Music Reviews

What’s a better way to kick the new year off than with me once again being super lazy and doing one of these instead of fully fleshed out reviews! Well anyways, since quite a lot has came out already and I didn’t really get the chance to review anything yet, I thought we might aswell start with another „Albums I Missed“ installment to kinda just keep up with everything. So here you go, I hope you enjoy!

Kid Cudi – INSANO (pop rap, trap)

Yeah I’m sorry, but this really wasn’t it. This album fails in almost everything it tries to do – the beats are mixed horribly and sometimes straight up don’t even sound good to begin with, Kid Cudi sounds like he’s barely even awake on half of these and when he is it just sound abysmal a lot of the times. On this whole 21 TRACKS LONG album there is legitimately only one song I ever return to and that is „BLUE SKY“ which I actually really don’t recommend checking out because once you do, the rest of the album will sound even that much worse to you – that being said, this one song is pretty alright. But besides that, this was overall just a colossal failure (even though Dj Drama REALLY tries his best to salvage a lot of these songs, emphasis on „tries“) and I honestly expected a lot better from Cudi.

Strong 4/10

Green Day – Saviors (pop punk, alternative rock)

I mean, this is still pretty mediocre for Dookie era Green Day standarts, but compared to their last LP it’s a goddamn masterpiece.

Light 6/10

Kali Uchis – ORQUÍDEAS (latin pop, R&B)

Lush, sensual and just all around great. This was my first full-length Kali Uchis project and I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed. The album deinitely drags on a bit in the middle, but the first three tracks and „Te Mata“ are absolutely stellar and it also ends on a pretty strong note too. Kali’s buzzing personality and really imprressive vocal delivery is what really sold me on this one. Definitely recommend it, especially to people who speak a little bit of spanish because it really enhances the experience I feel like.

Strong 7/10

21 Savage – american dream (trap, southern hip-hop)

„Live on the toilet, I stay on my shit“ is like one of the worst bars I’ve heard in my life but the album is pretty alright besides that. I feel like a lot of the more introspective moments („dark days“ etc.) actually work really well and while there is also just some blatant filler in the mix too, the overall „killer-to-filler“ ratio on this album is not that bad. Pretty alright.

Light 7/10

6ix9ine – BLACKBALLED (trap, gangsta rap)

Reggaeton didn’t work out huh?

Light 1/10

SPRINTS – Leter To Self

This one’s tough, because I like a lot of the ideas on here plus the instrumentals quite a bit but I really can’t stand most of these lyrics if I’m being completely honest. They are just so bland and have no real depth to them to the point where it’s really distracting a lot of the times. Take for example one of my favorite songs on here „Cathedral“ which right off the back has one of the most pummeling and hard-hitting instrumentals out of any song on here – but then the lyrics come and it’s literally just:

„Maybe I’m living, with eyes closed shut. Maybe I’m giving, maybe not enough. Maybe that’s the beauty, maybe that’s the pain. Maybe living’s easy, maybe dying’s the same“

It’s just such a nothing-burger! I don’t know, maybe I’m digging too much into this but this album overall is just alright, I don’t return to it like ever though.

Strong 5/10

SLIFT – ILION (space rock, heavy psych)

It definitely drags on a bit too much, but for what it is, I actually really enjoyed this. Especially like the first 5 tracks, those make for a really solid cohesive experience, but admittedly the latter half of this album isn’t as captivating as those songs are. The closer was a nice touch though and the opening title track „Ilion“ is like one of the best songs of the year I feel like. For a genre I’m not that familiar with, I think this was a really captivating project.

Decent 7/10

glass beach – plastic death (art rock, indie rock)

Wow. This was one hell of a journey. I haven’t listened to the first glass beach in full, but I’ve heard some songs from it before, but this definitely out-does anything I’ve heard from that project. There are just so many amazing tracks – the opener „coelacanth“ with its beautiful piano and guitar passages, „rare animal“ with it’s beautiful passionate vocals and the pure instrumental bliss that is the second half of this track and then of course the ambitious and breath-taking „commatose“ which is just stunning front to back. Honestly besides a few vocal passages I’m not that used to and some forgetable moments, this album is just through and through pretty amazing. Definitely my aoty as of writing this.

Decent 8/10

twikipedia – still-life (indie folk)

This album definitely exists alright. At least I think it does – I don’t really remember anything from it, but it was nice while it was on. Some decent background indie folk that doesn’t really go anywhere but it does what it does and it does it pretty well so I can’t hate on it too much.

Light 6/10

Ok I won’t be beating around the bush as much with this one, this is a much briefer list of just around 15 songs I think were some of the best to come out this year. Oh and all of these are essentially 10/10 songs for me so keep that in mind. With that being said, let’s kick things of with…

15.) Tyler, The Creator – SORRY NOT SORRY

Really good introspective and emotional song from Tyler, one of his best actually. Really recommend the music video for this one too, it helps to contextualize this one even more. Great lush instrumentation and all of Tyler’s different sides and egos showing through, great in concept even better in execution.

14.) Poppy – Spit

It’s kinda nuts how she can come out with one of her middest albums ever and one of her best songs ever both in the same year, this being of course the latter of the two. This is probably one of the most insane female vocalist metal songs I’ve heard in a hot minute, this song is the ultimate musical beat-down and a perfect example of what I’d like more from Poppy in the future. Amazing tune, with really great lyrics too.

13.) Lil Yachty – the BLACK seminole.

Yeah this one is a whole experience, probably my favorite from this album if I had to say. Very multi-layered, super psychedelic and for Lil Yachty the song sounds AMAZING. Enough said about this one, it’s a Lil Yachty song with a guitar solo and a psychedelic final crescendo at the end, what else do you want.

12.) Ludwing Göransson – Can You Hear The Music

I get chills everytime I hear this one, it’s truly special, as is the film. With a runtime in only under two minutes this song manages to completely encapsulate me in this beautiful, mystical and ambitious orchestral sound that just feels larger than life. Definitely worthy of a spot.

11.) slowthai – Yum

This is the album opener for slowthai’s fantastic new album and wow, does it not hold back right from the get go. The industrial abrasive instrumental, demented erotic lyrics and a last minute freakout during a psychiatric session, this song really sets the mood for the rest of the album and by itself perfectly captures Tyron’s state of mind. Insane song.

10.) underscores – Cops and robbers

This song just has no right of being so darn catchy and fun. The pop-punkish instrumental kicks ass, the story is really intresting and very well portrayed and goes with the instrumental really well, everything blends together beautifully and I just can’t get enogh of this one, right from the opening few notes.

