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User
Reviews 123
Approval 95%
Soundoffs 238
News Articles 11
Band Edits + Tags 250
Album Edits 1,484
Album Ratings 0
Last Active 12-23-19 9:27 pm
Joined 09-16-14
Review Comments 22,503
| June 2018 resumé
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 | | 1 |  | Kanye West
ye
Congrats Kanye, you became as faceless as anyone with a low-budget indie-label deal. 3/10
Violent Crimes | | 2 |  | Ghost (SWE)
Prequelle
Ghost turned kinda timid and unrecogniseable... perhaps those 'session musicians' you fired did actually have an impact on the final product, Tobias. Still fun, but not the same thing. 7/10
Rats, Dance Macabre, Pro Memoria, Life Eternal | | 3 |  | The Slow Readers Club
Build A Tower
BNM
As banal an indie album as they come, but something in its melodies and overly-simplistic instrumentation just clicked with me, as it happened already with this band before. So odd. 8/10
Lunatic, Supernatural, You Opened Up My Heart, Through the Shadows, Not Afraid of the Dark, Distant Memory | | 4 |  | Father John Misty
God's Favorite Customer
Since I'm not SowingSeason, I did not like Pure Comedy all that much (did anyone else, really?). But I did adore I Love You Honeybear. So my expectations were mixed. It could have been another cute folk endeavour, or another pretentious overblown, overlong confused socio-political pseudo-satire of such a surface level, MSNBC found it funny. But it ended up something in the middle. Not really much of a revelation and barely a listen to reckon with, but still often gutsy and entertaining. Josh Tillman still doesn't know when the joke is over, but he's trying at least, so there's that. 7/10
P.S.: Also, if you are hesitant to listen to that new Arctic Monkeys album, just jam "Mr. Tillman". It is musiaclly and lyrically the same thing and only 3 minutes long.
Mr. Tillman, Just Dumb Enough to Try, God' Favorite Customer, We're Only People | | 5 |  | The Presets
Hi Viz
Even though it is often glitchy and the production is not exactly something typically found on a standard, run-of-the-mill pop record nowadays, this is still a fairly accessible dance pop output that feels a tad worn out, even if occasionally exciting and intriguing. 6/10
Feel Alone, Are You Here?, Until the Dark | | 6 |  | Half Man Half Biscuit
No One Cares About Your Creative Hub so Get Your F
BNM
The ever-active limey underground legends are back with yet another record of punky, but sweet and playful tunes and snarky, humorous lyrics. It's as standard HMHB album as it gets, but hey, if it works, it works, so don't complain and dip your toes in. 7/10
Alehouse Futsal, Man of Constant Sorrow (With a Garage in Constant Use), Knobheads on Quiz Shows, What Made Colombia Famous, Every Time a Bell Rings, Mod Diff V Diff Hard Severe, Swerving the Checktrade | | 7 |  | Beach Skulls
Las Dunas
There is definitely some warmness in the fuzzy, summery lo-fi vibes here, but what ends up happening on this album, as well as pretty much every other of the sort for me, is that it just disintegrates into samey mess. It is sweet and cute, but one listen is pretty much enough. 6/10
Sacred Citrus, That's Not Me | | 8 |  | Get Well Soon
The Horror
BNM
Rejoice, all yee fans of moody semi-orchestral atmosphere-building somewhat-indie music. This is one of those albums, where you're not sure, whether or not it was supposed to be ambitious or not. It sure appears to be some sort of artistic 'statement', what with all the classy, grandiose arrangement; but its subtlety, long-winded song-writing and subdued production give a rather opposite feeling. Still, a great piece of work needs to be recognised. 8/10
Future Ruins Pt. 2, The Horror, Martyrs, Nightjogging, (How to Stay) Middle Class | | 9 |  | Evil Blizzard
The Worst Show on Earth
BNM
DIP YOUR EARS INTO THE MADNESS. 8/10
Fast Forward Rewind, Unleash the Misery, Those We Left Behind, Tell Me, partially The Worst Show on Earth | | 10 |  | YOB
Our Raw Heart
