February 2018 resumé
Gee, I'm really late on this. 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 |
| 1 |  | White Lies
Five
Miracles do happen. Most of the time, when a band goes full pop, I experience a gag reflex, but with White Lies it more or less makes sense. They were never reall not-pop to begin with and their command of melody is still top notch, so hearing them fully embrace the softer sound is nothing particularly unexpected. In fact, they managed to excel at it. 8/10
Time to Give, Never Alone, Finish Line, Jo?, Denial, Fire and Wings |
| 2 |  | Beirut
Gallipoli
It's a shame that so much intriguing instrumental and production oddity and peculiarity went on some more-or-less lackluster song-writing. There is great potential here, but it just fails to grab my interest time and time again. But I did enjoy the vintage summery atmosphere. 6/10
Gallipoli, On Mainau Island, Family Curse, Light in the Atoll, Fin |
| 3 |  | Michael Chapman
True North
I don't know, this is just not my kind of slower singer-songwriter music. 6/10 |
| 4 |  | Copeland
Blushing
Sowing 5 checklist: dreamy? check. pop-y? check. soft vocals? check. vapid song-writing? check. mostly forgettable? check. 5/10 |
| 5 |  | Bayonne
Drastic Measures
...Sowing should have probably been all over this. 6/10 |
| 6 |  | Spellling
Mazy Fly
A rather odd record that is pretty difficult to pin down. I certainly walked away from it feeling enchanted and charmed, but more so for its atmosphere than its song-writing often. That is not to say that it doesn't have outstanding tunes, but they are often just a little too peculiar and acquired taste. Also, it really picks up in the second half. 7/10
Golden Numbers, Real Fun, Afterlife, Dirty Desert Dreams, Secret Thread, Falling Asleep |
| 7 |  | Drenge
Strange Creatures
Drenge more or less find the balance between making generic rock songs and having some spice. Every cut here is just peculiar enough to pique my interest, but never enough for me to truly fully enjoy it. 6/10 |
| 8 |  | Saor
Forgotten Paths
Saor once again prove that they too can make music that is just, just great enough, but never reach any real height with it. It is absolutely epic, gargantuan and enthralling, but plays into all the same old familiar notes. 6/10 |
| 9 |  | Thronum Vrondor
Ichor (The Rebellion)
Incredibly crushing, but not overstaing its welcome. If you like shorter black metal, look no further. If you like your metal to be more gargantuan riffs that spread over the lenght of the whole song without really changing much in terms of chords or progression, look further. 8/10
A Symbol of Acrimony, Ceremony of Atonement, Ichor (The Rebellion), Deity, Doom Upon Doom |
| 10 |  | Autism
Have You Found Peace?
Maybe I am missing this modern post-metal thing, but this is an utterly uneventful album. 5/10 (but I did like the sax inclusion. always like it, when metal bands incorporate sax) |
| 11 |  | Emarosa
Peach Club
A band I never cared for makes a change I care for even less. 4/10 |
| 12 |  | Panda Bear
Buoys
While I do enjoy the oddball musicianship (as is common with Animal Collective projects), the song-writing was nothing short of drab and uninteresting. 5/10 |
| 13 |  | Xiu Xiu
Girl with Basket of Fruit
I... I don'T get it. 4/10 |
| 14 |  | LCD Soundsystem
Electric Lady Sessions
Just a nice, decent live album of already nice, decent songs. 6/10 |
| 15 |  | Yak
Pursuit of Momentary Happiness
Quite unexpectedly, Yak have released a solid-ass rock album. No punk in sight, but a lot of psychedelic rock'n'roll influences. A great deal of melodic gems that'd be a mistake to pass over. 7/10
Bellyache, Pursuit of Momentary Happiness, Words Fail Me (BEST SONG OF THE MONTH, EASILY), Interlude, White Male Carnivore, Pay Off vs. the Struggle, Layin' It On the Line |
| 16 |  | Yeruselem
The Sublime
An intriguing enough musical concept, but way too repetitive. Like, the songs at some point just start sounding absolutely the same. 5/10 |
| 17 |  | Downfall of Gaia
Ethic of Radical Finitude
A slightly more ethereal kind of black metal. Perhaps the post-metal influences helped with that. Anyway, this is actually something pleasant to tune out to. A seal of approval from an old man, here. 7/10
The Grotesque Illusion of Being, Guided Through a Starless Night, As Our Bones Break to the Dance |
| 18 |  | Hilltop Hoods
The Great Expanse
One of those bloated hip-hop acts (like Macklemore and the like) that make you doubt people's disdain for bloated hip-hop, because you somehow find yourself enjoying it. 6/10 |
| 19 |  | Kankyo Ongaku
Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient...
