Conmaniac
User

Reviews 72
Approval 97%

Soundoffs 60
News Articles 2
Band Edits + Tags 150
Album Edits 198

Album Ratings 1758
Objectivity 70%

Last Active 12-25-22 12:45 am
Joined 08-07-14

Review Comments 27,704

 Lists
04.30.23 (PRIZE!) MAY REC COMP: 2CON23 EDITION04.06.23 con tracks his 2023
01.05.23 2con22 ♦02.13.22 con’s debut EP (SVMMERCAMP) ♦
01.06.22 con's best o' 202111.16.21 svmmercamp! ♦
10.18.21 101 lists / '21 to-checks01.04.21 cons2020/100th
12.27.20 im sure of what im doing now thx11.26.19 con(1)23
05.03.19 Rest of Con's Music05.01.19 CON RAPS?!? ♦
03.01.19 X-Conmaniac11.26.18 con's feelin 22
11.05.18 new.old10.08.18 'eighteen update
07.27.18 Con's Band, First and Last Album07.23.18 this is the new wave.
More »

CON X PAPA: Con's Side

100 Albums to rec, we start with a 5 of the other person's list. 40 recs are without specifications, then we both set 6 groups of 10 albums (or other limitations) that should have a certain theme, genre or style or what not. 1. SLUDGE - doesnt have to be sludge METAL per say but anything with this aesthetic really. grimy guitar tones, a deafening, deep bass, distortion ofc just bring on the sludge (10) 2. JAZZ - ok this one is genre specific, really love jazz but have noooo idea where I should go for some of the deep cuts. also rec classics that I havent rated if u think they are essential, preferably more experimental jazz (not free form) and less like the doo-wap style. (10) 3. HATE - rec me albums from genres I despise that I might still like but the albums have to be under 45 min. here's a quick list: Country, Death Metal, Grindcore, """progressive rock""", and pop tbh. (10) 4. LONELY - rec me 10 albums you think I'd like where ur the only person with that album rated (if u cant find 10 with this spec then just keep it under 5 ratings). (10) 5. NONSENSE - rec me albums with extremely unique songwriting (aka Benjamin Clementine) where if I played it for a friend they would not understand what's going on. preferably psych-y nonsense but I'm flexible... (10) 6. BITTER - rec me album that you have at a 2 or under that you think I'd love despite ur hate for them. preferably in genres I'm comfortable with. (10)
1mol
JORD

STARTER 5 REC
Rating: 3.71/5
Thoughts: Really loved this rec even if it was a bit all over the place stylistically and structurally. Although it's heavily a blackgaze album, the guitar tones jumped from dream pop to post hardcore to post rock right back to blackgaze, and these contrasts (esp the dreamier bits) were phenomenal. Production on here only bolstered the experience; the vocals were mixed superbly and despite the songs being all over the place the mixing somehow held it all together.
Highlights: JORD, Lambda
2Manicured Noise
Northern Stories 1978/80

FREE REC 1/40
3The The
Soul Mining

FREE REC 2/40
4Giant Haystacks
We Are Being Observed

LONELY REC 1/10
5Protomartyr
Relatives In Descent

FREE REC 3/40
Rating: 3.93/5
Thoughts: Yeah, thank god you properly educated me on post-punk last year with that rec tourney, not sure a former self would've enjoyed this as much. But dang, this is the proper amount of brooding 40-year old angst with some groovy, dissonant instrumentation to boot. Although the lead singer isn't always droning on about the most interesting stuff, there are definitely some flashes of brilliance (especially with that Elvis story). And at 12 songs this thing kinda flies by, really smooth listen all the way through with only a couple relatively low / boring spots. Some proper new age post punk commenting on the fucked up society we live in today with a focus on the mundane.
Highlights: A Private Understanding, Male Plague, The Chuckler
6Still Life
From Angry Heads With Skyward Eyes

