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12.28.23 guess what bm is still making tunes10.26.23 living in maine...
10.13.22 dreamo08.10.22 machine operator-core
04.23.22 MY WAR04.11.22 hey there sleepy smile
11.29.21 mental health struggles06.20.21 bm has another new band lol
12.12.20 wadup y’all10.04.18 autumn albums pls
09.16.18 my band's final album07.15.18 window:
01.13.18 space rock10.15.17 my band made a movie
09.17.17 18!!04.28.17 hyosis album
04.13.17 yet another massive album02.09.17 dddddddddigs
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Top 14 Of 2014

14 albums I've really liked so far, recs welcome.
1Swans
To Be Kind

I take back what I said about the Seer being the culmination of every Swans release, this album truly is. The big thing the Seer seemed to leave out was the raw intensity of albums from Filth up to Holy Money. With that said, it's amazing that Mr. Gira can sing this way when he's 60 years old, doing growls and shouts just as powerful as he did 30 years ago. The instrumentation seems to be focusing more on groove and rhythm this time around, and the compositions owe a lot to Soundtracks for the Blind in particular. Overall, To Be Kind is another Swans masterpiece that shouldn't be missed this year. It may be somewhat incomprehensible in the end, but to me that's a good thing, kind of like a religious experience. Not quite up to the level that the Seer set, but so damn close. 4.8/5
2Saor
Aura

Fuck, just when I think there's an AOTY, something else comes and tops it again. Seriously, this is one of the most creative, emotionally demanding, and just plain atmospheric metal albums I've ever heard. By basically taking Celtic Frost's sort of black metal approach, and adding a war-like atmosphere to it, complete with wind instruments, brass instruments, symphonic elements, and most of the typical elements of black metal (blast beats, harsh vocals, etc.). I use this comparison a lot, but it almost sounds like the Neurosis of BM. Yeah, this is quite possibly the greatest metal album of the year. FVCK 4.7/5
3Casualties of Cool
Casualties of Cool

I'll say it right now, I don't know shit about Devin Townsend. It's not that I'm not interested, I just didn't know anything about the guy until I discovered sputnik, and I still don't know much right now. With that said, the way his other work is described seems much different than this effort. He seems to be described as a metal kind of guy, but this is more of a country kind of offering, but it's easily one of the best albums this year. With the accompaniment of Che Aimee Doval on vocals and acoustic guitar, they've easily created one of the most haunting, basic, and just plain greatest albums of the year. Everything comes together perfectly into a mesh of country, folk, and this just plain chilling atmosphere that I could describe best by the blunt cover. Simply put, this is a mysterious, atmospheric, haunting country record that is AOTY material. 4.7/5
4St. Vincent
St. Vincent

I've always been one of those people who shifts away from what is considered "pop music" for all the various reasons none of us need to hear again. But, every now and then an artist can come along that totally blows me away from an artistic standpoint, yet still has a poppy sound. This time, it's St. Vincent. I had known about her briefly, since she covered Big Black's "Kerosene" once actually, but I didn't know much beyond that. I saw some of the acclaim for this release though, but stayed away from it for too long. But, after one user told me to check it out, I listened to it, and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't hesitate to call this the best pop album of the year, due to its fusion of art rock, occasional noisiness, and pop melodies. The result is a futuristic feeling record, that already feels classic. I'm going to let this sit for a little while before I see if it's a 5, but it certainly edges close to one at this moment. 4.6/5
5Lord Mantis
Death Mask

I've always considered myself to be a fan of sludge/doom/stoner metal music. I love the riffs, the raw aggression, and the atmosphere these bands will create. Stoner bands such as Sleep and Electric Wizard generally create an uplifting, spacy atmosphere, doom bands such as Saint Vitus and Candlemass generally create a mournful, ancient atmosphere with imagery of paganism and the occult. Sludge bands though, such as Eyehategod and the Melvins, they create an incredibly misanthropic, dark, and tension based sound with their riffs, vocals, and crawling tempos. As the genre developed, we soon got amazing bands such as Neurosis, Boris, and Lord Mantis who combined the style with genres such as post-rock, drone, progressive rock, and black metal. Lord Mantis is one of the bands that combines black metal with sludge though, which results in this super heavy, frightening, dark, and just plain misanthropic sound. If you could imagine Eyehategod mixed with the likes of say, Darkthrone or Mayhem, the result would be the near masterpiece of Death Mask. The riffs are dense and hard hitting, the vocals are emotive and frightening, and the pure heaviness is undeniable. Overall, an atmospheric, dark, and interesting listen, that is both endlessly interesting and powerful. 4.6/5
6Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World

Absolutely brilliant, moving, and dense. 2014 is so damn good so far, and this is yet another record I finally heard to prove it. By basically taking in some drone influence, almost in the vein of Swans, some Jesu influence, and some post-rock influence in the realm of Godspeed's Yanqui U.X.O., this is yet another potential AOTY. Maybe I'm a few months late, but I can't believe I hadn't heard this for this long. So yeah, another brilliantly creative record in 2014. 4.5/5
7Hoth
Oathbreaker

