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| Neek's 2018 To-Cram List
Well, here we are again already. It seems like it was not long ago, but that's because I was finishing last year's up until April of this year. Let's not have that happen again shall we? Just as before, the ones up here are stuff I want to listen to, but I'll take recs and get them all done by the end of the year god willing. | | 1 |  | Brockhampton
Iridescence
3.8/5
A dark and eclectic follow up to the saturation trilogy, I was mostly sold on the weirder elements and loops featured here than most of the hip-hop stuff, but overall they worked really well hand-in-hand. Some songs were too straightforward to stand out, and others were so bizarre that they didn't quite work on their own. This album definitely warrants more listens than I gave it, but for the sake of moving this list forward I'm limiting myself to only 2 or 3. I wish this leaned more into the punchy and aggressive yet melodic stuff of Sat 3, because while this was definitely as experimental, it sometimes just came off as cheesy or inconsistent. Overall I'd say this is still their second best release though.
Favorite Songs: "NEW ORLEANS" "SAN MARCOS"
Least Favorite Song: "SOMETHING ABOUT HIM" | | 2 |  | XXXTENTACION
?
2.6
This is the definition of a mixed bag. Like, fuck. No doubt this guy was a complete scumbag, but I genuinely dug a few of these tracks here. Others were untempered piles of shit. Overall I think this is a lot weaker than his first album, but at the same time I think that his creativity and potential is more visible here. The songs are more thought through, the ideas are fleshed out, and if he went with his more experimental material in the future, he might've been able to find a winning sound. As it is, his pop/hip-hop based stuff is generally just a mess. Well, that's a speculation at this point, but overall I'm actually glad I decided to give this a ring, why not? Also, that introduction was fucking complete trash.
Favorite Songs: "NUMB" "ALONE, PART 3"
Least Favorite Songs: "SMASH!" "Introduction (instructions)" (isn't a song but seriously fuck it) | | 3 |  | Nils Frahm
All Melody
4.0
This album is definitely a curious one. It's the looping, kaleidoscopic, never-ending tracks that rule here and the shorter, more playful ditties that just don't work as well. Perhaps it's the way that Nils has been able to master the flow and ebb of this lengthy compositions, but there's something so full and warm about the way that he works with music on this record. "Sunson" is just damn gorgeous, and the other nearly-10-minute tracks follow as well, aside for when they rip off other tracks on "Momentum". Very intrigued at what the rest of his discog sounds like given the more piano driven stuff I've heard from him before.
Favorite Songs: "Sunson" "All Melody" "#2"
Least Favorite: "Forever Changeless" "Momentum" | | 4 |  | All The Luck In The World
A Blind Arcade
4.2
Proof that overstated folk music still has a place in my heart just as much as understated folk, this album delivered some gorgeous, overblown yet intricate backdrops to some pretty run-of-the-mill yet emotive vocals. The theatrical qualities of this were just plain irresistible, its only flaws were in that it was simple not the most interesting or unique folk statement in a year chock full of them.
Favorite Track: "Starboard"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Pages" "A Thousand Eyes" "About the Ghosts" | | 5 |  | Preoccupations
New Material
2.9
Book-ended by a buoyant, synthy opener and a surprisingly solid atmospheric closer like two pieces of rye-bread on a shit sandwich, Preoccupations' latest work is otherwise pretty much useless. They often waste solid ideas (the first half of "Antidote" is groovy as all hell) with banal vocals and incessant repetition, eschewing their grimy post-punk motives for some jadedly pristine form of ironic new-wave that just makes me angry for no particular reason other than it just isn't any better than it is.
FT: "Espionage"
LFTs: "Decompose" "Antidote" | | 6 |  | Judas Priest
Firepower
4.1
Wow. While the first half of the album delivered some great tracks that showed they were still able to churn out the same excellent metal tunes as always, the second half paired this with truly amazing choruses and emotional guitar solos, creating some of the best Priest tunes I've heard yet. I love how they were able to chain their heavy metal inclinations with the more grandiose moments of stuff like "Nostradamus" (I know y'all hate it, but I LOVE it), creating something more accessible for their fan but still damn excellent. The only fault is that the second half is far more exciting to me than the first, but overall this is just a really great metal album put out by rockers that should've petered out a long time ago--and we should all just be thankful they haven't.
Favorite Songs: "Spectre" "Red Sea" "Rising from Ruins"
Least Favorite Song: "Firepower" | | 7 |  | Jeff Rosenstock
POST-
3.7
I don't know what I was expecting from someone who's tags were proudly based in pop punk, but I guess I have to say I didn't love this. There were definitely some progressive and really fun bits of this, but there were also a lot of bits that were just plain boring punchy pop punk "bangers" that endlessly did the same thing until they eventually petered out. I've got to say that I really did appreciate some of his ambition, especially on uber-melodic tracks like "TV Stars" or "Let Them Win," which took his pop-punk ambitions and turned them into something a lot more palatable and exciting to me.
FTs: "TV Stars" "All This Useless Energy"
LFTs: "Powerlessness" "Beating My Head Against a Wall" | | 8 |  | Daughters
You Won't Get What You Want
3.9
The hype train definitely partially derailed this one for me; I definitely didn't find it as weird or abrasive as everyone is saying. The post-punk influences kinda negate those aspects for me, whether it's getting lost every so often in its drab vocals or monotonous instrumentals, it takes away from the experience rather than adding to it. That isn't to say this record isn't great, since by the time it gets into its second half it cements itself in a perfect mix of vibrant and violent rock music, especially with tracks like "The Reason They Hate Me" rocketing between one killer riff to the next. No, to me this is just great goddamn rock music. Nothing more, nothing less.
Favorite Songs: "The Reason They Hate Me" "Less Sex" "Guest House"
Least Favorite Song: "The Lords Song" | | 9 |  | A Perfect Circle
Eat the Elephant
4.1
This is some real great alt rock here. It's just glistening with killer melodies and fun riffs, bringing both together to create a sound that's different from what I've heard from them before, yet still great in its own right. The best and worst thing about this record is that pop sheen that makes even the heaviest moments sweet and light, sometimes crippling certain darker moments, and other times making them soar like on "Disillusioned." Overall I think this is a damn fine rock album, and I'll chalk it up as another case of overblown Sputnik anti-hype as to why the average is so dang low.
Favorite Songs: "Disillusioned" "The Doomed"
Least Favorite Song: "Delicious" | | 10 |  | Beach House
7
3.7
This at once is an affirmation of everything has to offering and a reminder of why it can be so frustrating. It's sweeping in setting a lovely tone and atmosphere, at yet it stretches the same sound so thin that by the end of the album its tired and ends up being far less than the some of its parts, which is a shame because the first half of this album really soars.
FTs: "Lemon Glow" "L’Inconnue"
LFT: "Girl of the Year" | | 11 |  | Gatherers
We Are Alive Beyond Repair
Uzumaki
3.2
This is a strange album for me. As Uzumaki said, it's like a post-hardcore Brand New records in terms of vocals, style, and scope, and yet there's a certain melodic genius to Brand New that this band can't quite capture. Oh sure, they hint at it, with some songs delivering some excellent sounds and atmospheres, but often they're cut off before they can truly get going or they're screamed over by the never-ending, monotonous screaming that isn't nearly as interesting as the clean vocals. Idk, this has pretty much everything that I like and everything I don't like about hardcore wrapped into one package. There's are some really solid songs, but not enough that I could come back to this in the future.
Favorite Songs: "Starve" "Spill" "The Floorboards Are Breathing"
Least Favorite Song: "A Reverie in Mass Transit" | | 12 |  | Anthony Green
Would You Still Be In Love
3.0
Yeah this guy's voice was very very much not my thing. That added on to pretty plain acoustic strumming (as much as I love folk, when boring guitar arrangements and an irritating are the backbone of a song I always want to die (sometimes)), this was pretty much everything I don't like about folk music. To be fair, there were some really solid songs in here with some more expansive instrumentation that really scratched the itch for me, but otherwise this was like boring pop-punk pretending to be folk.
FT: "Keep Your Mouth Shut"
LFT: "Vera Lynn" | | 13 |  | Zeal and Ardor
Stranger Fruit
3.7
This one fell off HARD for me second listen. And believe me, I still really like it, the mixture of soul and black metal is far too ludicrous for me to not appreciate it, but at the same time they never played with it nearly as much as they could've across the album's lurching runtime. If this was an EP (even of just the first four tracks, easily the most fun and most convincing) it'd likely fare way better. Hopefully they learn from this and bring up the weird next time, as the latest Algiers was far more interesting and adventurous than this, because as great as it could get sometimes it could be boring or straight-up laughable at times.
Favorite Song: "Don’t You Dare"
Least Favorite Song: "Coagula" | | 14 |  | Melody's Echo Chamber
Bon Voyage
4.2
What a fucking trip man. This was just a stupendously awesome mix of sounds all across the board. I think Con's review summary of this was just perfect, as this just seems like a little bit of everything fun about music fused into one. Take "Desert Horse," the opulence of which could only be found on albums like MBDTF in terms of its brazen, ballsy uses of stolen riffs, gnarly autotune, and nary a song structure in sight. And that's just he tip of the iceberg in terms of the zany, beautiful energy that can be found here. Not a single track (that isn't a minute long interlude) is a let-down, and this thing just scream replay value. I can't wait to explore it further in the future.
FT: "Desert Horse"
LFT: "Var Her Du Vart?" | | 15 |  | Rosehall
The First Requisite Is Life
luci
3.8
For all it's faults, there's something so damned charming about this record. There's a lot of rough moments and ideas I'm not sure were fully formed enough (i.e. the spoken word pastiche on "Holy, Holy Holy"), but the sound is so heartfelt and even unique, to the point where I'm sure this is the first work of someone who's gonna carve a path for himself in the folk scene someday very soon. The fuller the sound here, the more successful he can be, especially on the later tracks like "Spiders." I was also really moved by the spoken word atmosphere of "Frost," so the experimentation here is not something to be shied away from, I just think that overall a stronger focus on melody over concept would make this music more palatable and even better.
Favorite Songs: "Spiders" "Sunday's Cool"
Least Favorite Song: "Holy, Holy, Holy" | | 16 |  | Let's Eat Grandma
I'm All Ears
Sowing
4.1
This is a super cool album with a great variety of influences from pop to progressive, but primarily it's a electronic album. I personally think the electronic music blended with the latter influence is far more intriguing than the Sophie-produced tracks on here, as the duo make some serious magic out of the massive song runtimes and the layers upon layers of sweet melodies and cathartic emotion. The opener sets the bar high in terms of musical invention (one I wish they could hit more often), but there really isn't a dull moment on this thing. It's always doing something at the least intriguing, and at the most exhilarating.
Favorite Tracks: "Whitewater" "Snakes & Ladders" "Cool & Collected"
Least Favorite Track: "Hot Pink" | | 17 |  | Snail Mail
Lush
3.5
This is literally right up my alley in terms of genre so I'm kinda surprised it didn't hit me more than it did. It's really lovely and well-made sadgirl indie rock, but at the same time I wasn't really sold by her vocals (they were a bit droney and samey for me). I guess that's a problem that I have the album overall, it doesn't really find its own unique voice so much as it capitalizes on the common sound, unlike say soccer mommy, who really made it her own. That isn't to say there aren't some killer songs on here, and she definitely has some massive potential on display here, it's just that I want to see more what she herself can bring to the table in the future like what's hinted at in the album's stronger, complex, more "lush" moments.
Favorite Songs: "Speaking Terms" "Deep Sea" "Anytime"
Least Favorite Song: "Pristine" | | 18 |  | Kamasi Washington
Heaven And Earth
3.2
This was like shreds of jazz held together by cinematic glue. It's empowering and visceral, but not in an emotive way as much as in a big way. It's huge, grand music, more interested in scope than in trivial things such as catchiness or melody. It fails on repeated listens, but the musicality and instrumental talent is all there. This works for me, but just barely.
FTs: "Fists of Fury" "Street Fighter Mas"
LFTs: "Show Us the Way" | | 19 |  | Rolo Tomassi
Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It
3.8
Okay so yeah, I really dug this one. I know I'm not a fan of metalcore, but this really fused it with some attractive clean melodies and ambient textures that I think made the metalcore sounds even add to the rest of it, even if it leaned a bit too much on it for my liking. I anticipate that their future albums will feature even less metalcore stuff, and I honestly think it'd be better for it. But like I said, the screamed vocals and heaviness really added another layer that this wouldn't have had if it all sounded like "Aftermath." It adds a lot of depth to the other killer tracks here like "A Flood of Light" and especially "Contretemps." This one didn't completely blow me away, but it did certainly make me excited to hear what these guys come up with next!
Favorite Songs: "Contretemps" "A Flood of Light" "Aftermath"
Least Favorite Song: "Balancing the Dark" | | 20 |  | Anna von Hausswolff
Dead Magic
4.5
This is basically what I imagined that new Daughters album would be like. Actually insane, terrifying, and moving all at once. This thing is an absolute behemoth of sound, emotion, and just everything I’d want in an album like this. It’s fucking insane and every track build to a crazy and satisfying climax. I just love it.
Favorite Track: “Ugly and Vengeful”
Least Favorite Track (not that I’d even ever call it that, everything here is excellent): “The Truth, the Glow, the Fall” | | 21 |  | Wye Oak
The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs
4.1
This was just a crazy mix of influences all over the board, from electronic to psychedelic to folk, and this eccentric fashion was a big selling point to me. The band, especially the lead vocalist, just oozed confidence throughout and delivering a seriously convincing rock album, though admittedly some of the tracks bled together a bit too easily and sounded a little samey at times. This was remedied when a song would be particularly memorable, or would lean on its folk roots to hit something really unique, and overall it's just a damn great album kicking some ass.
FTs: "Say Hello" "Join"
LFT: "The Louder I Call, the Faster it Runs" | | 22 |  | Mitski
Be the Cowboy
3.8
As usual I'm gonna be in the middle of the road between "omg this is like the best album of the year" and "man this is so overrated i cant believe p4k loved this." This was a perfectly good, even great indie rock album than benefitted from some seriously great tracks with heaps of experimentation, but suffered a bit from an overstuffed tracklisting (it's not overlong, but with 14 tracks in half an hour it's a bit much to process) and songs that repeat the same dancey structures over and over again. Still, in this case experimentation didn't always win, such as on "A Horse Named Cold Air," which proved that Mitski can't carry a track purely on vocals alone, and the pure pop track "Nobody" just plain bangs. There are plenty of fun jams to play here, I just wish it was as amazing as some say it is.
