|
Staff
Reviews 413
Soundoffs 78
News Articles 104
Band Edits + Tags 1,439
Album Edits 762
Album Ratings 4995
Objectivity 75%
Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
Review Comments 63,978
| 5s reassessment list v.twentytwenty5
Time to reappraise, time to bump, time (maybe) to drop -- what does a 5 look like for me in 2025? I'm unsure, but about to get a good deal clearer. | | 1 |  | KILLING JOKE
KILLING JOKE
POTENTIAL DROPS
ngl the deal here is more that several albums are (probably) overdue a promotion than that I have doubts over the current roster. still, I'm definitely feeling less in-sync with the following; they all get reappraisals | | 2 |  | Anathema
Judgement | | 3 |  | Stereolab
Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements
Yeah I dunno, I love this album + the peak it forms for early Stereolab + the playful, droning, noisy, deconstructive approach it takes to rock music generally + the nuts n bolts appeal it has listening to it p=on phys (name another record this good that forces you to pay as much attention to the state of your stereo), but I'm not as sold as I was that every track holds up the q frankly electric levels of inspiration and sophistication I once associated it with? I'm Going Out Of My Way is a particular flashpoint that puts the underlying dreariness of those droning melodies into context, and while I still think the record broadly takes this in its stride, the honest verdict is:
DROPPED to 4.5 | | 4 |  | The Flaming Lips
Clouds Taste Metallic | | 5 |  | Yeule
Glitch Princess
Oof, yes this still has it -- the early tracks are less spotty than I remembered (Eyes always catches me off guard jfc), the run from Don't Be So Hard on Your Own Beauty to the end is still a creative masterclass in downbeat pop stylings, the production is still as good as it gets for this sound, and that emotional resonance is still peerless. In the same way that this record more less single-handedly wiped the vision Grimes and co were striving for off the table, I was worried that it might be topped at its own game sometime, but nope there ain't anyone out there self-fashioning this boldly, this self-consciously with as much depth or aesthetic flair.
5 HELD | | 6 | | KILLING JOKE
KILLING JOKE
POTENTIAL BUMPS | | 7 |  | Artemis (UK)
Silver Dawn
Think this gets the bump nudge over Elysian Fields/Desideradi (which are the two middle tracks on this), perfect EP
...yep, this is magical. Two of the best atmo dnb tracks ever, a closer that's almost on par, and a chill downtempo opener that doesn't quite hit the same highs individually but does a superb job of opening up the cleansing transportive s p a c e that this sound thrives on. Perfect no notes yes
BUMP | | 8 |  | Basic Channel
Phylyps Trak
One of those big bang moments
Ugh this is even better than I remembered it being. Has all the shimmer and delay-heavy wizardry that go as by-words for dub techno, but the raw intensity here is still unique from what I've heard in the genre. Nothing in the world goes as hard as this while still delivering that all-important out-of-body groove. If this isn't a personal GOAT idk what is
BUMP | | 9 |  | Brock Van Wey
White Clouds Drift On And On
Enormous album + a struggle to experience in one sitting without falling asleep (good thing). The highs and scope are certainly there, just need to be sure the lulls hold up
Hmmmm yep this is definitely a bit unwieldy, not to mention a little too contingent on a style of vocal sampling that I enjoy v much in small doses, but not as the focal component of as many tracks as this makes it. Opener is still an ambient GOAT and my abridged 45ish minute version will never fall out of rotation, but it feels wrong to 5 an album that, nine times out of ten, is just too much for me to know what to do with it.
