| Northlane Mirror's Edge | 3.0 |
| Spiritbox The Fear of Fear | 4.5 |
| Anxious Audiotree Live | 3.5 |
| Demi Lovato Revamped | 3.0 |
| Demi Lovato Holy Fvck | 3.5 |
| Madison Cunningham Who Are You Now? | 4.0 |
| End It Unpleasant Living | 3.5 |
| Jessie Ware That! Feels Good! | 3.5 |
| Sleep Token Take Me Back to Eden | 4.5 |
| Craig Finn A Legacy Of Rentals | 4.0 |
| Enter Shikari Tribalism | 3.0 |
| Enter Shikari The Zone | 2.5 |
| Enter Shikari Slipshod | 3.5 |
| Enter Shikari Hoodwinker | 3.0 |
| Enter Shikari Take To The Skies: Live In Moscow. May 2017 | 4.0 |
| Enter Shikari A Kiss For The Whole World | 4.0 |
| People seem to be really down on this album and I don't get it: the production's never been better, the runtime doesn't overstay its welcome, and other than "goldfish ~" the songwriting is pretty damn strong. |
| JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown Scaring the Hoes | 3.5 |
| The Hold Steady The Price Of Progress | 3.5 |
| "City at Eleven" might just be The Hold Steady's worst song, but everything else is good to great. The devastating "Carlos is Crying" is an instant classic, while "Perdido" and "Distortions of Faith" are two of the prettiest songs in their oeuvre. Closing with "Flyover Halftime" was a baffling choice, though. |
| Madison Cunningham Revealer | 4.5 |
| Fireworks Higher Lonely Power | 4.0 |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance (Revisited) | 4.0 |
| While some of the fury is gone (and Dustin's screaming on "Cold Cash" is missed) this refreshing take on a genre classic adds appropriate weariness to the desperate, frustrated, and pleading lyrics that have unfortunately aged all too well. |
| Four Year Strong Enemy Of The World (Re-Recorded) | 3.0 |
| I get why they did this and have sympathy for the situation, but the fire isn't quite there. |
| Devin Townsend Tests of Manhood | 3.5 |
| Devin Townsend Nightwork | 3.0 |
| Devin Townsend Lightwork | 4.0 |
This may have his best production to date, along with a pair of legitimate surprises in
"Heavy Burden" and "Vacation". The reworked "Celestial Signals" is sadly a downgrade,
however. "Equinox" contains some of the best vocals of Dev and Ché Aimee Dorval's careers,
while "Lightworker" plays host to an all-time great chorus. Another triumph from one of the
most exciting and consistent musicians alive. |
| The Wonder Years The Hum Goes on Forever | 4.0 |
| The 1975 Being Funny In A Foreign Language | 4.0 |
| King's X Ogre Tones | 3.0 |
| King's X XV | 3.5 |
| King's X Ear Candy | 3.5 |
| King's X Out of the Silent Planet | 3.5 |
| King's X King's X | 4.0 |
| King's X Three Sides of One | 3.5 |
| Toothgrinder Nocturnal Masquerade | 3.5 |
| Jessie Ware What's Your Pleasure (Platinum Pleasure) | 4.0 |
| MUNA Muna | 4.0 |
| Anxious Little Green House | 4.0 |
| Spiritbox Rotoscope | 3.5 |
| Turnstile Glow On | 3.5 |
| Kendrick Lamar Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers | 3.0 |
There are masterful moments here (particularly on the second half) mixed with half-baked
hooks, new age musings, questionable takes, Kodak Black, and the nigh-unlistenable "We Cry
Together". This is the album Kendrick needed to make for himself, entertainment value and
cohesion be damned. |
| Northlane Live at the Roundhouse | 4.0 |
| Northlane Alien | 3.5 |
| Northlane Obsidian | 3.5 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Benefits of Thinking Out Loud | 3.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Lose Your Delusion | 4.0 |
I never expected the perennially cynical Scream to write something uplifting, but here we
are! The only weak tune is "I'm Gonna Work It Out". Meanwhile, "Be One to No One" is the
song to beat this year. |
| Cynic Ascension Codes | 3.5 |
| Cynic Traced In Air Remixed | 2.5 |
| Completely unnecessary. The original is a masterpiece, growls and all. |
| Cynic Kindly Bent to Free Us | 2.0 |
| Devin Townsend Snuggles | 3.0 |
| The Wonder Years No Closer to Heaven | 3.0 |
| Don Broco Amazing Things | 4.0 |
| While it may not reach the peaks of Technology, it's overall a better album. These guys are so adventurous. |
| Meet Me @ The Altar Bigger Than Me | 3.0 |
| Meet Me @ The Altar Model Citizen | 3.0 |
| Sleep Token This Place Will Become Your Tomb | 3.0 |
| Spiritbox Eternal Blue | 4.0 |
| The new songs are growers for sure. Killer performances all around. |
| Thrice Horizons/East | 3.5 |
| Kanye West Donda | 2.5 |
| ERRA ERRA | 3.5 |
| While the songs sound a bit samey at times, the performances are remarkable. |
| Beartooth Below | 3.5 |
| Does it reinvent the wheel? No. Is it a ton of fun? YES! |
| Karnivool Themata | 3.0 |
| Karnivool Sound Awake | 4.5 |
Jon Stockman and Steve Judd form the best rhythm section in heavy music, assisted by razor-
sharp production from Forrester Savell. The guitarists and vocalist are no slouches, either,
but this is a master class in groove and dynamics. |
| Red City Radio Paradise | 4.0 |
| Between the Buried and Me Automata I | 3.5 |
| A Day To Remember You're Welcome | 2.0 |
I'll take "Mindreader", "Last Chance to Dance (Bad Friend)", "Resentment", "Degenerates",
"Permanent", and "Re-Entry". Leave the rest. |
| The Hold Steady Open Door Policy | 4.5 |
| This album improves on every listen, and lord knows I've listened to it a lot. Remarkable. |
| Jessie Ware What's Your Pleasure? | 4.0 |
| Sleep Token Sundowning | 3.5 |
| Canterbury Heavy In The Day | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Hammersmith Odeon London '75 | 4.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen The Promise | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Live 1975-1985 | 4.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Tunnel of Love | 2.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Nebraska | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town | 4.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen The River | 3.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen Letter to You | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Holding Patterns | 3.5 |
| Devin Townsend Order of Magnitude - Empath Live Volume 1 | 4.0 |
| Bring Me the Horizon Amo | 3.5 |
| Deftones Ohms | 4.0 |
| A return to form after the sloppily-produced (but still enjoyable) Gore. I wish there were more 9-string shenanigans, though. |
| Deep Purple Machine Head | 5.0 |
| Protest the Hero Palimpsest | 3.5 |
| Protest the Hero Fortress | 3.0 |
| The 1975 Notes on a Conditional Form | 2.5 |
| "Me & You Together Song" through "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is a phenomenal sequence. "People", "Frail State of Mind", and "Guys" are solid as well. Everything else is forgettable and these dudes need to drop the country stuff. |
| Don Broco You Wanna Know | 4.0 |
| Don Broco Priorities | 3.0 |
| "Priorities", "Yeah Man", "Whole Truth", "In My World", "Actors", and especially "Fancy Dress" are excellent. Meanwhile, the misogynistic "Hold On" and "Here's the Thing" are cringe-inducing if not outright detestable. |
| Don Broco Automatic | 3.5 |