Favorite Songs: "Geyser" "Why Didn't You Stop Me?" "Nobody"
Least Favorite Songs: "A Horse Named Cold Air" | | 23 |  | Hop Along
Bark Your Head Off, Dog
4.3
This is honestly just what I needed right now. It's bright and sunny, hopping along (heh) with abundant, radiant energy despite still having a sobered head on its shoulders. It's the kind of happy, hopeful music because you know it's not coming from a place of pure innocence or blindness, it's joyful because it's been through the bad, but now it's over and it can only get better from here. The vocals on this thing are just stellar, and the compositions do a really good job of maintaining their uniqueness yet still blending together to create a cohesive sound. There are so many great melodies and clever structures going on here, the best ones here for me are just the ones that sell them both the most memorably.
Favorite Songs: "How Simple" "Not Abel" "Prior Things"
Least Favorite Song: "How You Got Your Limp" (barely, these are all gems) | | 24 |  | Shakey Graves
Can't Wake Up
Sowing [2]
4.2
Sowing, you always do manage find some true gems. This album is some seriously jaunty, catchy, surreal, and just plain fun folk-rock. Each track has something going for it, to the point where the best songs are simply the ones that stand out the most (which is why the insane and bouncy "Aibohphobia" takes my pick), and the weakest just fade in the mind compared to the rest. Still, I'm in love with this thing. The rock moments rule, and the folk moments subdue. Everything works wonderfully well.
Favorite Track: "Aibohphobia"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Dining Alone" "Foot of Your Bed" "Climb on the Cross" | | 25 |  | Florence and the Machine
High as Hope
Sowing [3]
4.2
Goddamn I just can't stop listening to this thing. I really liked it the first time and by the second time nearly every track became an earworm with the anthemic "Hunger of course leading the charge (I mean seriously, it's easily one of the best pop tracks of the year). The deep cuts had a lot of stuff going for them too, retaining some serious variety and emotion to them while still being catchy and expansive as hell. There's a lot to find in this release, and she's got a hell of a voice at the forefront of some orchestral pop-rock that really helped the mood that I've found myself in lately.
FTs: "Hunger" "100 Years" "Patricia"
LFT: "South London Forever" | | 26 |  | Sigh
Heir to Despair
Morningrise767
4.2
Yknow, I've gone on record to say that Sigh is my favorite extreme metal band from what I've heard of them, and this doesn't change that statement at all. While it might not be as wacky as the other record I've heard from them, Hail Horror Hail, it's more focused and still jauntily all-over-the-place in a lovable and exciting way. The way they play around with the genre is just so fun that I can't get enough of it, even if this album peters off a bit in the second half and a few of the songs could've used a slight trim. Still, I get the feeling that this is gonna have a warm spot on my Best-Of list for the year, just for the pure craziness they manage to pull off.
Favorite Tracks: "Aletheia" "In Memories Delusional"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Heresy II" and "III" | | 27 |  | The Armed
Only Love
botb
3.1
My biased against metalcore (or whatever crazy conglomeration of hardcore influences make this up) shows again here, but I genuinely believe there's a lot to like here. There's a ton of cool melodic and experimental elements that help this to stand out, it's just that far too often they're buried by heaps of ugly and noisy production that drowns everything interesting out nearly completely. Still, there's plenty of neat tracks here with lots of cool stuff and engaging dynamics going on, and even a few genuine bangers that would be really fucking tight if they just... sounded better. Idk, maybe it comes with the territory for this genre but I believe this could've been at least twice as good as it is if they just wanted it to sound clear. I guess they didn't though.
Favorite Tracks: "Fortune's Daughter" "Nowhere to Be Found"
Least Favorite Tracks: "Witness" "Ultraglass" | | 28 |  | Emma Ruth Rundle
On Dark Horses
4.2
This is dangerously fucking close to my top 10, would've been a shame to have left it out in my year-end voting! Emma blends some very folky roots with some seriously heavy gothic metal vibes the likes of Chelsea Wolfe gave us last year, but all around features a much warmer and more inviting feel throughout. I love her vocals, they remind me of Alanis Morissette (a la her SFIJ days), in her weirder, more haunting moments. There was a lot to love here, my only wish is that there were a few more standout tracks to pull it even farther since there was a lot of uniformity here both sonically and quality wise, but believe me, I won't complain. Can't wait to hear more from her in the future.
Favorite Song: "You Don't Have to Cry"
Least Favorite Songs: "Fever Dreams" "Control" | | 29 |  | Carpenter Brut
Leather Teeth
4.1
This is just a joy of an album, ecstatically combining electronic, metal, and god knows what into a crazy but accessible amalgamation of music. It's fun piecing together what goes into this album, some tracks I swear are vaporwave driven, like "Sunday Lunch", and other (in my opinion better) tracks blend it with heavy riffing and rhythm, especially the fantastic opener "Leather Teeth." The vocals on here even work way better than one might expect on an album like this, coming in sparingly but adding a level of character that helps some of the tracks stand out, like on "Beware the Beast" which essentially sounds like if Ghost pulled off their transition into pop better. But yeah, overall there's a lot to love here, even if some tunes rely too much on 80s nostalgia to really hook on to the mind.
Favorite Tracks: "Leather Teeth" "Beware the Beast" "Hairspray Hurricane"
Least Favorite Track: "Sunday Lunch" | | 30 |  | Joey Purp
Quarterthing
4.0
This was easily the most enjoyable hip-hop album of the year for me (even if not the best), every single song was fun and hype, or at the least thumping and pulsing. Even the quieter tracks here just had a huge sound to them, a lot of time was put into the sound of each track, and the variety of sounds was pretty astounding for a hip-hop album. Some of these had be nodding my head more than anything this year, and it's gotta be one of the most consistent albums of the genre I've heard, there were no weak tracks here.
FTs: "Godbody - Pt. 2" "Elastic" "QUARTERTHING"
LFTs: "Hallelujah" "Lebron James" | | 31 |  | Toby Driver
They Are the Shield
4.0
This is a just plain lovely listen, even if it's a little slow going as it goes on. The last two tracks on this are certainly the most unnecessary, which kinda makes it seems like he ran out of ideas since they don't really deviate much from the path set out, but they're lovely and calming in their own right. The best moments here are still the most challenging, such as the slow churning progressive tendencies of the opener, or the driving paring of propulsive drums and soaring strings on "470 Nanometers" that reminds one slightly of In Rainbows in its quiet complexity. So even if a lot of this was a bit uninteresting at times, no matter what it's doing, it serves its purpose as a moving, relaxing work of art.
Favorite Songs: "Anamnesis Park" "470 Nanometers"
Least Favorite Songs: "Smoke-Scented Mycellium" "The Knot" | | 32 |  | Elise Davis
Cactus
Atari
3.9
I'm a sucker for this kind of music: mellow, emotionally-driven country music with female vocals. I'm sure it ties back to my childhood nostalgia for the Dixie Chicks and Shania Twain, but there's still something impactful about it now. The strength in the themes, the lovely soundscapes here and solid mix of sounds and ideas here makes it both refreshing and comforting at the same time. This stuff hits me where it counts.
Favorite Songs: "Married Young" "Man"
Least Favorite Song: "The Burn" | | 33 |  | Marissa Nadler
For My Crimes
Atari [2]
3.9
There's something really comforting about this release despite its eerie undertones. Sure the barren landscape on the cover is a great visual descriptor for its blend of gothic folk, but at the sme time between the strings and lovely acoustic compositions is something really moving. Sure it might be a little too straightforward for it's own good (the biggest problem is that it simply doesn't sound unique enough against the everygrowing palate of indie sadgirl singer-songwriters are out there, no matter how long Nadler has been doing this), but at times like the beautiful opener/title-track and the thumping "Blue Vapor," her skill and style is unquestionable, and I'm excited to see what else she has to offer when I inevitably delve into her back catalogue.
Favorite Tracks: "For My Crimes" "Blue Vapor"
Least Favorite Track: "Lover Release Me" | | 34 |  | Johanna Warren
Gemini II
Atari [3] (this looks fucked)
4.0
Again some kinda safe indie folk from atari, but as usual this one had more than enough instumental flourishes (particularly moving in the opener and closer). Idk, this one didn't stand out too much to me vocally or instrumentally form the rest of the genre, and yet it managed to encapsulate a very specific mood that others didn't quite as right. It wasn't uniform, but created a great tone that elevated it as a whole over it's already really consistent parts.
FTs: "Hopelessness Has Done Nothing for Me" "Was it Heaven"
LFTs: "Inreverse" "Mine to Take" | | 35 |  | Negro Galacticus
N.W.T.
Kompys
4.0
This is just a crazy release through and through. The mish-mash of genres (a surreal mix of jazz, rap, and... emo?) works way better than it should, giving off a charming and effusive vibe that's sure to win over any listener that isn't immediately turned off by the slip-shod style and awkward vocals. I find myself in a weird place with it actually, at first I was blown away by the sheer audacity of the music, but the more I listened and my initial shock wore off, I was a bit bit frustrated by how rough it all is. There's so much ambition and creativity here that the untempered vocals and careless (rather than purposefully strange) song structures got to me (both most evident on late-album cut "Lioness". Still, there's so much potential for this band and again, there's a hell of a lot to love here.
Favorite Songs: "Perspective" "Kai's Funky Revenge"
Least Favorite Song: "Lioness" | | 36 |  | Something and the Whatevers
Epic Fail
Kompys [2]
3.2
“Idk man, what if they don’t like it?”
“Why wouldn’t they? Our songs are pretty fun, and I daresay we are some pretty damn original ideas going on here. Plus our lyrics touch on some really interesting but universal topics that millennials all over face right now. “I Don’t Care About Anything” and “Everything Is Boring” might be two of the weirdest and most unique rock-based tunes of the year.”
“Fuck man, maybe we’re going too far. Like a 7-minute long “epic” rock anthem for an opener? Idk if we can really pull off a whole album of stuff like that.”
“Shit, maybe you’re right. Okay, we what about instead of fixing our overreaching pretension, we say that it’s “ironic,” like even in the bandcamp genre tags, so that if they don’t like it we can say it’s supposed to be kinda bad without our egos getting hurt?”
“Oh shit, man good thinking!”
“Yeah, isn’t hiding behind irony fun?”
Favorite Song: "Everything Is Boring" is seriously stellar
Least Favorite Song: "The Good News" | | 37 |  | Hot Snakes
Jericho Sirens
Kompys [3]
4.0
This was just a damn crazy release, with some seriously aggressive punk aesthetic matched with the playfulness and tunefulness of alt rock to make something really unique and fun. I just wish the rest of the album lived up to the violent, hyper-melodic guitars of opener "I Need a Dcotor," which blew all the others out of the water at the same time as setting the ground rules for an otherwise still satisfying album.
FT: "I Need a Doctor"
LFTs: "Death Camp Fantasies" "Psychoactive" | | 38 |  | Damien Jurado
The Horizon Just Laughed
Papi
4.0
Ironically, this reminds me of my own papa. He's always been a fan of this mellow, deep-voiced folksters who'd rather weave emotion with lyrics and gentle singing than overblown soundscapes. Not to say that this doesn't have interesting music, as it certainly does (especially on cuts like the opener and closer), but more often the album is moving through lyrics than through the instrumentation. Case in point is "The Last Great Washington State," which once it burrows into your mind with it's slowly snowballing soundscape captures your heart with some of the most poignant and intricate lyrics I've heard yet this year. It makes me want to pore over the rest of the album's liner notes searching for more. Perhaps in due time, I'll be so lucky.
Favorite Tracks: "The Last Great Washington State" "Allocate"
Least Favorite Track: "Lou-Jean" | | 39 |  | Ought
Room Inside The World
Papi [2]
4.0
This has all the pieces that make up a boring-ass classic Uni post-punk album, yet it's all delivered with a solid edge of wonky and eclectic instrumentation that takes things to some unexpected places to break up the expected monotony of the genre. The vocals are surprisingly expressive compared to their contemporaries, and their best moments come from the heights they'll go to musically differentiate themselves from their peers (especially on the surreal gospel-tinges of "Desire").
Favorite Tracks: "Desire" "Alice"
Least Favorite Track: "Disaffection" | | 40 |  | The Skull Eclipses
The Skull Eclipses
Papi [3]
3.8
This had one hell of an atmosphere to it, especially from a hip-hop perspective. There's an apocalyptic, ominous doom through every track, which lent it some serious depth and heaviness that wouldn't have been there otherwise. The rapping also was really good, there was a solid flow to it all that actually reminded me a bit of Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park but with a bit less variety to his style. That confident cheese remained though, which kinda played against the doom and gloom in the choruses but never hurt it too much. Overall I'd say this is a pretty unique and fun indie hip-hop record, even if it didn't have the stand outs required to really have it stick out against some of the better albums this year.
FTs: "Pillars" "Pushing Up the Hills"
LFTs: "Gun Glitters" "Encyclopedia" | | 41 |  | Chvrches
Love Is Dead
Diva
2.7
Please don’t take away my poptimism card… I just really didn’t think this was good. It’s pretty much just competent, okay pop music with some really grating synth sounds and occasionally some decent anthems. The best moments here are the least pop moments, and it makes me really wish that they’d explore different directions (let it be known that I’m not familiar with their earlier work). Her voice was really compelling but against the soundscape it just stood out rather than meshing nicely, and oh god, the guy’s voice… well let’s just say that’s the reason my least favorite song is my least favorite.
Favorite Songs: “Never Say Die” “Miracle”
Least Favorite Song: “God’s Plan” | | 42 |  | MGMT
Little Dark Age
Diva [2]
4.0
This was an unexpected win from me considering some of my earlier comments of 80s-based pop-rock, but this did a fantastic job of carving itself a bizarre and entirely enjoyable niche in the market. It's damnably creative and fun, and again I'm surprised that I dug this considering how much Ariel Pink was involved in this (was not a big fan of his album in this comp last year), but overall yeah, this was some pretty goddamn glorious indie pop music, even if it fell of considerably after the first three excellent tunes.
Favorite Tracks: "When You Die" "Little Dark Age" "She Works Out to Much"
Least Favorite Track: "TSLAMP" "When You're Small" | | 43 |  | Reed and Caroline
Hello Science
Diva [3]
3.1
Not gonna lie, I really dug some of the instrumentation here. The zany mix of electronics and orchestral overtones worked really damn well to set the strange mood on here, but unfortunately everything else just didn't work for me. The vocals for me fell flat, mostly sticking to plain melodies with strained/basic vocal delivery that only got fun on some of the stranger (better) tracks here, and the lyrics were like a strange soundtrack of a pbs kids show about science, in a slightly endearing but really awkward way. So sure, there's a cute novelty aspect to it, but when you got a few tracks that straight up bang like "Digital Trash," you really wish they were firing on all cylinders rather than just relaxing into plain twee science ballads.
FT: "Digital Trash"
LFT: "Another Solar System" | | 44 |  | Car Seat Headrest
Twin Fantasy (Face to Face)
Blazin
3.4
On the surface it’s a perfectly good indie rock record with some emo and whatnot, but on the inside it feels a bit pointless. I’ve never heard the original (though I probably will in the near future), but I doubt that this is any better than it. It mostly feels like an excuse for eccentricity, it’s odd for the sake of being odd. The biggest offender (outside of the ridiculously pretentious mid-song interludes that destroy any sense of energy) is the bloated 13-minute long Frankenstein’s monster of fun but uninspired punk jams that is “Beach Life-in-Death.” This is a rarity for me, but honestly in this album’s case the straightforward cuts are the most engaging. There’s a couple melodic, great tunes here that play around a little bit but don’t have bloated or pretentious tendencies as a lot of the cuts do here. But overall, I did like it. I just wish I liked it more.
Favorite Songs: “My Boy (Twin Fantasy)” “High to Death”
Least Favorite Song: “Beach Life-in-Death” | | 45 |  | Tribulation
Down Below
Blazin [2]
4.0
Yeah this was some pretty goddamn gorgeous (death? black? heavy?... fuck idk I think it's progressive) metal, exemplified with some awesome musical passages that were excited to push the genre in less purely heavy directions, adding tons of awesome melodies and riffs to the fold. My only issues were that the vocals really didn't push the music in any interesting directions, and were easily the least enthusiastic part of the entire release. That and the music seemed to follow a similar formula after a certain point, but goddamn is it a great one.
Favorite Tracks: "Subterranea" "The World"
Least Favorite Track: "Lady Death" | | 46 |  | GoGo Penguin
A Humdrum Star
Blazin [3]
4.1
This was just a delight. Less obviously jazz influenced than some of the other recs on here, this had some massive melodies and genuinely enjoyable songs through and through. It's really memorable as well and something that I hope to come back to in the near future.
FTs: "Return to Text" "Window"
LFTs: "Transient State" | | 47 |  | Jon Hopkins
Singularity
NorthernSkylark
3.9
This here is something truly beautiful, and yet is in a genre that I'm mostly unfamiliar with. It's lush and organic despite it's electronic trappings, and I couldn't help but find myself most swayed by the moments that were less artificial and more straightforward. Still, I was mesmerized at times by the album, even if I can't quite put my finger on a melody or a sound when it was over. I think that's the albums' biggest weakness, a lack of catchiness or memorability that would hook a listener in for future listens. But regardless, it was beautiful.
Favorite Song: "Feel First Life"
Least Favorite Song: "Neon Drum Pattern" | | 48 |  | Ezra Furman
Transangelic Exodus
NorthernSkylark [2]
4.1
This hit me at a very good time, with incisive lyrics and refreshingly strange music that was very much rock, but it had a ridiculously eccentric ear that really pushed the genre into interesting directions. The best tracks here were pretty mind-boggling, and even the weakest had some really interesting lyrics that demanded my attention more than most other releases on this list. I don't mean anything weird by this, but this is the first time I've related to a (male) queer artist to this point in a very long time. Big points for this one.
Favorite Tracks: "No Place" "Suck the Blood from My Wound"
Least Favorite Track: "I Lost My Innocence" | | 49 |  | David Byrne
American Utopia
NorthernSkylark [3]
3.6
I had a surprising amount of fun with this, quality wise it was a bit scattershot because there was a pretty clear divide between the really fun funky genre-blends and the bland rehashes of his old sounds, but overall I thought this was a jam. The bangers banged and the weaker tracks didn't really detract from the sound too much, and even though some of the choruses were really rough, others just plain excelled.
FTs: "Gasoline and Dirty Sheets" "I Dance Like This"
LFT: "Dog's Mind" | | 50 |  | Rainbow Kitten Surprise
How to: Friend, Love, Freefall
bgillesp
3.9
Yeah I really liked this one actually, as much as his voice could get a little grating and as much as it felt like a hodgepodge of other indie rock and folk influences, this largely came into its own strange subgenre of indie music. I mean, sure it's not as weird as the title might suggest, but there are a lot of sounds here that laregly come into their own. There's some rundancy of this song throughout the tracklist unfortunately, but often they manage to keep things sounding new and interesting. I especially loved the mellower tracks where they toyed with surreal sounds in the background of folk-based tunes and keeping things relatively calm. This didn't totally blow me away as well as I feel they could eventually do if they get a bit stranger and confident, but this was a great jam regardless.
Favorite Tracks: "Painkillers" "Polite Company"
Least Favorite Track: "Possum Queen" | | 51 |  | The Bamboos
Night Time People
bgillesp [2]
2.9
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=77517&page=2#comments
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?reviewid=77517&page=3#comments
idk maybe im getting to cynical
FT: "Broken"
LFT: "Golden Ticket" (this song sucks my ass) | | 52 |  | Murder by Death
The Other Shore
bgillesp [3]
4.1
Another great album with a couple faults that held it back, namely the first three tracks. None of these really clicked, and the old-timey vocals really made even the more progressive elements here sag a bit. Thankfully, after these three the musicianship really shined, particularly on "Space" which felt like it was a leftover QotSA b-side with a different vocalist, and "Bloom" which almost felt like it belonged on the latest Gang of Youths album. Yet still there was a great uniformity here that held all the crazy pieces together. This was a winner before, I just wish it started as well as it stuck the landing.
Favorite Tracks: "Space" "Bloom"
Least Favorite Track: "Chasing Ghosts" "True Dark" | | 53 |  | Night Verses
From the Gallery of Sleep
zombie
4.1
This hit me hard at first, and then eventually waned for me on further listens. I love the sound here, an amalgamation of metal and progressive influences, with some seriously talented and exciting musicianship unfolded throughout. My only problem is that like Singularity, none of it really stuck to me in terms of catchiness or tunefulness. Sure a lot of it I felt while I was listening to it, but when it's over I feel there's little to really bring me back to it in the future. That and some of the melodies feel a bit cheesy and some feel trapped in a loud-soft dynamic without flowing naturally. I'm being far more critical than I meant to, this is an awesome album that I just wish clicked better with me over time than it did.
Favorite Songs: "Copper Wasp" "No Moon"
Least Favorite Songs: "No.0" "The Glitch in You I Thought I Knew" | | 54 |  | The Wonder Years
Sister Cities
zombie [2]
3.9
Fusing the predicability and obvious choruses of pop-punk with aggressive guitars and surprising depth, The Wonder Years craft a surprisingly worthy addition to an irksome genre. The tracks all here have a level of musicality and thought that makes them all really enjoyable and thoughtful, and the weakest ones are only the ones that blend in too easily with the album's general sound and lean too heavily on their roots. The best are the ones that really stand out, especially on the album's gigantic sounding closer. This is an emotional, fun, and great pop punk album. Never thought I'd get to say that this year.
FTs: "The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me" "We Look Like Lightning"
LFTs: "Sister Cities" "The Orange Grove" | | 55 |  | Birds In Row
We Already Lost The World
zombie [3]
3.8
I found myself enjoying this far more than I thought I might based on the genres, as this was really brought up thanks to its reliance on more mature and progressive elements than I usually find in the genre. Screams and hard-hitting guitars channelling pure aggression where leveed by massive melodic riffs and changing song structures. It really added all up to something pretty unique and emotional, so hats off to this rec!
FTs: "We vs. Us" "Fossils"
LFT: "We Count So We Don't Have to Listen" | | 56 |  | Mac Miller
Swimming
3.4
This was so goddamn nice chill-ass R&B to vibe and rest too, mellowed me the fuck out right when I needed it. Most of this is pretty straightforward, but there's some really interesting beat switches and instrumental elements that really make everything click together. Even the weakest tracks are still nice, and the best one are true bangers. Count me up as a convert to his smooth message, I'm just sad that I didn't find him sooner.
FT: "Self Care"
LFT: "Small Worlds" | | 57 |  | Parquet Courts
Wide Awake
3.8
Yeah okay this was really damn good. You all know I'm not super into punk, but even the punkier moments here were really tasteful and well done (i.e., not just boring yelly noise, though the opener dig kinda verge on this). Naturally I preferred the weirder moments such as "Freebird II" and "Back to Earth," and especially the crazy fun title track. Idk, there was a lot of fun to be had here and though I wish I had more time to spend with it before continuing this list, I had a really good time with it overall.
Favorite Track: "Wide Awake"
Least Favorite Track: "Total Football" | | 58 |  | Rosalia
El Mal Querer
3.2
Last year I gave Rosalia's debut Los Angeles a similar rating, citing that it's sound was interesting to me but too slight, even if some of the tunes (especially "De Plata") were especially moving. Once again, despite her fully transitioning into pop music after her flamenco debut, I find myself at odds with her sound. There's just not enough going on to keep it interesting. The artistry of what she's doing is always clear, but more often than not all she's doing is playing around with vocals and handclaps. Which isn't to say there isn't something to be said for a capella-based pop, but to me the most obviously best tracks were the most orchestrated ("RENIEGO") and poppy ("MALIMENTE", which is downright sexy I might add). I'd love to see her playing around with more sounds and layers in the future. Until now, I remain hopeful from the sidelines of her fandom.
Favorite Tracks: "MALIMENTE" "RENIEGO"
Least Favorite Track: "A NINGUN HOMBRE" | | 59 |  | Vansire
Angel Youth
3.3
Everyone who's been following any of my write-ups (major or minor) these last couple years will know that I have a complicated relationship with nostalgia. Partly due to my being brought up mostly in the 00s (the shittiest decade in terms of pop culture), I don't really feel nostalgic for the time period, nor do I love art that thrives primarily on nostalgia for any period, especially the 80s. This album is largely 80s influenced, from the light synthy touches to the affectless vocals. However, there is something really lovely about the hazy and deep soundscapes here, more so when they're tied with light unique touches, and less so when it's paired with vocal melodies so disgustingly sweet they'd leave a rotting gap where your tooth used to be ("Moon Hits"). Also, this is like two albums in one. The first focusing on those sickly sweet dream pop ballads, and the second on a surreal mix of that and hip-hop.
FT: "KW" "Synth Man"
LFTs: "Moon Hits" "Yours Truly" | | 60 |  | Saba
Care For Me
3.2
Okay, so hear me out. This guy has some serious talent. He’s one of the few rappers that I actually listened to and digested some of the stories on first listen (I think the last time that happened was with The College Dropout), and his flow is pretty solid. But goddamn is some of this album boring. Aside form some interesting melodic/jazzy influences (nothing new for the Chicago scene these days (also, Chicago repreSENT), a lot of it is really chill and mumbly. Many tracks, especially in the middle, just sag with annoying choruses and sterile soundscapes. So yeah, I enjoyed a decent amount of this. I didn’t a decent amount too. But, he’s got an important vision to him that I hope to see fleshed out in the future. Maybe he should get Noname to produce his next record.
FTs: “BUSY/SIRENS” “CALLIGRAPHY”
LFTs: “SMILE” “LOGOUT” | | 61 |  | Mid-Air Thief
Crumbling
4.2
As much as I wanted to resist its cutely twee tendencies, Crumbling won me over not just through it's implacable charm, but its lovely, warm, churning soundscapes. The music is unlike any other I've really heard, and it's just goddamn attractive and likeable even if it might not always be the most listenable, sometimes reaching comparisons to a Korean Bon Iver. It's a great album that I might not find myself reaching toward often, but would love to have in my own music library.
Favorite Song: "These Chains"
Least Favorite Song: "Dirt" | | 62 |  | Field Division
Dark Matter Dreams
Dewinged
4.3
If ever there was an album designed specifically to hit me in a weak spot, it's this one. Beautiful country tinges coupled with atmospheric rock soundscapes, catchy-ass riffs, and beautiful female vocals, this just totally hit the nail on the head for me. Sure, a couple tracks can seem a bit underwhelming (the male vocalist is at the forefront of these weak links, but luckily they use him sparingly and it admittedly does help with variety; the atmospheric instrumentals are more than enough to take up most of the slack), but overall this is a breathtakingly gorgeous, cinematic marvel of an album that dives confidently into a throng of disparate genres and comes up with a winning, unique yet nostalgic sound. This rules.
Favorite Songs: "Farthest Moon" "It's Not Gonna Be Alright" "This Is How Your Love Destroys Me"
Least Favorite Songs: "Lately" "Stay" | | 63 |  | La Luz
Floating Features
Dewinged [2]
4.1
Woah, where tf did this come from? An all-female band that blends blissful dream-pop with guitar-driven psych, there's a crazy amount of effort given to the atmosphere of the album, which adds to its overall insane amount of consistency. There isn't a track on here that isn't great, and yet at the same time there aren't really too much tracks that jump out at you and demand year-end highlight status. This is the album's only downfall, as its smooth af and a joy to listen to, I just hope that next time around they craft their sound into something with a bit more variety and bite to it. Until then I'm sure this'll come up often for me.
