| 2018 |
| Anguish Anguish | 3.5 |
| North Atlantic Oscillation Grind Show | 4.0 |
| Azure (UK) Redtail | 4.0 |
| Muse Simulation Theory | 1.5 |
| This album would be worse than Shining's Animal if it weren't so hilariously dire at times |
| The Ocean Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic | 3.5 |
| Toby Fox Deltarune Chapter 1 OST | 4.0 |
| Lancer, Susie and Jevil's themes are all gold; nothing here that resonates quite as much as the final boss songs in Undertale, but this is practically a prologue so it's understandable. In terms of general overworld and battle music, Toby's definitely improved |
| Haken Vector | 3.0 |
| Daughters You Won't Get What You Want | 4.0 |
| Shining (NOR) Animal | 1.5 |
| Major yikes, going to have to dust off my account to review this garbage |
| This Will Destroy You New Others Part Two | 3.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria Vaxis I: The Unheavenly Creatures | 3.5 |
| mewithoutYou [Untitled] | 4.0 |
| Tim Hecker Konoyo | 3.5 |
| Toby Driver They Are the Shield | 4.0 |
| The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 5 | 4.0 |
| The Pineapple Thief Dissolution | 3.5 |
| Phideaux Infernal | 4.0 |
https://phideaux.bandcamp.com/album/infernal - IT'S FINALLY OUT I'M SO HAPPY I'VE BEEN WAITING 5
YEARS FOR THIS |
| Death Cab for Cutie Thank You For Today | 3.0 |
| Animal Collective Tangerine Reef | 3.0 |
| Crippled Black Phoenix Great Escape | 4.0 |
| Iglooghost Steel Mogu | 3.5 |
| Iglooghost Clear Tamei | 4.0 |
| Frontierer Unloved | 3.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me Automata II | 3.0 |
| Tangled Thoughts of Leaving No Tether | 4.0 |
| Gorillaz The Now Now | 3.0 |
| Floex and Tom Hodge A Portrait of John Doe | 4.5 |
A masterful display of the fusion of electronic and contemporary classical music made in tribute
to the humble everyman, A Portrait of John Doe ranges from transcendental to intensely
bizarre.
The only downside is that the closing track 'Requiem' feels ill-suited as the album's finale;
given the feeling of closure that the previous three tracks provide is immaculate. Regardless,
A Portrait of John Doe is one of the finest, if not the best, records of the year so far. |
| Koenji Hyakkei Dhorimviskha | 4.0 |
| Death Grips Year of the Snitch | 3.0 |
| which mouth is MC Ride and which mouth is the director of Shrek? |
| Nine Inch Nails Bad Witch | 3.5 |
| Kamasi Washington Heaven And Earth | 4.0 |
| Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts | 3.0 |
| Dance Gavin Dance Artificial Selection | 3.5 |
| Zeal and Ardor Stranger Fruit | 4.0 |
| Oneohtrix Point Never Age Of | 2.0 |
| Kanye West ye | 2.0 |
| Colin Stetson Hereditary | 3.0 |
| Father John Misty God's Favorite Customer | 3.5 |
| I've been looking for a new album to fall asleep too, thanks FJM |
| Anubis Different Stories | 4.5 |
| Gazpacho Soyuz | 3.5 |
| Not exactly the most palatable serving of Gazpacho, but there's some neat ideas on here |
| Gas Rausch | 3.5 |
| Arctic Monkeys Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino | 5.0 |
| 1099 Blindpassasjer | 3.5 |
| Neato - consistently great stuff here, but nothing that blew me away like 'The California Energy' or 'Memfis' from Young Pines, though 'Kontinental' is veeeeery close - I really dig the smooth jazz vibes there |
| Ihsahn Amr | 3.0 |
| Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois Venetian Snares x Daniel Lanois | 3.5 |
| Thy Catafalque Geometria | 4.0 |
| Tropical Fuck Storm A Laughing Death in Meatspace | 4.0 |
| Janelle Monae Dirty Computer | 2.0 |
Musically, it's acceptable but so sorely lacking in variation and identity that you can barely
differentiate tracks, let alone this album from the plethora of modern pop records it's so
desperately trying to sound like. PYNK is the most memorable track here just for being so
instrumentally minimal, though that's not saying I like it.