| Haste the Day Attack of the Wolf King | 3.5 |
| Don Broco Technology | 3.5 |
| The first half is all killer. The second half is mostly filler. |
| Boston Manor Be Nothing. | 3.0 |
| FEVER 333 Made An America | 3.5 |
| Four Year Strong Four Year Strong | 3.0 |
| Four Year Strong Brain Pain | 3.5 |
| Boston Manor Welcome to the Neighbourhood | 3.0 |
| Boston Manor Glue | 3.5 |
| The songs manage to be simultaneously catchier and more adventurous than on Welcome to the Neighborhood. Impressive. |
| At the Gates To Drink from the Night Itself | 3.5 |
| At the Gates Slaughter of the Soul | 4.0 |
| At the Gates At War with Reality | 3.5 |
| Harm's Way (USA-IL) Rust | 3.0 |
| Alien Ant Farm Always and Forever | 3.0 |
| The Hush Sound Like Vines | 4.0 |
| Garbage Version 2.0 | 4.0 |
| George Harrison All Things Must Pass | 5.0 |
| Enter Shikari Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible | 3.5 |
| DaBaby Baby On Baby | 3.5 |
| DaBaby KIRK | 3.5 |
| Coldplay Everyday Life | 3.5 |
| A Day To Remember For Those Who Have Heart | 3.5 |
| A Day To Remember What Separates Me from You | 3.5 |
| A Day To Remember Homesick | 3.0 |
| A Day To Remember Bad Vibrations | 3.0 |
| This album starts off with two of A Day to Remember's best songs to date...and then comes "Naivety". The rest is solid enough, at least. |
| A Day To Remember Resentment | 3.5 |
| Kanye West Jesus Is King | 1.5 |
| J-E-T-S Zoospa | 3.5 |
| The Hold Steady Thrashing Thru the Passion | 4.0 |
| The production on this is pretty abysmal but the songs are great! |
| The Flaming Lips Embryonic | 3.5 |
| Gallows (UK) Grey Britain | 4.0 |
| Alter Bridge Blackbird | 4.0 |
| Andrew W.K. The Wolf | 2.5 |
| Andrew W.K. Close Calls with Brick Walls | 3.0 |
| Andrew W.K. You're Not Alone | 3.5 |
| Andrew W.K. I Get Wet | 3.5 |
| Spiritbox Singles Collection | 3.5 |
| Save for "Trust Fall" this doesn't quite reach the highs of the band's 2017 self-titled EP, but it's an impressive collection nevertheless. |
| Blur Parklive | 4.0 |
| Thrice Deeper Wells | 3.0 |
| OLD Formula | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Empath | 5.0 |
| The culmination of 22 albums in almost as many years. This is something special. |
| Solange When I Get Home | 2.5 |
| Talk Talk Laughing Stock | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Ghost Stories Live 2014 | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Kaleidoscope | 2.5 |
| Take "All I Can Think About Is You", leave the rest. |
| The Dear Hunter All Is As All Should Be | 3.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Act I: The Lake South, the River North | 3.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Act II: The Meaning of, & All Things Regarding Ms. Leading | 3.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Act III: Life and Death | 3.5 |
| The Dear Hunter The Color Spectrum | 3.5 |
| This score is for the 11 songs on the standard release. The full collection averages out to a 4. |
| Steve Vai Fire Garden | 3.0 |
| Steve Vai Passion and Warfare | 4.0 |
| Steve Vai The Story of Light | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Ocean Machine: Live in Plovdiv | 4.0 |
| snare too loud, some rough vocals on Ocean Machine (mainly "Hide Nowhere"), otherwise great |
| Colouring Bn | 3.0 |
| The 1975 A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships | 3.5 |
| The Smithereens 2011 | 3.5 |
| John Carpenter Halloween (2018) | 3.5 |
| Louis Cole Time | 3.5 |
| Drake Scorpion | 2.5 |
| Fall Out Boy PAX AM Days | 3.0 |
| Fall Out Boy Lake Effect Kid | 3.0 |
| First two tracks are excellent. Third track is a disaster. |
| Fall Out Boy M A N I A | 1.5 |
| Fall Out Boy Save Rock and Roll | 3.0 |
| Fall Out Boy From Under the Cork Tree | 3.0 |
| Fall Out Boy Infinity on High | 2.5 |
| First of October Ten Hours | 3.0 |
| Fall Out Boy Take This to Your Grave | 3.5 |
| Fall Out Boy Folie a Deux | 3.5 |
| Thrice Palms | 2.5 |
| Completely forgettable. What happened to Thrice in two years' time? |
| The Carters Everything Is Love | 3.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Come Tomorrow | 3.5 |
| Pusha T King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude | 3.5 |
| Pusha T DAYTONA | 3.5 |
| Kids See Ghosts Kids See Ghosts | 3.0 |
| Kanye West ye | 2.0 |
| Stop using mental illness as an excuse for poor craft. We all know you can do better. |
| Spiritbox Spiritbox | 4.0 |
| Charlie Simpson Little Hands | 3.5 |
| Charlie Simpson Young Pilgrim | 3.5 |
| Charlie Simpson Long Road Home | 4.0 |
| Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour | 4.0 |
| Were it not for the mediocre "Velvet Elvis" and "Wonder Woman" this would be a 4.5. Superb songwriting, dreamy production, and charming sincerity make Golden Hour a real treat. |
| Soundtrack (Film) Black Panther The Album | 3.5 |
| Charly Bliss Guppy | 3.5 |
| Foster the People Sacred Hearts Club | 3.0 |
| Transit Joyride | 3.5 |
A winning return to form after the fiasco that was Young New England. The production is a bit
over-the-top, but the songwriting is solid as ever. |
| Propagandhi Supporting Caste | 3.5 |
| Enter Shikari The Spark | 3.5 |
I don't understand how anyone could call this album insincere. If anything, it's a bit TOO on the
nose, but that's sort of a necessary "evil" when considering the background behind this record:
frontman Rou Reynolds went through the breakup of a 7-year relationship, bouts of insomnia,
losing family members, drug problems, and struggling with anxiety before and throughout writing
this record. Some songs are stronger than others, sure, but The Spark is Enter Shikari's most
introspective and personal statement to date. That's gotta count for something. |
| The Dear Hunter Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional | 4.0 |
| "Mr. Usher (On His Way To Town)" and "The Haves Have Naught" are tough listens but everything else is phenomenal. |
| Jay-Z 4:44 | 3.5 |
| Some much-needed humility and introspection from Hov. |
| Kendrick Lamar DAMN. | 4.0 |
| Drake More Life | 2.5 |
| Empress Of Me | 4.0 |
| rock-solid pop songwriting chops + alternatively glossy and grimy production + chilling, vulnerable vocals and lyrics = a stellar debut from Lorely Rodriguez |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Dissociation | 3.5 |
| Rae Sremmurd SremmLife | 2.5 |
| Rae Sremmurd SremmLife 2 | 3.5 |
| What an infectiously stupid record. Rae Sremmurd sure as hell know how to start a party... |
| Solange A Seat at the Table | 4.5 |
| Bon Iver For Emma, Forever Ago | 4.0 |
| Bon Iver Bon Iver, Bon Iver | 3.0 |
| Bon Iver 22, A Million | 3.5 |
| Periphery Juggernaut: Omega | 3.0 |
| Periphery Juggernaut: Alpha | 3.0 |
| Periphery Periphery III: Select Difficulty | 2.5 |
| The music is okay, but the lyrics are abysmal. How many egregious swears and variations on "misery" do we have to sit through before giving up on this band? |
| Devin Townsend Project Transcendence | 4.0 |
