Rigma
slut for crescendos
User

Reviews 2
Approval 100%

Soundoffs 54
News Articles 4
Band Edits + Tags 301
Album Edits 810

Album Ratings 2000
Objectivity 95%

Last Active 08-29-19 4:41 am
Joined 10-06-16

Review Comments 864

 Lists
09.08.19 my debut ep! ♦10.17.18 belated 2 year sputversary
08.29.18 ｍｏｒｅ　ｃｏｏｌ　ｃｏｖ08.02.18 ｃｏｏｌ　ｃｏｖｅｒｓ　ｂ ♦
06.25.18 albums that ought to have reviews ♦05.28.18 neat stuff i added to the db ♦
01.03.18 rigma's rec list™©®Σ12.31.17 not another 2017 list
10.10.17 in rainbows turns 10!10.06.17 year of the rigma
06.15.17 albums i discovered through rock band06.08.17 top 101 as of today
04.25.17 USERS RANKED04.22.17 rigma's big 500 rating bonanza
03.31.17 death grips ranked03.29.17 sputnik's favourite songs ♦
03.24.17 albums i like less than sputnik03.22.17 favourite mewithoutYou lyrics
More »

rigma's rec list™©®Σ

frens i need jams and by jove you're the frens to give em. help a fella out
1The Microphones
The Glow Pt. 2

max 2 per person i guess
2The Bicycle Thief
You Come and Go Like a Pop Song

rower
4.0/5
Brilliant alt rock. Lyrically somber and introspective while instrumentally dynamic and punchy is a funny combination. Bob shouting the layman's mantra of "let's just get stoned and watch TV" over a lively chorus is exactly what makes this album as interesting as it is. Despite those few moments, the band tends to maintain a subtle and reserved stature while still sprinkling in frisky synths and percussion here and there, similarly to bands like Wilco. I'll be coming back to this one.
3Hopsin
No Shame

six yes i'm doing it fuck u
1.5/5
motha love me long time long tiiiime
4Coaltar of the Deepers
Submerge

frippy
3.5/5
It's impressive how many genres Coaltar manage to juggle, but even then a jack of all trades is a master of none. There are some very cool elements here and there and some nice instrumentation, unfortunately it all gets to be somewhat repetitive and indistinguishable as it progresses. Also personally, I'm not a fan of this specific whiny Japanese vocal inflection, but maybe I'll get over it someday.
5Broadcast
Tender Buttons

frippy
3.1/5
Trish's vocals are nice and gentle, there's some nice atmosphere here and there, and some fluttering melodies. Other than that though this didn't grab me like I'd hoped and it feels a bit drab and apathetic for the most part. At points the little syncopated synths are nice, but at others they border on obnoxious. Not quite my bag.
6Bloodbath
Nightmares Made Flesh

dudes
3.0/5
Hard-hitting riffs and blazing blasts, and yet I find myself bored about four tracks in. Why? Well, when I'm listening to something and can't tell when one song ends and the other begins, it's usually a sign that the repetition is getting a bit too much for me. Like most of my 3's, there's nothing wrong with this on a technical level, I just don't find myself invested at any point. Either that's my inexperience with the genre itself or an innate desire for more complex and varied songwriting. Anyway, it's okay.
7Warning
Watching from a Distance

dedes
2.8/5
For as sssllloooooooowwwlllyyyy as it trudges along, the atmospheric production on this is decent. Other than that I really don't feel attached to this at all, the vocalist seems like an utter mismatch and the 50 minutes don't feel warranted for what sounds like the same plodding force throughout. I get why people are into it, but, meh.
8Colour Revolt
Colour Revolt

dbizzo
4.4/5
Brilliant. Jesse's vocals won't be for everyone but they sure pull me in. At his shoutiest, he brings to mind Aaron Weiss's frantic delivery in a way. Energetic instrumentation pushes its way through so well, especially in Circus' climax and the glorious outro of Mattresses Underwater. Tracks like A New Family and Change Your Face show the band's seamless ability to build up from subdued simplicity to organized chaos. That harmonica!
9Edison Glass
Time Is Fiction

