clavier
Emeritus

Reviews 64
Approval 99%

Soundoffs 58
News Articles 1
Band Edits + Tags 47
Album Edits 43

Album Ratings 1244
Objectivity 75%

Last Active 01-11-23 2:53 am
Joined 03-17-12

Review Comments 1,169

 Lists
03.09.22 official sputnik retirement ♦08.05.20 My Favourite Male Artists ♦
08.10.19 What's your reviewing philosophy? ♦06.25.19 Claire's 2019 mid-year check-in ♦
03.21.19 7 years of sput08.12.18 A Non-Ranking of Converge ♦
04.15.18 A Non-Ranking of Isis ♦08.16.17 EMO CROWN 2 - Rnd 1
07.28.17 Sense and Sensuality06.17.17 Albums compared to foods/beverages/tast
05.17.17 Just jazzy05.14.17 Ultimate teenage elitist
08.11.15 Musical necrophilia a.k.a. love for the

EMO CROWN 2 - Rnd 1

RULES: The judges of this competition will be DeadlyNightShade, sincerelyaural, Frivolous, LandDiving, ianblxdsoe. The competitors are as follows: Conmaniac, UniqueUniverse, Artuma. Each competitor will present 1 album per round. The judges will then rate the albums out of 5, using .1 increments. A new round will begin after the judges have completed ratings. 30 albums will be presented in total (i.e. 10 from each competitor, or 10 rounds). The winner will be determined by the highest average, but a tiebreaker system will be used if necessary; each judge will have one vote for the best rec.
1Off Minor
The Heat Death of the Universe

Round 1: No special restrictions. We'll begin with something simple.
2Algernon Cadwallader
Some Kind Of Cadwallader

Con's rec

Deadly: Imagine mixing the screams showcased on Shmap n’ Shmazz with the guitar leanings of American Football’s self-titled record and throw in an upbeat overall atmosphere. What you’re left with is nothing shy of a highly enjoyable record. 4.3/5

Sincerely: At times the music feels a bit staid - it’s consistently pleasant, but doesn’t necessarily go beyond that. I’m also not a huge fan of the vocals (a bit grating), but that doesn’t heavily influence my overall perception of the album. There are moments of whimsy that give this album a nice level of fun. 3.4/5
3Algernon Cadwallader
Some Kind Of Cadwallader

continued:
Frivolous: I feel like there’s kind of a disconnect between the screaming vocals and the laid back, math rock-y guitars. That may be intentional, but I still don’t really connect with the music emotionally as a result. Still though, the overall experience was fairly enjoyable. 3.2/5

Jack: This one is sososo good because it sees Algernon wringing out as much warmth from that trebly, paper-thin aesthetic as possible. It’s also a really nostalgic album; every song -- though unhinged and frenetic -- seems to say “remember when” before trailing off into that happy memory. You can tell the band just had so much fun writing/recording/performing the songs here, and it translates well for me. 4/5.
4The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
It's Winter Here

Artuma's rec

Deadly: The emotional highs on here hit so close to home. From the closing lines of “Breakdown Championship”, to the climactic buildup in “Before I Left, After I got Back”, to the closer “Monotonologue”, Jim Yoshii are masters of buildups while giving the perfect amount of breathability for instrumentals. This album is graceful yet powerful in its entirety. 4.6/5

Sincerely: Melancholy, restraint, befitting of its winter title. I appreciated the emotional depths to this one, it has gravity and stands out for that. 4.2/5
5The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
It's Winter Here

Frivolous: If this band had a mission statement, it would probably run something along the lines of “Make ‘em wait for it.” The slow-building crescendos that the band develops across the album make for an incredible emotional payoff every single goddamn time. The lyrics’ melancholic themes are presented with a quiet earnestness that makes them feel genuine rather than cliché. This seems like an album I’ll be returning to a lot. 4.5/5
6The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
It's Winter Here

continued 2:
Jack: Interesting playing this record right after the other two, because it feels like a comedown; a hangover. Somehow it’s meandering and linear at the same time, with that pervasive, hollow guitar tone mirroring themes of isolation, of being cornered by your future and your past and the weight of every street in your suburb. Anyway, as beautiful as this can be, it doesn’t sound as dynamic as it should -- the peaks and troughs always hit where you expect them to, but that’s fine I guess. As I said, the atmosphere here is perfect. It’s maturely crafted in comparison to a lot of emo, and everything (perhaps due to production) sounds like it has fallen into place naturally. 3.9
7Cap'n Jazz
Shmap'n Shmazz

Unique's rec

Deadly: Energetic, swift and sloppy this album carries with aggressive vocals, crazy fast guitar riffs, intense drumming and rough production that adds so much character to the album. You can’t help but have a good time listening to this. 4.1/5

Sincerely: There’s an undercurrent of energy that zaps through at the right moments. It’s a sort of anxiety mixed with youthful exuberance, and I daresay these guys employ the formula far better than most out there. 4/5
8Cap'n Jazz
Shmap'n Shmazz

continued:

Frivolous: Everything about this album sounds messy. From the rough recording, to the sloppy guitar playing, and to the vocals that crack and warble, but never let up. That’s what makes this so fun - the band is incredibly energetic consistently throughout the album. This was a blast to listen to. 4.1/5

Jack: This record has no filter. I like that. Maybe this appraisal is just the result of hindsight, but the album also feels like the foundation of a genre; those scintillating guitars, that loose weave of vocal melodies - it’s all executed in a way that augurs the tenets of midwestern emo. Also, goddamn, Oh Messy Life is still such an incredible track. 3.8/5
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