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User
Reviews 35
Approval 95%
Soundoffs 96
News Articles 8
Band Edits + Tags 80
Album Edits 200
Album Ratings 6
Last Active 09-14-19 2:57 pm
Joined 10-07-13
Review Comments 4,418
| Music For You 5 (+ 1-4 Mega Pack)
Lots and lots of music to be found, plus previous editions with revamped descriptions cuz these need to be checked out. | | 1 |  | Edward Scissortongue
Better.Luck.Next.Life
[Rap] UK rapper focusing on dark/sad hip hop. Production is uneasy, with an emphasis on glitched out synths and offkilter keys and music box elements giving a general, and effective, tone of wavering sanity. Scissortoungue's lyrics and wordplay check into a familiar zone of personal struggle with the mind, but his authoritative flow and tinge of vague sadness in refrains strengthens it. Overall the album is a great, and morbid, record worth a listen.
Spin: Please Say Something, Spastic Max, Garotte, Coma | | 2 |  | Headless Heroes
The Silence Of Love
[Folk] Alela Diane's heavenly vocal work is the highlight of this little project, but at the same time the backing instrumental wrk of Eddie Bezalel gives the album a sense of throwback to atmospheric folk projects of the 60s and 70s in the vein of an artist like Vashti Bunyan and Joni Mitchell. Sweet little record with heart and solid songwriting, so its well worth the listen.
Spin: True Love Will find You, He Before, Blues Run the Game, Hey Who Really Cares? | | 3 |  | OneRepublic
Oh My My
[Pop] OneRepublic's latest is an odd one. Its nowhere near the same sound of their warm, autumn flavored synth pop on their previous album, nor is it as deep into generic as a song like Kids suggested. This record is a surprisingly solid record that despite the 1 hour run time, carries a very solid sense of flow and cohesion beyond being a collection of potential billboard hits. Electronic elements are more lowkey as emphasis on keys and guitar work is more apparent, and the features with Cassius, Peter Gabriel, and Saintgold are absolutely killer. While shy of shining moments, which probably explains its poor performance compared to Nature, as a single piece its a more than competent pop record.
Spin: Future Looks Good, Choke, A.I. Lift Me Up, Wherever I Go, All These Things | | 4 |  | Mr. Oizo
All Wet
[Electro House It's Mr. Oizo going absolutely crazy over a synthesizer and whatever samples he's conjured from the pits of hell. Flat beats, fidgety synth work, head scratching "anti" dance songs, and odd features that work (except the feature with Peaches please stop performing) surprisingly well. All in all, its a solid record from Oizo. Nothing more, nothing less.
Spin: Ruhe, End of the World, All Wet, Hand in the Fire, Low Ink | | 5 |  | Moa Pillar
The Moon and Thunder Dance
[Wonky] The draw to Moon and Thunder is easily Moa Pillar's synthwork. His composition with this record is tightly packed between vocal samples and multiple layers of synths that are either going crazy on the high end or adding some lowkey atmosphere. Vocal and unorthodox instrument samples give the EP some extra personality.
Spin: Water Lily, Haema, Lake Mystery | | 6 |  | The Posies
Frosting On The Beater
[Pop Rock] One of the lesser appreciated pop rock band of the 90s. Listening to Frosting on the Beater sounds like... well, eating frosting off the beater. Street and satisfactory all the way through, until your tongue can no longer reach the reserves of goodies hidden on the on to reach corners of the beater. The Posies have an absolutely outstanding grip on songwriting and push some of the most infectiously catchy melodies and vocal performances of any other band in its genre. This band's talent simply cannot be understated.
Spin: Dream All Day, Solar Sister, Burn & Shine, When Mute Tongues Can't Speak, Lights, | | 7 |  | Pastel Ghost
Abyss
[Synthpop] Dark, chill synthpop record with a slight gothic edge in atmosphere. Vocals move in and out of being high and low in the mix, with the low mixing blending in heavenly with the keys, chip elements, and electropop arrangements as another sublime tone for the tracks. Emphasis on capturing different tones than making the music more varied on a track by track basis, so that may be a deal breaker.
