January 2019 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 |  | Mark Deutrom
The Blue Bird
shoutout to tyman128
Very bass-y, very technical, but unfortunately not necessarily all that memorable. These prog-esque albums always suffer in their song-writing, because they're trying to be as instrumentally rich as possible. This is no exception. Cool that you can play all those instruments so well, but this is really drab. 5/10 |
| 2 |  | Red Vox
Kerosene
What an actual surprise, a Youtuber's musical project manages to experiment with sounds and directions and still stay consistently solid more than many professional bands do. This acoustic-centric indie rock isn't necessarily my kind of thing, but I cannot deny its quality. Well done, fellas. 6/10 |
| 3 |  | Toro Y Moi
Outer Peace
For me, Toro y Moi has always been an artist that is so clearly capable to do a lot of great things, but has never quite achieved that. I am always just ever so slightly underwhelmed with his music. I mostly enjoy it, but it is still just ever so slightly forgettable, ever so slightly uninnovative, ever so slightly samey. 6/10
Fading, Laws of the Universe, Freelance |
| 4 |  | The Twilight Sad
It Won/t Be Like This All the Time
At long last they are back and as energetic as ever. But I do think the production could use a littl emore polishing. The grainy noisiness did annoy me a slight bit after a while. Thankfully, the song-writing and the emotional side of the album won me over by a big margin. 7/10
Shooting Dennis Hopper Shooting, VTr, I/m Not Here (Missing Face), Girl Chewing Gum, Videograms |
| 5 |  | Better Oblivion Community Center
Better Oblivion Community Center
Phoebe Bridgers, who has disappointed me in the past, and Conor Oberst, who inspired all the Phoebe Bridgers-like disappointments, come together into a soft and poignant project. It does feel a little underwhelming at times, as if their vocal performances just weren't strong enough for the kind of music they were trying to produce here, but in the end they came through and delivered a sweet and straightforward album. That's probably the best way to describe this: sweet and straightforward. 7/10
Sleepwalkin', Dylan Thomas, Chesapeake, Dominos |
| 6 |  | Fidlar
Almost Free
This album is just one more shout and cringy lyric away from turning this band into Jet. 5/10
P.S.: You do remember Jet, do you? |
| 7 |  | The Dandy Warhols
Why You So Crazy
Come on, guys. You can do good music, we all know it. You are one of those bands that sort of fell from grace, but people are still hopeful about. We know you can do it and some of 'it' is apparent on this record, but overall it is just so middle-of-the-road and boring. But the saddest thing really is that I am not even that disappointed, because it is just inches better than your previous album. Get your shit togethers. 5/10 |
| 8 |  | Altarage
The Approaching Roar
A slight improvement upon their previous album, but unfortunately just as forgettable. I know a couple of people who would be thrilled to listen to this kind of slap of pure harshness, but I need a little more variety in my music. 6/10 |
| 9 |  | Bring Me The Horizon
Amo
Morbid curiosity. 3/10 |
| 10 |  | Valerian Swing
10th Anniersary Collection
A big chunk of really cool instrumentation, but unfortunately not that much quality in terms of song-writing. It's a realy shame, had these guys had some decent tunes up their sleeves, their instrumental finesse would have brough them up into maybe my most looked out for bands of the year (because when the song-writing here is good, it fucking rocks like all hell; see the highlight cuts below). 6/10
Pleng, Parsec, Five Walls |
| 11 |  | Bleach Birth
Caesarean Tapestries
You might get tired of this by the end, but by god is it something to slap the hell out of you. Pretty much the dream album if you ever wanted to hear a mixture of hardcore, almost noise metal and crust production with juicy riffs. Too many songs, but then again, you can never ask for too much good stuff. 7/10 |
| 12 |  | Seagulls
Thrown Voice
