Music With Friends Part II
A continuation of my previous list, another twenty songs which now include my friend's ratings as well. We shall be continuing this for quite some time from the looks of things. |
| 1 |  | Hodera
First Things First
Best Intentions: Brady's Pick: Intimate lyrics from one an overlooked/underrated artist from New Jersey that does well at elaborating its ever present melody and molding it into a beautiful build up. Saw the lead singer of this group open for Trophy Scars a while back and loved every second of it. Might give this a review at some point in the future because I still think it is some pretty stellar stuff.
Trevor: 4.5/5 relatable sadboy song that builds to a gutwrenching conclusion
Nick: 3
Luke: 3 |
| 2 |  | Jitwam.
Jitwam
Wejustcousins: Nick’s Pick: Soul/dreamy track that evolves into a pretty funky trip hop track with an abstract amount of instrumentation going on. Quite an odd track that doesn’t outwear its welcome.
My Rating: 3/5
Trevor: 3/5 VIIIIIIBES
Luke: 4.5 |
| 3 |  | Rina Sawayama
RINA
10-20-40: Luke’s Pick: Interesting bubble gum pop that people who dig the genre would really like in all honesty. Definitely has its appeal but I am not who this song was made for most likely. Chorus is gorgeously produced though and the guitar solo near the end was actually pretty awesome. My Rating: 3.5/5 yeah the guitar solo bumped this up for me haha
Trevor: 2.5/5 honestly this just feels like by-the-numbers dancepop
Nick: 4/5 Rina I want to caress you |
| 4 |  | All The Luck In The World
A Blind Arcade
Golden October: Trevor’s Pick: Still in contention for one of my favorite album arts of all time, A Blind Arcade is a subtle and sprawling record of lose and regret. Golden October is still one of my fav tracks off the thing, with a deep progression, emotional lyricism, and some beautiful strings. This is underrated indie-folk at some of its best, give this a jam as soon as possible, Sowing would really appreciate it and so would I. My Rating: 4.5/5
Nick: 3.5/5
Luke: 3.5/5 |
| 5 |  | Blonde Tongues
Blonde Tongues
Hey Good Lookin’: Nick’s Pick: Ok listen here Nick you can’t full me with your noisy shoegaze/post-rock recommendations, I’m not that easy to convin- ah but the shimmering guitars at the end ok you win this round bud. The ending along solidifies this track as a hard hitting shoegaze/post-rock stomper, give this a listen if you like your post-rock a bit dreamy. My Rating: 4/5
Trevor: 4/5 a shoegaze track that isn't afraid to get weird. Love the ever-present distortion on this
Luke: 3/5 |
| 6 |  | Big Black
Atomizer
Kerosene: My Pick: A Noise rock track that is brimming with personality, raw energy, and some of the jankiest goddamn guitars and production you can imagine. Recognized as a classic in the genre, fans of Daughters, Jesus Lizard, etc. will be right at home with this morbid phenom of an 80’s rock song (understandably this song was so ahead of its time).
Trevor: 4/5 super hype track that is only held back by overstaying its welcome
Luke: 4/5
Nick: 3.5/5 |
| 7 |  | Deathspell Omega
Paracletus
Abscission: Trevor’s Pick: Balls to the walls black metal that is unrelenting and crushingly heavy. Absolutely wild guitar play intermingles with dense walls of blast beats and ferocious vocals. Still gotta jam the rest of this as soon as I can. My Rating: 4/5
Luke: 3/5
Nick: 3.5/5 |
| 8 |  | Penfold
Amateurs and Professionals
I’ll Take you Everywhere: My Pick: Emotionally poignant emo of the mineral era that still holds a soft part in my heart. While the vocals are a bit hard to digest at first, I find them to be quite appealing in the way they tip-toe the line between passionate and overly emotional. The real stunner of this track is its absolutely powerful ending, which blows most of the tracks that it was influenced by out of the water in the day. A for sure jam if you are in to mineral/sunny day/jawbreaker.