| Some of the songs are too long, and the songwriting isn't as consistently satisfying as Sky Blue, but this is another rock-solid effort from Hevy Devy and the production is the best he's ever had. "Stormbending", "Secret Sciences", "Stars", and "Offer Your Light" are tremendous. |
| We Are KING We Are KING | 3.5 |
| Sounds like Stevie Wonder has him some worthy successors. Gorgeous, ethereal, heavenly R&B. |
| Twin Shadow Forget | 4.0 |
| Thrice To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere | 3.5 |
| Chance the Rapper Coloring Book | 3.0 |
| Autre Ne Veut Anxiety | 3.5 |
| Radiohead The King of Limbs: From the Basement | 4.0 |
| Radiohead Supercollider/The Butcher | 3.5 |
| Radiohead A Moon Shaped Pool | 3.5 |
| Kacey Musgraves Pageant Material | 3.5 |
| Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer Different Park | 3.5 |
| Devin Townsend Project Contain Us | 4.0 |
| Ki (3) + Addicted (4.5) + Deconstruction (4) + Ghost (4.5) = 4 avg |
| Drake Comeback Season | 3.0 |
| Drake If You're Reading This It's Too Late | 3.0 |
| Drake Views | 2.0 |
| ASAP Ferg Ferg Forever | 2.5 |
| ASAP Ferg Always Strive and Prosper | 1.5 |
| Weezer The White Album | 4.0 |
| Deftones Gore | 3.5 |
| The first six songs have their ups and downs. The last five are some of the best of their career. |
| M83 Junk | 2.5 |
| This gives The Life of Pablo a run for its money as the most obnoxious album of the year, but it's not terrible. There are moments of solid songwriting but the lactose overdose threatens to derail the album. |
| Lucius Good Grief | 2.5 |
| Save for "Born Again Teen" and "Madness", the songs just aren't here, and the production deprives Lucius most of the winning, ebullient personality they showed on Wildewoman. |
| Circle of Dust Circle of Dust (Remastered) | 3.5 |
| Kendrick Lamar untitled unmastered. | 3.5 |
| The Derek Trucks Band Joyful Noise | 3.5 |
| The Derek Trucks Band Roadsongs | 3.5 |
| The Derek Trucks Band Already Free | 4.0 |
| Tedeschi Trucks Band Everybody's Talkin' | 4.0 |
| Tedeschi Trucks Band Revelator | 3.0 |
| Tedeschi Trucks Band Let Me Get By | 3.5 |
| David Bowie Blackstar | 4.5 |
| The 1975 I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It | 3.0 |
| Meshuggah The Ophidian Trek | 4.0 |
| this slaps |
| School of Seven Bells Put Your Sad Down | 3.5 |
| School of Seven Bells SVIIB | 3.5 |
| Kanye West The Life of Pablo | 3.0 |
| A rambling, occasionally inspiring, ultimately disappointing 60-minute ode to self-destructive ambition--a monument of a career in freefall. |
| Lamb of God As the Palaces Burn (10th Anniversary) | 4.0 |
| Lamb of God New American Gospel | 2.5 |
| Lamb of God Resolution | 2.5 |
| Lamb of God Sacrament | 3.0 |
| Lamb of God As the Palaces Burn | 4.0 |
| Lamb of God Wrath | 4.0 |
| Lamb of God Ashes of the Wake | 3.0 |
| Lamb of God VII: Sturm und Drang | 3.5 |
| Linkin Park Hybrid Theory | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Meteora | 2.5 |
| Linkin Park Minutes to Midnight | 2.5 |
| Bea5t Empathy Is a Gift | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park Living Things | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park The Hunting Party | 3.0 |
| Duck Sauce Quack | 4.0 |
| Dead Letter Circus Aesthesis | 2.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Color Before The Sun | 3.0 |
| Rick Ross Hood Billionaire | 2.0 |
| Rick Ross Black Market | 3.5 |
| Coldplay A Head Full of Dreams | 2.5 |
| Devin Townsend Ziltoid Live at the Royal Albert Hall | 4.0 |
| Fightstar Behind the Devil's Back | 4.0 |
Don't believe the 4.5 / 5.0 scores. That's not to say this is a BAD release--hardly the case--but it's not transcendent or
innovative or anything. This is some seriously excellent hard rock / metal-esque music, nothing more, but definitely
worth your time if you dig that sort of thing. |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Miss Machine | 3.5 |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Option Paralysis | 3.5 |
| CHVRCHES Every Open Eye | 3.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria Live at the Starland Ballroom | 3.0 |
| Rick Ross Black Dollar | 3.5 |
| The Dear Hunter Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise | 4.5 |
This is a solid 4.25. Damn half-point rating system.
EDIT: Upped it to a 4.5. There are no weak songs here. |
| Swervedriver I Wasn't Born to Lose You | 3.5 |
| Dr. Dre The Chronic | 3.5 |
| Dr. Dre Compton | 4.0 |
| Miguel Kaleidoscope Dream | 3.5 |
| Miguel Wildheart | 4.0 |
| Owel Owel | 4.0 |
| Owel Every Good Boy | 4.0 |
| Acceptance Phantoms | 4.0 |
| Madeon Adventure | 4.0 |
| This rules hard. Real hard. Like the lovechild of M83 and Passion Pit you never knew you wanted. |
| blink-182 Take Off Your Pants And Jacket | 3.5 |
| blink-182 Neighborhoods | 3.0 |
| blink-182 Enema Of The State | 3.5 |
| blink-182 Blink-182 | 4.0 |
| Sufjan Stevens Carrie and Lowell | 4.0 |
| Zwan Mary Star Of The Sea | 4.0 |
| What a criminally underrated slice of power-pop (and you can't even find it anywhere now...for shame). Sure, the lyrics rcan be pretty duff, but try and deny the impeccable intertwining of guitar and vocal harmonies all over this record. rSublime. |
| The Smashing Pumpkins Monuments to an Elegy | 3.5 |
| Radiohead In Rainbows Disk 2 | 3.0 |
| Radiohead The King of Limbs | 3.0 |
| Mercury Rev Deserter's Songs | 4.0 |
| Death Cab for Cutie Transatlanticism | 4.0 |
| Enter Shikari Rat Race | 4.0 |
| Immortal Sons of Northern Darkness | 3.5 |
| Immortal All Shall Fall | 4.0 |
| Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly | 4.5 |
| Colossal. Overwhelming. Disorienting. Conflicted. Furious. Hopeful. This one's gonna take some time to sink in....and that's a very good thing. |
| Deftones Saturday Night Wrist | 3.5 |
| Deftones Koi No Yokan | 3.5 |
| Father John Misty I Love You, Honeybear | 4.5 |
| Your Old Droog Your Old Droog LP | 4.0 |
| No BS, straight-up quality hip-hop. There's a reason why people initially thought this guy was Nas. |
| Lil Wayne I Am Not a Human Being | 2.0 |
| Enter Shikari The Mindsweep | 4.5 |
| Brilliant. Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant. Their songwriting has never been better, their musicianship never more adventurous, their production never more satisfying. Enter Shikari continues to innovate with their first truly cohesive, fully-formed album. |
| Bent Knee Shiny Eyed Babies | 4.0 |
| This is what progressive rock needs right now. Their arrangements are masterful, their hooks memorable, and Courtney Swain swings for the fences with every vocal melody, only to knock it out of the park with ease. |
| Devin Townsend Project Z2 | 4.0 |
| Sky Blue: 4.5, Dark Matters: 3. An extra quarter-point for the stellar production and performances on both. |
| Hostage Calm Die On Stage | 3.5 |
| August Burns Red Sleddin' Hill | 4.0 |
| Hostage Calm Please Remain Calm | 4.5 |
| Tinashe Aquarius | 3.5 |
| Girls Album | 4.0 |
| U2 Songs of Innocence | 3.5 |
| Uneven, sure, but to call this a weak album would discount some of the best melodies and songcraft U2's offered in years. "California" soars, "The Troubles" haunts, "Iris" entrances, "Raised by Wolves" thrills, and "Song for Someone" will be ubiquitous in no time. |