9.) Travis Scott – MY EYES

Yeah yeah yeah, say whatever you want about this man and his actions but I’m telling he hasn’t got a song like this in him again for a while. Nevermind the verse that is absolutely fire, nevermind the really beautiful two minute intro… But the moment the switch-up of this song starts to fade in is just something else. The last two minutes alone are easily one of the best experiences with music I had this year. Beautiful tune.

8.) DYL – Gimlé

Speaking of really gorgeous tunes, this one is definitely a one alright. I’ve learned about this song and by extension about this artist through Brad Taste In Music’s stream and I gotta say, this is one of the best finds of 2023 for me. Beautiful and mezmerizing from start to finnish, really recommend checking it out, it’s not a song with a huge crescendo or anything but it doesn’t need to have that. Really spectacular.

7.) Sprain – Man Proposes, God Disposes

This song is like if every trope that I enjoy in music came into one gigantic euphoric experience. It has like 5 different layers to it and all of them are amazing and it goes through all that in only around 7 and a half minutes, really just an insanely impressive song that also happens to be super right up my alley and really catchy too.

6.) Black Country, New Road – Turbines/Pigs

It’s really intresting how this song went from one of my biggest dissapointments to one of my favorite songs of the year – you could say that I finally got it. It also helped that I saw them perform this live and let me tell you live on 3 hours of sleep this song is an entirely different experience. It’s really flawless from front to back and insanely gorgeous too, May Kershaw kills it on the vocals.

5.) Jeff Rosenstock – 3 SUMMERS

The king of modern pop-punk is back with a solid good album without a doubt, but this song just takes the cake for me. In just around 7 minutes this song provides one of the most energetic, heartfelt, cathartic and catchy music experiences of the year for me, the last two minutes of just the same repeated chant over and over of „you can’t help me anymore“ in this really shiny bright pop-punk sound is just top notch.

4.) Liturgy – 93696 (the song)

This whole song was actually released as an EP earlier this year too I think, which just goes to show how much of an absolute insanity this song is. The last 4 minutes are the best in all of metal this year hands down no contest whatsoever. Perfect song for an almost flawless album, I’ll just leave it with that.

3.) Sufjan Stevens – So You Are Tired and Shit Talk

Yeah I know it’s a bit of a cheat to put two songs in one place but here I really couldn’t decide. The atmospheric long-winded outro of Shit Talk could probably put it on here for just that alone, but So You Are Tired is, at least for me, like on of the most just physically down to the bone sad songs I’ve heard in forever. Both are great though and are part of an amazing project that will no doubt go down as one of Sufjan’s best.

2.) Foo Fighters – Rest

Part of their latest project honoring their late drummer Taylor Hawkins and this song was directly written to him… Yeah, it’s a rough listen. And probably the best Foo Fighters songs since Everlong. Just absolutely gutt-wrenching and one of the best tributes Hawkins could have recieved from the band. Love this one to death and R.I.P. Taylor Hawkins, God knows you are very much missed.

1.) Parannoul – Into the Endless Night (Live)

I mean what did you expect… If you’ve read my review of this album or my top 10 albums list, you know this song is for me one of the best things I’ve ever heard at this point. It’s 46 MINUTES LONG. It alone is longer than a lot of the albums I review on here. And it manages to feel like probably half of that. It’s literally the perfect song for me but it is kinda unfair to the other tracks on here due to it’s length… Still, that won’t stop me from putting it here.

So that is my list of my favorite songs of the year – which songs grabbed your ear this year? Let me know in the comments belllow and I’ll see you in the next one :).

So to start things off with this list, I would just like to further specify that these also include EPs and that they are not perhaps the definitive 10 worst albums of this year, but just the 10 worst I HAVE personally heard, because I definitely didn’t listen to even half of some of the awful albums that came out this year. But with that out of the way, let’s kick this list off with…

10. The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein (strong 3/10)

Yeah it really hurts to put this here but there is just no other way – this album is like biting into a piece of cardboard. And that’s coming from a pretty big The National fan honestly – but there is just little to no substance on this. And I also just don’t get how you manage to fumble the bag SO BAD with features like SUFJAN STEVENS and TAYLOR SWIFT. Like seriously, what went wrong here? Because the album they release after this one later this year „Laugh Track“ is actually once again pretty good, so I just don’t get what happened here – either way it’s a disappointing release to say the least.

9. Sleep Token – Take Me Back To Eden (decent 3/10)

I just don’t get this one. Some of the ideas are pretty great honestly, BUT… The blend between metal and pop on this project has to be one of the most awkward and forced things I’ve EVER heard. Like don’t get me wrong, as I already mentioned, some of the metal passages are like seriously great, it’s just that whenever something starts sounding just somewhat decent, the really ear-grading vocals come in or some random out-of-nowhere pop/trap/R&B switch-up comes in and completely butchers anything that could have possibly been going on. This could have been at least okay but no, the majority of ideas on here are just so processed, so sloppy and just soo non-human.

8. NF – HOPE (light 3/10)

Look, there are 1 or 2 songs on this that I quite enjoy – the rest of the album though is either just fast-rapping and at the same time saying nothing braggadocious garbage or some poppy lovey-dovey nothing burgers of songs and together it makes for what I think is so far easily NF’s worst project. I don’t remember a single key from this, nor a single bar, it’s once again just a void of super melo-dramatic synematic avengers type beat production with little-to-no substance in the lyrics department. NF really needs to switch things up at this point, because this one was especially emberrassing.

7. Lewis Capaldi – Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (strong 2/10)

I mean the title just says it all… Pretentious paino ballad garbage songs all about the same thing with the literal worst voice that’s ever hit the mainstream pop music. This album is really competing with the Sleep Token album for which one can make the singer sound more annoying, but at least the Sleep Token had some intresting instrumental moments here and there, this album has NOTHING. Okay well I mean the first song kinds slaps, but after that it’s just a total pain to sit through. I hate this guy’s music with a passion, seriously devoid of any actual emotion.

6. Slipknot – Adderall EP (decent 2/10??) (profanity warning ahead)

I mean what the hell even is this. I’m more putting it here just to make a point… That point being to RETIRE ALREADY. Like holy shit, if you say you’re gonna retire then do it, stop feeding us shit like this. Like what even is this??? There are 6 „tracks“ total, 2 of which are the literal most low-effort garbage interludes ever made and the rest of the songs are just different versions OF THE SAME FUCKING SONG and NONE of them add anything new. This literally has no right to exist, the song upon which is this album based around is mid to begin with but WOW there is just nothing here. Just RETIRE.

