because a fusion of Prog and Post-Rock from a supposed "pioneers of Death Doom Metal" sounds like a rather dull and underwhelming concept. But opposite is the truth. This album is as enthralling as a Post-Rock album should be, but also adventurous with all of its genre influence fusions. Pretty much every song, no matter how uninterestingly it starts off, has a throttling pay off. It is definitely pretentious and cheesy at times, but that also plays into the album's charm. In the end, it's a fine record with some overwhelming moments that kept me hooked and I enjoyed it overall, but I can't deny the pretentiousness. 7/10
Leaving It Behind, Endless Ways, The Optimist, San Francisco, Springfield, Wildfires | | 38 |  | Wesley Gonzalez
Excellent Musician
Wesley's playful and somewhat comically silly songwriting, peculiar instrumentation and humorous lyrics are all there, but somehow on a full length scale this album falls flat on my expectations. It's just kind of dreary and not all that exciting. Still a nice listen every now and then. 6/10
An Adult, I Spoke to Euan, Cake on Your Birthday | | 37 |  | Flotation Toy Warning
The Machine That Made Us
Man, the lyrics, the songwriting, the arrangement...I am just a milimeters away from adoring this record. I guess my only real gripe is the occasional awkward chemistry between vocals and the slow-pace and soft instrumentation. But that's about it. Outside of that, this record is a truly beautiful experience with some nice melodies and lyrical gravitas. 7/10
Controlling the Sea, Due To Adverse Weather Conditions All Of My Heroes Have Surrendered, I Quite Like It When He Sings, To Live For Longer Slides, The Moongoose Analogue | | 36 |  | BearWolves
BearWolves
Oh damn, did not expect a Sputnik user's musical project to actually be this good. I'm getting some serious Stoner/Doom influences, although they certainly may not be the main focus. The female focals didn't seem fitting at first, but you'll get used to them, expecially since they've got actual range. The hard and catchy songwriting and juicy riffs then respectively will make you gripped. Fellas, this is actually really good and I don't know why that confuses me so much. I guess it's because I got used to the usual musical standard of Sputnik users to be Black Malachite and the endless uninspired bedroom Drone jack offs and such. This is an actual band. 8/10
Tonight is Here, Light the Way, Walkers, partially SATDOH | | 35 |  | Ride
Weather Diaries
As someone, who successfully ignored Ride's entire discography in the past I had no idea what to expect. And what I got was pretty much the same thing I've heard on that Slowdive record, except with slightly more passion, energy and personality. It's kind of dreary at times and tends to turn boring, but never unbearably so. I just found this record to be okay at best. I enjoyed it to an ever so slightly above average extent, but then again, I was not expecting anything. There's not a lot Dreamy Shoegaze album can do to surprise me. 6/10 | | 34 |  | Com Truise
Iteration
It's weird that I find this album to be so boring, considering the fact that I enjoyed his last EP so much. The songwriting got lost for the sake of cooler and more experimental production and that stains the album like nothing else. It's a sort of collection of intriguing enough tracks that sadly don't grip at any level. 5/10 | | 33 |  | Chuck Berry
Chuck
It is a typical Chuck Berry Blues-Rock textbook that might only serve as a nice farewell to the great artist. But don't expect anything above the usual. 6/10 | | 32 |  | Captain, We're Sinking
The King of No Man
The music of no inspiration. 5/10 | | 31 |  | Chastity Belt
I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone
It sounds like every band comprised of Northwestern white late teenagers that dies in anaals of Bandcamp. 5/10 | | 30 |  | Rise Against
Wolves
Surprisingly enough, for as much as I don't like Rise Against, I didn't find this album to be repulsive. That is not to say that it is anything outstanding, but it is fairly inoffensive. 6/10 | | 29 |  | Halsey
hopeless fountain kingdom
Day 584: Still trying to figure out in what way exactly is Halsey an 'alternative' artist? 4/10 | | 28 |  | Bleachers
Gone Now
Bleachers are back with a set of your usual Pop songs with little-to-no outstanding musicianship or even melodies. Outside of a handful of tracks, it's really boring and there's nothing more to it. 5/10
But will I be damned if Don't Take the Money and I Miss Those Days aren't fantastic tracks | | 27 |  | King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
Murder Of The Universe
King Gizzard may have just released their most tiresome and also craziest album thus far. This thing is basically a musical version of King Star King (y'know, the crazy cosmic nonsense). It is surely intriguing, but it also drains your energy out of you in like first 60 tracks or however many there are. It also makes me want to reconsider my stance on Flying Microtonal Banana. I thought that that album was dizzying...well, this one is a dozen times that. It's truly a beast with some of KGatLW conceptually ballsiest moves, most hellish music, most captivating narrative concept and a gutload of subtle references to their previous material. I'm sure this is what it feels like when you are schizophrenic on drugs. It's hard to digest, especially with the absolutely distracting and unpleasant spoken-word intrusions. 5/10