This is the kind of album that doesn't really care, whether you look for melodies in music or whatever, it only serves as a hydraulic press to fucking crush your skelet and fucking demolish all that was once alive in you, motherfuckers. AAAAAAAHHHHHH RAAAAW POWER!. (also, it is kind of boring sometimes) 6/10 | | 11 |  | Tsjuder
Throne of the Goat (2018 Version)
Tsjunder re-recorded one of their old-old records and now with clearer production it sounds somehow even more hellish. The drums are beautifully mixed, the atmosphere is crushing and the weight of it all is ever potent. It is a damn great record, even though a rework of something over a decade old. It also gives you a look into what the album sounded back in the day, as it is a newly recorded refreshed version, back-to-back with that old infernal noise. 7/10
Throne of the Goat (reworked), Throne of the Goat (original), Intro (original), Dying Spirits (reworked) | | 12 |  | Lykke Li
So Sad So Sexy
For the first time in Lykke's career I am lost on words and not in a good way. 4/10
Jaguars in the Air, Bad Woman, Utopia | | 13 |  | Zuider Zee
Zeenith
Either a recently unearthed or just plain remastered and repackaged version of an old 1970s bunch of recordings by a Tennessee psych rock band Zuider Zee, this album is pretty much everything you'd expect a band like that to be. They emerged in the 70s and immediately fell into oblivion, in spite of having some great tunes here and there. This is a decent album, but nothing that'd blow your mind like "How are they unknown?" 6/10
Lancelot's Theme, Old, Miami, After the Shine's Gone, Quite a While, Might Be I'm Losing My Mind | | 14 |  | NMDA
NMDA
Sputnik's own Greem has delved into darkwave post-punk. Well, it's darkwave post-punk. That's about all there is to it, but it's cool that he did that. 6/10
Игра, Исток | | 15 |  | Zeal and Ardor
Stranger Fruit
Is this trailer music? Sounds like it. Feels like it. And it's just as invigorating. Yuppie yay. 7/10
Intro, Gravedigger's Chant, Don't You Dare, Fire of Motion, Ship on Fire, Waste, Built on Ashes | | 16 |  | Flasher
Constant Image
Man, it's like Priests, but even more one-note and watery. And boy do I not like Priests. 4/10 | | 17 |  | Sun Valley Gun Club
The Water, the Stars
It's like if you set your typical emo-influenced (but not actually emo) Cali indie pop-rock into the hard-psych stoner production and arrangement. It's intriguing, but the song-writing drags it down a tad, but I might be following the band in the future. They are a tad curious. 6/10
Falling Apart, I Saw a Pigeon | | 18 |  | Melody's Echo Chamber
Bon Voyage
BNM
She still knows how to bring home that sweet, sweet tuneful goodness. The songs, even if not the catchiest in the world, enthrall with their magical quirkiness, which ultimately is what stays in mind in the end. Every song progresses carefully, but gradually, building on an echoic, dreamy atmosphere and eventually dissolving in the cloud of pure euphoria. 8/10
Cross My Heart, Quand Les Larmes D'un Ange Font Danser La Neige, Visions of Someone Special, Shirim | | 19 |  | Tangents (AUS)
New Bodies
I previously dismissed this band as a background music and when it comes to their previous records I mostly still do stand by that statement. But times have changed and I have changed and this relaxed, echoic, ethereal and spacious music now suddenly starts to make sense to me. I don't feel the compulsion to take a nap after listening to it anymore, so this is a step into the right direction. 6/10 | | 20 |  | State Champs
Living Proof
This album is what people refer to when saying that rock is dead. 3/10 | | 21 |  | Bladee
Redlight
Oh there you are, you humble little creature, thought you could sneak out quietly, avoid the top spot at my Worst of the Year list? 0/10 | | 22 |  | Anicon
Entropy Mantra
Mildly repetitive, but all-in-all fun little blackened death metal. Don't expect a revolutionary gargantuan magnificence, but don't really be afraid of dullness either. 6/10 | | 23 |  | Girls Names
Stains on Silence
Yeah, this might be excruciating for anyone unprepared, but that's the beauty of it too. Minimal wave, synthwave, (electronic) no wave and all sorts of other waves from the old-school electronic post-punk-isms seem to be on a revival lately. 7/10
