March 2019 resumé
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 |  | D'un Autre Temps
Nos Mémoires
Fairly decent standard black metal with some rough vocals. 6/10 |
| 2 |  | Living Hour
Softer Faces
Where's budgie when you most expect him?
Even though shoegaze dream pop tends to be more miss than hit with me, Living Hour have pulled me into their gentle hugs a second time. The album does suffer from the disease of repetitve song-writing that tends to befall many of its contemporaries, but it is brief and you will find yourself enjoying it under any circumstance. Just a warm fuzzy album. 6/10
Bottom Step, Water, No Past |
| 3 |  | Weezer
The Black Album
I'm a whole other kind of idiot. Most people who still listen to this band do so, because they are naive enough to still expect them to release some quality. I, on the other hand, do so, because those dum-dums have convinced me that, even though I expect absolutely nothing of quality from Weezer, I might be surprised. A whole other kind of idiot. 3/10 |
| 4 |  | Snapped Ankles
Stunning Luxury
Kooky minimalistic song-writing, this is my jam. 7/10 |
| 5 |  | Helado Negro
This Is How You Smile
The guy who keeps on giving in his never-ending quest to be the new Richard Swift has released a new album and it is just as solid and air-tight on quality as his other stuff. But this time it is slower and more chill. Way. More. Chill. 7/10
Imagining What to Do, Fantasma Vaga, Seen My Aura, Sabana de luz |
| 6 |  | Pedigree
New Freak
reviewed it 8/10 would review again |
| 7 |  | Malakhim
II
Nothing more and nothing less than well played black metal goodness. For fans of noisy black metal. 7/10 |
| 8 |  | Stella Donnelly
Beware Of The Dogs
As charming as she is on a song-to-song basis, on a full album I was just bored senseless. 5/10 |
| 9 |  | Misery Index
Rituals of Power
Grindcore for normies... oh wait, that's me! Oh yes, I enjoyed this quite a lot. 7/10 |
| 10 |  | Sinmara
Hvísl Stjarnanna
Not a lot to say. It's just a fresh and freezing blast of pure energy. 8/10 |
| 11 |  | Black Therapy
Echoes of Dying Memories
Black Malachite EVOLVED! 4/10 |
| 12 |  | Aephanemer
Prokopton
Epic black metal played as an even more epic prog death metal. What a delight! 7/10 |
| 13 |  | Andrew Bird
My Finest Work Yet
So Andrew Bird has another one of them catchy-as-all-fuck simple wordy records out. What else is new? 7/10
Sisyphus, Bloodless, Fallorun, Proxy Run, Bellevue Bridge Club |
| 14 |  | Brutus (BE)
Nest
You know, sometimes you hear some album and you really enjoy it, but then you also realise that if the band comes back on another record with the exact same material, you will not enjoy it. But then there is Brutus who could, for all I care, release this same thing every year and it will take decades before I tire of it. 8/10
Fire, Django, Carry, War, Blind, Distance, Horde V |
| 15 |  | Vltimas
Something Wicked Marches In
This Cryptopsy-Morbid Angel-Mayhem members collaborative project is... pretty middle-of-the-road. 6/10 |
| 16 |  | Triumvir Foul
Urine of Abomination
The epitomy of 'punishing' records. Triumvir Foul have always been and will probably always remain 'that band that just makes relentless abominable music'. Also, fantastic riffs. 7/10 |
| 17 |  | Obscuring Veil
Fleshvoid To Naught
Certainly an album with its own unique style. But the question is, whether that style is something easily digestible to you. 6/10 |
| 18 |  | In Flames
I, the Mask
https://i.imgur.com/9Uqc2nh.jpg?fb
6/10
Call My Name, Follow Me, (This Is Our) House, All the Pain |
| 19 |  | Demon Hunter
War
Dec... |
| 20 |  | Demon Hunter
Peace
...ent.