Altered Beast II, III, IV, The Lord of Lightning, The Balrog, The Floating Fire, Digital Black, Murder of the Universe | | 26 |  | Rancid
Trouble Maker
Craigslist ad: "Professional Punk band. We can play birthdays, bar mitzvahs, funerals and can mildly spice up other non offensive celebrations. Will work for food." 4/10 | | 25 |  | Imagine Dragons
ƎVOLVE
Even I, the biggest Imagine Dragons apologist in the world (presumably), have to admit, this is a dud. On each track, they either go so far over the top that it becomes unbearable or make their potentially powerful and memorable choruses flop, like the song I Don't Know Why is basically a dictionary definition of underwhelming, when the buildup leads effectively nowhere. The song Rise Up is pretty much a mishmash of nothing with nothing gravy. And the lead single Believer, for as overwhelmingly obnoxious it is, still at least has some sort of memorable chorus. And that it really the biggest gripe on here. In the past, Imagine Dragons at least knew how to write catchy hooks and melodies (reason why I didn't think Smoke+Mirrors was awful), but now they are barely interesting in any way. At least the said buildups are somewhat cool. Evolve you did not. 4/10
Believer, Mouth of the River | | 24 |  | Vince Staples
Big Fish Theory
Vince's production is peculiar, but all the more memorable and distinct for it. Unfortunately, a lot of the times it is the only thing that kept me hooked. Vince's verses and delivery is decent, but nothing beyond usual. Still, it is fine for what it is. That being, Vince's attempt at moving forward musically. 6/10
Alyssa Interlude, Party People | | 23 |  | Elemantra
Nature Trash
There is something almost shamanistic about this EP. As if it was meant to represent one's ascension towards consciousness at the very end of ayahuasca as it all cools down and you slowly start to regain your senses, but still feel somewhat dizzy and mildly joyous. It's almost astonishing the giant quality leap the band took since their last album (which I was not a fan of). Not that they do something completely different, but the sharp and somewhat dreamy production as well as the atmospheric instrumentation definitely signify some sort of progression. My biggest gripe, however, are the vocals that, although do seem fitting to the music overall, still seem underwhelming. Thankfully, they do not in any way take away from the album's nonchalant and slick music. | | 22 | | Elemantra
Nature Trash
Overall, I'm impressed, though not that I absolutely love what I hear (for one, Nya:weh's electronic mix seems to me to be absolutely out of place), but this is no doubt a step into right direction that I hope will be continued. 7/10
A Cut Above, Little Heart | | 21 |  | White Suns
Psychic Drift
Someone fell asleep on your modular synthesiser, mate...and rambled in their sleep. 5/10 | | 20 |  | Cigarettes After Sex
Cigarettes After Sex
I like their down-to-earth on-the-nose lyrical approach and the almost dreamlike atmosphere, but the music on here is easily some of the most boring, dreary and vocally underwhelming laziness I've heard in years. It got so tedious that I couldn't even finish the album at first, which is rare. 4/10 | | 19 |  | Palehound
A Place I'll Always Go
Where is this trend of bland Indie-ish ladies with no personality and vocal or musical talent recording snoozefest headlining albums coming from? 4/10
Hunter's Gun | | 18 |  | Currents
The Place I Feel Safest
Although in many ways this is just a typical and samey Metalcore album as we've heard a trillion times before, it does leave a strange atmospheric aftertaste that is somewhat dismal and crushing. I guess the melodies and the production are to thank for that. But outside of that it is business as usual. 6/10
Tremor, Delusion, Silence, Another Life, I'm Not Waiting | | 17 |  | Lorde
Melodrama
Maybe it is Lorde's vocals, whom I found to be absolutely unemotive and dim, or maybe it is the mostly boring songwriting that did not do it for me at all, but I just felt like this album was an absolutely atrociously bland and tedious. I had an extremely hard time getting through it. It's like Lorde didn't really care about any sort of musicianship or songwriting, she just threw everything she thought people want to hear, be it breathy echoic vocals or sort of nonchalant music. It's a dud like no other. 4/10
The Louvre, Writer in the Dark, Perfect Places | | 16 |  | Lemaitre
Chapter One
Lemaitre's debut LP is just a compilation of their most successful tracks off of their previous EPs. Now, given I've only heard one of those EPs and founf it to be highly entertaining, I expected some sort of similar level on a full length. However, this album is a lot of the times quite unremarkable. Although the production is still as playful and joyous as it was on 1749, some of the vocal moments are simply bland and the songwriting is a lot of the times quite nondescript. Shame. 6/10
Closer, Higher, Stepping Stone, We Got U | | 15 |  | Nickelback
Feed the Machine
I don't get it, guys. This is not godawful? H...how? Where am I? 6/10 | | 14 |  | SikTh
The Future in Whose Eyes?