5. Lil Pump – Lil Pump 2 (light 2/10)

uhhh.. The first songs is kinda fire? No yeah, this has no right to exist either, I tried to enter the same mindset of stupid fun songs I had with his previous projects and just enjoy myself but I just couldn’t do that here… These songs just absolutely suck so hard, I’m sorry but like this is just pathetic at this point. You’re not reviving your career with this, I’ll tell you that much and as someone who semi-defended some of Lil Pump’s music when it was first huge, yeah this just ain’t it.

4. Roger Waters – The Dark Side of the Moon Redux (strong 1 – light 2/10)

What the hell is this. No seriously, this has to be one of the worst ruinings of an album’s legacy since Green Day dropped „The Father Of All…“. Like WHAT are you doing Roger Waters, you’re ruining your own album! The instrumentals are just slower and worse and less exciting and almost devoid of anything and Roger Waters is just having his schizo rant abour life and stuff and I’m sorry but I’m not gonna listen to that for over an hour – I literally haven’t even heard half of this in full, but from the little snipets I went through yeah, this doesn’t change at all. Wow what a waste of time this was.

3. 30 Seconds To Mars – It’s the End of the World but It’s a Beautiful Day (strong 1)

I’m SO glad to finally be able to put this on here because seriously I can’t stand everything this „band“ is and represents. This new offering from Jared Leto and the gang is probably their worst yet, which after 2018’s „America“ is one hell of an achievment. Besides the opening song being kinda catchy, this album actualy has no redeeming qualities – Jared Leto is so disconnected from reality that he makes music for Walmarts and clothing stores. This is just sad to hear, please just go back to making listenable music or just give up on this project, because next time you release an album like this, I’m honestly just not gonna give you any streams.

2. 6ix9ine – Leyenda Viva (light 1/10)

The only reason this isn’t a 0 is because some of the production sounds okay. That’s lliterally it. This is the worst thing 6ix9ine EVER made and that’s saying a lot. I honestly just don’t wanna give this guy any more attention than he so obviously wants, so let’s just move on to…

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Skrillex – Don’t Get Too Close

Waterparks – Intellectual Property

Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (Drumless Edition)

AJR – The Maybe Man (it’s the best AJR album though!)

anything DA BABY released this year (haven’t even heard anything, just saw some of the bars and heard little snippets… More than enough if I’m being honest)

+ probably more

1. Dream – To Whoever Want To Hear (strong 0 – light 1)

This is the musical embodiment of being chronically on-line and out of touch with the real world. WOOOW this is bad, like you can’t even imagine how uninspired a person’s music can be. There is kinda nothing to write about here, because this is literal wallpaper music. Young Gravy is the best part about this album. YOUNG GRAVY. I sincerely hope Dream either just give music up all together or just starts actually putting something listenable out.

So there you have it, this year I hated myself even more and made this list on top of the best 10 albums. Hope you enjoyed and if you have your own list, or you just have an album you think should have been on here (which I am aware there are many), let me know in the comments bellow!

So, the year is coming to an end, and as per usual, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite music of this year. I’ve gotta say the year started of really strong, but somewhere down the line the quality just sort of became all over the place. Don’t get me wrong, there were some AMAZING records this year (as you’ll see in a minute), but overall, this year has honestly almost been more dissapointing than it was rewarding. Even still, here’s some of my favorite music of this year, so I hope you enjoy.

10.) Paramore – This Is Why (strong 8/10)

I’ve been kinda struggling what to put at this place honestly, as many records have been competing for it, but after a while of thinking it through, it just had to be this one. Yeah, with each listen this record more and more slowly becomes what’s probably my favorite Paramore album. I just can’t get enough of it – every song is like a combination of their whole discography up to this point, the lyrics are really relatable and depressing, the sound super danceable, the guitars so clean and Hayley Williams is just as charming as ever as a vocalist. No yeah, this album is what it’s about, bangers front to back, just a great and versatile rock record, enough said.

9.) Black Country, New Road – Live at Bush Hall (strong 8/10)

I’m honestly just an absolute super fan of this band at this point. This probably barely wouldn’t have made the top 10 if it wasn’t for the fact that I’ve seen them perform this album live this year and it has been one of the most enchanting experiences I’ve had the pleasure of whitnessing this year. After the departure of the former lead vocalist Isaac Wood, I’ve been really worried about the future of this band, but my worries couldn’t have been more pointless, as Tyler Hyde and the gang make up for it masterfully on this project. There are just so many great highlights and melodies on this, I could go on for hours about some of the songs on here, but there are a few duds too. Those are maybe like one or two songs which I find not as memorable as the others, but honestly besides that, this is basically a flawless live album from the band. Can’t wait for they do next honestly and I wish them the best moving forward.

8.) Model/Actriz – Dogsbody (strong 8/10)

Yeah the first half of this album is basically a 10. Some of the songs in the second half start to get a bit repetetive, but this album is still just something to behold. I’ll be completely frank, it took me a while to really get completely adjusted to the lyrics and the way they’re sung, but I’ve really gained a big apprecation for what this project is ultimately about. The themes of sexuality, one find themselves and the struggles of young adulthood are fully on display here with really intense and vivid imagery that can sometimes honestly be a little too much. But when you’re in the mood for it yeah, this album does it all – danceable grooves, drone instrumentation, really out there lyrics and delivery, completely frantic songs, just an absolute ride front to back and I love every second of it.

7.) Slowthai – UGLY (strong 8/10)

So I’ll be the first one to admit that this one shrunk on me just the tiniest bit, especially some of the moments in the second half HOWEVER I still stand by the fact, that this album is Slowthai’s magnum opus (at least so far). The opener and the follow-up song are some of his best yet and a great majority of the songs on here have been in my constant rotation the entire year. The themes of self-loathing, constant intoxication etc. are brough to live with Slowthai’s excentric perfromances throughout this entire project. Besides like one or two so-so songs, this album’s just constant action, all killer no filler. Easy placement on this list for me, love what he did here.

6.) Sampha – Lahai (light 9/10)

I mean wow, what a gorgeous record. From front to back, this record sounds exactly like how the album cover looks – smooth, beautiful, ethereal, peaceful and totally breath-taking. Sampha’s voice is like the cure for the soul, the way this man sings is beyond gorgeous. Then you combine it with the really introspective and thought-provoking lyrical themes and the stunningly beautiful production all throughout this project and you get this album. Honestly if it wasn’t for the second half once again in my opinion being just the tiniest bit weaker than the first, this album probably would’ve ranked even higher, but as it’s still just a literal journey. I can’t recommend this record enough, some other-worldly stuff right here.