FREE REC 4/40
7Michael Kiwanuka
Love & Hate

FREE REC 5/40
8St. Vincent
Strange Mercy

FREE REC 6/40
9Brodka
Clashes

FREE REC 7/40
10Charles Bradley
No Time For Dreaming

FREE REC 8/40
11Jawbox
For Your Own Special Sweetheart

FREE REC 9/40
Rating: 3.58/5
Man right out the gate this got off to a roaring start, loved the QANU vibes due to the angular riffs and desperate shouts for vocals. Really amazing energy-filled first half but for some reason they slowly transitioned into your avg 90s emo band by the end of it all. It's fine and all but their sound was wayyy more interesting when they just went bonkers. Either way it's a solid album.
Highlights: Breathe, Green Glass
12Royal Headache
High

FREE REC 10/40
13And Also The Trees
Born Into The Waves

FREE REC 11/40
14And Also The Trees
(Listen for) the Rag and Bone Man

FREE REC 12/40
15A Primary Industry
Ultramarine

LONELY REC 2/10
16Tempers
Services

LONELY REC 3/10
17Elbow
Asleep In The Back

FREE REC 13/40
Rating: 3.89/5
Thoughts: This is some soft boi shit and I kinda love it. The vocals are pretty mundane but lyrically they are fantastic and the whole melancholy feel to the delivery is pretty soothing in a way. Didn't find myself hating any track in particular, just that the repetitiveness of some of this was a bit too much; it's a good album to get yourself lost in. If I had to make a comparison it'd be as if Duster tried really hard to become a britpop band but got too lost in the sadness. Definitely will be coming back to this...
Highlights: red, can't stop
18Allen Toussaint
Southern Nights

LONELY REC 4/10
19Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane

JAZZ REC 1/10
20Balance and Composure
Light We Made

BITTER REC 1/10
Rating: 2.69/5
Thoughts: Well yeah this was pretty boring, especially since I'm more familiar with these guys' harsher/punk material before this. They kinda just hopped on the whole PBTT / La Dispute softcore wave but didn't bring anything new or interesting to the table other than a few interesting mixing elements. Honestly I probably won't ever return to this and even with 2+ listens no song truly stuck out to me except maybe the single. Dud.
Highlights: Spinning, Postcard
21Fear Like Us
Succour

LONELY REC 5/10
22Hoodlum Shouts
Heat Island

LONELY REC 6/10
23yrs
Through Time & Space...

BITTER REC 2/10
Rating: 2.55/5
Thoughts: Idk man, I mean instrumentally this thing is pretty nice and right up my alley. Like, the twinkly, dreamy nature mixed with some experimental track lengths/structures is kinda cool, but the vocals and lyrics really just throw me off way too much. And you know me, I'm all for whiny vocals when done right, but this is too much to bear for me. It just sounds like all cliche emo vocalists but with a lil extra nasal clogging and less wit/character in the lyric department. And at 14 tracks long this thing definitely did not justify its length. Nice try, but I'm gonna have to agree with your rating on this one.
Highlights: Black Hole // Hatchback
24A Will Away
Here Again

FREE REC 14/40
25Sturgill Simpson
A Sailor's Guide To Earth

HATE REC 1/10
26The Burning of Rome
Year of the Ox

HATE REC 2/10
27Conjurer
Mire

HATE REC 3/10
Rating: 3.85/5
Thoughts: This was pretty solid overall, a short-ish endeavor into the blackgaze/post hardcore realm and the vocals were harsh but still manageable con-wise. I liked this a bit more than Mol as it wasn't too inconsistent and tended to stick with what it knew best. The clean vocals mixed in were perfect as well as the cleaner guitar tones. Oh, and the riffs were huge ofc
Highlights: Thankless, Of Flesh Weaker Than Ash
28Pfarmers
Gunnera

