Average Rating: 3.73 Rating Variance: 0.48 Objectivity Score: 67% (Fairly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicAgainst Me! Reinventing Axl RoseArcade Fire FuneralFugazi End HitsJaco Pastorius Jaco PastoriusMiles Davis Kind of BlueMiles Davis In a Silent WayMiles Davis Birth of the CoolNeutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the SeaRadiohead Kid ASublime 40 Oz. to FreedomThe Clash London CallingTitus Andronicus The MonitorThis album is the drunk guy that just wants to have a good time. It?s the realization that you?re just one of millions?but there?s power in that. It?s the trials and tribulations of a mid-level New Jersey punk band. The line ?you?ll always/be a loser? never sounded so triumphant.Tool Ænima4.5 superbAkron/Family S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNTAnimal Collective Strawberry JamAnimal Collective Fall Be KindBetween the Buried and Me ColorsBetween the Buried and Me Colors_LiveEdan Beauty and the BeatFatter Than Albert The Last MinuteFlying Lotus CosmogrammaThe distinction between electronic and organic sound is increasingly ambiguous. While lines could be drawn at several points it's debatable how useful this kind of classification really is. Flying Lotus is the embodiment of this point: analogue and digital tools existing in perfect harmony. His genre jumping from hip-hop to jazz to dubstep is flawless. Employing Thundercat's rapid-smooth bass lines, Thom Yorke's unmistakable falsetto, and with the ass-shaking prowess of "Do the Astral Plane" Steven Ellison's influence won't be soon forgotten.Fugazi The ArgumentFugazi 13 SongsFugazi Red MedicineGonjasufi A Sufi and a KillerGrizzly Bear VeckatimestHerbie Hancock SextantJoe Strummer and The Mescaleros StreetcoreLou Reed BerlinMiles Davis Bitches BrewMiles Davis NefertitiRadiohead The King of LimbsTeebs ArdourTeebs presents the after-party of the year. With Flying Lotus playing mentor this solo debut is a textural digital landscape that ebbs and flows over the course of eighteen tracks – all both unique and continuous. It's as much jazz as it is hip-hop, albeit a scrutinized and singular take on the former. Woodwinds and strings bring in “You've Changed” and remain central to the album's sound, as does reverb-laden piano – most notably on “Lakeshore Ave.” The wide range of sounds are orchestrated into one body; the pounding bass in “Moments” pushes air through cascading piano trills. Everything is directed to move together by Teebs as master behind his bliss-injected walls of sound. With techniques like alternating duplet and triplet bass hits the man can stretch an instant in time. Take in this chilled-out body of work and you'll get lost in the electronic L.A. cocktail. Thelonious Monk Straight, No ChaserTim Hecker Ravedeath, 19724.0 excellentA Sunny Day in Glasgow Ashes GrammarA Tribe Called Quest The Low End TheoryAesop Rock Labor DaysAgainst Me! The Disco Before the BreakdownAgainst Me! Against Me!Akron/Family Love Is SimpleAkron/Family Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em FreeAlexisonfire CrisisAlice in Chains FaceliftAnimal Collective FeelsAnimal Collective Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've VanishedAnimal Collective Merriweather Post PavilionArcade Fire The SuburbsAttack in Black (Years) By One Thousand FingertipsBetween the Buried and Me The Great MisdirectBlack Milk Album Of The YearBlack Sabbath ParanoidBlack Sabbath Black SabbathBotch We Are the RomansBraids Native SpeakerCage The Elephant Cage the ElephantCharlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie Bird & DizCynic FocusDangerDoom The Mouse And The MaskDexter Gordon Our Man in ParisGhostface Killah Apollo KidsHoly Fuck LPHow to Dress Well Love RemainsJeff Beck Blow by BlowJeff Beck WiredKanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyEven if Kanye West is an egotistical, belligerent, attention whore who may very well do his blogging shitfaced, he's still a proficient pop musician. The samples are back, and he's definitely trying to top himself. With one track over nine minutes and a short film to go with the record, he may very well do so. The album's flow is arguably the best part, with interludes building and connecting what must be Kanye's attempt at creating movements within the album. While there are numerous tracks that work well on their own, this really is meant to be heard front to back. While you'll never catch me defending his last LP, its best elements are here, namely strong melodically driven structure. This record is packed with verses from the same crew that were on the G.O.O.D. Friday series; while this is no doubt Kanye's