Spin: Prism, Clouds, Skeleton, Dark Beach, Pulse | | 8 |  | Zuluzuluu
What's the Price
[Soul/Pop] Smooth as butter pop record with some absolutely outstanding instrumental work. Between thick, heavy hitting synths, vocoders, jazzed up instrumentals, and some slight hip hop flavoring - the end result is one of the best composed pop records of the year.
Spin: What's The Price, Fades, On our Way, Fall Behind | | 9 |  | ...and Oceans
A.M.G.O.D.
[Cyber Metal] So apparently this is a genre? Techno music and metal. But never fear, its not the metalcore djent stuff that is usually tacked onto gimmicky music genres, instead AMGOD applies elements of black metal for better effect. Vocals are given metallic vocoding effects, techno/dance beats are added in quite well during interludes and intros, and the metal aspects ain't too shabby either. Its an odd record that works, which says a lot more than most metal records that fall under gimmicks.
Spin: Intelligence is Sexy, White Synthetic Noise, Tears Have No Name, Of Devilish Tongues, TBA In a Silver Box | | 10 |  | The Longcut
Open Hearts
[Indie Rock] Thick, heavy electro lined indie rock that imitates a garage rock sound for a far more unique product than what the two halves can produce when self contained. This album goes through many different tones and styles, so its hard to figure out what you can expects from the record, especially when its handled with as much care as it is on this record. I highly recommend you read the review on this for extended thoughts, because it is quite a great record.
Spin: Out at the Roots, Tell You So, Evil Dance, Mary Bloody Sunshine, Repeated, Boom | | 11 |  | The Tea Party
Transmission
[Alt Rock] Alternative rock with some slight post-grunge and industrial elements. The highlight here is without a doubt their vocalist, who's intimidating and powerful vocal style creates some absolutely jaw dropping moments such as the ending of Psychopomp. Instrumental work is solid as every with slight electronics for texturing and guitar leads with strong grooves. Seriously though, listen to Psychopomp.
Spin: Temptation, Psychopomp, Release, Babylon, Emerald | | 12 |  | Brainiac
Electro-Shock for President
[Electronic/Punk] The final release from Brainiac before their keyboardist's tragic car accident and disbandment. The electronic elements here are chopped up and noisy, feeding largely into the vocalist's harsh yells and menacing lyrics. The instrumental work here is outstanding, between glitchy electro elements and some turntable work.
Spin: Fresh New Eyes, Flash Ram, Fashion 500 | | 13 |  | Ashram
Shining Silver Skies
[Neoclassical] An incredibly beautiful, breathtaking album with delicate composition between piano and violin duet work and smooth vocals. The whole album has the dignity of a cold, winter night. The kind of night thats just beautiful to stand outside and look up at the sky. Listen to it!
Spin: 5 Steps, Sweet Autumn, Lullaby, Last Kiss, Elizabeth, Lady, Shining Silver Skies | | 14 |  | Underworld
Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future
[Prog House/Darkwave] Quite a genre blender this one is. Electro, synthwave, progressive house, amongst other ideas. This album radiates with dark energy and the slightly spoken/slightly singing vocal approach helps feed into the apocalyptic vibe of the album. If you ever wondered what 80s electronica would evolve into if the world ended before the turn of the century, its this.
Spin: If Rah, low Burn, Ova Nova, Nylon Strung | | 15 |  | Antipop Consortium
Arrhythmia
[Industrial Hip Hop] The best quality of this record is without a doubt the production. Its one of those special records where it could've been released at any time in the present day and still sound as fresh as it did over a decade ago. Synthwork is flat, glitchy, and slightly agressive. And the chemistry between the group's three members gives the album, and its production, quirky personality. Its all a winning combination.
Spin: Bubblz, Dead in Motion, Silver Heart, Focus, Human Shield | | 16 |  | Dishwalla
Opaline
[Alternative Rock] One of those records that play all the elements of its genre perfectly. Stunning vocal performance and beautiful musical backing.