5.) Sprain – The Lamb as Effigy (light 9/10)

This album is an enigma. I really don’t understand it all, but I just love the hell out of it. The first song is like the combination of all your favorite Anthony Fantano-isms and from there you have one really dynamic all over the place song, one song that’s basically just an ambient drone with a string outro, than a 24 MINUTE SONG just thrown in after that, than two 10 minute-ish long songs with the word „Nude“ in their title, than a short 4 minute songs, which is the most heavy and abrasive on the album, and than ANOTHER 20 MINUTE SONG. And yet it makes just perfect sense when you listen to it. Granted it DOES require A LOT of patience, like really a lot, but it rewards you immensely for it, an absolutely stellar experimental noise rock record that just keeps on giving everytime i hear it.

4.) JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown – SCARING THE HOES (decent 9/10)

I mean what can I say about this album that hasn’t been said already. If it wasn’t for Danny being just a little bit overshadowed by JPEGMAFIA this easily could just be a 10. Like have you heard the songs on here? It’s just bangers back to back and it doesn’t stop for even a second. It’s kinda unreal how two dudes can just make this, the production is like so good it’s unreal. Really I don’t have much to say about this record because it just speaks for itself, a total ride from front to back, if you haven’t somehow heard this yet just do yourself a favor and go listen because you’re really missing out.

3.) Sufjan Stevens – Javelin (decent-strong 9/10)

This one somehow grew on me even more. Like it’s just such a powerful and moving record. It’s the perfect Sufjan Stevens album too, like you have your piano ballads, you have your weird experimental electronic parts, you have your gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS, string outros, you have your typical guitar-driven songs and all of that delivered into this hauntingly beautifully package that is this album. With the context of everything surrounding this album, this only enhances the already over-whelming emotional impact it has. Yeah this album is really something else and a great return to from for Sufjan, definitely one of his best records which is saying A TON.

2.) Liturgy – 93696 (strong 9/10) (small profanity warning for this one)

Holy. Shit. Like, okay, I kinda wrote this album off as not being as good as Liturgy’s previous one when I first heard it. But like… This is easily one of the best black-metal records I’ve ever heard in my entire life. Unreal volume. The way everything is orchestrated. It feels like something out of some sacred book, like I’m really struggling to explain the grandiosity of this album. It’s just overbearing in every sense of the word. The 4 big 8+ minutes long tracks are all fantastic, all the angel interludes are a really nice change of pace between everything and all of the other shorter songs and little weird interludes only enhance everything. Besides a few like minor gripes with little passages here and there, this thing is just, basically perfect.

Except there is just one album that came out this year that I think is even better than that… Before we get to that one though, I’d like to show you some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the list, but are stilla amazing records that are worth being mentioned here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Lil Yachty – LET’S START HERE

boygenius – the record

yeule – softscars

Jane Remover – Census Designated

underscores – Wallsocket

Swans – The Beggar

Of course those aren’t all the albums I’d like to have on this list (like the new King Krule record, or the 100 Gecs record earlier this year just to add a few), but this will have to do. Now without further ado, and to the surprise of nobody, my number one album of the year is…

1.) Parannoul – After The Night (Live) (10/10)

If you’ve read my review for this album (which I strongly recommend) you already know how I feel about Parannoul. They placed number 3 on my year-end list two years ago and now, two years later, they’ve finally made it. At least that’s how I see it – this album is just perfect for me. And don’t even get me started on the last 40+ minutes long song… That’s easily one of the best musical experiences I’ve ever heard. Yeah I could go on for hours about how comforting the sound of this album is, how perfect are the song choices for the live set, how the last song is the best thing to ever be made, but I think you get the picture. For a live album, this thing is pure magic. Front to back, like when you really let yourself get immersed in this, it makes you feel just so many beautiful things. It feels super nostalgic and powerful, I really think Parannoul achieved something truly special here. I ADORE this thing.

And yeah, that was my 2023 best albums of the year list – let me know what were yours in the comments bellow and I wish you all a happy 2024!

Drake – For All The Dogs (pop rap, alternative R&B)

The middest project that ever midded. Some cool highlights. Some pretty attrocious lows. Most of the songs just sort of exist. That being said the first half REALLY out-shines the other though, like the drop-off oo this already so-so album is insane around the 12th song. Drake should honestly either just retire at this point or really take some time to make an album that’s actually worth everyone’s time.

Light 5/10

Danny Brown – QUARANTA (conscious hip-hop)

Now this is more like it! Yeah this album goes – even though it maybe isn’t as ground-breaking as Atrocity or XXX, it shows great maturity and Danny coming to terms with him being already 40. The production is really lucious and well-mixed and much more tame (with some exceptions such as „Jenn’s Terrific Vacation“). It’s far from my favorite Danny release, but it’s definitely one of the more important ones in his catalogue. Great album.

Light 8/10

Sampha – Lahai (Neo-Soul, alternative R&B)

This man’s voice could fix all the world’s problems.

Light 9/10

AJR – The Maybe Man (alt-pop, indie pop)

I mean… It’s better than their previous releases. The lyrics are still the main problem really, aswell as some of the production choices that really drag this thing down. The awkward pointless profanity, the trash clap beats, the random instrumental freak-outs at the end of the songs for no other reasons other than subverting your expectations. It’s still got your typical AJR-isms, but there are some improvements. The production overall is much more tolerable and at points even pretty enjoyable, some tracks (like 2 or 3 really, ESPECIALLY „The Dumb Song“) are actually pretty cool and the attitude feels a little bit less disconnected. Honestly? It ain’t the worst thing in the world.

Strong 3/10

Poppy – Zig (post-industrial, electronic)

What happened here? Like I LOVED her LP „I Disagree“, which was a really tasteful combination of metal and pop and the follow-up to that „Flux“ wasn’t that bad either, but this is just… Like I don’t know, there isn’t much here. The sound is much more electronical and industrial, which isn’t a bad thing by itself, but the sound just isn’t done in a way that’s intresting. There are almost zero stand-out tracks, it all sounds the same and the lows are actually kinda low, at least for Poppy standarts. Also the more heavier moments are honestly kinda the roughest (case in point the title track). I don’t know, it isn’t horrible but just really dissapointing in my eyes. Don’t see myself returning to this honestly.