show the guest appearances are the icing on the cake he's eating. Kid CuDi lends his blasé singing style for the hook of "Gorgeous", which finishes with a stellar verse by Raekwon. Even Bon Iver is on here, albeit in a marginalized way. Do yourself a favour and download this.Maps and Atlases Tree, Swallows, HousesMaps and Atlases Perch Patchworkmaudlin of the Well BathMenomena MinesMos Def Black on Both SidesMother Mother O My HeartMudvayne L.D. 50my dad vs. yours Little SymphoniesNine Inch Nails The Downward SpiralNine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 RemasterPretty Hate Machine is a collection of emotionally driven electronic darkness. The Nine Inch Nails debut, now over 20 years old, is back on the shelves of record stores in a new, sleeker package. It's been remastered, bringing a crisper, but more notably louder, production to the classic industrial album. As always, Trent Reznor was the creative head of this album and did pretty much everything himself. From the ambient, tribal rumble of "Sanctified" to the sample-laden esoteric groove of "Ringfinger", Reznor commanded sounds found on a little Casio keyboard to essentially give the middle finger to New Wave, like Big Black before him. The songs here are topped with Reznor's quavering but passionate vocal delivery, ranging from unsettling whispers to hoarse yells. If you're unfamiliar with 1989 Nine Inch Nails, watch the video for "Head Like a Hole" - it justifies Pitchfork's claim that Reznor makes a convincing Satan. This reissue is the perfect opportunity for newcomers to see what all the fuss is about, and the bonus Queen cover ending this version is a welcomed addition too.Our Lady Peace Spiritual MachinesPantha Du Prince This BlissPere Ubu The Modern DanceRadiohead OK ComputerRadiohead Hail to the ThiefRadiohead In RainbowsSufjan Stevens IllinoisSufjan Stevens Seven SwansSufjan Stevens All Delighted PeopleSufjan Stevens The Age of AdzTera Melos Zoo WeatherThe Aggrolites Dirty ReggaeThe Flaming Tsunamis Fear EverythingTom Waits Nighthawks At The DinerToro Y Moi Underneath The PineWes Montgomery Full HouseWestbound Train Five to TwoWilco Yankee Hotel FoxtrotWorking For a Nuclear Free City Jojo Burger TempestYoung Widows In and Out of Youth and LightnessZola Jesus Stridulum IIDon't you love it when the smoke clears and only the good records are left standing? Zola Jesus isn't exactly a newcomer to the (formerly) lo-fi sound, and escapes any creative redundancy here. Stridulum II benefits from clear, full production; the stage set for futuristic, symphonic movements. The '80s-chic aesthetic hasn't gotten stale, something that Danilova's voice can take full credit for. This isn't the same linear electronic haze rampant in the saturation of samey electro-psych-pop. Looped vocals and reverb get so much use that it becomes exhausting to keep track of whos ripping off whom, but on sheer songwriting merit Zola Jesus can avoid that whole debate. With dynamics ranging from Sigur Ros joy ("Sea Talk") to The Cure's moodiness ("Trust Me"), Stridulum II finds itself as the anthem of nostalgic melancholy. It could be the soundtrack for some emotional black and white silent film with this kind of beautiful sadness. Depressive? Maybe. But definitely worth it.3.5 greatAgainst Me! As the Eternal CowboyAgainst Me! Searching for a Former ClarityAgainst Me! The Original CowboyAkron/Family Meek WarriorAlexisonfire Dog's BloodJust by comparing this EP's cartoonish cover with the pristine look of Old Crows, Young Cardinals it's evident Dog's Blood is going to have a very different feel. The poppy hooks of "Born and Raised" and "Young Cardinals" are nowhere to be heard on this little album, substituted for the full-out aggression of punk riffs. The expected dark atmospheric sections are here, and they work even better than before. This heavy feel is in part due to the notably diminished presence of Dallas' voice, and it's a welcome change. Slow jam "Grey" relies on George's hoarse delivery and the always dependable drumming chops of Jordan Hastings. On the following track "Black as Jet" he beats the snare so hard it sounds like the crack of whip. Redlining bass tone fills out the song, emulating the best possible output of destroyed speakers. If you're pining for another Watch Out! don't hold your breath but this EP does combine some of the best elements of their last three records and shows growth in songwriting too. Approaching the ten year mark Alexisonfire has accomplished a lot, and Dog's Blood proves they're as good as ever.Animal Collective Sung TongsAnimal Collective ArkAphex Twin DrukqsApostle Of Hustle Eats DarknessAvey