The concept is so diluted that it's barely noticeable, a feature that made Monae's last records so
compelling - and unlike ArchAndroid or Electric Lady, Dirty Computer lacks the soul, funk and
symphonic elements that made them so distinct, too.
Lyrically, it's pretty abysmal. That's not to dismiss the song's themes and messages, but the
lyrics are reductive or obscene to the point of undermining their gravity. Again, Monae's other
records handle the feminist and pro-black message with a greater weight and poignancy.
It's an okay pop album, but it feels that Janelle Monae has lowered herself to stay relevant in
the modern pop scene - but in 5 years, will people even care about this record anymore? |
| Toundra Vortex | 4.0 |
| The Armed Only Love | 4.0 |
| A Perfect Circle Eat the Elephant | 2.0 |
| zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz |
| Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu Djarimirri: Child of the Rainbow | 4.5 |
| Utterly sublime, so sad to hear of his passing before he saw his record get such acclaim |
| King Crimson Live in Vienna | 4.0 |
| The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 4 | 4.0 |
| World's End Girlfriend MEGURI | 3.5 |
| Jack White Boarding House Reach | 2.5 |
| Lingua Nada Snuff | 3.0 |
| Rivers of Nihil Where Owls Know My Name | 4.0 |
| Editors Violence | 2.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me Automata I | 3.0 |
| Rolo Tomassi Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It | 2.0 |
| Moby Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt | 3.5 |
| Anna von Hausswolff Dead Magic | 4.0 |
| Everything Everything A Deeper Sea | 3.0 |
| Kero Kero Bonito TOTEP | 2.5 |
| Car Seat Headrest Twin Fantasy (Face to Face) | 2.5 |
| GoGo Penguin A Humdrum Star | 2.0 |
| It's acceptable, I'll give them that - but there's absolutely nothing that excites here, there is no justifiable reason to pick this album up over any of their others |
| Tribulation Down Below | 3.5 |
| Ruby My Dear Brame | 4.0 |
| Jeff Rosenstock POST- | 2.0 |
| 2017 |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Gumboot Soup | 3.5 |
| of course the default year for album uploads is '2016', thanks Sputnik |
| Diablo Swing Orchestra Pacifisticuffs | 2.5 |
There's a part in 'Superhero Jagganath' where the vocalist says the word 'supremacy', followed by
a snare roll that sounds exactly like its from Muse's 'Supremacy'. I hope to God that that's a
coincidence. Other than 'The Age of Vulture Culture' which is pretty good, the album isn't
really engaging when it's not being embarassing |
| Bjork Utopia | 2.5 |
| This is gonna get an average score of 3.6, mark my words |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Polygondwanaland | 4.5 |
| Ulver Sic Transit Gloria Mundi | 3.0 |
| Ne Obliviscaris Urn | 4.0 |
| Shpongle Codex VI | 3.0 |
| Sons of Apollo Psychotic Symphony | 2.0 |
| And So I Watch You From Afar The Endless Shimmering | 3.0 |
| Nordic Giants Amplify Human Vibration | 3.0 |
| Bell Witch Mirror Reaper | 3.5 |
| Toby Driver Live at Roulette, March 2017 | 4.0 |
| Kamasi Washington Harmony of Difference | 3.5 |
| Iglooghost Neo Wax Bloom | 4.0 |
| The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 3 | 4.0 |
| Four Tet New Energy | 4.0 |
| Benjamin Clementine I Tell A Fly | 4.0 |
| Hundred Waters Communicating | 3.5 |
| Zola Jesus Okovi | 4.0 |
| Motorpsycho The Tower | 4.0 |
| Mogwai Every Country's Sun | 2.5 |
| Dalek Endangered Philosophies | 2.5 |
| Rosetta Utopioid | 4.0 |
| Botanist Collective: The Shape of He to Come | 4.0 |
| Greg Fox The Gradual Progression | 4.0 |
| Osees Orc | 3.5 |
| Leprous Malina | 4.0 |