Yeah, no. This is just a musical equivalent of gibberish (still not as nonsensical as Dance Gavin Dance). 6/10 | | 13 |  | Hold On, Caulfield.
You're Not Gonna Make It
Well, it's decent enough. The production has a long way ahead, but that's understandable. The vocals aren't exactly anything outstanding either. However, the songwriting and the instrumentation is definitely listenable. 6/10 | | 12 |  | Marnie
Strange Words and Weird Wars
I don't know, it's just sort of unmoving at any level. I can see where is Marnie going, but I'm not following, I'm afraid. 6/10 | | 11 |  | London Grammar
Truth is a Beautiful Thing
Granted, the vocals are pretty good, but they are the kind of good you want to hear in small portions, because on a full album they will quickly start to sound somewhat obnoxious. Combine that with almost non-existant songwriting and you got yourself a pretty dull experience. However, what saves this record more or less is the fact that the vocals, at the end of the day, are still good enough to pull off some sort of musical progression and keep you mildly intrigued. 6/10
Rooting for You, Hell to the Liars | | 10 |  | Portugal. The Man
Woodstock
This would only qualify for Woodstock 1999. 4/10
Live in the Moment, So Young | | 9 |  | Royal Blood
How Did We Get So Dark?
You're not dark, you are just absent of colour, that's all. Seriously though, this album is so unbelievably vapid and unengaging. I guess there is not all that much to do if you are a duo in this genre. Royal Blood basically spent all of their potential on a couple of songs from their debut and that's about it. I couldn't even point out one single song from here that would be a highlight. It's either a decent songwriting buried under the instrumental flatness or an okay instrumentation kiled off by a boring songwriting. It's a complete miss for me, unfortunately. 5/10 | | 8 |  | Brockhampton
Saturation
I guess I was overhyped, but I didn't find this to be anything above usual. Sure, it's fun and memorable, but it simply does not have anything to show outside of its enjoyable nature. I fond it to be quite hollow and devoit of actual substance, outside of a couple overwhelming tracks. You know what they say 'Overhype is a recipe for a disaster'. 6/10
Gold, 2Pac | | 7 |  | Fleet Foxes
Crack-Up
I guess all good must end at some point. It's official, lads and gens, Fleet Foxes have released their dreariest and most uneventful record yet. On Crack-Up you'll find a ton of typical Fleet Foxes instrumentation and songwriting that simply strikes with its beauty and blissful dreaminess, although as always with a slight hint of bitterness. However, while their previous efforts have always been elevated into some sort of gripping and overwhelming journey through fantasy mountains (or something like that), this time around we are treated with more of a sleepy, instead of dreamy, and dragging, instead of wandering, vagabondism, instead of odyssey. It's quite indiscript and often a dread to listen to, which is surprising, considering that each elements of usual Fleet Foxes music are there. They just come together to a more of an inconcise and unfocused composition. It's sad, but it is what it is. Still, when they get it right, they get it right. | | 6 | | Fleet Foxes
Crack-Up
I have to give credit, where the credit's due. Some tracks are beautiful and truly adventurous (Third of May/Odaigahara) and some are quite profound in their songwriting (Fool's Errand) and some even make serious attempts at being tear-jerkers (I Should See Memphis...or at least that's what it seemed like to me). In the end, it is a let down, but in no way a bad album. 6/10 P.S.: Am I the only one, who hated the numerous slow-down quiet moments, when even the vocals dim down? God, they were awkward.