NONSENSE REC 1/10
29Ukandanz
Awo

NONSENSE REC 2/10
Rating: 4.36/5
Thoughts: Like actually a really well thought out rec considering the category it is in. I didn't know what to make of this at first as it sounds like some alt rock / sludge metal / prog band doing jazz fusion with a saxophonist and some Ethiopian singer who has the range and timbre of a God. Like seriously, the riffs here go off, it's angular, the rhythms don't make sense, bassist is unreal as it's just constant grooves for all 6 songs here. A genre smoothie I never knew I needed...
Highlights: Sewotch men yelalu, Ambassel To Brussel...
30Melt Yourself Down
Melt Yourself Down

NONSENSE REC 3/10
31The Armed
Only Love

NONSENSE REC 4/10
Rating: 4.20/5
Thoughts: It's an intoxicating, noisy mess of an album that hits you over the head with its abrasiveness and neon-tainted electronic spills. It's an extreme punk album, brazen and loud with impassioned vocals and hammering rhythmic sections. Sometimes it breathes a bit, though, letting you attempt to decipher the cacophony and vocal layerings which every once in awhile veer off into a soaring, pop-kissed melody. It's absolutely absurd, but in the best way possible. Definitely will grow, I expect this to be one of my favorite finds of the year. Also the enigma / idea of having the artists faceless and nameless (for the most part), thereby empowering only the art itself is beautiful and exactly the mindset the world of music needs.
Highlights: Role Models, Fortune's Daughter, On Jupiter
32The Veils
Total Depravity

FREE REC 15/40
33Lykke Li
I Never Learn

HATE REC 4/10
34The Lion's Daughter and Indian Blanket
A Black Sea

SLUDGE REC 1/10
Rating: 4.04/5
Thoughts: Just reading the album review soundoff for this was enough to get me interested and damn did it not disappoint. Although metal has always dipped it's hands into folk elements, especially with the medieval kind of aesthetic, sludge metal is almost the most removed from it due to the distortion and how ugly bands try to make their music sound (thanks Electric Wizard). However, the combination of these two genres melded really well together, thanks to the superb mixing which delicately introduced distortion while violins and banjos plucked away in the foreground. Don't get me wrong, though, this this explodes with about as much magnitude as any other sludge metal band, but the patience they have to get there is really what makes it. Plus, the dualities of the yelled/folk vocalists paired so strangely well together, really enjoyed this all the way through (minus the bonus track)
Highlights: Swann, Sea of Trees, That Place
35Beastwars
Beastwars

SLUDGE REC 2/10
Rating: 3.53/5
Thoughts: Ok well the first track got me undeniably hype for this album, loved the guitar tones and the dude's voice had this perfect snarl to it yet was still undoubtedly based in the bluesy/classic rock style. When Beastwars turn up the energy ever so slightly the results are fascinating, especially seen with the hit Red God; it's a short yet compelling explosion featuring ever-so-slightly pop vocals but enough bite to send ya flying. Maybe I need more time with it, but the last 3 songs bored me incredibly as it felt like they tried to write 3 different closers, couldn't decide which one worked the best and just threw all three in. Consistent, yes, but could've had some slight variation near the end there.
Highlights: Red God, Damn the Sky
36Kaviar Special
Vortex

LONELY REC 7/10
37Jason Isbell
Southeastern

HATE REC 5/10
38Magnolia Electric Co
Magnolia Electric Co

HATE REC 6/10
Rating: 3.97/5
Thoughts: So this was pretty blissful to listen to; it's some country tinged folk / alt rock that is a bit explosive in nature yet still subdued and homely to listen to. It's a very cozy album, especially vocally, with the instrumentation wavering between classic folk rock and some strangely innovative chord progressions. If there's any type of country I'd like, it'd definitely be stuff that leans towards this (and definitely not any singer that sounds like that dude on The Old Black Hen ugh).
Highlights: Just Be Simple, John Henry Split My Heart, Farewell Transmission
39Slingshot Dakota
Break