| Lucius Wildewoman | 4.0 |
What a hell of a start. Expect big things from this Brooklyn quintet. This record is jam-packed with quality
songwriting, gorgeous harmonies and quirky arrangements. The production is a bit much, though--less
reverb and clipping, please. (They sound even better live.) |
| Coldplay A Sky Full of Stars | 3.5 |
| Steven Wilson The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories) | 4.0 |
| Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas | 4.0 |
| King's X Gretchen Goes to Nebraska | 3.5 |
| King's X Dogman | 4.0 |
| King's X Faith, Hope, Love | 3.0 |
| Every Time I Die From Parts Unknown | 4.0 |
| I wish there wasn't a required character minimum because my sound off would consist entirely of "Holy shit." |
| YG My Krazy Life | 3.0 |
| Jenny Lewis The Voyager | 3.5 |
| clipping. CLPPNG | 3.5 |
| Yes Talk | 2.5 |
| Yes The Ladder | 3.5 |
| Yes Fly from Here | 3.0 |
| Yes Drama | 3.0 |
| Yes Heaven and Earth | 2.5 |
| The first four songs are surprisingly good. The next four are unsurprisingly bad. |
| Four Year Strong Enemy of the World | 4.0 |
| This would be a 4.5 if they replaced "Flannel Is the Color of My Energy" with "Cavalier". |
| Four Year Strong Go Down In History | 3.5 |
| Exactly what the doctor ordered. It's like the last album never happened! |
| How to Dress Well What Is This Heart? | 3.5 |
| ISIS Wavering Radiant | 3.0 |
| Mastodon The Hunter | 3.0 |
| Mastodon Blood Mountain | 3.0 |
| Mastodon Leviathan | 3.5 |
| Mastodon Remission | 3.0 |
| Mastodon Crack the Skye | 4.0 |
| Mastodon Once More 'Round the Sun | 4.0 |
| CHVRCHES The Bones of What You Believe | 3.5 |
| Bayside Cult | 3.5 |
| Excellent guitar work. Great vocals. Catchy hooks. If the songwriting was just a bit more diverse this would be better, but it's definitely worth a listen as is. |
| Imogen Heap Speak For Yourself | 4.0 |
| Imogen Heap Ellipse | 3.0 |
| Fucked Up David Comes to Life | 3.0 |
| Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life | 4.0 |
| Fucked Up Glass Boys | 3.0 |
| Casualties of Cool Casualties of Cool | 4.5 |
| ffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkk |
| Coldplay Live 2012 | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Ghost Stories | 4.0 |
| An occasionally redundant release saved by gorgeous production, some really strong songs and Chris Martin's best vocal performance to date. It resembles Parachutes the most, periodically straying into the electronic overtones that colored Mylo Xyloto. "True Love", "Magic" and "Always in My Head" are essential; "Ink" is not. |
| Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life | 5.0 |
| The Hold Steady Teeth Dreams | 3.0 |
A solid release from a band capable of much, much more. "Spinners", "The Only Thing" and "On With the
Business" are the highlights. Also, Craig Finn is the last vocalist on Earth whose voice should be slathered in
reverb and echo effects. "Oaks" did not need to be nine fucking minutes long. |
| Foster the People Torches | 3.0 |
| Starts strong with some great singles but loses steam towards the end. "Warrant" is easily the worst song on here and a poor choice to end the album. |
| Foster the People Supermodel | 4.0 |
This shits on Torches (not to say that Torches was bad, because it's not) and is an extremely exciting step
forward for Foster the People. They sound like a goddamn BAND now. |
| Beyonce 4 | 3.5 |
| Beyonce Beyonce | 3.5 |
| Rick Ross Mastermind | 3.0 |
This would be pretty great if you got rid of "BLK & WHT", "In Vein", "What a Shame", and replaced the offkey
warbling parts of "Mafia Music III" with something less annoying. If only. |
| Devin Townsend Project European Tour | 3.5 |
| Devin Townsend Project By A Thread: Live in London 2011 | 4.0 |
| ScHoolboy Q Oxymoron | 2.0 |
| Devin Townsend Christeen + 4 Demos | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Physicist | 2.5 |
| Strapping Young Lad Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing | 2.5 |
| Strapping Young Lad Strapping Young Lad | 3.0 |
| Godawful production hinders any real enjoyment of this record. Not Devin's strongest songwriting effort, either, but there are some cool tracks here. |
| Strapping Young Lad The New Black | 3.0 |
| Strapping Young Lad City | 4.0 |
| Strapping Young Lad Alien | 4.5 |
I'll probably up this to a 5 at some point. One of the few examples of excessive compression and clipping
actually BENEFITTING the sound of an album. This record has atmosphere, power, instrumental chops,
brutality and shock value up the ass. |
| Devin Townsend Project Epiclouder | 3.5 |
| The Devin Townsend Band Synchestra | 3.5 |
| The Devin Townsend Band Accelerated Evolution | 4.5 |
| Cloudkicker Let Yourself Be Huge | 3.0 |
| Cloudkicker Beacons | 4.0 |
| Periphery Clear | 3.0 |
| Same ol' Periphery, occasionally different songwriters. Read my full take at Pop-Break: http://pop-break.com/2014/01/29/album-review-periphery-clear/ |
| A Day To Remember Common Courtesy | 4.0 |
"Sometimes You're the Hammer, Sometimes You're the Nail" is unquestionably the best song here and perhaps
ADTR's best song to date. Surprisingly enough, the rest of the album delivers as well (apart from some
sequencing issues). Worthy of applause. |
| Haken The Mountain | 4.0 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! Vacation | 4.0 |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan One of Us Is the Killer | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Terria | 4.0 |
| Devin Townsend Infinity | 3.5 |
| Devin Townsend Ocean Machine: Biomech | 4.5 |
| This would be a 5 if it weren't for "The Death of Music" and a few cringeworthy moments of melisma on Dev's part. Highly recommended if you're looking for a melancholic, catchy, and atmospheric take on hard rock and metal. |
| Devin Townsend The Retinal Circus | 3.5 |
| Great performances make up for a weird setlist. This houses the definitive version of "War". |
| My Bloody Valentine Isn't Anything | 3.0 |
| My Bloody Valentine m b v | 4.0 |
| The Wonder Years Won't Be Pathetic Forever | 3.0 |
| The Wonder Years The Upsides | 3.5 |
| The Wonder Years The Greatest Generation | 3.5 |
| Run the Jewels Run the Jewels | 3.5 |
| Disclosure Settle | 4.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Partycrasher | 3.5 |
| ASAP Ferg Trap Lord | 3.5 |
| Guilty pleasure album of the year. Anything less (or more) is a lie. The production is legitimately top notch, though. |
| Arcade Fire Reflektor | 4.0 |
| Great sequencing, great production, great performances all around. The occasionally repetitive songwriting and cringeworthy lyrics don't really matter when the music is this solid throughout. |
| Pusha T My Name Is My Name | 4.0 |
| Drake So Far Gone | 4.0 |
| Drake Take Care | 3.5 |
| The second half of this album is mostly unnecessary. Cut it off after "Lord Knows" and you have a classic. |
| Drake Nothing Was the Same | 2.5 |
| Drake has never released this much mediocrity on one album before. Even Take Care, with its latter half of R&B doldrums, was balanced out by a superb Side A. |
