2023 Q1 Part 2
Everything I checked thats like a 3.5 or better again. |
| 1 |  | Nurnberg
Ahida
depeche molchat doma
3.5
solid synth-driven coldwave, not their best material overall but himn and pytanni are both excellent |
| 2 |  | oedipus apartment complex
The Blissful Sounds of Miracula
progressive electronic/ambient shizzle
3.5
competently done, but leaves a little to be desired in terms of overall atmosphere. the more beat-driven acidy segments do provide a nice counterbalance to the more ambient sections though, and it's certainly an interesting listen |
| 3 |  | One Step Closer
Songs for the Willow
melodic emocore
3.5
i adored this band's early material and have yet to hear their full-length, and whilst this ep isn't quite to the standards i'm accustomed to, it's still an enjoyable slice of anthemic sadboi hardcore. |
| 4 |  | Oozing Wound
We Cater To Cowards
sludgey noise rock
4.0
ripping stuff, feels like a crustier take on jesus lizard, band shows a lot of potential |
| 5 |  | Otay:onii
夢之駭客 Dream Hacker
glitchy industrial art pop
3.5
...but in a ritualistic kooky ominous way. i don't think the actual tracks are here at this point to help it reach that higher shelf of say, coil, but the overall atmosphere and uneasy mood is definitely there. |
| 6 |  | Pabllo Vittar
Noitada
hard latin house pop
4.0
starts off extremely strong and loses a bit of steam towards the end. but those high moments like ameianoite and descontrolada are some of the biggest bangers you're likely to hear this year |
| 7 |  | Palette Knife
New Game+
hey guys have you heard of origami angel?
4.0
derivative, but derivative of one of the best bands around right now, so ends up being pretty damn good. and they're not total ripoffs, the lyrics are worse for one! (i kid, they bring their own sound too x) |
| 8 |  | Paramore
This Is Why
critically-acclaimed everywhere but here-core
3.5
i liked the singles a lot going into this, but put off checking the album because of other stuff i had to catch up on, so the discourse on here about this somewhat confused me. well, after checking the whole thing, i totally get hating this actually. the sound they have is great, but they don't do an awful lot with it that wasn't done fifteen years ago, and considering the talent they showed on their last two records for brilliiant pop hooks, this is a bit of a sobering experience, however, some of these songs slap hard in a goofy whiteboy way, and the rest rarely annoy me to the point that they detract from the overall experience. meaning it's overall probably a middle ranking in their discography - riot, s/t and after laughter will probably remain their best three records. |
| 9 |  | park zero
M
skrillex - scary monsters and nice sprites (bass boosted) (bass boosted again) (slowed and reverbed) (sped up)
3.5
the waveform for these audio files is just a rectangle, which is a shame because there's some brilliant moments here that are slightly squandered by a lack of any kind of dynamics or tension and release. although maybe that's the point. hmm. |
| 10 |  | Party Hats
Autobiographic Autopsy
midwest screamo
3.5
solid stuff, vocals lack a bit of punch but i love the melodicism |
| 11 |  | Pile
All Fiction
artsy indie rock with a bit of edge
3.5
a lower-tier pile album is still great fun |
| 12 |  | Rozi Plain
Prize
soft chamber pop
3.5
like a more direct and up-front adrianne lenker, maybe a little homogenous vocally, but a good variety of moods and sounds explored - the little synthy flourishes really bring out the lush vibes |
| 13 |  | Caroline Polachek
Desire, I Want To Turn Into You
conceptual pop princess
4.0
her vocals are so good here. and to a certain extent they carry the actual songs a little, outside of a couple of moments i def lean more towards preferring the compositions on pang over this. but it's not as if these are weak - just not up to that ridiculously high standard. this album absolutely shines in a more jukebox shuffle listening experience than as a complete album, and considering most of the time that's how i'm jamming stuff anyway it suits me just fine. |
| 14 |  | Margo Price
Strays
stars-in-your-eyes country rock
3.5
outside of the absolute bliss that is county road and time machine, this mostly settles into the 'pretty good' camp. but its those two tracks that i find myself returning to over and over, and whilst i wouldn't say this is an adventurous album, it's certainly no slouch when it comes to execution. |
| 15 |  | Profane Order
One Nightmare unto Another
ferocious war metal
4.5
