ZombieToyDuck
Josh F.
User

Reviews 10
Approval 98%

Soundoffs 20
News Articles 12
Band Edits + Tags 41
Album Edits 77

Album Ratings 1093
Objectivity 62%

Last Active 12-17-18 3:10 pm
Joined 08-25-16

Review Comments 7,203

 Lists
01.27.20 ZombieToyDuck's Belated 201901.07.19 24 Recs to Reach 1000 *FILLED*
12.26.18 Sleep Deprivation Saviors12.20.18 ZTD's 2018 Songs of the Year
12.18.18 ZombieToyDuck's 2018 AOTY list11.08.18 My Tentative AOTY List
10.23.18 2018 Bass Grooves10.08.18 Album Listening To Do List: Part 1
10.05.18 A Star is Born Analysis10.03.18 Just ZombieCasualConversations: October ♦
09.26.18 Convince Me to Cram 201808.06.18 A Guide to Junji Ito (Links Added) ♦
07.05.18 No Expletives! A Rec Competition...FINA06.20.18 Beers of the States
06.19.18 No Expletives! A Rec Competition Round 06.14.18 Future Classic Bands You Should Check
06.06.18 No Expletives! A Rec Competition Round 05.31.18 No Expletives! A Rec Competition Round
More »

POST PUNK OFF, A COMPETITION ROUND 6

RULES: A sister-competition to the "Con VS Unique Emo Crown". Three competitors rec 30 albums, 1 at a time, to 3 judges. A new round of recs will be presented once all three judges have finished rating/listening to both albums. This will continue until a total of 45 albums will be presented, 15 from each competitor. Winner will be determined by the highest AVG but tie breaker will be whoever had the best rec and each judge gets 1 vote for that.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEW RULE: Competitors who fail to submit their recs within 1 day after each list's creation will have .5 deducted from their score for EACH day late ____JUDGES: Conmaniac, DeadlyNightShade, neekafat_____ COMPETITORS: UniqueUniverse, Tyler.,teamster_____ EMO COMPETITION: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?mode=1&listid=176039#comments
1Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World

UniqueUniverse's rec
CURRENT COMPETITION SCORE: 64.8
Con: Music for the darkly troubled. This album is not as dense as Deathconsciousness but it’s arguably even bleaker and creepier. This doesn’t mean it still doesn’t have its moments of beauty, ‘Music Untune the Sky’ reaches for its subject matter with its haunting vocal melodies and harmonies. ‘Cropsey’ is the album’s darkest corner, a song with samples more messed up than this lead singer’s psyche. Closer is one of my favorites as well, a beautiful drone exploration that subtly caps off this ominous record. This album’s faults are quite subdued, some songs drone on a bit too long and it never really encapsulates into one defining climax, yet overall this was a great listen. I do like it more than DC. 4/5
2Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World

Neeka: At once dark and crushing, but also beautiful and soaring, The Unnatural World features a series of contradictions, all of which work incredibly well. Despite the songs’ massive lengths, none of them feel overblown or unnecessary, in fact the weakest song on the album, “Unholy Life”, is by far the shortest at not even three minutes in length. It’s hard to describe the music, it’s droning and discomforting, much like The Body, but isn’t afraid to craft gorgeous and thick soundscapes that are as appealing as they are frightening. Somehow it manages to be heartfelt through all the devastation, and I can truly say that this is easily my favorite album of all the recs so far. You done good, Unique, you done good. This may be a bit much, but here’s a 4.3/5.

Track Ratings: Guggenheim Wax Museum: 8.5 +, Defenestration Song: 8 +, Burial Society: 8.5 -, Music Untune the Sky: 9 -, Cropsey: 8.5 -, Unholy Life: 8 -, Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate: 8 +, Emptiness Will Eat the Witch: 8.5 +
3Have a Nice Life
The Unnatural World

Deadly: Unnerving, massive, and atmospheric The Unnatural World is quite successful in its ability to discomfort the listener while simultaneously gripping you without ever letting go. From the haunting choral-esque vocals, to the droning guitar riffs, to the pounding drum beats and the engulfing basslines you can’t help but feel overwhelmed yet entranced by this album’s power. Even when given a break from the overwhelming production and instrumentation on “Cropsey” you are chilled by a disturbing interview from a mental patient. The track then leads back to a buzzed atmospheric track that continues to make your blood run cold with the chilling sounds of what could be a child’s lullaby which sounds as if it could be used in a horror film. The album even leaves you feeling empty and distraught on closer “ Emptiness Will Eat the Witch” as it culminates the album’s overall atmosphere. 4.6/5
4Gang of Four
Entertainment!

Tyler.'s rec
CURRENT COMPETITION SCORE: 64.9
Con: On the surface, this album seems relatively simplistic and sparse. It’s really only three instruments and dual vocals, which as neeka mentioned are incredibly British, yet in order to make something great you don’t need to complicate things. It’s very apparent after the first song that this is going to be some nonchalant punk music, as seen with the vocals, but the abrasive and emotional guitar work contrasts nicely with the rest of the band. And holy shit those vocals are incredible, very catchy and the lyrics always prove to be memorable. Although the closer never truly exploded like I wanted it to, this was a fantastic listen that was incredibly evocative and fun. As opposed to the Talking Heads album, I DO want to jam it again. In fact, I’m doing that right now. 4.1/5
5Gang of Four
Entertainment!