FTs: "My Golden One" "Greed Machine"
LFT: "Don't Leave Me on Earth" (i guess) | | 64 |  | Jaye Jayle
No Trail and Other Unholy Paths
Dewinged [3]
3.9
While this took a while to get off the ground for me, there were some seriously great moments later on that sold this slow-burning, weird rock album for me. I loved the blend of jazz and other elements throughout, which helped to differentiate an album that otherwise might not have stood out much from the pack. The biggest problem for me however was the lethargic pacing that filled most of this album. Many of the tracks occupied a very similar tempo, which not only made it hard to tell them apart, but added to the frustrating opening. Still, this album got really great as it went on, and overall was a just a really good pick overall!
FTs: "Cemetery Rain" "Marry Us" "Ode to Betsy"
LFT: "No Trail" | | 65 |  | Blurred City Lights
Volker
WRYN
4.0
There's something at once gorgeous and menacing about this album, perhaps best evidenced by its monster of a closing track, "Argue Till We Die." I mean, this song just hit me like a train, but it does a great job of distilling everything about what came before it into one condensed sucker-punch of shoegaze and electronica. It also dilutes it a bit, considering just how good it is makes the rest feel a bit inessential. That isn't to say the rest isn't good, in fact there's hardly a dull moment between the thick atmospheres and lovely vocals soaring here and there. It's a mood-piece of an album, and at that it succeeds incredibly well. I greatly look forward to what this duo has to offer in the future.
Favorite Tracks: "For a Day" "Argue Till We Die"
Least Favorite Track: "Clusters" | | 66 |  | The Innocence Mission
Sun on the Square
BlushfulHippocrene
3.9
Blush you beautiful devil, you knew exactly what this would do to me when I heard it. It's a blissful and at times adorable trip through various styles of indie folk, starting with simple girl and her guitar tunes before branching out into blooming, flowering orchestral-folk offerings. I generally preferred the latter, but there were plenty of gems to be beheld. I'm surprised I'd never heard of these guys but I'll have to check them out soon!
Favorite Songs: "Buildings in Flower" "Sun on the Square"
Least Favorite: "Star of Land and Sea" (male vocals didn't click for me here) | | 67 |  | Slowly Slowly
St. Leonards
BlushfulHippocrene [2]
3.6
This is just some damn gorgeously produced, well-crafted straightforward indie rock. The best songs here are the ones showcasing the biggest breadth, while the tracks with simple acoustic strumming or pop-punk levels of simplicity don't hit the mark quite as well. And while, as always with these releases, I really wish that they pushed themselves and their sound more, there's some great tracks here showing some great dynamics and range from the band, showcasing some potential I really hope they capitalize on in the future.
FTs: "Dinosaurs" "Smile Lines" "The Cold War"
LFTs: "Sorry" "Sunburnt Shoulders" | | 68 |  | LUMP (UK)
LUMP
BlushfulHippocrene [3]
4.2
This was about as strange and off-the-wall as an album can get while still being able to call it mainly folk, and it really pushes the boundaries of the genre to the point where I would call it "progressive folk." There's some brilliant genre bending here, employing electronic beats and electric rhythm sections with finesse that never feels out of place or contradictory to the feel of the song and the chaotic song structures. It's also crazy consistent, with nearly every song being excellent in its own unique way (with one obvious exception that just doesn't stand out thanks to its pleasant monotony), and overall it's just a great album I'm happy to have heard.
FTs: Everything other than "May I Be the Light"
LFT: "May I Be the Light" | | 69 |  | Allelic
The Smoke of Atavistic Fires
3.7
This was a really solid folk metal outing, if a very standard from my understanding. To be fair 've only jammed a few in this subgenre, but this didn't really stand out to me too much compared to those. Still, it supplied some excellent atmosphere, solid melodies and fun riffs, which is basically all I could ask for with this. It's hard to say much more because as much as I liked it, a lot of it tends to slip away in the memory almost immediately, but this was a worthy jam to anyone interested in this kind of music, and it's one that I'm ultimately glad I checked.
Favorite Song: "Fig.2 - Within a Decaying Vessel"
Least Favorite Song: "Fig.3 - As Stars Shimmer Upon the Ritual" | | 70 |  | mewithoutYou
[Untitled]
4.3
This thing is remarkably great and rridiculously consistent. There wasn't a single song of this I didn't think was excellent, but at the same time I wish there were a few more tracks that acted as highlights. Therefore the best songs for me were simply the most catchy or memorable because they stood out against the pack sonically rather than necessarily being much better. Still, that's not much of a complaint. I expect this to be a very rewarding album in the future just because of how dense this is, there's so much going on that I imagine future listens will really color my experiences more with it. Well yeah anyway I totally get why this is getting the acclaim it's getting, and I'm looking forward to digging deeper into these guys.
Favorite Tracks: "Julia" "Michael, Row Your Boat Ashore"
Least Favorite Tracks: literally none but I guess "Wendy & Betsy" just for being a bit unmemorable | | 71 |  | Behemoth
I Loved You at Your Darkest
4.1
These guys just rip your face off and do it in such a fun and ridiculous way without ever coming off as less badass, no matter how many orchestras and children's choirs they fit into their music. There's some serious talent behind this music, and even though I have a weakness for uber-melody and genre-breaking turns like this in metal, this band does it in a way that just doesn't hurt the mood of what they're going for in the slightest. In that way, they pull it off better than Sigh. Because even though I enjoyed that Sigh record more, at the end of the day, this is far more m/
FTs: "Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica" "God = Dog"
LFTs: "Angelvs XIII" "Rom 5:8" | | 72 |  | Pinegrove
Skylight
4.0
Okay yeah this was really sweet. I accidentally jammed Cardinal before this thinking that it was this, but I can honestly say that I def preferred this. Whereas that felt like solid indie rock with some splashes of americana, this was by far a more interesting mash of the genres. Both sides worked so well, most evidently on the rocking opener and the very country-esque t/t, this sounded a lot more like the band I saw live a couple years ago then Cardinal. Even though the quicker tracks didn't add much and the album got a bit redundant near the end.
FTs: "Rings" "Skylight"
LFTs: "Easy Enough" "Light On" | | 73 |  | NOT_MDK
The Clever Use Of Occult Symbols...
WRYN [2]
3.3
Definitely more mixed on this than on your last offering WRYN, though I did get a kick out of what they were trying to do here. I think there was a lot of potential to the sound here, though it did remind me of a more scattershot and electronic-based attempt at something Igorrr would try to pull off, with a strange combination of sounds both heavy and light making something not necessary palatable yet strangely listenable. There was def some stuff to enjoy here.
FT: "Inchoate Hepatoscopy"
LFT: "Incarnadine Materials" | | 74 |  | Various Artists (Electronic)
Forms Of Hands 18
WRYN [3]
3.4
This was a pretty enjoyable if strangely monochromatic release given how many artists contributed to it. I remember enjoying a lot of it and being annoyed by the rest. There's some really fun stuff here, but like my biggest problem with electronic is that it just dronesssssss on sometimes. I usually listen to these twice before rating, but since this was technically kinda not an album album and I didn’t love it, I gave it one. There were some great bangers on here though so thanks for sharing!
FTs: “Linear” “Forever Fading”
LFTs: “Seuranta” | | 75 |  | Twenty One Pilots
Trench
3.7
TØP follows up Blurryface with a far more exciting and mature album overall. It takes the experimentation of their older albums and brings their more successful pop appeal to it with really solid results. The lyrics can be asinine at time (like seriously, who gives a damn about the album concept? It’s convoluted af), and there’s a string of eh songs in there (with single “Nico and the Niners” as the main offender), but still, there’s a lot of fun to be had here and quality wise it stand right between their older indie efforts and their recent major label stuff. I’d say this has the best hip-hop stuff they’ve put out yet though.
Favorite Songs: “Jumpsuit” “Leave the City”
Least Favorite Song: “Nico and the Niners” | | 76 |  | Haley Heynderickx and Max Garcia Conover
Among Horses III
3.7
Stripping back Haley's instrumentation to match that of her companion (I'm assuming), this relies more on her husky and full voice which isn't so much a bad thing, but I really wish there was more variety here musically. Still, each gets a truly great song, and the weaker moments are solid if not totally impressive folk tunes. Overall a really good listen for fans of the recent batch of singer-songwriter folk and Haley in general.
Favorite Songs: "Francis" "Mother"
Least Favorite Songs: "Little Wind" "Crow Song" | | 77 |  | Alkaline Trio
Is This Thing Cursed?
2.7
I'm gonna be honest, I've never gotten all the appeal of pop-punk, and it's never been more perplexing than this album. Sure it's upbeat and a bit fun, but the choruses are plain irritating and some of the vocals (from the not-Matt Skiba guy) are just not good. Why this album gets all the acclaim when to me it's as middle-of-the-road it can be for a genre that's already pretty middle-of-the-road is beyond me. Luckily it's gotta pretty solid duo of closers, as "Krystalline" might be the one convincing display of emotion on the entire album.
FT: "Krystalline"
LFT: "Little Help?" | | 78 |  | Malfet
The Snaking Path
AsleepInTheBack
4.0
I feel as I'm contradicting myself a bit given my criticisms of Steak's rec, but I really found myself enjoying this one. It definitely had a similar video game-y feel to it, and I think it could've worked excellent as a soundtrack. The main difference for me between the two I suppose (aside form the obvious genre contrasts) is the way that natural and organic sounds are weaved into the soundscape of the album. The synths and melodies are never at odds with the nature in the background, if anything they combine to create a unique and moving atmosphere. It's refreshing, like taking a walk through the woods. It's strange because I've never heard anything quite like it technically, but it felt so familiar and inviting at once. I suppose you can just chalk that one up to good musicianship.
Favorite Song: "Edenic Reflections"
Least Favorite Song: "A Copse O’ergrown" | | 79 |  | Shô!
Shô!
AsleepInTheBack [2]
3.8
This was a really fun album, and even if it didn't click with me as much as I'd like, it made for one hell of an enjoyable listen, and worked surprisingly well as background music for work and monotonous tasks. I wish they'd have played with the melodies a bit more, but there's plenty going on for this band that I'll be keeping an eye on them for future releases.
FT: "Just a Begining Part 3"
LFTs: "Spatial Night Part 1" & "Spatial Night Part 3" | | 80 |  | Molly Burch
First Flower
SowingSeason [4]
3.4
This was a strange album, completely detached yet comforting in its hazy, wavering warmth. While I never felt like I could get immerse myself into it given the fact that the music just seemed to be hiding behind a pane of glass, there was something alluring about that. Just a really pretty album with a sultry voice in the front, that I wish could've switched things up a little bit and involved me more.
FTs: "Good Behavior" "Nothing to Say"
LFT: "Candy" "Wild" "To the Boys" | | 81 |  | Madeline Kenney
Perfect Shapes
SowingSeason [5]
4.3
Wow, ending this run on a hugely high note. I loved this thing and just how deep the sound was. There was always something going on, and always something going on beneath that. The scope was huge, the melodies were huge, and the emotion was huge, all to the point where the one flaw I have with the album is that there were no cracks, no stripped-back moments to let me in and appreciate the smaller feelings that were hiding underneath it all (as say, Haley Heynderickx did (yes, I did read your review sowing)). Either way, this is one of my favorite finds of the year, and it just plain rocks.
FTs: "Overhead" "Bad Idea" "Your Art"
LFT: "No Weekend" | | 82 |  | Ice Nine Kills
The Silver Scream
Snide
3.3
I’m not even sure how I would’ve reacted to all of this before my recent horror binge, but I’ll admit to this hitting a certain sweet tooth thanks to it. Still, I’m just not a fan of metalcore, and while there’s a lot of guilty pleasure stuff here with tons of weirdly progressive influences, there’s still enough syrupy sweet pop choruses and lame one-liners to bring it almost solely into pure cringe territory. There’s a lot to like here, and there’s a lot to dislike too, and quite often it’s one and the same, exemplified perfectly on the surreal duet “Love Bites.” Bonus points for the fun and novelty though!
Favorite Track: “Thank God It’s Friday”
Last Favorite Tracks: “The Jig Is Up” “Enjoy Your Slay” | | 83 |  | Olafur Arnalds
re:member
Snide [2]
4.0
How can a guy that thinks Black Veil Brides is the best band ever rec something so goddamn pretty? This is one of the nicest, most purely uplifting albums I've heard all year, and I very much appreciate it coming along when it did. There's some gorgeous tracks here, and a few others that just don't stand out the way the rest do, but it's hard to fault that on an orchestral/electronic album like this one. Strongly recommend this to anyone that's a fan of instrumental music or just needs to mellow out sometime soon.
FTs: "re:member" "undir"
LFTs: "momentary" "nyepi" | | 84 |  | Emery
Eve
Snide [3]
3.6
Well, I definitely enjoyed this more than one might think given my proclivities to this genre, but above all what sold me on it was the boundless fun that the band seemed to be having. Sure, they get caught up in poetic angst a bit more than they can handle, and maybe they'd be better off deviating from the formula for more than a couple half-song lengths here and there (some songs are just inarguably plain), but here's a band that wants to try new things and wants to enjoy doing so in a genre that often gets so caught up in self-seriousness far too often.
FT: "Shame"
LFTs: "Everything that She Offered Me" "Is This the Real Life?" | | 85 |  | Adrianne Lenker
abysskiss
Atari [4]
3.2
I've gotta be honest, this one didn't click for me the way others in the genre do. In fact, it takes me back to what I imagined when people described Julien Baker for the first time, it's all the sadness and simplicity with much less of the singing talent and ear for melody. It does set up a unique atmosphere throughout it all though, and at its worst, it's nothing worst than forgetful. At it's best, it's remarkably pleasant and sneakily dense.
FT: "out of your mind"
LFT: "10 miles" | | 86 |  | Snail's House
L'été
SteakByrnes
3.6
This is really nice and really cute but I guess it just isn't the kind of music that clicks with me. It chirps and fuzzes its way around pimped-out, looping, Nintendo soundtrack-type tunes that and as nauseatingly adorable as they are surprisingly layered at times. The saccharine sweetness and artificiality was a bit too much for me sometimes, it never felt truly moving or organic to me as it probably should've, but I suppose that's because to me it felt too much like it wanted to emulate nostalgia and sounds than truly come into its own. Later on in the album it definitely got closer to it, but overall I just wished it would've left a longer lasting impression in me.