| If the first half of Malina was more like the second, it could've been perfect. Mirage through The Last Milestone is the best 5-song run of any album this year |
| Steven Wilson To the Bone | 3.0 |
| Uncharacteristic poptimism from prog's poster boy of gloom. To the Bone is solid instrumentally, brilliantly produced (as ever) but Wilson's vocals and lyrics feel either unconvincing or parodic. A fine album, but easily his weakest solo effort. |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Sketches of Brunswick East (w/ Mild High Club) | 3.5 |
| Everything Everything A Fever Dream | 4.0 |
| Brand New Science Fiction | 3.5 |
| Milo Who Told You To Think??!!?!?!?! | 3.5 |
| Ruby My Dear Basic | 3.0 |
| Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra Vula | 4.0 |
| Amplifier Trippin' with Dr. Faustus | 2.5 |
| Soundtrack (Film) Baby Driver | 3.0 |
| Big Big Train The Second Brightest Star | 3.5 |
| Algiers The Underside of Power | 4.0 |
| Nomade Orquestra EntreMundos | 4.0 |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Murder Of The Universe | 4.5 |
| Bent Knee Land Animal | 4.5 |
| Is 'Boxes' song of the year? Maybe, just maybe... |
| Ex Eye Ex Eye | 4.5 |
| Flotation Toy Warning The Machine That Made Us | 2.0 |
| Nickelback Feed the Machine | 3.5 |
| Zeta (UK) Zeta | 3.5 |
| Igorrr Savage Sinusoid | 4.0 |
| Anathema The Optimist | 3.5 |
| Stevens/Dessner/Muhly/McAlister Planetarium | 4.5 |
| Lingua Ignota ALL BITCHES DIE | 4.5 |
| alt-J Relaxer | 3.5 |
| Elder (USA-MA) Reflections of a Floating World | 3.5 |
| Laurel Halo Dust | 2.5 |
| Radiohead OKNOTOK 1997-2017 | 5.0 |
| Anal Trump If You Wanted To Qualify For Health Insurance, The | 2.5 |
| Death Grips Steroids (Crouching Tiger Hidden Gabber Megamix) | 4.0 |
| Do Make Say Think Stubborn Persistent Illusions | 4.0 |
| Arch Echo Arch Echo | 3.5 |
| Harry Styles Harry Styles | 3.5 |
| Paramore After Laughter | 4.0 |
| Saagara 2 | 4.0 |
| The Enid Resurgency | 2.5 |
This liquidated line-up sounds like a tribute act rather than The Enid - though given
it's a re-recording of songs from the Journey's End trilogy, that would be hard to avoid
anyway. Space Surfing is possibly the most boring song from this year. Instrumentation is
fine, if not lackluster, but vocals are especially weak since it's 1) mostly drowned out
with a vocoder and 2) not Joe Panye. However, some tracks have been made instrumental,
and songs like Who Created Me and Witch Hunt work well with vocoder. Still interested in
seeing what new music they write though, given the main songwriters have left. -- Hits:
Witch Hunt, Shiva -- Misses: Reborn in the Fire, Space Surfing |
| Slowdive Slowdive (LP) | 3.0 |
| Faust Fresh Air | 3.0 |
| Oxbow Thin Black Duke | 3.5 |
| Forest Swords Compassion | 4.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Birth Of A Ghost | 4.5 |
| Finally, an ORL album from 2017 that's worth revisiting |
| Anubis The Second Hand | 3.0 |
| Gorillaz Humanz | 3.0 |
| Tetrafusion Dreaming Of Sleep | 3.0 |
| Big Big Train Grimspound | 3.5 |
| Colin Stetson All This I Do For Glory | 4.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Solid State Mercenaries | 3.0 |
| Yowie Synchromysticism | 3.5 |
| Gas Narkopop | 4.0 |
| The Physics House Band Mercury Fountain | 4.0 |
| Toby Driver Madonnawhore | 5.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Killing Tingled Lifting Retreats | 3.0 |
| Ulver The Assassination of Julius Caesar | 4.5 |
| Arca Arca | 4.5 |
| glaswegians severance | 4.5 |
| The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 2 | 4.0 |
| the i.l.y's Bodyguard | 3.0 |
| Mastodon Emperor of Sand | 3.0 |
| Jamiroquai Automaton | 3.0 |
| Nights Out in the Jungle is a disgusting track. Jay Kay, I'm embarrassed for you |
| Mount Eerie A Crow Looked At Me | 2.0 |