dbizzo
3.8/5
Hooks are real catchy and at times triumphant, Silverberg has great vocal range, and the instrumentation is very clean and well executed. Great stuff! I don't LOVE it, but it's a solid release nonetheless.
10Summoning
Nightshade Forests

ovrocks
2.5/5
This one is hard to pin down; it has its sweeping ambient moments but most of the time the production makes it sound canned and one-dimensional. The grumbled vocals really don't sit well over the instrumentation and end up sounding corny. Even with all the nostalgic RPG-style midis thrown into the mix, nothing really stuck out to me. The fighting sound effects at the end of Flesh and Blood had me cracking up though, so there's that.
11Lamentation
Fullmoon Over Faerhaaven

ovrocks
2.7/5
The liner notes call for "ONLY True Dark individuals," and I'm ashamed to say I don't fit that bill yet. This sounds vaguely like a flash game I used to play years ago called Ice Breaker, but decidedly more barebones, sinister and foreboding. Come to think of it Ice Breaker is probably the quintessential dungeon dweller's game, along with MS-DOS games about skeletons and MediEvil.
12Lotte Kestner
China Mountain

tacos
3.0/5
Kinda nice, there's a lot to be desired though. It always feels like it's missing some extra layer to give it more charm, maybe some ambient background of synths or a little bit of percussion (chimes, triangle, hell even maracas) to give it some oomph.
13Epic45
May Your Heart Be The Map

tacos
4.3/5
"it's autumn, and the leaves are changing colours and falling."
Absolutely gorgeous album, gentle euphoric soundscapes on every track with lush guitar work and soft vocals. Another one of those bands I need to check more of from a genre I can't get enough of.
14Der Sturmer
A Banner Greater than Death

nazz wew
1.5/5
"Splendorous Dawn of the Awakened Fyrfos
Swirling might demands the blood of the semite
Rabbi corpses feed the Holocaust of Triumph
Blood of swine adorns the synagogue walls."
well thats not very nice. dont think this rating is just for the lyrics though, i really dont care for the instrumentation either, and the vocals are grating
15Fanisk
Noontide

nazz
3.6/5
Liked this more than I expected to honestly, there's some very nice melodies throughout this and great progression. The vocals only pop up from time to time and never overstay their welcome. Maybe we ought to give the krauts another chanc- okay maybe not
16Tomb Mold
Primordial Malignity

pone
3.2/5
I'm not even going to pretend I know what I'm talking about when it comes to dm, but this is decent. Some CHUNKY riffs that don't hold back accompanied by the screamy shouty guy who doesn't hold back either. They're also not afraid of using their precious crash, as it tends to make a cameo every other second. big ups toronto
17Funeral Chant
Funeral Chant

pone
3.2/5
is it bad if my blurb for this one is almost exactly the same as the one above? big ups oakland
18Pharoah Sanders
Karma

blun
4.2/5
I love when artists like Pharoah aren't afraid to take a hammer to their respective genre and shatter it into thousands of tiny pieces just to see what happens. The instrumentation on this album manages to be both incredibly scattered and gloriously intertwined at once, while Sanders moans hypnotically over it all. Wailing saxes and fluid percussion meander around for minutes on end without managing to lose your attention, and only fall back to earth when they feel like it. The only reason this rating isn't higher is because the organized chaos does get a bit taxing at points, especially when the woodwinds are practically shouting at you to try and stand out. I still really enjoyed this.
19Skepticism
Stormcrowfleet

blun
3.3/5
Slow and uneasy with some solid production and heavy atmosphere, unfortunately nothing about it really stands out. It's hard to differentiate between the tracks since they all muddle together in their structure, but I guess that's just the limitations of the specific subgenre at play. A few nice hidden organ elements from time to time, though. Well put together, but not something I see myself coming back to.
20glaswegians
severance

frivy
4.3/5
Large scale post rock that knows how to use dynamics, what more could a fella ask for? The climaxes on Orwellian and Petrichor are both ace, and the happy-go-lucky instrumentation is a much needed spice that adds a joyous feeling to every track. RIP the wasp though
21Amenra
Mass III

frivy
3.7/5
Repetitive to the brink of hypnotizing but still retaining a wonderful use of dynamics, especially in its later half. Dirges with great atmosphere. It borders on post rock at times, most notably with the well-paced crescendo of the closer. Pretty good!
22Jimmy Eat World
Clarity