Favorite Songs: "Pluie" "Platonique"
Least Favorite Song: "秘密基地" | | 87 |  | A Beacon School
Cola
SteakByrnes [2]
4.1
It's funny that I listened to this the same time as Beach House, as this is a far more pristine example of the wonders of dream pop than that album in my opinion. This album is just damn gorgeous, especially the looping, flowing "It's Late," which is honestly a highlight of this year as a whole. They take some seriously varied and interesting ideas for the genre, and thanks to the short runtime it doesn't get old and peter out like some albums do. I just thought this was an absolute pleasure, and I'm excited to listen to what they put out in the future.
FTs: "It's Late" "Algernon"
LFT: "Ash" | | 88 |  | Greyhaven
Empty Black
SteakByrnes [3]
3.6
This just might be the strangest reaction I've had to any of these albums so far. On first listen this just did nothing for me, it felt like a strangely unpalatable mix of unnecessarily heavy and condescendingly accessible parts that wasn't my thing at all. On second listen however, it unlocked a part of my mind that was largely resistant to this genre, and even if it's still not "my thing," the insane atmosphere and musicianship was more undeniable than any metalcore album I've heard. This felt like it might just be my first big step into this genre, and I'm curious to see if it grows on me in time.
FT: "Echo and Dust Pt. II"
LFT: "Broadcast Heaven" | | 89 |  | The Spirit of the Beehive
Hypnic Jerks
suppatime
3.9
Well this was certainly something. A swirling, dense, and atmospheric concoction of psychedelia and its various components, this record was almost nausea inducing (in a good way?) at times. It’s so adamant about its constant flow and intricate instrumentation that it’s hard to pull the songs apart from each other, even just to pick out a favorite. This consistency is both a strength and a weakness, as are the constant interludes that come up mid-song and the heavy reliance on Beatles worship. It’s a great album, just one that I might find it hard to come back to thanks to its hazy uniformity.
Favorite Track (i guess): “hypnic jerks”
Least Favorite Track: “(without you) in my pocket” | | 90 |  | The Sidekicks
Happiness Hours
suppatime [2]
3.5
This was honestly just a really nice and agreeable rock album in a good way, there were a couple non-starters here and moments where things just felt a bit uninspired, but overall it was a good time and fun was had by all. A few tracks here have some goddamn gorgeous choruses and melodies going for them, "Mix for Rainy Day" and "Serpent in a Sun Drought" especially. And lord is that closer a beaut. I hope that in the future they can hone their sound into something more consistently exciting, but for now I'll enjoy this for what it is; a good pop rock album.
FTs: "Mix for Rainy Day" "Happiness Hours"
LFT: "Other People's Pets" | | 91 |  | Mathias Eick
Ravensburg
suppatime [3]
4.0
Man there was some just plain lovely stuff here. Tracks just oozed with melody and beauty, some hitting more than others, but all of them fitting the same crisp and hazy atmosphere. This album was a treat, especially the moodier tracks like "Girlfriend." There's a lot to love here, so I'm gonna have to check back to his earlier work!
FTs: "Parents" "Girlfriend"
LFTs: "Friends" "For My Grandmothers" | | 92 |  | Kylie Minogue
Golden
Thrust!
2.7
Yeah, sorry Aiwaz but this just didn't click for me much at all. Most tracks would start with a tease of something mildly country-esque before Kylie goes into balls-out pop with a Southern accent, but the problem is, neither the country or the pop here is particularly good or well crafted. Things do better a bit better as they go in terms of a better mix of genres, and the best tracks come along when Minogue surprisingly finds enough grace to keep it in her pants and stick with the muted country aesthetic for a whole song like on the lovely ballad "Radio On" and the layered closer "Music's Too Sad Without You". Otherwise this is pretty much the opposite of what I enjoy in either genre thanks to her screechy vocals and often mind-numbingly uninventive take on "country-pop".
Favorite Songs: "Radio On" "Music's Too Sad Without You"
Least Favorite Song: "Sincerely Yours" | | 93 |  | Novo Amor
Birthplace
4.1
Man, this really clicked on my second listen. As it goes on, it starts to feel less of an elaboration of his previous stuff and more like a true progression. This feels like the first time he's properly given his music room to breathe from his Bon Iver-like airy, sometimes suffocatingly sweet vocals. This time it feels perfectly in tune with all of the new sounds and textures he's playing with, and honestly it sounds excellent. Can see this growing on me even more in time as well.
Favorite Song: "Anniversary"
Least Favorite Song: "Seneca" | | 94 |  | Julia Holter
Aviary
3.5
This is one of those weird albums that I respect more than I like. It's totally off-kilter, uninviting, and strange, and I get that there's something to really be found somewhere in it, but the landscapes are so inhospitable at times that I honestly don't know if they're worth it. Also I know that this is a grower but honestly I found myself more at odds with it the second time than the first. Still, there are more than a few moments of scattered beauty where her weirdness finally settles into something truly fun and listenable, especially on the second half. Yes, there's a lot of great stuff here, it's just muddled, stretched, and purposefully obfuscated, sometimes it feels like just for the sake of being "out there."
Favorite Songs: "Les Jeux to You" "Words I Heard" "I Shall Love 2"
Least Favorite Songs: "Turn the Lights On" "Everyday Is an Emergency" | | 95 |  | Robyn
Honey
3.6
This is one hell of a nice little pop album. I don't find the same emotional catharsis and poignancy that a lot of people seem to be gathering for it, and there's a bit less going on musically than I normally like, but I can't argue against the subtly effective musicianship abound here. There's some really good passages and quietly progressive notions going on from here and there, which make the majority far more interesting than your average pop release. It's at its worst the closer it comes to generic pop tunes, such as on the opener and closer, which, while fun jams in their own right, just aren't unique enough to make the cut imo. But overall, this is a very nice, very solid pop album with the power to grow on me if ever I find myself coming back to it.
Favorite Song: "Send to Robin Immediately"
Least Favorite Songs: "Missing U" "Ever Again" | | 96 |  | Rotor (GER)
Sechs
insomniac15
4.1
A fun, exciting, and easily flowing instrumental stoner rock record that fashions melodic tunes out of its marble chunks of rock very similar to the monolithic tracks that Elder gifted us with last year. If you dug that album, I strongly recommend this. It might not be quite as exquisitely crafted, but it's a lot more immediate and fun at first, even if it might wear off a bit with a couple listens.
Favorite Songs: "Abfahrt!" "Vor Dem Herrn"
Least Favorite Song: "Würdigung" (not really a song but it sucks as a closer) | | 97 |  | Night Flowers
Wild Notion
budgie
3.8
This is such a nice goddamn album. It's right on that edge of a 3.5 and 4.0 but I can't help but give it the boost just because of how fun and amiable it is. It's not got much going in terms of originality, but it's got a tried and true dream pop sound with some really nice vocals that lead the way over music of varied complexity. Sure there are a few moments where the melodies are just a bit too sweet for my ears, but when they're pared with some really moving sounds (and the production here is really great too) then you can feel the magic.
Favorite Songs: "Head On" "Let Her In"
Least Favorite Song: "Hey Love" | | 98 |  | Skeletonwitch
Devouring Radiant Light
Demon of the Fall
3.2
Okay so I'm not normally a fan of whatever subgenre of metal this is ("blackened thrash metal" was Minushuman's guess) so I'm already biased against this album, but honestly it was pretty good. I enjoyed a decent amount of it, especially the first two tracks; the first has some almost poppy melodies and the second had a fun groove-y stomp to it. The only problem is that a lot of it just didn't latch on in my mind. I won't really remember this album as having a different voice from any of the other metal bands I've jammed in the past, I'll just remember thinking it was alright. And honestly, I had a decent time listening to it so that's all I can ask for with this stuff, I just wish it was a tad more memorable in the end.
Favorite Songs: "Fen of Shadows" "When Paradise Falls"
Least Favorite Song: "Carnarium Eternal" | | 99 |  | Forces
Plastisphere
theYearis1999
2.3
This is one of those albums that I can appreciate artistically but for the life of me just can't stomach. That's not to say there aren't some truly pretty pieces on here, such as the opener, which blend the scattershot and noisy approach to the titular concept with melody in a way that's enticing and innovative. However, the album is largely unlistenable as "music" the violent voice slicing of "As Long as Skies Are Blue" is rough at best, and "Pit Formers," might just be one of the most unappetizing stretches of music I've ever heard (up there with Bar Sachiko, yes, it's really bad) thanks to being the musical equivalent of sandpaper rubbing directly against your eardrums. So yeah, there was a lot of clever, even good stuff here, but there was just enough here that diluted it to the point that I won't forget this album, but I'll surely actively avoid it.
Favorite Tracks: "Pattern Definitions"
Least Favorite Track: "Pit Formers" (definitely my worst SOTY so far) | | 100 |  | Myles Oliver
Opio
theYearis1999 [2]
3.2
You know what, I'll give a lot of credit to these electronic albums or really broadening my mind to this kinda music. I've been trying to get more into electronic music and this stuff is really letting me know just how insanely artistic this stuff is. As for my relatively low score, I thought this album was seriously deep and well created, all around artful in almost every way. But it's almost something I can imagine myself going to a museum to see, something so painstakingly constructed and carved out of razor wire that I can't ever imagine myself listening to it out of enjoyment. It'd be fantastic to study, to observe, to take notes on and hear a lecture on it, but I'll be damned if ever I had a really fun time listening to it.
FTs: "Where World Begins (Forget the Past/Katashi Mix)" "Reflection"
LFTs: "Shimizu" "City Faves Ohnuki" | | 101 |  | Bladee
Redlight
theYearis1999 [3]
1.9
I'm sorry but this is some of the striaght up worst music I've heard from 2018. It's just boring rap/r&b/electronic music with so little passion or excitement that it's genuinely irritating. I'll admit that it picks up a tad in the last few tracks ("Puppet Master" is better than it has any right to be on an album this bad), which is just barely enough from saving this from my title of worst album of the year, just barely.
FT: "Pupper Master" (really nice song ngl)
LFT: "For You" "Decay" "Fake News" | |
neekafat
09.26.18 | Alright let's start out with 3 recs each first
Sowing and Atari can make a couple extra if they want because they didn't know I'd throw them in this lol | Kompys2000
09.26.18 | Uhh 3 recs? Okay I'll go with:
Negro Galacticus- N.W.T.
Bird Streets- Bird Streets
Hot Snakes- Jericho Sirens | JustJoe.
09.26.18 | It has begun | neekafat
09.26.18 | hell yuh bring it boys | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | Merry fucking Christmas.
Also, Endless isn't 2018. | neekafat
09.26.18 | I swear it was listed as 2018 like a month ago. Wasn't it just released as physical this year? | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | And my 5s are:
Damien Jurado - The Horizon Just Laughed
Ought - Room Inside the World
møl - Jord | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | It was a YouTube performance only until this year. | Divaman
09.26.18 | The ones I listened to on this list are: 4,6,7,8,10,12,16,18,26,27 and 28. You want recs, huh? Let me look at what you've listened to already and I'll get back to you. | Divaman
09.26.18 | Wow, why did you inflict all of that Justin Bieber on yourself? I feel your pain.
Here are my recs:
Chvrches - Love Is Dead (I know everybody else hated it, but they've got it all wrong)
MGMT - Little Dark Age
The Republic of Wolves - Shrine | BlazinBlitzer
09.26.18 | I guess I still gotta let time for that Sumac album to digest, so for now I’ll give you:
Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) (indie rock)
Tribulation - Down Below (Gothic Black Metal)
GoGo Penguin - A Humdrum Star (Nu-Jazz) | NorthernSkylark
09.26.18 | Marissa Nadler's new one [3]
Here's some of my favorites of 18'
Jon Hopkins - Singularity
Aidan Muffat and RM Hubbert - Here Lies the Body
David Byrne - American Utopia
Ezra Furman - Transangelic Exodus
Nils Frahm - All Melody [2]
Ben Howard - Noonday Dream
Blood Orange - Negro Swan | BlazinBlitzer
09.26.18 | He's already 5'd Ben Howard. | NorthernSkylark
09.26.18 | Good. | bgillesp
09.26.18 | Rainbow Kitten Surprise- How To...
Nekrogoblikon- Wecome to Bonkers
The Bamboos- Night Time People
Frog Eyes- Violet Cold
Gang Gang Dance- Kazuashita
Murder By Death- The Other Shore
Flying Horseman- Room/Ruin | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | oh I missed this, gotta skim this and see what to add! | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | Tonight Alive- Underworld
Night Verses- From the Gallery of Sleep
The Wonder Years- Sister Cities
MGMT- Little Dark Age
Kali Uchis-Isolation
Birds In Row- We Already Lost the World
The Story So Far- Proper Dose
| ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | Also please please don't let POST- be your first Jeff Rosenstock experience. You'd be wayyy better off starting off with either WORRY. (my favorite) or We Cool? both are easily better. | neekafat
09.26.18 | I said 3 recs so.... Pick three (Ill pick the three I'm most interested in if you don't specify)
Also some of those I've already heard (Diva I heard Shrine, really liked it, pick another) | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | oh fineeeee | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | do Night Verses, The Wonder Years andd helll do Birds in Row I suppose | butcherboy
09.26.18 | iceage - beyondless
| neekafat
09.26.18 | I dont have time to jam Rosentocks entire back catalogue
If I dont use this as an excuse to start jamming him now, I probably never will lol | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | just jam worry. then! it's only 37 minutes and it's killer | neekafat
09.26.18 | This is gonna be another father john misty where I really like both and have no idea why people kept wanting me to jam his more fampus one lol | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | nahhhh worry. is better than post- EASILY | neekafat
09.26.18 | Fineeeee only for you (; | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | YESSSSSS! | neekafat
09.26.18 | Ill be taking recs till I fill up, so if people stop recing Ill start taking more from y'all | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | I hope nobody new will notice this thread then. | Divaman
09.26.18 | OK, then, Neeka. Your 3rd rec is:
Reed & Caroline - Hello Science | neekafat
09.26.18 | mmmmmm this is filling up nicely
Had to pick out of some of the people who rec'd multiple, will pull from those later if I have to | ZombieToyDuck
09.26.18 | so I took my own spin on your idea | onionbubs
09.26.18 | alkaline trio | neekafat
09.26.18 | oh you right bubs I'll throw that up
anything else? | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | you ain gun call me bub, bub | Kompys2000
09.26.18 | Worry. is better than POST- easily[2]
Post- is still a pretty good intro to Rosenstock though, good enough that it got me into his earlier albums and BTMI! | neekafat
09.26.18 | Just looked into these albums a bit, excited about the amount of metal and other genres I'm getting here
This looks to be even more varied than last year! | bgillesp
09.26.18 | Put the bamboos Rec in over the Nekrogoblikon for me | neekafat
09.26.18 | Damn I was lookin forward to that lol | BlazinBlitzer
09.26.18 | "fuck yeah, should I hear the original first?"
