May 2016 résumé PART 2
The original list ran out of space, so I'm making another one. This is no best-of list, it is just a bunch of records I've heard, that were RELEASED this month. Not the ones I've heard this month, but ones that were RELEASED this month that I've heard. Therefore, as the time goes, I'll be adding more items on the list, since I listen to stuff constantly. By the way, the names occasionally written under the comments are titles of songs that I recommend. If there are none written, it's either because I didn't like enough of them or because I can't point out a highlight. And now a score guide: 10/9 - 5; 8 - 4.5; 7 - 4; 6 - 3.5/3; 5 - 2.5; 4 - 2; 3 - 1.5; 2/1 - 1 |
| 29 |  | Dzo-nga
Five Treasures of Snow
The album has its moments, and although the production is most of the time quite awful, its amateur vibe does manage to bring up some nice and unusual instrumental oddity. 6/10 |
| 28 |  | Mother Feather
Mother Feather
This is the simplest, but ultimately one of the most fun Rock albums 2016 has to offer. 8/10 |
| 27 |  | Spotlights
Tidals
I like the dramatic nature of the record, but all-in-all it really seems like milking the usual. 6/10 |
| 26 |  | King Apathy
King Apathy
Thranenkind deliver some massive and explosive Metal, however it does not completely hold up on the entirety of the record. There is simply that feeling that it is really good, but nothing spectacularily memorable. 7/10 |
| 25 |  | Starofash
skógr
Absolutely stunning. This isn't just a Post-Rock piece. Starofash incorporates a myriad of styles into once grandiose, majestic and engrossing megalith. Be it electronic, symphonic, straight out Post-Rock or even some soft Pop, it all comes together so wonderfully. 8/10
Hvitna, Viðr, Annarsstaðar, The Frost, Hylja
Okay, so turns out this is a duplicate page, so here's a link to the original: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=228920 |
| 24 |  | Weekend Nachos
Apology
Ironically unapologetic. 7/10 |
| 23 |  | Frost*
Falling Satellites
At times it is an energetic and fun Prog album, but mostly it's either a redundant mess and it even comes to...*deep breath*...dubstep (looking at you Towerblock)? Boi! 4/10
P.S.: By the way, am I the only one who found the vocals to be extremely annoying?
Numbers, The Raging Against the Dying of the Light Blues in 7/8, British Wintertime |
| 22 |  | Wo Fat
Midnight Cometh
Wo Fat comes back with a muddy and not that exciting album full of genuinely interesting ideas and instrumental moments, but no gripping substance or songwriting. 6/10 |
| 21 |  | Ghost Box Orchestra
High Plaine
Ghost Box Orchestra managed to create a Heavy-Psych album that does not eventually deteriorate into a pure muddy dizzying mess as such albums occasionally do. The band keeps it very stylish and...well, psychedelic. What else is there to say? 7/10 |
| 20 |  | Montana of 300
Fire in the Church
Montana of 300 has a great delivery and the production is just as firey and aggressive. But it all just drags on for too long. 6/10 |
| 19 |  | Sun Worship
Pale Dawn
Black Metal might be the only genre in which doing things by-the-numbers almost always result in something good. 7/10 |
| 18 |  | Fews
Means
Fews deliver a refreshing album of throwbacks to the good old days of Post-Punk prosperity, when your leather jackets were pure faux, your hair was dyed black and wearing ironic badges wasn't a hipster-punk trend (though I imagine that the typical Post-Punkers were regarded as angsty Hipsters back then). 7/10
Drinking Games, 100 Goosebumps, If Things Go On Like This |
| 17 |  | Dieterich & Barnes
The Coral Casino
It's definitely odd, but also charming in its own way. My only issue is that the songs sometimes can get slightly obnoxious, as it sometimes happens with albums as odd as this one. 6/10 |
| 16 |  | Sojourner
Empires of Ash
Goodgoddamn, Sojourner released a glorious striking banger of a Metal album. The problem is, as always, that there is not all that much distinct about this album that would make me instantly think that what I am listening to is indeed Sojourner. So far, they created a fantastic album, as such bands usually do, for the cost of their recognition. 8/10 |