Haus Proud, The Impaled Mystique, Stains of Silence, Karoline | | 24 |  | Video Age
Pop Therapy
"Put some sugar on me!" Not the song, the command. 5/10 | | 25 |  | Palberta
Roach Goin' Down
Oh hell yeah, 22 one minute tracks and each a full-on display of absolutely nothing in particular. No wonder butcherboy is considering this to top his year end list. 7/10
Pixels, Cross It Out, #1 Fill, Sound of the Beat, Ziddy, Jaws' Return, Momentous Space-Up, Rich Boy, Heaven to Rock'n'Roll | | 26 |  | Stuart A. Staples
Arrhythmia
A Tinderstick (singular) record, if I've ever heard one, but more on the weird side. 6/10 | | 27 |  | Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
Hope Downs
Really having a hard time what klap sees in this. Feels like an uber-generic soft-indie tackiness (but who am I to talk, I gave Slow Readers Club two 8/10s at this point). 5/10
Talking Straight, Time in Common | | 28 |  | Panic! at the Disco
Pray For The Wicked
And how did you enjoy Fall Out Boy surprise release? 2/10 | | 29 |  | Craft
White Noise and Black Metal
An old-school black metal band from the ages of the genre's bloom (or slightly after) are back with... well, pretty much what you'd expect. It's an album of throwbacks to that time mostly, but with a few more modern influences. That's about it. 6/10 | | 30 |  | Arp
Zebra
GotG.
A somewhat cutesy electronic, dreamy, ambient-ish record with a lot of heart, but you can only really be in a specific mood for that. 6/10
Nzuku, Parallelism, Reading a Wave | | 31 |  | Kamasi Washington
Heaven And Earth
BNM
Another 10 hours of my life down the shitter. Regret nothing. 8/10 | | 32 |  | Kamasi Washington
The Choice
BNM
...also this. 8/10 | | 33 |  | Khemmis
Desolation
This band has been a promising up-and-comer for the last 5 or so years. Their music always appealed to me one way or another and I always see a great deal of potential there, but time and time again I am left just ever so slightly let down by it. It is an entertaining piece of stoner-doom, but it always just falls slightly short of completely winning me over and I never know why. 6/10
Isolation, Flesh to Nothing, From Ruin | | 34 |  | Gang Gang Dance
Kazuashita
Help me out, folks, is this what they are like always? I want to know, but I don't feel like finding out for myself. 5/10 | | 35 |  | Dawes
Passwords
With its vague loosenes and softness it is better than their previous record... that's not saying a lot, really. 5/10
Living in the Future, Feed the Fire, Mistakes We Should Have Made | | 36 |  | Nine Inch Nails
Bad Witch
Never been into them much before. Not into them now. 6/10
God Break Down the Door, partially Over And Out | | 37 |  | This Wild Life
Petaluma
The strongest 5/10 this year. Like, there's nothing here. Nothing. At. All. No offense and no surprise. Just nothing. | | 38 |  | The Rock*A*Teens
Sixth House
If you're into folkier kind of indie rock, you might find this a jewel. The album does contain a dud here and there, but all-in-all is a fairly solid, sweet and catchy release, filled with nice melodies and uplifting energy. 7/10
Billy Really, Lady Macbeth, Go Tell Everybody, Baby's On To Me, Closest to Heaven, Crystal Skies | | 39 |  | Gorillaz
The Now Now
A project that washed itself out years ago still trying to stay fresh, not realising this sound is exactly the aspect of them that washed out. 5/10
Kansas, Idaho, Lake Zurich | | 40 |  | East Brunswick All Girls Choir
Teddywaddy
If you can stomach the nasally vocals and the slow progression, you will be often treated to some unexpectedly kicking moments. But only if you have the patience. 6/10
there are no real highlights, because the highlights are all of the pay-off moments in every song. | | 41 |  | Late Bloomer
Waiting
Hardly a unique album, but for the drained lake that is indie rock nowadays, this is still fairly decent. 6/10 | | 42 |  | Them Are Us Too
Amends
While admittedly having a lot of merit, Them Are Us Too unfortunately fail to deliver a versatile (somewhat) avant-pop experience their style has all the potential to be. 5/10