Absolute serenity. 7/10 |
| 20 |  | Motorpsycho
The Crucible
Okay, so to an unprepared ear, this will sound extremely bloated. Three songs that last 8, 11 and 21 minutes respectively. That is a lot. Thankfully, Motorpsycho are a capable bunch and this is not an endurance test. It is actually too much delicious cake. Way too much, way, way too much. 6/10 |
| 21 |  | Sleaford Mods
Eton Alive
May this be the only thing that is different between me and zakalwe: the appreciation of Sleaford Mods. I don't. 5/10 |
| 22 |  | Telekinesis (USA-WA, Indie Rock)
Effluxion
Pleasant enough, simple enough indie stuff. 6/10
Cut the Quick, How Do I Get Rid of Sunlight? |
| 23 |  | Dream Theater
Distance Over Time
Not as underwhelming as their material usually gets, but still with a solid sprinkle of boredom. 5/10 |
| 24 |  | Avantasia
Moonglow
And for good measure, right when Dream Theater release something more-or-less vapid, Avantasia is here to save the day and make symphonic dad metal great again. Yummy yay hooray! 7/10 |
| 25 |  | Feels
Post Earth
Okay, so the band knows how to bring it sometimes, but by god is it tiring and tedious by en large. 6/10
Deconstructed, Sour |
| 26 |  | King Apathy
Wounds
Thränenkind is still a better name, fellas. The music is still decent, though, even if samey. 6/10
The Scars of the Land, Cleansing, He Missed the Stars |
| 27 |  | The Moth Gatherer
Esoteric Oppression
Not at all as boring as many of their contemporaries, but no lasting impression either. 6/10 |
| 28 |  | Nasheim
Jord Och Aska
Similar problem as Motorpsycho, a lot of good stuff, but way too long. Even though I am more fond of black metal, hence why this is a more appealing over-indulgence to me. 7/10 |
| 29 |  | Golden Daze
Simpatico
Post-Bon Iver-ian folk-pop pop-folk. 6/10 |
| 30 |  | BUS
Never Decide
An alright stoner psych album. 6/10 |
| 31 |  | Weval
The Weight
Man, they really do sound like 12-year-old girls sometimes.
This project I've been on the lookout for ever since their debut full length that enthralled me with its utter serenity and perfectly calming nature at times. I am glad the band isn't giving up on that spa-salon kind of influence, because this sounds just as relaxing and caressing. 7/10
P.S.: "The Weight" has been lifted thanks to this record... I like puns.
Roll Together, Someday, Heaven Listen, Same Little Thing, Silence on the Wall, Heartbreak Television, |
| 32 |  | HEALTH
VOL. 4 :: SLAVES OF FEAR
Well, certainly not something you hear every day (every other day, maybe). But is it automatically good, just because its production is off-the-cuff, or because its musicianship is nothing short of frantic and its influences all-over-the-place? It certainly left an impression on me. Not necessarily a good one, but I did spend a long time thinking back about this record, so it does stick in your memory, even if you don't particularly enjoy it. 6/10
Black Static, Loss Deluxe, Slaves of Fear |
| 33 |  | HEALTH
GTA: Online Arena War
So since I listened to VOL.4, I figured why not listen to this as well... and well, it's a soundtrack music. 6/10 |
| 34 |  | Rotting Christ
The Heretics
shoutout to Dewinged
A great mix of black metal, paganism and maybe even some melodeath. Why such a low average, folks? 7/10 |
| 35 |  | Vanum
Ageless Fire
shoutout to Dewinged
A little samey (comes with the territory), but still solid-ass metal. It is very professionally made, but there is that special roughness to it that just, just keeps it from turning stale and computer-generated. 7/10 |
| 36 |  | Be Forest
Knocturne
shoutout to Dewinged
So, so spacey. Actually, spacey to a point of being virtually the same song after song. 5/10 |
| 37 |  | Ossuarium
Living Tomb
shoutout to Dewinged
Somehow pretty unremarkable. How is that even possible? I mean, you have the instrumental finesse, you have the crushing atmosphere and you have the heaviest production, but none of it comes together into any really cohesive, engaging listen. What a weird and boring trip. 5/10 |
| 38 |  | Cass McCombs
Tip of the Sphere
It's as if Ben Howard went even longer, but at the same time managed to learn the art of song-writing. 6/10 |
| 39 |  | Modeselektor
Who Else
An okay collection of 8 EDM tracks in various levels of musical curiosity. 6/10 |
| 40 |  | Kaleikr
Heart of Lead
Not necessarily the most original black metal album out there and definitely not one that'd grab you with any particular trait, but it is fun while playing. 6/10 |
| 41 |  | Seer
Vol. 6
An album that tries to be pretty much every metal genre ther is. It goes black, it does death, it goes thrash and heavy, sludge and doom. If you want to hear a melting pot of metal genres, look no further. 6/10 |
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