| The 1975 Facedown | 2.5 |
| The 1975 The 1975 | 3.0 |
The 1975's full-length debut boasts some of 2013's strongest singles but ultimately fails as an album. "Heart
Out", "Settle Down" and "She Way Out" are forgettable and redundant in such close proximity to one another,
while "Robbers" piles on the melodrama and "Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You" feels entirely out of
place given the rest of the subject matter here. Worse yet, the mostly superfluous interludes feel misplaced:
"The 1975" would likely fit better with "Settle Down", and "An Encounter" seems destined to play before
"Robbers". Although nothing here is outright BAD, it's pretty disappointing to see a band with such a knack for
great EPs miss the mark in a longer format. |
| The Reign of Kindo Play With Fire | 3.0 |
| The songs range from OK to amazing, but this doesn't really flow well as a whole. In particular, the placement of "Help It" as the second track nearly destroys the momentum of the entire album. |
| Jon Hopkins Insides | 3.0 |
| Jon Hopkins Immunity | 4.0 |
| Kendrick Lamar Section.80 | 4.0 |
| Dead Letter Circus The Catalyst Fire | 3.0 |
| Birds Of Tokyo March Fires | 3.0 |
| Karnivool Asymmetry | 4.0 |
| The sound of a band engaged in a knock-down, drag-out brawl with its lofty ambitions. And how thrilling it is. |
| Justin Timberlake The 20/20 Experience | 3.0 |
| Jay-Z Magna Carta... Holy Grail | 3.0 |
| "Don't be good, my nigga, be great." Seems like Jay should take his own advice. |
| Kanye West Yeezus | 4.5 |
| Just gets better and better on repeat listens. What Kanye lacks in lyricism he more than makes up for in production, aesthetic and ambition. "Black Skinhead" is the track to beat this year. |
| Mumford and Sons Babel | 3.0 |
| The 1975 IV | 3.0 |
| The 1975 Music For Cars | 3.5 |
| The 1975 Sex | 5.0 |
| It's hilariously improbable how such an overhyped band managed to nail it on their second EP, a release that's been unfortunately forgotten over time. I can't recall a band blending R&B, hip-hop, electronic, rock, and punk influences as seamlessly as this EP. Re-recording "Sex" for their first full-length was as insulting as it was unnecessary. |
| Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend | 3.5 |
| Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City | 4.0 |
| Trinidad James Don't Be S.A.F.E. | 2.0 |
| Phoenix (FRA) Bankrupt! | 2.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Migrant | 4.0 |
I feel like this is a grower. Will give it more time.
EDIT: Gave it more time. Yeah, it's a grower. |
| Lil Wayne I Am Not a Human Being II | 1.0 |
| From GOAT to WOAT in just five years time! |
| The Wonder Years Get Stoked on It! | 3.0 |
| Lil Wayne Tha Carter II | 3.5 |
| Lil Wayne Tha Carter IV | 2.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Ghost | 4.5 |
| This album gets better and better year after year. If you're a frustrated Hevy Devy fan who just can't enjoy it, come back in half a decade. |
| Cynic Carbon-Based Anatomy | 3.5 |
| Alien Ant Farm Up in the Attic | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Descension | 3.0 |
| Four great songs. Five underwhelming ones...and yes, I like the back-end better than the front. So sue me. |
| ASAP Rocky LONG.LIVE.A$AP | 3.0 |
I thought "Wild for the Night" would be a train wreck. Man, I was SO wrong. Overall a fun (if unremarkable)
release with some awe-inspiring production as well as a few duds; "Hell" and "Pain" nearly bring the album to
a grinding halt. Luckily we have plenty of enjoyable tracks to make up for those. |
| Of Monsters and Men My Head is an Animal | 3.5 |
| Alice in Chains Alice in Chains | 2.5 |
| Chief Keef Finally Rich | 1.5 |
| The only reason this exists is so Interscope can make money off of tracks like "I Don't Like" and "3Hunna" that were given away for free on mixtapes. This is a tedious listen. |
| Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Afterman: Ascension | 4.0 |
| Their most diverse album, and it even feels fairly effortless after the over-calculated buzzkill that was Year of the Black Rainbow. We're happy to have you back, Claudio and co. |
| Devin Townsend Project Epicloud | 4.0 |
| A real grower. Not the most innovative release in his catalog, but one of the most fun. And god damn..."Angel" is a candidate for song of the year. |
| Devin Townsend Ziltoid the Omniscient | 3.5 |
| Lil B Blue Flame | 3.5 |
| Lil B Illusions of Grandeur | 3.0 |
| Lil B I Forgive You | 2.5 |
| Lil B Black Flame | 2.0 |
| Lil B Choices and Flowers | 1.0 |
| Lil B Task Force | 3.0 |
TASK FORCE, I DUNNO IF I'MMA MAKE IT. I NEED YOUR HELP. TASK FORCE, TAKE MY PINK BANDANA, WRAP IT
AROUND MY HEAD, AND LET ME DIE. LET LIL B MUSIC LIVE FOREVER |
| Dave Matthews Band Away From The World | 3.0 |
| It's an enjoyable listen, but it's really lacking the energy of Big Whiskey. I'm all for Dave writing mellower material, but some of these songs don't really...go anywhere, and when the heavier songs get cooking (like "The Riff"), somehow Carter's drums get buried in the mix. Beauford's playing is the heart of the band, and he's always driven their best material. One would think Lillywhite would understand that...anyhow, "Broken Things", "Drunken Soldier" and "If Only" are the obvious highlights. |
| Rick Ross God Forgives, I Don't | 2.5 |
| Passion Pit Gossamer | 4.0 |
| Lil B Trapped In Basedworld | 1.5 |
| Not-serious rating is, of course, a 5. Ad-lib game on a whole 'nother level here. Mmmmmmmmmmmm damnnnnnn ahhhhhhhhhhh BASED GOD |
| Periphery Periphery II: This Time It's Personal | 4.0 |
| Phenomenal production, catchy melodies and ace performances by everyone in the band (yes, even Spencer). Every song is a winner. Unfortunately, this is a chore to listen to as a full album. It's best digested in smaller chunks. |
| John Mayer Born and Raised | 3.5 |
| John Mayer's learning how to be a decent human being, and in the process, he produces a lovely album. |
| The Dear Hunter The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection) | 4.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Black | 4.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Yellow | 3.5 |
| The Dear Hunter Blue | 4.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Violet | 4.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Green | 4.5 |
| The Dear Hunter Indigo | 4.5 |
| The Dear Hunter White | 4.5 |
| The Dear Hunter Red | 3.0 |
| The Dear Hunter Orange | 3.0 |
| Meshuggah I | 4.5 |
| Meshuggah Destroy Erase Improve | 3.0 |
| Meshuggah obZen | 3.0 |
| Meshuggah Catch Thirtythree | 3.0 |
| Meshuggah Nothing | 4.0 |
| Meshuggah Chaosphere | 3.5 |
| Meshuggah Koloss | 3.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria Neverender | 3.5 |
| The Wonder Years Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing | 4.5 |
| Lil B God's Father | 3.5 |
Give this to all the Based God non-believers. If they can't crack a smile and enjoy at least one of these tracks,
they probably don't like hip-hop.