Spin: Angels or Devils, Somewhere in the Middle, When Morning Comes, Candleburn | | 17 |  | Ruth Ruth
Laughing Gallery
[Pop Rock] - Straight forward pop rock, but incredibly well composed and a fun listen. The vocalist has a pretty strong gruff that gives the overall record a very distinct personality from other artists of their ilk.
Spin: Uninvited, All Readydown, Amnesia, Don't Shut Me Out, I Killed Meg the Prom Queen | | 18 |  | Lamb
Lamb
[Trip Hop] Vocal lead trip hop with a keen eye for dark atmosphere. Production focuses more on glitch and electronic elements, which works perfectly for the unique female vocals.
Spin: Lusty, Trans Fatty Acid, Zero, Closer, Feela | | 19 |  | Chris Farren
Can't Die
[Pop Rock] Wrote a review for this one. By the numbers on the surface, but Can't Die offers quite a lot of unique deviations and a strong sense of cohesive flow, which all work hand in hand with Farren's superb songwriting. A fun little record to spin.
Spin: Human Being, Brighter, Say U Want Me, Flowers, Don't Be Cruel | | 20 |  | Noname
Telefone
[Hip Hop] Wrote a review for this. Telefone structures itself as a unique one-on-one conversation with Noname, who spends the record running through dreams, aspirations, and the pitfalls that bridge the gaps between. Its a cute, personal, and joyful record that reflects those ideas with heavy toybox and contemporary pop production. Calls for one of the best albums this year.
Spin: Yesterday, Sunny Duet, All I Need, Bye Bye Baby | | 21 |  | The Veils
Total Depravity
[Alternative] Without a doubt one of the most unexpected records of the year. This ones highly unpredictable, between loosely strewn electronic elements, reverb led spoken word passages, and blues-esque fuzzy guitar tones. This is all subtle and lowkey when pieced together, and the influences here between artists such as David Bowie give the record incredible personality. Don't sleep on this one.
Spin: A Bit on the Side, Low Lays the Devil, Here Come the Dead, Iodine & Iron, Do Your Bones Glow at Night? | | 22 |  | Claire (DE)
The Great Escape
[Synthpop/Synthwave] A mixture between Starbucks approved synthpop and absolutely killer synthwave tracks, this albums switch between the two elements are unexpected upon a first listen. Though at the end of this album you'll be jamming along to the beat. The heavier tracks on this record prove to be the most endearing.
Spin: Games, Pioneers, Neon Love, Overdrive, My Audacity, In Two Minds | | 23 |  | Fact
Fact
[Post Hardcore] Highly energetic electronic record that blends itself with more genres than what should be legal, and produces a record that ends up being better than it has any right to be.
Spin: Paradox, A Fact of Life, Lights of Vein, Snow | | 24 |  | F(x)
Pink Tape
[K-Pop] It's no secret that k-pop is an awful genre and industry, and the people who run the business care so little for any of their artists. S.M. Entertainment, one of the biggest in the industry, are no exception to this. Matter of fact, they're considered one of the biggest offenders of the horror stories that find their way onto the internet. However, when a band signed to their label, such as f(x), ends up not being as popular as bigger acts, the label ends up becoming hands off on how these artists and their producers approach their music. The result is Pink Tape, a record with some incredibly unique approaches to electropop and lyricism that actively fights against the "love slaves" image many bands are encouraged to present.
Spin: Shadow, Signal, Step, Airplane, Toy | | 25 |  | All Human
Teenagers, You Don't Have to Die
[Alt Rock] The fourth best album of the year 2016. Teenagers, You Don't Have to Die steps between alternative rock, hardcore, and dream pop to find a balance in pushing out the most inviting, yet depressing approaches to songwriting out there. The end product is an album that pushes the envelope with the genre for a perfectly composted and sophisticated release. Where's My Upslope is soul shattering.