for my money, the best metal release of the year so far (or joint with the arnaut pavle maybe). production could be a little more raw and errs on the clean side, but apart from that minor criticism, this is 25 minutes of pure vicious headbanging fun. |
| 16 |  | Puzzle (US)
The Rotten Opera
the garden/2
3.5
one half of weirdo band the garden's solo project, this hits very similar vibes, although explores them in a much less abrasive and softer way. the trademark deadpan vocals are still here, and regrettably in a similar vein to old the garden releases you have to wade through a mediocre unfinished song before reaching every good one, but as an alternate take on the winning formula the duo have struck gold with, it's mostly a pretty fun time. |
| 17 |  | Fatima Al Qadiri
Gumar
spiritual ambient for the soul
3.5
great and cryptic arabic sounds here, doesn't outstay it's welcome at just 10 minutes for the four tracks and is undeniably well-executed. good stuff! |
| 18 |  | quinn
Sf44 (Side A Only)
digicore/chipmunks
3.5
i've been aware of quinn's work ever since the 60 second perfection that is bad idea, and this has some of her very best moments. leaning into that chipmunk soul sound with the more arcadey beats accompanying is an interesting and novel lane to take, and when it comes together just right on moments like siberia and four leaf clover its ridiculously good fun. the tendency to put out multiple projects a year however, whilst keeping it fresh, does mean that some of the lesser tracks inevitably end up being a bit more throwaway. bit of a mixed bag then, but with very high highs. |
| 19 |  | Rat Jesu
Prepared to Die
uhh like all the genres
3.5
completely uncohesive, wild genre leaps from song to song, vocals only really work a quarter of the time. but there is an undeniable charm. attempts at shoegaze (girls) are most welcome, attempts at anything metal less so. i don't think this a good album really, but it is an interesting listen, and on that note i can say i was entertained. |
| 20 |  | Dai Dai Dai, Crossnoesis & RAY
SPLIT EP 『ATMOSPHERE』
three differnet bands with different styles, surprisingly cohesive
3.5
the RAY song, whilst anime intro-core, is the highlight here, but both other bands bring some fun more electronic sounds. surprised how much this works as a full project rather than just single tracks, although it is only like 11 minutes. |
| 21 |  | Tim Reaper
Meeting of the Minds Vol. 9
jungle's biggest hope
4.0
tim reaper is fast becoming one of the best producers in the uk, and possibly the best jungle producer in the game at all these days. the ninth installment of his collaboration series might just be his best yet, with some absolute stormers such as the pounding demolition with quartz or what might be his best single track to date, the hypnotic ambien sequence with kid drama. excellent stuff. |
| 22 |  | Tim Reaper
Meeting of the Minds Vol. 10
see above
3.5
these meeting of the minds eps seem to come in twos, and so here is number 10. and it's, as you might expect, really good too, although on a track-by-track basis vol. 9 is victorious. |
| 23 |  | Tim Reaper
The Cosmik Connection Vol. 3
MORE tim reaper
4.0
solo works this time, and again absolutely excellent, this one's a bit more lush in vibe overall, and the bouncier it gets from track to track the more its slightly saccharine charm weaves into your soul. |
| 24 |  | Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro
RR
reggaeton
3.5
short little ep from the couple, great chemistry, beats are not the greatest ever but work well enough. overall a fun little package. |
| 25 |  | Santa Muerte
Eslabón
moody but bubbly trapstrumental club stuff
4.0
great sound design here, and some nice unpredictable moments too. feels very refreshing. |
| 26 |  | Saturdays at Your Place
always cloudy
just really solid pop punky emo
4.0
songwriting here is stellar, really bright future for these guys based on this |
| 27 |  | Scalp
Black Tar
no time to explain, kill everything in sight
4.0
blistering pv/grindcore that wastes no time in ripping you to pieces in 12 minutes. great fun. |
| 28 |  | SEAR (US)
Grief In V Stages
aggro screamo
3.5
lots of potential here, the grittiness to the aggression displayed here is much appreciated and an avenue seemingly less explored by a lot of modern bands within the style. needs some refinement, but i like what i hear so far. |
| 29 |  | See You Next Tuesday
Distractions
(m)de(ath)core
4.0
was not expecting these guys to return, but considering the wave of newer bands attempting this style i guess it makes sense, and if it didn't this would justify itself anyway. mathy scenegrind that has a lot going for it and doesn't toss about doing stupid bullshit, it's hard, it's fast. it's br00tal for the lads (and ladies). |