Strong 4/10

Wilbur Soot – Mammalian Sighing Reflex (singer-songwriter, indie folk)

I find this type of intimate sound really endearing + I honestly really enjoy Wilbur as a lyricist, so I was kinda destined to at least like this. The electronics are sometimes a bit awkaward though and I overall think that this is a slight step-down from WIlbur’s last project even though I appriciate the slight experimentation of this album and some of the autotune uses are really tasteful too.

Light 7/10

underscores – Wallsocket (indietronica, electro-pop, pop-punk elements)

Yeah, it slaps. The slower moments are really heartfelt and the bagners, well they bang. Really solid throughout. First two songs on this album are probably some of the, if not THE, best two songs that go after each other on any album released this year.

Light 8/10

Jane Remover – Census Designated (shoegaze, post-rock)

I mean, it takes a lot of listens to fully grasp and a lot of patience to fully appreciate, but I feel like the imagery of this album is overall really strong. And even though I’m not in love with every bit of everything that’s always going on I feel like the highlights are really high, enough for me to consider it worth sitting through. Very rewarding, very ambitious, a bit long-winded, but overall really well crafted. It’s a slow-burner, but it’s one that at the end of the day burns really bright.

Decent 8/10

Earthbong – Church Of Bong (doom metal, stoner metal)

This took me completely somewhere else. I’m not always in the mood for this album, but when you give it the patience it needs it’s actually a really transcending doom metal experience, especially the first song „Bong Aeterna“. It’s still got its issues, it honestly drags out a little too long, but I can look past that as the overall experience is just really solid.

Strong 7/10

So I know this review has been long overdue, but I really wanted to let this album sink in before I give my final thoughts about it, because I think this is one of Sufjan’s best works to date which is saying A LOT. There is a lot of really tragic context surrounding the release of this album, such as Sufjan’s partner Evans Richardson dying and his diagnosis of the Guillain-Barré syndrome, all of which does contribute to the tragic vibe of this whole album HOWEVER even if those events haven’t occured this album is still a monumental tragic yet beautiful display of decades worth of musical experience. The musical soundscapes of this album are truly something to behold, there isn’t a single song on here that isn’t masterfully crafted to the tiniest of little details.

The whole album opens up with the multi-layered enchanting „Goodbye Evergreen“, which starts of with this lush piano ballad intro, that introduces the listener to the headspace Sufjan is currently in before it all crashes into this heavily industrial colorful and bright explosion of sounds, synths and drums, which all collide together to create the perfect opening crescendo. It then transforms into this jungle-esk beat created from the same sounds as before, that sounds just so good. It also lead smoothly into the next song „A Running Start“ which is more of what we’re used to from Stevens, it being a pretty simple guitar plucky ballad with some touching lyrics and beautiful production all around. What really seperates this album from his other projects thus far though has to be the group vocals/chants present throughout multiple of the songs on this album, this one included. They really bring new life to the all around pretty sad yet hopeful atmosphere of the whole album. Lyrically this song is focused more on the start of the relationship with his now late partner and how all of this newly found love is making him feel. It’s a beautiful ballad with a straight up gorgeous orchestral outro that I just wish was a little more dragged out. Amazing song all around. Next is the song „Will Anybody Ever Love Me?“ which is just all around absolutely breath-taking. It’s once again mostly a guitar ballad but this with some just insanely lush orchestral elements and sharp, kinda even experimental, drums that make it feel much more urgent and grand. The chorus is also one of the most solid on the whole album, I get this one stuck in my head quite a bit. And just the way the violins hit the first time they come in makes me ascend every time, it’s just so well crafted, so far this is easily my favorite. The lyrics are pretty obvious from the name of the song, but the song really makes you feel the urgency and fear behind this question, it honestly resonates with me quite a bit. Just a totally gorgeous track. After that comes the song „Everything That Rises“ which weirdly enough was the first song I hearted on my first listen and now I think it’s still pretty great, but just a tiny bit less great than the first three songs are. That still doesn’t mean it still isn’t amazing, this is just taking it relatively to the rest of this album – the main repeated chorus is stunningly beautiful and just something about the way the guitar is played on this one really hits the spot for me. The vocals are also some of the best here I feel like as are the little electronic effects, which are actually quite detailed and creative, they mash with the very natural instrumentation surprisingly well. My biggest gripe with this song would probably be just that I think it could have been a little bit shorter, but that’s really just a nitpick. Now even though still great, the next song „Genuflecting Ghost“ is probably my least favorite on the album. I really like the plucky guitar on here and this one ESPECIALLY has some Carrie & Lowell vibes which is also one of my favorite Sufjan projects, so I still have a soft spot for it, but relatively speaking, this song doesn’t have THAT much going for it as the others. I really like the group vocals and some of the melodies here, I think the song is really well made from a technical standpoint, but it took me a lot of listens to fully appriciate this one and usually I tend to skip it. The electronic part at the end isn’t as tastefully incorporated as in the other songs, though it still sounds nice obviously. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, just not as exciting. Things do pick up big time though in the form of the next song „My Red Little Fox“ which is just… Yeah, this one was an instant heart for me. I just love the almost christmasy sound palate, the comfy cold feel of it, the really beautiful chorus and just the all-around sentiment of it, it truly hits differently this one. The electronics are also much more natural and seemless in this one and they have their own little segment towards the end where they shine the most. Just another great yet really painful song and oh boy it only gets worse from here, because the next song is „So You Are Tired“ and this one is somehow even more brutal. This is essentially the other person being tired of their relationship and them both coping with it while also trying to salvage it all. It opens up with a really somber piano and Sufjan just doing his thing over it until it gets to this just purely eargasmic part with the group vocals that are EASILY my favorite of the whole album, the melodies on this song are unreal like actually. This song is like the very definition of gorgeous and I know I’ve use that word quite a bit in this review but just LISTEN to it, like how does he even do it. Spectacular song, words truly aren’t enough to convey how much I enjoy this track front to back. And if that wasn’t enough, then you have the last 3 songs that together form essenitally the one final closing track. First of those songs is the title track interlude „Javelin (To Have And To Hold)“ which is really beautiful just on its own, but combined with the other two is unreal. It connects the previous song to the longest song on the entire album, that being „Shit Talk“ where Sufjan and his partner finally resorve their conflict with the main takeaway lyrics here being „I don’t wanna fight at all, I will always love you“ which is just such an emotional gutpunch. The song is almost 9 minutes long yet it doesn’t feel like that in the slightest, even thought like a good third of the song takes up this ambient instrumental outro that, purely musically speaking, might just be the best sounding thing on the entire album. It really feels like the absolute calm after the storm. The one truly final song after that is the song „There’s A World“ which is essentially THE final goodbye to his partner after their death. It wraps up everything elegantly and serves as in my opinion the perfect closer. It’s short but sweet, it doesn’t need to be more than that.