both 6/10 |
| 21 |  | A Wake in Providence
The Blvck Sun || The Blood Moon
Utter insanity knows no bounds! Okay, it actually does and this album is far from being the greatest tech-deathcore record out there, as a matter of fact I found myself often forgetting some of the songs, but it is one of those mindbenders that you need to listen to in full and be in the mood. Only then can it really strike with all the effect it can possibly have on you. 6/10
Oblivion, a L'aube de L'enfer, The Blood Moon |
| 22 |  | These New Puritans
Inside the Rose
Quite certainly a ...different... musical experience, but much like many other listeners, it came off as something like "I can hear that it is great, but I really don't know why". 6/10
Beyond Black Suns, Into the Fire, A-R-P |
| 23 |  | La Dispute
Panorama
While the song-writing often leaves a lot to be desired, as an overall full-album experience, this is still a pretty damn enthralling listen. Even though I could pretty much divide the album into various sequences, where the album only truly holds up clinging to one highlight song at a time and then drips into more-or-less barely-decent-enough territory, those highlight tracks are still good enough to drag the entirety of the album out of the rut. 7/10
Fulton Street II, Anxiety Panorama, Footsteps at the Pond |
| 24 |  | Foals
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 1
Foals are back with an album that most certainly has a great deal of intriguing instrumentation, production and song-writing that sort of grips, but song after song they can't seem to be able to stick the landing and make all of those cool newnesses actually come off as particularly memorable or catchy. It's unfortunately a well-intentioned miss. 5/10
White Onions, On the Luna |
| 25 |  | Children of Bodom
Hexed
As someone who has never been a fan, nor has ever truly paid much attention to CoB, I left this album feeling somewhat indifferent (pretty much as I felt before listening). It has decent moments, barely any truly standout tracks, just a general mess of superficial okay-ness. It is mostly forgettable. 6/10 |
| 26 |  | Aoratos
Gods Without Name
Maybe just a little, teeny tiny, miniature bit too samey for my taste, but still solid and relentless. 6/10 |
| 27 |  | Ellende
LEBENSNEHMER
Ok look, Ellende at a bad day are still as strong and enticing as one could ever be. Not their best, but fucking lovely nevertheless. 6/10
Die Wege, Der Blick wird leer, Du wärst eine schöne Leiche |
| 28 |  | Akasha
Canticles of the Sepulchral Deity
I am fairly certain I am in love with the muddy production on this. I want to keep blasting it in headphones until my ears bleed. 8/10 |
| 29 |  | Hozier
Wasteland, Baby!
I wish Hozier could bring half the prowess onto his whole records, as he does on individual singles. 5/10
Nina Cried Power, Movement, As It Was |
| 30 |  | Thormesis
The Sixth
Nothing quite unusual about this, other than it slays hard and furiously. You know I'm a sucker for good black metal. No surprises here. 8/10 |
| 31 |  | Pond (AUS)
Tasmania
Not sure why does this album get all the slack, but then again, it does have more of a background aesthetic. 6/10
Sixteen Days, Hand Mouth Dancer, Selené, Doctor's In |
| 32 |  | Drastus
La Croix de Sang
The vocals can be a litle hard to swallow and the album doesn't really give anything more than its atmosphere and instrumental finesse or song-writing variety, but that relentless crushing instrumentation and the dense atmosphere are too good to ignore. 6/10
Nihil Sine Polum, Ashura, Occisor |
| 33 |  | Solange
When I Get Home
I never quite understood the idea behind albums like these, ones that have an excessive aount of tracks and nearly all of them are less than 3 minutes long. It's like I'm listening to a collection of skits and sketches that are about to become songs at some point. Unfortunately, the songs that are full on this album are nothing much to report, mostly bland bores that don't really go anywhere and can only truly shine in production. It's a shame. 5/10
Almeda, Sound of Rain |
| 34 |  | Idiot Pilot
Blue Blood
A little too silly and a little too simplistic at times, but I cannot sit here and pretend as though those nitpicks really spoil the music in general. Not at all. 7/10
Mammoth, Sideways, Murderous, Widespread Devastation, Silver Needle, Aerospace |
| 35 |  | Totaled
Lament
Maybe a little less samey next time, cause right now this is a little exhausting to listen to. 6/10
As Below, Desolate, Bereft |
| 36 |  | The Cinematic Orchestra
To Believe
There is a slight worry in me that I will get tired of this album sooner than would be expected, but as of right now I shall enjoy every bit of this indeed cinematic beauty. I suppose this is what them kids today call 'vibing'. 8/10 |
| 37 |  | An Isolated Mind
I'm Losing Myself