Hoth's Oathbreaker is easily one of the best metal albums I've heard all year, literally edging against Saor's Aura. As the reviewer described it, "Star Wars Metal", it certainly sounds and feels that way, with a chilling, spacy atmosphere that the cover perfectly describes. It basically sounds like black metal with a Hoth-like atmosphere, with amazing results. The overall record is very diverse, with very fast, aggressive metal being used, symphonic elements, choirs, folk instrumentation, and even embracing some more futuristic sounds, giving it this Star Wars-esque feel. Overall, this is another very unique metal album from 2014, thank god I found sputnik this year, for I never would've found this without it. 4.4/5
8Thee Silver Mount Zion
Fuck Off Get Free We Pour Light on Everything

Don't really understand the lukewarm response some people seem to be giving this. All the way through, I thought it was a quite demanding and interesting experience, almost as if it's Godspeed with more Black Flag influence to it. There's lots of hypnotic repetition, beautiful symphonic melodies, and emotive vocals. I especially don't understand the gripe about the production, it seems to work just fine for me. But, a very good art rock/post-rock release that I'm glad I finally heard. 4.3/5
9White Suns
Totem

This is one of the most challenging albums I've heard all year by far. I have no idea how to describe it, it's so twisted, atonal, and just plain noisy, but it creates such a dense atmosphere that I haven't quite felt or heard since early Swans. While the instrumentation will sometimes sound out of sync with one another, it's clear that this was intended, since it creates a really chaotic feeling. Basically, imagine if you combined the first Swans record with their song Coward, it might sound like this. Sudden walls of noise, lots of feedback and creepy soft parts, and even being somewhat painful to listen to at first, this is what you get. Despite their similarity to Swans that I keep bringing up though, there also seems to be some Slint influence, as well as an overall modernized sound. Simply put, Filth: 2014 edition. 4.2/5
10 Mastodon
Once More 'Round the Sun

It seems as though Mastodon have crafted their definitive album this time around (no pun intended). They've combined the prog of Crack the Skye and Blood Mountain, the riffs of Remission and Leviathan, and the hard rock vibe of the Hunter, with an additional spacy vibe. The riffs are shimmering, the vocals are the best they've ever been, and Brann actually kind of lays back, without the overwhelming drum fills that sometimes plagued their other albums. There seems to be an emphasis on soloing in particular this time around as well, with an almost Rush-like twist on things. The High on Fire-esque sludge is still kind of gone, but it works quite well here, instead of being too simple like the Hunter. Scott Kelly appears once again, performing a standout vocal performance as usual, despite Neurosis and Mastodon being very different at this point. So basically, I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, due to their nearly flawless combo of prog and hard rock/heavy metal once again. It still has that accessible edge, but it doesn't feel forced or overwhelmingly different the way the Hunter was. So, 2014 has yet another fantastic addition. 4.2/5
11Artificial Brain
Labyrinth Constellation

So much creative metal this year, and Labyrinth Constellation is no exception. Basically, Artificial Brain have taken death metal, and infused it with a spacy atmosphere and lyrical approach. This album is perfectly technical without too much overlap, the atmosphere could be described by its cover, and the feeling is loose and free. The vocals are sometimes underwhelming or by the books, but they still work atop the impressive instrumentation. Simply, one of the best metal albums released this year. 4.2/5
12Mayhem
Esoteric Warfare

Mayhem. Quite possibly the most controversial band ever, one of the founders of black metal, and a band with countless myths and stories. They're just one of those bands where you read the stories before you hear the music. The Euronymous murders, the suicide of Dead, the church burnings, and the bigoted attitudes of certain members are things you will most likely hear before the music, but that doesn't make their music any less special. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is of course renowned as one of the finest examples of black metal, and their later efforts are not things people generally mention, but Esoteric Warfare sounds surprisingly good. The production is perfectly raw, the riffs are quite exciting, the atmosphere is perfectly bleak, and the experimentation is here. They do more than what you would normally expect from a trve black metal band to do, with sudden stops, atmospheric passages, mature playing, and even some prog leanings. Sure, it's not too diverse, but it certainly works to their advantage to just be a raw, aggressive kick in the teeth. Didn't expect to like this nearly as much as I did, but amazingly, the band sounds fresh and in place even today. Simply put, the atmosphere is killer, the title says it all. 4.1/5
13The Flaming Lips
7 Skies H3

The Flaming Lips are arguably one of the most important bands still around. They're one of those bands that's just truly fearless when it comes to releasing music, in a number of ways. They've had a long, illustrious career with too many highlights to name, dabbling in so many different styles, and staying interesting throughout their entire career. In 2014 though, they decide to do the weirdest thing they've done yet (yes it's stranger than Zaireeka), they've released a 24 hour song. Doing something like this is beyond extreme when it comes to even the Flaming Lips, who seem to have done just about everything with gimmicks. Now, they obviously expected very few people to actually listen to such a thing, so they made this trimmed down version, which is about an album's general length. The result is a challenging, atmospheric, trippy, psychedelic, and interesting listen that will take you places. The album is generally focused on the spacy, bleak sound they used on their previous effort the Terror, and the overall offering is a very diverse trip through space. If you feel like having a psychedelic journey without acid, check this out. 4.1/5
14Young Widows
Easy Pain

Well, another release this year manages to wildly impress me. Young Widows seem to have borrowed from the Jesus Lizard, Swans, and some various psychedelic acts, to create a very atmospheric, dissonant, and experimental piece of noise rock. While it's not too traditionally noisy, it still features noise rock in the vein of the Jesus Lizard, as I said, due to the vocals and loose playing. There is an element of Texas Swing almost on some songs, which is quite interesting as well. Overall, another excellent album released this year, hopefully they keep on coming. 4.1/5
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