Floor, Amends | | 43 |  | Florence and the Machine
High as Hope
Florence is back with yet another bloody kicker, even if it is her moodiest, subtlest record yet. You might have some reservations, if you're unfamiliar with her creeping explosive music, but it's safe to assume that no fan or enthusiast will be left disappointed. 7/10
June, Hunger, Sky Full of Song, Grace, Patricia, 100 Years, No Choir | | 44 |  | Judas Iscariot
An Ancient Starry Sky
oh look, it's blood in my ears. no wonder. the rawness of this ancient tape got me good. 6/10 | | 45 |  | Spectral Wound
Infernal Decadence
BNM
Their Bandcamp page states that this is black metal and power pop. A black metal boyband, if I've ever seen one. 8/10 | | 46 |  | The TeleVibes
Major Drones
Hazy, tiring and trippy garage psych that will either put you to sleep, put you to trance or put you off and you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. No, you'll hate it. No, you'll love it. 7/10 | | 47 |  | Ben Howard
Noonday Dream
I admire the atmosphere that makes me feel as though I am lying on my back, observing the stars and maybe even daydreaming. It's really cozy and breezy. However, after listening to this for n'th time I can barely remember any melody, only the atmosphere. And when your album is better at pretending there's a feeling behind it, than actually sticking to people's minds, that's not a good result. 6/10
A Boat to an Island on the Wall, Someone in the Doorway | | 48 |  | Morcheeba
Blaze Away
Morcheeba at the autopilot is somehow no worse than them at their best. 5/10
Blaze Away, Paris sur Mer | | 49 |  | Agressor
Rebirth
This is pretty much Vektor of the past. Get on it, if you like yourselves a mixture of thrash, death, black, doom, power and all other metal genres, for this unearthed remaster of an ancient metal archive is a pure metalhead pandaemonium. 7/10 | | 50 |  | Dusk (WI)
Dusk
My rather negative relationship with country music made me expect a biter experience with this record, which is probably why my rating for it is so high. For when you expect a failure, but end up pleased, it's all the sweeter for it. 7/10
Stained Blue, Yelling Your Name, Eyes in Dark Corners, Leaf, The Names You Got | | 51 |  | Floating Room
False Baptism
A tired and tiring album for tiresome people. 5/10 | | 52 |  | Jim James
Uniform Distortion
Screeching lo-fi mess, but not without some oddly subtle cuteness underneath. 6/10 | | 53 |  | Martyn
Voids
My ever disappointing attempt at getting into modern electronica... 5/10 | | 54 |  | No Problem
Let God Sort Em Out
Some blasting dose of punk, bitches, punk! 7/10 | |
Papa Universe
07.01.18 | making write-ups is so tiring, I'll do it some other time. | BlazinBlitzer
07.02.18 | "Is this trailer music?" Lmao I love 15 but I can't get that thought out of my head now. Completely agree on 10. I'm surprised to find at least any quality in it at all considering the song lengths. I need to listen to the new Bladee now that you mention it. | Papa Universe
07.02.18 | I am finally finished with the write-ups. | LeftyMcRighty
07.03.18 | Agree on YOB; it is kinda boring except for "The Screen"' it chugs along relentlessly, tears your face off and mounts it on the front of an angry, heaving, growling locomotive. You keep thinking it's almost over but, no, it keeps kicking you right in the nuts. Great song! | LeftyMcRighty
07.03.18 | I got into Ghost with "If You Have Ghost" EP and "Infestessium" and I was digging the overall vibe and theatrics. I didn't really care for Meliora and not a big fan of Preqelle either. I felt like they were a strong 7/10 in the beginning but Prequelle is @ 5/10 for me. | LeftyMcRighty
07.03.18 | Z&A - Stranger Fruit - I loved it first listen, liked it second listen and now am kinda "meh" about it. I better stop listening. | Hawks
07.03.18 | I gotta hear 11 asap. | Papa Universe
07.03.18 | Hawks, you also need to listen to Spectral Wound (and maybe Agressor and Craft). | Veldin
07.03.18 | great list, mate! | Papa Universe
07.03.18 | cheers, mate! |
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