NO BUMP | | 10 |  | Carissa's Wierd
Songs About Leaving
Stg every time I do this, this album ends up as a contender. Somehow never seems token
Uhhhhh this album is perfect for what it is, but I love what it is in small doses! And am never in the mood for this level of sustained terminal downer, like ever! Sorrynotsorry, my original love for this album was a product of my peak chaotic breakup Deathconsciousness/In Utero/Get Disowned year(?), and while that was an enduring phase, I don't ever want to go back there! Icebloom might have been right tbqh, I find myself returning to Ugly But Honest tracks far more often -- not sure if that one is 5 material, but I am ready for it to overtake this. No adjustment needed, this is still a formidable fucking album
NO BUMP | | 11 |  | Charles Mingus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Am long past pretending I enjoy any off this less than the ropey Latin guitar excursions on Black Saint, which would otherwise be up here. Immaculate post-bop genius from start to finish, perfect blend of cheeky weirdness and straight gratification. Endlessly replayable in a way that other Mingus misses for me
...and yes, I can feel it in my bones that this is my favourite jazz record and an easy pick for a 5. Has had enough home mileage at this point that it feels borderline wrong jamming it without wine/crisps/a handful of cards and laying down some bridge with the family. Love it. Bookends are untouchably good, Foggy Day is the perfect ratio of slick:good, Portrait of Jackie takes up too much of no one's time, yes. Love the pomp and excess of Black Saint to pieces, but that album spends all its time blowing my mind where this one has gotten way under my skin. Mmmmyes
BUMP | | 12 |  | Doss
Doss
Peak danceable androgynous comfort music
Uh yeah, this as a 5 was always a reach, and while I dug rejamming it (as always), there's something about its balance between aloof hushed Cool and pure candyfloss that keeps one foot out of the door. That's definitely part of what gives it such enduring appeal, but I'd be lying if I said I felt 100% within its crosshairs on the majority of my listens. I'll maintain that it's perfect for what it is and that Doss in general has dealt a poor hand by the boorish gang who go ride or die on straightforward gratification (see Bedex soundoff lol) -- there's an elusive voice at play here, and the blend of aesthetics is deceptively unique for how gloriously unchallenging this music is -- but that alone isn't enough for a bump
NO BUMP | | 13 |  | The Field
From Here We Go Sublime
Probably overdue
Yes sure lol there isn't a weak track here and the highs never stop. Love this aesthetic. Love how undersaturated the colour palette would be if this were [visual media reference]. Love how the sensory deprivation combo of The Deal/Sun & Ice has become something I actively look forward to, after it initially underwhelmed me (following the most sugar rush-heavy songs in the Field's discog is a tough call). Up we go.
BUMP | | 14 |  | The Jesus Lizard
Goat
Probably very overdue | | 15 |  | Massive Attack
Mezzanine
*not* overdue - the weight of nostalgia sits well with this one, but it holds up as well as ever and I've aged out of most of the snags I used to find here. Now is as good a time as ever | | 16 |  | maudlin of the Well
Part the Second
Every passing year convinces me further that this is easily motW's peak and probably a perfect record -- their other stuff is wonderful zany juvenilia and I'd never write it off, but this is the only one keeping step with topshelf Kayo for me. One of the most likely bumps, magical album
Lmao gwan then, love how this clears out the metal hodgepodge and dishes one round of oddball luminous new age goodness after another, feel this record has been in my life for ages (10+ years!) and that it gets better every time I hear it - up we go
BUMP | | 17 |  | OutKast
ATLiens
Not sure if this is ready for a bump -- tracklist is a *little* spotty, but the highs, vibes and concept are very much there | | 18 |  | Susumu Hirasawa
Kyuusai no Gihou
Well duh | | 19 |  | The National
Boxer
BONUS
Wasn't planning on re5'ing this (and *spoilers* will not), but it got a timely rejam because a) it's been a while, and b) I was doubtful that half these songs still have it. Uh. They do! Very much so! Lovely ultrarefined chord changes arrangement autumnal white collar gloom, morose as all fuck but you can feel the weight of sincerity under the whole thing, yep yep this is still the standard-setting 21st century indie album along with those other two thank you next | |
JohnnyoftheWell
03.02.25 | blurbs incoming incoming incoming jams incoming | ToSmokMuzyki
03.02.25 | didnt me n havey do this for u already | Demon of the Fall
03.02.25 | 13 is right up there for me too. 18 would be based also. Transient drop, booooo this man! (to be fair 4.5 feels right for it - coming from someone who has gotten stuck at 4, hmm).
