Average Rating: 4.09 Rating Variance: 0.47 Objectivity Score: 54% (Somewhat Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicBilly Woods and Kenny Segal Hiding PlacesDeath Grips The Money StoreGodspeed You! Black Emperor Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to HeavenHave a Nice Life DeathconsciousnessHoly shit this album. Craziest musically induced high and low of my entire life. Might be my favorite of all time. If you want a genre-mashing, brutal and beautiful soundscape of depression and nihilism this is it. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyKendrick Lamar To Pimp a ButterflyKendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d cityMadvillain MadvillainyMoor Mother and Billy Woods BrassBeen on a streak of putting some 4.5s to 5s. This album is the best candidate. This record leaves me breathless. Dark jazz, tribal, industrial noise, and boom bap all come together for the most unique sound of a hip hop album I?ve ever heard. Billy Woods and Moor Mothers chemistry are unparalleled. (Wu-Tang who?) The lyricism and imagery of ancient secrets, hidden tribes, apocalyptic hell scapes, and mythology with a modern twist is genius. Images are painted of caravans trudging through dunes, savages at the doors of royalty, throwing coins, lynches swinging, enslaved men searching for their creator, Congolese hands in gift bags, watching the cleansing teeth of fire, prying jewelry off dead pharaohs from tombs and so much more. It?s a masterpiece. . 10/10Mount Eerie A Crow Looked At MeA near perfect album. One of the masterpieces that is only generated from the lowest of lows. Hope you're doing okay, Phil. One of the two albums that genuinely made me cry, but this one was every track. Emotionally destructive while being musically fantastic and intriguing is quite a feat. Nas IllmaticDefinition of classic. Always thought this album was gassed up, ?perfect hip-hop album? etc but damn this shit is legendary. Beats are impeccable, Nas? lyricism never ceases to completely blow me away. References, wordplay, rhyme schemes, flow is all top fucking notch. Album balances gritty street life and the brightness of youth perfectly, and the flow is possibly one of the best of any record I?ve heard. I was wrong, this deserves all its flowers. 10/10Neurosis The Eye of Every StormHaunting and powerful masterpiece. The epitome of well done atmospheric metal. rI gave this another listen recently and decided to 5 it. Fuck it. This album is fucking phenomenal and worthy of all possible praise. 10/10Pink Floyd AnimalsPink Floyd The WallThis band really created a second masterpiece that is somehow the exact opposite of their best work, but nearly right on par with it. It's one thing to have two classics but doing so in a completely different style, while retaining what makes you unique is truly a tribute to the musical mastery Pink Floyd has accomplished. The Smashing Pumpkins Siamese DreamA brilliant mix of shoegaze, alt metal, psychedelic rock and only taking the best parts of the ever popular grunge movement. This was the first ever album I was addicted to, and even to this day serves as a catalyst of what really really great rock sounds like. Deeply sensitive and overwhelmingly aggressive over the course of the runtime, sometimes within just one track. Groundbreaking since its inception and still one of the most ingenious albums I've ever heard. What I look for in rock or metal albums is the capability for the music to simultaneously make me want to transcend and break shit while remaining captivating and thought provoking. I blame Siamese Dream for this obsession. Tool LateralusTool Ænima4.5 superb...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead And You Will Know Us By the Trail of DeaI love this fucking album. Blistering guitars, awesome catchy drumming, and that far away yelling effect are so fire. Great riffs and choruses, but songs also get atmospheric. A style I can't quite place anywhere else. Just honestly different, throughout the listening experience you'll be exposed to a multitude of moods yet it's tied together so well. Overall, contains some of the best moments in music I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing and I can't describe exactly why. Acid Bath When the Kite String PopsSo close to a five for me. This some filthy sludge/death/goth/hardcore shit. Hard to make an album with a collection of the most nasty and memorable riffs of all time, and not make it the ENTIRE focus. Tempos, dynamics, song structure all changes. Dax Riggs is an insanely talented vocalist that I wish more of the metal world or music world as a whole would recognize. Effortless transitions between bloodcurdling screams and grandiose gothic singing. Menacing. Billy Woods AethiopesOnly Billy Woods can create a contemplative hip hop record that has pure bangers in the form of commentaries about the effects of imperialism and capitalism that sounds like the instrumentation was out of the 1800s. Dusty guitars, wheezing harmonicas, and derelict pianos sound like this mysterious and slow paced effort of rebellion was recorded in the backwoods (get it) shed in the rural bayous of Louisiana . 