BITTER REC 3/10
Rating: 3.59/5
Thoughts: You know, I can definitely see why you'd be bitter towards this release, it's pretty inoffensive indie punk with a typical girl vocalist. I kinda dig this vibe, despite the really strange mix going on with the guitar; it's some kind of distortion but electronica-inspired and consistently appears on almost every song. That's what it is though, consistent, and I like this kind of music so I consistently enjoyed this release, just wasn't anything too special but it didn't try to be either,
Highlights: Doreen, You
40Xiu Xiu
A Promise

NONSENSE REC 5/10
Rating: 4.10/5
Thoughts: Well this was a mess, a beautiful, lo-fi, drunken sporadic mess on the dingy floor that Jamie recorded this on. Reading into the album really helped with this one as well, it's so unflinchingly personal yet attempts to be a universal gathering for all those who are broken. The vocals on here are actually incredible, ranging from whimpering spoken bits to semi-freak outs that pop in at will. And other than Pink City, the instrumentals here are bitterly sparse yet so subtly smooth and calming, that still begets a certain eeriness to the whole piece. Well done with these nonsense recs, Papa.
Highlights: Sad Pony Guerrilla Girl, Walnut House, Ian Curtis Wishlist
41Horrid Red
Empty Lungs

NONSENSE REC 6/10
42Cold Wrecks
Breaking

FREE REC 16/50
Rating: 3.56/5
Thoughts: Well if this isn't your stereotypical mix of emo/pop punk then I really don't know what is. Both vocalists not only emulate their influences but often put on impersonations of their own contemporaries, making this feel more than just a bit unoriginal. But, sigh, yes I still like this because fuck it I just like this style man. Sounds like a cross between Modern Baseball and Run, Forever with a slight mix of folk and The Wonder Years but all somewhat muted and not nearly as impacting as the previously mentioned bands. They have a slight variety between songs though which is somewhat helpful and the lyrics are the right amount of sappy, especially on Friends.
Highlights: Friends, Sad, Suburbs
43Contact (PA, USA)
Zero Moment

FREE REC 17/20
44Jean-Jacques Perrey
Moog Indigo

NONSENSE REC 7/10
45Allen Toussaint
The Bright Mississippi

JAZZ REC 2/10
46Joe Henderson
Our Thing

JAZZ REC 3/10
47Art Blakey and Thelonious Monk
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk

JAZZ REC 4/10
48Sun Ra
The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol 1

JAZZ REC 5/10
Rating: 3.43/5
Thoughts: My first exploration into free jazz, (well, Sun Ra refused to call it such but again I'm a noob) was extremely atmospheric and a bit discomforting. I enjoyed the production and the drumming on here was superb, yet I felt the lack of melodies and the spatial awareness made this extremely difficult to latch onto. It's one of those albums that I appreciate, but from afar, not yet as developed in my own jazz tastes which makes this a bit too abstract and obtuse for me to actually enjoy. I do appreciate his philosophy on life and music, however, so that definitely prompted me to explore past this work of his.
Highlights: Of Heavenly Things
49Inter Arma
Paradise Gallows

SLUDGE REC 3/10
50Deep Turtle
There's a Vomitsprinkler in My Liverriver

FREE REC 18/40
51Daitro
Laisser Vivre Les Squelettes

FREE REC 19/40
52Somewhere South of Here
With Her Came the Birds

FREE REC 20/40
53Knapsack
This Conversation Is Ending Starting Right Now

FREE REC 21/40
54The Progress
Merit

FREE REC 22/40
55Somos
Temple of Plenty

FREE REC 23/40
56Ereb Altor
Nattramn

FREE REC 24/40
57Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld
Still Smiling