So this was quite the emotional rollercoaster… I am serious when I say this is easily one of my favorite projects of the entire year and I was considering giving it like a 7 on my first listen! This album definitely takes a bit of time and a few listens to be fully digested but please just give it that, because it will reward you handsomely for doing so.

-favorite songs: Goodbye Evergreen, A Running Start, Will Anybody Ever Love Me?, Everything That Rises, My Red Little Fox, So You Are Tired, Javelin (To Have And To Hold), Shit Talk, There’s A World

-least favorite songs: Genuflecting Ghost

decent 9/10

So last night I went to see one of my favorite bands to come out of the last few years, which is none other than Black Country, New Road. My history with the band has been overwhelmingly positive – I first stumbled upon their breakout LP „For the first time“ right when it came out and was hooked immediately. The building instrumentals, the dark riffs, huge crescendos, beautiful harmonies, powerful vocals and lyrical themes, everything I just love about music in general, this band had. I was even considering giving that album a perfect score innitially but decided not to, as I thought the band had even more room to grow – and I was definitely right. With their second LP „Ants From Up There“ they only built upon everything I already mentioned – the riffs were more moving, the crescendos larger and more rewarding, the suspense was on point, everything just clicked with this album. To this day it remains as one of my favorite albums of all time honestly and I was only looking forward to what they would bring to the table down the line.

And than tragedy struck… The lead singer of the band Isaac Wood announced his departure from the band. I was honestly kinda devasted by this – Isaac’s vocals were a huge part of what made BC, NR click for me in the first place. I even thought the band was splitting up because of this… But no, instead they released one of the best live albums of this year. With „Live at Bush Hall“ the band finally proved to everyone that yes, they will indeed continue making music and really amazing music at that. The band didn’t loose their charm here at all, on the contrary it feels like a complete reinvention of their sound and a natural progression for the band. Tyrel Hyde mostly, but also May Kershaw and Lewis Evans take the positions of the main singer, each on different songs and all of them work exceptionally well with their sound, it’s almost a miracle. Now with all of that out of the way, let’s get to the actual concert.

Before the concert started, they were mostly playing minecraft music, which I found to be really funny but also a really nice touch since minecraft music is amazing. Than there was the artist that was opening for the band which I forgot the name of, but they were playing a harp and singing absolutely beautifully, like the range of their vocals was from another planet, definitely recomment searching her up (I couldn’t find the name anywhere though, so it may take some digging). Than after a few random songs from the playback (including Charles Mingus of all people) the band finally showed up in the most goofy way possible, running on stage in pairs of two I think and starting to play along to some song they put on previously, it was really silly but ultimately really effective.

Now for the actual show itself – all of the songs, with two exceptions of songs I don’t have yet seen the light of day yet, were off of the new live album and not any from their frist two LPs, which was to be expected since Isaac’s departure, but it still kinda hurt a little bit that they didn’t play any of them. Still though, the songs themselves were in one word amazing – whoever did the sound engineering for the show deserves a raise, because everything just sounded so clean and smooth, it was all around a really pleasant experience just from a technical standpoint. They mostly followed the chronological structure of the live album, with the highlight for me definitely being the opener „Up Song“ – I mean when Lewis started hitting those sax notes it was already over, the crowd just exploded when the rest of the instruments kicked in, it was a really powerful opener. „The Boy“ was actually one of my biggest highlights too, the performance was so good that the song itself actually grew on me quite substantially and now it’s like one of my favorites of the whole album.

I would also like to take a moment to appriciate the constant reminders from Tyler Hyde to stay hydrated during the show, since it was REALLY hot in there. The „you’re more important than anything that’s happening on the stage right now“ was probably my favorite non-musical moment from the whole show. Also the way the members interacted with each other throughout the songs was really nice to see – it just felt like they were having a lot of fun and were all working together as one.

Another highlight for me was also the two songs „Turbines/Pigs“ (which almost made me cry if I’m being completely honest) and „Dancers“, the latter of the two being a really amazing and special moment with basically everyone in the audience singing the main hook of the song with the band, it was really moving. The show concluded with the „Up Song (Reprise)“ and just like that it was over. As the band was leaving they played the Scatman song (outdoing the goofiness of their enterance) and scrambled out of there, which I thought was honestly hilarious. But yeah, the only song off of the live album I think they didn’t play was „The Wrong Trousers“ which is honestly my least favorite on the album, so I didn’t mind it as much. I would also like to give a special shoutout to Charlie Wayne who absolutely killed it on the drums, especially on „Turbines/Pigs“ where he went just completely sicko mode on them, it was really insane. Also that one song that hasn’t officially come out yet that they played was honestly like one of my favorites of the whole show, makes me really excited for when it finally comes out, the sax on that one was like catchy on a whole nother level and the way the drums synced with everything at one point made the whole crowd start just like bouncing up and down, it was just so good.

Anyways yeah, that was my BC, NR concert experience – I forgot to mention that besides like 3 or 4 really drunk a-holes who just wouldn’t shut up at times the crowd was really respectful and super energetic, it felt like everyone was having the time of their lives. If I had to say then this was probably the best concert I ever went to just period. Really recommend seeing these guys if you can still catch them somewhere, an absolutely brilliant experience.

It only took 4 years but here we are.

The Cornflakes is a band for which I have a special place in my heart – they were the first concert I ever attended after all (not counting the one concert I went on with my parents when I was like 6 or 7). Now it’s been about 4 years since the band’s last body of work with their breakout LP „Pomoc!“ which had some obvious mixing issues and was all around really rough around the edges, but it still showed great promise for the band, especially with tracks such as „Kazatel“ or „Neznámý Hrdina“. The rough unfiltered sound with the raw vocals, heartfelt lyrics and hard-hitting breakdowns of those tracks and many more was a formula that The Cornflakes adapted here and only went on to perfect more further down the line.

Which brings us to day – after 4 years and a few singles the band finally came out with their brand new 4-track EP „Zpověď“ – so how does this one hold up? Well right off the back I’ll at least say one thing – the 4 year wait was definitely worth it at least in the mixing department. These songs sound crisp and sharp as a rock (whatever that means – point is they sounds miles better than the ones on the band’s previous project). Now this project isn’t necessarily anything all that new to the people that have been keeping up with the band’s work since all the songs from here have already been released as singles in the last few years. They do however make up for somewhat of a cohesive experience for such a short project.