joe
3.8/5
Simple but great. Classic hooks like Lucky Denver Mint and Your New Aesthetic gave me little pecks of nostalgia, and tracks like Just Watch the Fireworks do a splendid job of pacing. And for as long as Sky Harbor is, it somehow doesn't feel like it overstays its welcome. Solid!
23Icarus the Owl
Love Always, Leviathan

joe
3.2/5
Solid and well produced, the mathy structure tends to feel a bit cramped if that makes sense (feels more rushed between verses, I know that's a byproduct of most math/prog but whatev). Hooks are great melody-wise but the whiny vocals bring them down at times. It's uhh, decent.
24The Wrens
The Meadowlands

kiss
4.0/5
Great album. Great production, great mood, great emotional vocals from Charles, and great songwriting. It's just really solid overall, my only quibbles with it would be that at points the cheesy pop punk harmonies put me off slightly, and there are a couple tracks here and there that I felt had the potential to be something more. Reminds me of a mellowed out Built to Spill and I like it, ought to check Secaucus.
25Kevin Devine
Bubblegum

clovy
3.7/5
Catchy indie rock that had me hooked in the first half, but lost my interest a bit by the second. Tracks like Nobel Prize and Redbird are superbly well written and structured, but on the other side of the coin is I Don't Care About Your Band, which is corny and overly tame. It's good stuff as a whole, though. For some reason I expected hip hop from the cover, dunno why.
26Standing On The Corner
Standing On The Corner

clovy
3.5/5
Sounds like thunder? Nah, it sounds more like I'm floating off to Mars on a boat full of blankets and acid. Some very laid back vibes on this, to the point where the vocals barely feel like vocals anymore and just sink back into the lushness of it all. I do have some nitpicks; there are a few obnoxious moments here and there that come as byproducts of an attempt to wake me up (like Santa Maria), and the repetitive nature that's bound to come with a mostly beat-based album. As a whole though it's sweet.
27The Incredible String Band
Changing Horses

jacky
3.6/5
Some rather pleasant old school sounds on this one. Though as charming as both the smiling folks on the cover and the twinkling melodies are, some of the tracks in the first half tend to come across as tacky and shallow as a result of lackluster songwriting, namely Big Ted and Dust Be Diamonds. I can't say the same for the shining track Creation, which is so well structured and executed with its eerie harmonies and cheeky instrumentation that it feels like an adventure all on its own. Overall the album is very cute at moments with a strong finish. Will probably check their other stuff.
28Small Leaks Sink Ships
Golden Calf

jacky
4.7/5
trying to explain why i love this as much as i do is hard. It hits me in that special spot. No, not that one, the other one.
29Akercocke
Words That Go Unspoken...

h*ll
3.4/5
Decent stuff, the vocals are a bit all over the place and at times obnoxious, but they don't ruin everything entirely. Chunky riffs and nice heavy sections, but nothing that really stands out. Got better in the second half, albeit doesn't lose its slight corniness. It's aight.
30Shining (SWE)
V - Halmstad

h*ll
3.2/5
Good riffz, good interludes, good production, laughably bad vocals. Some tracks do feel like they drag for too long as well, most notably the opener and closer. And if Ttioxlnagkeamgnekh isn't just Swedish for "Moonlight Sonata," then I'm lost.
31Lanu
Her 12 Faces

dino
3.9/5
The kind of stuff that makes you breathe a hefty "yeahhhhh" into the brisk, salty air on a day at the beach. Megan's vocals compliment Lanu's grooves very nicely, and the album would likely feel more barren without them. Playful acoustics and upbeat percussion keep this happy little boat afloat, to the point where you can't help but joyously bob your head in unison. It does kind of feel subdued by a lack of progression though, which is one of my only issues with it. Still great. Some unexpected français towards the end, too.
32I the Mighty
Connector

dino
4.1/5
Very well produced, rhythmically infectious, and greatly varied. Has a tinge of cheese in its vocals, but not enough to throw me off. It was pretty hard for me to not like this. Lovely jubbly.
33The The
Soul Mining