A Sputnik project and for once not a complete miss. However, it does feel as though the tag 'avant-garde' is misplaced. I don't think this is all that avant-garde, as much as it is just rather unusually written. I love the instrumentation and the irregularity, with which the drums clatter and the guitars progress, I love the additional background instruments, even if some of them could have been better produced. Album's only real flaw is that after a while, the songs, despite all musical fineness and instrumental finesse, sometimes have unnecessarily long ambient-ish or softer interludes that serve well as a break between the relentless metal, but are also rather unremarkable in and of themselves (like especially the first half of I'm Losing Myself, even if it is pleasant to listen to, and I've Lost Myself) or become something absolutely tiresome. |
| 38 | | An Isolated Mind
I'm Losing Myself
[CONTINUED]
I'd also suggest a mild change in song-writing techniques of the heavier parts for the future; maybe distinguish them melodically a little, that'd bring a whole new level of beautiful ingenuity to the already sonically dense cuts. So I guess, please keep on running this project, because the potential there is enormous, but I'd personally appreciate some more heaviness and melody and less ambient cuts. 7/10
Afraid of Dissonance, Eternity in a Minute, Pathologized Existence |
| 39 |  | Superlynx
New Moon
Unfortunately getting a little boring here, but it's not without its moments. 6/10
Becoming the Sea, Indian Summer, The Groove |
| 40 |  | Contrarian
Their Worm Never Dies
Contrarian here nicely bringing tech death back into the old-school. I suppose the vocals didn't do much for me, but it was a nice change of pace. 6/10 |
| 41 |  | Blaqk Audio
Only Things We Love
Not sure how to feel abou this marriage of new wave and dancepop... I am sure it has its audience... but who? 5/10 |
| 42 |  | Robots Of The Ancient World
Cosmic Riders
A classic, old-school space-stoner. 6/10 |
| 43 |  | Ibibio Sound Machine
Doko Mien
A lot of groove, a lot of swagger and a lot of truly unique musicianship, and again and again I cannot get into it just and just because I have a hard time generally getting into funk. But do not be discouraged from listening to this, because my missing the point is a singular error and you will most likely go away having enjoyed your time. 6/10 |
| 44 |  | Sleeper
The Modern Age
Could you imagine a band that is essentially a legend of britpop is suddenly back and is not at all mediocre? Sure, in terms of musicianship and in the grander scheme of indie rock it is nothing much to write home about, but I do believe that Sleeper might be on their way to churn up a record like Suede did recently. 6/10
Paradise Waiting, Dig, Blue Like You, More Than I Do |
| 45 |  | Ritual Howls
Rendered Armor
Ritual Howls ever so slightly cleaned up their production and released another mix of solid darkwave tunes. 6/10
Love Cuts, The Offering, Thought Talk |
| 46 |  | Billy Woods, Kenny Segal
Hiding Places
I've heard a lot about Billy Wood's music, but never actually listened to it. Well, I suppose as good a time as any. This is an incredibly self-conscious and sophisticated record. Reminds me of a more confrontational Ka. Kenny Segal's production is ridiculously soothing too. 8/10
Spongebob, Steak Knives, Checkpoints, Houthi, Crawlspace, Toothy, Bigfakelaugh, Red Dust |
| 47 |  | Arteries
Arteries
There is something creepy about this EP. It is probably due to mix of influences that reach a tiny bit into goth, a tiny bit into darkwave, a tiny bit into noise and even a tiny bit into no wave. It's tiny bits of everything weirdest and most commonly seen as disturbing in the world of post-punk, all wrapped in a blanket of goodness. 8/10
Numbered, Mirrorface, Archons in Akron, World in Flames |
| 48 |  | Glasbird
Grønland
shoutout to Sniff
What is a north pole version of dingeon synth? 7/10
Tundra, Hvitar Fjoll |
| 49 |  | Trixie Whitley
Lacuna
shoutout to Sniff
Taking that 90s pop and setting it to some production that doesn't make me want to vomit glitter is a great way to go. 6/10
Heartbeat, Dandy, Time, The Hotter I Burn |
| 50 |  | Elizabeth Colour Wheel
Nocebo
shoutout to Dewinged
There is a huge deal of greatness here. It sounds like a perfect marriage between Chelsea Wolfe and Anna von Hausswolff; the album jumps from genre to genre, from influence to influence and from atmosphere to atmosphere (although the mood generally stays rather dark and negative). Some cuts are rather unnecessarily slowing the flow and the vocals are sometimes poorley mixed in, but that is not necessarily an album ruiner. The songs that are lowpoints are only lowpoints by default and the ones that are highlights can strike like a lightning. 7/10
Life of a Flower, Hide Behind (Emmett's Song), 34th, Head Home |
| 51 |  | Devin Townsend
Empath
I don't actually know if I want to listen to this or anything this man ever releases. |
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