This is pretty much the musical equivalent of that extremely feminine guy who always looks high, but never actually is. 5/10 |
| 13 |  | Deep Mountains
Perforate The Horizon
Nothing much for me, but the fans of tangling softer kind of post-rock might find this more interesting. 6/10 |
| 14 |  | The Ire
Demo
There is something to the melodies and the vocals here that is a little off-kilter, but just ridiculously charming. Can't quite pinpoint just what that is, but man is it a delight to listen to. 7/10
Derelict, The Sleep, Katabasis |
| 15 |  | James Blake
Assume Form
Continuing my streak of missing the point in Blake's music... 5/10 |
| 16 |  | De Staat
Bubble Gum
reviewed it
BNM |
| 17 |  | Twin Schism
Twin Schism
This could have come out in early 80s and I wouldn't have known. 7/10
Fatwa, Antibody |
| 18 |  | Two People
First Body
shoutout to Dewinged
What a pleasant surprise (even more pleasant, when you find out the curiosities of how some of the tracks were made). Out of nowhere, one of the very first new 2019 releases I've heard and it has already been a huge hit. Absolutely beautiful, quiet and patient record of both hopefulness and melancholy. I highly recommend listening, if you need to fill your life with oodles of delightful and calming musical virtuosity. 8/10
I'm Tied to You, In the Garden, Look at Each Other, Phone Call, Give Me Order, It's Late |
| 19 |  | Woorms
Slake
Dark and brooding sludgy post-metal. That's about it, really. 6/10 |
| 20 |  | Sharon Van Etten
Remind Me Tomorrow
On this album, Sharon is playing it safe, which often results in rather tapid tunes and disappointing cuts. But when it strikes home, it strikes with all the Van Etten force one could wish for. 6/10
No One's Easy to Love, Comeback Kid, Seventeen |
| 21 |  | Soilwork
Verkligheten
Not reinventing the wheel, but walking strongly and confidently. It's a heavy and cheesy silliness, but a likeable one. 7/10
Bleeder Despoiler, When the Universe Spoke, Witan, You Aquiver |
| 22 |  | Born of Osiris
The Simulation
samey 6/10 |
| 23 |  | Deerhunter
Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?
boring 5/10 |
| 24 |  | Switchfoot
Native Tongue
forgettable 5/10 |
| 25 |  | Pedro the Lion
Phoenix
The grandfathers of mildly-emo-like tedium are at their strongest ever. 6/10 |
| 26 |  | Hama
Houmeissa
West African synthwave. Yeah, this is intriguing. 6/10 |
| 27 |  | Puppy
The Goat
A little stoner, a little doom, a little alt rock and a little punk every now and then. It's a neat little album and that's about it. 6/10 |
| 28 |  | Pavo Pavo
Mystery Hour
A lot of sugar and that's about it. It's a really sweet record to relax to, but don't expect anything particularly grandiose. 6/10
Mystery Hour, 100 Years, Around Pt. 1, Statue Is a Man Inside |
| 29 |  | Balthazar
Fever
Just copy and paste what I said about Pavo Pavo, except this is a little less sugary and more atmospheric. Also a lot of intriguing instrumental decisions. Can see this growing on me in the future. 6/10
Wrong Faces, Whatchu Doin', Entertainment, Roller Coaster |
| 30 |  | Church Girls
Cycles
It's fine, but just somewhat forgettable. 6/10 |
| 31 |  | King 810
Suicide King
So the reason behind people's hatred of this band has always been quite a mystery to me, but never one big enough to actually listen to the music and find out for myself. Well, I have now and it is not necessarily the worst thing in the world. Sounds like a better Korn album, which really isn't saying a lot, but it is poor at best. 4/10 |
| 32 |  | Malibu Ken
Malibu Ken
Your usual quality Aesop Rock gets oddball production. That's about it. 7/10 |
| 33 |  | Mike Krol
Power Chords
6/10 |
| 34 |  | Mono
Nowhere Now Here
5/10 |
| 35 |  | Rival Sons
Feral Roots
6/10 |
| 36 |  | Swervedriver
Future Ruins
5/10 |
| 37 |  | Swallow the Sun
When A Shadow Is Forced Into The Light
6/10 |
| 38 |  | The New Enemy
Illusion of Choice
6/10 |
| 39 |  | Defect Play
Tape 1
7/10 |
| 40 |  | DAWN (US)
new breed
7/10 |
| 41 |  | toy
Happy in the Hollow
6/10 |
| 42 |  | Spangle call Lilli line
Dreams Never End
shoutout to Relinquished
6/10 |
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