FREE REC 25/40
58The Microphones
Mount Eerie

BITTER REC 4/10
Rating: 3.64/5
Thoughts: As with any Phil Elvrum project, the sense of atmosphere and mood lingers on in this thick fog, and Mount Eerie (the album) is no different. Opener sees Phil mixing tribal, dissonant drums into a wet yet dark, foreign world before he himself cuts through the mist. While it's anxiously moody and invokes a sense of dread, the songs on here aren't to explosive. In fact, the project mostly amounts to built up instrumental tension while Phil does his classic mumble over some guitar pluckings in a grandiose manner. I dig it, probably need some more time with this much like The Glow Pt. 2 but overall it's what I expected.
Highlights: III. Universe, IV. Mount Eerie
59Earth Moves
The Truth In Our Bodies

FREE REC 26/40
Rating: 4.08/5
Thoughts: Now this was pretty special, the vocals were perfectly between screamo and sludge and I adored them and the lyrics (which I could usually make out wow!). But man, this combination of like blackgaze and screamo and emo is perfectly in tune with my tastes. It's less so about the riffs and more so about the feeling and this feels desperate as fuck. Textured as hell and emotional to boot, easy four from me.
Highlights: Pia Mater, House of Flowers
60Dvne
Asheran

SLUDGE REC 4/10
Rating: 3.68/5
Thoughts: Although this resided in the ~metal~ genre, I actually really dug most of the songs on here. Sometimes it got a bit too proggy with the chugging guitars and the classic metal cliches were a bit annoying, but overall I really dug this excursion into doom/sludge metal as the dual vocals were absolutely phenomenal. Songs dragged on a bit too much at times but overall they proved they could write a 6-9 minute song that was actually engaging all the way through. Def will come back to this one and hopefully it'll open me up to the many other fantastic bands within this scene.
Highlights: Thirst, Rite of the Seven Mournings
61Various Artists (Jazz)
We Out Here

JAZZ REC 6/10
62Damien Jurado
Rehearsals for Departure

FREE REC 27/40
63The Promise Ring
30 Degrees Everywhere

FREE REC 28/40
Rating: 3.62/5
Thoughts: Well this was exactly what I expected, some nice 90s emo with a bit of pop sensibilities. Well, not nearly as power pop / emo as Nothing Feels Good, which I think struck some bittersweet balance between the two while on here the vocals and production are much differently mixed. It kinda sounds like any standard 90s emo album in those terms, which unfortunately makes the lead singer a bit more average and not as unique as the one found in their next effort (although his signature "doot doos" are still present). Definitely was just a bit too samey but the latter half helped break up the pace of the first which I appreciated.
Highlights: Red Paint, Somebody's Done For
64September (emo)
Erasmia Pulcella

FREE REC 29/40
65Hugonaut
Hello Destroyed

SLUDGE REC 5/10
Rating: 3.22/5
Thoughts: Well this was a pretty average record with some good things going on with it. As for the tone, definitely very sludgy and the riffs off of this were definitely the highlights. The songs themselves went on a bit too long but with only 7 songs it didnt feel too bad. The singer though is something I'll never understand about this genre. It's heavily classic rock influenced, and while this means he has a decent voice, it also means he can get a bit theatrical. The higher register parts came off as very corny and the lyrics never really helped with that either. I enjoyed a couple off this, but just wish it was less indebted to other genres I dislike.
Highlights: Dissatisfied, The Brain is the Mind
66The Dear Hunter
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise

HATE REC 7/10
67The Burning Hell
Public Library

FREE REC 30/40
68Netherlands
Audubon

SLUDGE REC 6/10
Rating: 3.66/5
Thoughts: Yeah good rec, really dug the sound on this one and the vocals, albeit strange, were a good fit for my own tastes. This was a confusing listen; the guitars / bass muddy everything up in such a harsh, sludgy manner but the high pitched vocals hover above the swamp in some clean airplane. Like, even though they aren't exactly opposites, the contrast is still there but the vox venture dangerously into "prog rock" territory every now and then. Definitely loved a couple songs off this, just wish every song was as engaging as the first in terms of songwriting.
Highlights: L. M. M., The Bottom of the Ocean
69Arabrot
The Gospel