While it's not necessary, listening to the original first gives this some extra strength in the project's and band's evolution, so I say you should do that first. I think the rerecording is miles better, but you'll get a different appeal from both. It just depends on which album sounds better to you really. | Divaman
09.26.18 | "We're crammin'
Crammin' in the name of the lord!
We're crammin'
Crammin' right straight from Nee-Kah!" | neekafat
09.26.18 | Hmmmmmm sounds interesting Blazin, I'll have to do that (:
Hell yeah Diva! (; | Atari
09.26.18 | haha, I promise that Johanna Warren is not was weird as the album art suggests it is | neekafat
09.26.18 | Oh believe me, I wouldn't mind! | Drifter
09.26.18 | Snoop Dogg - Bible of Love | neekafat
09.26.18 | godammit | Drifter
09.26.18 | lololololol | neekafat
09.26.18 | This is literally two and a half hours of snoop singing gospel | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | in all honesty, that's probably the best kind of gospel an dthe best kind of Snoop.
the only Snoop better than Snoop high on weed is Snoop high on them Jesus decibels | neekafat
09.26.18 | That sounds about as passably grating as that Magnetic Fields album | Drifter
09.26.18 | I'm not even sure if Snoop is on more than a couple tracks. I've never listened to it | Papa Universe
09.26.18 | hey! | Drifter
09.26.18 | 57 is good. if the album was just an ep of the first like 4 songs itd be a solid 4.5 | neekafat
09.26.18 | okay cool i'm not checking it then | neekafat
09.26.18 | I mean I'm checking 57 just not snoop lol | bgillesp
09.26.18 | Jam all 4 then @neek | bgillesp
09.26.18 | Or take out Murder By Death but I think you'll love that one | neekafat
09.26.18 | Yeah I don't want to get rid of that one lol ughhhhhh | neekafat
09.27.18 | b00mp | bgillesp
09.27.18 | You must jam The Bamboos | neekafat
09.27.18 | Okayyyyyyy | neekafat
09.28.18 | Updated with some new bips | WRYN
09.28.18 | Dean Garcia - How Do You Feel?
Inrain - Grow
Iris - Disconnect | ZombieToyDuck
09.28.18 | hehehe | neekafat
09.28.18 | Hell yeah keep em comin bois | neekafat
09.30.18 | I think that Iris album isn't on sput yet | WRYN
09.30.18 | It's definately on their band page | neekafat
09.30.18 | Not on the iris bandpage I'm looking at lmao | Veldin
09.30.18 | a lot of these are worth jamming. I might make a similar list, because I'm in a similar predicament, but with 35ish albums | neekafat
09.30.18 | Dooooo it the recs you get are usually reallily interesting too if you take that route | Veldin
09.30.18 | Thanks, mate! Heaven & Earth by Kamasi is a big commitment, but it's so worth it. | neekafat
10.01.18 | For sure man! And yeah, I'm just really curious about it haha (: | neekafat
10.01.18 | WRYN all of these have to be 2018 releases lmao | Dewinged
10.01.18 | God Bless Atari, Blazin' and bgillesp for those tasty recs, [2] to them.
| neekafat
10.01.18 | Nothing from you buddy? | Dewinged
10.01.18 | Sure!
Field Division - Dark Matter Dreams (Country+Dream Pop album that unfortunately didn't find its audience around here, but I personally love it)
La Luz - Floating Features (Surf Rock+Indie Rock/Pop) (Rec'd this to Evok recently too)
Jaye Jayle - No Trail and Other Unholy Paths (I believe he is Emma Ruth Rundle's husband + her back band on tour, very Nick Cave(ish)m dark, moody, all that).
Hope you dig at least 1 out of 3.
| neekafat
10.01.18 | All sounds very interesting, I'm sure I will! | WRYN
10.01.18 | Oops, nevermind then | neekafat
10.01.18 | Sorry! Do you have any recs from this year? | WRYN
10.01.18 | Yes, not sure if these would be your thing though:
Blurred City Lights - Volker
NOT_MDK - The Clever Use Of Occult Symbols To Insinuate Otherworldliness
Various Artists - Forms Of Hands 18
| BlushfulHippocrene
10.02.18 | Oh man, not listened to much new stuff this year. Uh, The Innocence Mission - Sun on the Square; LUMP - LUMP; and Slowly Slowly - St Leonards. | neekafat
10.02.18 | WRYN could you send me the link to those in the database? | Papa Universe
10.02.18 | "I've wanted to hear this since Papa's review months ago so here we go"
me have a influens, mum | neekafat
10.03.18 | I wouldn't go THAT far | Divaman
10.03.18 | Papa who? | WRYN
10.03.18 | @neekafat
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/album/301929/NOT_MDK-The-Clever-Use-Of-Occult-Symbols-To-Insinuate-Othe/
https://www.sputnikmusic.com/album/301928/Various-Artists-Electronic-Forms-Of-Hands-18/ | neekafat
10.04.18 | Starting this now with 1 | Papa Universe
10.04.18 | "Papa who?"
Papa bless! | JustJoe.
10.04.18 | Everybody know Pops. | neekafat
10.04.18 | 1, 16, 32 are first up
Yeah Sowing has way more than 3 albums he influenced me to put on here | AsleepInTheBack
10.06.18 | Malfet - The Snaking Path
Shô! - Shô! | bgillesp
10.06.18 | 11 was released in 2016, physical copy came out in 2018 | neekafat
10.07.18 | Fuck I might accidentally fill this up myself | neekafat
10.07.18 | added more recs, this is filling up nicely | Atari
10.07.18 | that new Molly Burch is pretty nice.
add Adrianne Lenker :) | neekafat
10.07.18 | Only for you Atari (;
I'm closing this off for now because I'm sure I'll want to add at least 15 more albums by the end of the year | neekafat
10.08.18 | 1 and 16 are done! | WRYN
10.08.18 | If you get up reviews for all these albums I would be quite impressed | ZombieToyDuck
10.08.18 | got another for ya bud!
Man With A Mission- Chasing The Horizon | neekafat
10.09.18 | I'll have write ups for all of them if that's what you mean!
I'll add later if I have space (:
32 done! | Papa Universe
10.09.18 | out of these four genres, which do you prefer the least?:
cheesy overwhelming black metal
melo post-punk with whale-like vocals
melancholic singer-songwriter
ethereal hip-hop | neekafat
10.09.18 | probably one of the first two, the third is very much up my alley | Papa Universe
10.09.18 | then replace mol's Jord with The Skull Eclipses's s/t album (or, y'know, put it as a fourth of me recs) | Drifter
10.09.18 | whats ethereal hip hop | Papa Universe
10.09.18 | very atmospheric, echoic and slightly shoegazy | neekafat
10.09.18 | We'll see about fourth recs later, it's likely not gonna happen given how quickly this filled up and I want to keep slots open for shit I want to hear that comes out later in the year | Atari
10.10.18 | you’re the man, neeka | suppatime
10.10.18 | fuck there are a few i wanted to rec but there's a lot of stuff to work through here/ a lot of good stuff.
that nils frahm record is an experience. the hop along and birds in row albums are both incredible. i didn't get into beach house til this year but from what i know of your taste i think you'll dig. the interpol record is kinda meh tho :/ | neekafat
10.10.18 | Feel free to submit a couple since you haven't rec'd any yet! Interested to see if I agree (: | neekafat
10.10.18 | I feel like I might like mol more than Ought | neekafat
10.10.18 | 75, 35, 38 are next | SteakByrnes
10.10.18 | Snail's House - L'été
A Beacon School - Cola
Greyhaven - Empty Black | Papa Universe
10.10.18 | You'll need a little patience with Jurado. | neekafat
10.10.18 | like more listens? I'm giving each of these 2-3 | Pheromone
10.10.18 | saba is aoty | Papa Universe
10.10.18 | More listens and being ready for a little moody tenderness. | neekafat
10.10.18 | eh we'll see | ZombieToyDuck
10.10.18 | Snail's House - L'été [2] it's great man you should really check that too | suppatime
10.10.18 | The Spirit of the Beehive - Hypnic Jerks (deffff peep this, i'm huge on it)
The Sidekicks - Happiness Hours
Mathias Eick - Ravensburg
| neekafat
10.10.18 | Ugh man I can't turn down new people's recs but I also don't want to end up doing more than 101 albums... I might have to condense some of my picks here | ZombieToyDuck
10.10.18 | 82 is real typical metalcore I can vouch for cutting that out knowing you | suppatime
10.10.18 | as long as you listen to hypnic jerks hahah, that one is shootin up my list for aoty | neekafat
10.10.18 | Yeah but that's a Snide rec lol I'm not gonna cut other people's recs
Plus I'm somewhat interested in it because I've been really getting into horror lately
I def will suppa, don't worry (; | Meridiu5
10.10.18 | new melody's echo is rlly good. sounds much less like tame impala | neekafat
10.10.18 | thank god haha | ZombieToyDuck
10.10.18 | how did you get snide to rec you shit? | neekafat
10.10.18 | facebook lol | neekafat
10.10.18 | I commented on his shit ass AOTY post haha and he gave me recs for this | ZombieToyDuck
10.10.18 | Oh hahaha alright | SteakByrnes
10.10.18 | neeka please | neekafat
10.11.18 | lmao will update shortly | SteakByrnes
10.11.18 | :] | neekafat
10.11.18 | < 3 | Kompys2000
10.11.18 | Just listened to that Spirit of the Beehive album tonight, it was aight. Gonna come back to it when I'm not in a bad mood from listening to 4 bad albums in a row | neekafat
10.11.18 | Kompys Negro Galactus is something else man | Kompys2000
10.11.18 | Right? Definitely check their first album out sometime, I'd say it's almost as good as NWT. | neekafat
10.11.18 | I really like it with a few reservations so I'd be interested in hearing their first! | suppatime
10.11.18 | snide's aoty post was fuckin hilarious lmfao
and word kompys, i can see how it'd be eh for some people but i just think it's really well done and a fun/chill listen | neekafat
10.11.18 | 35 is up! | Kompys2000
10.11.18 | Glad you dug it Neek! I'm a little surprised Lioness was your least favorite track though, that one has some of my favorite bars on the whole album | neekafat
10.11.18 | Well if you know me rap isn't my strong suit lol, the instrumentals and his delivery got on my nerves a bit as it went | neekafat
10.12.18 | 38 is up! | Papa Universe
10.12.18 | I thought Lou-Jean was one of the best tracks. | neekafat
10.12.18 | I've got to give it more time, that one didn't stand out to me much | neekafat
10.18.18 | 41 44 and 75 are all up now, was jamming at my non-wifi gig the last few days
Diva and Blazin made me sad but very interesting recs thank you (; | Dewinged
10.18.18 | Can't wait to hear your thoughts on 45, it's one of my favorites of this year. | neekafat
10.18.18 | given the tags I'm a bit worried lol
70, 47, and 50 are next | Divaman
10.18.18 | That's OK. I'll be reviewing the Chvrches album (and doubtlessly tolerating tons of abuse) in the next day or so. | neekafat
10.18.18 | Sorry bb, lookin forward to reading your side! | Divaman
10.18.18 | Thanks Neeka. The review is now posted. Might need a hug or some warm cocoa, but we'll see how it goes. | Kompys2000
10.18.18 | Can I change my second rec to Something and the Whatevers- Epic Fail? | neekafat
10.18.18 | yuh dude | neekafat
10.18.18 | looks cool man! Was looking forward to those Bird Street genre tags though, might have to check it out myself later | Kompys2000
10.18.18 | Yeah I still definitely recommend Bird Streets but this S&tW album is something special. | neekafat
10.18.18 | Gotcha man, lookin forward to it (: | insomniac15
10.19.18 | Rotor - 6 - https://rotor1.bandcamp.com/ | neekafat
10.28.18 | I keep adding albums fuckkkk | Divaman
10.28.18 | Yeah I know, me too. I swore to myself I was going to listen to fewer new albums in 2018 than I did in 2017, but instead, it's going to be more. | neekafat
10.28.18 | That's good though! | neekafat
10.28.18 | 47 is done! | budgie
10.28.18 | oops
| neekafat
10.28.18 | what is oops | budgie
10.28.18 | i missed out on the rec party
i will endorse #80 been jamming it a lot | neekafat
10.28.18 | Feel free to rec a couple, still have open slots! | neekafat
10.28.18 | 50 is done! | budgie
10.28.18 | i'll just throw up my favorite of the year since it's not there yet - night flowers - wild nothing | neekafat
10.29.18 | Sounds good dude, thanks (: | neekafat
10.29.18 | andddddd 70 is up, whammo | ZombieToyDuck
10.29.18 | GET WENDY & BETSY OUT OF YOUR LEAST FAVORITES YOU SWINE! | Demon of the Fall
10.29.18 | Tropical Fuck Storm? If you need to eliminate one then just get rid of Behemoth, hehe. | ZombieToyDuck
10.29.18 | if you need a sad album in your life you should really jam that wonder years album, I think you'll reallllllyyyy like it | Papa Universe
10.29.18 | if you throw out Behemoth, neekafat, I swear I'll hack your account and rename you Demon of the Demon of the Fall's Dick | Demon of the Fall
10.29.18 | Haha, don't worry Papa it was a joke. TFS should be on here though, I guess.