9/10Billy Woods ChurchDenzel Curry TA13OOErykah Badu Mama's GunJID The Forever StoryJoy Division Unknown PleasuresKanye West YeezusAs if Kanye took the sound and themes of Hell of a Life on MBDTF and let it grow to a minimalist, manic and desperate exploration of the Dark Fantasy he explored on his previous work. Albeit not the first and not the finest example of industrial hip-hop yet still deserves the tag. It?s harsh sometimes, it?s crazy it?s vulgar. Yet as Kanye can pull off, heartfelt in a strange way. Definitely not Mr. Wests crown jewel when it comes to lyricism, but it doesn?t bother me too much because it seems to serve as the personification of this crazed character of Yeezus. Kanye West The College DropoutKids See Ghosts Kids See GhostsMastodon LeviathanMizmor and Thou Myopia Nirvana In UteroFiery and perfect conclusion to an opinions aside, legendary career. Drums are actually really good. Truly impressive the quality and density of sound band gets being a three piece. Wish bass was turned up just a little bit more, so good on some tracks. Balances the sensitivity and the rage the band has explored in the past extremely well. Dumb and Milk It might be my favorite tracks and they?re at very ends of this spectrum. Even though tapping into a more post-hardcore and noise rock sound (which I?m a huge sucker for) each track manages to be supremely catchy. Should have been just the start to Nirvanas potential. 9/10Perfume Genius Ugly SeasonI?ve been bipolar with this album, ranging from a 7 to a 10 it?s taken me months to figure it out. Challenging but rewarding I make sense of this project as a protean musical aether. It shapeshifts between ideas, genres, rhythms, progressions etc. Formless and creating. Atmospheric and captivating. While being inherently beautiful. 9/10Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the MachineSinead O'Connor The Lion And The CobraSOUL GLO Diaspora ProblemsSoundgarden SuperunknownI flirt all the time with putting this as a five what the fuck helpSwans The Glowing ManTranscendental and visceral record, with metamorphosing epics consisting of harsh drones, engaging soundscapes, occult grooves, and religious imagery through the lyrics. Array of sounds you?ll encounter throughout is spectacular. This album makes me feel like I?m learning the secrets of why and how and my mortal mind doesn?t know what to do with it. It?s not quite a ten, due to some shorter songs falling flat and the first half of Frankie M is slightly disappointing. Big deal since the first half is an easy 10 minutes. However, 9.5/10. Tyler, the Creator IGOR4.0 excellentAlice in Chains Jar of FliesAshenspire Hostile ArchitectureBatushka LitourgiyaBlack Country, New Road Ants From Up ThereBlood Incantation Hidden History of the Human RaceChat Pile God's CountryVocalist is fucking incredible. Deranged, and tortured every word seems to cut. Not everyone can make ?have you ever had ringworm? sound menacing. Spoken word passages are engaging. The only content this year that genuinely scared or disgusted me. Bass work is fundamental to the albums sound, sludgey attacks and even nu metal ish grooves. Really cool Guitar effects that sound like wailing wind in some tracks. Violent and rebellious album that paints a picture of real world dystopian circumstance. 8.5/10Conway the Machine God Don't Make MistakesGritty and bleak throughout. The hard violent tracks and the reflective ones work so well, but some songs like Guilty, Chanel Pearls, and the end of Wild Chapters feel lackluster. The Machine really made a name for himself with this great record. Danger Mouse and Black Thought Cheat CodesDeftones Around the FurDenzel Curry Melt My Eyez See Your FutureFreddie Gibbs and Madlib PinataAmazing album, Freddie establishes himself further as a refreshingly unique character, with great lyricism, features, and production by legend Madlib front to back. Ghais Guevara May Ur Melanin Shield U From RagnarokGuevaras best work. His best lyricism to date and beats have cool chopped samples that has a distinguishable chipmunk soul/industrial glitch hop feel that?s really cool. Some songs bang and others are contemplative. However I feel a lot of songs drag on for too long and there are some bland spots on the record. Beats aren?t amazing but still really good. Solid 7.5Jambinai ONDAKanye West The Life of PabloKendrick Lamar Mr. Morale and the Big SteppersSome of the absolute highest highs of any of Kenny's work, but also a lot of tracks that I'm not too fond of. I love the flow of the album, and I think it has such highs for me since a lot of it embodies the deeply personal and sensitive side of Kendrick that was shown on "u". Concept and vision is also phenomenal, but that's what you get with Kendrick anything post-Section.80, (excluding untitled unmastered.) even if doesn't seem as focused as previous works. Father Time, We Cry Together, Crown, Mother I Sober, and The Heart Part 5 are some all time Kendrick tracks. Machine Girl WLFGRLSome of the best electronic anything out there. Throws you into a fucked up, dirty and bright, nighttime underground for 43 minutes. I feel special for knowing about this album. Melvins HoudiniBaby's First Sludge Metal Record. Rocks regardless. Very strong 4. Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the MoonRecord never really clicked with me. I like the Wall and Animals as concepts more. I also feel a lot of the tracks try to balance being epics tackling ideas or trying to be quicker and more catchy but don't pull off either the absolute best. Nevertheless, I still love it, and Time is one of their best all time songs. Pusha T It's Almost DryRadiohead A Moon Shaped PoolLove this record. The silvery and nocturnal soundscapes are beautiful, with the compositional genius of Radiohead easily fitting in. Not as experimental or groundbreaking as other efforts, but emotionally touching, captivating, and catchy. Always something new instrumentally to catch through multiple listens. 