| sleepmakeswaves Made Of Breath Only | 2.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Gorilla Preacher Cartel | 3.0 |
| Northlane Mesmer | 2.5 |
| Azure (UK) Wish for Spring | 4.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Azul, Mis Dientes | 2.0 |
| netra Ingrats | 3.5 |
| L'Effondras Les Flavescences | 4.0 |
| David Maxim Micic Who Bit the Moon | 3.5 |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Flying Microtonal Banana | 3.0 |
| Disperse Foreword | 3.0 |
| Thundercat Drunk | 3.0 |
| Crystal Fairy Crystal Fairy | 3.0 |
| Persefone Aathma | 3.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Ensayo De Un Desaparecido | 4.0 |
| John Zorn The Garden of Earthly Delights | 4.0 |
| Tim Bowness Lost in the Ghost Light | 2.0 |
| Animal Collective The Painters | 2.0 |
| Soen Lykaia | 3.5 |
| Kairon IRSE! Ruination | 4.0 |
| Stream available here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jan/31/new-band-of-the-week-kairon-irse-no-137-nordic-funk-freakout-jazz-and-shoegaze |
| Mouse On The Keys Out of Body | 3.5 |
| Neil Cicierega Mouth Moods | 4.0 |
| Mike Oldfield Return to Ommadawn | 3.0 |
| Pain of Salvation In the Passing Light of Day | 2.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Roman Lips | 3.0 |
| David Bowie No Plan | 4.0 |
| Brian Eno Reflection | 3.0 |
| Lost Salt Blood Purges Black Lagoon: The Ritual of Reality | 4.0 |
| 2016 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Some Need It Lonely | 1.5 |
| Free Salamander Exhibit Undestroyed | 2.5 |
| Meus September | 4.0 |
| Bulldada Bulldada's Tavern | 4.5 |
| iLiKETRAiNS A Divorce Before Marriage OST | 4.0 |
| Childish Gambino "Awaken, My Love!" | 4.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Nom De Guerre Cabal | 4.0 |
| World's End Girlfriend Last Waltz | 4.0 |
| Blueneck The Outpost | 4.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Zapopan | 3.0 |
| Stiu Nu Stiu Fake End | 4.0 |
| Hidden Orchestra Wingbeats | 3.5 |
| Neal Morse The Similitude of a Dream | 2.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Weekly Mansions | 2.5 |
| Crippled Black Phoenix Bronze | 3.0 |
| Solid instrumentation with some fun tracks, but CBP trade in artistic nuance for brute rock. The vocals and lyrics are the blandest the band's ever been. |
| Yussef Kamaal Black Focus | 4.5 |
| Woob Overrun_exe | 4.0 |
| ZAUM Eidolon | 3.0 |
| Car Bomb Meta | 4.0 |
| Destrage A Means to No End | 3.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Infinity Drips | 3.5 |
| Meniscus Refractions | 4.0 |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Dissociation | 4.0 |
| Newmoon Space | 4.0 |
| Hashshashin nihsahshsaH | 4.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Cell Phone Bikini | 2.0 |
| Placebo A Place for Us to Dream | 2.5 |
| Meshuggah The Violent Sleep Of Reason | 3.0 |
| Opeth Sorceress | 1.5 |
| Machinedrum Human Energy | 2.5 |
| Danny Brown Atrocity Exhibition | 3.0 |
| Darcy James Argue's Secret Society Real Enemies | 4.0 |
| Marillion Fuck Everyone and Run (F E A R) | 3.5 |
| The Leavers is a tune and a half; though the album has lyrics with the subtlety of a drunk elephant |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez El Bien y mal Nos Une | 4.0 |
| The Caretaker Everywhere at the End of Time - Stage 1 | 4.0 |
| Kishi Bashi Sonderlust | 2.5 |
| Ghost (SWE) Popestar | 3.0 |
| Thy Catafalque Meta | 4.0 |
| Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Skeleton Tree | 2.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Umbrella Mistress | 3.5 |
| The Dear Hunter Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional | 4.5 |
| Devin Townsend Project Transcendence | 2.5 |
| King Crimson Radical Action To Unseat The Hold Of Monkey Mind | 4.0 |