Also, I didn't see Neeka as an extreme metal sort of guy, but if they are then the Skeletonwitch album is much more engaging than Behemoth imo (& not too dissimilar). | Papa Universe
10.29.18 | even if he isn't, Behemoth is about as extreme as my grandma's knitting hobby | Demon of the Fall
10.29.18 | Very true, my point still stands though... Skeletonwitch isn't exactly a prime example of extreme cacophonous brutality either. Get it on the list.
Tropical Fuck Storm & Skeletonwitch, there we go. | theYearis1999
10.29.18 | If there's any space left, my favorites so far this year:
Forces - Plastisphere (easily my number one album of the year)
Myles Oliver - Opio (still absorbing but feels like a strong 5)
Bladee - Redlight (this is just plain fun) | Sowing
10.29.18 | "but I guess "Wendy & Betsy" just for being a bit unmemorable"
*clenches fists in rage* | ZombieToyDuck
10.29.18 | ^ see Sowing agrees! | Sowing
10.29.18 | ALL JOKING ASIDE
5 FINGERS WIDE
| neekafat
10.29.18 | Guys it's literally an excellent song! it's just the one I remember the least about probably because of how short it is
I'll put in skeletonwitch, already heard Tropical Fuck Storm it was a 4.1
Will add those 1999 | neekafat
10.29.18 | Also I loved The Satanist if that means anything to you Demon | neekafat
10.29.18 | This filled up so fast compared to last year
Those are some beautiful covers 1999
And Zombie that's next up! | neekafat
10.29.18 | 93 53 62 is coming up | BlushfulHippocrene
10.29.18 | Yay, Novo Amor. | Papa Universe
10.29.18 | it would have filled faster, had you given me no limits | neekafat
10.30.18 | I didn't last year and you had like 20 recs lmao, surprised it filled up without all those
And yes, really dug it on first listen blush! | Papa Universe
10.30.18 | okay, it may have been just me trying not to be a dick. | neekafat
10.30.18 | it's ok it was cute | Papa Universe
10.30.18 | it means I care.
why don't you let me show you how much I care? a hundred albums worth | neekafat
10.30.18 | Neek's 2018 Cram List: Papa Edition | Papa Universe
10.30.18 | Yeah, we laugh. Jokes. | neekafat
10.30.18 | So now only Con knows how much you care? | Papa Universe
10.30.18 | He might suspect it. | neekafat
10.30.18 | tell him
tell him while you still have time | Demon of the Fall
10.30.18 | 'Also I loved The Satanist if that means anything to you Demon'
No worries I was only messing around, I actually quite liked The Satanist as well but the new one was disappointing. Plenty of people felt otherwise though. Thanks for adding mine.
P.S. Knew I should've checked your ratings re TFS, I just went by this list! | neekafat
10.31.18 | 53 rules first listen, jamming 62 now
No worries dude, wasn't trying to sound argumentative! Thanks for reccing it (: | neekafat
10.31.18 | FUCK 62 is amazing too, too much good shit this year | neekafat
10.31.18 | 93 is up! | neekafat
11.02.18 | 53 is up! | SteakByrnes
11.02.18 | nice :] | neekafat
11.02.18 | Fantano 10'd Daughters so I guess I have to add that now | budgie
11.02.18 | im gonna check out 32 | neekafat
11.02.18 | Do it! Have a feeling you'd love 62 too | Kompys2000
11.02.18 | Good luck with new Daughter neek, it really doesn't strike me as the kind of thing you'd dig but who knows | budgie
11.02.18 | dude 62 is so freaking good! damn! | neekafat
11.02.18 | @Kompys thanks man, figure I might as well see what all the hubbub is about (:
That's what I'm sayin' budge!! Dewi really hooked us up this time around | ZombieToyDuck
11.02.18 | Niceee glad you dug Night Verses bud! | SteakByrnes
11.02.18 | That Night Verses album is so damn good | neekafat
11.04.18 | 62 is up FUCK! | neekafat
11.05.18 | 76 is up!
86, 65, and 94 are next! | SteakByrnes
11.05.18 | Nice :]]]]] | ZombieToyDuck
11.05.18 | 86 was real nice! | neekafat
11.06.18 | 86 up! | neekafat
11.06.18 | That's 17/100 woo! | budgie
11.06.18 | on a rolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll | neekafat
11.06.18 | I better be if I'm gonna finish this by the end of December lol fml | SteakByrnes
11.06.18 | Ayyy I'm glad you liked Snail's House :] I see exactly what you mean by the nostalgic sound, guess it just works a lot better for me lol, I'm glad you gave it a shot | neekafat
11.06.18 | Me too! Thanks for sharing (: | neekafat
11.06.18 | 65 is up too now!
18/100 | WRYN
11.06.18 | Cool, that's one great write-up, thanks for staying committed ;)
Dean Garcia does this sort of music for a long time already with all kinds of different projects. His main one for now is SPC ECO with his daughter, although I prefer the early work with Curve. If you want to hear a little more, "Sirens and Satellites" and especially the "Doppelgänger" and "Cuckoo" re-issues offer a nice blend of Shoegaze and Industrial/Electronica | budgie
11.06.18 | 97 after 94! w00t! pwn n00bs !! | neekafat
11.08.18 | 94 up! 66 and 78 are next!
19/100
And thanks WRYN I might check those out! | neekafat
11.10.18 | 66 up!
20/100
nice one blush (; | neekafat
11.11.18 | 78 and 8 are up!
22/100 | neekafat
11.11.18 | 20, 82, 89 are next! | budgie
11.11.18 | interesting to see how you feel about 20, everyone seems to love it but it sort of fell through for me unfortunately. i'll have to make an effort to check it again | BlushfulHippocrene
11.12.18 | Ooo, nice write-up Neeka! I agree, too, preferred those more winding tracks. [: Also, some of the recs here sound amazing, might check some myself. | neekafat
11.12.18 | Nice!! Are their other albums more like those tracks? (: And be sure to let me know which ones you check! | ZombieToyDuck
11.12.18 | thank the lord you didn't give Daughters a bad rating...phew | Papa Universe
11.12.18 | ew | neekafat
11.14.18 | 20 + 82 done!
24/100 | ZombieToyDuck
11.14.18 | good take on 82 and 20 is spot on! | neekafat
11.14.18 | 20 is sooooooooooo good thanks zombs (: | Papa Universe
11.14.18 | eh, yelly weirdo lady. nothing special | neekafat
11.14.18 | "eh, yelly weirdo lady. nothing special"
"Bjork - Homogenic [4.5]"
"Julia Holter - Aviary [4.0]" | budgie
11.14.18 | lmao | neekafat
11.14.18 | 89 done!
25/100
58, 92, 96 up next! | Papa Universe
11.15.18 | you got me there.
Julia is not yelly, though | neekafat
11.15.18 | her music is yelly | Papa Universe
11.15.18 | I'll tell you a little secret, all this time I've been reading your comments in the voice of Garrett from Community. | neekafat
11.15.18 | Never seen that show so | Papa Universe
11.15.18 | you don't need to, you already have the voice | neekafat
11.15.18 | w0w | neekafat
11.20.18 | 58 up!
26/100
Accidentally wrote a lot for that one | Morningrise767
11.20.18 | mewithoutYou - [untitled]
Sigh - Heir To Despair
Kali Uchis - Isolation | suppatime
11.20.18 | glad you liked 89, it's a weird listen and very jarring at times but that worked in its favor for me, especially since it's not a long album. the title track is definitely one of my favorites, the odd time signature feel that one has makes it for me. overall i just like how the record melds so many different styles and makes them sound good. | rodrigo90
11.20.18 | "Malimente"
Dude, that word doesn't even exist in Spanish. | budgie
11.20.18 | it's pr0t0 iberian n00b | AsleepInTheBack
11.20.18 | i wholeheartedly support Blazin's rec at 46. good muzak. | neekafat
11.22.18 | Idk Malimente is still great
btw 92 is up!
27/100, trying to not slow down too much here | neekafat
11.22.18 | Thanks suppa! And I'm excited to check it Asleep (:
@Morningrise I'm out of slots but I think I'm going to swap some of my recs out so if I do I'll add them! I especially wanna check Sigh so I'll probably add that soon! | neekafat
11.23.18 | 96 is up!
28/100 | neekafat
11.23.18 | 15 97 98 are next! | budgie
11.23.18 | YEAHHHHH! | neekafat
11.23.18 | 97 is really smooth budgie.. | budgie
11.23.18 | ill jam it right now too | neekafat
11.25.18 | 17 and 97 are up!
30/100 | budgie
11.26.18 | head on is such a great track yeah | Minushuman24
11.26.18 | I really hope you love 90. Also 23 is my aoty.
The Melody's Echo Chamber album is farther removed from the Tame Impala influence of her first album. | neekafat
11.26.18 | Excited for both dude! And good, not super big into Tame | neekafat
11.26.18 | 98's up!
31/100 | Demon of the Fall
11.26.18 | Ah well at least you somewhat enjoyed Skeletonwitch, I wasn't necessarily expecting great things. Fen of Shadows is one of my favourites as well & the 'least fav' was spot on.
Thanks for checking/doing a write-up. | neekafat
11.26.18 | No problem dude! Thanks for the rec (: And yeah for some reason it passed by me on the first listen but honestly I can see that track growing on me even more
And yeah that one was just kinda there imo | neekafat
11.29.18 | 29 is up!
32/100
Man that one ruled, 99 and 26 are coming soon! | SteakByrnes
11.29.18 | hell yea brother | botb
11.29.18 | The armed - only love, gotta be my AOTY | Dewinged
11.29.18 | Phew, Wye Oak is still there. Your dad knows. | neekafat
11.30.18 | 99 is up. Egh
33/100
botb I'll have to swap something out for it! | AnimalsAsSummit
12.01.18 | the album art for 99 looks amazing | neekafat
12.01.18 | the art is def better than the album | neekafat
12.01.18 | 26 is up! hot damn
34/100 | teamster
12.01.18 | Plug in Antimatter - Black Market Enlightenment...if ya got room | neekafat
12.01.18 | alright I'll try to switch something out but I'm runnin out of stuff I'm okay with cutting lol | neekafat
12.06.18 | 57 is up!
35/100
tryna get back on this | ZombieToyDuck
12.06.18 | total football grew on me man, but understandable and yeah that title track is dope | neekafat
12.06.18 | me gusta mucho | ZombieToyDuck
12.06.18 | Almost had to start a fight/in and out of patience rules too | neekafat
12.06.18 | I liked that one, didn't really stand out for me though | ZombieToyDuck
12.06.18 | ughhhh I could listen to wide awake like crazy though such an amazing bass groove | neekafat
12.08.18 | 24 + 27 up!
37/100 | neekafat
12.08.18 | 23, 33, 36 are coming up next! | Minushuman24
12.08.18 | ooooo I hope you love 23 | neekafat
12.08.18 | I'm so excited, my coworker was showing me some of their earlier stuff from their 3rd album and I loved it | Lucman
12.11.18 | Def try to fit in 59 before the year ends neek. Just bumped it to a 5 myself. Absolutely adore it. | neekafat
12.11.18 | I'll be sure to jam it man! Liked the EP I heard from him last year (: | neekafat
12.12.18 | 33 is mucho done-o
38/100, gonna be doing a lot of the higher rated AOTY picks coming up in prep for the year-end so no one be sad if your super obscure picks get skipped for a bit! | SteakByrnes
12.12.18 | Noice :] | neekafat
12.12.18 | < 3 | neekafat
12.12.18 | 23 up! killer album
39/100 | neekafat
12.13.18 | 36 up, different response for a... different album
40/100 | Minushuman24
12.13.18 | I'm happy you loved the Hop Along album. Definitely my Aoty! | neekafat
12.13.18 | It was sooooo good and honestly could still grow on me! | Kompys2000
12.13.18 | A harsh take on 36, I see where you're coming from though. I'd argue the ironic detachment is actually part of what makes the album so thematically compelling, but it's understandable how it would be off-putting for you. | neekafat
12.15.18 | 59 + 22 are up!
42/100
And sorry Kompys, it was really frustrating honestly, especially seeing so much of that "ironic" artsiness in film school right now it just seems lazy to me. Still loved a couple tracks on it! | Uzumaki
12.15.18 | Can I add:
Gatherers - We Are Alive Beyond Repair
Demorian - Into Zero
??? | neekafat
12.15.18 | It's late in the game but you can pick one and I'll try to swap it out for one of my slots (: | Uzumaki
12.15.18 | Let’s go with Gatherers - We Are Alive... | neekafat
12.15.18 | 19 is up as well now, was a jam! Will update with that soon Uzu (: | Kompys2000
12.15.18 | Nice write-up for Time Will Die. I agree 100% with Contretemps being the best song, that crescendo just wrecks my shit | neekafat
12.15.18 | Was soooooo good, wish I gave that album a little more time :c | luci
12.15.18 | are you gonna get to rosehall? it's 15 so thought would be one of the earlier checks :p | Uzumaki
12.15.18 | Sweet, man! I think you’ll really enjoy it! | neekafat
12.16.18 | uci I'm doing something where I pick one of my picks that I'm in the mood for and then two of other peoples recs in order that they rec'd it (like all the first ones they've rec'd, then all the second, etc.)
I can put it down as your rec so I can get to it sooner! Right now I'm going off of that and going off of especially popular or cool looking ones so that I can fit them in before my year-end voting (: | budgie
12.16.18 | i remember when neeka didnt enjoy she-devils | neekafat
12.16.18 | I liked it the second time! | luci
12.16.18 | i see, count it as a luci rec then | neekafat
12.16.18 | damn, how'd you figure out that loophole? (; | neekafat
12.21.18 | 13 + 31 + 61 are up!
45/100
gonna try to go hard on them now | ZombieToyDuck
12.21.18 | hell yeah to mid-air thief! | ZombieToyDuck
12.21.18 | I also agree whole heartedly with your writeup for the armed, same exact thoughts. | neekafat
12.23.18 | Hell yeah zombs! Thanks for the comment (: | neekafat
12.23.18 | 95 is up!
46/100 | neekafat
12.24.18 | 69 + 9 are up!
48/100 | neekafat
12.25.18 | 3 (Nils Frahm) is up!