8.5/10The Frights You Are Going to Hate ThisA catchy and fresh take on surf rock and garage punk. Loved this album for a while. Seems to perfectly encapsulate the frustrations and emotions of being an adolescent and growing up. Wardruna Runaljod - YggdrasilWu-Tang Clan Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)3.5 greatAJ Suede & Televangel Metatron’s CubeCities Aviv MAN PLAYS THE HORNDreamville D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz MixtapeA couple young, fiery and talented MC's guided along by DJ Drama and witnessing J.Cole once or twice. Nice flow to a mixtape, which is somewhat unprecedented and again...the record doesn't try to be much but it has enough energy and raw talent to make for a fun ass listen. Evanora Unlimited Lustful ExpanseRequested this album just to rate. Badass electropunk with unique lyricism and composition. Too short to be anything higher, but should definitely be checked out. Gulch Impenetrable Cerebral FortressThe title of the third track is a perfect self descriptor. This grind/death metal/hardcore/whatever scene has a lot of on the low gems. Kendrick Lamar untitled unmastered.My Chemical Romance I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your LoveAn authentic album before they transitioned to a pop-punk route which I'm not fond of. Best described as Post-Hardcore (?) act, but differentiate from others at the time with uniquely sensitive lyrics, and gothic imagery without being needlessly melodramatic. Gerard Way ties it all together will his phenomenal vocal talent. Bass is also joyously audible. A good amount of the songs are valid but pretty lackluster. However..Vampires Will Never Hurt You, Our Lady of Sorrows, This Is the Best Day Ever, and Demolition Lovers will always be fucking amazing. Pink Floyd MeddleCarried by Echoes and Fearless but that's okay. Even a mid Pink Floyd album is great I guess. Superheaven JarSome great tracks on here but a little dense with some more quick punky tracks I?m not the biggest fan of. A very strong 3.5; a few years ago this was one of my all time favorites. Tony Shhnow ReflexionsRaw, energetic and artful. Overflowing with cunning and subtle bars. Contains a booming dirty south feel as well as some softer soulful samples. Trimmed down and more focused I could see something insane coming from this MC. Tool UndertowSome phenomenal tracks on here but a few too many songs that take heavy "grungey alt metal" influence that was popular at the time. This causes the album to feel slightly less unique track to track, and the band was only showing brief glimpses of the progressive metal behemoths they would become. Intolerance, Prison Sex, Sober, Crawl Away, and Undertow are great highlights in the Tool catalogue. Wormrot HissZguba ZnójI used to be higher on this album but I still fuck with it. Has some breathtaking soundscapes and hits heavy emotionally, I just find myself going back to it less and less. Images of terminal illness, aging, and war go through my head with the dense choirs. Very interesting and somewhat obscure record that is for sure worth a listen. 3.0 goodDark Quarterer Dark QuartererI?ve always had somewhat of a distaste for the wailing style of vocals but the range and versatility is still impressive. Just personal taste. Excessive instrument masturbation is what turns me a way from a lot of prog, and it?s very much rpresent here. However, there are some very beautiful, groovy, as well as dark passages of songs on here that are pretty amazing. There?s some proghead out there that for sure has this as a masterpiece. Respect this music and totally get rthe appeal but as basic as it sounds, just not my sound I gravitate to. 6/10Elucid I Told BessieGhais Guevara There Will Be No Super-SlaveComing from a man who loves interludes there are too many interludes and random spots. Production clashes a lot of times making the songs message and composition watered down. However, production got better and his work overall more ambitious from previous efforts. This dude has a ton of potential and I can see a few great projects coming. Just stop comparing him to JPEGMAFIA for the love of God. HEALTH VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEARMoor Mother Jazz CodesOrangutang EpTravis Scott Astroworld2.5 averageNardo Wick Who Is Nardo Wick?A trap album that for once sounds genuine and sinister. Suffers from the mainstream rap disease of recycled ideas and an unnecessary bloated track list. 5/10Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate MachineAn unhinged, self-loathing, rebellious, and albeit unique take on the synth filled sound popular at the time. It provides as the groundwork to the groundbreaking work soon to come but overall nothing special. Productions is bare bones and shallow on top of pretty basic song ideas. Plus the lyrics are genuinely dogshit at a lot of points. Incredibly basic and sometimes corny. Honestly a shock to me, since my exposure to Trent?s work was through select songs of the Downward Spiral and The Fragile which contained some of the best rock lyricism I have ever seen. Could have been a pretty good 4 song ep. Head Like A Hole, Sanctified, Something I Can Never Have, and Ringfinger go hard. 5.5/10Rome Streetz Kiss the RingBars are good and has a standard gritty Griselda atmosphere but really nothing about it sets it apart too much. Lot of the beats are lackluster and while the lyricism is generally pretty good, a great standout verse, thematic topic or one liner is hard to come across. Taking this compared to another similar project this year like God Dont Make Mistakes shows the difference on how to pull off an album like this. Overall though, it isnt bad, but easily forgotten. Sigh Shiki
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