BRUH YOU LYIN'...no, I'm fo'realla |
| School of Seven Bells Ghostory | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball | 4.5 |
| Nothing about this album should work, at least on paper. But oh god damn it totally does. |
| Punch Brothers Antifogmatic | 3.5 |
| Punch Brothers Who's Feeling Young Now? | 4.5 |
| Sure to be slept on this year. Amazing musicianship, arranging and songwriting. |
| Gucci Mane Trap Back | 3.0 |
| Rick Ross Rich Forever | 3.0 |
| The Streets Cyberspace and Reds | 3.5 |
| What's this? Mike Skinner is...having FUN??! All jokes aside, Cyberspace and Reds is a refreshingly visceral release from an artist who seems tired of his routine. There are some cringeworthy moments, as expected, but this goes hard enough to forgive the slip-ups. |
| Enter Shikari A Flash Flood of Colour | 4.0 |
| Their best album. Surprisingly restrained in moments, while still retaining their spastic sense of humor. |
| Lil B Everything Based | 4.0 |
| SO. MUCH. COOKING. MUSIC. The golden age of Based God is represented here...he's slumped a bit ever since. |
| Dennis Wilson Pacific Ocean Blue | 4.0 |
| Four Year Strong In Some Way, Shape, or Form. | 2.0 |
| Transit Listen and Forgive | 4.0 |
| Coldplay Mylo Xyloto | 4.0 |
| I once said this wasn't as consistent or polished as Viva la Vida. That's true, but it ultimately doesn't matter. The highs are so incredibly soaring, the energy so vibrant, that this is perhaps Coldplay's crowning achievement. An album showcasing every side of the band, culminating in a surprisingly restrained closer. I'm still not sick of it. And if you don't get what the fuss is all about, blast "Charlie Brown" to high heavens in your car. You can thank me later. |
| Thrice Beggars | 3.5 |
| Thrice Major/Minor | 4.0 |
| Set Your Goals Burning At Both Ends | 2.0 |
| What a change in quality. There's no soul to this album, despite what the band may argue. Not digging the songwriting, the production or the lyrics. "Certain" and "Exit Summer" are the standouts, and they'd be lesser songs on Mutiny! or TWBTDOU |
| Sufjan Stevens All Delighted People | 3.5 |
| Birds Of Tokyo Universes | 4.0 |
| Lil B 6 Kiss | 2.5 |
| Lil B Red Flame (Devil Music Edition) | 2.5 |
| Lil B Bitch Mob Respect Da Bitch Vol.1 | 1.5 |
| The swag tracks on this (nearly the entire mixtape) aren't even memorable. Beat selection is disappointing. Most of Lil B's mixtapes sound really fun, while this is just joyless. "Still Cooking" is insane, though. |
| Coldplay LeftRightLeftRightLeft | 3.5 |
| Coldplay Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall | 3.0 |
| Lil B I'm Gay (I'm Happy) | 3.0 |
| Another serious effort from the Based God. The thoughtful subject matter and tasteful production are a welcome reprieve from what's flooding the rap scene as of late. If you aren't taking Brandon McCartney at least somewhat seriously yet, you should probably start here. |
| Tally Hall Good & Evil | 4.5 |
| They're starting to shape into the modern-day Beatles. An album that should have never been dropped by Atlantic. |
| Black Country Communion Black Country | 3.0 |
| Black Country Communion 2 | 3.5 |
| Rick Ross Deeper Than Rap | 3.5 |
| Rick Ross Teflon Don | 4.0 |
| The Smithereens Especially For You | 3.5 |
| The Smithereens 11 | 3.0 |
| The Smithereens Green Thoughts | 3.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Ki | 3.0 |
| Devin Townsend Project Addicted | 4.5 |
| Devin and Anneke are a match made in pop-metal heaven. |
| Devin Townsend Project Deconstruction | 4.0 |
| This album slowly but surely revealed itself to me. Holy crap...pun entirely intended. |
| Dead Letter Circus Next In Line | 3.5 |
| Dead Letter Circus This Is The Warning | 3.5 |
These guys blew me away when I first heard them. Everything is there: catchy hooks, beautiful guitar lines,
groovy bass, rock-solid drumming and soaring vocals. They're a phenomenal band, but this album is
ultimately let down by pacing. Some of the latter tracks are comparatively forgettable, especially when coming
after the assault that is "Here We Divide" all the way through "Cage". All in all, an exciting debut and a great
indicator of what's to come...if Kim doesn't lose his voice from all the touring. |
| Dead Letter Circus Dead Letter Circus | 3.5 |
| "Disconnect and Apply" is stunning. The rest manages to hold up, too. This band has enormous potential. |
| Mumford and Sons Sigh No More | 3.5 |
| Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes | 4.0 |
| Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues | 4.5 |
| Ride Today Forever | 4.5 |
| Ride Carnival of Light | 3.0 |
| Lil B Angels Exodus | 3.0 |
| Swervedriver Ejector Seat Reservation | 3.0 |
| The Streets Everything is Borrowed | 2.5 |
| The Streets Computers And Blues | 1.5 |
| Bruno Mars Doo-Wops & Hooligans | 1.5 |
| Could have been good, but utterly laughable lyricism and lazy songwriting hides Mars' true potential. "Just the Way You Are" is really the only highlight. |
| Enter Shikari Take to the Skies | 3.0 |
| Enter Shikari Common Dreads | 3.5 |
| Bruce Springsteen Born to Run | 5.0 |
| Bruce Springsteen The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle | 4.5 |
| Swervedriver Raise | 3.0 |
| Jay-Z The Blueprint 3 | 1.5 |
| The Hold Steady Heaven Is Whenever | 3.5 |
| Girl Talk Feed the Animals | 4.0 |
| Girl Talk All Day | 3.5 |
| Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | 4.0 |
| J. Cole Friday Night Lights | 4.0 |
| Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz | 3.5 |
| ...and sure enough, seeing him in concert DID change my opinion of this. As an album it's still too long and could have used a bit of editing, but the melodies and ideas here are fantastic. |
| TesseracT Concealing Fate | 3.5 |
| Boston Boston | 4.5 |
| This would be a 5 if not for "Let Me Take You Home Tonight". |
| Cee Lo Green The Lady Killer | 3.5 |
| School of Seven Bells Alpinisms | 4.0 |
| Arcade Fire The Suburbs | 3.5 |
| Arcade Fire Neon Bible | 3.0 |
| Linkin Park A Thousand Suns | 3.5 |
| Slayer World Painted Blood | 3.0 |
| Slayer Reign in Blood | 4.0 |
| Slayer Seasons in the Abyss | 4.0 |
| Free Energy Stuck On Nothing | 3.5 |
| Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot | 4.0 |
| School of Seven Bells Disconnect From Desire | 3.0 |
| Drake Thank Me Later | 3.5 |
So his one-liners are painfully corny and should have been excised. So it has the "808s and Heartbreaks"
vibe. So he uses the same flow too much. So it's not quite as good as "So Far Gone"...so what? The
production is by FAR the best I've heard all year and the songs are mostly growers. "Fancy", "Show me a
Good Time", "Shut it Down", "Find Your Love", "Thank Me Now", "Over", "Light Up" and "Unforgettable" are
straight-up bangers. Give it some time, ignore the hype, and listen with an open mind...at least it's not
"Rebirth". |
| Periphery Periphery | 3.0 |
Spencer oversings like WHOA!