papa uni
3.9/5
The the album itself is very decent, with some quite clever percussion and hints of synths, as well as charming production. I do think it suffers somewhat from the the tight and flat songwriting, and that ripe 80s cheese that I haven't quite gotten over yet. This feels like a grower though, so maybe someday. Swanky solo on Uncertain Smile!
34The Astronauts
Peter Pan Hits The Suburbs

papa uni
4.4/5
"Mais je suis fatigué, c'est auvoir baby."
Absolutely genius p- whatever it is you call this genre. Somber commentary on the life and times of the average UK citizen, lead by varied instrumentation that dances between dinky synths and dingy acoustics. Baby Sings Folk Songs is the pinnacle of this, with glorious pacing and wildly energetic choruses. This thing needs more attention!
35MIMEO
Lifting Concrete Lightly

dusty
1.8/5
In my consequent list of things that are "not my bag," noise is up there. That's why I was hesitant coming into this, and my fears were realized when I decided to take the three hour plunge into this rabbit hole. When I came out I was dazed, confused, and still puzzled at what the main draw of an album like this is. While it does maintain some scattered semblance of structure, as well as a few genuinely quaint moments, it's plagued with these blaring attacks of fuzz and high-pitched synths that make me question my sanity. I never find myself comfortably leaning back in my chair with a comfy sigh and muttering "yeah, this is nice" under my breath at any point. Oh well, I tried.
36Harry Partch
Delusion of the Fury

dusty
3.3/5
A spastic exploration into sound that is fascinating at times and droning at others. Toying with xylos and jaw harps, Partch and his ensemble do a great job of alienating the listener with scattered melodies and oblique vocals. It's definitely an interesting listen but I can't say I loved it.
37Refused
The Shape of Punk to Come

zombi
4.8/5
uhhhhhhhhhh this kinda slaps hard??? If this really is the shape of punk now then I don't want to go back, because every track is done so brilliantly and progressed so well. Everything Refused tries on this album works, and it becomes apparent quickly why it's considered such a classic. Those driving riffs interlaced with some non-sequitur quieter electronic sections are superb in every way and make for something truly unique. Easily the best punk album I've ever heard and I'm ashamed for not getting to it sooner.
38Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind

zombi
3.9/5
TEB's impact on late 90s to early 00s pop rock is undeniable, and it's hard to go into this album "blind" without having heard at least one of its smash hits before. It's easy to see why, with how cohesive and catchy the songwriting on here is, along with the flangy guitars and heartfelt harmonizing. Very very solid stuff.
39Kolya
Kolya

driff
3.3/5
Decent emo, no real standout tracks but there's nothing I really disliked either. I don't mind the vocals too much and the instrumentation is nice in spots while a tad sloppy in others. It's a hit and miss genre for me, but the misses end up being nothing more than passive "mehs." I'm sure more hits are out there somewhere (case and point: Brave Little Abacus).
40Sinistro
Sangue Cassia

da wingman
4.5/5
This is sheer brilliance, the production is so well layered and the instrumentation soars throughout. Gorgeous vocals, gorgeous dynamics, and vivid percussion. I barely know anything about this genre but boy do I want more now.
41Mary Beats Jane
Locust

da wingman
3.6/5
As far as alternative metal goes, it's pretty good. It's hard not to draw comparisons to Tool, with the signature tom fills and song structures at play here. Dolving's passionate delivery in choruses like Flowered is very nice, and there are some standout riffs. It still feels as though it's missing... something though.
42Richard Hell and The Voidoids
Blank Generation

butcho
3.7/5
Good goofs and gaffs. Richard's skippity vocals ("OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH OH!") keep it all so upbeat and loose, while the slack guitar work gives it those cool vibes. I have the strange urge to pick up a skateboard and some rugged cleats at the thrift store right now...
43Pavement
Brighten the Corners

butcho
4.3/5
"What about the voice of Geddy Lee? How did it get so high? I wonder if he speaks like an ordinary guy..."
Pavement with all the charm of Pavement and the witty lyricism. Hooks you can shout out loud and instrumentation you can jam out to, with a playful yet summertimey tone that rings most true on tracks like Type Slowly. I've said brilliant about a dozen times on this list alone, but this time it's for REAL, I swear!
44Little Dragon
Little Dragon