Disagreed on Mingus even if I do v much enjoy that one. If anything Black Saint is just solidifying potential 5 status the more time that passes. | Demon of the Fall
03.02.25 | Part the Second is probably their best, so I like this one
Interested to see how it looks when all is said and done, especially as I’m doing likewise (just not in an attention-seeking list kind of way!) 😝 | efp123
03.02.25 | these are all 1s 😇 | AsleepInTheBack
03.02.25 | 13 and 8 for you for sure
And 11 and 14
Debumping always feels me with the sads but 2 is the one that feels most misaligned with what I had understood your taste to be
Gotta jam 18 | bludngorevidal
03.02.25 | When I bumped 13 to a 5 myself, a tension in my shoulders that I hadn’t consciously realized was bothering me eased. May you be blessed with a similar unexpected release | Demon of the Fall
03.02.25 | ^ sounds good 👌🏻… I’ll take this on-board too
yeah 2 is so un-Johnny like and I love that it exists for that reason
and yes, definitely jam 18 asleep! | Icebloom
03.02.25 | Ugly But Honest is the true CW 5
But I'll take Songs About Leaving | Butkuiss
03.03.25 | I liked the Yeule album but was always confused by the fact you had it 5’d tbh.
Anyway bump 10 and 14 they definitely deserve it. | JohnnyoftheWell
03.03.25 | some updates we are moving
2 started off at the heart of my teenage goth-mope phase, but has somehow kept its hold on me everytime i've questioned whether i've outgrown it. something special on that record for sure, excited to see if it still has it
the yeule album, among other things, is a necessary and perfect modernisation of a style of ambient/glitch pop i've been hot on for years, and bracing enough as an identity portrait to demand top honours on its own terms (+ the second half is the strongest run anyone's produced in the last 5+ yrs of pop). only reason it's up is that there are some earlier tracks i'm more sceptical about - the principle of 5ing it is home safe | Demon of the Fall
03.03.25 | I'm honestly hoping you DON'T 5 "Sublime" (at least not yet) because it'll steal my thunder. I might have to get in there first for those sweet optics. If you're second, you're last etc.
realistically I might have a couple ahead in the queue, for now
amusingly a user with Judgement as their av is (presumably) slating it on page 1 of the thread, lol (idk sleep is good, so perhaps this wasn't the intention) | JohnnyoftheWell
03.03.25 | too late
further update, we are closer | Demon of the Fall
03.03.25 | You sniping bastard! 😆 (if you snooze you lose and I snooze a lot. Seriously tho, based 5!)
Mingus is a very cute pick. Revisited it earlier in honour of this list and it does have distinctive characteristics / appeal, so it’s an interesting choice
(I’ll just be a boring basic b*tch and go with Black Saint instead).
Oh, and yeah not sure I even need to revisit Boxer for it to stand as the most obvious ‘definitely-not-bumping’ yet solid as a rock 4.5 there is | Icebloom
03.03.25 | Oooh tasty addition to the list! Kinda forgot you held Boxer in such high esteem. Got any thoughts on favourite/least favourite tunes? To me, Brainy has grown to be the ultimate National song | myri14
03.03.25 | Transient Random-Noise Bursts is a record where I see the rationale behind a 5 or a 4.5, it rawks but twists commonly understood conventions to its own ends in such a unique way that makes it hard to answer the question, how much of its greatness was truly intended? *vsauce music*
But also it just makes it so that if you're not a die-hard Stereolab fan 24/7 then 5'ing it feels like poseur activity, so that's why I have it at a 4.5 too. | Ocean of Noise
03.04.25 | Quadrant Dub is the Basic Channel 5 imo | Butkuiss
03.04.25 | Boxer is the perfect equilibrium point between the growing floridity of the Dessners’ writing and arrangements and the waning prominence of the Devendorfs’ driving rhythms. There’s an acceptable argument for the release either side of it but much further in either direction you lose the dialectical tension between these two antipodes that made The Natty so captivating. | JohnnyoftheWell
03.04.25 | would potentially counter that with TWFM's sheer *dear god what have i become* factor perfectly lending itself to dessner-induced stupor, but that's another revisit to be done soon and not one I expect will hold up as well hmm
Quadrant Dub is the opposite case to the Boxer_Butkuiss theorem where it sits perfectly between the two extremes of BC's trajectory, but doesn't pound as hard as one (Phylpys) or space as hard as the other (Radiance). Still love it a lot, but would take either side over it these days
