Album Rating: 4.5

Bathers album was great. You do appear to listen to a LOT of music. I maybe cover around 100 albums a year tops. How would you say last year was in terms of great albums compared to previous years? 2022 was the strongest in ages for me. 2023 the weakest.

Album Rating: 4.0

I liked 2023 a lot but I did focus on new releases a bit more than usual - I do think there was a Covid blip between 2020 and 2022 where not quite as many releases were coming out and I feel 2023 was the first year that was clearly no longer an issue at all.



The top lines for each year in my AOTY charts tend to tell the story, 2023 currently has nine albums 90% or over and that was the best for a long long while, that is 1990’s level of high ratings (2022 had seven which was also strong, but you look at 2020 and there are only two and then not too much stuff in high 80 scores either).



https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doofy/ratings/highest/?y=2023

Album Rating: 3.5

My early listen feelings are similar too Doof’s so far - a few amazing highlights, great vibe throughout, but maybe doesn’t have that “oomph” factor quite consistently enough. Still, a very good start to 2024!

Album Rating: 3.5

My eyes kept getting drawn to the artwork, but once I clicked on it and saw it was also a Sunny 4.2 with high ratings from other users whose tastes I respect, it became a done deal. I'll listen to this on my way home from work today.

How do you pronounce this album title

Same question applies for half of the trending albums on this site actually

Album Rating: 3.5

ee-ehsheed da

‘How do you pronounce this album title’


Yeck-e-da

Welsh as fuck. They do say it a fair bit.

Album Rating: 4.0

ok, so it means 'cheers'

Album Rating: 3.5

Ok so this is very much my kind of thing

Album Rating: 4.0

First longer blurb review of 2024, no point fleshing it out as we already have a great review here!



“A walking (slumbering?) contradiction of an album in that it at once feels very intimate and domestic but also there’s a grandiosity, as well as a call to engage collectively with all that sadness, all the depression. So despite starting off at the level of a Velvet Underground whisper on ‘I Know That It’s Like This (Baby)’ by the mid album interlude ‘…And the Sea…’ Ryder-Jones is channelling ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.

While taken alone elements like the vocals, the lyrics, and indeed even the writing, aren’t consistently out of this world, somehow everything still knits together perfectly. At times this sound hints at a chamber pop Spiritualized, at others a more grounded ‘Deserter’s Songs’, perhaps mixed with some of the conversational hangdog wisdom of the recent Michael Head album.



The song writing peaks on three or four songs, particularly the moment of clarity epiphany that is ‘This Can’t Go On’ and the curtain closing weepy ‘Thankfully for Anthony’, while elsewhere the material mostly serves the themes and atmosphere of the album while not standing out too much melodically (even despite employing child choirs on a number of tracks).



The album title invites us to take stock, say cheers and celebrate our good health - despite everything. So let’s do that 🍻”





https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/doofy/album/751023-iechyd-da/

Oh that second track is really nice. This is really not something I usually listen to so it will need some more time than just one listen.

Album Rating: 3.5

First impression was quite pleasant

Album Rating: 4.5

Nice mini review to go with the main one. I agree about This Can't Go On and Thankfully For Anthony being the standouts, but I'd add Nothing To Be Done and It's Today Again to the top tier. And a few others not far behind.

This sort of music needs some kind of edge to get me in, and I STILL can't work out what it is that has captured me...

Album Rating: 4.0

Thanks mj, yeah there's about four songs that stand out for me - definitely It's Today Again can be added to those two, plus maybe the sombre 'A Bad Wind' that kind of kicks the album off proper for me, the opener is a funny one that I do like but is a very lowkey start

Album Rating: 4.5

The opener has a little melody part way through that reminds me of the song in the closing scene of Breaking Bad - Baby Blue.

Album Rating: 3.0

Genuinely cannot stand the monotonous singing on this album. It worked pretty well in the opening track but on track 6 rn and slowly dying of boredom

Album Rating: 4.5

Vocals can be a very personal thing; if you can't stand the sound of the vocalist there's no hope... I have never been able to appreciate a Radiohead or The National album because the vocals jar me so much.

Absolutely fucking love this.

Grounded
Real
Genuine

It goes a long way.

Album Rating: 4.5

Same. Still in the glow so going to do the track rating thing...

5.0 This Can't Go On

4.5 Nothing To Be Done, It's Today Again, Thankfully For Anthony, I Know That It's Like This, If Tomorrow Starts...

4.0 I Hold Something In My Hand, A Bad Wind..., How Beautiful I Am, And The Sea

3.5 Christinha, We Don't Need Them

3.0 Nos Da