| Plini Handmade Cities | 3.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Arañas en La Sombra | 3.5 |
| Frank Ocean Blonde | 2.0 |
| Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein Stranger Things, Volume One | 2.5 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Blind Worm Pious Swine | 3.5 |
| Sianvar Stay Lost | 3.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Corazones | 4.0 |
| Massive Attack The Spoils | 4.0 |
| Thank You Scientist Stranger Heads Prevail | 4.5 |
| 2814 Rain Temple | 3.0 |
| Dream the Electric Sleep Beneath The Dark Wide Sky | 2.0 |
| Kel Valhaal New Introductory Lectures | 3.5 |
| Full album available here: https://soundcloud.com/hunter-hunt-hendrixrEdit: HHH removed the tracks, dang - the album is released July 15th on his Bandcamp pag: rhttps://kelvalhaal.bandcamp.com/releases |
| Levin Minnemann Rudess From the Law Offices | 4.0 |
| TTNG Disappointment Island | 3.0 |
| BADBADNOTGOOD IV | 3.5 |
| The Avalanches Wildflower | 3.5 |
| Sarathy Korwar Day to Day | 4.0 |
| The Atlas Ghost Deliverance | 4.0 |
| the i.l.y's scum with boundaries | 4.0 |
| iLiKETRAiNS Progress · Reform - Live at Botanique, Brussels | 4.0 |
| DJ Shadow The Mountain Will Fall | 2.5 |
| Kayo Dot Plastic House on Base of Sky | 4.5 |
| Corey Feldman Angelic 2 The Core | 1.0 |
| Anderson/Stolt Invention of Knowledge | 3.0 |
| Gojira Magma | 2.5 |
| Swans The Glowing Man | 4.0 |
| 65daysofstatic No Man's Sky: Music for an Infinite... | 4.0 |
| Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Sworn Virgins | 3.5 |
| Frost* Falling Satellites | 4.0 |
| Car Seat Headrest Teens of Denial | 2.5 |
| Bent Knee Say So | 3.5 |
| Autechre elseq 1-5 | 3.5 |
| Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool | 3.5 |
| All these live exclusives, and still no Cut A Hole?! C'mon, Thom, you're killing me here |
| ANOHNI HOPELESSNESS | 2.5 |
| Death Grips Bottomless Pit | 3.5 |
| Vektor Terminal Redux | 5.0 |
| Tremonti Dust | 2.0 |
| Brian Eno The Ship | 3.0 |
| Haken Affinity | 3.5 |
| Fallujah Dreamless | 3.5 |
| King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Nonagon Infinity | 3.5 |
| Aesop Rock The Impossible Kid | 4.5 |
| Deftones Gore | 2.5 |
| Tim Hecker Love Streams | 2.5 |
| M83 Junk | 3.0 |
| Cult of Luna and Julie Christmas Mariner | 4.5 |
| Colin Stetson Sorrow - Reimagining of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony | 5.0 |
| Kashiwa Daisuke Program Music II | 4.0 |
| iamthemorning Lighthouse | 3.0 |
| Woob DEATH BY COIN-OP | 3.5 |
| The Enid Dust | 4.0 |
| Bossk Audio Noir | 4.0 |
| The Algorithm Brute Force | 4.0 |
| pilotredsun Achievement | 3.0 |
| Death Grips Interview 2016 | 3.5 |
| Underworld Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future | 3.0 |
| If we disregard anything from 'Blackstar', the track 'Nylon String' is the best tune of 2016 so far. The rest of 'Barbara, Barbara...' is pretty great too |
| Polyphia Renaissance | 4.0 |
| Omega Dawkins alpha | 3.5 |
| Ihsahn Arktis. | 3.5 |
| Love Sex Machine Asexual Anger | 3.5 |
| Lemon Demon Spirit Phone | 5.0 |
| The Great Cold The Great Cold | 5.0 |
| Venetian Snares Traditional Synthesizer Music | 3.0 |
| Matmos Ultimate Care II | 4.0 |
| Motorpsycho Here Be Monsters | 4.0 |
| insaneintherainmusic Live at Grillby's | 4.5 |
| GoGo Penguin Man Made Object | 4.0 |
| Yndi Halda Under Summer | 4.0 |
| Bloc Party Hymns | 2.0 |
| Dream Theater The Astonishing | 2.0 |
| Massive Attack Ritual Spirit | 3.5 |
| Megadeth Dystopia | 3.0 |
| Steven Wilson 4 1/2 | 3.5 |
| Ulver ATGCLVLSSCAP | 4.0 |
| Sensory Deprivation SNSRY DPRVTN | 4.0 |
| David Bowie Blackstar | 5.0 |
| Lost Salt Blood Purges Only the Youngest Grave | 4.0 |
| Krallice Hyperion | 4.0 |