Trevor: 3.5/5 sounds like budget mineral
Luke: 2.5/5
Nick: 4/5 |
| 9 |  | Young Fathers
Cocoa Sugar
Border Girl: Luke’s Pick: What an oddly beautiful track. I was always thrown off from listening to this thing due to the hideous album art, but this is a pretty great introduction. Lovely production mixed in with some sublimely dreamy vocals. My Rating: 4/5
Trevor: 3.5/5 endlessly danceable with an emotional breakdown
Nick: 3.5/5 |
| 10 |  | The Faint
Danse Macabre
Agenda Suicide: Trevor’s Pick: Post-Punk with funky production and excellent vocals. Seriously some weird ass post-punk/industrial rock that is insanely catchy and dark. Chorus is amazing despite the odd introduction of harsh vocals by the end of the track that give the melody a bit more power. Ending section is quite seductive and entrancing. My Rating: 4/5
Luke: 4.5/5
Nick: 4/5 |
| 11 |  | Andy Shauf
The Party
Early to the Party: Nick’s Pick: Great Progressive-pop that reminds me of 70’s psychedelic. Track is some seriously amazing chamber-pop, and while the vocals are a bit mundane, there is an underlying beauty to the perplexing madness behind the instrumentation. Lovely track and will be jamming the rest of the album out when I can. My Rating: 4/5
Trevor: 3.5/5 sadboy vibes :(
Luke: 4/5 |
| 12 |  | George Clanton
Slide
You Lost Me There: Nick’s Pick: Woah, this came out of nowhere. Was originally bored out of my mind by the synths at the beginning, but the track progresses marvelously when the drums kick in. Heavy hitting psychedelic with an emphasis on the wall of noise soundscapes that pervade the best parts of this track. My Rating: 4/5
Trevor: 3/5 incredibly pretty sonic backdrop that ultimately doesn't really go anywhere
Luke: 4/5 |
| 13 |  | Rainer Maria
Look Now Look Again
Planetary: My Pick: 90’s emo that is female led in the vein of Everyone Asked About You. Monumental and underrated emo album that’s focal selling point (female vocals) are perfect for the melancholy songs. Planetary dances around its lo-fi production with its powerful chorus and mesmerizing drumming.
Trevor: 4/5 budget mineral with female vocals
Luke: 3.5/5
Nick: 3/5 |
| 14 |  | Failure
Fantastic Planet
Blank: Trevor’s Pick: Off the seminal grunge album that barely anyone has heard, Blank is a sure highlight among some of the best grunge out there. A mesmerizing piece with delicate atmosphere, intelligent lyrics, and ahead of its time production. My Rating: 4.5/5
Luke: 3.5/5
Nick: 4/5 |
| 15 |  | Laurence Guy
Saw You for the First Time
Drum is a Woman: Nick’s Pick: IDM/Trip hop reminiscent of Burial with distorted vocals and drenched in atmosphere. A little too one note for my tastes as it does not progress too much. My Rating: 3/5
Trevor: 3/5 interesting chill/ trip hop vibes but not quite dynamic enough to keep me engaged
Luke: 3/5 |
| 16 |  | Skeletonwitch
Devouring Radiant Light
The Vault: Trevor’s Pick: A dense piece of black metal that is both enamoring and brutal. The opening sees an almost black-gaze like approach to the music before it dives into heavy distorted screeching and blast beats, with riffs for fucking days. Among the 9 or so minutes this track is around for, it slams heavy riff after heavy riff on the table. Remarkable production and intense instrumentation make this a favorite from one of modern metals most intricate black metal records. My Rating 4.5/5
Luke: 4/5
Nick: 2.5/5 |
| 17 |  | Fishmans
98.12.28 Otokotachi no Wakare
Long Season: My Pick: About time I listened to what many claim to be the greatest live album ever recorded. Standing at a hulking 41 minutes, Long Season closes the album out with a track that might deserve all the critical acclaim it receives. Even after my first time listening to the song, I found many if not all of the sections to be so memorably beautiful and mesmorizing. Among the many perfect parts of the song is the attention to melody that is present with the almost ever present synth that stays with the listener for most of the run time. I can only compare it to the one true companion for the journey, and when it leaves you to give some breathing room; its hard not to miss it, making for some of the best moments when it does return. Seriously, I didn’t know how much I missed it until around the 33 minute mark where I thought it had gone away for good only for it to return, much louder and even more beautiful than before.
Trevor: 5/5
Luke: 4/5
Nick: 4.5/5 |
| 18 |  | Vince Staples
Big Fish Theory
Samo: Luke’s Pick: Hard hitting trap beats and industrial loops give way to Vince Staple’s sporadic vocal performance. While I do not hate this album as much as Trevor does apparently, I feel that there is a certain charm to the almost Lil Ugly Mane heaviness of production. My Rating: 3/5
Trevor: Samo- 2/5 hot take I know, but this really just feels like a watered-down HEAT
Nick: 4/5 |
| 19 |  | Superorganism
Superorganism
Nobody Cares: Luke’s Pick: I really should not like this nearly as much as I do, but this is some pretty wonky bubblegum-bass that hits all the right spots. Some of the interesting production choices makes this a really enjoyable track, even if the vocals can be a little hard to digest at some points. When the track is imploding with its weird production is when it is at its absolute best. My Rating: 3.5/5
Trevor: 3/5
Nick: 4/5 |
| 20 |  | Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine
Digging for windows: Luke’s Pick: The drop on this thing is fucking dirty. Seriously one of the best tracks I’ve heard from De La Rocha’s solo endeavors, an industrial hip-hop beast. My Rating 4/5 (NOTE: This is a single from Zack De La Rocha so I cannot post the album art here or anything)
Trevor: 4.5/5
Nick: 3.5/5 |
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