| 30 |  | Sematary
BUTCHER HOUSE
white boy lit
4.0
probably the catchiest and most mainstream-digestible his sound has ever gotten, and despite the detractors claiming he neutered his style, this just goes so hard sometimes you have to be stupid to dismiss it. |
| 31 |  | Shame (UK)
Food For Worms
post-punk indie
4.0
a slow burner, but really reveals itself in it's stellar second half (or Adderall and what comes after it). one of those bands i've just never dived into until now despite knowing a couple of tracks, and this was a pretty good concrete introduction. |
| 32 |  | Andy Shauf
Norm
70s soft rock revivalism
4.0
lovely instrumentals, but its shauf's wonderful delicate voice that makes this more than pastiche. album is routinely excellent up until the last couple of tracks where its charms start to waver, but a fantastically approachable slice of pulling random records out your parent's/grandparent's collection |
| 33 |  | Sial
Sangkar
hardcore/d-beat
4.0
ferocious little monster of a hardcore ep from singapore, which is starting to become a bit of an open secret if you're looking for young hungry bands with the world at their feet. the vocals are the biggest highlights here, so much energy in those yelps and shouts. |
| 34 |  | Sielunvihollinen
Sielunmurskaaja
meloblack
4.0
nothing much to say here other than it's super solid melodic black metal, if that sounds like your cup of tea i highly recommend |
| 35 |  | SKECH185
He Left Nothing for the Swim Back
more great aBsTrAcT hip hop
4.0
wasnt sure what to think of this one at first, and skech185's gruff vocals definitely take getting used to, but the album reveals itself remarkably well the more it goes on, saving the best til the very last. worth taking the time to explore this one. |
| 36 |  | Skrillex
Quest for Fire
comebackcore
3.5
like it or loathe it, this is proof that skrillex has always been an excellent and unique producer, just held back by the rampant plagiarism of his more mainstream output in the early 2010s. the branching out of styles here is therefore most welcome, and doesn't come as a surprise based on the rare tracks he's dropped in the last five years, some of which show up here aswell. unfortunately, despite playing with an altogether more interesting sonic palette throughout this record, it still feels uneven. with some tracks being woefully unessential and throwaway. the highs here are great fun, and it's not like anything here is straight up bad, it just fails to be as consistently impressive as he is truly capable of, which is a shame. and the olther album was awful, so there's that. |
| 37 |  | slowthai
UGLY
average northampton resident
4.5
this album, slowthai's best yet, feels like watching 30 year olds on a 'work outing' pour out the club at closing time, holding each others head back as they puke in the middle of the road outside the bus station. it feels like lining up outside a kebab shop at 3am for a doner and cheesy chips and watching some daft cunt trip coming out the door and spill his food everywhere. it feels like getting into bed sweaty and still slightly tipsy at 4:30 knowing you have to be up at 7 for work in the morning. which is to say, its a beautiful kind of dirty sleazy urban paradise where everyone is paranoid and nothing ever changes. |
| 38 |  | Soastasphrenas
Moirae
chaotic emoviolence
4.0
has a slightly punkier vibe which i really like. good stuff, we'll never get an orchid reunion so its always nice to hear that sound is alive and well somewhere. |
| 39 |  | Spangle call Lilli line
Ampersand
should have been an ep-core
3.5
the last four tracks here are completely wasted, if this were to end after lean forward (incidentally one of the best songs i've heard all year) it would be an easy 4. however the rest is some gorgeous wavey dream pop that deserves to be hard by anyone to whom that descriptor resonates with. |
| 40 |  | Stalled
Contentment
post-indiecore
3.5
opens with the fantastic a conduit for this contentment and then nothing else lives up to that standard. not bad by any means, and that one song is really damn good, but it's a really obvious highlight compared to the rest of the ep. |
| 41 |  | Storm{O}
Endocannibalismo
skramzy mathcore
4.0
a ripper from a consistently great band. vocals are a bit of an acquired taste and for me are perhaps the one thing that drags this down a peg, but great musicianship everywhere else. |
| 42 |  | Tactosa
Exit Wounds
deathcore revivial
3.5
really solid nostalgic stuff. doesn't do anything you haven't heard before, but it gets all the basics very right. |
| 43 |  | Tee Vee Repairman
What's On TV?
