| | Full Review | Ratings (46) |
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| 3.5 great | Alabaster Jones | March 11th 16 |
Lovely, contemporary folk rock with a baritone voice is what New Hampshire's own Ray LaMontagne specializes in, and he delivers more of the same goods with his latest full-length, Ouroboros. This time around, though, things stray a bit further from the tried-and-true, while still not leaving roots abandoned. The sound here is more of a hazy, blues-influenced folk ballad, and with LaMontagne always having a wonderful voice, the atmosphere is quite immersive and peaceful. Highlights include the one-two punch of opener "Homecoming" and "Hey, No Pressure", two well crafted and very catchy numbers that set the tone for the rest of the record extremely well. Drony distortion and pianos add a wonderfully somber dynamic to reflective pieces like "In My Own Way" and closer "Wouldn't It Make A Lively Photograph?" respectively, and though it may get a bit samey, it's overall vibe of peaceful melancholy and introspective observation make it a really nice listen.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | SpaceZeppelin | March 4th 16 |
Chill folk-ish stuff. Co-Produced by Jim James, so to any My Morning Jacket Fans, you will enjoy this. Mix between blues, folk, and psychedelia in the vein of pink floyd (think obscured by clouds, fearless from meddle, green is the colour from more). Great album, and definitely my favorite from the year so far.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 5.0 classic | MattRTS | June 3rd 17 |
I contemplated this for a long time before deciding to rate it a 5, but I believe that it's entirely deserving of it. Ray delves into musical territory far deeper than anything he's done thus far. The album is consistent and I enjoy how the two parts contrast each other while still working together to create a cohesive whole. I will say that this is not an album that you just turn on, however, but one that you allow yourself to become immersed in. Also, I saw him perform the entire record live on his Ouroboros tour and it was possibly the closest thing to a religious experience that I've ever had.
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| 3.0 good | TheManMachine | May 2nd 16 |
Atmospherically, tone-wise, flow-wise, it's attentive and winsome: fragile+pensive acoustic+piano sounds like a bliss-float dream-state, slinkin' strut cool-guy repeato guitar hooks are soaked in brittle-crunch distortion, forays into mountainous psych-rock and slowed-to-a-crawl holy om-choirs show initiative. The songs themselves, however; adequate but not exactly the epic riveters able to prop up all the sonic treatments, or justify Pink Floyd-esque melodrama and a sluggish pace -- something established once the second half ups the listlessness and generic-realm spout-outs. That is; starlings and their apparent murmurations, spending the day in his own nondescript lethargic way and having the sleepy tune to match, nature-scene rhapsodizing and correctly assessing that he doesn't have much to say on this other day, etc. And though instrumental focus certainly lies elsewhere, does the drummer really have to sound bored evermore? And though "hey, no pressure" doesn't make for the most absorbing mantra, it beats the pants off the conclusive "never gonna hear this song on the radio". Like, yeah, but do they want it tho?
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| 4.5 superb | Renba7 | March 18th 16 |
In my opinion, this is the most depthy release from Ray. This is a side of him that, while still very clearly Ray LaMontagne, we have not heard before. It is a very good side.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Zakusz | June 29th 21 |
| 3.0 good | eureka | January 8th 21 |
| 3.5 great | RUSH | February 3rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | FrFRfr | March 18th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | progsun | March 3rd 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rizzo44 | January 7th 17 |
| 4.0 excellent | TwigTW | November 23rd 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | JWT155 | September 1st 16 |
| 4.0 excellent | memedfg | July 11th 16 |
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