Neeka: Gang of Four probably best represents my understanding of post-punk as a whole at the moment. It features a heavy punk influence, but it isn’t afraid to be downright catchy or occasionally poppy. There’s an insistence on atmosphere, though it might be downplayed compared to other post-punk bands like Joy Division, but it remains important and is maintained throughout. It’s an incredibly solid album, it crackles with energy and everyone sounds like they’re having a good time. If it seems like I’m grasping at straws a little bit here, well that brings us to our main problem. After all the post-punk I’ve digested, this one just doesn’t really stand out. From my track ratings I clearly enjoyed it, but other than what I’ve already said I just don’t really remember how it sounded. Ah, well, I guess it was good. 3.5/5
6Gang of Four
Entertainment!

CONTINUED

Track Ratings: Ether: 7 -, Natural’s Not in It: 8 +, Not Great Men: 7.5 +, Damaged Goods: 8 -, Return the Gift: 7.5 +, Guns Before Butter: 8.5 -, I Found that Essence Rare: 7.5 +, Glass: 7 +, Contract: 7 -, At Home He’s a Tourist: 7.5 -, 5.45: 7.5 -, Love Like Anthrax: 6.5 +
7Gang of Four
Entertainment!

Deadly: Entertainment! Is a an album whose title is a direct indicator of what to expect when you hear this record. Gang of Four features some of the most british vocals with loads of personality and two vocalist who work well together albeit they aren’t spectacular in terms of range they hold true to a punk sound. The bass tends to be the driving force on majority of songs, which as you could guess, is a huge plus to me. However, we are also given some talented guitar riffs and your typical fast paced repetitive drum beats. Production on this is also slick and punchy which helps to make the songs all the more enjoyable. The abrasive nature of the guitar riffs as con mentioned often contrast the smooth and buttery bass lines which makes for an interesting listen. I love the carefree attitude brought to the table on this album. However, it does have a bit of samey-ness. 4/5
8A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls

teamster's rec
CURRENT COMPETITION SCORE: 57.8
Con: This is so 80s it almost hurts. Actually, it does hurt as the vocals are some of the most robotic uninspired things in the genre. As someone who despises 80s pop, this album hit the sweet spot of terrible. I give credit where credit is due, however, as the guitar work was usually more than competent and the production was actually really nice, making this a somewhat pleasant listen. I don’t really see how this is post-punk though, seems more new wave pop. Almost like a Talking Heads that was stripped away of any eclectic personality. ‘Man Made’ was an alright change of pace, but sorry teamster, this is another flop for me. 2.7/5
9A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls

Neeka: A Flock of Seagulls is a great example of 80s pop done right, creatively combining its influences to fashion a uniquely electronic and punk-influenced pop sound. Even “I Ran So Far Away” sounds great here with the rest of the album, sounding ridiculously better than it does on classic rock radio. This isn’t to say that the album doesn’t fall prey to a number of flaws; the middle of the album sags with uninteresting song choices and generic ideas and potentially great songs like “You Can Run” are ruined with horrible choruses. But the beginning and end of the album create an incredible buffer around the weak parts, I can barely even remember my problems with the worst songs. “Man Made” is a crazy good closer that is both the best and most unexpected of all the songs here, effectively blocking all the bad taste you might have from early on. At the least, this was a very enjoyable listen, and something I look forward to coming back to. 3.6/5
10A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls

CONTINUED

Track Ratings: I Ran So Far Away: 8 -, Space Age Love Song: 7.5 +, You Can Run: 7 +, Don’t Ask Me: 6.5 +, Messages: 7 +, Telecommunication: 7 -, Modern Love is Automatic: 7.5 +, Standing in the Doorway: 8 -, D.N.A.: 7.5 -, Man Made: 8 -
11A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls

Deadly: Opening this album we are brought straight to the 80’s with radio hit “I Ran (So Far Away)” which I’m sure many would be hard-pressed not to remember. It’s clear that if you enter this album and don’t appreciate the 80’s sound you won’t be thoroughly impressed as I wasn’t too impressed myself. What truly takes away from this listen in my eyes was that vocally I felt no real personality in delivery and as Neeka mentioned some choruses are god awful. However, not spending too much time in knocking this album I did find a few moments that stood at such as the opening of “Standing In the Doorwaay” with its rather odd synth work that leads into a guitar riff which although is used in repetition, does well to keep this track enticing. Looking back a little further “You Can Run” features menacing instrumentation that keeps your foot tapping to the post punk drum beat paired with the quick and constant guitar riff.
12A Flock of Seagulls
A Flock of Seagulls

CONTINUED

The album ends on its best foot as well with closer “Man Made” which features twinkly sounds paired with a simple instrumentation that carries the track in a smooth and enjoyable way as it comes to its end. Overall, this is pretty standard 80’s album with a few moments of interest. 3.3/5
Show/Add Comments (60)

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS // CONTACT US

Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Site Copyright 2005-2023 Sputnikmusic.com
All Album Reviews Displayed With Permission of Authors | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy