Average Rating: 3.88 Rating Variance: 0.67 Objectivity Score: 64% (Fairly Balanced)
Sort by: Rating | Release Date | Rating Date | Name5.0 classicBrand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside MeA rare masterpiece. Highly original. The sounds and atmosphere of this album are unmatched by anything else in the genre. One of the few moments when you hear true originality in songwriting and execution. One of the least derivative rock albums ever made.Brian Eno Ambient 1: Music For AirportsAn ambient classic. Dare I say, ambient perfection. This is Eno at the top of his game.4.5 superbArcade Fire The SuburbsArcade Fire has found their focus. This is beautiful and unique. It's far more mature than their previous work (which I also thoroughly enjoy). Very coherent, with only a few moments found wandering away a bit. Brand New DaisyThis album isn't an instant love. It takes a little while to grown on you, especially if you loved Brand New's old albums, and even their left-field masterpiece TDAGARIM. Daisy takes things even farther. "Vices" has screaming like you've never heard from Jesse before, though I think it makes it one of the weakest songs on the album. It feels out of place and much less emotional than did the bits of screaming on "Sowing Season". The rest of the album, save the often hard to listen to "Be Gone", is very good. In fact, enough to make up for any slight shortfalls, such as those two songs. "In A Jar" and "Noro" invoke emotion and are very moving. rI feel like they could rein in a bit of the experimentation, and put out another "The Devil and God..." album. Though, because it's great on it's own, my rating stands, because I don't believe it's easy or even possible to match "The Devil and God...", which is one of my all-time favorites.Death Cab for Cutie TransatlanticismThe way dream pop should be. Near perfection in the genre.Enslaved Axioma Ethica OdiniBlack metal with just the right hint of progressiveness. A well-crafted, extremely talented display of musicianship.mewithoutYou Brother, SisterWeiss yet again yells and speaks his poetry over beautiful music, in the most enchanting way. This time it's with a slightly less angry atmosphere, and a few moving, campfire-esque interludes. Weiss brings a little more singing to his unique vocal style, without abandoning it.Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine: 2010 RemasterA timeless NIN classic with a much needed touch. Remasters generally have a high tendency to be disastrous. Not so, under the hand of Reznor. This is how remastering should be done. The original pressing of PHM was a little quiet, even in comparison to other music around that same time frame. It seemed to lack something sonically that which made the sound mismatch the atmosphere of the music. Still yet, it was so good that the production is almost viewed as part of its character. However, Reznor has proven that remasters are sometimes a worthy cause. The volume is louder (without even coming close to Metallica's Death Magnetic audio-clipping loudness-war disaster). The bass is punchier, more defined, and has much more impact. Once you hear it, you'll feel like it's been missing all along when you go back and hear the original. Bass lines punch through, whereas they were an afterthought in the original. The vocals are pushed a little more forward in the mix, bringing one of the most important parts of Reznor's music (his voice) to the right spot. This isn't an overhaul. This is a slight touch up to make the music match the mood. The poignancy and stark ambiance is now not just implied, but heard loud and clear. PHM finally has some teeth, and boy is it growling.Opeth Ghost ReveriesOne of the best progressive metal albums of all time. Of course, Opeth has yet to fail with any of their efforts.Opeth Blackwater ParkClassic, unbelievably good Opeth. You can't go wrong here.Opeth WatershedThey took progressive to a new level on this album. It takes a little longer for the album to grow on you if you're used to a constant metal assault. Trust me, it's rewarding. Blazing dynamics between loud, soft, violent, and calming. A beautiful chaos.4.0 excellentBetween the Buried and Me The Great MisdirectBTBAM widens the dynamics yet again, as they did with Colors. In the process, they've lost a few fans looking for an all-out assault. Instead, they've held true to innovative songwriting, and aren't about to stop or change direction based on the opinion of a few fans. It seems they're still writing for themselves, and that's always a good thing.Brian Eno Small Craft on a Milk SeaAnother great album from Eno. Ambient at its best. This isn't Ambient 1: Music For Airports, but it's pretty damn close.Jimmy Eat World InventedA little bit of a slow burn with some instant classics, like "Coffee and Cigarettes" and "Littlething". This album finds Jimmy Eat World turning back a little towards Clarity, and seems to be intentionally less polished. Those that are enamored by Jimmy Eat World's latest offerings might be let down at first. Most of the songs here took a few listens to grow on me. It was definitely worth the wait. This is some solid songwriting. I think the raw sound actually helps them out here, though some will miss the polish.Lydia IlluminateBeautiful pop/rock music. Dreamy, ambient, atmospheric. It's a joy to listen to this album.S. Carey All We GrowFolk-inspired singer/songwriter music from Bon Iver's drummer. The inclusion of ambient elements and a nice slow atmosphere make this beautiful for focused listening or as background music. Very calming, but it keeps your attention.Taking Back Sunday New AgainA more mature sound from TBS this time around. They retain many of the conventions of old albums, with plenty of sarcasm, wordplay, and repetition. It works.3.5 greatBrandon Flowers FlamingoSlightly weaker than early work from The Killers, and a little closer to their later work. His signature vocal style is still here, with a definite borrowing of style musically from his work with The Killers. However, he adds his own touch, making the album unique, but it's missing the punchy and catchy songs.Cursive Mama, I'm SwollenSome odd lyrics and odd songwriting here, but that's Cursive, and Kasher's voice is perfect for the job. From catchy to crazy, this album only has a few memorable songs, but they're definitely worth a listen.Deftones Diamond EyesI was surprised to see such a strong effort from a band that's been through a lot. Moreno's vocals are a little stronger here, but still nowhere near their original ferocity, found on Around The Fur and White Pony. The songwriting and musicianship hold this album up. It's solid, and it's worth your time and money.Eminem RecoveryHe's back and angrier than ever. This time, he brings along some of the best music to fit it. It's a long album, so even with a few weak songs, there are plenty of good ones. This is where Eminem needs to be. It's certainly a return to form.Interpol InterpolThis turned off a lot of fans, but I think it stands on its own and deserves more than to be cast in the light of previous albums.Mastodon Crack the SkyeSome really great moments, but the album doesn't want to stick. It's slightly forgettable, which is unfortunate. Mastodon has great potential to write some memorable music. I think Crack the Skye falls just short of it.Minus the Bear OmniFirst of all, I love the packaging of this album. That aside, the music is solid too. There's not much to complain about here other than that the lyrics are like listening to someone talk about their last awkward sex experience. There's a little bit of weirdness, and you wonder why you're being told about it, but you get used to it.2.5 averageEnslaved VertebraeIt's all about production with Vertebrae. Had the vocals been produced as well as they are on Axioma Ethica Odini, this would have received somewhere between a 4 and 5.2.0 poorTim Kasher The Game of MonogamyIt just feels like watered-down Cursive. It isn't memorable and it's just boring overall.1.5 very poorMy Chemical Romance Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous KilljoysI don't even think I need to explain. Terrible concept, hollow songwriting, not cohesive at all. This is even under what I'd consider run-of-the-mill.
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