Band's great. Songs are good but repetitive...they've got room to grow. In an ideal world Casey Sabol would still be destroying it in this band, but hopefully Spencer matures with the rest of the guys. |
| Deftones Diamond Eyes | 4.5 |
| Phenomenal pacing, musicianship, and songwriting. Everyone is contributing equally to the incredibly dense sound. None of the songs are weak. The only possible flaw I can pick out is the tendency to repeat choruses a bit much - that gets a tad unnecessary, but when the choruses are this enjoyable it's not much of an issue. 2010's best so far. |
| Coheed and Cambria Year of the Black Rainbow | 2.0 |
Production sucks, songwriting's not as strong as it was, Claudio's redefined "overdoing your vocal takes" - HE'S EVEN PITCHY! WTF?
But somehow, "Here We Are Juggernaut" still lies among the band's best songs. |
| Lostprophets The Betrayed | 3.0 |
| The Hold Steady A Positive Rage | 3.5 |
The B-sides (three of which were on some releases of Stay Positive) make this. "Two Handed Handshake", "Ask Her For Adderall" and "Spectres" are among the band's best songs.
As for the main attraction...it's a great set, but BigHans is right about the production. It makes more sense if you watch a video of the band - Craig Finn usually steps away from the mic to scream lines out to the audience, or forgets to run back to it in time in the middle of a part. |
| Between the Buried and Me The Great Misdirect | 2.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King | 4.0 |
| Alice in Chains Black Gives Way to Blue | 4.0 |
| Lostprophets Liberation Transmission | 2.5 |
| Phoenix (FRA) Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | 4.0 |
| Lostprophets Start Something | 3.5 |
| Lostprophets The Fake Sound Of Progress | 3.0 |
| Clipse Hell Hath No Fury | 4.5 |
| Clipse Til the Casket Drops | 2.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Diver | 4.0 |
| A Wilhelm Scream A Wilhelm Scream | 3.5 |
| Gov't Mule By A Thread | 3.5 |
| Muse The Resistance | 2.5 |
| Set Your Goals This Will Be the Death of Us | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Black Clouds and Silver Linings | 2.5 |
| Swervedriver Mezcal Head | 4.0 |
| Big D and the Kids Table/Drexel Shot by Lammi | 3.5 |
| Big D and the Kids Table How it Goes | 3.0 |
| Big D and the Kids Table The Gipsy Hill LP | 3.5 |
| Big D and the Kids Table Good Luck | 4.0 |
| No Doubt Tragic Kingdom | 3.5 |
| Yes Big Generator | 1.0 |
| Scale the Summit Carving Desert Canyons | 2.5 |
| Saosin Translating the Name | 3.0 |
| Arcade Fire Funeral | 4.5 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! Album Minus Band | 3.5 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! To Leave or Die in Long Island | 4.0 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! Goodbye Cool World! | 2.5 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! Get Warmer | 3.0 |
| Bomb the Music Industry! Scrambles | 3.5 |
| Miles Davis Kind of Blue | 5.0 |
| Into Eternity The Scattering of Ashes | 1.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me | 2.0 |
| Between the Buried and Me Colors_Live | 3.5 |
| The Hold Steady Separation Sunday | 4.5 |
| The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me | 3.5 |
| Coldplay Prospekt's March | 3.5 |
| Coldplay Parachutes | 3.0 |
| Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head | 4.0 |
| Jeff Buckley Grace (Legacy Edition) | 3.0 |
| The Flaming Lips Christmas On Mars | 3.0 |
| The Flaming Lips Transmissions From the Satellite Heart | 3.0 |
| The Flaming Lips Clouds Taste Metallic | 4.0 |
| U2 The Joshua Tree | 4.5 |
| Living Colour Vivid | 4.0 |
| Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet | 3.5 |
| Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back | 4.5 |
| Kanye West 808s and Heartbreak | 2.0 |
| Kanye West Graduation | 3.5 |
| Kanye West Late Registration | 3.5 |
| Jay-Z In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 | 3.0 |
| Jay-Z American Gangster | 4.0 |
| Nas Untitled | 3.0 |
| Nas Illmatic | 4.5 |
| Ride Nowhere | 4.0 |
| Ride Going Blank Again | 4.5 |
| My Bloody Valentine Loveless | 4.5 |
| Cynic Traced in Air | 5.0 |
| Flawless. The metal equivalent of Ernest Hemingway - strip all the excess out and what's left is dazzling musicianship, concise songwriting and incredible arrangements. |
| Four Year Strong Demo | 3.0 |
Go Long Dad is amazing, Not To Toot My Own Horn is amazing, So Hot You Sweat On It is forgettable, Your Song is amazing, and Beatdown is amazing.