49/101 | Papa Universe
12.25.18 | Well good. | neekafat
12.25.18 | tis rightly good | Papa Universe
12.25.18 | It's the best music to go to sleep with (in a good way). | neekafat
12.26.18 | 28 (Emma Ruth Rundle) is so damn good too
50/101 | neekafat
12.26.18 | 6 (Judas Priest) is up!
51/101 | AsleepInTheBack
12.26.18 | Not sure you're gonna make it through this in time neek bud. Jump on 46 when you can, definitely in my top 10 | neekafat
12.26.18 | I never do ): I think I'm a lot farther along than I was last year though! | neekafat
12.26.18 | Getting back into the normal swing of things!
up next are 2 (XXXTentacion / me), 11 (Gatherers / Uzumaki), 15 (Rosehall / luci) | Dewinged
12.27.18 | Man you have 5 days left! | neekafat
12.27.18 | And I listen to every album twice ): | Pheromone
12.27.18 | never got on Saba?? | neekafat
12.27.18 | Not yetttttt | neekafat
12.30.18 | 11 is up!
52/101
| neekafat
12.30.18 | 2 (XXXTENTACION) is up, that was definitely something
53/101 | budgie
12.30.18 | looking forward to 80 & 81 | neekafat
12.30.18 | those do seem like pretty budgie picks (; | Papa Universe
12.30.18 | Could you switch my mol - Jord rec for The Skull Eclipses - s/t? Seems more up your alley. | neekafat
12.31.18 | 15 (Rosehall) is up!
54/101
will do papi (; | SteakByrnes
12.31.18 | Are you going to continue this into the new year? | neekafat
12.31.18 | Yeah imma have to lol | bgillesp
01.07.19 | You better jam MBD before you post any year end lists, bub. < 3 | neekafat
01.07.19 | Oh I'm jamming all of these before I do my year end list so it's gonna be crazy late lmao
I've actually jammed three of these since my last update I've just been working on something hush hush for a bit so I haven't had time to listen to more | neekafat
01.14.19 | 4, 39, 42 are done!
45 (Tribulation), 48 (Ezra Fuhrman), and 52 (Murder By Death) are up next!
Took a break I'm gonna regret to do some write-ups for the year-end list, but I'm back on now! | Divaman
01.14.19 | He shoots, he scores!
Glad you liked the MGMT. | neekafat
01.14.19 | Yeah that ruled Diva (: | Papa Universe
01.14.19 | Booyah | neekafat
01.14.19 | fuckyah | neekafat
01.14.19 | idk if i'm just more vulnerable to new music now or if you guys are gradually getting better at figuring out what i'll like, but fuck some of this recs are incredible compared to last year | Papa Universe
01.14.19 | If it's both, it's a win for all of us. | Papa Universe
01.14.19 | Now on to Skull Eclipses and the 5/5 you will probably rate it. | neekafat
01.16.19 | 45 (Tribulation), 48 (Ezra Fuhrman), and 52 (Murder By Death) are done!
now on to 54 (The Wonder Years), 63 (La Luz), and 72 (Pinegrove)! | ZombieToyDuck
01.16.19 | niceeee excited to see if you enjoy that Wonder Years album | neekafat
01.16.19 | We shall see, hopefully it's not another Menzingers situation (; | bgillesp
01.16.19 | Nice on 52. But True Dark is a great song :( | neekafat
01.16.19 | They're all good, but the first three were all a bit lackluster in comparison :/ | bgillesp
01.17.19 | No *sits and pouts* | neekafat
01.17.19 | Aw :c | neekafat
01.20.19 | 54 (The Wonder Years), 63 (La Luz), and 72 (Pinegrove) done!
5 (Preoccupations), 67 (Slowly, Slowly), 73 (NOT_MDK) are next! | Dewinged
01.20.19 | Great write up for La Luz, exactly how I feel about it! | neekafat
01.20.19 | Hell yeah man, thanks for reccing it! | neekafat
01.20.19 | 5 (Preoccupations) is up!
man that was lame
64/100 | Papa Universe
01.20.19 | I know I am in no place to rec things anymore, but you should really listen to Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus vs. the Sirens. But, y'know, at your own accord and after all of this is over. | neekafat
01.20.19 | hmmmmm is it 2018? | Papa Universe
01.20.19 | yes | neekafat
01.20.19 | I will put it on my ever sadly growing list of stuff to jam after this | Papa Universe
01.20.19 | could you, darling? | neekafat
01.20.19 | of course < 3 | Papa Universe
01.20.19 | you darling | DDDeftoneDDD
01.20.19 | Fuck dude. I love your write up on APC. Tks | neekafat
01.21.19 | Thank you for reading man, means a lot! | ZombieToyDuck
01.22.19 | Nice writeup on that Wonder Years album bud, doing better on my ratings this year haha. Also you should really listen to Pinegrove's audiotree live album it rules. | Minushuman24
01.22.19 | Damn, you've gotten really far with this. | neekafat
01.22.19 | Not as far as I wish I was ):
And I will zombie when I discog them! | budgie
01.22.19 | fuck yeah that La Luz album is so kickass | neekafat
01.23.19 | Agreed it reminded me of a budgie rec (; | neekafat
01.24.19 | 56 (Mac Miller) and 67 (Slowly Slowly) are done!
66/100 | Papa Universe
01.24.19 | you might also enjoy Mild Orange - Foreplay
just saying | neekafat
01.28.19 | 83 is upppp
67/100 | Minushuman24
01.28.19 | You can dooooo it! | neekafat
02.03.19 | 18. Kamasi Washingon, 91. Mathias Eick (Suppatime), 46. GoGo Penguin (blazin), and 79. Shô! (Asleep) up!!
Went on a bit of a jazz bender for Mars' competition so the write-ups are a bit short this time around, sorry guys!
71/100 | AsleepInTheBack
02.03.19 | Yeah, 79 is good background music tbf, it's primarily what I use it for | neekafat
02.03.19 | Oh I could see it being perfect for that! | neekafat
02.04.19 | 73 (NOT_MDK), 87 (A Beacon School), 10 (Beach House) are up!
74/100 | SteakByrnes
02.04.19 | Nice! I'm glad you liked it fren :] I agree that the shorter runtime helps, it never overstays its welcome. It's like the best parts of dream pop with some mathy elements flawlessly integrated | neekafat
02.04.19 | Yessir I dug some of the alt-rock tendencies a lot too! | WRYN
02.04.19 | I expected worse on the judgement, so cool to see you got a little out of this one. Still think it's quite enjoyable and interesting, but makes a bit more sense in the context of his older releases. | neekafat
02.06.19 | 25 (Florence + the Machine) and 12 (Anthony Green) are up!
76/100
And I can imagine! What are his other stuff more like? | budgie
02.06.19 | ya man 7 didn't really graaaaaab me... first time i listened to BLOOM it was like an explosion in my heart | neekafat
02.07.19 | que es BLOOM? | budgie
02.07.19 | their fourth LP
you should save it for the next time you go on vacation somewhere pretty | neekafat
02.07.19 | Oh nice! Yeah I should probably dig deeper into their stuff soon (: | WRYN
02.07.19 | @neekafat
MDK's first two albums have pretty much anything, from instrumental metal and hip hop to Breakcore and IDM, but nearly all sampled and/or distorted. Sort of like an experimental DJ mix. | neekafat
02.07.19 | oh that's kinda cool! Have you heard Igorrr's latest? | WRYN
02.07.19 | No, not a big fan of the crazy folk inclusions and metal screaming in general. For Breakcore and hard DnB I prefer the more dancey stuff like Enduser, MDK and DJ Hidden.
However this mix is pretty funny:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDFNgs7gp8M | neekafat
02.09.19 | 34 (Johanna Warren) and 37 (Hot Snakes) up!
78/100
I'll check that out man! | neekafat
02.09.19 | goal is to be done by the end of the month | Uzumaki
02.09.19 | I’ll drink a nice cold glass of chocolate milk in your honor if you can get it done. | Kompys2000
02.10.19 | Ayy, glad you liked Hot Snakes neek! I need to revisit that one tbh, the title track is such a banger | neekafat
02.10.19 | Yeah that one was awesome Kompys! The opener was the standout of course for me (;
And hell yeah uzu let's make it happen | Uzumaki
02.10.19 | It’s all on you, my friend. | neekafat
02.11.19 | 40 (Skull Eclipses) done!
79/100
Working on 100, 7, and 43 right now | neekafat
02.11.19 | 43 (Reed and Caroline) up!
80/100
| Papa Universe
02.11.19 | Fucking lovely. | Divaman
02.11.19 | I'll take a 3.1 on this. Kudos to you my friend for actually continuing to work on this. | neekafat
02.11.19 | 100 (Myles Oliver) up!
81/100
Hell yeah Diva, thanks for reccing! It's a lot of fun for me honestly, it rarely ever becomes a chore (: | neekafat
02.11.19 | 7 (Jeff Rosenstock) up!
82/100
And yes I tried Worry. before that, wasn't too big on it either | neekafat
02.13.19 | 49 (David Byrne) and 51 (The Bamboos) up!
84/100
Think this is all started to weigh on me critically, loving 14 so far though | Uzumaki
02.13.19 | So, rec list pt. 2 coming right after this one’s done, or.....? | budgie
02.13.19 | lol how is it fucking possible that the only two albums i've been wanting you to comment on haven't been commented on
| neekafat
02.13.19 | With all the stuff i still wanted to jam, maybe... | Uzumaki
02.13.19 | Don’t take it seriously, just poking fun at ya, that’s all. :) | neekafat
02.13.19 | I know (:
I just hate how much Ive listened too and yet I still have albums I'm leaving out lol but I seriously need to get back into my normal stuff | neekafat
02.14.19 | 14 (Melody's Echo Chamber) is up!
85/100 | neekafat
02.18.19 | 21 (Wye Oak), 55 (Birds in Row), 64 (Jaye Jayle) are up!
88/100 | Dewinged
02.19.19 | Nice Jaye Jayle write up and you stand correct! The album is not the stuff legends, but there's a lot to love. It's also a good companion to Emma Ruth Rundle's "On Dark Horses" since they are her touring band. | neekafat
02.19.19 | Oh shit I didn't realize, that makes sense! | Dewinged
02.19.19 | Yeah, Evan, the singer, and Emma are also married ;)
She actually sings in the album too and contributes some guitars, but it's a bit hard to notice, very subtle. | neekafat
02.20.19 | 60 (Saba), 68 (LUMP), 74 (Forms of Hands) all done!
91/100
and woahhhhh that makes sense, I was wondering who the female vocalist was! | budgie
02.20.19 | big rating on 21
i lliked it butttt not as much as i was hoping to
gonna have to recheck though | WRYN
02.20.19 | The actual event "Forms of Hands" is based around the label organizing it, which specializes in industrial techno. So that might explain the "monochromatic" aspect ;) | neekafat
02.20.19 | No yeah I got that! Was just hoping for a bit more variation in the sound (:
Yeah budgie it was pretty killer, hope it'll grow on me too like it did with dewi! | neekafat
02.21.19 | 71 (Behemoth) and 84 (Emery) up!
93/100
sooooooo closeeee | Papa Universe
02.21.19 | In all fairness, anyone can pull anything better than Sigh. | neekafat
02.21.19 | Fuck off that Sigh album was awesome | Papa Universe
02.21.19 | *sigh* | neekafat
02.26.19 | slowed down on this because my headphones broke and I'm trying to finish the SOTD recs ): | neekafat
02.26.19 | 88 (Greyhaven) up!
94/101 | SteakByrnes
02.27.19 | Nice! I'm glad you came around to it :] It was one of my favorite releases of last year | Uzumaki
02.27.19 | I'm with you on your "first listen" sentence, and I just haven't set aside time to listen to it again. FWIW, I recently listened to their first album, "Cult America", and that was a good album, so I would recommend that as well since you enjoyed their latest. | neekafat
02.27.19 | I'll be sure to check it out! It was really cool Steak (: | neekafat
03.05.19 | 90 (The Sidekicks) and 101 (Bladee) up!
You should be proud actually 1999, a neeka 2.0 is a very hard thing to get out of me
96/101 | neekafat
03.05.19 | 77 (Alkaline Trio) up
feel like I'm gonna get shit for this one...
97/101 | neekafat
03.05.19 | 85 (Adrianne Lenker)
oof, this has been a negative night for neeka ):
98/101 | onionbubs
03.05.19 | alk3 is a 2.7 alright
out of 2.7 | Uzumaki
03.05.19 | So close!!! | neekafat
03.05.19 | I can feel freedom coming near! | Uzumaki
03.05.19 | And then you can start catching up on everything else you’ve put off/missed. ;p | Atari
03.05.19 | props for following through with this. awesome list
"Again some kinda safe indie folk from Atari" OUCH | neekafat
03.06.19 | @Atari oof... forgot about that one... I did really like your picks tho (:
30 (Joey Purp), 80 (Molly Burch), 81 (Madeline Kelley)
101/101 FUCKIN DID IT | budgie
03.06.19 | hey 80 and 81 finally! | Dewinged
03.06.19 | You finished it before I did my black metal binge. Hats off to you neek, well done, | Kompys2000
03.06.19 | Cheers for chewing through 101 of our recs neekafam, see ya in 7 months for next year's to-cram list (; | Papa Universe
03.06.19 | A round of applause! | neekafat
03.06.19 | Thanks all!! (:
@Kompys, I swear I will actually finish that one by the end of the year though... | Papa Universe
03.06.19 | Now on to the extracurricular ones? | neekafat
03.06.19 | I think I might be skipping those my friend :/ | Dewinged
03.06.19 | Now I guess the objective is not having a cram list on December? ;) | Papa Universe
03.06.19 | I will see come year-end. | SteakByrnes
03.06.19 | Niiiiiiiice :]]]] | neekafat
03.06.19 | < 3 < 3 < 3
now to do my year end lists finally lmao | Uzumaki
03.06.19 | Raising a glass to you when I get home from work today. | neekafat
03.06.19 | But I didn't get it done before feb was over ): | Uzumaki
03.06.19 | You pulled through and finished the list. That’s all that matters. |
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