Spin: And So Peter Dances, Wheres My Upslope?, Even the Dogs Stare, I'm Afraid, Don't Come Home, Asleep on the Church Steps | | 26 |  | Charles Bradley
Changes
[Soul] Maybe a little too straight forward, but Charles Bradley's genuine voice and story melts the heart and allows for some heartbreaking moments. As of writing this, he has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer, which makes certain songs on here such as the title track feel more unfortunate.
Spin: Nobody But You, Ain't Gonna Give Up, Changes, Things We Do For Love, Change the World | | 27 |  | Bart
Albania
[Folk/Indie Pop] I initially underestimated this one upon first talking about it. Albania expands emotional capacity and simplistic songwriting for one of the most gut wrenching albums of the decade. Songwriting is a little poppy, with rock and folk elements pushed in here and there. Bart's lyricism and songwriting creates some genuinely heart breaking moments, such as the climax of Fall On Your Head or the line about spilling blood on Slightly Different World. Honestly, this is one you'll have to hear for yourself, as it feels like a swan song for the world as Bart, and the rest of the members of both this band and his previous one, Shoe, have seemed to vanish from the face of the earth as of 2014.
Spin: Albania 1&2, Not My Type, Full Grown Boy, Slightly Different World, Fall On Your Head | | 28 |  | Kyle Morton
What Will Destroy You
[Folk] - Debut solo album from Typhoon frontman Kyle Morton, released just a few days ago. In a way, this album is more or less a stripped down, bite sized revision of Typhoon. Remove the 17 members contributing to the bands sound, the background vocalists, and the consistent continuity between records and songs and you just have Kyle Morton. And his performance both alone with a guitar and when he indulges in more flashy production tricks and instrumental backing is some of the most beautiful and personal of his entire career. As this record has him open up a lot more with the specifics of his childhood illness as opposed to his work on Typhoon, where its a framing device for his modern day philosophy.
Recommended Listens: Innuendos, Survivalist Fantasy, Water Torture, What Will Save You | | 29 |  | Sam Means
10 Songs
[Pop] - Debut solo album from The Format instrumentalist Sam Means. Unlike his debut EP from 2012, this record feels less like a toned down The Format record and instead sounds more like Means extending his instrumental work into sounding more like a unique thing. And it works well for him, there are tracks with a dreamy, upbeat, and springy attitude that are fun to listen to and carry a bit of snark lyrically to give them another layer of enjoyment. Though it does have its slow moments.
Recommended Listens: Other Side of You, Last Goodnight, Sometimes, Bigger Heart | | 30 |  | Emmon
Nomme
[Electro-Pop] - Gritty electro sound with some slight synthwave elements. Emmon's vocals mix in well with the repetitive, skittery nature of the electronics and the hooks on this record are insane. This one is a lot of fun all things considered.
Recommended Listens: Distance, Ghostdance, Slottet, All Yours | | 31 |  | The Divine Comedy
Foreverland
[Baroque Pop/Chamber Pop] The latest from The Divine Comedy, this record forms a concept of what I believe is a lower ranking social man falling in love with high royalty? The album and its writing presents itself in highly regarded proportions with its sophisticated, courtly sound. Songwriting is top class and Neil Hannon's ear for charming melody juxtaposed with crude and snarky lyrics give it a spark of energy that make it a fun antique piece.
Spin: Napoleon Complex, Funny Peculiar, To the Rescue, I joined the Foreign Legion | | 32 |  | Drag the River
...It's Crazy
[Alt Country/Punk Rock] - Side band of Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price. This record is a flowing 33 minute series that chronicles the mundane repetitive notions of the day to day basis to the more uncomfortable and vulnerable positions of the joint vocalist story telling projects in relation to love, drugs, and other similar topics. Instrumentally the album can go from pretty country to a more punk rock sound, so variety is fresh.
Spin: Tired & Fired, Cousins, Paradise Grounded | | 33 |  | Dead to Me
Cuban Ballerina
[Punk/Punk Rock] - Dead to Me are a straight to the point punk rock band with some slight pop elements. A sound comfortable and familiar for artists on Fat Wreck Chords. Here however, melodies are the absolute focus of the record and it results in some of the most fun and pleasing passages of music in the genre. Its a fun one for people who like the melodic punk rock movement of the mid 90s to early 2000s.