lo-fi garage rock/power pop
4.0
fuzzy little numbers that are pretty standard for the genre, but the genre's good so idc |
| 44 |  | Tei Shi
Bad Premonition
alt r&b jams
4.0
reminds me a lot of tinashe's early work, which is not a bad thing by any means. slick, glossy pop that just hits right. |
| 45 |  | Tennis
Pollen
cosy nostalgic pop rock
4.5
didn't expect to love this, but man there's so much charm here. will def be a summer bop for me when it gets warmer, its made for sunny days at the park or beach. |
| 46 |  | Them Airs
Viper Island
weirdo dancey rock
4.0
hard to pinpoint this sound, it sounds a bit like squid covering pop songs by the residents. its quirky, but damn is it fun and full of neat little ideas. |
| 47 |  | Theophonos
Nightmare Visions
blackened mathcore
3.5
ex-serpent column guy making stuff that sounds like cleaner serpent column. the formula still works and i appreciate what this does differently, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't miss the weightiness of his former fand's best material. still, a full-frontal assault of this sort is appreciated. |
| 48 |  | Thin (USA-NY)
Dusk
mathcore/emoviolence
3.5
blisteringly fast and over in a flash, which actually i find to be a bit of a detractor here, because some of the ideas on display deserve to be developed a bit more than they are. a good time regardless. |
| 49 |  | The Tidal Sleep
About Leaving and Coming
post-skramz
3.5
nice little farewell gift from this band before they call it quits. like much of their material, this is consistently great but a little off the best bands in the style. |
| 50 |  | Toumba
Petals
microtonal uk bass
3.5
fun little bunch of head-massaging tunes, big kick drums punctuating off-kilter rhythms and weird melodies. good clean fun. |
| 51 |  | Rian Treanor and Ocen James
Saccades
weird east african electroacoustic by way of idm
4.0
skipping rhythms, wild african instruments, a spontaneous free improv feel. i'd say whats not to love, but it's a bit of a niche thing - lets say then that this does what it sets out to do brilliantly. |
| 52 |  | The Tubs
Dead Meat
richard thompson meets jangle pop
3.5
formed by a few members of the woefully underrated joanna gruesome, this is a satisfyingly catchy slice of retro power pop, with a great vocal performance that is eerily close to the legend that is richard. pretty solid all the way through, but the big highlights here are to be found in the longer tracks such as sniveller and wretched lie. |
| 53 |  | Ugory
Wicher
sludgey noise rock/noise rocky sludge
4.0
pretty great polish band i've been aware of for a while now, and this is them at their best yet. quite a bit more atmospheric than their previous stuff, and the blackened touches are well done. |
| 54 |  | The WAEVE
The WAEVE
artsy indie chamber rock
3.5
graham coxon (blur) and rose elinor dougall (the pipettes) come together for a lush and melancholic album that serves up a whole load of 'great but could be better'. the songs go interesting directions and are well-crafted, but lack that big payoff to really make them special. also graham's vocals sound terrible on more than a couple of occasions here. rose's vocals are brilliant however. a light 3.5. |
| 55 |  | Wanderer (MN)
Indulgence of the Unreal
brutal sludgy metalcore
3.5
this ep has one trick and one trick only, but as a quick blast of heavy its hard to argue with. |
| 56 |  | We Are Only Human Once
Every Dog on Earth
folky indie rock
3.5
love the kinda exhausted and stressed out to the point of ambivalence vibe going with the vocals. when it works like on release and miss you more, it really works. however a lot of these songs are a bit too basic at times to kinda take much away from. certainly not unpleasant though, and when its right its right. |
| 57 |  | J. Wiegold
Norfolk Serpent
ethereal dream folk bliss
4.0
just wanna say how gorgeous the production on this record is. musically, its like an early anco album thats experiencing a blissed-out ego death on ambien. if thats not your thing we can't be friends sorry. beautiful multi-layer harmonies under delicate angelic vocals. yeah this is killer, and the only complaint i have is that the shirt that folds itself is such an incrediblly good song it makes everything else seem redundant. |
| 58 |  | Jessica Winter
Limerence
synthpop that doesn't know whether it wants to be artsy or clubby...