sock
4.2/5
Little Dragon, a name I've known since I spun Plastic Beach for the first time earlier this decade. I didn't know much about Yukimi at the time, except for how well her gentle, playful little voice played into the second half of Empire Ants. For some reason I hadn't checked any of LD's stuff until now, but I was happy to hear that familiar voice again when starting this up. You can tell the band is trying genres of all sorts here, hopping from grandiose orchestra on the beautiful Twice to laid back funky R&B on tracks like No Love. After the Rain's bridge is brilliant, with those dancing toms. It's great! I was grooving through the whole thing, and honestly I'm getting too lazy writing these blurbs now so I'll leave it at that. goodgoodgoodstuffe
45Candiria
300 Percent Density

sock
3.5/5
Suffice to say the most interesting album on this list. Rap Metalcore Jazz Fusion? That's something only a Thrasher acid junkie could dream up after waking up on the concrete. It somehow works for the most part, but sometimes it feels so blatant which tracks are which that it feels like you're just shuffling your iPod from 2004 (especially from the strictly hip hop Words From the Lexicon to the mathy nu-metal Channeling Elements). It's charming, really. It could be more cohesive but it chooses not to be. And for what it is, I'm okay with that. I mean, the god damn xylophone solo!
46Fanfarlo
Reservoir

sammich
4.5/5
Sando you knocked it out of the park again, everything about this is rigmacore. Gloriously overblown dynamics, introspective lyrics, clean ass production, and cutesy folk guitars for good measure. The one thing I would have preferred is some more varied songwriting, since a few of the tracks on here are hard to tell apart. I'll definitely be coming back to this, please never stop reccing me this stuff you beautiful man.
47Erra
Augment

schteak
3.3/5
Very cleeeean production and vocal mixing, but to me the album suffers from a lack of variety. Maybe it's just my unfamiliarity with metalcore in general, but if you played me any single track from this album I doubt I could tell you its name. I have nothing against it, and for what it's worth the instrumentation is quite decent, but it doesn't do much for me in terms of memorability. Sorry steako~!
48The Dream the Chase
Found Again

schteak
3.2/5
Good instrumentation and all that, just feels samey and detached throughout. Ehh.
49The Goslings
Grandeur of Hair

tyler......................
3.4/5
Like you mentioned in your brilliant review, this really is a crushing album. It barrages you with waves of distortion and pounding cymbals while barely giving you any time to breathe. A lot of the time I'm just left feeling groggy and confused. But unlike other crushing albums, like the early works of Swans, I can chisel out some tranquility from the beast, especially on relatively tamer tracks like Windowpane. You'd think an album that can nearly break your headphones couldn't be deemed "relaxing" in the normal sense, but Goslings manage to somewhat pull it off through those blasting waves. Now this isn't usual for me, I find it very hard to get into noisy albums for the most part (even this one to an extent), but I see this album in particular as a gateway to that mad, confusing world. I ought to come back to this, if only for that reason alone. Thanks for pushing me out of my cozy comfort zone, Tyler......
50Peter Gabriel
Up

neeki
4.6/5
A million times yes. Glorious production, bone chilling harmonies, and percussion that sticks out in all the right ways. There were genuinely a few tracks that made me say "wow" out loud, one of them being Sky Blue, with its eerie hook and pulsating melancholic rhythm. Everything about this album is crafted so well and I'm surprised I hadn't found out about it sooner. This is right down my alley, bang on Neek.
51Harrod and Funck
Live

neck
3.6/5
There's something so utterly human about live folk songs, and this is no different. While not particularly original or spectacular, it's subtly enthralling, and served as a pleasant backdrop to the bus ride to Switzerland I'm writing this from. Peach keen, man.
"Well I remember on the bus, pretty girls up front..."
52Triana
El Patio

big bgillz
4.2/5
Spanish prog with a bite to it, yeaow! Composed and yet complex with enough tang from flamenco plucks and other Spaniard flairs. The passionate belts from Jésus aren't easily forgotten either. Real good stuff from a subgenre I had swept under the carpet for too long.
53Red Giant (USA-NJ)
Infinity