SLUDGE REC 7/10
70Lock Howl
Pareidolia

SLUDGE REC 8/10
71Geneva (UK)
Further

LONELY REC 8/10
72Kvelertak
Meir

SLUDGE REC 9/10
73Julia
Julia

FREE REC 31/40
74Dusk (WI)
Dusk

HATE REC 8/10
75No Problem
Let God Sort Em Out

FREE REC 32/40
76Damien Jurado
The Horizon Just Laughed

FREE REC 33/40
77Spectral Wound
Infernal Decadence

HATE REC 9/10
78The Future Kings of England
The Fate Of Old Mother Orvis

HATE REC 10/10
79Shaarimoth
Current 11

SLUDGE REC 10/10
80Hot Snakes
Suicide Invoice

FREE REC 34/40
81Aesop Rock
The Impossible Kid

FREE REC 35/40
82Ka
Honor Killed The Samurai

FREE REC 36/40
Rating: 3.61/5
Thoughts: This was pretty chill I definitely dig this style of conscious rap and floating, minimalist beats with a focus on wordplay. To that point, though, I think the beats themselves were sometimes a bit too empty and substance-less and although Ka's skills are undoubtedly great I wouldn't of minded some busier production. With that being said, this is obviously a well thought out album; it has a decent running theme focusing on the samurai/honor and also is a breeze to listen through as it's incredibly consistent. Hard to pick favorite songs, but I think with a couple more listens those will become a bit more obvious. Definitely dug this style though and I never got too too bored.
Highlights: Destined, Finer Things / Tamahagene
83Ghostpoet
Dark Days + Canapés

FREE REC 37/40
84clipping.
CLPPNG

FREE REC 38/40
85Mihai Edrisch
L'un Sans L'Autre

FREE REC 39/40
86Holy Esque
Television / Sweet

FREE REC 40/40
87The Eleventh House
Introducing The Eleventh House...

JAZZ REC 7/10
88Igorrr
Savage Sinusoid

NONSENSE REC 8/10
Rating: 3.69/5
Thoughts: Well this sure was pure nonsense, like literally, the first track feature shouted nonsense and it's pretty damn awesome. I really like the electronic, breakneck influence here, and the first few tracks with the yelled vocals overtop some baroque sounding instrumentation is a combination I never knew I needed. However, this album has like three tricks up its sleeve, and about halfway through it starts to get a biiiit tiresome seeing them pull it over on you a bunch of times. Plus, the latter half is where it gets reasonably more "metal" in the traditional sense and as a result, less interesting to me. First half would be close to a 5, especially those first three tracks oh man.
Highlights: ieuD, Humous, Viande
89Palehound
A Place I'll Always Go

BITTER REC 5/10
Rating: 3.55/5
Thoughts: I really dug this even thought it probably shouldn't have come as a surprise. It's just simple twee-inspired indie pop with a cute but confident lead singer. Melodies remind me of a toned-down version of Shady Bug without too much of the PUNK and some songs on here are definitely welcoming earworms. I think I prefer their debut a bit more as the production fell a bit flat at parts and it didn't end too memorably, but I'll def return to this.
Highlights: Turning 21, Carnations
90Getatchew Mekurya, The Ex and Guests
Y'Anbessaw Tezeta

JAZZ REC 8/10
91Sleigh Bells
Jessica Rabbit

BITTER REC 6/10
92The Tragically Hip
Man Machine Poem

BITTER REC 7/10
93Yaeji
Yaeji

BITTER REC 8/10
94This Wild Life
Low Tides

BITTER REC 9/10
95battle ave.
Year of Nod

LONELY REC 9/10
96Mad Masks
Mad Masks

NONSENSE REC 9/10
97VRCVS
VRCVS

LONELY REC 10/10
98Dog Faced Hermans
Hum of Life

NONSENSE REC 10/10
99Szun Waves
New Hymn to Freedom

JAZZ REC 9/10
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