The production is sloppy, but it's a demo. I honestly think this is more listenable than Rise or Die Trying. |
| The Hold Steady Stay Positive | 4.0 |
| Paul McCartney Memory Almost Full | 3.0 |
| The Fireman Electric Arguments | 3.5 |
| More inconsistent than Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, but the highs are absolutely stunning. Paul's experiencing a creative comeback like few others. |
| Pelican City of Echoes | 3.0 |
| Pelican The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon... | 3.5 |
| Set Your Goals Mutiny! | 4.0 |
| Excellent. The Reset EP had some awesome material, but it was too short and Sharptooth was filler. Mutiny!, on the other hand, contains no weak tracks and feels like a full album, unlike most punk/punk-influenced CDs these days. |
| Set Your Goals Reset EP | 3.0 |
| First three tracks are great, Sharptooth's filler, and Latch Key's pretty good. Mutiny! is the proper step up from this starting point. |
| Yes Magnification | 2.5 |
| Dream Theater Dark Side of the Moon | 3.0 |
| The band recreates the instrumental compositions amazingly well, and Theresa Thomason outdoes Clare Torry on "Great Gig", but LaBrie just sounds like he's forcing it. |
| Dream Theater Live Scenes From New York | 2.5 |
| King Crimson In the Court of the Crimson King | 3.0 |
| The Mars Volta De-Loused in the Comatorium | 2.5 |
| The Mars Volta Frances the Mute | 2.0 |
| Metallica Kill 'Em All | 2.5 |
| Metallica Ride the Lightning | 3.5 |
| Metallica Master of Puppets | 3.5 |
| Metallica ...And Justice for All | 3.0 |
| Metallica Metallica | 2.0 |
| Metallica St. Anger | 1.0 |
| Metallica Death Magnetic | 3.5 |
| Brian Wilson Smile | 4.5 |
| Brian Wilson That Lucky Old Sun | 3.5 |
| Secret Machines Secret Machines | 2.5 |
| Coldplay X&Y | 3.0 |
| Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | 4.5 |
| Four Year Strong Rise Or Die Trying | 3.0 |
| M83 Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts | 4.0 |
| M83 Before The Dawn Heals Us | 4.0 |
| M83 Saturdays=Youth | 4.0 |
| Secret Machines September 000 | 3.0 |
| Secret Machines Ten Silver Drops | 4.0 |
| Secret Machines Now Here is Nowhere | 3.5 |
| Wolfmother Wolfmother | 2.5 |
| Rush 2112 | 3.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria The Second Stage Turbine Blade | 3.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 | 4.5 |
| Coheed and Cambria From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness | 4.0 |
| Coheed and Cambria No World for Tomorrow | 3.0 |
| He Is Legend I Am Hollywood | 3.0 |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II | 3.5 |
| Thrice The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV | 3.0 |
| The Dillinger Escape Plan Ire Works | 3.0 |
| Between the Buried and Me The Silent Circus | 2.5 |
| Between the Buried and Me Alaska | 3.0 |
| Between the Buried and Me Colors | 3.5 |
| ISIS Oceanic | 4.0 |
| Tally Hall Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum | 3.5 |
| This album could have been perfect if they had spent more time writing songs and cutting some of the more forgettable material, like "Two Wuv" and "Just Apathy". If they get enough time to figure it out, Tally Hall's next album could be this generation's "Sgt. Pepper's", and I'm not kidding when I say that. Just listen to future classics like "Good Day", "Taken for a Ride" and "Spring and a Storm". This band's extremely talented, they just need to learn how to channel that talent into more brilliant songs and less half-baked ideas like "Haiku". |
| A Wilhelm Scream Career Suicide | 5.0 |
| The pacing is perfect, the songs are infinitely listenable and their writing has gotten insanely tight. There are no duds on this album, no low points, and after it's over you'll want to start it from the beginning again. This is a rare album in that each song is individually fun to listen to without further context, but it reveals itself as a masterpiece when listened to as a whole. Can AWS top themselves after an epic "career suicide"? Doubtful, but I'm looking forward to seeing them try. |
| Radiohead Hail to the Thief | 3.5 |
| Radiohead Kid A | 4.0 |
| Radiohead Amnesiac | 3.0 |
| Radiohead OK Computer | 4.5 |
| Radiohead The Bends | 4.0 |
| Radiohead In Rainbows | 4.5 |
| Kanye West The College Dropout | 4.0 |
| Muse Absolution | 4.0 |
| Yes Time and a Word | 3.0 |
| Led Zeppelin How the West Was Won | 4.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV | 4.5 |
| Steve Vai Real Illusions: Reflections | 3.5 |
| Steve Vai Sex and Religion | 2.5 |
| Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here | 5.0 |
| Yes Close to the Edge | 5.0 |
| Yes The Yes Album | 4.5 |
| Yes Fragile | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Octavarium | 2.5 |
| Iron Maiden Piece of Mind | 3.0 |
| Iron Maiden The Number of the Beast | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden Dance of Death | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden Brave New World | 2.5 |
| Iron Maiden Fear of the Dark | 2.0 |
| Iron Maiden No Prayer for the Dying | 2.0 |
| Iron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh Son | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden Somewhere in Time | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden Live After Death | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden Powerslave | 4.0 |
| Iron Maiden Killers | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden Iron Maiden | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Score | 3.5 |
| Iron Maiden A Matter of Life and Death | 2.5 |
| Dream Theater Train of Thought | 1.5 |
| Dream Theater Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Falling into Infinity | 2.5 |
| Dream Theater Awake | 4.0 |
| Dream Theater Images and Words | 4.5 |
| Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet? | 2.0 |
| Children of Bodom Hate Crew Deathroll | 3.0 |
| Children of Bodom Hatebreeder | 3.5 |
| Children of Bodom Follow the Reaper | 2.5 |
| Children of Bodom Something Wild | 2.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Stand Up | 1.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Under The Table And Dreaming | 4.0 |
| Dave Matthews Band Crash | 4.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Before These Crowded Streets | 4.5 |
| Dave Matthews Band Busted Stuff | 3.0 |
| Yes 90125 | 3.0 |
| Yes Tales from Topographic Oceans | 2.0 |
| Keep "The Revealing Science of God (Dance of the Dawn)". Junk the rest. |
| The Beatles Let It Be… Naked | 4.5 |
| The Beatles Abbey Road | 5.0 |
| The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | 3.5 |
| The Beatles Revolver | 3.0 |
| The Flaming Lips At War with the Mystics | 3.0 |
| The Flaming Lips Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots | 3.5 |
| The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin | 5.0 |
| The Flaming Lips Zaireeka | 2.0 |
| Thrice Identity Crisis | 2.0 |
| Thrice The Illusion of Safety | 4.0 |
| Thrice The Artist in the Ambulance | 4.5 |
| Thrice Vheissu | 4.5 |
| Dream Theater Live at Budokan | 1.5 |
| Dream Theater When Dream and Day Unite | 2.5 |
| Yes Relayer | 3.0 |
| Yes Going for the One | 3.5 |
| Sufjan Stevens Illinois | 4.5 |
| The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America | 4.5 |
| John Mayer Heavier Things | 4.0 |
| Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds | 3.0 |
| Talib Kweli Quality | 2.5 |
| The Streets The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living | 2.0 |
| The production's pretty damn great, but he lost what made him a unique and winning artist. No soul, just lots of coke and cringeworthy writing. |
| The Streets A Grand Don't Come For Free | 4.5 |
| The Streets Original Pirate Material | 3.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti | 2.5 |
| Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy | 3.0 |
| Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II | 3.0 |
| Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News | 3.0 |
| Modest Mouse The Moon & Antarctica | 4.0 |
| Modest Mouse The Lonesome Crowded West | 2.5 |
| Modest Mouse This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About | 2.5 |
| Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better | 2.5 |
| Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand | 4.0 |
| Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 3.0 |
| The White Stripes Elephant | 2.5 |
| Muse Black Holes & Revelations | 3.5 |
| Muse Origin of Symmetry | 3.5 |
| Muse Showbiz | 2.5 |
| Dustin Kensrue Please Come Home | 3.0 |
| Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation in the Backyard | 4.0 |
| Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon | 4.5 |
| Pink Floyd Animals | 4.0 |
| Pink Floyd The Wall | 2.5 |
| Daft Punk Discovery | 3.5 |
| Daft Punk Homework | 3.0 |
| ISIS Panopticon | 4.5 |
| ISIS In the Absence of Truth | 3.5 |
| Alien Ant Farm ANThology | 3.0 |
| Alien Ant Farm TruANT | 4.5 |
| Jay-Z The Blueprint | 3.5 |
| Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt | 4.5 |
| Jay-Z The Black Album | 3.5 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Ruiner | 4.5 |
| A Wilhelm Scream Mute Print | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater Systematic Chaos | 2.0 |
| Dream Theater Live at the Marquee | 3.5 |
| Dream Theater A Change of Seasons | 3.5 |