Recommended Tracks: Don't Lie, Special Professional, Writing Letters, Goodbye Regret | | 34 |  | Stimming
Alpe Lusia
[Electronic] The definitive pick for electronic AOTY. Alpe Lusia is an electronic record that implements the sounds of nature, electronica, and an eclectic of unique instruments to create a soundscape that invokes a sense of sadness and longing, but also an oddly arousing feeling of pleasure. Its a late night walk in the fall, above the fallen leaves ushering the empty cold but still, the air embraces you with a hard to place warmth. Stimming's production work blends genres of house, ambience, and micro-work to give each song a subtle groove and build ups to absolutely amazing climaxes on a track-by-track basis. This record is surprisingly unpredictable in approach, but every song is tied together os perfectly that you cannot keep away. If a track like Prepare doesn't make you feel with its piano loop, which moves with hesitation and droning repetitiveness reflecting that sort of feeling for more, than something is wrong with you.
Spin: ALL OF IT | | 35 |  | Mott The Hoople
The Hoople
[Glam Rock] Proof that the saxophone was the greatest instrument ever created. The Hoople has a sophisticated approach to over the top rock music. Composition here is surprisingly more complex than contemporaries, in the sense that it hones in on simplistic elements of piano driven glam rock to create melodies that stay imprinted on the brain. Mott's vocalist has the kind of energetic quirk of the era, articulated with heavenly saxophone leads, group vocals, catchy piano rags, and vocal effects that give each track just a bit more personality. Quite easily a perfect rock record of the 70s era.
Spin: The Golden Age, Marionette, Crash Street Kids, Pearl N Roy, Through the Looking Glass | | 36 |  | Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!
[Emo/Pop Rock] Piano/organ driven pop rock with the early 2000s "emo" style ala groups like Jimmy Eat World or Weezer during the blue era. The product is a very odd, but endearing, product. With glitzy synths, faltering falsetto, and catchy group vocals that all come together to make a very, very fun and competent pop record. Don't miss out on this one at all.
Spin: 2nd Gun, In Green, Fistcuffs, New Brad, Mostly On An Island, Bryon's 24th Christmas, Two Exclamation Points | | 37 |  | Steven James Adams
Old Magick
[Folk/Alt Country] This ones a neat little nugget in the 2016 stream that has been completely ignored. A little groovy alternative country and southern charm siphoned into a straight forward folk record. The end product is a sweet little collection with nice performances from Adams' who's falter on notes gives him plenty of charm along with his softness. And the general, moderately fast instrumentals make them a choice cut to jam during the day. Its a fun little listen that does the job more than well.
Spin: Togetherness, Kings of the Back of the Bus, Ideas, Sea of Words, Sonny | | 38 |  | You Plus Me
Rose Ave.
[Folk] A collaboration between Dallas Green of Alexisonfire and City & Colour and pop sensation P!nk. An odd combination on paper, but the end product is a lovely little record that is at the most basic a stripped down folk record that uses the chemistry of both vocalists to create an excellent end product without the need of bells and whistles. If you are in need of something cute, sweet, and a little sad - than this record is a no-brainer.
Spin: Capsized, Love Gone Wrong, Second Guess, Break the Cycle, No Ordinary Love | | 39 |  | Alex Winston
The Day I Died EP
[Pop] A bite-sized pop snack. Sugary sweet vocals with a nice edge of what I would like to call "unique" in held notes. I seriously don't know how to describe her vocals other than "nice". Production is quick moving, with elements of rock mixed with electronic elements that give each song a cutesy vibe despite some more... depressing, subject matter. Clocking just above ten minutes this one is great for a quick jam here and there.