Let’s start with the opener and also the title track „Zpověď“ which opens up with this triumphant riff that immediately grabs your ear. After that the rest of the instrumentation comes crashing in and it makes for one heck of an opening act. The drums are super sharp and mix really well with the riff. The chorus is also really memorable even though it’s not my favorite off the EP (don’T worry, we’ll get there). Overall it makes for a really solid opening track even though I’m not crazy about some of the verses, but the song does pick up the tempo quite a bit towards the end which kinda balances that out for me.

The follow-up track „Milióny“ is one I really enjoyed already when it released as a single. I gotta say the part that always completely sells me on this song is the key-synth bridge leading into the chorus, that has to be like one of the most experimental moments in the band’s catalogue so far and the risk payed off big time. It sounds amazing especially when paired with the guitars and the spoken word fits the mood also quite well. Also the chorus bangs quite a lot if I do say so myself. I like this one even better than the first song, an instant classic for the band right here.

Speaking of more experimental songs… The second to last song „To Jsi Ty“ has the most gorgeous intro I’ve heard not just in the band’s discography but kinda like overall just in a while? The song’s sentiment is infectious from the moments the singing kicks in. If it wasn’t for the last song on this album, this one would easily be my favorite, even though it is kinda tied for me. I have little gripes with this one, my biggest issue is that even though the eventual heavy part of the song sounds really good on a technical level, I really think the song would have benefited from being only the softer part just by itself – I like the song regardless though, definitely another big highlight.

And look, even though the closer „Bellum Iustum“ is the oldest of the songs here, so the mix is kinda rougher than the other song on here, I still think I enjoy it about the most, mostly for nostalgia reasons, but also because the song is just an absolute unhinged banger from front to back. The singing is the rawest, the breakdown is the nastiest, overall just the perfect mosh-pit song. The mixing does still stand out on this one though, so I can’t just turn a blind eye to that. Still a banger, as good as I remember it being.

So, overall what do I think of this one? If I had to call it one thing I’d call it an improvement – it’s clear that this album is just on a whole nother level quality wise compared to the last. There are still many issues I have with it, don’t get me wrong, but for what it is, I think The Cornflakes just made a really solid EP that hopefully is a sign of what’s to come (meaning hopefully an LP, pleasibegyouguysiwroteyouareviewcomeon).

-favorite tracks: Milióny, To Jsi Ty, Bellum Iustum

-least favorite tracks: Zpověď (if I had to pick)

Light 7/10

They still got it.

After the absolute disaster that was The National’s last album released earlier this year „First Two Pages of Frankenstein“ (which I gave something like a 3/10) they decidede to release an actual competent piece of music with „Laugh Track“, what seems to be that album’s sister album of sorts. Sorry for the rough start but you have to understand I hold a lot of enjoyment for this band and I’m really dissapointed when they release stuff that’s obviously not half as good as they are capable of releasing. Anyways let’s get into „Laugh Track“.

The album opens up with the really pretty „Alphabet City“ which I originally didn’t care for all that much as a single, but it really grew on me as time passed. It’s actually a really great opener for this album, it sets the mood perfectly and captures that iconic The National feel perfectly. Really reminds me of something off of „Sleep Well Beast“. The opening guitar lick sounds like something straight out of the Life Is Strange OST and the orchestral elements in the latter half are great too. All around an absolute joy to listen to. Speaking off, the same can be said about the next song „Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces)“ – this one has some really smooth guitar riffs and sharp drumming, it’s really airy and sentimental, just all around everything a The National song should be. I especially enjoy the subtle guitar licks in the background here + the lyrics in the chorus really hit home for me lately. Yeah, this one’s a banger too, this album is two for two so far. Next is the song „Weird Goodbyes“ with none other than Bon Iver and this one admittedly is a bit too poppy for my taste, with the really simple beat and piano chords without much to make it unique, but Justin Vernon’s and Matt Berninger’s voice chemistry here is kinda unmatched. Plus the little bits and pieces of instrumentations slowly being added to make it more colorful here and there make it a little more fresh throughout. The tune is definitely there, it’s still a really good one. „Turn off the House“ is actually another one of my favorites, this one once again hits you with that acoustic Life is Strange feel right off the back but with arguably even more energy behind it than in „Alphabet City“. The different blends of instrumentation are absolutely seemless and the singing is kinda on point like a lot. I don’t know, this one just works for a variety of reasons, it feels really colorful and really complete, I especially enjoy the guitar work on here and also the way the part after the „turn off the house“ hook part is sung just hits differently. Yeah like up to this point it’s kinda hard to believe that these songs are off of the same the same sessions as the songs on the previous album were. Next is „Dreaming“ and this one has some REALLY nice but subtle synth work scattered throughout. The electronics here aren’t obnoxious at all, they add to the song a lot. Plus the lyrics once again I really enjoy here especially. Not much else to be said about the song though, I just really like it. After that comes the title track „Laugh Track“ with Phoebe Bridgers and as on the previous album, the Pheobe Bridgers track isn’t as great as I expected it to be. It’s kinda anthemic in a sense and the guitar work is once again just really excellent and well-placed, but the song could use a little extra like… Something. Not even the horns that are brough in towards the end add all that much – it’s still a good song, like it’s really pleasant when it’s on and kinda memorable and by the end of it the instrumentation reaches a beautiful mix, but it takes a hot while to get there and the song can otherwise be a bit boring. Good song though. Next song however, is this album at it’s peak – „Space Invader“ is the longest song on here a almost 7 minutes long and it absolutely makes that time worth sitting through. The base song is kinda simple but really catchy immidiately, once again feeling like iconic The National. However after like the second or third chorus the song turn into pure instrumental bliss as it slowly build with really chaotic drums, bright synths and really pretty guitar work, just an absolute climax. It’s genuinely one of the best The National moments period. Insane song. After that comes the much-needed slower ballad in the form of „Hornets“. This song is like the definition of a slow-burner. It’s really simple and kinda average but that doesn’t mean the instrumentation and performances still aren’t pretty great. Plus the horn(et)s (see what I did there) make a little comeback towards the very end of the song, which was a nice cherry on top, even though a bit short-lived one. Not bad but nothing all that great either, it’s alright. „Coat on a Hook“ has a really nice beat, the drums are super smooth and the plucky guitar melodies are pretty sweet too, it’s just that by this point in the album this sound gets a bit repetetive and this song doesn’t do much to stand out. It’s fine while it’s on but it probably could have easily been cut. As could probably the next song „Tour Manager“ – again, it’s fine while it’s on but compared to the earlier leg of this album it’s kinda impressive hoe forgetable it is. It’s fine. The second to last song „Crumble“ with Rosanne Cash and I’ll definitely say that the chemistry is there as is the tune, like especially after the last few so-so tracks. The guitars are much more lively here and overall the song just has more life to it. The solo at the end is really cool too, the song itself probably overall could have been a bit shorter though I’ll say that much. Still a banger. The closing track „Smoke Detector“ is another really really great one, the guitar riff is really catchy and instantly memorable, the singing feels very unique, like the singing range is probably the widest I’ve heard on any The National song up to this point. It’s just overall great. Apart from „Space Invader“ this is probably the most ambitious and complete song on the whole album, an absolute opus of this project. Wraps up the entire project masterfully and solidifies it as a true comeback for the band, at least in my eyes. Amazing closer.