Tare Down ThereBeneath the Massacre Marée NoireBetween the Buried and Me AlaskaBlack Sabbath Master of RealityBroken Bells Broken BellsCharlie Parker Ken Burns Jazz: Charlie ParkerCloud Nothings Cloud NothingsCynic Traced in AirDark Dark Dark Bright Bright BrightDark Dark Dark Wild GoDirty Beaches BadlandsFitting sonically somewhere between Xiu Xiu and Timber Timbre - or speaking more broadly between Elvis Presley and David Lynch - Badlands is the darkest homage to the 20th century a young lad could hope for. Dirty Beaches is Vancouver solo artist Alex Zhang Hungtai, and his debut LP is a tormented reduction of rock & roll. Any notion of familiar song structure is abandoned for nearly half the record, manifesting as moody, lo-fi rumblings which bridge spurts of mutilated rockabilly. Guitar and drum loops lay the foundation here, framing yelps and whispers. At his most memorable, Hungtai comes nearly to the point of breaking into tongues - on the hypnotic "Sweet 17". Restless love, lust, and longing haunt the record's 26 minutes, and don't expect any kind of resolution. And rightly so, since it seems that would be the antithesis of this whole album. Hungtai is making it abundantly clear that there's value in the lonelier parts of life with his distant, noisy crooning. It's beautiful in the most urban ways, even if the rough production fixes us in the uncomfortable role of voyeur. These songs are devoid of any pop fingerprints, embodying a disarticulation of familiar sounds. As if the album art didn't already give it away, this is a dark record - but not one completely without hope. Even though Hungtai's reverb-saturated delivery renders most of his lyrics barely decipherable, the emotional content grants passage into Badlands' possible intent. Hungtai is basking in some kind of struggle; this record is anything but a cry of submission.Eminem RecoveryKanye West GraduationM.I.A. VICKI LEEKXMadvillain MadvillainyMastodon Blood MountainMiles Davis Live EvilMos Def The New DangerMurcof UtopiaContrast and texture are what I seek on electronic albums like this, and it delivers.Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate MachineProtest the Hero KeziaProtest the Hero FortressRadiohead AmnesiacTera Melos Patagonian RatsThe Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring NightThe Flatliners CavalcadeThe Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quartet Sepulcros De MielTimber Timbre Timber TimbreTokyo Police Club A Lesson in CrimeTokyo Police Club ChampVampire Weekend Vampire WeekendWilco Sky Blue SkyWilco Wilco (The Album)Women Public StrainWith mutual traits of Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground swimming in a haze of reverb, Calgary's Women deliver a kind of delicate aggression with Public Strain.rThe sparingly delivered vocals never take front-stage, with songs generally driven by guitar interplay. Rhythm section takes an atmospheric backseat, although it's a booming kick drum that really defines "China Steps". No one is showing off here, and carefully balanced tension and release form a cohesive body of work.rWith the M.I.A.'s and Kevin Drew's of the genre linking the mainstream so openly to indie music, claiming authenticity among the imitators is a hard thing to do. I mean, being 'indie' has less and less to do with its root word. So how does Public Strain avoid being lumped into heaps of other noise-pop indie records? Give it a spin, they aren't following trends. This beautifully bleak shoegaze album treats us to a well awaited shot of originality.3.0 goodAgainst Me! Crime as Forgiven ByAgainst Me! New WaveAkron/Family Akron/FamilyAlexisonfire Watch Out!Alexisonfire Old Crows / Young CardinalsApostle Of Hustle National Anthem Of NowhereAttack in Black MarriageAugust Burns Red MessengersAugust Burns Red ConstellationsBad Brains Build A NationBlack Sabbath Vol. 4Caribou SwimClues CluesHow to Dress Well Ecstasy With Jojo/Take It OnMurderdolls Beyond The Valley of the MurderdollsOur Lady Peace ClumsyThom Yorke Spitting FeathersTokyo Police Club Elephant ShellVampire Weekend ContraVictor Wooten PalmysteryWarpaint The FoolWestbound Train Transitions2.5 averageBetween the Buried and Me The Silent CircusLibrary Voices Hunting Ghosts & Other Collected ShortsLou Reed Metal Machine Musicof Montreal Icons, Abstract TheeOne Day as a Lion One Day as a LionThe Flatliners Destroy To CreateThe Mars Volta TremulantThe Who Tommy2.0 poorAgainst Me! White CrossesBest Coast Crazy For YouBorn of Osiris A Higher PlaceDie Antwoord 5LCD Soundsystem This Is Happening1.5 very poorAgainst Me! Vivida Vis!
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