3.5
...but when it wants to be its really good at both. its just a bit uneven in terms of quality. reminds me quite a bit of caroline polachek which isnt a bad comparison to have, but would be interested in hearing a more complete and focused full-length. |
| 59 |  | Xhris2Eazy
ANTIHERO
bedroom plugg
3.5
solid collection of beats, vocals are decent, just lacks a true banger or two really. |
| 60 |  | xWeaponx/World Of Pleasure
Weapon of Pleasure
beatdown metalcore
3.5
like anything in this style its hard to fuck up as long as you have the energy, which this obviously does. xweaponx's side is serviceable, but its world of pleasure who really show up here - hopefully we'll get a bigger project soon. |
| 61 |  | Yajaira la Beyaca & Genosidra
Safriska
futuristic latin club trap
3.5
quite sparse and machine-like, but in a cool impactful way. it's all about that booming rhythm. |
| 62 |  | Yashira/Horsewhip
Split
mathcore
3.5
two great upcoming bands, although horsewhip's track is definitely the more interesting and adventurous of the two. |
| 63 |  | Year of the Knife
Dust to Dust
metalcore
3.5
three punishing deathcore-adjacent metalcore slammers in the vein of a more straightforward venom prison. its hard to go wrong really. |
| 64 |  | Yeat
Aftërlyfe
trap/rage
4.5
yeat's most creative album yet - its great to hear him keep changing things up with tracks like the driving electro of nun id change and the dream poppy myself. yeat albums are always too long and could cut 3 or 4 songs and this is no exception, but the best moments here show why he's one of the most interesting rappers to come up in the last couple years. |
| 65 |  | Yikii
The Crow-Cyan Lake
spirited away but no-face is some kind of eldritch horror and there are shapeshifting demons everywhere that will rip your small intestine out
3.5
similar to the otay:onii album, except with an added uncomfortable child-like wonder. might have to keep coming back to this, there's a lot here to digest underneath the sinister and ominous vibes throughout. |
| 66 |  | Yo La Tengo
This Stupid World
eclectic oldies indie rock
4.0
easily their best record since 2006's i am not afraid of you..., this one took a little time to develop for me but its such a quick grower, beautiful stuff. doesn't take too many risks, but the songwriting is excellent. |
| 67 |  | Young Fathers
Heavy Heavy
art pop spirituals
4.5
fragile and beautiful in equal measure, this is a life-affirming culmination of everything their last couple of records have been hinting at. whilst i know a fair few people bemoan the loss of the more hip-hop influenced work they broke into the indie consciousness with, there's really no other band like them or operating in this lane with such conviction. |
| 68 |  | Yushh
Look Mum No Hands
ambient dubby beats
3.5
really satisfying grooves here, although no real moments wow me. a good mood-setter though. |
| 69 |  | Hoplites
Ψευδομένη
mathy deathened black metal
4.0
speaking of serpent column earlier, if you like them this should be your shit. heavy technical black metal from china of all places, with a greek theme for some reason? im not gonna question it, especially when it bangs this hard. |
| 70 |  | Ayano Kaneko
タオルケットは穏やかな (Towelket wa Odayaka na)
dreamy noisy j-indie
4.0
possibly her best yet? wonderful stuff, plays it rather safe but makes up for it with the quality of songs on display. great vocal performance especially. |
| 71 |  | Ohzora Kimishima
Eitaisuru Kemuri
dreamy psychy folky indie
4.0
see my review for a more complete take, but this continues to grow on me, a beautiful and lush record. |
| 72 |  | NHOMME
種の過音
very mathy emo (no twinkle daddies allowed)
4.0
love the time signature fuckery here, really technical and exciting little ep. hope to hear more. especially works well in the last track with the skramzy vocals. |
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