big bgillz
3.5/5
Some nice downtempo with luscious vocal accompaniment, shimmering synths and subtle strings. The production shines through from the addictive throbbing beat of Boogie to the hauntingly spacious background of the title track. They've clearly left themselves room to grow here, I'm hoping they can expand on their sound with some more dynamic song structure on an LP of some sort.
54Jason Lescalleet
The Pilgrim

tekky
2.9/5
Emptiness. Not good emptiness, not bad emptiness, just emptiness. A haunting emptiness that hints at something under its surface, and eventually reveals it in jarring fashion in the final stretch. And suddenly, the floor drops, and it returns to its haunted state. It's an interesting display of tension, and a well crafted one at that. While drone isn't really a genre I know much about I can still appreciate this.
55Frost*
Falling Satellites

deef
4.1/5
While at times a bit gaudy even for prog, Frost* do a great job at lush production with extravagant instrumentation throughout here. Tracks like Numbers and Heartstrings are truly lavish, and British Wintertime is a perfect closer to the delicious cheese festival. If this had a tad less filler and a tad more thriller, I'd probably like it even more. Otherwise, real good stuff.
56Kindo
Rhythm, Chord & Melody

deef
4.0/5
Good ass prog, love the pianos. The meta lyrics do add a bit too much cheese to the mix for me, though.
57Pile
Magic Isn't Real

spluge
4.6/5
It's sloppy. It's slacked. But above all, it's flooded with endless charm. Hooks you can belt your heart out to, and fuzzy riffs that feel right at home among the tight-knit buzz that connects every track. It's indie rock for the love of indie rock, and I love it.
58Palm (PA)
Rock Island

splurge
4.1/5
A nutty mix of Olivia Tremor Control and... Beach Boys? It's all over the place with its twitchy tempos and sparkling staccatos (and steel drums to boot). The syncopation does become a bit much at times, but it's still very well put together. Is this considered mathdelic? Cause if there's more I want more.
59Harold Budd, Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymo
The Moon and the Melodies

rayman raving rabid
3.9/5
If you halve the bitrate it just sounds like hold music, but that's okay sir, I like waiting.
60Coil
The Ape Of Naples

rayman raving rabid
3.8/5
"I DON'T GET IIIT! I DO-I DON'T GET-GG-G-GEITT ITIIIIITT!"
Neat industrial electronics here, the whole album has this ominous undertone to it that's aided by rickety synths and spooky falsetto vocals (especially in the closer). I think Triple Sun is my favourite on here, even for how how short it is it manages to build up a frantic but reserved atmosphere that serves as a good summation of the album as a whole. I think this'll probably grow on me soon.
61Bark Psychosis
Hex

caiman "appleman" jesus
4.2/5
The lovely soundscape I expected it to be, but maybe leaving a bit to be desired. The production creates a true sense of scale and wonder along with the slow and sweeping instrumentation, and the occasional vocal cameo. Again, I would've been privy to some more interesting dynamics, i.e. exuberant and in-your-face sections that spice it up a little. I really do love this, though.
62Bohren & Der Club Of Gore
Black Earth

caiman "appleman" jesus
3.8/5
It's dark, it's mysterious, it's ruminant, it's soothing, it's Bohren and Co. showing you that simplicity can be the key. It's very nice.
63Tankard
Alien

dikkoe
3.1/5
Energetic and skittish, the problem is it's a bit bland. I really don't have much else to say, the lyrics are a good laugh at least.
64Roy Harper
Stormcock

dikkoe
4.6/5
Roy's delivery is so calm and controlled that it's easy to miss what he's actually singing about. A persistently passionate album with so many layers to its instrumentation and so much power to its progression, this one isn't easily forgotten. I love it enough already but I still feel like it's a grower, so I'll undoubtedbly be coming back, maybe with a therapist's chair and a thick cigar.
65Symphony X
Twilight in Olympus

cassi
2.5/5
This kind of stuff is just mind numbing to me; the aimless solo sections, the sodden sappy lyrics that sound like parodies of themselves, it all just becomes a mush of mediocrity. I really wish I could like power prog, but everything I try dipping my toes into ends up being... lame. Nothing about it is technically bad, but nothing about it is technically interesting, either.
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