And there you have it – honestly this project could have been not good but GREAT. There are so many amazing highlights, it’s just a real shame that a lot of the tracks here feel like they’re there just to fill up space. But besides that I mean what a comeback – I had very little hopes for the future of this band after the last LP but this is just great. Hope they continue on this path because I feel like a with a little more ambition and polish we could be looking at something really spectacular here.

-favorite songs: Alphabet City, Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces), Weird Goodbyes, Turn off the House, Dreaming, parts of Laugh Track, Space Invader, parts of Hornets, Crumble, Smoke Detector

-least favorite songs: Coat on a Hook, Tour Manager

decent 7/10

So I’ll admit I had no idea who this artist were when they popped up on the front page of album of the year, but the album intriguied me for many reasons, the album cover looks fire, the genres such as glitch-pop and shoegaze which this album falls into are some of my favorites and well, it seemed to get a lot of tracktion from the community, so I decided to check it out for myself. And am I glad I did so.

The album combines all these aforementioned genres almost flawlessly and very tastefully. Glitched is probably the best word to describe it. It feel weirdly distopian in like the best way possible. Very industrial yet super sweet and alive. The production is very hazy and shoegazy but also really bright and abrasive at points. It’s almost like the „Loveless“ of this time, almost.

So to start things off, the album opens up with the song „x w x“ a really agressive opener compared to the rest of the album. A lot of rock elements on this one, such as the really tasteful hard-hitting drums, the heavy guitars, the really intense screaming and honestly the orchestral elements too, the song really has it all. It’s very short and straight-to-the-point and pull the listener in instantly. The synths are also a highlight here, overall a great opener. Next is the much more restrained but shoegazy and sweet „sulky baby“ – this song is almost like a complete opposite to the last one in terms of tone even though the musical pallate remains the same, it’s really impressive. And it doesn’t feel forced either, it genuinely feels like the perfect follow-up. As for the song itself I think it is actually an improvement over the last one – the shoegazy synths and guitars scratch the brain just right, it’s almost euphoric. And the singing complete matches the vibe as it did on the last song – just a total banger front to back, one of the many highlights of this album for me. Next up is the title track „softscars“ which follows in the footsteps of the last song – it’s a little slower than the opener with a heavy emotional punch and some really beautiful background guitars and synths. The synths especially on here are an absolute joy to listen to, they feel really comforting. This song could have been longer honestly, another great one for sure. Next is the song „4ui12“ and this one has some HEAVY My Bloody Valentine aesthethics, the lyrics are also really vivid on this one too. I also like the glitchy hook or chorus or whatever you wanna call it, that essentially repeats the song’s name, it feels really bittersweet for some reason. The random crying and weeping noises towards the end of the song in the background also help make it feel more complete another really moving touch to this one, it’s a shame it ends so quickly, it kinda goes nowhere to be honest. After that is the song „ghosts“ and this one features some acoustic guitars, some simple synths and some really nice sheogazy guitars in the background. It’s a little too uneventful for my liking compared to the rest of the album so far but still really great nonetheless. The next song „dazies“ however is an all-out shoegaze banger. The way the song switches towards the end is really nice too, keeps the song feeling fresh throughout it’s runtime. The guitar lick is really memorable and the vibes are enormous – another great highlight here. „fish in the pool“ isn’t all that intresting, it features some really beautiful piano passages and heartfelt vocals – if nothing else it’s a nice change of pace from all the overwhelming shoegaze aesthethics and walls of sound, so I can give it that at least. Speaking of, the next song is „software update“ and it hits you with exactly one of those walls like right as the last song ends. After that the rest of the song is surprisingly mild though, it’s actually one of the slowest song on here – the vibes are still definitely there though, even though I wish maybe a bit more happened in the song. It transitions really nicely into „inferno“ though, which starts with this gorgeous orchestral piece that moves throughout the song – this is the first song in a while that once again has a more steady beat and a sort of heartbeat to it and I really like it for that. The synths are fun and match the aesthethic perfectly. The „drop“ of the instrumentation is a little reminicent of Crystal Castles as are the lyrics here, they are especially dark and twisted here. Really good song in my opinion, just once again a little too short. „bloodbunny“ has some nice synth manipulation and I like how much it does with fairly little, but I really think there could have been more done with this song especially. I like the melody a lot though, so I can’t complain too much. The second to last song „cyber meat“ is a really good one in my opinion, the more rock-centric instrumentals bring some much-needed life to the album by this point, the synths are also some of the catchiest on the album and overall the song just hits all the right notes for me. Finally the closer „aphex twin flame“ is another acoustic piece with some really gut-wrenching lyrics. Makes the lyrical theme of traumas feel really complete by the end of it. It ends in a bit of a freakout that isn’t anything world-shattering but serves as an effective final crescendo before the song come back down to it’s acoustic start. Nice way to end it off.

So honestly what I think this album’s biggest flaw is that it from the first song presents itself as I guess more agressive than it actually is – not saying that a slower album is a bad thing, just saying that from the insanity that is the opener I expected the album to follow in those footsteps. Also the first few tracks really outshine the rest of the album in my opinion. The album is still great though with many memorable highlights that I’ll be bumping for days to come – I’m really glad I gave it a shot.

-favorite tracks: x w x, sulky baby, softscars, 4ui12, ghosts, dazies, inferno, parts of bloodbunny and software update, cyber meat, aphex twin flame

-least favorite tracks: fish in the pool

Decent 8/10