Spin: The Day I Died, Dead End | | 40 |  | NZCA Lines
Infinite Summer
[Synthpop] A strong synthpop record with lower bass tuning to give it a sort of sinister nightclub and synthwave vibe, while the vocals are softer and delve in and out of falsetto for a nice juxtapose between elements. The grooves here are tight and the lowkey synthwork gives it plenty of depth and extra atmosphere to help make it a fun jam. I don't know if I need to say more, since synthpop is one of the greatest genres known to man, so you'll listen anyways.
Spin: Chemical is Obvious, Two Hearts, New Atmosphere, Sunlight, Do It Better, The World You Have Made For Us | | 41 |  | surrenderdorothy
nobodywantsme
[a thing.] I'm hesitant to call this one an EP, it doesn't even hit the 10 minute mark. Nonetheless, this is a nice sad times record between Bones and Greaf that has sad pianos, atmosphere, vocals, rapping, and screams. Its a little folksy, its a little hip hop, its a nice mixture that aims for a refreshing listen and it succeeds. Dont really know what else you could ask for because the a t m o s p h e r e is all you really need.
Spin: just listen to the whole thing, its only 9 minutes. | | 42 |  | The Enforcers
The Jersey Connection
[Hip Hop] Another under the radar hip hop record. A collaboration between K-Def and El Da Sensei (of Artifacts fame), this record is just a little neat west coast throwback with a cinematic action movie feel with jazzy production and Sensei's vivid, authoritative flow that gets the groove going. Fun to spin, so spin it.
Spin: The Enforcers, The Jersey Connection, Give What You need, Years in the Making | | 43 |  | Hikrahe
Lily (The Wilt)
[Electronic/Sputcore] New album from america's sweetheart, LordePots. Lily (The Wilt) is a very chill listen, with many aspects of the album being built around a foundation of click/clank percussion to instill familiarity for the listener as the album experiments with more unique styles and blends above it. Production is kind of bouncy and quirky at times, while at others its more reserved as it explores atmosphere and e m o t i o n. Give this one a spin, too, its nice.
Spin: Manilla, Beacon Hill, Killa Kong, Thieves Blend, Forest Bathing, Wandering | |
VaxXi
10.10.16 | New entries + all the old ones from the series, enjoy! | FullOfSounds
10.10.16 | Yeeees the complete package | FullOfSounds
10.10.16 | Everyone listen to 21 and 34 immediately | Mystletainn
10.10.16 | "It's no secret that k-pop is an awful genre"
that's quite a claim for someone who listened to one kpop album | Sinternet
10.10.16 | yo good to see some mr oizo love | FullOfSounds
10.10.16 | Description on 25 makes me hyped af to check it out | VaxXi
10.10.16 | @Myst, I have listened to a lot more than one, I have a friend who sends me stuff all the time, but there's a very small handful I care about. More importantly it's a joking exaggeration... Well the part about the genre being bad, the industry is a nightmare. | rabidfish
10.10.16 | nice list | VaxXi
10.10.16 | @Sint, I love Oizo, im on a massive binge for super off kilter electronic/dance music production and he hits that sweet spot on his latest stuff. If only that Peaches collab didnt exist i'd probably 4 it.
@FoS, you need to check All Human ASAP.
@Rabid, thanks! | FullOfSounds
10.10.16 | I'm listening to it right now | Mystletainn
10.10.16 | well it's pretty hard to find quality stuff yeah, you either listen to the singles, never leaving the surface or follow the industry closely yourself and listen to each new album that comes out. and yeah industry is probably a nightmare (what music industry isnt?) but I just listen to the music. | brainmelter
10.10.16 | 23 and 26 are cool, great list need to check a lot of these | VaxXi
10.11.16 | check 34 | tacos n stuff
10.11.16 | your lists are turd nuggets fam | VaxXi
10.11.16 | whatever do you mean? | iloveyouall
10.11.16 | this is a step in the right direction
good job : )
| tacos n stuff
10.11.16 | forreal tho
keep the lists going, these are great | wtferrothorn
10.11.16 | That Moa Pillar record sounds like it'd bang, and I'll make sure to check 8 too. | VaxXi
10.11.16 | Moa Pillar is pretty cool and 8 slays. |
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