and yes hard agree on Transient's haphazard charm, esp on the implication that it's just a little too cool for me to wear as a 5 lol
re. Boxer min/max, most rankings are acceptable so long as Brainy (truly peak Nat) is top and Ada is bottom. Closest thing I've got to a hot take is that Mistaken for Strangers is bottom half whereas Racing Like a Pro might just squeak it into the top, but all non-Ada tracks are fire | Demon of the Fall
03.04.25 | Dots is the Stereolab 5, no poseur party needed there
For a while I did consider HV to be peak Natty until Boxer landed a knockout blow and retook that title. Brainy yes. Slow Show also. Ada is fine yet has never seemed overly significant. Mistaken would sit better as as standalone single than an album essential perhaps, so I don't mind that hot-take | Ocean of Noise
03.04.25 | When I was younger, I was confused that so many people thought Boxer was a 5. Now, I understand. I wish I didn't. | StormChaser
03.04.25 | High Violet clears, but nice to see Boxer on here, even if it is only my 3rd fav national. And damn that's a deep cut Mingus, gotta get my jazz on soon so I'll def czech | tectactoe
03.04.25 | Did not expect the list to end with some non sequitur National glazing but I am HERE FOR IT!!! | DoofDoof
03.04.25 | 7 sounds my thing, will check - 1998 has been a goldmine for hidden gems for me recently. | Demon of the Fall
03.04.25 | will Vespertine ever attain the 0.1 needed? (4.9 is a cruelly unnecessary rating increment!)
I’m also interested in seeing Citrus potentially ascending and the internal debate for yes / no… hmm actually scrap that and bump 23 instead | DoofDoof
03.04.25 | 'most rankings are acceptable so long as Brainy (truly peak Nat) is top'
'Brainy' is a top five National tune yes, good to see I'm not alone in thinking it's one of their best. | JohnnyoftheWell
03.04.25 | Vespertine got debumped on the 2022 version of this list (here: https://www.sputnikmusic.com/list.php?memberid=538903&listid=201874) for being too frosty and singular for its approach to intimacy to work outside of voyeurism, of which I've seen plenty on sput. That's unfort not a take I've since reconsidered, and I haven't since found the kind of personal connection that would earn it the bump. Would probs rather drop to 4.7 if anything, but certainly no lower
Likewise considered Citrus last time around, but the level of chaotic final-third filler on that thing is just above what I could 5 in good faith. Still tempting though | SomeCallMeTim
03.04.25 | I love how Killing Joke's s/t is your immediate default place-holder for lists
Interested to see where Judgemenet ends up landing
Clouds Taste Metallic is probably my favorite Flaming Lips album too, good looks
def meant to check Basic Channel from a previous list/comment you made but never did, now definitely will (maybe)
why are we not re-evaluating Leaves Turn Inside You and what the true Unwound 5 is hmmm
okay back to work | Butkuiss
03.05.25 | Killing Joke placeholder is a time honoured Sputnik tradition second only to Silverchair and Joan Jett | SomeCallMeTim
03.05.25 | I definitely caught a frogstomp ban once | Havey
03.17.25 | what's the internal debate on Pet Sounds (1966)? | zakalwe
03.18.25 | What’s the Anathema reassessment I’m on tenterhooks here!!!! | JohnnyoftheWell
04.02.25 | couple of GOOD NEWS updates it is time to round this off | brickhed
04.02.25 | JESUS LIZARD MENTIONED RAAH
i haven't listened to them for a long time but i still appreciate the band a ton. David Yow is still among my favorite vocalists, the insanity he was on stage and in the studio was a force to be reckoned with | Gyromania
04.02.25 | Do it!
I’ve never heard Jesus 🦎, nor Susumu, doss, Erectus… actually, just gonna save myself some time and say I haven’t heard 70% of these | Demon of the Fall
04.03.25 | Susumu and Erectus are well worth your time
I am intrigued by this Doss thingy | JohnnyoftheWell
04.03.25 | doss is 100% intuitive, sensuous blissout and 0% self-serious art huffing, so not sure i'd rec for you or the online music Homework experience. gyro probs more likely to click with the aesthetic
fwiw Pith Erectus was a slow grower and took ages to work its way up to my fav Mingus (let alone my fav jazz), but it's essential within his discog and smooth as all fuck | AsleepInTheBack
04.04.25 | Oh dang doss !is! cosy
When it’s time to party we will party quietly |
|