| 15 |  | RY X
Dawn
I see the potential in this slow, moody and soulful music, but so far RY X doesn't really convince me that he can make it work. 6/10 |
| 14 |  | Haast's Eagled
II: For Mankind
You could just say that this album is a Stoner/Doom masterpiece and that's it, and you may very well be right. However, I simply can't take my mind off of those slower moments that are simply tedious, unfortunately. 7/10
White Dwarf |
| 13 |  | Spookyland
Beauty Already Beautiful
This sounds like really entertaining Indie Rock album, however the lackluster vocals really drown the record for me, unfortunately. 6/10 |
| 12 |  | Fyrnask
Fórn
Ruthless Black Metal with some deep sorrowful issues (or so it says on their Bandcamp page). I personally enjoyed it to a certain point. It is a standard, slightly underproduced and riveting Black Metal release. 7/10 |
| 11 |  | Flume
Skin
Flume created an atmospheric and accessible album, on which he shows off a lot of good producer work that is unfortunately quite forgettable. 6/10 |
| 10 |  | Highasakite
Camp Echo
A standard set of accessible to anyone Pop songs with a minimum substance. Kind of catchy choruses, good production and good vocals too (as far as they can get in this sort of music). It is just so perfectly average 5/10 |
| 9 |  | Braids
Companion EP
This EP can desplay both tenderness and a complete hysteria. And though the potential and even professionalism are both present, but the overall obscurity, though intriguing, is not particularily evoking interest in me. 6/10 |
| 8 |  | Fruit Bats
Absolute Loser
Scoping through the ancient tradition of releaseing mediocre Folk-Pop records with albsolutely no personality whatsoever. 5/10 |
| 7 |  | Zoax
Zoax
Zoax have a potential (as far as it goes in Post-Hardcore nowadays), but they mostly fail to fulfill it with underwhelming vocals and odd production. 6/10 |
| 6 |  | Aesop Rock & Blueprint
Vigilante Genesis
Really good colab EP. Let's hope that they will come together soon with something more finished and with a bigger punch. One, we know both of them have. 6/10 |
| 5 |  | Issues
Headspace
...Again, the same thing. Same dull Prog-Metal, but this one also has Nu-Metal influences (as if there wasn't enough crap already) and light, soft vocals on it, which are the cancer to Metal. Especially if that Metal is already watered down. 4/10 |
| 4 |  | Napoleon
Newborn Mind
A set of half-cooked, repetative, unoriginal and underwhelming Prog-Metal clichés. I am baffled at my own determination to find a record of this genre that is not just a repetition of all of those things that have been done to death; disordered instrumentation, vocals that jump from shrieks to cleans, washed out production that leaves the whoe thing feel simply gutless. I'm tired of all this. 5/10 |
| 3 |  | Against The Current
In Our Bones
I don't want to seem like a person, who hates on everything, but I am really struggling here. Obnoxious Pop album that sounds like a catalogue of songs all of those faceless Demi Lovatos of the world (or whoever like her, you name it) could all divide between each other for their bland, forgettable three days-long semi-hits. Against The Current is therefore absolutely and esencially compiled ONLY by what is current, and not necessarily good at that. Godawful in fact. 3/10 |
| 2 |  | The Posies
Solid States
When you have a lot of interesting production and instrumental ideas, but they all just sort of dissolve into nothing. 5/10 |
| 1 |  | Winterhorde
Maestro
This album contains some really beautiful melodies and symphonies, impressive musicianship, but beyond that, it was missing some sort of distinctivity or even pasting. Either the vocals couldn't carry the tone they were supposed to, or the production lest the music (especially the symphonic one) feel somewhat synthetic or completely off, soundwise. 6/10 |
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