Third of May/Odaigahara, Fool's Errand, Crack-Up | | 5 |  | Dan Auerbach
Waiting On A Song
What are you doing, Dan? Go back to Black Keys and do something worthy of your talent. 5/10 | | 4 |  | All Time Low
Last Young Renegade
Well, at least it's not shameless and tasteless EDM Linkin Park vomited out on us...but it is getting closer. All Time Low indeed. 3/10 | | 3 |  | Alt-J
Relaxer
alt-J have definitely matured in their sound and don't sound as playful or juvenile as they used to. Instead, Relaxer presents us with a handful of delightful and well-constructed sophisticated Pop tracks that do, however, have a slight hint of their previous childishness. But in spite of all that, this album's subtle songwriting and pace is almost always too ungraspable for me to enjoy fully. OI admire the progress in finesse, but I wish it had more to offer beyond the interesting sound. 6/10
In Cold Blood | | 2 |  | Algiers
The Underside of Power
Here we go! The only album from June I truly loved (thus far). The one that is mesmerisingly fantastic from start to finish. Algiers manage to get even more ambitious than on their debut and deliver a series of engrossing and instantly memorable Gospel-infused Post-Punk tracks. The direction Algiers took on this album is somewhat odd. On one hand, we get our beloved dose of nearly eerie and haunting tracks (Cleveland), but on the other hand, they also move forward with their sound and make it much more dancy and upbeat (The Underside of Power). But this album's true power is when the two styles are combined for an extremely heart-pumping and adrenaline rushing combo (Walk Like a Panther) or something absolutely wild (Animals). Surprisingly enough, Algiers also try out a more melodic and sombre approach (Mme Rieux), which, however, still has the same eerie feeling. Seems like that is here to stay. | | 1 | | Algiers
The Underside of Power
Even the drone interludes, although definitely not a highlight, feel like they have a place on here. And naturally, everything is mixed with some of the most memorable and enticing vocals you'll hear all year. Delicatessen. 8/10
Walk Like a Panther, Cry of the Martyrs, The Underside of Power, Mme Rieux, Cleveland, Hymn for an Average Man, The Cycle/The Spiral: Time to Go Down Slowly | |
Calc
06.30.17 | new clams casino and new envy on the coast were pretty good | butcherboy
06.30.17 | Look at his negative streak! we're on the same frequency.. I'm overdue for 2017 part 3.. | ZombieToyDuck
06.30.17 | I'd give The Never Story by J.I.D a spin its really good | theBoneyKing
06.30.17 | there was lots of good stuff this month
check Flotation Toy Warning - The Machine That Made Us
(also if you're gonna post the list in reverse order you need to switch the descriptions for albums that have two entries so it reads properly from top to bottom) | neekafat
06.30.17 | Lol your reading scale is fucked | Papa Universe
06.30.17 | First of all, I will def check out your recs,
Second of all, theBoneyKing, the post is in reverse right now, but once I hit 101 items I put it back. It's in reverse so that those (if there are such individuals), who follow it could see the newly added stuff. | Papa Universe
06.30.17 | ...but yeah, point taken...gonna go put it back in normally... | theBoneyKing
06.30.17 | np man, it's your list so post it however you want | Papa Universe
06.30.17 | nah, I'll go redo it, I still need to do something while listening to Flotation Toy Warning, which so far is pretty good mind I tell you... | anat
06.30.17 | don't get on with the algiers vocals at all | DoofusWainwright
06.30.17 | For the love of everything holy switch the positions and ratings for 1 and 20 :p | Conmaniac
06.30.17 | nice list dude and who is the user that did 36? | Papa Universe
06.30.17 | @DoofusWainwright: Dude, the positions on the list don't indicate what I like more and what less...although yeah, I quite detest Cigarettes After Sex
@Conmaniac: Rickislost (here's his thread: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?listid=175741&memberid=1042948) | Idontevenlikemusic
06.30.17 | All you had to do was look at the album covers to realize these are trash
Think of the time you could of saved | theBoneyKing
06.30.17 | Glad you liked 37! | Rickislost
07.04.17 | So glad you liked 36, really appreciate the soundoff. Thank you | Sevengill
07.29.17 | I /just/ made the cut in your competition and my album /just/ made the cut on your list. I'm living on the edge lately haha. | superluminals
07.29.17 | I like your big hairy carpet, mate | runaways
07.29.17 | Shit list, June was probably the best month for music so far if you like anything outside of shitty boring prog rock or metal | Papa Universe
07.29.17 | runaways: Find me all the Prog Rock on the list, smart ass | Papa Universe
07.30.17 | Prog Rock and Metal or anything close to that on this list are in total 7 entries, which is, in 42 entries total, approximately 17%. Out of those 7 entries, there was 1 actually positive, 1 directly negative and the rest balancing on the average spectrum.
Your theory is invalid. | Dewinged
07.30.17 | How can you keep up with all these releases Uni lol, I haven't checked that Algeirs album yet. | Papa Universe
07.30.17 | I usually work from home, and when I do, I like to listen to stuff. So picture 10 hours of work and such every day and I listen to music that entire time. How much will a guy with a life rule 'minimum 1 new album a day', in your opinion, manage to hear? | Dewinged
07.30.17 | Yeah man, believe me,I feel you. I work 8-10 hours a day and I am constantly jamming too, mostly stuff from this year, and still I miss stuff. |
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